quest log | following rumors

[moustre]

Who: Those signed up for the the High-Risk Quest "Following Rumors".
When: 06/10 to 06/13
Where: A cave deep within the Wilde.
What: From the quest information itself: "A few of our divination experts have spoken of a cave untouched by the corruption in their scrying, which is right exciting! We'll be sending in our Witches as well, but I'd like to offer this opportunity to those who've come in through The Looking-Glass House, too. It should be safe enough for just about anyone to visit, so find a friend or two and come on! Stuff like this is a rare find, dearests - it might give us a good hint about how to combat our corruption problem, too."
Warnings: In various prompts: spiders and other insects, corpses, risk of injury or death, magical corruption, physical sickness, hallucinogenics, and other imagery that may be disturbing. Each prompt header will be labeled with the appropriate warnings, so make sure you choose what you're comfortable dealing with, either ICly or OOCly! Additionally, sign ups aren't closed - if, after reading through the log, you'd like to sign up, you can still do so and play on here at your leisure.



The Way There

Most journeys into the Wilde don't actually go too far; those that do travel outside of the city end up somewhere in the land between, with its smaller patches of growth that feel as if they should be part of a forest, or at the very edge of the massive forest that seems to be ever expanding. Even now, new sprouts push through the dirt, some even as tall as a man despite being obviously new - they're still green and flexible, without any noticeable bark. The quests the Wilders take - and have put out at the Coven, as far as last month went - go a little deeper, to where the trees become far more autumnal, colored in golds and browns and oranges.

The cave spoken of is deeper still.

As the group marches in pairs, the trees turn from vibrant summer green and lushly decorated in flowers and fruits to the tell-tale colors of fall and winter, their bark gradually becoming more and more marred by an inky blackness that's sticky to the touch - sap, bleeding from the cracks between the bark. What animal life had been at the edge of the forest fades into a hollow quiet, the air becoming more oppressive - not unlike a certain shared dream experienced not too long ago. The silence is unnerving even to those with iron-clad hearts, giving off the feeling that something is about to happen -

and then suddenly, the feeling disappears, even as the quiet remains.

The area around the cave is lush with foliage; the trees look healthier than their counterparts outside of it, their bark free of any leakage and their branches hardly out of control. Closer inspection shows this is due to scraping and trimming, and after some discussion, the Wilders and Witches set up camp outside of the cave and gather together the group. Everyone is given the same basic necessities and instructions on how to use them, in a bag containing:

• A grappling hook enchanted to return to them with a tug
• Around twenty-feet of rope
• Three spell scrolls (a light spell, which will conjure a small ball of light that shows about a radius of twenty feet around the caster and lasts as long as the scroll remains in one piece; a minor healing spell with three charges; and a single-use flare spell that can be used as a distraction or to call for help, should the need arise)
• A tinder kit
• One day of rations
• A ring that glows when danger is nearby; it's enchanted to fit on anyone's finger, regardless of size

For characters unsuited footwear-wise to spelunking, they'll also receive a pair of sturdy boots.

The mission is simple: explore the cave and report back with their findings. It isn't just those who signed up going in; other Witches are suiting up to head in as well, talking in low voices about the probability of something like this even existing, especially with how deep they are in the Wilde. It isn't as if they're anywhere close to the center, but it's still in Wilder territory - they're far enough out that a few of them are nervous about encountering one of the bigger variety of Shades. Despite the reassurances that this cave is clean, and the fresh feeling it gives off, the murmurs continue until the mission officially begins.

Smugha Cave

The cave itself feels refreshing compared to the oppressive air felt on the way here, not unlike an oasis in a desert. Cool in temperature and a little damp, it's mostly dark aside from the sunlight coming in the front and the bio-luminescent cave flora that climb the walls - though those are still too dim to really see by. Heading further in reveals sharp cliffs with stair-like structures carved into them, inviting an easy way down into the depths, and landing at the bottom of these is a wide, dark room, even colder than the last.

It's time to start exploring.

I. The Water (cw: magical corruption, physical sickness)


For a cave located in the middle of the continent and in the depths of the ever-reaching forest, there certainly is a lot of water. Damp to the point that it might be considered humid if the cave was any warmer, puddles form beneath long stalactites, and shallow pools of water pour into each other from landing to landing; they populate the floor too, making walking a little treacherous. A few of them glow and glimmer with a faint, pale blue light from the magic runes found around them - these ones, at least, can be read. They're not so different from the script used in Aefenglom itself, though the way they've been carved into the stone makes them a little sharper in shape - for those in study at the Coven, or in spells in general, it's evidently a cooling spell. That isn't so hard to figure out though, as the pools of water surrounded by them have a pleasingly cold temperature, while those without them are near scalding. A few of the latter have runes around them, but they're not glowing like the rest - feeding a little magic into them changes this immediately, and steam rises in a sudden blast as the water cools rapidly. The opposite can be done for the colder pools too - taking their magic somehow or ruining the runes will make them bubble and boil as they surge in temperature. It'd be best to mind oneself around these, as unlike in a dream, any injury sustained in the waking world is a little more permanent and painful.

