[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

[indy_wannabe]

"Huh. This is taking us up. I wonder if it goes to the surface."

Ezreal rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, nothing else to do, shall we?"

[ladyofluminosity]

Lux noticed this as well, but was inclined not to say anything due to lack of physical application; there could be something to this that she wasn't getting. When Ezreal did finally speak up, she was thankful.

"But wouldn't that mean we're just going back the way that we came?"

[for_realsies]

It sounds like a small little Pokemon is saying 'wee' over and over. And out of seemingly nowhere a little well groomed Eevee with hat, scarf, and vest on wanders into the cavern.

Brighteyes squeaks out a greeting for Lux and Ezreal, and twitches his left ear. There's a note tucked into the ear hole of his little knit cap.

Dear Ezzy and Lux,

It is rude to leave a girl waiting.

- Imogen Moreno, Delver.

P.S. I made a friend.

Brighteyes is standing right at the opening of the near invisible little cave Imogen had wandered down. His partner is off who knows where, but she was getting a bit bored waiting.

[indy_wannabe]

"Oh boy."

Ezreal gave a long-suffering sigh.

"We better go find her before she gets into trouble."

[ladyofluminosity]

Lux, sitting atop her own new friend, makes a face. She would be a hypocrite for saying anything about it, but she definitely was thinking it.

"Hop on," She gestured toward the Onix's back, "It'll be faster that way."

This is an NPCing comment hi

[makeitquick]

Unfortunately, the side path that Imogen is down has an entrance far to small for an onix to move down. The entrance do it is only barely large enough for a human to move down. Naturally, Onixes are very powerful tunnelers, so it is possible to break through that way, but you do not know if that'll cause other complications. The path the party was on before then is wide enough - the choice of which route to go down is yours.

[myfedorarocks]

He stared for a long time. Flemming himself was rather tall, but he judged that crouching down, he could probably make it. The scientist glanced down at his partner, hand moving to touch the Aron carefully.

"Looks a bit too narrow. We might risk the cave coming down on us."

[indy_wannabe]

"Hang on."

Ezreal dials Imogen's number into his Warp Band.

"Imogen! We're at a path split, one narrow one wide. Which one are you down?"

[for_realsies]

"Narrow path. ...Come on, don't be like that, these are my friends. They are fine!"

Imogen clearly has someone else she's talking to while she's responding. Who it is? Well, that's still a secret.

Brighteyes however will just roll his eyes over this exchange.

[ladyofluminosity]

Hopping down from the Onix's back, she looked up at it apologetically. "I'm sorry, you can't fit through here. I'll send for you again once we get into a more open area, okay?" Holding up her warp band, it and the Onix both glowed before the colossal Pokémon disappeared.

"Imogen, are you all right? Who are you talking to?" Learning her lesson this time, she'll wait to advance before the others do.

[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."

[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."

[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?"

[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..."

[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."

[myfedorarocks]

Flemming nods, turning towards Lux. "Sounds like a good idea to me."