Quest [Closed, Flashback] What Lies Beneath

[Cascade]

Vanti Island Sunrise, 50th Fall 510 AV (Flashback) OOCNo particular posting order at the moment. In the temple that sat on top of the hill, K’mavia was deep in meditation as she explored the visions in front of her. Her eyebrows were tied into a knot. This was an increasingly problematic sight—one that would not only endanger her island, but also the rest of the sea. It definitely had to be taken care of. She had sent out the call earlier that season. In a handful of letters she had scribbled down her predicament, and had asked some sailors to send them out anywhere they could. “To any willing souls. My name is K’mavia, and I am the Priestess of Vanti Island in the Southern Suvan Sea. I am in need of assistance. There is danger brewing on my island. Any group who assembles on the fiftieth of Fall will be greatly rewarded.” She had kept it vague for her own reasons, but she hoped that it would serve its purpose. The priestess wasn’t expecting a lot of answers, but she would take what she could. She was aware that not many would answer the pleas of a lone priestess out on an island that had nothing but strange creatures and a single temple in it. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked around her. The temple was small, and there were strange trinkets hanging from its walls. Similar to the rest of the island, it was intricately beautiful, a sign of devotion to Avalis’s appreciation to exquisiteness. The priestess could feel the island stirring awake, and she could also feel the terrible moving of the creature that rarely slept. It was this creature that needed to be taken care of. If any of the arrivals had any knowledge of the island, they would find it odd that none of its strange creatures seemed to be around. Instead, the island would be incredibly quiet, and even birds couldn’t be heard. The island was a small one and it wouldn’t be difficult for any new arrivals to know where the temple could be found. After an incredibly tiring flight of stairs, they would find K’mavia waiting restlessly in the small temple dedicated to the Sea God and his lover.

[Crypt]

50th of Fall, 510 AV (Just before sunrise) Crypt stared into the distance, watching the darkness lifting slowly to reveal the azure beauty of the Suvan Sea. His Strider, Maras, lay behind him underneath a shelter of sorts, lulled to sleep by the gentle breeze and the regular, clockwork-like rise and fall of the waves. A snore emerged from him occasionally, but other than that he was silent; only the slow and steady rising and falling of his body indicated that he was alive. He had been standing there for hours. It had rained the night before, but still he stood silent, protected from the rain by his cloak. It was wet, but that was alright. His clothes weren't. And that was all that mattered to Crypt. From the first indication of rain - raindrops splattering on the casinor he was on - he was awake. The nightmares had come again. Damn... They're recurring again. Ever since I received the message from that Svefra. Told me it was important. Without turning, he felt the presence of the lone Svefra he had hired to take him to Vanti Island, who was finishing a small loaf of bread. It had not been easy trying to convince him to take Crypt to Vanti Island, for he was about to join a new pod, but the Lia gave him permission to take Crypt there. Still, he was reluctant to travel through the Middle Suvan Sea. Crypt grinned slightly, closing his eyes, feeling the gentle sea breeze on his bare face. His mask was hanging by his side, hidden by the now drying cloak. It smelt wonderful. Of course, the offer of a new iron dagger to replace his own sub-standard weapon and a few gold mizas really sealed the deal. Besides, the Priestess promised rewards. Substantial ones, hopefully. And there... Mayhap I'll find something to help with my malady. The Svefra was working the ropes and sails of his casinor like a seasoned veteran (to Crypt's inexperienced mind), bringing them closer to adventure. And rewards, of course. There. Again. He felt the Svefra, who somehow felt faintly like sea water and tuna. Crypt frowned. This was not a coincidence. He had been experiencing this for days now, ever since he used the Flow to fight off pirates a few days ago. Now it was getting more intense. Better ask someone about this. I don't what this could be, but could I be starting to sense an... aura, like what my uncle told me about? Hopefully everything's alright with my Djed, I don't want to do something stupid and possibly kill myself.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