Three pools in particular have to them a translucent green shimmer, made a little more blue-green by the cooling spell carved and activated around them; they're deep enough to wade into, or even just sit by and rest one's feet in - both of which feel like very attractive ideas to anyone who looks at them a moment too long. The water is pleasantly cool, and those who take a quick rest in them will feel more refreshed than they have in years. Their worries will fade, the anxieties they've held in the back of their mind seeming to slide off into the water, but in place of it something new occurs: within fifteen minutes of resting in the pool, they'll begin to feel sick, and grey spots begin to appear on any wet skin. Longer than that, and those residing in the water will find their spots turning black instead, and a lot harder, too. This affects Witches quicker than it does Monsters, curiously enough - for Monsters, it takes almost double the time. Getting out and getting dry will temper the effects back down, though the feeling of being not quite refreshed lingers.

That isn't all the water the cave has to offer - the large cavern has a sudden, massive drop in the form of a sinkhole on about halfway across the room; it leads to a similarly massive underground lake. Traveling around the rim of the sinkhole shows there's multiple waterfalls pouring into it soundlessly, pooled together from the pools of water running into one another. Thankfully, there's another way down other than just diving headfirst into the darkness - twin tunnels on each side of of the sinkhole, not quite natural in nature, lead down to the lake in a gently winding slope.

Starting shallow before getting much deeper in the middle, the lake also has an inviting feeling to it, stronger in its suggestion to simply take a load off, to let anxieties and worries simply soak and sink away in its pleasantly tempered waters - but it also has a stronger reaction in those who enter its depths. Within five minutes, those within it begin to feel sick, the grey spots showing up on their wet skin, and the rate of their blackening and hardening is quicker as well. This, once more, affects Witches quicker - and, just like before, getting dry will make alleviate the sickness and the spotting both, with the discomfort lingering long after.

In both the upper and lower caverns, there are tunnels leading to other parts of the cave - they might just be worth checking out...
II. The Upper Tunnels (cw: risk of injury, spiders and other insects, hallucinogenics)


The tunnels leading from the upper cavern stay relatively horizontal, with small hills and valleys among their turns and a lower ceiling that might have people higher than five-and-a-half-feet ducking a little; they're more like a labyrinth than anything else, with empty metal sconces beginning to appear further within them. Sharp, thick nails have been hammered into the stone as well, with leather pouches rotted and torn hanging from them - whatever were in these hasn't remained, either due to wildlife or decay. Small rooms and caverns shooting off from the tunnels hold much of the same, albeit with a few other items: jackets and other clothing, Coven robes, specially-tailored Monster wear, instruments with snapped strings or clogged holes, candles burnt to the wick. One room in particular holds a few bookshelves, though the wood is also in poor condition due to the dampness of the cave, and the books suffer for this as well. What ones can be made out seem to be standard fare: the type of books one might expect to find in the fiction section, ranging from romance to horror to fantasy, and a few Coven textbooks on spellwork, specifically basic transfiguration. Not all of this is so old, however - some of it seems newer the closer explorers get to the "end" of the tunnels, either landing them in a room or at an ordinary dead-end.

Unfortunately, the tunnels aren't as safe as they seem: giant spiders make their homes among the caverns and tunnels, made obvious by the webbing that appears before their funnel-like traps. They range from the size of large dogs to horses, but all of them have the same venomous bite that causes hallucinations, deliriousness, and fatigue. Among giant mushrooms whose spores paralyze those who breathe them in live similarly large millipedes, incredibly long and vicious; they attack in pairs, but thankfully just have very, very painful bites. Last but not least are bats - regular sized, plentiful as they might be in any cave, and just as annoying, too.
III. The Lower Tunnels (cw: risk of injury or death, imagery that may be disturbing, corpses, physical sickness)


