Quest Unfathomable Depths

[Traverse]

Unfathomable Depths


50th of Fall, 514 A.V.


Eddies of fog roiled and swirled around the Western bay as Syna slowly crept over the flat plane of a dark ocean. There was very little noise save for the lapping of water against the hulls of two rowboats that were being prepped to leave a huddle of individuals surrounding them.

There were nine entities lingering around the water there, five of whom were Saltwater Iyvess, four in their Dhani form strange eel-like tails coiling in the water as they hovered around the boats. The fifth was in human form, helping a middle aged Svefra woman to get the second rowboat in the water. It landed with a splash muffled in fog, and slowly those who did not have the ability to swim through the water began to get in the rowboats, two to each boat.

Of the three individuals left, one was a Myrian male, gangly and young, and apparently more than a little fascinated with the aquatic Dhani who had so recently come to the island. Many Myrians on the island were still tainted by their hatred of the Dhani, leftover from the stalemate war going on upon the mainland, but not Iark of the Dancing Dead, who had only glimpses of the Dhani in the Black Marsh to judge from and was not colored with the same ages of feud as his older compatriots, he climbed into the rowboat after the older Svefra woman, who had volunteered for whatever journey was about to transpire for reasons of her own, saying only that if she didn't come someone was bound to muck up the boats.

That left an empty rowboat to the other two members of the strange expedition embarking that morning. One appeared human, but most certainly was not, his large ears sticking out of his head, glancing furtively around, the other, a newly minted Cicerone had been sent quite specifically upon this mission as a good test of his new title, willing or not.

The last Iyvess in human form, a dark haired female, sunk gratefully into the water and began to shift, her form growing and elongating as her hair disappeared to be replaced by thick shining scales. It was hard to identify the genders of the Iyvess in the water, but it was clear they were all patient to investigate the strange crack in the Bay, and the noises all had heard rumors of coming from within.

Everyone had their own reasons for coming upon this voyage, and the Iyvess desperately hoped it would link back somehow to their missing companions. giving Maro and Sydney time to briefly get acquainted and decide who would begin rowing first, the older Svefra woman, who briefly introduced herself as Mara, took the lead with a ring of Iyvess just below her boat, heading toward the massive crack in side of Black Rock.

[Maro]

