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forbarrayar2025-09-23 06:56 pm
barrayarmods) wrote in forbarrayar2025-09-23 06:56 pm
[ reunion event ]
[ photo source ]
It’s the dark of night when you come to in the foothills. Dry leaves crackle underfoot, a cool autumn breeze whistling. A steep mountain range towards just ahead, its peaks illuminated by the light of two moons. Whatever you last remember, it isn’t how you got here, and you feel oddly jetlagged, slightly queasy.
But you remember this place.
You’re not alone. There are a few other people close by, and you recognize them from the last time you were all snatched by spacetime to this planet. What you don’t know, though, is why you’re here again when you were supposed to have been sent home for good — or dead. But before any of you have a chance to figure out what’s going on, the soldiers arrive.
They’re dressed in familiar, weather-worn green uniforms, bearing swords and bows, but none of those weapons are pointed at you. This time, the Barrayaran soldiers are here to welcome you — to shepherd you back to their camp, safe from prying Cetagandan eyes, because they’ve been expecting you. It’s been five years since the outsiders left Barrayar, they say. There are more answers waiting for you in the camp, they promise, but this time, you don’t have to worry about finding a way home.
When you get to the camp, some familiar faces are waiting for you: General Count Piotr Vorkosigan has ordered that the outsiders be given tents, food, and whatever supplies they need, and Princess Sonia Vorbarra leads the welcoming party back at camp, eager to greet old friends with her sunny smile.
Dr. Micah Niadem is in the Barrayaran camp, too, and don’t worry: they have a perfectly scientific explanation for all of this. Well, most of it. But the bottom line is, you don’t have to worry about going back home, because the Niadem fields will take care of that for you — so you’ve got about four weeks to spend with old comrades, recounting old battles and swapping war stories from the interim, and perhaps help Piotr in a few small battles for old time’s sake.
status quo
Weather: It’s autumn on Barrayar! The mix of green Earth vegetation and the red-and-brown native flora blends together in a panoply of color across the Dendarii Mountains, and the abundance of maple trees in all their varying shades makes for a beautiful sight. There are rainy days here and there, and the skies over Vorkosigan’s District are partly cloudy most days. It’s gotten rather cool at night, a little bit of a damp chill settling in, but it’s still far more tolerable than the harsh mountain winters. The mountains are often shrouded in mist by the first light of dawn, casting an ethereal halo around the Dendarii peaks. The highs for this month are 67°F/20°C, with lows of 45°F/7°C.
Piotr’s army has moved camp several times in the last five years, so the layout and location won’t be quite as familiar, but they’ve come back around to an encampment not too far from Riverfall Village. It’s only a half a day’s walk from the camp — less, if you can really hike, and some of the villagers will likely remember those outsiders who helped them during the hard times in the cold and the flu epidemic.
While the Barrayarans are very much still roughing it out in the mountains and they still have to be careful with their resources, they can actually accommodate the outsiders’ temporary presence without putting too much of a strain on their supplies, and they'll have a tent designated for the outsiders' use. While the Dendarii Mountains see their fair share of harsh winters, none have been quite so vicious as the one suffered five years ago with the outsiders. They haven’t had to resort to eating horse meat since then, at least.
The Barrayarans aren’t winning the war by any means, but things are a little less dire on the front in Vorkosigan’s District. While tactical situation has improved over the last five years, it’s still far from ideal, and morale is still recovering from a nasty encounter with the Cetagandans that took place about a week before the outsiders arrive: a Barrayaran patrol in the foothills was ambushed by a Cetagandan squad, resulting in the deaths of several of Piotr’s men. Piotr, of course, does not intend to let this lie, and will be gearing up for a counterattack. Any old comrades who’d like to help him kill some Cetagandans will be more than welcome to participate.
Vorkosigan Vashnoi, the former capital of the district, still glows in the dark at night from the nuclear bombing five years ago. The Barrayarans have had more success in receiving aid from off-planet, thanks to Prince Xav’s tireless efforts, though most of Barrayar is still relegated to guerilla warfare. The capital city of Vorbarr Sultana is still under heavy occupation, ground that the Cetagandans are most reluctant to give up. News of victories such as Piotr’s from other parts of Barrayar, however, is fueling the resistance there.
