Closed [Event] A New Building

[Crow]

NOTE: this event is on a first come first serve basis. Only 5 players can post in this thread. I reserve the right to post following any post in any order. Upon which the next person in line will resume the posting order. This event is filled.

On the shoreline of Lake Ravok strange occurrences had been occurring regarding a rather quick construction. Most of the work occurred in the night, and many had seen it in the distance as flickering lights from torches worked against the mesmerizing still waters of the lake. This night however seemed empty and construction seemed to stop. The overall secrecy of the construction of the building only piqued the interest of citizens and non citizens within the city. Though most never tried to ever approach the building as workers had been doing their duties It stands as a lone building away from most other structures. If one would attempt to make the journey to investigate this building one would notice that nature around it is mostly untouched. As if the building just appeared.

The arrangement of longitudinal and transverse wards on either side of the building made it clear it was larger than most. The center of the building features a large doorway, but one would first need to find their way past the locked gates.

A single large cotton cloth covered something rather large stocking out from the ground just inside of the gates. The iron gates sticked out about 8 feet from the ground, and laticed in such a manner that one couldn't simply crawl through it. The ground seemed to be fortified by harder earth than normal and upon close inspection those familiar with earth Reimancy would notice singularly large stones connecting the gates to the ground, making it impossible to dig under as well. Although climbing it wouldn't price to be too difficult for master climbers, those less skilled would find it fairly difficult as the iron pickets that made up the gate extended outward on both sides coming to a sharp point.

Whatever this building was it was all fortified, which only aided in the suspicion to stay away from it. Though, there would always be those select adventurous types that can't help themselves.

~Thanks to Aladari Coolwater for the template

[Xen]

A New Building

Xen had seen it from afar. The mysterious structure that stood alone upon the shoreline. He was curious and wary of its presence, for it basked in the unknown and the rumors could not remove the veil of secrecy around it, yet he could not remove his gaze from the building seemingly bereft while in the light of the moon. The structure called to him in an unearthly way and compelled feelings of familiarity to surface within him.


“ Why build something here? ” Xen asked as he stood before the lonesome structure.


Before he stepped into Ravok Xen noticed tents and buildings along the shoreline but those structures were close to the other. He could not understand why this particular one was so distant from the others and somewhat forlorn. However, as Xen observed his surroundings and noticed how the environment appeared immaculate and unchanged. He started to believe the building had some other, particularly queer purpose.


“ Heavily fortified, connected to the earth, and the soil feels like stone, ” Xen continued as he lists all the buildings quirks inside his mind.


Xen was not too familiar with reimancy of telluric nature, yet he certainly felt how dense the earth was. He got the impression that digging would be hard and breaching the eight-foot wall a nigh impossible task. But Xen could not shake off the feeling of familiarity that swirled around the building until he thought of something.


“ It is like a heart of darkness lost in quietude and blackness, despite the beauty of the natural world surrounding it. ” Xen stated as he lingered in the shadow of the colossal building.


It made him feel small and extremely conscious of his fragile mortality. It made Xen feel like his leather, night armor and katana were nothing compared to its foundations and thick walls. Xen would have bowed and bent the knee before the mysterious building if it had sentience and divinity. Instead, he looked in awe, envy, and respect at the beautiful craftsmanship and articulate details lining the buildings visage, like it was a canvas displaying the horrors and wonders of life.


“ It would not be odd for me to be interested in construction and architecture after this night at all. ” Xen smirked at his words and behavior. He knew he was weird at the moment, though, it's been awhile since he's last had anything other than emptiness occupy his mind.

[Evalin]

Curiosity was like an itch that tingled at the fringes of Evalin's mind, so close but just beyond reach to be scratched. It was an annoying thing to be sure, and just to find relief to the incessant nagging at her thought she had gone to investigate the building that had sprung up from the earth upon the shores of Ravok. It was thrice odd to her. In first it was a great structure of detail and strength that rested upon the shores of Ravok instead of floating above the cold dark waters of Rhysol's city. In second was the suddenness of its appearance, or perhaps that was just due to Evalin's only recent noticing of it. In thrice, and most important, was the lack of comers and goers. Certain she had seen the torches Evalin had almost written it off as a mere fanciful speculation, for what queer notion would allow for spirits or sectors to build such a thing of stone that had to be worked by physical hands? That notion thought, however, the Nuit could not say she had ever seen anyone enter the building, nor leave it in a fashion that suggested they were its rightful owners. It was a curiosity, and the gods knew that she had few of those of late.

