Key Quest Through and through


Age: 6 | Height: | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: - Strg: - Dext: - Endr: - Luck: - Int:
Played by: Admin Offline
Change author:
Posts: 823 | Total: 3,209
MP: 0
#1
key quest

After the terse conversation that occurred between Wessex and Delah, a new plan was formulated. If the Grounders couldn't use the portal in the Greatwood, why then they'd just use the one in their own backyard.

Once they reached it, of course. Though Deimos/Amalia/Remi/Ashetta seemed to have cleared away the poisonous plants within, it is anyone's guess what lurks down there now. All you know is that the structural stability is poor at best, and deadly at worst.

Still, knowing that there is a world to see beyond the elemental storms will drive even the most steadfast characters towards recklessness. Not much is known about where the portal actually leads, but it's somewhere.

Somewhere not here.



You have 48 hours to respond, detailing your character arriving. So that nothing is missed, please include a quick summary at the bottom of your post.

REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding, but dangerous. They may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters - join at your own risk!

1. Adam
2. Loren
3.Wessex
4. Jigano

Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#2
Adam
Hallucinate a shady grove where Judas went to die
Unfurl the black velvet altar cloth
A portal, a spire, an adventure? Adam could hardly turn it down. It was a promise of something new, somewhere to take Pet and start a life hopefully more exciting than the one he'd had in the Hollowed Grounds. The Devil's Advocates could even get a new business venture out of it - importing things found in the land within the portal to Sanctuary.

Even if he didn't get anything so practical out of it, it could be fun. So with his guns at his hips, Coffee flying behind him and a knife in his boot, Adam walked up to the Spire with a confident swagger, a smirk on his lips. He had never entered the dark building before and did not know what to expect, but he'd heard enough stories of it to know that at least some of the people who entered got to leave.

He had not told Pet of his journey out. He thought it would be a good surprise for his boyfriend to come back with a whole new land for them to explore together. Sure he would make it back, he waited to see who else would arrive.

--
Adam arrives!
Draw a white chalk Baphomet
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough
And this is what you get
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#3
there's light at the edge of the darkness
It was past time Loren braved the Spire. Others had been down—some of them more than once—but because of his long absence, he’d missed all those trips, needing the time to heal and come to terms with his life. However, he was stronger now than he’d ever been, in both mind and spirit. When he’d heard that a group was descending into that dark place once more, to try and find a portal, he’d made up his mind almost instantly. Although he had no real desire to face the danger that no doubt lurked within, he was equally loathe to let others face it for him.

So he’d shown up, Krosis on his hip, glasses on his nose, amulet around his neck, feather pouch, unicorn horn, and daggers on his belt, and Astra by his side. It might be overkill (especially because he was probably going to rely upon his magic anyway) but better that than be killed. For those that knew him as a healer, the sheer amount of weaponry he bristled with and the myriad artifacts he possessed might be a bit surprising. However, he’d been trained for battle, and he knew better than most not to leave any tool at home.

It seemed that he was the second to arrive, though the other man wasn't known to him. Probably best to get to know the people he'd be working with. "Hello there. I don't think we've met. I'm Loren Launceleyn." He held out his hand for the other man to shake, before glancing at the entrance to the Spire. Astra came up as well, giving the stranger a curious look, though the luxere didn't move forward for a head scratch. She sensed the mood was too serious for that. "Any idea what we'll be facing in there?" Although the summoner doubted there were answers, he knew that whatever lurked inside the dark tower, it would be bad.

And if he was annoyed to have to participate in this whole exercise when there had been other, much less dangerous, options available to them, well, he did his best not to let it show on his face. Instead, he just took deep breaths, seeking calm before what he was pretty sure was going to be a huge fucking storm. Better he face it than anyone else.



Loren and Astra arrive
loren


Coding base by Sky!
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#4
dont know where the lights are taking us
but something in the night is dangerous
What kind of cunt would she be if she organized the expedition and then let others do the dirty work?

The answer is: an epic one.

