fadewalk | RP: Open

Something was wrong with the air.

Alistair had never finished his Templar training but the ever-present awareness of magic energies wasn't something you could simply douse or put away. Cousland had insisted he continue to practice his skills, had even asked to learn some of the simpler tricks, and as always, Alistair found himself thanking the man for his foresight.

The air here had a metallic taste, a pungent tang and a heavy weight to it, as if a thunderstorm was about to break. It had been that way for almost an hour, ever since Alistair had awoken in a bed not his own, in a small room over looking a garden courtyard. The tall stone walls of the castle were not familiar....and neither was the roiling, ugly sky or the seemingly floating chunks of mountain he could see in the distance.

It reminded him of nothing but the Fade - the awful experience in the Kinloch Hold with the Sloth demon. But Alistair was very much awake...as a stubbed toe and loud swearing had proven. Whatever had apparently happened while he had been asleep, it was nothing good.

"...I'm not going to get that paperwork done any time soon, am I?" Alistair sighed, and leaned against the railing wall, staring mournfully down into the garden.

"Maker's balls."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That Skyhold was just like she recalled her own Skyhold.
And for a place in the Fade, everything was surprisingly demon-free.

There were lights in the Tavern and a strange looking vessel in the courtyard she decided to check later. She was almost done with the main building, only the dignitaries' wing with the guest rooms to look.

Swiftly walking from shadow to shadow, a swearing voice caught her attention and she followed it; her hand found the hilt of her side-dagger and she unsheathed the blade without a sound, pushing the door open slowly, without giving up her position. There was a man by the window, a disturbingly familiar man. Alistair-- actually, King Alistair.

The only question left if he was a demon or the real deal.

"Well, that is not what I expected to find here."

Edited Date: 2015-08-17 06:47 pm (UTC)

Alistair jumped, reaching for a shield and sword that weren't there, and fell into a warrior's stance that looked somewhat silly without them. He stared at Leliana for a moment, suspicious and confused.

"Leliana? How in....where are..." Alistair growled, frustrated. He straightened up, settling into the parade rest he used when dealing with particularly aggravating situations in court.

"I don't suppose you know what is going on here, Sister Nightingale?"

"I'm afraid what I know about this isn't much more than you do, my liege."

Her usual sassy smile blossomed, velvet voice with a hint of sarcasm when saying 'my liege'. She sheathed her dagger, standing by the doorway.

"We are in the Fade, that is for sure. But I don't know why, or how. It seems to be other people wandering Skyhold as we speak, but I haven't made contact with them so far."

Alistair's stiff posture loosened just a bit, and he smiled back at Leliana, just a little. "I suppose I deserved that. Call me by my name, Leliana - there aren't any courtiers or diplomats to be scandalized here."

He nodded as he listened to her explanation. "I thought we might be. The hairs on the back of my neck are all standing on end, as if Morrigan was about to call down the lightning." He stopped and looked around, suspicious. 'She's not here, is she? As much as I'm glad to see you, Leliana, I don't think this is a good time or place for a grand reunion."

His voice did carry a bit wistfulness, despite his words. Damn, but he missed Cousland and the others.

Edited Date: 2015-08-17 07:35 pm (UTC)

"No courtiers or diplomats? Maker, this must be really hard on you, Alistair."

Her smile widened a bit as she moved on with her speech. "Fortunately of unfortunately, Morrigan is not here. Though someone with her unique set of skills and knowledge could be really useful here. I thought the Inquisitor or maybe one of her allies would be here too but... well, there are other mages here, if their staffs are to be trusted, perhaps they can help."

Leliana missed Alistair and the wistfulness on his voice didn't go unnoticed, but she was capable of concealing her feelings far better than the King; she also missed Cousland and their old friends.

"How will I ever survive, without the ambassadors bothering me with every inane detail? With out my servants to remind me to sit up, don't slurp, wear pants..." Alistair tone was sarcastic and self-deprecating. "It's not as if I was raised in barn, after all. And I certainly didn't tromp around the whole of Fereldan like a common solider."

Alistair leaned back against the stone wall, and sighed. "Sorry. It's been a rough two weeks getting out to the Frostbacks, and now I find that my visit to Skyhold has been sidetracked by an adventure into the Fade." He looked up at Leliana, curiosity on his face. "You said there are others here? I haven't seen anyone yet..."

