Lowtown, City of Kirkwall, Time and Date Unknown
"Lucky 38? What the hell is that? And how did it get here?" Varric and Anders witnessed a massive tower surrounded by metal walls appear just outside the city gates, walls big enough to house another city. What's more, the Chantry was back in place, as if the last day had been completely erased. "Looks like you got a second chance Blondie, whatever happened fixed whatever you broke, I wouldn't try it again."
"But I don't understand, it's not just the chantry, if we went backwards, Meredith would be back, and she's missing, as is Orsino. And Hawke is nowhere to be found."
"I'm sure Hawke is just fine. Besides, we've got another problem, those two guys we found at the docks sound like they might know something. Let's get back to the Hanged Man.
Back at the Hanged Man, Arcade attempted to wake Raul, who seemed incapacitated by the blast, "Come on Raul, we've got to figure this out, I know you're not dead."
"Give me a break, boss, I'm old. Old and rotting, and I need to sleep."
"Yes, rotting, in a place that has no concept of what a ghoul is. I've been convincing everyone you're a burn victim. Now get up, Anders and Varric will be back soon, and we need to either get out of here or figure out what's going on."
"Like why it appeared outside Vegas? Or how we got here from the Lucky 38? Or…Arcade, you brought ED-E too?" Raul noticed a deactivated ED-E sitting on a nearby table.
"Against my better judgment, it broke in the blast, but the Courier wouldn't be happy if I left it lying around."
"Well, looks like the patient's awake," Varric came back with Anders "How's your friend doing Doc?"
"Looks like he's back on his feet, maybe we can figure this out now. Also, Doc? Really?"
"It's your nickname. I've got one for everyone, well, almost everyone. We really should get to know each other first before we get to the big questions, I'll let you start, Doc."
"Alright, I'm Arcade Gannon, I'm a doctor with a group called the Followers of the Apocalypse, based out of Freeside. It's part of the city that appeared on your doorstep. We try to use our tech to help those in need, and only wish for peace."
"Wow, you sound like Blondie here, back before he got all broody. What about your friend here?"
"Name's Raul Tejada, I'm just a humble repairman who may or may not participate in the proud sport of bandit hunting."
"So we've got a doctor and a vigilante? How'd you two end up anywhere near eachother?" Anders asked
"We'd both been working with someone we all called the Courier, we'd all been working on a plan to bring independence to New Vegas, our home, amidst a war between three factions."
"And that's pretty much us in a nutshell, boss. How about you?"
"Well, I'm Varric Tethras, marksman, storyteller, and businessman extraordinaire. I've had something to do with every major event in this city for the past seven years."
Arcade shook his head and said, "It's good to see someone so humble."
"Varric does tend to embellish the truth a bit, but it gets us what we need." Anders said, "I'm Anders, I work as a healer, and once served as a Gray Warden…which now I realize means absolutely nothing to you."
"So another doctor then…and, well yeah, I don't know what a Gray Warden is. Just so we're clear, you're a dwarf? Like in the story books I read as a kid? Between that and all the magic stuff, this world is just too weird."
"Right, this from the man whose weapon shoots out searing hot balls of light. Not to mention that…what is that, some kind of golem you've got there? ED-E was it? Well, I like to name my toys too, meet Bianca." Varric proceeded to put his crossbow on the table.
"Interesting, it looks like it's a little more advanced than crossbows I've seen."
"That's dwarven craftsmanship for you."
"I'm beginning to see the split here, this is what the world would be if magic had existed, if technology hadn't become the driving force. To be honest I thought you people were primitive, but it couldn't be farther from the truth."
"A world without magic? That means no demons, no Fade…no templars. It would be like a dream!" Anders' face lit up.
"While I don't appreciate the 'warm welcome' the templars gave us as we entered the city, I've seen far worse zealots. The Enclave, Caesar's Legion, The Brotherhood of Steel, all of them have an agenda to push and would stop at nothing to get it."
"I've gotta say boss, I'm not one to talk politics, so let's figure out where we are and how we got here."
"Right, well, we know we were in the Lucky 38 when the Courier brought back the transporter…then Rex bit into it and…the easiest conclusion I've ever come to."
"Really? Because I've been given damaged tech before and it usually just breaks after that. It doesn't usually smash two universes together."
"We live in a world where we took orders from a giant computer, mutated fish men climb out of water to kill you and gangs worship an old world pop culture symbol, and this is what ends your suspension of disbelief?"
"I've gotta say Raul, your pal here has a point, even if it makes no sense to me. Especially since we had a rather important magical artifact break here too, something tells me that's no coincidence."
"What so I don't get a snappy nickname?"
"You'll get one, just wait."
Hightown, City of Kirkwall
"If one of you doesn't give me some fucking answers, there's gonna be a big empty space where your head was!" Cass was more than a little drunk
Aveline paced around the barracks, still coming to terms with what apparently was a clean erase of the past 24 hours, but now she had bigger problems to deal with, and it wasn't going to get any easier, "Guard Captain! We've got a situation outside!"
"What is it guardsman?"
