bravenewworld | The Lost Civilization

Entry tags:

The Lost Civilization

Who: Lute Sforzando, Estelle Bright, Lux Crownguard, and Merrill
Where: The Coastal Valley ruins
What: Exploring! The junior members of the Seekers are.... seeking. Clearly they are experts.
Warnings: ~~neeeeeerds~~ None

[Lute has been dying to go on an official expedition ever since he joined the Seekers. The ruins in the Coastal Valley seemed perfect. He managed to convince the other new recruits to come along. And after a lengthy trek they all stop outside the ruins for a final equipment check before heading in.]

This is it! Are we ready to head inside?

[He's all but bouncing in excitement. What could be in there? More ancient writings? Statues? Unheard of Pokemon? He brought with him plenty of paper and pens to take notes, as well as some extra containers in case they need to bring back samples. And this time he remembered a light source. Sort of. Actually his Litwck is just really clingy and wouldn't stay at home. Attuned to his warp band he also has his Gardevoir, Gogoat, Dugtrio, and Ursaring. Just in case.]

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Yes! Let's go.

[Merrill is as excited as ever to be exploring some ruins, her earlier enthusiasm mostly returned after her earlier embarrassing failure with her Spiritomb. And of course, the Spiritomb itself is along for the ride, having sealed a second blood pact with Merrill to help her look for her peoples' civilization until the search kills her. It's debatable whether it's hoping for that to happen sooner rather than later, though.]

[Having gone on a few expeditions like this, Lux was able to contain her excitement at least somewhat, eager energy focused on the mission at hand instead of running in without backup.]

I'm ready!

[Estelle's not trying to stop bouncing. She can stop literally bouncing up and down once they're inside the ruins and had a good chance to look around. For now, she's going to get all that excess energy out. Her hand is gripping her red staff, with weights at the end. She is checking her items, though, in her coat and on a few pouches on her belt.]

[Her Golett, Dogi, is out and hanging out just behind her. Silent, friendly, and ready as always. Estelle nods, eagerly.]

Let's go! I bet awesome stuff's in there!

[So it looks like they have perky energy and enthusiasm covered. That's gotta count for something.]

Alright! Let's go!

[He leads them into the ruins, keeping a close eye on the walls in case there's any writings or other marks. ~~And because looking where you're going is for losers amirite?~~ ]

The ruins are strange in construction, it appears to be the shattered remnants of petrified wood. There are what were once houses, many overturned and outright shattered as if an enormous force had dashed them against the landscape. Equally petrified chunks of coral could be seen protruding from the wood, in many cases the structures were entirely enveloped by coral long-since turned to stone.

As soon as they enter the ruins, they feel an immediate sense of unease. Eyes, but not the eyes of the living watch their every movement. The sound of muted weeping permeates the area, surrounding the group and hanging over them like a shroud.

[Hmm, the foreboding atmosphere certainly takes some of the bounce out of his step. Lute pauses to inspect some of the petrified walls with bits of equally petrified coral. He jots down a few notes, muttering to himself.]

The area must have been underwater at some point. But the houses are likely earlier than that.....

[But he's pulled out of his thoughts by the mournful sound of weeping.]

Um, does... anyone else hear that?

[Merrill slowly runs her hand along some of the structures and the coral as she walks along, her Spiritomb trailing behind her. She stops in place as she hears the sound echoing down the chamber, though, clutching her staff close.]

...A Ghost type, maybe?

[She glances to Eluvian.]

Friends of yours?

[Estelle's expression turns a good bit more serious after she feels the eyes watching them -- and hears that terrible muted weeping sound. She tries and fails to repress a shiver, bowing her head for a moment. She shakes it to clear it, before she looks back up.]

...yeah. I hear it. That's...

[She frowns.]

I don't like the sound of this.

[Lux hesitates to touch anything, just in case. Things looked relatively safe, but the muffled noises told a different story. Her warp band comes to life and two Pokemon join her side--Doyle, a Zoroark, and Priscilla, a Misdreavus.

She could assume what was likely making the noise. Extremely unnerved, she readies a light with her, hoping she doesn't have to use it offensively.]

We should be on guard regardless. I get the feeling that someone else has taken up residency here. Multiple someones.

As the group moves, the sound of weeping intensifies. It builds, slowly at first, but louder and louder into a cacophony of sound. Suddenly, the group encounters a pack of strange Pokemon. They definitely appear to be the source of the weeping noise, although the din surrounding them means there are definitely more. Sighting the team, the Pokemon start to move forward, their arms outstretched toward the group, almost as if longing.

Oh, look! They're welcoming us!

[Merrill smiles, stepping forward and giving the group of Yamask a friendly wave.]

Hello there!

Edited 2014-09-16 03:56 (UTC)

[Estelle looks at Lux and nods.]

Right--

[Then she sees the pack of approaching Pokemon and her eyes shoot wide open. The girl takes a step backward, following Lux's lead; she calls out one Pokemon, Lilia the Swinub, from her warp band. The little thing appears behind Estelle's feet, where it watches cautiously.]

