Frost Flowers, In This Heat? BY Morrigan

Morrigan had been commanded by her dear son-in-law to find a cure for his mother. He wanted her to try, even if he knew the straits were dire. So, Morrigan sent out a notice through all of the kingdoms, funded by royal money there was not a corner of Thedas that she did not meet, save for Tevinter and the islands. The Orlesian people knew well enough that their Empress had brought on the Witch for her abilities with magic, to try to cure herself of some ailment or another. The rest of Thedas would soon know the same.

The notice said that they were hunting for a flower, named 'Frost Flower', that was said to have both healing properties and... other deadly rumors claimed it was a deathly thing. It's supposedly shown up around the time the Veil fell, but everyone who had ever set foot upon the Gamordan Mountains to seek it, had never come back. Whether this was because the mountains were treacherous in and of themselves... or something with the flowers, one could only guess.

If there was anything Morrigan hated more than Flemeth coexisting within her body, it was being ordered to do something. But, she sent out the fliers with information about where the people interested in helping her should meet, and she waited just outside of the entrance to the settlement of Val Gamord, near the top of the Gamordan peaks in Orlais. She was quietly reading about the rumored flowers, listening to Flemeth's commentary as she stood there, ignoring the chill of the wind as it hit her furs. They were going high enough up that it was cold, and the air was thin.

Requirements
All magic characters roll at a disadvantage as these Frost Flowers are much more potent to mages — when rolling for your magic character, to see whether they fall asleep or not, your entry on the discord bot-channel should read: !1d6
The numbers you are hoping to roll to stay awake: 1, 6

All non-mages, your discord rolls should look like: !1d6
The numbers that keep you awake are: 1, 6, 4

Your dice rolls will appear like this on the discord, the circled numbers are how you can tell what you rolled:


There is no risk of death in this thread, but there is the risk of minor injuries. You will be instructed when you need to roll the dice for sleep, and I will remind you guys in each post that it may be pertinent and of the numbers you need to roll to stay awake.

Characters can participate in this quest at any age, and any level. Characters can show up from every kingdom and walk of life. Because this is our first onsite quest, every OOC member may place one (1) character into the PQ.

There is the risk of minor injury and temporary disability, however any and all of these will be privately discussed with the character's RPer to ensure that nobody is unhappy with anything throughout the quest.

When writing your first post: respond to the quest as if you've arrived at the location.

When responding to an attack or dice roll: place bullet points at the end of your post quickly detailing the most important parts of your post, so that we ensure everything important is caught.

Activity:
This thread will be open for sign-ups from 7/29/22 until 8/8/22. Everyone involved in this thread receives 3 days to post before order is skipped.

To receive the end reward, characters must make at least 3 posts in this thread, ideally complete the entire quest, but we understand that things can come up.

Rewards
 Characters who participate in this PQ receive one (+1) favor from the Witch of the Wilds, herself. She cannot refuse, she cannot weasel out of it. Her acceptance of this quest herself, binds her to the promise of reward.

You typically would not receive any gold or points for participating in this level of quest, but for being my guinea pigs, and helping me work out the quest system kinks, every character who participates will receive 5 MP towards a foci of their choice.

Zachary had gotten hold of one of the fliers that explained what this witch of the wild wanted and what someone would gain for doing so. That was certainly interesting and Zach wanted what he would get in return, not question about that. So, he told Fin where he was going and headed off. Surely the other two would be fine without him for just long enough so he could complete this quest. It was something he had to believe if he wanted to make sure that he succeeded. He wanted to learn from Morrigan. There was much she could teach him and he would learn, one way or another. He was nothing if not determined.

So soon enough he found himself climbing up into the clouds and into thinner air. He was not used to it, but his body had been pushed to the brink of death multiple times before. This would not stop him. He climbed and climbed until he found himself standing before the woman who had asked for help. She did not look in need of it, but he wouldn't be fooled by that. There was much to this woman, Zachary knew, especially so given he wished to learn from her. So he walked and found a place to sit himself with only a nod of acknowledgement. He would no doubt not be the only one who answered her call. He had done research on the flower before coming, but it still was only so much information when seeking it out led to death. This would be tricky, but he was ready.