"A woman is raging through the streets accompanied by what looks like an ogre, I think she may be an apostate, her weapon makes a loud bang accompanied by shards of metal and the smell of black powder."
"Guardsman, if this is some kind of joke I will have you know I am not in the mood."
"It's not a joke, just come see it for yourself.
"If one of you doesn't give me some fucking answers, there's gonna be a big empty space where your head was!" Cass, after waking up in an unfamiliar territory decided to have a some whiskey to take the edge of, and was now raging through Hightown.
"Miss, if you would just put down your weapon we could talk about this." Donnic said, hoping to calm the situation.
"Cassie dear, you should listen to the nice guardsman, you don't want to hurt yourself." Lily said.
"That thing can speak?" One of the guards said, shocked.
"Of course she can speak, have you fuckheads never seen a mutant before? They're all over the place!"
"Cassie dear, you should really watch you language."
"Lily, I really don't have time for this!"
"If you don't calm down, Leo's going to get riled up. And that's not good for anyone."
"You know what? Fuck you, and fuck Leo, and fuck everyone else in this fucking town! Give me someone who's in charge!"
"Quite a mouth on this one, yes?" Aveline said coming down the steps from the keep, shield up, "I'm Aveline Vallen, Captain of the Guard and the closest thing to an authority figure that isn't either dead or missing, and I would say you'd have better luck talking to me than the templars."
Cass stood there, gun at the ready for some time, she then relaxed her arm and put the gun away, "Alright, I'm good, come on Lily, let's go."
Back inside the barracks, Aveline brought Cass into here office, each had questions for the other.
"I'll answer whatever you want, just tell me where the fuck I am."
"This is the town of Kirkwall, in the Free Marches, or it was, with this Lucky 38 that appeared I have no idea if everything is as it should be."
"Second, they were calling me an apostate, what the hell is that?"
"Essentially a mage that doesn't follow rules."
"Hold on? A mage? Like a wizard? Exactly how backwards are you guys? Have you never seen a gun before?"
"A gun?"
"Yeah, as in this weapon in my hands? Pull the trigger, some stuff happens, causes some gunpowder to ignite, sending bits of metal down a tube toward whatever you point it at?"
"So it's a more advanced crossbow?"
"Sure why not? And back to the wizards, you guys actually believe in that shit?"
"Believe it? We live it, something tells me we're not hitting on a key point here. Between your strange weapon and lack of knowledge of the customs here. Honestly, I have no idea where you come from, but it can't be legal to point weapons at law enforcement there either."
"Legal's a sketchy term in the wasteland."
"The wasteland?"
"Yeah, you know, those dead patches of land that clash with your lush green fields? The sad looking desert plants? The broken, dilapidated roads? Sounds like a wasteland to me. And now that we're clear on that, I'm sure you have all sorts of questions."
"Like you wouldn't believe."
"You're being awfully calm about it."
"As captain of the guard I have to keep this up so my men don't get discouraged. Believe me, I'm as lost as you are."
"Well, I'd be too if a shiny future city popped up on my doorstep, or in my case, this primitive hunk of rock."
"This 'primitive hunk of rock' is my home, and you'd do best to respect that."
"Whoa! Let's not get testy, I've got you some answers. Lucky 38, right? It's a hotel and casino, centerpiece of New Vegas."
"So the Lucky 38, it's just a gambling hall?"
"It was, or might've been at some point, now it's almost a fortress. From there Mr. House watched over it, enforcing some sort of law. Granted he's got nothing against drinking and whores."
"Sounds like a fun place to be," Isabela randomly interjected, "Might need to take a vacation."
"Isabela, how did you get in here?"
"Just said I had an important message for the captain, some of your guards are pretty thick. Besides, I wanted to meet the mysterious new girl that's making waves all across Hightown"
"I guess I went a little overboard, I've built up a reputation. Anyway, your money's no good there, gold's pretty much just shiny rocks in the Mojave. After the world ends most people get more practical. Does anyone have anymore whiskey?"
"I already love this girl! Aveline, can we keep her?"
"Just one thing I don't get is, your Kirkwall is coastal, while the Mojave's a desert, it's landlocked. Something doesn't add up and I don't like it. Especially since it means Caesar's is floating in the middle of the ocean somewhere even more impregnable than before. And God only knows what happened to the dam."
"Well I'm lost again, Aveline, anything else?"
"Another worry I have is your friend, the 'mutant,' is she going to be trouble?"
"Nah, Lily's harmless! Well, as long as she takes her meds at least. Don't worry, I can keep her under control."
"I'll hold you to that. If something goes wrong, it's on you."
"Hate to interrupt again, oh who am I kidding, I love interrupting! I remember now, I did have an important message for you. There's some templars arguing with some soldiers dressed in a lovely shade of brown."
Cass stood up, "NCR maybe? The hell are they doing here?"
Out in the courtyard outside the keep, NCR soldiers and templars were at a disagreement, "We demand to know your intentions at once, stand down or face consequences."
"You come into our home and expect us to stand down, Kirkwall does not take well to foreign invaders."
