Player Plot: The Mysterious Ruin

[serannas]

WHO: Ellana Ashara, Korrin Ataash, Vasran Thelassin, Thranduil, Felix Alexius, Sam Gareth, Kallian Endris, Velanna, Merrick Ashara, Eirlys Ancarrow
WHAT: A trip to an elven ruin in search of the Sulevin Blade leads to some surprises.
WHEN: October/Harvestmere 1-5 (mostly travel time to and from)
WHERE: the Dales
NOTES: OOC post is here.

The clues have led them to this spot in the Dales, hidden behind thick vegetation far from the eyes of Orlesian soldiers, Red Templars, or Venatori. As they enter, Ellana throws down a barrier on those closest to her, sure that the other mages will do the same. Korrin and Sam have done this with her before, but she's thrilled at the response she's had this time to inviting others along. There is strength in numbers and she hopes that together they can face whatever is standing in their way to the Sulevin Blade.

The first room spreads out before them, and simple entranceway with statues of harts flanking the door way into the next area. Ellana turns in a small circle, eyes gazing up towards the ceiling before she smiles and pulls out a notebook, making quick notes on what she sees with her charcoal. It looks like this ruin will be like the last, with nature reclaiming it after so long without inhabitants. She likes that if anything has to live here, it's trees and grass.

She steps up to the doorway, checking it for any sort of trap before renewing her barrier and stepping through. As leader of this exploration, she's willing to take the risk of being hurt so someone else doesn't have to. And now that she's in here, this room seems a little unusual. On the floor are four slightly raised tiles, each bearing a symbol. In the middle of the floor is a large, raised circular tile that bears all four symbols in a row. And there seems to be no door other than the door way they walked through. Surely this can't be it.

Anyone care to explore?


[ ooc: one thread, all hop in, I provide the clues, you guys react, I provide plot progression! hit me up in the OOC post linked above if anything is unclear, and have fun! ]

Comments

[serannas]

Ellana moves around to Felix's side to give his hand a brief squeeze. She obviously doesn't want anything horrible to happen to him, but she isn't going to coddle him here either.

"Okay, start with the arrow, then the flame, dagger, and shield, like Korrin said. I'll barrier you." With that said she moves back and lays a barrier down across Felix, trying not to look too worried.

When Felix begins, they'll see the tile he steps on sink down level to the floor. On the big circular tile, the arrow symbol will light up from some form of magic. However, if Felix steps off to go to the next, the tile he was on will raise back up and the light on the arrow symbol will go out.

[dalishious]

Merrick has been progressing in his usual fashion, finding the highest possible spot and perching there to keep a look out. It's good that he decided to come; a bunch of mages wouldn't be able to disarm any traps they might run into, and he can sneak up on any potential enemies if need be.

As for this thing, he finds it incredibly stupid. He supposes the elves that built the place wanted to keep the shems out, but he's still impatient.

"Don't drag your ass," he tells Felix as his sharp eyes keep on the lookout for anything that might stir in the darkness.

[blightedson]

Felix does step off for a moment but as soon as it starts to raise, he moves back onto it to try and push it back down. He glances towards Merrick and then back to Ellana.

"Do we want all of these down? Or just some of them?" Then, after a moment, he adds. "If this were a Tevinter puzzle, I'd assume the goal would be the raise the mage platform as high as possible. Would your people want them all equal?"

[gatheringstorm]

Upon observing the results, Korrin frowns in thought. Puzzles aren't exactly her forte, due to her typical lack of patience. That doesn't mean she won't try to contribute, though. "Hm...remain on that tile and then the rest of us each pick one in order, instead of personally heading to the next? It might require them all being down at the same time as well as the order pressed. Or I'm just talking out of my ass. I'd be willing to step on the next one in order, unless someone really wants to jump on that instead."

She cares less about getting credit than she does is moving this along. So, time to alter the plan and see if that works.

[serannas]

"I'm not sure," Ellana says in response to Felix's question. Now that he's back on the arrow tile, the large circle tile in the middle shows the arrow lit up with some magical energy yet again. "There is still so much unknown about Elvhenan. It's clear they used magic a great deal, but they may have valued rogues and warriors just as much."

