Quest [Quest] Entering the Temple of the Unknown

[Anarkhos]

18th of Summer 516 A.V Sunberth

The sound of the bell rang throughout the city signaling that it was the 9th bell of the morning. The sun was well out now as it's rays began to pour out over the city of Sunberth baking everything in it's reach with it's summer heat. Old man Joe stood by the doors leaning on the wall ever so casually as the continually growing group of citizens roared and watched with eyes full of anticipation and curiosity. "Where are they? Are they even coming? What do these things mean?" Were some of the things being asked.

Hell, he didn't know why they were asking him. All he did was monitor the temple, kept it clean and temple like. He wasn't a fucking specialist given that he knew the temple better than he knew his own house, but other than that he couldn't tell anyone the first thing about the accursed building rather anything that came out of it.

A shift of his shoulders as he positioned himself. A quick puff of his smokes holding the toxic air in his lungs to sustain him until he could light another to put onto his lips. "What's happening here? Why hasn't anyone entered yet?" Petch, more questions. Joe gave a wave of his head to keep his receding hair from his face as he took a long drag from his newly lit cigarillo. "Just stay calm people. They are on their way. We will be entering the temple soon and all of our questions will be answered I am sure of it." That was the 4th time he had to say that-

Giving a rub of his forehead to wipe the sweat from his brow. Shyke it was hot, even for Sunberth. He had began to wonder what everyone was so worried about these slab doohickey's for. This WAS Sunberth for fuck's sake, weird shit was always happening here for some odd reason. The Myrian had lived a century and through it all and was still here kicking and pissed off at the world. That's all it was...Well what he thought all it was. Something that would come and pass just like all the other things that did in this shyke hole of a town.

He looked back over his shoulder at the old building that was said to be standing long before he was even born. Through all the disasters and riots and destruction that filled the city day by day season by season it was the only building in Sunberth that remained untouched, undamaged through all of it. Why would anyone want to enter this place anyway? He worked here nearly all his life and there wasn't anything special to it really. Just a bunch of halls and underground tunnels and chambers. He guessed one could say that it was a mysterious place, beautiful even but that was all there was to it. He personally just didn't see the point in exploring it. But the people get what the people want, so here was smoking, relaxing, waiting for the four lucky bastards that were picked to investigate this mystery.

More stranglers showed up to join the group. He pushed air through his teeth as smoke seeped from his mouth. It didn't surprise him that so many people flocked to this place. With all that was going on in the city he was almost positive that they were here for answers to questions that couldn't be answered. With the weird symbols and marking appearing over city as well as the bodies, the Spring flood that had just passed and now he heard that the leaders of the gangs had done up and disappeared without a trace. Yea, there were gang members here too, Daggerhands, Sun's Birth, hell he'd even say that the illusive Night Eyes were here too. It had become some sort of peace zone, a no man's land as many gang members stood in the group some closer than others watching the doors waiting for someone to approach.

It was fear that caused all this. A good dose of fear could make anyone do just about anything really. He'd seen this multiple times in the past back when he was a youngster running through Sunberth with his dagger in his pocket. Now he was just an old fart, but he still kept that dagger just in case anyone got jumpy. Finishing he second smoke and going for his third. He just stood there patiently waiting for any of the four to show up and get this thing moving so he could retire to a tavern for a good old pint of golden goodness.

[Akhen]