Pushing the tiller to the right, Kirvan quickly tightened the port jibsheets and loosened the starboard ones as he tacked across the wind again. He had been sailing south for nearly a season, the harrowing passage through the Middle Suvan taking dozens of days as he maneuvered his way through the sea. Beside his casinor, Ster squeaked and clicked every now and again as he broke the surface, swimming alongside the Svefra's boat. "No, we're not there yet," Kirvan chuckled, though he could sympathize with the whale's weariness. Such a journey was by no means easy, and under most circumstances he would not have made it, but two circumstances made the journey more than worth it. The first and foremost reason for his travel was a letter received by Lia Deepseeker from K'mavia, the Konti priestess of the temple on Vanti Island. None of the Deepseeker pod had ever actually been there, but they knew of the island and the temple, as well as the stories of it and its priestess. When the letter was passed to them by a sailor on his way to Syliras, there was a great commotion as many ideas emerged as to what should be done. Many thought that the entire pod should go and aid this priestess, rushing to the defense of Laviku's temple. Other thought that the letter might be a fake meant to just waste their time or lure Svefra in for some reason or other. Opinions were wild and varied, and they only grew as the Lia spent more and more time deliberating over the decision. Eventually, Kirvan offered to sail south and find out the legitimacy of this letter. If the priestess' requirement for aid was urgent, then he would send a letter back using an Avikki bird, and if the necessity was immediate then at least he would be there to help in any way he could. The Lia deemed this a wise course of action as the sight of an entire Svefra pod traveling down the Middle Suvan would take too long and frighten many other sailors. She was reluctant to send him on his own, but after a bit of convincing Kirvan was on his way to the island with only a bird and his tavan, Ster. What he didn't tell the Lia was that he had his own reasons for wanting to be alone on the island. The temple was for both Laviku and Avalis, in a sense a commemoration to their love, and Kirvan wanted to pray there not just for the Sea Father but for himself as well. He had just left Leisa in Syliras before they received the letter, and hoped to pray at the temple that someday they would cross paths again, Laviku willing. As Syna broke over the horizon, lighting the way for him, Kirvan saw the island coming up on his starboard side. It was a small place, the central hill dominating the isle and the temple atop it an excellent position to regard any arrivals. Switching the jibsheets and pushing the tiller, the Svefra tacked again and aimed for the island. His journey was nearly over, and for that he was grateful, though he had a sneaking suspicion that whatever was happening on the island would be just as difficult if not more so as his passage through the middle sea. He was very curious to see what was so dire that would urge K'mavia to ask for help, a priestess rumored to be reclusive in her manner. Apparently he wasn't the only one. The sun not only revealed the island to him, it revealed another casinor - no, a few other casinors - headed in a similar direction. "Looks like we're not the only ones that received K'mavia's letter," he thought aloud, and Ster squeaked his curiosity. "I don't know, but I guess we'll find out."

[Eridanus]

Eyes of shifting spectrum studies the steps of the temple in wonder as a young man hiked his way up. Sporting a mess of black hair streaked with a colorful assortment borne from Morwen's Lights and a youthful unlined face, his careless demeanor was betrayed by his utter confidence in his every stride and action and the disturbingly wise gaze that spoke of centuries of experience.

His name was Eridanus, and he had just arrived at the island in response to an interesting letter from the inhabitant of this island. From what little he knew, this island was apparently linked some how to Laviku and Avalis, though he could not find out the rest of the story for the boat that passed by here was leaving and he had to rush or risk being left behind.

He was here for the adventure and the exciting adrenaline rush it promised. What would he find here?

[Wrenmae]

Alighting on the edge of the weather-worn dock, Wrenmae waved at the quiet man who'd brought him from Alvadas. He received only a nod for his efforts, the Casinor pushing off from the dock again and neatly turning in the calm waters.

"Beware, boy," His guide called after him as wind filled his sails, "The birds stopped singing, ill omens for this place."

"Birdsong and superstition," Wrenmae responded with a shrug, "The letter promised rewards for any able body to help."

"And it was sent to you?"

"Well...sure, of course!" It was a lie. He'd pinched the letter from the harbor master running odd jobs as a courier. It had looked important at the time and his curiosity demanded to be sated. Upon reading the offer of a reward, he'd collected his coin for the day and given it to an old svefra man who knew the island and the course to get there. A few days ride out, one way trip.

