Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Crypt
Mar 9, 2010 23:29:12 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Mar 9, 2010 23:29:12 GMT -6
OoC: Continued from Just a band of Mercenaries
IC:
Aaron fell in darkness for what seemed to him like a long time, but couldn't be more than a few mere seconds in reality. Then he felt himself hit off of what must have been a rock sticking out from the wall. He hurtled forward and felt an impact snap hard on his forehead. He blacked out.
It wasn't much later when he awoke. He couldn't seem to move his right arm; it was trapped under something. It was too dark to see his surroundings, but he could still feel the liquid flow of crimson on his head with his left hand. He looked up and could see the whole above him. the one that he'd fallen through. Oh there was an earthquake! ...But it seems to have stopped now...
"Is anybody up there!? Can you here me?" He leaned his head back against the rock wall with a thunk, too dizzy to worry about anything but trying to allow his throbbing head to calm. At least I can reach my tome for when I can manage that.
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Crypt
Mar 9, 2010 23:58:25 GMT -6
Post by Wein Lowell on Mar 9, 2010 23:58:25 GMT -6
"Ah, you're awake," came Wein's voice from the space near Aaron. The strike of a match was heard and a small light lit, just barely illuminating Wein's face in darkness. As sullen as he still felt, the earthquake had snapped the archer out of his dismal, immobilized trance. He wasn't sure how far down they had fallen, but Wein did know he hit a lot of rock walls on the way down, and he had the soreness and bruises to show for it.
Taking the match, the archer grabbed a handful of broken arrows from his quiver and lit them before shoving them under a rock to prop them up. The flickering light gave off a dim light that danced and jumped on the rock walls. Always come prepared. Wein, still dazed from the shock of everything that had happened, looked up at the hole high above them, ignoring Aaron's trapped arm. "A hole like this hardly seems natural," he said, his face taciturn. "Earthquakes don't usually open up the ground. That's something you only hear about in stories."
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Selk Mar
Knight
Posts: 114
Profession: Protector, Mercenary
Affiliation: N/A
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Selk Mar
OoC Alias: Hewhostandsalone
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Crypt
Mar 13, 2010 17:00:14 GMT -6
Post by Selk Mar on Mar 13, 2010 17:00:14 GMT -6
Selk must have been knocked unconscious from the moment he hit one of the small ledges on the way down, because he didn't remember any of the fall after the light around him faded. He didn't know how long he'd been down here, but he knew it must have been a long time. The left side of his head had dried blood on it and his body ached in various places. The headache he had was very annoying, and his vision was blurry for some reason. Did he have a concussion? He shook his head and opened his eyes again, hoping this was just a dream. Seeing Ostia as a smoking crater and then falling into a hole in the ground that suddenly appeared....it had to be a dream.
Still, even if it was a dream he somehow felt compelled to get to his feet and try to find a way out. Something caught his attention then. A small flicker of light around what appeared to be a small turn in the crevice he was in and the seemingly distant sound of voices drew him in that direction. He moved slowly towards it, feeling around with his feet and hands to ensure he didn't run into anything or fall into an even deeper trench than the one he was already in. His shoulder armor scraped the cavern walls a couple of times, but other than that he didn't have too much trouble making his way.
When he finally made it around the short, sharp turn that the crevice had taken he saw two very shadowy silhouettes. The light was just enough to make out that they were at least the shape of humans. "Hello?" Selk called out.
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Kishou
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Be gone, evil ones!
Posts: 24
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Crypt
Mar 13, 2010 20:53:18 GMT -6
Post by Kishou on Mar 13, 2010 20:53:18 GMT -6
There was no light. The collapse came with no warning. Kishou had been walking forward towards the ruins which was once Ostia when the ground cave in and lead the monk into the abyss. He now found himself sprawled on the ground flat on his stomach, flinching and ridged in pain.
"Oh, my aching back..." he grumbled as he pushed himself up. It was a bit bent and hurt, but not broken yet. He didn't get far as he felt someone's foot crushing him back down. He let out a quick, short, but loud grunt as his arms and legs twitched ridged again.
NOW his back was broken. Or at least VERY close to it.
"It's times like this that I regret the path of clergy..." Kishou winced to himself, as he moved his hand to push the foot off of him. It was too dark to tell who it was. "M-mind getting off, please?"
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Bridget
The "Before" years
[M:0]
My eyes are up here. Look up here!
