entrancelogs | Patrolling the Halls!

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Patrolling the Halls!

Who: Brennan and Anyone! | Also available for top-levels if people need a spot to drop random hallway-clearing/fighting threads!
Where: the Hallways, during the event
When: April 16-20
Rating: Pg-13 at least for violence (could be higher)
Summary: Brennan gets as many people as he can to the bar before the barrier goes up. The rest of the time he spends patrolling the hallways to keep them as clear as he can and to help any stragglers get somewhere safe.
The Story:
Brennan had gotten as many people to the bar before the barrier went up as he could, trusting their safety to Freya and Dorian for the duration of... however long this mess lasted. He'd known Dorian had wanted him to stay, but it was also not something he could, in good conscience, agree to. Not when there might still be other people caught out here and helpless. So he stands outside the bar as the barrier goes up, then sets to work outside, making the corridors along the fifth floor, and then a few above and below it, as safe as he could.

If he comes across anyone in danger in the days that follow, he's quick to lend aid, dressed in full armor and equipped with sword and shield, he shows no hesitation in taking on any threat that reveals itself. He welcomes others to fight along with him when he comes across others of a similar goal, but the days of the event he spends hyper-vigilant, always on guard, always watchful for where he might be of some help.

[ OOC: Brennan will be available for escorting/protecting people on their way to a safe zone if necessary, coming to someone's rescue, or falling in to fight alongside them whenever the opportunity arises.]

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[Fortunately, Hawke had been lucky enough to see Ellie's message and while he isn't entirely sure he can trust the gas mask, he'd gotten one from the closet. Sometimes you just need to trust your gut when it comes to these things, even if he isn't quite sure what these things are.

When Freya's announcement went up, he'd sent Dog to the bar to be safe. Normally he'd let the hound fight at his side, but he doesn't know what they are and he'd rather the dog be bored and safe than risk it. At first he tries to keep them back, prevent them from getting access to the upper levels and he does his best to assist anyone who is either fleeing to safety or also killing but eventually, there's simply too many of them and they need to move up.

As long as they can keep the non-combatants safe, that's the important thing.]

Brennan! Behind you!

[He doesn't give Brennan time to turn before he's conjuring a boulder from the ether and hurling it for the Runner's head.]

[ Brennan manages to duck just in time to miss it colliding with his own head on the way there, a muttered curse slipping out as he spins and cuts the creature off at the knees with one sharp slice of his blade.

The zombie topples over, twitching, giving Brennan time to jump back to fall in at Hawke's side once more. ]

Thanks.

[The rock connects just as the creature's knees are taken out, resulting in kind of a gory mess of fungus, skull and brain that Hawke doesn't really want to look at.]

Well, I doubt Dorian would be too happy with me if I let that thing get you.

[He grins at Brennan, fingers gripped tight around his staff as he surveys the hallway. For the moment, there's nothing, but;]

Don't stand still too long. We've been pushed back from the second floor. If we can block the stairs, we might buy ourselves some time.

No, no he would not. Please don't piss off the necromancer.

[ Brennan chuckles tiredly, wiping the sweat from his brow with a sleeve. He'd shed his heavy armor for leather - unusual, but much easier to maneuver in when speed and dexterity were called for in the occasionally close-quarters of the hallways they were fighting in. ]

Some, perhaps. It's worth the effort, but I tried that down on the first and second floors, when this all started. A few still managed to swarm over the barricade while others worked at ripping it apart. It might have slowed them a while, but more still spilled from the hallway on the second floor. I don't know where they came from but it was not from up the stairs.

I had some success for some time, but they just kept coming. For every one we put down, five more take its place.

[He just sounds bitter about it, his eyes never stopping moving as he watches for any sign that they're coming. His staff rests against his shoulder as he considers what else they can do.]

Some is better than none. All we have to do is keep them from getting to the upper levels. Every barricade we make is another few minutes everybody up there is safer. Even if they tear them down eventually, together we can at least slow them down. Keep an eye out, will you?

[He mutters as he heads into the nearest room to start grabbing furniture;] Maker, why didn't I learn fire spells?

