Plead with the large women to not kill us; if all else fails run away.

Edit : error

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jun 21 2012, 11:42 pm by Tempz.

Isador stood at the top of the cavern, looking down, his Projection at his side. The murals seemed odd to him. Were they depictions of the orb he had seen in the first room of the cave? The one linked to Justifar's realm? It made sense in a manner. If cults, or those behind the cults, seeked to hide information in a realm hostile against magic, few would be willing to go to such lengths to oust it. A company of armored men at the king's decree could wallow in the caverns he had seen in his studies for years. However, between the books and the starmap, Isador had a sense of the cave's layout and the more distant destinations. He conjured a second projection, and sent one to the upper pillar, and one to the mouth. He himself stepped towards the doorway, ever mindful of further defenses.

Dan pleaded with the goddess to spare them as she called forth a staff carved from shimmering ivory, many beasts etched into the side that all seemed to be moving. She brought the staff down on where he and Martin stood, barely missing them. "You must leave," Pryti said pleadingly, her normal voice back. Dan and Martin run for the exit, but with another swipe of the staff they find themselves rammed into the wall. The goddess brings her staff down hard on the entrance, the force of it bringing the walls down around them. "We're not going to make it!" Martin cried out, his face cut up badly. They could see Pryti trying to tap into the goddess to mitigate some of the force behind the strikes, but she was also thrown back.

"It isn't much use, but I don't know what it is we can do!" Pryti said to them, "we have to make a run for it...over there," she said, pointing at light leaking through a rather large crack in the wall. "I'll try to distract her, you two dig us out!" She ran back out, deeply bruised. She threw her hands back out at the goddess defiantly. Dan and Martin seized their chance and made for the wall.

"You turn on me, servant?" the goddess laughed.

"I seek only to protect those weaker than I am!" She responded, but her voice was shaking. "Think of your daughter..."

"My daughter is quite safe, foolish girl. If you plan to stand in my way, I will kill you too," the goddess said, bringing her staff down again. In a single motion she had the three of them pinned in the corner again.

But the force of this attack cleared the last piece of rubble that they needed to escape. "Hurry!" Pryti called. They ran past the defenses again, and as they did so the realized they could no longer see the fortress behind them. After running for nearly an hour they stopped. "We will not be able to return," Pryti said, slumping over, "I wonder where she took Psamathe? I no longer feel her here..."



There is a trapdoor at the top of the spiral. Looking out of it, it opens up into a dry island in the Marsh. Isador contemplated the door in front of him, looking for traps. Finding no evidence of any, he reaches out to grab the handle. He heard darts ricocheting off of the walls behind him. He ducked, but saw that it was his projection under attack, not him. The projection faded into mist, and a group of six attackers looked around, confused. "It was just your imagination. All this time down here has made you lose a few marbles, hasn't it?" one asked, knocking a second one up the backside of the head.

"I swear I saw something," the one he hit said, rubbing his head. The group looked gaunt and underfed. They turned around and walked back through the mouth of the cave, their voices echoing away quickly.

Isador turned back to the door in front of him, and opened it gingerly. A long stone hallway appeared, green pigment painted over it, crude oil lamps somehow still burning an eerie glow despite the appearance of not being used for many years. There was another set of doors at the end of the hallway of cast iron. He could tell by the inscriptions and the door and the symbols that followed that an elemental shrine lay on the other side, but of what element he wasn't sure. The green washing over the entrance hallway meant it would be of the earth, but even that would be broad, and he knew that the mortals were so insane that they were capable of building a shrine for every tree and flower in the kingdom.

He heard singing from the other side of the door, a soft and beautiful sound with a slightly melancholic undertone. He tried to open the doors, but they were rusted shut. He pulled harder, the singing getting louder and the doors starting to come ajar. He finally forced the door open, expecting to see the source of the singing, but finding nothing more than a small enclosure with very little light and room for only two people. There was a humble offering plate before a wooden sword, which Isador took a moment to realize was hovering. Beneath the plate in delicate calligraphy he saw the inscription...The elements wait for those who ask, but those who take perish inevitably.

Isador considered the words thoughtfully. Surely the riddle desired for a tribute to take whatever it held. Was this another defense mechanism, conspired by the cultists to safeguard something? Or was this another artifact of some nature? Isador did not thoroughly nourish the prospect of toying with what could potentially be another divine object. Such was attention he didn't need. So, he had to figure out what nature of tribute it required to move forward.

