March Event Log B: Einjar Excursion

[usirmods]

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	The Einjar Excursion's resolution is dependent on the choice of players who are participating in it. After you have read through this post, if your character is going to be part of the Einjar Excursion, please respond to This Comment as soon as possible with the choice that best matches the one your character would choose. The resolution is not dependent solely on players choosing one side over the other, but also on the actions they choose to take.
🜙 Preparation March 8th
	Einjar's population is small in modern times, but the people who remain in the vast cavern city to maintain and protect it are usually in constant contact with Preciposte via falcon. None of the falcons Preciposte has sent to Einjar have made it back in months. The round trip to Einjar and back will take at least 8 days in total and no one is certain what they will find there or if they will even be able to get through the massive, heavily warded doors that can only be opened from within. But if something has happened to the people of Einjar, the threat needs to be discovered before it progresses to Preciposte and Krimnos. It is sure to be a harrowing adventure for those willing to brave the treacherous cliffs to reach Einjar but the kobolds and dwarves residing there might be harboring even more secrets than anyone expected. The excursion organizers recruit a company of Knights from Krimnos, as well as a variety of volunteers to fulfill multiple roles on the journey. Supplies are gathered and divided out among the large company before the journey starts out on foot, and three densely wooled llamas are loaded up with the spare supplies. The excursion team consists of*: ⤛ 16 Knights of Krimnos, kitted out in their full armor and well-armed. Eight of the Knights travel at the back of the line while the other eight travel near the front. Twelve elves, three dwarves and a young snow leopard beastwoman. ⤛ 6 Preciposte residents (3 tieflings and 3 dwarves) who are acting as guides and trackers for the mountain paths and Einjar respectively. ⤛ Healer & Cook: Christine ⤛ Hunters & Trackers: Katsa, Lauralae, & Robin ⤛ Survivalists & Scouts: Katsa, Trevor, Jon, Lauralae, Majima, Strange, Allen, Nike, Daud, & Robin ⤛ Guards & Defenders: Alucard, Katsa, Trevor, Jon, Majima, Allen, Daud, & Robin ⤛ Stealth: Alucard, Majima, & Lauralae ⤛ Linguists: Daenerys, Nike, Robin, & Tony ⤛ Wards & Trap Removal: Christine & Strange ⤛ Animal Specialist: Daenerys & Lauralae *Other player characters can still be added to the team, multiple roles both listed and unlisted are filled by multiple characters.
🜙 A Journey's Beginning March 9th-12th
	The trek through treacherous mountain paths is a dangerous and difficult one. The high altitude and freezing temperatures require the company to make frequent stops to rest their lungs and the llamas. Camp is made each night in five shared tents. The Knights split up between two tents, the Preciposte citizens in a third, and the excursion team split among the fourth and fifth tents. Meals of hot stew and stuffed breads are shared around several small magical fires before everyone hits their bedrolls for a rest. Night watches are broken into four rotating shifts so no one is out in the night cold for longer than 2 hours. The night of the 11th the company makes camp atop the impressive ruins of the ancient temple of the mountain giants. The sheer scale of these ruins is humbling and daunting. Scorch marks from dragon fire still mar some of the marble and stone pillars. The descent down the mountain has brought the company to a lower altitude and the ruins themselves are devoid of snow or ice, almost warm under the midday sun. The height is still dizzying and the land is a little more open than is comfortable. The company will have to fend off and defend the camp from cliff hawks, a tribe of porcupine-like carnivorous cave spindles, and a colony of six-foot-tall venomous cave spiders that make the ruins their home, all to get past the ruins to the massive stone and metal doors that bar the entrance to Einjar.
🜙 Friends in High Places March 12th
	During their journey through the ruins, the company is ambushed multiple times. One elvish knight is lost to a cave spindle attack, one of the Preciposte tieflings and one of the llamas are carried off by cliff hawks, a Preciposte dwarf loses his footing on some unstable rocks and disappears off the edge of a cliff with the second llama, and another elf knight is severely injured during a cave spider ambush. With only one llama and two tents left and night quickly approaching things begin to look bad for the company and only get worse once the sun sets. A pack of dire wolves appears from within the ruins, distant howls making their numbers impossible to guess but making it quickly evident the company is surrounded by predators still out of sight. As the oversized pack of dire wolves closes in to attack, a family of kobolds armed with slings and small hammer axes appears from the cliffs above. Their ruckus of calls and the metal-banging noise of their hammer axes against their shields drive back the hunting pack. The kobold family scampers down from the caverns above the ruins and joins the excursion company, inviting them back to the warmth of their cavern home, breaking bread with them and sharing a friendly conversation. One member of the family is a strange sight among the short kobolds, towering above his siblings, but the entire family seems to be cheerfully good-natured and happy to share what is theirs with the excursion company. They don't know anything about the recent silence from Einjar, but they offer to lead the company along a safer path to Einjar's doors in the morning. The knights seem uneasy in the cavern, keeping to themselves and discussing maps with one of the regularly sized kobolds. When questioned by one of the elf knights on what exactly he is, the taller kobold gives the company a confused look. "Isn't it obvious?" He asks, head turning almost vertical with a wide, toothy smile and a confused expression. He clasps a hand on his four-foot-tall brother's shoulder, towering above the smaller creature by a full three feet and thinking nothing of it. "I'm a kobold of course." And were it not for the genuine pride on his tongue it would seem a bold-faced lie even to a half-blind dwarf.
