Mining Rights - RPLOG
From Rusted Promises
Participants
Date
7/4/476
Log
In a cabin, which has the word "house" written on the outside, lays a coughing and sprawled out mole in bed. He occasionally looks to the door, which can be seen through the large window situated directly next to it, as he fidgets and looks over a couple maps.
Angus gives the cabin a good once over as he stands outside, trying not to chuckle at the writting on the wall. He does frown slightly as he looks through the door and notices how bad the mole looks, but that doesn't stop him from walking up to the door and knocking on it.
Rainer accompanies Angus, as he sometimes does! He jerks a thumb at the sign written on the wall of the cabin, regarding the todd with a bemused look upon his face, followed up by a snorted laugh. "I guess a lot of people were getting confused about that?" He stays back while the fox approaches the door, folding his arms over his chest, waiting to see how this unfolds. Or maybe he's anticipating it be one of those doors that opens out instead of in and wants a good vantage point to watch Angus get a faceful of wood.
The coughing picks up, and through it a forced "Come on in boys." can be heard as the hacking continues. It dies down with an odd 'harbum' and then the sound of papers crinkling continues. The interior of the cabin is... at best, modest. At worst you could say it's very empty. There is a stove, a table, chair, bed, and a chest with some boots hanging out of it.
Angus grabs Rainer by the collar as he opens the door, dragging the Wolf along with him. "Try and be more respectful Rainer, he is the one hiring us you know." He mutters, before he turned to look at the Mole. "We heard that you are looking for a few adventurer's, we came as soon as we could."
Rainer turns towards a sound off yonder, to find himself snagged and dragged, though he puts up surprisingly little resistance to the rough treatment, beyond a "Hey, watch the fur!" He smooths his unkempt mane as best he's able once they're in, adding, "And by 'a few' we hope you meant 'two,' because that's all you seem to be getting. Although really I count for at -least- seven, myself, so you couldn't hope for better. Oh, and this guy knows a thing or two about what he does. Supposedly. Depends on who you ask."
The mole squints at the two and laughs. "You're going to be working double time then." he says before coughing heavily. "I need you to take this map, and go mine up some of my secret mineral vein before I pass on, I need something for my kid you know. Little priss doesn't know a thing about mining but old dad can't let that stop them from getting something nice. Get goin alrighty?" he says, pointing to a spot on the map marked in red.
Angus nods as he receives the map, taking a quick look to see if he notices a few identifiable landmarks. "I'm guessing this won't be a walk in the park, considering your not looking for miners but armed adventurers. I'm also curious as to what mineral we are talking about." When the mole talks about his son and then points to the red mark he chuckles. "It happens sometimes, kids don't exactly take after the fathers."
Rainer takes a blow to the levity when the mole broaches the subject of his own mortality, despite how passingly so. It registers in his demeanour; a shift in posture, a raising of eyebrows, a waning of his grin, and then there's his tone. "Monsters, mining, we can do it all! Swingin' a sword and swingin' a pick aren't that different, eh? C'mon, Angus, don't pester the fella."
The mole laughs and says "YOU'll see it, all glistening in the torchlight. You'll know." he says with a smile, laying back and coughing into his arm. It'll be alright." he adds as he sighs and waves the two off.
Angus shrugs as he turns to Rainer. "Just wanted to know what we were getting into, I'm not trying to bother him." Turning back to the Mole be bows lightly. "We will be back as soon as possible then." Turning back to Rainer he smiles, before he gently rolled the map up, and bopped him on the nose. "Well then, if your so eager to swing a sword and a pick. Then your on point." He then offered the map to Rainer. "Which means you get the map."
Rainer's hands go to his hips as he takes the swat like a champ, just smirking at Angus... though the second he turns to go his nose starts wiggling up a storm and it only settles once he gives it a quick rub. Outside, he takes up the map, unfurling and staring at it, furrowing his brow. He tilts it to one side, then the other, turns it upside down, looks up and about, back to the map, scrunches up his nose and flips it over again, then rolls it back up and jabs it back towards his travelling companion. "Okay, got it."
