Expedition (Dusk, Hadrian, Ha'na, Jilitse, Guido, Closed)

[Alistair deGrey]

70th of Summer, 510 AV Please see the beginning of the adventure below!

[Dusk]

64th Day of Summer, 510 AV Alistair and Hana Dominac wasn't really known for his social skills. Which didn't mean he lacked them entirely - he must have had quite a few to have weaseled a lifetime's worth of artifacts out of various people around Mizahar - but when he wasn't trying to convince someone to give up expensive tidbits, he generally didn't bother with niceties. So he simply clomped into Mechanical Marvels and slapped a piece of paper and a purse of with twenty gold mizas in it. "You said you wanted a job, right?" he said, piercing Alistair with a glare. "Well, you've got one now. I need someone who knows gadgets, and by all accounts there's no one better than you. So get your shyke together. We leave in four days." He paused as Ha'na tip-toed in, and, surprisingly, he straightened a little and touched a fingertip to his temple. "Ma'am," he said, nodding to her once. Then, gruff as always, he turned and swept out of the shop without even waiting for a reply. Jilitse It took Dominac no less time to find Hadrian than it did for him to find Alistair. Few had been in the Inner Sanctum since the abrupt departure of Akvin, but in Syliras it was often true that the walls had ears - that there was always someone who would pay to know what they wished. It'd cost a few coins to learn who was using the Sanctum and what they were using it for, and a few more to ensure that he'd get a head's-up when next the people he needed were occupying it. The door slid open silently, and the proprietor of Undeniable Interests shuffled into the near-empty laboratory. "You're the magician that's been practicing, hmm?" he said, leaning heavily on his cane as he stared at Jilitse. Bushy eyebrows waggled, and he hobbled over to one of the empty tables beside her makeshift workstations and reached into his pocket. "I'm going outside the Wall in a few days. Got wind of a dig site that might have some interesting artifacts, and I've always found it useful to keep a wizard or two on hand when you're going into a pre-Valterrian site. So if you're interested," he drawled, setting a bag of coins down and scooting it towards her, "here's twenty gold as a downpayment. You'll get another fifty at the end, and if you do your job well I'll let you keep some bauble from the vault." He left her to ponder whether or not she would come, and made his way back towards the door. "My shop," he called over his shoulder, "in four days' time. We leave at dawn, with or without you." And with that, he pulled the door shut behind him. Guido Faragas The last, and possibly most important, member of Dominac's little group had yet to be recruited, so Dominac made his way into the deeper, less traveled hallways of Stormhold Citadel. He finally got to the residence he was looking for, and took a moment to listen and make sure there was no one within. A flash of something metal, a flick of his wrist, and the lock gave way and the door creaked open. Dominac slipped inside and shut the door behind him, then gave a low grunt at the tiny little room. "The cheap ones get worse every year," he mumbled, pulling out a letter and a small coinpurse from his pocket. He left both on the bed, hobbled out, and locked the door behind him. To the student of Silven, I am putting together a team to explore an archaeological site, and we could use your particular set of skills. If you're interested, we will be gathering at Undeniable Interests before dawn on the 70th. You will be graciously compensated for your work. ~Dominac _____ OOCSorry for the long intro, but I wanted to just have it set up so you can all start at your arrival at UI. Go to town, my lovelies!

[Hana]

A careful look was cast between Alistair and Dominac as the man spoke. When addressed, she gave a shy smile and wiggle of her fingers in a wave like she didn’t understand a bit of what had just transpired. Of course she hadn’t missed a word of it, but Missus deGrey was used to people talking to her husband like that… She glanced at Alistair before turning and heading back towards the workshop and living space, calling out behind her, “I will pack our things.” Four Days Later She had baked cookies while waiting for the time to pass. A batch had been left with the children of the surrounding shops. A batch was left with Sir Tenner along with instructions on taking care of her cat. Another had been carefully wrapped to share with whomever was going on this job that Alistair had been hired for. She had a sinking suspicion that maybe she could sweeten up Dominac with them enough that he would at least stop swearing at her husband. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Alistair incapable of caring for himself outside of his shop, but… Okay, maybe she did sort of wonder sometimes. It was simply that she loved him, and she wasn’t willing to let him go away without her. Plus she was rather certain that she was more experienced in travel than he was. And, well… “If I don’t come, who is going to wash your underwear for you?” she asked quietly to deGrey as the made their way to Undeniable Interests.

