Sand and Honor - RPLOG
Participants
Date
10/9/477
Log
The Shralestian desert was busy with activity this day, caravans traveling to and fro to deliver relief supplies to the outskirt of the city. More importantly for those lured here however, is a Graceful Clan Rabbit sitting on a carriage with a sign reading 'expedition here' strapped upon it! The Rabbit poorly dressed himself, mostly wearing thick leathers and a wide brimmed hat with a whip and pistol on his hips.
Lucasiel didn't like the desert, really. It was always such a bother, but at least it wasn't humid! The panther had fashioned up a bit of ice magic to keep her cool while she approaches the caravan. "Violence, huh?" Maybe she'd find a good fight, this time!
Despite the sweltering heat, the tall fern arrives at the carriage dressed in full armor overlapped with pieces of even more armor. Her shield, taller than most normal people, firmly grasped in one hand, the plant used the other hand to grasp the edge of the transport and pulls herself into the shotgun seat without a word. Looking over the rabbit briefly, and with a quick nod to the panther, Savi quietly awaits the arrival of the rest of the passengers.
A plant being almost completely covered in a heavy cloak arrives at the location. Thankfully the sky is filled with scattered clouds ensuring that there is at least some respite from the heat of the sun. Rokarion walks in a confident gait towards the Rabbit, before giving him a polite bow and asking in his usual caln and polite tone, "Hail and well met good sir. I am assuming that the scholar will be meeting us shortly?" Hopefully there won't be much fighting, Rokarion is mainly interested with the statues and if he is lucky, he would be able to take a good look and maybe sketch some of them.
A salamander, covered in her white and red robe, tailored to be worn under the hot sun, followed soon after, joining the group and watch whose who are already present. Then Cythim removes her hood from her head, and wait for the others to arrive.
Adolphus is sweating. Profusly. Tropical Good and desert heat are not mixing well today. Sun beating down on his bald head, armor, chain and leather, strapped to him. Huge warhammer on his back, wondering why in the world he was so curious about statues to walk this far out. Well he's here. Might as well get on with it.
"I -am- the scholar." The Rabbit calls out as he looks to Rokarion, before waving his hand motioning to the carriage. "The name is Bindy, Bindy Bones. I take it you're the lot then? Hmmm... Not too terrible indeed, could work well." Reaching into his bags, he pulls out a canteen to toss to Adolphus, before grinning at the group. "Well then, if folks are ready, feel free to hop on into my carriage here, and we can get moving. I just need you lot to probably help in clearing any trouble there... After all, I take strange reports of increased violence around old sites like that, rather seriously."
Lucasiel rubs at the back of her helmet and grins. "Well! Look no further, then! I will certainly do my best to deal with any problems that may arise! I imagine they will, as well," she says, gesturing to her companions as she climbs into the wagon. "It's been a few months since I've been out this way..." Comes the idle thought as she settles down, making sure her plate was all tightened and adjusted properly.
Eyes on the path ahead, Saviante sits with a sense of stoicism. Her visor down, only the long fronds that make up her 'hair' serve as any indication that there is a living being within the mass of armor. Taking her job VERY seriously, the towering Fern is already scanning the horizon for anything that seems amiss, even now before the carriage actually leaves. A bad feeling, the origins of which she cannot place, settles in the pit of her stomache.
Rokarion looks at the rabbit, before nodding his head and saying, "My apologies for the mistake." Satisified with his short response, Rokarion entered the carriage, and took a window seat. He then slipped a notebook and a pen from under his cloak, and started writing something on it, waiting for the others to enter the carriage while his jasmine scent wafted inside their transport.
Cythim nods at the rabbit, taking place on the carriage and check her equipement, to see if she had what she needed. Her spear, her dagger, her medicinal herbs and bandages before she looks around for potential dangers. Then she asks, "Where are we going? And for what?".
