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!

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In some ways, things were more or less exactly what Jamie'd gotten used to. Winding up in a strange place and finding himself in the middle of some sort or trouble or other wasn't anything new - although usually he didn't wind up falling out of the sky into it. The mark on his hand was new, too, and while he could handle fighting demons, he wasn't sure what that meant at all. All he could figure out was that it was there, and it ached a bit, and rubbing the palm of his hand wasn't doing much for that at all. All it seemed to be doing was getting the attention of the very very tall lassie with the horns - or maybe he was the one that was getting the attention, he wasn't sure.

All he really knew was that she was looking his way, and while she was clearly alien to him, at least she wasn't trying to kill him outright, like some of the other aliens he'd run across. His expression was a little cautious as he looked back at her, but when he spoke wasn't an unfriendly one, just uncertain. Maybe that wasn't a surprise, all things considered. He honestly didn't know.

"Er...can I help you with something?"

Such a polite person, whatever their bizarre entrance into the physical world. Korrin can't help but smile at that, even as her eyes stray to his palm, curious about the smaller echo of the late Herald's own mark. How could she not be? Though her tone is as much concerned as curious. She remembers how unstable said mark was at first, and so monitoring it seems the wiser course. Not that she wants to unsettle an already frazzled person, but some things just have to be asked.

"Does that hurt at all? Do you notice it changing?"

Edited 2015-10-22 17:53 (UTC)

The smile is somewhat unexpected, especially given the some of the looks he's noticed from the others, but it's not unwelcome. Nobody seems to know what to make of the other people who've arrived with him or what to do apart from herd them all in the general direction of some place he's never heard of, so anything that's even a little bit positive is better than nothing. It even gets the corner of his mouth to turn up briefly in a small smile of his own before he shakes his head.

"Hurt? No, I'd not say that." He's been hurt far worse before, and gotten through it just fine, so a slightly aching hand isn't anything to be worried about, as far as he's concerned. That other part, however...that sends a small twinge of unease through him, and try as he might, he can't quite keep it from showing on his face.

"How do ye mean, changing? Is it supposed to change?"

Korrin sighs, both in relief at his answer and thinking back to the original owner of a similar mark. "I...don't know. Not in this exact case. There was someone who emerged from the Fade before you lot, who carried a similar mark. It flared up, growing until the Breach was stabilized. Said Breach -a tear in the sky, far larger than that rift- is sealed now, so I think it should be stable. But you should still get that looked at when we get back to Skyhold. I'm a mage, but I'm no expert on that particular thing."

"Oh. I see."

As far as he's concerned, that's promising. While he isn't sure he cares much for the idea of a tear in the sky larger than one they've just dealt with, given how many demons had tumbled out of a small one, the fact that it's been sealed is a good sign. Focused on that, it doesn't occur to him that she might be referring to that person in the past tense - and he winds up jumping to a conclusion based less on that and more on everything else she's mentioned.

"Is that person back at this Skyhold place, then? Should be easy enough to ask them when we get there, if that's the case."

At that, Korrin's face falls and she looks away. Her voice is steady, she didn't know the Herald personally, but it's the tired calm of someone who's seen way too much. "She's dead. Sealing the Breach killed her. And that was the start of a long night and why we're not at Haven anymore. All that happened a few weeks ago, but plenty are still feeling it. Not that I'd expect you to have known, just for future reference."

All right, so that part is is rather less promising, and there's a flicker of dismay that he can't quite mask for a moment when he hears that. However, he's seen that sort of tired calm before, that sort of almost-numbness that comes with having to deal with a lot of terrible things in a very short time, and there's understanding on his face as well, and a sort of acceptance that comes from his own life, where finding that someone has died is a sad thing, but also more or less inevitable. He's seen that more often than he cares to remember.

"Was...was Haven the place we were at? That town that'd been destroyed?"

Korrin nods, steeling herself to relay the bare facts of that last night in Haven. "Right. Haven was where the Inquisition was started, not because it was defensible -it sure as hell wasn't- but because there was no choice. The asshole who broke the sky and killed so many doing so came after us there that same night. Between his archdemon-dragon thing and other forces we were overrun. The avalanche was a last-ditch effort to take them with us. If Chancellor Roderick hadn't guided people through a previously-unknown path, none of us would have survived."

