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
Apr 3, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 3, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -6
Aaron held a hand to his still injured head as they started down the tunnel. It didn't seem to be troubling him too much, other than just being there, and the occasional pull of crusted blood on his hair. His thoughts were wandering back to the ruins of the city on the surface, Ostia, what used to be the gem of Lycia's populace. He couldn't even begin to comprehend what may have been lost there. People's lives, and livelihoods, but more than that. Generations of knowledge must have filled those halls; works of great skill with the chisel, brush, and forge.
Aaron. Stop thinking about that. Books, and art can be recovered. You must not allow yourself to forget the people who died there. That was how his thoughts proceeded, until broken by Selk Mar's intrusion. At least it was something other than arguing with himself in his head.
Aaron answered without missing a beat, even being drawn into an explanation of what he believed happened. "Magic. You see, when a mage uses his magic, he's tapping into, and manipulating something akin to..." Aaron gestured with his hand a bit, and his flame seemed to dance, responding to the way the amateur mage's thoughts were wandering. "... the best way to put it is that we are capable of twisting the powers of nature to differing extents." He turned somber. "Like water draining into a depression, can sometimes gather. What happened to us was a backlash of the magic left over from whatever scorched Ostia. As near as I can tell, it was unguided, uncontrolled. Wild magic. I fear my presence is what triggered it. Those are my beliefs, anyway... I fear to meet whatever it was that had the power to...."
Thinking about Ostia again. The disbelief and fear at something so powerful could be seen reflected in his eyes. I don't know what could possibly stand against thatkind of power.
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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
Apr 6, 2010 20:05:29 GMT -6
Post by Bridget on Apr 6, 2010 20:05:29 GMT -6
Unsteady support? Sounds just like a rocky ship to me! Bridget thought with a bit of a smirk. "Kishou, go ahead and give me some light." she said quietly. Bridget extended her right foot and tapped the ground with it. Solid. She moved forward a few paces and performed the same test. This time, she frowned. "Ignore this spot." she said, still quiet. Bridget ripped a shred of red fabric from her shirt and placed it in the general area that she had just examined. "It's not a guaranteed 'step on it and you die' thing, but it's best to just avoid that spot." she announced. Her eyes scanned up for any traps in the ceiling, but she didn't see anything strange. Yet. Bridget stopped for a moment and looked back. "Tell me when, you guys. I'm ready to move out once you give the word."
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Denzel
The "Before" years
[M:-190]
Posts: 76
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Crypt
Apr 7, 2010 15:34:49 GMT -6
Post by Denzel on Apr 7, 2010 15:34:49 GMT -6
Denzel stood at the brink of a crevice that had formed in very earth that up until very recently was ground to the most wellconstructed fortress to grace Elibe. It's as though the very land of Lycia itself has given up on this war. Denzel thought grimly. "Well, whatever happens my first priority is to learn the fate of my comrades and help them if any of them survived that fall." Denzel said to himself, pushing himself to what he must inevitable do. He had scourged at the entire area for a save way to climb down but he could see nothing but an impenetrable darkness. He had gathered firewood so he'd have light when he gets down. Nothing left to do then make a leap of faith as they say. Denzel gulped and took a few steps back, then ashamed of this newfound cowardice, leaped into the darkness.
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Kishou
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Be gone, evil ones!
Posts: 24
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Crypt
Apr 10, 2010 20:56:53 GMT -6
Post by Kishou on Apr 10, 2010 20:56:53 GMT -6
Kishou nodded as he followed Bridget. He felt it was best this way, so he wouldn't be distracted by her... figure. He quickly ignored any similar thoughts and grazed his lit hand around the area. Stone and gravel and dust and dirt... everything was collapsed and ruined, as if made to trap them inside. Perhaps this was a crypt of a deceased hero of some sort. Some monks and other sagely scholars might be interested to study this tomb, but all Kishou cared about was self-preservation and the journey to purge evil that plagued the land. Most likely the same kind that brutally ended Ostia before them.
Kishou glanced at the spot Bridget marked with a red cloth. He arched an eyebrow in curiosity as she stated it wasn't deadly but most likely dangerous to do so. He felt tempted to tap on the cloth and see, but Bridget was the expert, not him.
He followed her gaze up to the ceiling. It was rock solid and apparently sturdy. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Suddenly, he heard a noise. A sort of yell and crash followed after. The monk blinked in thought. Did someone follow them down here?
"Shh. Did anyone hear that just now?" he asked aloud, hoping he wasn't hearing things.
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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
Apr 15, 2010 11:42:45 GMT -6
Post by Wein Lowell on Apr 15, 2010 11:42:45 GMT -6
Wein paused, as Kishou spoke. He heard the yell...and the thud. Somebody else was down here. Was it someone they knew? The archer hoped so. He didn't feel like dealing with any danger at the moment. He didn't need any demons gouging his eyes out. It was hard enough to see already.
"Follow me or don't," he said to the others, nodding toward the source of the noise. "I'm going to go check it out." With a gulp, Wein slowly stalked into the darkness towards the noise. As he walked closer, the light from the hole they entered in began to illuminate the area, however dimly. In the scarce light, Wein could see a young boy in Lycian armor lying on the ground. Cautious, the archer tilted his head and stopped walking.
