All Mortals Shall Know - Part I

[faderifting]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Yseult, Ellie, Lazar, Xiomara
RECIPIENT: All members of Riftwatch
DATE: Cloudreach 1
NOTES: This will contain a combination of crystal messages and some action between and from a team in the field in Minrathous.

[ If the Scoutmaster's voice wasn't already familiar to most of Riftwatch, it should be after this week: ]

This is Yseult, in Minrathous. Each of my team, repeat what you just told me on the open channel. You should all hear, and Kirkwall as well in case we're caught up.

Comments

[biggame]

The fucked-up dragon is out,

[ in Minrathous, where Xiomara also is. ]

It's hanging around the palace, doing circles—more than natural. It looks like a performance. And there's smoke—

[ Not at the palace. But her focus is on the dragon, so she gets distracted: ]

No, now it's landing.

[notathreat]

There's some kind of huge explosion that just happened near the Magisterium. Soldiers're swarming like something kicked the nest.

Heading our way.

[extortionate]

Shitload of 'em just came through. Mage up front. Dragged folks out of a few spots. Can't get an eye on who, but I don't figure we're gonna move this vase, 'cause this whole place just locked up tighter than a v -

[ it's loud, and the rest of that is lost ]

[hassaran]

Soldiers in the High Quarter as well. The banners along the Priests' Walk have all changed to Venatori silver in the last hour.

[ If they can hear over the noise of their own surroundings, there is the rattle of a carriage beneath Yseult's words, and in the moment of muffled silence as she formulates a plan. ]

Everyone back to the safe house as quickly and carefully as you can. Xiomara, you're near the People's outpost in the Warrens, go past if you can and check their status. Lazar, see if you can get to Valeriantus and the Broken Blades on Coral Street. Ellie, I'm sure the Sons can handle themselves, but make sure you're seen offering aid not asking it, so they don't think we cut and run at the first sign of trouble. I'm going to see what these guards are after. Keep us all informed as you go.

private.

[katabasis]

We'll muster hands to be ready to meet you in the Crossroads should trouble follow.

[Sounds like a very logical thing being said in place of a string of questions.]

private.

[hassaran]

If this is what it seems, they ought to be preoccupied with their own targets. [ Hopefully. ]

private forever etc

[katabasis]

[A low, acknowledging hum. Probably.]

The Blades may have contacts who require escapes arranged for them. [Hypotheticals, all. And something she's already made motions toward with Lazar's direction.

So. The indulgent question:]

How bad does it look?

[hassaran]

Not good. But it may work to our advantage in the long run if he comes out of the shadows.

[ Circling back: ]

We'll see what can be done for allies who need outs, but I'm not taking anyone new to the eluvian.

[biggame]

I don't—

[ is the beginning of something nervous. Something about being an elf alone in the streets when things are getting ugly not being ideal.

But noticing herself about to be nervous is enough to snuff it out. The sounds around her go muted as she hides her sending crystal in her fist and gets going, head ducked in an approximation of lifelong subservience. ]

[extortionate]

Give Towers a berth - cooking fire, too many folks in the street for carts to pass.

[ or nervous soldiers. the crowd is audible, a mingle of alarm and the stubborn everyday: someone's kid asks after a doll. will she be alright? when can they go look? ]

[hassaran]

[ To all, but not not because of Xio's almost-voiced concern: ]

First priority is safe return to Kirkwall. We won't be changing the course of this today, so no major risks.

What's the mood on Towers?

[extortionate]

Edgy. One loud noise and it's gonna - shit -

[ the rumbling crack of an explosion. an hour later, breathless, ]

Got spotted hopping a gate. Somewhere under a Chantry now, it's all, [ some invisible gesture, pulling for the words. uncharacteristic to switch to ander: ] Urns. Rows of them. If I get t'Ambrose, what's our line?

[ what are we calling a major risk ]

[notathreat]

Everybody's scattering. I'm sticking here with hardline of five more minutes to help... salvage. [By the way she says it's, it's a good guess that it's not the pieces she's finding "homes" for.]

[An explosion sounds in the background, close, and Ellie curses and cuts the communication for several minutes.]

Public executions over near the base. I interfered, no witnesses. I'm gonna stash the salvage, then report in.

[extortionate]

You get any look on these - [ ka-pow sound ] - Can't figure if it's spells.

[notathreat]

Dunno, but I can describe it later. Hearing a lot of weird stuff over the crystals... what's going on?

[extortionate]

Haven't heard shit. Astrid was clean, hour back. What're you getting?

[hassaran]

Good, we'll debrief on the location details later. [ Quick, quiet, street noise behind her now. ] Whose executions?

[notathreat]

Got it.

[She's speaking more freely now that she's apparently alone, in a closed space.]

Two of the Sons. Looks like they were hunting them down specifically. I managed to get the third out of the line of fire, stashed him in a safehouse he pointed out. Left him there. Got that location too, just in case.

[hassaran]

[ That shift is noted. Yseult's silent a moment (there's a sense of movement, voices and noise passing, left behind, then a stop, background muffled like a hand's cupped around the crystal). ]

If there's an opportunity to eliminate Garsus without risk to us, take it. But Ellie-- opportunity, not chance. If the right moment doesn't come we'll make proper plans. Understood?

between more the more important conversations,

[cozen]

[ Over a background of street noise, including an accordion that gets louder and then quieter as he walks past the windows it's coming from, ]

Diplomacy work room will have coffee.

[ For the all-nighter some of them are about to pull. ]

[extortionate]

[ he's probably already heard, so - ]

You got anything?

[ other than coffee. ]

[cozen]

No, I—

[ He hasn't made it back to the Gallows at all. But his specific location is less important and abandoned in favor of: ]

They've lit the warning beacons in the towers.

[ipseite]

( petrana is also not in the gallows, but in hightown, and from where she has stepped out onto a balcony for a better look at those beacons, urgently: )

Dragons. They've lit the beacons for a dragon attack.

[extortionate]

[ ??? ]

'S still out here, can see it from the roof -

[cozen]

Maybe it's the normal hungry kind.

[ That'd be some coincidence, though. ]