: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
they've made decent progress, at the very least, but nier's eyes...wander back towards minato, like a watchful parent trying to make sure their kid doesn't fall off the swing. ]
Uh, be careful, alright?
[ ... ]
If our powers come back, I should...warn you about mine — sometimes, I can see peoples' memories when I touch them...
They usually don't like that.
no subject
Nothing really happens all the while, in terms of focusing on the crystals and trying to get them to snap off and turn into something smaller and less pokey, leading Minato to think it might be contact with bare skin that's required... like how his other hand is uncovered, grip slacking in momentary surprise when Nier tells him what his power is. ]
Uh. I don't really mind if you see them.
[ he should mind, but it's not as if Nier can control it. presumably. ]
They're not all great things, though, so sorry in advance, I guess... If we stop touching, does it stop immediately?
no subject
[ he doesn't actually look at him as he speaks, this time, instead opting to move forward...albeit a bit more slowly so minato doesn't get dragged through a minefield of shards. ]
Many people here are suffered. It's one of the reasons why I want to protect all of you.
[ ... ]
We can stop for a moment, if you want. This isn't an ideal place to rest, but I'd imagine that the blood loss would leave you a little tired.
no subject
Yeah. Let's take a break.
[ He's not as tired walking with Nier as he would be by himself, but a break is appreciated either way. He can take his hand back and stick it in his pocket and just sort of hold himself closed like he's used to, and stop feeling like such a child. ]
...I think suffering is a part of life, and isn't always a bad thing. And you can't protect people from all suffering, either.
no subject
suffering, happiness; at the end, it never really meant anything, did it?
... ]
You're right. People will always fight to be happy, even in a dying world. But...
[ for a moment, his eyes flutter shut. ]
I think it's natural to want to protect the things you care about in turn. A lot of the worlds we've come from are unfair...and sometimes crueler than they should be.
You can survive without knowing kindness or love. But you never truly live until you do.
no subject
Can't argue with that... [ He glances over at Nier. ]
"A dying world." Was that what yours was like?
no subject
It was ending. We all knew it. People were starving, stealing each other's crops just to survive...and then they'd find out and burn each other's houses down. If they weren't starving, they were dying from illness. Most of the faces from my childhood are long gone.
[ he states it like it's a fact — stoically and fluidly. ]
But even if the world was dying, it was still our home. People tried to make the best of it. They still held their festivals, and children still had dreams of becoming florists, or shopkeepers, or warriors one day.
It gave me hope, if even for a moment.
[ nier smiles ever so slightly. ]
Yours...what was it like?
no subject
He finds it hard to smile, even in the face of that hope. ]
In my world... people were giving up. There wasn't widespread war, or famine, or illness... but just the day to day life was hard. People stopped trying, stopped hoping and dreaming.
[ He lifts his head and shakes it. He thought the world was beautiful; it's the people who struggled, the same way he had struggled, but humanity is strong and they can pull through anything. He believes in that too. ]
It wasn't their fault. It was an outside force whispering those things and making them believe there's no point in life anymore. We got rid of it. Things should be better now.
no subject
he wishes he had died, like he was meant to. but instead he stands here, speaking to someone who embodied the exact opposite of what he was.
he had saved his world, while nier condemned his. it was always destined to end.
but it was his hand that struck the final blow. ]
I think they will be.
If there are people like you, fighting hard to save the world...to fight whatever was throwing it into despair, I believe wholeheartedly that everything will be alright.
[ ... ]
I'm glad...that ultimately, you were stronger than that force could ever be.
no subject
[ But he doesn't look any gladder for it, letting a sigh hiss out through clenched teeth, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. ]
I'm sure they'll be fine. But that force can't be killed, and all I could do was delay it in the end. [ Getting rid of something, but not completely, not forever. He and his friends might have saved the world once, but it will always need saving, and they will need more help than they've got. ]
Anyways. They'll be alright for now. And I'm sure yours will too. If they can continue to believe things will get better, it will.
no subject
[ he doesn't know how to tell him — that everything's going to end. he knows that, and as twisted and terrible as it is..
he finds relief in it.
an eon old cycle of misery. finally, it will come to an end. for the replicants, and for the gestalts. regardless of what he did, he was destined to die.
sometimes, the end isn't a bad thing.
so his eyes flutter shut. he thinks on that. ]
Even when things end, something new is born from them.
[ those androids. they still live, centuries beyond his time, don't they? ]
Yeah. They'll be okay. Both of our worlds. My sister is alive, and I think...that's all the hope I need.
[ slowly, he steps forward, a hand motioning towards minato. ]
Once we make it past this stretch, we should be fine. Ready?
no subject
But Nier says things will be okay, and he has family out there and he has hope, and that's enough to bring the slightest of smiles on Minato's face- thin but resolute- as he gets back on his feet. ]
I'm ready. But this time, let me lead. I won't be able to learn, otherwise.
[ And that's what's more important to him- to be alive is to learn and grow, not to be protected ]