Closed Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Or, how not to verify "fake" news

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Eleutheria on November 10th, 2018, 11:48 pm



35th Fall, 518


Okay, this is epic.
Elea heard of the Quartz Cave. That it was a fair and beautiful place, that it was haunted, that it was possessed by something hungry and evil, that it was full of weird artifacts, that it fills in with water as the tide goes in. Elea believed only the first and the last rumor. Having been dealing with her mental distress for some time now, she was more and more eager to find places to rein it her mind in. Perhaps this could work.

After looking up when does the tide recedes, all that was left for Elea was to set out at the right time. The trip was long. From the port, all the way outside the city walls. Elea was boasting her black trousers, shoes and crimson undershirt. As she arrived in place, she saw the cave’s entrance and the glimpse of the mystical light thereof, signifying that this was the place.

The circumstance of the ground still being hidden beneath the shallow sea water and knowing that the time and the season was right, signified that the tide was retreating. Thus, Elea walked in head-first.
Its distance from Lhavit and all those seemingly silly rumors implied that the cave would be empty most of the time, with only the company of the strange crystals for Elea. Just the way she’d want it to be. Inside, a space far wider than the entrance, greeted her with diverse hues from the crystals, some giant, some tiny. A ceiling as high as some Lhavit buildings, the water pools around the place. All that was left for Elea is to march on, slowly, seeping in the wonder of it all.

She touched a large crystal near her and examined herself in it. The reflection was pale, distorted, but it was such that the woman reflected actually laughed. It was surreal enough to lose oneself in, and Elea affirmed that by taking a deep breath, almost breathing in this whole place. She moved on again, walking over the poodle of sea water. Touching the water, she made it out to be much warmer than oceans in them. Was it due to the crystals? Perhaps, as Elea examined crystals, they were slightly warmer. She moved on from poodle to the next one, somehow drawn in to the phenomenon of that strangely warm water, only for her to unintentionally descend beneath the next “poodle’s” surface, her world becoming darkness and salt, in place of crystals and light.

Her instincts kicking in right away, she resurfaced after a moment with a frowning expression, as she worked to exorcise the burning, biting salt and brine off her eyes, but her mind was still positively impressed. Even the pools like that were warm. When she crawled out of the watery pit, the girl took liking to the ceiling, far above her and stayed lying on the floor for a moment. Partly to rest after her long walk, partly to enjoy and meditate the scenery.

She saw here naught but beauty and harmony. The gravest surprise for her was the deep pool she crawled off. Where did all those rumors she heard came from… she did not knew. But the atmosphere and mystical looks of the cave, begging to be explored almost, worked on her strained mind. The voices, often echoing in her head, sometimes even teasing her, were silent as if they were never there. The feeling of bad luck seems to have receded. Elea felt as if all was quite literally all right again.

She could almost take a nap in this place. But there was still no telling what was hiding further down the cave. Perhaps it was something that caused all the rumors. Though Elea had no faith in the rumors, she still desired to verify their truth… or at least their origin.

As she marched on, she spotted the last thing she expected. No, not a ghost described in the rumors, or a beast looking to turn Elea into a wet meal. A person instead. Perhaps an explorer, just like her, perhaps… something else.



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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Savis Maren on November 11th, 2018, 4:44 am

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Dark rumours whirled around the place known to the locals as the Quartz Cave. Savis Maren spent long enough inthe world to know that when such rumours persisted for long enough, it was because there was something hidden to be found there. The idea of exploration wasn't the Nuit's strong suit, but nevertheless, she prepared herself for the journey. The Nuit ensured that the preservation salts that were packed into her corpse shell were replenished anew, the bandages undone as Savis looked herself over. The body she inhabited was faring well enough, with burns carried over the skin as bits of flesh melted together as a result of her work. Savis Maren spied the sutures that cast along her flesh like strands of a web, and she took her time as she sought to reinforce them. The Nuit breached into the wellspring of her djed, feeding it into her left arm, splicing it at the wrist so that her disembodied hand separated from the remainder of the astral limb.

The projected limb moved through the air and peeled a needle from the surgery kit in her satchel. She also took additional suture strings, unraveling the entirety of the string before using the needle to cut loose the strand that resided there currently. Slowly, Savis used her right hand to remove the sutures, packing additional salts into the flesh before she continued with stitching closed the wound.

