Once home to the Crystal Cities of the Hunter clans, Craiss Caverns is now a hollow empty shell of its former glory due to a strange misfortune in the past. Man-made tunnels now lead to this place, but tales tell of some never returning. (+3 Defense, +2 Offense)

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Digging for Gold [Self][Finished]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 6:36 AM

Eko stood at the entrance to the caverns, and grinned widely. They may have been all but abandoned, but she had heard the reports about the strange fungi that grew in the heart of the tunnel network. A crack in the ceiling let water filter into a massive underground lake, and as a consequence the tunnels in the lower levels were always wet and slippery. That, however, was no problem for someone of her specialty; she had made sure to prepare accordingly, and was kitted out with all the necessary gear (and some that was merely useful). The pack currently at her feet was a sure sign of that, and she had also made arrangements for a small temporary camp to be set up nearby.

[1]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 7:05 AM

She smiled as she let the last of the morning sun rays warmed her back; her assistant would take good care of the camp for her, she knew. She would be able to search for and bottle specimens at her leisure, though would ensure to return to camp at least every three days as per their arrangement. She couldn't wait to get started, and with a last look back at the strange markings carved into the wall she ventured into the cavern. She shivered slightly as the cold hit her, but knew that it would not matter - in a matter of moments, her fur would warm her back up. She grinned as she bent to scoop some moss into a small glass phial; the first of her samples had been officially collected!

[2]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 7:12 AM

As she carefully made her way deeper into the cavern network, she made sure to be careful with her footing. There was debris covering the floor in certain areas, as if there had recently been a minor cave-in, and she didn't want to risk twisting an ankle. All the while, those strange carved images - some sort of hieroglyphics, she assumed - kept getting brighter. She stopped to take a sample of whatever was making them glow with a careful hand and a blunt knife, and carefully placed the sealed jar into her samples pouch. She didn't notice that the place she had scraped flared briefly, before returning to it's original luminosity.

[3]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 7:18 AM

Carefully, slowly, she continued her way into the huge carved tunnel. She made a point to keep track of the time and her distance traveled. Sometimes, it helped that your assistance was an engineering whiz as well as an enchanter. She smiled at that thought, and almost missed the small cluster of mushrooms growing in a puddle where the wall met the floor. She carefully drew a sketch of them in her journal, before snipping a cap sample off of one on the edge of the group.

[4]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 7:53 AM

She stopped to make camp in the first proper cavern she came to. Standing in awe at the entrance to what was undeniably a city carved into the very stone of the cave, she had decided immediately to explore, and had marked the cavern entrance with a red cloth dipped in sap.

She put her tarpaulin down in a corner, out of the way of any prying eyes (though she was there alone, old habits died hard). She made sure her camp was set up and secure before venturing into the first of the abandoned buildings. Though debris littered the floor, she could see that it had once been lived in, with distinct areas for food preparation, sleeping, and hygiene.

[5]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 1:46 PM

She set to work, scooping up samples from the different mosses and fungi she could see growing in'between the debris. She had already put on her breathing mask (another gift from her assistant) and her battleheart skin gloves. If all went to plan, they would protect her from anything she should encounter within the cave system.

As she slipped her phial into it's pocket within her samples bag, she didn't notice that she was being watched by a pair of shadowed eyes, sunk into the gloom. Perhaps the city was not quite as dead and buried as it appeared to be.

[6]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 3:32 PM

Eko wiped her forehead as she washed herself with the cleaning kit from her backpack. She was eating cold preserved rations, as she didn't want to risk making a fire within the cave systems. The buildings she had explored appeared to have no obvious fireplaces or hearths, but that may just have meant that the inhabitants had relied more on magic than practicality. It was obvious that they had not been designed for anyone outside of their community - oddly sized doorways and strange markings were everywhere. Even underneath the layer of dust that coated the floor, though she didn't know it.

[7]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 6:29 PM

She checked her samples bag; once all of her vials and jars were full, she would head back to the surface, leaving her markers behind. She was pleased with her results; already a quarter of the phials in the pouches were full, and she had only just started. She finished her meal and checked the time; she would need to monitor her sleep patterns carefully whilst down here.

She sat up straight as she heard the otherworldly hiss, though she shook it off as merely being a whisper of wind in the tunnels. She shrugged it off as she bedded down (though she made sure her tripwires were active and the guard minitron had been activated).

[8]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/22/2015 7:06 PM

She was awoken by a cold breeze, and the strange sensation she was being watched. She tried to shrug it off but the feeling would not cease, eventually prompting her to look get up and pack up her camp. She reasoned that she would only go a little farther into the cave network.

She did not notice that the shadow had been joined by two others. Nor did she realise that she had left her pocket watch (the chronometer which also told her the distance travelled) behind on a rock.

[9]
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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Re: Digging for Gold [Self]

Postby ToxxicRenegadeAngel » 11/29/2016 9:02 PM

Eko did not realise her foolhardy mistake until much later, when she was well and truly lost. She wandered blindly through the cave system, eventually succumbing to hunger and thirst.

Years later, Eko was discovered by another intrepid adventurer. At least, what was left of Eko was found - she was long gone, preserved by the strange fungus and minerals in the cave system.

The adventurer shook their head, and took out a familiar chronometer to check the time.

[10]


Finished
"I remember who I was, who I've always been. Sometimes I forget I'm not that person any more."

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