 BEYOND THE WALLS.You have decided to explore, despite the insistence that there is nothing to go looking for. That it's all fine, and that the trip is dangerous. You don't need to put yourself into unnecessary harm! Stay here! Have a drink!
But there has to be something more going on - Astoria wouldn't have dropped you off if that wasn't the case, right? So you decide to investigate. Decide to pack up some supplies, grab an extra coat that Astoria left in your room, and head out.
The first thing you'll find is the door itself. Tucked into an indiscreet alleyway in the center of the city and covered in a layer of ice and snow, is a doorway. Boarded up with wood, surprisingly enough, and relatively new. It doesn't take too much to get inside, and what you find is a stairwell carved from stone.
THE LABYRINTH
The stairwell goes on seemingly forever, curving around and through the rock, and shooting off in each direction. This is indeed a labyrinth of sorts, so you will want to keep close to each other for fear of getting lost. These stairs will take you the entire first day to get down, through a maze of slick stone and no light. The stairs, every 100 steps or so, do flatten out to a small landing of sorts, before taking off in at least three different directions. Like we said- be careful. ➜ There is no one way to get out from this labyrinth. As long as you move down, the stairs will all lead you out the base of the mountain on the right side towards the horizon. There is no one exit, so even if you do get separated from others you will end up along the same side of the mountain. Though your character may not know that. THE TUNDRA
This is going to be the most dangerous part of the mission. It will take 3 days to traverse the land if you don't get sidetracked, and finally make it to the strange glow that you know has to be the source of all of this. The land is just as you expect it to be - harsh, cold, icey, and rough. The winds never seem to stop, only shifting different directions whenever they seem bored. Sometimes it is a light breeze, other times reaching near-impossible gusts. Thankfully, there seem to be structures for you to take cover in. It is just as the natives described, so none of this quite seems out of place.
Though what you didn't quite expect to find, or sense, or realize, is that you don't seem to be the only ones out here. While they never seem to get very close, you get the sense you are being followed. Or maybe followed isn't the right word. Hunted. Great beasts do roam this land, giant creatures that take camouflage in the snow and ice, watching. They won't strike out at you unprompted, but each night when you settle, you can feel their eyes. Following. ➜ This section will only take 3 days, unless you decide to take it more slowly, or get distracted.
➜ The creatures will not attack you unless you attack them first. You do not get any clear sense of what they look like, but they are roughly the size of a house and move silently through the night. If you do decide to hunt them down/attack them, comment back to this post and let us know, as you'll get some fun new info! At the expense of your health, but hey. It might be worth it. THE GLOW
You will reach this on the fourth day, a widespread orange-ish glow that stands out amongst the blue and whites of the ice around you. It is coming from behind a large wall of stone, so you must make it around this wall before you can truly see the source.
And the source is a large (about the size of an olympic swimming pool) crevice in the ground. This crevice, or crack, has no bottom from what you can tell, but if you get too close the glow is too warm and too bright for you to really tell. And it is glowing, and it is letting off warmth, as this area is the most warm you've been since arriving here. But it's hard to tell from what, or why. What you can see, though, is that the snow and ice around this area is completely gone, melted away, and that the crevice seems to be...growing. Bits and pieces of the rock and stone are breaking away and falling into the glow.
You can surmise that the 'darkness' Astoria warned you about has to do with whatever this giant, growing crack in the ground. ➜ After some investigation around this glow, you will be able to find out that whatever energy is being given off, it is seeming into the ground all around it. This is the reason for the melting, the slow destruction of the stone, but also - from what you can tell - the magic being used back in Joikull. It emits the same color, and same warmth, though they have apparently found a way to transfer this energy/glow into various other ways. Anyone who makes it to the glow will know these things/be able to figure these out.
➜ The glow is coming from deep within the crevice. Deep. And the closer you get to it, the warmer it gets. Standing along the edge isn't too hot, just enough that you don't need your jackets, but if you do decide to descend into it, it will get hotter and hotter until you are unable to breathe/exist.
➜ If you have any other things you wish to look into or investigate, be sure to leave your comments here and we will let you know what else you can find, if anything! (aka, there is more information to be uncovered, depending on how you investigate!)
And as you return to the city, the trip will once again take the four days. What will you do with your new information? Also, your watches will have worked this entire trip, so if you need to let anyone know back in the city, feel free! |
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acatamods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
acatalepsy_logs2019-06-15 11:12 am
no subject
[Jinba temperatures ran far hotter than a human’s did, more in line with equine blood. Still, this was an icy tundra, her survival prospects being high didn’t change the fact that it was cold out. Just... less cold than for him, probably.]
You could sit by me if you want...
[But it may be more about the figures in the snow flurries that she offers.]
no subject
Sure.
[ after a moment, shifting to scoot a bit closer to konoha. not touching her, necessarily, but closer to be nearer, just in case she needs some level of protection. and hopefully to give her some measure of comfort. ]
You look comfortable, at the very least. Or more comfortable than the rest of us. Do you live in the snowy climate, in your on world?
no subject
[With her thick hide, warm brown coat, and a body temperature more equine than human, she was just naturally more resilient to the cold. She even slightly radiates body heat as she curls a bit tighter in on herself, watching him through sleepy eyes with her face pillowed on her arms.]
My boss always said a human would die in a day if you threw them out naked into the snow, but a jinba would last at least a week. But that's why humans have lots of ideas and came up with so many ways to keep warm.
no subject
[ for all the times for his alchemy to not function... ]
Still, you're lucky. And a good asset to have, on this trip. Thank you, for volunteering to come along.
no subject
[The way Sha had said it... Humans had to be inventive. What use did jinba in the mountains have for tools and weapons when they were naturally strong? What use did they have for coats or defenses when they were naturally resilient?
But then before they knew it... the number of humans was so high, their tools so advanced...]
You don't have to thank me, though- I figured I should just try to help out since I'm not uncomfortable in the cold. Plus, I can carry lots of stuff and make food... Just, uh. Maybe not fight.
no subject
[ with half a laugh, as roy folds his arms a bit closer against his body, to conserve temperature. ]
What is your hesitancy, in fighting? Feeling you aren't able to, or are you just not familiar with combat?