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< Room Full Of Corpses | Ex Pulplogs | Security Tentacles >

Carmine continues walking deeper into the room, bored of Myrrh and Corve's investigations

Corve "So, let's go. We're wasting time here," he says, sliding through the corpses. "Coming, love?"

Carmine looks around and starts to walk back. Boring room.

ST In the rear of the room, Carmine stumbles upon the single important object. Hidden in darkness that even Eminence could not easily drive off, there is a massive sarcophagus.

ST It is only when Carmine turns to leave that it catches her eye, winking in the departing light of her sword.

Myrrh mumbles "Yes dear, coming dear." as he picks through armor scraps, a habit he picked up after many late nights in the workshop. He stows some of the jade alloy chunks for later study and follows the others.

Carmine "...Or not so boring..." She turns around, "There's something there, in the darkness." She strides towards it

Corve turns around and raises a brow. If it caught Carmine's eye, it'd probably be worth investigating. He follows her.

Myrrh "Huh? What now? More corpses?" Goes to see what all the interesting dark things are.

ST Up close, more details are revealed. Seven feet long, three across and three high the sarcophagus is a fairly simple block of white stone. Though Carmine cannot read them, there are inset Old Realm characters in White Jade on the lid of the tomb. Beyond the markings, the tomb is simply white stone.

Corve waves at the markings vaguely, waiting for Myrrh and then gesturing to them. "Can you translate?"

Myrrh "Huh! I guess this was the first tomb...seems a bit too easy though. I was expecting more traps and monsters and bottomless pits." Inspects the runes and characters, tracing them with his finger.

Corve "Any idea what they say?"

ST With a few minutes of study both Carmine and Myrrh, though Carmine actually takes only a few seconds to figure out the simple dialectic differences from what Xar taught her, are able to read the inscription on the sarcophagus. "Salt Jaguar. BSE 245 - SE 2. Guardian of the Slain."

Carmine frowns. She'd translated it, but it made no sense.

Myrrh "Oh dear."

Myrrh "I wonder if Salt Jaguar was his name or what he was."

Carmine "What he was called ... I think. What he was was 'Guardian of the Slain'. Maybe."

Corve "I've never heard of any salt jaguars," he says. However, it being a name is a possibility- and so Corve bites the inside of his cheek, trying to search the recesses of his mind for Sixth Hour Falling.

Myrrh "Well there ARE the deadly Salt Jaguars of the west. Facinating coat colors though! Nasty dispositions though..."

Myrrh "But I don't think they would put one in a large tomb..."

Myrrh "Although I did meet a rather strange woman who kept one as a pet. They have these odd little ear tufts."

ST From the size of the sarcophagus it would appear to be a human or something human-sized inside, not a mutated Western cat.

Corve "He's here to make sure the spirits of the slain are kept quiet and stoic. It's a sacrifice- one usually reserved for Exalted." Corve's knowledge seems to come from nowhere, and he leans forward to study the sarcophagus.

Carmine frowns at Corve. But then he did know all kinds of weird stuff...

Myrrh "That's...suprising Corve. I thought your eyes glazed over when I explained the whole tombs of the anathema situation!" Smiles, it finaly sunk in! he'd have to tell Xar! "Well I doubt his ghost is still around."

Corve "It's not that," he says. He feels as if he's got something to... 'come clean' about. He sighs a little, scratching the back of his head.

Corve "Remember when I went comatose? And had a... chat with my previous self- or a memory of him, anyway?"

Carmine "...Yeah."

Corve sighs a little and leans on the sarcophagus slightly. "He's still in here," he says, tapping the side of his head.

Carmine "...Oh."

Carmine "...What does that mean?"

Corve "...yeah."

Corve "It means that I've potentially got a hell of a lot of knowledge in my head, and it comes with an arrogant overbearing atittude."

Myrrh "Really? How can his ghost still be here?"

Corve "Not his ghost. His memory."

Corve "A... recollection of him. I'm not the sorcerer here- but I'm guessing it's some sort of instinctual, mystical memory that was triggered by our first encounter. He doesn't even know he's dead- so it might be a memory that was... uh... liberated? Stored? Created?- before he died."