The day was a hot one, by Syliran standards for sure, as Akhen still found the heat sufferable. To him it was a mild day, comparable to the scorching summers that ravaged Eyktol seasonally. Here, it was not so much the weather that made the day unbearable, it was the conditions. In his mind he envisioned Ahnatep. He could see the dusky children dancing in fountains of sparkling blue waters to cool, the long-limbed Eypharian girls clutching their multi-coloured fans to sweep over their consummate features with deigned aristocratic fashion, the men who played dice under the shade, their curved daggers gleaming threateningly. With a glance at Sunberth, he would have sworn the cities were one and the same, though this city lacked the sparkling fountains, the long-limbed Eypharian girls even though the dice was plentiful and littered each niche and corner that filled the city. At times he missed the splendour of Eyktol, but not today for Sunberth had its own glamour to it. The shining dirt-covered faces that meandered about the streets callously, the strange fetor that hung over the buildings to trickle down over sweltering bodies and puddles of unusual liquids, which Akhen knew were mostly blood and piddle, all seemed to give Sunberth a gallant magnetism he found kept drawing him back to it over the years. And today was no different. Akhen had awoken to a small throbbing about his scalp and side. The pain was instantly dispelled by the first smoke of Blue Vision for the day. A cold bath in a tin-tub underwent without much duress. The afro-haired mercenary took to dressing in the appropriate vesture for the day. A pair of pants was adorned with its belt, light boots came just under his knees, a shirt was worn and a simple leather jerkin completed his vesture. Not one to succumb to vanity he glanced himself in the mirror, scratched his growing beard as he strapped his sheathed sword into the leather sword-harness and tightened the leather bands across his lean waist and across his chest diagonally. With a day's supply of Blue Vision packed into a small discreet pouch and the mercenary’s pipe stashed comfortably away, he went out his rented home. The sun's heat kneaded gently across Akhen's ebon skin and he ruminated on how the Sunset Quarters were eerily quiet that morning, so was the Pig's Foot Tavern when he'd stepped into it to grab some breakfast. A weary barmaid with a black, midnight mane served him some porridge and left the tavern with slumped shoulders and black curses hanging off her delicate lips. Besides a seemingly ghoulish Merv, the tavern was empty and Akhen could readily guess why. He ate in silence as the 8th morning bell chimed its slow, delirious tone and left the tavern a few chimes nearing the ninth. Down the street toward the Commons he dipped slowly and then merged with a gathering crowd, electrified whispers filled his ears like the humming of birds and droning thunder. These people were too excited, he thought to himself, or perhaps the Blue Vision had numbed his own excitement and anxiety, he could never guess with such things. “Who's going in there?” he heard a giddy voice beside him as they walk uniformly. He eyed two adolescent girls from where he was. They seemed to going well into maturity with their stout bodies and bronzed, Sunberthian skin. One was a green-eyed red head and the other, grey-eyed with dark-brown curls. “I don't know! But I heard a few gang members are there, perhaps that cute one that's been spotting you is there too, hehe.” grey-eyes cackled teasingly. The ninth bell of the morning had already rung. Her friend huffed and crossed her arms, “He better not go in there, who knows what's inside that creepy temple. Gods, who's dense enough to go into such forbidden places? My grandpa said the thing is empty anyway, he and his friends went in and said they found nothing but junk!” “You don't say?” grey-eyes replied with a smirk and rolling eyes, “Perhaps you're jealous that you're not going in there yourself. I heard ther--” Akhen drifted away from the girls' conversion when the temple grew up ahead. It was truly a marvellous thing, a sardonic mystery of timeless beauty. Akhen had seen the temple over the years in his visits to Sunberth while looking for work, sadly none of the jobs he'd attained had involved the temple and the thrill of self-exploration had never really enticed him. Until recently. The mercenary observed the company scattered about the entrance, a few shady characters had taken the front and flanked the sides of the crowd. While he could see the front relatively easily, he couldn't move due to the cluster of people all around him. A slim aggravated man stood in front of Akhen, blocking the way. “Oi! I can't see! Ged! Damn, ged!” the man hissed angrily. Someone bumped Akhen from behind, causing he and the slim fellow to collide. The man turned with sharp eyes, growling! “Ay! Whad you think yer doing, trying to pinch my pockets, bastard?” leered the man, now spotting a small knife. Akhen looked at the man silently then shoved him off with a hand across the face. The man slumped back into the crowd beside him, a few brawny men tossed him a few curses and he yelped, apologized and turned back to Akhen with a snarl and gleaming blade. He slacked as he looked around, the mercenary was gone and in the front, a distinct afro stood apart from the rest. The afro-haired mercenary wasn't sure what to make of the old man, named Joe, across him when he came up to the front. His worn features were gloomy and rugged, much like everyone else in the city and the look he gave him wasn't one he was uncommon with. Perhaps it was due to the sword-hilt peeking out from the mercenary’s shoulder. From what Akhen had seen when he walked down, a few of the gang members (though he wasn't certain what to call them now since he got word that their leaders had vanished) were there too. They eyed him grimly as he went by. The mercenary then wondered whether they were looking for their leaders here. Supposedly things weren't looking good for either gang in the city and Akhen was sure something like this was a sure sign of desperation – if his suspicions held true. The mercenary looked around. Was he the first one there? It looked like it. Old Man Joe's burning cigarillo made Akhen want to pull out his smoke-pipe but he decided against it. The gathering crowd, the kneading sun, the harsh, brutal eyes moving to and fro. This was all calling for tension and Akhen knew he'd better save up on his ample supply. It was going to be a long day...

[Aladari Coolwater]

OOCI hope it's okay if I assume Aladari and Akhen exchange niceties. If not, PM me and I'll change it up.

When Aladari awoke that morning, it wasn't by choice. It wasn't because of the sun shining through the rotten old shutters, or her old dog nuzzling her face, or even a poke from the bed that she woke. Rather, it was people. And that, she had little tolerance for.

"Keep that shyke down!"

The noise outside her door continued, seemingly unperturbed by her anger. Aladari groaned and rolled over in bed, turning away from the door, but she could not get away from the racket. Concluding that it was too early in the morning to fight, and too late to find somewhere else to sleep, Aladari gave in and got up.

She brushed off the clothes she had slept in and gave her boots a single click to knock off the dirt before putting them on. She shoved a bite of food in her mouth while she packed her bag. Mentally, she worked through a checklist. Knife, waterskin, day's rations, flint and steel, signal whistle, and my net...you never know... With everything packed, Aladari threw the backpack over her back, took a deep breath, and stepped out the door.