Perhaps it is a guard post. Tsenrika had suggested as they rounded one corner of the iron gates that blocked passage further to the building, Or a storage place for goods.

I have seen neither wagon nor soldier pass these great gates in all the time I have watched. Evalin replied, Nor have I seen boats to carry goods to and from the city.

The Familiar let silence concede his point to her logic, but Evalin could still feel the doubt flowing through their bond. Reaching up the Immortal gently brushed pale fingers over the icy gem that hung from her neck, a smile cracking her lips as she glanced down at the sealed Tsenrika, Or perhaps it is just for storage, but with so many questions won from us it still does beg for further investigation I think.

As my master says.

Dark cloak and robes fluttered in a stiff breeze that sent ripples edging from the shoreline behind her. In her hands Evalin carried her ever faithful companion, a staff of carved wood ornately carved with runes and pictures that were certain to have some meaning if one were to stare at it long enough. Her shoes scuffed against the rocky soil as she shuffled forward, heavily leaning upon her staff as her red eyes peered out of pale features half veiled by straight black hair.

As she walked Evalin noticed that, as she drew closer to the gate the soil she stood upon grew firmer and firmer still, so much so that right before she was within arms length of the first bar of iron she paused and knelt to run a hand over the tampered ground.

Is this...

Consciously Evalin reached to the power within her, drawing upon it to lift the veil of her eyes and clear her other senses to bring to life a new world of colors, smells and sounds. A faint shimmer like gold dust in the light danced across the surface of the ground and there was a crisp earthen smell that assaulted her magical senses before the visions and sensations were suddenly cut off and a notable weariness brushed her mind.

Reimancy. The scent of magic is here, and elsewhere.

Perhaps it is not a storage house or guard post after all. Tsenrika's sardonic tone almost made Evalin chuckle.

It very well could be either of those things. Evalin said standing up. One hand curled around a bar of the gate, and she pressed her face close to a gap in the lattice work to stare curiously at the covered object inside.

The question is, what exactly could they be storing here?
.

[Bartholomew]

Bang, ram, saw, nail; never did the streets of Ravok sleep when there was work to be done. And, apparently, there was plenty of work on the shoreline of lake Ravok. Here the stryfe were diligently building what most assumed to be the next torture chamber. If it involved the stryfe, it involved torture. Afterwards followed psychological torture, then execution. Rarely did the stryfe show kindness with their activities. Although, when they did, it surprised everyone.

Many wondered what surprise this new building would bring. Would it settle the people's worries after the event with the slaves, or would it reign down more fear and frustration? There were so many questions and so little answers, but it was never the stryfe's way to hand out answers without benefits. So, it befell the people to search for the answers themselves, and none would do so, lest they dealt with the stryfe and Rhysol himself. However, there were those slight few who raised their voices of concern and sought answers to their questions. Some were never heard of again, others never spoke.

Bartholomew Dicey had curiosity, as did all living creatures of this world. Sometimes he could calm it, at others it nipped at him like a mosquito bite, enticing him to give it that one tiny scratch so it may send euphoria in return. Only once did he let curiosity nibble enough for him to lose all his worries, and he was dealt nothing but consequences. The least he wanted were repercussions.

Even still, the tingle of curiosity Bartholomew now had was too much for him to bare. He wanted- No... He needed to know what the stryfe were building. On any other day he would have these thoughts but the deadly stares the stryfe soldiers gave would keep him under control. However, the soldiers were not here now, were they? There were no deadly stares, no bams and nails, and no one to tell him what he could or couldn't do. It was just him and the fence that kept him away from his curiosity.

Should I do it, was what Bartholomew wondered. Should I really risk my life to quell these questions?

Before he could make a choice, though, someone else beat him to it. From where he stood he could make out two people. Although, he couldn't determine their clothing and appearance, but he knew that one of them was a woman. The other was rather suspicious.

