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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 8, 2016 17:48:19 GMT -6
[Set after Safe Spelunking] Nayru liked to think of herself as an intrepid explorer - unflagging curiosity, unending endurance, uh, she had a good assonance thing going but couldn't think of a third U word. Ultimate... something. Anyways, the point was that she was a veteran spelunker who had visited 90% of the known ruins of Nabata and most of the ones that no one else had found to boot, had no issue surviving in the desert, and had spent several centuries wandering Elibe and surviving. So, at the risk of sounding a little self-absorbed, she liked to think she was a cut above the average when it came to dealing with physical hardship. Part of it was just the dragon 'thing' for obvious reasons, but she liked to think that it was her knowledge, perseverance, and stamina that really made the difference; any idiot could move a rock, but actually understanding what was etched into the walls of an ancient ruin AFTER braving trials and tribulations to get there was even better. ... So it was a bit of a new feeling to her to actually sort of want to just go home and sleep for a month now that she was finally here. Even just admitting that felt like she was dishonoring her family, her race, and scholars everywhere, but honestly after the sheer quantity of absolute bullcrap she and Remus had gone through on the way here, Nayru didn't feel quite as bad about it as she usually would. And it had taken so damn LONG too, all this crap about 'resting' and 'oh god Nayru my legs hurt I can't keep running' and 'oh Nayru I'm so tired can't we take a rest.' Pshaw, back in HER day - Nayru cut that train of thought off with a swift mental judo chop and then strangled it. It seemed the mental strain had finally caused her to go a bit loopy. It was hard to see, um, the entirety of the ruins through the... large wall surrounding much of it, but from what she had seen from atop the cliff and later at a few vantage points, she knew roughly what was within the weathered, vine-covered walls; oddly lowered stone buildings, a lot of foliage that suggested it was very long abandoned, and the potential for great discoveries. It remained to be seen how much so. For now, it was probably a good idea to make sure Remus hadn't fallen into a hole behind her... yup, still there, even if he didn't look especially... fresh. "How you doin' there, Remus?" Summoning what remained of her flagging patience and endurance, Nayru retreated slightly to meet'n'greet her erstwhile companion, gently clapping a hand to his shoulder for emphasis. "Okay, so there were a few... minor... setbacks, but we're here now with the hard part behind us, right? You holding up alright?" She would have asked if he wanted to go back, but... at this point, there wasn't much point. The journey back would take even longer, and frankly it might be a better idea to stay the night in the ruins, then head back in the morning. Plus, she didn't want to insult his drive considering he had kept up so far. Suggesting that would be implying she didn't think he was up for pressing on.
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Post by Remus on Aug 8, 2016 20:34:08 GMT -6
There was an underlying profoundness to be had within this entire situation. How much insanity could one person endure. How much strain upon the psyche could an individual take before every facet of their mind became engulfed in the overwhelming desire to commit absolute suicide. Psychologists within Elibe would forever curse their opportunity not to take down notes on Remus'es every reaction, because he felt like he should have won some kind of award for greatest sidekick/supporting hero in the world. Even he recognized that he was pushing himself beyond his own limits relentlessly. If the ruins hadn't been right infront of him? He might've genuinely buckled. The last half an hour especially had been a gauntlet of agony. Wanting to throw in the towel. Calling it quits. Letting another take over and simply enjoying the lack of responsibility while he rested and lavished in luxurious peace and quiet.
That however, was not his way. He couldn't abandon someone to handle obligations he'd committed himself to. By showing up. By following. He'd made a choice and promise to continue no matter the hardships and terrors. The abominations or appalling sights and sounds. Never give up. Never surrender. It became his mantra as he soldiered on through this most dreadful task.
Then he saw the ruins. The ancient stone walls laden at spots with soft patches of green moss which looked like a thin coating of verdite fur. As if the wall some great beast and small patches remnants of a greater life still attempting to thrive. The scruffy blue haired priest flashed a grin to his draconic companion as he felt her reassuring touch upon his shoulder, nodding as he collected his breaths; ragged though they were a moment ago, it became easy to compose. He tapped the butt of his staff quietly against the ground while he did, the satisfying sound of wood on stone greeting his ears. It was satisfying, because it meant no more sprinting through forests hiding from great lumbering brutes. NO longer keeping an eye out at any smallest change in detail for certain doom. He could catch his breath here. His eager tone reflected such.
"This is the first time I've seen anything like this! I'm more than ready. I might've been sore and weary a few moments ago, but now that I see it? I'm excited. The sheer amount of potentially lost knowledge that could be here. Things Humans might not have ever known! Who knows..maybe things new to dragons too..eh?"
He flashed a grin at Nayru. She had always seemed so wise, and knowledgeable. Though to him, she still was, he could only imagine that this unknown possibility also excited her, if not more so.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 8, 2016 21:10:16 GMT -6
"Ahaha!" Grinning with a little laugh of her own, Nayru smacked Remus on the back with a mix of restraint and... not quite as much restraint as she probably could have used, a little carried away in the moment. The idea of LEARNING things here was the holy grail - of discovering something she had never even heard of before! "We're makin' history, Remus. Could be anything down there, from long-lost information on the Scouring to where the reported life on this island came from. Maybe there were, or even are, dragons here - or if not, maybe we'll find out why!"
She wasn't entirely sure if that would be a good thing, but Nayru hoped that IF that turned out to be the case, it would go over well. There might still be some ah displeasure about the scouring if they realized Remus was human, but it was just as likely that any dragons living here had stopped caring long ago, given that they apparently hadn't burned the island down or anything. Or more likely there weren't any dragons at all, but who knew?
