Intro Log: A Moody Landscape

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for October
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: October 10th-12th
Warnings: New folks, pretty flowers, mood swings

A new day, a new world. Totally normal, right? Maybe not. Welcome to Hadriel!

You awaken on the sandy floor of the colosseum, a cloudy gray sky stretching above you, and around you - flowers. Hey, this isn't so bad, usually new people wake up to monsters! This time, the colosseum is filled with Echo Flowers. Echo Flowers are bioluminescent blue plants that have the ability to repeat the last sound they were exposed to, echoing it for a time before descending into static. These flowers might echo the words you said when you awoke - or they could say something more familiar, something you remember and that they should never have heard.

That's not all, either. Scattered across the ground of the colosseum can be found a variety of mood jewelry straight from the mid-90s. These will come in handy, because as soon as you arrive in Hadriel you may start experiencing extreme moods and mood swings, all thanks to the Door. With your very own yin-yang mood ring, you can learn... absolutely nothing, because it's cheap plastic jewelry that cannot actually tell your mood.

Once you've listened to the flowers and picked up a new accessory or two, feel free to look around. You can explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers October 10th-12th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

inquisitor trevelyan ; ota

[closerift]

the coliseum and beyond

[ "Where we led in war, we will now serve in peace."

A rousing speech before the Council. A long series of meetings with her advisors. A plan to move forward with no sign of Solas, but their sights set on Tevinter.

The Inquisitor returns to Hadriel in a haze. Cecily comes through the Door this time in the formal garb of the Inquisition, dressed in what they'd worn at Halamshiral during the Exalted Council shortly before this trip back to Hadriel. She tumbles to the ground, completely thrown off by the change in scenery, but it isn't too long before she rises again, exhausted.

One of her two sleeves is empty: her left arm is gone.

As such, Cecily withdraws a dagger with her right one, brows coming together in bewilderment, and then... recognition. How could she not know this place, where she's spent nearly three years? ]

... Maker's ass. [ Her heart aches so badly that her eyes begin to sting, but she shakes it off. She had just been reunited - after two long years - with her friends and husband, after all, only to have it stolen away for the third time. Cecily's head swims with a burning indigence at this slight, but also at the knowledge that her mission has been derailed yet again. Time may be paused in Thedas, but she is more driven than ever to return, to find and stop Solas. To, maybe someday, rest.

For now, the Inquisitor steadies herself, glancing with a cold stare at the surrounding Coliseum. There will be beasts, newcomers, familiar faces. That's something, at least. And hadn't they been trying to piece the Door back together when she'd last been here?

The memories return, gradually... ]

[outofthefire]

[it's Laura's first trip to the Colosseum with her bow and arrows to try her luck against the monsters who have surely arrived with the new kids. only to find no monsters to fight, just flowers. flowers which seem to be . . . talking? okay. weird.

she ventures further into the Colosseum, completely suspicious of these stupid flowers. maybe they're like the ones from "Little Shop of Horrors" and will try to eat her if stepped on. so she steps on one. nothing. at least stepping on it shut it up?

she looks around herself, getting her bearings, and that's when Laura sees her standing there in what looks like a fancy military uniform. it's Cecily! she's back!

but, something seems wrong. she takes a closer look and that's when she sees it. or rather, doesn't see it. Cecily's left arm is gone. oh, shit. what happened while she was gone?

so she slings her bow over her shoulder and approaches, making sure that Cecily can see her coming. when she gets to her, she says]

Hey. I'd say "welcome back," but that might not be appropriate.

[closerift]

It isn't appropriate to pull us from our busy schedules to do-... whatever the bloody hell it is we do here, so you're all right saying that.

[ Cecily is bedraggled, but not unhappy to see Laura. She sighs, cracking her neck and looking around. ]

Are there monsters here with us? There always are. [ Good job answering your own question there, Cec. ] In any event, we ought to leave here before we speak, or else something may take us by unpleasant surprise.

[outofthefire]

All right, welcome back to. . . whatever the fuck it is we're doing here.

[a selfish part of Laura is glad to see Cecily back, but she knows that most everyone here was pulled out of having a life somewhere else and that it's not fair for them to be dragged out of it]

No, only these weird talking flowers. [she gestures around herself just in time for one to say "Laura. . . Laura. . . hurting me. hurting me" and she goes white] Y-yeah. Let's get the hell out of here.

[closerift]

Excellent. Thanks. [ And she moves right past the flowers in question, deaf to anything they might say. ] How long've I been gone? A few days, I assume?

[ Isn't that how it normally goes? ]

Don't tell me we've relocated again while I was away.

[outofthefire]

[thank god she is, because she would not want to explain what that flower was saying and why] I think it's been about a week. Woke up one day and you weren't around. I figured you must've been on Guard duty, but then you didn't come back.

