: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
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It's a little RARE, but there are people who act altruisticalLY. [ and dark bakura obviously is not one of them. ] I find it forebodING. Forget what it might WANT, why it needs to is the more pressing quesTION. Are we in danger of someTHING? What's going to happen NEXT? And so on and so FORTH.
[ ...hmmmph. He glances at the tent's door, thinking about those out exploring. Hm..... ]
Unless we can ask IT, we aren't going to get any anSWERS... Well, maybe Astoria-sama will have something to SAY, [ he'll amend his previous statement, though he isn't sure how much she'd have to say about it, either. ]
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Before we ask Astoria anything, answer this for me first: why are you talking like that?
[ And to think the Pharaoh and the vessel called his way of speaking dramatic. ]
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You're the first person to inquire after that HERE. Just so you KNOW.
[ Implying his company here is the weird one; the only other person to ask him about this was the little kitten, and he was much kinder to her. That is, he gave her a whole-ass explanation, while Dark Bakura only gets a little bit of it. ]
Regardless: it's an old habit of mine I can't QUIT—something similar to a "good luck CHARM".
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Is that so WEIRD? I find her a deLIGHT.
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[ they're also card games brought to life but he's not going to get into that just yet because it doesn't sound nearly as Cool as Ka monsters do. ]
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[ he should like, probably not mess with this guy that much, because eventually the fact he has no such thing will come out,
but also dark bakura's a dick so why not. ]
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[ He shrugs as though the possibility is of no consequence to him, giving no indication that he disbelieves Natsume's claims. ]
At least, that's the way it was when magic was more common. Now, however, it's a lot less dire, having been reduced to a simple trading card game for the sake of entertainment, which was unfortunately left behind when I came to this world or else it would be another way for us to pass the time until this storm lets up.
[ That is, if it lets up. At this rate, it'll last all day, meaning that they're going to be stuck together for a little while. ]
In the meantime, however, you could always tell me about the monsters from your world.
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They come in a myriad of sizes and SHAPES... From tiny hoofed beasts with FANGS, to massive creatures with impossibly long necks and strength WHO, despite their size and poWER, remain genTLE. A few can even mimic their surroundings to such a degree THAT, if one wasn't observant eNOUGH, they would be able to get the jump on you quite easiLY. ♪ I suspect it's a type of invisibility mySELF, but I hardly study such THINGS, and I don't have any of my OWN...
[ Unfortunately, he's not licensed to own mimic octopuses. ]
My own pets are small and more or less harmless to huMANS, save for their insufferable habit of laying by my head when I SLEEP. Their sizes and fur make it hard to BREATHE, though that's the usual for their KIND... They're quite adapt at hunting, howeVER. ♪ I can't help but feel proud [ and minorly grossed out ] when I find they've caught a small bucktoothed aniMAL, or something with as many legs are there are stars in the SKY.
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[ Even though his words might suggest otherwise, he's showing no indication that he's caught on to Natsume's lie on his face, instead smiling almost unsettlingly pleasantly. ]
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Would you consider naturally augmented abilities to be maGIC, or monSTROUS?
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That all depends on what exactly those abilities are... because if they're just the kind of abilities that any ordinary animal already has with a few enhancements, then they're simply monstrous. But if they're out of the ordinary, well, then... that's precisely what magic is, isn't it?
Of course, ordinary is also a relative term when we're talking about what may be two very different worlds as well... what's ordinary for me may not necessarily be ordinary for you. That's something that I've come to understand about this world, and very quickly, too...