Unfathomable Depths Maro had awakened early that morning. He wasn’t sure if Autumn was going to get up to see him off or if she would even show herself. When he had told her the night before that he had volunteered to help the Dhani investigate the fissure, she had been furious. Autumn rarely got angry. In fact, she was never angry, so when she had shouted at him, he was quite taken aback. She had said some things he knew she hadn’t meant, but she went to bed by disappearing without saying goodnight. To try and make up for not having brought this to her earlier and for not asking her opinion on the matter, Maro continued their nightly tradition of reading a story from one of their many books. As he neared the end of the story, he thought he spotted Autumn materializing faintly on the bed to listen curiously to his story. But when he had woke up that morning, she was already up, staring at him from where she was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest at the edge of the bed, and he was certain she had been watching over him all night long. Of course she would say goodbye. She always did. However, it wasn’t the farewell he was accustomed to. She had cried. Maro didn’t know if ghosts could really cry or if Autumn was materializing tears for show, but he knew the emotion behind them was real. While he prepared himself for the adventure ahead, Autumn rechecked his bag a dozen times to make sure he had everything he would need: flint and steel (though he barely knew how to start a fire on his own), some food, and his fishing pole and tackle. Upon his person, Maro was carrying both bolas and his obsidian knife. Convinced he wasn’t safe enough to protect himself on his own, Autumn took down the silver bell from the mantle over the fire. It had been a gift to her from Dira and was useful to a spiritist. Maro was far from being a spiritist, but the two had adopted the bell as their lucky charm. If there was anything that Autumn was sure could bring him home, it was this bell. Maro put the pack on his back and was headed for the door when Autumn stopped him. “Wait, Maro.” She placed a kiss on his cheek, and the cold that spread from her contact warmed his heart. “Promise me you’ll be careful.” “I’m always careful. Besides, what’s there to be afraid of?” Autumn glared at him. “You know damn well that there’s plenty to fear. You heard the same stories I did.” Maro had heard them, but rather than fear the unknown as many did, he was curious. It was his way with all things. His curiosity had exploded as he heard the stories of the fissure and the sounds that came from within. He would not sit idly by and have his questions answered second-hand by accounts of the adventure from someone who had gone. Instead, he would go himself and be the one to tell the story, and when he returned, he could use the tale as one of their nightly stories. Autumn’s face softened, and another tear slid down her cheek. “Promise me.” “I promise.” The last item she gave him as he headed out the door was a book, one they had accidentally bought a second copy of. It was for if the journey took longer than a single day. For each night he did not return, he was to read a story starting with the one at the end and working his way to the front. She would be reading along with him each night. Maro tucked the book into his bag and, with a second kiss on his cheek, closed the door behind him, making his way quickly to the predetermined meeting place. There was a small gathering when he arrived, but they quickly separated, leaving Maro to man a rowboat with one other individual. He was tall, taller than Maro at least, though that wasn’t something difficult to accomplish. The most prominent feature of the man was his dark, tattered cloak, which undoubtedly marked him as a Cicerone. While Maro was less curious about a Cicerone than he was about the Omens, he held both groups in an equal and lofty respect and was glad and even a bit proud to be partnered with the man. The Svefran woman, Mara, had already started rowing toward the fissure, leaving little time for long introductions. That was fine by Maro. There would be plenty of time to talk while they rowed. He jumped into the rowboat and grabbed the oars, eager to test his skills on the ocean. He had already taken a few moments to watch Mara’s smooth, effortless motions that were already propelling her boat forward amidst the Dhani that were slithering through the water as if it were grass and felt prepared to mimic what she had done. The fog on the water seemed a good omen for the day. He gestured for the Cicerone to take the other seat. “I’m Maro. I hope you don’t mind if I row first.”

[Sydney Turnstone]

Sydney had hoped to arrive before the others, giving the Cicerone a bit of time to speak with the sea dwelling Dhani -- the Ivyess, he'd learned they called themselves. He had hoped, given enough, he might be able to sucker a bit of information about the expedition. Sure, he had heard the rumors, something about a fight and a couple of the newcomers change into ashls. Nothing that completely surprised him, the Omens weren't known for their mercy. The big question was, what were they hoping to get out of this? He hadn't been told much about their little quest, just that he needed to be there, and use his skills to help them to the best of his ability. No one had bothered to explain why him, or what they were doing out in the western bay. Not that he had much of a chance to ask any questions anyway, he'd only learned about the expedition via letter, and he wasn't as quick to arrive as he'd originally hoped. Sydney had grown up along the Northern Bay, with the Svefra - and he knew the area fairly well. The Western Bay was a different story, and he managed to lose himself a couple of time before finally arriving -- just in time to help a scrawny looking kid get a boat out in the foggy waters. "Sure, whatev'r's fine with me," Sydney nodded, catching the tail end of one of the Ivyess as it slipped into the cold, autumn waters. He noticed the ribbed end, more like a fish tail than a snake. Not that he'd seen many land Dhani change, but from what he'd heard, he imagined them to be completely snake like -- no fish tails, at least. "Call me Sydney," he offered a quick smile, looking out behing Maro's ears -- big ears at that -- to try and see where they were headed. "Nervous, Maro? About the expedition an' all. Can't say I know much about it, 'sides they wanna head out t' the fissure. Know anything else?"

[Traverse]

oocLove how you incorporated the bell Maro!

The Fissure was still a ways from the travelers. Soft ripples would rock both boats as the Iyvess circled impatiently, Mara's steady and strong arms keeping a good lead on Maro as he got a feel for rowing. Both Sydney and Maro could hear the older Svefra woman muttering or perhaps simply chatting with Iark, who was actually getting an earful on aging joints, the lack of respect today's youth had, and some curses where the Iyvess were concerned.

Before Maro had a chance to respond to Sydney's question in any fashion, a dark head, a shade of cobalt so deep that it appeared more like Maro's obsidian dagger surfaced, pushing its body up enough to trail comfortably alongside their row boat.

"There isss ssomething in the crack. The Charodae, we, the Ghossstss of the island have all heard it. We did not know the lawss of your land when we came, but we do not think our brothersss, our ssissterss are gone, and we think the crack hass ssomething to do with it."

There was a very long pause, then the Iyvess opened its maw again. "Thank you...for coming to help." Then he or she slid back under the dark water, and Sydney and Maro were left by themselves again...relatively speaking.

oocSorry for this shorter one, the next post will be them getting into the Fissure

[Maro]

Unfathomable DepthsSorry it took me so long to respond. My parents were in town visiting, so I didn’t have a lot of time to write. Damn. Maro’s shoulders were aching fiercely. He hated to admit it, but his shoulders had begun to hurt before they had even made it a hundred yards from the shore. Stubbornness was one of his better qualities though, and he rowed doggedly onward, trying desperately to keep up with Mara. So far, he was succeeding, but he was pretty sure that had more to do with the Svefra’s patience than his own strength or skill. He opened his mouth to respond to Sydney, but before he could get a word out, an Iyvess appeared and spoke. The message was cryptic and guarded, or perhaps, the Iyvess knew just as little as everyone else. One thing the creature was certain of was that the missing Iyvess were not gone. This gave Maro something to think about, and he went quiet. The Iyvess broke the following silence by thanking the two for coming. “You’re welcome,” Maro replied, letting his response trail into a whisper as the Iyvess disappeared beneath the water, unable to hear him any longer. He looked to Sydney. “It sounds as if no one knows what’s going on. I, for one, don’t, but I’m pretty sure that’s why I came. I’m curious, and the closer we get, the more curious I get. So, no. I’m not nervous. I just didn’t want to be the one who found out about the Fissure secondhand from everyone else.” His mind wandered to the Iyvess that had briefly shown a softer side than he generally expected from them, and he was glad to have something to distract him from the burning in his shoulders. There was a sort of sorrow in its confidence that its fellow Iyvess still remained. Something told Maro that it was good that a Cicerone was along on the trip. As his curiosity shifted away from the Dhani, he found his curiosity about Cicerones building. The spiritists seemed to be a constant presence in all the goings-on of the Isle of the Dead, but he was uncertain as to why they would come if they had as little clue about what was happening as he did. Perhaps, they weren’t so different from himself, and the unknown just had to be found out before their minds would rest. He decided to find out. “So Sydney, what brings a Cicerone to the Fissure?”

[Traverse]

oocSo Sydney PMed me to let me know he won't be going further in this quest since he posting won't be reliable at least on this PC. With this in mind the layout of individuals is changing a bit. Iark will be in the boat with Maro, while Mara will be in the lead in a one person rowboat.

Iark observed the Iyvess with curious eyes, a bit suspicious, but his own desire for knowledge on the Iyvess over running any of the deep seated cultural feelings his parents or relatives might feel, and why they certainly had not volunteered for such a task. Seeing Maro's struggle with the oars, the boy offered to change seats and take control of the oars if the Kelvic would allow it.

"No point in getting tired this early." He said with a smile. His common was accented, but quite fluent.

Mara, not stopping to chat with the Iyvess, and not one to socialize much even if she had had a rowing partner, dragged muscled arms in firm circles, powering towards the massive gap. It would take about half a bell for her to reach the entrance, when she did Maro's rowboat not too far behind.

The crack was tall, creeping up a good chunk of the mountainside, but as it rose up the rock it diminished to barely a hairline crack. At the surface of the water it was wide enough to accommodate a frigate, and more than big enough for a couple rowboats. It got slightly wider than this below the surface of the water, but not much, and this width extended for 20-30 feet above the boats as they slowly drew into the darkened crevice.

As soon as Maro and Iark passed into the fissure the sounds changed. the lapping of water against the rocks and the hulls of their boats echoed infinitely around them, flashes of the reflective black water illuminated by the faint light of the outside.

"Iark, torch." Mara barked ahead of them, her voice booming in the expanse. There was a floating lantern that hung over the heads of the two males meant to light the way in what was soon to become pitch black, and if Iark was rowing he would direct Maro to where his flint and steel were in order to light the lantern, taking a bit of careful balance to keep the boat from shifting too much in the water.

A cheery orange and yellow light appeared suddenly before them, Mara having slowed down to let them catch up, Iyvess heads popping periodically out of the water, a pair of hands on the side of her boat.

"We will sssend two ahead to make sssure there iss nothing lurking beneath the water."

Mara's response was a grunt. "Careful boys, we don't know what's ahead and rocks might still fall from the quake that ripped this hole in the island." Once their lantern was lit, Mara proceeded at a much slower pace, keeping her oar strokes softer.

Overall the crack was uniform, the distance between walls not changing too much as the strange procession made its way through the crevice. As they left the dim light of the outside behind, soon there was very little they could see beyond the illumination of the lanterns hanging above them, creaking somewhat with the gentle rocking of the boats.

"My bet is its just some ghosts coming to haunt the fissure. What do you think it is?" The boy peered at Maro curiously.

[Maro]

Unfathomable Depths Maro was glad Iark had taken over the rowing. As soon as he had stopped, he could feel his strength returning and his sore muscles relaxing. Seafaring people definitely had gained a new level of respect from the young Kelvic. The Myrian was right, no doubt. He should save his strength for whatever lied ahead. With his new seat facing land, Maro could take in the impressive span of the Fissure, and it was a view to take one’s breath away, either by its majesty or through fear. As far as Maro knew, Black Rock was an enigmatic, sturdy rock that had lied unchanged by time and by the ocean for years, since its fire was extinguished in fact, but it existed in a world as mysterious and unrelenting as itself. No one should be surprised that the island would eventually change, but…. But something this large did not occur overnight, not by natural means anyways. Sure, there had been a quake, but there had been many quakes from the time of the Valterrian on that had left the Isle of the Dead unscathed. No. Maro felt that something had done this, and whatever it was had a might unequalled by man. Seeing it now brought Autumn’s warning from earlier to his mind, and he caught a small shiver trying to begin at the base of his spine. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea. Maro stretched his back to stifle the chill and reminded himself why he was there. He didn’t want to hear the story from someone else, and besides, he had given the Iyvess his word that he would help. With these thoughts, the crack in the rock became exactly that, a crack, large enough to inspire awe but unable to plant fear. As they drew closer and finally entered the maw of the mountain, the Fissure seemed to swell to overwhelming proportions, and Maro realized how small he really was. There was a shift as soon as they passed the threshold, and it was as if everything outside became muted and everything inside was enhanced. The sounds of sea birds that had been wheeling overhead were now gone completely and were replaced by the once insignificant slap and splash of water. It was as if something lay waiting as a gatekeeper and it had not given Syna passage. All shadows were dark, sure, but with their connection to the Fissure, these shadows felt infinitely darker than any he normally encountered. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he realized it was all a matter of perspective, as the sun was still shining brightly behind them. Mara gave them a quick order to light the lantern, and her voice echoed eternally, fading until it was lost amidst the monotonous, unending voice of the water. This brought a whole new curiosity to Maro, and he wanted nothing more than to turn into his Kelvic form and bark at the black. Not to mention the flash from his change would bring the briefest glimmer to the darkness. Had it not been for having an immediate task to set his mind to and for the fact that this was a somber event for the Iyvess, he would have. Instead, he reached into his pack and felt for his flint and steel. This was something he had never been great at, but Iark was at the oars, leaving him as the only one to do it. With all the grace of a puppy whose feet were too big, he struck the two together and watched the sparks fly. The first attempt didn’t catch, so he smacked the flint and steel together multiple times as rapidly as he could until a fire did catch. The sounds echoed about the inner walls of the Fissure, and though he enjoyed the noise, he was certain no one else approved of his methods. Still, the light that came was more than enough to brighten his heart, and he would let no derision bring him down. He received none, at least not openly, and soon, they were at Mara’s side waiting for the Iyvess to return. Iark spoke as they moved deeper into the mountain. “My bet is it’s just some ghosts coming to haunt the Fissure. What do you think it is?” It was an interesting thought, but no. What experience Maro had with ghosts, he felt they had a respect for all things holy or unnatural, and to Maro, the Fissure seemed at least one of those, if not both. He shook his head. “I don’t think it’s ghosts, at least not in their general prank pulling manner. None of the ghosts I know have the patience to pull off something like this. They seem to be all about a quick haunting or an easy spook. But I suppose it could be lost souls that people have heard. Odd, though. We haven’t heard anything from at all today.” He could feel a building uneasiness and hoped it was just his animal instincts keeping him paranoid. His hand strayed to his side and felt the familiar, comforting weight of the bolas.

[Traverse]

oocSorry I never responded to your PM, Maro but your post was wonderful, I really enjoy your writing style and it is certainly not repetitive!

'Hrm, you're probably right. Maybe we'll meet some really really old ghosts down here, folks that don't want any Cincerone to find them..."

Iark pulled their slightly larger boat up alongside Mara, the young Myrian boy glancing into the dark water, much too inky black to see through, especially with the lantern light casting bright reflections upon the surface to truly see anything, yet yearning for a glimpseof their iyvess companions nevertheless.

"Why did you come Mara?" The boy asked, his voice echoing loudly, so that he nearly whispered the second part of his question. "Didn't some of them fight with your pod ont he docks?"

"None of your business, boy." Mara snapped, her voice sharp, but not as loud, though both sets of words echoed around the three of them in the expanse of the fissure. Despite her rather stoic and grumpy attitude, Maro could see the woman herself took a couple glances into the inky black water as well.

Ticks passed, feeling a bit more like chimes before a sleek dripping head poked out of the water, on Mara's stern away from Maro and Iark. "The way isss ssafe...for now."

"For now? What in the Hai is that supposed to mean?"

"We have felt vibrationsss in the water, almosst like faint tremorsss, the one'ss that came before the crack formed..." To that comment, even the tacitrun Svefra woman had nothing to say. The head disappeared and Mara took the lead again, Iark not asking Maro to take over, perhaps too excited or nervous about what lay before them to think of it.

Several chimes of rowing passed, the light of the opening fading to near non existance before a splash, very audible could be heard about 15 meters from them. Mara's paddles paused in mid row dripping a few inches above the dark water. Iark paused in his motion, bow twisting with the inaction. There was a long moment of silence, then another splash, something bumping audibly againt the hull of Mara's rowboat, sending the lantern creaking. The sleek head, hard to say if it was the same as before or different as it flailed above the water.

"Large thingsss, beneath the water!" It's accent and common were not as good as it dove back below the waves. Then something struck against Iark and Maro's boat. Iark's paddles were left sitting in the water, suddenly the Myrian male had a gladius in hand and was glancing frantically over the sides of the boat.

"What the petch is it?!" Mara had brought along a club and was holding it rather calmly in her lap. "Wait for it, boy, they will come."

Something surfaced out of the water, droplets spilling and glistening in the light, roaring in anger. It was an Iyvess, but something careened out of the blackness just after it, it was much brighter colored than the Iyvess, narrow, like a snake with nearly neon green scales...or slippery skin, its head round and flat with strange razor looking teeth. It snapped at the Iyvess who grabbed it around its neck and fell back under the water.

Just as Iark and Maro were recovering from seeing that event, which was rocking their boat, two more of the entities, one a vibrant yellow, another turquoise, surfaced and launched themselves into the boat, each about 6 feet long, their heads snapping at any part of the two males or the boat they could find.

oocSo these creatures are 6 feet long, their heads about two feet wide, shaped like a venus fly trap, wide and fat and filled with teeth, their body probably only like 8 inches around, tapering as they head towards the tail. They'll be flailing and snapping. Have fun with this next post!

[Maro]

Unfathomable Depths Maro was glad for his paranoia. When the creatures leapt into the boat, his hand was already on his bolas, and he had it out and ready in a moment. It was still tied in a knot about itself, making it perfect for carrying and even more perfect for use as a weapon in close quarters. The thick cords bunched together with the weights all at one end served well as a club of sorts. The monsters in the boat were different from anything Maro had ever seen; their flat, broad heads filled with teeth chomped at anything they could reach as the two thrashed around the boat, their snake-like bodies propelling them about with vicious force. One thrashed close to him, and Maro stepped back, swinging the bolas down at its head as the huge mouth bit at his foot. At the sudden motion backward, the boat rocked, and off balance as he was, his blow missed its mark, glancing off the side of the creature’s head. Maro stumbled momentarily before he found his balance. He would have to keep the boat upright. Here, on the vessel, Maro felt they were more than equal to the task of fighting these beasts, especially with Iark wielding his gladius as if Myri herself were guiding his hand. But if the boat were to tip, that would be another thing entirely. Maro couldn’t swim, not well anyhow, just enough to stay afloat, and even if he could, there was no way human swimming could match that of these creatures in the water. Swiping the tied bolas at the monster’s face, Maro crouched low to keep his balance and felt behind him with his free hand to find the edge of the boat. He was at its aft with his back to the water, a position he didn’t want to be in, but he’d have to make the best of it. With the creatures in the center and Maro and Iark at either end, Maro could keep one eye on the water dwellers while he kept the other on Iark. The turquoise creature was closest to Iark, and thrashing toward the Myrian, it bit at his legs. With the battle prowess all his people seemed to possess, Iark sidestepped and slashed his gladius across the monster’s face. As soon as Maro saw Iark step to one side of the boat, he stepped to the other, narrowly keeping the rowboat from tipping and dumping them into the water with these things. Unfortunately, this put him right in the path of the yellow monster’s thrashing. Swinging his bolas at it, he landed another glancing blow, and the myriad of teeth shredded through the skin on his thigh. He pummeled the creature with his free fist and, when it finally broke away, landed three rapid blows on its head with the bolas, the contact bringing a dull, fleshy thud. It flopped away, stunned by the ferocity of Maro’s counter, but the young Kelvic could not pursue as he saw Iark sidestep back across the boat. Maro threw himself against the other side of the boat, and his overzealous correction of the balance nearly toppled them the opposite direction. But Iark wasn’t just good with his sword arm; he was also good with his footwork. The Myrian corrected the leaning boat and slashed the turquoise chomping head as it thrashed his way again. Maro leapt to his feet just as the yellow one lunged toward him again. When it did, he brought the bolas down on top of its head as hard as he could, snapping its jaws shut for it. However, the creature’s momentum carried it forward, sending it cannoning into his belly, and Maro’s breath was knocked from him. Fortunately, he doubled over and fell forward, keeping him still safely in the boat. As the yellow monster recovered once again from being stunned, Maro untied the knot in his bolas and wrapped the cords around the monster’s head, trapping its mouth shut. It began to struggle violently against him as it realized what he was doing. Maro could see Iark shoving the turquoise carcass out into the water over the thrashing body on top of him. The creature’s muscular, serpentine body now began to coil itself around Maro, squeezing his ribs as he tried to keep its mouth closed. His breath was already leaving him, and his shoulders couldn’t hold the beast much longer. The rowing had taken more of his strength than he had realized. With the last of his fleeting air, he gasped at Iark. “Kill it.” Blackness was creeping in from the corners of his vision.