🜙 The Doors to Einjar March 13th/14th
	The next morning the kobolds press on through the mountain path leading the company of strangers after them with cheerful conversation and horribly off-key dwarvish mining songs. Several of the knights fall behind exchanging hushed whispers between them. Conversation around the campfire that night is tense and muted by all but the cheerful family of kobolds passing around mushroom and egg drop soup and a savory mushroom grog with a powerful, fiery kick. Distant animal sounds are heard throughout the night, along with occasional roars of a larger beast, but nothing attacks the company. The taller Kobold's name is learned to be Monty, and he explains that their family hasn't lived in or even been to Einjar since shortly before the war due to a distaste for the rising demand for crafting armor and weapons and a disagreement with the dwarves that ruled over the city. They consider themselves artisans and jewelcrafters rather than smithies and call themselves 'people of the wild mountains'. At dawn, the company realizes the doors to Einjar are within sight, and less than an hour's distance away. However, It is discovered that sometime during the night the remaining dwarves from both Krimnos and Preciposte have disappeared.
🜙 Open Sesame March 14th
	The doors to Einjar are behemoths of metal and stone, built to keep dragons out of the massive mountain cavern city. A river runs at a high force out from beneath the stone doors in two channels, roaring over the cliff in a waterfall not far from there. Stone bridges cross the rushing rivers on either side of the path to the doors, eroded but sturdy. The doors can't be open by force and are covered in ancient dwarvish runes. The dwarves who built Einjar preferred working with their hands and tools over magic, and the Gates to Einjar were no exception. Usually opened from within, they remain silently shut to the excursion company. A large circular depression in the door matches up to a pieced together symbol on the ground before it. Heavy pieces of a solid iron shield broken into seven segments sit in a depression on the path before it. Each is the same size and shape and can be slotted into any of the seven slots on the door. The segments are labelled with the dwarvish runes for Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Birth, Sanctuary, and Death. To either side of the large door are two armored dwarf statues. The one on the left is a female dwarf standing on a carved rocky platform, wearing a winged helm and carrying a shield in her right hand. The statue on the right is a male dwarf holding a blacksmith's hammer and an axe in either hand, the platform beneath him is worn away by the rushing river. The runes around the depression in the doors reads down from top to bottom: Within Cycle Horizon Beneath Below the depression is the symbol for "Pair".
🜙 Einjar's Halls March 14th/15th
	Once the puzzle is solved the doors open to reveal the empty, silent city of Einjar. The great bellows and roaring furnaces are silent and cold and the halls are empty. No bodies, no sound, and no living souls. Food is left untouched and cold on tables, weapons half forged remain on anvils or partially melted into cold furnaces. Everything is left as if abandoned in the midst of a day of work. Deeper in the caverns beyond Einjar's main city buildings, kobold mining tools are scattered about and carts partially filled with raw minerals and gems are overturned, footsteps disappearing unexplainably mid path. An open cavern recently blasted open sits in the deepest point of the mine and within it is a bizarre scene. Dust and lime covered life-sized statues depict a battle between much smaller dragons and very short dwarves with many of the faces carved into expressions of deep rage. At the center is a deep, black pool of water, devoid of reflection or ripples. Around it are the bodies of the missing dwarves that had disappeared from the excursion company earlier in the trip. The depth of the pool can't be measured with sword or stick, and an uneasy sensation overcomes everyone within the excavated room. The beastwoman knight touches the liquid, attempting to examine it, and in that moment a low, ringing sound builds in the room. Chaos breaks out as the elves and the kobold family that unwillingly escorted the company into Einjar burst into a full-scale violent assault on one another, the origin of the sudden fight impossible to determine. The water stills from the rippling touch several minutes later and the fight is broken up, but with both parties convinced the other side started the fight. The elves claim the kobolds know more than they are saying, and the kobold family insists they have never set foot inside of Einjar. The arguments escalate until one of the knights accuses them of harboring a dragonborn, pointing to Monty. They say that Monty needs to be taken back to Krimnos for questioning, to which the kobolds bare their teeth and threaten that Monty will only be leaving with them over the entire family's dead bodies. Whatever decision is made, the overall agreement is that they need to leave Einjar and return to Krimnos with their findings before anything else happens.
🜙 Journey Back March 16th-19th/20th
	Following the discoveries within Einjar's halls and some free exploration by the excursion company, everything is divvied up between the survivors and the trek back to preciposte begins. The trip back is tense and uneasy with larger night watch groups and tighter rations. Hunting is necessary to feed the company, and new tents are made from fabrics taken from within Einjar.

