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

[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!"