So Wessex is waiting for the others to arrive, fully armored and weaponized. There’s some rope and her bow and arrows, too. The burden of responsibility lays heavily on her shoulders, a dark cloud over her already usually taciturn features that screams only, let’s do this.

Though why Adam is here, when he has been nothing but unsuccessful in past enedeavors with Wessex is beyond her ken. She gives him a look. "Adam, if you're drunk, go home."
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#5
This? This was going to be a disaster. Jigano could feel it in his bones as he made his way to the cursed obelisk and fought the urge to massage away the tension headache that was already forming. He knew he should have stayed away, let others handle this. He was no hero, nor anything special. No pathfinder or trailblazer to unlock secret doors in the fabric of reality.

He was a man who should have stayed home with his partner and worked on trying to rebuild the bridges with his friends and found family that he had spent far too much time burning down in recent months, between blights and LongNights and his own damn arrogance.

But he was also a Loreseeker, and at least one of that guild should be along to record and chronicle what was about to happen. Besides, he knew more about the inside of the Spire by now than most, which was a terrifying thought given how little he actually did know about it.

Still, his dragging feet eventually arrived shortly behind Loren. He was dressed for the weather he expected them to meet if they ended up in The Fangs - his winter clothing, and a heavy cloak of fur atop it all. He wore the light armor Deimos had made for him, the sturdy pieces hidden beneath the long sleeves and high collar of his overlapping tunics, and at his belt were strapped a pair of long knives on cords that could be easily grasped by narrow jaws or taloned feet. Knives he wouldn't mind losing, unlike the elegant rapier that he had left at home. A sturdy bag was tucked into his belt as well, filled with seeds. Isuma, however, remained at home, tucked tight to Rory's side along with half of the magic mirrors. The other half remained in a chain around his neck, tucked inside his clothes for the moment.

Adam was an unexpected sight, but Loren and Wessex were not. He looked around for Deimos, but the General had been wise enough to keep away from this particular adventure, so the bard drew a breath to address Loren's question. "The last time I went down to see if there was a way through, the rubble had collapsed enough that nothing human-sized could get through," he spoke quietly. "The first time I went down there? There was a large room filled with plants that spewed poison into the air. That, at least, has been dealt with. Beyond that chamber was a smaller one where the portal was, guarded by a great serpent..." He slanted a glance at Wessex. "...That was sentient, and disinclined to let Ascended pass. I spoke with it at the time to try and get it to escape with us when the Spire threatened to fall the first time, but it refused to leave its charge. It has been there a long, long time, bound to its duty."

He glanced back to Loren with a slight nod of acknowledgment. "The second time I went down there the door to the portal room had been sealed over, however, and we couldn't find an easy way to open it at the time, though we had other things to worry about then." A dying tulmhainar and poison gas and a flock of Fae whose only interest was the world turtle had all comprised solid distractions at the time.



Jigano arrives with half a magic mirror set, a bag of seeds, and a brief recap of what he's found in the Spire before.


Age: 6 | Height: | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: - Strg: - Dext: - Endr: - Luck: - Int:
Played by: Admin Offline
Change author:
Posts: 823 | Total: 3,209
MP: 0
#6
key quest

Enough chatter, off you pop.

As you descend the stairs you'll find them in a crumbled state, but serviceable so long as you're careful.

At the bottom the scene is more or less as Jigano described it: the centre of the Spire is entirely gone now, the sky visible far, far above. The walls are buckled and in many places dust continues to pour out from where the weight of the tower continues to grind down and down and down. Almost as if it could collapse upon you at any moment.

As before there is the sound of rushing water somewhere distant and below you. All the plants are dead leaving only charcoal-coloured corpses in their wake. The mound which was once the earth turtle is gone as well, decayed down to dust.

The room the Sage spoke of is ahead of you about thirty feet, however a 10ft high arc of rubble blocks any possible means to accessing it.



