True to his stated intentions, Indrid does his best to keep towards the center of the group and let the Dragon-Blooded take the lead. He is confident in the water, but less so in the darkness and draws closer to Darel and the light he brings. The Amiliki-King gives the ruined vessels a long examination.

Tis a strange graveyard reef. Tis clear and well no act of nature brought these vessels down. Would think it mere piracy if not for where their hulls were breached.

It is with a last look back and a sinking sensation that has little to do with their direction that Indrid nods to Treon's motion and follows him downward. The hope of diplomacy was not completely dashed by this discovery, yet it did stand more in doubt...

Darel followed the others, his swimming speed superb as he flowed gracefully into the depths illuminated by his bound servant, which had been ordered to watch their backs.

There is a profound air of desolation about the cargo room. Even though sounds travel much differently underwater, there is still a certain amount of it - muffled ambient noise that usually serves to amplify the atmosphere of calm and solitude. But here, almost no noise seem to travel. The quiet in and of itself is unnerving and eerie, and what little sounds do manage to filter through are cavernous, resonating echoes of what they would normally have been.

From a quick observation, it would seem that the Pelagials are not done unloading the cargo from Cynis Megara's ship and its escorts. Several barrels are left to attend to, but from the looks of it, it would seem to be regular cargo - food and supplies, sailing equipment like ropes and lengths of chain, and other knickknacks necessary to sea life. The inside decks, however, seem to have been thoroughly trashed, but in a methodical way. As if the person that did the trashing was looking for something in particular.

Whatever that something might be, however, it is not here anymore.

After a bit of exploring to assess the room and its dimensions, the group reaches the far wall of the cavernous chamber, making it obvious that from here on end, the best way to proceed into Black Rock Chasm would be downwards. Further exploration reveal an opening roughly three and a half meters wide, circular and seemingly carve into the rock. From what they can see, the tunnel bends horizontally about five meters downwards, making it impossible for them to see past the curve. Meanwhile, Tomistoma attunes his senses to the water surrounding him, and stays in a trance-like stance for a moment, obviously sensing some things that the others do not. [Private to Tomistoma: Tomistoma's senses become so attuned to the flow of the currents and its changes that he manages to perceive a number of things. For one, he can hear a faint echo carried by the waves, although from this distance, it is impossible for him to identify what it is. He can tell that the sound comes from several meters downwards, and comes from a living creature - mixed in with the plaintive call, he can pick up a rhythmic pattern that is akin to a fish's breathing.

Also, his sense of feeling becomes highly sensitive to the changes in motion and the ebb and flow of the interior currents, giving him a rough idea of what might lie downwards and beneath the first bend of the tunnel. According to the echoes, to the temperature of the currents rising up and the way the currents mix together at his level, Tomistoma can make an educated, if slightly disheartening guess - the area below is a three dimensional maze, with many paths and branches opening up horizontally and vertically.]

Further exploration of the room reveal that the way downwards is, in fact, the only way down, as unpleasant as the prospect might appear...

I wonder what it could be they were searching for?  It seems they had a powerful need for it, whatever it was, however Treon considers as he notes the systematic gutting of the vessel.  It seems we must go deeper to find out

Noting that the Dragonking appeared to be in some kind of trance, Treon held up his hand for a pause, waiting until the lizardman gave some indication of what he was sensing before they swam deeper.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:09, Sun 12 Apr 2009.

Tomistoma's eyes squint for a moment as he considers how to convey his information without speaking. He points his hand towards the opening, bending his wrist to indicate the bend visible in the tunnel. The Dragon King then moves his hand in the new direction for a short distance before bending his wrist again, this time moving his hand across his other arm, repeating the motion again and again as his hand slowly wound it's way deeper and deeper.

He then straightens his body, and waves his arms in a wiping motion in front of himself. He deliberately points at his ears, then at his chest, expanding and contracting his lungs in a breathing motion. Tomistoma then points down the tunnel before repeating the motion; ears, chest, tunnel. After that he shrugs his shoulders, realizing his message could be interpreted more than one way, and regrets their lack of an effective communication system.

Treon frowns as he tries to work out what Tomistoma might be saying.  The passageway bends more later on?  Ears?  Difficulty breathing? he considers with a frown.  I wish Miyako was here, he thought.  Miyako (Tepet), had been one of the officers he had served with.  She had the skill of imparting the knowledge to speak with hand gestures perfectly to people, which would have been mighty useful here.

Still, I did think that it might require swimming too long for Tomistoma, Treon thought, as he held up one of the wrapped extras of the gum, and then polited to his mouth, chewing obviously as he did.

