tushanshu_logs | [closed] Zeshora Ruins

Entry tags:

[closed] Zeshora Ruins

Characters: James Kidd (

aread), Anne Bonny (

softlycall), Raine Sage (

ruinsprofessor), Gene Khan (

wrathfulkhan), Amelia (

loquaciouslyfeline)
Date: To Be Decided, provisionally 12th-16th March.
Location: Zeshora, the ruins of Kusini.
Situation: [player mission:] After hearing stories of the ancient civilisations of Zeshora and their battles against the Enemy, Kidd and Bonny round up a pack of unlikely - and potentially unwilling - archaeologists to investigate the ruins spread across the southern islands.
Warnings/Rating: Skeletons, some violence against and by giant fictional cats, potential injury, swearing.

[STARTERS: 1. arrival&camp; 2. clifftop fort; 3. sunken archives; 4. savrun ambush]

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They choose one of the larger southern islands for their camp, where sections of the city they've tentatively identified as Old Kusini are visible high up in the cliffs above the ocean. What the sea and the wind haven't worn away is covered in faintly luminescent roots that have crept down from gardens and orchards on the clifftop over the ages, though splashes of colour from half-crumbled inner walls and narrative friezes can be seen here and there. The rest of the buildings, presumably, lie beneath the waves and have done since entire sections of the landmass sheered away. A number of fearless rodents the size of small dogs come to investigate as they set up their gear, and an hour later their fearless dinner has finished roasting over a campfire of the driest driftwood they can scavenge for the time being.

The map they 'acquired' from a kedan merchant is incredibly vague, but suggests a number of places both above and below the sea that could be promising. The journey was long enough for some introductions, but hurried enough that opinions and impressions are yet divided. A discussion may be required.

Rat for dinner.

Well, he's eaten worse, and even giant ruins rat is better than no dinner at all. Gene sits alone, silently contemplating the ruins and this entire trip. Amelia's the only person he knows for real here, but even though she's seen the armor before he's still hoping he won't have to use the rings. The fewer people who know about his little talent, the better. As it stands, he's only wearing one ring, his mother's ring with the purple gem. When he ventures into the ruins, he'll don the rest, but for now, just this one will do. It ought to protect him from most anything.

Edited 2014-03-14 01:37 (UTC)

Given how often she's had to supplement ship rations with hutia or monkey, Anne's rather more cheerful about their luck with the creatures. She's less cheerful about the ragtag team they've assembled, given certain members... so when she finishes her circuit of the site and returns to the fire, she singles out the boy for a talk. Get to know them, or be prepared. Either way.

Protip, Gene. If you want to direct attention away from something, don't keep looking at it.

"That's an odd piece of jewellery."

Gene had thus far managed to avoid much contact with the person running the mission, but he's not surprised she's come over for a talk. He knows he doesn't look like much; it's clear that he has some athletic ability, and he'd mentioned that he had some martial arts training. Only most of his life, really, but who was counting?

"Family heirloom," he replies, resisting the urge to tuck it away again. That'd really look suspicious. "If I believed in luck, I'd call it a good luck charm."

At the campsite that has been set up, Amelia has taken charge of the map. She's pouring over it, having barely touched her own meal. She's not exactly happy with her companions for this journey; Gene had invited her along, but had been frustratingly vague on the details of who would accompany them. Two of the three other explorers in particular had come off as the sort she would not associate with of her own volition during voyage over, something about their air and manner.

For now, though, her primary concern is learning the lay of the land, and that is what she is spending her time by the campfire doing.

Edited 2014-04-03 00:21 (UTC)

Raine at least takes the time to eat before doing anything else.

She's in the company of strangers in an even stranger place than she started, and while that's not something ordinarily conducive to being gregarious, it would be prudent to do something about those problems before any other ones come calling. Which they undoubtedly will. So she stands, once she's eaten, and circles around the campfire to stand at a respectful distance from Amelia. "That is the map of the area you have, correct? Would you be averse to sharing?"

She could cite her reasons, but she rather thinks they're obvious. It's only sensible to get a feel for the geography.

Amelia looks up from her scrutiny. Of their ragtag bunch, Raine seems more companionable than the other two strangers.

"Yes it is, and not at all. Two minds are better than one, after all." She lays the map out on a relatively flat portion of the ground, not too close to the fire. Losing their only tool of navigation would put them in a right mess. Amelia sits back a moment and starts on her dinner. It's certainly the sort of thing she will only eat when given no other options, and after a few bites she grimaces and puts it down to return to the map.

"Any thoughts on where we should start our investigation in the morning?"

