Final: Orange

[voidtreckermods]

Down the Staircase: Backdated to Day Seven

Those who were investigating the sigil or fighting crabs nearby would be aware of the ground rumbling as a spiral staircase opened into the dark sand below.

Of course it is less a staircase at the bottom of the ocean and more a terrifying water helter-skelter downwards through the dark.

But they land in an underground cave. It is dark, and ankle deep in water. In the centre there is a white marble plinth, with a large empty shell on top. The walls of the cave are dark and grimy but with the aid of the torches in their SCA's and some investigating will find a hint of colours underneath the sand and seaweed on the walls.

Between day seven and day ten

The crabs are still attacking. It is not a never ending siege but it pays to be vigilant as every so often crabs arrive to launch an attack on the sleeping citizens. Luckily they don't seem to be able to get into the underground chamber, perhaps being too large or unwilling to enter through the twisting passage.

Inside the cave the water is slowly rising, by day ten of the month of Fiddlesticks it reaches the average voidtrecker's chest.

The plinth is tall, above the voidtreckers' heads and so hasn't been submerged yet.

Assuming they have begun to clear the sand and seaweed off the walls of the cave a picture begins to emerge. Simple drawings, very similar to those on the tablets in the market place.

Day Ten

Light from the sky, an island. People gathered around a fire. Beacon. Symbols are helpfully translated for them. A plinth. No, two plinths with shells on them filled with light.

All very useful. If only they had any way to share their ideas with the others.

Which is when their SCA's glow and a holographic screen appears.

Meanwhile on the train...

By day ten the storm hits with a vengeance. Waves are high, rain falls practically sideways. The train holds out well, staying in place and upright through the battering seas. Going out to dive is nerve wracking and there might be some cases of seasickness in those remaining on the train.

It is all in all not a great sea faring experience.

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

Down the staircase:

The shaking of the ground grows more intense, and suddenly a well opens in the ground, a spiral staircase that descends into the depths. The water rushes down it, pulling anybody nearby into it. Curufin curses and goes down, knocking painfully against the stony stairs as he goes.

But suddenly he finds himself in a cave, which, strangely, is not filled with seawater. He tumbles into the shallow water at the bottom with a big splash. He sits up, stares around him, and then gets to his feet and sloshes through the water towards the marble column with the shell sculpture on top of it. He stares upward and says, "Now what the hell is that? Is it the same as the one in the city center?"

Between day seven and ten:

It's still possible to get in and out of this underground cave, and so Curufin descends periodically, between rounds of fighting the crabs and trying to keep the mer-people from getting eaten. In the cave, the water rises slowly, and three days later it's up to his chest. There's nothing to do down here but investigate. He thinks he sees hints of symbols drawn on the walls, but they're mostly obscured by clinging sand and seaweed. He scraps off a handful of seaweed and uses it to scrub those walls, and sure enough, there are pictographs underneath.

"But what do they mean?" he wonders aloud.

Day Ten:

His SCA lights up and and the holographic screen appears. He hits the first option, Talk to all, and hears the voices of other passengers. He chimes in with his two cents' worth.

SCA because DAMNIT MAMA IS WORRIED

[marriedanidiot]

There's sound and distance, but... oh, oh, that's Curufinwe's voice, oh, he's alright.

"Atarinke? Atarinke are you alright?"

<3

[so_dark_a_road]

He lights up when he hears Nerdanel's voice.

"I'm all right! Just exploring. Are you all right, Mother?"

[marriedanidiot]

She relaxes to hear him.

"Well enough, yonya. Nothing to be concerned about. Your team?"

[so_dark_a_road]

He's pretty relieved to hear from her, too.

"We're doing well. As I was saying to everyone else, we discovered a cave under the sea floor, just outside Far Palace. It has drawings on its walls, and we think they are an instruction to the islanders to light a beacon. What's going on with Red Team?"

[marriedanidiot]

"We... I don't know where we are." She says worriedly.

"I was with your father, but we got separated and I ... I know he lives, but we cannot reach each other. There are... things here. And... a creature that has... trapped what look like fëar"

[so_dark_a_road]

His face immediately registers his concern.

"You and Father got separated? How did that happen? Did you both go into the rock pools? What are these things you speak of, monsters out of the depths of the ocean, or something else? What do these trapped fëar look like, and is there any way you can release them?"

Wishing, as usual, that he could have gone with Red Team. But he couldn't because now he's an Orange Team co-leader, and he has to be an example of what he would expect of his teammates. Besides, there's no easy way to get to the island now, even if he meant to.