Leading the way into the enclosure, Nayru was taken aback at how... large it actually was from inside. It must have been an entire temple(?) complex in the distant past, with myriad smaller buildings strewn about in some sort of pattern that wasn't immediately obvious from their current, low, vantage point. Most of them were pretty small, but near the back rose a much grander structure, though it didn't seem to be as... deep as she would have assumed. As if it was just the front edifice of - "Ahhhh," she mouthed, well, subvocalized a bit, comprehension dawning on her. It was just the front door to the actual complex - below the ground they walked on. This whole enclosure was more like an... anteroom of sorts, most likely, perhaps where slaves or priests had lived in between doing whatever it was they did in the real temple. Or archives, or - whatever.
Still walking, though by this point it was more meandering, Nayru ran her fingers gently across a mottled stone line and quietly regarded the squat structure, wondering what it had been for. It had clearly been left undisturbed for a very long time, centuries for sure, perhaps even millennia, though usually structures that old seemed more worn down. But she didn't actually recognize the stone that had been used to create these structures, so perhaps it was simply very durable and reliable.
But - it wasn't completely undisturbed, was it? As her gaze continued to swing across the compound, she noted disturbances in some of the more overgrown and dirt-infested places, almost a very shallow path of sorts. Some of the plants were still crushed. She knelt by it, running her fingers along the path as well, and marveled - and worried - quietly for a moment. A wild animal of some sort? A wild dragon? But there weren't any signs of life around here. No guard dogs, no clear evidence of anything being lived in, no angry bandits trying to clear them out, and the buildings all seemed completely unperturbed. There was only one path, or rather a few of them, making a beeline for the large building. Or possibly a beeline away from it. She wasn't sure.
And there were no footsteps.
That might be what seemed the strangest to her, Nayru mused. Certainly a human boot wouldn't sink into the ground like a dragon's paw for example, but it seemed more as if large, flat objects had been... dragged along behind them, perhaps, to erase their footsteps...? Were they pursued? That didn't make a great deal of sense to her, though, because if anything men simply trekking through would have left much less of an impact or a blatant trail. How strange.
"What do you make of this, Remus?"
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Post by Remus on Aug 8, 2016 21:29:14 GMT -6
Remus was overwhelmed. Every aspect of this place was new. Not..new as in fresh. It was clearly older than anything he'd been within the presence of. That included the several hundred year old dragon near him, even if she did look great for her age. This place though clearly not immune to the presence of nature, had clearly lasted. The wall for example, was intact. Overgrown at points, but never broken. It wasn't very "ruined" but simply, a ruin. The stone was faded at points. Bleached by exposure to sunlight over countless days and weeks and months and years. However it did not have signs of being worn away.
Ultimately, the priests speculation was just that. Speculation of what he perceived to be noted traits. He did his absolute best to observe everything he could though. Understand and acknowledge. Take in and perceive. He didn't want to let Nayru down if he could help it. Especially once she drew his attention to the marks that showed obvious disruption among an otherwise perfectly still setting. The silence of the place though, was also something he noted. He almost wanted to bring it up. Perhaps after this? His quiet observations shifted focus as the lapis haired priest moved his senses over to look at the trailing along the ground. He'd never gotten to see much of Elibe internally. So to him it genuinely looked like something had been dragged. Something large? Remus tapped his chin as he gazed to the trail that lead away from them and further into the complex.
"It...looks like something large obviously. Or, thick, I should say. Something that's flat along the ground too imagine? Everything seems er..symmetrical. Uniform. So what ever this was I would guess is either one very large object..or very heavy. If not both. It really does look like something was pulled, or slid? I don't know the right word for it. Ah..but um.. "
Both at the beginning of his expression of thought, and at the closing end he was slightly hesitant. Thoughtful. Trying to adequately formulate just what to say and how to say it. The priest looked up and gazed around before tilting his head to observe more of the path once more.
"Also..it's quiet. That..only seems important to me I guess because these plants look healthy. Growing. I don't think they'd be that way if they'd been flattened a long time ago. But I don't hear any signs of life. Nothing seems out of place minus this. Er...but you have better senses than I, I think. What do your um..dragon eyes see Nayru?"
He quietly wrapped his staff against the ground in thought while quizzically directing his inquiry towards Nayru. This was HER specialty after all. He would be lying if he didn't admit that his curiosity as to her thoughts was almost as great as his curiosity as to the mystery of this grand place within which they still stood currently.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 8, 2016 21:47:47 GMT -6
Quiet, huh...? Yeah, she had noticed that as well. It wasn't like they couldn't hear birds further out in Vinland, but this whole area was just - off. Quieter. Like the birds knew better than to come here. "...It feels like a tomb, or a sepulcher," the dragon mused quietly. But it clearly wasn't an ACTUAL tomb, anyone with half a brain could see that. People had lived here, worked here; tombs were monuments to the dead, not... farms for the living. But it did have a similar feel, and Nayru had visited more than a few long-forgotten tombs in her head. There was a similar desolateness. "It's like everyone just up and left one day."
