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]

[ 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).]

[bittersweeter]

[ they're not flirting, that is gross. but lila nods, so WOW LOOK AT HER ACCEPTING HELP HOLY SHIT. but with hook's help she makes it across with ease (balance 19) and there may be a very quiet "thanks" murmured under her breath. hope you have your listening ears on. ]

[unhand]

[srsly he's trying to impress her mom that is the opposite of flirting. HE CAN'T HELP HAVING INAPPROPRIATE CHEMISTRY WITH EVERYTHING THAT MOVES and some things that don't.

And he's not sorry about jabbing you, Gold. :-)

Hook makes it across easily as well (balance 23). He even hears her thanks (listen 19) and it gets a smile as he passes by to catch up with Emma.]

[uncurse]

Those things were in the pit, too. [ she approaches one of the corpses, pulling her sword and prodding at it with the tip. she turns one over onto its back to get a look. she glances back at belle. ] Are these ... goblins? Why would they be getting stuck in their own traps, why leave the dead lying around like this?

[untethered]

They're goblins, yes. [ parts of the goblin's face that emma turns up have been eaten away, presumably by rats. belle looks at it with mild disgust, before looking over at the one pinned to the wall ] Are we sure this was from a trap? It looks like someone else attacked them.

[undealt]

Not surprising. I doubt we're the first to come this far. [It's a bit disconcerting, actually.] But if the thieves made it this far and the goblins are still operating, I'd count on the traps to get more hellish as we go on. Be on your guard.

[He says as he utterly BOMBS his spot check.]

[uncurse]

More than one kind of trap to get caught in.

[ emma's tone is exceedingly wary, because she's mostly thinking of the BOOM SURROUNDED BY GOBLIN WARRIORS kind. she glances around, tightening her grip on her sword. which would be more dramatic if her spot check were higher than 14. ]

[bittersweeter]

Where do you think the doors lead? [ lila peers through the door curiously (spot 20 total), nose wrinkling in distaste even as her mind files away a new nightmare for a rainy day. ]

[unhand]

[THANK GOD FOR LILA BASICALLY because Hook got a spot 14 too (d'aww how romantic). He draws his sword again just in case.]

One way to find out.

[He steps towards them cautiously.]

[untethered]

Well, if this was a tower... perhaps some lead to stairs that go further down. [ belle walks over slowly to inspect the goblin speared through, frowning as she pulls the glowstick off her belt to loft for a better look.

lila, meanwhile, notices something no one else does in the glow of their several lights - the bare outline of what looks like another door on the south wall, hidden amid the stone. ]

[bittersweeter]

[ out of the corner of her eyes she notices hook moving and that seems like a good plan, in all honesty, but when belle's light shifts... ] Belle, don't move. [ she doesn't say it like "don't move because you're gonna die", no worries. ] I think I see something.

[ she quickly slips past her to the hidden door, tracing her fingers around it to make sure it's actually a door, before giving it a little shove to see if it will open (str 6). ]

[uncurse]

What's up? [ emma turns towards lila, getting distracted from following hook towards the second door. she instead moves to where lila's at and tries to push ... the wall, which means she doesn't exactly put her all into it, because she doesn't see whatever lila's seeing (str 4). ] Lila, there's nothing here.

[bittersweeter]

Gee, thank you for your confidence and faith in me. [ have some sarcasm, mom. ] Its a door. I just can't get it open.

[unhand]

There's a door?

[He sounds kind of skeptical, like he's pretty willing to believe Lila's just gone insane or something. She did threaten his dick with a hammer that one time. Still, he heads over and gives it a shove with his big, manly muscles (str 15).]

[untethered]

[ the door rolls aside for hook's shove with a loud grinding sound, but a needle comes shooting out at him from a sprung trap, shooting into his neck (1 pt dmg). the pocket chamber beyond the door is small, damp, and cold. the skeletons of three long-dead archers slump against rubble-filled arrow slits along the east and south wall. ]

[unhand]

Bloody hell! [He grimaces and grabs his neck, pulling out the needle. It doesn't hurt that much, but it's freaking ANNOYING. He pulls it out and drops it on the ground. He pokes his head in, looking around for anything more useful than skeletons (spot 11).] Nothing but more corpses in here.

[bittersweeter]

Oh, don't be a baby. At least it isn't poison. [ lila ducks into the room because curiosity killed the cat and looks over her shoulder to grin at hook. ] Or is it?

[ crouching down, she prods a corpse like it ain't no thang. she's wearing gloves. ] They're not goblins, though. They look human. Or at least kind of tall. [ she sure is just going to pick up a bone to peer at it. ]