Into the DANGER ZONE

[faderifting]

WHO: All Rifters + the 7 natives who signed up
WHAT: Searching the ruins of Haven for survivors, an Inquisition crew finds something strange. And demons. It's kind of scary that the demons aren't the strange thing.
WHEN: Third week of Harvestmere, 9:41
WHERE: Haven
NOTES: We've broken rifters and rescuers (or "rescuers") into two groups. This log has an arrival comment for each group--you can start smaller subthreads beneath those rather than try to have an eight- or nine-person log, just incorporate surrounding chaos/fighting--and a third top-level set for the whole group's journey back to Skyhold

You were asleep-- deeply or fitfully, for the last time or just resting your eyes for a moment-- and then you were not. And wherever you were was not, anymore, replaced by nothing but the sensation of falling, tumbling into endless, bottomless nothing. If this were still a dream, you would wake before you hit the ground. You can't die in a dream, they say. In some worlds.

But there's no waking here, just a flare of green-white light and a jarring impact, barely softened by snow that lies a foot deep with an icy crust that cracks beneath the force of your landing. The wind is biting cold, the sun is bright, and you are not alone. Others thud to the ground nearby, as bewildered as you, and others run up who look no less confused for having their feet beneath them.

You are also not as you were: in the palm of your left hand there glows a narrow splinter of light the same sickly green as whatever brought you here. It aches, a bone-deep pain that gnaws even through all the distractions. Like that you're being attacked by monsters, some tall, spindly stick-things with too many eyes, some hunched and hooded with no eyes at all.

Welcome to Thedas!

Comments

[arlathvhen]

Lucan nearly gets in arrow shoved in his eye for his efforts, Beleth just about jumping out of her skin when the mage suddenly appears next to her with no warning. None of the Dalish mages ever did that. Luckily, her skin stays attached to the rest of her, and she manages to reign in enough control that he just gets an arrow pointed at him, but not fired. Once she realizes that this isn't some new demon, she quickly ducks her head apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, ser, I--Well, the demons--" Once she was sure she had stammered and was apologetic enough that the human probably wouldn't get mad, she nodded to him, and pulled a vial from her belt, pulling the cork off with her teeth. An insidious smell came from the vial, which Beleth didn't pay attention to, instead grabbing her arrows, and dripping the liquid onto their heads. She turned to Lucan, putting away all but one of the arrows.

"Alright. Just be careful." And with that, she took a shot, sending an arrow right at one of the terrors.

[shocktroops]

"It'll be fine." Lucan is quick to encourage Beleth with softer words that did not match the bitter expression on his face. The sourness is not due to any anger he might have towards her, but rather the demons that had so suddenly appeared. They were a danger to all and he could hardly blame the hunter for their appearance, but it was their duty to see them defeated.

Reaching back to pull the staff from it's place upon his backside with his right hand while his left snatches the hilt from his belt he begins to concentrate on the moisture in the air around them. Not knowing when or if anyone else from the second group would be able to meet back up with them, Lucan's goals quickly became clear. In the near distance between the outcropping of rubble where Beleth had perched herself and Lucan stood a thick wall of ice erupted from the ground to serve as blockade.

Knowing it would give the hunter the time she would need to nock her arrows, Lucan focused his energy on conjuring his spirit blade into existence before stepping forward to charge the closest enemy in their path.

[arlathvhen]

Well, that was handy. With the extra time afforded by the blockade, Beleth felt comfortable enough to sink to one knee, carefully aiming her arrow. With the added care, and the poison she'd poured on them, the arrows were seeming to do a decent amount of damage. She couldn't fire them rapidly like this, but each one hit, and each one hurt.

And each time, she aimed towards whatever got closest to Lucan. It made her...pretty nervous to have a mage just waltzing out into the thick of the fighting. Dalish mages stayed behind the line of hunters, safe from attacks--if her brother had tried jumping out like that, she'd have had a conniption. But the odd sword that formed in Lucan's hand made her suspect that it wasn't as suicidal for him.

Well, hopefully. She continued letting arrows fly out at the demons, face tense. At least it was more exciting than shoveling snow around.

[shocktroops]

Beleth would soon learn that not all mages were content to cast their spells from range. Since his magical abilities manifested as a child he had always felt like he had little to no control over his powers and while surviving his harrowing had helped to boost his confidence it was not until Lucan begun his training as a Knight-Enchanter did it all feel right.

With a spirit blade of white and blue pure energy solidified in his left hand and his staff in his right he steps forward and the entire world becomes a blur as he advances across the battlefield with the aid of even more magic. Beleth will catch only catch site of air and smoke trailing in his wake before he appears with his blade poised to strike his first target.

The spectral wraith form is cleaved apart with one swing of his magical blade that causes it's ghost like body to break apart in flecks of black-green ash that vanishes back from the rift it came. Before the demon has vanished completely Lucan has already turned with a spell prepared and as soon as his staff is brought forward a blast of cold wind carries the spell forward and connects in a brilliant array of ice and frost that envelops the next wraith until it's frozen in place.

[arlathvhen]

Well, that was downright surprising. A mage using a sword--? Even though it was some weird kind of magic sword. What kind of magic was that, even? She'll ask her First when they get back to Skyhold. But for now, she focuses on the battle, arrows shooting past Lucan and into whatever target looked the most dangerous at the time. Occasionally she'd glance over, both out of curiosity of that odd magic, and to make sure her ally isn't dying.

It's only after the demons seem to be dispersed that Beleth finally moves off her little pile of rubble, cautiously advancing to Lucan.

"Are you alright? I have healing potions, if you need it." Then she turned to look at the motley crew of people-shaped demons that had fallen through the rift. "...Well, I guess we ought to figure out what's going on with them."