melodiesofeternity | Player Plot: The Crystal Temple's Secret

Entry tags:

Player Plot: The Crystal Temple's Secret

Who: Characters signed up for this quest
When: 12th
Where: The Crystal Temple in Sen Devadatta
What: The Heroes of Light vs. Bahamut's Temple
Warnings/Notes: None

IC | Arrival

After a long flight to the Empire, a visit to Parasraya, and a meetup at the capital, the expedition members are loaded onto vehicles and delivered to their destination: the magnificent Crystal Temple. Alas, there is no time for a leisurely tour as the company gathers outside with caving gear and weaponry.

Once all party members are assembled, Orcelito addresses everyone:
"Thank you for coming. I know it was a long flight and there was a lot of preparation. Your presence here is appreciated, and we will be underway shortly.”

He gestures towards the Crystal Temple. “Two teams will be escorted into the basement of the temple. The rest will travel into the forest to look for a way in through the network of caverns. We have leads on where to start searching, so we can make the most of our time.

“As mentioned in the letter, the ruins have deteriorated over the years. Bahamut’s Temple is ancient, and parts of it are no longer standing. I’ve been told that some areas may be flooded or unstable.”

Orcelito pauses, scanning the group. He lowers his tone as he adds, "If you find evidence to suggest someone has tampered with the ruins recently, let me know. As well, please refrain from disturbing the ruins more than necessary. We are here on the Empire's good grace, after all."

And one more thing. "I understand it will be inconvenient, but the order not to use the Mognet is especially imperative while we're here. If you need to send a message to another team, ask one of the Moogles. They are here to help."

From where she hovers by his shoulder, Marigold waves the free paw that’s not clutching a lantern. Those traveling with their Moogle companions will notice they've been given similar lights.

Finally, he smiles; Orcelito may not know everyone here, but he's committed to leading each of them out safely. “Don’t take unnecessary risks. Look after each other.”

Once the orientation is complete, the parties are split. Orcelito turns to lead the way into the temple where a researcher stands ready to guide them to the basement. The other group will find a vehicle waiting to carry them to the forest nearby.

Team Thread Links
Team A thread: Orcelito, Tidus, Rutile, Naoto, Snow White
Team B thread : Ashelia, Castor, Terra, Klonoa, Frisk, Madhuri
Team C thread: Finn, Regis, Adrien, Sephiroth, Ursula, Papyrus, Kanji
Conclusion

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ursula doesn't miss those claw marks, though, leaning in close to examine them...

"How fresh would you say these are?"

Oh gosh, he got covered in mud. This was great! Though, he dialed back the excitement, taking in the new chamber they entered with a blink. With his quiet walk, he likely wasn't helping Kanji being bothered by the silence - but at least he wasn't on Swordmaster at the moment; otherwise, he'd be looking more closely at the pale fish and amphibians around.

When Ursula mentioned the marks, he turned with a blink, walking over to see them himself. "... No idea. Probably not recently since the fish and other small animals are around though, right?"

They'd be in hiding if it was fairly recent...

"Mud," Regis keeps his voice rather quiet, way too aware they are already making plenty of noise and the absence of ether sounds makes it conspicuous, "does not keep its shape very long unless it dries out, and this... is not dry."

And the memory of fish, when it comes to having to hide, is not very long, in Regis's experience.

"Keep mind, both from above and below."

Regis certainly will be.

And, no, he is not bothered by the mud. Not in a while, but he has seen much worse.

Between his height and shoulder armor, Sephiroth was not by any means best suited to squeezing and crawling through tight spaces. Fitting through that initial Lalafell-height section had been interesting; though since he'd been towards the back of the single file and seen others go through, with Jennifer's assistance he'd managed to detach one of his pauldrons and have it clipped onto the top section of the medium backpack which had allowed the precious millimeters needed for him to front crawl through the gap.

He'd also managed to messily drag all of his silver hair forwards and worked it into a rugged plait of sorts - it wasn't worth to get it caught in anything even if after that first section the room in the cave continued to open out quite well.

