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Post by DataNinja on Jun 30, 2018 3:06:09 GMT
Crimson admires the excavation as they proceed further in. Her own tunnels tended to be much rougher, despite the best efforts of the workers within. This is certainly an accomplishment. "Does this look like the work of your people?" she asks, as she takes a look at the fire pit, trying to determine if it was recently used, given the smell emanating from it. Because the creatures that they'd seen didn't look like they could maintain something like this, given their lack of limbs.
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Post by masterblade007 on Jul 1, 2018 5:53:23 GMT
BLOODY HELL! IT REALLY WAS A CAMPSITE!
Lootbox frowned, quickly losing hopes of finding any godly treasure or offerings. Might not even find a dropped penny. "Well this is just fantastic. We could have just camped out here all along; watching one entrance instead of a full circle! Take a look around; see if there's a map carved on the wall as to other sites like this."
Wishful thinking, but they were due for a lucky break. More shrines would make travel through Cragspur easy.
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Oct 25, 2023 14:56:46 GMT
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 3, 2018 2:32:59 GMT
The low walls and spartan accommodations were a familiar and welcome sight. Fine yet simple stonework, his people had lost none of their skills. Iwakashi took a small amount of pride in the work, even if it wasn't his own. They had lost none of their skill in the intervening years.
The answer to Crimson's question was a simple one, "Yes," he runs a hand over the smooth stone, "Few human stone-wrights could compare to our skills. This is likely made for Earthenborn. Other races tend to be more...ostentatious"
Lootbox's complaint was justified. It would have been nice to stay here surely but they were past that. "A pity we arrived too late to see the Pokemon go about their 'dance' when we stopped to rest. A map. Perhaps. Or maybe some food for weary travelers?" He scours the walls along with the slime, perhaps the map would be as hidden as the shrine's name.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 4, 2018 11:57:33 GMT
As with many goods made to last, when a map is found, it is in no way portable, nor will it expire in a great long time. Two carvings, one above the other, rests at the rear of this alcove, near the tunnels that continue onward. By pictogram, one appears to be the overworld, and the other the underworld. Your rest site is marked with a polished, glittering red quartz set in the wall, and a circle about it. The underworld is littered with more such markers, but no such accomodations exist above ground. The capital of Cragspur, Stallact, is markered with hematite and small script that appears to have been dutifully written with a round file. There are also several areas of the underground sprawl that have had a blood colored stone ground across it's surface, leaving the map wash in that color. Several X's marker the tunnel progression off the map, further into this territory.
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 6, 2018 3:35:46 GMT
Several more way stops existed. But no others above ground. They had been surprisingly lucky to find this one. "Maps of Cragspur, above and below. The same as before..." He touches one of the crimson-stained patches, "Except these. Some sort of danger in the stone there? We should avoid them until we know more" Whatever the pattern meant, it was surely nothing good.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 7, 2018 1:38:01 GMT
"Are you sure that they're a symbol of trouble?" Crimson asks, "What if they're more places similar to this? Or places of power, given that this seems to be a shrine of some sort. It might not be the best idea to risk it, though," she admits, "it would likely be better to just keep going, make our way through the place as soon as possible." She looks up at the rock being. "Is there a place where we can refill our supplies? Our food after all is... lacking, so knowing where would be lightly guarded - or unguarded - would be helpful." It doesn't really occur to her how long ago this probably would have been for the stoneborn.
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Post by masterblade007 on Jul 8, 2018 19:31:42 GMT
"Does this mean its safer to travel above-ground or below it?" Lootbox questioned. Underground complexes were nice and all, but left very little leeway in avoiding trouble. Unless you knew said tunnels like the back of one's hand, open space was far more favorable.
In any case, it seemed very little was here in terms of resources. The better option may be moving on and keeping the place marked for their return trip.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 9, 2018 12:29:25 GMT
Both above and belowground carry their own dangers and pitfalls. Beneath the surface is not a place humans tread easily or lightly, so encounters with their kind and the stigmas associated with your very being are less likely. That said, though the Earthborn take great strides in their stonework, they are not infallible. Iwakashi's people were known for littering their tunnels with hazards that the uninformed and unwary would stumble into. How much have things changed, to simply offer a map to the surface dwellers?
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 11, 2018 3:50:13 GMT
"I don't know enough about what has gone on since I've been gone. This waystop seems harmless, but above ground would be safer. Easier to withdraw if things go sour. There are defenses in the tunnel that many would not notice. The intervening years would make it difficult for even I to spy them all. I don't think the patches of red are a sign of them but perhaps..." It did seem unlikely. What kind of guardsman would tell the thief where he would patrol?
All the same, Crimson was right. Food would become an issue soon. Marching on an empty stomach would soon leave them vulnerable to even the lowliest of lurking predators. "We're more likely to find supplies while traveling above ground. Some small human village will turn up eventually. Baring that, the Pokemon that live above ground tend to be a little softer than those below." If only the map had detailed towns as well. Then Iwakashi would have to deal less uncertainty to the others.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 11, 2018 17:51:10 GMT
"Very well, then," Crimson says, "we should leave now, and hope something does turn up soon. Because while I may be tempted to stay here and wait for the next changing of the Pokémon... I would much prefer not to run out of food. And those creatures did not look particularly edible."
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Post by masterblade007 on Jul 12, 2018 4:53:56 GMT
"We're in the land of Rocks and More Rocks. Gosh, the hunting here must be terrible. Let's hope the local farming is a bit better."
That of course begged the question; can Iwakashi eat rocks? Are rocks like meat to a man made of stone? Bah, this country is no better than Yaksha!
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 13, 2018 10:42:07 GMT
Returning to the surface with an imprint of the map Lootbox managed to skillfully take with a bit of paper and some charcoal (though it does take up nearly twelve pages that will need to be arranged to so much as use it), it isn't long before the intrepid trio spot their first village in the distance. The crags, burms, and outcroppings of stone giving way to softer soils and plantlife. Shrews, small game birds, and low lying scrub dominating the first signs of an ecosystem.
(Survival to forage, or you can hunt and eat pokemon instead but there'll be combat.)
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 13, 2018 17:16:31 GMT
"Well, it's nice to see that it's not all rocks here," Crimson comments, "so hopefully the Pokémon are also not all rocks. If they're the inedible type, we'll have to enter the village, and hope that the humans are not of the excessively well-organized variety. Since they are very dangerous when they have a single goal. I would much prefer to not yet risk dying a second time to them. Do you know anything of the humans here, Iwakashi?"
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 15, 2018 6:34:40 GMT
"Cragspur can hold many surprises," Iwakashi explains to the insect woman, "Not everything is rock and stone, though it may seem so compared to 'fairer' lands. As for the humans...they tend to be simpler folk. Durable and hard working. The ones of this town are likely the same. So yes, they will be organized loosely. The land here is softer but do not think that the people will be so inclined as well. They should tolerate us provided we don't cause any more trouble than our presence."
During his short explanation he keeps an eye out for anything that might sustain them a little longer. The plenty of pheasants and other birds meant that nests ripe for plundering nearby. He could feel the burrowing mammals scurrying beneath their feet but Iwakashi had never been a trapper. Pokemon would perhaps be easy to feast on as well but he'd rather not reveal their capabilities so close to cautious eyes.
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Post by masterblade007 on Jul 15, 2018 8:43:47 GMT
Lootbox skulked around as the other two spoke, keeping a low profile between bushes they passed. His eyes kept a lookout for berries, seeds, some kind of sustenance. But they also looked for the small creatures who also fed on these; more perishable than the fruits, but would make for a good-day's meal if prepared properly. Any excess animals bagged might even make for good trade. It was as close to gold as he'd find out here.
The mimic's weapon of choice in this would be an arm shapeshifted into a branch, plump, ripe imitations of local fruit dangling from its branches. All it would take was one bite for his trap to bind and wrap around its prey. Of course, his trick would only be as effective as his bait of choice...
Survival to Forage/Hunt: 12
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 17, 2018 1:00:43 GMT
Iwakashi easily finds a low bush with broad leaves, and it yields a heavy, starchy tuber that will serve as a meal for the day. Lootbox is substantially luckier, finding several grouse nests tucked in the low lying brush, with enough eggs to feed the three, though they're unlikely to keep for long. Conversation and travel carry on in earnest, the village drawing nearer.
Do you enter town, avoid it, or exercise stealth?
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 17, 2018 17:11:27 GMT
Crimson looks towards the village. It seems small, much moreso than the city that she first was introduced to humanity at large in. But, memories of that day begin to trickle back. It seems so long ago. "I do not suppose you have any connections to the humans in here?" she asks Iwakashi, "Because I do not expect them to be particularly... welcoming to us if that is not the case. On another hand, though, it does seem small enough that that might not be an issue."
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 18, 2018 4:08:15 GMT
The village held such promise. Information and potentially supplies. Paying for those supplies might prove difficult but that would depend on how centralized rule was in Cragspur. There were some statues in the bylaws that would let someone of his station to requisition in a time of need. But would the people even follow them anymore?
"It's possible," he answers bluntly, "It seems unlikely though. Given how poorly things were before I was killed, they probably hold no favoritism for me. Many of the young would have perished in the chaos." His eyes focus on the little village of possibilities. "They could have died of old age even. Humans live short lives compared to my people and we have no clues yet as to how long we were away. All the same, I doubt we would find any trouble. We are too few to seem a danger. They would be proven wrong on that front but I'd rather avoid a confrontation. At least until we've learned more about the world."
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Post by masterblade007 on Jul 18, 2018 23:10:06 GMT
"I wouldn't be too concerned about fitting in." A human figure approached from the bushes, dressed in a bright cloak and tunic, and bearing a fine instrument on his side. From a belt pouch he retrieved two eggs; one for each of the traveling companions.
"Doesn't matter what day and age it is; traveling performers will always exist. It's good money if you can put on a show!" Lootbox smiled, ducking between Iwakashi and Crimson in their marching order. "And no one is going to question a performer's choice in bodyguards; lead the way! And do keep me safe if the crowd gets rowdy."
This was one of Lootbox's oldest traveling personas; take on the looks of a generic bard and play a few tricks for lodging. He tried his best to keep his hair relatively similar, being preferenced to 'pretty boy' long locks, paired with a flowing outfit of some kind to retrieve or hide items from. Lots of potential with a form like this, and easily thrown out in case of trouble.
"The name's Lute by the way. Pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 20, 2018 11:55:15 GMT
In the outskirts of the village, those first sparse homes before the village proper, there are soft whispers of an Earthkin coming to visit, and Iwakashi is viewed with a hopefulness and awe to which he is unused. The same, on noticing Crimson, quickly disappear from site. The clattering of shutters, and barring of doors becomes familial, but it is several moments before any of the peasants work up the courage to arm themselves and present a unified front. Five in all, their leader is a burly woman with dark curls tucked under a kerchief, wielding a hoe like one might an axe, slung over one shoulder. "Honored one, what it doing on the surface, and unbound?! Come to take our minds and our lands, I'll bet!"
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