: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
[Mikuni's in no way familiar with the concept of fucking up the timeline, but to him, it does seem like common sense. It would be dangerous to know what your future self will do. If he'd known as a child that he would be talking to a human like this, he'd have gone out of his way to avoid it. Someone less stubborn might see it as a way to recuse themselves of responsibility, or grow despairing because their fate seems predetermined. Life is difficult enough without knowing how it will turn out.]
[But at the same time, how do you interact with someone as they are now when you know how they will be? Is there any way to do that perfectly? Well--Mako is only human. And it's so clear that it's hurting him, no matter how well he's bearing it.]
No. She died before Konoha was ever born. She--
[Oh. He goes quiet. He doesn't even know if he'll live to the end of the war, Mako had said. He's overcome with remembering how he never wanted to--how jealous he was of Hayame getting to die at Matsukaze's side. Not for honor, but because he couldn't envision peace. Because if Matsukaze died, would any hope of peace die with him? Was that not the best ending he could find for himself?]
[He knows better now. But part of him wonders, still, if Hayame could have been happy, had they traded places. If she had the capacity for happiness within her.]
[His smile is delayed, a little hesitant, and it comes with its own question:] Do you want to know? I don't mind talking about it. [He does, a bit, but it's a fear like the way long-healed bones ache in the rain.] But it's not a very nice story. I don't want to upset you.
no subject
he tips his head, weighing it. it's not a story he needs. not anything he has to know. and what would the telling accomplish? he already knows that whatever else happened between human and jinba on mikuni's world was as bad as anything the fire nation ever did to the others. maybe even worse. and that it's very real, and very recent for him in the same way it is for katara.
he's obviously deliberating on an answer. he's learned not to just say the first thing that comes into his head around mikuni, for good or ill. finally, )
I'm hard to upset.
( his capacity for the endurance of horror is as deep and yawning a chasm a it has to be. he's accepted everything life's thrown at him and survived it. it's not that he's hard, because he isn't. he hurts for other people, wants to help them. but he's never surprised by the worst of humanity or what they can sink to, either. )
But 'not minding' talking about something isn't the same as wanting to, and I don't think it's anything I need to hear if it'll... bring up any bad memories.
no subject
[His expression doesn't change much. There's still the softness, the hesitant smile. His gentle aura is no different than before. But he can feel the razor's edge of resentment underneath it all. Not towards Mako, precisely; more the concept that bad memories might sink below the surface, even for an instant.]
[That's not how it works, for him. He doesn't get to let go of his memories while he goes on with his day, tucking them into a safe place from which he can pull them out and examine them later, when he's feeling strong enough. Humans are everywhere. He cannot escape his fear of them, nor his instinctive hatred. He can only hold it at bay, remind himself that he does not have to live in his past, that he can be what Matsukaze dreamed for the future. He doesn't have to bow to his fear, or the things he sees when he watches humans hunched over bowls and shoveling dinner into their mouths.]
[Even then, he is lucky. He doesn't suffer as Gonta does. By slowly and deliberately exposing himself, by refusing to hide himself away, he's acclimated. Even Gonta, poor Gonta, he used the truth against Gonta not so long ago--for his own good, maybe, but it still wasn't fair. If Mako is his friend, which might be the case, then he has to struggle against the urge to press the knife of his life against Mako's throat, no matter how tempting it is.]
. . . She'd hate it if I told a human about her, [he says, and laughs, clear and bell-like. She'd hate him regardless, but this more than anything would get on her bad side.] Her name was Hayame. She gave her life to save me--and the others I told you about. So many children lived because of her.
It's not such a bad memory. [Which is, of course, a lie.] She'd tell you not to worry so much about me. She thought I was a demon.
no subject
he is silent for a while, watching the nearby flames dance and jump in the fire. not such a bad memory, he says, which instinct says is a lie. the result of that memory — saving kids, maybe that one's okay. but death is never good. he's been dreaming about that final fight with ming-hua, who he didn't have a choice but to kill, and in the dream she drags him down into the water with her at the end.
there's a sympathetic crease to his brow, but mikuni doesn't have to tell him humans did this. he just doesn't. mako can read between the lines well enough. and a human's sympathy would just... well, he doesn't exactly know how it would go over, but about as well as a firebender approaching him on the street as a child to say 'sorry your parents are dead'. he looks down at his hands, instead. )
Well... I guess I'd have to respectfully disagree with her, then.
( both the worrying and the demonization. )
no subject
[Respectfully disagree. He laughs again, but easier this time, a soft huff of gentle amusement.]
No one respectfully disagreed with Hayame. You agreed obediently or had a blazing argument.
[He didn't like her at the time. Or rather, he didn't know what he felt about her. Maybe he saw too much of himself in her, and she in him. That would explain the animosity; besides being on opposite sides, neither of them liked themselves very much, so how could they get along?]
[With a sigh, he folds his hands over his stomach and cocks his head at Mako appraisingly. After a moment:] I would like to tell you the whole story, sometime. Not now. But I think . . . if you wouldn't mind. I would like to.
. . . Because it's important to me.