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Post by Red Charge on Jun 27, 2012 23:52:26 GMT -5
And then they were off, a specially commissioned zeppelin from Canterlot carried them to Royal Rocks, it was a luxury ride paid for by the Equestrian Archaeological and Anthropological society. As after Hind Sight's last successful expedition, even Lady Rainlock herself had become invested in these endeavors. As such the group was given a lot more funding to gear themselves up.
Horizon's sword was not taken to laboratory analysis, as Lady Rainlock mentioned upon inspection that the Celestial Poison cannot be synthesized by normal means, nor is an antidote possible from the scrapings on the sword. Horizon was pleased to be able to keep it, but decided to lock it safely in the Razorwing Vaults, courtesy of Sabre Razorwing, seeing as these ruins were likely to be filled by golems and undead again and the blade, despite its quality would prove worthless.
Zip Fyre, a Pegasus from Appleloosa has been recruited after successfully negotiating with a pair of rampaging Rocs. Whether she was threatening enough to make them flee or could convince them to back off by diplomacy, her experience with them was bound to come in useful.
Tunnel and Selenia were kept from the last venture into the Equiterian Ruins in Froggy Bottom Bog. Unfortunately Stardust has chosen not to re-accompany Hind Sight after facing the danger in the last ruins. He seemed rather upset by that, but fortunately Graphite Sketch joined along.
Graph was a capable artist, great for illustrating the locales and tracing the glyphs and runes, surely a very useful talent. She was also given self defense training by Horizon, so she could probably protect herself well enough.
And in addition, a "specialist" was brought forth by Gale Rainlock, apparently having being caught utilizing his special talents by her and roped into doing what she wanted. Hind Sight was not sure if he wanted his kind on the expedition, but Lady Rainlock assured him that if he tried to nab anything, he'd be burnt toast. Hind Sight knew better than to question her.
At last they arrived in Royal Rocks, spending a few days there getting to know one another and the environment, before heading off again towards the Rocy Mountains. Their journey was harsh and tiring, but at last they reached the opening of a cave system. According to Hind Sight's map, it wasn't supposed to be here at all, but a lot changes in over a thousand years and the only chance to find their prize was to go in. Luckily they had Tunnel, an experienced spelunker to help them.
"So, are we ready to do this?" Asked Hind Sight.
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Post by zipfyre on Jun 28, 2012 14:17:42 GMT -5
ZipFyre stretched her wings and swished her tail impatiently, staring at the cave before them. She had to admit, she'd thought she'd be more confident on a trek like this. All her life, she'd wanted adventure. Now, the first thoughts of doubt and home started to interrupt her good mood.
Besides, why'd they have to go someplace cramped and dark, like a cave? Why not explore the open mountains, get to know the Rocs and Griffons better?
Zip snorted. Oh well. Might as well get this over with. "As ready as I'll ever be, I s'pose, Cap'n."
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Post by tunnelnexus on Jun 28, 2012 22:55:19 GMT -5
Tunnel tried to enjoy the ride in the airship en route to Royal Rocks, the griffon Capitol, but she couldn't shake a nasty bout of queasiness. She wasn't usually afraid of heights; maybe it was the whole airship deal?
In any case, Nexus was glad to be off the ship, and spent most of their time in Royal Rocks just acclimating to the new environment. She spent a good deal of her free time in the city scrounging around for what little existed in the way of maps of the caves. Experience had taught her that going into a cave blind was a thing to be avoided, if at all possible. In this case, there was very little that was mapped, only the first hundred hoof-lengths or so; talk about unhelpful.
With the lack of knowledge about the layout, Tunnel decided it might be a good idea to come extra prepared. Aside from her standard spelunking gear, she gathered up enough sturdy rope to fill a large pair of saddlebags, as well as double the usual number of pitons. It would also be prudent to make a map of the caves as they went, and since the group already had an artist among their ranks, Nexus figured she should coordinate with Graph on that endeavor.
Once the group was ready, they set off for the cave system Hind Sight had said was their determined entry point. Upon reaching the cave entrance, the researcher in question asked if they were ready. Nexus resisted the urge to snort in derision. She did, however, speak up.