Little by little, the mouth of the gash wound close, Savis poking the needle through her borrowed flesh again and again, weaving an 'X' pattern along her abdomen using her astral limb. She took her time, for the Cave wasn't going anywhere but Savis certainly could if she failed to secure her safety. The wound closed fully and Savis Maren replaced the bandages. Of course, with adventure on the horizon, Savis tied a third layer onto her flesh, encircling her abdomen before allowing the bulky garment of her shirt to cover her anew. The Nuit repeated the application of bandages along her shins and forearms before covering herself fully with her thick linen garments. Once completed with the effort, Savis Maren threw the Gadget Arm over her shoulder, securing it with a metallic strap and disguising it by looping the limb through a plain white scarf. A second such scarf completed the illusion, tied around Savis' neck before she looked in the mirror.

I look a sight, don't I? This shell is emaciated, but by the gods I almost look reasonable, she joked. Of course, the Nuit would never look 'normal' with her deep, black bags, blackened lips, gums and her expressionless silver eyes. Satisfied with her preparations, she slung her satchel over her shoulder, exiting her home and locking the door behind her before making her way down Sartu peak and towards the Port. She ventured beyond even that, soles connecting with shifting sands before she took to a rhythm, or at least, as close to one as she could adopt.

She moved along the coast, and it was quite difficult to miss the mystique of the Quartz Cave. In the daylight, crystalline stalagmites shone with the light of Syna, reflecting blue glares that might've injured Savis' eyes if the nerves that transmitted pain did their job. Instead, she was blinded for a moment, but nevertheless, trudged forward, confident in the fact that there was no danger to be had in advancement. When she recouped her vision, the Nuit found herself at the mouth of the Quartz Cave and in it...

Wonder.

Crystalline stalagmites and stalactites riddled the ground and ceiling respectively, the fading glow of Syna's light meaning nothing as they seemed to emit their own, multi-colored iridescence. Savis Maren was astounded to find such a place and kept to heart the advice given to not disturb it in the slightest. The rumors, while unfounded, certainly came from a good place, for she'd not been told these facts, but overheard them throughout the town over and over again. The undead reveled in the environment of the Quartz Cave, finding the jagged beauty of it all a perfect silence in which she could focus.

Within the Quartz Cave, Savis Maren focused very closely on a nearby stalactite, the largest and lowest hanging she saw. It emitted a pale purple light from it, an unnatural hue that only seemed to further accentuate the natural beauty of the place. Djed began to well within her gaze as those silver eyes narrowed, the djed streaming from her eyes and brandishing forth to connect with the aura of the hanging crystalline pike.

The aura hung about the stalactite, welling from it and emitting a strange, ghoulish presence that the Nuit couldn't quite put her finger on. She focused more intently but found her efforts undone when the sounds of splashing in the distance plucked her from her focus. There was something, or someone, here? Savis Maren, from the rumours whirling about the place, certainly didn't expect company... but the Nuit herself was there. It stood to reason that another might as well. Savis allowed the Sight to flicker away as she rose to her feet, intent on divining the nature of the disturbance. She didn't call out, but instead whispered, for only the flaps of the Gadget Arm to discern. "Breathe," she muttered, and the Gadget, under its linen cloth disguise, stirred to life. It bristled at the summons, and Savis cooed next, "Be ready at my command," before she stepped forward, intent on closing the distance between herself and whoever it was in the cave with her.

"Is there another soul in here?" she called out, her gaze narrowed as she sought to make out the sight of the shadowy figure in the distance, unsure of whether to consider the woman (by her shape) a friend or foe. The Nuit kept her guard up, but neither advanced nor positioned herself to run. There was no sense in showing or even feeling fear, especially not now. Savis Maren knew there were too many known entities to fear to truly be scared of an unknown disturbance.

"Show yourself!" she called out, insistent.