But that day had been long, long ago, not a mere few days. So whatever had happened here recently was unconnected. Probably. Nayru stared down at the disturbed grass below her. "As for the tracks... hiding their footprints, maybe?" Honestly, it sounded stupid as hell, but she couldn't think of anything else. She ran through the possibilities anyways, calculating and orderly. "If it was a large creature, like a dragon or cyclops, there should be obvious, massive footprints - that much weight ALWAYS leaves behind impressions. Probably would've cracked some stone as well." Speaking from experience a bit there, but true nonetheless. "Flying creatures, like gargoyles, would... fly. So no trail at all." No crap. That was why they were called FLYING creatures. "And humans, or humanlike beings - you, me, possibly Revenants, Bonewalkers, and their ilk, would simply walk on the stone and leave little trace if we truly wished to hide our passing. At worst there would be a few bushes knocked down or something."
It wasn't like human footsteps would impact stone or anything, and while it would take some work, Nayru was pretty sure she could have made it up to the big building without leaving a trace. So if anyone HAD been trying to hide their traces... they had done a really f**k**g terrible job of it. "Perhaps looters carrying something out of the temple... or tomb. Sarcophagi?"
Alright, that was just dark. And who the f**k would kidnap a bunch of desiccated mummies anyways? "It looks like they left, or were leaving, though." Nayru lifted the grass at the side. "See? It's flattened in this direction - towards the exit - so they're probably gone. And I don't see any guard dogs, so... I think it's safe." Okay, granted, maybe it was some sort of elaborate ruse to fool people into THINKING they had left, but this place was a god damn snoozefest in terms of activity - there would be no reason to try to trick people who weren't there.
Still a little concerned, but with her worst fears mostly assuaged, she rose without further ado, though Nayru's gaze did linger a little longer on the path. "Seems we aren't the only folks interested in this place. Whaddaya say we see what they found so interesting about this hunk of rock?" She glanced over at Remus with a knowing smile, her head inclined a little to the side. Yeah, she was still curious and a little worried, but she didn't think there was any serious danger at this point. MAYBE whoever had last been here had been crazy or evil or whatever, but they weren't here now, she was fairly sure of that.
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Post by Remus on Aug 8, 2016 22:14:32 GMT -6
He wasn't sure what bothered him more, conceptually. That people had been here and left carrying something large and heavy, or that they saw no other signs of the people that might've made an exit. Honestly, what mysteries did this place house that he'd never have known to suspect. Things waiting to be uncovered that Nayru would unlock, and he could be present for? His mindset was trapped in a constantly churning circle of thoughts. From anxious fear and hesitance, to cautious mystery and awe. This place just felt like it held secrets. It engulfed his thoughts readily. Entirely.
The priest was still trying not to dwell on the lack of signs to any form of inhabitant though, minus the large trail. People were all he knew. They were messy. Ungraceful, usually. They could attempt to mask themselves, but they almost always left some sign behind. If Nayru's keen instincts couldn't pick much up, then he knew it wasn't a human. At-least he found it hard to believe. If she said it looked like something large but couldn't have been, he believed her. What then was it? Something they'd simply have to press on to find out no doubt.
He also couldn't help but marvel at the sheer number of assessments Nayru could comprise. Though he didn't find the idea of grave-robbers appealing, especially in this place that seemed far to similar to churches and such in terms of grandeur, it was definitely a valid notion.
The scruffy haired blue clad priest turned to gaze down the path that lead on wards and down into the deep dark unknown. Nayru was exited, and more though than he'd ever seen her. The moments she read into or examined something within this place she seemed to come alive. Not in the way she did when she told jokes, or partially pranked the priest, or even when she fought. As if, for the first time in their handful of meetings, he was meeting Nayru as she could've been. Someone who was engulfed in her tasks and took to it with her heart and mind working in unison. It was an odd thought. Not Nayru enjoying herself in full for once, but just..this as Nayru. This was like her natural element, and he was thrilled to see her in it.
As she concluded her deduction and declared their intent to charge ever onwards into the fray, the priest nodded with a quiet enthusiasm that took him. He couldn't help but want to see just where this rabbit hole led. His words were instinctive, and he gestured ahead as if for her to lead the way. She was after-all, the expert here. "Allons-y~!" Realizing however, she might not understand this phrase, he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck while he beamed onwards warmly and moved to follow her where ever she might lead. "Ah..sorry. It means, Let's go. A fellow my uncle once roamed Elibe with loved using the expression whenever they went into the unknown. I um..don't know exactly how much unknown you can find on Elibe, but I guess just hearing his tales so often left it some what lingering within my mind, and this situation evokes the same thoughts. As the tales, that is. "
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 8, 2016 22:54:14 GMT -6
"Allons-y?" Nayru repeated the word once verbally and again mentally, trying to place it. She actually didn't think she had ever heard it before. Remus's explanation was intriguing - seemed he had some explorer in his blood as well. And she had never run into them - possibly related to their Etrurian roots and her, well, lack of interest in visiting a country that would kill any dragon on sight. It was truly interesting to hear all these tales of truths she had never born witness to, of lives lived invisible to her all too limited eyes.
But she wasn't despondent about it. That was just a fact of life, and the knowledge was merely an interesting factoid. It would not change because she did not like some aspect of it. "I suppose it's a matter of perspective, isn't it?" Slowly beginning the trek to the maw of hell - or door to the underground, whatever - Nayru mused aloud to her friend. "This temple was once known to many... but now we may be the first to discover it, or, er, second." She didn't care to dwell on that so much. "Much the same with Elibe. Some of the ruins I have seen buried deep in Nabata... I may be the only living being in a thousand years to have seen them, and yet they too were once common knowledge to those who built them, and to those who lived in them."
