A very strange place indeed, this Shrine to the Holy Triumvirate is nestled within the icy peaks of the Fe'gan Mountains. You will find the warmth of spirituality here, together with works of great sculptural design based on the Holy Triumvirate religion. (+2 Fame)

Moderator: Retired Staff

Return to Basantha Shrine

[RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby Azura Rayume » 10/12/2015 12:09 AM

[I put both tags because I got nervous. ; m;]
Image

He probably should have done this final check before he trekked his way all the way up to Basantha Shrine, but here he was, digging through his bag to make sure he had everything. Basil was normally meticulous, but he had jumped so quickly at the chance to be both explorer and teacher that it was highly likely he had forgotten something important.

"Let's see," he muttered as he took a seat, trying to run through everything before the people he was supposed to be meeting showed up. Had it been a good idea to meet up here, or should he had waited for them at the bottom of the mountain and made the journey up with them? Too late. "Empty notebook, spare pages, rubbing charcoal... Copies of A History of Shrines, Anthology of the Trimunitive, Astrological Phenomena, and Evelonian Myths and Legends volumes two and three..." He pushed at the edge of his glasses and stacked things in neat piles around him. Pens, pencils, chalk, two changes of clothes, a map of the temple and surrounding area, and a smattering of measuring tools joined the books and papers on the floor.

That seemed like everything... Hopefully if he really had missed something, one of the students who would be joining him would have remembered it.



Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see
Something Strange?


HomeRambleLoveDreamRecord
User avatar
Azura Rayume
Well-Traveled Trainer
Well-Traveled Trainer
Pets | Items
Keystones: 1007
Donate
Joined: 12/13/2007 7:00 PM
Location: generally becoming moss

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby zapdragon555 » 10/12/2015 12:57 AM

Dipper was fairly sure his nose was about five minutes away from freezing clean off his face. Even though Uncle Ford had insisted on wearing several layers and a thick coat (Grunkle Stan had just said that the cold builds character, but tossed two old scarves in their direction regardless), the freezing wind was still biting. Dipper squinted, then glanced to the side to check on Mabel's progress. Mabel didn't seem herself at all, but then, they had been walking in knee-deep snow for a fairly long while. "Yo, Mabes? You hanging in there?" he called, to which she gave a gloved thumbs-up, teeth chattering rapidly.

"H-h-hangin!" Mabel stammered out, rubbing at her arms to try to warm them up. Dipper reached over and grabbed her hand by the wrist, determination in his face as he tugged them both towards the shrine. It was close; all of the landmarks had checked out. "S-see, I kn-knew those six thermoses of hot chocolate would come in ha-handy!" she chimed, to which Dipper snorted slightly, a small smirk on his face. They'd come in a lot better handy if Mabel hadn't preemptively put marshmallows in them, which would probably be melted and gross by the time they could actually drink it. But the sentiment was there, anyway.

Dipper's eyes lit up slightly as the exterior of the shrine came into view. "Hey, Mabel! Hey, it's right there! C'mon, lets run. Faster we go, faster we get warm, faster we can get to the bottom of this weird note thing." Mabel let Dipper pull her along, frankly not fully in the adventure mindset yet. Her brain felt frozen, but at least now she could see this Mr. Basil guy in person. Dipper had been raving about him for at least a week since they'd found the strange message about fallen seraphim and animals with starry skin, or whatever--it definitely sounded cool enough. Might be nothing, but if it was real, Mabel definitely wanted a cute star pet of her own. She was sure it would get along great with Waddles. Probably. She'd make it work.

"Mr. Basil?" Dipper panted as soon as they finally crossed the threshold into the shrine, faces flushed with cold and nearly buried in all of their clothes. Dipper tensed as his voice echoed in the quiet shrine, and he glanced around for a moment until Mabel tugged his hand and pointed towards a man sitting down nearby.



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


Pen | New Pen | Breed | Wish | Sales | Art | Imp. | Add-ons

User avatar
zapdragon555
Will Draw For Food
Will Draw For Food
Pets | Items
Keystones: 485
Donate
Joined: 02/24/2009 11:10 PM
Location: "I mean... for me, I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn't paid for it...
Status: I love you, and... and you don't pay me."