As the group heads from the house to the quarry, making their way past a few folks outside the living quarters who give them a wave, they decend into the slightly darker section that is the quarry. Torches are lit a bit deeper, the well used path free of debris and sporting a few miners who make way for the two. Off to the side a heavy dolphin folk is beating down an animate alluvium with a shovel, one of his friends laughing at the matter. "I told you!" For the most part the area look safe. From the map, one can tell the duo should head west.
Angus was starting to wonder if he just made a mistake as he watched Rainer mess with the map, but then he receives a jab to the chest as he is distracted and chuckles. Hands in his pockets he followed the wolf to the quarry, giving the few folk they saw in passing a grin in response. As soon as they entered the quarry his nonchalant mood changed, his hands no longer stuffed in his pockets as he watched the Dolphin struggle against the alluvium.
Rainer, once they're underway, turns his eyes to the sky and folds his hands behind his head, leading the way at a steady march, and somehow managing to weave around or step over whatever obstacle gets in his way without ever lowering his gaze to the ground. It's kind of uncanny. He never refers to the map again, either, completely confident in his memory to guide the way. As they descend through the quarry his attention finally wanders back down to Promise, and he offers friendly smiles and nods to the folk they pass, and joins in laughing with the fella teasing the poor porpoise. "Don't be so tense, Angus. You're making the locals nervous."
With a mighty "THWANK" the animate is defeated, a victorious miner examining his bent up shovel with a scowl. He scoops it up and throws it into a cart, along with his shovel, and heads back to work. "C'mon lets get this stuff out of here." some of the guys says. The miners go about their business, ignoring the two beyond a greeting and allowing them to continue upon their way. If the two should happen to continue upon the correct path, they will soon be heading west, seeing a bountiful array of dirt and rocks, a couple support beams blocking the view but nothing too serious.
"I'm not tense Rainer." Angus mumbles, grining as the alluvium finally goes down. "Good job." His eyes then turn back to Rainer. "I just don't feel like getting ambushed by something down here, don't feel like getting trapped by a cave in either really." As the continue he keeps glance at the walls, mostly looking at the support beams, and hoping that they aren't old and rotting.
Rainer comes to a stop at last, lowers his arms from behind his head and props his wrists up on the hilts of his hip-holstered swords. "This should be it." Just for funsies, though, he pulls out the map and consults it again, holding it spread before him as he turns 90 degrees, then another, and another, and finally ends up pointed where he was to begin with, rolls up the map and nods once.
As the duo proceeds down the path they eventually shy away from the main lighting, sparsely burning at best torches and lamps line the path, the wooden support getting much less new. It seems no ones been out this way for a while, and from the looks of it they were right to do so. It appears this area has recieved heavy mining in the past, a couple of tools still lay around but none of them look to be worth carrying. The duo then spots a shale elemental, keeping to itself away from the main path, unmoving for the time being. Angus avoids the hazards of the land gracefully, but Rainer does the opposite. He snatches up a free rock and moves to throw it at the beast, tripping over a mining pick in the ground that has gone the same color as the surface now being walked on. The rock lobs off course, but grabs the attention of the beast, who barrels out at the downed wolf and the fox.
The shale elemental gets the drop on poor Angus, his partner not quite in the position he needs to be to fight along side him instantly. He proceeds to beat on the lightly armored unit with hard firm clubbings, taking counter stabs as Rainer hops up and joins the fray. The beast is rough and quick, but eventually the dual bladers down the monster, not before it clobbers Angus, who recovers magnificently. It lays mostly unmoving, it's form unable to lift itself up. Beyond it, and deeper still is the path that was selected for the group to follow, blocked off. One wonders how to proceed now.
Angus curses as Rainer hits the ground, and he is left to deal with the Elemetal all by himself. He wasn't a very good match to a shale elemental, and he does go down underneath the clobbering. With a muffled curse he rolls out from underneath the thing and springs back to his feet, hurt but to angry to care. "Dammit Rainer, this is what happens when you throw rocks!"
David blinks as he walks along the tunnles, having been directed by the mole and the miners. He blinks at Angus and Rainer when he rounds the corner and rushes over to Angus to check his wounds, "Are you alright?"
Rainer dusts himself off, holding his shoulder as he rolls the kinks out of it, stretches, and finally settles back down, meeting Angus' irritation with a great, big grin on his face. "Well, no, this is what happens when I throw rocks at Shale Elementals. If you'd ever thrown a rock at a Striped Bumbler hive you'd know it's a lot different." He turns his gaze and an arched eyebrow to the otter that breezes right past him to tend to the fox. "Friend of yours?"
