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Author Topic: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Despoiled Temple  (Read 14514 times)

Parsely

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #45 on: April 21, 2015, 02:03:49 pm »

I'm fine with following orders as long as I'm being paid. The Archestone would be my employer if it ever made me any promises, so instead I guess I'm working for myself, like when I was a kid. It's been a long time since I ever did anything for free.

Leave the cave.
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Cheesecake

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #46 on: April 21, 2015, 05:15:11 pm »

Everyone was getting up and ready to go. Everyone shared their sob stories of how they came to be here. Slope wasn't sure he was ready to share his. I thought they loved me.

No time to dwell on the past. Now was the time to get out of this misty cave and into the fresh air. Follow!

'Do either of you object so strongly to my views, or might I be in easier company here?'

The other redhead of the group asked. She looked tough as nails, that one. "Not really, miss. I never really cared. Never really looked up to the stars and started thinking. Never had the time." Guess he had plenty of time now. "But I'm like Essel here. As long as I'm getting paid."
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GiglameshDespair

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #47 on: April 21, 2015, 06:29:09 pm »

You file past the monument, heading into the passageway. Your feet thud dully on the living stone of the tunnel. The light of the Archestone fades into the distance. Soon, the rock is light only by irregular glowing orbs, studded at seemingly random intervals into the wall. The contours of the rock make them resemblant to eyes, and you can keenly feel the weight of the stone above.

Eventually, the tunnel widens from the claustrophobic narrows into an underground grotto. Clusters of stalagmites and stalactites frame a small stream, trickling from the gash in the wall into a tiny underground pond. Translucent fish, their flesh clear as the water surrounding them, circle slowly. Eyeless insects crawl on the surface of the water. A single one of the glowing orbs is implanted within the ceiling, half devoured.

It is then you noticed the hollows on the walls, and the shapes within - the shadows cast giving them strange features. Some are so swallowed by the growth of the stone as to be almost unnoticeable; others are slumped against the wall, barely touched by the passage of time but for the green corrosion of their armour. Skulls, a brittle yellow, watch you from rusted helms. Some seem to miss their swords. Others have degraded into a mere red smear on the rock that has bubbled up the engulf them. But several still seem to be in solid enough - the steel remarkably untouched by the damp air and passage of time.

A pair of passageways seem to lead out - one showing signs of stonework in the roughly-square doorway, the other an irregular fault in the rock.

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Parsely

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #48 on: April 21, 2015, 10:13:02 pm »

Essel's eyes narrowed. He was focused on the passages, not paying any attention to the tombs lining the walls. He turned to the others and spoke quickly and with confidence.

Stay here until I'm sure it's safe, unless you want to investigate the man-made exit. Watch out for traps, like stones on the floor that are overgrown or not as worn as the others. Take it slow. I don't think this place would be guarded from intruders coming from the inside but there's no reason not to be cautious. No using magic, not even to detect traps. Where I come from clever defenders use enchanted triggers that respond to sorcerous aura.

Move carefully to take a closer look at the natural fault, but do not enter. Watch my step in case of pitfalls.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2015, 10:17:36 pm by GUNINANRUNIN »
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sjm9876

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #49 on: April 22, 2015, 08:00:54 am »

Great, mercenaries. Karia disliked mercenaries.

Still, the company was the least of the troubling things in the room.

She turned and spoke to Essel:

'I think the guards are obvious enough.'

She nods to the tombs.

'Still, never hurts to be careful, especially around the dead.'

She chuckles, it's sound echoing around the cave, and she goes to investigate the doorway - looking for any recognisable marks especially.
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Cheesecake

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #50 on: April 22, 2015, 08:09:02 am »

(Ninja'd again, dammit.)

Essel looked like someone who'd been in situations like this. Listening to hime would probably be wise, but he sure wasn't going to sit and wait.

"I'm going to check out the man-made entrance." He goes to pick up a sword, one that was still intact. "We should probably arm ourselves too."

Pick up a sword and sneakily scout the man-made entrance.
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Dwarmin

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #51 on: April 22, 2015, 08:27:49 am »

Seeing her allies break off to examine various parts of the cavern, Sučana turned to one of the orbs, examining it closely.

