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

[uncurse]

I think we'll call this mission a success if oversized rats are the only thing we run into. [ she grimaces at milah, but turns to start down the staircase without further comment. ]

[unhand]

[Hook follows closely, giving the rats a distasteful look.]

Still, they're hardly a good front line of defense.

[untethered]

As I said, I don't think they were part of the defenses. I think they're just scavengers that thrive down here in the dark. [ she heads down the ill-made steps behind hook, flashlight up to scan the darkness around them ]

[undealt]

The real problems come later, when we're farther away from the surface. [Gold falls into step behind Belle.]

[bittersweeter]

[ cough balrog cough. lila is the caboose, sort of, setting off after gold and deciding to just keep her weapon drawn for now because, well because she likes it. ]

What kind of defenses would goblins even have?

[uncurse]

I don't know. Maybe ... traps, or some kind of magic? [ she pulls out her flashlight to replace the glowstick with some better range, keeping it trained on the staircase for the most part, but occasionally flitting it around to get a sense of their surroundings and make sure they aren't walking straight into one of said traps (spot 25). ]

[untethered]

[ all is quiet, though a cold breeze blows up from below, bringing with it the scent of dust and a faint trace of rot. they cut back and forth across the narrow steps until they finally empty into a small courtyard, apparently the top of what was once the crenelated battlement of the top of a fortress... which is where they have landed, as a few sweeps of multiple flashlights across the expanse reveals. the subterranean citadel, though impressive, seems long forgotten, if the lightless windows, cracked crenelations, and leaning towers are any indication. the buried citadel is sunk so far in the earth that the battlement making up the 'courtyard' is now level with the surrounding cavern floor.

that cavern floor stretches away to the north and south along the length of the citadel's sides, but it appears composed of a layer of treacherous, crumbled masonry which reaches to an unknown depth. to the west, across the battlement looms the surviving structure, and a wooden door that enters into a tower. they each spill off the steps to get a better look. ]

... I wonder if this entire citadel fell through the Veil right in the middle of the earth here.

[unhand]

...Does that happen often?

[His ship was an impressive enough drop. An entire building seems insane.]

[undealt]

Likely not to this extent. By all rights, it should just be a pile of rocks.

[Gold keeps moving forward while Milah brings up the rear of the line behind Lila, fresh blood on her jaws.]

[untethered]

[ belle sweeps her flashlight left and right as they cross the courtyard. ] It's not unheard of for buildings to fall through - or even entire villages. But it's very rare that they don't land on the surface. As far as we know, I suppose. [ and it's emma who sees the outline of a square on the floor of the battlement... right in front of that wooden door. ]

[uncurse]

Well, however common it is - I think I see our way in. [ she shines her flashlight along the wooden door, and then pointedly on the square beneath it. ] That, or a trap. You seeing what I'm seeing?

[bittersweeter]

[ spot 21, so just barely. ] Maybe it's a short cut. [ to death. ] Down the rabbit hole, anyone?

[undealt]

[Gold doesn't actually see it, but it's hard to miss where Lila and Emma are looking. He steps forward and holds up a hand. BLAH BLAH DETECT MAGIC.]

[untethered]

[ there is nothing magical about it. :x belle moves forward next to emma and lila and squats down. ] I could... try to unlatch the trigger. It can't be that complicated if goblins put it together.

[uncurse]

Careful. Trying to disarm it could just make it go off. [ but emma's all aboard the unlatching plan and she won't tell belle what she can't do. so she'll just take a half-step back to give her more room. ]

[untethered]

[ belle starts fiddling with the trap but she looks frustrated rather quickly (disable device 15). ] Perhaps I underestimated goblin intelligence. I can tell there's a spring here, but I can't unhook it without the trap going off... Everything's inside.

[bittersweeter]

We could remote trigger it. Rig something to open it from a safe distance. Or we could throw a rat at it, trigger it that way.

[uncurse]

All right, grab a rat, let's try it. [ she makes a wide gesture behind them. ] I'm gonna take another crack at this. [ she crouches down beside belle and tries to get a feel for the trap (disable device 18). ] And hey, [ she gives a little smirk back at the others while she fumbles with the trap. ] If the rat doesn't work, we've got Hook. [ <3 u boo. ]

[undealt]

[WELL GOLD'S NOT CLAMBERING OVER THAT. However, Milah likes chasing rats, so he nods at her.] Milah.

[The crocodile wanders over to the rubble, stares at it, starts across, and spectacularly fails at maintaining her balance (balance 3...)]

[untethered]

[ under milah's weight, a slab of masonry below her shifts, dumping her into a debris-lined cavity. whoops. ]

[undealt]

[SHIT. NO ONE CALL PETA.

Gold rushes (as much as he can anyway) to as close as he dares get to the debris. The crocodile climbs out and flops onto the courtyard miserably, unharmed, but traumatized. Gold leans down and lays a hand on her snout.] Good girl. That's all right. [He glances behind him.] It's going to require someone a bit more agile than that, I think.

[bittersweeter]

[ omg get your shit together, milah, ffs. ]

Anyone makes a cat joke, I will shoot them. [ with a thoroughly put upon sigh, that doesn't take away from the way her mouth lifts into a smile -- she loves this shit -- lila picks her way across the rubble like a cat (balance 20 total) looking to find a rat. (spot 10)

the rat in question tries to bite at her as she tries to grab at it, but fails, and lila gets the drop on its furry ass. (atk 15, dmg 1) ] One rat, coming up!

[uncurse]

Good, because we're getting nowhere with this thing. [ she stands up, briefly resting a hand on belle's shoulder to indicate for her to step back too before backing away herself. ] Have at it.

[untethered]

[ belle moves back too, drawing the shortsword at her belt... just in case that thing lunges at them when lila drops it on the trap. ]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila draaaaaags the rat back to the trap and lets it go most unceremoniously, skittering back in case it actually blows up. ]