For now, Bartholomew stayed back and watched the people work. He knew that they were up to something, although what they were up to was beyond his knowledge. If they did nothing, he would go back to his deep thought on whether he should adventure over the fence or not. Although... If they did something Bartholomew would act accordingly.

[Evarista]

A moonlight walk on the beach. It wasn't often Evarista afforded herself such a venture, mainly because coming all the way out here was rather bothersome. But now she was here, and planned to enjoy the night to the fullest. Having dropped in at Hadrias' distillery for a glass of whisky, she was strolling along the beach, a pleasant breeze in her hair and an equally pleasant buzz in her head. Seen from the shore, the lake had an unique serenity. Evarista had been here on solid ground many times before, but she never got used to it. Walking on soil and gravel always gave her a strange sensation, as if she was a guest in a different world. Staring up at the moon over the forest, she soaked in the atmosphere, sounds of the waves one one side, distant rustle of the treetops on the other. Quite blissful. In her absent-minded state, Evarista didn't notice the huge obstacle in her way until she almost bumped into it. She was almost too late to notice it, stopping a few meters away and blinking in confusion. There was a huge metal fence rising out of the ground right in front of her, with the contours of a serious-looking building rising behind it. What the heck? Snapping out of her mental haze, the girl spun around to check where she was. Did she get lost? How was that even possible? There was only one coastline. No, she didn't get lost. This was the same place as the last time she took her walk. Except now, there was a huge building complex rising up, appearing here out of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere. Evarista hated rumors and gossip, so she was not at all updated about the going-ons in the city, and especially not about any shoreline Ebonstryfe projects. The only thing she knew is that someone had come here in her absence and ruined her idyllic walking route by building their nonsense all over it. Righteous indignation welled up within her. Approaching the fence, the young aristocrat grabbed the lattice and peeked inside, barely believing her eyes. The last time she was here was not all that long ago. How did they manage to build something like this so quickly? More importantly, why here of all places? Whatever the case, she wanted to meet whoever was responsible and tell them exactly what she thought about this entire circus. Walking along the fenced perimeter, Evarista finally found a gate, and looked for a bell rope. At the very least, she wanted to talk to the gatekeeper and ask what this was all about. However, no matter how much she looked, she couldn't find a bell or anything resembling it. So, that's how they keep people out? Clever, but also rather rude. Whoever designed this, she disliked them even more now. Alright, if she couldn't get in the good way, she'd get in the bad way. With her dulled sense of danger and the modest amount of liquid courage flowing through her veins, she decided to climb the fence. Taking off her shoes, she morphed her hands and feet into pointed hooks, as she usually did, and began scaling the metal lattice. It was a sweaty and tedious task, but eventually she was at the top. That's when she realized her mistake; those metal pickets pointing outwards. No matter how she looked at it, there was no way she could get over the fence without impaling herself on them. Damn. Grunting and huffing in frustration, she descended back to the ground to rethink her plan. Her bare feet, now human again, touched the hard soil. No, it had to be brick. Evarista squinted at the ground. It wasn't brick in the end, but it sure felt like it. With some auristic strain, she could find traces of molded djed just below the surface. Magic? She couldn't tell what kind, though. It was enough to know that some wizards have messed up her favorite beach. Whatever the case, she wasn't getting in there on her own. But she couldn't just turn around and leave without at least getting a simple answer as to what the building represented. If someone would just come out and talk to her, she'd be happy with that, but the place looked deserted. Unsure how to proceed, Evarista scratched her head in pause.

[Crow]

Brief moments of wind whistled through as clouds moved across the dark sky. Brief moments of light passed as the moon was taken over by their cover. A few bats screeched as the building was disturbed by intruders. Their lazy movement through the night flocked them away, even creatures of the night knew there was something wrong with the place. As the cloud cover dispersed moon light seemed to beam down brightly illuminating the few nuances of the building, casting shadows in wake of the building.

With in the shadows danced the watchful eyes of a strange and rather peculiar beast. It's mangled form properly out of sight from the group which encroached on its new territory. Spikes and various mandibles extending from its coarse body made of an exoskeleton similar to that of a strange insect. This was no insect, and it stood on two hind legs resembling that of a locust. Forearms mangled and twisted spiked outwards into the ground supporting it's hunched over body. It's head chitinous and charming. Well charming enough for the God of chaos. Nothing was right about this beast. One look and it would be clear that it was an abomination, enough to plague the nightmares of even the most wretched of individuals.