You have 24 hours to reply. Your randomly drawn initiative order is: Loren, Adam, Wessex, Jigano. Please include a summary at the bottom of your posts.

the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#7
there's light at the edge of the darkness
Wessex’s arrival was unsurprising. Still, this was a volunteer effort, so, queen or not, she wasn’t actually in charge of this endeavor. Besides, she’d ditched Loren and left him and other civilians to the monsters, so he wasn’t exactly inclined to listen to her at the moment, especially given her proclivity to bark out commands that made sense only to her. Then Jigano arrived, and the summoner eyed the white-haired man warily: the Launceleyn had no idea what the bard’s capabilities were, so Loren would assume civilian in need of protection until proven otherwise. Great. Just great.

At least Jigano had a great deal of information about the Spire. Unfortunately, it sounded more than a bit out of date. Of course, that was also assuming nothing had changed since the last team to breach the Spire. Which the summoner wasn’t willing to do. So, as always, he would assume danger around every corner and expect the unexpected. Same old, then. These weren’t the sorts of situations any amount of planning could really prepare for.

Unfortunately, there was going to be at least a little more chatter.

It was always a bad sign when Loren was the top candidate for the most reasonable member of a team. Glancing around at the other three members of their little group, he let out a huff of laughter. ”Lotta strong personalities here, including myself. In the interest of not getting dead, can we at least try to work together and trust each other to do the right thing?” So that meant no orders, no judgment, no letting pre-existing tensions influence their behavior. They had a shared goal: get in, find the portal, get out. That meant they all had to assume everyone was working towards that in their own way. If the Launceleyn was willing to do it, hopefully the others would as well. Because frankly this was too dangerous for them not to act in concert or to sow further divisions.

Turning, Loren carefully descended down the stairs, Astra by his side, eyes peeled for any danger and feet as sure as he could place them. Strangely enough, it was much as Jigano had described it. The sky was visible far above, the plants were dead husks, the walls looked like they might crumble at any moment, and there was rubble blocking the path ahead. No giant snake to be seen though. Alright then. Time to get to work.

Calling upon the deep well of magic within, the Launceleyn raised both hands. In one, he pictured his water magic, in the other his summoning. Ice poured out of his fingers, attempting to shore up the crumbling walls as best he could, especially where he saw dust pouring through. At the same time, he scoured through his summoning magic for something that would help them clear it out of the way. He still wasn't entirely certain of his mythological creatures, so he settled for a bear instead. It popped into being and lumbered over to the rock pile to try and pick loose some of the stones.



Loren descends the stairs, then tries to shore up the walls with ice while summoning a bear to clear the rubble. Astra does nothing.
loren


Coding base by Sky!
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#8
Adam
Hallucinate a shady grove where Judas went to die
Unfurl the black velvet altar cloth
The first person to arrive Adam didn't recognise, but he sure as shit recognised the name Launceleyn. The weird cult Pet had joined, the one that had made him change his name and was deciding who he could marry...cautiously he took the offered hand, trying to memorise Loren's face so he could ask Pet about him later. "Yeah...hey. I dunno anything about this whole thing. Just here for the ride."

The next one to join them was Wessex, who promptly brought up the 'D' word (and not the fun one). "Nope, one hundred percent depressingly sober." He assured her, the statement all the worse for being true. Since Longnight, his horn filled with a crisp cold water, he'd found it hard to go and find a bar when there was always something else to do, someone else to talk to. Staying busy was the best help he'd ever had.

He welcomed Jigano, surprised that the quiet bard was there; Adam had assumed he was more of a books and tea guy, not an adventure guy. But hey, he wasn't about to send the dude away; he suspected that there was more to him than he had seen.

So with their rag tag team of four, they headed down into the Spire. It was about as 'epic adventure' of a location as you could get, so he was content as he went down the stairs quickly, long legs giving him a quick stride. Loren's little peace-for-all-men line as they went down nearly made him roll his eyes, especially coming from a cultist, but Adam just nodded, wanting to get to the cool portal part of all this as soon as possible.

They came to a blocked door and Adam watched as Loren used his magic, impressively protecting the walls and sending something to unblock the exit in one swoop. Looking at his guns and deciding they would not be helpful in this situation, Adam walked forward to the rock pile, Coffee flying along behind him. There was little he could do to assist with the moving, he realised.