[Guido Faragas]

If I’d have known I was going to have a visitor, I’d have tidied the place up. Guido weighed the purse of coins in one hand and held the letter gingerly between the thumb and first finger of his other. It was an articulate and well-written letter and the twenty gold mizas was a clear indication that the writer was serious. His mind drifted back to his previous escapade outside the city: the meeting with Stitch, the pouch of coins that he had been given and the journey to the labyrinth. It brought back many memories. He shivered a little but the weight of the coins and the prospect of another adventure brought a broad smile to his face. A proper archaeological dig on which to test my skills! No more chasing after my father’s drunken rumours. He threw the bag of coins in the air, made a mess of catching them, watched the bag burst open on the floor and and then spent a few chimes on his hands and knees retrieving them from where they had rolled..

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It was just before dawn on the 70th of Fall, as Guido Faragas made his way towards Undeniable Interests. He had heard of the shop and its proprietor but had never visited or traded with Dominac. The finds that the would-be archaeologist had made had generally been more appropriate for selling for a few coins in a tavern or passing on to one of his father’s contacts. Still, he had learnt much about old pottery and excavating ancient sites, even a little about grave digging. Hopefully, his skills would suffice for what lay ahead.

Guido was glad that he had dressed in his warm, dark green woollen coat and hat for the mornings were cool now as the days moved towards the end of Fall. He shifted the heavy rucksack on his back, to try to alleviate the pressure on his left shoulder. The twenty miza down-payment had been used to acquire a few tools and provisions that he might need on the dig. He trusted they would suffice, for he knew little of what lay ahead apart from the few details in the cryptic note. It might be a simple dig or something more dangerous – the latter was likely given the upfront gold that he had been offered. Still, at least he had his trusty bow and his reimancy skills had improved, despite the continued absence of Master Silven. When he returned from this dig, he had promised that he would search for his master: he had been gone far too long and even the old crone who acted as his housekeeper was worried. And, if she was anxious, then so was his apprentice.

With his usual languid gait, Guido approached the tiny shop that lay huddled against the city wall, his twinkling green eyes searching for any other members of the expedition.

[Alistair deGrey]

Four days since the notice. Today I embark. That was 96 bells, 5760 chimes, or 345,600 seconds. Each tick on the clocks was another nerve wracking moment for Alistair. Ha'na had not seemed troubled at all, and he took much comfort in this. Having never traveled farther than the distance between Zeltiva and Syliras, and with an armed caravan, the inventor was more than a little apprehensive. However, he had asked and received. Now is the first day of enlightenment. The first step toward that clustered abyss of a shop marks the first day of the rest of my life. So with a potent mixture of hesitation and excitement, Alistair closed the clasps on the pack and slung it over his shoulder. He had made several modifications to what Ha'na had included. I need someone who knows gadgets. Dominac's words reverberated in his head, and deGrey dropped the bag back onto the bench to recheck everything. Not that he had already done so three times or anything. Unbuckling the clasps and throwing open the container, he began rooting through its contents. Each item made itself known on his mental checklist: Calipers, hand drill, hammer, wedge, nails, rations, a water skin, two smallish pipes, a knife, and a crowbar. Other than a few other miscellaneous objects he'd need for travel, that appeared to be it. deGrey glanced around his workshop, wondering how exactly things would go in such an unfamiliar environment. What if I must fix something in the field? What if I'm not able to? Or what if my failure causes the others to die? Alistair gave Ha'na a slightly worried glance as they stepped out of the shop. He smiled wanly as she made light of the situation, the last thing Alistair needed was for his love to be worried as well. "I suppose I would have to go without then, so yes I suppose you are quite needed." Allowing the smile to slowly fade from his face, he watched as his feet began carrying him toward Undeniable Interests of their own accord. Damnation, I have killed us all. Later... Alistair and Ha'na entered the dingy, dusty, and all around disgusting confines of Undeniable Interests. deGrey slipped his hand around his wife's, as if unwilling to lose her to whatever horrific entity that possessed the mountainous trash. Having no doubt that the ancient proprietor lurked somewhere amongst the inorganic abomination that was Undeniable Interests, Alistair tentatively called out, "Dominac? We have arrived."