Wary people.

The Svefra nodded, not convinced, and turned back to the open sea.

"You could stay and help, you know," Wrenmae called after him, "Doesn't the reward interest you?"

A rare smile ghosted the sea-parched lips of his guide and he slowly shook his head. "Gold is easy to find," he said, "When you know where to look. I prefer to keep my feet on the deck or in the sea. I'll leave the island to you."

"Suite yourself," Wren muttered with a shrug, turning toward the temple rising from between modest huts, "More for me then."

Should have tipped him, came the expected jocular tone of Zan, Bet he would have told us a story.

He got his pay.

But didn't tell us why birdsong is an ill omen.

LACK of birdsong is an ill omen, Wren chided, You need to learn to listen.

That's why I have you. To listen.

Then why do I have you?

My dashing good looks.

You're a blob of water.

A HANDSOME blob of water.

Laughing, Wrenmae took the stairs, nearly bowling into Eridanus as he rose along a similar passage.

The shock of seeing someone around the winding staircase nearly knocked the young man back down the stairs, step after bruising step.

Instead, he merely ran into the back of the Eth, spun, and put both hands against the wall for support.

"I...err...watch where you're...err. I mean, Sorry." Shaking his head, the thief grinned at the other man and threw up his arms. "A little eager to get topside, sorry for the run-in."

Before Eri had a chance to speak, Wren had ducked around him and tore up the stairs again, taking three by three in a mad dash to be the first to the top.

His narrow chest rose and fell harshly, breath echoing in his ears. Still...he didn't want to be late, surely...so when he was alone at the top of the temple save only a single blonde woman, his face visibly fell.

"Am I...too late?"

[Crypt]

“May the winds be always favourable.” Crypt watched as the Svefra sailed away, tacking against the prevailing wind, singing a wild sea shanty. He watched the casinor until it was out of sight. Heaving an almost inaudible sigh, Crypt walked briskly towards the set of stone steps, accompanied by Maras. He observed what he could see of the hills. And then something struck him. It's so quiet here... No birdsong, nor cricket chirp... Curious. There really must be something wrong. There's a strange feeling about this island. I just found out about auras - I can sense them somehow - But I don't know how to do that consciously. But this island, I don't need to do so, I can already feel it. It's almost as... Crypt struggled to find a suitable expression for a few moments before giving up. He turned his attention to the hill. Damn, I hate stairs. Why did they even build it like this? May as well... “Maras, race you to the top!” He slapped his companion's flank and burst off towards the hill, running on one of the grass-covered slopes. The unnatural silence was broken by his shout. ---- Maras galloped into the temple, followed closely by Crypt. The latter was panting slightly, leaning on one of the temple columns, though both were feeling exhilarated. After catching his breath, he left Maras to cool down with a short walk and walked over to the unnaturally handsome man and Konti woman (If he was right), who was presumably the priestess. He caught the end of the male's speech. “... too late?” Crypt spoke in a rough baritone, his voice reassuring and subtly melodious, as if he was reciting a poem. “Nay, you are not late. The black night did abate. See you the Red, the Gold On the horizon? The day has just begun; Fret not, worry not.”

