Quest [Aylasa Caves] Spelunking We Go! (Full)

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan watched the flickering image of the little girl and man next to him. Ethan awaited the response to his question when a young man with black hair came over to talk with him. It was strange how he felt about the questions, the man was polite and seemly friendly, yet the question about if this was his first time in a cave chafe Ethan’s thoughts. On the one hand it seemed like a harmless open question that would start a conversation. Yet, it reminded Ethan of childhood bullies, almost an opening gambit for ridicule and scorn. Ethan thought over the question for a while as the man, named Roderick, introduce himself and the two ghosts in front of him. As Ethan was about to reply, he felt a cold and dark precense next to him. Looking over to his side Ethan saw another ghost as well. The thought that Ethan might just be one of the few people would could lift any spoils of their adventure came to him. A tiny moment later he realized that it was a pity thought, for though the dead couldn’t lift anything physically heavy, they could at least provide excellent scouts and wouldn’t require sleep or food during their trip. Ethan felt momentary dead at the thought of being burdened with the heavy lifting. So he washed his mind of disrespecting thoughts and settled on the idea that walking into a pre-valterrian cave with three ghosts might not tempt fate. Ethan smiled and spoke, “Well thank you for the introduction Roderick. It is a pleasure to meet everyone here. My name is Ethan Ironhorse and I am a farrier.” Ethan said with a sly smile, “Of course, I don’t imagine to be taking care of the horses on this trip. To answer your question Roderick, this is the first time I have been to the Alylasa Caves.” Ethan left Roderick’s question vague, still protecting himself from imaginary scorn for being so new. He knew that being protective wasn’t due to Roderick, but it was a part of him. “Now, I have been training with fists and sword to make sure I am not a helpless bab…” Ethan looked at Kimi for a second and realized the saying would be in poor taste, “puppy on the expedition. Though I am not well versed in climbing rock faces, hopefully we have a decent climber with us and I certainly have the upper body strength to move up and down on a rope. Otherwise I have a strong back and good steel.” As Ethan finished, he realized that it sounded slightly of boasting and defending himself to the rest. Ethan felt the slight twinge of emotional regret for not being a better person. Looking at Shiyami, he puzzled at the question and then said, “Well if Kimi doesn’t mind, perhaps on the trip you could tell me what a chakram is and perhaps we can reason it out if I have one or not.” Looking around Ethan signaled Aoren with a wave and spoke up, “Aoren, come on over and introduce yourself to our travelling companions.”

OOCSorry for the wait, I had an injury recently and couldn’t get to the computer. I will try to be a little better with replies.

[Aoren]

Ghosts.

Aoren blinked at the faded figures hovering not far from the more fleshy travelers of the group. After being told there was indeed room for him to accompany the spelunkers down into the caves for the duration of the expedition he had nodded to the clerk then slowly made his way toward the assembled group. The closer he drew the more foreboding all of it seemed. That was likely due to the looming darkness not far off from the main body of the would-be explorers.

"Aoren, come on over and introduce yourself to our travelling companions.”

His cobalt blue eyes fell onto Ethan. Earlier in the season he had agreed to join the blacksmith on a venture into the caves. When the plan had been formed they had both intended to go through with it out of their own pockets. The fact that the merchant had decided to throw together an expedition had worked out perfectly. He'd notified Ethan as soon as he'd heard about it. At the moment though he wasn't enjoying the omens that three ghosts cast over their potential outing. He shook his head softly as he made his way up to the group. The dark haired man who seemed to be the most talkative looked vaguely familiar. Aoren thought for a moment before nodding to him.

"Roderick, wasn't it?" The name came to him after some quiet though. He remembered venturing out into the Bronze Woods in search of a highly strange and exotic prize not long ago. It had taken a moment but he now recognized the man more clearly. "Good to know we have another strong arm along for the trip."

"Ethan." He nodded to the blacksmith. Aoren's reasons for coming along were purely in the pursuit of more knowledge that might prove useful in his scholarly endeavors. Whatever else he happened upon along the way, if it proved beneficial, he certainly wouldn't scoff at. Casting his gaze at his other...companions he was silent as he regarded the spirits.