Instead, he decided to prepare himself if anything was on the other side, sure Loren's bear would be able to clear it in time. Holding out his guns to the pile and getting Coffee to stand ready to attack at his feet, he waited for what lay behind it.

--
Adam prepares himself to shoot at anything behind the rocks (sorry y'all he ain't got no rock-moving powers)
Draw a white chalk Baphomet
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough
And this is what you get
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#9
dont know where the lights are taking us
but something in the night is dangerous
Listening to Jigano, Wessex’s fingers fiddle with the cross-band of her quiver, knowing that the man may have the most knowledge about the Spire’s basement, but doesn’t understand his glance when he talks about a serpent. Ok, so there was a giant snake. What does that have to do with her other than not want to let her kind pass. That snake and the rest of the fucking world had something in common, and she would deal with it as things come up.

And as usual, Loren tries to take charge, even though he isn’t in charge. Wessex organized the thing. It has a direct outcome on whether she may or may not remain Queen. And if push comes to shove, she’ll do what she does best: piss Loren off by making orders in a tone he doesn’t like for reasons he can’t understand, in an effort to save his ungrateful ass. Until then, she’ll roll her eyes and keep her mouth shut and take the lead down the stairs.

At least he can’t burn stone, she thinks, as her hands run against the leaning walls. If only she had Remi’s magic in her right now.

Unable to do anything to stabilize the walls right now, Wessex looks at the rubble pile and the bear and begins to move some of the top pieces, climbing up if necessary, and taking it slow; she looks at the pieces around her targets and tries to pick the ones that will cause the least amount of disturbance, tossing them down so the bear can move them out of the way. At least Adam is staying out of the way.

“Adam, can you and your dragon keep an eye on the walls for us?” Her request has nothing to do with not trusting Loren’s work and everything to do with letting the three of them focus on their tasks. A lookout is needed, especially when it involves heavy shit falling on their heads.

---------------------
Wessex slowly starts to move the top pieces of the rubble pile and toss them down to the bear. Asks Adam to be a lookout in case the walls begin to shift.
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#10
Adam was given a nod and a ghost of a smile, given that he was perhaps the closest thing to a friend that Jigano had on this misadventure. Loren's attempt to take control was given only a moment's attention, and no acknowledgment from the bard. He had a bad feeling about what direction things were going to go once they reached the portal room and he gave Wessex his full attention for a moment. "The snake wasn't aggressive towards non-Ascended before. Let's see if we can talk to it before we start an unnecessary fight." Of course he preferred trying to talk a problem out first; it was in his nature as a bard and scholar to pursue a peaceful solution if possible.

Given the group he was with, he wasn't terribly optimistic about that working out. And with their luck the snake would have gone mad from the previous poison and would try to kill them all regardless now.

The rubble presented an interesting conundrum, and Jigano approached it cautiously, feeling the rising answer of the new energy within him. Safrin's curse... and her reminder that he had no business trying to play hero. He studied the rubble for a moment but Loren had already moved to stabilize it so instead he joined Wessex in moving with light, cautious steps to reach rubble towards the top and ease it off to the side.



Jigano helps Wessex clear rocks!


Age: 6 | Height: | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: - Strg: - Dext: - Endr: - Luck: - Int:
Played by: Admin Offline
Change author:
Posts: 823 | Total: 3,209
MP: 0
#11
key quest

Loren 's icy reinforcements make the walls groan. Currently it isn't unclear if they'll be able to endure the additional weight that the ice offers in exchange for support. Then there's Adam who looks impressive as hell with his guns and his dragons. Wessex manually moves rocks proving not for the first time that as a ruler, she's definitely not all talk.  Finally Jigano also assists.

For your careful efforts, the rocks in your way are moved, leaving about a 2/5 opening at the top. Someone small enough might be able to squeeze through to the door on the other side, but not all of you (nor the rest of the Hollowed Grounds) that's for sure.