Ordinarily such a quest was beyond his consideration. He didn't think it was beneath him but neither did he feel it was overly lofty, just not a mission to which he felt particularly drawn. As Warden-Constable he had numerous duties, a lot of which tended to coincide with his position next to Lana and the others of the Protectorate. He was often at something of a disconnect with the outside world while on the Peak, a quality he sought to amend sooner rather than later. He didn't feel like much of a Warden without a genuine devotion to all of Thedas. And then there was the matter of Alyvia and his questioning. So maybe he was a coward in answering the witch's call and avoiding personal responsibilities but there was a higher purpose at play. 

It was a long journey, most of which he'd crossed with a favored courser to the base of the range. He ascended quickly, cutting up and over towards the unfamiliar settlement. He'd never went out of his way to navigate around Orlais like he did Ferelden. A bias he never intened to relinquish. He could feel the pinch in his chest as the freezing air sliced into his lungs, barely sufficing in a full inhale. When finally the unmistakable signs of civilization appeared on the horizon in front of him, remembering as he neared that the only thing he really knew about this mission was the inherent danger. Just ahead he saw two figures and being that the were some of the only two out in the cold, he figured this was his destination. 

Certainty of danger? Small chance of success? 

What were they waiting for?

Kieran was, if anything, his mother's child. 

By that, he believes Morrigan had good intentions but got lost in her quest to learn more about the world around her. He could recall a time when she was far more kind than she had been in the last five years, and though many would call the Witch callous and deceitful, Kieran knew she could be more. 

This quest alone was proof of that. When Cali asked her to try and find a way to help the Empress without the use of blood magic and rituals, she'd decided to acquiesce. She could have told him no, could have waved him off and continued the rituals the Empress so desperately needed to stay alive. But she'd decided to send out an invitation to anyone across Thedas who could help, and for once in a long time Kieran was proud of his mother. 

And since she was trying to do something good he wanted to help. She probably didn't want him there, but he couldn't pass up a chance to help cure Cali's mother as he was one who helped put her in the position she was currently in. So, once his preparations were made and done, Kieran began his trek to the meeting place in the mountains. 

When he arrived, a couple of men he didn't know we're already waiting with Morrigan. He shrugged to himself and stayed to the side, only looking to his mother to give her an encouraging smile of approval. He didn't want to bother her when others most likely had questions, so he was content to stay to the side until he was needed.

When Asha first heard about her mother's quest she had been relatively indifferent, though a bit surprised that her mother was actually going through with it. However, once she found out the reward that Morrigan, that changed things. The idea of her mother owing her something was far too enticing to pass up. Sure there was the whole dangers and the like that would go along with a quest, but how hard could it be, and it's not like Asha would be alone. She'd been practising her shapeshifting magic and was feeling quite confident about it, even if she had been using it lately to be silly.

Knowing she probably wouldn't get permission to go on such a quest, she decided her best course of action was to shapeshift into something small and hide out in Kieran's pack. She hadn't thought about the whole not having a mount, but she figured Kieran would probably let her ride with him, they certainly wouldn't make her turn around and go home after all the trouble she went through to get there.

Once Kieran had stopped at the meeting point, Asha decided she might as well make herself known and get it over with. She had turned herself into a Hamster so she crawled out of the pack, down Kieran's pant legs and on to the grass, then poof, back to her self. She immediately looked at her mother.

Before you ask, no Kieran knew nothing of my plans to tag along

When Hermione had first come across the flier that detailed the Witch of the Wilds quest, she had been rather intrigued. For one, it seemed that certain rumours were true, regarding the state of the Orlesian monarchy. Although there was obvious danger within the Gamordan Mountains, having heard that many who had climbed it's slopes had disappeared, never to be found. Why was that, she wondered? The work of spirits/demons or something else entirely?

She was also curious about these 'Frost Flowers'. Should they find one and return, it seemed that not only could she potentially win the favour of the Winter Palace, but it seemed that this witch herself was willing to owe favour. Both outcomes could be very useful indeed in achieving her goal, so long as her 'Orlesian' sibling didn't interfere, of course.

After consulting with Duty, the spirit of which she shared her body, the princess made the journey up toward the mountain's peak. It would be an arduous trek, but she at least had her varghest to aid her in overcoming the unforgiving terrain.

What she hadn't counted on was just how thin the air was up here, but she would soon adjust with the help of her...cohabitee. There were others here already, and she leaned on her staff as she made her way over to the group. It seemed that she had arrived just in time for some kind of family drama, so perhaps introductions could wait.

