:quality(75)/curiosity-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/content/thumbnail/standard/e08157f8-0b8b-495b-ba6e-af374c49d84b.png)
the depths below.exploring the caverns.All of you will have the same entrance into the caverns -- it will involve going underwater and traveling about one hundred feet through a tunnel which breaks into into a massive cavern, full of air. The breeze is mysteriously fresh, for being both underground and underwater, and before you are three massive dark tunnels. It's hard to decide which one to go toward, but inevitably, you are drawn toward a specific tunnel.
For your top level comments, include what group you are in your subject line. . You will be in the caverns for roughly one week's time in order to get to the information at hand. That doesn't mean you have to stay below that long, but be prepared to pack whatever you need in order to live down there for that long There will be fish to hunt in the waters and the water itself is fresh, but sleeping on the cold marble-like surface might suck, especially if you're wet. And . . . once you get into the meat of things, what are you going to find? group a.
The tunnel by which group A travels down is narrow, to the point of claustrophobia. And along the way, you will run into several obstacles. You will have to travel through underwater tunnels that, again, are narrow and claustrophobic. Stalagmites and stalacites make navigating through the waters treachorous, and getting stuck is not an impossibility.
Additionally, as you move through the pathways (both water and not), you begin to notice little lights flickering in the water. At first, you think it may be crystals sparkling in the water . . . but upon closer inspection, you begin to realize that they are bioluminescent eels. How cool! However, about halfway into your journey, you begin to notice that theyre getting a bit . . . larger. And, should you allow yourself to be attacked by them, not only do they bite, they seem to suck out your energy. These eels feast on magical energy, and suffering a bite from one of these eels will completely eradicate your Astoria granted powers for five hours. Have fun with that.
Finally, at the end of your journey, you will reach what feels like a dead end . . . in that you come upon a small alcove type area, with no discernable exit. And, upon the far wall, you see what appear to be cave drawings. Intricately carved into the stone, with a language surrounding the pictographs that no one understands, are what appears to be two women. One has longer hair, to her shoulders, holding a white orb in her hand. The other, with cropped hair, appears to be holding a blackened orb in her hand. Their arms are intertwined, connected, but there is a large fracture in the rock, scorched across the woman drawn in white, as if someone (or something) has attempted to blast it to bits.
Eventually, upon some investigating, you come across words that you, somehow, do understand, scrawed in a messy text, carved into the stone. Those words?
group b.
The tunnels that Group B heads down are considerably wide, all things considered. Most of the journey in the tunnels for Group B is above-ground and doesn't involve going underwater . . . which may be a good thing, as the water pathways in this tunnel are deep. The water is still crystal clear, but you somehow still can't see the bottom of it. It looks as if it goes on forever . . . and ever . . . and ever . . .
Eventually, though, you come into a second massive cavern, with a huge underground lake. The lake is full of dark shapes that dart underneath the surface -- horses, with the tails of fish, as they pop up to the surface for a gulp or two of air. But when they notice the strangers on the shores of their territory, they circle ranks and edge themselves closer . . . and if you get too close to the shore, you may feel teeth sink into the edge of your coat and an abrupt tug to be pulled into the water.
To be clear -- the kelpies themselves are not particularly violent. However, they've never seen otherworlders like you before, and are definitely scared. Not fighting against them will ensure their slow trust, and they will generally leave you alone. But if you attack them? They'll fight back, and they will drag you down to the depths below without a second thought in order to protect their own.
Eventually, you come across a third massive cavern, with another underground lake. The water seems to sparkle with energy -- tiny lights dance across the water, skipping across the surface without a care in the world. Touching the water will result in temporary paralysis of whatever you use to touch it -- magic, so powerful that you cannot possibly comprehend it. The energy is too much to handle, and you, too, cannot see the bottom of this lake. However, scattered across the walls, are runes carved into the marble. It's a language you do not understand, but you do come across something that you manage to understand . . . tucked amongst the runic symbols:
 group c.