"I've been ready. Let's do this," she said. Her cocksure attitude wasn't fully present, though, as a nagging little uneasiness nagged at the back of her mind.
Tunnel lit up her horn, hefted her saddlebags into a more comfortable position, and trotted carefully into the cave's small opening. The entry wasn't too cramped, but for anypony unfamiliar with spelunking, it might be a little unsettling. The floor of the cave was relatively uneven, so the gray mare had to take her time just getting in.
"Watch your step, gang, the footing is already getting kind of rough. If anypony needs a hoof getting in, I'm right here."
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Post by Klepto Moonlit on Jun 28, 2012 23:37:30 GMT -5
It had been a long several days for Klepto. The zeppelin ride, the stay in Royal Rocks, and the trip into the Rocy Mountains had bored him beyond his wits end. He was actually somewhat glad when they had finally reached their destination. At least it would actually mean doing something.
"This better be the right cave. If we go all the way down there only to find a buncha stalagamatite thingies, well... I ain't exactly gonna be a happy camper." Klepto trotted over to the cave entrance, peering down into the darkness past Tunnel. After looking down for a few seconds, he took a few steps back and turned to face the leader of their little treasure hunt.
"Hey Hind Sight, I thought you said these were supposed to be ruins. What kind of ancient civilization doesn't even build a staircase?"
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Post by graphitesketch on Jun 29, 2012 12:24:24 GMT -5
Graph had been having a grand time, all this travelling excited her and going on that flight had nearly sent her into a tizzy, but she didn't want to look like a fool in front of the rest of the crew. All of them seemed so used to this sort of thing.
"I'm ready to go." She said, shifting the bags at her sides. They where stuffed to the brim with all the things she would need to make maps and take down important sketches for this venture. Rolls of paper poked out of the tops of the flaps and even then she wondered if it was going to be enough for this journey.
She carefully followed behind Nexus, trying her hardest to clamber down but stopped before she made a fool of herself, or broke her neck. "Tunnnel? Can you help me a bit?" she said, glad that Tunnel Nexus was skilled in this sort of thing.
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Post by Red Charge on Jun 29, 2012 13:55:00 GMT -5
OOC:
(Selenia is at Bronycon so I will skip her turn)
They moved further in the caves, total darkness enshrouded them as they went deeper and deeper. Fortunately there seemed to be only one path within the cavern and it seemed to grow wider as they went. Suddenly, after perhaps an hour or so of walking on the uneven rocky ground, they felt a breeze and soon they saw light. To their eyes revealed a most magnificent sight - a gigantic cave, probably the size of a small neighborhood was the inside of an open mouthed mountain. Sunlight descended from the maw of the mountain and glistened on wildly grown grass and trees in what must have been once large grounds. In the middle of all of this was a massive building, a mansion more close to a palace. It was bigger than Hind Sight could have ever imagine.
"This, friends," He said excitedly, "Is the home of the Magistrate the governor-militants of the Equiterian Empire. These warrior-bureaucratic were both magically powerful, physically able and intellectually fit members of the Equiterian Regime. They would often participate in battle in their gold plated armor, inspiring their forces, striking fear into the enemy." He spoke with reverence, utmost admiration.
"It is said that the battle mage Destrier was such a magistrate and that is the source of his golden armor, reforged and enchanted in days to become the legendary Destrier's Mail." None of the ponies needed to be explained about who Destrier was, as he starred in many a pony tale for foals and adults alike. Known far and wide as the most powerful mage Equestria ever had. "Imagine, if you please, having dozens of battle-mages as powerful as Destrier under your command. What a grand Empire the Equiterians must have had!"
They proceeded through the fields of untamed weeds and overgrown hedge, passing by trees and the cracked and crumbled pieces of masonry and statues, approaching towards what once was the gate to the inner yard of the estate.
"This place is huge, there's no way we can explore it all, it'll take days." Horizon said, looking at the structure.
