faderift | We come from the land of the ice and snow

WHO: Open to all
WHAT: Thedas' strange new guests are delivered to Skyhold
WHEN: 25 Harvestmere (October)
WHERE: Skyhold main gate & courtyard
NOTES: This is Part I of a two-part intro event, Part II will be posted tomorrow.

A long uphill tromp through the snowy mountains ends at Skyhold, the distant fortress finally before them in all its tumble-down glory. There is time to admire the drop into the river gorge far below as they cross the only bridge into the castle; it is briefly backed up with traffic, several carts bearing supplies and visitors stalled as the portcullis is raised. Those coming to help catalog and unload the shipment and greet the guests, or otherwise present near the front courtyard, will find themselves witness to a far more interesting arrival.

Guards at the gate carry the word quickly, and more gather, though they make no move to imprison the strange people who fell out of a rift. They just line the perimeter and keep a close watch. Perhaps this adds a level of tension to this first encounter, but it also reassures the many who are unsettled by the uncertain turn of events and keeps in check those who might attack first and ask questions later. Others will no doubt soften the Inquisition's first impression, offering food, information, and other assistance.

Medical attention is available in the tented-encircled corner of the courtyard where the wounded from Haven are still treated. The quartermaster's assistant is called upon to provide spare odds and ends of clothing to those in need, and to issue blankets for all, though they are left to fend for themselves to find places to sleep.

Any mage willing to help is called in to do so and a cluster forms in one side of the courtyard to examine the rifters. They are objects of curiosity in general, but the marks on their hands are of particular interest, resembling smaller slivers of the Herald's famous mark. Despite their best efforts, no mage will be able to provide any real insight after this initial assessment. What the rifters and their marks are is a question they cannot answer today.

But one question is answered: in the midst of all the commotion, another Inquisition agent arrives from Haven, rushing in red-faced to announce that the Herald's body has finally been found.

OOC

It will be decided (partly for OOC reasons, admittedly) that the rifters will not be imprisoned at this point, but they will be watched carefully, and the guards are on alert for any strange behavior by people with glowing hands or strange attire. And of course, their freedom can be revoked at any time if they're deemed a danger. Though there are some OOC considerations at play here, you're welcome to ICly lobby for more or less freedom for the rifters, and things may change based on IC action/consensus.

Also: Part II, aka the log for the funeral/wake/etc. event, will go up tomorrow!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"One of the most common plants you'll find here. It's always helpful to keep some on you." She points out of the tent where there's a small patch growing across the courtyard, her eyes still flitting over him a little nervously.

"Is it true that you really came through the Fade?"

He nods, just a little, leaning over to one side for a few seconds - long enough to see the plant she's pointing at. It'll take some studying before he'll be able to properly identify it, but knowing where the patch is will help a lot with that...later on.

Right now, he can still see Eirlys watching him out of the corner of his eye, and he straightens back up, giving her a small nod. She still looks a little bit uncertain about something - him, possibly - so he adds in another small smile, still trying his best to seem as non-threatening as possible.

"Aye, so I've been told. It's, ah, not anything that exists in my world -- at least as far as I know about. But I've no other idea how I could've gotten here, otherwise."

"Aside from you, the only thing that's passed through there are demons." She wanted to believe that the new arrivals were here to help, but she wouldn't have any way of recognising if a demon them in its sway.

"So do you think I'm a demon, then?" he asks, the expression on his face a slightly rueful one. It's not exactly be the first time that he's been accused of being something he isn't, but being thought of as a demon is new - and a new he's not sure he cares for.

He doesn't blame her for that, though. Arriving in the way they have is bound to raise questions - and suspicions as well. It's something he's trying to figure out how to fix, but he's still not entirely sure how to manage it.

"I'm not, although I've no idea how to convince anyone that I'm not other than to say so. I'm just as human as...well, any of the other humans around here. Would it help if I gave my name, maybe?"

"I don't know," Eirlys admits. "I don't want to think that. After all, the Herald stepped out of the Fade. They say she had a mark just like that." She nods toward the hand that he's concealed from her view. "So maybe now we've lost her, the Maker sent you to save us from the demons instead." Though it didn't make any sense to her why He'd send people from entirely different worlds. But then, none of this made sense to Eirlys.

"A name would be a good start. Mine's Eirlys."

"Mine's Jamie."

His eyes follow her glance, and when he sees where it's rested, he finally lets that hand slip back out into view, turning the palm not towards her but towards himself as he looks down at the mark. His mouth twitches a little bit off to one side as he studies it. While he's not sure about the Maker part of things either, there must be some reason for it having turned up there. He's just not sure what that is. After a moment, he glances up at her again.

"Although I don't know if I'm meant to be saving you from demons or not. Is that what this Herald of yours did, then?"

"They say she could close the holes in the sky, where the demons are coming out from the Fade." Eirlys didn't know much more about it than that, just the anecdotes that she's heard third hand since arriving at Skyhold. "That mark on her hand could let her do it."

"Aye, I've heard about that first part - the one where she could close the rifts," he says thoughtfully. If the two are tied together, he can see where the Herald could've managed to do both, but there's a part of him that's still not entirely certain if his mark and her mark are related, and he reaches up to scratch at the back of his head.

"Suppose that could stop the demons, come to think about it, but so far no-one seems to know if we'll be able to do that too. I'm afraid that all I know about it is that I'd not had it before I came here, and that it ached some when I first fell through." A rueful smile crosses his face. "Don't think that helps matters much, though. I'm just hoping I'm not frightening people here too much with it."

"People are always frightened of what they don't understand." Her tone is knowing, sorrowful; no one understands the fear and suspicion that comes with being an elf in Thedas. "But the Inquisition has people researching the Breach. Hopefully that will alleviate the fear somewhat."

"Ah, but I'd say not everyone's frightened all the time. If that was the case, I'd be afraid myself now." He looks down at the shard in his hand, and gives his head a shake. "Can't say as I understand this thing at all, to tell you the truth."

That's been the case more than once for him, especially for the past few years, and he can't say that he's been frightened. Most of the time, anyway. Then again, his life has been considerably different than many other people, and maybe for the average person, it's not as easy as it seems to be for him.

"Suppose there's enough people who still are, even so. Especially here, but..." As he lifts his hand again, he gives her a thoughtful look. "Somehow I'm getting the notion you might know about that more than I do. Or am I wrong there?"

We come from the land of the ice and snow

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