< The End Is In Sight? | Ex Pulplogs | Storm Callers >
ST Now less crushed, but still somewhat sore, Myrrh is able to join the others as they go to see what all the commotion is about beyond the stone wall where Xar has finally dug through the wall and entered the Burial Chamber of the Tomb.
Xar`Rex "It seemed there was nothing here, before when I was inside the wall. I am glad to be wrong."
ST Beyond the roughly carved passage Xar has created the Final Chamber lays in all it's...splendor? Not really, thinks the Circle. There are no wonderful murals or bright offerings of shining gold or gems. The entire chamber is stark black glass reflecting dark and distorted visions of themselves back from every surface. Harsh angles and flat, featureless walls dominate. The room's four walls slope upwards to a pyramid peak.
Myrrh stiffly walks over to the others. "Who knows...this place doesn't exactly follow the rules.
Carmine walks in, looking around herself. So this was a burial chamber for a first age solar?
ST The only feature of the room is the sarcophagus that stands seven feet tall and three across in the center of the room. A vaguely human-shaped block of opaque obsidian with a dark sunburst over the face region.
Myrrh "I'd be careful. Whoever this was might still be around. I dont think this place has any shortage of ghosts.
Xar`Rex "I am tired of almost dying."
Xar`Rex "I would like to see the sun again." he says wistfully
Corve has followed. He's silent, though, looking around the place with a careful, investigative eye.
Myrrh "I'd also say be careful but I know you all..." He examines the block of rock, trying to make out the general shape.
ST Even with Corve's powers of observation the only thing in the room of any possible interest remains the stone sarcophagus and that seems to be a large, solid mass of black stone. Interesting, but not particularly helpful.
Corve "It's a bit plain," says Corve softly, scratching his chin.
Xar`Rex taps on it
ST The coffin does not respond to being tapped on other then to make a soft "clink" noise.
Myrrh "You know compared to the other first age tombs i've been to this one is incredibly sparce..."
Xar`Rex "Well maybe they do not want us to think we have found it
Myrrh "Where are all the grave goods? Where are the oppulent engravings?"
Myrrh "Maybe."
Xar`Rex "Or more likely, it is a trap." He tries to open it
Carmine watches with curiousity
ST To Xar's incredible surprise and everyone else's as well, his attempt to shape the obsidian tomb open does not result in anyone turning to stone, dying or even getting hurt. Instead the stone splits cleanly open and spills an age-darkened skeleton to the floor of the tomb. Along with the skeleton are a pair of Orichalcum bracers, a necklace of diamonds, a single golden arrow...
ST and a set of Orichalcum earrings.
Myrrh "Interesting..."
Myrrh "Xar are you alright?"
Corve Corve tilts his head slowly to the side, eyeing the corpse methodically; more intrigued than surprised; because honestly, after all this? A corpse full of orichalcum should be the LEAST of what they find.
Myrrh hesitates to go to his side, seeing as he half expects the walls to start closing in.
Carmine hesitates only briefly before she picks up the diamond necklace.
Myrrh seeing as Carmine hasn't turned into a pillar of ash, he takes the arrow and examines it...gold?
Xar`Rex "What do you think is the one we came for?"
ST The diamonds shine with a clear white light that reminds everyone of a bright sun at noon, happy things and new life. Carmine stares at the glowing stones, entranced by their shining, glittering, amazing lights. The light makes her somewhat uncomfortable, especially as her Castemark starts to itch horribly...but beyond that nothing untoward happens
ST Myrrh's golden arrow seems to be made of some unfamiliar but gold-like metal. It is not Orichalcum, but it most likely is related in some way.
Carmine frowns slightly at the necklace, touching her forehead, but then smiling at the beautiful item she holds
Myrrh "You know, for an artifact of ghost monster slaying I guess an arrow works..."
Xar`Rex picks up the bracers and examines them
Carmine puts the necklace on
Corve doesn't touch anything, instead walking over to Carmine and taking a look at the necklace.
ST Now Carmine's neck itches, even though the glow of the necklace has started to recede. It seems now to simply be the most amazingly beautiful diamond and gold necklace anyone has ever seen.
Myrrh carefuly scoops up the earrings and tries to put the poor remains in a place where they aren't so...disturbed.
Carmine scratches at her neck alittle under the necklace
Xar`Rex "That looks beautiful, on you." Xar smiles.
Myrrh "Now be sure not to- oh for Sol's sake..." He turns to Carmine thinking she's about to explode. "Carmine! Maybe you should take that off? We haven't discovered what these things DO..."
Xar`Rex kneels and says a prayer over the bones, easing their spirit, and asking for help in slaying the Viper Cult
Carmine smiles happily at Xar before turning to Myrrh. "This /is/ how you find out how things work. This or poke it with a stick, and we left those outside..."
