The Sith Game XXIX: Phase 18 (End)

[Xel]

2 hours ago, Arceus said:

@XelI'd like to join you. I am sure we can find some clues to the missing gems nearby.

Sure, the patterns on the wall could help us. Looks like some kind of star with directions marked on it.

[Helena Revan]

The Sith Game XXIX: Phase 1

Next Phase Begins: Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. EST

 

The archaeologists acclimated themselves to their camp site, finishing the work on their tents and setting up a campfire for cooking and as a gathering spot.  Those who finished their chores early set about clearing debris from the temple—vines, dried leaves and twigs that had blown inside, and lots of dirt that had accumulated around the floor.  Fortunately, the interior of the temple seemed relatively dry, and it wasn't hard to clean up.

 

Kulimar proposed splitting the expedition into three groups: one to investigate the temple further, one to visit the nearby volcano, and one to return to the communications tower at the valley's entrance.  However, perhaps wearied by their journey and setting up camp, nobody else seemed interested in leaving the immediate vicinity of the temple.  Xel and Arceus examined the temple interior in detail before splitting up.  Xel went to examine the nearby vegetation—wary of spiders—while Arceus focused on the exterior architecture.  Redshadow explored the immediate surroundings of the temple.  Meanwhile, Wolfy spent time researching the legends told about the valley and its supposed "curse".

 

As daylight faded and mist began to rise, hiding the mountains from view once more, the archaeologists gathered around their campfire and ate a hearty stew, talking and laughing until, exhausted, they retired to their tents.

 

 

Night 1:[hr]

As the sound of snoring made the little campsite sound like a sawmill, the local wildlife gave the place a wide berth.  But one person, satisfied that everyone else was fast asleep, walked through the swirling mists to one of the tents.  Warily the wakeful one stretched out a hand, as if trying to sense something hidden—and not finding it, the person slid open the tent flap and stepped inside.

 

Drat!  It wasn't the right tent!  Well, never mind—this one would pay the price for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  With a hiss, the figure ignited a scarlet lightsaber and advanced on the sleeping victim.  But in an unexpected flash, the supine resident leapt from its bed, meeting the murderous blade with one of gleaming gold.  Back and forth the two combatants swung, as each sought to find some advantage without ripping the tent to shreds and alerting the entire camp to their nocturnal fracas.  But with neither side gaining the upper hand, the intruder unexpectedly ducked back out of the tent, and sprinted off into the night, faster than the astonished defender could follow.

 

 

Day 1:[hr]

Bright sunlight penetrated the mist around the campsite, and the archaeologists shrugged off their blankets and greeted the chilly morning.  Muscles still aching from their hard day of work, they made their way to the campfire for breakfast.  On their first full day of investigation, there was much left to discover!

 

 

Notes:[hr]

Danger lurks in the Valley of the Mist—but what is the source, and how can it be overcome?  Some of you will have messages awaiting you shortly, with information about what you saw and did the afternoon of your arrival—be sure to check your inboxes!

 

As for Xel's question, I'm not sure I understand it completely—but if he meant to ask whether you all have access to the map, the answer is yes.  In this game, you all have a copy of the map available on your datapads.  Unfortunately, it contains no more detail than shown in the version provided above!  If that's not what you meant to ask, feel free to ask again!

[Bandeth]

Well folks, I think I'm going to inspect the area surrounding the volcano today and see if there's any way to investigate its activity. I would like a few to accompany me in case there are any dangers.

 

I think we should also send a second team to the relay tower to make sure its usable. Who wants to lead that charge?

[Crysophylax]

I'd like to join you on the ventures of the Volcano. Always fascinated in this area, and who knows we may find something!

 

Best of luck to the ones heading to the relay tower.

[Arceus]

I'd like to head to the relay tower.

I inspected the temple very well from the inside. I found some parts of an ancient scripture. They are a dialect which is not used anymore and which is pretty hard to understand, but I could understand a bit of it. The temple could be a buildung that was built to celebrate the harmonious co-existence of different groups or ideas. Signs of that were found in the whole temple.

 

Maybe Xel can tell you more about the gems. I am curious if what we can find out about that tower.

[Shinigami_E]

Sorry for the late introductions I am Shingami.

I am interested to check out that lake, its shape is quite fascinating and it looks to have a small landmass in the center. If anyone else wants to come, you are more than welcome to.

[nikmat936]

Hello everyone 😂 sorry for not introducing myself, I must admit that I’d slept terribly on the flight out here and preferred just heading to bed, my name’s Nikatina, pleasure to meet everyone!

