Go check on the pilgrims, keep an eye out in case any of them get antsy. Maybe read to them from my Black Book a little.
Suppose you have a diver that's projecting his mind to another sphere, while I am still in realspace in front of his unconscious body. Would it be possible, through occult tinkering, to make a device that allows one to give a small stimulus (eg. pinch in the cheek) to the body of the diver and have that stimulus be felt by the diver's spirit in the other dimension? Ideally it would also work for people doing a relic dive.
EDIT: loan 40 tokens to Cara for her polearm
Name: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza
Description: A young man of slightly pale complexion and eternal 9 o’clock shadow, he was raised in a small village. While the village priest and passing mystics droned with endless sermons of the Church and their teachings, what had always captivated young Adam’s attention more were the stories of his Granny.
Old stories of the world as it once was, before people were forced to flee to the caves and crannies of this damp hell. Of warm days where pleasant green plants tickled your feet as you walked through them and a cool breeze blew through your hair. Where food was plentiful, nature was benign and endless vistas reached as far as they eye could see.
Adam was nominally a card-carrying member of the church, though he mostly did it for the connections and perks that brought. They were powerful and had ancient lore, all things he would need to fulfill his true heart’s desire: to return to the surface, vanquish the madness that tainted their homeland and reconquer paradise.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats Str: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 11
End: 10
Awa: 11
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 13
SkillsDiving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Inventory1 soldier chestplate
Clothing: simple priest robes, shortened a bit so as to less restrict his movements
1 ethral rifle [10 rounds] (pierce 2)
2 black flame
2 Silent Night
5 worm blood
1 minor artifact
1 beaker artifact (found in crystal ruins)
1 crystal construct
Transport mission papers
1 black book copy
1 black book
1 field lighter
1 radio
38 fathoms
-loaned 40 to Cara (Tiruin)
1 unspent skillpoint
You play stewardess for the pilgrims.
Possible. You know that the church has methods of communicating with divers mid dive, though you don't know what they are.
Ok.
Assume I gave Clate one of the two ingots.
On the Bore, find an unoccupied room, and check out the box.
Name: Harmony “Harm” Li
Description: Lean and broody looking. This woman has short black hair and is partially covered in interlocking black tattoos. She wears simple black clothes, with a knee-length Maggot Wool Coat overtop. She wears a mail shirt underneath her clothes.
Goal: Overall, Harm would like to find a place where refugees and travelers could seek refuge without dealing with the dogmatic influence of the church. Right now, though, she just wants to get away.
Stats
Str:11
Dex:11
Spe:11
End:10
Awa:11
Cun:12
Kno:10
Ner:11
Skills
Weapon smith (3)
Mechanical (2)
Lucky Shot (1)
1 unassigned
Inventory
Radio
Mail shirt (protect 3)
Crystal cutting utility knife (free to borrow)
6 Octahedrons
Gold ingot (100-120)
5 Large branches of crystalline lead
Lucky Shot (6/7)(14 rounds)
Short sword (cutting 3, pierce 2)
Voice in the Eyes
Field Lighter
10 Path Markers
2 units mechanical junk
2 mechanical arms (belong to Kara and Vikkan)
14 fathoms
Alright.
Inside the box is a glass eye. Or rather an elaborate metal sculpture coated in clear glass. It looks almost like some massive mechanical thing shrunken down, so that all the layered tubes and vents and boilers and fans and gear work has been shrunk to eyestrainingly small proportions. Round the front of it is a silvery aperture made of a dozen triangular slats of metal that overlap and slide in and out to focus. It is unmistakably an eyeball, even so oddly designed.
Begin escort mission.
Name: Garos Ellon
Description: Garos is a 4 feet moth-creature, with a black fur coating his body, the only different colors standing out on his form are located on his wings; blue circular marks that do give him two "eyes" on the back. Aside from the mask his kind naturally wears, he is also wearing a worn kettle helmet, which while doesn't provide the protection it normally should due to its current condition works like his lucky charm. The mask Garos wears is somewhat plain looking, all black aside from some blue marks along the "cheeks" and a crudely drawn star on the forehead area.
Goal: He is just hoping to gather himself a fortune and hopefully some fame too, just in case the hiring-and-shooting business becomes a necessity.