Adolphus catches the canteen, and the huge, heavy, husky, hippo opens his wide gullet and drinks the entire canteen in a few gulps. "Great. Let's just finish this then. Sooner we are done the sooner we can be out of this cursed sun." Much rather been sitting in a cool pool, nostrils just above the water. He enters into the carriage and causes the whole thing to lurch around as over 500 pounds of fat and muscle squeeze in.
"Out into the desert, there are a few statues not too far from the monastary that I've taken an interest to lately. They depict strange looking things from something far before us... And given that whole snake thingies temple, I'm inclined to believe it's of importance." Ever so intellectual, refering to the spirit of Ser'ther as snake thing, but never the less once the group is inside of the carriage it lurches, and begins to move forward. THankfully for them, they've a nice cover of cloth to provide them with shade as they cross through the desert. Nothing does seem to happen though for this first portion, with only errant breezes of sand to irritate eyes and skin, and soon enough the group arrives at their destination!
Their carriage ends up parked at the edge of what appears to be a gently sloping crater of sand, caused by a variety of sandstone formations with the statues in question resting at the bottom of this depression... Most appear damaged by time, or resemble beings almost, but few do stand out as more 'unique'. Be it a serpent with several heads that each seem to gaze a different direction, or a large four legged winged serpeant that carried four horns above his head.
"Well, here we are. Why don't you guys head down inside first, and make sure it's clear before I come sliding after... Not that I wouldn't be willing to fight along side you all, but well, if I die then so does your pay sadly."
Lucasiel passes the trip in silence, mostly just listening to the scholar go on about spirits. She had yet to meet one that had impressed her. Eager to stretch her legs, as soon as the carriage comes to a stop she hops out of it, dragging her large battle axe with her. "You think it has any kinds of traps in there?" She asks to no one in particuarly as she starts on the way, taking up point with her kite shield at the ready.
Not moving more than a foot from the Rabbit scholar, Savi speaks the first words she has uttered the entire trip. "I am here to guard you, leaving you alone here while we all go there would not be doing my job." Despite the whisper-soft volume of her voice, the words are spoken with an almost chiding sterness. Taking the time to draw her spear, the Fern stands her ground and contunies to scan the horizon slowly, as concerned with what is up here as whatever might be lurking below.
The young plant being spends the trip scribbling on his notebook and listening to the surprisingly simplified language of the scholar. When the carraiage arrives, Rokarion steps outside, and takes a good look at the statues and the craters from his elevted position. Seeing as how not everyone was ready yet, he once again opened his book, and started doodling the area from here. Thinking to himself, He will still need to go down into the crater for a proper look on the statues, and hopefully learn more about them. He then says, head still focusing on the book, "So are there any plans? Going down a crater that we have no information about is begging for disaster to strike."
Cythim wonders to herself, "Snake deity? It doesn't sound similiar to the Creators...". Then she jumps out of the carriage, her dagger ready if needed. She joins the others around the crater as her left hand softly become luminous in a hardly noticeable yellow color. "If we could know how deep it is...".
Adolphus will stand back again in the desert sun. He does unhook his warhammer and lets the head rest upon the ground. "Is this a new excavation?" he rumbles. "Has anyone been here before? Has anyone tried to enter before?" he looks around the crater, walking slowly for a sign of a former staircase, or some sort of carve out.
"Oh damn it you're serious." Bindy sighing at Saviante as he shakes his head before following after Lucasiel as he continues to explain. "It's not a dangerous walk down, just be careful to not tumble down if you're not used to walking in sand. As for how deep? No real clue, nobody has tried to really dig it all out... It isnt new either, been here awhile. Granted, it used to just be statues that didn't have increased violence around them."
As those whom enter into the crater look upon the statues and head deeper inside, the strange sensation of a wrongness as though they were being watched from every angle begins to assail the back of their minds, that little prickling sensation like when one is walking in the dark after reading a particularly frightening novel.
Lucasiel flips her axe around and holds the blade near the ground, ready to help stop her fall should she lose her footing in the sand. Thankfully, it proves to not be needed! She keeps her attention straight ahead as she makes her way into the crater, but her eyes pass momentarily over the statue as she narrows her eyes at the feeling. It was nothing new, but she never really liked it much.