Wiping a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, Nayru continued, her mind wandering and her voice a little further away. "I wonder how many discoveries are truly thus - whether musty ruins or magical principles, the world before the Scouring was more advanced than anything in modern Elibe... how much are we simply tracing the footsteps of our forebearers, mere children who gambol about atop the shoulders of giants?"
The truly pernicious reality of that line of thinking was that they didn't know. They COULDN'T know. Nayru didn't know about the strange firewands that Etruria was developing, and even if she had, she could not have known if they had long since been invented in some distant corner of Elibe, four millennia ago, in an alchemist's workshop. She knew somewhat of staves, mostly from Remus, but what if staves had once been capable of summoning monsters or resurrecting the dead?
On the flip side, what part of modern science - if it could be called that - was truly blazing new trails? What if advances in crossbow technology were truly new and the ancient world of pre-Scouring Elibe had never really bothered inventing crossbows, or at least not improved them to the modern scale? Maybe Etrurian magic schools had truly made strides in classifying and creating new types of Elder magics. Perhaps a truly ancient dragon who had followed the magical arts since their exception might know... but most dragons simply ignored human endeavors, and truthfully she hadn't really thought to follow them very well herself either until recently.
Hmm. Those were some pretty serious steps. Old as hell, but still almost perfectly level, as if they had been laid yesterday. They hadn't sunk or fallen out of alignment nearly at all.
The doors to the temple were what really drew her attention though, gigantic monoliths of stone etched with countless symbols she could not begin to decipher, strange runes that were... well, definitely not Low Draconic anyways, and didn't look like any human language she had ever seen. And had she mentioned they were stone... and large... and closed. "Hm." But the tracks had suggested they had gone this way, which meant that whoever had been here had opened them, and shut the door behind them. "I don't think they were looters, Remus," the dragon said thoughtfully as she regarded their prize carefully. "What kind of thieves close the door behind them?"
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Post by Remus on Aug 8, 2016 23:23:37 GMT -6
She brought up many thought provoking sentiments. He who had never explored Elibe with an intent to solve ancient mysteries or unveil forgotten places which time had embraced within its fold to shroud from the world for countless years, had less cohesive thoughts on the subject. He did however, have thoughts. Her opinions had formed into a sturdy foundation that could be a base for her to launch her ideas, guided by honed instinct and intuition of countless years of experience. His ideas were more like...a river flowing unrestrained down a large path with deep banks into an open basin that was his mind. Each object or distinguishable trait of this ancient place really, gave him chains of blossoming ideas that spread further into more and more ideas.
This was just to stand in the entrance! He'd have to control himself and no longer seem like an excited puppy. The priest tapped his staff to the ground quietly in hopes that the crisp sound would disrupt some of his thoughts so that he might organize the others. It...sort of worked. He diverted his gaze as Nayru further explained her experiences with Elibe's own ruins. She brought up Nabata, and Remus instantly felt a slightly less inclined desire to explore the ruins she'd spoken of. Nabata, though mostly just huge expansive wastes of sand, was perhaps the most dangerous place in Elibe. Heat that could roast in the day. Cold that could freeze at night-time. Little food. Less water. It wasn't exactly a paradise. He felt even more impressed that she could explore these places so openly.
"I can only imagine though what might be found here..given er...that at-least we humans did not know this place existed! Wouldn't that mean it was untouched by humans for such a long time?"
That brought about one question though as he mentioned this. If there were no humans on this island...who had built..this? It was constructed in a way humans might've. Similar to that which they knew at home as a structure. Again, his imagination went wild. The priest followed Nayru as she approached the large stone door. His eyes immediately moved to the symbols. He'd read when he spent time within the libraries of Etruria. He'd researched what he could of historical text and even tried to find anthropological texts regarding Elibe's development and cultures. He..did not recognize these. Remus spoke up quietly as his hand extended quietly, closer to the door. Taking in some of the inner essence within his magical reservoir, the priests hand lit softly with a faint glow of holy magic. Just to fully contextualize the stone and examine every detail while allowing Nayru to put it to the same scrutiny as he did.
"This...I've read a-lot of books. I know it doesn't equate to the level of experience you've got in such things no doubt...but in all of the books I've read..I've never seen this. Nothing like it in-fact. Ever."
He gazed over it further, until that was...she drew his attention to the larger picture. The forest for the tree's type of thing.
Yes that was certainly a closed door. Not open. Either their robbers were kindly folk, or this was an issue. His spine crawled a bit with the faintest touch of dread as he imagined what this place could hide. What it could contain. He suddenly didn't feel safe. He did not wear armor. He had no super tough scales and skin like Nayru. He did however have one thing...
The priest quietly lifted his staff and held it between his figure like a line parting him down the center from top to bottom. A sudden rush of sapphire shaded energy blossomed out from the staff around the priest and engulfed him as he erected a potent magical ward around his figure. It then circled around Nayru as she too was included in this shield. For a time, at-least they would be safe from harm. Lasting damage, at-least. He'd found that concussive force could still jar him, but the skin and bones and muscles would remain safe. The priest turned to gaze at her before tilting his head and clutching his staff a bit tighter between thin pale digits.