With the escort of a guard, a collie, Mirana comes along, "I'm alright Sasha, for the final time, nothing grating on me, nothing... look, I'm not going to lie about something this important." She says to her escort. When they seen Angus, David, and Rainer though, Sasha is the first to speek up, "Lord Angus, I was told to bring Lady Mirana out here to work with you, that you might need her assistance, so I'll leave her in your hands now." She says before turning and departing. With a bit of an embarrised look, Mira looks to Angus, "I'm fine... really I am." She says again, then starts to survey the situation. "So, what exactly is our situation here Brother? Rainer? David?"
The medical treatment goes off without a hitch, the fox feeling a bit better. The noise aggitates the hobbled and stuck shale elemental, who just lays there since it cannot get up on it's own in it's current state.
Angus definitely didn't expect it when David appeared at his side, already trying to tend to his wounds. "I'm fine I'm fine, but thanks." He mutters, fidgeting as he stands there. "This is David. A friend of mine who is rather skilled in Medicine." He responds to Rainer, before he turns to his sister and the guard. "Um well...thank you?" Staring at his sister in suprise, as he definitly didn't think he would see her today he shrugs. "Just helping out an old Mole who wants us to dig up some minerals, nothing much really."
David hmms? at Mirana and shrugs as the question, "I just got here." as he works on bandaging Angus up, nothing too restricing though. He looks at Rainer and smiles, "Hi, Like Angus said, I'm David. Growing Clan." he looks at his handiwork, ignoring Angus' complaints for now and then nods before looking to the shale elemental aas well as the blocked path. "So... Any ideas?"
"They're coming out of the woodwork." Rainer remarks as he spies Mirana and escort on approach. Up and behind his head his arms swing, and his gaze rolls toward the clouds, the wolf seeming to tune out on his immediate surroundings, even ignoring David's introduction - or at least not responding to it. "I dunno how much help she's gonna be in that state. I guess she could bring us drinks while we work, y'know, so we can stay hydrated." Suddenly swinging his arms out, he bends over and hoists up the pick axe he'd previously tripped over, straightening back up, all in one fluid motion. "Only one way to deal with a rockfall, eh? Daylight's burnin'."
Mirana looks over the situation herself, and then glares to Rainer. She walks over, "Never ask a brute to do a scholar's job." She says. "So, dig up materials.. easy enough, I can help." She says, "David, would you be so kind as to look over the injured this time, I'm going to work more... directly." As she passes by Rainer though, she makes sure that she is holding her staff in a way that it would smack the side of his head. Then, running some math over in her head, she stamps a paw and starts gesturing like she is moving the rocks herself, gradually clearning a path. She is careful to move rocks, not just in front of her, but also beside and above, however, after working for some time, only a few steps into the path are cleared. "I suspected this would take a bit of time... humm.. I could risk just trying to 'push' through... but that might cause another cave in." Then she looks to the Shale Elemental. "Humm... any thoughts on how we might be able to have this thing help?" She asks, wondering if there was some better way.
from behind in the tunnel, a low deep humming begins to fill the air, first low and barely audible, then rising in volume, forming the tune to an old song. Light begins to glow nearer and nearer as the humming rises in volume, followed by a brief coughing noise, and a few minutes later, a Briarling, a descendant from a briar bush, approaches, stops, then surveys the situation, his eyebrows rising as he gives off a confused, but still deep, "Hrmmmmmmmmmmmm?" He seems at a loss as to what to do as the scene ensues in front of him. "What's all this then?
The pickax falls apart, the handle rotting under Rainers grip. He side-steps the head falling to the floor easily, and then nimbly dodges the passing attempt to hit his head by Mirana, who clears a fair distance into the path but just enough reveal, yet more rock. The shale elemental no longer attempts to get up.