While Amelia makes an attempt at eating, Raine sits next to the map, tucking her legs under her as an afterthought. She takes a moment to get her bearings with the map, notes where they are.

Maybe she's used to better quality maps, but she's seen worse. At least it's readable. "Perhaps this way," she says in response to Amelia's query, and indicates one of the more significant portions that looks to be above sea level. She pauses to glance around them, frowning a little at the likely steepness of the climb. Cliffs are not usually very friendly, but it's better than the alternative. "Provided we can find a way up. However, I think climbing will be slightly more feasible than locating the portions that have since been submerged. What do you think?"

There is absolutely no ulterior motive there whatsoever.

Amelia nods. "I don't fancy a swim myself, so I'm inclined to agree with venturing upwards rather than down." She leans over the map, mentally noting the location that Raine has indicated. "We'll have to confer, of course, with our comrades, but seeing as we are hardly equipped for an underwater expedition I believe they will agree with us." Not that they are terribly well-equipped for cliff traversal either. One of their number at least has no need to fear a fall. Gene's armor stunt in the bottle world is far from forgotten, although she hasn't had a chance yet to ask him about it in detail, and now is not the time for it.

"Have you any thoughts about what we might find in these ruins?" Amelia has little experience with ancient ruins of any sort; it's simply not her area.

"I certainly hope they will." Raine has her doubts about this, but is hoping to be pleasantly surprised. She, too, recognizes they're not exactly equipped for rock climbing, but it's better than the alternative, and there may be paths that are navigable.

"I do have a few thoughts, though I'd have to see more to be sure," Raine says next. She casts her gaze upward again, to the spots of color she saw earlier. "There's some kind of art up there, which could mean any number of things -- I have very little context for this culture -- but I'm hoping it'll tell us about what these structures were, and possibly some about how these people lived. This is more or less where the city was, I believe, but likely only a portion remains..." She shakes her head, and sighs. "Open to all the weather and wildlife like this, most of what can degrade will have by now. What we find will be mostly stone, I think, unless more measures to preserve inner areas were taken."

Amelia follows Raine's gaze to the cliffs above, picking out the color that likely is the art she speaks of. "You sound quite knowledgeable about this sort of thing. Are ruins a hobby of yours?"

She herself has no experience with the remains of ancient civilizations beyond that of Treasure Planet. She had spent a good part of her time on the artificial world in pain, even in a bit of delirium, and with no formal studies in archaeology she had no idea what to make of it. Aside from it being clearly ancient, that is. She is a naval captain, not a scholar.

Hobby is definitely too weak a word.

"I've studied them extensively," Raine says, "and will probably spend most of the rest of my life doing so. Even that might not be enough time to unravel all the mysteries those of my home world hold." This is the sound of someone carefully not saying the word 'obsession.' "Fortunately the majority of the laws of nature seem to be the same, so I can apply the same physical principles, even if the historical and cultural aspects are completely different."

If they're talking about life practices now, then there's a question Raine's been turning over. "Do you have a hidden enthusiasm for archaeology, or are you here for other reasons?" Amelia really doesn't seem to quite fit with the others.

Yes, it does sound like hobby is too weak a word. But it's interesting nonetheless, from the perspective of someone with no background in it. Raine clearly has a passion, and that will almost certainly be of value for the coming explorations.

Amelia shakes her head. "I'm afraid my career is substantially more military. In my home universe, I serve as a captain in the Royal Navy. As for joining this party, the young man over there," here she nods to where Gene is seated across the campsite, "told me of this and invited me along. We've been on a few other ventures together during our stay here."

Not to mention she has a taste for adventure.

Edited 2014-04-18 00:06 (UTC)

"The Navy, hm." The idea of constant seafaring doesn't quite make her grimace.

Raine isn't really that surprised to hear that Amelia knows Gene. A personal connection makes sense, if there's none professional. It seems she's in the middle of a group of people who have more than just passing familiarity with each other. For a moment, she indulges in a bit of homesickness, of missing her brother, or anyone who'd have the reflex to wince and find somewhere else to be when the subject of ruins came up in conversation. But there's no point to that feeling, not with so many other things to do, and she puts it aside almost as quickly in favor of something to continue conversation. She grabs for the first interesting thought to hand. "Is there a particular reason you prefer 'universe' to 'world'?"

It might just be a difference in the common parlance, but so far everyone else she's talked to has used world. It's a curious anomaly.

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[closed] Zeshora Ruins

1; arrival and setting up base camp

open;

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Open

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sorry it's so short, my brain is not cooperating right now

no worries, I know that feeling

Re: no worries, I know that feeling

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