"I ah..perhaps their thoughtful robbers? Hmm..probably not. Um..how..do you think we open it? The door that is. "
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 8, 2016 23:44:57 GMT -6
Nayru didn't respond immediately as Remus pondered their dilemma, herself bereft of answers as well. She seemed to have to deal with that a lot lately. She found she quite liked it. Nayru enjoyed figuring out answers more than knowing them, the sense of - discovery was intoxicating. Oh, she liked knowledge itself just fine as well, more than most in fact, but nothing could truly match up to the sheer joy of discovery. Perhaps that was why she was so worried about whether discoveries these days were truly that. As for humans touching this...
She took a step back, one arm folded in front of her, the elbow of the other resting on the platform arm as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "By humans," the dragon repeated to herself, emphasizing the second word. It was more of a statement than a question. Was it only humans here? WERE there humans here? What she had seen of the other buildings suggested humanoid figures, but these doors were gigantic, more fit for a dragon than a man. It might just be a showcase though, a monument to showmanship for a decidedly human-sized interior; certainly she had seen human cathedrals and castles alike with similar design principles.
"Supposedly there are humans on the island, if the incoherent reports of some of the first sailors to discover Vinland are to be believed," Nayru stated simply. She didn't know if it was TRUE, but some level of civilization had apparently been observed. "But you're right, Remus. These... glyphs, or runes, or whatever they are, bear no resemblance to any human language I've seen." Truly, truly, truly outrageous. "Nor do they bear any similarity to Low Draconic... so it's probably not dragon in origin." Was she surprised? Disappointed? Relieved? She found that she did not have an answer for those questions. They simply were. "They appear to be a runic alphabet of some sort, rather than a hieroglyphic or pictorial system... intriguing. Often the hallmark of a more advanced civilization."
The real interesting bit, at least as far as she was concerned, was that she had never seen them before. Not that surprising in itself perhaps, but the fact that they did not share similarities with the lost tongues she had identified in Elibean ruins suggested entirely different origins. Could it be the mark of another race entirely...?
"I wonder." The thought... did occur to her that those doors were... quite sturdy. VERY sturdy in fact. Perhaps not quite as durable as a castle's gates, Nayru didn't know, she had never tried ripping a castle gate out of its hinges, but they were definitely solid stone. It could not have been easy to close them, so she did not think it had been done as an afterthought or in jest. "Are they closed to keep us out, or to keep something else trapped within?"
Well wasn't that just a peachy f**k**g keen concept.
"Well, SOMEHOW the previous guests opened and closed these stupid things, so there must be a lever or winch or some crap around here somewhere. You check the right, I'll get the left. Yell if you see something." Split the job evenly, let everyone do their part. Saved her half the time it would have taken her to do it herself. She wasn't used to spelunking with other people, but Nayru had done it enough times that it was pretty much just second nature at this point, so it wasn't hard to communicate some of the basics to Remus.
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Post by Remus on Aug 9, 2016 10:44:54 GMT -6
He quietly listened to Nayru's assessment. Everything she said made sense to him, but also gave him pause at the notion that it was something other than Human and Dragon. This brought to the surface, a thought he'd had since their encounter in the woods. Something bothered him. Though the priest slowly moved to examine his surroundings for any indication of how to open the door...he hesitantly spoke his thoughts aloud.
"Nayru. If it wasn't humans..or dragons...do you think it could be the monsters we saw earlier? That is to say..a type of monster? I'd scarcely call myself creative, let alone creative enough to imagine anything that could have constructed this place, but I also know that the ones we saw seemed markedly different from the ones on Elibe. These monsters did not have signs of decaying flesh. Nor open hostility. In-fact...they displayed traits that I'd consider..natural. The Doog for example seemed to be sunbathing. He was passive, and showed no open hostility. Where as the large er..horse..men...seemed to be conversing. They did not look like the feral monstrosities I've only ever seen on Elibe. So..could it be that they some how managed to develop structures, maybe even language?"
Stranger things had happened. Though...if only barely considered stranger. Actually, no, this was probably the strangest notion and concept to him. However the priest continued to diligently search for his quarry. A lever. Or a switch. Or a button. Something to open up the doors. Leaves and vines were moved as he shuffled through them hesitantly and curiously. His fear of danger had been mitigated mostly, by the knowledge that he had a barrier circulating his flesh that would save him as it had many times before. An armor he could depend on. He spoke up once more while searching for signs of anything out of place.
"You'd think we'd see it. If something had oppened this door recently, or someone, you'd think we'd see an area that was disturbed like the trail. It's just..there's...well..nothing on this end..."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 9, 2016 15:53:30 GMT -6
"It's a possibility," Nayru agreed cautiously after a moment of thought. It wasn't that she DISagreed, or that she hadn't thought of something similar, she just wasn't sure what to actually make of it. They hadn't really run into anything particularly intelligent looking... per se... mostly. The centaurs perhaps, but they were far too large for this establishment. Were there other living, humanoid creatures to be found on the island? Man or monster, dragon or human? They hadn't FOUND much in that regard so far - but if she was a natural resident of Vinland, she would probably want to keep an eye on the human invaders before revealing herself too. Maybe.
Remus's point about the monsters was, well, on point as well. Of all the weird crap they'd seen since rocking the island, monsters NOT being monsters was about the most common. "It's true that the monsters here seem to be fairly unique, almost as though they were merely oversized mammals, than Elibe's monsters. Given the... consistency among Elibe's variety... I believe that suggests these creatures have different origins, despite their similar appearances." Nayru shrugged, not that Remus could see her through the door. "Maybe they did develop all this, but let's see what's inside before we jump to any conclusions."