[Jilitse]

The visit came as a shock to the Nuit. As always, the surprise manifested as a slight twitch of her brows. Getting paid for service that she had not even performed, much less she was sure she could perform, struck the Nuit as odd. Actually, she barely understood Dominac's message except for the word "pre-Valterrian" that struck at her heartstrings, plucking a twine of curiosity.

The Nuit accepted the coin and thanked Dominac, promising to be there as soon as she clears out her schedule. Her "schedule" actually involved Stitch and the kids. While they let her keep to herself, traveling to a ruin sounded like it would take days. She brought a few trinkets with her, and because she was feeling lazy, she took the bookcase golem and filled it with the usual stuff found in her bag. They would be in the middle of nowhere, who would care about an animated bookcase, eh?

During the time between Dominac's message and the 70th, she frequently dropped by the Inner Sanctum to practice her craft. It was during one of these visits that she first met a boy named Hadrian, who was eager to learn Animation from her. She let him watch, if he would do so quietly, the rituals that she performed, but never really taught the whole procedure. And as such she was very politely asked, hounded even, at every opportunity possible. On the 69th the Nuit promised Hadrian that she will teach him Animation if she makes it back "alive" from the expedition. She told the human about the expedition with Dominac of the Undeniable Interests. She may or may not have hinted that he should come along. The young human was a sponge for information and would have likely charged at the opportunity to visit a "pre-Valterrian ruin". It would be the bookshop's owner decision ultimately if he would let Hadrian come, anyway.

So on the 70th, Jilitse left the Welcome Home with her bookcase golem and usual trinkets, dropping by the Bazaar to buy a good length of rope. The rope was, well, nothing. It's just that she may have a use for it. On the way to the bookshop she met Hadrian, ready to jump the wagon with her. She just stared at him with a look that said, "So you really want to learn Animation, huh?" She smiled and hummed.

As they entered Dominac's filthy store, her eyes widened by a small fraction. Who were these people? She threw a searching look at Alistair and his wife and the man she was not acquainted with. Manners dictated that she introduce herself, "It is a pleasure to meet all of you," she bowed her head slightly and continued, "my name is Jilitse, I am a Nuit. This is..." She looked at Hadrian, unsure. "This is a human," which everyone could swear on was pronounced as a nasal 'nuisance', "Hadrian. I persuaded him to go along." The way she said it, it sounded like a lie!

"I am in the assumption that everyone will be joining Dominac's expedition?" She politely asked. Her voice was monotonous and calm. There was a tired look upon her face, as if she had not slept in a long while. "And it will be in a pre-Valterrian ruin not far off from Syliras?" She nodded without letting anyone confirm. She knew Alistair was a man of hard science, and she never really inquired a lot about his wife. The unknown man did not look like he had a lot of skill on him, either. However, compared with the five of them, he was likely the one with more... muscle. She looked away, certain that some individuals were uncomfortable with a Nuit's unblinking gaze.

"Dominac?" She called out, "Dominac, are you there?"

OOCRope, hemp 1 gm

[Hadrian]

Hadrian had respected Jilitse's teaching enough that he had run into her on the way to Undeniable Interests, which he had always thought to be a rather pretentious name. His father had explained to him, however, about marketing so he grudgingly accepted that. Anyway, Hadrian had a habit of being ornery; if someone told him something was undeniable, he wanted to deny it. If something was... "I want to learn everything, Jilitse," he said with a smile that he hoped was innocent. Not that he wasn't innocent, but he had been told that he was creepy and he didn't want to be misunderstood. Precision was important, especially with words. He followed her into the shop only to have his jaw drop open and nearly spill a string of curses in as many languages as he knew. The pyromaniac who had probably killed that girl all those years ago was there. And so was Ha'na, the exotic damsel in distress who had haunted many a dream of his, generally naked, though there had been that one where she had made him kiss her toes, which had tasted like bergamot, and then she had told him that the secret to enchanting a frog was to make it kiss a prince, and it hadn't made sense then, not even in his dream, nor did it now. His chlorine blue eyes widened as much as his mouth before he snapped the latter shut like a mousetrap closing before he said something he oughtn't, and then his eyes narrowed a bit because what the heck? "Hadrian Aelius," he said, part of him still managing to wonder how far away this was going to be. He assumed any nearby ruin would have been picked over by looters long ago. Then he went to look around to see how undeniable the interests were, though his mind was racing. He hoped the psychopath didn't have any alchemist's fire this time or they were all likely to die in fire.