Corve "Well, he knows he's dead now..." he amends.

Carmine briefly looks at Corve with an incrediably jealous look, one that is quickly quashed and replaced by curiousity at the sarchophagus once more

Corve looks at Carmine with a sense of guilt. This can't be nice for her...

Myrrh "Hmmmm...facinating. I wonder if I can ask him some questions...well that can be later. Does he uh...know a Salt Jaguar?" Watches the exchange of looks between Carmine and Corve, not sure if he should pat her or him on the shoulder...

Corve shakes his head. "He said it doesn't ring a bell."

Myrrh "Well I suppose we could ask him if we have time later. Although if he's surrounded by a death guard it might not be wise." Makes up his mind and pats Carmine reasuringly on the shoulder and nods at Corve. A happy supportive medium. Less than a group hug but hugs aren't nice in a room full of corpses.

Corve sighs again and shrugs. "Yeah, whatever. What do you think we should do, Myrrh? This is your field."

Carmine tenses slightly as Myrrh touches her back, but then seems to relax a little, still not quite looking at Corve

Myrrh "Well...I suppose a little peek won't hurt. He is appeased with grave goods....anyone have a pry bar?"

Captain_Oteki continues standing around leaning against the door, keeping it open. He knows how crafty tombs can be, and doesn't want his new friends to get locked in a room full of old armor. Much.

Carmine "...Why?"

Captain_Oteki hums a jaunty tune while he waits, picking bits of filth from the day's explorations out from under his fingernails. *insert humming of the Imperial March here*

Corve "What are you thinking, Myrrh?"

Myrrh "Well for a start I want to see if whatever he's using has rotted as well. If it's just the armor there's nothing to worry about...if his things are ruined though..."

Myrrh "Well let's just say it might be trouble."

Myrrh "But we should do this CAREFULY. No sense in stirring up all of the ghosts."

Corve "You sure about this?"

Myrrh "I'm not sure about anything really. This place is literaly impossible. It's bigger on the inside than it's dimensions on the outside, it rots the magical materials, and it just ate Xar."

Corve sighs slightly and then mutters, unsheathing his machete to use it as a pry bar. "Fine. But let's be careful..."

Carmine has mixed feelings. A vast horde of vengeful hungry ghosts would be interesting at least ...

Corve looks at Carmine, frowning. They're going to have another talk. This is absurd... he's starting to wish they had normal relationship troubles.

Captain_Oteki glances up and into the far, dark reaches of the tomb. "Are ye folken stirrin' up trouble back there?!" he calls.

Myrrh "Define trouble."

Corve "Yes," he clarifies.

Captain_Oteki grins, and goes back to what can only really be called "grooming". "Carry on, 'en. Call me if'n ye need me."

Carmine gives Myrrh a 'well, get on with it' look

Corve "Right." He looks at his two companions. "So..?"

Myrrh "Why are you looking at me? I'm not the one with the giant lever/machette..." Can at best wedge the revolution to prop it up..

Corve rolls his eyes. "Fine, fine." And then he jams his machete between the pieces of stone seperating the cover from the sarcophagus proper... and begins to pull up.

Corve hasn't only become privy to more details about the First Age over night, either. Lately, he's been feeling less worried- less cautious- and braver- though he really wouldn't put it that way. With these feelings, he's noticed, have from some changes that, while not physically apparent, become quite obvious. His mucles bulge, his tendons become taut, and the strength with which he begins to pry the lid of sarcophagus is undoubtedly greater than what he normally possessed.

Myrrh helps pull the lid up, trying to make sure it doesn't shatter across the floor.

Carmine helps Myrrh too, easing it to the floor.

Captain_Oteki produces a trio of small rubber balls from his satchel, and begins to juggle as he leans against the door. .oO(I need to find some better clothes. Stupid plant monsters stealin' me trousers. Least that evil labyrinth god was nice 'nough ta give me replacements.)

