07 March 2025 @ 02:52 pm

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Bastien
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: Wild and lawless threadjacking is eternally encouraged.


Good morning. I thought I would share some updates on the state of our reputation.

The best news first: out of twenty-seven mentions in this batch of periodicals, twenty of those referenced us in passing and as if there is nothing strange about us whatsoever. That is an improvement. There was a time half of those would have added, parenthesis, an assortment of demons and heretics, close parenthesis, to make sure their readers could follow their meaning. Now we are simply Riftwatch. They expect people to know what that means — which does not mean no one thinks we are demons and heretics. Of course. But they are being reminded less frequently.

Which does unfortunately lead me to Senior Enchanter Verain, formerly of the Circle in Montsimmard, who published an essay in L'hebdomadaire about the state of Thedas in general and gave us an entire paragraph.

[ He clears his throat and takes on the distinct cadence of a Dramatic Reading. ]

These monstrous threats to our safety and security are nothing new, but I am astonished, dismayed, and confounded by our acceptance of monstrous heroes. Even among my own friends, who I once thought the pinnacle of reason, discernment, and steadfast belief in the tenants of the Chant of Light, and in fact befriended because of these qualities, there are those who are shockingly content to trust the fabric of the Veil to creatures who can be nothing but demons and people who have done nothing but enable them. It is no wonder that our dereliction of our own duty in this matter has led us to this devastating moment of truth, dangling from a precipice by grip of a single finger as the Veil and the entire order of our world unravel and rot before our eyes, but I must nevertheless maintain a desperate hope that we will rise to the occasion and not permit these self-professed saviors and secret saboteurs to deliver the killing blow.

So, [ drama over, ] if everyone could stop acting demonic in public, I would appreciate it. But I do like the part where he wants other people to do anything to help. Maybe we should invite him for dinner or something. Do any of you mages know him? Has he always mixed his metaphors?

Here, this one is better, though. Local. An anonymous gossip pamphlet floating around Hightown this week. It says, To the long list of things for which we owe Riftwatch our gratitude, we must add the facades and physiques of their membership. I find myself making excuses to wander into parts of our city I would normally never be spotted, hoping for a glimpse of young brunette ladies who could so clearly lift me above their heads if given cause — which I am happy to provide if any would like to reach out to my publisher and arrange a rendezvous — and one of my dear friends' desire to train a spyglass on the harbor and search for the dark-haired elven man in their ranks, I believe, is single-handedly keeping a local glassworker in business.

Not everyone has lost sight of what is important in the world, you see.

The rest of these are pretty dull, but I am bookmarking our mentions and filling a shelf in the library in case anyone is curious.
 
 
28 January 2025 @ 11:18 am

FORM: crystal
SENDER: Benedict
RECIPIENT: mage group chat
NOTES: bl..ood magic??


How does one use a phylactery?

[BENEDICT HAS ENTERED THE CHAT]

--Isaac was on the mission with everyone we forgot for a time. He's still gone, nobody can remember where it was, but I found his phylactery.

[sometimes you do a little theft. just for pals]
 
 
01 December 2024 @ 04:55 pm

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Ness Tavane ([personal profile] aberratic, on behalf of The Forgotten (Julius, Bastien, Clarisse, Viktor (and Isaac)))
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: Player plot info! Basically: As far as everyone in the Gallows is concerned, the people Ness is talking about just straight up do not exist and never have.


[ the voice that comes over the crystal is a soft, somewhat frazzled soprano. other voices can be heard arguing behind her, but only the tones of frustration and suspicion are audible; the content of the discussion is indistinct. ]

Good afternoon, Riftwatch, this is Quartermaster Ennaris Tavane. We—that is, myself, the Seneschal, Griffon Keeper La Rue, and Messeres Bastien and Viktor, we are being barred from use of the ferry to re-enter the Gallows. Is there anyone available to vouch for us, please? We're all very tired from our return journey and have quite a lot of work to get back to.
 
 
14 October 2024 @ 03:52 pm

FORM: Crystals
SENDER: Isaac
RECIPIENT: Locked to Benedict, Julius, Kostos, Nell, Petrana, Strange. Marcus is optional. Vega is accidental.
NOTES: If you want to do these and aren't on the message, hmu OOC and we’ll get your dude involved!


The eluvians place certain opportunities in better reach. I've a list of actions and points we might address; fold them into your existing work, where able.

I trust that I needn't underscore the importance of discretion. Be mindful of those you involve, and if you must shout about all this, for fuck's sake use the filter.

 
 
22 September 2024 @ 08:16 pm

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Nell Voss
RECIPIENT: All
NOTES: n/a


So it's about a month or so til Satinalia, [ says a woman's voice, accent mostly Nevarran with just a hint of Ander to keep it sounding common, if you've got an ear for that sort of thing. She does not sound like the sort of person who starts decorating for Satinalia in August. ] and I started thinking, 'I wonder what shit the Venatori are going to ruin the party with this year?'

And then I thought—maybe this year we get the jump on them and we go ruin their party instead.

What d'you think, Riftwatch? Anybody up for getting some revenge? Maybe set a bunch of undead red lyrium bees loose in some swanky magisters' ball or something like that? I'm open to ideas.
 
 
18 August 2024 @ 10:06 pm

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Bastien
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: Fictional war crime discussion! Probably mostly vague here, will use CWs if anything gets specific.


