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middleofsomewhere2020-09-15 10:09 pm
voidtreckermods) wrote in middleofsomewhere2020-09-15 10:09 pm
Onward: Red
Travel
The biggest problems on the way to the volcano are, perhaps, to be expected. Years of molten flows and heaving earth have left the landscape twisted and in constant movement, sections of the surface sinking or rising depending on the movement of the rivers of magma beneath. It makes for slow, bumpy going whether on foot or in a vehicle.
The fire dogs mostly prowl in the distance, but a few packs get brave enough to dive in and attack. They attack in their packs of three, though they are more likely to attack those at the back or side of the group, catching any stragglers or those that have decided to go it alone. They are pretty interested in the crystals, singling out those who are carrying them and harrying them with nips and lunges.
As the sun sets, the sky darkens and the earth, in contrast, seems to glow brighter. Faces tinge red in the fires and flows of the Flamewastes, and the volcano spits fire endlessly ahead.
The Firehearted Peak
It only takes about half a day to get to the volcano, which is pinpointed on their SCA map and highly visible besides. The entrance is obvious, a cleft in the rock at the side of the mountain. It’s hot here, incredibly so, the heat draining. But, oddly… it’s bearable, more so than they might expect. The path takes them around tunnels and across exposed streams of lava, over small rocky bridges over partially crusted-over liquid.
The tunnel is only half an hour’s walk, before it opens up into a rough chamber formed by layers of glittering metal and molten rock. In the centre there is a ball of fire, floating freely. It pulses with heat, and for those with any such senses, deep magic.
The crystals need to be held within the chamber, as close to the glowing core as possible, for at least three days. As the days go by the crystals will begin to grow brighter as magic gathers within them; their glow will synchronise with the flickering pulses of the Heart.
This growing power, however, draws in the creatures of the Flamewastes. Fire lizards, having stayed hidden and skittish on their journey, now join the dogs in attacking, pouring through the main tunnel and smaller passages in the layered walls to attack the chamber, intent on reaching and consuming the magic within the barrier crystals.
Fire Sprites
The attack from outside the mountain continues but as the days go by the volcano itself starts attacking, the proximity of living beings to its heart provoking a response. Fire sprites, clusters of sparks and embers and tendrils of fire whip out of the lava towards anyone who draws close. They are drawn to body heat, or to warmth of any kind. Tendrils curl around limbs, burning and dragging them towards pools of lava.
Others form walls of fire, trying to separate people from the main group or render the heart inaccessible. Cold drives them into retreat; water, if it does not immediately evaporate in the heat of the mountain, does likewise. The area directly around the heart, strangely, remains largely unaffected; any sprite or flame that strays into its aura is absorbed into it.
The biggest problems on the way to the volcano are, perhaps, to be expected. Years of molten flows and heaving earth have left the landscape twisted and in constant movement, sections of the surface sinking or rising depending on the movement of the rivers of magma beneath. It makes for slow, bumpy going whether on foot or in a vehicle.
The fire dogs mostly prowl in the distance, but a few packs get brave enough to dive in and attack. They attack in their packs of three, though they are more likely to attack those at the back or side of the group, catching any stragglers or those that have decided to go it alone. They are pretty interested in the crystals, singling out those who are carrying them and harrying them with nips and lunges.
As the sun sets, the sky darkens and the earth, in contrast, seems to glow brighter. Faces tinge red in the fires and flows of the Flamewastes, and the volcano spits fire endlessly ahead.
The Firehearted Peak
It only takes about half a day to get to the volcano, which is pinpointed on their SCA map and highly visible besides. The entrance is obvious, a cleft in the rock at the side of the mountain. It’s hot here, incredibly so, the heat draining. But, oddly… it’s bearable, more so than they might expect. The path takes them around tunnels and across exposed streams of lava, over small rocky bridges over partially crusted-over liquid.
The tunnel is only half an hour’s walk, before it opens up into a rough chamber formed by layers of glittering metal and molten rock. In the centre there is a ball of fire, floating freely. It pulses with heat, and for those with any such senses, deep magic.
The crystals need to be held within the chamber, as close to the glowing core as possible, for at least three days. As the days go by the crystals will begin to grow brighter as magic gathers within them; their glow will synchronise with the flickering pulses of the Heart.
This growing power, however, draws in the creatures of the Flamewastes. Fire lizards, having stayed hidden and skittish on their journey, now join the dogs in attacking, pouring through the main tunnel and smaller passages in the layered walls to attack the chamber, intent on reaching and consuming the magic within the barrier crystals.
Fire Sprites
The attack from outside the mountain continues but as the days go by the volcano itself starts attacking, the proximity of living beings to its heart provoking a response. Fire sprites, clusters of sparks and embers and tendrils of fire whip out of the lava towards anyone who draws close. They are drawn to body heat, or to warmth of any kind. Tendrils curl around limbs, burning and dragging them towards pools of lava.
Others form walls of fire, trying to separate people from the main group or render the heart inaccessible. Cold drives them into retreat; water, if it does not immediately evaporate in the heat of the mountain, does likewise. The area directly around the heart, strangely, remains largely unaffected; any sprite or flame that strays into its aura is absorbed into it.
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