Today was the day.

She couldn't say, really, why she agreed to go into the cathedral. Perhaps she had been drunk. Or maybe they had mentioned money. Either way, it was a crazy idea, considering the history of the place. She didn't know anything personally, except for the eerie chill it gave her when she looked at it. But she had heard plenty of stories; everyone in town had heard the stories. You could hardly avoid them, even now...Especially now. She heard the stories all again as she walked through the crowd gathered before the building, like an echo of her own haunting thoughts.

"Some had gone in and never come back out. They said they was dead, but I bet it's worse..."

"The cathedral was struck by lightning and it didn't catch fire. It survived the floods, and never changed a bit! It's gotta be magic."

"I don't get all the hub. I said before and I'll say again, it's just an old, unused building, good for nothing but a thieving rat's hideout."

Aladari tried to block out the noise, but the crowd was so thick and so loud that it was impossible, even at the back. Added to the noise, the sun was baking her head and shoulders, and her backpack was creating a mark of sweat on her back. Moving through the crowd was even worse, with the bodies of angry men and women pressed against her. For a tick, she was certain she would collapse. I knew I wasn't cut out for adventuring. I shouldn't have signed up. Whatever I'm getting, it isn't worth it.

But just as soon as she finished the thought, she broke through the crowd, and found herself at the steps to the cathedral. Suddenly, she could breathe, and her tense muscles relaxed in the slightly more open space. Feeling re-energized, albeit still apprehensive, Aladari coaxed herself up the steps. It's too late to turn back now. Sunberth needs you. And besides, it's just a temple. What could happen?

She tossed a quick prayer to Morwen for protection within the cathedral (and for cooler weather), touching the snowflake on her shoulder out of habit as she did so. Finally ready, she turned to face the other people on the steps.

Firstly there were a handful of people clumped together in a few groups, which Aladari assumed to be the gangs. However, she had little to no knowledge on them, and so she passed over them without much thought.

There was one old man, though, that she recognized. Joe was there- the man who had gathered them. He was smoking an old cigarillo as though his life depended on it. Looking him over, she had to wonder if his life did depend on it. He looked about as kind as he did young, which was to say, not at all. His brow was furrowed and beading with sweat, and his frown looked somewhat permanent.

However, the other man looked not much different. He was dark-colored all over. His skin, his hair, even his eyes were dark as nightfall. His muscles stood out even when he stood still, and his face seemed as though it had been crudely carved with a sword. He was the kind of adventurer they needed for this job. Feeling rather inadequate once again, Aladari moved towards the dark man.

After clearing her throat of the dry air and running through the Common phrases in her head, Aladari thrust her hand out at him. "Aladari. Sailor, fisher, and...mercenary, it seems. Nice to meet you."

As soon as he was finished introducing himself, Aladari dropped her hand and took a step back so she could observe the crowd from a distance. There were supposed to be two more here somewhere...

[Riluc Lorrani]

Riluc was in his tent quietly meditating as he prepared to go into the Temple today. He sat cross legged on the floor of his tent breathing slowlly as he cleared his mind. There was much to do today as Riluc had voluntered to search the temple of the unkown. His reasons for voluntering were actually fairly numerous. Riluc believed in living life to the fullest and to face the challenges of the day. The visit to the temple could be either tedious and useless or extremely dangerous Riluc knew and wished that it would be dangerous. The danger wasn't the only reason. The city of Sunberth was out of balance right know. Curses that whipped whole populations were a bane to the natural world, cities were as much part of nature as was the forest. People tended to forget that, but it wa true. There was as intracite of an eco system in the city that if humans were removed would collapse and spread to the other places.

So Riluc meditated this morning in an effort to prepare himself for what ever was to come. His meditation was interupted by the growing noise coming from out side. Clearly the citzenry was getting ready for the day. Riluc slowlly open his green eyes and looked at the tent door. He stood up and paused to make sure he was ready. He reached down and picked up te plumbed helmet he had found as a child and kept always. He held the helmet under his arm. He was still dressed in his loin cloth but had thrown on his cloak as he prepared for the morning.

He stepped out of his tent and holding his helmet under one arm, his sling secured and his pack on his back he set off. Riluc's expression was focused as he departed his tent and walked through the crowd with a purposeful gait. In the tent city the crowds weren't so bad but that began to change as he came closer to the temple the crowds began to thicken. Riluc felt himself tense as the crowds thickened and his expression hardened. He wasn't frowning but his expression seemed to say that people who interfered with him would regret it. A few people who noticed his expression moved out of the way but overall people's attention was focused elsewhere.