A quick note: we are going to be looking into the allegations that the Chantry's forces were overzealous with civilians in Tevinter. I am coordinating this for now. While we are out and about in Tevinter, if you hear anything about it, let me know. Even if they are only rumors and sound outlandish. And if it does not jeopardize anything else to ask people for more information, then by all means.

If this is something you would like to help more with on an ongoing basis, let me know. We're calling it Project Clothilde.
 
 
14 August 2024 @ 12:26 pm

FORM: Crystals
SENDER: Cedric
RECIPIENT: Friends, Romans, countrymen
NOTES: Complaintiment box


Hey – 's Cedric.

Heard we used to have a box for, uh. Feedback. Set up a new one outside the Mediation office.

If there's aught been bugging you, can put it in there. Won't promise you the moons, but reckon we can at least talk it out. And if there's something gone good, or you seen someone really putting in the work, 's a fine place to say that too. I'll let folks know.

Won't read it for a bit. So if you got a pressing problem, talk to me direct.

Ah. Yeah. That’s all, thanks.

[ muffled: ]

How d'you even say Pizzicagnolo –
 
 


FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Ness ( [personal profile] aberratic )
RECIPIENT: all y'all
NOTES: This is a long one, she's a yapper. Important points bolded for the tl;dr, not for ic emphasis.




[ she has learned her lesson in contacting jayce far too early in the day; today, when ness gets on the crystal, it's closer to midday than to the first rays of dawn. she wants to reach the largest possible crowd, after all, and can't reach people who are asleep.

so: it is midday, and the first thing heard over crystal is a stack of papers being tapped neatly on a desk. buckle up, riftwatch, this is gonna be a long one.
]

Hello, Riftwatch, Ennaris Tavane speaking. [ does it sound like she's reading off a pre-written script? maybe. look, she has a lot to get through and she doesn't want to miss anything. ] In looking into how I could best make use of myself here, I found that there's quite a lot of information on rifter technology and knowledge that might have a use in Thedas, but it all seems to be a little spread out, in various different offices and projects. My aim now, which I have received permission from Provost Niehaus to undertake, is to gather all this disparate information and compile it to make comprehensive files for each field. To that end, I have requests of our organization, both rifter and native Thedosian alike:

Rifters, I would like to hear from you on technologies available in your world that Thedosians may be able to reproduce. Some of these notes include reference to a Riftwach Cultural Exposition which took place last year, and I would especially welcome input from anyone who attended or presented at that Exposition. Much of the work on this end has already been done by the agents who worked on this endeavour before me, so my goal here is mainly to ensure that I understand exactly what it is I'm compiling, but I welcome new ideas to add to the compilation—and no innovation is too trivial to be included; at the Exposition, a rifter Jude Adjei met with great success in distributing his peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. If it can be achieved by the means and materials we have available to us in our new home, it's worth consideration, at the very least.

Native Thedosians, here I defer to your expertise in our home. The goal of compiling this information is to be able to facilitate a dialogue between ourselves and the rest of Thedas, to bring to bear the knowledge of worlds beyond to make life better across this continent, here and now. The question I put to you is, who would be most receptive to this dialogue? There are some names in these notes, a Monsieur Guillaume du Naigh, Signora Jacqueline Fioranati, and we have experienced no small success in engaging with the University of Orlais—but it has been some time since the Exposition. Have we made any new contacts? Which organizations are of the most open minds? Any names I receive will be listed and turned over to the Provost as contacts for next steps, once the information has been compiled.

Given no significant setbacks, I intend to have this information compiled and ready to set before the Provost within a month. While I welcome any and all contributions, it would be best they come sooner than later.

Thank you for your assistance, Riftwatch.

 
 
08 August 2024 @ 12:39 pm

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Gela Baynrac
RECIPIENT: Absolutely everybody.
NOTES: Now for something completely different


(Just to switch things over and away from all these (albeit, important) thoughts of death—)

What is something lovely that has happened to you lately?

Or at least something very interesting?
 
 
20 July 2024 @ 10:45 pm
Good morrow, Riftwatch.

( Now, there’s a voice that hasn’t been on the crystals for a time. Years, in fact. The Starkhaven accent is strong as ever, and yet— some more nebulous quality has shifted. What was once careful and controlled, turned to diplomacy through practice, has turned to uniform flatness. Every word placid, every syllable even. )

My name is Herian Amsel. If we were previously acquainted then the possibility that word of my return has reached you already, and were circumstances suited to it, I would offer apology for being so withdrawn.

For those unfamiliar with me, or who have not become familiar with the details of my return, there are elements best not left unspoken.

You may notice differences in my speech and manner. This stems from the Rite of Tranquility, enacted by radicals acting outside the approval of the Chantry and Inquisition. Indeed, the attack was an attack against the Chantry and Inquisition, both.

I remember well the passion and fire of so many in Riftwatch; I share this news not to stoke those fires. These are matter that require thorough investigation. Rather,I speak to be transparent that this state is not one freely chosen, and such a revelation is an unkind one to inflict on others in the midst of other work. A good many find the Tranquil unsettling even before considering the context of how the Rite came to pass.

My presence hence is to serve Riftwatch, and if my presence disturbs you, please do not hesitate in letting it be known. I would sooner remove myself to another part of the keep to do my work, than some disconcerting quality to my aspect interfere with your work, or my circumstances evoking painful memories. One reason I have remained withdrawn was my own contemplations on potential negative impact my return in this state could alert.

Presently I have been assisting Doctor Strange, and learning of medical practices. If any could be troubled to lend assistance through procurement of clay, that would be most beneficial.

If you have questions you win to ask, I will endeavour to answer.