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]

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. ]

[untethered]

[ the rat hisses and readies to leap ... but the trapdoor springs open and it falls (reflex 14)into a pit below. the door stays open, revealing a very narrow 1-foot wide ledge that can be traversed to reach the door. ] What about Milah?

[undealt]

[Gold and the crocodile share a look.] She'll have to stay out here and make sure we have a clear exit. [He gives her a reassuring pat.] We'll be fine.

[He straightens up and walks over to the ledge, looking REALLY uncomfortable.] Surely.

[unhand]

[Hook comes up behind him, looking down into the pit and only mildly feeling a temptation to push Gold in.]

Don't look down.

[uncurse]

[ since hook is snarking, emma will just shove on past him and take the lead again because that's what she do. #savecharming. (balance 16.) ]

[untethered]

At least she'll have plenty to, er, eat while she waits. [ and belle turns to cross the ledge... and slips. no really. crit fail. whooooops.

emma's on one side of her and gold's on the edge of the pit so they both get a reflex save to try to catch her ... ]

[uncurse]

[ emma reacts in a flash, whipping around to reach out and grab belle's arm as she slides down into the pit. she gets a steady grip on her forearm, and makes it look easy as she pulls her steadily out and over to the door-side of the trap. (nat 20 ref & str) ]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila tiptoes next and recreates belle's slip perfectly with her own crit fail. swan is the only graceful swan in this trio of badass ladies. h e l p! ]

[undealt]

[Gold was already on edge after Belle slipped, so he's pretty prepared to grab Lila. (nat 20 reflex save) He grits his teeth and attempts to pull her up (strength 13)] If you'd be so kind as to use something other than your wit, Captain.

[unhand]

[W o w Hook was already on his way to try and catch Lila, though he is too slow (reflex 11). He wraps his arms around Gold's scaly waist instead and tries his best to help, but the angle is bad and Gold is repulsive and altogether he's only a little bit of help (str 6). Still, it's enough that the two of them manage to drag her out.]

[untethered]

[ unfortunately as emma yanks her back up, belle's flashlight dropped out of her hand in her surprise (str 5), and it falls all the way to the bottom of the pit, where its beam illuminates two long-dead skeletal faces that don't look human at all, as well as a rat chewing on the deceased body of a much less decomposed example of the creature. ] ... I think that's one light we'll have to do without. [ she gives emma a grateful look, disengaging herself from her politely to make room for the others to try crossing again onto the threshold. ] Thank you.

[uncurse]

[ alarm lights up in emma's face, so she's quick to release belle once the woman's on steady ground, but it's apparent that hook and gold have gotten a hold of lila. she eases up, though not entirely, still visibly distracted by the girl's wellbeing. ] Uh - Yeah. Don't mention it. [ her gaze lingers on lila for a moment longer before she turns to push open the wooden door and head through, expecting that's the last of the balance trouble they'll be having GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER, GENTLEMEN. ]

[untethered]

[ the door opens into the interior of a circular tower shell, cobbled with cracked granite. inside, four more of the creatures they glimpsed in the pit are sprawled, all apparently slain in combat. one stands with its back against the western wall, the killing spear still skewering it and holding it upright, though its body looks rather decayed.

two other wooden doors lead off from this area across the room - one to the left, and one to the right. above emma's head, a hollow tower of stone masonry reaches thirty feet, but the intervening floors and stairs are gone, except for a couple of crumbled ledges.

belle waits out here on the ledge as emma looks inside, to make sure you losers don't fall as you go across. ]

[unhand]

[Once Lila's solidly back on the edge of the pit, Hook looks at her.]

Need a hand getting across?

[A beat.]

Metaphorically speaking.

[undealt]

[Once Lila's safe, Gold pulls away from Hook's grip and gives him a death glare, BECAUSE DON'T THINK HE DIDN'T NOTICE THAT HOOK POKING. UNNECESSARY, BRO.

But he makes it across awkwardly while Lila and Hook are flirting (balance 15).]