atlantis ♔ bury anchors in our ghosts

[cigam]

♬ Buried in Water - Dead Man's Bones

WHO || Amara, Zatanna, Lila, David, Emma, Hook
WHAT || The Knights head to the lost city of Atlantis to discover the truth about the curse of the Homo Magi
WHERE || Atlantis
WHEN || April 10th, 2015 [backdated].
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

It's been two years since a mission in the Bermuda Triangle led to the discovery of the hidden home of the race known as the Homo Magi - the original race of pure-blooded sorcerers.  Inflicted with a curse that causes them to fall in love at first sight with any mortal they see, they had secluded themselves there, taking slaves of those who were lost in the Triangle to help defend their city.  On that ill-fated mission, the Homo Magi Amara fell victim to the curse, falling in "love" with David Charming and defecting from her people in order to have the chance to be with him.  Now a danger to herself and potentially others, the Knights have sought a way to free her of her curse, so far to no avail.  Lila, however, has finally convinced Amara herself to help, convincing her that the only way to prove that her love for David is real is to prove that the curse has no bearing on it.  Amara has uncovered the location of the Homo Magi's original home: the lost city of Atlantis, where she believes they can uncover the truth about the curse's origins, and in so doing, a way to reverse it, and free her people of it once and for all.

To this end, the Knights are drifting out into the Atlantic Ocean in Hook's ship, seeking the whirlpool that will supposedly take them to the underwater city.

Comments

[uncurse]

It's made to be an entrance, right? How much impact can there be?

[ Emma glances back, brow furrowed like wait should we be concerned here. ]

[besmitten]

We're not physically on top of it. The nexus will transport us to where it lies. The geographical location has nothing to do with where we are now. [ she explains with an air of impatience, as if being pestered with questions from children about why the sky is blue. ] We shouldn't feel anything. Just steer it through the portal, Captain.

[generaldavideus]

[Yeah, David will just be over here, bracing himself on the railing. He knows enough about magical means of travel to know that this will probably not be as easy as Amara is indicating, but he won't verbally contradict her.]

[unhand]

[It's time. Killian shoves aside his worries. When it comes down to it, the potential outcome for this mission is far more important than his ship. It could reunite Emma with her father. And help Amara too, which he guesses is a good thing too.

Plus, they're on the cusp of an adventure. He grins as he whirls the wheel, skillfully sending the Jolly Roger towards the portal.]

Everyone hold on. I've never met a portal that was nearly as smooth sailing as advertised.

[cigam]

[ zatanna grabs hold of the railing with a tight grip, looking both uncertain and intrigued, her eyes flashing blue as the ship draws closer to the portal.

hook does have to make a pilot check to steer it in... ]

[unhand]

[I MADE IT AND FORGOT TO PUT IT IN THE TAG LIKE A GENIUS. Pilot 27.]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila remains near amara, fingers resting loosely against the railing, mismatched eyes staying on the homo magi and seeming completely unconcerned, just eager to keep pushing forward with this mission. every millimeter feels like progress. ]

[uncurse]

[ Here we goooooo. Emma keeps one hand steadied on a rope tethered to the bulwark, but uses the other to draw her pistol in case they've got a fight on their hands. ]

[besmitten]

[ amara has closed her eyes, raising one hand as she murmurs: ] Protegat aeris. [ a barely visible wall shimmers around the ship, and in the air around them, as hook heads right into the spiraling whirlpool that opens up before them. the ship doesn't circle around and around like it's in a drain - it goes straight down and they all get the wonderful sensation of their stomachs dropping out from under them as if the ship is legitimately falling. hold on to your butts.

water rushes in around them, and for a second it looks like it's going to drown them, but it instead swells up against the bubble of air protecting them all. ]

[generaldavideus]

[David's grip tightens against his handholds as they drop forward, a bit too much like a roller coaster for his taste, but as the water rushes in and the bubble suddenly appears he exhales slowly before muttering under his breath.]

Yep. Traveling by bubble.

[uncurse]

[ holY SHIT.

Emma ducks, crouching alongside the bulwark as they delve into the water because she's seemingly convinced they've made a terrible mistake and Amara's magic won't protect them. But the splash of water never comes, and when David speaks, she looks up, expectation squashed by wonder as she peers around at the subaqueous landscape. ]

Convenient.

