faderift | Into the DANGER ZONE

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Into the DANGER ZONE

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nothing was right about this place. While on the surface, it looked like any other of the Red Dragon's conquests--hopeless, abandoned, burnt to a crisp--the smells were all wrong. They assaulted Ariadne's brain, foreign and suffocating. Following the battle, Airy pulled back, making herself look small and insignificant, like she'd been trained to do. She needed to scout the area, she needed to gather her bearings and figure out where Valeria was. She needed to get home.

But something funny happened.

Airy looked down at her hands. It was no unusual act. Her left hand had been throbbing since she landed. She needed to access the damage. Splinters weren't all that uncommon for someone who liked to doze in trees. But for the first time, she noticed that her skin wasn't the cool, mint green that she was used to seeing. Her hands were a sort of pleasant pink. The fleshtone that some Humans and Elves sported back home. Her gray eyes traveled up the lines of her arms, turning to either shoulder. None of it was right. Her pheromones were meant to trick other people's eyes, not her own. But as far as she could tell, she looked completely...her fingertips grazed against the tips of her ears...Human.

"How...?" The word just barely escaped. And like her nickname, it was a soft, airy sound that traveled in no particular direction.

((OOC: Small permissions meme for people to fill out, just to be on the safe side with Ariadne's assumptions.))

Ariadne's appearance didn't provoke any particular response from Korrin, who saw basically another human. Granted, a human who exited a rift with a splinter, but still, a human. She scans the area, but turns her gaze back in time to notice the woman feeling her ears for some reason. Potential frostbite?

"What is it? Are you getting cold?" Haven is smack in the middle of the Frostbacks, so that's not an uncommon issue. And as wary as she is of the newcomers, there's no point in having them succumb to the elements before they get to Skyhold. "If you need warmer attire, I'm sure our agents have something available."

Gray eyes, suddenly alert and attentive, snapped up--way, way up. Airy had never seen--or smelled--anyone like that before. But she wasn't well-traveled enough to make any sort of claims to being a comprehensive expert of all the demons that existed in the realm. And at least this one seemed friendly. Or, well, sentient. Which was always a good start.

"Yes," she lied, voice ephemeral and, well, airy. It wasn't entirely a lie, really. She was beginning to cool as the adrenaline of the fall and the fight wore off. "I, um..." She glanced around, eyes taking in the snow and the slush. Somehow, they hadn't fully registered, their scents too common. "...who turned off the summer?"

It had been deep summer in Valeria.

That remark earns her a raised eyebrow, as she gestures for an agent to bring a cloak. With all the supplies she helped uncover, they better have enough to spare. "No one did. Not that summer means much in the Frostbacks, but it's autumn. Winter isn't that far away, though before you ask, no it doesn't seem all that much different from what you're seeing now, not at this elevation.

So you were in the Fade since...wait, that makes no sense. The Breach wasn't that long ago."

Gratefully, Airy accepted the cloak, draping it over her shoulders. She was a small, delicately-built creature, so she was practically drowning it it. Still, warmth was warmth. And she never really had much of a sense for fashion, anyway. Her wardrobe was always the same, tunics and leggings. The only real aesthetic touch was a copper bracelet, coiled around her upper left arm.

"Autumn," she repeated. It was a word she understood, even if she'd never encountered one kingdom being in one season, while another kingdom was in a different one.

What really perplexed her was the rest of it. "Frostbacks?" What was that?

Korrin's just as confused by her confusion, but gestures to the area around them both. "This mountain range is known as the Frostback mountains, dividing Orlais and Ferelden. Skyhold -where we're headed- is further along it, and though the route isn't the most hospitable, our scouts will make sure we get there in one piece." And she's pretty certain of finding her way back, given that she had been on the initial trip from Haven...but that's not something she wants to dwell on, right now.

"Does absolutely none of that sound familiar to you, at all?"

Frowning thoughtfully, Ariadne racked her brain. She'd spent days at a time pouring over maps of the realm, walking her fingers along unfamiliar caravan routes and rivers, memorizing the names of faraway places.

And none of what the demon was telling her sounded even remotely familiar.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry.

She turned to look up at the mountains. Another question popped into her head. "What are the scouts looking for, exactly?"

"Enemy forces, hostile wildlife, more rifts, signs of impending avalanches, any other dangers that we might encounter on the way there. The closer we get, the easier it'll be, though. We have a huge encampment just outside Skyhold. Let those Venatori and Red Templar assholes try to get us this time." That last bit is a bitter aside, muttered to herself than the woman beside her.

