bravenewworld | Exploration Log: The Ancient Battleground

Entry tags:

Exploration Log: The Ancient Battleground

Who: Yuuna Sugasawa, Merrill, Waver Velvet, and Saber
What: Exploring the Ancient Battleground
When: Late October
Where: The Ancient Battle
Warnings: Rated A for Ancient. Also maybe PG-13 for violence and swearing.

[Landing just inside the edges of the old battleground, Yuuna dropped off Susume's back and into the dirt with a thud. Just as quickly, she swapped out the dragon for her oldest companion. The Hitmonchan nodded to her, and starting walking a small perimeter in the strange new area.]

Scrubland. Great. That just means nothing to hide in if something wild comes our way.

[Her eyes took in several crumbling buildings a few hundred yards off, shattered stones littering the area, and plantlife best described as “dead or dying” on a good day. Calling upwards, Yuuna waved at the remaining fliers]

Okay guys. I'd say if we were going to get jumped by anything as we land it would've happened by now.

(ooc: Yuuna has Dragonite, Hitmonchan, Chimchar, Spiritomb, and a Ditto currently disguised as a Dragonite with her)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Arriving on the back of a beady-eyed "Dragonite" - her own carrying companion being more of a burrower - Saber bows thanks and hands the copy back to Yuuna. She looks off over the flats, calling her Luxio to her side to ward off any immediately hostile wild Pokémon.]

[She looks out over the scarred land.]

I can...picture a battle being fought here. A large, open space for large armies...

[Or one army against a legendary beast.]

It's open enough that we'll be difficult to ambush, at least.

((Luxio, Garchomp, Solrock, Castform, and Snover are all attuned, though the latter's a matter of last resort.))

Edited 2015-10-21 04:59 (UTC)

That doesn't make me feel any better about all of this...

[Quickly recalling the Xatu before she got any ideas about digging her claws into someone's head and crowing in apparent delight, Waver looked around the ruins with a quick, surveying glance. There were no enemies in the immediate vicinity, although that didn't make him feel terribly confident in their immediate safety.

If this was indeed an ancient battlefield, then who could say what memories were hidden deep within the earth below their feet.]

We should probably keep an eye open, just in case.

[And, echoing his thoughts, the tiny Foongus who refused to evolve popped his little head out of Waver's hood to keep watch on what the mageling couldn't see behind him. This way, all bases were covered!]

It's all quite exciting, though, isn't it?

[Merrill is back to her usual cheerfully inquisitive mood after recovering from the ordeal with Reshiram, dismounting her Honchkrow and bouncing on her heels a bit as she looks around.]

Saber's right, though. This place feels very... old. I'm sure it has many stories to tell.

[The Ancient Battleground is not, of course, titled on any Union maps as such, but perhaps the native of Sanctuary will recall some rumors about the area. That it had once been the site of a mighty battle where colossi had clashed, human and Pokemon alike, the greatest warriors of the time rising up to meet one another in battle. It is hardly scattered with bones and corpses or broken remnants of swords, but it seems that the land has never been repopulated since the calamity.

As Saber feels, the sparse, arid land stretching before them certainly does convey a sense of desolation and despair. History had been made in this place. It is not a very happy history.

The crumbling buildings nearby are all that remains of any human population within eyesight. They may be worth investigating.

What may also be worth investigating are the words 'deep within the earth' for as the final member of their group lands with a thud, Merrill may find that the earth underneath her cracks a bit uncomfortably. ...And rapidly. And well, apparently, four people and their giant flying mounts have never landed on this patch of land all at once, because if they don't hustle, they're going to fall right into a sinkhole, beginning with Merrill as she bounces on her heels.

Hitmonchan, as he wanders off towards the perimeter, will be safe, at least.]

[With a yelp of surprise, Yuuna leaps clear, pushing off of the ground with a popping discharge of electricity. A quick Magnet Rise to get her clear that drops her off next to Gouken.]

Mikaboshi! Grab whoever you can!

[And unless Merrill's feeling particularly squirmy the Dragonite Ditto scoops her up, and makes a beeline for Saber and Waver too. There's space in his big dragony arms for everyone, probably, and he doesn't need to be standing or anything...]

[Saber pulls the same Magnet Rise trick as Yuuna, hand close to her Luxio in case he needs to be caught before Mikaboshi makes it over.]

We need to find stable ground. Look for thicker areas of brush.

[Waver yelped in surprise when the ground gave out below them and scrambled to secure his Foongus before Mikaboshi the Dragonite-shaped Ditto grabbed them out of the air. Holding on tightly to the pokemon, he stared wildly at the scene.]

This-- this--- do things always turn out like this!?

[This 'adventuring' thing. He was starting to question the sanity of it.]

