hadriel_logs | Event Log: Prisoner Exchange

Who: The characters accompanying Fear: Nick Valentine, Isaac Foster, Charles Yvry, Mariane Cousland, Ivar Ragnarsson, Ignis Scientia, Steak, DiMA, Peter Parker, Fingon, Keith, Noctis Lucis Caelum
What: The closed event log for the prisoner exchange
Where: At Fear's temple and in Null space
When: February 24th
Warnings: None

Yesterday, all those who volunteered to go on the exchange received a message asking them to gather at Fear's temple today. Upon arrival, Fear is there in human form, and tells everyone that it is time to take Delight to the Null. He gives everyone time to prepare themselves in whatever way they need to, whether that means getting a weapon, preparing defenses, or talking their friends into letting them go.

Then he disappears, retrieves Delight - also in human form - from her prison, and reappears. The teleportation to Null space is nearly instantaneous. One moment, the group is in Fear's temple, the next they're surrounded by cool metal walls. The exchange point is indoors, with no windows to show what might be outside. Everything is sleek and clean and mechanical - they are in what appears to be a long, wide hallway with a door at the other end. It's possible this room was constructed just for this exchange, in order to keep from revealing anything to the Null's enemies.

Once the group has arrived, Delight voices her objections.

"This is a trap. They're not going to trade Tranquility back - why would they? We need to break him out."

Arguing as persuasively as she can, Delight proposes a swift attack the moment the Null appear. Her hope is that they can free Tranquility and escape with minimal damage to those who attack. She's fiercely committed to this course of action.

There are a few minutes before the Null are supposed to arrive, long enough to argue about this. Maybe you think she's right - or maybe you just want to kick some Null ass. Or maybe you think that's too dangerous, and she's wrong anyway. She's the one who betrayed everyone to begin with, she deserves to be given to her allies, even if she's changed her mind now.

So argue it out. Discuss. Throw words and maybe a few punches. But before the issue can be settled, the door at the end of the hallway opens. It's the Null, arriving before the designated time, and Delight isn't going to give them time to enact any plans of their own. They do have Tranquility with them, at least - trapped in something like a glass box, in his misty glowcloud form. There are also a lot of Null along on this exchange. It's hard to count them, given their changeable forms, but there are at least fifteen.

Delight attacks the moment she sees them. She strikes directly at Tranquility's cage with all her power, shattering it before the Null even realize she's attacking. Which is good, because Null reaction time is incredibly quick, and a moment after Tranquility is freed they attack in turn. Half of the group launches itself at Fear and the Hadrielites with him, while the other half attack Delight.

Fear, always one to put safety above bravery, makes the decision to get the hell out of there before they can all get murdered. He transports the whole group back, including the newly free Tranquility, and tries to bring Delight as well - but in the moment of transport, she is hit by a Null weapon, her essence shredded. Fear only transports some of her, the force of it scattering bits of Delight essence across the city when they return.

Feel free to use this log for pre-departure threads, Delight argument threads, and even post-return threads (though the gamewide event log is good for those, too!). If you need a comment/reaction/interjection from Delight, Fear, or even Tranquility (post-return), PM or PP one of the mods with a link to your thread!

► This log covers February 24th
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► While the portion of the log in Null space is closed to other characters, the portion set before departure is not, and characters not on the mission can tag in if they have plans to.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[she follows his gaze. from this vantage point, Delight looks like an earnest and frightened woman. but there's determination there, too, and conviction. but Loghain Mac Tir had conviction and looked determined as well. she tries to push the memory of that man out of her mind, she fears it will cloud her judgement and blind her to what could very easily be the truth. and there is no time for that]

May I ask what conclusions you've already drawn? [a pause] And your point is taken. Were she still aligned with the Null, she likely would have let us go in blind and be slaughtered.

If the Null got a hold of any of us, they'd do the same thing to us as they did to the old hosts. We're the gods' hosts now, so it's the only logical next step for them.

[Going into this and getting super murdered by the Null is a bad enough possibility, but the idea that captured survivors might be put through the same tortures as the old hosts is legitimately terrifying.

Maaaan he can't let himself think about that right now. get your head in the game, Peter.]