Group C enters into a beautiful crystalized tunnel, with white crystals jutting out into the tunnel. It looks beautiful, but it makes for treacherous going -- the crystals are razor sharp, and sliding through them requires elegance and grace to avoid being turned into ribbons. Move slowly -- you need to in order to make it through this maze of crystals.
Eventually, you make it to a wider tunnel with various deep pools of water scattered along the floor. The pools seem to be endlessly deep, reaching to impossible depths that you cannot see. However, the pools seem to have an . . . alluring feel to them. You are drawn closer to them, curious, inquisitive . . . you want to get into them . . . and if you dip into the pools, watery arms of the sprites that live within these pools glide around you, and coax you into the depths below . . . but you feel calm, serene. Hopefully someone is looking out for you.
But as you move through the tunnel with the pools, you begin to notice signs of life. Not necessarily plant life, or animal life, but signs that people are here. There are footsteps from one pool to the next, wet markings that seem to be permanently wet no matter how much you wipe them away. There are watermarks along the walls, handprints against the marble. And as you begin to walk, begin to notice messages scrawled along the walls, carved deep into the marble.
Every single word is the same.
group d.
Unlike those below the surface, the lakeside shores of Lake Dona seem to be relatively peaceful. Nessie is lazily swimming around and offering rides to those that need it, and campfires are soon built up around this makeshift camp of those who are sitting around to wait. The network does work with those in the caverns, so keeping in contact is far easier than it was in Struxta!
However, in the last days of the investigation, as Group A, B, and C begin to discover the messages in the caverns, storm clouds begin to roll in. It begins to downpour, a frightening crack of lightning streaking across the side with alarming regularity. And, on the final day of the exploration, a voice seems to float through the deluge. And it isn't Astoria's. But it seems to be . . . odd. And suddenly, a message appears on your watches.
¿ɯǝ ɐǝɹɥ ʎon ɐɔu ˙nʎo ɥǝdl ʇo ǝuǝp ᴉ ˙ʎno ɥǝdl ʇo ɐʍʇu ᴉ ¿ɯǝ ǝɥɐɹ nʎo ɔuɐ
What in the hell could that be?
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acatalepsy_logs2018-10-04 09:55 pm
no subject
Just barely...
[ He lies there for a moment after Zero gets off, thinking that between her and the spikes, there really was no difference in outcome on his side of things, but she looks like she survived unhurt and that's enough to assure him that the sacrifice was worth it. Maybe. ]
How'd you get all the way up there...? [ He vaguely gestures into the air, still flat on his back. ] Those paths probably won't continue forever. Not like paths on the ground.
no subject
[ She whips her head around, like she doesn't know where he went. And then she looks down, belatedly realizing he's still on the ground. She leans over, so she can peer down at him. ]
Oh, there you are. Anyway, I thought it might be a short cut, save me the time since I wouldn't have to take the path around like the rest of you. It was easy to jump to, but going back.. not so much. Angles.. and stuff.
[ She tilts her head. ]
You getting up any time soon?
[ She nudges his arm a little with the point of her shoe. ]
no subject
It's not a bad idea. [ Dangerous, yeah, but it could work in certain circumstances. ] If you have some sort of power that lets you turn clothes into armor, or make you intangible, that'd be a way to do it. Is yours anything like that?
[ Minato, who can do nothing of the sort, just has to inch through the tunnel like the rest of them. ]
no subject
[ Instead, she is poorly dressed for the occasion and trying her best not to get skewered like the rest of them.
She kicks at a small hunk of crystal on the ground and it goes careening into a forest of icicle looking spikes.]
Some dumbass who came down with us had something like that though. Neither of us are all that big– bet we could jump into her armor and she'd never even know we were there.
[ It's only half a joke, she starts walking again– hopping over a diagonal spike as she does. ]
Better find her quick before someone else has the same idea.
no subject
... ]
We might want to be careful not to break off any of the stalactites.
