Quest [Fall Quest] Descension

[Elysium]

75th Day of Fall, 513 AV A hard, granite sky looked down upon the Misty Peaks, perpetually moist from the kiss of mizzling rain. It'd been wet all afternoon, as if Syna hid behind the swirls of thick cumulus to shed her tears in privacy. Meanwhile, the city was still in ruins, an elegiac sea of faces tasting sorrow and sharing grief. Those sensitive to the spirits of the departed would find no solace in Lhavit. Even the Okomo seemed to mourn, heads bowed low in eternal supplication to the ground. "Thank you for volunteering," said the Shinya, a man with an aquiline nose and keen, dark eyes. He stood rigidly in front of the wounded looking cavern, as if a blow'd been struck to the earth and down. It yawned into a set of ancient-looking stairs, weathered and eroded by the hands of Tanroa. "We've got no clue what we're up against, so it's imperative you all stick together. I'll be guarding the entrance. It wouldn't do any good to let the beasts in after you." Another Shinya, this one a woman, stepped forward. She too bore a set of predatory eyes, though they were much kinder in their assessment of the group. "I am Opheria," she said with a shallow bow. "I'll be joining you into the cave. Alarset is correct; this is unknown to us, both Shinya and Seeker alike. The best we can hope for is to return with more information than with which we began." A large, dark wolf loped into view. It sat on its haunches, golden eyes searching from face to face until she was found. The animal gave a lupine grin but did not change. It simply stared intently, as if to assess what the celestial woman would do. Between them all stood a diverse crowd, some familiar and some not. There was a young woman, a Konti, two equally disinterested men and a radiant Synaborn with tawny yellow eyes. There was another too, though their presence was less pronounced, lurking in the background, visible to some yet not all. "Let us descend," Operia said, casting a glance over her shoulder before taking point into the murky stairwell. There were all manner of markings along the narrow stone walls. A tiny ball of fire crackled in the Shinya's palm as she led the way, illuminating their path. The markings were strangely angular, utterly foreign. They were obviously symbolic, but only that could be certain.

[Jenni Twilight]

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Jenni stood in front of the Shinya, hands clasped tightly around her notebook, as well as a pair of charcoal sticks, not caring that they smudged her hands. She was stiffer than usual, trying to ignore all the mourning around her. The riot had been a pretty freaky experience, and though the Twilight Tower had been one of the safer places... she'd still been frightened. She'd wanted to help explore the caves mostly to get out of the awkwardness, but she pretended it was for the information. The latter was true, she was excited about what they would discover, but it wasn't the whole truth. She wore her cloak, hiding her book underneath the fabric to protect it from the depressing rain. It was as if Syna and the weather were reflecting the city's mood.

She tried to force herself to relax as the Shinya began speaking, but quickly tensed up again, forgetting what she was doing. They explained what they were doing, thanking the group for volunteering, and stuff like that. The one who would be joining them was a woman, kinder than the man, named Opheria. The Twilight watched them, her face a mask, trying to hide her uncertainty, along with her confusion and a little bit of irritation. Right now... her emotions were a mess.

Out of nowhere, a wolf appeared, sitting and watching the group with a creepy grin. Jenni glanced at it, startled, and slightly scared, but didn't say anything. It didn't seem like it was about to attack them, but after the first Shinya's comment about beasts... she wasn't so sure. Still, it looked... intelligent, almost. Very intelligent. It could practically be a morpher of the Twilights, for all she knew... which she should, considering. But she didn't know what the deal with that creature was, and decided the best course of action would be... ignoring it.

When they began going through the tunnels, the Twilight remained silent, but something caught her eye one the walls. Markings, odd symbols, that confused and intrigued her. Quickly, and on a whim, she opened her notebook to an empty page and placed it flat on the wall, over a group of symbols. She rubbed one of her charcoals along the page, causing the markings to re-appear on the paper as lighter spots, compared to the greyish black that covered the rest. Maybe she'd study it later when they got out on the cave, or use it for reference when they saw anything when they got deeper.

OOCWhat's with the wolf? o.O And I'm assuming it was looking at Opheria?

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Iosha]

Standing off to the side, Iosha adjusted her quiver and short bow on her shoulder as she listened to the warning of Shinya. The Konti knew from experiences in Wind Reach that venturing into the depths of Mizahar were dangerous and unpredictable. She wasn't quite sure what the party wound uncover underground, but she felt safer bringing her weapons with her into the deep. Being a healer of the Catholicon, Iosha was still suffering from the effects of fatigue from dealing with nonstop patients for the last two weeks, so she was reluctant to join up with the exploration team at all, but she knew the team would need a healer eventually, so she decided come after all. Stifling a yawn, Iosha looked at the cavern in the side of the cliff, and she was amazed that she could see stairs going down into the mountain. It was like the hands of the gods created the stone stairs for them to venture, but Iosha started to ask herself which one of them created the stairs. Suddenly a woman Shinya stepped forward and introduced herself as Opheria. Iosha could tell that the woman would be a welcome addition to their party since she seemed capable enough with a weapon. Iosha just hoped they wouldn't have to use them. Feeling a sensation of fear of the unknown wash over her, the konti said a soft prayer to Rak' keli in Kontinese. She knew her goddess always had a way to set her mind at ease.