"That is why we are going to split up." Hind Sight said sagely, "We will explore the entire palace carefully and take as much as we can. Graphite Sketch, as my new assistant you will escort me through the main part of the mansion along with Tunnel Nexus. Selenia and Klepto, you will go to the right wing of the palace. Zipfyre and Horizon, you will go left."
"You sure splitting up is a good idea?" Horizon asked, Hind Sight nodded.
"They can't corner us here the way they did in the outpost, splitting up will make sure we don't get overwhelmed or trapped inside of the room. We will meet back at the main gate after an hour. If one of the groups doesn't make it back, the other two groups can go and help them."
"Makes sense I guess." Horizon submitted.
(Alright folks, submit your impressions, and then we're going to split this thread up into three teams, much like the final ritual. This thread will still be used to monitor the progress of the teams as a collective and will be reused as they meet up again, so after you post here now, I'll make threads for each team.)
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Post by Klepto Moonlit on Jun 29, 2012 15:28:56 GMT -5
After too long of an hour walking through the dark cave system, the group had finally arrived upon something of interest: a massive cave with a huge building sitting smack dab in the middle of it. Klepto let out a whistle as it came into their view. The building looked to be some sort of fancy mansion, aside from how old and worn it looked. Being abandoned for a couple thousand years tended to do that sort of thing. "Talk about ritzy," he said, taking in the building's scope.
As they reached what was left of the gate, Hind Sight split the team into different groups, assigning each a different part of the building. "Guess that puts you with me," Klepto said to Selenia. The thief began his walk to the right wing of the mansion, again taking a look at how big it was. "This place could even make Rainlock jealous," he thought to himself. The place would probably be filled with all sorts of valuables and priceless paintings. Wait, did ancient civilizations even use priceless paintings? Whatever.
Regardless of how many paintings the place had, it was now obvious why Rainlock had her hoof so firmly planted in the matter. She probably needed to restock her own mansion after the Grey Shadow broke into the place. Klepto chuckled a little to himself as he neared the entrance of the building. Yeah, that was probably it. The Grey Shadow had taken all her bearskin rugs and marbles busts and now she needed somepony to get her some new ones from someone else's mansion.
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Post by graphitesketch on Jun 29, 2012 19:10:33 GMT -5
Graph kept up her pace with the rest of the group, the enclosed space of the cave making her feel a little on edge but when I seemed to spring open in front of her she was dazzled by the sight. She took in everything quickly, her mind automatically figuring out what the place must have looked like in its prime.
The overgrown foliage brushed past her sides as she followed the rest up to the massive building. She was itching to sketch things out, but now was not the time for it. When Hindsight spoke she nodded, but didn't much like the idea of splitting up.
"Just tell me where I need to go." She said, moving towards her group with Hind Sight and Tunnel Nexus. This was going to be a big day for them all and she wanted to make sure she took in everything possible.
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Post by Selenia on Jun 30, 2012 7:05:36 GMT -5
Since their last 'expedition' through some rather well hidden Equiterian ruins, Selenia had made it an objective to read about the Equiterian Empire. The zeppelin ride was uneventful, though. She provided some sympathy for Tunnel Nexus and her bout of motion sickness, but the rest of the ride she was locked in her posh stateroom with a stack of books.
Come the expedition, Selenia hung back in the group, taking time to take in the surroundings and try her best to observe. She didn't socialize or talk much, explaining her lack of input for their approach to the unmarked cave entrance. (Canonically excusing myself for the missed first post dohohoho)
Typical Equiterian. Underground complexes with traps and bottlenecks nearly impossible to invade properly. Their layouts were pure strategic genius. Unfortunately, that made the team's job harder to do. After going through some winding passages, the tunnel opened up to a massive chasm as Hind Sight explained where they were and also some Equiterian history. It was nothing Selenia hadn't read, but having it dramatically presented in front of the proverbial Equiterian capital was more fun.
Hind Sight then split up the team. Selenia half wanted to be with Nexus because she knew her and Tunnel had experience in ruins, but Selenia was willing to make some new friends, and it looks like Klepto was the lucky pony. Come to think of it, Selenia had mostly, if not only ever really done anything with mares. Nexus, Crystal Lance, the Princess... Whenever she was in a group with colts, she didn't really hang with them.This would definitely be something new, and Selenia was open to new things.
