faderiftooc | MOD PLOT ↠ HOME FOR RIFTMAS

I'LL BE HOME FOR RIFTMAS

The log for the mod plot is available here! This plot is forward-dated to the beginning of Wintermarch (January) so it can be RPed at your leisure, and it shouldn't interfere with any Thedas-based plots anyone wants to run in the meantime.

Riftwatch will visit each of the worlds in the order listed in the log, without overlap. This means your character can visit as many of the worlds as you choose, and visiting one doesn't mean they'll miss out on another. But once your character is in a world, they're in it for the duration—there's no way out, so characters are stuck in it until the artifact is found and the world dissolves.

You are allowed to have more than one character in any given world, but because they'll necessarily be there at the same time, please be particularly careful to avoid awkward or meta-game-y overlaps and don't have more than one character in any given thread (including mission threads).

MECHANICS NOTES

Time & Space

Arrival locations and circumstances for the primary arrival site(s) are included in the world information. Everyone will show up with what they're carrying and wearing at the time.
Characters who arrive on the scene in the Crossroads late, for whatever reason, will arrive separately and may arrive in a different location if the world info specifies a second arrival option. It is entirely reasonable to enter a world separately on purpose–for example, someone deciding it's been too long and everyone already "inside" might need help.
There are no geographical limits. Characters can journey wherever they want within the world, as long as they find the means to get there, up to and including outer space.
Regardless of how far they travel, as soon as someone has their hands on the artifact, the world will dissolve and everyone will be in the same small area of the Crossroads they started in.
Characters may be in these worlds for what seems like weeks or possibly months, depending on how long it takes to find and grab the artifact. But when they return, only a short period of time—less than an hour—will have passed in the "real" world. After the first world, they'll be aware of this and won't need to worry about Thedas falling apart during their seemingly prolonged absences.

Abilities, Technology, and Media

Characters "native" to the world will have their full powers restored, no nerfing, while within that world. Whether other characters have their usual abilities or are depowered or have gained some new powers will vary; check the world info for each world for specifics!
Rifter characters who were Thedosianized on arrival in Thedas will become their original race in their own homeworlds. Other characters may change appearance to the extent necessary to fit them into the world they're visiting (a reverse Thedosianizing). So for some examples: everyone will be a human in a world that only has humans; humans will remain humans in any world that has humans; elves may remain elves if the world has elves but will look a bit more like that world's version of elves; and no one who doesn't already have horns will become a tiefling.
Thedas magical devices, including sending crystals and magic books, will be converted on arrival into in-world equivalents (if any exist; if they don't, they'll just be bricked). Crystals and magic books (and their equivalents) will work for contacting people within a world, but will not send or receive messages with those outside of it.
In-world technology will be fully functional and accurate. Even if your character doesn't personally know how a computer works or what is supposed to be inside one, the world will get it right.
Media (music, movies, television, the Internet, etc.) will be complete. Like, oddly complete! Even if the originating character doesn't know the words to a particular song or never got to the end of a book, they'll exist in complete and accurate forms here. (But we don't allow fourth walling, so that media can't include books/games/movies of anyone else's canon.)

Injuries and Healing

Injuries acquired in these worlds will be carried back out of them, but without any magical or Thedas-impossible properties. Example: someone who is bitten by a werewolf might turn into a werewolf while they're in Werewolf Land, but when the world dissolves they'll only have a bite scar and no longer be a werewolf.
Conversely, any healing or medical care–whether magical or technological–will work within the world, but it will stop providing any continuing health benefits once the world deconstructs, leaving half-healed injuries or ongoing health problems as they are. Stitches, metal plates, etc., acquired for medical reasons will disappear, so ideally no one's continued survival will rely on those.
If you die in the Matrix you die in real life.

NPCs

The worlds will appear fully populated, with "native" NPCs who behave more or less normally as long as the artifact isn't mentioned. If it is, they'll be unhelpful, cagey, weird, aggressive, or otherwise try to thwart attempts to find or reach it.
Players can use NPCs in their own threads and for their own purposes. Just use common sense courtesy; e.g., don't go rogue with NPCs who are particularly close to player characters, like their family members.
Canon-appropriate hazards of all sorts can pop up however you'd like. If aliens or assassins might appear in the canon version of the world, then they can be here, too, and will act as they normally would, the same way that other, less-hostile NPCs can be present and operating as normal. Spirits trying to keep PCs away from the artifact can also take on these antagonist forms.
Venatori & Friends can also appear, trying to grab the same artifact and cause problems. This is an option, not required. They'll be operating under the same rules as PCs.