"Can I ask, then, what happened just before you arrived? How did you end up stepping out of a rift?"

Ariadne perked slightly at the familiarity of it all. She was an accomplished scout herself and immediately wanted to volunteer to help.

Except, well, the question brought back her puzzlement.

It seemed to be her default for the moment.

"I'm not sure what you mean by a 'rift,'" she said. "I certainly wasn't stepping through one, or anything else, before I was here. I was sleeping." She paused. "Is this a dream? It doesn't feel like one, but I'm not really much of an expert at dreams, so I suppose it could be a kind I've never had before."

"If it is, I've been stuck in a dream ever since the Conclave." Korrin shakes her head, her smile wry. That's when everything took a turn for the bizarre and horrifying, in equal measure. She also belatedly realizes that perhaps she shouldn't have laid out all the potential dangers to a newly arrived and confused individual, but that her companion doesn't recoil from all that affords her some respect.

"A rift was that green thing you stepped out of, a tear between the physical world and the Fade. It's a realm of demons, among other things, so that's why we had to fight off so many at first. They're drawn to the rifts, unfortunately." Her brow furrows. "Sleeping? Well...the Fade is also where people go when they dream, but I've never heard of someone dreaming their way across from it. I hate to say it, but I think you're as awake as the rest of us."

"A realm of demons?"

It put her on edge, a little, that the woman was referring to demons as if they were...well...someone else. In Valeria, anyone with more than one head, two arms, and two legs was considered a demon. Ariadne included. And although she'd sacrificed her wings for a Human life, she was still Alastrian.

At least, she thought she was.

Again, she looked down at her pale, pinkish skin. And wondered.

"Is that where you're from? This rift?"

"Me?" The thought produces an amused snort, and she quickly shakes her head. It's almost on her mind to joke about how some humans tend to react to her almost as if she was one, but that's shut aside in favor of explanations.

"Not at all. I'm no demon, but a qunari. Vashoth, if you really want to get specific. If I'm from anywhere, it's in the Free Marches to the north. Plenty of folk in the Inquisition are from that region, if not Orlais or Ferelden. You won't see many of my kind this far south, though. Humans and elves make up the bulk of this group, and that's not changing anytime soon, if ever."

"You're not a demon?"

She almost sounded a little disappointed. It wasn't often, these days, she got to have friendly conversations with other demons. The Red Dragon had swept through most of their lands. And much to Lysia's chagrin, a lot of them had joined his crusade.

But, well, that didn't matter.

...or did it?

"Is the Inquisition a part of the Red Dragon's army?"

"The...Red Dragon? Sorry, never heard of it. And I've been all over Thedas." Korrin's used to knowing a great deal about the continent she's traveled most of her life, but that name doesn't ring a bell. At this point, though, she's not expecting to recognize it.

"The Inquisition is its own separate organization, not tied to the Chantry or neighboring states. It's mission is to restore order in a very chaotic time, as well as investigate those responsible for it--specifically, the Breach I was talking about."

Before she elaborates about that, though, her eyebrows arch. "I think that's the first time someone's ever been disappointed in not meeting a demon. Would you really prefer one of those creatures that came across with you instead?" Because that's all demons are to her, not having been exposed to anything else.

"What?" Airy's eyes widened to saucers and she quickly shook her head. "Oh, no. No, nothing like that."

Most people seemed to hold the belief that all demons were the same, regardless of what kind. And Ariadne wasn't about to start arguing about that philosophy. Not when she was dangerously out of her element and vulnerable.

Because anyone who hadn't heard of the Red Dragon was...imaginary. He was everywhere.

Which meant that she was nowhere. Which made no sense at all.

"I'm very pleased to meet you..." And she stumbled, not knowing the other woman's name.

That reaction makes Korrin chuckle, despite everything. If these rift-walking people are trying to get her to lower her guard, it's probably working. At least a little, she's not about to relax completely just yet.

"I'm Korrin Ataash, mercenary mage of the Valo-Kas company and now the Inquisition. Sorry, I guess I should that started with that. And I was just kidding, so relax. No one here is going to send you to those things, though I imagine the higher-ups will want to question you."

Ariadne dipped into a curtsy that somehow managed to be elegant, in spite of the amount of fabric that parachuted around her. She didn't know a lot about the intricacies of courtier life, but she knew how to fake her way through it, at least a little bit.