[ Brennan eyes the stairs a moment longer before pushing into motion, a troubled frown lingering on his lips. ]

I just hope we don't also make it harder for those who are still below us, or trying to clear the halls. I don't want to cut off anyone's escape route, either.

[ Still, he chuckles as he catches Hawke's muttered comment, following him. ] Not your area of expertise, I take it?

Hardly. I was always more interested in the Entropy and Primal schools. One's good for killing these things, the other... not so much.

[He grumbles as they begin to work, but in fairness, he hadn't been expecting to fight the undead when he chose to study those schools.]

I think most people are already on the upper floors, but if anybody tries, between the two of us we should be okay.

[If they aren't, well... They've both seen people die before.]

[ That doesn't mean he wants to see it again, Hawke. Not even here. ]

Well, I suppose throwing rocks and lightning at them might be just as useful as anything else we can try here. Although from the warnings I've heard so far, they sound alarmingly like darkspawn, don't they?

[Too bad, loser.]

I think I'd prefer the Darkspawn. [He grimaces but;] You're right, though. I wonder if the concept is something that just... transcend worlds. [Which is a terrifying thought.] Nevermind, I don't want to think about it.

[The barricade begins to take shape, but really it's just a couple pieces of furniture stacked together awkwardly.]

What a horrifying thought. [ Brennan shudders at the very idea. ] And with no Grey Wardens to deal with it? Although I doubt they could find their immunity in the same way here...

[ And who would want to? These things were on a level of mindless monsters beyond even that of the darkspawn. they'd been paired down to mere base instinct and hunger, from what Brennan had observed. ]

Who knows? It's merely a theory at this point, and it isn't like we can really prove it. [A beat.] Not without Wonderland throwing Darkspawn at us.

[He coughs, because not is not the time to tempt fate.

Unfortunately, the sounds of footsteps begin to echo down the hallway.]

Edited (THAT IS NOT A POSITIVE THING, SELF) 2016-04-27 13:32 (UTC)

[ Brennan just shoots him an exasperated look. ]

If you just jinxed us and we have Darkspawn show up next event, I am never forgiving you.

There's plenty of Wardens here, I'm sure we'll be fine.

[He's being flippant because the possibility makes him want to throw up.]

-- Wait. Did you hear something?

[ Seriously, Hawke. He's going to gag you.

At the question, however, he straightens, glancing down the hall with a narrowed gaze. ]

Yes. We've got incoming. Several, by the sound of it.

[Bow chicka bow wow.

Hawke frowns, grabbing his staff off his back and getting ready.]

The barricade will have to do for now. It doesn't sound like we have time to make it any stronger.

Time to have a little fun, then.

[ The way Brennan's lips curve hint that he might even be looking forward to a little action. ]

Fun.

[What part of this is fun, Brennan? Hawke shakes his head, the movement barely disguising his grin before he follows Brennan to the door. It doesn't look like there's too many -- yet -- but that can and likely will change before they're done.

Half a dozen are nearing the barricade, two are coming down the other end of the hall.]

I'll pick off the ones as they try to get through, you wanna handle them?

[He nods at the quickly approaching runners.]

[ Brennan just grins back because all of it, obviously. He nods back and launches himself forward. ]

Leave it to me.

[ Shield dropping comfortably into place in front of him and sword out, he moves forward to take on the ones close enough to fight, letting Hawke pick off the ones he can. ]

"Trevelyan!"

Nathaniel wasn't one of those who made the decision to take refuge behind the barrier. How could he, when there were so many who were left outside of it? Grey Wardens didn't run from danger, no matter how that danger might present itself. When he spies the other man walking the fifth floor, he's quick to break cover and join him.

"Where are these things coming from? There doesn't seem to be any less of them."

No matter how many he takes down - and a good number have fallen to Nathaniel's bow over the past day - there are never any less. Warden stamina or no, he's beginning to tire.

Brennan's glad to see a familiar face and he glances up in relief as he wipes a sleeve across his brow, sheathing his sword for the moment. He's been patrolling this hall steadily and for the moment, at least, it looks like they might have a bit of a breather.