Mirage lacked things to do. Her home and the people she'd once known to live there were gone, in one fashion or another. And, with it, came little that Mirage could do with herself. Forced into the world and dealing with all it's inhabitants by Darkspawn, she had to do something to entertain herself. Especially if that meant irritating her dearest baby sister, Morrigan.

Even to someone wild as she, the flier had made it into her hands. And so, on a whim, she decided to go. Not because she desired a favor from her sister, no. More so the entire idea of it intrigued her. This sort of thing was not very Morrigan. Or very Flemeth.

The macaw perched on her shoulder squawked at her and she rolled her eyes. Do not test me, Spirit, I told you already I grow weary of you. The Spirit of Purpose she'd been communing with when the flier came had been something she'd become bored with quite quickly. Casting it out of herself and to one of her companions: Rhyme. Her partner, Reason, lurked nearby but did not dare approach Mirage or his mate. Lest Mirage draw in and cast out yet another spirit to him. Her animals were not unfamiliar with this practice. Though few liked sharing themselves with a spirit.

By the time she'd arrived, it was clear many others had gathered as well. A smirk twisted onto Mirage's features. Ah, Mother Dearest, how does it feel having the Disappointment offer herself for favors for so very many people? She shifted her attention to scan the group, ignoring the bird on her shoulder as it picked at her hair. Two young faces stood out and she wasted little time in moving closer to them. Kieran and darling little Asha'bellanar, I take it? She peered at them with an unwavering gaze. Quite the sense of humor for such a name. Or is it blasphemy? Smirking still, she flicked her gaze over to Morrigan. Oh how she loved to bother her sister.

Morrigan had not wanted to do this, and neither had Flemeth... but, her orders from one employer were to obey the other, amd Calixte had demanded she at least try to cure his mother. So... she begrudgingly set up a public pooling of people; to try to get a willing group to go on a stupid mission with her that would likely yield nothing.

But as people arrived, they'd find her stoic, and quiet. At least until her family started to make their appearances. She smiled at her son, and reached to tousle his hair; at least there was someone competent on this quest.

And then, the young man was anxiously panicking, his eyes wide as he fought the urge to fling magic at whatever had just crawled down his pants leg—his sister appearing into view from the form of the hamster that had startled her big brother.

Morrigan stared, blankly at Asha'bellanar, and shrugged. Perhaps a real mission would teach the brat to obey her mother and learn her offensive magic.

Her attention drifted acros the weary group, and she made the slightest face of disgust at her sister. Mother wants to share your body, since you think this one's a disappointment. It was a jest; Flemeth had, after all, raised Morrigan to be nothing more than a vessel for her into her next life; though the old Witch had expected to be paired once more with Mythal, who Asha was now paired with.

Unfortunate, really.

Morrigan doesn't address the fact of Asha's name, it's a moot point now. Instead, everyone in the group would find themselves with a drawing of the flowers they would be searching for floating in front of their faces.

It is nice to see that a favor from me could garner such interest, she mused. Tonight, we are looking for Frost Flowers, supposed to be crafted of ice, and maintain various qualities after they are picked.

She instructed the people to go through town, asking around for answers. Morrigan, herself, went to the apothecary in town to talk to the people there.

Underlining this bit of post in a response to my dice roll on the discord server, to show you how I'd like you to go forward.
Morrigan found the apothecarist to be drunk, so drunk he could hardly stand. He slurred his words as he spoke, and eventually, talk of the flower ceased. Instead, the drunkard was busy offering her his latest snake oil, to heal all of her ails. She left in a huff, glaring as she returned to the meeting spot. Hopefully, the others would have more luck.

In this post:
— Morrigan goes to the apothecary and is not successful in gleaning where the flowers are.

POSTING ORDER:
The posting order and the "three day period" each person has for posting is listed below. Please reference this to see if it is your turn, if someone needs to be skipped, etc. If you have questions, shoot me a DM!

Morrigan (posted 8/8/22) - Ivy
Zachary (has until 8/11/22) - Simba
Ragnar (has until 8/14/22) - Grace
Kieran (has until 8/17/22) - Kat
Asha (has until 8/20/22) - Bach
Hermione (has until 8/23/22) - Fayt
Mirage (has until 8/26/22) - Aktaie

Do start tagging the next person in line on the discord. No need to tag everyone, only I will tag everyone. If you need to be skipped, let me know and I'll tag the next person in line.

TIMELINE OF "EVENTS"
Every PQ is going to have a timeline of events expected to happen.