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

Kirvan watched as the other casinors docked and deposited their passengers, then sailing away before he had the chance to greet them. It was a shame too, the Deepseeker pod never came through the middle sea, it would be a nice change to meet his southern cousins. Oh well, the passengers they dropped off were just as interesting - if not more so. A tall man whose hair was black streaked with blue and windswept, a somewhat scrawny man in rough clothes and seemingly in a hurry to get to where he was going, a spiky black-haired human covered in tattoos and just slightly shorter than him (yes!)... with a horse. They all looked as if they'd gotten lost to their respective destinations and had all ended up here somehow. One thing was for certain: none of them were Svefra, which led Kirvan to wonder what kind of problem was disturbing the temple of Laviku. As his casinor drew up alongside the lone pier jutting out from the island like a thorn, Kirvan hopped off and secured his bow and stern lines to the dock, mooring his boat. Unlike the the other casinors, this one was going to be here for a while. After mooring his ship, Kirvan walked to the end of the pier and leaned down near the water, patting Ster's head as the beluga whale came up and squeaked beside him. "I'll be back as soon as I can, Ster," he told his tavan as the whale clicked rapidly. Something about him seemed uneasy, and the whale kept shifting back and forth in the water. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it." As soon as he said that, Ster disappeared beneath the surface of the water, far more quickly than normal. Something was distressing Kirvan's friend quite clearly, though Kirvan had no idea what. Suddenly, Kirvan was aware of how quiet it was. Standing and looking towards the island, he looked for anything that could have been making a sound, any kind of animal. There were none. Though he did not know whether there would be any birds here, there were birds in most of the areas the pod had beached, and they were never quiet at any time of day. There was no rustling of leaves in the wind, there was no animal calls, even the gentle waves seemed almost muted. Almost as if... almost as if something had scared it all into silence. Kirvan shook that ominous though from his head, but he could not ignore a certain feeling of dread that settled within him. Regardless, Kirvan began his journey inland and began climbing to the temple. *** Alright, now it was official. Kirvan hated stairs. Until now, all he had to climb was rigging on some of the palivars in his pod. This was something else entirely, draining the Svefra of his strength. Kirvan leaned to one side of the doorway, taking an embarrassing moment to recover. All the other strangers were there, still looking as out of place as ever, but whatever they were doing here they were not the reason he was here. Scanning the temple, he kept his eyes out for the priestess K'mavia, hoping to solve this problem as soon as possible. Anything that the Sea Father or his followers required, and it would be done.

[Cascade]

OOC : Posting order – feel free to post as much as you want per round. Note: The creatures of the island are all away (including the sea creatures). Please edit accordingly, thank you! The graceful Priestess, clad in many folds of lightly colored cloth, spun around. With soft eyes, she looked at Wrenmae and Crypt. They were the first to arrive, and she smiled in amusement to Crypt’s poem. “On the contrary, as he has stated, you are the first to arrive. Take a seat, and the other two shall soon arrive. Oh… perhaps your strider should wait outside?” Her latter sentences were addressed towards Crypt, who had entered just when Wrenmae was finishing his question. The Konti looked slightly alarmed at the sizable horse that entered the sacred room, but she was polite about it. How she knew exactly how many people would arrive was a mystery to Wrenmae and Crypt. The Priestess gestured towards the rows of benches that all faced the statues of Laviku and Avalis. The statues themselves were beautiful and grand, standing on a podium that was situated in the middle of the temple. While made of ivory, there seemed to be something alive in the eyes of the statues. K’mavia waited for the others to arrive. Soon, Eridanus and Kirvan entered the temple as well. Patiently, she gestured for all of them to take their seats. The Konti looked at each of them with a wise expression, and she was pleased. Her letters had reached capable men. “My name is K’mavia, and I am the Priestess of this island,” she explained to them. “As you may have seen, the beautiful Vanti creatures are no longer present… this is because a larger being is haunting my island, and I need it dealt with. I will be direct about this. A monstrous creature lives beneath this island, along with other mysteries that I am still unsure of. It will be dangerous, but I implore your help… greatly so.” The priestess sighed. She was in distress, and it showed on her ageless features. “I fear that I cannot tell how powerful the creature has become. For some reason, I can no longer see it with my sight. All I can tell you men is that it was made to be a weapon, and it will cause havoc to the seas if not dealt with immediately. If you fear for your life, you must leave. But I assume that by just answering my pleas that you are willing to help my Gods. Perhaps each of you should introduce yourselves and tell us all about your capabilities? This should be the time to address any questions as well.”

