Faction The Buried City of Yvaduin | Solanaceae

[Cardinal Rachne]

EOS
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On the forlorn world of Eos, a band of explorers unwittingly stumbled upon a buried city. The volcanic crust of the world gave way under their feet; one of their number lost into the glowing depths of the hidden world far below. While grieving for a loss of a journeyman, they reported this momentous find in a desolate and dark land. Scientific and research divisions within the Confederacy quickly launched an exploratory mission to establish a safe perimeter and prevent pirates from plundering the cite before the full expedition was underway.

Nightmother Vytal Noctura, having read the reports and the details regarding the extreme electromagnetic interference natural to the planet, decided to arrange a supplementary team of her own. The Witch reached out to members of the Solanaceae to see which would be interested in exploring such depths for treasures and knowledge untold. Lost to time and the galaxy for a hitherto unknown measure, she suspected there would be much to captivate an open mind.

Time, however, may be against them. While the surrounding region is presently stable, Eos is a volcanic world in constant turmoil. The thin crust once hiding the lost civilization might only be a symptom of the faltering stability; and no one can be certain whether the vast riches may be lost once more as liquid, molten rock pours over it -- be that in days, years, or centuries.

At the cusp of the Sisters and Brothers' venture, the Nightmother was called away to deal with an urgent matter elsewhere. The pale Witch addressed those assembled briefly, "I will have another meet you there until I arrive. Take this opportunity to explore, and perhaps learn more than what bare rock can tell." With that she left the gathered assembly to the craft that would ferry them to the landing site on Eos.

The group would be transported from the landing area -- which was a frequent pocket of less turbulent electromagnetic interference -- via ground vehicle. With hovercraft being the normal in galactic civilization the rough and tumble of a track-based vehicle as it rolled over the broken landscape might not sit well with its passengers; but short of someone mastering the art of teleporting to a site none had seen, it was a necessary evil to endure.

A growing camp was set up near The Well as the hole had been recently named. Scattered groups milled about, but the Solanaceae's guide did not pause for them to linger long. Soon they would be ushered into the counter-weighted elevator shaft that would send them steadily descending into the planet. The moment they fell beneath the thin crust that seemed to arch over a deep cavern the cool glow of the interior lit up weathered, yet undeniably sculpted stonework.

In the nearby distance sat what appeared to be a building, perhaps a temple, cathedral, or public assembly of some kind. High archways paved the way inside from the broken land that sat at its doorstep. The entire structure seemed perched upon the edge of calamity; where one good shake might send it toppling into the murky abyss below obscured by mist and shadow.

Despite sharing broken and separated platforms that served as ground with the surface, however, the interior of the cavern was blissfully cool. Not cold, but seemingly free of the heat that liquefied solid stone.

Their foot steps over the dusty and gravely ground echoed among pillars and what seemed to be statues on the approach to the captivating temple before them. So it might come to their surprise that a figure cloaked in red and black could be seen standing upon the threshold to the temple when the group rounded a pillar momentarily obscuring their view. No sound seemed to belie such sudden movement of a third party present.

The group's movement, however, had not gone unnoticed. Slowly the figure turned its head and then pivoted slightly to look back at them. All the Sisters and Brothers got in return was an ornately decorated mask of silver and black, with red highlights down its center. Not an inch of skin seemed visible of whoever or whatever was wrapped in cloth and leather before them. Nor did the strange take the initiative to introduce their self unprompted.

Tag: Alluria Ivalice | Althea Karalis | Dispara | Julra Repraj | Sabine Delacroix | Solana Arasne | Telula Vale | Vanir Eris | Jalan Riyadosh | Shamira Karuto | Shalita Verd

OOC: Feel free to add details and wander about. No need to wait on DM posts, and don't worry about a strict posting order.​

 

[Jalan Riyadosh]

There was no holo-net here. There was nothing of comfort here. The electromagnetic disturbances here had required a protective addition to her suit as a matter of fact to ensure that her implants did not hyper charge and quite literally fry the circuitry attached to her brain. The addition of wire mesh into her helmet, even temporarily was annoying, and she would make a point of disposing of it whenever possible. The whole custom suit she had was feeling stuffy with the mesh addition to try to avoid possible overloads.