But she wasn't JUST talking while waiting for Remus to do his thing... obviously. Even for Nayru that would be a bit, er, underhanded. She was searching too, impatiently brushing aside the thick vine cover in the hunt for the truth. As for levers, winches, and pulleys... well, they weren't in high supply, and it didn't particularly look like it was relevant anyways, considering this area didn't seem to have been disturbed recently... or ever.
Oh nevermind, teehee, there was a wheel looking thing.
...That broke off as soon as she put a little force on it.
Hmm.
Dropping it like it was hot, Nayru emerged from her search looking slightly guilty. "Nope, nothing back there either." It was technically true, now at least, that her great sin had been hidden from the world forever. No one could ever know. On a slightly more serious note, she would have been more worried if it hadn't been quite clear that the mechanism had long since become worthless and not been used in the recent escapade. Instead, that raised an obvious question... if "they," whoever "they" were, hadn't used the lever... how had they opened the door? Or closed it, for that matter.
"So how the hell did they get this hulking lunk of rock open?"
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Post by Remus on Aug 9, 2016 20:37:04 GMT -6
Nope. There was absolutely nothing on his end. There were no levers, buttons, switches, or panels. No signs of how to open the door. Even as he searched intently, trying not to get overly distracted by the smaller details along the ruins walls and flooring. The rustling of leaves and ivy that clung around being brushed aside filled the air for a moment or two before Nayru pondered further. The sudden crack of an unknown object startled the blue haired priest, as Remus turned while he looked over towards the brown haired dragon-female.
He gripped his staff while he gazed at the broken wheel she gazed upon. He looked back towards the door, before back at Nayru once more. His focus was on it for a moment or two longer as he pondered. Would they be able to destroy it..? He was sure if Nayru turned into a dragon..then probably. That would probably inadvertently squash him in the process though wouldn't it? He could always...try to use holy magic to blast the door down. However he was very horrible at controlling it, and the purge spell would be the only thing powerful enough to blow open the door. Then there was the possible disturbances it would cause if a giant burning bright pillar of obnoxiously radiant light magic blasted a hole into the ground on this island full of deadly monsters and horrifically large beasts. Which left...no options? The priest looked to Nayru with a huff as he shook his head , clearly at a loss before shifting back slightly and leaning against the wall behind him with his staff cradled into his shoulder.
"I ah...don't know what we should do. How do we open the door if we can't find the switch? I mean..I don't think my magic is strong enough to burst open the door so..I've got nothing."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 10, 2016 1:54:39 GMT -6
Bursting the door open had occurred to her, but... "I'm loath to damage the door. These carvings could have serious historical value if someone figures out how to read them. Anything from the history of the temple to a thorough description of its purpose, or even ancient creation myths that may shed light on the earliest days of pre-Scouring Elibe, for all we know. It'd be incredibly irresponsible to destroy that kind of knowledge if there's any other option." The irony of HER being the one to advocate against force was completely lost on the blissfully unaware Nayru, who was too busy being almost horrified at the thought of destroying the door. Yes, sometimes spelunking expeditions went horribly awry and you had to crack a few eggs to make an omelette, or a few rocks to get the hell out of a collapsing tomb, but otherwise she always strove to leave relics and artefacts in equal or better condition than what she found them in.
Then again, she had considered the option as well, so it wasn't like Nayru was actually gonna yell at Remus for doing it. She just really didn't think it was a good idea. Unfortunately, and ironically, transforming here would be an even worse idea than his - not only was the act liable to damage much of the compound, but the doors would be in utter ruin no matter what, probably even worse than anything Remus could do. Hmm. Nayru drew her finger across the granulated surface of the barrier, wracking her brain for solutions. As funny as it would be to (try to) punch through the door and as much as it would probably minimize the damage to the important bits of the door, the possibility for further cracking and shattering was a serious issue that she didn't want to be responsible for.
But interestingly enough, what she had at first dismissed as grooves actually looked more like scratches, on closer inspection. They weren't uniform or consistent enough to have been part of the original design... which raised a set of questions all its own. Weathering, possibly, but they seemed to be mostly centered around the large whorl where the doors met, a sort of clasp... hmm. She had thought it was a place for decorations to be placed, it seemed pretty common on ornate doors, but it actually split between the doors - a part of each one. Was it supposed to be a handhold? Could it be used as one? Experimentally, she tried - yeah that had been a waste of time, it didn't take a genius to realize that normal human strength wasn't gonna open that sumbitch up.
Putting aside the thought of what their forebearers here must have been like if they could do the same thing, Nayru took a step back, rubbing her hands together as if THAT was actually going to do anything. It actually did help circulation a bit, but it did probably look a bit silly. "Alright Remus, I have a solution, and it's NOT punching things for once!" Ah, what a precedent to set for herself! She WASN'T punching things today! "But, uh, you might wanna stand back for this one 'cuz these sumbitches open outwards."
Deeeep breaths. Inhale, exhale, try not to think of how bad this was gonna go. Such exalted results as ripping her arms off, breaking the door, or giving herself back problems! Yup, off to a swimming start already. Trying not to laugh at how utterly stupid her mind was sometimes, Nayru rolled her shoulders one last time for good measure and carefully placed both hands on the door, one on each side of the carving, and closed her eyes for a moment.
Brilliant light erupted into the clearing, blinding even in the light of day, as her arms warped and golden scales extruded and quickly covered them in their entirety. The light died quickly after, but the golden scales encasing her arms did not. It didn't take a genius to realize that some bullshit attempt at stealth-reinforcement was useless here, and so even Nayru had enough sense to skip the preamble and go straight for the gold. Heh, gold. Satisfied with her pitiable attempt at humor, she focused on the task at hand, closing her grip hard enough to draw creaks from the stone and pulled with all the strength she could muster.
