give her a hand

[arlathvhen]

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Beleth
RECIPIENT: All hands on deck (everyone)
WHAT: It'd sure be handy if people could hide their anchor shards.
WHEN: Now
WHERE: Beleth is in the Gallows, but anyone can hear it
NOTES: This will probably be the start of trying to gain the upper hand on this anchor shard situation.

Hello, everyone. There have been several incidents now that have made it clear that there is a certain risk, in certain situations, of people openly possessing anchor shards. The least of which being that there are populations in Thedas that have a rather negative view of them.

The obvious solution is to simply wear gloves, but this method isn't guaranteed. It's chilly enough now, but it won't always be, and large groups of people all wearing gloves could become suspicious--particularly so if they all refuse to remove their gloves. Thus, we are going to need more methods to disguise the anchor shard that so many of our agents carry.

As this involves a large portion of the people in the Gallows, I thought that it would be prudent to pose this issue to everyone, so you can all offer your suggestions for possible solutions.

Additionally, I would like to ask for volunteers to test these methods on. [ She pauses for a moment, wondering if she needs to say it, then decides not to underestimate how paranoid some people can be. ] This will, as stated, be voluntary, and you will be made aware of what process is being tested, and what it will involve, and can back out at any point in time.

For instance, my first idea is to see if enough makeup can be applies to hide the shard, without making the hand look unnatural. If someone with an anchor shard would like to, I can arrange a meeting for us to test this.

All methods used and their results will, of course, be written down and filed for future reference.

Comments

[swordproof]

I would be glad to volunteer, if it might help.

[arlathvhen]

Thank you, what name can I put down...?

[doneisdone]

I don't see a problem that a quick chop can't remedy.

[hello_there]

Not a particularly practical solution, Warden.

[arlathvhen]

[ Dully, in the tone of a retail worker explaining why she can't check the back to see if they have more items: ]

As we are unable to close the rifts through any means save anchor shards, they are currently necessary in order to make sure that Thedas is not currently drowning in a neverending tide of demons.

Additionally, we would prefer not to mandate those with anchor shards to cut off their limbs so that they can participate in a single mission that requires discretion.

[provenforce]

Kirk once suggested wrapping a bandage around the hand. I've done that a few times since I usually wrap my arms as it is, and if you wrap both hands it's less conspicuous that only one is covered. It would probably stick out if a lot of people started doing it, though.

[arlathvhen]

Bandages are a good idea. Less conspicuous than gloves, for sure. Even one hand isn't too obvious, if you make it look like your entire arm is injured. But yes, I think it's something that will have to be used sparingly, lest people start catching on.

Still, it's a solid suggestion.

[the_cleric]

[In a bright sparkling tone, here comes the clear answer to the problem:] Invisible mittens!

[arlathvhen]

[ There's a lot of things to unpack here, so Beleth starts with the most obvious: ]

If they're invisible, wouldn't you be able to see the anchor shard?

[tofindthesun]

Does it rub off? [making an educated guess about........ 'make-up'.] I do not have idle hands.

you know what, she *is* here

[coquettish_trees]

[ genuinely: ]

Unless the Scoutmaster has some manner of cosmetic that verges upon the magical, it does indeed rub off. Although I believe the degree to which ought to depend on how vigorous the use of the hand.

[heirring]

Perhaps consider a glove modeled to resemble a hand.

[Helping.]

[arlathvhen]

[ Uh. ]

...If you make or encounter such a glove, please let me know. As long as it’s made out of....animals.

[ A people-skin hand would be affective, but. At what cost. ]

[hassaran]

You might stick a patch over the mark rather than a whole glove. Or a sort of wooden glove that looks as if they've lost the hand might be most effective.

[arlathvhen]

A patch made out what kind of material? It would have to look natural, or--maybe something to make it look like a tattoo? The wooden glove--Isn't a bad idea, but it would be tricky to replicate the appearance of wood. Not impossible, though. Maybe put some thin rods in it, to keep the fingers stiff...?

[foxsays]

Makeup, even if you could find one though I think you might need to veer closer to paint and that might not do well for our skin, leaves a mark behind. For things that require a subtle touch, you'd be leaving a trail behind. Anything in the water it'll wash off.

And gloves aren't practical for every application. Climbing, for instance, you can't do in gloves, it's useless. On ships you need to have a firmer grasp of the rigging than a glove would allow.

[Gloves are for the soft who don't have the sea in their blood.]

[arlathvhen]

Yes, both have their drawbacks. Which is why I'm asking for different ideas, so we can try to have multiple options for multiple scenarios.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Sup, I'm up for anything people wanna test. I just generally use gloves, but only if I think people knowing is gonna cause a mission actual problems. Otherwise I just use 'em for practicality.

Not that I'm not for making it easier on people in the meantime, just that maybe we also need to make people aware that shards aren't scary.

Or, like, they can be, actually, definitely, but the people that have them aren't.

Or, I mean, well, I mean like, they're not demons. Is what I mean.

[arlathvhen]

Yes, the ideal scenario would be lessening the negative opinion of people with shards. Hopefully, that will come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we'll need to work with what the situation is.

And as Scoutmaster, occasionally I require a certain level of discretion for missions, where people don't need to know that we're from the Inquisition. Which can be tricky, if the person has something that only those in the Inquisition possess.

[rathercommon]

What about jewelry?

[arlathvhen]

Is there jewelry that covers that area? If it exists, that would certainly be a good possibility. It would be very useful for situations that requires formal dress, as long as it can stay in place.

[luxating]

Dye everyone green.

[arlathvhen]

[ Dryly: ]

Thank you for your suggestion.

[iceblade]

Gloves are only a problem if us anchor-bearers alone make a habit of wearing them, aye? If others join in, then we can hide in plain sight...as much as we can, anyway. Not perfect, but we don't get that most likely.

Or can your enchanters craft something magical to disguise them? I never thought to ask before, but that might work better than something that can rub off.

Either way, you can have another hand for testing if you like.

[arlathvhen]

[ She decides against debating the topic of the gloves, because that’s not the point of this. ]

I understand your concern. I am also not sure if enchanters could do anything to hide them, but I hadn't thought to ask them. I'll see what they have to say.

Thank you for volunteering, I'll let you know if I have anything I need of you.

[in_death_sacrifice]

I've made a habit of wearing gloves regularly... although I lost my favorite pair not long ago. The replacement pair isn't nearly as good. You're right about it also being a nuisance in the warmer months, at times, though it doesn't usually look too out of place, paired with my armor.

Still... I'm willing to try any of your ideas, if there's potential for something better to emerge.

[arlathvhen]

Yes, gloves aren’t always practical, I'm afraid. Thank you for volunteering, I'll let you know if I have something I’d like you to try.

[youwonscience]

If you still need volunteers, count me in.

I usually use fingerless gloves unless it's cold, but it would be nice to have more flexibility. As others have pointed out, sometimes it's easier to make the gloves look natural and not, like, obviously hiding something.

[arlathvhen]

Thank you for volunteering, I'll let you know if I have something for you to try. And I agree, I think figuring out how to disguise the gloves could go a long way in hiding the anchor shards from others.