[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

[antiseptic]

How odd. [He's surprised that they are so unconcerned about intruders.]

Well, let's take a look around the cave. Perhaps there's some sort of clue in here.

[And he's quite curious about these glowing rocks. It might be worth taking a few of them back to the Union for research purposes.]

[antiseptic]

[If you bond with me, you can have all the berries you like.]

[He spots the beam of light out of the corner of his eye, but trusts Melaka would be able to handle herself.]

[outtahere]

[Banzu nods, though no one is likely to have seen him do so. Keeping one eye on the Nosepass (and Spur-Mesh keeping two on them), Banzu slowly and carefully makes his way to the nearest of the brighter-glowing stones. He crouches and, watching the Nosepass, picks it up, then pauses to see if there's any reaction from them.]

[for_realsies]

"Didn't you get my note? I made a new friend. She's just a bit... shy, and I hadn't gotten to explaining the warp bands yet."

There's a pause before she adds.

"If you guys are waiting on me saying it's clear, I did send Brighteyes on his own, this area is pretty safe. Not a lot of wildthings wanted to wander in this part of the cave structure."

[makeitquick]

[ There is no reaction. Really, the things don't seem to be aware of much of anything. Just standing there. Like immobile statues.

Which is why Melaka is ... not quite disappointed, but definitely confused. She had thought this chance to prove herself would result in a fight she could win. But if they aren't even going to react to anything. ... Well, whatever. She follows to examining the stones, keeping her weapon in hand for good measure. (Even if it does feel heavier for some reason, like it might be being pulled lightly by someone ]

This is an NPCing comment hi

[makeitquick]

[ Inside the crack is ... a much larger cavern. Actually, it appears to be some sort of nest, with burrowed little hovels all around it. Not that the dratini can see much from her opening angle- but as soon as its head pops through there is a series of metallic-sounding growls - and three or four Aron move closer to the head of the dragon.

If either her or her trainer can see well, there appear to be dozens of other shifting forms behind the three or four which stepped forward - smaller, and more frightened ]

[choseneutrality]

[Flynn released his augmentation, his arm going back to normal and he also picked up a glowing stone. He turned it over in his hands curiously, feeling the surface with his fingers.]

[indy_wannabe]

"Well, if that's the case, let's just hit the bigger tunnel. If you've already explored it, no reason to all go down. Im can catch up."

[bravenewmods]

[Sandshrew nods enthusiastically, nuzzling up to Jade.

As Melaka opens a link with it, the Aron immediately attunes to her Warp Band. Looks like she's not getting rid of it even if she wanted to.

Sandshrew is level 16, Aron is level 15, the rest of the attributes can be decided as desired]

[ladyofluminosity]

"If you think so..." Lux started, sounding a bit uncertain. She trusted his judgment, however, and Imogen was, as far as she could tell, more of a seasoned veteran at this sort of thing.

"We won't be too far ahead!" She called in, raising her warp band and summoning her Onix back. "Shall we, then?"

[antiseptic]

[While exploring, the group may come across a few more groups of Nosepass scattered around the cavern. Much like the first group, they are all immobile and unresponsive, all of them pointing at the same direction.]

[outtahere]

[Since the Nosepass apparently aren't going to do anything, Banzu will scoop up two of the less-glowy stones and four more of the more-glowy stones, putting them all in his pack. It seems that he left space for collecting things like this. Mysteriously, however, only one of each type of these stones will be making their way to the labs once they get back. At least right away.

The easy collection out of the way, he and Spur-Mesh move over to the boulder in the center. Banzu can't explain it, but for some reason he feels drawn to it. He places his hand on its surface.]

[for_realsies]

"I haven't fully explored this section, I got caught up and stopped to have tea. I'll catch up in a bit, don't have too much fun!"

Imogen is very nonplussed about this dangerous important mission to find metals.

"Oh! Right, what took you guys? I thought you guys wouldn't be too far behind me! Yet you guys were busy for a while..."

[antiseptic]

[Jade makes a slow circuit around the cavern, collecting some of the glowing stones for himself as well. His sharp eyes catch sight of more Nosepass, and he taps his chin, thoughtful, as he realizes that all of them point in the same direction. Following that direction leads to the entrance of a tunnel, one that is barely more than a crack in the wall.]

[indy_wannabe]

"Lux bonded with an Onix. It was... exciting. Yeah, let's go with exciting."

Ezreal's tone is flat.

[ladyofluminosity]

Wow, way to over-simplify things. Also did that Onix just chuckle? It's hard to say.

[for_realsies]

"Exciting like it has quite a few surprising opinions on our mission to hunt for ore and the geopolitical ramifications it'll have on the local population, or exciting like that time we were chased out of old city by a tribe of Grimers?"

[indy_wannabe]

"Exciting like I almost got flattened."

[for_realsies]

"So like the Grimer thing, got it! Onix-that-probably-has-a-great-name-but-I-don't-know-it-yet, don't flatten him, he's really useful!"

"...Usually."

[ladyofluminosity]

"Oh, I don't think she would have flattened you." Smashed him into a wall, maybe, but gently perhaps. That's what she told herself at least. "Imogen, stay safe okay? We'll only be a little further along, if you get lost send us a message through the warp band."

Setting a hand on Onix, she looks toward the other two. "Should we go further down the path we were on before? Do you think it will bring us back to the surface? It was starting to head upward."

NPCing flavoring hi

[makeitquick]

In relation to both paths - both paths do lead upwards. Also, the higher up they get, the colder it gets and clearer it becomes that both paths must open up to the cold upper reaches of the mountains.

The larger one that the onix can traverse through slopes up at a gradual rate, and a little more than half way up the path there will start to be numerous sounds of what is clearly fighting off to a chamber to the side. Sounds of rocks falling, and numerous noises of battling pokemon. They can choose to go investigate this, or ignore it.

The smaller path Imogen started off on is much steeper, and therefore more direct - it gets colder faster, but it also becomes increasingly narrow. Where the opening do it could fit a human through it with effort, closer to the other end of it, it becomes much to small for anything much bigger than a small pokemon to fit through it. There also is nothing much else of interest down that pathway other than the before-mentioned entrance to the upper levels of the mountain

[indy_wannabe]

Ezreal dials up Imogen again.

"Hey Im, it looks like we're coming up to the outside. I hear some Pokemon fighting, we're gonna check it out. Catch up when you can."

[for_realsies]

Ignore the struggling as Imogen's path is getting more narrow. "I've got a bit too much figure for this path, and given how my new friend is looking at it, I know where it goes anyway."

"What- hey! I'll be up shortly!" Imogen would ask them 'what part of pokemon fighting sounds like a good thing to check out without her' but Ez will just say something stupid and do it anyway, so she'll book it for them instead.

[ladyofluminosity]

Lux kept Camille close in case she decided to run off again, choosing instead to hop down from Onix's back. "Should I throw a light down that way? We'll be able to see what's going on much better."

[choseneutrality]

Did you find something?

[Flynn walks over to where Jade was, a glowing stone in his hand.]