 

[ooc] Sorry for not playing the first round, had a 7 hour flight back home for the week and totally forgot I hadn’t submitted an action! Good luck everyone ^^ [/ooc]

[Xel]

Nice to meet you, Shingami and nikatina. As Arceus said, He was, alongside me, examinating the temple after clearing out all of these debris, Fortunately free of spiders yet. Concerning the gems, I did not found any trace of them in that place; Only the purple and orange ones were here, in place.  The most concerning thing in this temple is that, at the star, where the gems are sticked in, a diagonal faint mark near the holes where the missing gems are supposed to lay. The missing gems in question should've been removed on purpose by some sort of knife or any other tool, probably from the civilization to clear out a danger or other reason. While Arceus was examinating the temple's architecture, I was outside, examinating the vegetations of the area to check any sign of damages that could be related to the volcano eruption, but besides the elderness of the trees, I see no corellation with a recent eruption.

 

Following that, a long period of thinking suddenly came, as I looked the map on my datapad, and saw that there are strangly triangular shaped installations, looking like pyramids, or natural mountains. I also should check if there is a lake or a source of water, and if it is drinkable. Kulimar and Cryso, I hope you find interesting stuff about the volcano and please be careful of any vibration.

 

[ooc] Concerning my question, Helena, you understood it well (sounds meprising as hell ._.), thanks for replying btw  [/ooc] 

[Wolfy]

Okay, I've gathered all data I have from all of these rumours. There are some common points, the one that occurs the most is due to dangerous terrain: toxic plants and gases, quicksands, diseases, etc. A few rumours also mention surnatural beings, such as cryptids, indigenous tribes of cannibals, ghosts or even a deity related to the volcano. Two of them caught my attention more than others: 1) a rumour has it that the buildings themselves somehow move to trap and confuse explorers, and 2) according to another rumour, there's a secret base of marauders that would kill anyone who would try and loot the base. Rumour 1) sounds less than plausible if you ask me, but 2) could be interesting if it turns out to be true.

 

Regardless, wherever you're going, you should proceed with caution, it seems the terrain is our most dangerous enemy here. 

 

I think I will accompany Arceus to the relay tower, maybe whatever intel there is over there could tell us more about whether these rumours have a foundation or not. On the way there, I'll try to collect some different flora samples and try to analyse them to the best of my knowledge. Maybe if there's some kind of lab in the relay tower, we can use that to have a better understanding of our surroundings.

[RoseTyler]

I'll head to the tower too if that's okay with Arc and Wolfy! 

[Arceus]

Fine. I really need you guys to guide me safely through those toxic plants. I am already allergic to most plants and I have the feeling, that those toxic plants will cause allergic reactions no one wants to see. By the way, did something happened this night anbody wants to talk about?

[Bandeth]

Given the possibility of hostile inhabitants, I'd like to spend a small amount of time searching for any sharp rocks or sturdy branches in case Cryso or myself run into any trouble. I suggest anybody venturing out do the same.

[redshadow]

I wonder if we can find the other gems in the ruins throughout the valley, something interesting may happen if we bring them all together!

I think it's important to check out some of the more conspicuous areas on the map first, such as the volcano, or what seems to be a lake of sorts to the south. I'd bet the swamp has its secrets too. Even if we don't find much, we can at least start to put together a modernized version of the map.

 

Since Kulimar and Cryso are headed towards the volcano today, I think I'll head southbound to the lake. @Xel You seemed interested in the lake as well, would you like to accompany me?  It's okay if anyone else wants to tag along too.

[Xel]

Sure @redshadow, I will come with you, and will yet so far, abandon the idea of exploring those mountains. Mainly because of us going to that water source, and also because of Wolfy mentionning that the terrain is dangerous. We could take a sample out of water and send it for examination to the relay, if it has a lab.

[Aya Solari]

If you and Xel don't mind redshadow I too would like to visit the lake, I would like too see if I can get a sample of some minerals near a water source. The lake seems like a good bet for that.

[Xel]

Of course you can, if reds agrees with that. But in my opinion, I think anyone might want to stay nearby the camp in order to watch our stuff.

 

By the way, did everyone had a good sleep during this first night in this weird, exciting, mysterious and beautiful landscape?

[Helena Revan]

The Sith Game XXIX: Phase 2

Next Phase Begins: Thursday, 10:00 a.m. EST

 

Three groups set off to explore different regions of the Valley of the Mist.  Kulimar and Crysophylax headed east, hoping to scale the sides of Mount Darudius and gauge the likelihood of volcanic activity.  Arceus, Wolfy, and Rose set off along the road to the west, intending to visit the communications tower at the entrance to the valley.  Soon afterward, Shinigami, Xel, Redshadow, and Maya followed, intending to diverge from the road and visit the lake in the southern part of the valley.  The other archaeologists decided to busy themselves around the camp site.