Given the state of the wreckage back at the town, it's not hard to see where the place might not have been the best to set up in the first place, but if they'd had no choice, they'd had no choice. That was something familiar enough that he could understand it. An archdemon-dragon, on the other hand, he'd never heard of before, and his eyes went more than a little wide when she mentioned that part of things.

"Wait, whoever broke the sky was powerful enough not only to summon those demon things, but a dragon one of them? And the avalanche...aye, no wonder the town's gone. Did trying to take them out with it work?"

Her chuckle is more weariness than amusement, and she's fantasized that it ended that way more than once. Victory at Haven, despite not being able to save the Herald. Wouldn't that be nice.

"If only. The archdemon was seen flying away with something, probably grabbed that drawkspawn magister bastard before he could be buried. Where they are now, I have no idea. But his forces are still out there, and if he was truly gone, they'd have scattered. No, he's not done with us. However, Skyhold's a lot more defensible than Haven could ever be. You'll see for yourself soon enough."

"In hiding, I'd imagine, if that's the case. Keeping a low profile, and letting people think he's not a threat any more. In the meantime, he rebuilds his army and makes new plans for...well, whatever it is he's planning."

He's seen that sort of thing before, and his lips press together briefly as he eyes flick back towards the town they'd left behind.

"If there's still forces of his around, though, I'd be inclined to agree with you. You said that this Inquisition started at Haven because there'd been no choice, though. Did you not know about this Skyhold place, then?"

Korrin immediately shakes her head. "Not at all. If we had, I'm having a difficult time imagining why we didn't move there before that crisis. Even the higher-ups didn't know; it was an apostate elf mage who mentioned it.

Granted, after changing hands so much and then being abandoned for Maker knows how long, it's not in the best of shape. The walls will hold, but we've spent the past few weeks just clearing rubble and making the area functional, let alone presentable. It's not the best situation for good morale, though the tavern helps."

"Aye, well, taverns usually do help, as far as those sorts of things go."

Still, he can see how it would help more than usual, in this case. While he can't say as he's cleared out a lot of mountain fortresses in his time, it's not hard to figure there's a lot of work to be done, and having a place to go to unwind would likely be welcome. It does make him wonder, however, if the fact things are like that at the moment could be something the new people could do to help ease some of the tension that's bound to come along with their arrival.

"What do you think the odds are they'll let the lot of us that fell through help, anyway? With the rebuilding, that is. Not sure how much they'll let us help otherwise, but it seems to me you could use a few extra hands if it's in that bad of a shape."

There's a pleasantly surprised glance to her companion at that, as Korrin couldn't deny they were in need of as many hands as they could get. "I think the odds are very good, actually. The Inquisition cares less about where people came from and more about how they can contribute. Granted, where you came from in this instance is a bit more complicated, but I still believe they'll err on the side of practicality when all is said and done. We can scarce afford anything else, these days."

"Complicated is one word for it."

To say the least. Thinking about how he'd gotten here was enough to give him a headache, and everything else on top of that...well, maybe thinking wasn't the best plan there at the moment.

"As long as folk are being practical, though, seems to me that however we got here, we're stuck now. Unless someone can figure out a way to send us back, mind. Until that happens, though, I'd rather be doing something more than just standing around and waiting for people to decide what to do with us."

Korrin nods, very much approving of that mindset. "A practical approach. I'll be honest, we barely understand the rifts as they are now, let alone what to do about them spewing out people instead of demons. I'm not saying we'll never find means to return you, but I wouldn't hope for it anytime soon. That isn't to say it could never come to pass, though. Thedas' history is all about strange things people never thought could happen."

Seriously, have fun with the library when they get to Skyhold.

"Aye, I was afraid of that."

Somehow it's not surprising that there's not a lot of understanding when it comes to the rifts. Having a whole bunch of people coming tumbling out of them isn't likely helping much there, and he's really not expecting there to be answers any time soon, even if he reads every book in the library in Skyhold.

Whether or not he'll go that far depends. He's not much of a reader.

"Take it the people being spewed out of the rifts is new, though. That can't make it any easier, and it's not like I've got any answers either. All I can tell you is my name and where I was before this, and that second part I'm thinking would be more confusing than anything else." He pauses for a moment, then smiles briefly. "My name's Jamie, though, if that helps any."

"It helps, as something more to address you than 'hey, you'." Korrin smiles, somewhat sheepishly upon realizing she'd gone this long without introductions. "I'm Korrin Ataash, mercenary mage of the Valo-Kas company, and now the Inquisition. Just 'Korrin' will do fine, though. There's not much need for formality, not here."

