riverviewlogs | [closed] exploratory mission

[Shalimar can't say she hasn't been looking forward to this. Getting to know the city has been all well and good but she's never been great at being cooped up for too long and even with her job in the guard, she hasn't yet been entrusted to venture too far away from the safety of city walls.

Perhaps they'll consider this a valid enough demonstration that she can be trusted with missions further afield, depending on how this all goes.

She has few preferences when it comes to the team she's put with - she knows where her skills benefit her most so any team that needs a reliable scout she will be glad to help. Equally, so long as there's someone who'll be decent back-up if it comes to fighting, she'll be happy.

She takes her own role seriously, senses pushed to their fullest as she walks, honed for any unusual sight or sound that catches her attention. But she's also not going to close herself off from her group - how else is she going to get to know them? - and so she'll often fall into step besides someone, tone casual though she's still paying just as much attention to their surroundings as before.]

Feels good to get away from city life for a while, don't you think?

[Alternatively, if she's walking solo and someone approaches her, she's happy to accept conversation while she learns her way around.]

[This isn’t the first time Iona’s been out beyond the wall. Although this is the first time she’s gone out officially, with a mission and everything. She hadn’t planned on it had done her best to not go exploring... but she’d finally given in. That she’d managed to resist the itch to explore outside the wall at ALL (and stay out of relative trouble) was impressive, quite frankly.

Fen’Harel’s bloody ass, she’s even started to miss the Hinterlands. Not the bears, never the bears. But the space. Actually doing something.

But she’s at home, out here. In her element. Wary and cautious, and paying close attention to her surroundings because she’s all too familiar with being ambushed, and having unexpected situations appearing from amongst the trees. Wearing the armour and weapons she was wearing when she was brought to the Quarantine, she moves easily through the trees.

The comment from one of her fellow explorers earns her a laugh.] Oh, Creators, yes. It’s all well and good, but I’m used to doing a bit more with my time.

You and me both.

[It's somewhat reassuring to know that Shal's not the only one who's out here in part because she gets restless if she's left to her own devices for too long. Sure, there's her work with the Guard but while she adjusts to Quarantine, she's been kept mostly to work within the city and that just doesn't quite scratch the itch like this moment of getting to explore properly does.

Getting a better look at Iona, Shalimar gets the impression of someone else who knows how to handle themselves, perhaps even a bit more obviously than Shalimar herself who's travelling in just her usual clothes. No armour, and no weapons beyond her fists and feet but she's not unduly worried. Hasn't stopped her before, it's not about to now.

She also doesn't miss the distinct shape of Iona's ears but she figures that's not a polite thing to draw attention to right away.]

You mind if I ask what it is you usually do? I mean, I'm guessing some sort of fighter but that's as far as I get.

[Iona laughs. She can’t help it. What she usually does is kind of a lot. Can she lie? She should probably lie. Because the truth is... ridiculous.

She goes with the truth, though. It’s easier. And it’s not like she’s ashamed of any of it. She’s just aware of how it sounds to anyone not actually from Thedas. She’ll leave out the whole accidental religious figure bit, though.] That is... a complicated question. Fighter, yes. That’s a part of it.

Recently I’ve been serving as the leader of an organization whose primary goal currently is saving the bloody world. Fighting a war against a psychopath with delusions of godhood. That I’m... uniquely qualified to battle.

[Which is putting it mildly. She’s rather thankful that the green glow of the Anchor is hidden under her usual fingerless gloves. It’s easier to avoid the questions and explanations as to how she ended up with a magical artefact branded to her hand.

At least she knows how it happened for herself, now. Even if it doesn’t help matters much.]

Edited 2018-04-26 07:08 (UTC)

Ah. Bigger scale than I'm used to, then. Least if things go wrong we've got someone who knows how to take charge.

[She's used to being part of an organisation but she's never really been in any sort of leadership position. It's just not something she's ever thought herself suited for, for all she knows how to take care of herself in a fight and to work with those she's known for long enough to have an instinctive understanding of.

Still, she understands the psychopath with delusions of godhood part well enough, though she won't quite get into the hows and whys if she can avoid it.]

I guess, give someone enough power without the right guidance and it can't be helped. Though I'd guess you're pretty powerful yourself.