"Maker, look at you. You are delighted by this sidetrack." she giggled "Don't forget it isn't like you tromp around Ferelden with an apostate, a qunari warrior and the man sent to kill you."

She approached the window, gazing the garden for a while.

"Yes, there are others here. Heard some of their voices and saw a few hints of people camping around. Lights and chatter are coming from the Herald's Rest too." the woman finally turned to face Alistair "Who would ever imagine this is how you'd meet Skyhold?"

"I'm not certain if this is better or worse than meeting the Herald of Andraste after she vanquished a time-traveling magister. Hopefully, I can make less of an ass of myself this time." Alistair groaned, and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Not my best moment, I will admit."

He looked over at Leliana, nodded towards the rest of the castle. "Well? Care to give me a tour, oh grand Spymistress of the Inquisition?"

"If I do show you Skyhold, I'll have to kill you."

Leliana stared him for a while, serious, then smiled again.

"Follow me. We should also think on how to proceed with the other Fadewrecked folks" and she glanced back at the man "Perhaps a quick stop at the armory. I'm not expecting combat, but under these circumstances I think is for the best if you can protect yourself properly."

Alistair stared at Leliana for a moment, and then broke out in loud laughter. He grinned at her, the first open, happy smile so far, and shook his head. "You're joking. Damn, but I've missed you."

He was quick to follow in her footsteps, tension and awareness once again in his posture. He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I'd rather have something at hand in case of demons or spirits or whatever else we're likely to find in the Fade-forsaken place. The others may be just as confused as I am about all this but confusion does not mean not dangerous. Just look at Oghren, after all."

"I am told Oghren turned out just fine with the Wardens, in the end." she sighed "For what is worth now, since the Wardens are facing a hard time." her musical tone masked her concerns about Cousland and his fellow Wardens, from Vigil' Keep. She wish she had more information on him now, but he knew her methods and this made him pretty good at avoiding her agents.

Her feathery steps barely echoed through the hallways and corridors and soon enough they were crossing the Great Hall. She halted, noticing the burnt door leading to the rotunda, which could indicate a battle. Another thing to look into later. She motioned to the stairs leading to the courtyard.

"That's right, I did hear something about that. Did he ever make up with that dwarven girl from The Spoiled Princess? I know Cousland tried to help out but..." The memory of the warrior trying to make Oghren look noble and dashing was both hilarious and horrifying.

Alastair stared in unconcealed awe as they traverse the castle, obviously impressed. He whistled loudly when they got to the main hall. "Where in the world were they hiding this place? A fortification this large should have been marked on at least one of the maps of Fereldan....or Orlais, I suppose."

He raised an eyebrow at The steep, rail-less steps, but made it down with no difficulty. He paused at the bottom, and held out a hand to Leliana, a good-natured, joking smile on his lips. "Milady...."

"Thank you, sir." she smiled and accepted his hand, holding the hem of her coat as if it was a frilly, fancy and delicate ballgown, climbing down the last steps with grace. "If I am correct, he and Felsi didn't stay together, but it seems like he kept contact with this child. Named after Cousland, I should point out."

Her blue eyes gazed the dark sky and the battlemens with a hint of longing.

"Skyhold served many masters and many purposes, but we never found any information about this place in the Orlesian or Fereldan archives. Solas, our Fade Expert, salvaged some information from the Fade itself but it's hard to determine its accuracy or the time when such things occurred."

"Better than being named Warden, I suppose. I bet Cousland choked on his wine when he found out." Alastair smiled at Leliana playing along with him, and then gently dropped her hand so that they could proceed across the courtyard towards what looked like it might be the armory.

"So Fade-forsaken is an accurate description then, not just an irritated swear." Alistair's gaze swept the courtyard, alert for movement, and he opened the door for Leliana, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Edited Date: 2015-08-17 10:14 pm (UTC)

"I don't think Felsi would allow her son to be named 'Warden', anyway."