Sephiroth too, eyes the gouged rock when Ursula draws attention to it but doesn't spend much time at all pondering before he's looking around -Jennifer holding her lantern up and doing a somewhat acceptable job of suspecting where her companion is looking next- trying to locate more of these tracks. If there were a monster with such powerful claws as to scar rock like that in here, he'd rather know which way it went last.

At Regis' suggestion, in particular, it's only a few moments before Sephiroth slowly turns his gaze upward towards however close or far the ceiling of the cavern might be.

The party's observations of the surroundings show only the usual sights. There are crumbled rocks piled against a wall from a cave-in, and grooves on the walls as if from water flow over the years. All of these could easily be natural. It is hard to tell, isn't it?

Soon a greater oddity is found; the plain bedrock underfoot gains hints of color, like shattered glazed pots. On taking a closer look, it appears to be fragments of painted tiles - the broken remnants of a ceramic floor. Ahead, more tiles come together until the team walks on what was once a smooth, blue-tinted floor.

Around the bend, there is no denying the work of human hands; embedded in the cavern wall is a door in cold, dark metal. A worn statue arches over the doorway; its tail has been broken off and the head severed at the neck in a rockslide, but the form is hunkering and serpentine. Those who visited the museum in the Third District and saw the great Eidolons portrait will know that shape. In the heap of rock before the door, the likeness of Bahamut's head is lying on its side, mostly intact, its mouth open in a roar.

On getting closer, it appears the door has a locking mechanism. Unfortunately, age has not helped you here; the metal is solid and not rusted, though the doorframe does appear warped from the shifting earth around it, with cold air whistling through cracks in the top and sides.

Nothing quite screamed "this is it" like that door, did it? Ursula examined closely, reaching to feel about the door, feeling the cold air come through. If air was traveling through, that was a good sign, at least...

The locking mechanism appeared to be jammed, though, and not through rust but instead through just how the erosion had shifted around it. Hm... She had an idea.

"We can break the door without damaging the cave around us. An explosive will be too much here. Instead, I can use fire magic to heat it up, and we can use the nearby water to instantly cool it, hopefully shattering the metal. Unless anyone has other ideas."

The ruin here is just so fascinating! The lingering remnants of tiles. The statue, however damaged. Papyrus can't help but gawk as he absorbs it all- at least until Ursula speaks, snapping him out of his trance-like state.

He immediately moves closer, cupping his chin in hand as he examines the mechanism as well. "AH YES! THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PERFECTLY SCIENTIFIC SOLUTION... AND FAR STABLER THAN ANOTHER BATCH OF CHEMICALS, TOO."

They have the basics- and it certainly seems like as simple place to start. "BUT NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, I WONDER IF MAGITEK BULLETS WOULD HELP HERE... I COULD ALWAYS TRY TO SHOOT SOME ICY BLASTS FOR ADDED COOLING!" He'd just have to switch jobs first, but would it be more effective than the water? It might be more precise, at least.

Finn, covered in mud and not too bothered about it, stops beside Bahamut's head. While everything had been fascinating so far, this was downright intimidating. The Eidolon was likely bigger than the statue appeared, as well.

What he did know is that Archaeologist wouldn't help him in his current state. He used the slate to switch jobs back to Gunslinger and walked forward to the door, trying to ignore Bahamut's eyes boring into his back. "I have a flamethrower that I can add if you need more heat. If the water's not enough, maybe we can... melt it?" If they get together on it, maybe. Bit of a long shot.

Sephiroth continues to lag behind the majority of the group somewhat even as it becomes obvious they are pressing forward into a more man-made section. His left hand seldom leaves its position, just millimeters from the pommel of his short-katana as he continues to be the over-vigilant one; surveying their surroundings again and again just in case of any slight notion they might be being watched -or stalked by something that inhabits the cave.

As they come across the doorway and others inspect it, similarly Sephiroth stands back and observes, though he seems secure enough for the time being to eventually pull his arms into being crossed over his chest.

"I trust this is what we came looking for-?" He questions to anyone and himself, eyeing what he can make out of the statue cresting the aged metal doorway. It seems entirely all too convenient for him, but then pretty much all the adventures he's been on this month so far have been one trap or another.

"I think if we knew what exactly we came looking for, others would already have found it. But is we seek information about the Eidolon whose temple is above that is not easy to discern, what lies beyond the door might be... enlightening, at least. Or not."