She'd never really stayed around any court long enough to have to delve.

"Pleased to meet you," she said. "I like your name. It's pretty."

Which was absolutely genuine on her part. She had no reason to lie.

"My name is Ariadne. And I'm sorry if I've done something wrong," she continued. "But I certainly didn't mean to."

This is probably the first time in her life someone's actually curtseyed to Korrin, so she doesn't know how to take that or the compliment at first. But she nods politely, if a bit awkwardly. "Ah...thank you, and likewise. No, you didn't do anything wrong. As far as I can tell, that's true ever since you arrived."

If Ariadne had caused any trouble, most likely she would be in chains by now. But no one has warranted that, and she can only hope that remains true. This day has been headache enough. "I wouldn't worry, by the way. People won't know what to make of this, true, but the Inquisition's leaders are decent people. I doubt they'd do anything rash or unkind without good reason."

Her eyes stray to the sliver she's seen all rift-folk carry, wary but also concerned. "Does it hurt?"

She glanced down at her hand, again struck by how strangely pink it was. All except for that glowing shard of...

Well, she didn't really know. She'd never done much studying of magic, beyond learning the basics and how to avoid them.

"Yes," she admitted, nodding slightly. "I don't need a healer or anything." Nor did she want one. "But it does hurt. Can you tell me what it is, exactly?"

"Not exactly, but...." Korrin sighs, wondering how to explain. Hopefully, she's getting this right.

"It looks a bit like the glowing mark the Herald of Andraste had, after she had also stepped out of the Fade. Hers was more pronounced, though. I...heard when she first had it, that it was growing out of control, but a mage and interacting with the Breach fixed that. Let someone know if that changes, alright? Or if that pain persists. We don't know if it will be just like the Herald's mark, but after everything that's happened around here recently, it doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"The Herald of Andraste." There were so many new words to learn. Ariadne loved language and was very good at picking up new ones quickly--a trait of being Alastrian. But this wasn't just a new language. It was a new history. And that was far more complicated.

She eyed the glowing shard in her hand again, wondering if she could just pull it out with her talons. Perhaps it was something to try.

...away from prying eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't know who that is..."

"At this point, I'd be shocked if you did. No offense." But if nothing else Korrin said is recognizable, the Herald certainly isn't going to be either.

"There was a war very recently, between Templars and mages. The Conclave was a gathering to see if it could be ended peacefully. It might have worked, who knows? But an explosion not only destroyed the temple where it was held and killed hundreds, but created a massive tear in the sky, that was the Breach. The Herald, a human woman, was that explosion's only survivor, emerging from all that horror with the mark I told you about. She...died finally sealing the Breach, a few weeks ago."

Her lips form a thin line as she looks away. It just wasn't right. To do all that she had done, to give much-needed hope to so many, and lose her life in the process. It still hurt thinking about it, for all that she hadn't interacted with the Herald directly.

Ariadne listened, paying rapt attention and using the body language that she'd been taught to prove that she was interested. But then, no masquerade was really required. She was interested.

And a bit confused.

Humans apparently were different here, that was for sure. They didn't have mage, nor the power necessary to seal a breach, based on what it sounded like.

But they were a wholly impressive species. Adaptable, determined, exciting, and altogether remarkable. So it pleased her that the great hero of this place was one.

"Well, I don't know why I'd be marked like her," Ariadne replied. "But I'll take it as an honor."

Korrin manages a weak smile at that, pleased but still undeniably worried. How could she not be, after what she revealed? She isn't sure she has it in herself to watch another meet the Herald's fate.

"I won't lie; it's probably going to be as much burden as honor. The kind of power the Herald wielded with hers came at a hefty price, in the end. I don't know what will come of yours, but I'd bet anything that it will prove to have power of its own. Hers could seal the rifts, like the one you entered through. Maybe you'll be able to do the same...and I can't deny we'll need that. There Herald sealed many rifts, but many still remain, spewing those things you saw."

Her momentary joy dissolved a little bit. It wasn't so much that she was worried for herself. She was sure her Alastrian nature would cope with whatever came her way. But she sensed the sadness and the worry in Korrin's tone.

And Ariadne took to empathy like a fish took to water.

Or, perhaps more appropriately, like a bird took to the sky.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out," she said. "Mistakes happen sometimes. It'll be okay."

Ariadne | OTA

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