INTRO LOG: BLACK CATS & WALKING UNDER LADDERS

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for February.
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: February 10th-13th
Warnings: Fresh meat, creepy moving shadows, terrible luck, the screams of your loved ones.

Welcome to Hadriel, new friends. While waking up on the ground of a broken colosseum may not be the most pleasant arrival, you can at least find comfort in the fact that there's no giant monster immediately attempting to eat you. Plenty of the people already here will tell you that they weren't quite so lucky. But - wait. Is that something moving in the shadows, or is it just your imagination?

Of course it's not just your imagination. That would be way too easy. No, arriving along with everyone this time are wraiths, vengeful spirits that enjoy darkness, shadows, and misery. On the plus side, they won't try to kill you. On the minus side, their touch chills you and saps your energy, as well as inflicting a temporary curse of awful luck. Anything that can go wrong, will, including (and especially) things that might kill you. Wraiths are subtle and sneaky, so be sure to watch your back. That shadow isn't just a shadow.

Compounding the confusion the wraiths can cause, you just might wake up to the sound of chattering voices - only to be quite alone. A small flock of jabberjays has come through the Door as well. These genetically engineered birds are capable of mimicking entire human voices and conversations - as well as screams of terror and pain. Initially only in the arena and bringing only conversations from their world, they'll soon settle throughout the city and begin to learn the voices of those living in Hadriel. Your best friend screaming bloody murder just a street over? It could be them, or it could just be one of these lovely birds. Don't let it stress you out.

Once you've escaped the colosseum, hopefully without accidentally impaling yourself on your own weapon, feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers February 10th-13th.
► Feel free to make your own logs, as well!
► All characters now arrive with phones that have network communication.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[fictionalised]

[ Hawke appears to take it well, or at least not-terribly. Little change happens to his expression, except for a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth when she says, "I won't say it," directly after saying it. When she finishes, he squints, eyes scanning her face in appraisal. Her story is detailed. By all appearances, she's genuine in her belief. That, or she has a promising career ahead of her in show business. ]

I'd like to run into someone on the street who isn't crazy. Just once. Twice, if it isn't asking too much.

[ The statement is directed towards himself, not her. It's almost as if her presence has been forgotten until Hawke finishes rolling his eyes and fixes them back on her.

He believes that she believes it. If she were attempting to fool him to further an agenda, she'd have told a less convoluted story. Lack of an underlying motive doesn't make her sane, however; it only makes the situation more pathetic. The sincere belief almost warrants a pat on the head, like a sad puppy. ]

[closerift]

It's asking too much. [ She knows from experience, just as he does. Crazy is everywhere, as unavoidable as danger, particularly in this place. ]

Ah, well. I can hardly expect you to believe a stranger's word on something so absurd. [ The accidental rhyme has her lip twitch unhappily. ] But, should you want the company of others from Thedas, crazy or otherwise, there are a number of us here. [ Something occurs to her and her eyebrows raise before adding: ] ... Including the former Knight-Commander Cullen, who I think you do know.

[ They must have met by that year, right? The timelines have her head pounding distantly and she wants nothing more than to just drop it, but that's rarely a viable option in her work as Inquisitor. Unfortunately. ]

[fictionalised]

[ ...Okay, that rhyme was good, he'll admit, but he's still disconcerted. And mentions of Cullen always make Hawke smile, of course, because Cullen's presence always means there's something going down that Hawke will have to get involved in, and it just becomes this whole thing. Flatly: ] My favorite templar. How did you know.

[ Hawke takes a moment to stare, narrowing his eyes for a moment as he looks at Cecily appraisingly. ]

Well! Crazy has never dissuaded me before. All of my closest friends are crazy. [ Hey, she's still more sane than Anders. Which isn't saying much. ] As long as you don't intend to skin me and wear me as a coat. That's a bit of a turn-off.

[closerift]

Just a guess. [ She's heard the stories of his interactions with Cullen, but she doesn't talk with the commander much about it. His time in Kirkwall and before have left invisible scars that she knows better than to trace over. ]

Better crazy than a lot of other things. [ Her first thought, somehow, is Samson, who'd been perfectly sane in a lot of ways and whose reasoning for his actions had been eerily coherent. ] And, lucky for you, I only go after a very specific personage for my skin-coats, so you can take me at my word that yours is safe.

[ the herald of andraste, everyone ]

Is there anything else you'd like to ask, after that very normal and friendly bit?

[fictionalised]

Yes, actually, what's so wrong with my skin that it isn't good enough for your coat?

[ There are questions Hawke would like to ask, just not ones specific to her. Like why everything he gets involved in inevitably turns to garbage — that's a good one. Things he'd like to ask Cecily in particular are few and far between if they exist at all, though, since she does happen to be a possibly-mentally-unstable stranger he met only today. That she asks at all suggests she might have some interesting facts knocking around in her brain, however, and Hawke is never averse to making things interesting. ]

If you have anything you think I should hear, go ahead. Just make it entertaining.

[closerift]

That is classified information. Inquisition business.

[ Is the joke going too far?? The Maker only knows.

And the Maker says yes. ]

Entertaining? Well, that'll take a bit of spinning the story, because not a single, blighted thing about this place is funny in any way.

[ Such a cheerful, upbeat person, the Inquisitor. ]

Did I mention Varric's written an entire book about you and your time in Kirkwall?