WC: 1030
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Eleutheria on November 12th, 2018, 10:47 pm




“Hello!” – was the answer. “I’m here. I mean no harm.” – continued the girl, approaching slowly, gently touching her dagger to be sure it was there. Whoever that was, it seemed was not an ethereal being, but simply a person, of however weird voice. She could see the person’s frame and slowly approached to get a better sight. The entity was approaching her, crystallizing into a more clear thing.
Not that it was any better a sight than knowing naught of it. The arms and legs were all bandaged, as if it was a corpse. Wait, it is a coprse. Sort of, the corpse seems to inhabit a person after all. It speaks, the face is pale with deathly, silver eyes and black bags beneath them, jet-black lips, kinda weird smell of many strong perfumes… Elea read of such a creatures, corpse-bound souls known as Nuits. No one to trust… yet. Elea was distressed but displayed few external signs of it. Her fight-or-flight instincts gave her no hint on what to do, which meant that she ought to probably do neither. In Ravok, the Nuit was nothing to be trusted. Rules were different here… and there was something about her arm too.
“I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting anyone else to show up here. I’ve heard some things of this place… came to see if they’re true. Don’t mind the hair, just a stumble upon the ponds over there” – she spoke of the still wet hair the girl boasted. – “Name’s Eleutheria, by the way. Just call me Elea. I hope that my presence is not an issue.” – the girl proceeded to look around, as if to ascertain it was just two of them. Her voice was quick, slightly tense. “One could thing I’d know better than to ask anyone here of one’s business, but, you’re also exploring here? That’s what I came here for, having heard my deal about this place.”
Elea completed her speech with amicable smiles, which were still marred by the slight tension and them being compelled by politeness. Truth is, Elea was surprised and clueless on what shall happen next. The rumors spoke of beasts, inhabitants of Laviku’s Locker and spirits guarding magical crystals. They did not mentioned a Nuit or the high attendance rates.





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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Savis Maren on November 13th, 2018, 12:53 am

Image
35th of Autumn, 518 AV

Savis Maren allowed herself to relax when at last a woman's voice called through the cave. She stepped forward while Savis remained still. The blues and golds of the cave's luminous stalactites revealed the woman in full. Dressed in simple attire, she seemed quite up for the task of spelunking, a notion that the undead woman shared. Of course, that was beside the point that she was utterly soaked in water. While Savis Maren looked over the woman once again, she allowed herself to muse over Eleutheria's words, cracking the ghost of a smilr as she introduced herself without being asked.

That was useful, at least. this woman doesn't seem afraid, even if it's obvious that she's looking at something... different. It's quite nice to see someone who isn't utterly aghast at the sight of the dead, she thought. With a reasonable first impression of the young woman, Savis Maren allowed her thoughts to linger, to muse upon the ideas Eleutheria expressed before Savis parted her lips to speak.

"And I am Savis Maren," she introduced, allowing her fingers to traverse the surface of a glowing stalactite, the rigid material unyielding to her pressing on it. However, Savis' ability to perceive textures was about as present as her need to breathe. Of course, the Nuit could use Auristics to perceive such things, but it hardly seemed useful in the moment. Instead, she nodded in agreement.

"Aye. I've heard rumours of this place as well. Outlandish things that couldn't possibly be true. And yet... the more one lingers here, the greater the mystery deepens, doesn't it? I've never seen glowing minerals like this. I've seen similar deposits in caves... Stalagmites and stalactites... But this luminescence is quite intriguing," she added, her silver eyes perusing the floor to find numerous, deep pools that permeated the floor.

"Did you fall into one? Or did you fancy a swim, Eleutheria?" she asked. The rumours she heard compelled her to tread deeper into the cave, and she stepped past Eleutheria, weaving past the noted pools. Fingers brushed along the rough surface of the wall as she considered her next course of action. The Nuit needed to see more, to know more, and so, she allowed her fingers to fall to the brush in her satchel. She retrieved it, dipping the tip into paint and allowing herself to paint a focus around each of her eyes, marking her gaze without worry for the reception from her unwitting companion. Instead, she added something else, implementing a trigger to the foci she created, for the Glyphs to activate when djed flooded her eyes with the Sight.

Predictably, Savis Maren invoked the Sight for a second time. It welled within her gaze, rising quickly from her spine as pleasure coursed throughout her body. She narrowed her gaze, focusing on the ceiling. The Nuit sought to probe, curiosity ablaze within her. She allowed herself to synchronize with the aura that permeated within the cave. The magic operated as an extension of her senses, revealing to her the textures, the erosion present after centuries (if not longer) of moisture rising to the ceiling and falling back to the ground. The Nuit was disappointed, however, to find that there wasn't much else the place offered her. She pursed her lips, tapping her foot on the ground as she turned back to Eleutheria. Once she turned, the paint from her glyphs withered away, the magic in them undone with the use of Auristics as the Sight withered into nothingness.