He eyes the door again. Had he his original powers, he would be able to provide a more even coating of ice than balls of it to shoot at the door.

"I think the fire and ice combination should be sufficient to make the metal more fragile. Unless someone has lock-picking as an ability and is willing to try?"

He does have to at least ask, before they destroy something that might need later.

Actually.

"Let me take some images of it first, in case something important turns out to be part of its shape." Losing the door might be all right. Losing potential information...

Regis will just use his slate to take pictures, as detailed as he can. In case.

Hanging back, Adrien didn't have much in way to contribute when it came to opening the door or investigating. Pulling out his iMog slate, he began to tap away at it while Regis took photos and...

... looked at his asterisks.

Oh... oh right.

"... Uh, I can actually make the door open. We don't need to break it."

While ancient, the locking mechanism inside seems standard in design. It may respond to the Knock skill, should Adrien try. Of course, magic and physical power could potentially be used to wrench the door open; it appears the immediate area already came under stress in a rockslide, and the wall is stable enough if the group localizes their efforts on the doorway.

"Well... Let's try Adrien's idea, first. If we can keep everything intact the way we found it, all the better," Ursula hummed. She'd forgotten some of the things these asterisks could do...

Nodding (and still not making eye contact with anyone), Adrien taps his slate a few times to change his asterisk. Where his sword was before, it's replaced by an instrument - the hybrid between guitar and keyboard. His armor as well ends up changing just a little; more to suit a performer with a feathered hat topping it all off.

"Be ready. If there's anything around here that might hear me cast this, they'll definitely hear the door unlock."

But both approaches had the potential to be noisy anyway. Shifting the keytar into hand, performing Knock is simple enough. He plays a brief melody that magically begins working the lock on the door, encouraging it to come undone and grant them passage.

"Ready we shall be."

And, great though the temptation is to examine both the instrument and the boy's use of it, Regis does grip his staff a little tighter and, taking as much cover as is available, focus on the door and what might come from beyond it.

Nodding, Papyrus takes on a defensive stance. For now, he'll make Cool Scientist his active asterisk, just in case they need to stun a surprise foe. Blue bones do have their perks, after all.

Should it turn out they need more force to open the door, he'll gladly switch back to Magitek for a little added ice.

For now, he stays silent- he knows his voice is loud, and the last thing they need is further reason for surprise attacks. Still, he does offer Adrien a quick thumbs up.

Though the door is unmagical in nature, it has been inert for a long, long time. But steadily, at the notes take hold, the party can hear a low grinding starting from within. Warped and bent though it is, the large bolt retreats. The door trembles, shaking off centuries of dust and gravel, and a deep, reverberating boom echoes in the cavern… as one might expect from knocking at a metal door. With a grace that defies its state, the door cracks free of its frame. (The party will have to finish pulling it open, which can be done by anyone with a physical power stat of B or higher, but the hard part is past!)

From inside comes a cold gust of stale air. It's still pitch-back, but shining a light within rewards the team with the sight of cultivated stonework. This floor is in significantly better condition! The flagstones are covered in dust, but they are mostly intact. Empty wall sconces line an otherwise plain corridor ahead.

Edited (wording) 2018-12-04 23:29 (UTC)

After the echoing has finally come to a stop, Finn pauses and listens to the other side. The only sound that hits him is the rush of cold air, though. While the crack is too small for anyone in their party (save maybe for the Moogles) to fit through, he puts a hand on one side and tries to give a hard push.

And with luck! The door gives slightly, so he braces himself, grabs with both hands, and puts his back into it. "See anything?" he grunts after the door has given a little more.

Ursula sent out a series of small flames to light up the chamber, having to put a bit more mana into them to keep them burining in spite of the cold. This room hadn't decayed nearly as much, and even had some lovely architecture to behold. But Ursula couldn't help noticing...

"It looks like this place was cleared out. All of the sconces are empty, had there been anything there previously. The people maintaining the shrine may have taken everything with them when it was abandoned."

"WELL, THAT'S INCONVENIENT." Sighing, Papyrus follows along. Sadly, he lacks much in the way of illumination skills, lest he switch to something like Magitek Knight. For now, he'll led Ursula take the lead, along with any others more gifted in that particular brand of spellcasting.