[ Just a thought, Zero! If not armor, he really wished he'd brought a plate or something to cover his head, at least, before they all get skewered by an avalanche or something. He keeps pace behind her, though, trusting her to blaze the trail and not lead them off another precipice. ]
Do you know if she was in front of us or behind us? If she could just... widen the path, it wouldn't be so dangerous.
no subject
[ The narrow stretch of path before them has their backs against the a wall of stone, and their heads crouched as the spike covered ceiling dips dowards. Zero tries to think about anything except how much her neck hurts or how one misstep to the left or upwards will end with her impaled. ]
Hey– you, whatever your name was..
[ Never mind that he hasn't told her. ]
What do you think we'll find? Imagine me up something good, because I'm two seconds away from saying fuck it and throwing myself onto one of the million sharp things in here.
no subject
She doesn't ask for his name so he doesn't offer it— he's too busy thinking about what could be so cool to find, it would tempt Zero away from death. ]
Mm... [ stalling ] I was hoping to know where the mermaids had gone. But other than that, some sort of dark magic... thing...?
[ He's not being very convincing, is he? But maybe if he keeps talking, something will catch her attention. ]
Astoria was saying this place gives off bad vibes. The mermaids were trying to keep us away. Maybe there's another monster down here. Maybe working runes.
no subject
Whatever it is, I hope we get to kill it.
[ Belatedly, she realizes she's grabbed him, and lets go rather suddenly– like her hands been zapped by static. ]
My bad.. stupid cave.
[ She grumbles, but trudges forward still. ]
If the people who jumped into other holes aren't having as shitty a time as we are I'm really gonna' be pissed.
no subject
He can't really do much to stabilize her while walking one in front of another, but he can at least catch her if she slips again, so he keeps close to her heels. ]
If something can be solved by killing it, that'd be too easy...
[ He doubts it'll be so easy, is what he means, because he looks at Zero and he looks at some of the other people around here and he think they wouldn't do badly in a fight. ]
At least a dangerous path has promise of something more in the end. Wouldn't it suck if we had an easy time of it, just to come to a dead end?
no subject
[ And even though she probably shouldn't, she cranes her neck so she can look at him over her shoulder. ]
So are you actually that optimistic about this stupid shiny hole? Or are you just trying to make me feel better?
no subject
I could say this cave will probably collapse with so many of use trying to squeeze through here and we'll all die, but that won't do anybody good.
[ To answer her question... no, he's pessimistic by nature, but he tries to make people feel better anyways. ]
no subject
Dunno about that– might convince a few of the people here who don't have a death wish to get out.
So?
[ The question is put on pause when they come to another obstacle course of spikes, which she hops over with the same casualness one would a hurdle on a playground. ]
If that thoughts crossed your mind, why the hell are you down here?
[ She finishes, when her feet touch the ground. ]
Doesn't sound like you're having fun.
no subject
I'm not having fun. This is a pain... literally and figuratively.
[ It's cold and wet and he's bleeding and he hurts all over! this sucks!! why is he down here ]
But I thought, that if things get really bad... I'm somebody who can fight back and protect people. So I came along.
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She watches him maneuver through where she just came, unbothered by any cuts she's sustained in the process. ]
Figures.
[ She scoffs, as if disappointed by his answer. ]
That's the tenth time I've heard that answer today.
[ They come to another precarious ledge, even more difficult to scale than the one before. Zero frowns, muttering something probably indecent under her breath as she yanks off her obnoxious hells. ]
Hold these, yeah?
[ She doesn't wait for an answer, just passes him her shoes. ]
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[ Yeah, unfortunately, he's that sort of protag. She should have suspected when he offered to be her landing pad, or when he takes her shoes without question and... idly holds it up next to his own shoe, comparing the sizes, no his feet wouldn't fit. ]
...Are you going to jump? You can take my shoes.
no subject
Thanks, but no thanks. Yours are too big. I'd slip, fall and die and then my ghost would come back and haunt your ass till the end of time. But you can try mine on if you want. They're cute, right?
[ Her gaze drifts between the small sea of crystalline spikes and then back towards him. ]
There's some rock you could scale by that wall, but jumping seems like the better bet. Besides, doing that would take fucking forever.
[ His question goes unanswered for the moment. She makes the jump, just barely– grabbing onto the ledge on the other side and pulling herself up with some effort.