Meanwhile, the tunnels leading from the lower cavern have higher ceilings and are mostly flooded (about waist-high) due to the nearby lake; water permeates through the rock in rivulets, darker than the lake above, and give a similar effect to the water in the lake itself. Thankfully, they're also mostly iced over - walking on them takes practice and a careful eye, considering the ice is thin in places. The air becomes more frigid as the tunnel dips down, with smaller caverns sharing the same fate: covered in ice and icicles, their entrances sometimes a little too squished to get through without breaking the ice or being particularly small in stature. Those traveling might notice a trend if they look a little too closely at the clearer parts of the ice as well: scratch marks gouging into it, as if something'd been trying desperately to get out. The longest tunnel opens up into a frozen room, as tall as the lower cavern itself, sconces lit with pale blue fire - magic, and obviously so. The walls glitter beautifully with the light, but looking down into the depths below, past the sheet of ice that allows travel, reveals something horrifying: dozens of thin husks and corpses of animals and adventurers both, held in place by the ice as it stretches down like spikes into the water. Witches, Monsters, Shades, other creatures - not a single one spared, with a mix of infected and non-infected among them.

These tunnels aren't exactly safe either: ice-breathing salamanders the size of elephants can be found resting in some of the caverns - though they might be hard to see, given their pale white and blue scales. While not infected (curious), they're incredibly aggressive and attack those who wake them or get too close. Their bites can inflict frostbite the same as their breath can, so caution is advised in dealing with these. When killed they remain intact, their blood creating an extra layer of ice on whatever it touches due to its chilly temperature, not unlike liquid nitrogen.

Unfortunately, they're not the only things those adventuring in the depths have to worry about. To be precise, Shades of Monsters and Witches also roam some of the tunnels shooting off from the larger, main one; the latter pulses brightly with white veins of magic on their blackened skin. Both types of Shades are sluggish, likely due to the cold and the lack-of pure magic, but are experts on dealing with walking on ice. The Witches in particular are ticking time-bombs, every spell they cast - primarily of snaring-type spells, desiring the magic and flesh of whom they capture - risking an explosion, but when they do supernova... It's fairly localized to somewhere between five to seven feet of the Shade in question. Those within that radius, however, will feel physically sick and find their skin or fur-scale-feathers-so-on turning into sharp, black shards of ice and infection due to the corrupted magic exploding from the Shade.

Either way, once killed the Shades fall apart and turn into thin, brittle corpses of what they used to be; they're old enough that when touched, they simply crumble as if made of ash.
IV. Outside The Cave (cw: nothing)


For those seeking a little relaxation or recovery can make their way back outside - or be helped that way, given their flares. There, Witches can take care of them, food can be shared, and in general, people can take a breather. As the first day closes, and the cave proves itself to be bigger than expected, Witches will also offer to teleport people back to the city should they wish to go - staying would be nice, but they aren't going to force anyone to stay who doesn't want to. They'll also be collecting information from those who've ventured inside, encouraging each person to share with each other their findings as well.

(Note: Essentially, this is more of an open/breather prompt, considering the heavier nature of some of the prompts above; any injuries or infection sustained can be healed here, extra supplies can be gotten, as well as anything that might need specialized storage - such as bottles, cages for small animals, and so on. Characters can be teleported back to Aefenglom in small batches occurring every hour should they choose, but they cannot be teleported back; it's a one-way trip. Otherwise, at the end of the three day stay, the same trek will be made back to the city, and the quest will be considered "completed"... Until further notice. Any questions can be asked here.)

Comments

[fiddlestick]

Sure, not a problem!

[Elliot also takes a glance at the feathers, worried about whether he should do something about them but....not like he has a means to clean them up. So...yeah. Let's leave them there and follow after Akira.

The mouth of the cave is cool in temperature, almost relaxing. It's dark in there, except for some faint glowing plants, but in the light outside the cave, they can make out the carved in stairs.

Something about this cave brought him back to places he's been before. He bites his lip, a little worried, but not really ready to share why the concern yet.]

So...what do your friends look like?

[scaling]

[ The air inside the cave is a pleasant change from the warmth outside, and his attention drifts from the flora creeping up the walls of the cave over to Elliot when he speaks up. ]

A blond girl with blue eyes. [ A hand motion to indicate about how tall Lux is. ] And a pleasant-looking guy about my height.

[ Reaching the stairs means that they're almost beyond the reach of the sunlight filtering through the mouth of the cave. Akira takes a moment to dig out one of the provided spell scrolls and, taking a moment to recall the instructions from earlier, activates it, wisps of light floating up from the ink on the parchment to coalesce into an orb. ]

[fiddlestick]

[he makes a mental note of those descriptions. A little vague, but if they're together it should be easy enough.]

Alright, should't be hard to find a pair like that.

[He sees Akira using the scroll, watching it activate into a ball of light. It's kinda pretty, in its own way. ]

Oh, good thinking. [He could light his, but it was probably better to save it in case that one went out. So instead he'll look around their surroundings. He notices the stairs as they walk down them. It's pretty clear these are real stairs and not just some coincidental descending rock.]