Posts: 47
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Crypt
Mar 14, 2010 19:34:21 GMT -6
Post by Bridget on Mar 14, 2010 19:34:21 GMT -6
"Ohhh..."
"Ohh..."
Bridget slowly stood back up, her eyes still adjusting to the darkness. She had no idea where she was, how she got here, or what was going on. But she did know that pretty much every part of her body hurt. Bridget's hand wandered around, trying to feel something she could hold onto. Finally, she felt the rough surface of what should be a wall. The thief leaned against it and let out a weary sigh. Just as she began to relax, something cold brushed against her arm, and she completely lost it.
Bridget ran, in no particular direction, screaming her head off. Normally she was more cool-headed and rational, but not now. Not after she'd just been sucked into a crack in the ground. Eventually in her fleeing she stopped screaming, but she was still very panicked. She had great eyesight, so now that her eyes were adjusted she could see better, but that hardly helped. As she stared straight ahead, Bridget felt something strange on her foot. She heard a grunt, and then someone pushing her foot. With the surprise, Bridget lost her balance and fell over. Now on her bottom, she looked ahead and saw who it was. "Kishou!" she gasped. Bridget grabbed the monk's arm and helped him stand up. "I thought I was alone here. Are you alright?" she asked.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Crypt
Mar 15, 2010 12:25:16 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Mar 15, 2010 12:25:16 GMT -6
Aaron was too worn out to show very much surprise at finding Wein down in the cave as well, though the light from the archers torch did help to reassure him some.
"Earthquakes don't usually open up the ground. That's something you only hear about in stories."
"That, and nightmares..." Aaron groaned quietly.
The mage growled at the pain on his right shoulder. There the small light of the burning arrows revealed that his shoulder had been trapped between a man-sized boulder and the wall he was slumped against. Thankfully, the steel pauldron he wore had managed to shelter his arm, somewhat, from the crushing blow. Now just to get it off.
"Wein, can you give me a hand? I'm not sure I can get out from under this on my own..." It was true that Aaron had become an able hiker, and strong enough take care of the responsibilities of taking care of his grandfather's estate, but this just looked like a big rock, and he was in an awkward position. Still, all they had to do was shift it enough for him to slip out from beneath it.
Then he heard voices. There seemed to be others nearby... The mage reached down and gathered up his Fire tome, turning through the pages to find the specific bit that he needed.
"Here, let me help with the light." He reached out for the strands of nature that a mage commanded, head feeling light, and twisted the power into a small glow of warm flame somewhere beween himself, Wein, and the voices. He tuned it down from a brilliant blaze to something you'd find from a fading campfire.
"Who's there?" He spoke loudly enough to be heard, but the truth was that the mage still felt down in the pits, as the flickering of the mage fire would attest. Better than when he'd first woke up, but still tired and sore.
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Kishou
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Be gone, evil ones!
Posts: 24
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Crypt
Mar 18, 2010 14:15:37 GMT -6
Post by Kishou on Mar 18, 2010 14:15:37 GMT -6
Kishou let himself being supported by Bridget, while he made a single cough from the collected rock dust that entered his nasal passages. He probably injured himself somewhat in the fall, and being stomped on only made it worse. But he couldn't blame her for it.
"I'll live," he groaned, forcing himself to stand. With his hand still on his light tome, he chanted a short verse before a small light danced around his fingertips. Holding it up, he saw Aaron and Wein in front them, with a match of their own.
"Just us," the monk answered to Aaron. Turning around, he saw Selk Mar just a bit off from the light, but still alive and well. That was a good sign.
"So, is everyone accounted for?" Kishou asked aloud.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Crypt
Mar 23, 2010 16:40:58 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Mar 23, 2010 16:40:58 GMT -6
Aaron saw the light first; it was really pretty cool actually. Then he saw the others, and gave a small relieved sigh. He hadn't been sure what to expect after being swallowed up by a cave to the north of Ostia, but it was a relief to find his companions, even if that meant they were all trapped down in the cave. He heard the rock trapping him start to grind against the stone wall and panicked, throwing all of his strength against it, hoping to keep it from shifting further on top of him. As it turned out, his worries were needless in this case, for the boulder seemed to be shifting off of him, not towards him.
The mage faltered a bit as he climbed to his feet, but soon regained his footing. The blood seemed to be returning to a more efficient flow through his body, now that he'd made it up. Even his head injury was bothering him less, though he was sure it would be tender for days, if not longer.
