[ACTION | Caverns Expedition Log]

[antiseptic]

Log Deputy: Rei antiseptic and Charles makeitquick
Participating Characters: Jade Curtiss, Imogen Moreno, Flynn, Chris Ramirez, Ezreal, Melaka Fray, William Flemming, Varun "Banzu" Elmas, Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlert, Elhaym van Houten (Elly), Ondorus Univir, Lux Crownguard...possibly more! Feel free to gatecrash the party at any time.
Plot Description: A group of intrepid explorers set out in search of an iron mine. Things probably don't go as expected.
Warnings/Notes: Possible violence?

QUICK LINKS: Pre-exploration mingling | Travel | Arrival at Caverns | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3

Overview:
At 6AM, the group will be meeting at the city gates, where there'll be some time for mingling and last minute emergencies before they set off.

The group will travel east through the Verdant Forest for around half a day before reaching the Caverns. It will be freezing with a few flurries of snowfall. Try not to get lost! Or disturb hibernating Pokemon, for that matter.

At the Caverns, Jade will split everyone up into three groups. Group 1 will consist of Elly, Eren, Armin, Ondorus, Chris. Group 2 will be Jade, Melaka, Banzu, Flynn. Group 3 is Imogen, Ezreal, Flemming, and Lux. These groups aren't fixed, and characters are free to protest and try move around! Ideally, each group will end up with at least 4 members just for safety's sake.

Aaand after that, the exploration begins! At first there'll be nothing but caves and tunnels, but it shouldn't take very long for that to change...


Misc notes: Feel free to go wild with thread-jacking! The mods recommend not strictly enforcing a post order since things will probably stall that way. Also, if anyone wants a random wild Pokemon bonding encounter going in the mountains during any of this, just respond to the Map post as usual!

If you need to ask any questions, the quickest way to get in touch with me will be through PMs.

Comments

PRE-EXPEDITION MINGLING

[antiseptic]

[antiseptic]

[Easily recognizable in his Ranger uniform, Jade will be at the gates fifteen minutes before the meeting time. As people begin to arrive, he'll make his way over to speak with each and every one of them - it's much easier to evaluate a person when speaking with them face-to-face, after all.]

[Every so often, he glances around, almost as if he's looking for something.]

Open

[for_realsies]

*Imogen arrived early. She was dressed with her usual... flair.

*The core of her outfit was functional. Layered fabrics for warmth in dark colors, brown boots with a bit of a heel to them, and a pair of thin glasses perched on her nose. The 'flair' was in the added layers. She had a pink and green skirt, strictly decorative and in no way functional to attire. Fuzzy pink arm warmers and hat, and a jacket of thick hide (colored pink), and green fur edging.*

*Her partner Brighteyes was much more conservatively dressed, the Eevee simply had blue jacket, scarf, and hat to keep warm. He was curled up on her supply bag. Who knows what she had in there. Imogen stared off into space, getting distracted by other people's clothes, and talking to the occasional Pokemon as her partner kept her from walking into things with his warnings.*

[indy_wannabe]

[Ezreal is on time, if only just. His clothing is very functional, with warm layers and a backpack full of supplies. His Elekid, Spark, is with him and also wearing a warm poncho. They roll in casually and unconcerned.]

[makeitquick]

[ Melaka went to bed early so she could wake up and arrive early. She's put on a Ranger uniform as well and actually looks well rested if... subtly eager. Okay so she's a little tense, but mostly, she's excited to make a name for herself here. She's trying not to let it show (after all, this is a serious mission) but despite the thicker gloves she's got on and the rest of her winter ensemble (as well as a pack of supplies she ends up sitting on the ground next to her) she starts to perform some stretches while she waits ]

[outtahere]

[If Banzu's not the last person to arrive, he's pretty close to the last, showing up looking rather tired. He's really not a morning person. A Klink floats behind him, quietly grinding away.

Banzu himself is 5'6" and looks at least 18, though he's actually 16. He's dressed for the weather in a charcoal gray parka and thick black pants tucked into scuffed black work boots. His clothes, as well as the black backpack he's wearing, are generic and unremarkable examples of their types. It would be hard to pick him out in a crowd. The only slightly noteworthy trait is that, aside from the boots, everything is obviously new.]

Re: PRE-EXPEDITION MINGLING

[stahlflugel]

[That sure is a pokémon walking up with a blonde-headed kid about ten minutes late. But the metal bird isn't just a pokémon, as indicated by the warp band around the "wrist" of one of his wings. Eren turns to Armin, speaking just like any human.

Doting, actually. Fussing over his human companion like a worried mom]

Are you warm enough? Do you have all your supplies? If you don't wanna do this, just say so, ok!!

[There's also a very uninterested looking Eevee on the skarmory shifter's back (along with Eren's gear), nestled in between his wings. Honestly, Armin wasn't a baby. He'd be fine.]

[tinytactician]

[Every party needs a pooper, that's why they invited Armin! He'll be standing as far away from other people as possible, looking somewhat pale in the face, battling between oh my god I'm going to get in so much trouble oh my god and the familiar nausea that comes from being around crowds of people and trying to resist picking up on their emotions.

His Ralts friend, Meredith, is settled in his arms, looking mildly annoyed by how tightly Armin is gripping them, but otherwise just looking around with curious interest.]

[highliber]

Zarvora isn't going, but as this trip is a significant investment for her, she has at least arrived to see everyone off. She has a severe looking black jacket on, and a fletching sitting on her shoulder, looking around curiously. Behind her, a wagon comes to a stop to drop off all of the special gear she has provided people: Mainly prospecting equipment (pick axes, etc), cold weather gear. She is currently checking everything off on a clipboard.

