faderifting | War Table (Defunct)

War Table (Defunct)

WAR TABLE (DEFUNCT)

This is a defunct version of this page. For the new version, please go back to the game navigation and choose the War Table link.

Thedas is a big world with a lot to do, and the war against Corypheus has about a hundred fronts, so between major mod events, plot progression takes the form of player plots and plots that originate from divisions and projects. These smaller plots can be anything from negotiating agreements with foreign dignitaries to infiltrating enemy operations to escorting shipments of pedigree nugs through a haunted forest as a favor to an ally. Some of them will directly influence the overarching mod plot; others may just be fun.

Players whose characters lead the divisions and projects IC facilitate plot efforts by setting the agenda for each group's work—they identify the main objectives the team will be focused on and sometimes develop specific plot assignments to accomplish the group's goals.

CLICK HERE FOR THE CURRENT PLOT CYCLE.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Read! The divisions and each project have separate comments below explaining what they'll be working on over the coming months. Read up on the ones your characters belong to and think about how they'd contribute. (If your character hasn't joined any division or project, you can join a division by updating your character's info on the taken list or join a project by filling out the form on the corresponding project page.)
Contribute! Use the provided forms to document the ways your character will be contributing to the objectives—or if there's something else they intend to pursue within the project's scope that isn't covered by those objectives. These can be simple things that will occur in the background of your other RP, like "John is going to research dwarven etiquette to assist the team going to Orzammar," or they can be bigger things that warrant a player plot, like "John is going to assassinate King Bhelen." IC leaders will reply to let you know if their characters wouldn't approve of what yours are doing or to help you if you need help. (You can also reply to other players' comments if you have something to add or suggest, but we recommend making separate OOC posts or using the CR meme for pure brainstorming sessions.)
RP! If your characters are doing background work, like research or the types of mini-plots we specify don't need plot requests, you can get straight to it (or submit an info request if needed). If your characters are doing something that does warrant a plot request, submit one, and then play it out after we've gotten back to you.
File a report with the appropriate project or division after a significant plot has been completed. You don't need to do these for research or the kinds of minor plots that don't require plot requests. But reports allow everyone to keep up what's going on in the game—because there is usually a lot—and respond to, reward, or build on your character's efforts in the future. If you negotiate a treaty but don't file a report about it, we'll generally assume that it hasn't happened. And remember that folks who run player plots get bonus AC reward points once a report is filed!

If you have your own ideas for plots pertinent to divisions or projects outside those covered by objectives, or for personal plots that don't fit into any of these boxes at all, you're always welcome to separately submit player plot requests! You can also donate ideas directly to IC leaders or other players if you have plot ideas but would rather not run them yourself. And if you want to get involved in running a project, check the leadership roles list for vacancies in division or project leadership slots.

—NAVIGATION↠

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

PERSUADE ORZAMMAR TO MAINTAIN ROUTES TO TEVINTER
WHAT: Orzammar has delegates placed at a number of underground embassies in Tevinter, including the Ambassadoria in Minrathous and smaller outposts throughout the country, each connected to the great thaig by networks of crumbling Deep Roads and little-known narrow passageways that are rarely traversed except by quick and highly trained messengers—but nonetheless provide a way to get information and possibly even agents in and out of Tevinter's occupied cities. A team will be dispatched to Orzammar to meet with King Bhelen and discuss the possible use of those passages, which will likely include doing some favors and meeting some counter-demands in order to untie (metaphorically) his hands.
WHERE: Orzammar.
WHEN: Harvestmere.
WHO: 2-4 project members, who can each bring along another person of their choice as long as they're willing to be accountable for that person's behavior. The assignment will require primarily diplomacy, but other skills to assist in completing favors both above-board and below it would be useful as well.

INVESTIGATE QUNARI REPORTS OF BLOOD MAGIC
WHAT: The Qunari settlement at Kont-arr has passed along a message: they've heard reports that one of the region's local nobles has been acting strangely, and their own surveillance suggests he's allowing a party of mages to live in his castle and have the run of the place. The Qunari would prefer not to jeopardize their own relationship with Rivain, and they want to test how the Inquisition manages rogue mages, so it's asked them to look into the situation. This assignment has a 50% chance of failure (or at least going very badly), which will be rolled for on Discord!
WHERE: South of Kont-arr, in Rivain
WHEN: Harvestmere.
WHO: 2-4 people with preference for project members, who can each choose another PC to rope in with them, provided that they're people the Inquisition would not be irresponsible to send. Per the rules negotiated IC, since this is a mission to deal with rogue non-Venatori mages, at least one Templar, Seeker, or Loyalist mage would be recruited to lead the group. If a PC who fits those requirements isn't included, an NPC will have to be taken along instead.

RESCUE TRAPPED MINERS
WHAT: A party of dwarves working beneath the Vinnmarks has been trapped by a series of cave-ins. A local spelunker heard their cries for help and brought the message to the Inquisition, who must help find a way to get them free before they run out of air. Moving the rubble safely is one problem, but getting the dwarves to take the path you clear is another: they're from Orzammar, and they're not eager to give up their caste by coming to the surface, even to save their own lives.
WHERE: The Vinnmark Mountains northeast of Kirkwall.
WHEN: Harvestmere.
WHO: 2-4 project members, who can each choose another PC to rope in with them.