[Just as it takes New Mutants to take down New Mutants, it's usually the case that power needs power to be taken down, at least as far as Shalimar understands.]

Bigger scale than I’m usually used to, as well.

[It’s much the same for Iona; she’s used to being just a hunter in the Lavellan clan. One of many. Not... the Herald of a prophet of a religion she doesn’t even believe in or the leader of the Inquisition.]

Oh, Corypheus definitely has a taste for power. And the arrogance to think he deserves it. To use it to ‘correct the world’. The way he feels it should be corrected, of course. [She laughs softly, lifting a slim shoulder in a half shrug.] I suppose, yes. Whether I want it or not.

[But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that she does have it. And she can use it to stop Corypheus. Save the world. Even if she currently feels as though she’s a failure at the lot of it.] And you?

[Well, Shalimar can't say she doesn't understand being caught up in something bigger than she is. Maybe not to the exact same scale but enough that she knows not to press any further.

There's a wry smile that creeps into her expression as Iona speaks of the one she's apparently destined to fight because yes, that does indeed sound a lot like someone she's dealt with before. Wasn't even entirely his fault, if she was to be fairer than the situation deserved, but a situation she's glad to be done with all the same.]

Guess there's no hope of him burning himself out and taking care of the situation for you?

[Unlikely, she supposes, but it's worth asking the question. She understands the rest, too, which gives her opening enough for her response to Iona's question.]

Well, I can't say I'm a stranger to powers whether I wanted them or not. Wouldn't say I'm destined for great things or anything but back home I worked with an organisation that helped New Mutants. I guess you could call it a way of repaying the man who took me in when I was lost myself.

[It's not something she talks about too openly, back home. Here, though, she's noticed that most people tend to be more open-minded and there's a broader range of people enough that mutants aren't quite so exceptional, at least so far as she's noticed so far.]

[Iona laughs wryly.] Somehow I don’t think I’m going to be quite so lucky. He’s been playing the long game. I suspect he’s frustratingly prepared.

[There’s something to be said for the Quarantine. Such a wide variety of people from such a wide variety of worlds... there’s an openness that she appreciates. The reactions to her being an elf are far less... insulting, here. She likes it. There’s curiosity, not condescension and insults and assumptions that she’s a servant.

She’s heard of mutants since her arrival, although she hasn’t yet learned very much, and she’s not going to start asking questions. Not yet. They’ve only just met. Questions come later.]

Sometimes the having of powers is enough. Gives you an advantage or an ability that others don’t have that allows you to help.

[She smirks, because if she can’t find the humour in her situation she’s utterly screwed.] And then sometimes that power comes with saving the bloody world attached. It’s a roll of the dice, I suppose. A matter of luck.

[She does make note of the mention of New Mutants, and the way Shalimar speaks of someone taking her in when she was lost, for a possible future conversation, should the opportunity arise.]

Ah. One of the smart ones, then. Or at least not someone given more power than he can physically handle.

[Which isn't such a good thing, really - but perhaps there lies the difference between natural power and that imposed by science.

She's glad not to have Iona pry; even as she's more open about talking about who she is doesn't mean she's always open to revealing everything all at once. Not like she even has all of the answers anyway, though she sees no shame in what she does know.

She grins at Iona's latter comment - if they can't control getting power, they can control how they react and Iona's good humour about it all suggests someone Shalimar can see herself getting along with.]

I guess so. Luck and the people around you, I tend to find. Can't say I ever expected myself to become the better influence on someone but it's not so bad.

[And much better than the alternative.]

[ ooc: mod discussion led to this exploratory mission finding a temple in the wild, abandoned, potentially guarded by magic. Very much up to us as to what happens there - hauntings, magic barriers, shenanigans. ]

Edited 2018-04-20 14:51 (UTC)

[Peter's been curious about getting outside the wall, but he'll admit that after a while it all sort of looks the same. Peter is very much a city boy, so far as he can tell everything around them is just a load of trees. Still, he's doing his best to stay alert, he's well aware of the sorts of things that might be lurking about. Doesn't hurt to be wary.

He still somehow manages to get caught off guard by a blast of vestigia so power it actually knocks him back a step and makes him shake his head to clear it. That is either strong magic, a lot of it, or both. It's unfamiliar enough that he can't pick out exactly the shape of it, only that it feels old and staticky. This is not a long-faded spell.]