[Dusk]

Before anyone could get themselves lost in the myriad rows of dust-covered antiquities - or, worse, bump into any of the carefully balanced piles - Dominac came shuffling out of the back room behind the counter. "Good, you're all here. And an extra, in case one of you dies. Good thinking, Jilitse," he said with a grunt of what must have been laughter. Despite his being one of the oldest living humans in Syliras, he actually looked... spry. Or at least animated at the thought of getting out and exploring something. "Don't touch that," he said, pointing at Hadrian, before turning back to the group. "Come on, I've got the horses waiting." And with that he hustled out of the shop, leaving his assistant to run it while he went about his business. He stalked through the hallways of the citadel, moving quicker than most would have thought him capable of even with the help of his cane. It took less than half a bell to make their way outside the halls of the citadel, and not much longer to reach the gates. There he nodded to a boy who'd been waiting for them, two stoic-looking packhorses waiting with supplies and a few dozen rolls of canvas - they were going to loot some ruins after all - and a fat pony with a plushly padded saddle. Dominac gave the stablehand a few gold mizas, and with the boy's help he managed to climb up into the saddle. "All right, let's get moving," he muttered, shooing the boy back towards the city. He didn't wait to see what they'd do, just started off at a sedate walk, the packhorses plodding behind his mare without any care for going faster. "The world is changing around us, boys and girls," he muttered, setting the pony's nose northward. "Ivak grows restless in his slumber, and when he twitches the whole face of Mizahar is transformed. I've known for some time," he said, glancing back down at the faces of his fellow travelers, "that one of the Bloodbane vaults was near Syliras, but the Valterrian petched up the landscape so badly it's hard to find anything even if you know it's there. But a sevenday back, there was a rockslide up on the cliffs by the sea, about five days' ride north. And according to my sources," he chuckled, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "where there was once only rock, there's now a petching door."

[Hadrian]

Glad to have any interaction with Ha'na and the psychopath forestalled by the man in charge. He hadn't even thought about the horses, and he hoped that he still remembered how to do more than acquire saddle sores. Luckily he had been doing some traveling overland since he graduated from the University of Zeltiva, so he wouldn't be a complete loss with a horse. "A door?" he asked, instantly embarrassed by his lack of self-control. Chlorine blue eyes went shift for a moment to make sure nobody was judging him. They were, of course. In any case, he began to pay even closer attention, all but hanging on every word. He had not been spelunking under such conditions since he was last in Zeltiva, which was nigh on two seasons ago already. Time certainly raced faster and faster as he got older. Perhaps one day he would be able to broker a deal with Tanroa about the whole Time thing, or become one of her little favorites. But how to catch the interest of one of the more aloof goddesses? Ah, tangential thinking. Can has.

[Hana]

Ha’na was offering shy smiles to everyone there. But then she heard a name that caused her to pause – A name she hadn’t heard in quite some time. Surely not… she thought to herself. As vivid blue eyes moved to Hadrian, though, she felt the color drain from her face. Her mouth opened like a fish out of water gasping for breath. Her eyes then widened, looking away in hopes that her surprise wasn’t given away. Of course, she wasn’t stupid enough to think that it had worked. She swallowed and forced a smile onto her lips again, moving then to take Alistair’s hand whether he liked it or not. She started following with the group, and not much was said. But as things were explained, she nodded along. To some it might look like she was struggling to understand what was being said, but at least two of the men there were likely aware that it was an act. However, she leaned in to ask Alistair, “What is a Bloodbane vault?”