MOD POST ↠ November

[faderifting]

NOVEMBER (FIRSTFALL)

OOC Calendar

TEST DRIVE MEME: Now!

RESERVES: November 4 (11:59 EST) - November 14 (11:59 EST)

ACTIVITY CHECK: November 8 - November 14 (11:59 EST)

APPLICATIONS: November 14 (11:59 EST) - November 19 (11:59 EST)

Fallow Mire

Scouts sent to the Fallow Mire after the Herald's funeral are reporting back news of a plague and an infestation of undead, as well as several uncontrolled Rifts producing demons. The Inquisition is still struggling to reorganize, understand the new Rifters among them, and find a way forward--but in the meantime, it won't ignore an opportunity to help those who need it and extend its influence accordingly.

In preparation for a trip to the Mire, healers and surgeons will be asked to begin researching illnesses with symptoms similar to those described by the forward scouts, while mages and scholars may want to direct their attention toward the oddities of the bog and the prevalence of undead. Scouts will have access to information about the local terrain, wildlife, and people; soldiers' drills will include fighting in mud and waist-deep water. (Have fun.)

OOC: On November 7, we will post a log and an OOC post with more detailed information about the Fallow Mire. This will include "free-for-all" quests that all characters can participate in and sign-ups for more specific quests with limited character slots.

You are welcome to send any characters to the Mire, even those without a combat focus, but you are not required to do so. They may remain at Skyhold, arrive at the Mire late, leave early, etc. Like the Dragon Age games themselves, we're not going to fuss too much over travel time and distances, but do please avoid having your character teleport instantly between the two locations.

Applications & Test Drive

Our SECOND TEST DRIVE MEME is now up! Tell your friends.

We won't be doing an Enable Me/App Help meme this month, but we encourage anyone creating a native OC or AU adaptation to browse the questions asked on last month's meme if you need ideas or direction. If you have any questions that aren't answered by the Rules, App Guide, or FAQ, you're always welcome to contact us.

For any current players considering a new app this month, please note that we've added a 300-word minimum to personality sections. (Maximum word counts still apply.) We're also asking applicants to provide a brief summary of rifter characters' histories rather than only linking wikis.

IC News & Gossip

Skyhold is big, but it isn't that big. Word gets around. If your character has done something that other characters might have noticed or heard about--accidentally destroyed a room, gone streaking, gotten into a loud argument about mage rights in the middle of the courtyard, etc.--you can leave a comment below to let other players know what stories or gossip might be circulating.

Special Abilities

Since we're about to begin putting characters in more combative situations, just a reminder that we're "de-video-gaming" abilities for the sake of writing about them in a realistic-ish way. For example, there is no "Stealth" ability that turns characters literally invisible, but characters who are versed in stealth may be able to sneak past enemies by sticking to the shadows, using disguises, etc. The exception to this is (Cole, and) magic. Mages do use specific spells with names, although there is no universally agreed-upon system and names and methods may vary.

Addendum 1: Mages, Templars, Rifters & You

There has been a lot of discussion ICly this week about mages, templars, and rifters, and how each group fits into the Inquisition. Because this is a tricky but important issue and because we have players unfamiliar with the canon, we're going to attempt to provide some clarity about the current situation and the possibilities going forward.

Mages and Templars

For those unfamiliar with DA:I or in need of a refresher:

• After a series of smaller uprisings from 9:37 onward, the mages' internal governing body, the College of Magi, voted to break away from the Chantry in 9:39. This freed mages from Chantry control and left them free to determine their own fates. (The exact year isn't specified in canon, but we'll use 9:39 in Fade Rift for consistency.)
  
• In response to the Divine's perceived inaction/collaboration with the mages, the Templar Order dissolved the Nevarran Accord, the centuries-old agreement that bound the Templars and Seekers to the Chantry. Beginning in 9:40, the Templars waged an independent war against the rebel mages.
  
• Thus, both the Circles and the Templar Order have abandoned their traditional affiliations, put themselves in conflict with the Chantry, and effectively dissolved, persisting only as loosely-defined factions and small groups tied by personal loyalties or circumstance.
  
• In 9:41, the Divine invited the leaders of the Templars and the rebel mages to meet with her at a Conclave in Haven to try to broker peace. Before an agreement could be reached, a massive explosion killed them all.

In DA:I, the Inquisitor can recruit either the remaining rebel mages or the renegade templars. They have the option either to conscript them as basically prisoners, put to work in the Inquisition's service, or to invite them to join the Inquisition as equal members. In both scenarios, the mages or templars are incorporated into the Inquisition. The Inquisitor has the authority to assign them missions the same as any other Inquisition agents and can choose to give them a leader of their own or not.