Darel pondered the meaning of the Dragon King's gestures.

[Private to GM: [OOC:22:42, Today: Secret Roll: Darel Arwan rolled 4 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,5,10,2,8,8. Int+Linguistics.]]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:43, Tue 14 Apr 2009.

OOC: Those of you who have linguistics can attempt to roll Int + Linguistics to try to decode Tomistoma's gestures. Paste the rolls to me in Private and I'll describe to you what you make of it.

PM
[Private to Cathak Garel Treon; Darel Arwan: Tomistoma's gestures are cryptic at first, but after a few repetitions, and careful analysis of all the parts of his signs, you believe that you both canmanage to make out what he means.

The first part indicates the road ahead. From the Dragon King's signs, you believe he means that there are multiple paths the bend, and that they are organized like a 3 dimensional labyrinth. Both of you have enough lore to know this much about the Pelagials, at least - this is consistent with the methods with which they build their dwellings. They tend to favor mazes and traps as first lines of defenses.

The second part of Tomistoma's message indicates something he picked up through supernatural enhancement of his hearing - he managed to hear something, from below into the labyrinth area. He knows it is alive, because he has heard its breathing.

That is as much detail as you can gather from his gestures.]

Darel nodded, and, careful to let the eristrufa's fire illuminate what lay before him, he tried to determine which path led to what Tomistoma had heard.

Where's he off too? Treon thought, a little irritably.  Then immediately reigned his irritation in.  It wasn't like there was much other choice, beyond turning back.  Treon gestured to those around him to swim on, following Darel.  Becoming split up here does not seem wise and without some indication of what they were searching for on the wreck, I don't know if we could find it.  Assuming they did not stop their search because it had been found.

As they entered the close confines of the tunnel, Treon kept himself alert for traps and ambushes.

Darel and Treon engulf themselves into the passage, and immediately manage to verify Tomistoma's initial information - the area is, indeed, three dimensional maze. Right from the start, three corridors split up, going left, right and downwards, while the tunnel they are following goes straight ahead. It becomes clear that if they are to get through this area in any sort of timely fashion, they will need to try to gain some understanding of the inner structure, or they might be wandering in here forever...

OOC: Okay, anyone trying to figure out the labyrinth, you can roll Int+Lore to try to gain a basic understanding of the structure itself and how the paths are constructed. If you think you can try to approach the issue some other way, run it by me, and if feasible, I will allow you to stunt it.

Those wanting to pinpoint what Tomistoma had heard, or look for traps and other hazards should also roll Per+Awareness. People roll either of these, or both if so desired. Stunts will apply, of course.

Darel calmly tried to vizualize and rationalize the tridimensional maze surrounding him. Using the power of his Gemstone of Aquatic Prowess, he took some pebbles and threw them into each path: even though the stones moved unimpeded by water, their impacts resounded and, his hearthstone-improved hearing likewise compensating for water-distortions, he tried to get an idea of the layout of the maze - not unlike the children of the baji, the playful animals named dolphins, were able to 'hear' their surroundings.

[OOC:11:16, Today: Darel Arwan rolled 3 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,2,6,10,9,4. Int+Lore.
11:16, Today: Darel Arwan rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,5,7,5,2,2. Per+Awareness]

As Treon floating the midst of the labyrinth, he wasn't trying to understand the place in terms of echos and ripples.  Instead, his trained nautical mind was concentrating on something much more primal, more essential for the sea.  The currents.  Water wanted to flow, after all, it was in its nature.  But no water could flow down the dead ends, no current would run down any passageway, except for the one single passage that threaded all the way through the labyrinth, and it was this passage he sought ...

---

OOC: I'd like to stunt it to Int or Per (makes no difference to Treon) + Sail for the navigation, as Treon uses his knowledge of the flows of water and of currents to seek the path through the maze.

Also, apologies all for the delay, I've been seriously blanking on a stunt here ^^;
This message was last edited by the player at 22:40, Mon 20 Apr 2009.

Following the others, Hera begins to swim into the labyrinth. For a while, she allows herself to settled to the bottom as her hands probe the surface of this passage. Her instinct told her todirectly confront any challenge and multiple passageways didn't give her that option.

It takes a moment of observation for the group to even begin to know where to start. The structure of the maze seems to take advantage of the fact that the group is underwater to try and shake their sense of orientation - they quickly realize that with the wrong turns, they might start to lose their sense of which way is up or down, much less north or south.

