open: something grabs ahold of me tightly

[faderifting]

WHO: Inquisition Forces
WHAT: Inquisition forces cross the mountains into Orlais to deal with Emprise du Lion
WHEN: Wintermarch 25 onward
WHERE: EMPRISE DU LION
NOTES: This is a mingle-style log for the Inquisition camps, local tavern, and general/open Inquisition work, etc.

This time they hike down to the west, but the trip through the mountains is no easier. The snow is heaped up about the road where wagons have pushed it aside, stomped into slippery pack beneath the feet and hooves that have gone before. Of the main track it is ankle deep at best and in places it drifts, waist-deep on a tall man and enough to bury a dwarf who hasn't come prepared with snowshoes. Everywhere the wind howls, biting cold, and the sky hangs low, a pale flat grey that makes it difficult to judge distances. Those who know winter weather call it a snow sky, and near-daily squalls prove them right.

They set up camp in Sahrnia, across the broad expanse of frozen river that has trapped the villagers here upstream. Tents pop up in rows and in the shells of tumbled-down buildings, fires blazing and thawing the ground to mud. When the supply wagons roll in they re-open the local tavern, brightly lit with flaking paint on the walls that might once have been colorful and patterned tiles on the floor that seems to swim like an optical illusion after too many glasses of the cheap red wine that fills the cellars.

Even deadlier reds hold the hills: Red Templar sightings have been frequent and it is said they are operating in several locations in the region in significant force. Some of these men and women have become hulking, crystalline beasts. Many others are in the earlier stages of corruption: red-veined and -eyed, aggressive and superhumanly strong, but still visibly human and coherent if spoken to. Red lyrium is even easier to find, jutting out of the ground or cliffsides, filling caves-- the Tower of Bone, a fortress that has stood for centuries, now threatens to split from the inside out. The area's wildlife was none too friendly before, but now the wolves and bears have begun to be corrupted by the lyrium and many will attack on sight, without provocation. (The snofleurs that bumble harmlessly around the river seem unaffected.)

Everywhere there are ruins: broken bridges, crumbling colosseums, and the great hulking mass of Suledin's Keep tucked between the distant hills. Scouts reported that Red Templars hold it as well.

RIFTER ARRIVAL - SAHRNIA - THE HILLS - TOWER CAMP - A HANDY MAP

Comments

[wontforgetyou]

"Aye, and you'd be focused on getting them better, I'd imagine."

That part of things makes sense, as does going slow - something which gets a momentarily grateful look from him when it's mentioned. He knows he's not the easiest person to work with, given how impatient he tends to get sometimes. The fact that Detlef is willing to take that extra time is something he appreciates more than he lets on. The other part, where he can't quite meet Jamie's eyes? As far as he's concerned, likely that 's because Detlef'd not had much of a chance to get to to know the soldiers that had been lost either, and he doesn't worry any more about it.

He also does vaguely remember some talk about that information they'd received, too, and that gets him to set the list down on the table between them and turn it so the names are easy enough for both of them to see.

"Don't suppose you happen to remember the name, do you? If so, we could start with him or her, maybe. I know it'll not help all that much, but I think if was a family member knowing they've done something that helped save other people would mean something to me."

[justice_is_blond]

"Her, and I'd think it would be a comfort, yes." Hard to say when he doesn't know much about family personally, but it makes sense someone would find help in that. And..."

He leans over, looking at the list, skimming a finger down the names. Ter, tyr... There.

"Taryn," he reads out. "We were able to pre-empt bandits from getting a group of refugees, thanks to what she found." Anders pulls the first sheet of parchment from the pile and dips his pen in the ink. "Spell out her family name for me?"

All of them likely passed away helping, but their deaths will aid another member of the Inquisition too. It doesn't make up for the loss, but it does make it a little better.

"And somewhere above her name was the name of Ascelin Brecht. You'll have time as I write to find his name and, if you can, read the details of how he passed."

[wontforgetyou]

"Ah, alright."

It's not too difficult to go back to the place on the list where Anders had paused, even if his finger is no longer there to mark that part of the page. What takes him longer to do is to find Taryn's name, but now that he's heard it, he's able to find where it's been written out - and luckily, her family name isn't so hard to read, once he gets to that part of thing.

"It's, let's see...A...L...L...A...W...A...Y. Taryn Allaway."

He wonders what she'd been like. Brave, surely, and committed to the Inquisition, willing to give her life to help them and the refugees. Knowing she had is a small comfort, at least, and he takes a breath and turns back to the list. He has no idea how to spell Ascelin, which makes trying to find it the information by the first name a bit tricky. The last name, on the other hand, is a little easier, and his brow knits together as he starts reading further up on the list.

But then, quite suddenly, his expression clears, a finger going out to tap at the paper as he mouths the name to himself in order to confirm he's in the right place. Once he's able to do that, he begins to read out loud, slowly and a bit haltingly.

"Asc...Ascelin Brecht. Right. Came in from the outskirts of the camp at the start of the attack. Worked to get people away and under cover from the dragon, taken when saving one of the new recruits from the ice that the dragons breathe. Pushed her out of the way, looks like."

[justice_is_blond]

"Allaway," he quietly echoes as he begins to write. Jamie has plenty of time, because Anders knows the names of the refugee children saved due to Taryn's efforts and those get included as well. There's no true relief from losing someone. But knowing that they were lost doing something instead of for worthless reasons is a small comfort and he'll give what he can.

Jamie gets a glance when he finds the name, before Anders turns his attention back to the paper and writes at about the same speed, nodding when Jamie's finished talking.

"Well done. Especially with his name. The start of it can be tricky. Let's try something..." Anders leans over as he looks through it, finding another complicated word. "Take your time, don't feel rushed or pressured, but when you find the name of the soldier who died while manning a trebuchet, read her name out. I'm going to make the letter to Brecht's family more, and we've plenty of time to get through these."

He does turn his attention back to writing, listening and waiting, letting Jamie think over the word and skim for the look of the letters.