Action: Examine the light orbs. Can they be removed safely?
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GiglameshDespair

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #52 on: April 22, 2015, 09:41:39 am »

Essel walks over to examine the fault. The tunnel behind it is dark, only the faintest rays of light reaching into it. It's the angle of the light that show scuff marks on the stone, however: something else had been this way, though how many years ago, you cannot tell.

---

Karia and Slope step over the stream, walking up to the doorway.

Slope retrieves one of the more intact blades. As he pulls it from the skeletal grip, the gauntlet holding it tears like paper, sending flakes of rust to drift to the cavern floor. The sword itself is quite heavy, the edge dull, but it seems study enough to deal blows.

The carved blocks still seem strong, the different sheen on the stone revealing it was not carved from the cave itself. The archstone of the doorway is engraved with four tiny stars around a crown. On every other block is carved tiny writing, hard to read. Trying to read it gives a strange sensation in your head, and suddenly the minute runes make sense.
Let none not of the Kingdom pass here, we beseech thee.

---

Sučana cannot reach the light orb in this cavern, so she backtracks to the corridor. Taking a closer look at the orb least in the wall, she attempted to pull it out. The orb is slightly warm to the touch, and her fingertips send ripples through the light as if she'd dipped them in a basin of water. It takes several tugs, before it pops out. The orb is just large enough your finger don't quite touch, holding it in your palm.

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Dwarmin

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #53 on: April 22, 2015, 09:54:08 am »

Sučana wondered what this thing was made of, or why she inherently knew it was called a 'Sunmote'* Maybe someone with more skill in magic would know exactly what it was, or how it worked-but for the moment, it was a lantern, and that was all she cared about. A more imaginative person might have called it beautiful, but she was just glad it was functional. Hopefully it had an inherent power source, and was not connected to the wall somehow...

She went to join the others, wanting to retrieve one of those blades-poor quality, hardly better than clubs she thought to herself-but, better than ones fingernails. Essel also seemed momentarily blocked by the shadows. She held her light aloft to help show him the way.

Action: Go retrieve my Lv.0 rusted sword from the bone men. Go help essel see whats down the darkened corridor with my own light.

*Until corrected, I'm going to assume the knowledge given to us us by Archestone extends to the things in our inventory as well. :P
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Haspen

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #54 on: April 22, 2015, 09:59:49 am »

//ptw cuz apparently good game in this thread!
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Dwarmin

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #55 on: April 22, 2015, 10:03:37 am »

//ptw cuz apparently good game in this thread!

((get outta here, cat

*water bucket*))
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Parsely

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #56 on: April 22, 2015, 10:35:45 am »

Essel, seeing the light spilling across the walls beside him, looked back over his shoulder at Sučana. He gestured towards the fissure, stepping carefully across the rough floor back towards her.

We can get out through here. What's that you're holding?
« Last Edit: April 22, 2015, 10:38:01 am by GUNINANRUNIN »
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Dwarmin

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #57 on: April 22, 2015, 10:50:21 am »

"I think it's called a 'Sunmote'-they were lighting the hallway we went through, and I just knew I should take one...a handy torch, though I don't know how long it will last. Might as well get as much use of it as we can.

It's warm to the touch, but it's not hot. I'm not sure what it is made of, really."
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Parsely

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #58 on: April 22, 2015, 10:55:03 am »

Well..

Remove another sunmote from the wall, take it away from the rest of the group and smash it open against the floor.
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GiglameshDespair

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Re: ARCHESTONE - 4/4 - The Weeping of the World
« Reply #59 on: April 22, 2015, 11:21:34 am »

Sučana retrieves another rusted blade, holding it in one hand, orb in the other.

She then lights up the fault, revealing more pale walls. the tunnel is narrow, but seems passable until a corner takes the path out of sight. With the light shining close, it is clear something widened the tunnel in some parts - chips of stone lie next to chunks of shattered stalagmites.

Essel heads back to the corridor, passing through the claustrophobic darkness made by the absent sunmote orb. It takes a while to find the next one you can yank free from the rock. You too feel the warmth of the stone in your head. You head back to the cavern, and aiming away from the others, hurl the orb against the wall.

It shatters with a blinding flash, sending all watching reeling, their vision temporarily destroyed by the searing light.

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