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

[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.

[generaldavideus]

[David nods in agreement, before turning his eyes back to the city and trying to see what he can see (spot 19).]

Now we just have to get past everything else.

[cigam]

Oh my god. [ speaking of 'everything else', a dark shadow rears up in front of the ship as they approach... what seems to be a rocky precipice rising out of the water that they somehow didn't notice before but are on a direct course for ] Hook! Turn!

[unhand]

COMING ABOUT! [Killian spins the wheel and does some things with rope idk (pilot 20). Watch your heads everyone the boom's gonna swing.]

[uncurse]

You really have to announce it like that?

[ You know where her head is. She ducks the boom, steadying herself on the bulwark in case they don't clear it well enough (ref 18). ]

[unhand]

[He glances over at her, raising an eyebrow.]

Well, I know how careless some of us can be when it comes to keeping our heads attached.

[uncurse]

[ She gives him a mildly offended look, but doesn't have a comeback for that neck-high blow. Reaching up, she moodily rubs one hand over the scar that still lingers. ]

[generaldavideus]

[David's also quick on his feet, ducking the boom easily and moving to cover whoever is next to him which is probably Lila. Not in a hovering way just in a "don't get clocked in the head by a giant piece of wood" kind of way (reflex save 24).]

[bittersweeter]

[ CAT LIKE REFLEXES Y'ALL. lila's perfectly fine (reflex save 29), but she does have a bad ass dude a foot taller than her willing to whisk her out of danger so that's cool. and probably for the best since she's still focused on amara's well-being rather than her own, hissing urgently, ] Amara, come here.

[ like please come over here so you're not all alone up there like a figurehead or target pls. ]

[besmitten]

[ amara is too busy staring back at the rock that had appeared out of nowhere, her hand clamped around the railing, knuckles going white. ]

... This isn't homo magi magic. [ it's said so low, so strained that it might barely be audible. she doesn't budge either as hook brings the boat around... and straight into the waiting jowls of a hideous monstrosity. at least twenty five feet long, and several tons, it has four long tentacles writhing from its flanks, its green body glistening with thick, clear slime.

most notable, however, are its frighteningly intelligent blood red eyes, three of them, slit-shaped, protected by bony ridges. its mouth is lamprey-like, with tendrils and shorter tentacles dangling from its lip. its body looks segmented, like a monstrous insect, although it's long and tubular, akin to a bizarre eel. ] No...

[unhand]

Bloody hell! [Killian stares up at the monstrosity that as a pirate, he knows all about (arcane lore nat 20), with an expression of terror rarely seen on the bold pirate's face.] The great aboleth. [His hands are tied to the wheel, but he shouts loud enough to be heard through the waves.]

Best be certain to kill it thoroughly, or let it kill us instead! This one's likely just a scout, and if it fetches more they'll surely dominate our minds and drag us beneath the sea to serve as slaves! Death would be a less cruel fate. MAN THE CANNONS!

[besmitten]

[ two of the creature's tentacles lash out to grab the ship itself (atk 14)... and then a crit fail that can't seem to break through amara's bubble of air. it at least means that he's not gonna try to EAT THE SHIP this round.

with his other two tentacles, he slaps at amara (atk 19, dmg 10), the visceral hit expelling a trail of fluid. she passes her fort save vs the horrifying effects that come from getting hit with it at least. (unsure) its other tentacle lashes out at hook (atk 28, dmg 10), the force of the blow practically lifting hook off his feet for a moment. he also has to make a fort save...

and EVERYONE must make another fort save, every single round on their turn as its cloud of mucous penetrates through the air bubble... ]

[uncurse]

Have you run into one before? [ She's surprised by Hook's knowledge—Emma might recognize the name from her perusal of magical texts in the hunt for answers to Amara's curse, but he seems to be. weirdly on top of this sea monster. Also, fort save 18!

As the beast advances on them, Emma raises her hands. Sparks crackle in her palms as she concentrates, flinging crackling bolts of electricity forward in a line straight at the tentacled creature (lightning bolt! 23 dmg, ref 16 for half). ]