"Since the both of us are here, already, why don't we continue onward? We clearly share the same goal, to investigate these rumours. Assuming they're true, it's preferable to have two looking around for trouble than one," she advised, her black gums and yellowing teeth visible as she stretched her lips into a smile.

WC: 641


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Savis Maren
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Eleutheria on November 13th, 2018, 1:40 am




"Well, these crystals probably are not shining by themselves" - Elea remarked. Curious thing on her own, the girl was quick to jump on a train of thought to get her essentially anywhere. Mere mention of the crystals and their light set off a cascade of questions and answers, first upon her mind, then upon her words.
"If they emit warmth and shine, then, like is the case with fire, something must be fueling them. World Djed? Geothermal sources? No, no, too high up and no geysers... that I saw yet. Read that in a book. Probably the only thing I remember from that book. That geysers is how you bring heat from below to the surface." She then laughed shyly. "So, yeah. There's a source, maybe more outlandish than not." As the Nuit continued on, Elea kept her eyes on her at all times, but naught else.

"No, no no, I fell into one. " - she replied upon inquiry about the cause of her soaking wet. - "Although... you could say I don't really mind falling into waters warm enough, most of the time. So, call it both?" - then she proceeded to watch Savis do something. Scrabble on glyph, concentrate, but what was it exactly... the girl reminisced of her time in Institute, witnessing this happening sometimes. A Nuit of many magical talents?

Prompted to press on, she affirmed the notion. "Whatever this place is, curious magics could quite be involved. You're absolutely right that we should stick together in case of something... transpiring." - she said, tensly. The smile of the corpse and a soul behind it did not helped at all, even though Elea saw worse teeth in the mouths of the living, of all things. But, the benefit overrided the worry. Last thing Elea wanted was facing off something dangerous alone. Second last thing was facing something dangerous in general, however. Third last thing, was to disappoint.



Last edited by Eleutheria on November 14th, 2018, 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Savis Maren on November 13th, 2018, 3:44 am

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35th of Autumn, 518 AV

Elea seemed a woman who quite liked to pursue tangents as they manifested. The moment the Nuit mentioned the luminescient mineral, she went off in attempting to reason out their illumination aloud. It wasn't often that Savis Maren heard others speak of 'world djed', for even in a city like Lhavit, mages were few and far between. Not being a student of the Towers also distanced Savis from people who would speak in such vernacular. So, when Eleutheria mentioned djed in particular, it certainly caught Savis' attention. As she went on, the Nuit did not interrupt, quite pleased to listen to the analyses, or rather, the blind musings of a woman who clearly possessed some measure of education. She mentioned geothermal sources and geysers, a musing that Savis Maren didn't join in. Instead, she changed the subject and Eleutheria seemed content to follow her in that shift.

Clumsy and a bit whimsical, hm? she thought, the impression strong in the Nuit's mind as she drifted to her private musings. Once she called out for Eleutheria to join her, she saw the tension at last. The mortal was inclined to agree, which defied the undead's expectation. She had every reason to believe she'd refuse and trudge on alone. Either or was fine with Savis, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Savis might not have wandered so far into the cave otherwise, however. Savis trudged onward, allowing her gaze to carry along the pools, guiding her path forward as water sloshed at the soles of her high boots. Perhaps the footwear was too nice for journeying, but Savis paid it no mind. The leather served to protect her from the elements, and it did just that.

"You mentioned djed earlier, Eleutheria. Is it safe for me to assume you're some sort of mage? The uninitiated usually don't have a grip on even the basic terminology," she reasoned as they trudged forward still. Savis Maren was curious to venture forth and explore, but she need be judicious. The usage of djed was a precious thing, and she wanted to forge a balance between gathering as much information as possible and keeping herself alert to potential dangers.

There's also the fact that I've a companion, she mused as she slowed her pace. She'd step back, her gaze catching the sight of something rather strange. The surface of the wall this far into the cave was rather smooth to the couch. It was contrary to expectation. Did the tide truly slosh so far into the cave? Savis was initially under the impression that the deep and shallow pools of water were sourced from underneath the cave, leading into the ocean.