"I met another Ghost once. It was during my first trip to the caves. Maybe you know her? Kouri was her name. She was a little mischeivous but she had a good heart...err...well she was a good soul. Once you got past her...oddities." He shrugged. It had been an interesting encounter. While the dead girl had proved incredibly useful he had still been a little uneasy at her presence. She had been nothing but helpful minus the occasional prank with a skeleton or two.

"You may call me, Aoren. A pleasure to meet you all." He nodded to each one in turn before falling back into silence.

[Roderick]

When Roderick approached the growing cluster of would-be spelunkers - such a strange word - he saw the man that was talking to Shiyami and Kimi give him a slight apprehensive look. While he was sure he hadn't said anything that could have offended the man, he decided the red-head was probably just a little shy around strangers. Something to keep in mind when they were talking. The man didn't answer immediately and instead seemed to think about it for a while; since he obviously wasn't going to be saying anything any time soon Roderick made the rounds in terms of introductions, sharing his name and those of the group that he knew. For a moment it seemed like the man was going to say something, but he was cut off short by the arrival of a grim presence nearby. All four of them turned around to look at the newcomer; another ghost, is seemed - because clearly two lingering spirits wasn't enough. Ethan left the subject alone there, saying nothing more about it. He seemed a little defensive - but then he was surrounded by an unknown man and three ghosts; he couldn't be blamed for feeling a little edgy. The ex-farrier brought his recent training into the light, providing some solace for Roderick and, presumably, the other members of the group; every member that could fight made the journey markedly less dangerous. Ethan broke off suddenly from what he was saying as he seemed to reconsider the words coming from his mouth - giving the ghost child standing nearby a look - then continued speaking again. There was a slight twisting of flesh and Ethan grimaced ever so slightly to himself, over some perceived slight he'd just made in talking about what he'd been doing lately - knowing the man had been practicing with his weapons put Roderick at ease when it came to wondering about what they would do if they were attacked by the possible denizens the caves might hold. "Glad to hear you've been preparing yourself for a fight." Roderick told Ethan, as he turned towards the robed man and called him over to them. Aoren had already been on his way towards them, so he was standing beside them within a few tics. As he arrived he laid his eyes on Ethan first, no doubt thinking of the previous times he had met with the man. Bringing his gaze to bear on Roderick the Drykas took a few tics to turn his thoughts over inside his head, before nodding in the direction of the hunter. Pleased to know the man had remembered his name, Roderick gave a smile and nodded back at Aoren, "Good to see you again, Aoren." The praise from the other man widened the Zeltivan's smile by quite a bit, "I'm glad to hearing you're joining us too." Aoren nodded at Ethan and said his name in greeting, then shifted his gaze towards the other members of the expedition - more specifically the three lingering ghosts which were having an unnerving effect on all the humans present. The Drykas began talking about how he had met another ghost once, while he'd been travelling through the caves. Kouri... for some reason the name was vaguely familiar, but Roderick was sure he would have remembered meeting a ghost by that name. He'd probably heard it being mentioned at the Stallion - ghosts made for some interesting talk in a tavern, especially considering the way Aoren described her. Finally Aoren introduced himself properly - politely and pleasantly, as was his way, it seemed. Nodding to each of his companions in turn, the Drykas lapsed into utter silence. Suddenly Roderick found his mind to be blank of ideas - those that were there seemed rather useless for this situation.

[Noaru]

“ I don‘t know... what are chakrams? ”

The humans’ quiet stares were fleeting—moments that lasted only for mere seconds. Noaru observed the ghosts and humans before him; they were young souls, most were compared to years he has existed. Noaru stared quietly at the souls that would be with him during this journey—he would remember them well. The spirit was quiet after his response to Shiyami, he remained visible as well, so that the young ghost would remember his form and not mistake him for something else... should they have to enter darkness. Noaru was enjoying himself; individuals were preparing themselves while some remained quiet; probably waiting for the event to start.