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[cryptsleeper]

On the Road (General, March 9-12th)
[Being on the road is good. Being on the road means work, just as it used to. The whole texture of the trip is blessedly familiar to Alucard, and it makes him feel far more pleasant and relaxed in his own skin than he has felt for the past several weeks. That alone is a great boon, even if the mountain terrain is one he doesn't remember crossing more than once in his life. When he traveled, it was mostly south, because that was where those who hired his services were, or else where the things his father needed were.

During the daylight when the whole group is moving, Alucard is towards the rear, aware he's most useful in that capacity. The mountain paths, at their worst, would prompt the dhampir to float if it wouldn't set so many people on edge. Such as it is, he is deft of feet.

Come evening, once camp is made, he sits towards the edge of thing, his wolfy animus curled beside him and her head resting on his lap. (Or else she's being spoiled by Trevor.) The night doesn't make him nervous. If anything, he seems the most content there.

Watch is a different story. Alucard is as tense as a string on a violin, eyes starring out into the dark, sword already drawn. There's little point in not having it out, not when there's no doubt that the only things out and about in such a remote place are threats.

There's the sound of crunching snow. He hisses, voice carried on the wind:]

To your left, up ahead.

Mountain Giant Ruins (March 11)
[The ruins merit investigation, that much Alucard is so very sure of. It's why once camp is settled, the dhampir is immediately drawn to exploration.

Alucard does not dwell on the obvious and clear damage done by dragons and their ilk. What has his attention are the things carved and hidden by vines, their patinas thin and hardly weathered by time. They are so very recent, and each one prompts more tension in the dhampir's shoulders.

What gives him real pause though is when he sees broken rusted metal on the rocks below, coupled with bones. Alucard tugs the coat he has on tighter around himself, frowning at everything he can see.]

I hope that this is not where we camp upon our return as well. I dislike the thought of something catching our scent and having time to prepare for our return.

Exploring Einjar: Food Edition
As remarkable as the preservation is, none of this helps establish a time frame of what's happened.

[Alucard says the words as he is starring into a bread box, his face calm and impassive at a perfectly fine looking loaf of bread that hasn't begun to grow mold. He understands the concept of preservation like this, it has helped a great number of rare and wondrous things endure, but it isn't helpful at all.]

I'd had hoped that it might be otherwise.

Exploring Einjar: Treasure Edition
[Alucard sits on the floor of the treasury, and in his lap is a notebook. He sits there, carefully sketching a large golden chalice that perhaps one could dunk their entire face in if they were of dwarf size. The inlaid gems are remarkable in and of themselves, and Alucard's eyes are fixed on the tiny filigree work that makes it a truly remarkable piece.]

I knew men who'd murder for a piece like this.

[And it is a true statement. In curating, collecting, and appraising, the dhampir had run into many who would look at an object like this and want it to be one of so many already owned.

He breathes out, surrounded by so much wealth, and keeps sketching.]

Perhaps I'll move onto some of the weapons next, if any are exemplary works.

Exploring Einjar: Mine Map Edition
...That's interesting.

[Alucard has spent much of his own time exploring the empty city, careful of where he steps,hardly interested in the matter of the kobolds (and their dragonborn who's Definitely Not a Kobold). As a younger man he might have had a greater desire to take the choicest items not only from the treasury, but from the homes of ordinary people because their things could be given to the right collector.

All he's done is take careful notes of the city around him. Sit and sketch. Understand what's left behind without disturbing the scene. It's easy to do, until he sees the mine map and the fact that where the mine was meant to expand was never well and truly explored.]

There must have been a reason that this area of the mine was never opened up.

[ He taps his finger on the circled part of the map.]

Hollow, but left alone...

einjar: food edition

[kingsroads]

First the shrine in the dragon, now this. One of these days, we'll explore something and the food will be properly rotting.

[ Strange is talking as he rummages through the cupboards near Alucard. It's a downright comical sight as the tall elf has to hunch down to comfortably move through the house and examine the kitchen. If someone was packing up to leave, one would think that they'd at least hide the silverware. These people didn't. ]

I don't know why you're so focused on the food to begin with, [ Strange lightly complains. ] There's much more interesting things to study.

[ Considering that he's spent a large amount of time staring at Monty the ""kobold"" like an absolute creep, it's very apparent what Strange views as an interesting study. ]

treasures!!!

[dorzalta]

Now, or before? [ she asks by way of greeting. Having had her fill of exploring other areas, she'd found herself in the treasury... and Alucard as well. It would be a foolish thing to hug the back secure against her back closer to herself, so she instead circles the outer perimeter of the room.

Her dragon egg sits amidst clothing and supplies, secured and snug. That should be reassuring enough, but after the way Lauralae looked upon mention of him when he discovered her egg... Dany will take no chances. ]

My brother would have taken half the items in this room if he could get away with it.

[survivra]

Katsa cannot, for the life of her, understand the purpose in sketching a pretty cup. It seems to serve no purpose besides being somewhat pleasing to the eye, but the cup itself is already there, brighter and more solid than a piece of paper. Nor does she see that the cup serves much purpose, either, though she is no stranger to such thing. It isn't meant to serve one other than to show off how rich and powerful its owner is.

She glances at Alucard's drawing one more time before she shrugs and moves away to search for more.

"I've known men who would kill for even less than a pretty rock." Most of them, really. "Weapons made like this cup are rarely exemplary in function. Wouldn't it be better to look for ones that are actually sharp?"

mine maps

[miraclewhip]

Only two reasons I can think of. Either whatever shit went down went down before they got around to it. Or they thought better of it for some reason and never updated the map.

[ He watches Alucard's fingers move over the surface of the map, thinking. If the map not being updated is an option- ]

-or it was opened, and the map's out of date.

On the road

[soulstitched]

Robin, at least on the outside, is a small and slight young man who may look almost sickly depending on the light given how pale she is and the line of painful looking stitches that cut her face. The half-elf has the appearance of someone who’d do better sticking to linguistics, rather than try to take up any defensive positions.

Even so, she tends to keep to the outskirts of the party, circling on occasion or taking up front or rear positions as they’re moving. Even when they’ve stopped she tends to give a wide birth to the animals, save for the tiny, fox like creature that likes to tuck itself in her collar close to her neck.