Riluc firmly moved people out of his way as he moved closer to the temple. He wasn't rude nor did he show people he just would move himself into the spot he needed to occupy to move forward. He noticed that there were many different groups of people in the crowds. Riluc noticed a groups openly showing their affiliation with one gang or the other. He didn't see anyone from the Night Eyes but doing anything in the open is against that groups dogma. Riluc noticed but didn't feel all that affected by there presence especially since all three groups had been handicapped by the disappearance of their leaders.

Eventually he was able to make his way to the steps of the temple. First and foremost on the stage was an older gentleman, who had taken care of the building for years. He was smoking at that moment. In addition the was a darker skinned man who appeared ready get moving into the temple. There was a third person waiting as well. It was the young woman Riluc had seen before. As Riluc came to the group he bowed to the before saying. "I am ready. He then joined the group waiting on the fourth member to show up.

[Chase Hunter]

Chase looked down at the wall where sunlight began to leak through the boards of his home. He needed a better place. He missed caves. Chase began maneuvering around his bed, grabbing his clothing and putting it on. He pulled on his gauntlets, and strapped his short sword to his side. He groaned slightly as he moved about, before slamming his door open and moving out. It seemed uncommonly deserted in this part of town. No rabble. No people. Nothing but rats. Chase moved onward down the street. He cocked his head. He heard no one around. He thought back to why. Why why why. He could not think of it. He hurried on, starting to run now. Where were the people? He started to run faster, listening for the sound… there it was. The sound of a crowd. Chase ran for it, turning down an alleyway. It sounded like it was near the temple. The Temple! Chase was started to hate his curse. It was the worst thing he could imagine on another person. He had no way to cure it. And it was for this reason that he had said he would enter the temple. He had heard of its calming effect on people. He had even seen it for himself, the few times he had bothered to go there. He was hoping that going deeper would provide him a way to cure this wretched thing. So he was going. Even the curse had apparently tried to keep him from remembering to go. There was no better reason to Chase to go. As he pulled up to the crowd, he started shoving his way through. The crowd was thick, and slow to move. Chase yelled in exasperation and started throwing people to the side as much as possible to get through. Eventually, people heard the word passed up to move out of the way, and he walked up to the small group at the head. He turned to examine each of them briefly. An old human smoking. The woman he knew. A white human male. A black human male. It did not instill in him confidence, but he was willing to go himself if nothing else. “I am ready” he said aggressively, nodding to the old man apparently to lead them.

[Anarkhos]

Joe continued to stand there leaning against the wall slouched puffing away on his smokes, bored out of his old decaying mind as the crowd slowly began to separate gaining a raised eyebrow from the elderly man. Was everyone leaving? Did they finally tire of watching the old bastard repeat himself and smoking his cigar? No. It turned out that someone actually decided to show up. Good o'l fucking dandy Joe thought to himself standing up straight or as straight as his back would let him to introduce himself to the first volunteer.

They say that you can tell a lot about a person based on how the approach a person or place, if this was true then whom ever this man was, Joe knew he lived a dangerous lifestyle. He barely had to shove through the thick mass of the crowed and only one man attempted to harass the dark skin man only to end up mushed into the crowd and attacked by others. "Damn". The word slipped from Joe's mouth as it would from a small child. He watched as the man finally made it to the front of the crowd, his Afro holding it's form in the summer heat.

The man didn't even speak only giving a nod of the head as he passed the old man before he himself leaned on the wall while he waited for the others. "Well petch you too kid" Joe thought to himself now returning to his previous position as well. Lighting another cigarillo he caught a whiff of what the man puffed on. It was called something totally different when he was coming up, but he believed they called it blue vision nowadays. Digging into his pockets he pulled out an extra cigar gesturing it towards the man.

The roar of the crowd had now reduced to murmurs and whispers upon the dark skinned man's arrival. He was the first to show which meant that the other's were probably going to show soon, and just as he'd thought it a hand emerged through the crowd with words following behind it.

"Aladari. Sailor, fisher, and...mercenary, it seems. Nice to meet you."

Aladari. A nice name, had a ring to it. He watched as the young woman squeezed and popped through the small gap in the crowd. Looking as if she was ready to kick up dust and run. Too late for that now lassie, the crowd wouldn't allow you to back out now" Joe thought to himself as he reached out with his own slightly deformed and locked due to arthritis wrinkly hand. "Names Old man Joe. My friends call me Old fart but you can just call me Joe." He didn't say it as a joke nor did he intend for it to be one. That's what he was known as around this place. Once Sunberth gave you a name, it stuck no matter who you were or how you felt about it. Hell his name wasn't even Joe. He'd just been called that for so long that his old mind forgot his birth name.