[and so Laura had gone to each of the islands to search for her, but she's not going to bring that up]

Nope, we're still on the same shitty little islands. No sign of the Null coming back.

[closerift]

A week. [ Laura, if she's ever "gone on Guard duty" for an entire week, then something is definitely wrong. ] The usual, then. Excellent.

[ It's all very, very excellent. Cecily draws a deep breath, pulse thudding in her temples in a painful, unpleasant way. ]

That's the first bit of good news I've heard so far. [ She'll cling to it for the time being. ] And Cole's still here, as far as you can tell? I know he can be a bit dodgy.

[outofthefire]

[she didn't figure she was, Laura assumed that something must have gone wrong after she didn't return for the day] Yeah. If by excellent you mean same shit, different day.

Yeah, I'm pretty relieved, too. I figured we were toast after those Null showed up underwater. And yeah, he's still here. Kinda hard for me to make conversation with him, but. [she shrugs. and assumes that Cole knows far more about her past than she'd like him to. no one should have to carry around the burdens that Laura has to bear]

[closerift]

I know. [ Cole is difficult to talk to even if you do know him well. ] I'm sure that having you around still was a comfort.

[ Being alone in that house in this other world wouldn't be enjoyable for anyone. ]

Did the Null appear again? [ She may have known it before, but after her disappearance and arrival again, her memories are still swimming. ] What happened?

[fadeling]

[After being without her for a while (how long was it again?), the familiar pain slamming back all at once is overwhelming for a moment before Cole can even bring himself to stand up, let alone make it to the colosseum. He'd just started getting used to being without her--it hurt, but he was getting used to it.

Once he's recovered, though, he grabs Pup and heads in that direction, as quickly as he can manage without leaving the mabari behind. He'll want to see her too. Maybe it will help them both.

Oh. She's changed since he last saw her.]

You're different.

[closerift]

Very astute. [ Hello, Cole. How strange, to be here with Cole, who is a spirit, when she'd just left the side of Cole-who-is-a-human. He'd been getting on with the local... bard, had it been? Someone at the local tavern, anyhow.

Cecily isn't thinking about that for very long. She's quiet, eyes boring holes into Cole as she stares at him. ]

How long have you known about Solas?

[fadeling]

[Oh. That's what happened.]

His hurt was too old for him. It whispered too loud against the darkness. He wouldn't let me in, minds and memories locked tight, teeth like the wolf he was.

[That...answers the question?]

[closerift]

Cole, [ She sighs heavily, shoulders stiffening, then relaxing. Mostly. ] I don't blame you for not saying anything, all right? But, from here on, Solas is the enemy of the Inquisition. It's my responsibility to see him brought to justice and stopped from destroying the world. [ She eyes him almost warily. Unsure. ] Would you help him tear down the Veil, if you had the chance?

[fadeling]

He was my friend. But he wants to hurt people. Spirits don't belong in the same place. The Fade is better for them.

[closerift]

I'm glad you see it that way. [ She isn't sure she thinks Solas saw Cole as his friend, but she isn't about say that. ] But he wasn't my friend, and he's going to hurt a lot of people.

[ To say the least. ]

If he comes here, then I will do everything that I can to contain him. [ No matter her personal cost. ]

[fadeling]

Do you want me to help?

[closerift]

I don't think that I can ask you to do that if you really still think of him in any positive light.

[ Not if there's any chance Solas might influence or manipulate him, either. ]

dabs wildly

[pocketspa]

[As soon as he's sure Lup is safe, and here, and whole, he goes out looking. As much as he doesn't want to admit that he felt her loss, there's a nagging at him that he needs to make sure she's back. He'd burn this place to the ground if Lup wasn't here, but... it's lonelier, without Cecily around. He can't deny the panic that spiked through him when he went to ask her if she'd seen Lup and found no answer, no dial tone. So he's out and about and looking, trying to be as nonchalant as possible as he scans every corner and street for her presence.

Thankfully, there's only so far somebody can go on an island before it starts being obvious, and there's only so much beach to crawl before he hits her. And of course, it's impossible to notice that something's happened. That she went back to some hell, some strife, something he probably can't even imagine.

Obviously, he's going to be super sensitive about it as he approaches.]

Jeez, I go through all that trouble to make you fancy jewelry and you just lose it. If you didn't want it you coulda just said so.

roll for the sickness of the dab

[closerift]

As if I would ever lose the friendship bracelet you two made for me. [ There's a dry chuckle as she produces the item in question from her pocket, holding it up in the air for him to see. ] Just because some bald ass decided my arm had to go doesn't mean I chucked this into the sea.

[ She's. Not bitter or anything. ]

I'm just sorry that all of your work's gone to waste. [ The Inquisitor looks over at him, mouth flattening. She sighs. ] After all that, seems as if the only solution was to magic away my entire fucking arm.