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby Azura Rayume » 10/12/2015 1:36 AM

Though he mostly ignored the creak of the door- this place was always making one noise or another- the voice that soon followed most definitely was speaking to him. That must mean the research assistants he had been expecting were here! They were behind him, of course, but they were here, and that's what mattered.

Basil awkwardly got to his feet, wobbling in his boots as he tried his best to avoid kicking anything over, and brushed the hems of his parka off as he turned. He caught sight of... well, they looked more like a couple of very sad snowballs than people, and they were awfully short, so he had to assume they were children. Oh, he really should have waited at the bottom.

"Oh, dear, I'm terribly sorry!" Basil tittered, carefully stepping out of the ring of his own belongings and toward the snow-covered pair. "I was going to wait, but the excitement got the better of me, and I wanted to make sure no one beat us here, you know? Exciting stuff, really, the discovery of that page. A college of mine is the one who discovered it, but he has no interest in cave diving. Says Indiana Jones makes it look more fun than it is." He paused, blinking at the probably confused children. He was forgetting something...

Introductions, right! "Where are my manners? I am Basil Finnegan, and I work for the University of Lambastia in Aldrect. My college, Professor Williams, spoke with you on the phone, so you must be..." Basil bit his lip, trying to recall exactly what Peregrine had said about the people he was meeting. He had only said the names once and hadn't bothered to mention that they were so young. "Um... Dopper and Maple? Oh, those are probably wrong, I'm sorry."



Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see
Something Strange?


HomeRambleLoveDreamRecord
User avatar
Azura Rayume
Well-Traveled Trainer
Well-Traveled Trainer
Pets | Items
Keystones: 1007
Donate
Joined: 12/13/2007 7:00 PM
Location: generally becoming moss

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby zapdragon555 » 10/12/2015 3:23 PM

Mabel was busy patting at her many-layers of sweaters, trying to get all of the snow out of the soft folds of fabric. It was so cold, it seemed like the snow stayed powder, never sticking too fast to anything. The worst kind of snow--it wasn't even good for making snowballs or snowmen! "Thanks for holding us a spot, Mr. Finnegan!" Mabel said cheerfully, already beginning to revitalize from the warmth inside the shrine. "Pfft. Maple," she chuckled, shaking out her hair a bit of the snowflakes that had settled on it.

"Er, yeah--it's Dipper and Mabel, but," Dipper shrugged with a harried grin, straightening the winter hat on his head. He really missed his old cap, but it wouldn't provide any warmth at all, so it had to go. "It's great to finally meet you, Professor!" Dipper lightly elbowed Mabel, trying to communicate that it wasn't really polite to call someone 'mister' when they were a professor, but she didn't seem to quite get the memo, instead elbowing him back with greater force. "Ow--but, agh, yeah! Yeah, we're pretty rearin' to get started, and all," he insisted, rubbing at his arm and frankly looking a little woozy and pale from the trip up.



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


Pen | New Pen | Breed | Wish | Sales | Art | Imp. | Add-ons

User avatar
zapdragon555
Will Draw For Food
Will Draw For Food
Pets | Items
Keystones: 485
Donate
Joined: 02/24/2009 11:10 PM
Location: "I mean... for me, I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn't paid for it...
Status: I love you, and... and you don't pay me."

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby Azura Rayume » 10/12/2015 11:09 PM

"Dipper, Mabel, Dipper, Mabel," Basil repeated, pointing between the two children as he did so. "I think I may have it... I hope, anyway. Forgive me if I get it wrong again; names can take a while to stick in this brain of mine." If they were three hours deep into this adventure, and he suddenly started forgetting names, well. It'd be embarrassing to say the least. He had to assume they were siblings; the way they interacted plus the fact that Peregrine had only given him a single last name of "Pines" were enough to figure that much out.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both as well." Basil gave them both a friendly smile but waved a dismissive hand at Dipper's use of his title. "You needn't mind with that trivial little detail of 'professor' or 'mister,' actually. Those kinds of formalities are best left in the classroom, I've found. Just 'Basil' will be fine, my boy. Now!" He clapped his hands and walked back toward his piles, barely glancing back over his shoulder to make sure the twins were following. "We should get down to the business of this adventure, yes? First and foremost, I do have some provisions we can break into if you're hungry, and we should get you both out of most of those wet clothes. The air stays much warmer in here than outside, but that isn't saying much. Wouldn't want you to catch cold because of all this."



Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see
Something Strange?


HomeRambleLoveDreamRecord
User avatar
Azura Rayume
Well-Traveled Trainer
Well-Traveled Trainer
Pets | Items
Keystones: 1007
Donate
Joined: 12/13/2007 7:00 PM
Location: generally becoming moss

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby zapdragon555 » 10/15/2015 11:33 PM

Just Basil? Dipper blanched slightly, then quickly got over it--this was cool, then! Admittedly, he'd been a little afraid this Basil person would treat him like a child and someone beneath him, but it seemed Basil was even more willing to see Dipper eye-to-eye than the boy had hoped. He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking determined. "Nah, I don't think that'll be a prob--"

"You have food? Food's good. We're going to eat, Dipper," Mabel interjected with a smile, insistent. She knew how Dipper was--if they didn't sit down and recuperate a little right now, Dipper would run himself ragged. "I brought hot chocolate!" she piped up, grinning at Basil. "But not much else. What do you have?"

Dipper frowned, eyes narrowing, then glanced back and forth between the two before finally sighing through his nose. "I guess... getting out of these things would be good," he muttered, tugging at his damp sleeves before beginning to carefully peeling the extra layers off.



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


Pen | New Pen | Breed | Wish | Sales | Art | Imp. | Add-ons

User avatar
zapdragon555
Will Draw For Food
Will Draw For Food
Pets | Items
Keystones: 485
Donate
Joined: 02/24/2009 11:10 PM
Location: "I mean... for me, I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn't paid for it...
Status: I love you, and... and you don't pay me."

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby Azura Rayume » 10/16/2015 5:43 PM

There seemed to be a small... divide in what exactly the siblings wanted to do. Basil got the feeling that Dipper was more the type to want to go on adventures like this, and Mabel was more here to make sure he didn't get too very into it. Either that, or she was easily excited by the idea of food. Either one worked really.

"Right!" Basil chimed, digging back into his pack. "It's not a lot, really. Some snack things we can open for now, chips and energy bars, that sort of thing. I do have some MREs for later as well." He produced a handful of snacks and took a seat on the floor, smiling at Mabel. "Hot chocolate sounds wonderful. Perfect, actually, considering all I have is some water and a few flavor pack things."

Basil patted the floor by his side, inviting the kids to sit as well. "We can go over what I've managed to find in these books while we eat." That seemed like a good compromise of the two, a bit of background on this whole adventure while taking the break the kids probably needed. He grabbed one of the books from the stack, checked the title to make sure it was the one he wanted, and cracked it open to one of the pages he had marked for this. "The best place to start would probably be... here. What all do you both know about some of Evelon's older myths?"



Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see
Something Strange?


HomeRambleLoveDreamRecord
User avatar
Azura Rayume
Well-Traveled Trainer
Well-Traveled Trainer
Pets | Items
Keystones: 1007
Donate
Joined: 12/13/2007 7:00 PM
Location: generally becoming moss

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby zapdragon555 » 10/20/2015 2:10 AM

Grinning at Basil's response, Mabel plopped her rucksack down on the stone floor and shuffled through it, pulling out three of the four thermoses of hot chocolate. The outside of the metal was freezing like everything else was, but the contents were still very much piping hot. "Chips, please! I'd love some," she said, passing a thermos to Basil, then holding one out for Dipper, who took it with a begrudging sigh, and then a genuine smile. "I do love those flavor pack things, though. One time I mixed all of them together, and I thought it tasted great, but no one else would agree with me. Except Gompers, but he likes everything--" Dipper cleared his throat slightly, and Mabel blinked, then quickly finished just as Dipper was opening his mouth to speak. "Gompers is a goat."