ST When Corve pries open the stone tomb there is a moment of silence that sweeps outward, a deep chill of places never touched by sunlight. From within the sarcophagus a wave of Essence spreads out, destroying and altering. The Earth that had been bound within the tomb is released to rust away metal and blast the life from the living, making them as stone.

Captain_Oteki quirks an eyebrow at the disturbance and stops juggling, slipping the small rubber spheres back into his satchel. .oO(This is what I love about new friends.)

Corve grimaces. "Look out!" And then he vanishes. Carmine can take care of herself, and Myrrh probably has some sort of sorcerous protection- or he should!- against this type of thing. Corve? Corve vanishes, a flash of brilliant golden essence replacing his figure and streaking to the other end of the room, lighting up the corpses in his wake.

Carmine lets it wash over her, skin hardening to imperviousness, hair trailing behind her in the wash of essence

Myrrh backs up yelping in suprise shielding himself with his arms. This was a bit different from the stabbing blades and useless dart traps! It stings but he's still alive! Why he didn't even tear his clothes and- Myrrh stares at his now grey flecked left arm silently for a moment, he tries moving it.

Captain_Oteki sneezes violently. Because the last dregs of a blast radius of earth-aspected Essence have turned his nose hair and the five-o'clock shadow on his face into a wash of grayish sand. *cough cough cough sneeze gasp*

Carmine "...That was ... different!" Carmine sounds strangely excited by what just happened

Myrrh "Oh fuck me." He flails his bicep and the frozen limb stuck in the same guarding position. "Fuck! Fuck!" He clasps his arm, trying to see if he has any sensation from it.

ST Myrrh's arm refuses to respond to his commands to move. He finds himself unable to flex the muscles of the arm or move it at all. It is as if his body simply ends at his left shoulder.

Carmine "...What's wrong Myrrh?" she turns to face him, looking at his arm.

ST He can feel the arm when he presses his right hand against it, but the skin is cold and hard. As far as his fingers are concerned he might be touching the arm of a statue. And from his left arm, he feels nothing.

Captain_Oteki manages to clear the sand out of his sinus cavities, and gasps a few more times.

Corve rushes back towards his friend to get a closer look, his caste mark shattering the darkness. "Oh... fuck..."

Carmine tears Myrrh's shirt open to look at his arm, frowning deeply at it.

Myrrh "Oh damn!" He calms himself, taking a deep breath. He'd had worse scrapes than this...it was nothing...just a temporary stiffness! "Uh...little help?"

Carmine wraps it with her knuckle, looking for a reaction.

ST Carmine's knuckle gets a bit sore from tapping it on stone.

Captain_Oteki regains his composure and straightens. "Oy! You folks be livin' still?" he shouts.

Myrrh "Busy! Limbs turned into stone!" Turns to Carmine. "I don't feel anything...I can only move my shoulder."

Carmine "...That isn't good."

Corve "No, it isn't."

Carmine "But I think I can sort it out."

Myrrh moves his other major extremities, hoping nothing else has been been paralyzed in the attack!

ST A simple attempt to feel and move all his other parts shows Myrrh that nothing else has been transformed to stone. Despite that good fortune, no feeling is returning to his left arm and it remains cold, hard and greyish-white.

Carmine "All we have to do is take the stone arm off and then I can regrow the new one..."

Captain_Oteki brushes sand out of his hair. "One hopes that whatever ye did to cause that was worth the... wait, did ye say stone limbs? That certainly don't sound comfortable."

Myrrh "Ok..ok...stone...stone...traps and sorcery..."

Corve "I'm certain that it isn't, Oteki." He looks at Carmine with a raised brow. "You can regrow other people's limbs?"

Myrrh thinks for a moment. There has to be someway out of this. T Hey? were dragonblooded! The aren't able to ascend to the next level of shaping! This shouldn't be a problem! Think!

Carmine nods

Corve "That's... interesting," he says to Carmine, and then turns his attentions back to his friend.

ST As hard as he racks his brain, Myrrh can recall no way to return his arm to flesh, certainly none he currently knows.

Myrrh "Oh hell...I hate the damn shogunate! That..uh...limb...growing...how does it work exactly?"