[ What is she without it, though? Not the Inquisitor, surely. Not an archer, definitely. How can she fight How can she matter? ]

... Hope you've been having fun here for us both in the meantime. [ Cecily says, intentionally trying to keep her voice light. ]

its always a nat 20 when its a dab

[pocketspa]

[He walks over, plopping down next to her with little preamble. Sounds like whatever happened sucked more than he initially pictured. Not that he can really come up with a scenario in which getting your arm fucking cut off is good, but there are different ways it could've come about. There could have been an accident. The magic could have been too much. Or... sounds like it could've been a person. A malicious force.

Well, he doesn't appreciate that shit one bit.]

Yeah, well, sounds like you have a dude in mind to place the blame on for that, so I'll reserve my talking to for if he shows up. Point him out to me if you spy him, babe. Taking a whole arm for an issue like that is sloppy work, and I would know.

[He stretches out his legs, trying to think of how he's going to say this, and in a disarming (haha) turn of events, decides to be honest.]

Not really. Lup disappeared same day you did. She's back, but like, y'know. You two coordinated your dates like shit.

[He's doing the same thing she is, the low key brushing of how bad a mental breakdown he had into the corner because it's Over Now so he can just Never Think About It Again.]

So. Y'know. Business as usual in this fucking mess.

[closerift]

[ Cecily releases a long sigh, looking down at her one hand. ]

It was the elf I mentioned. He...orchestrated the magic within that orb for another purpose, but it was stolen, and then I got my hand on it. [ Thus: the anchor. ] He took my arm because the alternative was death. ...Though, for the record, he didn't ask first.

[ Prick. She stretches the muscles that might flex her left hand, feeling the phantom limb still there. ]

He's not exactly going to be thanked for it, if I see him: the bastard is working against our organization now to essentially destroy the world.

[ Who would survive after the Veil was torn down? Who could survive? ]

She did? [ That distracts her, and the Inquisitor glances at him with a more pronounced frown. ] ...Maker, Taako. I'm sorry. The Door, or...whatever it is controlling our movements, must really have it out for you.

[ To lose two people on the same day, not knowing if they would come back? It would be torture. ]

[pocketspa]

[He just shrugs.]

Everything has it out for me. 'Ss not a surprise. Had an entire world trying to vore me for a century, it's whatever. You two weren't the only ones.

[For once though, he really doesn't want to talk about himself. The last week and a half has sucked ass, between the two of them and Nate. He's only lucky they all came back. That he ever gets the chance to see them again.

He looks back at her, scrunching up his mouth.]

But see, that? That's just sloppy. What a fucking amateur, couldn't solve the shit I did in a couple months for fuck all. Shouldn't've been in charge of anything.

[He doesn't know who this guy is, but he's already resolving to make him pay if he ever steps foot in here.]

Actually, what's he in charge of? Like he has to be good at something, right, what's even his purpose? Or does he just like to suck and die and wants to bring the world out with him?

[closerift]

[ She doesn't even want to ask what the implications are of the world trying to vore him. ]

He's a god, more or less. [ And they know from Hadriel that gods are The Worst. ] One looking to restore the magical elven world he remembers from ages ago by getting rid of the one we've got now.

[ Despite all his plans, Solas had been responsible for so much death and destruction. She can't - won't - let that number grow. ]

He hid his identity and joined the Inquisition years ago. He was valuable because he knew more about the anchor than anyone else. [ She looks automatically at the space where her hand would have been before and sets her jaw tight. ] ...Back then, I didn't think to question why he knew so much. I s'pose no one else did, either.

[pocketspa]

[It's kind of a long story.

Taako nods along, listening and trying to visualize this guy she's describing. It's probably fruitless- bad people rarely look bad- but he's mostly imagining this guy looking pretty goddamn snappy. It's always the ones who already have it all that want the world.]

Nah, I mean, it's what's up. You really need the help and then somebody decides to be a dick about it. 'Ss not your fault.

[The last thing she needs right now is to be told she's the worst and didn't figure out her own shit.]

Also, magical elven world? Terrible. I've literally never met an elf from your world and I can promise you that's fucking terrible. Elves on the whole fucking suck.There's a reason that Lup 'n I aren't like other elves and it's because so many of them have their heads so far up their own ass they might as well be a goddamn sphere.

[closerift]

You would get along with another elf I know who isn't keen on elves. Maybe I've mentioned this before.

[ Taako, Lup, and Sera would get along swimmingly, she thinks. Cecily remembers, too, that Sera had been in Hadriel once, a long time ago, and wonders if Taako had been in the city then, too...

It gets more and more difficult to remember, like her memories from Hadriel are grains of sand that slip between her fingers. ]

He's certainly got his head up his ass. If he ever shows it, I'll make it known.

[ She won't let him wreak any of his mysterious and mystical habit upon Hadriel, that's for sure. ...Or in Thedas, but that's a problem for another day, apparently. ]