Coryphriends } Closed

[aventuriere]

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Freddie Durfort-Lacapalette
RECIPIENT: Members of the Corypheus' History project
WHAT: Intro + brainstorming sesh
WHEN: Right now
WHERE: In your ears
NOTES: Threadjacking encouraged! And with this group, probably some kind of terminal sass overdose warning

[ The message begins with the genteel clearing of a throat and then a voice, lightly accented but unmistakably Orlesian. ]

Good evening, all. I do not believe any of us has met in the past, but my name is Frédérique Durfort-Lacapalette, Baroness Haut-Brion, but you may simply call me Freddie, or Lady Freddie if you are the type to insist upon formalities. [ Which would be an absurd thing to say to this particular group, if she'd ever knowingly met any of them before. But she has not, so enjoy laughing behind your hands at the notion. ]

I will be leading this effort to uncover more information regarding our adversary Corypheus, and I am pleased to have your assistance in this endeavor. To begin, I would like you each to introduce yourself, and to share how you came to be assigned to this project, and if you have any particular expertise you believe will be useful to achieving our ends.

And of course, ideas! Should you have any suggestions for how we ought to begin, I would like to hear them. While my research skills are of course formidable, I freely confess to knowing little about our foe in specific, and even were that not so, I believe an open exchange and discussion of ideas is essential to the development and transmission of knowledge.

I look forward to hearing from each of you!

Comments

[alankazam]

I was going through the books in the library, to organize them, [ by size and colour ] So that we can find things more easily.

Wait. Sorry. I was organizing the books to find them more easily, because I couldn't find the flat purple one with the frayed edge that was in Skyhold, and we brought some of the books from Skyhold so it smelled like it should be there. Or at least that if it wasn't there, that they should have their own.

I was looking for the flat purple one because it has a good drawing of gurguts where you can tell what they're supposed to be is mostly water, which I was looking for because —

[ this continues on for several minutes, far past whatever initial reason one looks for gurgut pictures ]

— So he told me I should go ask the bloody Orlesians if I was so set on it, and then I saw the signup list.

[ he sounds faintly pleased at that. almost proud. orlesians! he found them. ]

Oh — right. I'm Alan.

[ hello!! ]

Is he in a book, then? Corypheus?

[byblow]

[ Great. ]

[alankazam]

[ so

happy ]

[aventuriere]

[ Congratulations, Alan, you have achieved a rare feat: Freddie is speechless.

But only briefly, let's not get too excited. ]

Well. You may congratulate yourself, Alan, for you have found the Orlesians. [ Because where Freddie is, the others are too, at least in spirit. ]

He may be in a book, that's one of the things we shall have to sort out. Is organizing the books your job, presently? Or-- something with animals? [ She's guessing. ]

[alankazam]

I thought you were. Is Lacapalette a place?

[ or. the rest of them. barons think they own places, he knows that much. ]

I'm a scout now. I suppose.

[ he sounds a little uncertain about that. ]

[aventuriere]

No, it's just a name, Haut-Brion is the place. [ the place that she totally owns ] You suppose? Do you wish to do something else?

[justice_is_blond]

Is... Corypheus.... in a book.

[He's not trying to mock the question, just trying to repeat it so that somehow it can make sense.]

[alankazam]

Yes. Should we be looking in books?

[byblow]

We haven't met, Lady Freddie— [ formalities are terrible, but that's fun to say ] —but I specifically remember you calling me broad-jawed and bland—but not oatmeal bland, unless I might be more interesting with other things put into me.

[aventuriere]

[ She laughs. It's a very pretty sound that is not at all as mean as one might expect from just reading comments like that one. ]

I can't claim to remember writing any such thing, but I shall happily take credit for it. It's not a bad line, is it? It sounds so like something I might say. So tell me, sir, are you more interesting with other things put into you?

[ She really did come into this intending to be professional but here we are. ]

[byblow]

I don't know. It depends. I think I get duller with liquor, but much more interesting when I've been stabbed.

[unbrokenoath]

Wow, they'll let anyone into these projects nowadays, huh. Can't believe I'm gonna be working with oatmeal.

Maybe if we sprinkle a bunch of cinnamon on you...

[byblow]

You could, but really, I'm fine with not being eaten.

[justice_is_blond]

[...They're being lead by one of the ones who likes charging into danger for the sake of adventure. This really is the story of his life, over and over again.]

I've met him before. Corypheus, that is. I don't think you and I have met, though we've spoken and I've met one of your... cousins? I'm actually not sure if you three are really cousins or just call each other that. I'll not be using titles.

And I'm Anders.

[byblow]

Killed him before, wasn't it?

[justice_is_blond]

The evidence suggests we were, perhaps, not as successful at that as initially believed.

[aventuriere]

[ For the sake of knowledge, Anders. Completely different. Not at all the same feeling when you die.

Anyway there's a pause in which she recognizes his voice and then her tone is extremely dry. Not hostile, but very dry indeed. ]

Is it truly possible that the pretentious fellow lecturing me on endangering myself was you, the Anders, mage, warden, notorious criminal? How extraordinary.

[justice_is_blond]

[His voice is equally dry.]

