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

[warfares]

( kylo ren makes a note of solas' observation — and finds that he agrees with it, right down to the analogy. looking back at the cave only makes the truth of the comparison that much more apparent. whatever its reason for wanting them inside, it is determined. )

I've heard of such things. ( the flowers more than the demons. demons — and, indeed, most spirits — would be considered the stuff of myth and legend, ones with only the barest basis in reality. )

Is it wise, then, to give it what it wants? ( he suspects not. even so, that doesn't seem to stop him checking over his equipment. wishing, idly, that they had been given a little more time to ready themselves while also knowing that he would take this trip into the unknown over sitting back at the city and twiddling his thumbs any day. )

[veilfires]

It’s rarely unwise to look closer. Trusting what we see is another matter.

[He enjoys this type of conversation; it’s stimulating for the mind, and he wants his sharp before they begin exploring in earnest. He returns to examining the gorgeously lush trees that hedge them in with branches bountiful with leaves. It’s certain that these trimmed and scrapped trees are artificial; whether illusive or a garden, tended to by unseen hands... they’ll find out.

A moment of contemplation passes before he helpfully voices some remarks of his own.]

The dream we shared bleeds into this place. Do the dreaming realm and the material realm cross here, or are our dreams prophetic?

[It’s also possible that it’s a part of the overall illusion; deja vu twisting their memories and perceptions. He curls a considering finger to his chin, brow furrowing as he thinks aloud, then perks his head back up with an apparent non sequitur:]

Are you a Witch?

[warfares]

So they tell me.

( nothing in his voice suggests that he's perturbed by the designation, despite his own world's associations with the word. where he was from, "magick" was considered a lesser art, it's practitioners all but wiped out years before his own birth, taking their knowledge and their skills with them.

if nothing else, the academic in him delights in the chance of learning more, even if the rest of him would give anything to see his former power restored. that the force hovers just at the edge of grasping is maddening. )

I confess I know little of dream realms, but I was always taught to scrutinize any vision given to me, lest I mistake its meaning.

[veilfires]

[He’s been quick to to identify himself as Witch, just as he was once quick to call himself mage or apostate. Names can be shed and slipped on again as easily as cloaks. He hums agreeably. Scrutiny's always good.]

Two Witches can succeed where one might not. [He politely holds up a hand in an unspoken ‘excuse me, one moment.’

In Thedas a mage digging about in his pockets for herbs and pieces of twine makes for a preposterous sight. It’s a caricature from some peasant’s story – not a serious, trained mage intending to undertake rigorous spellwork.

But Aefenglom reshaped him. His education at the Coven has been clear about the benefit of reagents in helping a Witch’s magic succeed, so he’s acquired the habit of carrying the reagents he’s likely to need on his person. He keeps charcoal in his front pocket, which he plucks out first, but he’s sure he brought dried elderflowers for just this purpose... Ah, there. He explains:]

I know a simple glyph used for identification. I am eager to see what magic it detects, if any.

[If this is illusory, for example. As he speaks, he puts out his left hand, and uses the charcoal to draw the glyph on his palm.]

[warfares]

Oh?

( that piques his curiosity and he abandons checking over his pack in favor of stepping closer, brows furrowing as he takes in the stick of charcoal.

it's almost absurd to think that something so small may prove so vital. except that he'd spent enough time in and out of the magic shops of the city to know, at least in the broadest sense, that sometimes the most simplistic ingredients would yield potent results. and solas seems confident. )

Is that something they taught you here or something you knew before?

[veilfires]

[He finishes the glyph with a final slashing stroke. He tucks the charcoal away, and takes the dried flowers, crushing them into a powder in his fist as he answers.]

Something learned here. [From books and practice rather than from a native Witch. His enthusiasm for learning combined with his impatience with learning at others’ pace has meant his education has been largely self-directed.] The magic used in my own world cannot be reached from this one.

[It’s the second time he’s been shoved bodily into a frightening new world without the magic he’s been familiar with all his life, losing all he knew to be nature itself. That is neither here nor there, however.]

Therefore I am unpracticed in casting it. [Yet his manner is comfortable and confident - it's how he responds to an intellectual challenge. He thinks he can see that trait mirrored in Kylo Ren.] Do let me know if you see me err.

[warfares]

Others have been similarly affected. ( he means himself, of course. himself, rey; there's others, too, according to that network he'd glanced some weeks prior. )

They say it has something to do with the cost of magic — an exchange. Power for power. ( it's not anything he's ever encountered before. the closest he's ever come is the tales of the dathomiri witches, who themselves were really just tribalistic dark side practitioners. feral and vicious, yes, but hardly unfamiliar in the way that the witches of the coven were.

still, at solas' request, he nods. he would have observed him closely regardless, too curious to pretend disinterest. )

It seems a very particular sort of art.

[veilfires]

[He sprinkles the elderflower powder over the glyph on his palm. He speaks while he does it.]

“All magic has a cost.” [When he quotes the Coven, there’s something derisive in his tone.] A tidy little adage.

[But not, evidently, one he believes in. He has walked the deepest paths of the Fade. He has learned its greatest secrets. He knows there is nothing about true magic that can be contained in five words. Not when its potential is not being suppressed by ignorance or fear or by grand design.

He closes his eyes, setting that aside to focus on his spellwork. He has practiced enough over the weeks that he can draw the magic forth from himself with something approaching ease. Outwardly, there’s no sign of effort or exertion that passes over his face. The glyph on his hand begins to glow, illuminating in turn the powder, shining blue.]

[warfares]

You don't believe them. ( there's surprise but also a kind of relief in knowing that he isn't the only one to have doubts. the generous part of his mind ㅡ if it could indeed be considered that ㅡ would say that they are simply guessing themselves, having never experienced something like this before.

however.

however. it's difficult to curb the rising suspicion that there is something greater at play. that, perhaps, they're simply lying to keep the truth from the outsiders. though their reasons remain elusive.

kylo ren falls silent as solas works, observing him with open interest. power doesn't prickle at his skin exactly but there's a subtle shift in the air. something noticeable. mouth parting, his eyes focus on the glyph as it begins to glow before sweeping around them to see if anything else has changed. or been revealed. )