"Hey yeah. The coolest stuff is obviously on our side of the palace. We just can't be late back to the rendezvous." Exploring a palace with a skilled thief, a professional procurer, if you will, would be an interesting experience indeed.
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Post by tunnelnexus on Jun 30, 2012 10:36:15 GMT -5
After helping Graph through the entrance, Nexus was psyched for some serious spelunking. Maybe a good old bottomless chasm, or even a dizzying labyrinth. So as the group continued down the depressingly straight path, the gray mare found her enthusiasm waning. When at last they entered the grand chamber of the Equiterians, she couldn't resist a roll of the eyes.
"Boooring," she muttered. Still, the palace thing looked kinda cool. Hind did some explaining, then divided up the group. At the thought of having a smaller group, Tunnel felt her spirits pick up a bit. Splitting up always made bad stuff happen in this kind of situation.
"Splitting up, huh? I can roll with that. I think I'll go with-" Before Nexus could finish, Hind assigned them each to groups.
Why couldn't I have been with Selenia and Horizon? We would've had the most kick-flank group around! Wait... Maybe that's why the old man split us up; to spread out the capabilities of each group. Well, I could've had it worse; I could be stuck with- um- oh, horse apples. I've got the babysitting job.
Tunnel looked in despair at the front door of the castle thing. The main area was her group's destination; she groaned inwardly. That was bound to be the most boring part. But hey, maybe Graph would turn out to be pretty cool.
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Post by Red Charge on Jul 2, 2012 4:48:50 GMT -5
And so the group's split up, each team going to their intended destination in hopes of finding more about the Equiterian Empire, and just maybe nab a little treasure for themselves.
(All right ponies, continue in the palace threads, this one will be used for general narration until they regroup again)
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Post by Klepto Moonlit on Aug 21, 2012 11:36:13 GMT -5
Klepto and Selenia continued retracing their steps back to the palace entrance. They hadn't much to report, other than a bunch of creepy blood-splattered rooms. The only items that might be of any real value they had seen was the silverware in the dining room. Hopefully the others had been having better luck.
"Horizon and Zipfyre should be on their way," Klepto said as the two returned to the fork where the expedition had separated, "And with any luck Hind Sight and co. haven't wandered off too far."
And sure enough, as they exited the palace, it looked like Hind Sight, Tunnel, and Graphite hadn't wandered off too far at all. In fact, they were passed out in the plaza, looking like they hadn't even left. "What the hay? You mean while we we're busy doin' all the dirty work, these three decided to take a nap?" Klepto walked over to Hind Sight, looking down at him and frowning. "Some expedition leader. Wake up, sleeping beauty," he said as he gave Hind Sight's unconscious torso a kick.
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Post by Selenia on Aug 21, 2012 12:17:50 GMT -5
Selenia kept pace with Klepto as he led the way back down their hall. Past the doors and inert skeleton guards. Boring. She hesitated when they came up to the door to the dining hall, where she had unwittingly triggered a trap that nearly killed her. She scrunched her face and half jogged the few paces past it, thankful that she somehow didn't manage to set off another one. She caught back up to Klepto in a few moments. "Maybe once this is over, I should devote some time to learning a trap detecting spell." Grimacing at the prevailing pain of her burns, "That would definitely come in handy..." She shook it off for a few seconds and continued on.
Soon enough, Klepto led her to their main hub, and they traveled only a short distance down the center, where they encountered Hind Sight, Nexus, and Graph. Klepto voiced his disapproval, but to Selenia, something was amiss. "I know both Hind Sight and Nexus, they wouldn't just stop to rest like this." She took a closer look, "I don't think they fell unconscious voluntarily. They probably ran into some kind of trap, just like we did." She tapped a hoof to her chin, contemplating the strategic purposes of such a trap, "Since this is the central hall, the head honchos of an invading force would undoubtedly be at the head and go straight for the goods at the center of the palace. They reach this room and them wham, he's down and out, letting the Equiterians take 'em prisoner." She shook her head again. "Man, these Equiterians really did think of everything."