It was a perfect resemblance of what chaos truly is. Every facet of its existence wrong, and through it everything around it seemed to be disturbed. Such disturbance was interrupted as the dravlak was un-noticed from the group which seemed to disturb the territory of was sent to protect. The bats flying overhead caught within its gaze. One singled out ss it flew over head of the strange building. It's screeches erupting into a painful echosonic scream as its body mangled.

Wings became bone as the bat was almost turned inside out from chaotic rending. Bat turned to beast, hair erupting into a long mane, tangled from within the bone. It's flesh hardened into a thick skin impenetrable by what would be a standard assault. It's head and neck cracking as it rotated and elongated for the coming fangs. Bones from its ribs penetrating to a sharp point as its it crawled its way out of its skin, coming to a point. The claws on its "hands" effectively getting larger. The beast was the effect of chaos and now was bloodthirsty beyond compare.

The vampire bat now a monstrous flying abomination slightly larger than a raven. Screams piercing and loud echoed through the night as it flew off to the gates of the building. These intending trespassers would be met by a force unbeknownst to them. One which has never occurred and likely would never occur again, as chaos was unpredictable.

The dravlak watched carefully from the shadows as the bat flew off and presented itself to the group. It landed on a picket to the fence from which each would be able to observe its presence. Turning to look at i the group as a section of the gates, which didn't seem to be an entrance before swung open.

Wind caught the draped material from just within and carried it off into the night. A large stone, as twisted and corrupted looking emerged from underneath. Various markings only known to those who would recognize glyphing discretely carved into it, all surrounding the common words "Civil Silvas Hospital."

However, none of the group standing before the gates to this building would notice. The bat served as a warning to that foul play was at hand. Remaining docile for now the bat almost seemed to smile as it glanced over to the gate. Almost beckoning the intruders to dare enter its territory.

~Thanks to Aladari Coolwater for the template

[Xen]

A New Building

“ Strange, it is oddly silent at this time, ” Xen commented on the quietude that should not be.

Xen was quite familiar with the nighttime hours and the various reptiles, mammals, insects, and even amphibians that sung in it. But there was a stark and eerie stillness that occupied the territory around him in a time where there should have been some semblance of sound and activity. The moment prompted Xen to place his left-hand onto the handle of his katana as the clouds veiled the moon and threw him into momentary darkness.


“ Looks like beauty belies danger and horror in this area, ” Xen thought while he focused and listened to his surroundings.


Then a sound captured Xen's attention: the flapping of dozens of small wings. He looked in the direction he heard it originate from and saw a horde of bats flying near the uppermost part of the mysterious building as the moon peeked from behind the dark clouds. Xen awed at the awesomely dramatic scene that had unfolded in front of him but quickly looked back down after he heard a distinct rattling sound.

That's when he noticed Evalin.


“ When did she get there? Did she walk by me while I was distracted? ” Xen thought as he silently watched and listened to the veiled stranger holding her staff and familiar. He also noted the unsettling yet familiar aura that permeated the air around her.


“ Wait, don't pull on the gate! ” Xen exclaimed to Evalin.


However, before he could warn her of the asylum's uncanny nature, he heard wings and big wings. The sound alerted him. And he became aware of a dangerous, bestial presence. Xen unsheathed his katana and started frantically looking around for the actual creature. But he noticed someone—Evarista—rounding the corner of the build and approach the gate before the beast landed onto the structure.


“ Why are these people here, despite this area's unearthly nature? ” Xen thought, concerningly. However, Evalin and Evarista quickly became the least of his concerns because there was something wicked looking at him now.


“ You both, step away from the gate and look up, ” Xen spoke loud enough to be heard by Evalin and Evarista. But soft enough to not agitate the chiroptera abomination. He did not want it to attack while his group was unaware of its infuriatingly smug visage. Xen would rather handle the creature with an alert group of individuals than a confused and panicked one.


“ Begone, odd variate of Caiyha. This place belongs to man, not beast,” Xen gestured to the bat abomination to go elsewhere, hoping to not fight the frightening yet unique creature.