All hope is not lost, however. Pooling their observations through crude communication, the group does manage to find the initial direction through which they can navigate. A combination of Treon's understanding of the underwater currents, Darel's quick thinking and awareness, and Hera's instinct managed to give some leeway to the group, and after a moment of silent deliberation, they proceed onwards, followed closely by Indrid and Tomistoma.

Taking the first left branch, followed by a long, downwards right slope, the continue on in the oppressive darkness, lit by Darel's demonic aide. Even so, the where the light dies out ahead, an eerie blackness remains, keeping things uncertain and preventing the explorers from really being able to guess what lies ahead.

And it is at this point that Darel picks up the sound he was trying to pinpoint earlier... Dead ahead of them, and much, much closer this time. The sound remains level and constant, so Darel does not believe they have been detected by... whatever it might be just yet. But with how close it sounds, it cannot be long before they are seen or heard, now.

Darel whispered to his friends: "There is something just ahead. Who shall lead the way?"

He was neither a diplomat nor a warrior, and therefore unsuited to either parley or being at the forefront of battle.

Treon indicated that he would lead them.  It was, after all, on his orders that they had come to this place and dived down.  While he wasn't entirely sure how well he could fight underwater, the odd nature of his weapon would help him somewhat, still able to cut when moved with the slowness of underwater combat.  As to being a diplomat.  That he could manage too.  If only he could speak.

He would have to make do with gestures of intent, at least to begin ... and with that thought in his head, he lead the small group on.

The sound amplifies until all in attendance can hear it, despite the almost impenetrable watery barrier that muffle and distort every sound that travels here. As the group reaches for the bend from which the sound has been heard, the low rumble only intensifies further. It almost sounds like the slow, even growling of a guard dog, one who senses something amiss into its immediate surroundings...

Treon, in the lead, is the first to spot the origin of the sound, lit briefly by the ghostly glow provided by Darel's Eristrufa...

At first glance, its back might have seemed human, if incredibly pale and emaciated. Misshapen muscle can be seen bulging beneath the almost translucent skin, a the jagged bones of a spinal cord leave an ugly, elevated mark at the center of the creature's back. In the darkness, the too-pale skin is almost the only thing visible, until Treon gets close enough to see the cause of the noise in its entirety.

The thing might have been human, once. But now, almost all traces of humanity had disappeared from it, replaced with components that would make this creature much better suited to life in the complete undersea darkness. Its face is elongated and stretched, much like that of a fish, although vestigial traces of a nose can still be seen where its nasal holes now rest. Its eyes are much too big, and entirely black - likely a result of having to stare into underwater darkness every day of its existence. It's mouth has been stretched along with its face, and in the ghostly light, Treon can also almost catch the glint of hundreds of small, sharp-as-knives teeth.

The creatures's 'hair' it nothing but an amalgam of tentacle-like appendages that reach to its mid-back, and float lazily around it like dead eels. The appendages are rubbery in texture, bloated and uneven, giving the already surreal face of the monster an even more grotesque appearance. In the middle of the creature's forehead, a long, thin growth floats around slowly, much like an anglerfish's lure - although it is impossible to tell if the strange growth fills the same role.

Its chest have been covered in jagged, uneven scales from the midsection down - as if a child had grabbed dirty, rusty scales and glued them haphazardly along the creature's torso. They fall at a lopsided angle, rising much higher on the monster's left side than its right. From the waist down, the monster looks very much like an octopus, possessing eight strong tentacles about as big as a human's arm, giving it superior mobility in the small cavern. Its left arm is a thin, almost skeletal vestige of human existence, if one does not notice the much too-long, webbed fingers that are currently wrapped around a short trident. Its right arm is a grotesque protrusion ending in a hard shell, reminiscent of a crab's claw. It clicks incessantly in an uneven rhythm, leaving the group to wonder if this is a physical twitch or an uncontrollable spasm.

Upon the group approaching, the creature spurns about deftly, its movements much more agitated now that it has finally noticed something. It raises its deformed claw upwards, and lets our a powerful growl with as much strength as its damaged, vestigial vocal cords can manage. Its eyes open incredibly wide, and its mouth become a much-too big opening through which all can clearly see several rows of needle teeth.

And as the roar dies, they can all hear the bastardized words spoken in broken seatongue, the monster's physiology no longer adapted to human speech.

Intruders.

OOC: The monster is on alert, so no matter what you attempt, JB should be rolled in first to determine whether the order in which the actions will be undertaken.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:30, Sat 25 Apr 2009.

Darel reacted very fast to the creature's onslaught. Holding his sword in one hand and a thrown knife in the other, he tried to identify the creature, and discern clues as to what his weak spots might be... He swung his hand, and the knife flew its unnatural course, unimpeded by its watery environment, towards its target...