Nayru was certain that she had felt them budge, the great shuddering groan from the massive slabs of stone suggested that much at least, but otherwise not a great deal of... anything met her efforts. She grit her teeth, actually a bit frustrated in the face of such abject failure, and reconsidered her options. Well... supposedly she had that control thing down better now after the little incident in Bern with the chimera. What was the worst that could happen? Cocking her head towards where she'd last seen the priest standing but unable to turn entirely to face him, the slightly-petulant dragon addressed him again, her voice a little rawer this time, almost husky. "Uhhh... Remus, you might wanna stand a bit further back this time."
Turning back to her work, Nayru gave herself a few moments to relax her body and simultaneously prepare for the next attempt while Remus hopefully got the hell out of the way, slowly pushing to that point in her lifestream she had found when fighting the chimera, the... barrier or seal or whatever the hell it was, and this time pushed through it again with a little more confidence.
The light reflecting off of the scales covering her arms dimmed for a moment as if a shadow had passed over the sun, and then the savage flood broke loose entirely, twin jets of reddish-black lightning erupting behind her with a curious hue that seemed to draw in and consume light, as her scales again warped and twisted, tightening almost painfully as they solidified. Between them a dull red glow flickered erratically as the covering continued to shift, settling into channels of blood-red light that coursed beside charred scales. Nayru ignored the building pressure as best she could, focusing instead on the door entirely, her pulse and her essence beating as one throughout her body.
A massive, rumbling groan filled the clearing as the jets of ejected essence died down, her halfshift taken to its furthest conclusion before it spread too far into the rest of her body and triggered an uncontrollable complete transformation. But the rumbling had not emanated from her; though she could not spare the attention or view to see it, Nayru could feel the stone begin to give way, the twin titanic monoliths before her slowly bending to her will as she strained. By the SKY but that felt as if every tendon in her arms was tearing simultaneously! She assumed, or at least hoped, that they actually weren't, but it was clear that even this was... pushing it, in more ways than one, and had probably been a bad idea from the start.
Unfortunately, neither brain nor body seemed particularly concerned; her body was too busy reveling in enough draconic essence to nearly trigger a proper transformation, and Nayru herself - well, she was stubborn enough to keep at it anyways. At this point it was personal, and even if they were a pair of god damn doors, she wasn't going to let an inanimate f**k**g object beat her in a contest of strength.
Groaning with the stress, Nayru kept pulling, finally greeted by the music of stone grating on stone as her (again, inanimate) opponent finally gave way entirely, much easier to keep in motion once it was already moving. Well. For certain values of 'easier.' The left door hit some sort of snag after swinging no more than a few feet outwards, and the right one didn't make it much further than that before she had to break before she ACTUALLY blew something.
...But it was still a hole large enough to fit... maybe two men abreast, if they squeezed. Gasping for air, Nayru finally gauged it good enough and and fell back a pace, trying to catch her breath and not doing a particularly good job of it. "Hoo... hahaha..." The laughter came out amidst and between breaths, mingling together into an odd combination. Dammit but her arms were sore now, strained rather than actually painful (yet) but they felt like lead balloons. She experimentally tried moving them, happy that at least they were still functional, even if stretching hurt. Granted they were still transformed and that MAY have had something to do with the weight now that she wasn't channeling as much power, but she'd deal with that, uh, in a bit. When she felt like it. God dammit she was going to feel that one in the morning... and the night... and right now... and everywhere in between. Note to self, next time you want to open a really big door, just f**k**g transform and smash it, screw history. "Nothin' to it!"
...Not even in her head did that sound in the LEAST bit genuine, but she'd be damned if she admitted defeat to a f**k**g door.
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Post by Remus on Aug 14, 2016 19:07:00 GMT -6
The priest gazed quietly towards the large stone doors. His eyes swept the height of them and back down as Nayru spoke of this strange solution she found that would take her problem solving methods off the beaten path. It wasn't like her to conjure up such strange route. It roused his interest though. What path could she possibly come up that would open the doors without resorting to punching them open? The lapis haired priest gazed towards the woman curiously while she stepped back as if bracing herself. He too took a few steps back at her command, before idly looking towards the great stone doors once more. Eyes scanning them as if to find last second signs or indications as to what they could expect.
Then the bright flash. The surge of energy was immense, and Remus'es body acted on instinct. As if it could sense the monstrous power resonating from Nayru. It made his skin crawl. It sent him subconciously into a defensive state, as the priest threw up his hands to shield his gaze from the light while he quietly yelped in shock. With his staff clutched in his right hand, and without realizing he performed it, he briefly conjured forth a pulsating barrier that formed a small personal bubble around his body and figure. The rippling bubble of arcane energy slightly dulled the rush around him from her torrent before she moved to grip the door.
Cognitive senses flooded back in as swiftly as the radiant light vanished, and the blue haired boy found himself gazing at a different Nayru. The barrier dissolved into the absent space around him when he acknowledged no threat to his life, examining her in utter awe. He'd never seen this before. Surely, he'd seen Nayru prior when utilizing her draconic strength, but this was different. The brown haired woman looked like she was becoming a dragon. Her arms adorned in golden platelets that connected like the scales designed upon a dragon in old artworks. Her body seemed more ferocious to say the least.