She does prove to be fast and capable when the need arises, attentive while on watch. So by the time Alucard speaks, she’s already up and standing, a hand on her dagger.

“Can you tell what it is?” She asks softly.

[kingsroads]

journey's beginnings, march 9-11
Strange's wanderlust and excitement is still going strong. After spending lord knows how long back in the cities, here he was, out in the wilderness again! He should be enjoying this! And, for the most part, he is. But there's one thing he forgot about an expedition: it's organized. And during the daytime, there's little chance for Strange to slip away and do some exploring on his own.

Night, however, is a completely different story. While people are settling down and pitching their tents, Strange walks up to one of the other awakened. "You know, I spotted some interesting caves a few miles back. Care to explore them with me?"

open sesame, march 14
This is a puzzle. Strange wants to solve the puzzle. Granted, part of it is because he knows they need to solve the puzzle in order to enter. But another part of him wants to solve the puzzle because he can and so he can gloat a little about solving the puzzle. Unfortunately, he's the sort of person who says his thought process out loud. Sorry whoever's near him, you're getting a monologue.

"It says pair, but there's an odd number of runes...and there's not enough runes to try and find a pair for the other runes. Within, cycle, horizon, beneath...perhaps I need to find a pair that fits all those phrases?"

Bell, his hare, sits at Strange's feet. She honestly looks a little tired about this whole
thing but is waiting patiently for...something to happen. Any approaching people get a little sniff as she hops over to try and get some attention she isn't getting from Strange.

einjar proper, march 14-15
This place is interesting, Strange will admit that. A silent city, abandoned so quickly that food was left behind mid-meal and weapons left behind mid-smithing. Sure, that's interesting. But there's a few things that are more interesting to Strange than the city as a whole.

One of them is Monty. It's been pretty obvious that he's been watching the "kobold". Ever since they ran into the group, Strange has been keeping an eye on Monty, watching him from afar, and making notes about the being which he also believes is a dragonborn. But there's also something else that interests him.

So, he idly walks up to one of his fellow awakened, as if to make idle chit-chat, before bluntly saying, "I want to go explore that cavern again. I've got some hypotheses about that pool of water that I want to test."

open sesame

[forswore]

While Strange is puzzling over the door, Daud's keeping an eye on the shadows, sword close to hand. Mercy, despite her partner's evident disinterest in the proceedings around the door puzzle, is perched delicately on the statue of the dwarf woman, peering over it critically.

The fact of the matter is, though, they can't stay out her forever. The journey's already taken its toll on their company, and getting back into the swing of things will be better than not.

He gives the hare a little nod when it scoots up, then turns his attention back to Strange.

"Any luck?"

[survivra]

Katsa cannot pretend she doesn't wish to return to the cavern, either. There's something unnatural about the pool—and not just because of its stillness nor its blackness, both of which, she thinks, aren't all so strange for a pool underground.

Not that she would know much about a pool underground. The only other one she knows was in a cave so dark she could not even see where the water met the rock.

Still, Katsa thinks it a shame that the elves and the kobolds fought before much could be made of what lies in the water's depths. "I'd thought to try swimming. Perhaps I could find something. A secret tunnel of some sort, maybe," she says to Strange. "What hypotheses do you mean?"

beginnings

[hannya]

Majima joined the expedition, primarily, out of boredom. The payment was good incentive, of course, but he was more interested in getting out of the pressure cooker the City of the Free Peoples had become while he loitered about it, trying to find a foothold in his new present.

Rough as the road looked to be, Majima welcomed the challenge as much as he did the fresh air. He was one of the wildlings at heart, after all, even if his people lived on the plains.

It wasn't even his watch, and the night was still a bit frosty, but Majima sat watching the purpling sky and took deep breaths of the mountain air through his nose. It chased out a bit of the tumult between his ears until a voice he recognized snapped him out of it.

"...You got a deathwish or somethin'?"

open sesame

[drizzle]

The puzzles were leaving Nike at as much of a loss as everyone else. All she could do was help with any translations if asked. But seeing as there were no nearby spirits to ask about the meaning behind the puzzles, she was completely useless! It was a terrible feeling. All she could do was wait while occasionally taking a peek at the clues around the door every once in a while, hoping for some type of inspiration to hit her.

It may just be the reason behind her gaze catching glimpse at the tiny reddish-color creature growing towards her. Nike's gaze may just brighten up as she kneels down while offering an amazed reaction.

"How cute! It's been a while since I've been a hare of your coloring especially in this weather."

Then again, was this hare of the same subspecies as the ones she was thinking about? Well, whatever the case, Nike will offer it her hand in form of greeting for the hare to sniff before attempting to touch them. Last thing she wanted to accidentally spook it, even if it seem like it was initially interested in her.

einjar proper

[dorzalta]

Monty is a sight to be seen; she's lingered nearby, listening to his discussions with Christine. She's also studied his brothers, so much smaller, smiling and inviting conversation when one steps near enough. But while the self-proclaimed kobold is interesting, he doesn't hold her interest the entire time.

Which is, of course, how she stumbles upon the room where Alucard had been. And in that room? Books. Her fingers itch to return to the histories she'd abandoned, and she's forcibly balling her hands into fists when Strange approaches in a bid to ward off the urge to hunt the books down again.

