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 Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:46 pm
"Earthquake?" Cosine offered as they drew closer to the group. It reminded her of something she had seen during her time within her host. Structures shaken to the ground as though they were cardboard.
The temple they approached appeared intact, that was a moderately good sign, though Cosine doubted they would find much. Surely they would have sensed something.
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 4:05 pm
"I am not too certain." The Dragon King admitted. It certainly looked that much worse down on ground level than it had been from higher up... And apparently that was enough to make him decide to take flight once more - thankfully after taking a couple of steps forward to that he did not end up smacking anyone with a wing, or something.
"But we should probably be careful. I could go look in the sunken section to see if there is anything there ?" He offered. Water would be no problem for him, after all.
"Most likely an earthquake." Ankou nodded in agreement to his lover's guess. Really, he was not certain either. If the spirits had told him, then he did not remember it. "Something had to happen for some of the city to sink, I figure... An earthquake would be a logical explanation."
That was a nice way to admit he had no idea without actually saying it. Not that he noticed, of course. He paused at the entrance of the temple, taking a peek inside. There were no spirits left here, but the feel of death still was heavy in the air... for him, at least. A great many mortals had died there.
"If there are... lists of people along with their death dates or their illness, then I figure a gem no one could remove would have stood out enough to be worth a mention, would it ?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 5:32 pm
 She nodded politely to Ankou and Cosine when they rejoined the group, glad to see the pair seemed to have made up.
"Probably, it isn't exactly a common thing." Unless you happened to be an unsuspecting mortal living near the Pantheon, then you never knew if one might find you.
Tien slipped past Ankou into the temple, treading lightly more out of habit than for fear of disturbing anything. Since Ankou said nothing she assumed no spirits still lingered in this place. There was nothing left to fear here aside from the building collapsing, which did not seem likely or it would have happened already.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:52 pm
 Glyph shrugged at the chorus of 'Earthquake' for the answer.... it was certainly a possibility. Either way, whatever had happened had been a catastrophic failure - though, now that he thought about it, if the cliffs had failed because of seismic activity, then that might mean another quake could rock the land. It wasn't a particularly invigorating thought, with all the damaged buildings around...
"You sure?" Glyph asked of Xun, concern in his voice as the dragon insisted on taking to the air. "Go see, but don't be gone too long.... I don't think either of us would enjoy a pickled tree." Forest smiled at that, patting Xun's side as he moved up alongside the other.
As he turned back, he spotted Tien disappearing into the temple's door and sighed, "At least traps and mechanisms shouldn't be a problem..." Really, the goddess was so quiet, Glyph wasn't too sure what to make of her.
Following after Trickery, he gave one last smile to Lifewater before he went inside, having to duck to make sure he didn't knock his branches against the doorframe. It was dark inside, no artificial lights, no magical glows... and Glyph blinked as he inhaled the air - it smelled of dust and lacquer and old pitch.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:28 pm
Cosine followed them up to the temple and breathed deeply. The atmosphere was claustrophobic.
"If there are records I might be able to hunt them out. If there are numbers involved." She smirked a little and walked into the darkness after Glyph ...
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:24 pm
"It is not like I can fit in there without shifting, at any rate." Well, maybe it could have... But given how weakened the structures around the temple seemed to be, he had no intention of trying his luck and potentially send the building crashing down on their heads.
"Beside, better make sure we do not miss anything." If the gem was down in there... He would find it. He butted his lover's hand playfully, like a cat was, before taking altitude - only to just as quickly barrel down into the water.
It was dark inside the temple, as one could expect. The storm raging above provided very little natural light to enter through the broken windows, and the candles were mostly broken and useless.
The remains of the windows was something to behold, however - intricate stained glass, clearly the work of a master of the craft - they depicted mostly bold, warm colors - yellows and oranges, landscapes of endless plains against bright blue skies. The colors were a little distorted, however, thanks to the glow of his feathers being the only light source that hit them.
...Actually, that gave him an idea...
It took only a thought for the blue light of his wings to grow and spread, up until every feather seemed alit with some sort of ethereal fire - it did a good job of allowing everyone else to see, at the very least, even if everything seem rather... strange and haunted, thanks to the shifts of blues that bounced back against the textured white walls and the remains of the colored glass.
"I think... This might have been a temple for some sort of agriculture-based deity ?" Were there any reborn ? "Or plains... maybe." It was hard to tell from just the stained windows...
There was very little other hints, given that everything else seemed to have been cleared out to make space for the beds. Countless makeshift cots lined in a row, lined against the walls. Some still had bodies in them, stripped clean by whatever scavengers had made their way in before they, too, had died out completely. Not all of the bodies seemed humanoid, at that - some had very distinct digigrade feet.
