Hello! Thanks for signing up. You’re in, and here is some info. Possibly too much of it. Sorry.
WHO: Anders, Ciri, Nathaniel, Nell, and up to four more people—each of you can have a plus one, as long as either (1) they’re a reasonably appropriate choice for the mission or (2) we talk about it and work out why they’re being allowed to take an unreasonably inappropriate choice. Basically, don’t make my character look like an idiot for not telling yours they can’t take a boisterous drunk into a meeting with royalty or a helpless researcher into a war zone, and you’ll be good.
Nell is the only real Inquisition member so from an official Inquisition standpoint she’s in charge and responsible for reporting afterwards. Nathaniel would be in charge of the Warden participants and would be working with Nell in that regard (sort of like Iron Bull being in charge of the Chargers, etc.), and Wardens can file their own internal reports and all of that too if y’all want.
WHEN: IC it needs to happen before Drakonis 15. Try to get a report submitted by March 31. I think the mission itself should span 4-7 days IC, but in FR time is bigger on the inside, so you guys can squeeze it in wherever you want.
WHAT: The plan/orders will be to set up camp in a deserted, rocky, cave-y portion of the Hunterhorn Mountains and take short-term excursions past the border for surveillance, preferably using cover from low light or clouds/dust. Some of this can be by griffon, and some can be on foot. However they go about it, characters can find...
1. DEMONS: If your characters get close enough to Weisshaupt, they’ll notice two things. First, the fortress is still heavily damaged from the fire and fight during the coup, but in the process of being rebuilt. Second, its primary occupants are demons accompanied by very thin Wardens who are nonetheless going about activities such as eating and helping with repairs, overseen by a few robed figures. There’s also a large pyre within the walls, with a great deal of ash but no current activity. Your characters would be able to count about 75 individual demon/mage pairs, but that would only be the ones who were outside the walls during the time—no way to tell how many were inside or elsewhere.
2. DARKSPAWN: Well east of Nordbotten your characters would be able to see, even at a distance, a large accumulation of bodies and activity in the middle of nowhere, with a tainted dragon nearby. Getting close would obviously be difficult—and remember that darkspawn can sense Wardens just as much as Wardens can sense them! But even without getting close, it would be possible to estimate the presence of a 3,000-4,000 darkspawn in very close quarters, building shrines and otherwise going about their darkspawn business rather than rampaging anywhere. Depending on how close you get and the visibility conditions, characters might also be able to identify that most of the darkspawn are contaminated with what appears to be red lyrium, including a few ogres that closely resemble Red Templar behemoths. You do not have the manpower to do anything about it without being suicidal.
3. WARDENS & MILITARY ACTIVITY: In addition to the above, your characters can note that the Imperial Highway and other major roads are being guarded by members of the Ander national military, which seems to be under the command of uniformed Wardens. They aren’t a heavy presence in the countryside, but they may also pass through any villages used for item 4 below. Your characters can also find gibbets with a few uniformed Wardens and soldiers’ bodies and, by asking around, learn that they were hung for desertion or trying to leave the country.
4. LOCALS: Locals in the border villages will be typical Anders—conservative, devout, hardened by life in a blight-barren wasteland, etc. However, since it’s the border region, they’re used to travelers and won’t be too suspicious as long as your characters do a passable job of pretending to be merchants or otherwise nondescript travelers and don’t advertise who they are. Your characters can try to elicit their opinions on whatever you think is relevant. There will be a mix of people who believe the First Warden has gone power-mad and people who believe the Sixth Blight has started in the Anderfels and the Ander Wardens are the only ones protecting them while the rest of the world ignores them for its own problems. There will also be rumors about the Grand Cleric in Hossberg being arrested by the city guard for denouncing the First Warden, which will make even the people who are pro-Warden seem a little unhappy and uncomfortable. If there’s anything else plot-relevant you want your characters to ask about, get me a list and I’ll get you some answers.
Toward the end of the mission, someone will notice the snooping, and our best friend the red lyrium dragon will come after your characters, preferably in the air, because a griffon chase is awesome that’s why. The Wardens on the mission may hear faint unintelligible whispering reminiscent of the Calling, but as long as they get away and don’t linger near the dragon, it will be possible to resist. You can engage with the dragon to some extent if you want, but you aren’t allowed to kill it, so the end result should be escaping its range and possibly hiding in caves in the mountains for a day or two while it searches for your characters and the griffons overhead. Just a suggestion, though.
You can also add minor obstacles, like dust storms or skirmishes with enemy redshirts or losing all your rations to wildlife and having to hunt for food, as long as it’s nothing that’s going to fundamentally change the nature of the mission. If you do need to go way off-road or have bigger ideas, let me know and we’ll talk about it. E.g., you can’t go try to assassinate the First Warden, at least not without talking to me first so I can get you info or tell you how much trouble your character will be in.
