001

[openhands]

Who: Cassandra Pentaghast & YOU!!
Broadcast: Fleet-wide
Action: SS Marsiva
When: week of April 12-18

[When Cassandra wakes, she goes from sound asleep to alert in just a matter of a couple of seconds. She's out of bed immediately with a reflexive reach for weapons that aren't there. Naturally, this merits a frustrated growl, but no matter. She doesn't need a sword or shield to do some damage if she must to get out of...wherever this place is.]

[She scans the room with a little more scrutiny with a scowl before she notices the communicator and picks it up. Enjoy your new view of the ceiling, network, while she looks the device over in her hands because she doesn't understand why she has some vague sense of familiarity with it without ever having seen it before in her life. It's at least something to take her mind off the fact she has absolutely no idea how she got here in the first place.]

What is this?

[Answer her before books start getting stabbed, you guys.]

Comments

[grabthecheese]

[Yeah, she's... Not going to comment on that. She's the pilot and captain, and she'd never seen a ship of any kind before this. On the other hand, she's confident she can handle it.]

Polly-- [except whoever she's talking to is wearing armour, which means military to her, and anyway, sounds like a soldier, so she'll correct herself.] Sergeant Polly Perks. Currently Captain of the Windrose.

[openhands]

[Two different ranks? Well, Cassandra will just go with the one Polly gave first. She's willing to assume that's preferable for Polly at any rate since becoming captain of anything appears to be recent development.]

I am Seeker Cassandra [Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena 8D] Pentaghast. How is it that you became captain, Sergeant Perks?

[grabthecheese]

It was assigned when I arrived. [meaning she doesn't know; maybe because she already held a rank.] I've never heard of a Seeker.

[openhands]

[Just handed a position? Strange. Cassandra would think there would be more involved than simply being handed command of anything.]

Most in Thedas haven't. Those that have will often confuse us with Templars, but we have always stood above them and, when necessary, disciplined them.

[It occurs to Cassandra that this young woman might not be from Thedas and have no idea what Cassandra is talking about, but she can ask questions if she's curious or let it pass without further comment.]

[grabthecheese]

I've never heard of Templars, either.

[Which is probably a good thing, because imagine if Borogravia had Templars. Just imagine. Although Polly is also wary of anyone who considers themselves to stand above other people.]

Is that what you call your army?

[openhands]

No, the nations of Thedas have their own armies. [She shakes her head a little.] The Seekers and Templars served the Chantry.

The Templars were meant to protect both those with magic and people from those with magic, the ones who could not control their abilities. Unfortunately practice and principle did not always match in every Circle. Whenever there were reports of abuse and corruption, the Seekers were dispatched to investigate. Those responsible were then held accountable for their transgressions.

[Cassandra sighs heavily. This next part is something that weighs heavily on her, even now. Perhaps not everything could have been avoided, but a great deal of it could have if more truth had come to light.]

The corruption ran deeper than most knew, even among Seekers. The mages eventually rebelled, and the Templars and many of the Seekers left the Chantry.

[grabthecheese]

You kept the title, though.

[Which probably means she takes pride in it. Polly can't fault her there, considering the pride she has in her own country, and in her own rank; Borogravia and its military still has enough flaws.]

Soldiers don't like anyone investigating their ranks. But you do it openly?

[openhands]

[Cassandra would not be quite so quick to admit to her pride, but it is most certainly there. At this point, she has been a Seeker longer than she has not and it matters a great deal to her.]

Yes. The Templars naturally did not hold any fondness for any visiting Seeker. They knew they were under investigation when one would arrive.

[grabthecheese]

No wonder you didn't find the corruption in time.

[She doesn't say it to be critical - just, to her, stating fact. Because any half-decent soldier would have more than one hiding spot prepared, and if you can't lie to a political then you won't last long in the army. Even if apparently Seekers don't belong to any army.]

[openhands]

Our transparency had nothing to do with it. Seekers have abilities different from that of Templars to get to the truth.

The problem was the same corruption had begun to spread among the Seekers.

[Those at the very top withheld so much knowledge and kept as many as they could in the dark.]

[grabthecheese]

Abilities? Like what?

[Because that sounds more worrying than anything.]

[openhands]

We are able to manipulate lyrium within Templars and mages both. [And to answer what she feels is likely the next question, since Polly seems to enjoy asking a lot of them,] Lyrium is a substance Templars take to enhance their own abilities. Mages use it to enhance their spells and hold onto consciousness when in the Fade.