Myrrh "Well alright...I just don't want you to be haunted or turn inside out." He exaimines the earrings carefuly.
ST Xar prays and Myrrh arranges, but the bones don't do anything and no spirit makes itself known. The Dragon-Blooded may have been able to destroy whatever spirit remained of the wearer of those ancient bones when they bound the corpse into the black stone or maybe time has worn away the spirit.
Carmine "I don't feel like I'm going to turn inside out ..."
Myrrh "Well you can never be too careful with objects of the first age."
Corve "Well... good," says Corve, eyeing her warily. He's watching the entire scene warily. He doesn't like this place, all of a sudden.
Xar`Rex rises, feeling mildly pleased that it did not react poorly to his prayer, and hoping that he did at least some good, "Can you feel anything? Did it do anything when you put it on?"
Carmine "It's making my skin itch a little."
Xar`Rex walks over, and touches the thing with tip of his claw.
Xar`Rex looks down at the bracers in his hands, comparing them in size to his massive wrists
ST It appears whoever wore them last did not have giant reptilian wrists. A sad finding for Xar.
Xar`Rex tucks them into his bag, upon determining that they are too complex for a simple deduction as to what they do
Carmine itches some more at her neck
Myrrh "Carmine maybe you should take that off if it's giving you a rash?" He wraps the arrow VERY carefuly and puts the earrings in the bundle before putting both in his bag.
Xar`Rex "A necklace, bracers, and an arrow... I need to get them back to the lab to see what they do... "
Myrrh "Don't forget the earrings."
Xar`Rex "Earrings? I did not see them." He looks over at Myrrh's find. "Well, they are pretty."
Myrrh "Well let's hope. We should get out of here. Although I don't think the place is going anywhere."
Carmine considers. While she wasn't going to let the necklace get the better of her, a rash was a rash... She takes the necklace off.
Xar`Rex "No...but I do not wish to come here again."
Myrrh "I don't know Xar, it's full of first age technology! It might even have a manse complex."
Xar`Rex "Perhaps, if my new friend," he gestures to the thing that had sucked him in and trapped him, "can tell me how to attune to the place, I will come back."
ST It takes nearly a day before the Circle is able to find, battle and puzzle their way out of the tomb, regain their Familiars from the white-armored guardian of the tower, leave the maze, escape from the underground city, return to the catacombs, regain their watery seaweed spell and make their way from the surface of sunken Abundance to the waters above.
ST Instead of the small boat they'd hoped to have waiting for them they find a large ship several meters in the air with a curious-looking Captain standing on her deck, peering down at them.
Myrrh "...Hello mam! Wonderful day for a swim!" He helps Snuffles get his...er...head above water.
Carmine "I didn't think boats flew..." Carmine murmurs to Xar
Captain Oteki gazes down, eyebrow quirked, for several moments. He then grins wide and proceeds to wave furiously. "Ahoy thar swimmers!"
Xar`Rex has actually tried out his new aquatic form on the way up, finding it much easier than the spell. He treads water, so to speak, and answers Carmine, "It is like an island transport, I think."
Carmine "Oh.."
ST Snuffles looks amazingly unhappy. His fungus is matted, soggy and he smells...foul, to say the least. The shuddering little creature burrows close to Myrrh's chest for warmth, making pathetic noises.
Xar`Rex "Oteki, we thought you had left."
Captain Oteki 's grin falters momentarily, and he looks perplexed as he stops waving. "That'd be quite the feat, me large reptilian friend, as I ain't yet been here."
Xar`Rex blinks back up at him. "Yes, you have. You helped us, and then ... disappeared."
Myrrh "I think the place was playing tricks on us but...how did you just now arrive?"
Captain Oteki continues to look confused, and pauses to glance perplexedly at his crew, before looking back down. "Ye'd think I'd remember..." he mutters, barely audible. "I'm thinkin' it might be best to get you water-logged folks up out o'the water and figure out how it is that ye've met me when I've only been here for a few moments."
Carmine nods in agreement. Sea water, she had decided, was not that much fun.
ST Oteki's efficient and somewhat friendly crew lowers ropes down to hoist up the Circle, one rope for each.
Myrrh clings to his rope...having had a rather hectic trip.
Carmine climbs up her rope
Xar`Rex climbs up the rope politely, although it would have been easier to fly. He looks back over his Mosok form, not entirely used to it, and thinking his wings look much better on his natural form
Myrrh slowly climbs up. "Can I get some blankets please..and some fruit? Maybe a little moldy bread?"
Captain Oteki nods quickly, and gestures for Aki Sen the Hyperactive Little Djala Chick to go root around for such things, before pausing to tap a finger against his closed lips as he looks each of them over. "Aye, I'm fairly certain I'd be rememberin' the likes of ye." he mutters, apparently making a concentrated effort to force his eyes not to linger too long on Carmine.
Myrrh tries to comfort poor snuffles, patting his mossy head.