Sign up by September 30 by replying to this comment with the form below. We'll provide further details ASAP. For assignments with a chance of failure, we'll roll a die on the Discord server before providing you with details. Failure will mean that the primary objective won't be accomplished and/or that things will go very wrong in the meantime, but there will be room for your characters to handle that in different ways!

CHARACTER: Yngvi
ASSIGNMENT: Persuade Orzammar to maintain routes to Tevinter
DIVISION & PROJECTS: Scouting; Other Powers
SUITABILITY & APPROACH: Yngvi's a Carta dwarf who's been to Orzammar several times, especially recently where he's helped out and does have some shadier connections that could be used or abused to help out. He's very aware of all things Orzammar and dwarf obviously and will play whatever role someone would ask him to.
OTHER NOTES: But have you dealt with your slime problem Orzammar?

WHAT: Persuade Orzammar to Maintain Routes to Tevinter

WHO: Yngvi

HOW: The dwarven kingdom of Orzammar maintains underground embassies in several Tevinter cities, including the Ambassadoria in Minrathous and smaller outposts throughout the country, each connected by underground passages—rarely traversed except by trained messengers—that ultimately lead back to Orzammar. The dwarves in these embassies could prove to be invaluable sources of information, and access to the tunnels could someday prove useful, but neither advantage can be secured without permission from King Bhelen, who may not be willing to jeopardize Orzammar's economic relationship with Tevinter.

Forging a stronger relationship with Orzammar is a first step. Yngvi and whatever team he assembles will be sent to Orzammar to identify the current positions and attitudes of its leaders and determine what, if anything, can be done to earn their cooperation. They will be given limited authorization to commit the Inquisition to contracts or payments only up to a certain threshold.

The delegation will find that the dwarves are already incredibly uneasy about Corypheus' presence and the increase in activity and apparent organization among the darkspawn they encounter underground. Eavesdropping and asking around will be enough to learn that Bhelen does not consider himself in a position to provide troops for the surface while the darkspawn threat is on the rise closer to home, and some within the Assembly are pressing with almost inevitable success for any extraneous passageways in and out of the Great Thaig—including those leading to Tevinter, which would cut off both transportation and information—to be sealed until the threat has been contained.

It would be entirely plausible for the team to report that access to the passageways will be impossible and leave it at that; the choice is theirs. However, if they decide to pursue an attempt to change the decision, the following key figures can be approached and encouraged to put their weight behind maintaining the connection to Tevinter:

Brukias Otack, an aging but highly-respected leader among the warrior caste who has Bhelen's ear regarding the capabilities of Orzammar's forces. Intensely proud of Orzammar's might, he could be convinced that it does them a disservice to batten down the hatches and abandon the wider network. But to do so, the Inquisition would first have to win his friendship, which would be best (and most quickly) accomplished by restoring to him a prized statuette of Paragon Irinko, an ancestor, which was reportedly stolen in his grandfather's day by rival House Vavorn. He fears any effort to change the societal structures that Orzammar has lived by for centuries, and so will refuse to support any cause championed by Pyrathur Saemunt.

Kelada Runarek, wife of one of Bhelen's favorite cousins. She could easily put in a good word, but her family has suffered with the cancellation of one of the Inquisition's lyrium contracts following the agreement to allow Templars to buy their own, and she wants assurances that a new contract will be negotiated in the near future, either by the Inquisition or by its Templars. Oh, and she also wants Pysek Roulban dead for having killed her son in a Proving battle.

Pyrathur Saemunt, an up-and-coming politician and outspoken proponent of changing the caste structure and broadening Orzammar's interests and ties to the surface world, who has acquired a growing contingent of supporters among the younger generation of dwarves. Though his influence is not as direct as others, it is rumored that Bhelen has taken an interest and is sensitive to the opinions of Orzammar's youth. In exchange for adding a more specific pro-Inquisition/pro-tunnels bent to his messaging, he wants the Inquisition to agree to help broker ties with the surface dwarf community and request support from the Kirkwall Merchants' Guild for Saemunt's efforts.

Rigna Vavorn, proud owner of the statuette of Paragon Irinko that Brukias Otack covets (she also claims Irinko as an ancestor), is a smith and inventor and said to be a likely future paragon herself. She will show the Inquisition some ingenious engineering projects she has in process, ranging from weapons to an elaborate machine that appears to cook and serve breakfast. She does a great deal of work for Tevinters and so is both reluctant to see the tunnels closed off and a potential source of intelligence. But she is wary of working against such good customers or supporting those who do. Swaying her will not be easy, but showing that the Inquisition has an appetite for her work (and an ability to pay for it) could go a ways toward shifting her reliance on Tevinter. Most effective: agreeing to hire her to design and (remotely) direct the construction of an elevator in the Gallows, which would serve as an excellent advertisement of her abilities to new customers in the Marches. While the elevator would be useful and approved if the team wants to contract for it, it is a pricey endeavor and will exhaust the team's entire budget just as a down payment.