"The one which made our allies momentarily mad?" She looks up at him, brows lifting in faint amusement. Then she looks around, catching Jon's eye and inclining her head toward Strange. Once he nods, her focus returns to the necromancer. "Tell me your hypotheses while we walk."

open sesame

[soulstitched]

There’s a pale young man standing nearby, looking up at the runes with a concentrated curiosity as one finger idly itches along the line of stitches on their cheek. It’s become something of an absent minded habit when lost in thought.

Robin tenses slightly out of habit when the hare approaches. Animals always tend to be able to tell that there’s something off about her, but with an animus it tends to be hit or miss. Her own, tiny foxlike animus peers down curiously from where its perched on her shoulder.

“Maybe a pair that fits each?” She asks awkwardly, not terribly used to open conversations.

Daud | OTA

[forswore]

Journey's Beginning

The purple tiefling who makes up one the caravan's guard is quieter than most, not inclined to share his thoughts, though he'll provide his name during whatever round of introductions may take place. That doesn't, however, mean he isn't focused on his job.

Mostly, this means staying alert during their mealtimes and shared watches with his fellow guards, staring out into the dark around them even as he works on mechanically getting food into himself. The osprey that spends most of their marching hours flying overhead and sounding the alarm for any incoming attacks is perched on a rock nearby, warming herself by the fire. Initiating any conversation, unfortunately, will have to come from someone else.

It's once things start getting hairier that he'll be a bit more proactive. Should a member of the party begin to lag behind or be in danger, they'll find Daud teleporting swiftly beside them, either to grab their shoulder and attempt to pull them back to the group on the strength of his magic, or to raise his sword to cut at whatever's in his path right now. Once the immediate threat is dealt with, they can turn their attention to helping the others.

The Doors to Einjar

Daud's never been a happy camper, but circumstances have guaranteed him to be less so. He makes the grim pronouncement in the morning to whoever's up then:

"We've lost the rest of our guides."

He crosses his arms, tail curling slowly. He's not going to say 'this expedition is cursed' out loud, but he may very well be thinking it.

Einjar's Halls

The fight between the Knights and the kobolds, sudden as it is, has Daud reaching impulsively for his blade, though he never draws it. The tiefling's jaw is tense, waiting it out, and when it seems that things de-escalate, he'll relax, if only fractionally. Monty being accused of a Dragonborn is not much of a surprise, but he's seen enough of the 'kobold' to suspect either he's a very good actor, or he has no idea what he is himself.

Now, however, there's an unappetizing decision to be made -- one he'd really prefer to have no part of, but with the Knights and kobolds muttering among themselves, it seems fairly clear an outcome needs to be decided. For better or worse, they're very clearly the ones outnumbering anyone else. And that makes them ... he doesn't know. Arbiters of fate? The idea seems laughable. Nonetheless, he cuts in:

"Something terrible happened here." He glances at the kobolds, and then the Knights, silver eyes glinting in the low light. "Whatever caused Einjar to flee -- or consumed them -- I doubt they had much to do with it. And we owe them our lives."

Though that's not really meant as an inspiring speech. There's an edge of warning in his voice at the last, looking around the group. Getting to a destination is only half the journey -- getting back is another problem, one that Daud hasn't forgotten. It's well and good to the knights to talk of bringing Monty back with them, but just getting here was already fraught, much less with an unwilling dragonborn in tow. He'd prefer not to lose the kobold's goodwill now.

Wildcard
[ Got another idea in mind? Shoot a message on Discord or via PM! ]

doors

[fuga]

"Guides are not always necessary."

Lauralae walks up, a frown on her face as she stares at the area around them, a slight wrinkle to her nose. Her raven is settled in the curve of her hood, settled happily against the skin of her neck. It looks as if she wants to reach out and touch the doors themselves, to let her fingers press along the space there, but she hesitates.

"We will survive, will we not? We have come this far."

wildcard | for tony!

[forswore]

Where others had headed back to another area, Daud had lingered long enough to pause and scoop a small amount of the mystery liquid into the Pocket Ocean -- the only container he possessed that might be able to hold whatever the clearly magical liquid was -- for further study.

However, it remains that the next course of action may best be to find a way to see what lay under the surface of the pool. Being foolish, but not entirely a fool, Daud finds himself approaching another member of the expedition to act as lookout while he plumbed the depths -- and as luck would have it, that happens to be Tony. mainly because he's standing off to the side and isn't immediately engaged with anything else.

"Stark," he murmurs, coming up beside the half-dwarf without much warning. "Do you have a minute?"

Halls

[hannya]

If Monty was a kobold, Majima was fairly certain he still had a good eye rolling around on the now far off battle plains. Though he grew up under a dragonborn king, he understood the knights' unease with the situation; ever since he'd awoken into an atmosphere no longer misted with the madness of dragon blood, the physical relief had been palpable. But wouldn't spilling more just bring that back?

Politics and existential nightmares aside, who the hell did the knights think they were to spurn the poor little bastards after they'd practically been bullied into helping?

So when the tiefling speaks up, Majima finds himself nodding in agreement. He'd kept to himself for most of this journey so far, just looking for an opportunity to see how the world had really changed around his corpse all those years, but none of this sat right. The little shit who'd gotten into scraps with Atrimos' guards on the regular suddenly swelled up in him again.

"What dumbass thinks a family of kobolds can take out a whole city of dwarves?"

[fuga]

I. JOUNREY’S BEGINNING

If the temperature of the trek has put Lauralae off in any way it does not seem as though she is willing to show it. She doesn’t seem particularly well covered, not with her thin black cloak over her tunics, especially with the raven tucked into the folds of her clothes and pressed against her neck. The only thing that seems to bother her is the strange barrenness of it, mountains far different from the greens of the forests that she is used to.