[Crypt]

“Hear you not her voiced request? Friend, it be not your choice. Maras, graze outside; There you shall bide. Maras obediently trotted out of the temple, immediately setting upon the grass with a savagery akin to an entire band of insane glassbeaks. Crypt then turned and faced the beautiful priestess and the other men, giving them a short bow. He started to speak again in the same tone of voice, but now with a subtle, albeit rather simplistic melody weaving through his words. “Crypt I am, Insatem too, The fragments of sanity I am; But fear not! I can control Myself for most of the time. I am Drykas, bold horseman, Though born of Human male; Drykas female. Maras, my brother, Strider mighty, Now feasts on Vanti grass; Though not overmuch - I fear it may be too rich. Though youngling I be But some skill I do have. I wield longsword of father; Taught well I am. I know that art, the Flux, Sadly, proficient I am not. No other can I do in times of war, I am young, not old. But they do serve me well; Enough they are, for now. Oftimes in war I am Berserker; I tear, I bite, I drink blood! Of myriad foes in my path. My madness reigns supreme then; Restrain me after all foes are dead and cold; I wish not to move against thee. This then shall be my ballad's end; Short tale it seems, but Enlightening, I hope. My free verse, perhaps, May seem uncouth, novice-like! But still I say, I chant the verse.” Crypt gave another bow and returned to his seat, turning to watch Maras in his rampage (of sorts) as the noble, magnificent and (of course) sizeable Strider mowed through the grass at a rather fast pace.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

Prompted by the priestess, Kirvan made his way to and sat in one of the benches closer to the podium in the center of the temple. His eyes were drawn to the ivory white likeness of Laviku, the majestic carvings and pure white color seeming to represent that which made the god great. Though Kirvan had never seen the Sea Father himself, the statue was so detailed that the carver had either seen the deity before or had a magnificent imagination. Whatever the case, it's design was surely a tribute to the great sea god. Beside him, Avalis' was just as detailed, what magnificent craftsmanship that had been put into making Laviku look mighty clearly applied to making the goddess look graceful. Just looking at the marvelous depictions of the divine was worth such a journey as it took to get here. As she suggested that the four introduce themselves, Kirvan looked at the other members of this group again, somewhat surprised that these were the people that Laviku - or Avalis - called to protect the place of worship. Particularly if the beast K'mavia mentioned was such a danger to the seas, also figuring that this monster was the reason Ster seemed so eager to leave. Surely the Sea Father would have called upon more of his children to protect his realm? But it was not Kirvan's place to question his god's actions and motives, and if these people were here to help the deity then Kirvan would assist in any way he could. First to rise was the man whose black hair spiked out from his head and whose numerous tattoos were certainly eye-catching where the could be seen. Kirvan was certainly not expecting a performance, and it likely wasn't one, but it certainly felt like it as the man bowed and proceeded to almost sing his introduction. The whole free-verse poetic speaking amused Kirvan a lot, and he felt himself growing fond of the fellow. Upon hearing of the man's - Crypt's - viciousness in battle, Kirvan grinned a familiar wild grin that he had worn a lot in the past. Crypt sung, he talked of his horse with great familiarity, he was a savage fighter; what wasn't to like about the guy? When Crypt bowed at the end of his speech, Kirvan had to resist the urge to applaud. As it was, he simply smiled at the half-Drykas and watched as the man turned to regard his horse. "I may as well go next," Kirvan announced, smiling at the people surrounding him. "My name is Kirvan, a Svefra of the Deepseeker pod in the north Suvan, a family who follows where Laviku points us. Our Lia received the priestess' letter some time ago by way of an Avikki bird sent by a sister in the southern sea, and so I was sent to lend what aid I could. I've some experience with the cutlass in battle, though unlike Crypt here I prefer a much more agile though no less direct approach. I'm afraid I have few other skills that can be applied inland, but I will help where and however I can. It's a pleasure to meet you all, and what better circumstance than on the brink of death?" He finished with another mad grin. Whatever fate decided to throw his way, he would meet it head-on for the glory of the Sea Father. Before anyone else could reply however, Kirvan turned to K'mavia. "How immediate is the threat of the beast? I have with me an Avikki bird, down in my casinor, who is ready to fly a message back to the rest of the Deepseeker pod should their assistance be required. Depending on how long there is until the creature becomes a massive threat, we could have some more allies."

OOCJust a disclaimer, I don't intend to bring the Deepseeker pod any closer than they are now. Just a detail IC that I feel Kirvan would bring up.