Tarn, who was last seen badly losing a fight with Crown Prince Yuri, fled into the mountains after the events of five years ago, and there are rumored sightings to this day of the Dendarii Mountains’ own Baba Yaga.
activities
Ongoing
Leaf viewing: The Dendarii Mountains are breathtaking in autumn as all the leaves change color — most striking are the numerous and colorful maple trees for which the District is famous. While the outsiders are discouraged from wandering too far from camp, taking a little stroll to appreciate the view is a popular seasonal activity. The locals say that the scenery is even prettier with a cup of maple mead in hand.
Helping out around camp: There are no idle hands in the Barrayaran camp! Hunting for food, mucking the stables, cooking, laundry, weapon maintenance — just about anybody can help with something, and just like before, the Barrayarans do expect your help as long as you’re here.
Portraits: Sonia will be taking photographs of (or with!) outsiders as keepsakes, and has cleared a little space by the cave entrance for her and set up a few chairs for portraits. While she doesn’t know if they’ll be able to take anything back with them, she’ll gladly take two pictures — one for you, and one for herself.
Riverfall: The village is about a half a day’s walk, and much like the Barrayarans, the hillfolk remember the outsiders who helped them in the past. It seems that Piotr must have briefed Speaker Gura about the outsiders’ arrival, as their appearance in the village doesn’t panic or even particularly faze the villagers. Riverfall has changed very little — in fact, the only detectable difference is in the ages of its residents.
Micah's device: If you’ve recently returned to Barrayar and you’d like to stay for good, you can ask Micah to do something sciencey to detangle your neural net from the wormhole, but it will be permanent. There is also a level of personal risk involved, as it can’t be done from the Barrayaran camp: Micah’s equipment, such as it is, is stored in a safehouse in the city of Seligrad, which is about half a day’s ride from the foothills. They’re more than willing to make the journey, though, if it’s to help their old friends.
Week 1
Welcome back: On the first night, there’s a very unofficial reception, the loosest sense of the word — mostly soldiers sharing drinks with the outsiders around a fire, recounting old battles and swapping stories from the interim. There will be a lot of drunken toasting, perhaps a few fights easily broken up by their less sloshed comrades.
Training drills: Piotr recently lost several good men to the Cetagandans when one of their patrols in the foothills was ambushed, and he’s running training drills to hit the Cetas back just as hard. If you proved to be a reliable soldier in the past, he might even let you run some yourself.
Week 2
Skirmish with the Cetagandan soldiers: There are, of course, always opportunities to help the war effort in a more direct sense. Piotr has no problem allowing outsiders on his mission to fuck up the Cetagandans in turn, though things don’t go quite according to plan: while they strike a blow and manage to kill a few Cetagandans on patrol, it’s messy and more or less comes to a draw, with Piotr’s men retreating with their wounded.
Treating the injured: It’s not a pretty fight, and there are plenty of wounded afterwards, though no casualties. The medics could always use a hand in treating injuries, even if it’s just to hold someone down before they have a broken bone reset.
Week 3
Harvest festival: The Riverfall locals throw a lively festival to ensure a bountiful harvest every year, equal parts excuse to party and deep-rooted tradition of superstition. The hillfolk throw a hell of a party, and there’s sure to be plenty of drinking, dancing, and music.
Skirmish, round 2: After a messy first engagement, Piotr leads his troops in a more tightly orchestrated raid on the Cetagandans — this one with a much more satisfying conclusion. This time, they strike at a supply run coming in from one of the occupied cities; not only do they manage to kill the entire patrol with fewer wounded on their part, they also return to camp with fresh medical supplies.
Week 4
Dorca and Yuri: Emperor Dorca and his son, Crown Prince Yuri, arrive in Piotr’s camp at the tail end of the outsiders’ visit. Yuri, whose famously unpleasant demeanor has only grown worse over time, still has yet to remarry and produce another heir after the deaths of his sons five years ago.
(Threads with Dorca and Yuri by request only; please hit up the mod for plotting.)
Farewell gathering: The night before the outsiders’ last day on Barrayar is, of course, full of drinking, though the mood is somewhat different from the first night. The next day, the Barrayarans and Micah say their goodbyes before the outsiders are escorted back down to the foothills for their return home. Some of them may even have some parting gifts, even if no one’s really sure if the outsiders will be able to take them home.
Will this really be the last time they see the outsiders, though? Micah says nothing’s impossible…
WEEK 1