: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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acatamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
acatalepsy_logs2018-10-04 09:55 pm
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...You mean a text message. I'd do that for you anyway; that's not much of a favor to return.
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[She pats again, attempting to reassure that she honestly does find such a thing incredibly helpful. Because she does! And if she keeps patting his shoulders, she will forget for just a few more minutes that apparently water horse fishes live in these caves.]
Like everyone! So... it's potentially a lot of reading I need you to help with!
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[Ease begins to settle between them, Connor just looking up at her from where he stands.]
Then consider it done. Maybe you’ll learn a few words yourself in the process — it can’t hurt to.
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[Konoha scratches behind her ear a bit awkwardly, sparing only the briefest look behind her for the sound of a splash, but... she doesn't see anything, so...]
I think that's probably asking too much when all I did was pull just now...
[Though... he did say he would teach her the watch, and she'd kind of figured that out...]
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[(Running in the background of his processes, his audio receptors are also attuned to listen for sounds of splashing. It’s okay. They’re both being cautious in their own ways.)]
You might find it fun, besides, being able to express yourself in new ways.
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[It's easier to blame her few days of education on her own stupidity than a lack of money, than prejudice against jinba from other students and the monks. But she hasn't really tried since... she's been working, there was always something that needed doing, and anything she needed read she could ask Sha Gozen to read for her, so...
Belatedly, she realizes she... doesn't have work here.
Oh, yeah.]
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That doesn't mean she can't still learn, though, in an environment with less pressure to do so.]
Maybe, but there are going to be repeated words that you'll see often, and therefore might be easiest to learn. You can consider those a sort of foundation as you continue to learn, if you're willing.
[Connor steps forward, gently suggesting that she walks along with them with a wave of a hand. They can't remain here.]
I think you'd be able to do it.
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At first Konoha instinctively tries to sort of hide behind his smaller form and stay closer to the cave wall with him closer to the water, but... that strikes her a moment later as awfully cowardly, not to mention callous, and she hesitates, trying to figure out where she should go.]
Thanks, Connor...
[He believed in her. ... It would probably be enough to get her to at least try.]
Um- Do you think there's more horse fish in there... ?
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It's likely. However-
[He pauses, eyes flicking to the edge of the water.]
When my scans wish to cooperate, I'll do my best to keep an eye on any lifeforms or movement beneath the surface. In the meanwhile, I think we should just keep observant and warn each other if we see anything suspicious.
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[A bit embarrassed by her behavior, but unable to resist being relieved that he takes the lead, Konoha falls in line behind him, still a bit skittish of the water's edge.
(For good reason, she thinks, but!)]
Your scans are... not working now? Or before, or?
[Scans was like... magic? Or like how A2 said she was supposed to be faster than she was here?]
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[He stays close to the edge of the cavern as they walk. Comfortingly enough, the path they take pulls them further away from the pool of water that the kelpie had initially leapt out of.]
It seems like whatever’s happened recently has allowed them to reactivate on occasion, but there’s no reliable way of knowing when. Currently, they remain offline.
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She's more than relieved to follow him down the path that arcs away from the water, though she's still skittish enough that the sound of something moving in the water, (a rock kicked by another circle member) sends her half jumping for Connor's shoulders.
... False alarm, though. Okay.]
Say, Connor...
[Back on track... to what 2B had said.]
Is your name actually RK800? Did you just tell me your name was Connor so I wouldn't freak out about you being a metal person?
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But it’s just a rock that skitters on by.
He lets out an exhale out of observed habit, and stops briefly to look up at her.]
What? No. My name is Connor. It’s the one that was given to me.
[He gestures to the faintly glowing letters that read RK800 on his jacket.]
This is indicative of the kind of android that I am. Much like you’re a mountain jinba, I’m an RK800.
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[Konoha lets out an audible sigh of relief, one hand to her heart as if she'd been prepared for the worst.]
2B called you that and didn't know "Connor", so I thought "oh, no, what if that's his android name and he just told me Connor to make me feel better after I panicked that first time we met because I didn't know how people could be metal like that-"
[INHALE]
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[He supposes that makes sense, and he’d be lying if he said he hasn’t simplified several explanations about androids and himself for her sake in the past.