David looks at Rainer and shakes his head before looking to Mira, "I'm fine with that." he smiles and then blinks at the briarling with a wave, "Hello there, we're looking minerals it looks like." The otter looks at the elemental and hmms as he slowly approaches it, "Well... Looks like Angus and Rainer did a number on it... Poor thing..." he gently pats it if it doesn't seem hostile to his presence
"Gyeh!" Rainer shakes his fuzzy mits in disgust as the wood melts in his hands, not in his mouth, and quickly dances out of the way of the plummeting pick, which impales pointy-end-first where his poor little tootsies has been seconds before. "Phew." he starts to slump forward, only to catch a stick coming at his head, which he fairly easily ducks, quirking a brow at Mirana's back as he straightens back up. After all that excitement, he turns his attention skywards again. "Don't mind us, just fillin' out a work order for some old kook." said with a dismissive wave towards Zentien. For a good, long time thereafter while the vixen works he's silent, until, when she emerges to consider other plans, he just out-of-the-blue remarks, "We could always go the other way."
Mirana shakes her head, "Well, if you wonderful geniouses have nothing better, then I'm going to try to get some more headway over there... another way? Well.. while you are thinking about it Rainer.. I'll get to work.." And she grumbles something about useless males as she stamps back down to the path. She works a bit longer, that is till a rumble catches her attention, she yips and heads back up, saying just loud enough to be heard, "Ok, new ideas, that one is not going to work. Anyone have a map?"
The Briarling looks to the otter and nods a rustly greeting, then looks at the cave in. "I was hoping to find some mineral rich deep earth," He says. "I guess I won't find some with that cave in. May I accompany you folkdown another tunnel? Safety in numbers, my ma always said." He looks uncertainly at the group here, but finally nods, whether in approval or what, is uncertain.
The cave doesn't collapse, but the tunnel work seems to provoke a reaction in it. Perhaps that tunnel collapsed for a reason, but as it stands the area is no longer safe.
Angus just shakes his head at Rainer. "He's the only one here that has a map, so if there is any other route we can take to the mineral's...he's the one that knows them." He grumbles, giving the tunnel an odd look as the rumbling starts. "Hello there, I don't think we mind if you tag along." He responds to Zentien, his eyes still on the tunnel as he contemplates something.
David blinks at Rainer and tilts his head in confusion, "There's another way? Why didn't you say so earlier?" he shrugs and looks at Mira at her grumbling and then looks down a bit, "Sorry I'm not much help... I'm not very good with earth math yet..." he looks at Zentien and smiles a little, "I don't mind you coming along. I'm David Matthews, Growing Clan." he blinks as the tunnel collapses and shakes his head, "Well... So much for that."
Rainer, upon request for a map, produces that which was given to him and Angus by their employer, drawing it from his pants with a flourish, twirling it rapidly between his index and middle fingers, and then, with a flick of his wrist, unfurls the paper. He holds it for the others to see, jabbing a finger into a point to indicate their immediate whereabouts, then drawing a weaving line that reaches another marked entrance. He gives them only a few seconds to absorb that before his wrist flicks again and the page obediently rolls back up. Not a word does the lupe utter the whole time.
Mirana continues to grouble as she looks over the map produced by Rainer, "Brother.. if I were you I'd get someone better to hold this thing." She doesn't have long to memorize it, but, then again, she never had much trouble in the past doing so quickly. She nods a few times, "And why did you not show this to me.." and she starts to growl, "when I first got here!! You think Vixens are some airheads good for looks and surving drinks!!" The last few words come out with some barks as well. She stands there staring down Rainer for a moment before she relises she slipped again... shaking her head she looks suddenly very passive.. very demure. "I'm sorry... please.. I didn't really mean all that." She shakes her head another time or two before walking over to Angus, "I'll just stay by Angus here... till.. I know I'm ok again." She stands next to Angus for quiet sometime, never starying too far from his side, though ready to help defend him if something happens, staying quiet while she tries to recollect herself.
The briarling nods, and stands to the side, as to not get in the way, but starts humming, as loud as when he came in. Abruptly he stops and says "My pardon, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Zentien, of the Growers." Zentien starts humming again, seeming absent minded to everything around him, even of the brief quarrel over the map. He seemed not to even notice that it even occured.
The party proceeds back towards where the shale elemental had been resting, turning off and heading down a long winding tunnel. It's not terribly long before they come out into a large room full of support and a few idle miners, it seems they're back in the main section. The path directed to by Rainer is taken swiftly, andwith a little walking it is proceeded into. As the group hurries on to their destination the sounds of digging and working can be heard in the distance. This is soon remedied with yet another turn off, leading into a dark, unlit portion of the quarry, the only lighht coming from the party's own torches and lamps.