When they pause to breathe she drinks deeper than anyone might imagine from someone as small as she is, eyes wide and feral, almost dangerous - but she does not wait for long. She pushes forward as quickly as anyone else, eyes glued to the path ahead.

When they camp she spends her time investigating the dragon fire, pressing fingers into the marble, the stone, ignoring the new warmth and keeping herself as wrapped up as she was before. She’s clearly uncomfortable, surrounding by so many strangers, and there’s a knot of discomfort in her whenever someone gets close.

If it is someone she recognises, she glares at them from below her cloak. Anyone else recivies her teeth bared to them, feral and animal like.

II. FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

The ambushes do not seem to bother Lauralae much at all, but it’s the threat of the wolves that capture her attention. Her immediate reaction is to sit up and lift herself, moving forward as if she’s going to greet the wolves where they are, unafraid of the fact that she is clearly part of their hunt, their prey. She’s about to change, dropping to her knees, when the kobald come.

She keeps herself distant from the family when they come to share, uneasy with the strangeness of a new race. They appear friendly but she clearly does not trust it, sitting apart from the others, curled around herself and whispering only to Rav’ahm. The entire time she keeps a leather bag huddled against her, arms wrapped around it, eyes narrowed if anyone dares to come too close, if anyone dares to ask her what she is doing.

What she spends most of her time doing is staring at the ‘kobold’, wiggling a little closer, to watch him intensely. She does not trust the promise to be lead through to Einjar, but she is clearly curious, wanting more, something akin to childlike wonder in her eyes and her expression.

What is also obvious to anyone who looks is how very, very far away she stays from Alucard.

III. EINJAR’S HALLS

The halls are great and large, and Lauralae is immediately curious. She lifts her hand and Rav’ahm rushes forward to begin to flutter around, taking in the sights and speaking to her in her mind. He sees nothing worth telling her, only tools and whispers, scattered around. Eventually she has him return to her, settled back on her shoulder, content and pleased.

When the fight breaks out she stops, breathing sharply, backing herself into a corner and drawing her leather satchel to her side. If anyone comes close she summons fire to her hand, eyes darting here and there. She has no loyalty to the elven knights and is more curious about the kobold than anything else, wanting to learn more from them, wanting to know of them, of their man they call Monty, and she breathes out softly.

There’s a knot in her stomach, and she stays tense, dangerous, glaring, until the fighting stops - and even then she mostly keeps quiet, eyes darting here and there before she relaxes.

2

[kingsroads]

Lauralae isn't the only person who's been staring at the 'kobold'. There's what Strange can only assume is a dragonborn in the party, of course he's going to observe and take notes. Why wouldn't he? It's during one of his stare sessions that Strange catches Lauralae watchign him as well.

And...to be honest, he doesn't really want to talk to her. Their last meeting ended poorly for both and he's certain that they'll somehow get into a fight before the night's out. But she's an odd person. Maybe she's spotted something about the Not A Kobold that he didn't. So, Strange just invites himself over and sits down next to Lauralae like the shameless person he is.

"Obviously that's not a kobold," he explains, keeping his voice low. "Though what the hell a dragonborn is doing out here is beyond me."

I

[survivra]

Katsa, for her part, doesn't wholly mind the cold. Of course she feels it—but things like cold and pain and weariness have never seemed to touch her in the same way that they do others. If her fingertips start to tingle with it, Katsa jams her hands inside her tunic, where her furry animas curls tucked against her stomach and giving her a suspicious bump beneath her clothes.

They have grown familiar with high and cold places as of late. Katsa thinks she might even enjoy the sharp bite of cold against her lungs.

She does not watch her companions quite as much as her surroundings, but she watches them nonetheless. They are strangers, and her reasons for accompanying them her own. She, too, keeps a distance from most; and it is only when she notices a smaller female form that she takes a closer glance. Katsa receives bared teeth in response—and after her surprise at the fierce expression, she almost forgets to duck her head in an attempt to hide the smile that threatens its way across her mouth.

"Forgive me."

christine | ota

[aceso]

{ friends in high places: march 12th }
Christine is also uneasy at the appearance of the giant "kobold," but she holds her tongue and waits for an opportunity to melt into the rear of the party as they rest before voicing her concerns. It wouldn't do to be a troublemaker on this trip, and she's never been the sort anyway. After all the attacks they've endured to get to this point, Christine's been kept busy as a healer and she checks on people to make sure they haven't reopened any wounds. She also makes sure everyone's eaten and gently insists if they try to brush it off. Once she's done fussing over everyone, she spends a little bit of time questioning Monty, but his straightforward answers only leave her more confused. Taking a seat close by one of the awakened, Christine begins to quietly speak of the strange individual.

"Either he's an excellent liar, or he really believes he's one of them. Or perhaps a third option, like maybe he really is a giant kobold. What I'm more concerned about is his nature: how he came to be. Because if he is dragonborn, how is he not going mad without dragon's blood?"

{ einjar's halls: march 14th/15th }
Once they enter the city, Christine can immediately sense the wrongness of the place. Cities are filled to the brim with noise; the sounds of life being lived. But here there is nothing. No children playing, no merchants shouting out their wares, no dogs or cats or even the scurrying feet of rats. Only the sounds of their own party moving through. It's an eerie scene that lies ahead of them, and Christine speaks in her mind to her animas, telling Azoth to stay close. She doesn't trust this place enough to allow the falcon to scout ahead.

