Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Jan 12, 2011 17:38:16 GMT -6
"Rest for a moment, Young One. This will be quick."
As Garnet watched Cecil going about the healing, Garnet wondered if the old man called everyone "Young One" because he couldn't be bothered with remembering all of their names, or if he really just spoke like that. It also reminded him of his parents, and made him wonder where he'd be, had they been alive to raise him.
"Well Mana,... Bridget has good taste in clothes. You look great." He gave her a quick flash of a grin, before looking around at the surrounding woods.
Ok. So the sudden change in clothes had caught him off guard, and he thought she looked gorgeous. Good for her. That was no excuse to let himself get distracted though. They should be nearing the other side of the woods, as they'd traveled quite a ways in already.
The Merc strode back and forth, across the small battle ground. He was looking for the trail he'd cut on entering, and found it after a moment. It was unnerving though, as it looked like the creepers and brush were already moving back in to close up their escape.
"I'm sure. This is the direction we need to go." Garnet pointed off towards the way out, and started clearing the path again.
"Red, grab those hides if you want'em. I'm just starting to want to get out of here with my life."
On exiting from the camp, Garnet half stumbled out of the forest and into a small cluster of lean to shanties and a few small hovels. Here and there, axes were littered about near a small make-shift forge. Stacks of unburned firewood stood, or in some cases, slumped where they'd been knocked over. It had been days since a fire had burned here last, and there were small patches of dried blood left across the camp's ground. Out of everything though was how empty it was. No bodies. No noise. It was as though a battle had taken place here, and then someone had come and picked up all the mess.
Garnet merely stared, before quietly moving into the camp. They still had to get to the back of the valley. He could see a place that looked like it could hide their destination, in the distance. A crevice in the rocks, he thought, that could curve around out of view.
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Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
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Post by Lilith on Jan 12, 2011 19:19:10 GMT -6
Riza covered her open mouth with her hand when they reached the scene of disparity. She closed her mouth and lowered her hand, trembling. "Who.. Who would do this?" she wondered aloud, all former happiness in her voice lost.
She knelt down and touched one of the pools of dried blood. "I... This happened a few days ago... A week at most," she added. She stood up and clutched her tome to her chest, here eyes darting back and forth, looking for any signs of an ambush. "I think it would be safe to inspect the area, if I may say so. Hopefully some people escaped..."
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Post by Mana on Jan 13, 2011 4:28:21 GMT -6
Mana headed to the center of the camp, the myrmidon picked an axe and examined it. Did the bandits do this? She threw the axe to the side and continued walking further into the camp, trying to find a survivor, if there was one. Soon, she realized that her effort was futile.
It was not a fun adventure anymore, it turned to be dangerous. Mana sighed, she was too naive to expect a fun and safe adventure. Now, they had to protect themselves from the unknown threat. She drew her sword a little, gripping the hilt with one hand and the other hand gripping the scabbard. They might have been followed like when she found a man watching them behind tree.
Mana nodded after hearing Riza's suggestion. "I agree. Well, I will go to that direction." She walked towards the northern part of the camp. She could find no one here though.
"I wonder what has happened here."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 13, 2011 8:08:16 GMT -6
Elias muttered something incomprehensible as he neared the area. There was dried blood, but he paid it no mind. "There's no point in trying to find anyone. This place has been cannibalized of anything useful, anyone with good sense is either dead or left a long time ago." Elias sighed, touching his forehead with his new white gloves. After the chaos of that battle, his mind slowly settled out of the chaos it found itself wrapped in constantly. He had a focus to concentrate on, putting all of his boundless energy to a target was quite the sedative.
"It's possible bandits did this, but it's just as likely that this happened to the bandits. This is a major compound of theirs, it's unlikely someone would be as foolish to get this far in and set up a camp with so much firewood or so much effort put into it. They would of been preyed upon far too swiftly to make use of it." Elias gathered his thoughts, trying to think this through logically. "Unless they were complete fools, or completely lucky, they probably wouldn't of set up camp this far in. Or at the very least would have the good sense not to set up a fire where bandits could find them. This place has been infested for quite a while, long enough for word to spread. Long enough for when these people set up camp to realize their folly. Especially a camp this well designed, it looked like it would take a while to set up such a thing."
"No... I think it was the bandits themselves who were killed." Elias hypothesized. "Perhaps by the same manner of beast we just encountered, perhaps something else. I don't see any bodies, which means they were probably removed. Meaning we aren't the first people to find this place, we should watch our step."
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Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
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Post by Lilith on Jan 13, 2011 17:37:21 GMT -6
Riza nodded along with Elias, hoping his was the rue statement. Though bandits were people to, she would not feel as horrible that if honest people were killed. "We should be careful. If someone has been here before us, there could be a rear guard, or worse, booby-traps..." She looked around the camp, stepping lightly. "It would be a mistake to let our guard down..."
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Jan 14, 2011 18:39:26 GMT -6
"I think Elias is right. It must have been the wolves." Garnet said back to the rest of the group. He'd approached a small structure and found a clawed up door knocked in. It didn't bode well for whoever had been inside. His face fell a little at the evil they'd found in these hills.