He was unsure what to expect. That was..until the door groaned. It was faint, but the rumbling of the monstrous stone doors budging even the slightest, reached his ears. The priest looked to her with amazement. That she could channel this magical power into raw strength...wait..magical..power..
She's utilizing energy. Turning magic into kinetic, or so it feels. Her body is like a...host for this strength. The magic, the catalyst..the result..physical power. I wonder if it's possible to..
Uhhh... Remus, you might wanna stand a bit further back this time
Another attempt at the doors? The priest gazed up to acknowledge her words as his thoughts scattered to the wind from such distraction. The priest idled with thought upon her before tilting his head to the side as he back-peddled slightly.
Darn-it, I lost the thought~!
Perspective, thus lost, the Etrurian boy marveled as the two gates slowly yielded to her might. The grumbling and groaning and rumbling of the monolithic twin gates as they parted. The faint trails of cascading dust and tiniest of pebbles falling made him wonder just how long the doors alone had taken to be built and raised. At this point, she'd opened the doors but one thing wasn't lost on the Priest. The way she moved. The way she jerked herself and then attempted to poise. Amazed by her might as he was, her breathing and motions were enough to know that it had taken some manner of toll. This was his profession after all, identifying wounds, aches, pains, and mending them.
Without any prompting on her part, the blue haired priest walked closer before lifting his staff quietly. His eyes lifted and his gaze squared onto her arms as the priest channeled the faintest amount of magic. It was fascinating to him, in part, how much ease he could perform feats like conjuring his barriers or healing lesser wounds now. Where once a great strain had been placed, he felt less. Like a drop of water among the tides of a great ocean.
A soft blue light enveloped the gem within his staff, permeating from it before wisp like strands of magic cascaded from it unto Nayru before encircling her in the warm healing magics while blossoming into a gentle sphere of heat and light that mended her muscles strain and ache. After all, if he was going to be useless in this endeavor, he'd try to be as useless as possible. Chuckling, the priest flashed a smile while resting his staff with it crooked against his shoulder as a light resting point.
"Heh, you never cease to amaze, you know. That was absolutely amazing."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 15, 2016 4:52:46 GMT -6
"I am pretty great, thanks for noticing!" Nayru chuckled, grinning cheekily at her companion in the wake of either a hilarious joke or a tremendously narcissistic self-flagellating comment, or possibly both at once. She didn't bother clarifying. Some questions are better left unanswered, after all. The dragon WAS feeling pretty thoroughly on top of the world though, that much was for sure, even if she was just taking a... small... rest after a minor exertion. Channeling that kind of power, being able to do it WITHOUT worrying about the consequences to life and limb of everyone in her surrounding, was incredibly liberating. Not quite intoxicating, but pretty close. This whole island adventure, for all its, er, twists and turns, had been like that. Just... exploring. Learning. Living. Maybe even having a bit of fun with a friend. It wasn't something Nayru had all that much familiarity with in a long time, but being able to experience it again felt like maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright.
Or if not, she could at least retire here and be a kickass hermit or something. Train by punching boulders, whittle one down to a spoon, that kinda stuff. Maybe she'd even learn how to sing. Maybe it was Remus's magic or maybe she was just in a legitimately good mood, Nayru tried not to think too hard about the fact she couldn't tell which it was, but it sure felt like he was healing a bit more than her body. "And thanks." No sideways glances or double meanings there, just a simple but genuine moment of gratitude before she was back in the emotional armor, focusing on the task at hand. The dragon closed her eyes for a moment, focusing again as she tried to stem the flow of power. Easy. She could do this, she had done it a grand total of, like, one time before in her life, that was plenty of practice right?
Deep breath in... moment of tranquility... there. She could almost feel the seal strengthen - well - nothing figurative about it, she could literally feel it, the dwindling torrent of magic sputtering a little more than intended as it died back down to the normal tide. Without the profane power to sustain them, the ebon scales on her arms began to dissipate into wispy, inky darkness, far thicker than shadow for a moment as each scale flaked off and rose into the air before evaporating. The crimson light dimmed as well, flickering and dying unevenly at first, but after a few moments the whole mass began to peel off and vanish in one undulating wave from hand to shoulder over a few more seconds. Nayru let out a protracted breath as the last of it vanished, not nearly as sore thanks to Remus's ministrations, but feeling a bit more... naked without the enhanced essence flowing through her. But it wasn't as momentous as it had been the last time, now that she knew she could call on it at will. Ish. For now, though, they had work to do.
She had been only partially prepared for a sudden assault from within after opening the door, aware of the possibility but unable to REALLY handle it, so despite a bit of disappointment at any lack of drama, Nayru was secretly grateful that nothing had jumped out and impaled her. It also kind of crapped on her theory that whoever had last been in here had sealed something terrifying inside - this place was friggin' dead. No haunting moans, piercing screams, skittering legs, not even a good old fashioned rebel yell. "Well... if there were any shadow demons or other assorted nasties in there, they're apparently deaf. I don't hear jack. I think we got us a bona fida adventure coming up, with enough knowledge to blow your mind! Or... not. Wonder if there are any torches around here?"
Blissfully unaware of the elephant in the room, Nayru peeked into the cavernous doorway, shuffling her way inside through the narrow corridor of light provided by the light of day piercing through the inky depths of darkness... for a short duration. Needless to say she wasn't keen on investigating the place in utter darkness, so either she found some torches or they doubled back and made some makeshift ones from the local flora, whatever worked.
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