“There will probably be many events like this one. I‘ll have to dwell near the city and keep a close eye on my surroundings, if I want to become more aware of things.”

Noaru formed a slight grin in response to his thoughts; he was looking to grab a hold of something interesting on this trip. Though, considering his nature; he'll stay close to a living vessel should he need a meat-suit to combat some strange foe. The spirit knew that the humans who've noticed him were not to be touched; it would be better for him to find a more vulnerable host and yet unfavorable for him should that person he possesses resists. Noaru was slowly devising a sinister plan for one soul who loses consciousness—their body would be his! He didn‘t want to resort to such a unpolished plan but one had to have something prepared.

[Shiyami]

Shiyami almost place his hand on his head. Almost. It would be disrespectful, and possibly nurture hate among someone who may be useful. How do you not know what chakrams are? One should learn the weapons of this world, to better protect themselves from the dangers of each other!, he scolded mentally, but he kept a straight face, as he spoke. "Chakrams are basically a weapon similar to a large ring, bladed on the outside. Generally it's a ring, but I have seen someone using four daggers as a substitute.", was the explanation given.

When asked whether or not he has met the ghost girl Kouri, both Shiyami and Kimi exhibited varying reactions. Although subtle, Shiyami's eye shifted over towards Kimi. He remembered being ripped apart by that girl, not once, but twice. His little companion's reaction was much more obvious, hiding her face with Shiyami's arm. The visible areas of her face was tomato red. "We have met on several occasions...", he said with a sigh. He looked over at his still spinning scythe, before shrugging. "That aside, what brings everyone here? Fame? Fortune? Adventure?", he asked, attempting to change the subject.

Shiyami

[Ethan Ironhorse]

Ethan smiled as Aoren told his story, he had been happily surprised when Aoren had come by and told him about his expedition to the caves. Ethan was excited and worried about what they would find down in the caverns. At least in stead of going alone into the deep dark, he knew one other person, even if it was nothing more in passing. Aoren surprised Ethan be telling them that he had met a ghost before in the same caves that they were going. Ethan had never really thought about ghosts before. He knew that they existed and that several places around Syliras had them, but he never really talked to one, so he wondered if the rumors and myths about ghosts would be answered during this trip. Roderick gave Ethan a compliment about his training in the sword and fists. Ethan relaxed slightly since Roderick hadn’t reached like a bully and ridicule Ethan’s choice to become a fighter. It surprised Ethan that Roderick knew Aoren, but he kept it from his face. Syliras wasn’t a small hamlet where everyone knew each other, but then again the two might have been drinking buddies for all he knew. Still the conversation quieted for a moment and Shiyami brought up his response to Ethan question. Apparently, a Chakram was a strange weapon that Ethan hadn’t really heard of. Ethan thought on the description for a while and realized that it had to be a throwing weapon, a ring with a bladed outside didn’t have the ability to provide a grip for defensive guard positions. Additionally, Ethan wasn’t sure if the weapon would be made of steel. If it was, it had to be very light to get a decent range out of it. Besides once a weapon was out of your hands, it was hard to find a replacement one. So Ethan listened to Shiyami politely and wondered if he could perhaps pick the ghosts thoughts and experience on ancient weapons. One never knew what the ghost had experience during his lifetime, perhaps he knew something about the Empires elite troops and weapons that they used? “I am here for knowledge, Shiyami. The caves housed the refugees right after the Valterrian, surviving craftsmen and women had to have sought shelter in the cave system until they figured out a way to live. It would make sense that cave-in’s and unexpected dangers occurred during the upheaval. If samples of advance Philtering materials survived or personnel journal’s found on the remains of people trapped underneat the rock, it could help us regain some of the knowledge we lost during the Valterrian. Though I do not wish to loot the dead, picking over the bones like some crow, I really don’t expect bunches of coins or jewels for sale, but the knowledge that could be regained would be priceless.” “Aye,” Ethan nodded and spoke to himself, “I expect long hours moving through the caves with heavy lifting and pulling to clear areas, but for the chance at lost knowledge that is a fair price.