Hold on. [He puts an arm out, trying to block whoever's near him from going any closer.] There's something magic here.

[The closest Elizabeth's had to magic before this place was Shaolin Mystisicm, but that was all speculation and legend-hardly the active sort present in this place. So even though she's on guard duty (even exploring), when Mr. Grant calls her to stand back, she does so.

Perhaps she cannot sense magic as he did, but something did look like it hit him.] Are you alright?

[Peter glances over towards the unexpectedly posh voice, but it's enough to knock him back towards his usual equilibrium. He shakes his head again, just to be sure, then offers her a quick keep everyone calm smile.]

Yeah, sorry. There's just a lot of magic here. Strong magic.

[Now that he's expecting it, Peter takes another step forward and isn't surprised to find the wave of vestigia increasing.]

Pretty sure it's coming from something over there.

[She knew that sort of expression, her own culture having made an art form of concealing with pleasant expressions. Considering where they were and what she just witnessed, Elizabeth wasn't entirely buying it.] Is it safe to move forward, then?

[She took a few steps forward, trying to feel what he felt. Zombies and physical targets she could handle, but this wasn't something she could cut or shoot down.]

[He spends another moment or so trying to feel out the spell before he gives a slow nod.]

I don't think it's...aggressive, for lack of a better term. A warning, maybe.

[The only sorts of magic traps Peter knows of are really not anything anyone wants to be messing with, but this doesn't feel like a demon trap. Those, he can pick out easily.

He takes a few steps forward himself, trying to trace the feeling back to it's source. It's like static electricity as he gets closer, his hair wanting to stand on end despite the fact that it's not actually a physical sensation.]

You don't feel anything?

Not..entirely.[She felt something, like heat or the sensation of static, but she chalked it up to the heat. When she drew closer though, the feeling gets stronger and she actually has to take a few steps back.] Good god..I take that back, I did feel something, like electricity.

[She set her hand on her sword, though it seemed useless against whatever this was.] Could there perhaps be another way inside?

[Peter nods once at the acknowledgement, then flicks a quick glance her way.]

Depends. It might be some sort of barrier or gate, or it might be that whatever this is just has so much magic that you can feel it from here. In which case it doesn't really matter where we go.

[And that might be the less encouraging option, really. Though if it is a shield of sorts, Peter isn't sure they'll be finding any gaps either. A hidden switch might be nice, but the more practical part of him kind of doubts it.]

Worth checking though, I suppose.

So, if there's a barrier, should there not be a way to undo it? [Magic was always something from faerie tales, hardly the practical sort to know back home. Much as she hated to admit, she would have to defer to his opinion.]

She took a few steps back, trying to gauge another way.] Otherwise, what would you suggest?

Maybe?

[It sort of depends on what the barrier is actually for, and Peter can't tell that much. Yet.

But he does twist to actually look at the woman, taking her in. Something about the way she's standing makes him think that she can handle herself. Which is good to know.]

Let's keep going around, see if we can't find a break in it or anything.

[She waited till he pulled back before walking with him, keeping just a little behind. Not entirely out of deference, but because of experience and to watch his back. Thus far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary except the barrier.] You have some skill in magic?

Some.

[The agreement is a little wry, mostly because some is a pretty good word for it. Peter has no doubt that Nightingale could have blown a hole right through the thing by now, but Peter can only work with what he has.]

Whatever this is, though, it's serious. I don't want to mess with it until I have a very good idea of what it's supposed to be.

( one of his travel companions puts an arm out and kaldur stills quite promptly. he may be used to leading by virtue of having been the leader of the team for years, by virtue of sheer necessity, but he's never enjoyed the weight of leadership, so following someone else's lead in this moment does not grate.

his ability to sense magic is not nearly as well-developed as peter's appears to be, as it would be if he had continued his training instead of becoming aqualad, but after a moment, he nods. )

I sense it, too.

[Peter glances over, but he just nods once. As far as he's concerned, it makes perfect sense that anyone can sense it if they concentrate enough, and it's always nice to have confirmation that you're not imaging things.

As if he could imagine up something that strong.]