 

The weary explorers returned as the daylight began to fade—with one exception.  Crysophylax was missing!  Kulimar explained that they had climbed up the sides of the volcano, hoping to peer over into the crater and see whether the mountain seemed likely to pose a danger to the expedition.  The crater floor was littered with rock and cinder, with steam issuing from a hundred fumaroles.  As they paused to catch their breath, part of the cliff side gave way, and Crysophylax had fallen to his death.  The walls were too steep and unstable to climb down and retrieve the body, so reluctantly Kulimar had left the unfortunate archaeologist and returned to camp alone.  The other explorers expressed their sympathy, and resolved to report that Crysophylax had died bravely, in the performance of his duty.

 

The shock of Crysophylax' unexpected demise left the expedition subdued, but they were determined not to have let their colleague's death be in vain.  They would carry out their mission, and learn whatever they could about the valley and its mysterious, lost inhabitants.

 

 

Night 2:[hr]

Determined not to repeat the mistakes of the previous night, a darkly-shrouded figure crept through the camp, looking for a particular tent.  Satisfied with its destination, it opened the flap and went in...

 

The archaeologists woke from their sleep as a low rumbling sound was accompanied by the earth shaking violently.  Some were thrown from their cots, others ran outside... the night was dark, and nothing could be seen beyond a few trembling trees, wispy clouds illuminated by the moon.  After a few tense minutes, they returned to their tents and tried to sleep.

 

 

Day 2:[hr]

The archaeologists gathered for breakfast.  It was a bright and sunny morning, as the mist had lifted, and the air was welcomingly warm.  It was almost too easy to forget the loss of a colleague, and the previous night's earthquake... but a hot meal was good for body and soul.  As the team set out to plan their next moves, someone asked, "has anyone seen Vultax?"

 

No-one had.  The archaeologists headed to Vultax' tent, and peered in.  There was Vultax, lying on the ground, motionless, eyes staring sightlessly at the roof of the tent.  He was cold to the touch, and obviously had been dead for some hours.  Pinned to his chest was a strange insignia:

 

Notes:[hr]

We've had our first murder!  And our first clue, it seems... time to start speculating about what it means!  As usual, some of you will have private messages in your inboxes shortly—as soon as I can write them.  Carry on!

[Bandeth]

I have more information. I must have been in shock before to recall the details.

 

We are not alone in this valley. Before part of the cliff gave way, Cryso and I heard chanting. We looked around to see if we could hear where it was coming from, but could not. We continued climbing a little while longer, and the chanting grew louder. A crack of thunder sounded and that's when the cliff gave way. I'm lucky to have escaped with my life. The rumor Wolfy discussed about indiginenous people is true. 

 

And now Vultax? I'm not liking this job. Not one bit. How did the communications relay exploration go? We might need it. 

[Wolfy]

31 minutes ago, Bandeth said:

I have more information. I must have been in shock before to recall the details.

 

We are not alone in this valley. Before part of the cliff gave way, Cryso and I heard chanting. We looked around to see if we could hear where it was coming from, but could not. We continued climbing a little while longer, and the chanting grew louder. A crack of thunder sounded and that's when the cliff gave way. I'm lucky to have escaped with my life. The rumor Wolfy discussed about indiginenous people is true. 

 

And now Vultax? I'm not liking this job. Not one bit. How did the communications relay exploration go? We might need it. 

 

This is unsettling. We only have your word, but so far I don't think we have a reason to not trust you. Although I must admit that you didn't *see* anyone, you just correlated two elements that may or may not be linked.

 

As far as our expedition went, we only found an old comm device. On the way there, we heard strange noises, which we could not identify. Arceus also had a bad allergic reaction, perhaps due to the vegetation. He's fully recovered now, as far as I can tell, but maybe he's more suited to talk about it. There's definitely more to explore around that side of the valley alongside bifurcating roads, we might have to explore it later.

 

I'll investigate Vultax's room, see if we can't find something that could solve his death. I collected these plant samples, but found no way of analysing them, so I guess i'll just leave them to dry in a safe place and see if I can't observe how they behave like that. If I have some time left, I also want to try and get the comm device working, see if we can't send a distress call. Anyone, if you want to help with either task, I will gladly welcome any assistance.

 

The clue that was left behind reminds me more of a plan than anything, doesn't the inside of the temple look like that?

 

Also, I think we should at least try and find Cryso's body to give him a proper funeral and investigate his death as well, maybe there's something Bandeth missed.

[Bandeth]

We didn't see anyone, true. We heard what we heard though, and the chanting dissipated when the cliff gave way. Circumstantial but I think enough to say there's something going on, in addition to the weird sounds you heard on your journey. Glad Arceus is okay. Does the old comm device work? We might want to radio in for help.