Stats
Str: 8
Dex: 14
Spe: 12
End: 8
Awa: 8
Cun: 13
Kno: 13
Ner: 10
Level up: +STR, +SPD, +END, +AWA
Skills
Level up: +1 point to use(not using for now)
Rifle: 2
Stealth: 2
Acrobatics: 2
Heavy Armor: 1+4(Soldier's Chestplate)
Inventory
(40)Ethral Rifle [7/7]
Silk Cloak
Crystal key golem
Soldier Chestplate [Defense +4]
Knife
Hooked Cleaver
50 fathoms
Yes. We have. Thank you for joining us~.
Join the bore team.
Name: Kalagony
Description: Kalagony is a short but muscular Mole-man. He's a martial arts fanatic, and willingly replaced his healthy arm with a mechanical version just to improve his lethality in melee combat. He has a particularly large tentacled star-shaped snout and a small pair of black, beady eyes. His hair is dark brown.
Goal: His life goal is to challenge and fight against the best warriors in the world, to crush his opponents and claim the title of the strongest fighter.
Stats:
Str:15
Dex:11
Spe:8
End:13
Awa:11
Cun:10
Kno:10
Ner:11
Skills:
Unarmed: 3 (2+1 Mole-Man Claws)
Defense Skill: Mechanical arm Block: 3
Caving: 1
(1 Unused Skill Point)
Inventory:
Mechanical arm (Right arm, claw weapon)
Grappling Hook
Silk Rope (100 feet)
Field Lighter
Martial Arts Gi
Got it.
((I only have 10 moneys, and can't afford 50! Ah well, we're on the Bore and I'm on the escort mission \o/))
As everyone is busy and we're not at our location yet, Cara amuses herself by studying the inside of the Bore. And by that, most of her time is spent making this one chestplate more durable!
Cara stays by the nice merchant-person as she takes the time to get acquainted with the place. She felt a lot to say and lacked how to say it, because there were so many people passing by; they were all interesting. She makes herself safe and comfortable as the giant hulk of a machine brings everyone forwards.
It was interesting learning how these machines worked; she wondered if she could learn to be a mechanic one day.
Retroactively borrow 40 moneys from this nice company-fellow while giving them a bit of my paper with my promise for payment back, either in money or in actions that they consider valuable in response.
Name: Custodia; nicknamed "Cara"
Description: Cara is a humanoid, fully covered in worn, rusted armor--mistaken for a living being if it were not for her mask, which comprises two eye slits and a pristine-looking talisman which covers the nasal area to the chin; inscribed on the margins of the mask is a saying of a rite to the dead, and the talisman bears a top-down inscription written in a different dialect. A weathered flag-holder is masterfully clinched to the back of her torso, with its flag only in shreds and tatters, although it is gilded with a trim.
Goal: Intrigued by the doctrine of the Tenebrous Church, her goal is to discover what lies on the surface--to investigate in their own terms what lies beyond, and to ensure that their companions do not meet as harsh an end as is preached.
Stats
Str: 14
Dex: 8
Spe: 10
End: 14 + 3 = 17
Awa: 10
Cun: 8
Kno: 6
Ner: 10
Skills
Armorsmith +1
Geology +1
Medical +1
Persuasion +1
Polearms +1
Translate +1
Navigation +1
Shield User +1
Acrobatics +1
Survival +1
Inventory: (3d20 + 20 // 24 + 20)
Soldier's Chestplate (E)
Rubber Suit (E)
Travelled Clothing (E)
Black Flame (E)
(x2) Worm Blood
We'll assume you got the money and went and bought the thing before the bore left. Now, are you sure you wanna try to tinker the brestplate better? It rolls Cunning and you have 8. Also you'd need some materials.
"Alex, I have to admit, when we first met, I misjudged what kind of person you are. I am sorry if I spoke harshly to you. I am certain that you will be very helpful. Just try to manage your enthusiasm. This could be an alien place. You can't be sure of what's safe to grab. Oh, and don't try to blow stuff up unless you need to, OK? You don't want to cause any accidental collateral damage."
"Heh, I may get a little overeager at times, but there's nothing you need to worry about, we'll be fine."
Be ready.
Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Stats:
Str: 11
Dex: 11
Spe: 10
End: 11
Awa: 11
Cun: 12
Kno: 11
Ner: 11
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
1 Skill point
Inventory:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
5 TNT
Bladed Shovel (Cut 3)
Mail Shirt
39 Fathoms
Crystal box of golem limbs
Golem buddy
Black Flame (Cut 3)
Rifle (Pierce 2) 10/10
8 Structural Junk
Grappling Hook
You stand in a horse stance, Arms held in a karate pose, face a mask of concentration. Or intestinal distress. Kind of hard to tell.