— Meet up (done)
— Ask around town about these flowers location (ongoing)
— Travel up the mountain
— Find the flowers
— Obtain the flowers

NEXT STEPS:
For the next step, Morrigan has instructed everyone to go through town and ask about rumors of the flowers location.

For you players, you'll pick from the list of locations below, and write your character going there. Instead of waiting on me to roll, I want you guys to individually go into the dice channel on discord and roll using this command: !1d6

If your character rolls a 1, they receive the truth. If your character rolls anything else, they have been lied too, or people refused to speak to them, that's your decision. Write your post based on that dice roll.

Locations:
— Apothecary
— Tavern
— Brothel
— City Hall
— Community Greenhouse
— Mage's Home
— Healer's Home

WHEN POSTING:
When posting, please ensure you include a bullet point list at the very bottom of your post titled "In This Post", so that everyone can see what your character's done in a quick skim. I'll be updating the main post with choices as you post.

Zachary didn't even pay any mind to what seemed to be family drama, but he was quick to head through the town. He didn't quite like being told what to do, however, he had a goal for this and tolerated it like he tolerated a lot of things he didn't like. His eyes scanned the area and decided to head for the tavern. It would be the place with the most people in it so maybe someone would have answers. At least one of them had to have the information, surely. Or at least, that's what Zach thought. Boy, was he wrong.

When Zach stepped into the tavern, asking about the frost flowers as he made his rounds, every answer he got was a completely different one than the last. The longer this went on, the more annoyed he got. The more annoyed he became, the more the people started making taller and taller tales until Zach just huffed and left. Violence wasn't something he was going to resort to here, especially when there was no way to know that they'd tell the truth then either. Zach supposed this wasn't going to be very easy, because of course it wasn't going to be. Not with his kind of luck.

"Well, shit."

In this post:
— Zachary goes to the Tavern to ask about the flowers and gets the runaround.

Though he appeared to pay little mind to the fuss around him, Ragnar was ever vigilant in his awareness. Paying attention to detail was among his better qualities. But to act interested would possibly invite chance for small talk and he didn't care to risk it. Instead he remained stoic, eyes blinking indifferently to the ordeal with the small rodent turned young mage. It would seem this was a family affair. Had he overstepped his bounds in joining this quest? It certainly wouldn't be the first time the thought had crossed his mind. But he would see this through, his promise to deliver was ironclad. 

With a dismissal to venture into town and ask around, he adjusted the baldric worn slack across his chest, keeping the fur lined hood in place until he might step into some shelter. His first instinct was to go to the tavern (as it was his first visit in many stop-overs), but seeing one of his companions cut across in an apparent determination to do the same, the Warden-Constable turned his attention elsewhere. 

He was greeted by simpering smiles, tugging off his cloak before he could even manage it. He need only mention the elusive flowers when a lithe elvhen female perked up and smiled knowingly. 

Some time later, he tugged on his lined gloves and made for the original meeting spot, his expression doing little to belie what he thought to be a success. The information sounded mariginally better than anything else he expected to hear. 

In this post:
-- Ragnar goes to the Brothel and recieves the truth about the frost flower location.

Kieran was thankful he hadn't shot at the little creature running down the side of his leg. Urthemiel chortled in his head as the hamster turned into his sister, and for once the mage wasn't too pleased with her new shapeshifting abilities. Everyone in the group seemed to turn to watch him as he panicked, but thankfully they were quick to move on to their respective duties when Morrigan began instructing them on what to do. He wondered why so many people wanted to curry with his mother.

A smile was sent to the Witch of the Wilds before he turned to look at his sister. He shook his head at her, trying to give her a pointed look (though that was difficult when he was rarely the one to scold her) that screamed 'please don't ever do that again'. Once the others began to move toward their points of interest, the mage mounted his nuggalope and offered a hand to Asha. "Since you've insisted upon riding with me up until now, why don't we go into town together? I'll drop you off at one of the buildings and meet back up with you in the town square to compare notes."

Whether she agreed or not, Kieran rode down to the village nearby and decided to try and talk to the local healer. If anyone might know of a flower that could cure Cali's mother, it would most likely be them, wouldn't it?

However, after trying to knock on the healer's door for some time, it seemed they were not at home. A passerby told Kieran that they'd gone off into the wilds for herbs, leaving him empty-handed. He sighed and shrugged, deciding to go back to the town square to meet up with his sister before heading back to see their mother and give her the news.