Carmine stretches, now that she doesn't have to tread water, then takes the time to look around herself a little
Xar`Rex "Well," Xar says, reasonably, "How else would we know your name?"
Xar`Rex "And Jin's."
Myrrh "Do you have any spare bunks? I think our friend Corve is a bit worn out from the deathtraps and plant monsters."
Captain Oteki shrugs, his grin returning. "It's a strange world out here, me lad. Are any of ye prone to prophetic dreams? Per'aps we're destined to meet."
Captain Oteki then nods. "Aye. I'll have Aki take him down below when she returns with food an' blankets."
Carmine looks nervously after Corve, moving over to him and fussing over him, obviously concerned
Xar`Rex "Not that I know of." he replies, looking after Corve
Myrrh "No I assure you we met...you. Down below. Although I don't see how it could have been just an illusion if all of the details were correct."
Carmine "It was a freaky place down there." Carmine notes.
Captain Oteki looks up at the sunlit sky, fists on his hips. "I am fairly certain that I would remember havin' met you down there, especially seein' as I was about to head down meself, in the hopes o' unravelin' a little mystery and per'aps salvagin' a bit o'profit while I was at it."
Xar`Rex "Well, then." He takes the moment for his form to blur and shift, becoming enormous and bulky in entirely different ways from his current form, settling back into his natural, Anklok form. "I am Xar`Rex." He extends an enormous scaly paw in greeting.
Myrrh "I wouldn't go back down all on my own if I were you. There are many traps. And many hungry ghosts."
Captain Oteki frowns a little at the confusion, but then seems to dismiss the entire thing and gives Xar a hearty hand... paw... shake. "I be Oteki Devil-Prince. But ye seem to know that already."
Myrrh "Nellens Myrrh...we've met."
Xar`Rex "Our friend who is ill, is Corve. And this is Carmine."
Myrrh "And this is Snuffles." Gesturing to the poor moss...lump in his arms.
Xar`Rex wrinkles his nose at Snuffles. "Snuffles smells."
Captain Oteki nods. "My pretty young panda-spotted associate is Aki Sen, and the surly, pasty gent behind the wheel be Ash." he says with a grin, and gives a vaguely flamboyant bow in Carmine's direction. "Charmed to meet the lot of ye... again." he adds. "Now, seeing as it appears that I won't be headin' down into the briney deeps in search o' adventure an' fortune this mornin', I'll be needin' a new plan. Where be ye headin'?"
Xar`Rex "Brume."
Myrrh "Well the trip has been a bit ruff on him Xar. He is mad of Moss...I think."
Xar`Rex "He is, but he tastes better when not soaked in salt water." he snorts.
Myrrh "Well i'm sure some sun on the open sea will dry him out quickly.
Captain Oteki taps his finger against his chin thoughtfully. "Brume. Aye, if I remember correctly there be a decent trade in salvage on Brume. I might be able to unload a few things and stock up on a few necessities. Maybe ask a few questions about why there ain't no floatin' island here at the moment."
Carmine gives Oteki a charmed smile in exchange for the bow
Xar`Rex "We could answer some of those questions, along the way."
Captain Oteki nods. "Then to Brume it shall be!" he says with a grin. "Though answer me this first. Do ye think I'd strike a more imposin' figure were I wearin' a big ol' captain's hat? I've been wafflin' on the subject for some time now."
Carmine considers
Xar`Rex chuckles
Xar`Rex "I believe you would look very, what is the word... Dashing."
Carmine considers some more, then gives a small nod
Captain Oteki grins. "Aye, that's what I figgered." he replies. "I shall have to do some shoppin' when we reach Brume." he adds. "I'll go give Ash our new headin', and we'll be off. Should any of ye be feelin' a mite tired, there be a lot of cots down below. The Ill Omen be made for a crew of a dozen or more, though it seems the three of us are enough to pilot her."
Xar`Rex "One such as you can do many things a dozen men or more could not do alone."
Captain Oteki grins. "It be more than a little bothersome how much more the lot of ye know about me than I do about you."
Myrrh Oh i'm sure you'll learn alot. It'll be a long trip...
Captain Oteki nods, and then jogs off to the pilot's cabin to relay the Ill Omen's new heading.
Xar`Rex retires to a sunny place, enjoying the sunlight, and taking the spare time to re-inspect some of his loot, to try to discern what it does, and how to work it. He is occasionally heard to be talking to himself, although in two seemingly different tones.
Carmine , after checking on Corve, finds herself a spot out of the wind and in the sun and lies down to soak up some of that sun. Maybe that was why the blackness had come before. The lack of sunlight.
Captain Oteki mostly concerns himself with the functions of the ship, though he does occasionally appear, usually hanging from some unlikely contraption of rigging, to comment on Xar's phat lewtz or to make conversation with Myrrh and/or Carmine.
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