Hehehe sneaky me
quietly spy on the rest of the team and don’t let anyone know I’m here
Name: Lan’Ra Ollin
Description:
Ethral: Scholarly Moths prone to shyness and mask wearing. Able to glide and ignore falls, come with mask.
Gray, 4 arms, proboscis, slight hairiness
Doesn’t like speaking
Goals:
To learn everything about the occult, and also summon some friends, cause people from here aren’t all that easy to talk to(it’s really scary!)
Str:7
Dex:12
Spe:10
End:8
Awa:7
Cun:13
Kno:13
Ner:10
Skills:
Occult: +3
Stealth: +2
Diving: +1
Money: 20 fathoms
Inventory:
Generic balaclava(mask)
Self made Grimoire, half filled with some occult stuff
Candles
Quill
Field lighter
Empyrean needle(rituals)
Chalice(for liquids. To drink. Not from sacrifices, dummy!)
28 rounds of rifle ammo
35 rounds of revolver ammo
You hide in the vents and scurry around, listening to everyone.
"I should've slept less. I barely wake up and it's all a burst of activity because people were off being useful while I was just getting pale and lazy." Vikkan joked as he threw a lever and the bore lurched forward.
That path is good and safe (?), as agreed in Discord.
Name: Vikkan Laerthe
Description: A human from Anvil and a moderate Chthonic who was born and raised close in the neighborhood of the Hammerfall boreyard, where his parents were employed as menial workers. Being so close to a place so filled with machinery and boring machines left a lasting impression on Vikkan, who became a furnace helper, then a drivemaster's apprentice until he finally reached the controls of a bore. He's quite good at conducting driving bores and, most importantly, he deeply enjoys his work.
Bore love aside, Vikkan is also generally quite friendly and good-humored even when he's not behind a bore's controls. He is, however, aware of his limitations out of the control room, and he'd rather leave most other matters to more skilled people. What he lacks in intellectual education he displays in polite curiosity, and he tends to be interested in listening even to topics he can only vaguely grasp, making for a good talking and drinking buddy if nothing else.
At odds with his friendliness, he looks rugged, if young. His hair is dark brown and cut short, and he has a well-groomed handlebar mustache (though he's been known to let it grow and style it into a horseshoe at times). A small diagonal scar moves from his right eyebrow to the bridge of his nose. His skin is brown and displays a few burns thanks to a few years of furnace and boiler work. He's fairly hairy, with his shirt's sleeves covering hairy arms and a few spots of scar tissue. His uniform is made of thick cloth and utilitarian, overalls, a long-sleeved shirt and a cap. His major concession to vanity is keeping his uniform and mustache impeccable.
He doesn't have a right hand.Goal: To deep driving bores and having fun while doing it. It's not a difficult dream, even if it can be hard at times.
StatsStr: 11
Dex: 11
Spe: 10
End: 11
Awa: 13
Cun: 10
Kno: 11
Ner: 11
Skills (1 point unspent)
+3 Vehicle (Bore)
+2 Navigation
+1 Defense (Mail Shirt)
Inventory-Conductor's Clothes
-Dynamo Lantern
-Black Book (Copy)
-Field Lighter
-Mail Shirt
-Short Sword
-Rifle
-Knife
-100ft silk rope
-142 Fathoms
-Neck chain (that used to hold a black flame that actually never existed)
-Black Flame
-Clockwork arm
1 Mission and counting
Level 0: +3 Awareness
Level 1: +1 Str, Dex, End, Kno, Ner. 1 skill point unused.
"Thank you. Our thoughts will be with you. You can try to contact us on the radio when you're done. I'll try to get Vikkan to jack into the network every quartercycle, just in case."
Man the periscope cluster whenever Vikkan is taking a break or whenever it would be helpful.
Use the intercom to give periodic status updates to the crew and passengers about our location, surroundings, interesting things I saw, temperature, all that jazz.
Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be Kr'ra-Kax
Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)
Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely
Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).
StatusSacrificed left arm to reverse time (eaten by giant Shluck-like thing). Bandaged and given spider venom for the pain.