Iosha eyes went to the scholar with the note book at the front of the party. She was curious what the woman would find in the newly formed cave. The konti knew vary little about the city of Lhavit, and it's history, so she might have make her way up to the scholar and see if she had a theories on what they might find in the cavern. Iosha looked the rest of the exploration team and noticed the party was mostly made of humans. They all seemed capable in their own way, but she couldn't really tell till she saw them in action. When Iosha violet eyes drifted to the Ethaefal. She remembered the special times with her first love Cephei, and she started to wonder how the Lethborn Eth was doing in Riverfall. Not wanting to be rude and stare at the poor woman, Iosha attention went immediately to the black wolf casually sitting next to group of adventures. The Konti wasn't sure if he was one of the Shinya pets, or if the black wolf was more than just a wolf. Anyways, she decided to twiddled her webbed fingers at the wolf trying to get a reaction from it. When Operia motioned the party to move out, Iosha said to the wolf in common with a smile on her face, “If we encounter a giant cave slug, will you save me from it, boy?” The konti wasn't expecting the wolf to answer back, but she figure talking to a wolf was better than talking to herself. Adjusting and securing her longsword, short bow, and quiver, she followed the Shinya woman and the rest of the party into the cavern.

[Marina Agamand]

Looking up at the melancholic sky, Marina cupped her semi-materialised hands in front of her, watching the drizzling rainwater pool up slowly in them. Above all, she wanted to get away from the city for a while. Going out on her own would be boring, and seeings as her friends were here, joining the cave exploration team was an easy decision to make. The spectre barely paid attention to the sensible warnings of the Shinya; considering how little on the face of Mizahar could harm her, Marina's sense of self-preservation has dulled considerably. It was true that, out of everyone present, she was potentially the least endangered. Still, facing the unknown with one's guard this relaxed could end badly, even for an apparition. Marina waited until the last of the party was swallowed by the gaping mouith of the cavern, leaving behind only the male Shinya. Dampening her presence into a barely visible set of glistening outlines, the wraith moved to follow the group. It was obvious that the Shinya guard was aware of her, but he didn't try to stop her, so she offered him a bow of her head and slipped inside the tunnel. The symbols on the walls looked interesting, but there wasn't anything the ghost could do to make sense of them or at least record them for later research. Marina watched with a hint of jealousy how the scholarly girl imprinted the symbols on her notebook with practiced ease. She mused whether she could approach her about the strange sings later, and see if they could combine their knowledge to decipher some of them. While she was not a cryptographer of any capacity, she would probably be able to recognise some of the symbols upon closer scrutiny, if they were related to magecraft. There was only a slim chance of that, but it was stupid to dismiss the opportunity to learn something. However, that would have to wait until the living felt the need to stop and camp, so that there would be no distractions. For now, the phantom decided to follow silently behind the group. She was uncertain whether she could remain hidden from the watchful adventurers for long, but by staying slightly separate, she thought that she might notice things the others didn't. She floated through the corridor nonchalantly, occasionally sticking her head through the walls and ceiling to check for hidden rooms or compartments, or even signs of magical residue. Considering the apparently vast age of these stairs, any gubbins left behind by their builders, no matter how insignificant, could be highly relevant to Marina's interests.

[Alses]

Today was perhaps the first in a good, long while that Alses had not felt tired in her blood and her bone. Fighting for civilisation and sanity in a city convulsed with riot and uncertainty, where the food supply – crucial to all but a handful of citizens – was sorely threatened, was by no means an easy feat.

Even with the help of the Shinya, the resources of the Towers, the efficiency of the city government’s response and all the other incidental services, the individual citizens who took a stand against the madness, it had taken days to quell the riots and rescue the bulk of the harvest from the shattered remains of the hothouses.

The city had been damaged on more than a physical level, too. Lhavit was a bastion of culture and civilisation, a lone rose blooming in the wilderness, a splendid diamond amidst the unforgiving dross of Kalea, but however urbane and polite her people, the minute their existence was threatened the veneer crumbled and the raw barbarianism, unenlightened self-interest over the greater good, triumphed, and Rhysol went for a gleeful stroll through the crystal streets.

Casualties had been high. Alses hadn’t pressed for more details; finding out how many had died for others’ stupidity and panic wasn’t high on her list of priorities. She’d watched, blankly, the sea of flame that had lit Port Tranquil’s sheltered bay, not trying to count the individual flames of the funeral flotilla, and she’d toasted the dead with a generous measure of Sweet Oblivion. Sel’ira, and Chiona, and Shara, and everyone else concerned for her well-being surely wouldn’t object, just this once?

However. There was no rest for the wicked, so there could be no rest for the good, either – or, for that matter, the useful. The earthquake, for all its terrible consequences for the city, had unearthed something interesting in the Misty Peaks – a cavern that cut through into an ancient ruin, buried beneath thousands of tons of soil and rock and only exposed thanks to the recent convulsions of the earth.

What it was, where it led, how it had survived the centuries – it might even have been pre-Valterrian, for all anyone knew – were mysteries the volunteers hoped to solve. Alses’ reasons for volunteering, despite her experiences with the quake and its aftermath, were not entirely altruistic – there was an element of personal gain involved. She was aiming for a spot on the Council of Radiance, after all, and every little action to the benefit of the city as a whole could only count in her favour.

Besides, who knew what was down there? Her fertile imagination filled the mystery cavern – and the ruin beyond, of which they’d been told only the vaguest of things – with repositories of ancient and lost knowledge, of delicate murals cargoed with meaning, even perhaps ancient books enchanted to resist the depredations of time. To her, biased by her own preconceptions of what was valuable and useful, the ruin would surely be a link to the past, to the people who’d lived here before the mountains thrust up through the shattering earth in the violence of the Valterrian and turned Kalea into the geological hotspot it was today.

There had been Shinya escorts, to the site of the cavernous gap, for which Alses was thankful – physical combat was not her forte, despite her considerable strength, and it was much harder to avoid the occasional monster that prowled the outer Peaks in a group than it was alone.

And speaking of the group…Alses cast an aurist’s weather eye over the motley collection that had responded to the city’s call for aid, even in such chaotic times as had recently been experienced. Some – if not most – she knew, at least vaguely, and that both surprised and gratified her. Some were people she counted as her students – Zeran, for one, as restive as ever, craning to see into the gloomy hole, almost dancing with mental impatience (at least, to her perception). There was also, less happily, Licearsvansan the Dhani, whom she’d somehow managed to arcanely cripple, blasting his djed matrix with powerful iterations of her own power.