[Aoren]

"If I'm going to be honest I'm not surprised you're here." He chuckled lightly as he nodded to Roderick. He really wasn't. Roderick seemed like the type to enjoy going headlong into the unknown with sword drawn or bow at the ready. He'd certainly proved himself useful in their previous encounter despite hiccups along the way. The reassurance that there was someone present that he'd worked with previously was a bit of a comfort to Aoren. While he didn't doubt that each person or...being...had their own set of skills it was always good to be familiar with the assets of a group. He knew that Ethan was intelligent but beyond that he knew nothing of his abilities outside of bartering for medicines in a shop and his ability to plan ahead.

He noted the ghost Shiyami and his companion's reaction to his previous mention of the ghost-girl Kouri. Aoren arched an eyebrow slightly. From the way Shiyami spoke he didn't seem all that enthused about the subject. A fact that was reinforced by his swift change of subject. The reaction was interesting to say the least. He left them to their own thoughts though. Far be it from Aoren to pry if the subject of Kouri made them uncomfortable. That did bode the question of "why?" though.

"Knowledge." He offered little more in the way of explanation to the ghost. He'd never heard of Shiyami, as Ethan had called him. Then again he didn't think that ghosts were the most social of beings. From what he'd experienced of them, and that was very little, they seemed to enjoy floating around observing the world and causing mischief or mayhem as they saw fit. His more inquisitive side leaped at the chance to watch how these new phantoms would interact with the living. He planted the butt of his quarterstaff and leaned it against his shoulder before looking at each member of their party in turn.

It was an odd mix to say the least but he was looking forward to the adventure. His previous outing into the caves had yielded very little. Then again he wasn't heavily experienced with cave diving but what he had found there was most enjoyable. He had recovered an old journal from several decades ago. He'd discovered a broken eyeglass. He'd even run across some very old looking pottery depicting life in the caves. He'd left most of those items behind with the exception of the journal. He'd taken that along with him as it proved to be the most interesting thing.

As they continued the conversation Aoren would remain silent. He scanned the assembled waiting for any sign that the spelunking party was ready to finish the preliminary preparations and get on with the trek to the caves.

[Roderick]

"If I'm going to be honest I'm not surprised you're here." Roderick smiled with Aoren as the Drykas gave a little chuckle; they'd not known one another for very long, but it seemed that already the other man had developed a fairly good understanding of the hunter. Aoren seemed to be set at ease by the Zeltivan's presence, and Roderick felt the same in return. It seemed they were both in silent agreement about that. More words were exchanged by everyone, with various sentiments of gratitude being expressed between the humans present, while the ghosts seemed less than enthusiastic about the discussions taking place. At the mention of the ghost Aoren had met Shiyami and Kimi both reacted badly, the girl hiding behind Shiyami as she went bright right and the older ghost's face twitched ever so slightly. He admitted they had met on several occassions, sounding greatly weary of just thinking about what had happened to him. Ethan seemed happier now that his friend Aoren had arrived; he'd been a edgy before then, despite Roderick's polite manner. Maybe he'd been a little too brusque? He decided he didn't particularly care what the ex-farrier thought of him, only that he would do his part in the expedition. Ethan relaxed visibly as Roderick delivered a positive comment about his training; it seemed he'd been expecting some disparaging words in regards to what he'd been doing of late. In the silence that followed Shiyami told Ethan what a Chakram was, at the same time informing everyone about what the odd weapon was - some sort of bladed ring. It sounded like a strange thing to use, but for all he knew it could be highly effective at the task of making things bleed. The next words that came from the ghost's 'mouth' were aimed at all standing about him; Roderick considered the question for a few moments, leaving everyone else their turn to speak before he made his own reply; Ethan explained that he hoped to find lost knowledge within the caves - things that could reveal how their ancestors had survived the Valterrian, and of any information and arts which had been lost following the disaster. Of course the man did so with quite a bit of passion and interest. When it was his turn to speak Roderick did so with a slight shrug. "It sounded like an interesting venture. The fame and fortune part were just some nice bonuses that went along with it. As to searching through bones; I wouldn't mind picking up a few items along the way - so long as we don't jump up and down on the corpses, I'm fine with the looting." By now it seemed that everyone had sated their curiosity in one another and so, as far as Roderick was concerned, it was time for them all to get moving. The sooner they set about the expedition, the sooner they could end it; while he wasn't on the verge of running away from this, he did feel somewhat uncertain about heading down into the very bowels of the earth, among this relatively unfamiliar company. For a few moments a nagging doubt came to him, and his skin prickled at the thought of all that could go wrong down beneath the earth. His face remained neutral during his mental deliberations, and he roughly shoved his doubts away; being scared and cautious had only ever hampered him before. Roderick had stood his ground against ferocious, snarling beasts and lived - he wouldn't flee from a few old caves. He rubbed his hands together, "Seems we're all done talking. Unless you've got anything else you desperately need to share, its about time we got underway. All this waiting will just put us off the task." Perhaps that was a little demanding for some of his companions, but a little nudge in the right direction couldn't hurt them too much.