Angus eyes Rainer as his sister yells at him, hoping that he is smart enough to not say anything back, and when she walks over to stand by his side he sighs. "It's going to be okay Mira." He says once she's by his side, and he reinforces his words with a hug as well. To be honest, he didn't mind having her watch his back at the moment, as he was still a little iffy about his injuries do to the shale elemental. "Now, lets take this one step at a time. And it's nice to meet you Zentien, I'm Angus of House Solacious. Graceful clan." He grins at the briarling in response. As they retrace their steps he makes sure to glance at his sister now and again, giving her a reassuring smile each time he does, before they get to the darkened tunnel at least. This his smile fades, ears twitching as his left hand drifted to the blades at his belt. "Does anyone else hear that?"
David blinks at the glimpse of the map and shakes his head before he winces at Mira's words, "Are you ok Mira?" he hasn't heard much since Selena's little talk with her. He looks at Zentien and nods with a smile, "Nice to meet you." he hmms? at Angus and looks around curiously at his words, "I only hear Zentien's humming..." he shrugs
Rainer is surprisingly nonchalant in the face of Mirana's outburst, offering only "you didn't ask" as his reason and "don't sweat it" in response to her apology. He then sweeps 'round towards their new destination and leads the way as he had before for Angus, his tail flicking to the beat of the tune Zentien provides. He stops in his tracks around the same instant his ears start twitching in the direction of the tunnel ahead, his eyes glinting as the flickering light of their torches reflects off them, almost seeming ablaze themselves. "Sounds like fun!" And then he's off, charging headlong towards the sound, plunging into darkness ahead.
also hearing the noise, and suprised that Rainer ran ahead, he shakes his head slowly, saying, "So rushful, that one, should we go along to make sure he is safe?" His humming stopping, a glint of the light betrays the sudden intensity in his eyes. Still, patiently, he waits to make sure others will follow. "I am loath to leave a companion, no matter how breifly I've known them." He still waits, seemingly also loath to act alone.
Mirana keeps her head down and hugs back on Angus whispering to him a moment as she is lead aloung with him. "David.. I'm ok.. I'm ok I think." She says then to Zentien, Lady Mirana Solacious, Angus' older sister.." she says. She shakes her head a few more time. Then, her ears perk up, "I.. hear something.. something yelling?" She says almost more as a question then anything.
The wolf charges forward in the dark, managing not to trip over anything as they dart off into the blackness. As they approach the sound of the yelling things get considerably brighter very quickly, torches roar all along the quarry walls. Suddenly, a being steps into the path as Rainer proceeds, being missed by the wolf who twists to gather themselves after the near run-in, but in their moment of weakness they are elbowed slightly. It doesn't hurt too bad, but it causes a miner to look the wolf who ran up into their space over with ha squint. "Hey boss did we hire another one?" he says, the rest of the workers, various clans and species all turning to look the folk over. A short and pudgey pidgeon waddles out, and looks them over. "No, get out of here. We're working, we have only a short time before everyone knows about this place."
Angus sighs as he watches Rainer charge into the darkness. "Yes we should, he might be foolish and like to charge in headfirst when it comes to stuff like this. But that doesn't mean we leave him." Turning to his sister he gives her another hug, and whispers back, before he speaks again. "Make sure to stay by my side sister, I'm still a little woozy from my run in with that Elemental. Might need you to catch me if I fall." Turning back around he follows Rainer, and his eyes narrow as they are hit by the light of the torches, and they run into the miners.
David blinks as Rainer charges ahead and shakes his head in confusion, "Now why would he do that?" he nods to Zentien and then smiles at Mirana comfortingly before following the others after the crazy wolf. He blinks at the torches and miners and tilts his head curiously, "Um, are they supposed to be here?" he has no idea since he didn't get a good look at the map, nor any about how mines work
"Oof." Rainer knits his brows as he's left staring vacantly at some folk who are... not in some form of danger as he had initially suspected. He performs a quick sweep of the room to get a sense of their numbers, and then, very much like before, pulls the map from his pants, twirls it around between his fingers, and opens it with a flick of a wrist. He spends a time studying the sketches, held at arm's length, turning 90 degrees, then again, and again, and once more to leave him pointing in the same direction he began. He then proceeds to roll up the map, the rest of the team arriving right about as finishes, and only then as he's tucking the parchment away does he speak up, "There's everyone now. It was nice while it lasted, though, wasn't it?"