Yes, the man who dealt with several people determined on walking into every trap, notably Jonas Cousland and Marion Hawke, but who also had the sense to bring people with big swords and big shields, and a spirit healer as well, and a few others to round out the group.

It's hardly pretension when I've had to repeatedly save all of their lives. It's experience.

[unbrokenoath]

Hi! I'm Senior Warden Kaisa Daesun. Uh. I don't know anything about Corypheus, besides all the bullshit he can pull on Wardens. Which, like, everyone knows, now.

[ Thanks Alistair. Thanks Gwen. Thanks Kaisa, for not killing everyone involved. ]

I'm here because Corypheus is a blighted asshole who got a lot of my friends killed, and I'm going to help bring him down however I can. So, uh. This is the best way I can help, since I can't actually get near him. BUT! I know that as long as we try really hard and work really hard, we've totally got this!

[aventuriere]

I am sorry for the loss of your friends, Senior Warden Daesun. May I call you Kaisa?

[ Hopefully! Because she is not going to wait for an answer. ]

Kaisa, I am distressed also to learn about his ability to control Wardens. Is the cause of this ability known, or is it a mystery we must include in our studies?

[unbrokenoath]

Yeah, sure-- [ But there she is, doing it regardless of the answer. Welp. ]

We think it has something to do with his connection to the Blight...? I mean, that's not something that the Blighted can normally do, obviously, otherwise there wouldn't be much point t' Wardens, yanno? Not even the archdemon can do that. But it's more like he can...control it, somehow. But only within a certain distance.

I wonder if he can control actual darkspawn? I haven't heard of him doing that, but I don't see why he couldn't.

Assignments!

[aventuriere]

Now that we've made introductions, it's time to get to the work itself. I've a few matters I'd like you to assist with:

Our first goal must be to compile every piece of information the Inquisition already possesses about Corypheus. At present it is scattered among several sources, but we must have one centralized record. I need one of you to compile for me all Warden knowledge related to him. Reports on his prison and his escape from it. When did this occur? Has any team investigated the location since his escape? Have we any notion of where he was or what he did between then and his attack on the Conclave? We also need to know more of this potential connection to archdemons, the tie to Dumat in particular. How he compares with typical darkspawn and his power over them, whether there are any similar phenomena or if he is entirely unique.

I'd also like reports from any who have been in his presence--observations, conversations, what his control felt like, anything at all. Or interviews, if you would prefer we speak instead of preparing a written report. If there are others not part of this group who you know have encountered him, I'd like them interviewed them for the same information. This includes the prisoners in Skyhold's cells, his former compatriots. If there may be other Wardens yet living who could have additional information or first-hand reports, I'd like their names and potential whereabouts as well.

Our second goal is, of course, finding new information. We have learned there may be some tie to the Tevinter House of Amladaris. I'd like a dossier prepared on the family, both current and historical. If Corypheus was truly a man once, then determining how he came to be as he is--whether there is any grain of truth to his claims--may assist us in finding his weaknesses.

Third, we must compile a more comprehensive set of resources. This means cataloging the Gallows' collection, as its library is so extensive even I have not yet plumbed its depths. But many books on subjects of use have long been banned or unpopular and may be difficult to acquire. This means we must seek out sources beyond the usual booksellers. Private collectors, apostates in hiding, those with Tevinter connections, even less than reputable dealers if necessary. We shall make the Gallows library the world's foremost collection on ancient Tevinter, the first Blight, and these weird magics.

I would prefer having volunteers rather than assigning tasks, if possible, as duty is no substitute for interest or passion, but I will make assignments if necessary. If you have suggestions for other additions to this list or other tasks you would care to take on in addition, please speak up and share them. I am, as I said at the outset, very open to a free exchange of ideas and this post has already revealed that certain of you here know far more of this subject than I do at present, so let us not stand on ceremony.

[byblow]

If you'd like to boss me around, I promise to be interested and passionate.

I'd offer to compile the Warden side of things, but we've established you can't read my handwriting, so I can give what I know to someone neater if you'd like. I've been trying to find—

[ A pause. She couldn't read the letters. Rewind. ]

The Warden-Commander who oversaw his capture, Farele—he wound up stealing some texts from the Wardens and disappearing. My guess is that whatever he took is something Corypheus wanted or didn't want them to have. And the Warden who worked out how to lure him and capture him destroyed what she knew, but she mentioned a weapon. I've been trying to find hide or hair of either of them in other records. But it's been nine hundred years. If you think that it's a waste of time, I can stick to using it as bedtime reading.

[aventuriere]

[ She gives a low whistle. ]

Keep that promise, monsieur, and I may have to stop calling you Oatmeal.

[ A pause, to give it the moment it doesn't really deserve. And then, back to business. ]

I do not think it a waste of time. Unlikely, perhaps, but the potential value is more than equal to the effort required. Once I've read these letters and someone capable of holding a pen with their hands instead of their toes or whatever you use has gotten me a report on your search to date, we should discuss how to proceed. You may have exhausted Warden resources, but perhaps we can identify other means of pursuing these matters for you to attempt next.

[justice_is_blond]

I'd prefer an interview over a written report when it comes to how his control felt. Describing it would be... difficult. Perhaps questions can help filter it.

[But if she starts judging, Maker, he doesn't even know.]

I can also interview others.