Is it possible that the pools fill up with the tide? Eleutheria mentioned that the water was warm... I sensed some measure of heat from the strange luminous mineral as well. Surely the water outside isn't warm. The Nuit's rumour mill was perhaps very different from Eleutheria. She heard chatter in the library, presumably while she was doing other things. As a result, she didn't hear everything and was woefully ignorant of what might or might not have been common rabble.

"In case of something transpiring, indeed. You won't need that dagger for me, after all," she said, a chuckle parting the Nuit's lips. It was neither new to her nor surprising that people might carry weapons with them. Savis didn't, as some futile measure of good faith to Lhavit, but she was glad someone did.

WC: 589


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Savis Maren
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Eleutheria on November 14th, 2018, 1:50 am





"I... have an education in world magic. Alchemy, to be precise.
Came here for further education in it, but until i get the right
connections, it seems I'll be able to do only so much" - said Elea, disliking the subject of her prospects being discussed and preferring to keep it vague.

"Now the tides can indeed fill the entrance and most if not sometimes all of the cave, or so I heard. However, this is why we came at the ebbing tide. We have more than enough time, thanks to that. I'm more worried about whatever else might be here... I can only do so much with my chunk of metal." - the girl continued on, weighing the nigh-infinite possibilities of the issues arising with their trip.

A sudden tide would be a major problem for her: Sea water was expected to be too cold for comfort, to say the least. The Nuit would be less impacted, probably... actually, they don't have to keep warm, right? Or breathe?

And Elea's skill in her weapon was as basic as her water confidence: For any grave threat, it would not last, but in the right circumstances, was still useful.

"The cave seems to be going up. You seemed to be focusing on something, care to let me know what would that be?" - asked Elea shyly, and moved on as soon as she was answered. They arrived at the crossroads. Three pathways, one leading further up, and two dead ends. For each dead end, a shiny object was present.

"Okay, an idea. If I go for the dead end to the right and look it up and you go to the one ahead of us, is that
something fair enough?" - asked the girl, not waiting on any other solution to the issue at hand.
There was no problem in just reporting one's findings once both the women were done.

Once an agreement was made, Elea marched on to her cavern. The crystals were somewhat uniform there,
in a hallway that was no wider than Elea's height, no taller than thrice her weight. At the end,
a source of the shining much unlike the crystals. Resting on the natural table among the crystals of crimson red, it was a stone. Elea leaned forth closer, until she had every aspect of the stone in clear sight.

The stone fits Elea's hand. It knew no caress of the stoneworker, it never was refined.
But it knew something else... though it was horribly hard to see, Elea's keen eyes were straining themselves
more and more, until they saw a glyph. Ancient Tounge? Maybe, being no linguist, Elea had little clue.
Elea still could almost smell the power of, not the place, but the stone. Somehow. An anomaly? So much Djed about a single thingy that it could be sensed by anyone? Maybe. Now why was it almost giving Elea headache, as if it was her recent condition?

These answers had to wait. A greater one was to be revealed. Elea grabbed the stone, holding it in her palm.
The strange pain spiked, then was completely gone.

The stone melded into Elea's palm, revealing its might to the girl that just unwittingly claimed it.
An other spike, this time of fear, pierced Elea, for her palm was now in the grey-red texture of the stone itself.
What has she done? There is a great disturbance in the force, or Elea's soul was trying to convince her there was.
What's the stone's power, that turned Elea's palm unto, seemingly, itself? Was she going to abandon such an enigma to the cave?
Of course not. This was too much to let go of, whatever it was. Elea hid the stone in her most robust socket, where it had no right to slip out.
She then proceeded to move out, fear shuddering her for no reason, eyes peeled on her surroundings.

Whatever happened, Elea felt clueless and over her head. The worst feeling she could have. So much for meditating one's worries here.
So much for deriving harmony in mind and body in its heated waters. Time to get the Nuit and herself outta here before whatever's causing her fear and turned her palm into stone texture sends her into stomach of some beast or Laviku's locker.

Or, worse, make her lose the stone.

722 words
Loot: Tuvrenan's Vaknui Stone (Challenge reward)



Last edited by Eleutheria on November 14th, 2018, 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Savis Maren on November 14th, 2018, 9:27 pm

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35th of Autumn, 518

Alchemy!