I'm not sure what they could do with a living god, but I can only assume that it would be bad news for everyone. So... no matter what, we all have to come back from this.

And what was done to the previous hosts sounded. . . unpleasant. I doubt we'd survive it. Not for long. [dryly] And with this exchange, we've delivered them a wonderful selection to choose from.

[she would like to think that after the slaughter of her family and the year of the Blight, she'd be able to withstand anything, but these Null are unlike any life form she's ever encountered and they seem to have about as much mercy as the darkspawn. in other words: none at all]

Perhaps use it? I've heard that the original plan for the gods was to use them as an energy source. Not a fate I'd want for anyone, even [she closes her eyes briefly] even a traitor. [her face turns resolved] We must all return together. Even Delight.

[Unpleasant is putting it super lightly, but Peter nods in agreement. Yeaaah they probably wouldn't all survive what the old hosts went through. He might just because of his wacky spider powers, but after everything he saw? Death would honestly be a more preferable fate.]

I think we have a good chance of pulling this off. We just have to get out heads in the right place.

[she was--attempting to be politic. and genteel. but there is nothing of either aspect in what they currently face. her manners and demeanor were drilled into her since childhood and she never let them slip in the year of the Blight. she'd not allow them to slip here. even facing death closer than she ever had since she faced the Archdemon]

I would certainly hope so. What--what would you suggest as getting one's head in the right place?

[He's silent for a second while he takes a look at the group-

silent for a few seconds

for maybe an uncomfortable amount of seconds

then he looks at her again, his expression one of complete uncertainty.]

I have no idea. This is kind of above my pay grade.

[her expression appears serene while on the inside, her thoughts are in turmoil. she knows Peter, she knows Ivar, she knows Scott, but as far as she knows none of them have faced the Null, either.

it's difficult to feel secure going into a situation with completely unknown enemies and a traitor who apparently. . . switched back to their side? for what reason? if she knew that, she would feel far better.

it's not necessarily easy to slip back into the role of The Warden, the leader, the force of hope and inspiration, but. she tries?]

Fear would not have brought us if he thought us incapable of facing the Null and prevailing. We'll be fine.

[Hey man sometimes all it takes is a little positivity. Peter seems to relax a little, giving her a nod.]

Yeah, yeah, you're probably right. As long as everyone can stay focused, we'll be fine.

[it's an emotion she's good at inspiring, but not so good at feeling. but she smiles back at him all the same]

Of course. And Fear seems to have assembled an impressive array of fighters. The Null may know what some of them can do, but [a little note of conspiracy] they know nothing of us.

[Fake it til you make it, right? Some kind of wise man probably said that once.]

Yeah, that's fair. I'm not planning on going easy on them.

[such would be the story of her life during the year of the Blight. she was still grieving the loss of her family and in far over her head, but there was none left who could lead and so she did]

Nor I. These Null will not know what hit them.

[Like a badass. Why are all of peter's lady friends bigger badasses than he is]

Let's give 'em Hell in there. But, y'know, carefully. I don't wanna lose anyone in the process.

[she wouldn't necessarily call herself that. in truth, she hated how she came to be known as simply The Warden, as though that was all there was to her.

she nods] We will need to watch one another's backs in there. Which will not be easy as we've not necessarily seen each other fight. We'll not know one another's weak points and how best to cover them.

Don't you worry about me, I don't have any weaknesses.

...That's a joke, by the way. I'm pretty sure a laser could take me out just as easily as it could anyone else. But I'll watch you back, for sure.

Indeed? [said in a tone of dry humor]

And I will watch yours. I have a great deal of experience in fighting large numbers of combatants with a small group of allies. [but she frowns slightly] But what is a laser?

[I mean he could just straight up quote wikipedia and be all "a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation" but then he'd have to launch into an impromptu science lesson and ain't nobody got time for that. So super simplified explanation it is.]

Something they might shoot us with. Think of it as like... like a beam of light that can burn right through you.

[Maker's breath, that would confuse her entirely. her home barely has learned about gunpowder, it's still wholly possessed by one group of people, the Qunari. and they kill any who try to steal its secrets]

That sounds like magic, but it's [she stumbles over the word] technology?

Event Log: Prisoner Exchange

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