Player Plot: Let's Explore Mad'ni Shrine!

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Who: Everyone who signed up!
When: Around November 3-6ish
Where: The Mad'ni Shrine
What: Searching for the lost ruins beneath the Shrine!
Warnings/Notes: It's another dreaded water level.

Although the flight provided by Curti Center takes them as close as they possibly can, the Heroes still have to take a brief walk through the woods to reach their destination. It remains to be seen whether the trip will be worth it. After all, their hope of finding a Legendary Eidolon, or even just clues pointing to one, is based on little more than guesswork.

But, with the time ticking down towards the end of the world, they don't have the luxury of ignoring a lead, no matter how vague. A shot in the dark might be what saves them all in the long run.

OOC info and sign-ups are here!

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

As Sephiroth entered the ruins, he took a long, lingering look around before stepped any further across the watery floor. As others went about interacting, discussing and even summoning a somewhat-small eidolon in their efforts to decipher any secrets the room held, Sephiroth went about patrolling the perimeter; paying special attention to how deep the water was each time he put his foot down, tracing as best that he could imagine where the walls would have been before the whole place fell to the sorry state that it's in.

The damp air makes it feel close, yet that might be down to his imagination as he's mapping out in his mind's eye a sort-of floor plan.

He's most definitely not alone by the time he comes to the strange device with the cavity and the lever. It seemed obvious to him that something needed to fit in that space and so Sephiroth took a few steps backwards, widening the scope of his vision around the immediate area, particularly looking at the water on the floor itself; there should be an obvious ripple or distortion in the way it flowed even if still, if indeed there might be something just underneath the surface.

[saint_sami]

Sasami looked over the wall in curiosity. There had to be something - buttons, levels, switches, something. It was like Frisk told her - things felt like a video game, so it only made sense.

Granted, in her search, she didn't see the level, but the hole. "Hey, what's this?"

[timecrash]

Serge stares at the indentation for several seconds, tapping his chin. "Hey guys! I think we need to look for something that fits this hole, and then I bet if we pull the lever it'll open something up! Look for... it'd be circular, about this wide and this deep... There's gotta be something in here."

[sassafrisk]

"Well..." Frisk rolls up their sleeves, grimacing. This was going to be hard work, especially for a twelve year-old. "Since there doesn't really seem to be anywhere else to look, we should prooobably start digging through all that junk to see if we can find anything." Sighing, Frisk begins rummaging through the piles of rubble and junk, searching for anything that could fit in the hole.

[princeandscholar]

After examining the space, the tactician finds himself in agreement. He learned from the foray into the mines that the process of finding these keys can be convoluted, but with so many people searching, their chances are favorable.

"It could be one of the relics kept in the shrine. I'll ask." Orcelito returns up the staircase to check with the attendants if they've seen anything of that shape. While he doesn't expect an answer (they surely would have tried the lever if they had), it will give him a chance to look around the upper levels himself.

[pishirogane]

Of course; Naoto almost expected that to be the answer from Leviathan. Nonetheless, she kept the summon at her side as she toiled around with the others. They had to find their way in so it wouldn't be a simple solution. Only a key and a lever...

The others were already on it, and Orcelito intended on checking the relics. She would stand aside for now and wait for the others to check their solutions - if they managed to solve it, but she's a little concerned about a potential connection between the lever and water instead.

[spaceforged]

While the others scan the walls, Shiro takes a slow patrol of the floor itself. He glances around to see if there's any other marking or strangeness under the water. If nothing else they could eliminate another possibility.

At least they have confirmed that this is the first step of a trial and therefore this is a lead they absolutely must pursue.

[poisonwish]

"Ugh..." Snow White cringed as he made himself step into the wet room. It was a good thing he had sturdy boots, but the whole environment made his skin feel clammy. This was certainly not a place he would choose to be if it wasn't so important.

Not wishing to reach his hands into wet filth, he instead chose to contribute by casting Sacre to light the others' efforts.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

"...Wait. Hold up."

Uendo stares at the cavity, brows creasing in disbelief. It couldn't be... But the shape and size look right, and the letter said...

He'll explain in just a moment, but first he rummages in his pack, digging out a small bundle. Within it is an antique compass without a needle. After a few seconds' hesitation, he steps closer to the lever and tries putting the compass in the cavity.

It's a perfect fit. There's even a little sound, like some mechanism just clicked into place.

"Okay then. This is a pretty darn convenient coincidence." He pulls out the other thing in the bundle -- a letter. "Pharce sent this to me just a few days ago. I figured I'd carry it around with me in case it was important... but I didn't think it would actually come in handy here of all places."

[sassafrisk]

"Well... something happened," Frisk says, eyebrow raised. "Not sure what, and it might not be good, but at least something happened. Guess our next step is to figure out what that something is." Ker-chunks like that meant that puzzles were solved in videogames, so there should be something different. Acting on a hunch, Frisk begins looking closely beneath the surface of the water for a change.