[marriedanidiot]

"We were holding hands, even." She sighs. "I don't know my dear. I'm sure he's fine... I'd know if... something truly bad happened."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I'm sure you would know," says Curufin, softly. "You always did have that sense of what is happening to your loved ones. So hopefully you'll find each other before too long."

[marriedanidiot]

She breathes deep and nods. "Knowing your father, he's probably frantically searching, so I'm sure we will."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I'm sure he is looking for you," agrees Curufin. "He'll turn the whole planet upside down searching for you! That would be just like him."

[marriedanidiot]

"As he would for you! So stay safe, my Atarinke."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I know he would. And I'd do the same for him or for you. You stay safe, too, amil! We have a functioning means of communication now, so we can keep in touch. And we'll see each other soon, I hope."

Between day seven and ten

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita helps with the scrubbing.

"Probably recounting how this place was last used. Or should have been used," she adds, glancing back wryly at the entrance.

She'd had to be human to get in here, now, and perhaps ironically she was grateful for it.

"Might even be step-by-step instructions for what we're supposed to do with access to this place - especially when no one in Bui can come do it for us."

[so_dark_a_road]

"Good thing we have so much practice, from being assigned cleaning duties on the train," Curufin chuckles, as he scrubs.

"Probably," he answers, as regards the pictographs. "Kind of hard to light a fire underwater, though. Unless they have some kind of magic." He follows her glance to the entrance. "But maybe they do."

"You think so? I'm thinking that, too. This wall is sort of a user manual." Snicker.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita rolls her eyes, bemused despite herself.

"Both might be right. In any case, though, that means we've got a limited amount of time to get this right."

She grins outright at Curufin's last line. Though speaking of: "A last line of- defense, maybe?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"Do you think we're supposed to do something with what we've got down here, in this place? Can't see the point of lighting a beacon in here, but maybe it would have some sort of magical significance."

He grins too.

"Last line of defense, as in: 'If all the mer-people are asleep and you Voidtreckers are the only ones down here, then here's something you might want to try.' "

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita doesn't quite manage a laugh, but at least she still looks amused?

"We're running short on time, in that case. Hopefully we have enough time to clear out this cave?"

She eyes where the water is drip-dripping into the cavern.

"Think we could prevent this place from flooding? It's already underwater, I get it, but if we have to start, say, a fire in here, we'd run out of oxygen pretty quickly..."

[so_dark_a_road]

"Yes, let's scrub fast! Time is of the essence."

His eyes follow hers to the dripping water than is slowly filling up the cave.

"I wonder if there is a way to block the leaking water? And with what? We'd have to cut some stone from somewhere and mortar it in place. I do have my stone-cutting tools in my waterproof bag here, but that project would take some time. Unless you've got some magic that would work? Right, if we lit a fire in here, we'd be short of oxygen pretty soon."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"All we need is- well, two things, really. A tunnel to redirect the water elsewhere, and someone to bring air in."

So not quite a shield-block so much as a diversion.

"I... think one of my preset-spells should cover the second one? But I don't exactly have a digging spell ready to go."

She grins wryly.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Too bad I don't have any dynamite. That would sure help with the tunnel-digging part." Grin. He always did like to blow things up.

Then he asks, "You could bring air in with a preset spell? I must confess, I have no idea how such a spell would work. And as for the digging, maybe we could find some shovels somewhere in the city. These mer people must have used digging tools to build their buildings and dig out the foundations before they even started. It would be hard work to dig a new tunnel, but I think it could be done."

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita snorts. "Let's not blow up the sacred place this time, okay? Kind of a bad impression to leave behind on the locals."

But she nods in answering his question. "Kind of important if you're going, say, to the moon. Having your own atmosphere's a requirement for that one!"

And again in response to his assessment. "We came here expecting hard work, didn't we? We'd better get started."

[so_dark_a_road]

"What, you think the locals would hold that against us?" he looks humorously aghast. Blowing up their sacred places would give them a bad impression of the Void Warriors and the Voidtrecker Express? Really?

"Good then, you can oxygenate this cave by magic. Let's go and look for shovels and picks. Or if you like, you can stay here and work on the spell, and I can climb up those stairs and go rummage the city for digging tools."

He grabs his waterproof bag and his rucksack and starts up the stone stairs.

Thread wrap okay by you?

[unfavorableinstigation]

"They're not exactly the Empire of Stars, y'know?" Nita retorted, grinning.

"Splitting up sounds fine, then. Don't let the crabs bite!"

Either Curufin OR the locals.

Thread wrap is fine!

[so_dark_a_road]

"True, they're more like Empire of Crabs." He grinned back.

"Okay, I'll see you in a while, hopefully with some shovels and picks! I won't let the crustaceans get me, don't worry." Another grin.

And he disappears up the steps.