For a cave out in the middle of the Wilde, these steps are very...carved.

[scaling]

[ The light keeps the area illuminated even as they head down into the darkness of the stairs and beyond, giving them a good view of the stairs below their feet. ]

They do seem man-made... If they went as far as to carve stairs, they must have set up shop here.

[ That would explain the phenomenon of an untouched cave in the middle of the sickness plaguing the Wilde—maybe someone else out there in this world knows (or knew, considering the place is quite possibly abandoned) a thing or two about how to combat it.

That theory seems about right when they reach the bottom of the stairs and find themselves in a vast cavern. Nearby, a pool shimmers, surrounded by glowing runes that are definitely not a product of nature. ]

[fiddlestick]

Yeah...even with magic I can't imagine it being a quick and easy job.

[Someone, whoever it was, had an investment in this place. It'd explain some things, but also raised questions about others. Who would bother to live all the way out here? How long ago were these made?

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, some more info gets solved. The glowing runes catch his eyes at the same time as the shimmering pond. He approaches, examining it carefully]

Hmm...I'm pretty new at runes, but I think this is...something to do with cold? [It had some of the marks that ice spells did]

[scaling]

[ There are a few other orbs of light in the distance, other individuals and groups checking out the cavern, but Akira's focus shifts to Elliot as he approaches the pool. Trailing behind, he looks over the runes as well—but given that he hasn't really engaged in any of the magic lessons, they might as well be gibberish to him.

There's one way to test the theory, though. He crouches and reaches out to dip his fingertips into the pool of water. ]

... I think you're right. [ The water is cool to the touch, even more so than the air of the room. ]

[fiddlestick]

[He watches Akira do so, putting his own hand in to prove it. Yep, it's nice and cool]

Huh...how about that. It feels nice.

I guess it'd be like having your own pool...just you know, if your pool was in a creepy dark cave.

[scaling]

[ Akira shakes the droplets of water off his hand. ]

Well, it's free real estate. [ Completely deadpan.

But in the brief silence between speech, he can pick up the soft sounds of bubbling, like a pot of water left on the stove. A quick glance reveals the source: another small pool of water nearby, steam rising from its surface, the symbols etched around it barely visible without the glow. ]

... I guess that's why they enchanted these.

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot looks confused. Internet is super new and limited in his world Akira, he don't know your memes]

I...guess?

[He looks over, picking up on what Akira's looking at.]

Oh wow, a hot spring. [!] Oh, I wonder if that's why this cave is purified. I've heard hot springs are supposed to be full of medicinal properties....though I wouldn't recommend bathing in that one.

[scaling]

[ The warning draws an amused noise out of him. ]

Don't worry, I'm good. [ That pool looks a bit too hot for comfort.

He does move over to peer at the runes, though. Even if he can't put a meaning to them the way Elliot can, he can recognize that they're the same ones, just dormant. ]

I wonder why it's off.

[fiddlestick]

[He follows after, to both look at the pool itself and because Akira has the light source. He doesn't want to get too close to that steam, but he'll kneel down to examine one]

I'm not sure...it doesn't look like the rune itself is damaged, so maybe they ran out of energy?

I wonder...

[He'll put his hand over the rule, closing his eyes and concentrating. Just channel your energy, the same way you do into an ARCUS...

The rune he's touching starts to glow that same light again. And while it's not enough to cool the entire pool, it does make the steam lesson and the temperature to drop some]

- Hey! It worked!

[scaling]

Seems possible.

[ Akira watches as Elliot inspects the carvings, catching on pretty quick to what he's trying when he places a hand over the rune. A blue glow begins to peek through the spaces between Elliot's fingers, and a vaguely impressed smile touches upon Akira's lips. ]

Nice work. You're halfway to a functional hot spring.

[ But if it's simply that they ran out, that begs the question of how recently the already lit ones must have been recharged to still be working. ]

[fiddlestick]

Hehe, guess going to the classes every day is paying off!

[He's smiling, a little proud of himself that he was able to pull this off. With how many spells have backfired on him the past few weeks, it made it all the more sweeter when one worked right]

A functional hot spring...that's pretty tempting thought, can't deny. [He hasn't been to one in forever]

[scaling]

[ Elliot's pride in his success is charming in a way, and Akira offers an encouraging nod. ]

It is pretty tempting. I haven't seen anything like a hot spring around here yet. [ Which is a shame, because Akira hasn't been one in a while either. ] But you're right that the location could be better.