This had, indeed, been turned into a sick house. Rather abruptly, if the broken remains of altars and benches, as well the dark streaks and crumbled stone tiles were of any indication.
"They kept their sick here... Trying to contain the plague." Well, what other option had they had ? Still, trying to contain such a plague had been useless, and it had taken it's toll. "This was the biggest settlement... If we do not find anything here, it is likely we will not find anything here."
One altar did remain - with a few, huge tomes scattered on top. Remains of now-useless bowls and mortar used to attempt to make medicine for the sick, as well. This civilization had been rather close to the earth and not very technologically advanced, from the clues it had left behind.
"Glyph, could I take the mirror back ? I will try to see if I can feel her spiritual trail better now..." Maybe he would have an easier time, now that he was not as distracted.
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Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 8:04 pm
Tien was quiet mostly because she was not sure what to say to the others- Xun was the one she knew best, even then that was not really well. Glyph she had spoken little to besides the subject of this journey. Cosine and Ankou she did not know at all.
Once there was a bit more light in the temple it was easier to have a look around. At Ankou's comment about just whose temple this might be her gaze lifted to the windows. "Oh wow." He was likely in the right ballpark as far as deities went. She had thought of some of the more earthy deities first, or even Gaia- Kishara, but the patterns in the glass would've probably varied more if that were the case.
"I'm surprised that mirror has held up as well as it has." The fragile thing had survived Gehenna, moving and now this planet. She finally looked away from the windows and moved to inspect the altar that remained, to see if there was anything worthwhile among the tomes and papers.
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:22 pm
Glyph was watching his step, trying not to grind bones beneath his feet as he moved in, blinking as Ankou became a living lamp and laughed, shaking his head, "I knew we brought you along for a reason!" He was joking, of course, and padded over to the altar.
"Some sort of fields or bounty..." Glyph replied, running his hands over the carved surfaces of the altar. It was gilded and repeating symbols that reminded him of earth and sky alike adorned the sacred place. Tien was nearby, leafing through the tomes so Glyph turned his attention to looking over the walls. They were cracked, streaked with water and filth from outside... but under the grime murals could be seen. Rolling hills, lush, green pastures and fields...
Why did it seem so familiar? Prairies were not his domain, he held no power there unless he pushed the boundaries and claimed land for himself. But that, too, that struggle seemed familiar to him... hints of laughter, of arguments, echoes of another time, distorted beyond understanding. When Ankou spoke, he seemed to jerk, drawn from his reverie by the sudden interruption and turned, forcing his gaze away from the wall to unfasten the mirror from his shoulder and offer it to the Spirit Guide. For the first time he wondered if his counterpart, his other half, existed somewhere, trapped in a gem.
What would happen if the other part of Forest failed twice? Three times? Would a gem crack and fail? Would he inherit the burden? Pursing his lips, he looked back at the wall he'd been staring at, noted the forests along the edges and wondered if the world had had woods... or just small copses of trees. He knew, on some level, this world have not been one he'd held dominion over... even before Gehenna had struck but it left him curious to know who's it had been.
Returning to the group, he crossed his arms and tilted his head, "Sense anything?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:21 pm
In the light from Ankou's wings Cosine followed Tien to the altar and touched the cover of one of the tomes. Lists. She opened the leather cover, it was fragile, thanks to the reaches of decay.
She ran her eyes over the first page, then glanced up as they took the mirror from the pack.
"What was the host's name? Do we know?" She could not recall if it had been mentioned at all.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:08 pm
This water was not the sweet, clean water that he was familiar with, far from it. This water tasted a mix of salty and acidic on his tongue, which explained the lack of... well, anything, quite easily enough. He would do a wellspring here as well, before departing. Hopefully the pureness of that water would help restore the sea, and with it, the marine life that had once dwelt in it.
The Dragon King had no intention to dwaddle needlessly - the acidity made him loathe to stay down in here for too long. Thankfully the dragon was cutting through the water with obvious ease, making his way through his own element effortlessly. This part of the city had suffered greatly in the collapse, with none of the buildings standing whole. The more he progressed, the more it became obvious that he would find nothing here... And neither did he feel anything resembling a godly essence.
Still, he circled the whole of the ruins before emerging once more, grateful for the cleaner rain. He perched himself on top of one of the rocky spires in the distance and waited, still unsure of the ground's stability.
"Oh, really ?" The mirror was carefully taken. "I thought you brought me along for my obvious good looks and my amazing wit, as well as my flawless sense of direction."
Yeah. Obviously not. Cosine would certainly fit that description, yes, but him ? The little smirk on his face made it obvious that he was not quite serious. Still, now that he was not having to deal with the constant mental onslaught, well, he probably was more the god that Cosine and Glyph had been familiar with than he had been on this whole trip so far.
