[Video/Action | OPEN] death is no barrier to victory

[inquisitor_lavellan]

xxxxx[VIDEO]

[ The shot opens on the bog unicorn, which seems to be attempting to nip at some of the weeds growing out from the cracks in a sidewalk. There's no tack on it; no saddle, no hackamore. Not so much as a rope around its neck, but it doesn't seem keen on running off. ]

Look, this is Jethro.

[ That's right, for those of you paying very close attention; there's two Jethros in Genessia and they're both 'unicorns'. What a coincidence! ]

I know, he's no Inquisition Barded Charger or Red Hart, I get it. Gruesome looking, right, don't care. He's a loyal thing who never gets tired... and I can apparently still summon him. But the only thing he arrived with when I did it is the rusty broadsword sticking out of his face. All his tack's back on Thedas, I'm guessing.

I know Fayren's the logical choice for horse-related stuff, but with the magical plague going on over there, I'm not keen on it.

[ Look, one of her besties is a mage, she's not infecting Dorian. Also, she knows how powerful his spells are; let's not have him sneezing inferno spells everywhere, okay? ]

I'll just wait if it comes to it, but if anyone knows somewhere that isn't Fayren that makes tack, I'm all ears. Bonus points if they know how to make armored barding.

---

xxxxx[ACTION - Genessia City]

You know what's more fun than seeing a zombie horse with a sword through its skull on the network? Meeting it in person! Alley's found a park, and she's just sort of standing out in the open with her singular arm folded with the bar that makes up for the other. Jethro the bog unicorn, well, he's having a grand old time rolling around in the grass like a proper horse. Legs kicking in all directions, sword digging big furrows into the dirt.

"Having fun?"

Judging by the enthusiasm with which the zombie rolls back upright and lunges to his feet, and then trots over to her to ram his bony nose into her shoulder, the answer is yes.

And then something catches his eye... eye socket? And like any horse caught off guard, he spooks.

Unlike some horses caught off guard, he charges at whatever it is while Alley curses colorfully in a foreign tongue, shoved aside by the great beast in his quest to defend her honor -- or whatever is going on in that dead head of his.

Comments

[Video[

[legendaryoutlawstar_lord]

[Peter is inside when he turns on the comm, dressed, his interest just a little piqued by a potential opportunity.]

Shame about that restriction on goods, isn't it? Guess they aren't that confident about the decontamination unit they whipped up.

[His smile is a little sympathetic, and a little charismatic.]

By the way - I think that horse is sick.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

I could go in person, but I'm not risking it when I hang out with a mage on a regular basis.

[ Mostly because Dorian would be miserable if he got sick. Taking care of her people aside, the man whines at a cool breeze, can you imagine... ]

You think? Just a little sick, maybe around the eyes?

[legendaryoutlawstar_lord]

Damn, that's too bad. You know, I could always take an order over there for you - assuming they'd be able to work off of Silver over there's measurements or somethin'. They're only expecting it to take a week or two for things to clear up, and it's gotta take some time to make horse clothes. They'd probably be ready to pick up soon as the embargo's lifted. I've never even met a mage, so I ain't even got anyone to be a danger to.

[It's a gamble, true, but worth a shot. He wants to put off having to find some kind of job as long as he can, and though Rocket mentioned bounty hunting there didn't seem to be anything available just then. Entering a plague zone had to be worth a few bucks, right?]

Around the, uh, the everywhere actually. 'specially the head. I think he might need a vet. Not that I'm a professional.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

You know, if you want to play courier, there's a mail service that's always hiring.

[ Look, she was here for months, before. They were hiring all during that time, and they're still hiring. Can't be that hard to get in. ]

I mean, he's only missing half of his face and both eyes, it can't be that serious. I'm sure he'll walk it off. Isn't that right, Jethro? Hey, Jethro. Buddy. Over here, gruesome.

[ Look she only has one hand and it's holding the phone, can't exactly clap at the zombie.