StatsStr:9
Dex:13
Spe:13
End:7
Awa:12
Cun:10
Kno:12
Ner:11
Skills1 unspent
Rifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 1
Navigation: 1
InventoryNeed to update number of fathoms
Church Documents (document ownership and events, and recommend favorable treatment)
Ethral Rifle (rifle 3, pierce 3) 6/7
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Simple Clothes
Kara's DiaryIn StorageCrystal Tablets (diary about some construction project, inventory, obedience rod instructions, construct assembly instructions)
Cot
Book (Adventures of Pilgrim)
Deck of Cards
Mechanical Arm (not installed)
Crystal Friend
Bomb collar (unlocked)
All bomb collar remotes
Vikkan brings the bore online, huge engine slowly spinning up and systems shuddering into motion. He sets the course into the bore's navigation system and then locks it in and the bore jerks into movement. It charges up the tunnel beside the warehouse and out into the main city. From there its an easy process, if long. Getting to the jade crossing takes a full day, though it passes uneventfully. From there they enter the abyssal path, lining up with other bores and crawlers as one by one they are connected to the lift system. Adam talks to the men manning the system and works out the price of a descent to just past the pilgrim's walk, as well as where they should drill out so as not to cause harm to the lift system. He pays the 4 fathom toll and Vikkan carefully aligns the bore with the attachment system, docking into it before huge mechanical arms swing the bore out over the seemingly infinite pit of the abyssal path and begin carrying it down.
The descent isn't steady; the bore is passed between mechanical hands which sink down before handing the bore off to the next group. CLANG, shake, descend, stop, Clang, shake, descend, stop, over and over. This continues for several hours until the hands suddenly halt and a blaring alarm signals the end of the ride. Vikkan carefully gets the bore's legs braced against the walls before disconnecting from the lift and drilling out towards the caverns. About halfway through, the bore encounters something odd and automatically stops. Vikkan checks the instruments; the drill it a patch of soft material; not air but not stone either and stopped immediately. Vikkan checks the instruments but there's no sign of anything dangerous according to the instruments he has.
Kara checks though the periscope that is directed towards the drill and sees that the tip of the drill has broken into some sort of opening; a layer of what looks like wet sand is oozing out around the drill.
"I have no questions. How about you guys?"
Sit down, strap in, and wait for the others to get settled. Start the fire once we're sealed in. ((Edited out the conditional statements so PW doesn't have to hunt down everyone's posts before doing mine.))
Name: AsHul
Description:Former human. Awful, ugly, indifferent
Goal:To find God
Stats
Str:10 Dex:9 Spe:9 End:11 Awa:12 Cun:11 Kno:11 Ner:16
Skills
3 Diving
2 Animal Handling
1 Survival
1 Weapon skill: Guitar
Inventory
Relic Fragment
Black Book (copy, strata 1,2,4)
3 Silent Night
6 Worm Blood
100 ft of rope
1 knife (cut/pierce 2)
2 Occult Junks
59 Fathoms (One magnetically welded to the wall of his room in the Bore, one "shiny," 57 standard)
Stored at warehouse during Relic Vision:
Firing Control Module (Brass Brain)
Book of sheet music (from Balaram) [stack of about 100 pages bound by three brass rings along the top of the sheets]
his former bomb collar - made of something like demagnetized neodymium.
One Bone-fretted haunted electric guitar
One mundane acoustic guitar with wave patterns in abalone and turquoise
Notes:Anvil: Local parish: currently looking for 8 to do a communal vision with a minor relic to extract the relic core.
Travellers' guild is offering a relic retrieval job. Local hazards ('living').
Clate stares back at the statue head. How interesting.
"No questions here."
Ready to go.
Name: Clate
Race: Shluck
Description: Being a Shluck, Clate is rarely seen outside of his environmental suit. Inside, he is the standard albino mollusk, with his only true defining characteristic being the alternating white/borwn pattern of his beak, much like on a nautilus shell. His environmental suit and exoskeltons are full of scuff marks and small blemishes from work, but the knowledgable observer will notice that it is mechanically kept in tip-top shape. He wears a toolbelt and a satchel to store his tools and other knickknacks, and has a blue cap perched on top of his helmet.
Goal: To create great works of craftsmanship and become filthy rich in the process.
Stats
Str: 8
Dex: 11
Spe: 9
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 16 (+3)
Kno: 12
Ner: 11
Skills (1 point unused)
Electronics 1
Mechanical 1
Biological 1
Chemical 1
Occult 1
Weaponsmith 1
Armorsmith 1
Stealth 1
Steal 1
Explosives 1
Inventory
Clothing: A tool belt that can be modified to fit the exoskeleton, a satchel and a blue cap with "If it ain't broke, fix it" embroidered on.