In Fade Rift, we've chosen to create a world state in which the Inquisitor recruited factions of both mages and templars, to allow players the opportunity to play characters from both groups and to try to encourage diversity of opinion among the PCs. The Inquisitor did not conscript either group, but invited them to join as members of the Inquisition. This means that all mages and templars are effectively ex-Circle members or ex-Templars. The hierarchies of the Circles and of the Order no longer officially exist.

However, many former Templars and Circle Mages still use their titles even though they are now members of the Inquisition, such as Knight-Captain Rylen in the game, a former Templar who serves in the Inquisition's army. Others may still consider themselves Templars or Senior Enchanters, and characters' levels of personal allegiance to the Inquisition and integration with its members are up to their players.

With their ties to the Chantry cut and the Divine recently murdered and not yet replaced, neither group has Chantry sanction backing its authority or any chance of regaining it soon. Both the mages and the Templars have committed atrocities, such as the destruction of Kirkwall's Chantry and the annulment at Dairsmuid. A lot of blood has been spilt on both sides. A solution has not been agreed upon. The current ceasefire was not caused by either group's surrender or an agreement to return to the way things used to be, but by the Inquisition convincing them of the need to address a larger threat first. The hope of the Inquisition is that each faction will set aside its differences to focus on defeating Corypheus, but the Mage/Templar conflict won't be resolved overnight. What ultimately becomes of the mages and the Templar Order is a question we hope to allow PCs to try to answer together over the course of the game.

Although characters must report to Inquisition leadership concerning Inquisition business, where a character's primary loyalty lies is up to their player, as is their opinion on the correct path forward. If characters want to try to reinstate the Circles, they're welcome to try. If they want to try to put themselves forward as representatives speaking for the mages or for the Templars, they're welcome to try that as well. There are several possible resolutions of the Mage/Templar conflict in the video game, and even more are possible in RP. But any solution must be built from scratch, with an OOC understanding that the structure and hierarchies characters have grown up with no longer really exist and that other PCs are free to disregard those structures if they like.

In addition to the PCs, there are many NPCs in the background whose opinions cover the spectrum. The Inquisition may be somewhat more liberal than the average population, but Southern Thedosians still by and large support the containment of magic.

Rifters

Rifters add an additional wrinkle to the situation. As described in the OOC section on the Arrival at Skyhold log, the Inquisition's leadership has provisionally decided to extend the rifters their hospitality. They are all being closely monitored by the Inquisition's guard force, who have been specially warned to keep an eye out for strange people with glowing hands. What they are, where they came from, and why they're here are all open questions as far as the Inquisition's leaders are concerned. Currently, they're not members of the Inquisition, but they are under the Inquisition's protection and observation.

Again, this is an area where PCs are welcome to have whatever opinion they like. If they want to begin a push to imprison rifters, they can do so. If they want to study them all like lab rats, they can try to do that. If they want them to be officially pronounced non-demons, or allowed to become full members of the Inquisition, or to create a Rifters Union, or run away into the woods alone, they can try to do that, and so on.

Inquisition Leadership

The characters currently in charge of the Inquisition are ICly respected and supported, but that doesn't mean that PCs all have to agree with them. While actually unseating them would be very difficult to do given the strong support they currently have among the rank and file of the Inquisition, they are neither omniscient nor infallible and they don't exercise absolute authority. They frequently disagree with each other, and without the Herald around to be the deciding vote, things won't always be cut and dried. A well-supported group could potentially force them to alter their stance on things, and they are reasonable people who can be convinced to change their minds at times, as well. Ultimately, their disapproval of a plan is an IC obstacle, but not an OOC ban on any particular course of action.

Mod Involvement & Support

We're happy to provide OOC logistical support and information for any organizing efforts and player plots, such as by creating polls or by answering questions about how NPCs (be they named individuals or the public at large) will react to various efforts. We'd encourage anyone with a plan they'd like their characters to work toward to use the Mod Contact to discuss it with us, with the understanding that we can only control how NPCs will react to an idea, not PCs, and that not every plan will be well-received and successful. There will always be disagreement and debate, even earnest efforts sometimes fail, and the grey areas and uncertainties and best laid plans going awry are what Dragon Age is all about.

Addendum 2: Mod Contact

If you have a question, complaint, concern, idea, etc., the way to contact the mods is through a PM or comment on the Mod Contact page if it's a private matter, or on the FAQ if it's a public one that other players might benefit from knowing about. These are the only methods of contact that both mods monitor and that provide a consolidated record for our reference and yours, and they are the only places where we can guarantee you will get a response from us. We've added a note to the Mod Contact page to clarify this.