"Cecil, what can you tell us about those things?"
The Old Sage only looked sadly back at Garnet. "Only that they are some of the most dangerous beasts in these parts. They started appearing in places near Ostia at the time of it's demise, along with worse things." They had too little information on these things, but life had to go on, and that meant adapting to new dangers. At least for those around Ostia.
Garnet wondered what could be worse than doom wolves, or if the rumors about Ostia's dead walking were true, but said nothing about it.
"We... should probably move on." Garnet was getting a worse and worse feeling about this region. He refused to turn back though. This magic book thing seemed important to those with mage craft, and for something to hold Elias' attention it had to be good. "I don't think there's much to be gained for staying here."
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Post by Mana on Jan 14, 2011 21:54:05 GMT -6
Mana could find nothing, and he was not so foolish to go too far from her companions. She looked at the area for the last time before walking towards the others. Her hand still gripping her sword hilt, just in case if something happened like when those wolves came out of nowhere.
"I couldn't find anybody around the camp, and I didn't find the wolves as well. Honestly, it's kinda scary actually, we don't know what happened here." Mana shrugged, she then looked at them. "I hope it wasn't the wolves, I don't have any spare clothes to fight them again." She tried to make a joke, it might be good to soften their mood.
"By the way, when will we reach our destination, Garnet?"
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 14, 2011 23:28:57 GMT -6
Elias thought for a moment, mostly to his self. It wasn't something he did often, but when he did it was usually interesting. "Worse?" He muttered to his self, toying with the thought like a kitten with yarn. Rolling it over in his mind over and over, all manner of imaginary beasts taking form in his mind. Something worse... something worse... It was no hard task to think of many things worse then those monsters, but few of them had any roots in reality and were really just the imaginings of a madman. With a hard shake of the head, and a preoccupied sigh, he shook the delusions from his mind.
Instead he opened his mouth again for something different. "I don't think we need to worry about more wolves quite yet." He looked around, observing the area as he spoke in a calm voice. "Those monstrous beasts aren't natural, their very presence tainted the land around them. I should of noticed it before, but when we were attacked it was silent. Eerily silent. Well, before the thrashing started. I don't think the other animals of the area recognize these things, and I can clearly hear birds right now." Perking a finger in the air, he let the silence fall just long enough for the natural sounds of the forest to flood in.
"You see? I mean, I could be completely off with this, but I don't think there's wolves around right now. You see, it's quiet but not too quiet." He tilted his head, eyes and mouth shut, nodding silently. The bodies that were missing, it was a clean removal outside of some blood. Unless they devoured the corpses whole, chances are there's be evidence of the bodies being dragged by the creature as opposed to carried by humans. But there wasn't, no groves in the ground, ripped fabric, or even blood trails. The blood that was around looked like it was shed when the confrontation happened.
"Well, now's not the time to worry. Just stay vigilante everyone and doomwolves, bandits or even worse can't take us down." Even in his moments of clarity, that self confidence never faded. "I've been in these parts before, but I don't think I've actually seen this thing Cecil is looking for..." He turned to the elderly man with a smile. He kinda wanted to sneak a peek in that book, even if he wouldn't understand a word. Maybe taking a tracing to his father, who might...
No wait, he couldn't return home for such a trivial thing. Stupid Elias, stupid! "I know you said it was around there." Elias pointed in the general direction. "But can you be a bit more specific? Specifically about how far away." I'm growing tired of these distractions.
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Nathaniel
Monk
Morning Lord, your daughter said there would be eggs?
Posts: 58
Affinity: Fire
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Nathaniel on Jan 16, 2011 10:17:45 GMT -6
Nathaniel was sad to see the decimated scee. It might not have been bandits. Etruria had a culture heavily based on magic, and the book of scrying would have reached their ears befor someone in Illia. Even though Nathaniel didn't enjoy the Inquisition, but he had been a soldier and realised they had no choice.
Nathaniel grinned inwardly at the comment Firehair made about the amount of quiet. He made it sound like he could sense the wolves as much as they could smell him. But the acolyte did agree that they should move on, "Yes I think the less time we spend here the better." He hadn't quite noticed Mana's change of clothes until after he said that. Well that's not even fair...
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Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
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Post by Lilith on Jan 17, 2011 18:27:02 GMT -6
Riza had also noticed that the faint tint of elder magic was not in the air around this place. "Elias is right... I do not know why I did not see it before. This... Whatever happened here must have been humans on humans. Most likely no magicians took part in the battle either, for magic always leaves traces..." she said, looking pensive.
She then reverted back to her old, happy-go-lucky self, pumping her fist in the air and saying, "So lets get a move on, people! We have treasures to find, people to help, and countries to save! Woohoo! Er, where are we going, by the way?"
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Elena
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 12
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Post by Elena on Jan 18, 2011 17:42:30 GMT -6
Elena had been pretty quiet since she was healed. She had been trying to figure out what could cause such a scene, running over a dozen scenarios in her head. She shook her head; there was no way to figure out which it was. The most likely was a bandit attack, but who really knew at this point. She was content to just let the others plan the way and follow along for now. But that's when the newest girl dropped one of her favorite words. Treasures. Oh, glorious treasure.