“ I must memorize its form and appearance now for morphing purposes later, ” Xen thought deviously; he knew he had stumbled upon something beyond the ordinary and wanted to copy its likeness.

[Evalin]

A man's voice is what broke Evalin of her trance, and she turned toward the direction of the sound after wrenching her red eyes free of the covered object. Those eyes then fell upon Xen, and for a brief moment a light of recognition flickered across her gaze before the screeching summoned her attentions elsewhere. The warning that was issued was just as promptly forgotten as Evalin released her grip of the cold metal and stepped back several places with her neck bent back so that her eyes to stare unblinking at the thing that now perched high atop the fence.

The sound of metal being unsheathed made the Immortal glance back quickly to Xen, but she said nothing as she pushed her hood back with both hands so as to better look at this stranger creature that had come into their presence. The creek of the gate as it opened only added to the strangeness of the situation, for now the night was not empty and quiet but suddenly filled with more bodies and oddities than should be possible for the time of day. As Evarista rounded the corner Evalin actually smiled at the absurdity of it all.

Well then, she thought, It seems I am not the only one who was curious of what was to be found here.

For good or for ill. Tsenrika agreed as his Master stroked the surface of his sealed form that hung from her neck, There is a familiar face as well here that I had not expected to ever see again.

Indeed my dear Tsenrika. Wonder I what has caused the little viper to stray so far from the next? Evalin watched Xen now as he barked another order, directed at both her and the child who surely would be just as surprised as she was at the entire situation. It was just a bat after all, ugly though it was.

Both hands came to wrap long fingers and black nails around her staff as Evalin leaned upon it, now looking at the open portal into the area which had until remained well and truly closed to everyone. More so than the people, more so than the bat, this gave Evalin pause. In all of her centuries of experience nothing was more threatening than a door that opened unto itself. It meant a warning. Something or someone was just beyond, and calamity would follow close upon the heals of anyone who dared to take the seemingly innocent invitation. She had learned such with the house in the woods outside Zeltiva. She had learned such in the jungles of Falyndar, and in the ruins of Zeltani when the Journeyman had stalked her and her master's every step. An open invitation was never truly an invitation for safe passage. But then what should she do?

Send someone first. Tsenrika's calm proposal was without malice.

A glance to her left toward Evarista revealed the drunken state of the child, and without a second thought Evalin dismissed her as less than useless for the time being. The man, however... The one who even now swung his sword about wildly as if he were shooing away a stray cat? Perhaps he would be of use.

With a quick backwards retreat Evalin let herself slip behind Xen, as if she were heading his words and seeking his protection, putting him between her and the gate with its watcher perched on top. Then she flexed her power within, res bubbling out from the bottoms of her feet to slip into the ground below. This res slipped beneath the stones before shooting out from beneath Xen's feet directly at the bat, as big as two fists clenched together. The res was clear but shimmered like heat waves to distort the world that was seen through it. As this ball sailed quickly through the air it spread out, forming a canopy that made to engulf the creature. Just before it hit Evalin willed it to burst into flames, a great veil of fire that would block the thing from view as its heat and power sought to wrap and engulf it completely. All of this Evalin did without removing her eyes for the thing, and she made certain that the res traveled toward the direction Xen waved his sword as he shouted at the bat. Perhaps the fool would be her double and learn just how threatening the beast was as she made it appear that the attack came from him alone.

Still Evalin watched unblinking, readying herself and pulling her power fully up within her, prepared in the even that she must fight, or flee.

[Bartholomew]

One stared at the building, one touched the building, and the other climbed the building. From the actions these three individuals gave, Bartholomew thought they were acting the evolution of curiosity. It was the one that climbed, though, that peeked Bartholomew's interest. A girl, from what it seemed, almost inhumane. Although he couldn't see well enough of her from where he stood, he thought that he'd make out a hook for one of her hands. A climbing weapon, was what he figured, which would be explainable. What were not explainable, however, were the hooks for feet she had. So, arcane? Fascinating.