His lover and Trickery seemed to have the records under control, so he focused more fully on the mirror. "Not that I am aware of..." He admitted at Cosine's question.
Tien was right, of course - that mirror had seen, and had endured, much. And Forge had two hosts, had she ? From whose's hand was this mirror crafted, the first, or the second ? Either way, he doubted he could learn much about the hosts from doing this. Living beings often left spiritual imprints on the things they used - with the objects they used or wore often, or those they had crafted, having the strongest imprint left of them.
But given how a god took their host completely and utterly... Especially with a failed host, he doubted much might even remain.
The Spirit Guide focused his mana on the mirror, and the reaction was immediate - piercing yellow eyes widened just slightly in surprise at the quick reaction. Still, he knew better than to think it was out of closeness. No... that was him.
"She is not here." He could guess that quickly enough. No, Forge was not here. The signal was still too distant... Still weak, but Ankou could follow it much more precisely. And not only that... But he sent part of his awareness following that weak energy.
And he saw it.
"...I found her." He sounded just as dumbstruck as the others might be when they heard what he had just said. "I see her."
He saw it, one lone gem in red-rusty tones, glimmering alone, abandoned but whole... Among a seemingly endless sea of much more final corpses. Another gathering of the sick, more likely, but where... Where ?
He continued to Look, just as the part of his consciousness that remained with his companions continued to listen for anything they might find. Eventually, with what he had leaned from the dead so far in the journey, he was able to figure out, exactly, where Forge was.
There was some strange finality to it, to finally know what where the being he had been tracking for so long actually was.
"Fehlar. She's in Fehlar." Cosine and her map would be able guess the way there more easily than he could explain, so he left it at that. "The gem is whole, from what I was able to see." So, hopefully... Hopefully, she might be able to take to another host, once they brought her back.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:56 pm
"How far away is that?" Tien remembered that name being mentioned at some point, but she had not taken the time to get a good look at the map for herself. At least they had an actual destination now and knew that Forge's gem had indeed survived. How much of the goddess did, well, they would have to wait and see.
The tome she had been flipping through was full of remedies for all sorts of wounds and illnesses. The now yellowed pages were filled with elegant script and illustrations of the flowers and other plants each remedy called for. It was in rough shape but it might be useful if a fair copy could be made. "I'm going to take this back with us. Althai, Healing, might be able to find something useful in it for mortals at least." For the next little while she busied herself with putting the tome in her pack and padding it so that it would not be damaged any further.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:08 pm
"Coyote," Glyph responded, "But that is all I know for certain. As I understand it, the second host was not among our number very long if at all."
Forest laughed as Ankou bantered with him, dipping an informal bow as he gave a shrug, "A little of this, a little of that, clearly. A-" he was cut off as the Spirit Guide announced a destination for their search, perking up to smile broadly. It was a relief, to know she existed still, however much of a shadow she might be. "Being whole won't reflect the damage to her, though," Glyph reminded Ankou - he knew a little of the fear and emptiness, having learned it from Xun. He only hoped she would be able to move past failing twice and regain pieces of herself with a proper host.
"A few days, probably..." Glyph looked to Cosine for confirmation, "That's a good idea. If you see something of interest, take it. The dead are gone, they have no more use for the items here."
(Can probably work on wrapping this up now!)
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:14 pm
Cosine flipped through the tome that contained names, thought paused as Ankou spoke.
Fehlar ... well that saved a laborious search through the tomes and records. She closed the book and decided to leave it there, incase people did return to search for the fate of their friends and relatives.
"Yes, it is not far from here. I think a couple of days is a good estimate." She reached into her pack and pulled out the map, ready to head off when everyone was ready. She really didn't plan on staying in the town of Birnham any longer than she had to.
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:22 pm
No, it figured it would not... But it was still a relief to know that the gem still looked to be viable, at least. Better than to have come all this way only to find out that nothing more could be done for the goddess, at least.
Maybe he was actually getting better at this whole positive thing.
Maybe.
Cosine seemed eager to get moving and, to be honest, so was he - this place did make him a bit nervous, what with the possibility of an earthquake and all. He would be okay through one if it happened, but everyone else ?
Not so much, most likely. He did not plan to figure out.
When the others made their way out of the temple, Xun Jiang flew down from his perch to make his way back toward ground level. "I did not find anything down in there." He tilted his head toward the sea. "Only ruins and a few remains... I figure anything useful either eroded away or was washed off deeper into the sea a long time ago. Did you find anything in there ?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:41 pm
Tien shouldered her pack and headed out the temple door in time to see Xun land. "Ankou was able to find out where Forge is, I'd say that qualifies as something." She turned back to the others. "Shall we start heading for Felhar then?" Like Ankou and Cosine she was all for getting out of this place before something happened.
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