He gave the girl a quick look over, carrying a pack full of items and supplies for the trip. A sailor, maybe, but she didn't strike him as the mercenary type at least. Who was he to judge though. Sometimes a beautiful face made the best distraction. It got a man to put his guard down. He gave a sigh as he thought about his first wife now. More time had passed when the third, a lighter skinned male who looked as if he were ready to start a fight approached the group. He stopped in front of the three before taking a bow and stating that he was ready before standing to the side with the others. That made three, now they were only waiting for-

His attention was quickly brought to the crowd as a commotion seemed to be started. He didn't know exactly what was going on, he only saw bodies being shoved and flung out in different direction. Standing up from the wall he used his good hand to pull the Myrian dagger from his waist as what ever it was made it's way to the front of the group. "Sunberth is always full of some shyke" He kept the thought to himself as the thing now was only a few people away from them. Joe gripped his dagger with as much force as he could ready to scoot out of the way and take down what ever beast was ravaging the crowd. It was to his surprised though that it wasn't a beast, just a really hairy man. A bat with arms and legs if he really had to describe it. The boys down at the tavern wouldn't believe this one.

Just as the last man, the man-bat thing gave a hard nod stating that he was ready. "Holy shyke it talks." the words slipping from Joe's lips as he stared at the man...if that what is was in amazement. "They're all here now" Someone boomed over the crowd that resulted in a brief moment of cheers and applauds. Flicking his smokes onto the ground cursing as he put the cigar out with his boot he motioned for the doors opening them with a loud creak and disappearing into them expecting the others to follow. "Names Joe." He stated as the doors closed separating them from those that were outside. "Welcome to the temple. I keep it clean and such, not that it matters really, no one ever comes to this place for anything, but the slabs things were in this room."

He turned walking down the center isle between rows of benches that all faced the back wall where a podium stood. It was a mid-sized room, not small but not huge either. It was very dimmed having candles upon the walls though some had burnt out and Joe being too old to reach never bothered to relight them. He continued to lead the way moving by memory rather than sight. He knew this place like the back of his hand, every nook and cranny of this building from top to bottom. He brushed his hand across a bench arm, rubbing the dust with his thumb and finger. This place was old, really old and forgotten. It's former glory and beauty lost in time replaced by a spooky and eerie feeling that made little children shake. Hell, it could make some adult shake too if they stayed for too long. It was the quietness that usually got to people.

He came to a slow stop at a door at the end of a hall. "Here we are. I gotta warn you though this is some freaky stuff. Any questions just let me know." He talked as he fumbled with a key ring trying to find the right key for the door. "It started about four days ago. That's how I knew that they were missing. I kept the door locked because I didn't want the wrong people seeing this and causing chaos to break in the city." He stopped and gave them a look. Boy this was some group. A silent mercenary, a fisher woman, a man and a bat. It sounded like the start of a bad joke. Still though he wasn't one to judge. Finally finding the lock he put the key in the hole whilst giving a turn until he heard the familiar click of the door being opened.

The room was just as dim as the man hall only majority of it's lighting didn't come from the candles, but from something quite strange. There were symbols, the same symbols that were found around the city, upon the bodies of those deceased and upon the slabs now were scattered on the wall before them glowing, moving around and changing. The room was empty other than a bunch of vases, barrels and two pedestals where both slabs would've sat if they were there. The symbols were etched into the wall as if carved by a tool. Joe hated coming in here. It just didn't feel right. It was too unnatural. "Feel free to look around, like I said any questions just feel free to ask." The old man gave a quick look around the room both amazed and afraid of what he saw. There was a jingle as his foot brushed across broken glass upon the floor. It looked as if it were from one of the vases. " How'd this happen? Did one of you do this?" He asked shaking his head at the deed. "I swore I cleaned this place up, didn't I ?" He began to question himself. It didn't matter now, it was something that had to be cleaned. Excusing himself for a moment he left to retrieve the broom and trash catcher to take care of the mess.

[Akhen]