[reborn_love]

[Elly is in her Ranger uniform, too. Before they set off, she's adjusting a few of the packs she brought, which are hanging from her belt. Making sure she has everything and testing everything out. She wanted to have the supplies and items she might need ready.]

[Others might need them, too. But partway through, she hisses lightly, and frowns. She checks a couple other pockets, then she glowers down at the ground.]

Oh, no...

[choseneutrality]

[Flynn walks up to the gates, a bag filled with the supplies he had bought slung over his shoulder. He glances around the gathered group and offers nods to them in greeting. Now that he was here, the only left to do was to wait until the signal to go was given.]

[stardunes]

[ONDORUS IS PREPARED.



...Well, materially, at least. He's friends with enough Delvers to know who to get advice from, and well-off enough to get what he needs to pack for the journey. He's also brought some extra supplies for Pokemon-placating purposes, as well as materials to record anything of interest along the way.

His job will be to prevent conflict between the expedition and wild Pokemon, and possibly to interpret old writing hinting at the presence of iron or other resources if the need arises. That doesn't mean he's not anxious about how this all will go.

Ondorus spends the time before the expedition sets out jotting down preliminary notes in a notebook - and communing with Star, if the way the (warmly dressed) Ralts is clinging to his neck is any indication.]

TRAVELLING

[antiseptic]

ARRIVAL AT CAVERNS

[antiseptic]

[Fortunately for the whole expedition, once they arrive at the mountains, it doesn't take long for them to discover a large cave with tunnels branching off from it that would presumably lead them deeper into the Caverns.]

[Although it's not warm by any stretch of the imagination, the enclosed space isn't as cold as the windy mountain air outside, and Jade calls for a break to give the group a chance to rest and reorganize before the search for the iron mine begins in earnest.]

GROUP ALLOCATION

[antiseptic]

[After a few minutes of resting, Jade will stand up and attract everyone's attention.]

Miraculously, we've all managed to make it to the Caverns in one piece. But, we still have all our work ahead of us. We'll be splitting up into smaller groups to cover more ground in a shorter period of time.

Melaka, Banzu, Flynn, you'll be in a group with me. Elly, please take Eren, Armin, Ondorus, Chris. The rest of you will form the remaining group.

Please, do try refrain from killing each other, we already have enough problems to worry about. The Warp Bands should still be working, so call for help if you run into anything dangerous, or find something of interest. I'll also suggest we all find some way to mark our paths; it'd be absolutely terrible if someone were to get lost beyond hope of recovery.

[He might be saying it's terrible, but he seems remarkably unconcerned by the prospect.]

GROUP ONE

[antiseptic]

[reborn_love]

[Elly is at the head of her group. She sets off into the cavern a few steps, looking around. Her Dratini slides across the ground behind her, then pokes her head up and looks around, before Elly turns. She peers back at the others.]

All right. Let's stay close together. I don't know what awaits us in here, but the caverns are more dangerous than outside. Powerful Pokémon could be down here.

[She skips a beat.]

And they may not be friendly. Move carefully, pay attention, and work together at all times if we get in trouble.

Splinter encounter - for Ondorus and Armin. The rest of the group may assist as desired

[bravenewmods]

As the first group moved through the tunnels, suddenly, an ear-splitting roar pierced the quiet, echoing through the caverns. A second, answering roar came moments later. They were on either side of the group, and the combined effect was nigh deafening.

GROUP TWO

[antiseptic]

[antiseptic]

[Jade waits until all the other groups have safely left the cave they were in before he sets off, walking at the head of his group. The tunnel he's chosen to take is quite wide and even at first, but it isn't long before it slopes down sharply.]

Watch your step.

Splinter encounter - for Jade and Melaka. The rest of the group may assist as desired

[bravenewmods]

As the team is moving through the caves they hear something... odd.

It sounds like the cry of some Pokemon, as well as the thudding of small feet on the cave grounds.

Splinter Encounter for Banzu

[outtahere]

[Banzu and Spur-Mesh, his Klink, are following the rest of the group through a tunnel, glancing at the walls regularly to see if they contain anything that could be iron ore. Neither of them have any intention of separating from the group; if they see something interesting they'll call for a stop rather than running off on their own.]

GROUP THREE

[antiseptic]

[indy_wannabe]

While generally lighthearted and joking during the trek, Ezreal was now all business.

"Is everyone checked and ready to go? Make sure you have lights and flares to spare, even you Im. Doesn't do us much good if you run into trouble but can't guide us to you."

IRON MINE DISCOVERY...? (backdated to the 24th)

[antiseptic]

[The Aron leads Imogen's group swiftly through the labyrinth tunnels of the Caverns, heading deeper and deeper down. It seems unsettled, skittish, but it's still a good guide and it isn't long before they reach a craggy opening that the Aron says will open into the mine.]

[At the same time, Jade's group finds themselves following the tunnel that the Nosepass point at. Although long and winding, there are no other tunnels branching off from it, and it isn't long before they arrive at the same opening as Imogen's group does.]

[Before anyone can speak, however, the whole mountain seems to shake. Sharp snapping sounds and dull roars echo through the whole area as the ground splits open and the shaking disturbs the rock, causing entire tunnels and caverns to cave in. Behind them, the entrance to the mine crumbles and disappears.]

[But there's no time to worry about the loss of their objective, not when staying inside the Caverns may mean that they'll be caught in the destruction of the earthquake.. They have to leave - now.]

[makeitquick]

Savior...

[ Okay, that gotta get out of here. She was designated to protect some members of her group - so se jsut makes to grab their shoulders and turn around with them ]

We're going-!