 

I feel bad about Cryso but I'm going to pass on looking for his body for now, given the danger. I don't seem to have found any suitable weapons so I am going to search the village for that again, because I feel pretty exposed now. Has anybody else found anything?

 

I'm also going to check and see if any of the temple buildings have "moved" like Wolfy's information had said.

[Arceus]

Hello guys, yeah, I am very unhappy that I wasn't able to investigate the tower by myself, but as Wolfy already said, the building itself didnt give us pretty much. Maybe Rose can tell more a bit? I think she conecntrated on things Wolfy didn't see. The different roads though were interesting. Despite the area being a bit in the nowhere, those roads clearly show that it was used a lot in the past.

 

So we lost 2 guys . i feel so sorry for Cryso because I understand how he must have felt. I touched a plant randomly and ----- couldnt breathe anymore. Crysos death is heartbreaking, I hope, Kulifax, you are alright.

Then there was Vultax. He didnt say anything since we were altogether, I think he was one of the calm guys who out of a sudden could have had brilliant ideas. 

 

[Xel]

Hello peeps, hearing about Cryso's death is overwhelming. I feel like something is related with the chants that have caused the collapse of the cliff.

 

While you all were reaching diverse destinations; comm tower, volcano, we, Aya, Shinigami, reds, and myself went towards the lake. The path was hard to find, but we made it safely. The water is crystal clear, and looks really clean. There is also a tower in the middle of it, and went towards it with a raft made out of fragile wood and vines. While Maya was looking for minerals(she will tell you more precisely) , I was verifying, through the usage of samples, if the water is potable and clean, as it looks, and it appears that the water is clean, and potable! Here's a good new, in between those tragic deaths. Also wanted to mention the fact that reds and Shinigami were swimming in the lake instead of working, in order to lighten the atmosphere.

 

Concerning Cryso, I don't see much more clues than a civilization controlling the elements. Sounds very fancy indeed.

As for Vultax' death, we discovered his body in his tent, which means he couldn't react, unfortunately. That strange insign looks like letters which put in different order looks like a 'T' and a 'C' or, a 'T' and an 'U'. Also looks like a part of a wall, as Wolfy mentionned, could be the altar, and the star on top of it. Good thing hearing that the comms tower has some sort of communication system, yet unstable, as I heard. Arceus, be careful with those plants, we don't know exactly what they could do to you.

[RoseTyler]

I think the only thing of interest that we found was that antiquated communications gear. Aside from that, the tower was small, myself and Wolfy could barely fit inside. Still, was interesting to see but honestly, I'm pretty disapointed that there wasn't much else there.

As for Cryso and Vultax; this is horrific! Losing two men in 24 hours is nothing short of a tragedy! 
I will set up a gravesite so we can lay our friends to rest. Once Wolfy and whoever else is done investigating Vultax's room/body, I shall bury him and hold a small ceremony.
And should we manage to recover Cryso's body too, I'll do the same for him.

[redshadow]

Between the two deaths and that tremor, I'm starting to think this place truly is cursed... but despite these grim circumstances I still have a report to make.

 

When we went to the lake, we found a ruin similar to the main temple on an island in the center. Shinigami and I decided to swim out to it and investigate. Inside it was very dark, and we discovered what seems to be a large chasm, purposefully crafted into the floor of the ruin. It extended across the entire room, with no apparent way to cross it, and we didn't have a light source anyway, so we decided to turn back. I believe whatever lies on the other side of that chasm is important to this valley, and I think we should figure out some method of crossing it. Perhaps they left something we can use in the ruin, but we'll need a torch or something to know for sure.

 

It's just a theory for the moment, but I believe there must be more temples like this scattered through the valley, maybe in other prominent locations, like the swamp or the volcano. Perhaps the missing gemstones can be found inside them. I know solving Vultax's apparent murder is important, but even more so I think uncovering the mysteries of the valley will be critical to our long term survival.

 

For today, I intend to return to the lake temple, and see if I can make or find a light source on the island, so I can investigate it further. As usual, others are welcome to join me.

[TheDoctor]

This is troubling news indeed. I will investigate Vultax's remains and then provided I have enough time during the day, I will take my own leave to survey the surrounding areas around the volcano and look for signs of anyone else living nearby. That's two people who have said they've heard weird noises and I'd rather not go straight up there, just in case this tribe crops up on my travels. I'd like to know exactly who it is that we're dealing with first before making my way up there and make any attempt to see if Cryso is still alive/ recover his remains.

 

OOC:

Spoiler

GET REKT @Crysophylax I HOPE YOU REALLY ARE DEAD, MAY THE BEST LEADER SURVIVE.