WELCOME TO THE INQUISTION : No Light In the Distance

[mostlyvoid]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Cecil and Kevin
RECIPIENT: Everyone in the Inquisition
WHAT: Cecil's second Welcome to the Inquisition broadcast
WHEN: 14th of Guardian
WHERE: Who knows where he's broadcasting from
NOTES: No real content warnings save that Cecil is very weird and very biased about some things, feel free to yell at him. If you want to see the first broadcast, it is

[Hello everyone, it’s that time again. A deep, calming, smooth baritone voice starts to talk to all of you right out of your sending crystals. His voice is deep, and as he begins, sends an eerie chill through all who hear him. As it continues, though, that strange deep voice is actually rather… soothing.]

The night is dark, and full of terrors. Sleep, and fight off the night. Unless, of course, the worst terrors are the ones that come to you in your dreams.

Then even in sleep, you’ll never escape.

Welcome, to the Inquisition.

[He pauses, to hum an intro theme, tapping along to the beat with his foot. After he is finished, he continues:]

Listeners, as many of you are very aware, there has been a lot of excitement happening in Skyhold, and outside of it. Thanks to the brave and intrepid words of more than a few Inquisition Agents - [himself included, of course] - the Inquisition presence in Emprise du Lion has been greatly increased, and efforts to curb the red lyrium mining facilities of the Red Templars, as well as save the people’s enslaved there, are underway!

Felix Alexius, the hero who betrayed his father for the greater good, and helped us crush the Venatori’s - (Ugh, Tevinter)- plots in Redcliffe, has officially joined the Wardens. Well done, Felix! We look forward to your brave and courageous deeds and remember not to get mud on everything.

Also - we have word that Zevran Arainai and his rescues are finally on their way back to skyhold. Phew! Well that is a relief. I don’t know about you, but I was certainly worried about our resident assassin slash beautiful hair model! I hope they killed his kidnappers dead for daring to touch a single hair on his head!

However, listeners, not all news is good. Demons and Rifts have been spotted throughout Thedas, and the shards of the Herald’s mark are proving more dangerous that we originally thought. A rift was opened within skyhold itself, and reports have stated that the rift was caused by the power of one of the shards, embedded in the hand of a Dalish Elf. Listeners - I am incredibly worried, about this. Are not these shards meant to help us close the rifts?

If they can be used to open them, are any of us safe?

Luckily - I’m not the only ones who are worried. The mage council - who, though I have said before I am not entirely sure can be trusted, do make delicious cookies and seem to be on the whole fairly nice - had an emergency meeting in the wake of the event to discuss how to handle these issues. New training regulations and supervision for mages with shards have been discussed, but Listeners - is it enough? Shouldn’t everyone with a shard be under some sort of supervision?

Shouldn’t we all be under some sort of supervision?

An unsigned poster that I found in the lavatory on the third floor has said that there may be someone who can help us. An elf named Solas, who originally brought the Inquisition here, to Skyhold. Has anyone seen him? Does anyone know where he could be? If you have any information, please feel free to contact us via sending crystal, raven, writing out messages in the snow, or sobbing uncontrollably in a lonely hallway on the other side of the castle.

Listeners - as you well know, I cannot possibly tell you everything that is about to happen. Releasing specific information too early, even just to members of the Inquisition, could get word to our enemies before we even arrive! After all - who knows how many of your friends are spies?

How do you know that you are not a spy?

So it is with complete and utter vague words that I wish all the soldiers that are gearing up for a very important march to a very important fortress good luck with their endeavour. Do us proud, and come home safe.

For you,

The Weather. After the music plays, Cecil continues.]

A final piece of news, this time to do with my own little show! After my last broadcast, I’ve been working hard to be able to bring the news to you in a more effective, transparent manner - and to help out, I have a new apprentice! [He sounds very very excited about this.]

Everyone - is Kevin! Kevin, say hello to our listeners!

Hello, all you wonderful listeners. But, Cecil, let’s not focus on what’s old or new. It makes us think too much of a past. A past we can do nothing- absolutely nothing- for now. We are the present, Cecil. Even better, that means we are the future. A united. Future.

Yes - that’s very true, Kevin, but we must always remember Tradition! Tradition is important, tradition binds us together just as much as the future does! And that brings me to my main point, today.

Listeners - there has been a lot of talk throughout the Inquisition of late, about the place of Andraste and the Chantry in the Inquisition, and I feel like I need to remind you exactly why were are here and who we are here for! This entire endeavour was started by the highly esteemed and tragically late Divine Justinia, and it is through her wisdom and sacrifice that the Inquisition even exists!

We are here to fight a great evil, that threatens our very lives and ways of life - let us not lose those ways, just because of that threat! Keep your traditions! Keep your beliefs! They are safe, and sacred, and will guide you through the coming war! It doesn’t matter what you believe in. Unless it is the Black Divine, or the Qun, in which case, I urge you to turn yourself in to the nearest superior officer.

Oh, Cecil. You charming little joker. You. One of our dearly lost Herald’s most inner circle, the dashing Iron Bull himself, stands as a pillar of this Inquisition. Thanks to the strength, the inner peace, and certainty, he draws from the Qun. We must be careful not to let silly old prejudice from the past sneak in to darken our bright and glorious future. We really, really. Must.

[Cecil makes an awkward sound as if he’s very sure that he would quite like to keep his prejudice, thank you, but eventually says:] Yes. Of course, that’s true. The Iron Bull has been a great asset, from the beginning.

Still. You might want to let someone know.

The important thing, Listeners, is that we believe in the Inquisition. We believe in the Right and the Left hand of the divine, we believe in the need to do what is right, when no one else will.

We all have so much to lose. We all have so much at stake. But Kevin is right - we all have a great future, ahead, too. If we are brave enough to reach out, and secure it.

Be brave, Listeners. Be brave, and keep fighting back the night.

Goodnight, Inquisition.
Goodnight.

Comments

voice

[equanimiti]

Hear, hear.

[ He hadn't intended on commenting at first since he's been avoiding the sending crystals for obvious reasons. However, he feels compelled to do so after that shameful tirade. ]

As long as we do what's fundamentally right, our differences in faith means nothing. We strive to make this bleak world a better place for all people. That much I'm certain.

[serannas]

[ This man is... strange to say the least. And did he have to say that about the mage council? Sure, others must be thinking it too, but when they say it out loud, that could lead to problems. They've been working so hard lately! She would hate for more pressure to come down upon them now. Despite all that, what she latches onto is one of the first things he said. ]

You shouldn't say that about Felix. You don't know what his relationship with his father is like. That's between the two of them.

[ That's her sweet babboo, yo. ]

reaction;

[blightedson]

[He's not replying publicly because he doesn't want to draw even more attention to his father, but the fact that she stood up for him makes him grin like an idiot for at least an hour.]

Re: voice

[mostlyvoid]

Ah, Templar Alayre! It's wonderful to hear your voice again - you certainly sound much better.

[mostlyvoid]

What did I say about Felix? [He honestly doesn't really remember. That was a whole five minutes ago, Ellana, what do you expect from him.]

He did well! He helped defeat an evil man! Just because that evil man was his father isn't important. I was praising the Warden.

[serannas]

[ All right, this is getting stranger than she thought possible. ]

Well, yes, he's a Warden now.

[ Now she's decidedly uncomfortable because while Alexius definitely sounded evil when she heard the story, she doesn't want to say anything one way or the other about him.

Moving on. ]

You mentioned Emprise du Lion. I'm there now. The rescue efforts have gone well.

[mostlyvoid]

Exactly. He's a Warden now. And Wardens are - well not great, exactly, but brave, certainly. They just tend to be - well - dirty. But Felix is a very handsome man, so I'm sure he'll keep the dirtyness to a minimum.

[moving on.]

You are? That's great. It's a cause very close to my heart, you know. It is just awful being a slave to lyrium-crazed templars! Just - ugh.

[equanimiti]

[ Oh, dear. This man knows him by voice? Well, that certainly takes the anonymity out of this. Alayre hadn't expected a reply and is shocked he even received one.

So forgive him if he seems a tad cautious here. He's already a tad leery about using these crystals as it is. ]

Quite.

[serannas]

[ She bristles a little because she's friends with several Wardens and she thinks they're pretty great.

But moving on. ]

Oh, you were one of the first rescued from the cages? What the Red Templars were doing was awful. It's good were we able to make a difference here before they could hurt anymore people.

[mostlyvoid]

[Cecil is a reporter, Alayre! Or course he remembers people's voices when they share news over the sending crystals! What kind of person do you take him for?]

Do you have any comment to give over the recent mage council? Or the issues with the anchor shards? I've yet to get official comment from any of the templars, and I'm sure everyone would love to hear your opinion on the subject.

[equanimiti]

[ A reporter, yes. Alayre really should've held his tongue. Too late to decline from answering, the Templar takes a moment to ponder his answer well before speaking. Anything he says now will be for all to hear. ]

First & foremost, I certainly stand by the decision making process of the Mage Council. I believe earnestly that they have Thedas' best interests at heart and merely wish to see an end to the conflicts that brew.