Dark eyes moved anxiously, the harsh summer heat tortured the people as Akhen took his place against the wall. The din hushed into low tittering whispers that caused the mercenary to wonder whether it was his presence that caused it. He shrugged off a few smouldering glares and turned to toward Old Man Joe. The old man held out a cigar in Akhen's direction and the latter replied, “Thank you.” as he took it. Akhen wasn't fond of tobacco, admittedly, he found the taste of it bitter and coarse but a gift was nevertheless a gift and it would be rude for him to reject so kind an offer. These things are bad for your health, don't you know old man?, he surmised internally. For a moment, the gesture – be it an act of kindness or habitual attitude from an old smoker like Joe – caused the afro-haired man to reflect on his past. When was the last time I got a gift?, he thought to myself. He sank into a dark mood for a space... Never. That was the last time. In his deep ruminations, the mercenary also overlooked a flutter of dark, shimmering hair beneath his dark eyes. A firm, sun-kissed arm outstretched and a voice, one almost musical in his ears, spoke. “Aladari. Sailor, fisher, and... mercenary.” was there uncertainty in that last one? Akhen mused, as he turned his full attention to the girl. At a glance, Akhen was certain he may have figured the reason as to why she seemed so dubious. She was petite and seemed quite young – younger than most mercenaries he knew – though the firm, muscled arms she maintained chronicled a past he was sure would make for a good book one day. For a moment his attention was drawn to a few loud voices in the crowd behind the girl named Aladari. A couple of men within earshot seemed to be leering and unceremoniously gossiping. “Hey, haven't I seen her b'fore? Yea – yea...” one man with dry lips snickered. His friend elbowed him and nodded excitedly, chuckling. “Ain't she one of Brega's girls? I swears it on me ma's laying stone!” “Eey!” one vagrant whistled, “You d'ere, shake yer romp for a us won't ya?” A few men chuckled and hooted. The mercenary toned down their voices and turned to Aladari, the girl seemed hardly like a killer in his eyes but he'd seen stranger things in his life. He'd worked with a konti mercenary not so many days ago, so the prospects were endless. “Akhen. Mercenary, traveller and something of an adventurer; I guess.” he replied with a clasp of her tiny hand. He slid the cigarillo Joe had given him into his small pouch (already planning to smoke it after he was done here) and made sure not too apply pressure in his shake even though he guessed the girl wouldn't mind it. With formalities between the mercenaries done and Aladari occupied with Old Man Joe, it didn't take long for the next volunteers to emerge. The first was a young man Akhen was sure he would've crossed paths with in the Blood Pits or Tall Johnny's if it weren't for today; he was a tall, graciously built lad with cords of muscle that rippled down his lean body. Naked for but a loin cloth, cloak and helm under his strong arm, he seemed like a gladiatorial combatant better suited for war than exploring old decrepit relics. As he bowed and proclaimed his readiness, he seemed to give the women in the crowd quite a view as Akhen heard a few gasps and whistles streaming out the din – and a few disgruntled looks on the faces of the men was sure something recalling for a laugh later, too. Bodies began wailing from the back and curses spattered from bruised lips as the last volunteer emerged through the tautly packed mass. He was quite the hairy fellow with a streaming mane and grim eyes harbouring a lot of caged anger from what Akhen could see. The mercenary had seen those kind of eyes in the mirror quite a few times in his life before. The comate man then proclaimed his readiness in a voice that seemed more like a growl than actual words to Akhen and all was set it seem. “Holy shyke it talks.” murmured a clearly astounded Joe before someone in the crowd reminded him of their true purpose there. With everyone present, Joe snuffed his cigarillo then proceeded into the Temple and Akhen followed. When the doors closed and the man reintroduced himself again the afro-haired mercenary was sure old age was beginning to take effect. Akhen followed the old man down the isle. Joe said a few words but the mercenary drifted off and absorbed himself in the ambience of the ancient temple. His face annealed in profound observation even though a strange eerie calmness wriggled down his spine and for a moment, the strangest thing seemed to overtake his senses – the sword strapped to his back almost seemed a most blasphemous thing to have in the walls surrounding him. This temple was a strange thing indeed, he thought. A few cobwebs hung about here and there, the stench of wetness lingered and mouldy rows of dusty seats made it all seem as if the whole building been trapped in time, to an elder era of Syliran existence. Like most people who'd either heard of or seen the cathedral, Akhen had often contemplated the origins of the mysterious Temple of the Unknown, its mysteries and existence were always vague and elusive to him. He knew of the ordinary theory pertaining to its origins, that perhaps the old settlers of the city had built it after all the world nearly ended but he'd often toyed with the idea that perhaps an older people, much older than those of recorded history, had built the cathedral to a nameless god or goddess. The podium across the hall only ignited that contemplative sentiment in the mercenary. “Stranger things have happened,” he murmured lowly in Shiber to himself. Akhen turned to the old man leading them as he was saying : “Here we are. I gotta warn you though this is some freaky stuff. Any questions just let me know.” With the keys jangling, Akhen listened intently now. “It started about four days ago. That's how I knew that they were missing. I kept the door locked because I didn't want the wrong people seeing this and causing chaos to break in the city.” with those words a million thoughts permeated the mercenary’s mind. What this it he was referring to? And four days? When Joe turned to face them Akhen tried to lock eyes with the old man; but he knew he would have been lying to himself if he said he could find any dishonesty in them. From what he knew, Joe was an honest man – or as honest as a Sunberthian could be – and had devoted himself entirely to the temple from what Akhen had heard. So it would be foolish to suspect the old man. The mercenary sank into a solemn mood for a space before Joe slid the door open and a distant light caught Akhen's attention. Then everything enamoured the mercenary simultaneously! As they entered, Akhen felt as if he was walking into a dream – but a dream slowly drifting into a chasm of nightmares. The glowing symbols on the walls definitely struck him for he'd seen them a few times on dead bodies across the city. Just two days ago he remembered a crowd huddled around corpse in the Sunset Quarters, the thing was laid half-slouched, its throat was slashed, and it was naked and littered with the very same signs glowering on the walls. Ignoring the vases and pedestals, Akhen glided toward the symbols, his dark eyes caught their mesmerizing luminescence and danced with their constantly shifting rhythm. The esoteric were an equally engrossing thing to Akhen and having been to Sahova before, the anxiety that normally gripped most people at the sight of the arcane had long diminished in the mercenary’s soul. But these symbols, fascinating as they were, filled Akhen with a discomfort he was unfamiliar with. A frown swung on his lips momentarily and his hand tingled as it sought the calm of his sword. No wonder Joe didn't want anyone in here. The city would have turned into an asylum if anyone discovered this. Again, a million questions came to the desert-born man. If this all started a few days ago, then it meant someone (or something) had come in here before that whilst Joe was preoccupied, Akhen thought as he inclined a gaze toward the old man. Perhaps it was a ghost?, he mused internally. If not then, then that individual had to have had a key to enter, or perhaps had stolen it from the temple's keeper whilst the latter was unaware. A few interrogatory questions came to Akhen before a jingle and Joe's voice distracted him. “How'd this happen? Did one of you do this?” Joe asked with a shake of his head. “I swore I cleaned this place up, didn't I?” for a space he seemed to contemplate the matter seriously before excusing himself. The mercenary eyed the old man as he left the room, his eyes then turned to the symbols etched across the wall.“Damn it, none of it makes sense.” he cursed lowly in Shiber. The markings glowed crudely on his features. It took a moment before he paced toward the next set of markings. Watching them intently as if they would give him an answer. He tossed a glance at the rest of the party and wondered if anyone of them had something to ask or even interject, of their knowledge in the whole affair he was really uncertain. A thought struck the sell-sword suddenly and he turned to Old Man Joe's last position. Shards littered the floor and he knelt above them, he picked up one and eyed it intently. “Didn't he just say he cleaned up this place?” he asked in Common loudly enough so they could hear, a thought crossed him. He brooded darkly. Something wasn't right here...