Perhaps the humans could tell him? Isador considered hunting down the humans. Even if they were cave adapted, they could not see in the dark very well. The darkness was his element. He could easily set up a trap and force them to tell him everything they knew. But if he accidentally killed them, a very likely prospect, he wouldn't dare risk another blood rite. Not with Loha searching for him.

Isador sent his remaining projection to explore the island while he devised a means to ambush the humans. He returned to the mouth, and saturated the ground, walls, and ceiling with shadows. Drawing Excellion and summoning his fangs, he released a pulse of violet light down the mouth, and drew away from its entrance. If the humans appeared, he'd strike for their limbs with chains and fangs.

Isador waited for the humans to return, but they did not. The shrine behind him sung softly, but when he turned to face it the singing would stop.

Isador considered that perhaps the humans were now deeply entrenched in another network. He opted to pursue them into the cave mouth. Meanwhile, he had his projection gather the purest soil it could from the surface island, and bring it to the tribute. Although he didn't expect much, he figured he'd see if an earth-related offering would encourage any kind of response.

The next room of the cavern Isador went into did not have anything in it - just more paths. There appeared to be the remains of a spiral that would head upwards towards a trap door, but the spiral staircase had crumbled before now. There was a passage way east, north, and west into different hallowed out areas. Otherwise there was nothing of interest in this section of the cavern.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jun 23 2012, 3:23 am by Fire_Kame.

Seeing as Isador's theory about earth-related offerings did not seem to pan out, he dismisses the last Projection, then conjures two other to search the western and eastern passages. Without much else available to him in immediately vicinity, he returns to the shrine, but instead of opening the door, listens to the voice and meditates on it, attempting to decipher its meaning.

Isador listens carefully to the tune from the shrine. It sounds like a religious chant, the humility of the chant leaving a deep imprint on him.

Isador considers perhaps it would be best to return to the shrine when he understood more of the locale. With his projections meandering the west and eastern tunnels inside the mouth, he takes the central passage.

The west passage is entirely dark, the projection will not be able to see anything without further light, but the floor has clearly been tiled with firm fitting wood, and a ladder leans against one side, next to an entrance way leading further west. There is another passage way north. The eastern passage takes the project to three doors - one with blue painted on it, one with orange painted on it, and one with green painted on it. As the projection gets nearer, he hears boisterous cheering and war drums coming from the doors. The doors open freely when tested, but the cheering stops. Inside each is a wrought iron metal shield - the shield behind the blue door has a whirlpool engraved, the shield behind the orange door has a flame, and the shield behind the green door has vines. Beneath each shield lies an alter adorned with candles and armaments of war, and on it an inscription reads The elements wait for those who take, but those who steal perish inevitably.

The north passage that Isador takes is wide but short, and leads to another three doors - one painted blue, one painted orange, and one painted green. Smoke hazes the area, and careful investigation shows that there are several traps in his way - several untripped wires lay before him, and some out of place objects were scattered, probably hiding levers or buttons that lead to more traps. He heard whispers fading in and out from the doors. A glowing transcription rests above each door: The elements wait for those who steal, but those who ask perish inevitably.

Isador remembers one of the things he read in Justifar's library: control of the elements were a fickle thing for mortals. There were many ways to control each element, but the way in which they were controlled would vary greatly in their power, response, and abilities.

Find a succeeded open area to meditate and train with martin afterwards.

Isador summoned Excellion, and cast a flash of purple light into the haze, seeking to unveil the layout of tripwires and other obstructions. With some information in hand, he makes careful effort to avoid the obstacles. He dismisses both of his projections and instead uses that energy to form a shadow shield in case something goes wrong.

Dan meditates in the field a little ways off, Pryti watching him suspiciously for a while before going about her business. "You know, when the full moon comes in a few days," she says breaking him out of his meditation, "the wolfborn will come out. We should probably make haste out of the forest. I'm sure the explosive 'trick' your friend pulled will do little to calm them."

"If you're going to leave the forest," Martin says, ringing his hands together agitated, "then I'm leaving. I have to find Do- my grandfather...he could be in trouble, or hurt..."



Isador brought his projections together close, forming a shield around him, and searched the area. He quickly dodged most of the easy to spot traps, his projections taking some damage due to clumsy mistakes on his part. Once upon the doors he reached out. The doors are locked.

Isador attempts to force down the doors. Should this fail, fool around with levers.

Isador's attempt to force the door open is successful, but the doors will no longer close. If he is followed, someone will know he has been there. As the doors open the whispering hushes instantly. Sitting on a pedestal in each of the rooms is a large gemstone that matches the room's color - emerald, sapphire and ruby. Standing before each pedestal is a shade, watching Isador as he enters the room, but not turning as Isador walks behind it.