"Invaders? Your city just appears next to ours and you expect us to believe it was here the whole time?"
"What the hell is going on here?" Aveline came storming down the steps, Cass, Isabela, and Lily following behind.
"Leo says these soldiers need to be taught a lesson!"
"Lily, tell Leo to chill long enough for us to take care of this."
The templar in charge of the group spoke, "Guard Captain I demand you arrest these ruffians at once!"
The NCR leader then spoke, "Are you the law enforcement around here? Because I need some answers!"
"Is anyone else getting the strangest feeling of déjà vu?" Cass said.
"Technically my power only goes so far, but I can assure you this will all be explained in due time. This is surely a misunderstanding."
"Now that would be a story to tell, Vegas and Kirkwall, two cities appear next to eachother by some anomaly, and they go to war."
"Varric? What are you doing here?"
"Just passing through, and apparently reuniting some friends."
"Arcade! Raul!" Cass exclaimed, "You two are alright."
"Not gonna let a little universal hiccup kill us." Arcade replied.
"Yeah, I may be old, but I'm not dead yet."
Then Arcade continued, "But why are NCR soldiers here? You guys are beyond your jurisdiction."
"After the death of Robert House the NCR has taken it upon themselves to police the Mojave Region. And your city seems to have become part of the Mojave."
"Hate to disappoint partner, but Mr. House is still alive and kickin'!"
"Victor! How'd you get reactivated? We made sure you shut up for good!" Cass said, pointing her shotgun at the lone Securitron, meanwhile citizens and templars watched the machine in confused panic.
"What the hell is that thing? Another one of those 'robots'?" Varric asked, even he couldn't believe what he was saying.
"I just needed to jump to a new model, and with Mr. House back in commission, he can send me to deliver a message" Victor's face changed to House's, and the message played, "Attention NCR soldiers, return to your posts at once or be forced to return to California…wherever that may be with the present geography. This is a clear breach of your treaty. And, a warm greeting to all citizens of Kirkwall, your Knight-Commander has told me much about you, and she would like all templars to come meet her at the Lucky 38."
"You must be joking, the Knight Commander has been missing for some time, and I can't believe she would just wander off to your twisted abomination of a city."
"Believe what you will, just deliver my message to whoever is second in command, I have work to do and can't be sending her to meet you, at least not yet."
After some protest, the NCR soldiers and templars went their separate ways, leaving the scattered heroes to ponder, "Meredith is alive? But who else is? And how much do they remember?" Anders asked, worried.
"You lucked out Anders, your crimes seem to have been erased for now, and without any evidence I can't deliver a punishment, but I'll see to it you pay for your crimes." Aveline replied.
"Your crimes?" Arcade asked, "What did you do?"
"Doc, that's not really something you need to know right now. We need to worry about Meredith, if she's alive, how much does she remember? And will she be back to rule Kirkwall? We might have to do some things over again."
"House is alive? We're fucked. There's nothing stopping him from sending his Securitron cronies to murder every last one of us!" Cass said.
"I wonder if there are any rules to this whole revival thing, like how far back it goes, and who it affects…" Raul questioned.
"First Enchanter Orsino seems completely oblivious to his death, while every time I've seen Thrask he's looking around surprised. And if Thrask is here, Grace might be too, which could be trouble." Aveline added.
"So Orsino's alive too?"
"Yes, but Cullen's been very secretive about it. As have the templars. After Meredith's last stunt, I've been keeping tabs on them."
The conversation was interrupted by a lone Brotherhood Paladin, "Excuse me? I've come seeking the friends of Veronica Santangelo and an elf named Merrill. Another elf named Fenris and Craig Boone are also currently at our base in what was once Hidden Valley"
Lucky 38 Penthouse, New Vegas, Shortly after the shift
Meredith awoke in an unfamiliar room, the last thing she remembered was being defeated by Hawke, "What happened after? And where am I?"
"Welcome to the Lucky 38, Meredith."
Meredith turned to see a man's face looking down on her from a glass screen, "What sort of sorcery is this? I demand to know who you are and why you've brought me here."
"A contingency I hadn't expected but already planned for, my own death at the hands of a subordinate, and becoming part of a twisted amalgamation of my world and another, less than a 1% chance, but sometimes I have a knack for these things. Now, I need a new subordinate, one with power in this world and an army of their own, but lacking the computer skills to kill me a second time."
"Your words confound me creature, and they give no answers."
"You'll understand soon enough, I've absorbed enough knowledge from this world to know you want revenge too now, someone named Hawke?"
"How did you…? You'd best answer me, abomination! How do you know so much?"
"I am simply the most advanced piece of technology known to man. This has given me the ability to store massive amounts of information, far more than your primitive mind can understand."
"Well, you're clearly not of this world, but you know of it?
"When you get into your second century of life, your own universe begins to bore you. I wished to branch out, and found one so radically different from my own. But I could never reach it, only observe. It was a side project, watching your people build in a completely different direction. It was so amazing, and now it is in my grasp, I just need your help."
"I'll listen, but I can't guarantee I'll help."