Mail shirt (Made to integrate directly into the exosuit, protecting surface that houses Shluck including head.Protect 3)
Bladed Shovel - handle coated with Pseudomagnetic mortar
Knife (cut2, pierce2)
Rifle (pierce2, 10/10 magazine)
TNT x5
Dynamo lantern
Field lighter
Path markers x10
"Muggy"(skull mug scrimshawed with "can we fix it?" on the side, "No, it's fucked." on the bottom. Has trigger on the inside of the spine-handle that, when squeezed, caused the mandible to open and close)
2 Octahedrons - supposedly replicate materials
1 container of Pseudomagnetic mortar
labradorite/Obedience rod
100ft silk rope
3 structural junk
30 chemical junk
143 Fathoms
Crystal Babies
2. 8 sided diamond (looks like Ramiel from EVA and floats). 8 inches to an edge
3. Crystal snake. hiss. 18 inches long.
Warehouse/bore storage:
1. Dodecahedron, no limbs, rolls. Fist sized.
4. Spiky daddy long legs like Irony has. 1 foot legs, fist sized body.
5. Thing looks like (see pic). about 8 inches to a side.
7. Wheel sort of thing that has a fat inside edge and tapers to a sharp edge on the outside. Foot and a half in diameter.
1 corpse (missing: skull, neck vertebrea, some bones)
Bomb Collar
Slate box with multicolour crystal toothpick - supposedly turns someone into a gemperson.
Spool of thermoreactive wire.
Acoustic guitar (Metal + guardbone, totally mundane.)
Box with "kidnapper bell"
6 Octahedrons - supposedly replicate materials
"No, thank you!" Auft replies cheerfully, expertly strapping her minion down.
Ready to roll.
Name: Auft Kindheart
Description: Standing 3'10", with even fluffier than usual snow-white fur, this Ethral radiates adorable innocence even by the standards of her kind. Her porcelain-white mask is a circular shape carved into slices, each bearing a smiling face with eyes and mouths arched in joy, and adorned with pink blush marks. Her cloak is similarly pure white and a little too large for her, adding to her cute and defenseless appearance.
Goal: To amass and improve loyal pets and slaves.
Stats
Str: 8
Dex: 13
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 8
Cun: 16
Kno: 13
Ner: 10
Skills
+1 Medical
+1 Translate
+1 Acrobatics
+1 Persuasion
+1 Stealth
+1 Animal Handling
+1 Archeology
+1 Biological
+1 Chemical
+1 Occult
[1 Skill Point]
Inventory
2 Fathoms
Ethral Rifle [7/7]
Doctor's Bag
Dodecahedron Spider-Thing: Fist-sized dodecahedron body, long unjointed legs that move in very slow cascades. Ceased moving upon being picked up. Can be trained in simple commands via clear hand signals, bops, and repetition.
2 quarter-inch cubes of impossibly heavy black stuff: Estimated 50 lbs weight total
Thug with metal teeth in his mouth and on his arm
Mediocre Skull Mug: A mug made from a skull. It works, but it's pretty meh considering it's made from a skull.
Shitty Bone Pan Flute: Several long bones crudely strapped together, long to short. Despite this, the actual notes are arranged randomly, out of tune, and lack much range.
Inanimate Vertebra Scarab: A bug-thing with a single human vertebra for a body, fingerbones for legs, teeth for mandibles, and so on. Needs an appropriate sacrifice to animate, like a "large" insect.
"Nyw, I'm sure you know you are their sword and shield while they're in there. You need to keep them safe. And I'm certain you'll make sure they do not stray from what is good and just. But your usefulness extends far beyond that. You are capable of surviving things no other person could. You are capable of removing obstacles. You are capable of building Bridges. My point is, you are more than just a sword on legs. Keep an open mind and you'll see new solutions."
Nyw tilts his head curiously when Kara addresses him, then chuckles lightly when he realizes what she's saying. He speaks warmly when he responds. "You need not worry about me, Little Bird, I am well aware of my own capacity. Please do be careful, as well. All individuals have their own limitations; even the brightest bird can fall if it bears too many burdens."
Nyw will try to get into the room early, and strap himself in towards the rear, so the others don't have to climb over his bulk. He has no questions.