As they walk, Savi (likely without any active thought) elevates her shield to provide shade, and a discrete layer of armor, over the scholar. "You keep using that phrase. Increased violence. Do you not know the form this violence takes?" Despite speaking to him, the Fern doesn't look directly at the rabbit, choosing instead to focus her attention on the area ahead. Loose sand is an ambushers dream. With the feeling of unease bleeding into the feeling of being watched, the armored Crusader grips her spear, which she is currently using as a walking stick, a little tighter.
Rokarion keeps on sketching down on his notebook, as he moves down the slope. Taking careful steps not to tumble down. The strange sensation starts to nag on him. The scholar did mention discovering a statue of Ser'ther, can this be related to the statues here? Either way he is sure there is a presence here, most likely spiritual too. When Rokarion arrives at the bottom, he starts to slowly move between each statue, stopping on the three more fantastical ones, and sketching them down on his book. Hopefully, there will be no one interrupting them.
Cythim was slowly spreading her light into her whole body while she was sliding down into the crater. When suddenly a strange impression of get to her mind. She whispers, "Something is wrong here...", and tries to go on as she checks the statues.
Adolphus grunts, "So no one has tried to enter the sands. Or dig it out. I would be careful about getting caught in them then." he doesn't look that confident now, but he will follow the others. Grabbing a rope nd attaching it to the carriage first at least. Somthing should there be a dry sand pit, or a collapse and he needs to pull out.
"No clue. Reports range from insects, to giant things, to regular critters trying to bite and harry people away." Bindy shrugging some as he arrives at the statues, pulling out his own journal to begin writing. "Just keep a watchful eye out, and probably shouldnt touch anything as well." As if heralding his world then, a small plume of sand on the opposite end of the crator shoots out in a tuff, before it calms down... A large moment of silence decends then before just a few yards from the group inside of the crator, the sand explodes in a flurry as a large insect like creature claws it's way forward.
The Creature itself is strange, and one not often, if ever -actually- seen around these parts! It's body is covered in thick, plate like chitten, and is large enough to be able to carry four carriages upon it's back, with numerous beady eyes watching them. Two large claws, easily able to inflect massive pain, sit upon front arm like devices, with three large stingers each hooked to a seperate tail each that leads to it's back!
"Well. Would you look at that!" Comes the jovial reply from the armoured titan of a feline. "I wonder if it's friendly," she says in jest as she props her axe back up on her shoulder. "Not likely. Wonder how we'd best deal with it... I say hit it from the side, if it's anything like the last big thing I fought with claws. Hm. It didn't have three tails, though," Lucasiel murmurs.
Takng a calming moment to observe the creature for what it is, Savi decides the most obvious weak point is the same here as for any creature. Making sure to stand between the insectasaur and the rabbit, the Fern woman points her spear as a focus and unleashes a gout of jet-black fire at the soft and squishy eyes of the giant beast. As tghe snap and hiss of the burning stream arcs towards the target, she speaks quite clearly. "Increased violence... I get it now."
Rokarion looks at the creature emerging, a new specimen it seems. However, he resists the urge to draw it now, it is a hostile no time hopegully there will still be enough of it for study. Rokarion starts slowly moving towards the group when he notices the larger fern attack the beast, deciding to take advantage of the momentum, The jasmine, slips his notebook back under his cloak, and utters some equations. And with that he lets out a huge stream of flames from his hands.
Cythim notices the big bad scorpion and pull back her dagger, too small for being of any good use and grab her spear, better against big foes. Then she concentrate as a flash of light suddenly goes off from her, attempting to daze the scorpion while she ready herself, standing in a defensive stance.
Adolphus grunts, "A damnable bug..." he gripes his warhammer, sand grains starting to swirl around the head as he activates the earth magics. Having and Earthshaker in a sandpit not be be the best idea, but he's going to smash the everloving crap out of it if it charges. He's too hot to charge in first. Twirling the large war hammer he brings it up and down onto the send. Sending the shockwave through the sand right at the beast.