"I don't know. Somewhere below, I thought? But not all of them come from the stairs, else this hall would have been easy to keep clear. We could have barricaded the stairs and been done with it. At this point, I think the mansion might just be releasing them wherever will be most inconvenient for us."

He doesn't sound very thrilled over that.

What Nathaniel worries about, in all honesty, is these strange foggy clouds he keeps coming across. They seem to be forming around the growths of fungus-like material and he hasn't approached them too closely yet.. but somehow he doesn't think that really matters.

The rogue shares Brennan's entire 'not thrilled' attitude towards this entire thing.

"That seems to be how this place operates, but it looks like you couldn't sit and wait behind a magical barrier any more than I could."

"Not exactly my forte, I'm afraid," Brennan confesses with a rueful grimace. "Dorian might be upset with me, after, but he knew it as well. I got as many people to it as I could before it went up, but I know there are many more that weren't behind it still. I don't know where they've gone to ground, but if there's trouble, I'd prefer to be able to do something about it."

Dorian. An interesting name - not a man he's come across yet, but that could change in time. This mansion wasn't so large that you couldn't eventually meet everyone in it.

Nathaniel frowns and nods at Brennan's summary of the situation, fingers tightening around the wood of his bow as he casts a wary glance about them. Those trapped on the wrong side of the barrier who would still need protection were the very reason that he was still out walking these halls.

"It isn't a Blight, but a Grey Warden should never hide when people are in danger," he states, the words coming from a place of pride and firm belief. "Have you found anyone?"

"Spoken like the truest of your Order," Brennan counters, lips quirking faintly as he regards Nathaniel and straightens, standing at ease for a moment in the quiet lull they've found.

"A few. Although I think most people have found a place to lay low until this all blows over. Either that, or..."

He grimaces and motions to the dark hall beyond where they stand. He hasn't encountered any familiar faces yet in the monsters they've killed, but that doesn't mean it hasn't occurred to him. he'd heard the warnings, same as everyone else.

His lips twitch in a faint smile in response, though he's alert and scanning up and down the corridor even as they stand there. In a situation like this, there's simply no space to be idle.

"I understand," Nathaniel mutters with a matching grimace and a long look into the darkness as if he might pick up something creeping up towards them. He hasn't found any familiar faces, but he doubts they haven't been without their own losses.

"If you wouldn't object to some company, I think I'd appreciate it."

He's starting to jump at everything. Having another breathing person walking beside him would do wonders.

"I always welcome company," Brennan answers lightly, dipping his head in an appreciative nod. "Especially when they come in the form of talented archers. I'm still missing the one most often at my back. His skills would be useful right about now."

So would his humor.

A name comes to mind, but he doesn't put voice to it. Instead, he nods and grips his bow more firmly as he does so. The compliment is a pleasant one, too.

"Then we should move. If we linger too long we risk drawing the creatures to us."

He could be speaking about darkspawn, for all the severity of the words, but he knows that what they are facing now may be just as dangerous.

Brennan merely nods and motions up the hall. "This way, then. They do seem to be drawn to sounds and movement. At this rate I think we might draw them whether we're patrolling or standing still. But so might others, and not everyone here is as accustomed to battle."

"I would have thought to see more on this side of the protective barrier," Nathaniel comments as he falls into step beside Brennan, an arrow nocked and ready in his bow. "Given the frequency of these events that I've been led to believe."

He shoots Brennan a glance, eyebrows lifting slightly.

"Do many of them not involve a need for combat?"

"The first few, after I arrived, did not," Brennan answers as he moves down the hall, sword ready in his hand. "They were mild and more confusing than dangerous. I've heard this place tends to offer strange events from one extreme to the other. Some are benign while others. Well. Do this," he adds with a wave of his shield at the hallway ahead.

"I see. Maybe some lessons in combat wouldn't go amiss."

It wouldn't work for all, but maybe some wanted to fight but lacked the skills. The more they had to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, the better, surely.

"But not in an environment as lively as this one."

"Certainly something to think about, after." Brennan sounds thoughtful. "I think there are some here that teach others - I've seen offers of lessons in defense and such issued a few times from people over the strange devices we all have. And there's a room on the first floor many of the fighters in this place use to train and teach."