[neverbeamemory]

Having found nothing of note from what he could see in the shallow water at their feet, Sephiroth had returned to to the wall on which the strange locking mechanism had been found. Close enough to clearly hear that click as the item had slid perfectly into place.

Immediately Sephiroth raised both eyebrows and took a much longer look over Uendo; one of those intense, calculating looks that might seem to peer right down into the very depths of the soul. Trying to fit it within his mind how it seemed the person to organize this expedition suspiciously already had the key. Coincidence doesn't cut it.

"And Pharce is?"

Perhaps it wasn't a question for now so much but Sephiroth let it out there regardless. Any context at this point might give significant insight into whatever they might be about to enter into.

[spaceforged]

It's certainly convenient. He stops scanning the floor to turn and face the mechanism. There's not much he can add to the questioning, so he does what any good soldier would do. He keeps watch on their surroundings in case that compass going into its slot called trouble to them.

There haven't been any changes yet but he breathes in. "That lever might work now. Everyone should gather everyone over here. We have no idea what will happen next." Do they?

He glances at Uendo and raises an eyebrow, asking with just a glance if it will be truly unknown.

[poisonwish]

"Pharce?" Snow White tapped his chin, brow furrowed, as he tried to think. "Wait -- wasn't that the guy in Ka'Pandol? The tour guide sports guy?"

It had been forever since he'd even thought about that, but he did remember now the pseudo-apology they'd received after the city had flooded. Snow had even taken a signed poster of the blitzball players, just because he could. But thinking on it now, it was suspicious as hell that Pharce would be linked to a second water dungeon.

"What the hell does he know about this place?" Snow White asked uneasily.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Uendo catches the look Shiro gives him and can only give a shrug in return. "I'm going into this just as blind as you are, I'm afraid. And yes, that was Pharce. His letter didn't say anything about Mad'ni Shrine specifically, but the timing does feel a little too perfect..."

For that matter, how did Pharce know about Uendo's research with the Summoner's Guild? Why did that spur him to send the compass? There's even a lever pun in the letter. It's fishy no matter how you look at it.

"...In any case, I suppose we can look into Pharce once we get back. Shall we give this lever a try?"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk holds up a single finger. "Juuuust a sec." Ancient temples generally didn't take kindly to being raided, after all. They scamper over to the lever, carefully using their Ninja infiltration skills to check for traps. "Better be safe-ish then super very sorry," their chirp as they carefully examine the mechanism.

[neverbeamemory]

Uendo's words are all Sephiroth needs to slip this scenario from a simple expedition into a trap they've all willingly been lured into. It doesn't sit well with him, at all, but for now, he'll keep his peace with it. Indeed there would be time to pin this Pharce to a wall over it later; he made a mental note to touch base with Uendo about that.

Trap or not, the place has been sealed in such a way for a reason and Sephiroth is still keen to know it's secrets.

"I get the feeling it won't be the only trap we're going to need to face, here."

[pishirogane]

"It'd be too simple if it was. Also, Leviathan would be more willing to help."

But according to her, she couldn't. Entering and proceeding would be a trial, one that they would have to overcome as they proceeded. Fortunately, there were plenty of people here willing to help, but that didn't change the fact they were going willingly into danger. Still, she made a mental note to see Pharce herself later...

[poisonwish]

Snow White took a few steps forward, almost itching for a fight out of paranoid anxiety. "Well?" he asked Frisk. "Notice anything?"

The suspense was perhaps the worst part. At least if there was a trap, maybe he could do something about it -- fight a monster or something. And if there wasn't a trap, then they needed to be moving on. Snow's fingertips played over the hilt of his chef's knife nervously.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

"Ah, good thinking." Uendo moves out of the way so Frisk can have a closer look at the lever.

The mechanism seems to be connected to the floors in the side rooms, but that's about it. There's nothing else to be found on this floor, no matter how hard the Heroes search.

[sassafrisk]

Frisk takes one last look at the mechanism, then gets up and dusts off their hands. "Alright," they raise their voice to a yell, "ANYBODY IN THE SIDE ROOMS NEEDS TO GET OUT BEFORE WE PULL THIS THING!" then they shrug. "What this is, it's just connected to the floors in the side rooms. If something happens anywhere else, blame my infil/exfil teach for not catching it, not me."

[poisonwish]

Snow White waited. He didn't hear anything. He didn't exactly know what Frisk meant by "infill"-whatever, but as far as the consequences went, it made sense to him. They'd given as much of a warning as they could. Now it was time to just do the deed.

He shrugged and gestured to the lever. Now or never.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

"Here we go, then!" Looking rather more confident than he feels, Uendo reaches over and pulls the lever.

The ruins are filled with the sound of stone moving against stone. The floors in the side rooms are opening up, draining the water away and revealing the long drop underneath. A soft blue light shines from below, illuminating several floors of stairs descending ever downward. The top of the stairway soon shows itself as a panel slides off the floor the Heroes are standing on.

"Oh my..." Uendo peeks down below, face flushing with excitement. "I daresay we've hit a jackpot!"