The thief perked up like a dog being offered a treat. A smile grew over her face, which she quickly hid. Didn't want to seem too eager after all. "That's right. While we stand here trying to figure out what to do those bandits could be finding the treasure!." My treasure... she thought, repressing another grin. "And whatever did this could still come back, it could. So why waste time sitting here? I agree with her, let's get going!"
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Jan 19, 2011 0:11:38 GMT -6
"We should be nearing the place now."
As they approached the cliff sides, several large stone columns became visible, lining the way into the side of the mountain. The hall seemed to have been cut out of living rock, with some form of natural lighting spilling across the marble floor.
"We seem to have arrived. Let's go in."
As Garnet moved back through the hall, he let his gaze wander to the walls. They were covered with murals, and carvings which he couldn't even begin to understand. What were they representing? Some seemed to be about events, yet others defied his understanding completely. At the back of the hall, where they were heading, was a large room filled with several sarcoughogi, however, anymore thoughts were cut short.
"I recognize this. Or, almost. Let me get the book out. Cecil flipped through the pages until he found one picturing the room they were in, but wothout the large wall at the back of the sarcoughogus room. It also showed an ornamental pole with some sort of skull on it, but no skull could be seen here. Only the pole not far away from where they stood.
"Urgh... Why is it that old mage things are so creepy." Cecil didn't bother responding, but merely continued looking through the book, where he had rested it, on a tomb.
Garnet left him to it. As long as someone would figure out what to do, that was enough for him. In the meantime, Garnet contented himself to wandering around the room, and looking at the pictures.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 19, 2011 23:55:43 GMT -6
This place... It was just the beginning, the opening. The threshold at best. Cecil went off to do something, probably old man things like yelling at kids or finding his teeth or something. The man in red wasn't too concerned about it, he wasn't too concerned about any of the people. It was as if he entered another world, like he saw something that the none of the others could make out.
The first thing he did was hurry to the sealed off wall, taking note of the rocks and runes that painted it. He felt it, and looked at the earth underneath. There was scorch marks and axe gashes in the ground, likely from where many have lost their temper and tried to force the door open. Gently he touched the wall with the tips of his fingers, it was cold and rough.
Pulling out his pathetic and destroyed book, he opened it up to somewhere in the last bit. At the same time he pulled out a writing utensil and began to make a sketch of what he saw. He noticed, however, that he absolutely SUCKED at drawing. Which depressed him. So he included a detailed description along with it. After he was finished with the wall, he headed to the murals but was suddenly stopped by curiosity. It was very unlikely it had anything... but...
"Mana!" He called out. "Come over here and help me!" His hands were on the lid of the giant sarcophagus, grunting as he tried to heave it off. Failing, obviously. A normal man might of been embarrassed asking a woman to help him in a task of strength... But she was the greatest swordswoman ever, so it didn't matter. "I... ungf... want to see... what's in here..."
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Post by Mana on Jan 20, 2011 0:17:53 GMT -6
As she entered hall, her excitement grew bigger. they were closer to the relic, treasure, or whatever they were looking for. She forgot the name again, Book of...Crying? Yeah, for her, remembering the name wasn't important, she just wanted to do something fun. She stood near the sealed wall, examining it for a while before becoming impatient because she couldn't find anything. Mana decided to leave it for Cecil, the old man seemed to know what to do.
"Mana!"
"Come over here and help me!"
Mana turned and saw Elias calling her, asking her help. The myrmidon trotted towards him then stared at the sarcophagus, she seemed interested. "Okay, we do it together. Ready! Three...Two...One!" Mana struggled to heave the lid with Elias' help, it was heavier than it looked. "Great! It is really heavy..."
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Jan 20, 2011 8:57:36 GMT -6
On noticing what Elias, and Mana were up to, Garnet moved over to help as well. "Here. Let's try again. Ready? Go." Garnet heaved with all his might alongside the other two, but the lid of the sarcophagus still refused to budge. Undaunted by this, Garnet continued to push.
The next thing he knew, lid practically flew off, hitting the ground with a crack on the other side, and he was sprawled, out of breath, across the top of the now open tomb. Picking himself up, Garnet noticed Cecil standing at the head of the tomb. He appeared to have pulled some sort of deadbolt loose from the lid, unlocking it.
The red-headed merc rubbed his head, trying to hide his embarrasment. "I woulda thought of that after a while."
"I believe, Elias, you are on the right track. Look.
Inside were dozens of skulls. Golden, silver, wooden, crystal, and bone, All in varying shapes and sizes. The designs ranged from grotesque, to Beautiful (for a skull, anyway) but that didn't help Garnet much.
"Ach. Skulls. Why the fixation on skulls?... Why so many?"
"Look at the illustration in my book. Perhaps, somewhere here, or in the other tombs, rests the key to our doorway. Elias, help me find it, will you?"
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