"Anyway," Dipper flushed, clearly a bit embarrassed of his sister. He mustered up a grin, rubbing at his arms a little and opening the canister of hot chocolate--yep, a wicked amount of sugar was floating in there from the melted marshmallows, for sure. Still, it was warm and smelled wonderful. "Yeah, I'd love to see what you've found so far! I've been speculating a few things myself, a-and discussing it would be great before we really get out there and start our search. As for the myths..." Dipper began to prattle on about all the things he'd read up on so far about the topic, occasionally sipping at and burning his mouth on the hot drink. "But... there's a lot more I probably need to learn."



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


Pen | New Pen | Breed | Wish | Sales | Art | Imp. | Add-ons

User avatar
zapdragon555
Will Draw For Food
Will Draw For Food
Pets | Items
Keystones: 485
Donate
Joined: 02/24/2009 11:10 PM
Location: "I mean... for me, I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn't paid for it...
Status: I love you, and... and you don't pay me."

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby Azura Rayume » 10/25/2015 9:26 PM

Basil poured himself a mug of cocoa and thanked Mabel again before handing her a bag of chips. She really was a charming child, so full of energy and willing to be helpful. He sipped at the cup- it was wonderfully warm and very, very sweet- while Dipper talked. Now and again, Basil would nod as he listened or add small details, an author's name or a date, where they were missing. All in all, he was impressed; Dipper had really done his research before coming here.

"Very good, my boy," Basil said, taking a bite of his meal bar and stuffing the wrapper in his pocket. "Very good, indeed. I wish some of my students had your work ethic. Best to get on the business, though. For this little adventure, however, I believe the most important of these myths is a tale connected to the founding of this very temple." He tapped his finger on the page over an illustration of three winged beings. "These three Seraphim- Iiylumiel, Nyssldriel, and Baal- were cast from grace, but have come to be honored here in this mountain shrine. The exact of why is left unexplored by the writers of the legends; after all, Fallen Seraphs are considered enemies of the deities, so there is no reasoning for them to still be held in such high esteem."

Basil smiled and turned the page, scanning down to the paragraph he needed. "This book is both a catalog of myths and a commentary on them. The author proposes that the Seraphs may have become guardians and teachers of the people. They Fell because of love- or, in Nyssldriel's case, a desire to stick to the rules- so they could have chosen to guard and guide the peoples of Evelon after their fall. The recently discovered page mentioned a village with a similar tale, Seraphs banished from the Vaults and guarding humanity."

He paused and glanced between the two of them. This was sounding dangerously like a lecture, and he didn't want them to lose interest because all he was doing was talking. "We should probably get going, though," Basil said at last with a shy chuckle. "You probably don't want to hear me prattle on forever, and we have a temple to explore."



Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see
Something Strange?


HomeRambleLoveDreamRecord
User avatar
Azura Rayume
Well-Traveled Trainer
Well-Traveled Trainer
Pets | Items
Keystones: 1007
Donate
Joined: 12/13/2007 7:00 PM
Location: generally becoming moss

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby zapdragon555 » 10/28/2015 12:27 AM

While Mabel tore into the bag of chips, very pleased with the exchange of food and therefore friendship, Dipper practically beamed under Basil's praise. You would've thought someone had given him a puppy, or a hundred dollars, or some actual recognition for his research skills. "Th-thank you, sir! I mean, Basil," Dipper piped up quickly, not wanting to interrupt. The two twins leaned forward to peer at the pictures, Mabel chewing rather loudly but clearly making some effort to keep quiet enough for her and Dipper to hear Basil's words.

"Enemies of the deities?" Mabel echoed curiously, mouth full, then swallowed with a thoughtful frown on her face. "Yeah, it's weird there's like, a big and pretty shrine and everything here for them if they're enemies." Mabel squinted at the architecture around them, as if holding it in a new light.