He looked down and inspected his steel pauldron on right shoulder. It had some new, and fairly nasty scuffs on it. It even had a decent sized dent, but it had done the job of protecting him when he needed it. That was what counted.
Aaron looked around before answering Kishou's question. "I don''t know. I don't see Lillith, or Sir Denzel, but they may not have been caught up in this." The flame he was sustaining stabilized somewhat from it's flickering existence, though he didn't brighten it much more than it already was.
Aaron looked back up the steep passage that he and Wein had fallen down. The light on the outside world looked like it was about to fade to night. "I guess we should look for a way out."
The mage sent his ball of flame to hover over the group on the left side providing enough light to see around on that side of the room. There was a passage over a short distance away, that he hadn't noticed before, large and ornately carved in a squarish pattern. Actually, the walls themselves, where they hadn't crumbled in, seemed to be carved in designs and motifs suggesting battles with the dragon kin. "Look at the walls...wow." Aaron's voice took on an amazed quality that always came to him when seeing things of this sort, echoing softly around the room. He approached the walls, but didn't touch them, fully engrossed in the pictures there. Could this be... "Wein, you'd know more about Ostia than I do.... We were to the northern region of the city. Anyone have any speculation on what this could be?" The mage felt a grin beginning to stretch across his face. Unless he was mistaken, one of the Eight Heroes of Legend was entombed to the north of Ostia....
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Crypt
Mar 24, 2010 15:56:18 GMT -6
Post by Wein Lowell on Mar 24, 2010 15:56:18 GMT -6
Wein lazily trotted over to the wall where Aaron stood and studied the paintings and hieroglyphics with care. They seemed to have an overarching theme: dragons. He began to come to the same conclusion as the mage, although he didn't know it.
"These images; they all seem to portray the Scouring. Look here," he said, pointing to a bit of writing under a picture of a large, red dragon, "the writing is an old dialect. I can only understand bits and pieces of it. I don't want to jump the gun, but..." The archer paused and turned to look at Aaron. "...I believe this could be the tomb of Roland. He's the only hero for it to make any sense that he's buried here." Wein took another look around the cavern. "Either that, or this is simply a shrine dedicated to dragons," he said, trailing off. His eyes slowly looked into the darkness. If that was true, there could be some...unsavory things lying in the darkness.
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Bridget
The "Before" years
[M:0]
My eyes are up here. Look up here!
Posts: 47
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Crypt
Mar 24, 2010 19:24:19 GMT -6
Post by Bridget on Mar 24, 2010 19:24:19 GMT -6
Bridget tapped her foot against a rock and sighed. "So...are you saying that we've found the tomb of a dead hero? Because that only makes me want to leave even more." she said. Bridget stood up and looked at the carvings. "Roland is a pretty major figure, so I wouldn't doubt that his tomb would have a shipload of traps rigged all over the place." Bridget smirked then. "Good thing you guys have me around, otherwise you'd have to grope around in the dark and get snapped up by the things." Bridget sat back down and whistled. She looked at Wein, Aaron, Kishou, and Selk for a moment. "I should scout ahead and remove any traps that I see. That way it'll be safer for the four of you to follow." she said.
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Selk Mar
Knight
Posts: 114
Profession: Protector, Mercenary
Affiliation: N/A
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Selk Mar
OoC Alias: Hewhostandsalone
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Crypt
Mar 26, 2010 9:10:28 GMT -6
Post by Selk Mar on Mar 26, 2010 9:10:28 GMT -6
Selk hadn't felt this relieved since they'd come onto the site of a devastated Ostia. Although it actually hadn't been that long ago, it had felt like an eternity to him. He couldn't really remember if all the members of their group were here or not. He felt like someone was missing, but if they were missing that just meant that either they hadn't fallen into the crevice or they had fallen in and were yet to be found.
Even though Selk tried to reassure himself, he kept finding that he was more and more unsure with each passing moment. "I'm glad to see that you're alright." He shifted his glance from person to person, stopping on Wein as he commented on the pictures and writings on the wall. Selk took a look at them himself, but he had just as much luck as Wein. The writing was too old a dialect for him to get anything out of it. Heck, he could only read even the most basic script of the current time.
Then Bridget began to speak, and she sounded reluctant to continue on at first, but she quickly shifted her opinion of the situation and said she'd scout ahead. Selk shot her a confused look, "Eh...be careful then, Bridget."