Disorientation traps, she’d called them – since that was all they’d ever been intended to be, defensive mechanisms for the travelling aurist. She knew, from inadvertent earlier experimentation, that the uninitiated couldn’t withstand the extraordinary sensations brought on – from all around – by an expert’s untrammelled power, so it had been a logical step to try and put that into a sudden burst, to be released on command from a glyph to confuse and disorient and incapacitate an enemy.

She’d tested it on Licearsvansan, and it had worked – oh, how it had worked! It had all seemed perfect, but then he’d started to struggle in classes, and struggle mightily, and a close examination of his djed had been…off. Fuzzy, almost, as though he was midway through a morph, halfway between one thing and another and never quite either.

Something she’d done had affected the djed conduits auristics used, and Licearsvansan was suffering the consequences. She thought – she hoped – she prayed – that it was temporary, though, not a permanent crippling, although it had already lasted far longer than the three-chime burst of power the glyphs had contained.

Hopefully they could work through the incident; Licearsvansan had a sharp tongue and wasn’t afraid to use it, but there was also reason and intelligence there aplenty, something that might serve to hold back the baser impulse of ‘rip Alses’ head off’.

The thought of heads being separated from bodies brought back the flash of Hayani, dead eyes accusing, and forced Alses to resolutely consider the others of their little troupe. Apparent to an aurist, not so easily sensed to most others, a young girl – young woman, really, caught in the indefinable first flower of womanhood, flickered towards the edges of their little group. Her presence curved Alses’ lips up in a smile; she thought she recognized that particular ghostly apparition.

The walking corpse – Alses swallowed down her distaste and pity like a bitter pill – was unknown to her, blindingly pale and boring. ‘Remember to call her Konti,’ Alses reminded herself, a continual litany bouncing off the inside of her head. The occasional flash of opalescent scales didn’t really help matters either, calling attention to the offensive drabness of the rest of her, and Alses had to fight not to betray the biased dislike against someone so similar to her own hated mortal chain.

There was, fortunately, a distraction – the blade-nosed Shinya who’d led them all to the site of interest and now regarded them with a faintly dismissive, disparaging gaze. Like all members of the city guard, his little speech was short, to the point, and not reassuring; they would be stepping into the great unknown, the very bowels of the earth far from Syna’s reassuring light.

He, on the other hand, would simply be guarding the entrance, making sure that no nasties entered the cavern. Alses reminded herself that whilst the Misty Peaks were usually fairly safe, the earthquake and its grumbling aftershocks might well have disturbed all sorts of things out in the true wilds of the Unforgiving, and sent old monsters long since driven from the nearer peaks back into the lands claimed by Lhavit.

Relief showed clear on her face as she realised they’d not be going into the cave on their own; a Shinya guardswoman was with them, insurance against perfidious chance. How useful Licearsvansan and Zeran were in a fight was debatable, she herself was almost useless, and the others didn’t precisely inspire martial confidence. The Shinya, though…they were skilfully trained in Projection and a wide range of weaponry. That smile only increased – after a moment’s unsure hesitation whilst her augmented senses surged outwards in verification – when a large wolf, supremely at home out here in the Peaks, loped easily into view, padding almost noiselessly across the terrain before coming to rest on the outskirts of their motley troupe.

A wolf outwardly, yes, but Alses knew that form, knew the person, the Kelvic under it. This great wolf had saved her life from the Anchorite’s Projected strangulation, and had later received the first copy of Alses’ primer on magecraft, as part of her day job as one of Bharani’s fabled Seekers. She caught the golden stare with her own eyes and inclined her head in silent greeting, one friend to another.

Oddly, there was no discussion of what was being undertaken, and precious few introductions, even with Shara lurking on the edge of their little group. Everyone was focused on the cavern as though it were magnetic, drawing and sucking away attention perhaps best reserved for other things. Their guardswoman, Opheria, gave the order to advance and opened one hand in a practiced motion before ducking into the cavern proper, boots crunching on the scattered rock. Flame suddenly snapped and raced just above her palm, a globe of heat and light that cast plentiful light on the rough-hewn stairs.

The light – or rather, the shadows it brought – gave life to the carvings still graven deep into the walls. Everything was angular, there was nothing flowing or smooth about them – they had been hacked into the stonework with a brutal efficiency that was echoed in the very shape, even if the precise meaning was as clear as mud to Alses.

She was towards the back – the better to appreciate the last, feeble ray of Syna’s light before they sank completely away from Syna’s presence and into the stony bosom of Semele. Alses fixed her eyes on the glowing ball of light held by their Shinya leader, resolutely focused on the radiance to beat back the encroaching dark, carefully conserving her powers as much as possible. She’d learned her lesson, thanks to Invocation – heavy use might abound later on, and frugality now meant more power was available for later.

Shara padded downwards, confidently alert, just in front of her and to the side, a buffer zone between Alses and the Konti, Iosha.

When said Konti spoke to the wolf – whose intelligence was plainly visible to anyone with a logical mind, surely? - in a slightly singsong, cajoling manner, Alses couldn’t resist correction.

“Her name is Shara,” Alses murmured, pitching her voice to carry a little. “She’s as intelligent as you or I – perhaps more so.” A pause – that was perhaps not the most tactful of approaches. She changed the subject slightly, and with little art, fingers brushing against the markings as they passed. “Speaking of names, and of skills because we think it important, what can each of us do? Many of you are familiar to me, but not all.”