"Huh. So with this new page, we get more information. It's not exactly conflicting... just adds. It'd explain why there are shrines here, if they were thought to protect people..." Dipper mused to himself, taking the chip that Mabel was hovering in front of his mouth and biting into it, making a small noise of approval at the taste. He blinked at Basil's words, already shaking his head in denial. "No way, prattle on! I like, live for this stuff. Really, this really is amaz--"

"Exploration!" Mabel cheered, punching the air with enthusiasm. "C'mon, Dipper, we can talk while we walk. Get some blood a'flowin back into our legs, so we can stop being popsicles." Dipper eyed Mabel for a moment, then smiled slightly and nodded, standing up and stretching slightly. Yeah, he supposed it would be good to get a move on.



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


Pen | New Pen | Breed | Wish | Sales | Art | Imp. | Add-ons

User avatar
zapdragon555
Will Draw For Food
Will Draw For Food
Pets | Items
Keystones: 485
Donate
Joined: 02/24/2009 11:10 PM
Location: "I mean... for me, I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn't paid for it...
Status: I love you, and... and you don't pay me."

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby Azura Rayume » 11/09/2015 3:16 PM

These two certainly were interesting; even though they had just met, Basil could tell they both knew quite a bit more than most kids their age. Dipper was astute in his research, moreso than many Master's degree students, and probably wanted to do this kind of thing for fun. He was more than likely the type that spent more time in a library, digging through the oldest histories he could find, than he ever did on a playground. His sister was a different sort, but the professor got a feeling that Mabel had an attention to detail that rivaled her twin's, just that she usually employed it differently.

Basil gave Dipper another giddy grin. "The prattle can continue while we walk, I suppose," he said, pressing on the bridge of his glasses. He reached for another one of his books and his bag while redoing the inventory in his head. Books, pens, papers, food, all found their way back into the backpack in an orderly manner, mentally checked off and settled. With everything in place, he got to his feet and slung the straps over his shoulders.

"There, I think that's everything," Basil muttered to himself, shrugging to settle the straps on his backpack. "Just up ahead here is the main entrance chamber, and then the halls extend off from there. I think our best bet will be the doorway under Bael, the Halls of the Lost. The few people who have managed to pry a Hunter from their lives down here say they usually come from that side of the temple, so it might be where these mysterious astral creatures are hiding as well."



Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see
Something Strange?


HomeRambleLoveDreamRecord
User avatar
Azura Rayume
Well-Traveled Trainer
Well-Traveled Trainer
Pets | Items
Keystones: 1007
Donate
Joined: 12/13/2007 7:00 PM
Location: generally becoming moss

Re: [RE2] Adventure Lesson #203: Always Bring A Coat [HUNT]

Postby zapdragon555 » 01/05/2016 6:34 PM

The twins quickly packed up, the work made quick with two of them working together. And with the thermoses of hot chocolate mostly empty, now, the weight was quite a bit more manageable than before. Dipper stood up, wobbling a bit with the renewed weight of the backpack, and reached down to help Mabel up with a grunt. The cold had aided in helping the two ignore the pain in their shoulders. Now that they were thawed, it was a little bit more obvious, but neither seemed even close to wanting to wait longer to get started.

"Haaaalls of the Lost. Ominous!" Mabel mused out loud, peering at the doorway in question up ahead, partially obstructed by a small collection of monks walking by.

Dipper eyed the monks as they passed, a curious light in his eyes. A part of him wondered if they'd know anything about all of this, but then, what would be the point of searching? If the monks knew, the creatures would have been found already, most likely. That, or the monks wouldn't want them there. Neither seemed to be the case, so Dipper left it alone and followed after the other two. Hunters... Dipper had read about those, a bit, but with so few sightings, he figured it was unlikely that they'd see one down there. The idea of a giant, crystal lion was pretty worrying, though.



But there will come a time
You'll see, with no more tears
And love will not break your heart
But dismiss your fears
Get over your hill and see
What you find there
With grace in your heart
And flowers in your hair



"Tomorrow will be a good day."


Pen | New Pen | Breed | Wish | Sales | Art | Imp. | Add-ons

User avatar
zapdragon555
Will Draw For Food
Will Draw For Food
Pets | Items
Keystones: 485
Donate
Joined: 02/24/2009 11:10 PM
Location: "I mean... for me, I could love someone even if I, you know, wasn't paid for it...
Status: I love you, and... and you don't pay me."


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


cron