"A young lady called Arya has stated some interest in archery. I offered to tutor her."

Nathaniel has never taught anyone before, though such things have been occasionally asked of him. The girl showed spark, though, and some potential. It isn't a bad place to start.

"Having something organised between a number of people could be beneficial."

It’s curiosity more than anything else that brings Solas down to the lower levels of the mansion. He has helped a few people that he’s happened upon, but he hasn’t been going out of his way to do so. There is no death here, he’s been told, and while he doesn’t revel in needless suffering, he isn’t inclined to put himself at risk for the sake of people who will just be brought back to life later. No, it’s these Infected that capture his interest: what they are, what it is that infects them.

And the best place to observe them and learn from them is down here where they congregate.

Solas is slinking through the shadows in his old elvhen armor when he catches sight of a passably familiar shape. There aren’t so many in this place that he mistakes it for someone it is not. Altering his stride, he follows, then when the opportunity arises, steps out beside Brennan with a faint expression of curiosity. Their last meeting had not ended on a high note. He is cooler now, distant and neutral.

“You are a long way from safety, Inquisitor.”

Despite how their previous encounter had ended, when Brennan looks up, it's with a warm, relieved smile at seeing a familiar face and not another of these monsters lunging out to make a meal of him. At least for the moment.

"Solas," he answer, letting his hand fall away from his sword for the moment, although he keeps consistently on alert. The creatures currently infesting the manor seem to be coming from everywhere. It's most frustrating.

"I'm not very good at staying where it's safe. Not when there still might be people in trouble. And these things... they seem to be endless."

Indeed they do seem to be endless, which makes precious little sense. Solas casts a glance around the corridor, looking and listening for signs of approach yet he sees and hears nothing. Perhaps they can afford a few moments for conversation.

"I was not aware that so many lived in the mansion," he says mildly, arching an eyebrow. "Yet the number of these Infected suggest a veritable civilization living beneath the basement."

The creatures burn easily enough. And from the accounts of those who've tussled with them physically, it sounds as if they are real. Yet the numbers pose a problem. "Are we quite certain they are real and not simply a very effective illusion?"

Brennan just gives a tired laugh at that and shifts to lean against the wall, thankful for the breather - however brief it may be.

"At the moment, I'm not certain of anything. They feel real enough on the other end of my sword, however. Maker, and I'd thought Crestwood was bad. I don't know where these things are coming from. And the first floor is completely overrun now. We're seeing more up here because of it. I'm not sure how long we can maintain a foothold here. There's just so many of them, they keep coming in waves. It's like a bloody Blight in itself."

[ Cullen feels the air fill with magic as the barrier goes up. It was out of the question that he wouldn't stay. He nods to the familiar faces barred behind it, and turns to fall in line with Brennan's steps. ]

The spores didn't reach past the second floor when we walked up. We might be able to risk taking the barrier down for one more group, but if they keep spreading upwards we'll need to find another place for any late stragglers.

[ He pulls something from his belt for Brennan to take: A peculiar mask which bears some passing similarity to mining tools he knows dwarves to use. Protection and advice, courtesy of the girl Ellie. ]

This filters the air, so it is safe to breathe. We may have need of it later.

I'm not sure if they can lower it, it didn't sound like it, from the way the Lady Freya spoke of it. not if she needed to have it back up again right away.

[ A conundrum, but they'd done what they could, and got as many people here as they could find in the amount of time they had. ]

I heard others speak of somewhere on the top floor, and a place of safety out in the woods if we're too hard-pressed to find some safe zones. [ He's frowning, already running through strategies in his head. ]

Do you think if we barricade the stairs it might keep them below or would that just make things harder for people trying to escape?

[ If it was a matter of time Cullen thinks they could stall anything headed their way long enough for the barrier to open and close again, but if the process might compromise the barrier's strength whole, then this is not the path to take.

He considers the others. ]

If this was anywhere else I would suggest evacuation. Send a party to collapse the tunnels, and use the time to escape, but here? We'll not get further than the woods, and they're a poor place to make a stand. [ He considers. ] No barricades yet. If these creatures can appear out of nowhere in one spot, they might do so in another, we can't risk blocking paths until we know which ones are needed.