Merrill! [Oh no, oh no, that looks like a bad idea.] Be careful! I don't know if they're friendly!

[Lute is all for trying to talk things out and taking a non-aggressive approach and all that, but you still need to be careful. If they do turn out to be hostile, Merrill is taking a big risk by presenting herself as a target. It looks like the others are hanging back, which is good. He steps up next to Merrill, offering a friendly smile.]

We don't mean you any harm. We're just passing through.

[He's met enough territorial Pokemon recently that he figures he'd better cover that base right away. He's also doing his best to look non-threatening, but if they do turn out to be hostile he at least wants to be in a position where he can pull Merrill out of the line of fire.]

[We come in peace.

Yeah, because that's worked before.

Grabbing both Merrill and Lute by the collar, Lux attempts to pull them both back away from any immediate danger. Diplomacy was one thing, being stupid was another.]

Don't make any sudden movements or do anything that might be seen as hostile.

[Lux turns her attention toward the Pokemon. She reeeeeally wanted to investigate this place, but it would seem that it wasn't in the cards. Hopefully they would let them go with little trouble?]

We're sorry, we didn't realize this was your home. If we could just look around a little bit, we promise we don't mean you any harm.

[She looked ready to flee at any sign of danger.]

The Pokemon start to swarm around the group. Merill, if she allows it, will find a group of the Pokemon move around her and start touching her face with their hands. The hands are cold and lifeless, and as they run their hands across her cheek they will sob uncontrollably.

[Estelle draws a breath in sharply, when she sees the Pokemon surge forward around the group. It's good that Lux gives her warning; her first impulse is to get ready to take a swing, and her Swinub is backing away in fear. She takes a deep breath, looking at Lux.]

They're--they're not hostile, but...

[They're creepy. She looks back at Merrill, tensing up more, and then she finally looks at one of the Pokemon closer to her.]

Hey, um... it's okay. We're not gonna do anything bad here, okay?

They're sad... and lonely too, I think.

[Merrill does take a step or two back in deference to Lux's warning, but so far she doesn't seem inclined to fight against the Yamask at all. Her Spiritomb, Eluvian, simply remains nearby, the malign spirits that compose its body calmly whirling about as it watches its ghostly brethren through a single spiral eye.]

It's all right, da'len. Ir abelas, ma vhenan.

[As she speaks, Merrill attempts to radiate feelings of calm and acceptance to the group of Yamask, hoping to calm them down.]

(ooc: Mouseover text to see what her crazyspeak means.)

[He stumbles backward slightly when Lux tugs on his collar unexpectedly. Lute will always try the diplomatic approach first. He never assumes a Pokemon or a person is hostile unless they attack first. And even then he'd forgive them if they stopped. And all these Pokemon have done is cry and be slightly creepy. He nods in agreement with Merrill.]

I suppose this place doesn't get many visitors. They're probably not used to seeing people down here.

[He looks at one of the Yamasks that isn't busy poking Merrill and smiles brightly.]

My name is Lute. My friends and I would like to have a look around. Is that alright?

[They were touching Merrill's face. Merrill was letting then touch her face. This wasn't creepy at all, surely.

They were all going to die, weren't they?

Lux holds back behind Lute and Merrill, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. This. This was not what she signed up for.]

[The Yamask nods to Lute in acquiescence while more of the creatures swarm around Merill, wailing, sobbing and reaching out to caress her face. Merill feels a powerful surge of emotions - longing, loss, sorrow, recognition tempered with memories long faded]

[Estelle stays put, now, looking at Merrill. She grimaces while they touch her face -- and she lets them, this is crazy and crazy dangerous -- and then tilts her head, still making a face.]

You okay, Merrill?

[Lute gives the Yamask he's talking to a nod.]

Thank you. We really appreciate it. If there's ever anything I can do for you in return, please don't hesitate to ask.

[Then he turns to the rest of the group.]

It looks like we're okay to look around for a while. Merrill, is everything alright?

[She doesn't seem to be in trouble though, so he's not too worried yet.]

Yes, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all. They're just... sad.

[Merrill nods her head, smiling a bit sadly herself.]

They've lost something long ago... something they can barely even remember anymore. And it causes them deep sorrow.

[Estelle, at least, should know why Merrill sympathizes so heavily with these guys.]

But they don't seem dangerous.

That's good, at least?

[Lux doesn't sound so sure, but if Merrill thought that they weren't dangerous, she would have to believe her.]

Can you ask them what they remember? That may give us a clue on what we've found here.

I doubt that there are any records to recover, but maybe we can bring back some of these petrified pieces to analyze. Do we want to chance going into any of these houses? Do you think they're still structurally sound?

[The Yamask start to clear away, opening a path. They are still weeping and gazing at the party with what can only be described as longing. Merill feels definite recognition tinged with sorrow and loss directed at them when the Yamask look at them.]

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