{ OPEN }

[embracelight]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Belinda Darrow
RECIPIENT: Open to all
WHAT: She's curious as to what this New Templar Order is all about, among other things.
WHEN: Guardian 19th
WHERE: Anyone can hear it anywhere, but she's at Skyhold.
NOTES: According to the logs, a dragon attack happened on Wintermarch 29, but the dragon fighting log happens on Guardian 28, so when Belinda asks about dragons, no one has killed any yet.

Hello, hello! I hope this is working.

[ A young woman's voice with a Starkhaven accent comes across the crystals. ]

I was supposed to think of everyone wasn't I? Well, let's see if I did it. Ehm, my name is Belinda, and I just returned from a mission for the Inquisition, so this is the first I've got to use this fancy crystal thing. It's nice, isn't it? Anyway, I saw a notice on the bulletin board that said "New Templar Order of the Inquisition" on it. What's all that about, then? Really, I've heard nothing, so I'm all ears. I'm curious whom they answer to, what their duties are, that sort of thing.

I hear there's a lot happening at Emprise du Lion right now too. Something about a load of Red Templars. And dragons. Did anyone listening to this see any dragons? I'd think it'd be quite alarming.

Also, it's been ages since I played Wicked Grace. I don't even have a deck. Anyone fancy a friendly game at the tavern tonight?

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

[And she'll just ignore certain aspects of this message, going straight for what she'd prefer to talk about.]

Oh, I saw a dragon. Two of them, closer than I'd like. They attacked a camp and snatched some soldiers before flying off past that broken bridge.

[embracelight]

[ She gasps. ]

No! Oh, how terrible. I hope they didn't suffer and just died quickly. It would be a horrible thing, to be carried off in the air by a dragon.

[gatheringstorm]

Practically all of Emprise du Lion the way it is now counts as a 'horrible thing', and I was stationed at the Fallow Mire for a time. [Even if this Starkhaven woman hadn't been there, it's likely she's heard all the grumbling about it.] The damn things froze half the campsite, too, ruining a lot of work that had to be started over. But it could have been a lot worse, and we all know it.

Honestly, the Red Templars unnerve me more. At least the dragons are behaving normally, but there's nothing 'normal' about the things that used to be human.

[justdesert]

It is so important to play just as hard as you work. Cards would be delightful. And gossip is so much more informative in person

[embracelight]

I agree with that! Do you happen to have a deck of cards? I suppose I can go see if the merchant stalls sell them.

[justdesert]

I own one of those very stalls. I do believe I could manage a special for a new friend.

Voice

[judgemewhole]

...Belinda? Belinda Darrow? Is that you? [And here is a very surprised Norrington who is now going to be unbelievably pleased.] Maker be praised, girl! I thought you were dead! We all did!

[embracelight]

Oh, hello! No, not dead at all! I mean, obviously not, or I couldn't be speaking to you.

[ A pause. ]

Ehm, sorry. Who is this?

[judgemewhole]

Oh, my apologies ... I should have realized you probably wouldn't recognize me. This is Knight Commander James Norrington, and I am a member of the New Templar Order, if you have any questions.

[wontforgetyou]

[It's funny how sometimes you don't realize how much you miss something from home until you run across something that reminds you of it. Or, in this case, come across someone who sounds like they're from there - and for Jamie, hearing that familiar of an accent strikes a chord with him, enough so that he has to check and make sure he's hearing things rightly. Dragons and red templars and whatever that order thing she's talking about will just have to wait.]

Hey, you'd not be from Starkhaven, would you?

[embracelight]

Yes, I am! Born and raised. Well, raised for a little while, in any case. And you? You sound like you are too.

[wontforgetyou]

Ah, no. Not exactly. I'm from a place called Scotland, on Earth. I'm...er, have they told you about us rifters yet?

Voice

[el_tybs]

Well there's a voice I haven't heard for a while. I almost forgot you were with the Inquisition - you've been gone a while.

How was Val Royeaux?

[embracelight]

I suppose I'm easy to forget!

[ Said with all sincerity. She can believe it. ]

Oh, it was... a bit frustrating, I'd say. The Chantry isn't acting very kindly right now. Not as they should. But we kept the populace calm after the Templars left.