In this post: Kieran asked Asha if she wanted to ride into town together. He dropped her off and tried to speak to the healer, but they were out of town. He received no answers and is meeting Asha back in the town square before going back to see Morrigan.

Asha hadn't meant to startle Kieran like she had, when he gave her a look of disapproval she smiled apologetically. He was the last person that she wanted to upset but all she could really do now was promise not to sneak away in his pack without telling him again.

Sure! she said as she took the hand that was offered by Kieran and mounted the nuggalope, her decision to tag along hadn't really sunk in until now, seeing the other members of the group. She felt so young compared to everyone else, and well obviously since she was. She really hoped she didn't fuck everything up in front of everyone, especially in front of her mother. She didn't regret her choice to join though, as scared as she was, she was determined.

Asha decided she would go check with the greenhouse, someone who grew flowers must know a lot about them. Once Kieran dropped her off she went poking around the Green House, partly looking for a person in charge and partly looking at all the pretty flowers. She finally found the person in charge and asked about the flowers. They sort of scoffed at the question, responding with their belief that the flowers are simply a myth, with no truth to them whatsoever. 

Asha shrugged, mother was pretty insistent that they were real, but she wasn't going to push the subject. She went out and met up with Kieran in the town square and headed back to Morrigan and the others

In this post: She went with Kieran into town and talked to the person in charge of the greenhouse but was told the flowers were just a myth

It did seem a lot of people were keen to curry favour with this Witch of the Wilds, but she doubted any of them had a kingdom at stake. The spirit within her seemed to agree, but reminded her that they had a duty to focus on. Not that a spirit of Duty would suggest much else, but there seemed to be some overlap with spirits, as it had also been keen to share its knowledge and experience. Perhaps spirits were more like people than many realised, but she would be very surprised if the southern Chantry had any notion of entertaining the idea!

Hermione made her way into town, taking note of where the others had gone before coming to the door of the local mage's home. At least, the home in which many people said a mage of sorts had taken up residence, but she doubted that they would be so brazen as to risk outing themselves. Still, if these rumours were true, then they were a likely candidate for someone with knowledge about something as elusive and supposedly magical as Frost Flowers.

Unfortunately, when she arrived it seemed that the home was deserted. No matter how much she called out into the darkness, no one answered but a rat, which proceeded to run over her foot! Thankfully, she wasn't afraid of mere rodents, but the creatures sudden appearance still made her jump! It then dawned on her that the mage in question could possibly be a shapeshifter, like the girl who rode in her brothers bag earlier.

By now though, she once again alone in a seemingly abandoned home. Upon asking around outside, it seemed as though the alleged apostate had skipped town to avoid further suspicion. That was disappointing, to say the least, but it couldn't hurt to ask around elsewhere, she supposed.


In this post: Hermione made her way to the Mage's House in town, but found it abandoned.

Mirage let out a chortle. Truly, is that the best you could come up with? Mother knows she could not keep my body, I was never intended for her as you.

Favor. Mirage's gaze flicked around to the others gathered. Twas truly amazing how much the favor of a witch brought people from the woodworks. Who would not want one's favor, she supposed. For there was much she adn her sisters could do. Even if this was from Morrigan - the youngest, albeit most difficult to work with among them.

She yawned as Morrigan explained the purpose of their gathering and offered direction. Ultimately, she was the last to depart from the meeting location, stretching her arms over her head as she strolled casually toward town.

Judging from where she had caught glimpses of various people going - or departing - Mirage gathered she was expected to check around the town hall for information. She, however, didn't feel like it. She'd come to watch the spectacle, not help those who'd come to garner favor from her sister.

Instead, she made her way to the new meeting point. Perching upon the nearest point she could comfortably sit on, she waited. Watching and waiting as others gathered again.

IN THIS POST
Mirage does jack shit except silently judge people and mock her sister ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Morrigan watched as everyone arrived back at the meeting place. Once everyone was back she spoke up, Did anyone find anything useful out?

She turned to start up the mountain, If you have, talk and walk. An order, one that was not phrased nicely. She was uncertain of where, up the mountain the flowers were. But she knew they had to trek the mountain to get there regardless. Might as well start now.

IN THIS POST
Morrigan tells whoever has the information needed to walk and talk. She starts leading the way up the mountain.

POST ORDER
NONE.
Note that Kieran is now being written by me and will go last.

FOR RAGNAR:
The woman in the brothel told you there's a small lake up near the top of the mountain that's frozen over. The flowers are in a cave nearby.