Edited 2015-10-23 02:25 (UTC)

Oh my... that was dangerous, wasn't it?

[Said, once again, in a voice that almost suggests that Merrill genuinely has no clue just how bad that could have been. She has no issues allowing herself to be scooped up by Yuuna's Ditto, eventually stepping onto her own Honchkrow's back to relieve it of some of the load.]

What do you suppose is down there?

[Yes, Waver. Yes it does.

Merrill's curiosity may be worth addressing, however. As the rather alarmingly large sinkhole collapses underneath them and eventually settles, it becomes immediately apparent that there is something curious underneath. The sun shines down, illuminating what seems to be a tunnel - walled on two sides, vanishing into darkness on the other ends.

It is certainly man-made as the walls are far too uniform.

Still, there's the buildings to look at, too, and the seemingly empty shrublands to wander around in.]

Well that was...interesting.

[Everyone seems alright though, which is good. She quickly swaps Gouken *back* out for Susume, and the Dragonite hovers just off the ground with her trainer.]

Though...you know? This looks manmade. Could be worth checking out? Or...we could stay above ground. I'm not sure how terribly safe either way will be...but at least there won't likely be sinkholes down there.

How about one, and then the other?

[As if Merrill would allow them to leave without thoroughly investigating the area.]

I'd like to look inside the buildings first, I think.

[Saber nods.]

Staying on the surface for now is safer, though we'll need to step lightly. Those buildings should be built on solid ground, at least.

[She alights on the nearest non-sinkhole, focusing an Autotomize to keep herself from triggering another collapse after Magnet Rise wears off.]

[Let's define the buildings in question a bit better. There are three of them, and none of them, judging from the remaining foundation, seem like they were terribly large when not demolished. One story high, occupying a few thousand square feet each.

They don't appear to be particularly historic in any sense apart from that they were there and they're still there.

Two of them are very nearly gone entirely, with only one or two walls on each remaining intact, while the last is in significantly better shape and still has a door, even, stripped of paint but intact. This one has a hole bombed in its roof and a crumbling gap in the western wall, but is otherwise fine.

The crumbling gap betrays nothing in particular but what appears to be some decaying metal. Perhaps furniture.]

[Waver, too nervous to even try to leave Mikaboshi's grasp, peered down at the ruins that had appeared below the sinkhole. Although they didn't look like much, there was no telling what could be found....]

There'll be no complaints here if people want to be archaeologists for a day, [He said, peering warily now at the rest of the nigh-deserted scrublands.] Though we should keep in mind that we might not get as much warning about cave-ins if we stay above.

[He didn't trust treading upon ground that had been hollowed out, not one bit.]

You know what? I'd rather stay above ground this time.

[Still floating there, Yuuna swiveled and focused on the buildings in the distance. They weren't terribly big, sure. But the fact was, the last several expeditions she'd been on had been in tight quarters and she was a little sick of it.]

And honestly, if that hole is manmade? The buildings might be related to it, or even have better access. Like service stations or something. Who knows what this place could've been...but it's likely all tied together.

So. Buildings.

[Waving, she starts drifting over that way...]

[Merrill tilts her head a bit as she considers Waver's words.]

Yes, but if we go down there, everything will fall on top of us if it caves in. If we stay up here, we'll be the ones on top.

[Can't argue with logic like that, right?]

((Sorry for the delay, guys! I was out yesterday.))

[Buildings!

As they walk or hover their way towards the ruins, they will thankfully avoid falling into any more pitfalls. It seems solid enough, though it may be a good idea not to walk anywhere near the direction that the tunnel had been running.

Let us assume they investigate the one that appears to still have something reasonably intact in it first. It appears to be filled with...

Junk.

Rusting metal frames scattered and laid out across the floor, dozens of them, all seemingly identical. The far end has what appeared to once be metal cupboards and are now metal scrap heaps. A bit of plant-life has encroached into the room, though it's a bit sparse, like the rest of the Battleground. There don't seem to be any stairs leading to a secret basement or anything.

The crumbling hole in the ceiling...

It seems to have been made by a large chunk of rock that sits in the middle of the room now, undisturbed.]

((it's okay!))

[Well this is interesting. Yuuna cautiously floats inside, going over to the rock and looking up through the hole.]

Wonder what made this? And how? And...if there's anything under it.

[Almost as if she's bored then, Yuuna bends down and sets herself, drawing on some of her inner energy to strengthen her muscles. Getting a grip on it, she tries to lift. It's a herculean effort on her part, strain evident...but since she can lift a Snorlax she might be able to move it. And if not? Then she'll try and give it a push. Just to leave no stone unturned.]

[Saber, for her part, isn't used to this sort of exploration, but she is used to suspicious rocks.]

Be careful trying to move that. That stone could have been launched by some kind of catapult, or it could have moved itself...

[If it doesn't show any signs of suspicious movement, however, she'll help Yuuna try to budge it.]

[Waver, for his part, is looking at the gaping hole in the ceiling and wondering if there was a way to climb up for a better look...]

I doubt it could have moved itself-- things like that just don't happen. A catapult is more likely....or an exceptionally strong pokemon.

Maybe it fell from the sky!

[Not that Merrill exactly understands what a meteor is, but there you have it. All the same, she heads over to try to have a closer look, mostly just getting in the way as Yuuna and Saber try to move the rock out of the way.]

[It's a pretty dense rock. Come to think of it, it's awfully smooth and polished; it doesn't particularly seem like a meteorite or anything along those lines.

But with Yuuna and Saber acting together, they can at least manage to shove it a bit out of the way.

The rock itself has made a massive imprint in the ground. But... it also appears to be covering another imprint that was previously unseen.

It looks a bit like this. Presumably, the circular part is where the rock landed. ...Although the side facing down isn't quite circular, either.

Waver can try to climb the rock if he likes to get closer to the roof; it looks safe enough provided he's dexterous. It's hard to tell with roof imprints, but the size of the hole is actually much larger than that of the rock.]

Edited 2015-10-27 01:56 (UTC)

With the rock heaved aside though, Yuuna frowns at the imprint, and stepping clear, she'll take a few photographs of it.

"Well, this is...different. Dunno what it could be though. Thoughts?"

It looks like an eye. Don't you think?

[Merrill walks up to the rock to have a closer look now that it's moved, looking for the part that had originally been in contact with the ground.]

[It appears smooth and polished. Gray.

The part that contacted the ground is not circular but rather more trapezoidal; however, the circular imprint is larger in diameter, explaining the net result depicted on the floor. The trapezoidal imprint is faintly visible somewhere inside the circle and appears to have been made later.]

A bit.

[Weird...]

Must be a symbol of some sort. You guys see anything else in here? Or you wanna check out another place?

[Merrill reaches into her pack for a moment, drawing out a pencil and some paper.]

Hold on. I want to show this to the Seekers when we return.

[And she's just going to make a rough sketch of what the imprint looks like, as well as one of how it looks on the rock itself.]

...I'm just taking some notes.

[He was scratching away in his little, pocket-sized notepad, making a record of what they had found. Perhaps someone with actual artistic skill should try to make a map of this place some day..

That was for a completely separate venture.]

[The rusted metal frames and the cabinets are still there! As is the sinkhole.

Just as a clarification, the narration would like to make clear that the imprint is on the floor, as of something dropped upon it.]

Let's look inside here before we leave.

[Merrill heads for the cabinets to see if she can get them open.]

[Saber nods and keeps a lookout.]

This is less fraught than I thought it would be. I suppose I just had a bad first experience running into a god and most exploration is just looking around.

Oh, if those are rusted shut, I can bash them open.

[What is archaeology?]

Well, lets see if they won't open first.

[Waiting waiting!]

[Waver furiously scratched a note to himself for further experimentation before he pocketed his travel log.]

Let's try physics before we get into brute force. Is there something around here that we can pry them open with?

[He wanted to preserve the cabinetry if at all possible. Architecture was just as much a study for historians as artifacts, strange boulders, and bizarre imprints on the ground.]

((This is a summary for what will be found in the rest of the log. I'm really sorry, guys.))

[The cabinets can be pried open either by brute force or by applying one of the rusted metal bars as a crowbar, and it will be found that they are filled with shattered glass bottles that were probably once filled with liquid. A few of them are still intact. The ancient script isn't clear, but they appear to be medicine of some sort. In combination with the rusted iron frames, it seems possible this building was once used as an infirmary.

If they explore the sinkhole, they will discover what appears to be an underground tunnel leading all the way across the Battlefield. Surprisingly sturdy and stable. It's blocked three quarters of the way through by a cave-in.

Nothing too interesting, but the walls partway through will begin to be decorated by drawings. They appear to depict a vaguely humanoid figure flanked by three others. If they have any knowledge of Union archaeology, they will find that the figure looks strikingly similar to what was depicted in the Ruins. These are much better quality, however, not being in the middle of a swamp, and it becomes clear that the humanoid figures are more torsos with arms and legs than anything else.

They will, of course, be attacked by something or many somethings halfway through this journey as these things tend to happen. Feel free to handwave whatever that is.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Exploration Log: The Ancient Battleground

no subject

Seismitoad, Vulpix, Xatu, Absol, and Foongus are attuned

Honchkrow, Gigalith, Emboar, Trevenant, and Excadrill - sorry, it's been a Day

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject