[Seasonal Event] In The Dark

51st – Ancient cave paintings are discovered in the Under-watch dating back hundreds of years. The paintings seem to depict early uses of personal and world magic. The Under-watch guard the entrance to the cave closely, but a second entrance is discovered on the west side of the Uvic Lake.

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Not found on any map, Endrykas is a large migrating tent city wherein the horseclans of Cyphrus gather to trade and exchange information. [Lore]

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[Seasonal Event] In The Dark

Postby Tribal on September 6th, 2015, 8:39 pm

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Niaya gasped as she reached the surface, coughing up the water she has sucked in with the breath she had taken too soon. At the edge of the pool she found the perfect spot to tie off the end of the binding that had been fixed to her wrist and called to her comrades through the drafty vents in the ceiling. Amunet came through the tunnel first, pulling her way along the rope before Lian joined them in the darkened room, lit only by the glow of the water.

Depicted on the walls surrounding them, preserved as clear as day, were the paintings of their ancestors using Webbing above the ground. Alongside that the art of Reimancy by fire, and below in Semele’s belly, the secrets of Morphing; a darker art that few knew of and even less spoke about. The three of them admired the paintings for a time before one of them spotted the chests that numbed three, too big to drag back through the tunnel.

To take the treasure they would need to rely on the only person who knew the way home, for only she knew how to summon the guide that had gotten her into this mess.
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[Seasonal Event] In The Dark

Postby Amunet on September 6th, 2015, 10:36 pm

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Amunet coughed and sputtered as she came up out of the water and onto the stone ground of the inner chamber they had found themselves in. Once she had taken several heavy breaths and took several more moments to get control of her breathing, she wrung her shirt out a bit. The bruise on her but was now gone as she felt it no longer bothering her. The long wavey hair was plastered down her back and all the way to her bottom. She took a moment to wring that out before she took the lantern off the belt that she had looped in and put it on the stone ground.

It was then she looked up and saw the very clear paintings depicting the magics being worked by their ancestors. It all made so much sense in these paintings. She got up and went to the paintings and ran her fingers along the detail to absorb the details. Then she remembered she had parchment and an ink stick. The girl pulled both out of where she had them to see if they were any good to work with.

The little woman looked at Lian. “Could you light the lantern? I would like to see these a bit more clearly.” The girl would wait to see if He could light the lantern, glad the man had flint and tender with him. Her flint and tender was on her horse. She very much wished she saw her mare again. Amunet checked her heart, the very pit of her being as she closed her eyes. The memory of that surge and tingle of the bond with the mare that marked her as full Drykas was very much an experience that words would fail to describe fuly. It was there, somehow she knew her mare was there.

She gave Lian time to light the lantern. Its blue flame she hoped would help her dry the parchment sufficiently enough to draw or write an impression of these paintings. She unfurled the parchment carefully and put it towards the blue flame that was sheltered by the lantern. The blue light illuminated the paintings a bit more. Some of the detail became even more apparent. Amunet felt these had to be remembered. There was a reason they were here. “The Gods want us to know these things. “ The reverent voice of the young lady was very present as she looked around and then darted her eyes towards her attempt at drying off the parchment enough to draw and write on.

Once it was dry enough, she took out the ink stick in her pouch. Her hands at that point were reasonably dry enough as well. She attempted to make some reasonable impression on the parchment of what she saw of the webbing, reimancy and morphing. The webbing looked exciting. “I wonder if the body is like the land. Could the body hold a web of its own in as much as the land? “ Such fanciful thoughts for a girl, yet it was this girl’s curiosity and the way she put things together in different ways that marked her. The sticks, circles and scritches she tried to put together with the web was loosely translated into a centrial circle and lines with arches of the web. People and beings were stick figures with something on their head to indicate people or Gods. Animals would have sticks for legs and some reasonable impression of what it was. It was simplistic, but it hopefully would give the impression of what she was seeing enough to digest what it meant.

The Reimancy of fire was interesting. She didn’t know this was Reimancy only that the person in the painting was calling down fire. It had a tinge of interest to her as she let her fingers trace of it. “Look fire isn’t just destructive, its creative too.” The girl wasn’t sure the other two was listening or not, but she continued anyway. The way the fire wrought through magics and it the person was a sort of conduit? The girl drew it and wrote what she understood. “wish I could draw better.” The girl sighed.

The Morphing painting was frightening. Again she didn’t know that was what it was called. It also looked to be the more dangerous of the three magics. That was her understanding at the moment of these paintings. It was disturbing, but she tried to draw it with the circles, sticks and scritches. If she curved it that way yes maybe that makes more sense. The notations added to jog her memory. The girl had a good memory and an eye for detail.

She continued to paitently try and get a good enough impression to make sense later on the parchment with the ink stick. She wasn’t sure she even drank any of the water, at least if it was, it must have not been a few drops. She doesn’t think she drank any as she felt fine, so the girl let that lend itself to fate. Amunet believed very much in the Gods in that they listen and know what their creations have wrought. “Maybe they know we are here, the Gods. Maybe they want someone to know of these ancient things?” She said in a most reverent voice.

The girl wasn’t sure how long she tried to draw the resemblance of the paintings in the circles, sticks and scritches that would translate to her later. She made common notations as reminders. It wasn’t very good but it was something to go on. The parchment was rolled up and the ink stick went back into her coin pouch. She turned around and finally saw the chests. One of them kind of, maybe it was in her head, called to her. The girl tilted her head and picked up the lantern as she went towards the chest and palm her hands over it. There were two other chests as well. That was convenient. The Gods certainly had a way about them.

The young woman pondered these spiritual things for a time before taking a good look around. The other two was either looking at the paintings or the chests. Amunet sat on the chest she had palmed earlier. The chamber had no right hand turns. It had no turns at all. If the others spoke of how to get out of the chambers, she would provide what she knew. “Well. Looks like we will need Haku. “ The girl said obliquely and with a confidence.

The girl waited on the other two to acknowledge her words on Haku. “There is a way to summon Haku. He said count to three, wait for me.” The dark red head’s eyes were wide and believed the words she said. “One, Two, Three,” she said with a strong voice into the very rafters of what she perceived as spirit filled caves. The girl then waited dutifully believing with all her heart that Haku would appear.
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[Seasonal Event] In The Dark

Postby Lian Windrunner on September 8th, 2015, 3:02 am

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Lian wasn't much better off than Amunet had been when he surface from the underwater tunnel. When he managed to catch his breath, he made his way to the edge of the pool. Once there, he was content just to sit for a few ticks, offering a quick thanks to the gods that he had survived. He wasn't one to pray all that often, but this place seemed...different somehow. Sacred in a way. It felt right, even natural to pray here.

When Amunet asked him to light the lantern, Lian stood, preparing to do just that. His flint and steel were wet from his journey through the water, but he hoped that wouldn't render them completely useless. It took several chimes of striking steel against flint to get any results. But the act of striking them together seemed to dry them out, and eventually he got the sparks he needed.

Once they had more light to see by, Lian noticed the paintings on the wall. Lian recognized the images involving Webbing for what they were immediately. As a Webber himself, it was almost hard for him not to understand that he was seeing his ancestors' ideas of what the Web looked like, and how they used it. Lian couldn't help but study the cave paintings carefully in the hopes of committing every last detail of them to memory. It was his hope that he could learn something from them. And he got the feeling that there was a great deal to be learned from the ancient pictures.

Amunet wondered out loud if a person's body was like the land, and whether a body could hold a Web within it just as the land did. Lian turned to stare at the woman in surprise. Such an innocent question...and what possibilities if it were possible! The Web could be used to send messages. If someone who was paralyzed in some way had a Web within them, would it be possible to send messages through that Web and get their body to move once more? The Web relayed information about itself and the land around it to those who knew how to read it. Could a healer who was skilled in Webbing use a Web within their patient to tell them exactly what was wrong with the patient even if they didn't bear a gnosis mark from Rak'keli? For that matter, could a skilled Webber use a Web within them to learn about injuries and even illnesses that couldn't be seen? What other things might be possible if a Webber...or even a non Webber...could hold a Web within them?

"If that is possible...it would be amazing. Who knows what could be accomplished then?" he murmured softly, still staring at the girl, but this time with something very near awe.

Lian wanted to see if what Amunet suggested were possible. But now was not the time. The time for that would come when they were all safely home again. Preferably when he had someone he trusted to monitor him just in case something went horribly wrong.

For now, though, Lian turned to look at the rest of the paintings. Some of them depicted people wielding fire as though they could control it somehow. Lian knew little of reimancy, but he did know that it allowed someone who knew that form of magic to control the elements. Lian thought that with the right element, it could prove to be a valuable weapon, indeed. Using a strong blast of air to stun one's prey, for example. It was something he had had a mild interest in for quite some time now. But seeing these pictures made his interest in the magic grow stronger. He began to wonder if it would be possible for him to become a reimancer some day.

One thing both sets of images had in common was that the people who were using Webbing and reimancy were both above ground. But there was a third set of paintings that seemed to take place below ground, deep within Semele's belly. These pictures showed a type of magic that Lian had never seen before. Never even guessed at before. But if what he was seeing...or what he thought he was seeing were true, then it looked as though the ancestors of his people had had the power to change themselves...into something else. Part of themselves, anyway. Lian was deeply disturbed by the idea. It felt completely, fundamentally wrong to him to be able to...to...shift into other forms as if one was changing into a different outfit. What would be possible with such a magic? If it were possible for someone to become something else entirely, what would stop criminals from changing their appearance so they could never be caught? Outsiders from changing into a form that looked Drykas so no one would ever know that they weren't one of the people?

Lian turned away, and repressed the urge to shudder with revulsion. Every part of him rejected such a thing with every fiber of his being. But after a few ticks, Lian found himself turning back to the paintings once more. Three sets of images, depicting three different types of magic. Two of those sets were of people in the above ground world. His world. And both involved forms of magic he had at least heard of. One of which he was very familiar with indeed. The third set, though...those people were underground, in Semele's belly. Did that mean that the magic was one his ancestors had known, but it had been lost in the time since they had come to the surface once more? That seemed possible. Even likely. But what if...just what if the images spoke of a hidden branch of his people? One that hadn't come back to the surface when the rest of their ancestors had? Could those people still live underground in these caves somewhere? And if so, did they still practice that terrible magic of changing themselves? The thought was a truly frightening one.

A flash of movement seen out of the corner of his eye caught Lian's attention, drawing him out of his disturbing thoughts. He watched as Amunet approached three chests, and placed her hands on one. That simple action stirred something within him. Lian found himself moving without conscious direction as one of the chests drew him as well. Mirroring the woman's movements unknowingly, Lian rested a hand on "his" chest. The wood felt warm, even welcoming under his hand. Still standing near his chest, he heard Amunet say that she knew how to summon Haku. Then she counted to three, and stood there, waiting. Lian waited too, though he couldn't help but wonder how counting was supposed to summon a spirit..
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[Seasonal Event] In The Dark

Postby Naiya on September 9th, 2015, 11:26 pm

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Satisfied by her victory, but not quite finished with her story, Naiya awaited the other two warriors, her companions bursting from the glowing water with coughs and sputters. She left them to their work, a task of her own waiting. She ducked back beneath the water, slipping along the rope tie and cutting through the water with kicks of her legs, on the other side once more, easier this time with a guide and a knowledge of what to expect, she turned to the zith once more, beside it, the wings she had painstakingly cleaned and removed.

She grasped them in her hand, and made the journey through the water once more, only just making it through with the wings holding her back. She burst from the water sputtering, but triumphant.

There was success with the fire, and it's flickering lit the cave in a way that the other fire couldn't have lit the larger chamber. Markings on the walls fascinated the other Drykas, and seeing their interest caught Naiya's own.

Webbing was there, depicted even more clearly than the carvings of the other room, and the two others discussed the new understanding of the web while Naiya listened. She was slightly distracted, though, by the markings depicting something unfamiliar, man and woman changing their bodies, entirely human in one moment, and no longer so in the next. Or so it seemed in the pictures. Not only did they seem to change their faces, but their bodies too.

What a wonderful magic, she realized, considering the ways it would benefit her people if the could rediscover the ancestral magic. If they had the eyes of a hunting cat, or the claws of one. Imagine the prey they could take down, the safety they could bring their families. Khida was an invaluable asset to their family, her shifting seeming not far different from the magic here. The gift of wings, or talons, these were things to be revered.

She wanted to know more of the magic, and so she followed the paintings, watching the process of learning and changing move from one person to the next. It was surreal, and fascinating. She wanted this, more than she wanted to know the web, or wanted to raise a herd. She wanted to be able to protect her family, and this magic could do it.

It had grown quiet, and Naiya tore herself away from the paintings to see the other two, hovering near crates, no chests. One for each of them, it seemed. She approached the remaining chest, a feeling of surety in her mind. As Amunet spoke, calling the spirit, Naiya clutched her things. Her wings, her chest, herself, she did not know what kind of spirit was, and just because the others trusted him, did not mean she needed to as well.

They waited as the silence grew, Naiya wondering whether it would work to call this being, or if they would have to seek another way out of the caves.
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[Seasonal Event] In The Dark

Postby Tribal on September 10th, 2015, 2:28 am

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The cackle of the old man reached the ears of the three waterlogged Drykas before his ghostly image appeared in the dimly lit room. In his hand, the old man held a key and approached each of the chests, opening first that which belonged to Amunet. He picked up the scroll inside the chest and unwound if carefully to reveal an old painting depicting the art of webbing, “Webbing,” he smiled before returning the scroll to the chest, “An honourable tradition.”

He plodded over to Lian then and looked the man in the eye before undoing the lock on his chest, “Reimancy, yes, I see fire in you,” the ghost grinned, took three gold from the chest and then departed to help Naiya with her reward.

“That must mean,” he paused and undid the lock, “Morphing, a restless soul,” Haku decided, “An adventurer."

The paintings would not teach any of them magic, but might be worth something to the right buyer, if they did not choose to keep them. “One, two, three,” the crafty little man chimed as he plucked three gold coins from Naiya’s chest and tucked them away in the breast pocket of his shirt, “The brave traverse the golden sea, count to three, wait for me,” he chanted, the closing of his words followed by a bright light that returned each of them to where they had been prior to entering the caves; as if they had stood staring at the sun too long.

Amunet found herself beside the tree with her Strider alongside her, the chest and lantern in hand. Lian was close to the west side of the Uvic Lake where he had ended his hunt. A rabbit darted across the ground in front of him and the birds sang from their homes in the treetops. Naiya was back on shore with her washing, all dry and ready to make the trip home; as if nothing had ever happened, only the chest and Zith wings she clutched as proof of her adventure.

Amunet: The lantern will only glow blue when there is a ghost nearby. The chest contains 78 gold miza and an ancient painting of the Drykas using Webbing that is worth 100 gold (can only sell to another PC).

Lian: The chest contain 117 gold miza and a painting depicting the art of Reimancy worth 100 gold (can only sell to another PC).

Niaya: The chest contains 98 gold miza and a painting of two dark figures morphing, one into a bird, the other into a fox worth 120 gold (can only sell to another PC).


G R A D E S
Enjoy your rewards

Amunet

Experience

  • Observation: 5
  • Logic: 2
  • Investigation: 3
  • Philosophy: 3
  • Rhetoric: 3
  • Socialisation: 4
  • Land Navigation: 1
  • Herbalism: 1
  • Planning: 1
  • Swimming: 1
  • Endurance: 2
  • Intimidation: 1
  • Weapon, Dagger: 2
  • Wrestling: 1
  • Leadership: 1
  • Bodybuilding: 1
  • Intelligence: 1
  • Drawing: 1

Lore

  • Amunet: Too curious for her own good
  • Investigation: Finding out where the old man went
  • Acklar Tree: Strange and perplexing
  • Observation: The look of a web addled man
  • Haku: The trickster
  • Haku: The dead man
  • The legend of Haku
  • Navigating through caves
  • Logic: A room full of treasure is probably booby-trapped
  • Observation: Old Drykas Pottery
  • Planning: Sticking to the plan
  • Zith: The winged woman
  • Leadership: Putting others before your own safety
  • Amunet: Disappearing Windmarks
  • Hidden Caves: Crafted by the gods
  • Lian Windrunner of the Sapphire Clan
  • Hidden Caves: Morphing, Webbing, Reimancy

Rewards

1 x Piece of paper
1 x Ink stick
1 x Lantern
1 x piece of Blue Slatite
1 x piece of Demon's Tooth
1 x Zith Claw
1 x Webbing Painting
1 x Small Lockable Chest
78 gold miza

Penalties

Your Windmarks and scars are completely gone.



Naiya Dawnwhisper

Experience

  • Observation: 5
  • Cleaning: 1
  • Leadership: 3
  • Logic: 3
  • Fishing: 1
  • Wilderness Survival, Plains: 2
  • Intelligence: 1
  • Swimming: 6
  • Bodybuilding: 4
  • Investigation: 2
  • Endurance: 4
  • Weapon, Dagger: 1
  • Brawling: 1
  • Acrobatics: 1
  • Organisation: 1
  • Socialisation: 3
  • Subterfuge: 1
  • Tactics: 1

Lore

  • Leadership: Doing more than your fair share for the pavilion
  • Fishing: Baiting a hook with a worm
  • Location: The Uvic Lake
  • Swimming: Experiencing disorientation under water
  • Uvic Lake: Strange undercurrents
  • Bodybuilding: Kicking hard underwater to swim
  • Naiya: Down the rabbit hole
  • Hidden Caves: Healing Water
  • Observation: The shriek of a Zith
  • Zith: Dirty fighters
  • Zith: Sharp claws, sharp teeth
  • Swimming: Mastering the basics
  • Leadership: Organising a group
  • Naiya: Disappearing Windmarks
  • Lian Windrunner of the Sapphire Clan
  • Leadership: Pathing the way
  • Hidden Caves: Morphing, Webbing, Reimancy
  • Haku: The Drykas Ghost

Rewards

3 x Zith Teeth
2 x Zith wings
1 x Morphing Painting
1 x Small Lockable Chest
98 gold miza

Penalties

Your Windmarks and scars are completely gone.



Lian Windrunner

Experience

  • Logic: 3
  • Endurance: 3
  • Land Navigation: 2
  • Observation: 5
  • Intelligence: 2
  • Webbing: 1
  • Swimming: 1
  • Bodybuilding: 2
  • Wilderness Survival, Plains: 4
  • Planning: 1
  • Investigation: 2
  • Running: 1
  • Weapon, Shortbow: 2
  • Acrobatics: 1
  • Philosophy: 3
  • Rhetoric: 2
  • Socialisation: 3

Lore

  • Lian: The nagging pain of a bee sting
  • Logic: Talise's foal is too young to leave Endrykas
  • Location: The Uvic Lake
  • Sea of Grass: Sinking Sand
  • Swimming: Diving for lost equipment
  • Wilderness Survival: Making the most of the little you have
  • Swimming: Cupping hands to swim faster
  • Hidden Caves: Healing water
  • Navigating through caves
  • Observation: The shriek of a Zith
  • Lian: Killing your first Zith
  • Naiya Dawnwhisper: Can swim
  • Amunet Shimmerstone: The blue eyed redhead
  • Hidden Caves: Morphing, Webbing, Reimancy
  • Morphing: A dangerous magic
  • Haku: The Drykas Ghost

Rewards

8 x Zith Claws
3 x Zith Teeth
1 x Gallon of Healing water (one time use)
1 x Reimancy Painting
1 x Small Lockable Chest
117 gold miza

Penalties

Your Windmarks and scars are completely gone.

Notes

Awesome work everyone! First storytelling event ever so feel free to give me some feedback if you think it will help me improve! I hope you all had fun and I'm looking forward to more writing with all three of you in future!
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