[ A creepy, dark cave isn't the ideal place for a hot spring getaway, but maybe it's an idea they can take back to the city in some capacity. ]

[fiddlestick]

O-Oh yeah...good point. [He blinks and looks away from the water, wondering how he could've forgotten that (because temptation water that's why)] Sitting in a hot springs in this cave would be a bad idea.

[He stands up again]

So...a cave with hot springs, and they've been enchanted to keep the water from getting too hot. Witches would like to know that.

Don't think I see your friends anywhere...they must been deeper in.

[scaling]

And we're barely into the cave. [ When he looks up at Elliot, his eyes are glittering with anticipation. He may not know as much about the magic around here as those who attend the classes do, but there's something exciting about exploring uncharted territory. ] Makes you wonder what we'll find deeper in.

[ Akira pushes himself up as well, turning his attention farther into the cavern. They probably haven't gone too much farther without him, but it's hard to tell without much light. He starts to move, skirting around the pools and puddles of various sizes that litter the uneven floor of the cave.

Soon, the massive sinkhole in the middle of the room comes into view, and Akira edges close to the rim of it, alongside one of the waterfalls streaming into it. ]

Like this. [ They didn't have to go much deeper to find something even more impressive than the enchanted pools. ]

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot looks back at him, with the same anticipation. Sure, there were things to be worried about in this cave, but it's not every day you get to explore a mysterious cave system. ] Yeah...there's gotta be something in a cave like this. Maybe some lost treasure, haha.

[he follows close to Akira, not wanting to lose the light source. When the light reveals the sinkhole, his eyes widen]

Holy crap...

[Its too far down to even see the bottom with their light. He glances around at the ground before picking up a medium sized stone. Holding his hand over the hole, he drops it down. The stone falls, falls.....falls

Finally, there's the faint sound of the stone hitting water, easy to miss if you aren't listening in. Elliot's always had good hearing, but it's still human hearing, so he barely hears it.]

..Yep. It's deep.

[scaling]

[ That would be something, wouldn't it? Just like slinking through Palaces in search of treasure. The thought fills Akira with a sense of nostalgia, but even if there turns out to be no loot, the impressive drop they've found is surely something that will stick in his memory.

His ears give a slight twitch at the sound of the stone impacting the surface of the water below. Even with the hole being little more than an abyss due to the lack of light, it's still exhilarating to be alongside such a huge drop. ]

As fun as jumping would be, there's probably another way down. [ Which he's turning to look for right now. ]

[fiddlestick]

Yeah...I don't think our ropes would even get to close to the bottom.

[He looks around too, squinting in the dark to get a look at what's around. It takes a moment, but he'll point when he spots an entrance in the wall]

I think that's a tunnel. Maybe it'll go down.

[scaling]

[ Rope? Cute, Elliot. Akira didn't quite have using the rope in mind when he said that.

When Elliot points, he follows the line of it to the opening. ] Worth a shot.

[ So he leads the way over to the tunnel, finding a curved slope waiting on the inside. ] Looks like you were right. [ Even if it isn't outfitted with the same carved stairs, the tunnel is easy enough to traverse, gradual as it is. ]

[fiddlestick]

[That's right. He's cute in his desire not to die. Not all of us can be reckless thrill seekers.]

Yeah! Talk about lucky.

[Or...another sign that this is man-made. He keeps walking down the tunnel, and since it's a long walk, he decides to fill the silence]

So...what kind of monster are you? I don't think I've seen your type before.

[scaling]

[ Long shadows paint the tunnel behind him as he glances back at Elliot. ]

A puca.

[ He's thankful that the color of his eyes was one of the first things to change, otherwise he might still be unsure. But that's a chance Elliot might not know exactly what that means, so he elaborates: ] A rabbit monster, basically.

[ Why a rabbit? Akira still has no idea. ]

[fiddlestick]

[It's a good thing to explain, because he's never heard of a puca. Heck, he didn't even think anything of Akira's yellow eyes. Eyes like that were pretty normal in his world. ]

A rabbit monster...?

[That'd be weird to hear for anyone...who is not from a weird jrpg world.]

So like a Hell Rabbit?

[scaling]

[ That earns another quick glance. ]

... Is that a thing where you come from?

[ It sounds a lot more intense than the fluffy bunnies Akira's seen back home. Actually... ]

Hm. Doesn't sound so bad.

[fiddlestick]

[He nods. That's right Akira, maybe you're a hardcore bunny]

Yeah. They're these big rabbit monsters with black and white fur and these spines that stick outta them. Their claws are poisonous, and they say if you're stabbed by a spine? You'll lose your soul...though we never had to see if that's true, thankfully.

Apparently they're from the underworld. I'd believe it too.