She moves around to the next tile, shaking her head to Korrin. "No, it's all right. I'll get this one." It's the flame, and when she steps down on it, the circular tile now has the arrow and flame lit up with magical light. "I think this is working? Let's just have two more people for the dagger and shield. Might as well do it in order since the symbols are still lit up. Dagger first."

[el_tybs]

"Well standing on them is certainly doing something." They're lighting up clearly. They all were probably having similar ideas at this point on the puzzle, but it was anyone's guess as to what the proper way of handling it was.

"How bout you stand on 'dagger', Korrin. I'll move onto 'shield' after it's lit up." He moves to stand next to the symbol but doesn't move onto it just yet. During this time he looks around at everyone. "I'd say be prepared for anything to happen." After all something could get released.

[gatheringstorm]

Nodding, Korrin heads over and looks over the dagger tile before taking that next step over to stand upon it. If nothing particularly unexpected happens after that, she then glances over to Sam. "Your turn." Time to see what this yields, if anything.

[failedfirst]

Velanna is standing by in the event that this activates a trap, though from what she knows of these things it seems like they're doing everything correctly. All the same, she is very obviously standing in a spot that looks less likely to get hit by any kind of backfire from doing the puzzle incorrectly. They'll need people still alive to try and do it right if it goes wrong, after all.

[unharrowed]

Standing on the tiles in order seems too simple to Vasran, but it isn't as if she has a better idea. If nothing disastrous happens, they'll have a chance to reassess and try something different.

She's listening even closer now for the skitter of spider legs or the rattle of a walking corpse, taking up a position in relation to Velanna so that she can cover the other mage's blind spots.

[serannas]

As expected, the symbol of the dagger lights up when Korrin stands on the corresponding tile. Now Sam only needs to step on the shield to have all four tiles pressed down. The wariness each person in the party has is well placed, because elven ruins often hold traps or some type of guardian trying to keep others away from these mysteries.

[blightedson]

Felix's hand is on his sword, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. He glances over at Ellana and then brings his attention back to what is happening around them. waiting for one of those traps.

[el_tybs]

When Korrin steps on her plate, Sam finds himself holding his breath. When nothing happens he releases it slowly, eyeing the symbol in front of him. At this point he grabs the empty hilt at his side, and glances around once before stepping forward onto the shield.

[serannas]

And finally, the shield joins the other symbols in lighting up. This appears to be the right order too, because the large, circular tile slowly starts to spin and lowers itself down level to the floor. Once there, a blinding white light appears from floor to ceiling on the tile, and when it dissipates there is a large creature standing on the tile. For those who have brushed up on their biology, they may recognize the shape as that of a wyvern. It's huge, pure white, and sort of... see through?

Before anyone can properly process that they're looking at a full skeleton of a wyvern, the magic surrounding it wears off and it collapses under its own weight into a pile of dust and bone fragments.

Look, you can't expect a guardian wyvern to wait hundreds of years for people to step on tiles, can you? This guy died a long time ago.

At least the group will be able to see that there's now a doorway leading to the next room. So... onward?

[gatheringstorm]

That blinding white light has Korrin on her guard...and then she's staring at the wyvern skeleton, awed and a little wistful. Damn. That would have been an interesting encounter, if had been alive. Shaking her head at the dust and bone fragment pile with a soft sigh, she looks ahead to the doorway.

"I can take point." Renewing Barrier, the Vashoth mage then steps forward with her spirit blade hilt still drawn. At that first sign of trouble, it will be activated.

[blightedson]

Despite the seriousness, Felix can't help but make a softly amused sound. He still draws his sword though, just in case.

"Serpentine creatures that are falling apart by just being looked at? Are we sure we're not at my home?" Probably not the best joke to make around elves, he'll apologize for teasing about Tevinter later.

[dalishious]

"Let me go first," Merrick tells Korrin, jumping down from his perch at last. "You won't be able to disarm any traps, and if anything's in there they'll see you from a hundred yards away."

It's blunt and a little rude, but Korrin can handle it.

[gatheringstorm]

Of course she can, and she nods, pausing to let him pass. "Fair enough. After you, then." He can disarm traps and they can stab things that need stabbing should it come to that. Sounds like a solid plan to her.