[Noaru]

“ Now that you’ve explained the weapon to me. I’am familiar with it—Kouri wielded these weapons for a period of time. I’m only here for the journey; fame and fortune would not benefit me.”


Noaru said little in the conversation—rather than conversing with the others, he remained silent and watched the young souls talk amongst themselves. The mentioning of this Valterrian event and the survivors of it, captured his attention. This was probably the same event he underwent some five-hundred years ago but the spirit was reluctant to allow any relation between him and that horrid day be known by more than two souls—Kouri and Rena were enough. Noaru was beginning to understand that the group of souls that were conversing around him would be the ones he’d be journeying with.


Noaru knew not to judge by appearances alone; he has encountered a few young souls stronger than he was—even if they lacked the abilities he had. They made up that difference with pure power, something he would obtain in due time. Noaru grinned and chuckled at the thought of having unbridled-power in his grasps; he would have no need for a host in order to combat foes. The spirit day-dreamed on the day his powers would grow stronger than they were now; his mind wandered away with his wild thoughts of power and conquest.


Absolute power corrupts the body, mind and soul, absolutely. Noaru was watchful of this. Indeed, power was good to have but being consumed by your own power was very dangerous. Noaru submersed himself within an ocean made of his own thoughts. This ocean had vast waters of power; driven by currents of hatred and deception—blackness made up the depths. However, the color of this seemingly dark ocean was royal blue, signifying goodwill. Noaru could not understand how goodwill would fit into the dark and destructive concepts of which he believed his very well-being was based on—unlife’s complications.


“Over-thinking tires the mind.”


Noaru’s single thought describes what he was doing perfectly. He was over-thinking things and was being indecisive—focusing too much, on less. The spirit snaps back into reality and quietly agrees with Roderick; if things needed to get moving, we would have to move them to prevent ourselves from straying away from the task. Noaru patiently waits for the group’s decision, if they decided to move, he would move with them.

[Shiyami]

"Well, a journey through the caves sounds interesting. Although the main reason why I'm here would be of the little one.", Shiyami said, while glancing over at Kimi. However, despite his actions, his mind was still mulling over the subject of the ancient constructs and weapons that he may find in the caves. Perhaps it was a good thing Kimi brought him here today, excluding the fact that he had to bring her with him into the unknown.

Shiyami then gave a half smile, as the man named Ethan mentioned a dislike for looting the dead. "I would say to let the dead rest, but just my presence is contradicting my words.", he joked, with a shrug. He would be laughing slightly, if not for the fact that his still spinning scythe had not nearly gouged a random, careless stranger who wasn't very observant of their surroundings. "Best to wrap things up, lest I get in shyke for harming someone who walks into the outstretched blades...", he muttered with a exasperated tone.

Shiyami