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Aerious
Manakete
The Foul Destroyer
It takes pressure and time to make diamonds.
Posts: 496
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Crypt
Mar 26, 2010 23:39:32 GMT -6
Post by Aerious on Mar 26, 2010 23:39:32 GMT -6
Aaron would notice, looking among the pictures on the walls, there was one in a different style. As of carved by a separate group from the others. The lettering was different, the shapes of human and dragon were formed oddly and numerous other differences. This particular depiction showed something odd.
In the first piece of it there was a dragon posed as if shielding something with it's wings, perhaps an egg of some sort? All that was obvious was that it was intending to cover something from view. The picture next to it had no dragons, but a shinning light depicted as the sun in the place of the guarding dragon from previous. This sun like symbol did appear elsewhere on the wall, in the various pictures depicting Scouring battles.
There were some ancient letters, but they were faded, and what could be made out was in a language no one present knew.
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Kishou
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Be gone, evil ones!
Posts: 24
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Crypt
Mar 27, 2010 20:51:12 GMT -6
Post by Kishou on Mar 27, 2010 20:51:12 GMT -6
Kishou, with his still light hand, glanced around. A crypt of a deceased hero, they said? Well, it's probably likely they won't find other survivors down here. And there was no way back out... he was worried of Lilith. He just met her and hardly knew her, but the fact that she was all on her own while the majority of them were lost in this dungeon of sorts plagued the monk's mind. He was concerned of the cavalier Denzel, as well as other members of Aaron and Wein's original mercenary party, but there was nothing to do but move forward.
"Perhaps I can assist?" He asked Bridget, when she declared the motion to check on ahead. "You might need some light, and as they say, 'two heads are better than one'."
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Crypt
Mar 29, 2010 18:30:15 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Mar 29, 2010 18:30:15 GMT -6
Aaron's gaze ran over the walls with an intense fervor, drinking up as much of the historic site as he could. It was exciting to think that he might be one of the only people to see this place in a long while. He noticed the fires he was sustaining begin to crackle a bit more lively as he grew more interested. "...I think you're right Wein. This is Roland's tomb." His gaze roved over to another set of carvings, ones that looked as if a different artist had carved them. There was a dragon in one of the pictures. Perhaps it was protecting something? In the next relic, there was a shining globe in it's place. He recognized the odd depiction from elsewhere on the wall, but didn't really know what it could mean.
He heard Bridget saying something. Ah. Of course... Not everyone is quite as focused on this sort of thing as I am... He looked back on the wall before stepping, disappointed, back from the wall.
He'd heard her say something about traps. He hadn't even thought of that. If there were some,He wouldn't have been ready, and would have blundered straight into them, likely enough.
It took him a moment before he put aside his interest in the carvings, and started thinking about basic survival sense. "That's a good idea Kishou. I don't think anyone should travel alone here, and no one should stray far..." The mage's head tilted slightly, in curiosity. Why was it that Bridget had familiarity with traps, and the like? She'd seemed an able traveler when they met, but did she have the actual understanding needed to get them past the snares? ...and ancient ones at that! But, it was a question for later. Still, he couldn't help himself. Being an able enough woodsman himself, he'd try to make sure he wasn't that far behind their scouts, just in case there was need for aid.
"Be careful" He said addressing everyone, but particularly Bridget. "Places like this sometimes have unsteady support." There was a twisted smile as he said this, put there at the memory of how they'd all arrived in the place. "I'd hate to have to dig out of any more trouble. Trap, landslide, or otherwise."
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Selk Mar
Knight
Posts: 114
Profession: Protector, Mercenary
Affiliation: N/A
Affinity: Thunder
Profile: Selk Mar
OoC Alias: Hewhostandsalone
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Crypt
Apr 1, 2010 12:35:24 GMT -6
Post by Selk Mar on Apr 1, 2010 12:35:24 GMT -6
Selk couldn't really make anything out of what he saw on the walls. He wasn't scholarly like Kishou or Aaron. He could see little pictures and things, though, and they seemed to make sense when he thought about this being the tomb of a hero of the Scouring. His mind conjured up images of all the stories he'd heard about the Scouring as he followed along.
He was near the back of their group, but he had managed to keep up so far. He decided to try and strike up a conversation, "Hey, Aaron, do you have any clue as to why there was an earthquake so suddenly? Things seemed calm before it happened. They seemed calm to me, at least."
OOC: Fail post is fail. V_V
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