: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
Because you want to help people. That's a valuable thing, and if Koromaru stayed with you and assisted you, I think he'd find staying here to be worth it.
[ You know... instead of being abandoned, it's like he's being entrusted to something equally important. That is, Natsume's fortune telling work. ]
no subject
...AlRIGHT. [ alright! ] He might be useful when it comes time to fend off some acquaintances of MINE... and no one can resist the face of a cute dog advertising for work eiTHER. ♪ He'll be in good hands, Minato-kuN.
[ somewhat nefarious but, like, harmless nefarious. ]
As for payMENT— [ Friendly and flattered or not, he's still charging. His mommy taught him not to do anything for free. ] —I'll allow you to offer me something this TIME.
no subject
Setting my own price... [ There's little monetary or tangible that he can offer, which the both of them knows, and his skill isn't one that's very useful either. Hmm... ]
I don't really know what you'd be interested in, but maybe something like pictures of what I find down there? My phone's still got 8% battery left. Or an IOU- [ which sounds like a cop-out, but some people find it tempting ] any favor done, no questions asked.
no subject
Don't waste your battery on ME. [ even though pictures would be nice..... ] I don't take IOUs eiTHER, since it's easy to "forget" THEM...
[ ... ]
But I'll make an allowance this TIME. [ Natsume's just, pointedly not looking at Minato now; almost embarrassed, though there's nothing else that implies that. Whatever's to the left of him is just way more interesting. ] This concerns someone very important to you after ALL, so I'm sure you wouldn't simply pretend we hadn't had an agreement or something like THAT.
[ or: he's hoping so. ]
no subject
I'd really appreciate that.
[ He crouches down to pat Koromaru on the head, hoping to cheer the dog up a little and also spare Natsume from having to look away from him. ]
If I find anything interesting under the water, I'll make sure to bring it back to show you, too. I dunno what's supposed to be down there, that the mermaids were guarding... May be treasure, may be nothing.
no subject
Thank YOU. [ That's almost payment enough, being an information hungry gremlin, but Minato's offered him a favor and he isn't going to waste it. ] If anything of interest happens up here as WELL, I'll be certain to share it with YOU. I highly doubt it will compete with anything you find underwater THOUGH, unless they truly are the type of creature to raise a fuss about noTHING.
[ Which he... hopes they are not, because that would be incredibly anti-climatic? ]
no subject
[ He can hardly call his dorm a home, but it feels like that to him and only friends are typically invited inside. Even more, very few people have ever visited him inside his room— Ryoji, and Elizabeth, although they more or less invited themselves...
It might just turn out anti-climatic, though, and that might not be a bad thing. ]
no subject
Or maybe he just doesn't want people coming over, because then his parents might annoyingly get the right-wrong idea that he has friends. ]
I wouldn't fault them if that was the case, I supPOSE. [ He can't, more accurately. Hmph. ] Even then though, homes aren't "noTHING". Humans, mermaids... all kinds of living things have items that hold some sentimental vaLUE. It would be important to them, at LEAST. And to US, it might be a point of inteREST. Why it was imporTANT, and so on and so FORTH.
no subject
[ It isn't nothing and it would be interesting, but if all they achieve is satisfying their own curiosity, that doesn't sit very well with Minato. It'd be different if the mermaids were in trouble, or if the lake were just a public lake and the mermaids weren't so clearly territorial of it. ]
I guess... regardless... Astoria said it "felt" dangerous to her. Not enough to recommend against swimming in it, but enough that she wouldn't go near it. That's something I hope to find out why.
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You're going somewhere even a goddess dares not STEP. [ ... ] Keep SAFE. You'll disappoint Koromaru if you don't reTURN.
[ certainly this is all on koromaru, ]
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Goddesses don't dare descend into hell, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to come back. Orpheus did it. [ Orpheus was a FOOL and maybe isn't the best parallel to draw, but he's still somebody Minato keeps close even though he'd long grown away from him. ]
I'll stay safe. I can't disappoint Koromaru, and I don't want to break my promise to you either.
no subject
[ People don't have the best records for the underworld, Minato. But... Natsume sighs, idly playing with the longer hair of his hair. ]
I can see you're the type who isn't easily swaYED, so I'll just have to take your word as TRUTH... As much as I dislike uncertainTY, the future cannot be clearly seen in certain circumSTANCES. As a fortune teller as WELL, I have a rule not to peer into my own fuTURE, or into the futures that may concern something of MINE.
no subject
The future's uncertain, but it's not as if fate doesn't sway a certain way. I'll be fine, because I put the effort into it, rather than not.
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...But he's grown up past his old failings; he can see them for what they are, and he's more of the same mind as Minato. He has to be—spells won't work unless you believe in the magic you cast them with, after all. ]
Then I'll place my faith in that "effort" of YOURS. [ Ugh, that's sort of embarrassing to say in its own way. ] If you disappoint either of US, I'll place a curse on YOU, got IT? You don't cross a magician and get away with IT.
[ "us" being him and koromaru, hmph. ]
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Of course. I'll see you later, alright? You guys take care.
no subject
The same to YOU, Minato-kun.