Pyseck Roulban is more warrior than politician, but is a respected voice at court for his heroism during the Fifth Blight. He is firmly opposed to what he's heard of Corypheus and no lover of Tevinter (the blights are their fault, after all) so is sympathetic to the Inquisition's mission, but leans toward taking whatever precautions necessary to protect Orzammar. Swaying him would require assurances of Inquisition aid if Orzammar called, and the quiet death of a casteless dwarf named Fennan who Pyseck says has been blackmailing him. Any attempt to find out what info Fennan has on Pyseck or steal his evidence will be unsuccessful; killing him is the only option.

Obviously it will not be possible for the team to win the support of all 5 of the above individuals, as their interests conflict in many different ways, but it is possible to bring 2 or even 3 to the Inquisition's side. Which combination of NPCs you choose to work with—or choosing to work with none of them, either because it's too much work or because your team agrees that Orzammar should close the passages for its own good—will have an impact on Inquisition interactions with Orzammar going forward.

OOC NOTES: Yngvi can bring a team of his choice, as long as it doesn't exceed 7-8 people total. And keep in mind that you don't have to RP every aspect of this; you can RP just the discussion of what to do, or pick a few key scenes that sound fun and focus on those. Just make sure you spell out the overall results when a report is filed. Since this assignment won't influence November's mod plot directly, you can have until the end of November to get a report filed, but let us know if you anticipate needing longer than that!

CHARACTER: Silas Caron
ASSIGNMENT: Blood Magic
DIVISION & PROJECTS: Forces; Rifts & the Veil, Red Lyrium
SUITABILITY & APPROACH: He's a Templar, albeit one with only minimal experience actually combating mages instead of watching them eat while trying not to fall asleep behind his visor. He aims for peaceful resolutions where possible.
OTHER NOTES: He's a side character and not a member of the project, so last priority if we run out of spots—but he could fill the Templar requirement.

WHAT: Investigate Qunari Reports of Blood Magic
WHO: Silas and Priest.
HOW: Lord Berenger Marou owns a small but sturdy fortress on the coast road southwest of Kont-arr. His reputation, according to the Qunari intelligence provided (and local opinion, if you care to confirm) is as a hardy man in his mid-50s, devoutly Andrastian and a confirmed widower, who enjoys the company of his two grown children and four grandchildren, riding out to hunt, and holding court every second Sunday to hear the petitions of his tenants. Over the last month, however, Lord Marou has ceased to do any of those things. Although he has been seen walking about his castle and appears to be in good health, he has not ridden out to hunt in weeks, and recently cancelled a planned visit by his family with little explanation. He has dismissed his Chanter and the Sister assigned to his personal chapel. At his last court session, his behavior was even more strange, as he ignored all petitions and instead announced that the local blacksmith and the head of the village militia were banished from his lands immediately, without explanation. Investigation will reveal that both men were formerly Templars.

It won't be exceptionally difficult to trace the source of these changes, which began around the time that Lord Marou allowed a trio of travelers into his home. This alone was strange, because he is not in the habit of personally housing strangers. They claimed to be merchants, but people are skeptical, since they neither look nor convincingly act the part. Many believe that Lord Marou has been seduced by the leader of the group, a woman in her late 30s who calls herself Mariela. This theory will be lent credence by the announcement of their engagement on the very day of your arrival, and plans for a wedding before the week is out.

Mariela was originally accompanied by a man and a woman, Lorenzo and Ottavia, who she claimed were her colleagues. They have since been joined by two others, Adelfo and Romelza. The five of them have the run of the household, since Lord Berengar has given Mariela access to his treasury and ordered the staff to obey their every beck and call. This has caused no little consternation and bad feeling among the staff--most of whom have served Lord Marou for many years, and some his father before him--and while they will be reluctant at first to discuss household issues with strangers, if reassured that they are there to help will ultimately be relieved to vent their concerns.

Several suspect blood magic, but have no proof and are frankly terrified of the possibility. They are correct, but it is up to you if/how your team goes about attempting to confirm that fact. Mariela and her friends will not go quietly, and in the end at least 3 of the 5 (including Mariela) must be killed in order to free Lord Marou. What happens to the others is up to you. It is also up to you how your characters choose to explain to Lord Marou what has happened, and your decision may impact his opinion of mages, qunari, and the Inquisition going forward.

OOC NOTES: This mission had a 50% chance of failure, and we rolled an 82/100, so congrats! You are quite successful.

CHARACTER: The Priest
ASSIGNMENT: Blood Magic
DIVISION & PROJECTS: Diplomacy; Hostile Powers (& will be Other Powers when I get off my butt to sign up)
SUITABILITY & APPROACH: Good at fighting if need be, actually all right at being silent, absorbing information, and then attempting to push things along socially. Approves of the Qun & qunari and so would like to take opportunities to understand them better/demonstrate good will toward them. Has supernatural powers (truthsense + raveling) that, IF WORKING, could help immensely with figuring out whether & how a blood mage might be involved.
OTHER NOTES:

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

War Table (Defunct)

OTHER POWERS

no subject

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

no subject

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

no subject

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS