scotland ♔ yet how the wind revives us here

[untethered]

♬ Presentiment - Manami Kiyota

WHO || Belle, Gold, Emma, Hook, Lila [closed]
WHAT || Several Knights take a secret journey to try to help Amara...
WHERE || Oakhurst, Scotland
WHEN || January 15th, 2014 [forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam

It's probably a very good thing that Gold sweet-talked them a car in the nearby tiny Scottish village of Oakhurst, because it is freezing cold out and snow blankets almost everything around. Walking the seven miles up the Old Road to the ruins would be a bitch and a half.

Instead, they comfortably drove past rocky downs, near stands of old-growth oak covered in snow, and past two farms that looked abandoned. No other travelers were visible on the lonely road, which finally curves, passing east of a narrow ravine. Belle signals for them to pull over here, where, at the road's closest approach to the cleft, several broken pillars jut from the earth where the ravine widens and opens into something akin to more of a deep, but narrow, cavern. Two of the pillars stand straight, but most of them lean against the sloped earth. Others are broken and several have apparently fallen into the darkness-shrouded depths. A few similar pillars are visible on the opposite side of the ravine.

Comments

[untethered]

Perhaps the trees came from the grove... in which case, they would have had to come from the rift.

[undealt]

Trees? [What the fuck? When were there trees. He's in the process of pulling the scroll out of his jacket pocket. Remember the scroll from earlier? Yeah, it might come in handy.]

[uncurse]

They attacked last night. [ she says it dismissively, because it's over now, and she's more interested - visibly so - in the scroll. ] Is that gonna help us find out druid?

[undealt]

[...wow he really was coma-ed out. Huh. He shrugs.]

It might. You never know what they might be hiding behind locked doors. [Yeeep. Just gonna use the scroll on this door. Knock, knock, bitch.]

[untethered]

[ in what is probably the single most unfortunate use of a knock scroll ever, the door bursts open revealing an empty room. faded mosiac tiles still cover parts of the wall, but most have fallen and shattered. situated at the center of the chamber stands a slim pedestal of rusted iron shaped like an upright dragon. in the dragon's mouth rests an empty tray. ]

I'd say someone's taken whatever might have been worth taking from here already.

[undealt]

[At last we can retire and give up this life of crime.]

No harm in making sure. [(search 19). In case there are SEKRIT SWITCHES or something.]

[sternshield]

[ nope. not a thing. :| 8| ]

If we need to spend another night, at least we've found a more defensible place to do it.

[unhand]

Darkness it is, then. [He looks over at Lila.] Still have that torch, love?

[uncurse]

[ he may be talking to lila, but emma will be getting her flashlight out now, as well. she heads back to where the rift tears down the hallway, peering down it in either direction. ] What do you think - flip a coin?

[bittersweeter]

[ lila looks at hook and shines the flashlight beam in his face. yep. she's got it. ] You seriously need to work on packing your own shit.

[unhand]

[He ain't bothered. He points down the left rift with his hook.] Let's try that one. [No reason. They just need to try something.]

[uncurse]

Just so we're clear, if we run into more of those tree monsters, or goblins, or ogres, or whatever the hell else down here? It's on you. [ that's what you get for picking the direction. but emma will shine her flashlight down that way and begin the hike. ]

[untethered]

[ it looks as if the rift narrows out ahead as they make their way down it, coming to a dead end further on... but it widens to their left, creating a stone antechamber. small one foot diameter holes riddle the node. a fiery light shines out of one such node. ]

A dead end. [ let's hope that's not an ironic foreshadow-y choice of words ]

[uncurse]

Maybe. [ she'll take a quick look around the antechamber, careful to dodge the flames, and search around to make sure they're not missing anything (search 17). ]

[untethered]

[ as Emma gets closer to one of those holes, something comes flying out of it towards her, but she's able to jerk back in time and it lands on the ground. It resembles a large (1 foot diameter, 4 feet long) worm, with segments plated with hard, stony, brown rock. Its topmost segment is longer, is conical shaped, and bears two eyes. Blunt, short, spike-like lumps protrude from each point of its hexagonal segments. Steam comes from each of these lumps. The top, conical segment glows with orange heat. ]

[unhand]

[Hook moves forward, drawing his sword and stabbing his sword between two segments (atk nat 20, dmg 12).]

Well? It's not a tree monster.

[uncurse]

I'll be filing this one under "whatever the hell else." [ you're not off the hook. aha. she takes a five foot step away from it, drawing her gun and firing off a shot at the worm (atk 19, penetration dmg 17). ]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila pulls her gun to fire, but it seems super duper dead so she doesn't. ] So not that direction then.

[unhand]

Unless it's protecting the tree. [Hook cautiously approaches the holes again, keeping his sword drawn and readying a fucking action. (spot 15)]

[uncurse]

You think a four-foot worm is protecting our apple tree? [ emma's incredulity is barely masked. she shakes her head, and turns back to nod to lila. ] Let's head back the other way.

[undealt]

[You don't have to tell Gold twice. He falls into step beside Belle and after a second of observing Hook and Emma, dryly remarks:]

This is turning out to be quite the honeymoon for those two.

[unhand]

[Hook rolls his eyes because IT WAS POSSIBLE YOU DON'T KNOW HIS LIFE then starts on back, unaware of any commentary Gold may be having.]

Would have been bloody embarrassing if I was right and we missed it.

[HE IS JUST SAYING.]

[uncurse]

[ ahahahaha emma definitely heard gold's commentary, and her shoulders hunch a little, tension building in her neck as a result of the observation, her body filling in the denial that she won't voice (because it'd only draw attention to the remark). ]

Yeah. Embarrassing. I can imagine.

[untethered]

I don't really think this would be anyone's destination of choice. [ it's murmured back to him, quietly, hoping that emma doesn't hear, because she gets the feeling hook doesn't give a fuq what anyone thinks about them. anyways, the tunnel starts to narrow out down this way as if it's going to dead end again... but suddenly it opens up into a small empty room, where the wall seems to have caved in on the side they emerge from to create the opening that allows them access. one door lies closed across the small expanse of the room. ]

[uncurse]

[ emma goes for the door handle as they reach the room, then stops short and pulls her hand back. she points to it decisively. ] Last time I tried to open something, I got poisoned. You try. [ it's vaguely directed at gold and hook because she likes lila and belle too much tbh. and erky is here out of the goodness of his heart he doesn't deserve poison. i 100% rolled to determine if emma learned from her horrible luck. ]