Still, Jethro looks up from chewing on a dandelion -- just chewing, he doesn't have cheeks -- which makes for a better view of how his snout's all skull. ]

[legendaryoutlawstar_lord]

Thanks, but I prefer freelancing. [He smiles again, a little more flatly. Swing and a miss, oh well.] I just thought I'd offer, out of the goodness of my heart, since you're out here broadcasting your problems.

[Peter had been joking, mostly, about the horse's health. It was pretty clear that it's owner hadn't been bothered by the appearance, so it was supposed to just look like that. It didn't stop him from making a face when he got a head on view of it.]

Eugh.

[He shakes his head a little, and tries to bring back a straight face. He didn't do bad - too many easily insulted, ugly-ass aliens in the universe, too much practice.]

He's...got some pretty healthy looking teeth there.

[He's nodding his head, a little slowly, and for a little too long. But it's a freaking zombie horse, so he can't really be blamed, right?]

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Tell you what, you help take the measurements and I'll let you play freelance messenger.

[ She just wants to make him interact with Jethro after that eugh. That's worth some cash, right there.

Look, the Inquisitor has to have hobbies.

One of them just happens to be horrifying humans. ]

( video )

[tevinteraltus]

[ His nose is wrinkled at the memory of the scent of that thing when the video initializes, and she might even notice the trappings of some sort of magical workshop behind him, though he fills most of the camera. He doesn't put down the book he's reading, or actually look over, when he speaks. ]

Maker's Breath, that repugnant undead equine.

[ He's very glad he's not there. ]

If you want something truly fearsome, I maintain you should use a Dracolisk, not...that. Though I suppose, if intimidation is your endgame, the smell alone should ward away most would-be enemies.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

He's dried out, Dorian. Not much to smell.

But if it makes you feel better, I'll steal some of your scented shit to put on him.

Also I can't summon a Dracolisk. Or a Hart. Or... a living horse. Pretty sure he's only here because he's... whatever he is.

[ Literally no one in the Inquisition had ever really figured it out. ]

[tevinteraltus]

[ That caught his attention and he flicked his eyes to the camera. ] Don't you dare. There's no helping that beast.

[ And Dorian still wants to puzzle it out. ]

I believe the going theory is the beast is possessed by a spirit of freedom.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

What can I say? You know I keep mixed company. It's at least half of my charm.

[ Dorian, if Alley wasn't so accepting of weird shit, where would you be? ]

I'd heard that, but Cole never had much to say about it. I guess if it's true, Jethro just never had much to say to him, either.

[ 'Freedom' probably wasn't in much pain, after all. ]

[tevinteraltus]

[ His lip curls at that. ]

Depending on your choice of company at any given moment, it's more than half.

[ He rolls a shoulder. ]

You know, asking Cole hadn't been marked off my list as of yet. It was quite long, after all. Freedom, whatever it may be, it's undead, which means it's inhabited by a spirit of some sort. That we know to be true.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Well, I more meant what kind than if. But I suppose it doesn't really matter, in the end, as long as he doesn't... corrupt.

[ It would be her luck to have to put down her own horse. ]

*reaction*

[youfool]

Oh hey, Alley's back. That's...good, he guesses? She supposedly saved the world, or something, which is always nice. You'd think such a splendid hero would be less cranky, on the whole, but maybe it's trying work. What's she-

Good god! Whoever stuck that sword in there clearly did not finish the job. Disgusting! And yet, he can't help but feel that they go together. In the worst way.

*reaction reaction*

[inquisitor_lavellan]

(Hey, Jethro makes her look less ugly by comparison. It's win-win!)

Action

[sixthmage]

Elatus is out and about for the sake of job hunting. While he's grateful for the hospitality he received at the Commons, Elatus desires to find work sooner than later. He needs employment before his 'free stay' is cut short. While he's confident he'll find something out here, Elatus still somewhat desires to travel to Fayren. That magical town lingers on his mind because of his intense fondness for all things green and earthy. He does find some beauty here in Genessia but it's nowhere near as lovely as Fayren. That much is certain in Elatus's mind as he walks leisurely through the park.

Utterly lost within his thoughts, Elatus didn't notice the undead unicorn and its rider until much after the accursed beast starts galloping towards him. "Hm?" He pauses for a moment once the galloping grows louder. While he suspects that horses aren't commonplace, the mage couldn't help but feel as if impending doom was rushing towards him upon sturdy hooves. When he finally glances towards his right, there he sees the approaching death in the form of a livid undead stallion with a piece of iron protruding out of its head. Frozen in absolute fright, Elatus stands there like a sitting duck.

"A zombie unicorn?!" He's utterly dumbfounded.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Maker's balls -- Jethro, you're going to get her in trouble before she has the chance to do it herself! With the zombie's target frozen in place like a shocked halla, Alleyana doesn't have time to even consider a better way to stop him. Her grappling chain shoots out from her singular hand as quick as a thought, wrapping around the beast from behind in such a way that the hooks at the end just grab onto more chain instead of the possessed bog mummy.

Then, she yanks.

So preternaturally strong is Alleyana, she can bring a fully-armored Qunari warrior flying right into her shield with this maneuver. Jethro... actually weighs less, and the charging horse is yanked straight off his hooves mid-gallop, sailing back through the air like he'd been shot from a cannon and landing neatly at Alleyana's armored feet.

On his side, and tangled up in chains, and probably more than a little dazed and confused. But hey, he's stopped.

[sixthmage]

The mage's eyes widen like saucers once he finally realizes what's unfolding. That hideous macabre of flesh is charging at him full speed in order to skewer him. The murderous intent with the unicorn's eyes definitely gives that truth away as it charges nearer. Elatus didn't have time to think but he was about to cast a spell just when Alleyana manages to intervene just in the nick of time.

The elf tangles up the massive steed in these iron-like chains and literally pull the beast back with just strength alone. Elatus couldn't be anymore dumbfounded as he watches the spectacle before him with such shock and awe. Honestly, he would've never expected the elf to be that strong! The Inquisitor doesn't look weak at all but her strength is a tad freakish at best. To say the least, Elatus is impressed. Hell, he's so impressed that he starts applauding her.

"Bravo...!" The mage says with a nervous chuckle. "I-I would ask for an encore but I much rather not be put in peril again." His poor heart wouldn't be able to take it.

(she'll get less tense in a moment, this is just her knee-jerk reaction)

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Alleyana's first priority is kneeling down to untangle Jethro from the chains, and immediately reassuring the dazed creature that all is well, stroking her singular hand over his neck like one might do with any spooked beast. Fingers splayed wide, bent even slightly back, to avoid cutting preserved hide with the edges of the sharp, articulated plates that cover most of her hand.

"Shh," the hatchet-faced warrior speaks quietly to Jethro for a moment in that other language of hers. "Ir abelas, da'len. Hamin. Ma melava halani."

And the undead beast does actually visibly relax, the side of his head resting against the ground, rusted longsword rustling the grass.

Only then, does Alleyana turn her attention to Elatus. Not a very friendly look in those dark blue eyes of hers. "I don't make a habit of yanking my friends through the air like an enemy."

Look, this isn't Orlais. She doesn't have to smile and bow and put on a bloody show. She also doesn't realize she's spoken with this guy before, as he'd been... well, still that colorful, but in a much different shape over the network.

[sixthmage]

The applause ceases immediately once he hears that reply. "A-A friend?" He eyes the corpse-like horse with a look of surprise. That thing is her friend? But it's so hideous! Elatus grimaces a little once the woman gives him a rather steely glare. Somehow someway this is his fault, isn't it? Elatus doesn't know a thing about this deadly beast but he does remember the Inquisitor from last time. Though, she probably wouldn't remember him while he's in this form. Makes sense. Elatus isn't too surprised there.

"I'm...sorry." He awkwardly apologizes as he rubs the back of his neck. Elatus would approach to check upon the unicorn if he wasn't certain it would attack him again. That's why he keeps his distance from them both. "I guess--" Elatus pauses suddenly as he eyes the unicorn.

"I guess he can see right through me." He let's out of tense sigh.

"Sorry about that, Inquisitor."

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Horses spook at anything," Alley dropped her rather... intense stare, looking down at the resting zombie again instead. "You could've been a rock out of place and gotten the same reaction."

It was a slight exaggeration in Jethro's case, of course. The possessed bog mummy was a spirit wearing a horse corpse like a suit. But spirits could be simple creatures, even while sometimes being smarter than the average mortal. They were bound to their natures, and when that changed... so did the spirit.

Usually into a demon.

Whatever flavor of spirit Jethro was, the undead horse had been on edge since arrival. Alleyana only hoped this wasn't the beginning of the end, for her unnatural mount. Hopefully it was just battle-jitters, after seeing so much combat.

"See right through you?" Alleyana repeated, glancing back up. Being called Inquisitor didn't immediately set off any clues; she'd been called nothing but Inquisitor (and Herald, sometimes) for years by total strangers. It was far more jarring, these days, when someone didn't know what to call her.

Video

[clevermind]

I hope I'm not wasting your time. I'm afraid I'm too new to have any answers for you but I've never seen a creature like that.

[She sounds like she's equal parts amazed and interested.]

Would it be alright if I asked about it? I don't have much money but I can offer some tea in exchange for the information. [Meeting a bounty hunter upon her arrival has colored Belle's view of this world and it's internal dealings.]

[inquisitor_lavellan]

[ Alleyana stayed out of sight, letting the camera remain on the zombie horse. But she could see her screen; human, huh? Polite, at least. She had no problem with polite humans. ]

You don't need to pay me for information, in tea or otherwise. 'Fraid I don't have much, though. He's a bit of an oddity, even where I'm from. Supposed to have belonged to a bandit in life; how he died is pretty obvious. The most solid theory on how he's up and moving around is spirit possession. A spirit of Freedom, we think.

[clevermind]

[Belle stares at the screen thoughtfully.]

Like an enchantment then. Is he happy? Do you know?

[Her accent rolls about her questions. She wants to be polite but it's very interesting and Belle wishes to learn more about this place and the people who are also stuck here. It seems that those with these devices are only held by those taken, if such information could be trusted.]

[inquisitor_lavellan]

[ It was more like Jethro's gruesome and preserved body was a sort of... flesh puppet for the spirit inhabiting him. Common enough on Thedas, for demons to take up and inhabit a human corpse, but for a spirit...? And a horse, of all things?

Jethro was an oddity, just as she'd said.

Horsemaster Dennet had put up with a lot of strange shit over the term of the Inquisition's war against Corypheus, but even he had refused to go near the impaled bog mummy. ]

Seems happy enough to me. What do you think, Jethro? You a happy guy? Hey, look up.

[ The little nubs that were all that was left of the zombie's ears weren't very expressive. The lack of eyes, too, cut out a lot of the usual horsey-cues. Just empty sockets, they were, hollow and dark. But Jethro lifted his head as asked, still chewing on a dandelion.

...Only chewing, as he had no cheeks. The shredded and mashed bits of plant were just falling to the ground like snowflakes. His jaw couldn't move much, with the rusted and crumbling old sword rammed through his face. ]

Follows me around like a lost puppy, so I'd say he's pleased enough with things.

[clevermind]

[Belle finds that it's rather difficult to look away from the creature. She hasn't seen it's likeness before and while she'd agree that it's a rather gross looking thing it holds it's own interest. Magic truly is a wondrous and terrible thing, she thinks to herself.

Her smile widens a bit when she speaks to Jethro.]

It sounds like it. He at least likes you very much.

[Which is something good in a world like this. To have those who you need you and rely on you. At least, Belle thinks so. It might just be another foolish thought rattling around in her head.]

He's lucky to have you.