Carmine "Well, I take your stone arm off above the stoney bit, and then over the next hour, we meditate and I regrow it for you." As if this were obvious.

Myrrh "T-take my arm off?!"

Myrrh "I thought you could...uh...do accupuncture?"

Corve gives Myrrh one of those 'don't be craven' looks.

Carmine "It needs to come off, or the old limb won't have anywhere to grow..."

Myrrh gives Corve one of those. "It's not your damn arm!" looks.

Myrrh "And the new arm...it's not going to look...odd is it?"

Carmine "Did your old one?"

Corve "It probably won't look odder than having a stone one," he says, looking worried.

Carmine waits for Myrrh's answer.

Myrrh thinks on this for a moment...this isn't something you exactly consider lightly now is it!

Carmine ponders hitting him over the head. Then decides she'd never hear the end of it.

Carmine "Well ... do you want me to fix your arm or not?" She asks softly of Myrrh

Corve puts his hand on Myrrh's shoulder, squeezing. "It's alright man. Carmine knows what she's doing."

Myrrh looks at Carmine and then Corve...giving it another moments thought. Then, changing his pensive look with an expression of calm, decides. "Carmine...if you think it's for the best, I trust you. You know as much about medicine as I do history." With that reassurance Myrrh looks curious suddenly. "So when did you learn to do this?"

Carmine "I've been able to do it for months, it's a ... side-benefit of the most powerful healing magic I can call on." She says calmly. "Now, lie down on the floor." She kneels herself.

Corve watches Carmine with a curious gaze and then steps towards the sarcophagus. No one's looked at it since they opened it.

Myrrh thinks for a moment and then takes off his coat. Can't have THAT ruined! He then lies down, looking up at Carmine. This was not how he expected this to go...

ST The much-ignored sarcophagus laws open now and its trap sprung. Within there lays the corpse of a man Corve would think must be Salt Jaguar. Unlike the other bodies in the room, Salt Jaguar looks as if he could wake up at any moment and try to slay them all. Short-cropped white hair contrasts with his sharp-featured young face and the strength of his bared arms.

Carmine "Now, this won't hurt a bit." She presses a hand to his forehead and suddenly Myrrh is filled with an entirely pleasant and all-encompassing bliss, one that seems to remove even the possibility of pain from his mind, a warm fuzz wrapped around his perceptions. She draws a scalpel from the medical pouch she carries.

ST The warrior was entombed with a heavy sword of White Jade and iron and armor styled in the hexagonal plates of a turtle's shell.

Myrrh he smirks, now that was a big promise to make... "Now Carmine, I don't mean to sound rude bu-" suddenly goes quiet, staring past her at...something.

ST The clues to his Exaltation are subtle, as they are with most Earth Aspects, but clear when one knows how to see them. The stubble on his jaw is a fine coating of golden-white sand instead of hair and the lines of his body are rough-formed instead of flowing and smooth like those of a normal man. With him dead his skin is pale and cold, but even in life it could not have been much different.

Carmine Carmine smiles at Myrrh and starts to excise his arm with the scalpel, the sharp blade easily parting the flesh just above the stone, starting to insinuate more magic into the wound as she does this, keeping the bleeding to a minimum as she deftly seperates stone from flesh. "See?" She says, as she lifts the limb aside, Myrrh having just felt a vague pressure as she removed it.

ST Myrrh looks upon the now-severed stone arm that once adorned his left shoulder as if it were the arm of a stranger. He feels the loss dully, as a minor annoyance rather then an agonizing pain. It does not occur to him that he should be bleeding his life out on the ground or crying for his mother.

Myrrh stares at Carmine for a moment. "Did you do it yet?" Then looks at his arm. "ohhhhh."

Carmine touches his forehead once more. "Now, sleep." And with that command he does, carmine settling herself into a meditative trance, weaving a limb of golden essence that is slowly filled as the hour passes. "Wake up."

