faderiftooc | PLOT POST ↠ The Fallow Mire, Pt. 2 & Operation Updates

QUEST & OPERATION UPDATES

THE FALLOW MIRE

Below we're providing information that wraps up Phase 1 of the Fallow Mire quests. We know that most plot threads are still in progress, and we encourage you to keep backtagging those, now with full information about what will be discovered during each. Several of the quests are now wrapped up but others have a Phase 2. We'll be taking sign-ups for those in this comment until 11:59pm EST on Monday 11/30. Characters who were involved in Part 1 are allowed to sign up again for Part 2 or not, as the player prefers, and new characters are more than welcome to get involved!

Where There's Smoke

After returning the notebook to the agitated man, he will run off without bothering to say thank you. Two days later, an Inquisition patrol returns to camp after having been attacked by a mage. One is seriously injured, two more moderately so. They report that the mage ambushed them and was shouting about how "they saw the notebook" or "they changed it" or other things along those lines. A local reluctantly comes forward to identify the mage as a man named Widris, a longtime resident of the Mire who has recently become a problem they were hoping would solve itself.

Next steps: In Phase 2, characters will follow Widris's trail to a recent hide-out. There will be opportunities for interrogation, negotiation, and potential combat for up to 6 characters. This thread will be partially GMed.

A Little Down in the Mouth

An autopsy of the body found in the pond will reveal red lyrium crystals forming along his bones, accounting for the additional weight of the body. Closer examination also suggests that he was ill with what looks like an extremely severe and fast-acting form of the plague that has troubled the villagers.

After the healers' find, another scout team was sent back to search the area around the pond for more signs of Red Templar activity, and uncovered a small camp not far away. There they found another body which shows the same signs of illness but not as advanced. Cause of death is determined to be drowning. They also report finding a large upside-down cauldron that does not appear to have been used for cooking and multiple lengths of reed pipe. The only other things of interest at the campsite are a few scraps of paper recovered from the fire that appear to be pieces of a map marking the location of the pond. Though it is mostly burned away, what remains of a mark on one corner scrap might be a stylized griffon's foot.

Next steps: In Phase 2, characters will try to figure out what the Red Templars were after in the area. OOCly all are welcome to join in speculating and making suggestions, and there will be opportunities for "extreme" exploration for 4 characters. This thread will be partially GMed.

O Brother Where Art Thou

Group A found the last known camp used by the missing scouts and followed their trail north along the western edge of the Mire until they found signs of a struggle, and a scout's cloak smeared with pale mud. The trail went cold from there, the ground too wet to follow any further.

Group B found signs that a trail leading north deeper into the Mire had been recently traveled, despite no record of Inquisition activity in that area and the locals claiming they avoided it because of some sort of curse. Evidence indicated the presence of a mage, though there were none in the Inquisition scout party. They also found a broken bow, of high quality but very plain craftsmanship.

Group C found smears of pale mud on the top of the rock outcropping where an archer would have knelt to make the shot, other signs of an ambush, and mule tracks that lead north, deeper into the Mire. Following them eventually led the group to a more heavily-used trail, and careful scouting ahead along it led to glimpses of a tumble-down ruin of a castle, before undead presence forced them to turn back or risk being exposed

Next steps: Questioning locals has revealed almost no information at all about the castle: it has been abandoned so long its name has been forgotten, and the locals avoid it because of rumored curses, mysterious disappearances, and so forth. Highly observant characters who examine the evidence brought back by all three groups and who have knowledge of the practices of reclusive tribes of the Frostbacks may deduce from the composition of the mud and the make of the bow that they are actually dealing with the painted warriors of the Avvar. But because they have rarely if ever been known to travel this far into the lowlands and there is no obvious reason for them to have done so now, the suggestion is unlikely to be given credence by those in charge just yet.

In Phase 2, scout teams will investigate the castle's layout and occupants and try to figure out if the missing scouts are there and if so, how to rescue them. There will be chances for surveillance, sneaking about, and potential diplomacy and/or combat for up to 12 characters. These threads may be partially GMed depending on IC choices.

Shun the Non-Believer

Ellana, Maria, Nari, and Sam tracked and located the beast that was spotted lurking around camp and identified it as an undead horse with a giant sword stuck through its nose, possessed by a very old and very simple spirit. After some efforts at subduing it failed Nahariel attempted to ride the creature, and when she succeeded in hanging on for a race around the swamp it eventually became obedient. They have brought it back to camp to see if it can be useful as a mount for messengers.

Resolution: It's weird and creepy, but everyone can go pat the bog unicorn if they want.

Just Wiggle Your Fingers

Galadriel, Harding, Jamie McCrimmon, Lenneth Valkyrie, and Sauveterre accompanied an NPC mage named Hugh to investigate the effects of the rifters' marks on an actual rift. While Hugh was immediately killed by a demon, the rifters were eventually able to close the rift through teamwork and significant effort.

Resolution: This outcome can be repeated on other rifts throughout the Mire and the Hinterlands, and rifters are free to RP closing rifts in those areas. How many rifters it takes to close a rift will vary and how many rounds of demons escape before they can close it varies as well, as if some rifts are stronger than others. So far the minimum seems to be three rifters and two rounds of demons. After closing a rift, rifters experience exhaustion-- not to the point of collapse, but as if they have spent a day strenuously exerting both mind and body. The marks on their hands will also ache for a few hours afterwards. Attempting to close a rift without enough rifters will exacerbate these effects. Natives with anchor shards will experience the same abilities and side-effects, though this has not yet been tested IC.

NOTE FOR RIFTERS:
Since their ability to close rifts was discovered, Inquisition leadership have been more openly welcoming of rifters. While there is still some additional scrutiny and many layfolk will remain convinced they are demons, any who are interested in officially joining the Inquisition have been invited to do so.

WAR TABLE OPERATIONS

The War Table page now has an initial set of war table operations: two long-term scouting missions in Orlais and two shorter-term quests in Ferelden. Sign-ups are first come, first served, and new operations will be added on a rolling basis as current operations fill up.

FEEDBACK

We always welcome feedback on any subject, but now that we're a little more than a month into the game, we'd especially like to know:

Any information about the setting or plot you feel you need but haven't been given.

Whether players would like more slice-of-life-y Skyhold group logs/events or to be left to their own devices outside of the plot.

Whether players of new native characters feel they have what they need to be able to begin RP since we don't have a monthly mass-arrival mechanism for them like for rifters.

Whether players who are not familiar with Dragon Age feel they have enough information and guidance.

If you have feedback, you can leave it on this post or take it to the Mod Contact page if you would prefer for it to be screened.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

where there's smoke (PART II)

Participants
Alistair, Beleth, ???

Information
The local informant and Inquisition trackers both suggest that the mage Widris may have retreated to a house on the southeast edge of the Mire, owned by a man named Lemuel who is known to have been a close friend of the apostate. The team that has been surveilling the house is confident that Widris is not currently there, but this group has been sent to speak with Lemuel and find out what he knows and if he can help locate Widris. How the team chooses to handle him is up to them; finding Widris and preventing him from injuring anyone else is top priority.

This thread will involve mods NPCing Lemuel, so please get the thread started and link it here and we'll jump in. You can also plot with each other below this comment or anywhere else you like, and please feel free to ask us questions if you have them as we go along! Just please clearly mark the subject line of any comment you need us to respond to.