HOW: You can make everything a group effort if you want, or divvy things up however you like. My suggestion would be to let each of the four characters on the team be the one to find/learn/lead the investigation of one thing on the list, since there are four things. And it doesn’t matter if you RP every aspect or just pick one or two parts that are the most fun and handwave the rest.
no subject
WHO: Anders, Ciri, Nathaniel, Nell, and up to four more people—each of you can have a plus one, as long as either (1) they’re a reasonably appropriate choice for the mission or (2) we talk about it and work out why they’re being allowed to take an unreasonably inappropriate choice. Basically, don’t make my character look like an idiot for not telling yours they can’t take a boisterous drunk into a meeting with royalty or a helpless researcher into a war zone, and you’ll be good.
Nell is the only real Inquisition member so from an official Inquisition standpoint she’s in charge and responsible for reporting afterwards. Nathaniel would be in charge of the Warden participants and would be working with Nell in that regard (sort of like Iron Bull being in charge of the Chargers, etc.), and Wardens can file their own internal reports and all of that too if y’all want.
WHEN: IC it needs to happen before Drakonis 15. Try to get a report submitted by March 31. I think the mission itself should span 4-7 days IC, but in FR time is bigger on the inside, so you guys can squeeze it in wherever you want.
WHAT: The plan/orders will be to set up camp in a deserted, rocky, cave-y portion of the Hunterhorn Mountains and take short-term excursions past the border for surveillance, preferably using cover from low light or clouds/dust. Some of this can be by griffon, and some can be on foot. However they go about it, characters can find...
1. DEMONS: If your characters get close enough to Weisshaupt, they’ll notice two things. First, the fortress is still heavily damaged from the fire and fight during the coup, but in the process of being rebuilt. Second, its primary occupants are demons accompanied by very thin Wardens who are nonetheless going about activities such as eating and helping with repairs, overseen by a few robed figures. There’s also a large pyre within the walls, with a great deal of ash but no current activity. Your characters would be able to count about 75 individual demon/mage pairs, but that would only be the ones who were outside the walls during the time—no way to tell how many were inside or elsewhere.
2. DARKSPAWN: Well east of Nordbotten your characters would be able to see, even at a distance, a large accumulation of bodies and activity in the middle of nowhere, with a tainted dragon nearby. Getting close would obviously be difficult—and remember that darkspawn can sense Wardens just as much as Wardens can sense them! But even without getting close, it would be possible to estimate the presence of a 3,000-4,000 darkspawn in very close quarters, building shrines and otherwise going about their darkspawn business rather than rampaging anywhere. Depending on how close you get and the visibility conditions, characters might also be able to identify that most of the darkspawn are contaminated with what appears to be red lyrium, including a few ogres that closely resemble Red Templar behemoths. You do not have the manpower to do anything about it without being suicidal.
3. WARDENS & MILITARY ACTIVITY: In addition to the above, your characters can note that the Imperial Highway and other major roads are being guarded by members of the Ander national military, which seems to be under the command of uniformed Wardens. They aren’t a heavy presence in the countryside, but they may also pass through any villages used for item 4 below. Your characters can also find gibbets with a few uniformed Wardens and soldiers’ bodies and, by asking around, learn that they were hung for desertion or trying to leave the country.
4. LOCALS: Locals in the border villages will be typical Anders—conservative, devout, hardened by life in a blight-barren wasteland, etc. However, since it’s the border region, they’re used to travelers and won’t be too suspicious as long as your characters do a passable job of pretending to be merchants or otherwise nondescript travelers and don’t advertise who they are. Your characters can try to elicit their opinions on whatever you think is relevant. There will be a mix of people who believe the First Warden has gone power-mad and people who believe the Sixth Blight has started in the Anderfels and the Ander Wardens are the only ones protecting them while the rest of the world ignores them for its own problems. There will also be rumors about the Grand Cleric in Hossberg being arrested by the city guard for denouncing the First Warden, which will make even the people who are pro-Warden seem a little unhappy and uncomfortable. If there’s anything else plot-relevant you want your characters to ask about, get me a list and I’ll get you some answers.
Toward the end of the mission, someone will notice the snooping, and our best friend the red lyrium dragon will come after your characters, preferably in the air, because a griffon chase is awesome that’s why. The Wardens on the mission may hear faint unintelligible whispering reminiscent of the Calling, but as long as they get away and don’t linger near the dragon, it will be possible to resist. You can engage with the dragon to some extent if you want, but you aren’t allowed to kill it, so the end result should be escaping its range and possibly hiding in caves in the mountains for a day or two while it searches for your characters and the griffons overhead. Just a suggestion, though.
You can also add minor obstacles, like dust storms or skirmishes with enemy redshirts or losing all your rations to wildlife and having to hunt for food, as long as it’s nothing that’s going to fundamentally change the nature of the mission. If you do need to go way off-road or have bigger ideas, let me know and we’ll talk about it. E.g., you can’t go try to assassinate the First Warden, at least not without talking to me first so I can get you info or tell you how much trouble your character will be in.
HOW: You can make everything a group effort if you want, or divvy things up however you like. My suggestion would be to let each of the four characters on the team be the one to find/learn/lead the investigation of one thing on the list, since there are four things. And it doesn’t matter if you RP every aspect or just pick one or two parts that are the most fun and handwave the rest.
ETC: Let me know if you have any questions.