[serannas]

As Merrick comes into the room, he'll find no tiles that release fire, or a wire stretched across the door to trip them up, or anything ready to come out of the walls or ceiling to impale them. In fact, he'll merely get the first look around the place.

The room is roughly square, with high ceilings. It's roughly square, because one corner is dark and looks like part of the wall has been smashed or simply crumbled away. Might be something back there. The rest of the room is free to examine too, but it's worth noting that this room has a door with no handles. It's locked, but there's no keyhole.

[unharrowed]

Vasran tenses when the... what seems to be a wyvern appears, but her shoulders sag when it turns out to be nothing more than remains. Disappointing.

Still itching for some sort of excitement, she follows close behind Merrick and Korrin. When the room beyond proves to be quiet, Vasran moves away from the group, toward a wall where a torch rests, unused. She lights it with a wave of her hand, then plucks it from its sconce. That's when she spots the darkened corner, the crumbled wall.

"Falling to ruin?" Or could something be hidden there? She's headed over.

[el_tybs]

The reveal is certainly exciting and has Sam backing up and getting ready for a fight when- the bones just fall apart. He blinks, the whole thing feeling rather anti-climatic. Well maybe if they wait a moment- nope nothing happening. "Huh," he mutters, standing up straight, feeling just a little bit jipped.

Hilt still in hand, Sam follows after the others, still looking over his shoulder every once in a while - you know just in case. The room they enter feels less impressive then the previous, but the door certainly grabs Sam's attention. Slowly he walks over to it, trying to make something of it.

i am here, i was always here, i never wasnt here

[rowancrowned]

He, unwilling not to, toes at the skeletal remains as they pass it by, making sure it really is dead and gone and not like to attack them as they come back through. It's the intelligent thing to do, and if in his next step, his heel comes down on another piece of bone and grinds it into dustier-dust, that's for the good of the party.

He heads for the mysterious door when Sam does, and after a moment's pause, runs his fingers down the seam where door meets wall.

"If we discern which side has hinges and which has the lock..."

[dalishious]

Merrick drifts toward the dark corner with Vasran, eager to find something that isn't another damn puzzle.

[blightedson]

Now that Felix can move from his platform he finds his way near by Ellana's side again. He thinks, for a moment, about taking one of the bones from the beast and bringing it to his father who would probably find some use for it, but he shoves that aside in favor of looking at the door.

"There may also be another hint around here. Or some magical residue. Do you feel anything?" he asks of the other mages in here. Detecting that sort of thing was another thing he was never very good at.

[failedfirst]

Velanna actually let out a short bark of laughter as the wyvern crumbled to dust. Really it wasn't funny, but so absurd that the ruins had been apparently undisturbed so long that the creature had died.

She followed along with the others into the new room, looking around the room with her previous stoniness back in place. At Felix's question Velanna exhales slowly, pressing her lips together.

"There is always magical residue in places like this, pinpointing a source may prove difficult..." All the same it isn't a terrible idea, and she absently lifts a hand, as if she's attempting to divine magic from the air.

[serannas]

Off in the dark corner, Merrick and Vasran (and anyone else who wanders over) will see an unusual sight. The bricks of the wall are crumbled away from here, but this doesn't lead into what seems like the next room. Instead, there is a small space, perhaps five feet wide by five feet deep, and what's sitting there is well... maybe they should ask the others to come and look because it's not everyday you run across a stack of huge skulls with one wearing a cheese wedge for a hat. Really, these skulls are bigger than Qunari skulls. You could sit on these skulls and your rear would have plenty of room. But what creatures possessed such a large skull? Why are these skulls here? And why the cheese?

Back in the main room, the door doesn't seem to want to reveal any secrets. There doesn't appear to be anything remarkable about it save the fact there are no handles or keyhole. But old elven magic still lingers in this place, and those mages who try to sense it will feel drawn towards the wall that -- when viewing the door straight on -- is on the left side of the room. Here the brick pattern is broken up by something else. In fact, they seem like floor tiles once more, but they are on the wall and they have a pattern that isn't in order at the moment. Basically, it's a fancy ancient elven version of this.