When they come to the excavated room, she can't help murmuring under her breath, "Why is everything suddenly having to do with dragons?" The statues make her uneasy, and it's only partly because of her recent encounter with a dragon under the bay of Didymos. There's something off here. It's only after the pool is touched and the fight ensues that Christine considers this some kind of dark magic.

"We should leave this place. That pool has some power to cause people to attack one another, and I'm in no mood to test its limits."

high places

[forswore]

Daud hadn't offered Christine more than a quiet word of thanks for the food, his gaze on their surroundings still. There's no surprise in his expression at the question she asks, and he keeps his tone similarly quiet and expression neutral when he responds.

"Half-dragons were known to flee the wildlands and form alliances with beastfolk," he offers quietly. "He could be one of those who's fallen through the cracks. That or his family has a cache of dragon's blood hidden away."

One scenario is obviously less ludicrous than the other, of course.

[drizzle]

☙ A Journey's Beginning, Ancient Temple of the Mountain Giants

[The impressive ruins of the ancient temple was more amazing than described by the knights leading them on the journey. They had known about its whereabouts as one of the landmarks. Too bad the ruins were now, well, just ruins. It was in great disrepair with almost no signs of life other than the vines, moss, giant spider webs, bones, and the feral spirits remaining.

It was these spirits which had her following a particular direction as she spoke and asked them countless questions. If anyone paid close attention, there may be moments where Nike will turn slightly pale, laughing awkwardly, or looking thoughtful. Her tail may be revealing more of the distressing moments by turning very still when it usually sways.

She will be found stopping in certain pillars and crumbling stones, noticing.]

Another warning, but it's different to the numerous other ones. [Turning to the empty space or rather where her new fickle friends were.] What does "beware of the eyes" mean?

☙ Friends in High Places, Before Kobold

[The number of ambushes were beginning to leave an emotional toll on Nike. To be so helpless against the elements and sneak attacks, even after warning the group about them due to the temple spirits, it was clear the wild spirit's "pets" had multiplied into large numbers. Not to mention, she knew the reason behind the harsh climate and rough terrain was due to the very same spirits. All in the name of playing with them.

A sigh will be given as she realized her mistake in not having attempted to persuade them to play with just her. Now it was too late, and she knew the spirits wouldn't have honored the challenge neither. They weren't the same spirits from her childhood.

So when one of the knights was heavily injured and surrounded by the cave spindles, Nike did all she could with her wind magic to blast back their own sharp, piercing quills. Only a few will get a direct hit while the others will quickly shield themselves by turning into a ball.]

Quickly! This is our chance to get rid of them for good! Someone, please, go to the knight and check on them! They're still alive!

☙ Einjar's Halls, Pool of Water, Group Thread

[Nike can be found exploring the areas, mainly those with the elements of water nearby, almost in an attempt to find an elemental spirit or just searching for clues, in general. She was determine to find anything about the situation.

It isn't until she finds herself moving deeper into the mines, reaching the center of the pool, where very dark water can be found. If it weren't for the beast-woman touching it before she could get the chance, Nike would've attempted herself, even if the almost suffocating area was leaving her a little dizzy. Something about the water was leaving her with goosebumps due to the overwhelming sensation felt. One that was filled with intense emotions. Some she quickly recognize as pain, anger, fear, and maybe....a sense there was something trying to reach out to her but couldn't, even though it was...]

Are you really hungry?

[Maybe it was a good thing the sudden arguments between the Elves and Kobold pulled her attention away because she wouldn't have been able to notice a weaker voice whispering into her ear to "run away", "don't go near", and a light breeze showing her the way out; however Nike was more curious about the unknown presence attempting to reach out to her, almost as if it could speak on behalf of the other spirits within the water. Should she trust it? Somehow, it didn't feel as though it was hankering for her soul, alone, because it wouldn't feel lonely. Yes, it was angry and filled with just as strong emotions as the water, but it was willing to inform her about something. Actually, it was even requesting for her to join them instead of grabbing her against her will or offering her a very well known warning "you will drown". Why would it tell her this? Extending her hand out in the direction of the spirit, she will nod her head.]

Okay, I understand.

[Her plan was to hold her breath for as long as it takes for the spirit to speak on behalf of the other spirits within the depths. Without warning, a powerful, wet force will grab onto her wrist and pull her into the depths of the water, only leaving a loud splash as the only clue in anyone having been present. A loud ringing sound will soon follow along with other noises. It was enough to leave her pure white wolf pup to howl while barking at the water loudly.]

☙ Wildcard
(I am available for other ideas! Just hit me up through PM or the Plurk PP system unless I have you added on discord, then hit me there too.)

into the pool we go! group thread hooray!

[forswore]

[ As always, it seems things aren't going as planned. As Daud and Tony approach the chamber with the pool again, the air starts to ring with sound, and Daud stiffens, looking around. ]

Someone's touched the damned thing again. [ He feels an uncharacteristic spike of frustration and anger rising in him, then, lips curling back in a snarl. ] Move!