[bittersweeter]

[ lila's too focused on the car wash affect to notice what david says. that being how the outside world is muffled and she's lost the annoying sounds of the seagulls that had been flying around before they'd been bubbled. so many bubbles, really, as the seawater pushes up against the huge air bubble. she feels like she should be grabbing her exit buddy but she's pretty sure that's amara, so she stays where she is.

aren't you all glad she put out her cigarette already? you're welcome. ]

[unhand]

[Killian's seen a lot in his lifetime, but this is new even for him. He looks around, impressed at the magic, while continuing to keep a hand steady on the wheel.]

[besmitten]

[ the ship continues to descend into the depths, no sign of the surface when they look up, only more inky darkness swelling in around them. it's impossible to say how far down the portal dumped them, but one might guess very, very far indeed. amara's bubble seems to be protecting them from more than a lack of air - the ship doesn't strain against any increased pressure either, which is good, because at this depth, it would likely pop it like a grape.

abruptly they would find themselves able to start to see again, a slowly growing light emanating from below, revealing glimpses of strange fish and large creatures swimming by, alien-looking monstrosities such as only the deepest levels of the ocean can boast. amara moves to the railing, fingers curling over the edge as she looks down, her eyes reflecting the bright light below as she smiles down at what rises up beneath them.

a city, extravagant, silent, and glowing, as if the city itself were phosphorescent. ] Atlantis.

[generaldavideus]

[David straightens slightly as they get closer, his eyes roving over the spires of the buildings and the strange ethereal glow that the phosphorescence gave and while the arrival method was similar this, still was very different.

He pauses, before tipping towards Lila.]

This is not what the last one looked like.

[bittersweeter]

[ that prompts the first genuine smile from lila since probably the day before, eyes hungrily taking in the site of the mythical city, real and up close and so beautiful, but still managing to catch some mirth from david's comment. ]

Everworld needs a new architect.

[uncurse]

[ It's actually very lovely, as missions to break horrible curses and retrieve her father from exile go. Awed by the sight, Emma goes silent, a slight flicker of a smile in her eyes as she looks out at the undeniably fairytalesque city. ]

[unhand]

[The city is beautiful, one of the most lovely Killian has seen, and considering how far he's traveled in his time, that's saying a lot. It is nothing, however, compared to the beauty of seeing Emma smile again, even if it's just a flicker. Killian smiles a little too, as he watches her, then turns to watch the city as it approaches. He's not sure how much sailing he has to do when he's already underwater, but he intends to be alert, just in case. There'll be plenty of time to admire Emma's beauty once they're done with the mission. He hopes.]

[besmitten]

[ the beautiful city before them is a sight indeed, but as the ship heads towards it, a twisting pattern of subtle, shifting colors weaves through the air itself, utterly captivating. everyone must make a dc 15 will save or become fascinated by the sight. amara and zatanna both seem to keep their heads at least. ]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila remains unaffected (will save 27), forehead wrinkling in thought as she observes the colors, trying to discern if it's a spell she knows or has heard of (knowledge: arcana 26). ]

[cigam]

[ it appears to be a hypnotic pattern of sorts. ] Maybe it's a ward around the city, that activates when someone approaches. Part of the mystique, or... something to distract intruders, while they decided if they were friends or foes. It's amazing if those wards are still standing. They'd have to be generated by an... an artifact or something of that nature, otherwise they would have collapsed when the Veil closed.

[bittersweeter]

Not incredibly powerful though, is it? [ like, hell, she can do something like that so she's not impressed by the actual spell itself. the homo magi are supposed to be scary powerful like amara! what is this shit? ] I mean, we're fine.

[ she glances around to see if anyone is distracted or if they're all similarly unaffected and just watching the scene with curiosity. ]

[generaldavideus]

[David's able to see through it as well (will save 23), and he watches the pattern for a moment, curiously.]

It doesn't necessarily have to be powerful, it just has to manage to catch them unawares. Sometimes it's the little things.

[uncurse]

[ will save SIXTEEN. Barely made it. She appears to be transfixed on it for a moment, but blinks herself out of it after a couple seconds, glancing back at Lila and then Zatanna, when she speaks. ]

They put this much work into hiding the city, I don't a some kind of arcane distraction is the extent of their defenses. Probably just first line to get rid of the weak-minded.

[ She's not pointing out that it almost grabbed her. Not after Lila was like lol nbd. ]

[unhand]

[Hook's will save was a nat 20, so yeah all that staring at Emma instead apparently paid off. It's lucky since will is his weakest save.]

It didn't catch us. That's the important part.