Myrrh opens his eyes, looking up at Carmine calmly, slowly coming out of the essence induced euphoria and sleep. "Since i'm not a baby I can safely assume I haven't died and reincarnated." He smiles at her, and to think this is the same woman who runs around stabbing things with that mad glint in her eye..." he flexes his new arm, tensing slightly. He examines it while he still lies there.

Carmine gently pulls the euphoria from him ... the effect will fade in a few minutes. Until then, the arm could be a tentacle and he wouldn't really have minded...

ST Myrrh's new arm is paler then the rest of his body and the muscles not yet toned with exercise and exertion like his right arm, but it moves when he tells it to and looks perfectly normal. A scar remains around his shoulder where the limb was removed and regrown, but it is faint and hardly noticable without scrutiny

Corve has spent the last hour or so pacing, smoking, and otherwise worrying about his friend. He hasn't even contacted Sixth. He wants to think right now. Occasionally, he smacked one of the corpses, shattering their armor and dead bones.

Carmine smiles and carefully cleans the scapel. "How does it feel?"

Myrrh blinks as his slowly comes back to reality, isn't exactly ideal surroundings but Carmine is pretty easy on the eyes. "It's...strange. It doesn't feel strange but...one second i'm looking at it gone and the next it's back! Thank you Carmine." He stands up a bit wobbily and then hugs her although not as bearishly as he would like given that his muscle isn't exactly back...it's more lopsided. But being able to hug is good enough after an

Carmine hugs Myrrh back strongly, unconcerned of the way it presses her body up to his, kissing his cheeks. She seems very pleased with herself. Something she could do.

Myrrh But being able to hug at all is good enough after an hour ago.

Corve seems rather spacey right now. It doesn't look like he's paying much attention.

Myrrh grins back at her. "That was amazing. You'll have to tell me how you did it!" You know you wouldn't figure it for Carmine. She always seemed better at hacking off things than putting them back on! he kisses her on the cheek and then looks around for Corve, and for a moment before he remembers, Xar.

Corve simply seems to be standing there, looking into the void of the eyes of one of the corpses.

Carmine "...Corve?" She comes up behind him and puts a hand on his side

Myrrh "Carmine, you're a saint. And i'm not just saying that because i'm coming off of that...whatever that was."

Myrrh looks down at his neatly severed arm with a bit of trepidation...looking back at his new arm.

Corve flinches a bit, turning his head and looking at Carmine, and then Myrrh behind her. "Oh... you guys... you're done?"

Carmine "I think I read in one of Xars old books it is called the touch of blissful release..."

Corve sighs slightly. He's not feeling all that well at the moment. It has nothing to do with his physique, either. Slowly, he moves to Carmine, resting his head on her shoulder. "We need to finish this," he says, while thinking to himself: Not now, Corve. Hold it together.

Myrrh "Oh!...seems appropriate. Then again it also sounds like this club I went to in Lucre..." He looks at Corve. "Yes, we're done!" Waves with his new slightly untanned arm!

Carmine wraps her arms around corve and kisses his cheek "What's wrong?" she asks with a whisper and a kiss by his ear

Corve sighs and bites his inner cheek. "I'm not sure I can do this, Carmine... it's... too insane. We've been running around in circles for months..."

Myrrh he chuckles. "Hey Corve, remember that night in Lucre with that girl who could-" glances at Carmine. "bring drinks quickly?"

Carmine "We can. I know we can."

Corve wrapping his arms around her, he holds her dearly, for the first time believing it'll be alright. Not just because of Sixth's reassurance that his inner doubt is normal- but because if Carmine believe they can do it- if she trusts him and their friends that much- then there's no way he can let her or them down.

Myrrh walks over to Corve and Carmine, thinking for a moment...he's never seen Corve like this before...he puts a reasuring hand on his shoulder. "Oh we're going to do this. We know where they are, and we've shown repeatedly that we can handle whatever they can throw at us! If the worst they have is some self important mummy this'll be easy...now we just need to get this machine to vomit back up Xar..."

Corve nods a little, kissing Carmine and patting his friend's shoulder. "Alright, let'ssee what information we can get from this old guy's corpse, and then go get our friend."

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