"Denzel?"
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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
Apr 15, 2010 21:34:06 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 15, 2010 21:34:06 GMT -6
"Wein, wait a minute..." And off the archer went, into the dark. The mage couldn't help but say out loud, "We're getting too strung out. We need to try and stick together..." Aaron had heard the noise, but wasn't eager to go questing back into the darkness they'd just left behind.
Just then, there was a lightening of the space below them. It looked like a small party of various kinds of soldiers, perhaps a splinter off of a larger group, was in the tomb, as well, but were traveling on the more clear cut hallways of the crypt, below, instead of the rough cut areas which Aaron and his friends were traveling. A ball of flame hovered, following over the group, a group which seemed to proudly display their black and white uniforms, which varied between armor and robes depending on the individual.
The Green haired mage looked down from the space where they were, about twenty feet above, as the black and white clothed group wandered about, seeming to investigate whatever they could see, some using torches, studying the walls, and columns which filled the place. As yet, none had glanced up into the darker recesses of the upper levels to see the mage, or noticed the old, stone, carved staircases which led between the two floors.
The mage dimmed his own light to near nonexistance, and moved it out of view from below, going and quietly getting some of the others' attention, before gesturing towards the soldiers.
"It doesn't look like they fell in." Aaron whispered just loudly enough to be heard. "What should we do about them?" There were probably going to be a few ideas passed around.
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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
Apr 15, 2010 22:15:49 GMT -6
Post by Bridget on Apr 15, 2010 22:15:49 GMT -6
"I say we sneak around them. They don't look lost to me." Bridget said, her voice low but sure. "We're groping in the dark. They're strutting around. Something tells me they have a reason to be here." she added. Bridget did not like this one bit. Being in a crypt was the kind of thing that was supposed to scare people witless and drive them crazy. And yet, these people with their nice-looking uniforms and smug smiles were just...Well, they weren't a good thing. "They might help us...or they might kill us. To be honest, I say we grab Denzel and keep moving on our way. At least then we won't be putting our necks on the line to trust these people."
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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 16, 2010 8:57:44 GMT -6
Post by Selk Mar on Apr 16, 2010 8:57:44 GMT -6
Selk wasn't sure what to do at this point. They'd just found Denzel again, and now there was another group that had appeared in these caverns. It did seem a bit too convenient that there'd be another group of travelers down here. He had a bad feeling about this whole situation now. "I agree with Bridget on this one. Something about this situation just screams to me that it's not good." Selk moved along with the group, taking note of Aaron's comment and increasing his pace a bit to stick closer to his comrades.
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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
Apr 16, 2010 21:21:11 GMT -6
Post by Wein Lowell on Apr 16, 2010 21:21:11 GMT -6
Wein walked up to Denzel and shook the young cavalier a bit. He was alive. With a grunt, he knelt down and lifted the boy to his feet, patting him on the back, then slung Denzel over his shoulder. If the rest of them were any indication, it would be a few minutes before he came to his senses.
"I've got Denzel," said Wein to the group. "If we're going to get passed these guys, we're going to need to do it silently. Any noise we make will echo in these caverns." The archer moved to the front. "I'll take point. These wouldn't be the first caves I've trudged around in."
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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
Apr 21, 2010 16:10:13 GMT -6
Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 21, 2010 16:10:13 GMT -6
Aaron moved on, following the others. Wein was now in the lead, and he thought Bridget was still up front, with him too, but wasn't positive anymore. He was in agreement with them. Sneaking would be far better than open conflict, but he wasn't sure they could manage to slip past. How had the troops gotten inside? If they'd come in, it must mean that they were organized enough to get back out at least.
They weaved through passage ways, up a bit, before turning, or curving ascending yet more, descending. To Aaron, it felt like that if a direction existed, they had traveled it. Eventually, he found himself traveling near Selk and Kishou. It occurred to Aaron, that inside the darkened cave, a mage, particularly a light mage would be able to wreak havoc on the visibility of those around him. Even Aaron's own fire could have an extreme effect on the confined space. That might prove useful....
That was when Aaron heard a shout coming back from the direction they'd come.
"Captain! I've found something strange. It looks like a piece of cloth, new, red cloOOOOTHhhh-" the sound ended in a scream for help. Aaron couldn't tell, from here, what had happened, but it seemed that some traces of them had been discovered. Depending on where they went from there, they would either find the rooms that Aaron and his friends had landed in, or would pursue the group through the caves.
"Corporal! What happened?!"
"Well, looks like they found a present from the ancients...."
OoC: I realize that my dictating where Wein went is kinda like Godmodding, but in my defense, no one was posting, so I moved us forward. Where it goes from here? I don't know. Some one else should add a relevant bit of information to the plot. If everybody adds one thing, the thread is guaranteed to go someplace. For example: Do we get chased by the soldiers back there, or do we run into some obstacle like a waterfall, or lava lake, or do we find an exit from the place. Is there a camp outside with soldiers? Someone add something new please.