"STILL, THERE COULD BE MORE HIDDEN FURTHER WITHIN! PERHAPS SOMETHING THEY OVERLOOKED. A SECRET CORRIDOR, PERHAPS? I THINK IT'S TOO EARLY TO GIVE UP..."

After all, they just got here! Who knows what lies in this mysterious ruin? Perhaps an engaging puzzle? He'd take that over a fight.

It had been during one of his long, sweeping looks around the area before the door that the reverberating boom of the door signaled that finally, the door had opened. Immediately Sephiroth snapped his attention back to the door and those that were nearest it, taking a few steps closer; he might even have stepped in to force the door further open himself, but thankfully he hadn't needed to intervene.

It seemed almost too easy, but that was starting to become something of a recurring trend.

Jennifer fluttered up behind Sephiroth, lantern at the ready for when the group chooses to advance into the corridor. His intention to keep somewhere in the middle-back of the group as they pressed onward.

Overall, this section of the temple has survived in fair condition; the decay has not been so severe as other areas. Unfortunately, there is still an abundance of cave-ins, and the group will be unable to enter some of the rooms. An entire section to the left has collapsed into rubble, forcing them to explore to the right.

For the most part, the halls are quiet save for the party’s voices and footsteps. But if they are silent for a moment and listen carefully, there is what sounds like an erratic grinding and scraping of stone. It's faint, carried only by echoes in the buried stone halls, and far off… for now.

Ursula's observation is correct at first glance: the area is cleared of anything valuable. What contents there are have long fallen to time: collapsed furniture, a scrap of leather that may have bound paper once, the metal wall sconces without wood or candles, and so on.

Entering a room off a main hallway, the group will have to step with care so as not to trip over a rusted sword in the doorway. Weaponry and armor languish here, edges long dulled and too brittle for further adventures. A few tables still stand, some clearly on their last legs. Shining a light higher shows mostly bare walls… and a map of the world of Vaikuntha.

Brushing aside the grime, the party can see their current location at the northern end of the western continent. But it is not the Crystal Temple – it is marked as The Temple of Bahamut. Glancing down to where the Great McGard Library was built, the Temple of Alexander is in its place. Where Mad'ni Shrine is, the Temple of Phoenix is written. Farther to the east is the Temple of Asura where the I.B. Magitek Tower currently stands. Finally, a studied map reader may find an island that is on none of the modern maps, with the label of The Temple of Zodiark. It is in the general area where Cloud City is today.

Moving his keytar back onto his back, Adrien took up towards the back of the group, allowing the light they provided to fill the room first. The left portion of the room might be gone, but at least they had some of it still to the right.

That grinding... he doesn't think it's still from Knock...

Though momentarily distracted by the old weaponry and armor around, a hard thwap from Blanc made him look at the wall. He'll raise a hand to clear it off, and then blink. "... Huh, this is Vaikuntha, but the Temples marked..." There's certainly an advantage to working in the library - time to look over books when he had the time, but it does take him a moment to consider the weird islands that aren't on most of the maps in Lavode. "... This is... Cloud City should be right here."

"Or close to it, at any rate." Regis's attention is on the map, easily. He will focus on the weapons... eventually, but this is a source of information that probably will be very important.

"'tis information that will need to be shared, for information is likely to be learned at each location." Taking. Pictures. With. His slate. Because even the unknown island's map might cold clues.

"It might be possible that what used to be an island was elevated later to what is now Cloud City. Has anyone spent much time there, this far?"

Bahamut is the only name among these that Regis knows from Eos. But he also knows a little of Alexander from Hope, while the youth was with them, too. The others he only knows from the child poem that was shared a while back.

Finn is captivated by the map, trying to memorize it as well as he can. There was no telling how old this thing was.

"I spent some time there when I first arrived," he admits, squinting at the Temple of Zodiark. "There's not much there except a few guilds and the observatory... but I don't know how it floats. And I've never bothered to look under it." Now that was an idea. But maybe this is why it floats, because of an Eidolon.

"We need to check all of these out."

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Ya’ll do have to pick just one to try first!

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Finn's Gunslinger job has physical power at B!

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