[el_tybs]

I was only kidding, Belinda.

[He sighs lightly at her tone for her response.

It's not at all surprising to hear that the Chantry was being kind. Now if they had actually been nice-]

Glad to hear. I'm sure you were a big help with that.

[foxsays]

There have been...discussions. About the Templars. [Perhaps, strictly speaking this Antivan sounding voice is not supposed to know but she listens, she talks to people, she knows how to gamble for more than just coins. There’s a hestitation before she continues, and when she does she’s quiet, careful.] As for the Red Templars, if you wish to know then I have seen them up close, freeing prisoners from the cages in Sahrnia as they took them to the quarries to mine more of that-- of that stuff. I didn’t know anything could make a person cease to be a person like that.

[Moving on, moving on because she might have to if she thinks about it for too long.]

I have cards and dice with me, enough to share but I’m still learning the rules of Wicked Grace at the moment.

[embracelight]

I don't doubt there have been discussions. There are as many opinions as there are blades of grass.

[ And when no one wants to compromise, things can get heated. Compromise doesn't have to mean backing down, but some will always take it that way. ]

Oh, that's... I suppose there is no turning back for them now, is there?

[ Her voice is close to choked up. How many of them were Templars she trained with, served with, looked up to? And now they've destroyed themselves.

She clears her throat. ]

I've been offered a pack of cards. I could show you Wicked Grace tonight, if you're free.

[foxsays]

Maybe one day people will look to the past with one eye and to the future with the other, learn from mistakes and see how to build something new. They could say then ‘I made this, I made this new thing that is fair, that is good’, something to be so very proud of.

[But she is young, and she is used to freedom, to so many people putting aside differences to work together the way a crew must. Compromise is a central part of coming from her home, negotiations and reputations all carefully balanced, duels and games of chance to sort things out so it runs nice and smooth.]

Forgive me, I forget that there are some people here might have known but the fewer to see them, the better. They are at peace now, but I think they had stopped being people a long time ago, some could no longer even speak, and I...I would not like to know that people are capable of certain things.

[Locking people in cages in Sahrnia is one of the worst things she’s ever seen, and she has always tried to see the good in a person, in a thing. She would never want someone to think that perhaps their friends were capable of something so terrible, even if that makes her sound naive.]

I am free as a bird in the sky tonight, set the time and I will be there. I hope you don’t mind a fox tagging along.

[Lux has been rather clingy since she ran off to Antiva and came back to cry on him for several hours.]

[hlif]

Wouldn’t worry about it, as soon as the Chantry pulls their head from their collective arse then folk’ll either quit if they really can’t stand it or they’ll go back to toeing the line. Probably just want to have some fancy title to match the mage council here.

[But you know, some people like familiarity. Asher would rather his came in being remembered in the brothels and taverns for all the right reasons but different strokes for different folks.]

I was one of the ones fighting the dragons, Hivernal, nasty thing that she was.

[embracelight]

I heard there was a mage council. It doesn't surprise me they wanted to organize into a unit for protection. I've been worried about mages out there on their own.

[ There's a pause, and when she speaks, her voice sounds disappointed. ]

The Chantry should be offering protection and comfort to the masses in this trying time, but in Val Royeaux, everyone was squabbling and trying to step on each other to reach the top. Justinia would be ashamed of how they are acting. Whether it's misguided grief, or a power grab, I don't like it.

[hlif]

You know that other mages out on their own do just fine, right? Like the Dalish. And my folk. Being in the community and playing a real part works wonders.

[Not that it's any of his business you know, he'll just be right here, sipping his tea.

Except the tea is whisky most likely.]

Well that's Orlais all the time, there's a reason I'm not the one doing the talking when my company pick up work there because I'd just torch it and work with what was left after. S'pose it's the Chantry finally showing true colours at long last though.

[blightedson]

Only Wicked Grace or would you be interested in other games as well?

[embracelight]

Oh, other games would be lovely as well! Whatever you'd like to play.

[dalishious]

Sure, let's play.

[ Hope you don't mind losing, Belinda. Because he cheats. A lot. ]

[embracelight]

Great! I'm going to go buy a deck. Meet you in the tavern in a half hour?

[ She doesn't mind! She just likes being social. ]