Isador went through a portion of his mental library. The inscriptions were likely more than just human enchantments. Divine energy lurked in this underworld, but not of a nature he could decipher. The purpose of the shrines remain a mystery to him, but the inscriptions were clearly part of a greater purpose. This realm was the realm of thieves, the others, realms of some other respective path. Warriors... and something else. What was a cult doing with these things in their back door? He studied the shades, but they were not a conjuration he could immediately decipher. If the inscription here was to steal, then steal he would. He reached for the sapphire.

sigh and go with martin to see his grandfather.

Long I've slumbered and long I've dreamt.

I am Serena, knight of olde.
days of dreary boredom unfold,

Spring's burgeon and blossom yield
to Summer's fury, heat unsealed.

Fear me darkness, hear me roar,
I am unlike your enemies before,

Ancient power yearns for battle,
locked behind key and shackle.

---



Serena grinned, looking at the world for the first time. She was in a bed of great comfort. Silk sheets and a hint of lavender. A lovely smell -- which was something she also had not done in some time.

Scratching her head, she passed over her ears. Her human ears; inferior human ears. She felt a bit naked without her proper ears. And her tail, it was gone! It was Athenos's body, a body that was surprisingly inflexible, her usual slim figure replaced by needless muscles and a larger frame.

"Humans," she pouted softly, drooping. Her voice sounded like his as well. But it wouldn't be forever, fortunately. Her little knight was hard at work securing that which was already hers, and this was her facade. She chuckled before snuggling back into her bed to sleep, body still weary from injury.

Isador reached for the sapphire, the shade smirking as he suddenly disappeared into a black, cold void, at first feeling weightless, but as he fell further the pressure became nearly overwhelming. It wasn't until his lungs burned for air that he realized he was drowning.

The tempest rages above, bearing destruction on the feeble mortal civilization,
The rivers and lakes humbly carve the earth, bringing it into shape and purpose,
But the deep sea, ever waiting, shrouds all secrets in its depths.
It is this that you have chosen, and that alone which you will receive.

Isador was brought back to the human realm, shivering and lungs still burning, although his clothes were still dry, as if nothing happened. The shade was gone, and the beautiful sapphire had been transformed into a dull gray rock. Isador has gained traits of the deep sea, including increased mental fortitude against outside attacks, and with a strange and intense calm. Looking into the two rooms by him, he realizes the ruby and emerald are still shining, undisturbed by his events with the sapphire.



Dan concedes to follow Martin hesitantly. "Don't worry, Dan. I think you'll like him," he said with a grin, "come on, let's get going." He stopped and looked at Pryti, who looked a little lost and very worried. "Uh, Pryti, did you want to come?"

"No," she said after a few minutes, "I'll go to my parents, in Stoire," she sighed and looked at her ruined dress, "I'm not much to look at am I? But please, if you are ever in the protectorate, we live at the top of the hill, in the north eastern corner of the city. You're both welcome there anytime, my parents and sister would like you."

Martin and Dan set off further east into the forest, following a crudely drawn path marked by Pryti earlier that day. The sun was setting, the scent of burning foliage still heavy in the air. "Not far now..." Martin muttered, Dan's eyes lingering on what appeared to be a twin set of scorch marks. There was a loud metallic crashing sound ahead of them, causing both men to stop dead in their tracks as they heard a male voice protest loudly at whatever caused the commotion. Dan drew his sword, but Martin waved it down, walking forward. They were outside the cave now, a dim lantern reflecting off of a work bench off at one end of the cave. In the other, covered partially in a large piece of canvas, is rigid object, the small piece showing from beneath the canvas reflecting dimly in the lamplight. Standing over the back of the thing was an elderly man in white, sucking on his thumb as if he had just stubbed it. His hair - where it grew, for the top of his head was quite bald - was white and frayed out wildly. Upon seeing Dan and Martin approach, the old man quickly - with surprising nimbleness - covered the strange contraption and walked up to them with a feigned limp.

"No no, you must go on, there is nothing here but me, an old hermit..." he said as he approached, but he was cut off suddenly when he saw Martin's face. "Marty...? Is that you? Marty! This is fantastic! Come quickly, I need your -" he stopped again, peering at Dan and then back to Martin, "What is he doing here? I have told you very specifically of the ramifications of manipulating the timeline in our own universe, think of the ramifications in a universe that we are not even supposed to know about!" Martin peered awkwardly at Dan, and then back to the old man, unsure of who's side to take.