[ He pauses briefly to take a deep breath. ]

In regards to the topic at hand, I tentatively hope that with these new regulations that the Mage Council remembers that even with surveillance, incidents still occur. We must prepare ourselves for the evitable rather than do the impossible. If we have a proper contingency plan made in regards of how to deal with these Rifts, then we will be able to miligate the damage accordingly with finesse until more permnant solution arrives.

[ Alayre takes a moment to continue. ]

There's many mysteries to be had in regards to the anchor shards. While we were certain that these shards could close the Rifts, we were unaware that they would also open them. This mistake is no fault of anyone but it was a lesson well learned by all of us. In proceeding with our mission to bring stability to Thedas, we must study the origins behind this phenomenon with a critical eye. I believe that in time we shall unearth all of the answers we seek.

Until then, all of us must play our roles in this affair with patience. Those who possess these shards are not our enemies but allies instead. It's through their aid that we can eventually solve this mystery in a timely fashion.

Voice

[the_effect_she_has]

[See an opportunity, grab an opportunity.]

What the Inquisition really needs right now, is something to draw us all together. A common cause. I saw mages and templars fighting together, side by side, on the hills of Suledin Keep. I saw people of all faiths, covering one another's backs while we were being attacked by all manner of creatures. I think it is important to remember that despite our differences, we have one enemy. Corypheus.

[A pause, a deep breath.] Perhaps we need more unifying long term goals. Right now, refugees from all over Thedas who have come to us for protection are living in what can rightly be called a tent city. This doesn't just include humans - it includes elves, dwarves, Valshoth and Tal Valshoth. Not only that -- our own soldiers, my fellow scouts, are living in tents. The healers themselves are working out of tents. This is not right. We should be building permanent shelters.

We should be coming together, to raise the funds, to find the materials, to shelter one and all who come to our gates.

Voice

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Oh that's just silly. I would take three baths a day if I could.

[Is Bethany's gently amused response.]

Re: Voice

[mostlyvoid]

It's the could. From the reports I've recieved, Wardens are almost always off fighting - usually Darkspawn - and that isn't a particularly cleanly profession.

Plus, we've all heard about how Alistair used to sleep in a pile of dogs in the stables.

Re: Voice

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Naturally! But you say that as if we don't immediately bathe the moment we're done. Which we all do - darkspawn are quite rank. If you want to speak of a race that needs to bathe? Whew.

[Now there's another laugh.] Oh, I love that story! Little tiny Alistair, curled up with all those mabari puppies ... I would rather think that's adorable over being dirty, honestly. Besides, they'd never have let him become a Templar if he didn't bathe. You know how clean the Templars are.

Re: Voice

[equanimiti]

[ Hesitant to speak upon this matter at first, Alayre finds the will to speak when he hears that bit about fundraising for the refugees. That's probably the best idea he's heard yet. ]

This is an endeavor the Order would gladly support. Skyhold still has holes and patches everywhere and we have far too many tents around. The living conditions are quite poor and winter is still among us.

[foxsays]

Some of us have those shards, and the Dalish mage is a friend of some of us too. Maybe be a bit more sensitive before you open your mouth.

[Punching a sending crystal will do absolutely nothing but it's honestly tempting.]

Putting people under supervision is unnecessary if you base it on what might happen - you might choke on your dinner tonight, that doesn't mean you should never eat again.

[byblow]

They didn't let me become a Templar. For the record.

[justdesert]

I couldn't agree more. An open mind is the very first step towards inner peace.

Re: Voice

[justdesert]

Delightful! Your name, young...miss? It's always so exciting to hear from those that appreciate the value of working hard. Unifying towards productive goals instead of wasting all this glorious energy on silly disputes of the past.

[justdesert]

But if the food makes you sick, surely you'll think twice before taking a bite again.

We are simply looking at the facts, my lady. Sadly, we cannot control what they are.

[gatheringstorm]

Do we seriously need even more shit-stirring over the sending crystals than there's already been lately? You can't say you believe in the Inquisition, then turn around and slander mages and rifters alike as though we're not part of it. There's been more than enough strain without adding to the paranoia.

And lastly, fuck the Qun.

[equanimiti]

Apparently. We have far too much work to do to start quarreling amongst ourselves. That I realize.

Cecil Action

[justdesert]

Oh, that was fun!

Re: Cecil Action

[mostlyvoid]

[Cecil gives him a broad smile.]

Yes, that went rather well. [But then the smile fades.] Though - You really should be careful, Kevin. Someone might think that you're a Qun sympathiser, the way you spoke today.