But his name is never something he made up.]
No, when I gave you my name, I was being truthful. We even spoke of its meaning, remember?
[Back when she was sick, and he had told her it meant “hound lover”.]
I initially gave 2B my designation and not my name — that was an oversight on my end. Sorry about that.
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[Konoha has to search her fever memories for that one. A lot of what had happened those two weeks blurred together in her mind, parts seeming not quite real and other parts she was sure were just fever dreams, but that does sound kind of familiar...]
M... ostly I remember.
[About loving dogs, right, so-]
Oh!
[He'd seemed so genuinely fond of the animals, when they'd talked about them in the train, and one in particular, so- trying to take her mind of kelpies despite still twitching at every sound, Konoha tries to redirect her thoughts in a more positive direction.]
I met Sumo!
[And Hank. Sorry, Hank. She's met grumpy uncles before, but nice dogs?]
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You did? When was that?
[The Hank part is just assumed -- he can always ask about that later. But first... SUMO.]
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[The conversation at least allows her to focus on... not kelpies.]
The dog was stuck in a tree, and your friend Hank was in your worlds loincloth, so I climbed it and got him down.
[... okay that's a really weird way to explain things she kind of realizes but she's already said it, time to keep forging ahead.]
He was nice, like you said.
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Loincloth? He was in his underwear, you mean?
[Much like the day he arrived in the Temple, taken from being sprawled out on his kitchen floor to this place instead. A very inconvenient and unflattering moment for the Lieutenant, but Connor is nice enough to not mention that.]
I didn't know Sumo was stuck in a tree. That must've been difficult for you; he's a large dog and it must have been troublesome trying to climb a tree.
[Do jinbas climb???]
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Loincloth? He was in his underwear, you mean?
[Much like the day he arrived in the Temple, taken from being sprawled out on his kitchen floor to this place instead. A very inconvenient and unflattering moment for the Lieutenant, but Connor is nice enough to not mention that.]
I didn't know Sumo was stuck in a tree. That must've been difficult for you; he's a large dog and some of those trees were very tall.
[Do jinbas climb???]
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[It covered like... all of him? And it wasn't even tight? Or kind of see-through?]
He's bigger than the matagi dogs a bit, but he wasn't so heavy... the climb was a bit tough but, he had to come down somehow. I haven't climbed a tree like that since I was a filly, but it had some real thick branches, thankfully.
[Because... weight was really the only obstacle. Though a horse would never think to climb a tree, jinba had the human brains required to manage it... with some coordinating.]
Thanks to you I could pet him. And he even likes being scratched the same place as me.
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[What would Hank think, knowing that they're talking about the state of his boxers? May he never find out.]
Sumo's a very friendly dog. Older, but I think that adds to how laid-back he can appear to be. And I should thank you for helping him down, too, since I doubt he could've managed it himself.
But... you mean you like being scratched behind your ears? [IS THAT WHAT SHE MEANS]
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[If it suddenly looks like Konoha is checking out Connor's ass... it's because she kind of is. How did all that fabric get into those slim pants???
But she's distracted from her distracted rear clothing distraction by Connor's question, which... seems to make no sense at all until she actually considers it and realizes she hadn't clarified well enough, quickly shaking her head and almost sending her bun of hair tumbling down.]
No, not my ears, that'd be weird- ! Like on the chest!
[... that probably still isn't clarification enough, Konoha.]
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I... yes.
[He wears human clothing, all of it. He doesn’t see how that’s strange, given how closely he’s supposed to integrate with them.
It’s a nice butt at least??]
Your... chest? I wouldn’t normally consider that a place where... humanoid individuals like to be scratched.
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It's a tidy bum. But that just makes her more confused. Shouldn't there be like... a line, where the fabric ends? But she doesn't really see one... could they be made of... silk? Something so expensive, on your crotch????]
N- No, not that one, this one-
[Wriggling a bit weirdly and bumping up accidentally against the wall in her hurry to clarify, Konoha points... down. The equine chest. That one.]
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Wrap~?