Mirana nods to Angus' whisper, and thinks about it for a little while. She looks about as she stays close. WHen she sees the miners though, she looks a bit confused, "Angus.. are they ment to be here?" She seems to not really be trusting her own judgement right now as she looks about, a part of her telling her it would be a good idea to cave the place in. She looks over to Rainer, then David, then Zentien, as if searching for what she should do... or should be thinking.
Slightly confused at the turn of events, as he entered the room last, he looks to Mirana and says, "I am curious as well. Anyone else know what is going on?" He tries to take in the entire scene, but shakes his head, his headleafs rattling. Despite his surprise and lack of what is going on, he looks as if ready to take action, should the worst come to pass, and in the added light, his eyes mantain a sharp edge, sharper than the sharpest thorn of the multitude that comprise a large portion of his body.
The pidgeon and the dozen or so workers come to a halt and watch the group carefully. "We're mining... our... quarry location until the allotted time of... it's passing." he says, nodding. "Now if you'll all step out of here and let us get to work, that'd be great. We're almost done as it is, the bulk has been carried out." The group continues to watch our heros, one or two going back to their work but the rest look uneasy.
Angus puts a hand on Mirana's shoulder, his ring bearing the seal of his house easily visible for all to see, as he smiles at the Pigeon. "How curious, and where you sanctioned to mine in this location? I would hate to have to report what you and your miners are doing. And confiscate the 'bulk' of what you have been mining as well." He stated, that smile never wavering as he cast out for the slightest hint of a lie. His twin tails flicked behind him in annoyance, as this little earn for an Elderly Mole was starting to turn into something else entirely.
David hmms? at Rainer's confusion comment and shakes his head before looking at Mira, "I dunno, I guess so?" he shrugs at Zentien and peers curiously at the pigeons hesitant words, "Um, are you ok?"then he looks at Angus and blinks with a confused tilt of his head
Rainer, for his part, just quietly ambles off to an unoccupied section of wall, puts his back to it, and leans. Arms folded over chest, right leg crossed over left, his eyes roam from miner to miner, just smiling in as unthreatening a manner as he may. Zentien's song seems to have gotten stuck in his head, as he's soon softly humming it and wagging his raised heel to its rhythm.
Mirana looks to Angus then back to the Pidgeon, then back to Angus again, stepping forward a bit she clears her throat, "I must also inquire to see your craditals to mine here, who authorised it? Would you like to tell me and my brother here? Or should be drag you to the guards instead?" She looks back to her brother unsure a moment, then looks back to the pidgeon, "Or.. should we handle this in house?" She says with a slightly wicked grin.
Zentien nods in approval as he recognizes what is now taking place, and seems to side with Mira and Angus, as he stands in between them with his hands on his hips, "I suggest you cooperate, I have heard of... rocky conditions in these mines before." He gives a thornfilled grin and nods.
"The prospect that you five are going to drag all of us out to the guard is slightly laughable, but I assure you I have claim to this area. I discovered it along with a good friend a long, long time ago. He's going to leave us soon, and then his maps and charts will be up for whoever to rummage through, this is ours and ours alone. He can kick the bucket when I'm done. Now if you'll come with me we can gather up my papers, and you folk can be along your way. All of you keep working, an if I find out one of you left and told your friends about all this you might not wake up." The pidgeon shuffles off towards a standing table filled mostly with scattered ore, glistening in the torch light. Beside it are a stack of maps, papers, and the like.
Angus grins rather sharply at the pigeon. "The prospect of you and a few dozen miners stopping us is rather laughable as well." Each word that spilled from the pigeons beak made that smile lessen and lessen, until it was replaced with a hard glare. And as they walk towards the table that frown darkend, taking a step up to Rainer he whispers to the wolf, before he chuckles and continues to follow the pigeon.
David blinks at Mirana's comment and shakes his head as he looks at her, "Are you sure you are ok?" he looks at Angus curiously and shakes his head, "There's no need to threaten them is there?" he's rather gullible it seems. Other than that he waits silently, watching the miners curiously