This has been, Pep talks with Winsett. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
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Denzel
The "Before" years
[M:-190]
Posts: 76
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Crypt
Apr 25, 2010 16:41:17 GMT -6
Post by Denzel on Apr 25, 2010 16:41:17 GMT -6
OoC: I like how first I am a bloody mess on the floor that Wein isn't sure of is still alive, but once he confirms a heartbeat he assumes that I'll be "back to my senses" in a matter of minutes. That's just awesome.
BiC: "I'll be fine Wein." Denzel said drowsily. He couldn't feel most of his lower body and it was so dark that he had to take it on faith that he hadn't gone blind but the faint conversation about carrying him stirred something in him. Pride or honor or some such. "Is, is everyone alright? What's going on?" The young cavalier proceeded to ask, setting him up to be tougher then he was.
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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 26, 2010 10:30:18 GMT -6
Post by Selk Mar on Apr 26, 2010 10:30:18 GMT -6
Seeing as it seemed that their group had halted for a brief moment, Selk stepped forward slightly from his place in the back with Aaron and Kishou up to where Denzel was. He whispered, "There's another group of soldiers down here in the caverns with us, and I think they might have just found a trace of us. Fighting down here probably isn't a good idea. We can keep moving forward and hopefully avoid them altogether, but if we take a wrong turn and hit a dead end...we might end up out of luck. Not to mention there's the possibility of traps as that poor fellow back there seems to have figured out first hand. And even though it's not exactly the time to be making idle chatter, it's good to see you're up and moving around."
Selk then nodded to Denzel and moved to the back of the group with Aaron and Kishou again. He hoped that they wouldn't have to fight down here. With a lance he could fight easily here because the lance is a thrusting weapon, so the narrow caverns wouldn't hinder his attacks. But the others might not be able to fight at their full potential. And that didn't even take into account the very obvious fact that they were underground and shrouded in darkness for the most part.
He wracked his brain for ideas on how to lose the other group. He couldn't think of any surefire way to do it. They could try to clog up the path between them by trying to make the cavern fall through, but then they might get caught in the rubble and crushed. They needed light to move around safely, but if Aaron or Kishou used their magic for enough light to see...then their cover would be blown. The only thing that made matters worse was it seemed like these uniformed soldiers had begun heading towards the group. "Aaron, we have a problem. It looks like they're coming this way," He whispered again, not wanting to alert the possible opposition to their location. Time was of the essence.
OOC: Sorry if it seems like I'm posting a bit too much. I can slack off at anyone in this threads request. I just don't have openings to post all the time, so I post when I can.
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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
Apr 26, 2010 11:01:31 GMT -6
Post by Wein Lowell on Apr 26, 2010 11:01:31 GMT -6
OoC: Nobody ever said you were a bloody mess "Alright," said Wein as he set the cavalier down on his feet. Denzel was a tough little kid. At that age, the archer would have bawling and whining like a child. He turned back to the rest of the group, taking note of Selk's warning. If the soldiers got to their position, the chance of death and or injury instantly skyrocketed, and Wein doubted anybody wanted that. They couldn't run, not in caverns like these. They'd make too much noise. The clanking of weapons and armor would easily give away their position. Plus, if that screaming soldier was any indication, this place was booby trapped. One more thing the band of mercenaries wouldn't want to deal with. Scoping out the surrounding territory, a plan came to the Ostian's mind. In the darkness, Wein could fire an arrow and play it off as a trick of the caverns. He'd heard stories about caves like these rigged with walls that shot arrows and roofs that dropped giant boulders. Perhaps he could scare the soldiers off. "Stay down," Wein whisper to the others, pulling out his bow and knocking an arrow. Taking aim with what little light he could, he focused in on the silhouettes of one of the soldiers and loosed the wooden shaft at the man. The sound of pierced flesh and gargling told him he'd hit his mark. "Sir!" yelled a voice. "We've got a man down!"
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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
Apr 26, 2010 17:54:00 GMT -6
Post by Bridget on Apr 26, 2010 17:54:00 GMT -6
Bridget's eyes darted around, searching for possible escape routes. There were plenty of ways to get out of this very area, but the odds of the route taken being safe were...slim. And it was so dark. Too dark. The only reason they were together right now was because it was quiet enough to follow each other's sounds. That would be lost in an ensuing chaos. After Wein attacked the soldier, Bridget walked up behind him. "They have torches. Give me the word and I'll go get one." she whispered. "We can't rely solely on magic, especially if we get split up. Let me get some supplies from them. I'll be quiet." Bridget's voice remained low as she looked at the panicking soldiers. They would sense the adventurers, sooner or later. Best to get what they could and leave now.
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Denzel
The "Before" years
[M:-190]
Posts: 76
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Crypt
Apr 27, 2010 2:54:52 GMT -6
Post by Denzel on Apr 27, 2010 2:54:52 GMT -6
Denzel stayed low behind Wein as he was told. This was not his time, if the opposing group tried to discern where the arrow came from, his sword and white armor would give them away quickly. Breathing through his nose he watched as the girl thief passed them, in this situation it seemed like a valid suggestion.
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