What do you think, shield? Or just something really strong over there?

There is a way to find out.

( kaldur bends down for a moment to pick up a stone. a small pebble, really, nothing more. after a glance to peter to see if peter will stop him, he throws the stone.

it would bounce off a shield, he assumes, unless the shield is designed only to keep out living matter. )

[Peter does not stop him, because Peter is much too busy watching intently. The stone sails through the air with no impediments, though there is an odd crackle of static before it lands. So. Somewhat inconclusive.]

Alright, well. I'd just as soon not test it with a person, if it's all the same to you. Maybe see if there's another way in?

Perhaps it does not reach all the way around.

( after a moment's thought, he pulls one of his water-bearers from its casing on his back. the tattoos running down the arm holding the water-bearer glow and water flows to it, forming not a broadsword but something more akin to a sabre, thin and light. it will serve well to warn him before he walks into anything shield-like. )

[The whole thing earns a quick blink, more at the fact that despite the action it doesn't feel like magic than at the very visible water manipulation. Peter opens his mouth, ready to ask something -- and then immediately thinks better of it, lucky for all of them. Very much neither the place nor the time.

And if he wants to be ready to defend himself, Peter is most certainly not going to argue. He nods once, then begins moving perpendicular to what he feels of the shield, trying to trace along the outside.]

I'm hoping not. Though if it does, that will probably be our answer on what it's for.

Oooo, [ Rose says, in a faux 'ghost' wail. ] Spooky.

[ Of course, she realizes there's much more to this place than meets the eye. It thrums with an energy different from her own ki and her world's known magic as well. Interesting. It's similar to the barriers that separate her home worlds. Almost.

The blond is using her tracking skills to tell that - Well, actually, not a whole lot. ] It looks like most animals have kind of steered clear of here? [ she comments, a little uncertainly. It's not as if her instincts aren't telling her to stay away but not strong enough to really deter. Then again, Rose was never the best at following her gut. ]

Wonder why.

That's not surprising.

[He's going to ignore the commentary, because if anything, Ed looks a little pissed off. This wasn't the first he'd come across, and quite frankly he wasn't too excited to wind up at another temple in this place.]

There weren't a lot of animals around last time, either. Plenty of wild life along the way though.

[It was as if the creatures had been trying to ward them off, but this was different somehow. Here they were more avoiding than anything.]

We took care of the last one pretty easy, but that's probably not going to work this time.

[ Wow, what lemon did this guy suck on to continuously pull a face like that? ]

Yeah, there were a lot of tracks before but here- They just stop. [ And for good reason, she has to assume. Still. Though they might be animals in their own rights, Rose likes to think she's a bit more sophisticated than the common wolf. ]

You've dealt with this before?

[When they stumble across the abandoned temple for a moment Iona feels as though she’s found her way home; you can’t throw a stone without hitting some sort of abandoned ruin in Thedas. Or maybe it’s just her luck, given what she’s doing and what she’s battling. But they find the temple and she almost laughs, even as she’s tensing just a little bit more.

Abandoned temples have a tendency to be home for demons, back home. The possibility of that being true here, as well, isn’t exactly a small one. At least red lyrium is unlikely to be a problem.

Iona doesn’t normally have a knack for magic, her skills have always lain elsewhere, but she feels something as she draws closer to the temple. Maybe it’s the Anchor; maybe having a magical artefact branded to her skin has made her a little extra sensitive to this place, she doesn’t know. Maybe it’s just this temple, however the magic that is a part of it work. But she can’t help but shiver at the sensation.

She’s drawn to a particular section of worn stone, and she treads carefully, keeping careful watch for traps as she approaches. There’s nothing there, although the prickling of unease intensifies. Once she’s close enough, she reaches out, fingertips drifting over the worn stones of the wall.

One of the stones feels... different, than the others, in some barely perceptible way, and Iona frowns thoughtfully, before pressing against it. She feels something click, and then there’s the sound of stone grinding against stone as a previously hidden door slowly slides open.

She smirks.]

Well. Isn’t THAT interesting...

[closed] exploratory mission

Traveling to the site

open for all mingling

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Site exploration - Temple

ota

Re: ota

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

ota;

no subject

no subject

OTA

Post exploration - debrief