Leliana entered the armory and gesture with her hand, showing the weapon and armor stands "Please, help yourself. I'm sure you'll find the Inquisition's equipment more than suitable, though it is not fancy as a King would probably require." and with it, she went to check on longbows for herself; she was good with daggers and melee weapons, but she was even better with bows and arrows.

Alistair looked around the armory. It was...surprisingly empty, lacking in many of the basics for a force supposedly the size of the Inquisition. He cleared hIs throat awkwardly. "Not to sound picky, Leliana...but where is everything? It looks al though someone else got here first."

He did eventually find a set of leather-backed lamellar that fit his broad shoulders, and a reasonably balanced sword. None of the remaining shields were large enough for his liking, though. And no helmet or greaves which fit, either.

((OOC: I think one of the Cullen's stocked piled all the supplies in the War Room, so there isn't' likely to be a lot available in the armory.))

"Now that you mentioned it..."

She studied the armory, unable to find a good longbow suited for her, frowning slightly. "Perhaps someone got here first, yes. Or things in this Fade-version of Skyhold simply doesn't match the original one."

The woman investigated the place, trying to find any clues. The dust trail on the floor meant some boxes had been moved somewhere else and she frowned some more. "I guess you were correct about the former. Now the only question is were those things are now."

"Well, if Skyhold were under siege from strange and mysterious forces, where would you hide? Somewhere sturdy, with very few exits, likely." Alastair looked at Leliana, expectantly. "Any one of those towers I saw might work...but you know best. Seeing as you live here."

"Did you spot anyone you knew among those who are here? Any one else from the Inquisition's forces who might have tried to bunker down?"

"No, not yet. But the day is long. Come, there are few places I can think of, all of it back in the castle."

Someone bunkering down... Cassandra wouldn't do it, she was the type to take point on battles, not avoid them. Iron Bull too. Blackwall was more careful then the other two and someone who could be easily reasoned with. Cullen was also a great possibility. Maker, if only the Inquisitor was there, she could wiggle her fingers and take them out of the Fade.

Alistair was happy to follow Leliana back to the safety of the thick stone walls and high ceiling of the main hall - the ugly, roiling sky was unnerving, so say the least. He trekked along behind her, buckling on the sword belt that he found (and desperately trying to stop it from slipping down, when he discovered that it was just slightly too big).

Leliana's first guess about the whereabouts of the missing equipment was the War Room (she had thought about the rookery, but the burnt scent dissuaded her), which was pretty silly because she had come from there not half an hour ago. Truth to be told, she wasn't really concerned about the place or paying attention to it, more worried about the sky outside and the strange sensation from the Fade.

She opened the door, sighing at the crates by the walls.

"Now it seems better."

Alastair peered over Leliana's shoulder, and made a pleasant sound at the sight of the crates stacked around the walls. "Well, someone has done a good job here."

The large table in the center of room seemed to contain a number of journals, maps, papers, and other useful detritus of an office. Someone had very obviously been keeping records. Alistair shuffled some of the papers around, until he found something that looked like a log nook. He waved it at Leliana. "Recognize this handwriting? Might tell us who did all this preparation. It looks like someone would be ready for a siege in here."

Leliana examined the papers, only confirming what the organization around her had already told: Cullen was there. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of him trapped in the Fade. Fate could be ironic, to put it mildly.

"It appears to me that Commander Cullen is here as well, which is good. We can find him and see what he figured already." and she backed away from the war table, searching for a good longbow and a quiver in the stock.

Alastair took the time to look for a shield, as well as a better sword (and sword belt). As he did, he hummed somewhat timelessly - some silly song about a sassy girl named Sera that he had heard some ministers playing in Denerim recently.

A thought occurred to him. "If he is here frequently enough to be doing paperwork, perhaps we should wait for him? Or would that look a bit strange? 'Oh, hello, sorry we just broke into your new, fortified office for a chat!'"

"This looks like a terrible way to start a conversation, yes."

She giggled, strapping the quiver to her back and placing the longbow with it. "Besides, I don't think the Rotunda just came into spontaneous combustion. Perhaps things are more dire than it looks. Even more dire than being trapped in the Fade."

As she spoke, she shuffled the pages of her journal, remembering it when strapping the quiver. Her eyes widened at all the information on it, from several people. "Alistair, have you noticed a journal like this when you woke up?"