Were the stairs growing ever-so-slightly wider, or was it just her own perception? Was the ceiling rising, were the walls opening out? Perhaps; in the flickering light of Opheria's fire-globe, distance was hard to tell and perspective danced a devilish fandango with cavorting light and leaping shadow.

[Licearsvansan]

The Dhani ran a gloved hand through his mane of hair, combing back the muddy brown strands that shielded his eyes. Satisfied, he turned his attention down to his rain soaked clothing. A few rebellious hairs bounced back and slapped him in the face, but he ignored them. He was far too busy worrying about the effect the freezing water would have on him as it soaked through his multiple layers of clothing. The color of his attire had become somewhat more colorful during his time in Lhavit. The dark browns, slate colored grays, and ominous blacks he once wore had been traded for the softer colors of tan, green, and ash as if the sheen of the radiant city was rubbing off on him. He still wore colors that would blend into the earthy colors of the wilds, but had taken to wearing brighter ones beneath his jungle green overcoat so that only had to unbutton his jacket to join the divine rainbow of colors that was Lhavit. Unfortunately, this was far from obvious today. His soaked cloak and jacket almost looked black in the rain, and the mud, blood, and dirt that caked onto his clothes from many tireless days of hard work had stolen its appeal. Even worse, it could be said that he still mirrored Lhavit. Not the past city of radiant light and hope, but the beaten, worn, and broken one that now loomed in the background.

They had all been pushed to their limits in the past few weeks. Earthquakes, riots, mysterious caves... Every member of Lhavit had been hard at work, and Svan had been no different. When the first subtle tremors tore through Lhavit, Svan had immediately began searching for a cause. Snakes heard sounds much better than humans, and more importantly, they heard it in a different way. When in Dhani or snake form, Svan could hear the vibrations in the ground through his jaw. While Dhani were no better than a human when it came to sounds from above, they were nearly unmatched when it came to the earth. The sense was strong, and focused enough that Svan could not only tell you the location of people in a closed carriage as it rolled by, he could tell you the exact position they were in and about how tall they were with nothing but his sense of hearing. Despite this, the snake had been unable to gleam any information after the first tremor, and had simply assumed it to be a completely natural quake.

It wasn't until the second one rocked the city that he realized just how wrong he was. He had spent the past few days after that trying to help calm the riots and aid the injured. He had seen children trampled under the feet of a panicked crowd, people crushed into a meaty salsa under their own houses, and looters take the lives of innocent men and women. He had done all he could to protect the weak and subdue the violent, but he was only a single man. To make matters worse, he had been forced to do almost all of it in his frail human form. He could only imagine the chaos that a snake man walking through the streets would have caused. Not that much more chaos could have been added.

When he wasn't lifting pieces of fallen buildings, or escorting a child safely to its family, he was working full time for Caiyha. He spent his little free time scouring the woods in Dhani form. The wildlife had taken a heavy blow just as the city had, and it was his duty to tend to it. He had long since lost count of the injured animals he had put down, and fallen trees he had moved. Though in all honesty, the wilderness had been surprisingly quiet. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising though. It was hardly strange for the animals to have fled the scene of a natural disaster.

He also studied the earth on his journeys through the wilderness. Earthquakes of that size rarely came alone and he had worked hard to find the epicenter of the quakes. Using his sensitive hearing, he could follow the light vibrations that followed the greater quake and use them to get a good idea of where the epicenter of it was. He had even been able to gleam bits of information about the ground surrounding it. He reported all his findings to those higher in command and with more knowledge of what to do, but sadly his information had been rough at best. To get better information would require him to travel closer to the epicenter in Dhani form. Unfortunately, the closer he got to the center, the stronger the vibrations became. Snakes were naturally vulnerable to earthquakes, and Alses experimentation had left his senses wounded. Getting close to the center in Dhani form was comparable to the pain of having a girl scream in each ear. And if a earthquake happened while in he was stuck in that form....

So it was for that reason that Svan stood in human form before the mouth of the cave. This was his first time ever seeing it. He knew that there were caverns below, but only recently had he been informed of how to actually enter them. A pair of hazel eyes scanned the faces of all the people surrounding him. Alses was the first person his eyes fell upon. She was his teacher and his boss. She was also the petcher who had crippled his auristics training. Just as he had began to get the hang of it, her blasted mines had launched him back to square one. He had held a not so secret grudge against her ever since. Though to be fair, it wasn't the typical sort of grudge. She was still trying her best to help him, and he honestly did his best to help her when he could. Gone however, were the days of gleeful obedience. If she asked him to jump, he would do so without hesitation, but he would always make sure ask "how high" with enough venom in his voice to kill an elephant.

The next person he saw was the young Twilight girl. He didn't know nearly enough about the Twilights to know her or even recognize which tower she came from, but judging by her book he imagined that she would be serving more as a scholar than a fighter on this expedition. His gaze then slowly moved to Zeran. Another student of Alses, but Svan knew little but that about him. It gave the snake some comfort to know that a third member of the Dusk house was present. It made thing easier on Svan because if something horrible happened down there he could trust Zeran to take care of the Eth so that he - Svan's eyes flicked over to the konti - could focus his efforts on protecting her. He had never met her in person, but he had seen her tending to the injured during these past few days. It would be a lie to say that the Dhani liked healers, but only because it was a horrendous understatement. Svan all but worshiped them. He envied their ability to honor their vow of healing, and wished that he had the kind of willpower to join their ranks. Svan however was struggling just to earn a single gnosis from Caiyha. He knew for certain that he couldn't get one from a goddess who would demand that he heal everyone who needed it.

Finally Svan turned his attention to the guards. Their cold gaze normally unnerved him but today he was on a mission for his Goddess. Today, and today only, their presence was a welcome one. The two introduced themselves and the group proceeded down into the abyss with nothing more than a small reimancy flame to guide them.

Svan let out a light chuckle as he walked by the Shinya and followed the woman into the cave. "He doesn't give the beasts of the wild enough credit. It would take some pretty dumb or desperate creatures to think that walking into a cave after an earthquake was a good idea." The Dhani grinned widely, fully aware of what he had just implied about the lot of them. After a moment to revel in his "joke", he lowered his smile and explained himself a little better, "Animals tend to have sharper senses then humans, especially when it comes to natural disasters. Most would have the sense to flee these caves if it is the source of our earthquakes.....especially if they predict another one to happen in the near future. Svan's gear betrayed the confidence of his words though. He was fully equipped with his sword-breaker, a rope/grapple, some flare paste, a krolar poultice, and a special little star. While he doubted that there were any beasts beneath remaining in this cave, he knew full well that if anything was alive down here it would be incredibly agitated.

Before they were even 10 yards into the cave, Svan's ears caught Iosha's and Alses' remark about the wolf. Normally, he would have enjoyed the Eth's lightly masked insult, but not when the one being scolded was a Konti healer. Svan adjusted his pace so that he walked behind Iosha and calmly defended the woman, "Come on Alses, its hardly fair to blame the girl for the mistake. Shara's a black wolf in a black cave. I think we can forgive the healer for not bothering to check for a second tail before calling her a boy." The way Svan spoke was simple and friendly, almost as if he and the Eth were old friends who had earned the right to tease one another. Alses however, wouldn't even need auristics to know that Svan was being anything but polite. She knew he adored Konti healers, just as much as he knew why she disliked the pale race. He was not so brash though to be openly rude to her in public. He had no actual desire to actually harm the Eth or her social reputation, and his teasings were nothing more than a way for him to vent his frustrations.

The snake considered speaking about how valuable a healer would be and then turning the conversation over to his teacher so that she would be forced to act as if she didn't actually hate the poor girl for her race, but that would make it far too obvious to the others that there was a secret tension between Svan and Alses. Instead, the Dhani decided to go with subtler means. While he was confident he had the Eth's attention, he reached into the right pocket of his "battle pack" and withdrew a bright red ball of light. It looked as if Svan was literally holding a small star in his hand, though in terms of exactly how much light it cast it was little more than a glorified glowstick. The item he held was a rare material known as an Ionu's star that he had harvested from Alvadas in the middle the winter, and Svan had chosen now of all times to reveal the existence of such an item to Alses. To further rub his ex-secret in her face, Svan decided to display the star's abilities. With both his hands he crushed the star into the shape of a ball and pinched the tip of it with his forefingers. "String." He muttered quietly as he pulled on the star. A long thin line of light followed his fingers from the ball. After a fair bit of tugging, he bit the string to cut it and tied the length of it around his index finger. As he broke off another string, he opened his hand to reveal a small ball of glowing twine. He held out the precut string to the pale woman. "Would you like some? It might be a good idea for us to be able to keep track of the healer." Svan gave the girl a warm smile. "My name is Svan, I work for the Dusk tower under Alses over there." He then turned his gaze towards the Eth, "Speaking of which, would you like some?" He held out the ball of string towards her.

To anyone else it was impossible to know that Svan was being anything but polite. His tone, his expression, his words...they were all perfectly civil. Kind even! But he knew Alses would know better. He had withheld an incredibly useful secret from her, and just now chosen to reveal it after having spoken out against her. And he had even had the gall to offer it to the Konti woman before her.

For all it mattered, Svan might as well have just said "Petch you."

Ionu's stars oocHope this post is alright. Ely, I made sure to leave the exact strength of the star up to you so that you could choose how much light you want them to have. Fallacy told us that they can range anywhere from dimly lighting a small room to barely being any stronger than a glow in the dark sticker.

[Zeran]

The earth had developed an irritating attraction to footwear today; each step displacing mud, creating a vacuum that had nearly taken Zeran's boot off on a number of occasions. There was a technique to prevent walking bare foot through the muck, and he was pleased with himself for discovering them. Stepping on tiptoes didn't give the earth enough hold on your boot, or hooking your boot with your foot as you raised it would help keep your feet dry. So would fire, similar to the few that had broken out during the earthquakes. There was never a dull moment in Lhavit, so it seemed. Rumours of a Journeyman loitering around the city, teenagers disappearing and reappearing, dead Anchorite, all to name a few of them. Now, the city had earthquakes charging after it, leaving a path of destruction enough to bring a tear of joy to Rhysol's eye, keeping Lhavit on its toes and agitating the population quite a bit. Even the little things had the chance to kill in the ensuing turmoil. All it took was a lit lantern or candle to get knocked from its seat and you had a fire bigger than what Zeran might take two bells to create. He didn't care what people said, a flint and steel was not easy. His thumb had come away an interesting shade of red after his last attempt. The ground’s dampness had company. The fine rain that had refused to leave outright hung in the air with enough weight you could smell it. The ground was damp, the forest was damp, the air was damp, and he was damp. The rich earthiness drifted in the air, fresh cut grass climbed the mist that hugged the Peaks. There had always been a refreshing breath of air that came with Zeran’s trips outside the city, but it was more prominent, thicker, after the rain had fallen to dance on the earth. He had made a deliberate point of making regular visits as of late, just so he could get away from the city, and the distressed crowds that populated it. The riots had confused him. Zeran had thought the people of Lhavit prided themselves to be above such things. He couldn't remember a time when such a riot broke out in Ravok, and that was where one could be started for fun rather than necessity. The Ebonstryfe did have a more threatening reputation than the Shinya, however. If you were willing to get on the Ebonstryfe's bad side, you were probably as likely to kill yourself by drowning in a puddle. A gaping maw of some aberration burst through the surface, as if gasping for air after an extended period without. The passageway before them was why Zeran was now here. Whenever the Shinya closed areas off, it was usually because they were keeping something exceptional to themselves. He had tried so many times to find out what it was, but his assassin skills were something he needed to work on. Twigs were louder than they appeared; even more so when you were trying to be quiet. The number of Shinya hadn’t helped either. Zeran had wanted to see what was down there, but he’d always been turned away with assurances it was too dangerous for one person. He had naturally jumped at the chance to join the expedition, as those who had said ‘no’ now had no justifiable reason to do so again. Persuasive words from Lady Elena had probably played some part in getting him on the expedition group also. Even the Lady herself had enough interest in the unusual occurrences to warrant the desire to have her ear in on anything discovered by the group, but found too many other things that called her attention away to allow her to go herself. Who else better to send then than one of her Companions? Probably one of the others, but Zeran wasn't complaining about the reasons why he ended up here. It had been a simple request. Explore what he could and relay his findings when he got back. He weaved through the group, sliding past some and pushing past others, unable to stand still when so close, to get the best possible view of the entrance. The Shinya still stopped him from jumping on in, forcing him to get control of his curiosity, telling him they would go when ready. The slowly-forming clay slurped at his feet as they pulled away with each step. The cane felt heavy in his hand, as he poked away a clump of mud hugging his boot with the metal-plated end. The riots had been good for something. Zeran had learnt that you could be jumped anywhere by anyone, Projection was not quick enough to be of any use without ripping numerous times, and Hypnotism didn't always help. He’d never been in a situation where there were plenty of assailants appearing throughout the course of the day. So, he had bought a cane to protect himself. Fighting unarmed didn't work too well if the lunatic had a sword, and anyone who knew Zeran probably wasn't going to feel comfortable knowing he had a weapon now. The blade was nicely hidden in the shaft of the cane so not to worry them. The weight of it alone was enough to do a bit of damage. Fidgeting with the cane and stepping from side to side, Zeran bit back any words that forced themselves forwards as he reluctantly listened to the announcement the first Shinya was making. Thankfully, it was very short, but that was only his part of the speech. The other, introducing herself as Opheria, picked up where her partner left off. Yea, yea, very mysterious. Nobody knows. Can we get in to explore already?! At the word, Zeran had reached the entrance before most of the group had the chance to move, slipping in just before Opheria and finding himself immersed in the darkness without any means of seeing further down before a light flickered into existence behind him. It looked like their guide was quite the capable Reimancer. You could never go wrong with having a Reimancer on your team, unless she was a little bit mental. With his shadow reaching out in front of the group, and him just behind it, Zeran led the group further down the withered steps. He hadn’t cared if she wanted to lead, but assumed she’d be happy keeping an eye on him like the rest of her comrades. The flames' light licked the walls as they descended, causing the cave to beat like a heart to the rhythm of the fire. The groups’ footsteps echoed and their breathing was carried along the steps, as if drawn in by whatever lay further in, punctuated by the tap of metal on stone as Zeran enjoyed his new toy. The markings sprang to life under Opheria's light, but beyond that they held little interest to him. Zeran had seen them and wanted to move on, but others in the group had other ideas. The sound of feet and breath made way for the scratching of paper behind him, before succumbing to voices completely. He turned slightly, taking short glances over his shoulder at the commotion behind him, before stopping and turning completely at the sound of a familiar voice and name. "Is that Alses?" Outside the cave, Zeran had kept too much attention on the entrance. He hadn't noticed the other members of the group other than Opheria. "So it is!" he announced with a widening smile. "I should've expected to see you here." He was holding up the group, and he knew it from the expression appearing on the Shinya's face, but everyone else seemed caught up in their own worlds he didn't think it a problem. A woman was taking scratchings of the markings against the wall, whilst Alses, a konti woman and a very polite gentleman were exchanging words near the back of the group. "Who brought the wolf?" Zeran was sure their had been six members of the group, but was also certain he had not pushed past a wolf when he was trying to get a look at the cave. "And when?" The wolf, in turn, turned to regard him with eyes that held more intelligence than was ordinary. I quick scan revealed that her aura was greater than that of your average beast, and more akin to a person's. "Ah, not just a wolf, a Kelvic." He bowed at his words. "A pleasure, Lady Wolf." That still left one member missing, leaving Zeran to look around, attempting to find the missing person. He found her. With her head stuck in the roof of the tunnel. The chill in the air had only just become apparent. Zeran had originally reasoned it to be the lack of Syan's warmth outside, but floating above the rest was one Miss Marina Agamand, 'Magesmith of Zeltiva' as she liked to refer to herself. "Miss Marina!" He turned towards Alses at the back again. "Alses, Miss Marina. Miss Marina, Alses." Zeran introduced the two, not knowing if they had met prior to now. He only knew it wasn't him who introduced them if they had. "Both Magesmiths looking to further their craft. What fun conversations you two can have!" He threw his arms above his head in triumph. "We're all making friends! The rest of you, I do not know. There's time to change that though. Onwards!" Pushing himself around on his heel with his cane, Zeran continued down the stairs, briefly catching a sigh of sorts from someone behind him. He was willing to bet Opheria, but didn't know her, or the others, well enough to stake his life on it. There had been a number of times he would've lost his life to a bet anyway. Good thing nobody took him seriously enough to make good on it. "I was once told I'd make good cannon fodder," he said in answer to Alses' question. "Is that considered a skill? It's definitely a use, if nothing else. I'm quite good a taking a hit." Either he wasn't paying attention again, or the markings on the sides were growing more frequent and seemed to group in clusters. Alcoves began to decorate the walls as well, but were too rounded to tell the difference between natural depressions, or man-made indents scoured away by time. "My Auristics is not of any use to us all, that's your expertise Alses," he continued. "I can handle myself well enough in close-quarters fighting, but my strengths lie in Projection and Hypnotism." He cast a backwards glance at Opheria. "Though with our brave Shinya here, my uses drop to Hypnotism only and garbling nonsense that might help or hinder someone's mood." He turned around, walking backwards down the stairs now. "Unless anyone wants to take either of those two away from me, in which case I'm here to be a nuisance that brings nothing to the team. Thanks for having me!" Misjudging a step sent Zeran tumbling backwards, only to stop himself falling completely by grabbing hold of Opheria's arm. Not expecting the sudden addition of weight almost sent her over as well, but managed to keep her balance enough for Zeran to just fall down to the step his was on, rather down the entire flight. "Much appreciated Lady Opheria. You might not be like all the other Shinya after all." He'd turned before she'd even opened her mouth, carrying on as if nothing had happened into the slowly widening passageway, out into whatever was at the end.

[Elysium]

Opheria bristled slightly, keenly attuned to the hum of the conversation around her. Shara would have the sensory edge regardless, but the distractions were less than appreciated, especially as one particular irritation latched onto her arm, nearly upsetting her balance. Her dark eyes gleamed menacingly in the light. ”You’d do well to stay behind me,” she said crisply, breaking from his grasp. Of course, he didn’t listen. She sighed. With little to no warning, the wolf was enveloped in a display of color and light, quickly replaced by a pale, lithe woman with hair the color of pitch. She turned the full force of her molten eyes on the group, unconcerned with her sudden nudity and said: ”Shut up. Your chattering is giving me a headache.” Shara was in a particularly sour mood, given previous events. The whole library was in disarray, the city in ruins and it's population, decimated. And now this. ”We’ll talk when we’re –“ she began, before stopping and letting out a low whistle. Alses’d been right; the slow grade of the staircase was beginning to flatten and grow wide, leveling into a chamber of stone, curiously squared at one end with a single tunnel running outward. The light of Opheria’s fire and Ionu’s Star caught the calias kissed rock just so, causing the same bioluminescent glow seen throughout the city at night. Markings, nearly erased by time, decorated the chamber in alien patterns, profoundly reminiscent of Nader-canoch in design, yet strangely hieroglyphic in execution. ”Hmm,” Shara said, frowning. ”This almost looks like a Nyavanni tomb.” Opheria peered at her curiously, but true to form, stepped around the obvious question, going directly for the heart of their investigation. ”What does that mean to us?” ”Not much, I’m afraid. Not even pre-valterrian scholars knew anything of the race. The Nyavanni were very old even then. Their tombs are incredibly rare, that much is certain. I can’t really recall the details off-hand.” She frowned. Opheria smoothly undid her cloak and handed it to the woman, which was met with a grin. ”Always the pragmatist, eh?” Opheria smiled enigmatically. The sense of the ruin overall was unexpected. It was strangely ominous for such an empty place. What one would find in the world of the weave was off-putting at best; each aura throbbed and surged, strangely… Alive. To go deeper would uncover something truly unnerving. And the burning trail of previous visitation echoed through the entryway. Someone had been there before them. ”Someone beat us here,” Shara confirmed, nostrils flaring. ”Just one person, by the looks of it. I’d say male and less than thirty days before. The scent isn’t too powerful.” Opheria shot her a startled glance. ”And what on Mizahar does that mean?” ”No clue,” she replied tonelessly. ”Shall we continue?”

[Jenni Twilight]

x
x

Jenni had watched the interactions of the other group members with slight interest. There was a ghost, an odd and surprising sight, as well as... a Konti? She wasn't quite sure... the race wasn't exactly a common one. However, the scales she saw, coupled with the pale hair and skin... there was no doubting it. The Konti woman even called to the wolf, as if it was a pet, though that caused a slightly annoyed reaction from their next arrival: an Ethaefal. Apparently it -she- was called Shara, and apparently intelligent. So a morpher or a Kelvic... maybe if it shifted she'd be able to tell.

When the Eth asked for names and skills, she waited for the others to speak before adding her part. "My name is Jenni Twilight... I'm more interesting in the scholarly pursuits, though I do know a little morphing. However..." she frowned slightly at this "I'm terrible at it compared to most of my family" She shrugged, and continued to keep her ears rather than her mouth open. The next man, with plain brown hair, commented on some more animalistic things before replying to the Eth's retort. So her name was Alses... and the Konti was a healer. Which, from what she'd heard of the race, made sense.

The last person to join their group was much more talkative than all the others combined. He introduced the ghost and the Ethaefal, telling her that the former was named Marina, and both happened to be interested in Magecrafting. Interesting... Still, the man was apparently skilled in both Auristics and Hypnotism, which was another fact she lodged away for later.

After getting her sketch, she caught the first man introducing himself as Svan... and a worker of the Dusk tower at that. They had quite a collection of magical skills here then... By then, the wolf had shifted quickly into a raven haired woman, explaining the intelligence, who was also a Kelvic, apparently. There was a number of people who already knew each other by now, it seemed... As they moved into the main area of the cavern -it had been a subtle change- Shara made a comment that interested Jenni more than any of the others had. It was a Nyavanni tomb... despite her knowledge in history, she'd only vaguely heard of Nyavanni... from further explanation she figured out that they were a re-valterrian race, and what they'd discovered was something very rare. The Twilight gained quite a bit of respect for the Kelvic at that knowledge, liking the woman already. Some one else interesting in the history here...

When Shara mentioned another visitor, the morpher stared. Someone had been here before them? But... weren't they supposed to be the first group? What did this mean? By the look of the Shinya, this wasn't something that was planned. And the man -Shara said he was male- had been there recently... what if he was still there? Would they come across some odd person in the ruins? What if they were... bad thoughts ran through Jenni's head, but she shook them out, trying to ignore that fact. If there was any danger... they seemed well protected. They had a Shinya, a wolf Kelvic... and both the Konti and Svan seemed quite heavily armed. She wasn't there for any fighting... just the research.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

x

[Iosha]

As Iosha walked into the cavern, she noticed the strange makings on the wall. If they had time, tt would be interesting to study them, but the Shinya and the kelvic were moving to quickly down the narrow passage way, so she didn't have time to a stop and take a look at the strange patterns on the wall. Suddenly, she heard the other Eth correct her on wolf, but the way the konti said it rubbed her the wrong way. Normally Iosha wouldn't mind being corrected in a polite manner, but the woman corrected her with a hint of smug sense of superiority in her voice. To make matter worse, the woman had the gall to hide a insult in her well picked words. She knew her people were skilled at being passive aggressive, but Iosha wasn't completely inept in the social arena either. Iosha rolled her eyes at the insult and said with a smile on her face, “Thank you for enlightening me on my error...” Iosha trailed off since she didn't know the Eth name and continued with hint of amusement in her violet eyes, “I will make sure to apologize to Shara when we have time."

Iosha cared less what the tawny eyed woman thought about her, so she picked up her pace to keep up with Opheria and Shara. With the insatiably of the mountains, she didn't want to get lost in the cavern. Moments after her comments to the Eth woman, she heard another voice a male voice in the darkness comment about surface beasts wandering into a cavern. He made a sound argument about them avoiding the underground realm, but the sarcasm in his words reminded her of a friend in Wind Reach. A sad smile crept on her face when she thought of him, but she knew would have to sacrifice a part of her life to get her daughter back. When he was finished explaining his reasoning for his comment, Iosha said to him with a nod, “Yes, I think your right, sir. Our party will have to worry more about the creatures that lurk in the dark.” Iosha immediate thoughts went to the creatures that dwell in the Underground Forest. She remembered countless times risking her life venturing into the mushroom forest.

Iosha looked at the party and noticed most of them didn't have any means of defending themselves except for a few. However, she heard Lhavit was a haven for wizards in Mizahair, so they might not be completely defenseless. Her violet eyes drifted to the other human male taking the lead, and he seemed to be quite eager to explore the passage way. She just hoped his eagerness for exploration wouldn't get them into trouble. She turned her attention back to human with chestnut colored hair. He seemed content on antagonizing the other konti woman. Iosha kept her eyes on the ball of light, but she couldn't help the amused smile forming on her face. When he called her a healer, she turned her head and looked at him. She never told anyone that she was a healer, but she might have treated him in the last few days. The chaos of the earthquake, the riots, and the ten days of treating patients at the Catholicon made it quite difficult to remember a single face.

When she saw a line of light appear in his hand, she smirked to herself when he offered her glowing twine. Iosha reached up, took tiny line of light, and tied it around her wrist. She smiled at him when he introduced himself as Svan. When he introduced the other Eth as Alse, she glanced at her and said to him with a warm smile, “It nice to know someone is looking after my well being, Svan. My name is Iosha Moonchaser, and I thank you for your gift.” Iosha was curious about the Dusk Tower, but she knew it wasn't the time at to many questions, so she ask softly when he was finished talking to Alse, “I have been confined to the Catholicon most of the season, so I haven't heard much of the Dusk tower. Maybe when we are finished here, you could tell me of it?”

Iosha knew that she knew nothing about the city, culture, and history of Lhavit. It made her feel like a lost lamb in a city full of wolves. She knew that she could handle herself, but the unknown frightened her a little, and now she was choosing to risk her life for a city that barely knew or cared for. Loneliness haunted her lately, so the simple kindness from a complete stranger was appreciated. Iosha looked over at the eccentric human male in the front while he tried to introduce himself. He never got to saying his name as he ended up introducing himself! The way he presented himself made her snicker to herself. He called himself cannon fodder. She didn't like the name since it made him sound like a meat shield, so she picked the most distinguishing feature of him his hair. Because of her love of nicknames, Sir Cannon Fodder will be known to her as Lord Fuzzy Hair. It was cute name and it fit his personality quite well. Trying to contain her composure at her thoughts, she turned her head to the scholar, and she introduced herself as Jenni Twlight and told them that she was a professional student and adequate skills with morphing magic.

Iosha wondered if everyone in the city of Lhavit knew some sort of magic. When Alse asked for name of his companions and their skills, Iosha didn't want to reveal much, so she said proudly, “I dedicated my life to medicine and my goddess Rak'keli, so if you get hurt, wounded, or maimed. I will be the one stitching you up.” Iosha knew her other skills were less impressive, so she wasn't going to play them up, “I know enough swordsmanship and archery not to stab or shot myself in the foot.” Since everyone in the city was a wizard of some sort, she said nonchalantly, “I know enough reimancy to not destroy myself and my shielding magic is abysmal, so please don't ask me to shield you from falling rocks.” There was no point to lying since she wanted to build a trust with her traveling companions. She needed to rely on them to survive the journey. Shara chastising of the whole group made her blush in embarrassment. Honestly, she thought it was best for them to talk to earn trust, but the stress of the last weeks must be getting to everyone, so she just remained silent.

When the passage way started to level out, Iosha was amazed at the beauty the little light they had illuminated the hall. It was the same light that illuminated the city in the night time. To Iosha, it was was one of the marvels of Mizahar. It was on par with the Underground Forest of Wind Reach and the ice palace of Avanthal. The konti found herself captivated by the glowing glyphs on the wall. When Shara explained this was a Nyavanni Tomb, and he ran her webbed fingers over one of the glyphs and said softly to herself, “If I could talk to the stone, it would be fascinating to learn the stories it could tell...” She turned away from rock and listened to conversation between the Shinya and kelvic. The kelvic said they weren't alone. Nervously, she started to tap the top of her sword hilt as she waited for the party to continue.