You have 24 hours to reply. Your randomly drawn initiative order is: Loren, Adam, Wessex, Jigano. Please include a summary at the bottom of your posts.

the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#12
there's light at the edge of the darkness
Cool. No one responded to his request to keep cool heads. Great teamwork all around. Still, he let it go, since all he’d been hoping for was a bit of cooperation, and probably pushing any of these people would just cause them to erupt at him. Instead, he decided to focus wholly on the task at hand. They could talk later.

For now, he watched as the others entered the room after him. Adam was right on Loren’s heels (briefly the summoner wondered if this was Peter’s Adam before deciding to figure that out later). The dark haired-man and his dragon kept watch as the Launceleyn’s ice coated the walls and his bear cleared rubble. Wessex was close behind, and Loren didn’t react as the queen ordered Adam to do what the man was already doing. Jigano was the last one down the stairs, and the queen and the bard helped the bear with the cleaning efforts.

Then, though, Loren heard the groaning from the walls. Unfortunately, he wasn’t an architect and he didn’t know if he was helping or hurting, so he figured it was best not to risk it, especially if the structure was already unstable. Any additional stresses might bring it down around their heads. It had been worth a shot though.

Thankfully, they’d made a small opening in the rubble already. Instead of trying to physically lift the rocks—strength of arms wasn’t his strong suit—he shifted his water magic. Starting at the far end from the rest of the team, since he didn’t want to make their stones slippery, Loren tried to use jets of water to pull rubble out from the pile carefully towards him. His bear continued its efforts to lift stones as well. Astra stayed by the Launceleyn's side. So far, so good.



Loren tries to pull rocks off the rubble pile with both his water magic and his bear. Astra does nothing.
loren


Coding base by Sky!
Adam Pikely
Smuggler's Liaison

Age: 36 | Height: 6'3" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 19 - Endr: 17 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,044 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#13
Adam
Hallucinate a shady grove where Judas went to die
Unfurl the black velvet altar cloth
When you were looking so sexy even the random event had to mention it that even Wessex didn't want to put you in the way of danger, you knew you were doing something right. Adam was sure it wasn't that the harsh woman was trying to get rid of him as he nodded and went about the space, looking up and down the ice walls and crumbling original parts of the Spire.

Coffee was told to stay back a little bit. He knew that the still-young dragon could get excited sometimes and spit out jets of flame, which would be very bad indeed for walls made of ice. Looking back to see the progress of the rubble-moving, he saw a gap in the top that would be big enough for him, if he pushed himself in, to fit through. "Hey, if you want me to scout in there, I could fit in, prolly." As if to demonstrate this he lifted his shirt, showing his hip and rib bones on a slim torso.

--
Adam keeps an eye on all the walls to make sure they dont crumble any further and offers to go through the gap if no one else wants to scout.
Draw a white chalk Baphomet
Mistreat your Altar Boys long enough
And this is what you get
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#14
dont know where the lights are taking us
but something in the night is dangerous
The Queen shoots Jigano a look full of opinions about a history he can’t possibly know. Every time she tries talking, someone has a problem with her. Someone doesn’t want to. They want to accuse and attack. She nods brusquely to indicate that she’s heard him, but otherwise continues at her task.

Asking. She’s asking, not commanding or ordering. Asking. Suggesting.

When their careful work reveals an opening, she eyes the hole and then sizes up the people in the area. They’re all pretty tall, which might be useful for climbing back out, and also pretty wiry. With one eye on the walls, which groan ominously in the way that trees do when they’re about to lose a branch to ice, Wessex bites her lip. They need to be careful, not quick, and not reliant on magic.

She’s obviously worried. Their deaths would be on her, too.

“Maybe someone - something? Smaller? Just in case. Jigano? Your fox?” Is the bard willing to stick his head in while they continue to try and clear enough of a space for a full-grown man to slip in? And then she looks to the walls again. “Can those be propped up with ice pillars? Or shoved outward with water pressure?” She waggles her fingers at him, indicating his new magic, and then continues to move the rubble. Piece by piece. Slowly. Carefully.  


----------------------
Wessex does some suggestions and continues to slowly move things.


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


RPG-D