She had known she was coming here. But hadn't wanted to skip the chance to find new things. Which was why Jalan was thankful for the boneplast reinforcement she had undergone to aid in the not so pleasant ride the tracked vehicle gave them. Had she been in a similar condition to her late mother, this might have very well been the end of the line for Jalan. As it was, she looked around the faces collected and refrained from smiling. Smiling garnered mixed reactions it seemed. Some were happy to share in a smile, others, not so much.

As it was, she quietly wandered behind the guide, not yet stepping out of line until the masked one revealed their presence to those assembled. There was only a few seconds of her processing their presence before she tilted her head slightly and spoke.

"Hello. I am Jalan. You are?" She went ahead and broke the ice. They were here in a foreign place, and learning about ancient things hopefully. Didn't hurt to meet new people along with new things.

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Alluria Ivalice | Althea Karalis | Dispara | Julra Repraj | Sabine Delacroix | Solana Arasne | Telula Vale | Vanir Eris | Shamira Karuto | Shalita Verd

 

[Dispara]

Tags: Alluria Ivalice | Althea Karalis | Julra Repraj | Sabine Delacroix | Solana Arasne | Telula Vale | Vanir Eris | Shamira Karuto | Shalita Verd | Cardinal Rachne

It was just the sort of the thing Dispara had imagined, when she flung herself into the galaxy from a backwater planet. The tempting tale of ancient ruins, and even moreso, the powerful artifacts that could be buried in the dry dust of the millennia. She had discovered it rarely worked like that. The reality of expanding in power was lectures, homework and practice, practice practice.

And yet, with the calling of the Nightmother herself, Dispara would indeed see ancient ruins, with the intent on discovering lost knowledge and power. Of course, it would be in the company of others of the Solanaceae, and in the name of the same, as the wardens of magic for the Confederacy.

Dispara's role was unclear. She was no scholar, not yet. Nor was she a historian. But, like every Brother and Sister in that bucking tracked transport, they each had a unique repertoire of skills and powers that they brought to the table. The Solanaceae party was both a library and a tool belt, readily prepared for whatever they may come across when they descended into the Well.

From the age of ten she had been raised in an agrarian society, so the low tech of both the camp and the means of getting into and out of the large hole were of little notice to Dispara. What met them as their final destination certainly was noticed. She had not been in such a place. A subterranean ruin, its age apparent, time still able to ravage the worked stone even beneath the surface of the planet.

Dispara reveled in what felt like a step into the past. Who built it? Why build it? What happened in that place? Obvious questions bounced around her head until the figure caught her attention. Solemn, cryptic and silent, its identity a complete mystery to Dispara. It seemed to be to the others as well.

Jalan spoke first. Familiar only by sight, Dispara had yet to truly meet the woman, though she had certainly been noticed by the Jarvashquiine shaman. Tall, lithe and with a beauty that could only come from Hapan blood, the woman with curious burgundy eyes had caught Dispara's attention from the beginning. While the blue-black haired Sister made her rather informal and polite introduction, Dispara moved forward a bit, and to the side to see around the taller Jalan. She was most curious about the mysterious masked figure.

 

[Cardinal Rachne]

"Cardinal."

Despite the mask, a clearly feminine, but deep voice responded to Jalan's question after a moment. Most might expect the voice to sound colored by a vocabulator, synthesizer, or other electronic means, but her's was as clear as any that did not wear such a covering. Its dark ocular sockets were directed at the group after the name -- or title -- was dropped. Was she waiting for another question?

The woman's head turned to regard the towering archway before them before she turned back to examine the group once more. "You're here to explore the city. Do any of you know much of this place?" The briefest pause almost suggested she expected an answer, but then she continued without waiting for one. "Yvaduin. Capitol of a long, lost civilization. The interference of this world is their doing. Thousands of years ago. But it seems their survival was not to be. They hated the open sky. Dwellers, they were. Intelligent, but reclusive."

Cardinal stopped talking again as her head tilted to the left. "There will be danger entering this place. Even dead civilizations do not welcome pillagers. Are you prepared?"

Tag: Alluria Ivalice | Althea Karalis | Dispara | Julra Repraj | Sabine Delacroix | Solana Arasne | Telula Vale | Vanir Eris | Jalan Riyadosh | Shamira Karuto | Shalita Verd​