[ Without waiting for a response from the half-dwarf, he'll take off for the pool, the ringing the only sign that anyone else was present. Daud doesn't hesitate: while his animas takes to the air with a flutter of feathers, finding a rock to perch on overlooking the pool, the tiefling palms the vial with red fluid in it into his palm and dives cleanly into the water. ]

FOR JON; 3/14, geeking out

[dorzalta]

Night comes all too quickly. What had been a rather exhausting trip and start to a lackluster day quickly turned into hours spent learning of a culture rich and brilliant. It felt like she'd merely blinked and the day was over. Her discoveries were exciting enough to have her forgetting to check in with them via their couriers not once, but twice. The poor man.

She carries with her a number of dense tomes upon meeting Jon, her eyes bright with unmasked excitement. Odder, still, is the fact that she has one hand atop the stack and the other on the bottom. Anyone who knows her would know she's using magic to keep the thick texts floating; there would be no other way for her to carry the things otherwise. Especially not as she does.

"I hope you're not tired." Oh, what a greeting, Dany. "You'll want to hear what I've read about."

[northerndragon]

He smiles at her, but the smile is slightly disconcerted and strained. There's something very wrong in this place. Maybe it's not the proud city it was once, but it shouldn't be deserted like this.

It is nice to see that Dany has found something to occupy her, but after losing touch with her via courier, he'd gone looking for her -- then backed away silently, concern satisfied, when he saw the back of a silvery head with its nose in a big old book. A few hours then passed before she found him.

"Better you than me. I was wondering where you'd gotten off to. What have you found?"

[moretooffer]

Open Sesame
Tony pays little attention to the door initially, or to any of the segments on the floor. He had offered his knowledge of dwarvish at the start of their attempt to solve it and then left everyone else to ponder the meaining and order of the runes. He had the words memorized but staring at the stone tablets wouldn't make them magically align themselves in the right order.

The statues look old, judging by the erosion, but he knows the doors are at least older than the cities they came from just based on history along. He doesn't touch the dwarf statues, craning and leaning around them to study their structure and look for any clues or any evidence they might be mechanical in nature. Never know what might be a trap.

Currently the shorter half-dwarf is still on edge over the disappearance of the other dwarves and his own memories of his last trip through the mountains and how that had gone for him and everyone else involved. He is standing in front of the left statue of the female dwarf, and his inspection has fascinated him to a degree.

"I don't think everything is part of the original statue. This shield looks like it has rust on it."

Einjars Halls
Thanks, half his bloodline. He hates it. Einjar already has one thing going against it by being in a cavern. People could claim dwarves were cave-loving people all they wanted but Tony's personal history with caves was far from a happy one. Quite the opposite in fact, it made him a little short of breath. He doesn't mention any of this as they wander through the uncomfortably silent halls of Einjar, the alchemy plate in his chest giving off a faint glow through his clothing in the darker interior. He just shoulders on through, following part of the group and searching for anything that looks like it might be useful schematics or supplies he can salvage from what seems to be an obviously dead city.

He is too disconnected from whatever happened here to feel any kind of sorrow or loss for the missing dwarves. There's an edge of disappointment over not getting to talk shop with any of them, but Tony had never been to Einjar and doubted they would have liked a mixed-blood dwarf like him much anyway. From what he knew of dwarves they hadn't ever exactly welcomed him into their circles with open arms. He didn't care. He had his own very small circle of almost friends. He didn't need dwarves to embrace him into their little society.

Tony has been quiet for too long and the silence in the halls is getting to him. He breaks off from the group, searching for food in the cabinets they can use to replenish their lost supplies.

"Anyone want to break for lunch? I don't know about you guys but all this spoiled food is making me want to dive right in." His words are heavy-handed with sarcasm, speaking just to hear himself talk or really hear anything at all. There's no one here and while his very scientific mind would love answers the rest of him wants to be far from there. He pockets a few interesting items from the empty houses as he goes, a bag of supplies from the llama outside strapped to his back. No point in risking losing the last of their shit to a hungry predator or a wandering animal.

"Dwarves are known for their brews. We should see if we can find their casks. Maybe there's a clue wherever those are hidden away.

Jon Snow ✥ mostly OTA ✥ will match format!

[northerndragon]

Journey's Beginning ✥ March 9-11th ✥ OTA

[northerndragon]

[9-10: A Night's Watch]

Everyone has settled for the night except the people on guard duty. Jon himself had been napping when the previous guard shook him awake. Whatever he had been dreaming had flown away the moment he opened his eyes, and he'd been a little bit grumpy about leaving the bedroll and Daenerys for a few far less pleasant hours outside -- but duty is duty.

Now, he sits out in the cold. He has a skin of wine, but that's for warmth, not for drinking idly: there is no sense in a guard being in his cups. Much of what has passed since he awoke in the marshes has been different than his life had been before, but this -- leading people, some prepared and some not, through the wilds -- is as familiar as anything he can remember.

He isn't the only guard on duty, whether it's because he has a partner for this shift or because a guard for another shift isn't sleeping, and things are quiet, so he turns his head and says, "And you? What's your story? Have you been in the mountains before?"

[11th: Spider Danger]

The first two nights were calm: stew and bread, a tent with Dany and a few others, a few hours' watch during the night. Thank the gods that most of them, for the most part, slept well those first two nights. It's on this third night, camped in the ruins of the giants' temple, that trouble comes.

He has already fought and killed a cave spindle; he has yet to be troubled by cliff hawks. It's been quiet for a few minutes. Then, he stills, listening --

"Do you hear that?"

In the distance, a clicking, chitinous skittering over the stones, the shadow of a spider still far off.

He bloody hates these things.