[Aladari Coolwater]

It was luckily not but chimes before the others showed. Strangely enough, both were familiar faces amongst the nearly hostile crowd. Feeling slightly comforted, Aladari relaxed and smiled more easily.

By the time they entered the temple, that smile was gone.

The temple's interior was dimly lit and chilled, giving an impression of a morgue after hours. The rows of dusty pews were endless to the Vantha's eyes, reaching no climax at the end, but simply stretching on. Strange sounds echoed from the noise outside, with no rhyme to them. Aladari's eyes skittered from spot to spot, on edge, glaringly aware. She may have adjusted, had that been the extent of their adventure. Alas, there was more.

The old man warned them of "freaky stuff", and Aladari had to hold back the urge to scoff. Was the tenple itself not "freaky stuff"? But she was quickly proven wrong. When the door was unlocked, she stopped in her tracks, stunned by the view. It was the same dimly lit style, same dusty furniture, and same disturbed feeling. But beyond that, there were the signs.

She could hear Joe speaking in the back of her mind, but she didn't understand a word. She was too preoccupied, too frightened to really listen.

They covered the walls all over, dancing in a faint glow, almost as though they were taunting the party. They ranged in color and size, but all were the same, very distinct shape; they were the same shape that had been related to the murders. Aladari had been new to town at the time of those murders, but she remembered them better than anything else she had seen. She stood completely still, jaw slightly slack, until Joe spoke again.

"How did this happen? Did one of you do this? I swore I cleaned this place up, didn't I?"

His words snapped her out of her trance, allowing her to walk forward and finally think straight. Looking down and away from the lights, she saw what Joe had been talking about. There was a vase on the floor, glass shattered all about in large and small chunks. Slowly, Aladari's brain caught up. Wait, no one did that? The dark mercenary- Akhen- confirmed her thoughts. Handling a shard of glass gently, he asked "Didn't he just say he cleaned up this place?"

Aladari nodded silently, in confirmation as her gaze drifted to the symbols once again. She walked to one of the far corners, watching the soft glow intently. The lights reflected back on her own multicolored eyes, causing a rainbow to light inside her, changing constantly. Intrigued, she stepped closer, only to stumble on a poorly placed barrel.

"Ah, Morwen's cold blood, who put that there?". She cursed in her flowing Vani for a moment more, letting off steam, before placing her hand on top of the barrel and patting it in a reprimanding manner.

"Joe?" She called, stumbling on the Common tongue, "What you keep in them barrels? They're in the way." While waiting for a response, she turned her attention back to the symbols on the walls. She inched closer (carefully this time) and cupped her hands over one of the symbols, appearing to anyone else like a housecat attempting to catch a moth. In reality, she had no intention of catching it. Instead, she wanted to see if she could block out the light, or manipulate the color at all. Perhaps she could wipe it off? Beneath her hands, she could feel the carved surface's bumps and grooves. Very strange, indeed...