Savis Maren heard whirling rumours of a magic called as such, but she'd been rather busy in her time on the isle of Sahova. The Nuit was assigned to a master and spent years on the island in their service until she was compelled to leave. Bitter memories washed within the Nuit's thoughts, but the idea of another world mage (and one so young!) interested the undead greatly. Of course, Savis Maren understood the nature of needing connections within Lhavit. She struggled with the same problems, of wishing to expand her repertoire but not having the proper gravitas so it was to pursue it.

For the moment, Savis Maren was content to linger in the city as a citizen, to expand her understanding of the disciplines (which were a fine number!) that she already understood to some extent. One didn't need a tutor or connections if they already had their path to power known to them, after all. Savis continued to listen to Elea, whose understanding of the rumours surrounding this place seemed far more complete than hers. Then, the fork in the road manifested before them, rising up a sort of hill. The two indeed reached their accord, and the Nuit stepped towards the other dead end. It only made sense to her that they'd venture to the different dead ends and then explore the main pathway together.

However, first there was the girl's question to consider. Auristics was a craft the Nuit took to like a moth to the flame. It allowed the user to proxy their senses, and in the Nuit's case, manifest them accurately rather than their muted nature due to her condition. She relished in its use, her understanding of the world never better than when the Sight and the djed that created it welled within her eyes.

"You don't practice personal magic, do you, Elea? There is one in particular that allows its practitioner to stretch their understanding of djed and the physical qualities of objects within their sphere of the senses," she answered plainly. The Nuit felt no need to elaborate on it further, feeling that answering a question only in part would solicit interest. Offering up her own knowledge was, of course, Savis' goal within the city. To make others dependent, or at least interested, in her offerings.

"That's fair enough to me, Elea," she answered before marching forth into her own section. The undead mage allowed her gaze to flicker about the cavern, which seemed to rise higher and higher, the ceiling rising a full twenty feet higher than the pathways they'd entered previously. That intrigued the Nuit, but more than that, she found a chest, torn at the edges but otherwise intact, settled in a corner of the cavernous room. Intrigued, the Nuit stepped forward, but not without first willing the Sight once again.

Djed welled within Savis Maren's eyes as the billowing smoke of the chest arose. Savis sought to look through it, caring little for the torn wooden crate itself but rather, what might yet be inside of it. The smoke grew denser as she looked inside, the manifested purple hue reminding Savis of when she studied her automatons and the rich djed within them. She willed the smoke to dissipate, revealing to her the sight of a much smaller box within.

What? she mused as she found a pair of long gloves laying within that box. Of course, compelled to investigate, the Nuit stepped forward and opened the chest. It struggled against her hands, but once she found the latch she opened it fully and retrieved that box. She opened it, setting the box down and slipping each glove over her long fingers and down her wrists. They reached just shy of her bandages, and Savis Maren allowed the Sight to study them further.

Magic dwells within these gloves. I can feel it... but what kind of sorcery is woven into them? And how?

Savis Maren had never heard of the discipline of Magecraft, and of course, the nature of enchanting items with djed and purpose was an unknown. She knew such items existed, but she didn't know how, which upset the Nuit greatly as she sought to study the item further still. She felt a measure of strength that caught within those gloves, power that the Nuit couldn't possibly possess. She arched her eyebrows, her lips curved into a smile.

I'll have to test out that strength I sense soon enough, she mused before making her way out of the cavern and allowing the Sight within her eyes to dissipate. The Nuit moved towards the fork in the 'road' once again, calling out for her companion to see if she'd survived her solo excursion into that pathway.

"Elea?"

WC: 804

Loot :
Challenge reward: Namel’s Gloves of Iron Grip


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Savis Maren
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Luminescence on November 27th, 2018, 5:28 am

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A vast and ancient force stirred as the girls made their discoveries; a strange magical stone, and a pair of mysterious gloves. It waited, as if it was a giant beast lurking with bated breath, as they examined what they had found.

Eleutheria pocketed the stone, and a faint rumble ran through the length of the cave, just barely audible. Savis left the small cavern with the gloves in her possession, and another rumble ran through the cave system, sending small pieces of rock tumbling from the ceiling.