Bartholomew was stuck staring at the climbing girl until one of the other individuals, the one he could not make out, decided to scream. Fool, he thought as the other man's voice began to boom. Even though the man was not loud, he was still able to fill the air with enough sound for any soldier to hear. No matter the situation, not alerting the stryfe should've been everyone's priority. What was this man making a fuss about anyways?

Bartholomew stepped forward to see, for the leaves from the trees he hid under revealed so little. When he did receive a view of the root of this commotion, he was left speechless. There, atop the now opened fence, sat a winged monstrosity. This beast was something Bartholomew'd never seen or heard of, but it was obviously irregular. It's design was almost chaotic in nature, and even its chilling stare uttered abnormality. For now it sat, scanning the area. It did not attack the four before the building, but waited for something. It didn't take a genius to figure that this thing was guarding something, perhaps the entire building or whatever lied inside. The monstrosity seemed dangerous, but as long as no one did anything to upset it, Bartholomew was sure that it would remain docile and everything else would remain okay.

If only others thought as he did...

As the other man raised his weapon, a flourish of what Bartholomew assumed to be res soared towards the creature. The closer it neared, the more the res took form. Fire reimancy? were Bartholomew's thoughts as the attack continued, slowly bursting with fiery rage. He was left even more speechless as he became curious whether the bat would dodge the strike. A part of Bartholomew told himself that this was wrong, that no one should challenge this guardian. It was apart of the ebonstryfe, and attacking it was like attacking the ebonstryfe themselves. What would happen if this being were to actually die? What would happen if Bartholomew were accused of it?

"You fool!" He couldn't help letting out as he came running from his hiding place among the shadows. The bastard sword hanging from Bartholomew's back itched to slice this man in two for performing such an idiotic attack, but he remained calm. "Do you know what you just did?" With an impressive speed for himself, Bartholomew raced past the woman that hid behind the attacker and to the man.

Once there he would put a firm hand on the man's shoulder. "Do you know what you just did?!" He would repeat once more, still not believing the actions taken, or the amount of power this man possessed. Bartholomew was also a reimancer, and he knew a master when he saw one. To touch a master with force and speak with disrespect marked Bartholomew as a dead man, but his fear of the stryfe was far greater than his fear of this mage.

[Crow]

Chaos was beautiful. Unpredictable. As were the events taking place this unfortunate night. The gate opened by no known force from either bat or Dravlak, and the mysteries shrouding the presence of the gatekeeper was if anything an idle curiosity... one that the group did not take so well.

Chaos was the neighbor of many unpredictable forces that are ever changing, and through it evolution. Dare this group shake the hand of chaos itself? Dare they play with forces unbeknownst to them?

Through a constant sound of slight clicks and squeaks the guardian perched upside down from the sharp picket of the fence. It's echoing sound carefully envisioning the four that would dare to act against everything that was warned against them. It's blood thirst causing a strange and bile fluid to drip from its enlarged fangs and mangled head. Dripping into the ground and as it reached the ground evaporated into a smoke and killed the plants it touched.

It's blood thirst was soon interrupted, as was it's docile state, when it got surrounded by a shimmering heat wave. Unworldly and deafening high pitch sounds erupted from the un-natural bat until finally the shimmering ball that engulfed it turned into flames. It's exoskeleton grew bright red with heat, its remaining fur burned and let out an intoxicating smell. The acid dripping from it's fang erupted into violent explosions. It's entire body encapsulated in flame.

Wings outstretched from the ball of fire, the resulting flames dripping from it like it was now a part of it. Acid seeped from it's pores, and quickly caught fire. As the ball of fire finally subsided, and the bat would finally be within clear sight... it was clear that un-natural forces were at play. Chaos was unpredictable, and through it only made the situation that much worse.

The blood thirsty bat seemed to be engulfed with fire. Its cries echoing through the night as it took flight and dripped a bright trail of flaming acid. It soared high up into the air, circling the group down below trying to find it's mark. It's first victim. The flaming bat was an abomination that defied all logic, but yet stilled lived. Not too different than some other unworldly forces at play.

As yells erupted from the group below the bat dove down, its acidic touches encircling the group. An occasional drip would manage to land on any one of them if they didn't evade. With no cover nearby the only result would be to run to the building, dare they try and play with the forces at hand?

~Thanks to Aladari Coolwater for the template