Well, not for her. Those who deal in diplomacy would beg to differ, but Korrin's not a part of that world. "And it might confuse me, but if you're ever feeling homesick, I'll do my best to listen anyway."

"Aye. Thank you, Korrin. I'll keep it in mind."

He would, too, but right now there was enough going on that he wasn't feeling particularly homesick. Later on, if it turned out he was well and truly stuck here, then maybe that might kick in. For now, he was far more curious about where he'd wound up and the people this place, and he wound up giving Korrin a rather thoughtful sort of look, one that took in both her height and the horns on top of her head. He'd seen aliens as tall as she was before, but not any that looked exactly like her, and the curiosity about that was starting to get the better of him.

"Er, in the meantime, though, would you mind if I asked you a question? It's a bit personal, so if you'd not want to answer that sort of thing, just say so."

Korrin's seen that look before, so she can guess what's coming. It doesn't bother her, though. She'd rather have people asking questions about her race than making erroneous assumptions or avoiding her because of it. So, she nods, not appearing bothered in any way. If she became offended every time someone asked about race, there'd never be time for anything else.

"Go ahead and ask. If its too personal, I'll tell you, but I don't mind some curiosity. Odds are, you aren't going to ask me anything I haven't heard already, by now."

Edited 2015-11-04 19:45 (UTC)

That was reasonable - more than reasonable, actually, and while he wasn't intending on asking anything incredibly personal, it did help to know that she'd let him know if something like that did come up. Enough so that he flashed her a quick smile of thanks before going with what he'd decided to ask.

"Fair enough. What are your people called, anyway? In general, that is. I've a feeling I'll need to get this all straight sooner rather than later."

That makes her smile as she shakes her head, wishing she could give a straightforward answer. Trust her people to make things difficult.

"That's more complicated than you'd think. People tend to call us all qunari, though that's only true for those who actually follow the Qun. That's a whole other headache, by the way, so forgive me if I don't elaborate for the moment. Those who leave the Qun are called Tal-Vashoth. I am a Vashoth, one who has never lived under it...and, Maker willing, never will."

"Think finding about things around here'll be complicated enough as it is, so no worries there."

If this Qun thing was a headache, then it was likely one that could wait a bit. There was enough here to try and figure out as it was without adding that into the mix. It occurred to him that he should probably try and figure out a bit more - and while he knew some of it would come in time, it couldn't hurt to ask while he had the chance, either.

"Ah, although if you'd not mind filling me in a bit about some of the less complicated things, I'd appreciate it. That is, if you want to. I might be able to guess at some of them, like that Maker you'd just mentioned, but if I'm going to be helping here it might not hurt to at least know some of the people and places around here, if nothing else. And, well...I'd not mind the break from walking and staring at the snow, to tell you the truth."

"I think we're due for a break anyway, the scouts are heading off to inspect the rest of the way so we know what to expect. Hopefully, it's little changed from the way over, but this is the Frostbacks; it's always better to be certain. I'll give you something to start at other than snow, too."

Picking up a stray branch, Korrin pauses near a set of boulders where they can sit, but first traces out the general outline of Thedas. A mini-map, since she doesn't currently have a continent-wide one for him to peruse.

"The entire continent is Thedas and here we are in the south. This area here is the kingdom of Ferelden, where Haven is located. Skyhold -where we're going- is on the border between that and the Empire of Orlais. Orlais used to control Ferelden, so relations between them aren't that cozy. Across here is where I'm from, the Free Marches. They're all governed differently and aren't unified unless there's a common threat. Most of us in the Inquisition are from those three places, though you'll hear plenty about Tevinter up north, which no one likes because unlike the south, the mages are the ones in charge...and they allow slavery and all sorts of other crap. That said, those from Tevinter that are part of the Inquisition are decent folk."

Mini-map or no, it's still more information than he's had before, and he watches with interest as she starts tracing the outlines of the continent. Enough interest, in fact, that it takes him a few seconds before he turns back to check the position of the boulder behind him and actually sit down.

The next little while is spent listening to her explanations, trying to soak up as much information as possible. There's some questions on his end, naturally, but mostly they're ones meant to help him learn more about what's she's already explained.

By the time they're ready to move on again, he's feeling a little more - not settled, exactly, but a little more like he's not floundering here quite so much. It's a start, and he's grateful for it. The rest...well, that'll come with time.

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Into the DANGER ZONE

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