She cups her hands over her mouth and shouts across the distance. ]
Throw my crap over here and jump– let's move it!
no subject
But Minato is never one to refuse a direct order, his body moving to toss Zero's shoes over before he can think about how stupid an idea this is. ]
Shiva...!
[ He calls the name like a prayer, and in the next second, he takes a running start and leaps off the ground, pushing off as hard as he can. He's not very strong, but he's light, and that's enough to let him clear the gap, far enough that he can land on his feet— though he stumbles and falls forward with the momentum, hands flashing out to break his fall onto the prickly ground beside him.
He breaks his fall. Miraculously, he does not break his hands. The crystals, instead, crack and shatter beneath him, skin on his hands clean and unbroken, though it does still appear to hurt when he slams his shoulder into the ground. ]
no subject
[ Zero mutters, hurrying to where he's landed– brow slightly furrowed, guilt drawing the concern right out of her. ]
Didn't anyone ever teach you how to land a fucking jump? You could've broken twenty different things.
[ She has eyes, she realizes enough to know that he used some weird magic to ensure that he came out of it mostly unharmed. Regardless, she finds the need to scold him. ]
You better be good to walk. I'm not carrying you.
[ Read as: are you okay? ]
no subject
I'm fine... [ He demonstrates by taking three steps forward, is pleased to find that he didn't twist his ankle or anything, and is less pleased to find that his entire backside is probably bruised, but nothing he can't push through. ]
I'm just hoping we don't come to a dead end, 'cause I won't be able to make the jump back.
no subject
[ She grabs her shoes by the straps, swinging them over her shoulder. Her gaze lingers on him just a moment more than it should– quietly, she tries to decide if he's actually okay. ]
.. If you slow me down you're getting on my back. I might not look it but I can carry you easy.
[ Never mind what she'd said before, apparently? ]
I'm here because I've got nothing better to do up there.
[ She says after they've journeyed in silence for a few minutes, finally answering his question from before. ]
I'm shit at socializing, even shittier at working with other people. I would've contributed fuck all up there, but at least down here I might be able to kill something for someone else.
no subject
In either case, he looks fine enough pressing forward, a stiffness in his step and he's shivering harder than ever, both things that lead him to carelessly bump into more than he would have, but like what'd happened before, the spikes leave no new cuts on him and he keeps pace, gaze more often on Zero than it is on where they're going. ]
...Our reasons are pretty similar, aren't they? I've been feeling kinda lost for what I'm supposed to be doing here, so when I heard they needed people to explore somewhere dangerous, I thought maybe I'd get to do something that matters.
no subject
Eventually though, it bothers her enough that she stops altogether and rather abruptly at that. She doesn't actually address any of what he's said and instead just gestures towards.. all of him. ]
What gives? No point in being immune to pointy shit if you're just going to die if hypothermia, stupid.
no subject
Uh.
[ He's not freezing, even if he feels like it, but it's definitely not a fun feeling and he weighs bleeding out and being warm vs keeping safe and being cold in his mind. ]
It's Shiva's protection. He can block harm from sharp things like these crystal spikes, but he's weak against the cold, so...
[ Ice in particular, but after swimming through the lake and never getting the chance to dry off properly, the breeze inside the cavern makes it feel like ice anyways. ]
I'd die of hypothermia much slower than I would from bleeding out. And I won't be holding you back this way either.
no subject
Well, make him, it– whatever! Make it stop.
[ She waves a hand dismissively, and just a bit too aggressively. If you were watching from a distance it might look like she was swatting him away. ]
Forget whatever the fuck I said, okay? Just stop doing that, it freaks me out.
[ Her expression softs just a bit, and she looks away when she speaks. ]
I'd rather wait around for you than go through this stupid hole by myself. The thought of that's even worse.
no subject
Alright. Don't worry, I won't leave you alone.
[ He rubs his arms, hugging them to himself and working the warmth back into it. Nothing to fight here, huh... ]
I think... I have an idea of how to make it through much faster, and safer. It's just going to be very, very cold.
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