WHAT: A jaunt to Ferelden and Orlais to investigate the spate of coordinated attacks that occurred there during the invasion of the Free Marches. Assignments will be tailored to the folks who go, but they might involve wilderness tracking, talking to witnesses, reverse engineering attack plans, doing some magical scrying, etc. There's also an optional incident with GMed NPCs.

WHY: The recent invasion of the Free Marches was accompanied by small, coordinated attacks in Ferelden and Orlais: several small villages and their fields were recently set aflame, an important bridge over the Drakon River destroyed in Ferelden, a noble family and their entire staff found hanging evenly spaced from rafters in their estate not far from Halamshiral, etc. At the time no one was sure it wasn't the beginning of an outright invasion of the South, but it's now looking likely that it was a diversionary tactic. Riftwatch still needs to go check it out, though, especially since the Venatori have access to their own eluvians and there's a chance they still have hidden back doors into the South.

WHO: Up to four people, any division. The only universal requirement is being able to travel unsupervised in the South without causing a diplomatic incident.

HOW: There are two parts.

PART A: Everyone who goes (up to four people) will be given some information about the places their characters are visiting and what they find. They'll be doing this alone, but I'll set up a rookery post for them to talk to each other (and to Bastien, their guy in the chair), for both "I'm bored in this carriage" and actually reporting on what they find out.

PART B: Up to two characters will also have a GMed NPC encounter. It will probably involve some fighting, but the characters don't have to be combatants. All that matters is whether you OOC would enjoy making them fight, and I promise they won't die.

WHEN: For PART A, I'll give out the information by Wednesday (8/11) and stick up a post for talking about it, which everyone can do at their own paces forever.

For PART B, I'll put up a log by Friday (8/13). Part B will be GMed between 8/13 and 8/20, hopefully at a pretty quick clip. Anything we haven't finished as of 8/21 will be handwaved. So if you're planning to be gone that week, don't sign up for Part B.

SIGN-UPS close at the end of the day on 8/9.