[OOC: 21:03, Today: Darel Arwan rolled 7 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,8,5,7,10,10,5. Join Battle.

Can I ready both weapons in one Ready Weapon action? I'm holding the sword in my left hand, and throwing the knife (without underwater penalty) at the monster while using my move action to remain as far as possible from it as I can. If not, I use the knife in priority.

21:08, Today: Darel Arwan botched using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,2,1,2,3,5. Int+Lore.
21:08, Today: Darel Arwan rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,9,1,6,4,4. Int+Occult.

Methinks I got the wrong idea on our new friend's supernatural origin ^^ Hopefully the Lore roll will compensate for that...

Fueling my attack with the Second Thrown Excellency, spending 2 m of peripheral. Base damage 5L, base range 15 m, Speed 4 (jade bracers).

21:10, Today: Darel Arwan rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,6,4,3. Thrown attack +1 autosux. So 2 successes]
This message was last edited by the player at 15:44, Sun 26 Apr 2009.

As he took in the sight of the monster, Treon's hand immediately went to his back, pulling out the Warm Caress.  To anyone who knew Daiklaves, it was an odd construction.  There was no blade to speak of.  Instead, where there would be a blade there were fingers width lengths of Red Jade, some so blackened with heat they were almost the colour of charcoal.  As he drew it, all those who swam with him suddenly found themselves warmer, despite the chill of the water.

I really didn't want to fight down here, he thought, as he activated the Aura Of Invulnerability Technique.
[OOC: Activating that Charm.  Also, JB FAIL.  I botched :/]

With the creature in sight, Hera swims towards it at the fastest pace she can manage beneath the waves. As she swims, a faint glow begins to come from her chest. It is modest, but looks to be the sunburst of the dawn. Her muscles also begin to glimmer with sunlight.


[Private to GM:
Join Battle: 1 Success
Activate Increasing Strength Exercise for 9 motes (8 Pers, 1 Periph)
Simple Action {Speed: 6 Dv: -1}

Dodge DV: 6 (Base 7) | Parry DV: 5 (Base 6) | Soak: 3B/1L
Personal 4/12, Peripheral 13/24  Caste Mark Visible]

If his reptilian expression could be read, Tomistoma's companions would see the excitement on his face as he faces the prospect of battle. As he undulates through the water, his body seems almost to grow larger, as his movements, already a vestige of a primitive age, seem to take on the quality of a beast from the primal depths of time itself.


[Private to Raconteur: 19:39, Today: Tomistoma rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,4,7,1,2. Join Battle.

Activating Terrible Ascent Driven Beast Form]

The Creature, despite having spotted the intruders as they approached, did not catch sight of them early enough to approach them - as such, it does not get the drop on them, instead staying caught in a defensive position while the group approaches.

Much more swiftly than the sea-creature is Darel, who swims deftly and swiftly to an attack position, readying his weapons and preparing his attack. He seems to pause mid-motion however, for only a fraction of a second - almost looking like he is observing his target intently. [Private to Darel Arwan: Your weapons can both be readied at the same time, yes. I assumed you did so here.

Your analysis of the creature reveals you two things - one, you seem to recall one of the natural inhabitants of the Western deeps to be this sort of creature - a cousin of the Sirens, born from the same roots but developing differently. You cannot recall the name at the moment.

The second thing you perceive is a visual detail - several signs that the creature is the way it is because it has mutated due to Wyld exposure. Of course, this information and the previous one oppose each other - one would show that the creature is a normal Western dweller, the other that it is an unnatural mutant. At the moment, you can't tell which of the two is true and which is false.]

The moment passes quickly, however, and the knife is released from Darel's hand, the water around it almost seeming to part in its wake. Its trajectory is on mark, but the monster seems faster, quickly pushing out of the way of the incoming projectile. The knife continues on its path until it strikes the bottom cavern wall, the impact knocking it back for a moment before the weapon starts to drift downwards again.

On the defensive, the creature lets another roar of defiance as it tries to reposition itself to attack...

OOC: Here it the current Tick order:
Tick 0: Darel (Resolved)
...
Tick 5: Hera, Tomistoma, Darel
Tick 6: Treon, Creature

Note that because you are underwater, you also suffer a -2 External Penalty to Dexterity and movement based actions (with the exception of Darel, whose Hearthstone also negates this penalty).

OOC Edit: Since it's been brought to my attention that it might be confusing, those of you who activated charms are considered to have done so before combat time, so you still get your actions at the announced ticks. Sorry about the confusion!