ARTIFACT MISSIONS

In each world, it will take some work to retrieve the artifacts. World owners, you can reply here with more information about these missions, including: whether you intend to post a starter for the log or want people to go wild on their own, links to your logs/placeholder comments where applicable, sign-ups (with a deadline) if you're taking those, and any other parameters or notes you want to provide.

In Tony & Stephen's world (#1), Riftwatch will be suited up and equipped to break into a HYDRA facility to retrieve the artifact from hostile forces.
In Jude's world (#2), reaching the artifact where it's been stashed in a difficult-to-access place within the Lewis and Clark caverns will require a lot of teamwork and parkour.
In Loxley & Silas-Richard's world (#3), consulting with various entities about the object's whereabouts will lead to an airship journey and a dungeon crawl to reclaim it.
In Petrana's world (#4), Riftwatch will have to sneak inside the Holy City Cathedral, currently boarded up and largely deserted, to comb through its facilities in search of the artifact.
In Wysteria's world (#5), Riftwatch will need to slip into a party hosted at First College and devise a way to slip into the more restricted areas of the grounds to recover the artifact.
In Astarion's world (#6), acquiring the artifact will require trading for information and favors throughout the city and then venturing into the catacombs to beat warring factions to finding it.
In Cosima's world (#7), there will be a heist (closed) to retrieve the artifact from the Dyad Institute, with an open segment for anyone assisting in creating a distraction by wandering around the facility.
In Abby & Ellie's world (#8), there will be a mission (closed) to recover the artifact from a hospital in the post-apocalyptic wreckage of Seattle.

We'll add links to this list as people post comments!

Now everyone go get into trouble.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

THE MISSION:
While the conference's presence in Somerset has encouraged visitors from all over and spawned all manner of parties and associated intrigues, the heart of the actual exhibition halls have been strictly off limits to the public. Until now! In honor of some important date or maybe to celebrate someone somewhere signing some vital agreement or another, select portions of the exhibition are being opened to the general public.

The expansive grounds of First College—a renowned academic institution historically devoted to the education of properly credentialed Kalvadan magicians, and the jewel of the city—, open in the evening for what is clearly one of many absurdly ostentatious parties that have occurred in the last few weeks. This one just happens to be funded by the Kalvadan Crown(s) and is letting in the respectable looking poors.

Nominally, the party is divided up to allow various government officials, the aristocracy and their respected guests to enjoy their ruthless politicking and gossiping separate from the common folk. That said, there's just enough happening—think running the gamut from high society party down to carnival midway—that it wouldn't be impossible to sneak between the various social strata zones if one is very motivated.

Members of Riftwatch will need to slip into the party, and either manufacture a distraction or find some alternative means so that they can sneak away from the open portions of the exhibition grounds and deeper in the College where the good stuff—namely the artifact they're after—can be found.

WHO'S GOING: Open to everyone. I will not be posting a starter, so please feel free to use the setting and mission parameters to do whatever you please. If someone wants to claim being the one to successfully reach the artifact or scheme up a heist strategy then feel free to do so in the replies to this thread, but I personally don't plan to sweat the details.

Everyone attending the party WILL need at least 'setting-appropriate-if-you-squint' outfits, and better if they plan to pass themselves off as proper magicians or respectable members of the visiting foreign elite. Wysteria might be able to dress a few of you off her credit, but probably won't be dressing everyone so plan to get creative.

MISC ADDITIONAL FLAVOR & SETTING INFO:

Imagine a mish mash of the regency period and the industrial revolution, powered by strictly regimented fairy tale type magic and the remnants of Arthurian-flavored legends.
Kalvad has a weird religion that believes in predeterminism. On a surface level, the belief is that if you're living a successful or lucky life, then you're probably going to heaven. If you have poor character or have had a lot of misfortune fall on you, then you're probably going to hell. Hence: Reputation and accomplishments are everything.
Magic books are bricked; crystals have been transformed into small pocket mirrors and will function almost normally, except there will be notable delay in the receipt of messages that worsens the farther the crystals in question are apart from one another. That said, whatever native equivalent they are must be extremely rare. Using them in the presence of a native Kalvadan will either earn weird stares (check out this crazy guy talking to his pocket mirror) or, if the native in question is very educated magician and/or a collector or rare artifacts, risk drawing unwanted attention or theft.
idk man do whatever. In general if you feel like it makes sense or would be fun, then go for it.
THAT SAID, if you really want additional flavor or extra info then feel free to hit me up here. I'm happy to provide you with the hot goss.

MOD PLOT ↠ HOME FOR RIFTMAS

World 5: Kalvad - The First College