Selenia trotted over to Nexus while Klepto was kicking Hind Sight. She knelt down over Nexus and gently prodded and shook her, trying to rouse her. "Heeeeeeeey Tunnel, you better get up. We have a little situation that needs expertise like yours." No answer. She shook Tunnel a little more violently. Still no response. She let Tunnel be and scrunched her face in thought. "Hey. Hey Klepto? I think this is magical, not physical. They're in a magically induced sleep. I'll see what I can do."
Selenia lit her horn up with a simple waking spell and lowered the tip down to Tunnel's forehead, but her horn shorted out and an arc of electricity jumped from her horn to Tunnel's. She yelped loudly as the spell jolted her and tossed her back a few meters with a bang. She shook off the disorientation and muscled herself back up, covering her mouth with one of her hooves. "Oh dear..." She bit her lip, praying to Luna that the mishap hadn't injured Tunnel.
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Post by Red Charge on Aug 21, 2012 12:48:34 GMT -5
Sadly, it seemed that neither Selenia's nor Klepto's efforts bore any fruit. The three lay on the ground, completely out of it. A few moments passed as Horizon and Zipfyre returned, "Hey guys." He said, sporting horrible burns all over his body, and bearing his praetorian sword again... which was odd, seeing as he didn't bring it when they came.
"Yeah," He said, "We found an actual whatchamacall'em. And a skelemage, too. Don't fool around with those Praetor guys... seriously, I haven't seen moves like that, ever. It's like wherever I went he was waiting with that bloody sword. Fortunately Zip here managed to spring a trap on his head, wrecked the armor, but at least I got the sword."
"A real praetorian? Alive?" Hind Sight asked, apparently awake as Horizon told his story.
"Are you alive? Why are you on the floor?" He asked, as the rest of them got up.
"Oh it was a trap, magical coma with an illusion of some sort. I managed to snap out of it though. Luckily for me, the Equiterians were blissfully unaware of weather spells. I don't suppose they ever needed them with an army of undead and constructs. A few of them cast together was enough to break the illusion. Although, I fear Tunnel might not be able to proceed..." He said, looking at the shaken unicorn. "Sometimes these spell affect some more than others."
"Zip here isn't doing too well either, got hit with a silence spell and took some beating too. Maybe it's best they go back to the rendezvous point and wait there." The two mares nodded and headed off quickly without another word.
"Guess it's just us now." He said, "Oh and Hind Sight, I'm starting to think these traps aren't all Equiterian, or at least that someone else was here."
"Why is that?"
"Well, someone took the time to vanish any and all paperwork or signets they had lying around. All the offices we were in had no maps, no documents, no signets or quills, it's like the place was cleaned of information."
"Interesting," Hind Sight said, "What are your thoughts, Selenia? Klepto?"
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Post by Selenia on Aug 21, 2012 13:05:38 GMT -5
Selenia's eyes followed the two departing members of their party with concern. At least it would be safer back at the entrance. She was just glad that they were alive after all. Hind Sight was alright, Horizon had another new toy, and Graph had yet to provide any input. Either way, their team was back together and they could handle whatever the ruins would throw at them. "This place really is amazing, to have traps and mechanisms still working. machinery would normally wear out and magic triggers would dissipate after so long. Speaking of traps, I managed to trigger one, and I'd really appreciate a healing potion or spell if anyone has it." Hind Sight provided the conjecture that the traps might not all be Equiterian, and her demeanor changed altogether. "Oh... Well that would explain it."
Selenia straightened at the mention of her name, though. "Klepto and I had the same problems. Nothing but rotting furniture and blood stains in our rooms, even though some of them did look like offices. One of our rooms was a dining hall, though, but nothing very interesting. Klepto procured a broken spear from one of the rooms, though." She looked over at Klepto to see if he still had it. "But other than that, nothing. We figured it might have been looters who came through here, as this 'palace' didn't have the tapestries or sculptures we thought it might. Dusty old maps would also look wonderful on your wall, so they were probably swiped along with everything else." She shrugged, letting her mind wander and the words simply pour out of her mouth.
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