While strange, the noises were quiet, easy to dismiss. However, as the two women reunited at the fork in the path, discussing their finds and what they wanted to do next, there was a sudden, much louder rumble. The walls of the cave shook, water in nearby pools rippling as chunks of crystal and rock fell.

The once seemingly perfectly stable ceiling of the cave above Eleutheria and Savis quite suddenly began to crumble and cave in. Large rocks tumbled down, bearing directly down onto the women; if they weren't quick, they would both be crushed.

But assuming they managed to move quickly enough to save themselves from being crushed to death, Eleutheria and Savis would find themselves quite isolated by a wall of rock in front of them. Dust settled in a heavy cloud, some final pieces of rock clinking to the ground; the way they had come was entirely blocked off. The girls were alone, deep within the Quartz Cave, with no clear way back to the entrance.

The rocks that blocked the way back were piled to the ceiling, large and heavy; it would likely take bells to make any headway on digging through the layers, if it was even possible, but it couldn't be said for certain until an attempt was made. Behind them, the third passage of the forked path stretched deeper into the cave, the passage lit by the dim glow of multi-hued crystals.

With the last few rocks having tumbled to the ground, silence reigned in the cave once more, as the unseen force quieted once more, content now that the problem seemed to have been solved. It was up to the two women how they would proceed.

OOC :
Apologies for the wait, ladies! If you could both roll for acrobatics and let me know what the results are, I'll inform you if you were injured in the rockfall (and if so, to what extent) before you reply to this post.
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Silly Rumors (Quartz Cave) [Savis]

Postby Eleutheria on December 1st, 2018, 1:33 am




The face of the ghoulish companion. The quakes and nagging spikes of sensation. The ceiling seemingly collapsing. The prospects shifting from discovery and amazement to terror and perhaps oblivion.

This was enough to send Elea wavering, franctically looking around herself and up. Perhaps it would be wiser to hunker down and cover the head, but she was a bit too shell shocked to think of that. Perhaps the whole ceiling would go down at them.

It wasn't whole ceiling, but enough came crushing down under the girl to turn her into a pulp.

There are no thoughts in situations like this. There are only deep, primal instincts. Elea, surrendering all her cerberal amazement to the rawest form of fight-or-flight sensation, reserved only to life and death situations, lurched forth away from the danger above. With no cognition to support her for a while, she ran faster than she ever could have, even as she already was out of the deathzone. Imminently, she would stumble upon something, perhaps a rock, perhaps an opened crack, and collapse right unto the water pool again.

This time, it was less shallow than Elea's feet. The face made a close encounter with the rocks, which left it battered, but its girl still conscious. The greater concern was a sudden jolt of pain at Elea's leg. Enough to tame her animalistic instinct, for sure.

Elea still covered her head lest more would come from. Still, only crumbles of rock would hit her, nothing dangerous. Quake has ceased, dust has settled and Elea soon found courage to check on her leg. Pain jolted again, less than at first. Source: Left ankle. Pain was present consistently, then some more when it was strained/moved. It must have been twisted tad too much.

Once Elea got up from the poodle, she looked as unpresentable as it took: Most of her hair and her undershirt and pants were soaking wet again and she herself looked pretty spooked, shelled by the event transpiring. Where would this come from? There was no immidiate visible reason for a quake like that and Elea was pretty certain no one mentioned quakes in Lhavit. Of course, magic could explain pretty much anything.

But enough of the musing: The girl's first priority was now getting out of here. "Savis, you all right?" - she checked on the companion then saw that the way out was, well, blocked. Boulders blocking the way were way too heavy for Elea's unmanly arms, or so it would seem. If the Nuit was any stronger, perhaps she would offer a solution. Elea remembered cooking up an explosive back in Ravok. It could help with it... or it could doom them with yet another cave-in for good.

"Well, isn't that just our luck. The two largest cave-ins were right above our heads and right at the only escape route. I don't know... it feels like it's by design, rather than natural quake." - she thought out loud.

"We have two ways out. One is blocked by something we might not manage to get across, and the other... leads further in. There's some promise of escape there... but only some. Likewise I'm not sure we can get the boulders out of the other escape route's place. Either way... we need to get out." - Elea sighed and shook out her hair, more to get it out of the way than to look better. - "Any ideas?"




Mysteries are fire. Truth burns.
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