Name: Nyw'geuq Otin Sunam; calls himself "The Lords' Child"
Description:
((Only one murakumo, but hey! Dual wielding them is stupid anyway. Possibly also impossible, very soon.))
Goal: Inscrutable, which is code for "Definitely not involving this lizard thing".
Stats:Str:14
Dex:8
Spe:10
End:14
Awa:14
Cun:8
Kno:7
Ner:10
Skills:Unarmed: +1
Defense Skill: +3 (Full Plate)
Vehicle Skill: +1
Caving: +1
Navigation: +1
Murakumo: +1
Inventory:
Full Plate Armor [Protective 4]
Crystal Murakumo [Cut 6, Pierce 3, Fragile]
Ornamental Mask of the Child
A hooked cleaver [Cut 3]
Two knives [Cut 2, Pierce 2]
Guard rifle [Pierce 2]
A bunch of bloody guard garments, to be used as raw material.
She saved Drett for last, knowing it would be the hardest goodbye to make.
"So, uh, I guess we won't be seeing each other for a while. I, erm, just wanted to say... I understand you want to help others and that means sometimes making risky choices, but... You're my friend. I don't want to lose you. So please, stay safe, OK? I want to sleep close to you again. I want to learn more about you, your life, why you're here. I want to draw you like you promised you'd let me do. Don't break your promise. Please."
She looked down, embarrassed to be speaking like this, but she couldn't help it. He'd saved her life. She'd managed to make a friend when she thought she would have to be alone. If some embarrassment was the price to pay to keep him safe, then she would gladly take it.
((I should not get sick or else I miss sick RP, Drett would have been all tsundere and "You're my patient I gotta come back and take care of you" about it))
I'm good to go. I would have bought 5 packets of the tasty stuff and left the rest of the tokens fathoms in the fund in the short time before relic dive.
Character Sheet
well thats not quite 8 people but I'll assume the others got in as well.
The Church members nod to you all and then step back out of the room and begin closing the door. Better shrines would have automatic sealing systems but this one seems to literally be a massive stone door that has to be closed with brute strength. It takes 5 men working together to get it started but it slides with slow, ponderous force into place and seals with a grind of stone and a dull metallic clunk. Everyone gets themselves strapped in and settled before AsHul reaches out with the lighter and strikes the cage. The fire that comes up burns mostly clean, only a mild smell of fungus and incense. The flames lick up over the relic and the head closes its eyes, seemingly falling into a slumber of its own. The object doesn't burn, at least not visibly, but the smoke coming off the fire takes on a different quality; it flows like dye in water, seemingly ignoring any sort of wind or movements and following a current all its own. It curls slowly and drifts, filling the room with a white-gray haze.
Its difficult to say when the dream begins. Like any dream the exact moment of falling asleep is obscure, you simple come to realize you are no longer in the shrine. You are somewhere else. You all find yourself standing in what appears to be a small garden or sitting area, hemmed in by a wooden fence painted bright red. You're sitting on low stone benches arrayed in a circle around a two meter tall cairn. Beyond the red fence are carefully tended trees, each cut into twisting shapes and maintained via long and meticulous care, their wood ashen gray and ancient. Snow lies on the ground in an uneven layer. Looking further your garden is surrounded by stone walls, white washed and coated in plaster that too has started to crumble here and there. A path made of smooth river stones laid into the earth curves out of the garden, through an arched entry in the stone wall and out onto a thin, carved rock path that immediately curves away to the right.
The entire place seems to be situated on a mountain peak; on the opposite side of the archway there lies the gray black mass of the mountain and you can see further buildings up there, connected by a spiraling path that was cut into the stone. Structures cling to the rock or are carved directly out of it. It all looks quite idyllic and calm. Except for the fact that above that mountain top is not the blue sky of legends or the stone ceiling of a cavern. It is more mountains, their tips pointed down at you light stalactites, despite also being snow capped. And they're moving. You watch as they rotate, the blue sky slowly replacing them and then a thunderous bang rolls out. And then you realize that the world isn't rotating; the mountain top you're on is. The entire massive chunk of stone-buildings and all- is bouncing down the side of an unimaginably vast mountain, like a stone skipping down a hill. You hear the earth shattering impact of it but feel nothing and are not thrown from your seats or from the mountain itself. Despite the world tempesting around you, everything remains calm.
Author
Topic: DIG: Heresy (Read 384572 times)