[ Hesitation creeps into his voice, briefly. ]

This- Even this is just another event, isn't it? [ He spits out the word with distaste. ] It will pass as the others did? If that is the case, then we need to stall. Guide survivors to the upper levels, and keep the creatures from reaching them as long as possible. Set up guard posts by the stairs, if people fit for the task can be found.

That was the impression I got from the others, yes. [ Brennan gives a faint nod. ] We just have to survive however many days this lasts until it ceases. Were we preparing for a longer stand, I might suggest a more forceful method of attempting to deal with these things.

[ Like getting everyone out and perhaps just cleansing the whole place with fire to be sure. ]

But as it stands, it looks as if our best method might be to buy as much time as we can and hold them off where we have the advantage to do so.

[ He nods in agreement. ]

I wonder how far Wonderland would let us retreat down its corridors. Has such a thing been tested yet? If not, when this is over, I think I would like to find volunteers to examine how infinite they truly are.

[ They reach the stairs, and Cullen stops to ensure their directive. ]

We should return to the first floor, then search from bottom to top.

The first floor is the most overrun. [ Brennan supplies this with a slight frown. ] But we can try that. However, I'm not certain how long we can keep them contained to the lower floors, if they keep multiplying as fast as they seem to. It's as good as any place to start, at least.

I can probably help test the corridor theory, but I've never heard of anyone who has found an end to them.

It's not an end to the floors I'm hoping to find, but- [ He starts down the stairs. ] -it must take some exertion to make them appear as they do. For every room sculpted to a person's thoughts, for every item produced from thin air - it must take up resources, and if we can find a way to deplete them faster than they can be replenished--

[ He halts. They are barely past the fourth floor, and already Cullen can hear some commotion going on below. The plans concerning their escape are for another day. To execute any of them they must first live. ]

They spread much faster than I expected. [ He raises his sword and shield at ready, and cautiously keeps going downstairs. ] Let's see how bad the situation is...

[ It's an interesting plan, one Brennan gives thoughtful consideration to. ] You think the further we go, the harder it will be for this place's magics to maintain... what, the illusion? Or sustaining such a length? It might work. It's worth a try.

[ He follows the Commander, his sword and shield at the ready, for he can hear the movement as well. It's been an almost constant on the lower floors anytime he's ventured close. ]

Be careful. They're faster than you'd expect.

Both. Either. Whatever force is at work here, I've yet to see it even near its limits, but somehow they must exist. A weak spot somewhere, we can only keep searching, and hope we prod Wonderland the right place.

[ He quiets down in the end, but the point is moot by then. An infected staggers around the corner, and all but slams into Cullen. He raises his shield, and pushes the creature down the stairs. Follows, and plunges the sword into his chest.

And then he stands at the bottom of the stairs, and can see what else awaits them on this floor. ]

Five to the left, brace yourself!

Well. At the very least, I'm very good at prodding.

[ His grin is sharp and eager at that, casting a glance over at the warrior at his side before nodding and focusing on the battle at hand. He gives a war cry to draw their attention and then starts working forward, using sword and shield as weapon and defense, falling into a familiar dance as he work to take their enemies down. While he's more used to Cassandra or Blackwall shielding his back, he's also familiar with Cullen's moves and tries to play to both their strengths as they deal with the threat. ]

[ Cullen doesn't have the same advantage, not when he's had little hand in training or sparring with his own Inquisitor. Not when there's little to compare Brennan to a dual-wielding dwarven rogue to begin with. Brennan draws their attention as Cullen normally often would, so Cullen falls in step to do what he would expect others to do: Attack their flank, while they are preoccupied with Brennan. ]

This woman, Lady Freya--

[ He lacks the stealth techniques to escape their attention for very long, but between the two warriors they seem uncertain which to make their target first. Between the moments of hesitation Cullen dispatches two of them quickly. ]

How well do you know her?

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Patrolling the Halls!

third floor; whenever;

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fifth floor; april 17

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second floor; whenever

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fifth floor, after bar leaving times;

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