[Riluc Lorrani]

Riluc reconized Aladari from his fishing trip a few days before. He wasn't exactly sure that she was safe but she had been friendly so he acknowledge he with a soft smile before his expression became blank once more. The wilder turned his attention towards the black skinned man with te big hair as they waiting for the last party member. Riluc sensed confidence and skill though he couldn't have said how much skill. That worked for him as he knew he still had plunty of room to improve. So he turned his attention to the crowd noticing a few men angry gaze at him. His green eyes meet those men's gaze and he could see why they were angry. The women they were mates with or wished to be, were giving Riluc a hungry gaze. Riluc understood the reasons animals choose a mate based on a desired attribute, and he understood choosing for love, which was a great mystery of the universe, but he never understood why women like that chose men like that. He rememberd his second mother saying it was because they possesed mental skills that made them wealthy. It was a concept Riluc didn't really get. Riluc raised an eyebrow at the men before turning his gaze away as he had other things to be concermed about.

It wasn't to long of a wait luckly as the last member of the party violently pushed his way trough the crowd. Riluc watched the creature approaching with his expression blank. Riluc figured the black furred was extremly arragent or angery. It did little to help Riluc judge the creatures skills. Eiter way he wasn't all that concerned about the creatures appearance. Every creature had a place in the balance of nature. Riluc wasn't sure what this creatures place was but that was part of why he was out in the world. Riluc turned to look at old Joe as he turned their attention towards the temple.

Riluc could feel the peaceful air around him as he entered the temple. He felt the strange calm spread across him. What had this place been, what had caused its abandonment. Riluc felt that something wasn't in balance here in this sacred structure. Riluc felt the uncomfortablness caused by this place spread through him, and he felt it as a challenge to him. He didn't break away to go exploring as they walked throug the buildin towards the back, and it was a good thing as old Joe led them straight towards the most interesting of the rooms.

Like the others the first thing that came to Riluc's attention was presences of the symbols, the same ones that had beeen on the bodies of the dead. They were strange for sure but Rilucs time in the wild had taught him to notice everyting, so it was thay he also noticed the barrels in the rooms, the vases, the pedistols. Riluc green eyes looked around taking it all in. His attention was pulled back to Old Joe's comment that the vase hadn't been broken, and that he had left the room clean. Riluc began to look around to see if there might be oter signs of someone else having been in the room.

"Yes, he did say that. Riluc said in a rich bariton voice. "Was anything in the vase." Riluc said "For that matter what is in these barrels." Riluc said moving to investigate the various containers in the room.

[Chase Hunter]

Chase sniffed in as he eyed the rest of the group as the old human led them in. Aladari looked the most well packed of general items than the rest of them. The one white human seemed the most ready for pure combat, bared of the main body armor, but wearing much heavier equipment than what Chase would ever consider. The third person of the group was a black skinned human, with large hair. The hair Chase would never be able to deal with, but his skin Chase would approve of. Allowing for near complete camouflage in darkness would be something quite useful for most of his hunts. He would have to look into a way for him to achieve a similar effect. Chase followed behind the four total humans, sniffing the air. As they stepped over the threshold, Chase began feeling… strange. As a hunter, and a zith, he would have his body running fast when possible. Barging through a crowd and throwing a few people also would do the trick of increasing the adrenaline he lived off of, which he had just done. Now though, he felt his body calming. He felt like his adrenaline was already crashing. It should have lasted quite a while longer. He was used to using adrenaline to sustain his normal activity. Now, he felt calmness. No energy, no surge, just an increasing sense of rest on himself. His mind seemed slowed. He did not try to chase anything. He just felt an uncomfortable stillness. It was unnerving is what it was. Chase snarled lightly at the thought. He attempted to focus his hunting senses to the thing at hand. The dust rose more and more from the surfaces as they continued farther into the temple. Chase let his eyes continue to adjust to the darkness as he focused. In the dim lighting, he could still see a good 40 to 50 feet due to his wonderful abilities from his greater zith half. He was quite happy to be here. He loved caves, darkness, and all that it entailed. Chase half considered the idea of living in this place. He pushed that idea out of his mind, as he assumed that with the problems going on, people would have many problems with that, and he could not take on an entire town. Neither was he planning on leaving or being chased out. The old man led them into a dark room. It had barrels along the floor, some lights around the walls, two pedestals, and some other miscellaneous things that he didn’t bother to look at. He went forward, and began pacing the room, sniffing as much as he could. He found various scents, but he was looking for the scents of people that were not there right now. The scent of someone else. He heard the others say a few things, and passed by Aladari as she and the others asked what was in the barrels. He stepped next to her, and extended the spikes on his gloves. He went to punch the side, leaving a hole for the contents to escape from. Or at least that was the plan. He did not much care what actually was in the barrel, but he wanted things to move on. He walked away from the barrel without examining it, and moved to the broken item on the floor being examined by the dark skinned one. He leaned down and sniffed for any scents. Hopefully he could detect something besides the ridiculous odor of flowers and dust.