[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]

TRAVELLING

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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 ONE

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GROUP TWO

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GROUP THREE

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[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.*

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.]

[antiseptic]

[Judging by her style of clothing and attitude, Jade guesses that the person is Imogen. He approaches her with a light smile.]

My my, you have quite an eye for colours.

[for_realsies]

My eyes are one of my more useful features.

*Imogen dipped into a polite curtsy, coming up from the act with a little hop.*

Imogen Moreno, Delver. This here with me is Brighteyes, also a Delver.

*Brighteyes the Eevee merely bowed his head in greeting... then curled back up on Imogen's pack.*

[antiseptic]

Jade Curtiss, Ranger. And my partner is... [He glances around. There's no Pokemon in sight. He turns back to face her.]

Well, I'm sure you'll see him soon. He's terribly shy.

[Which is an absolute lie. His Duskull is about as mischievous as they come; he just doesn't like appearing in sunlight.]

[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 ]

[alwaysfaithful]

Chris had just arrived, not as early there as he'd like what with Carmen not liking Chris' new companion much. So he left the bug type at the Pokemon Habitat. There waa a slight readiness in his walking posture despite the earliness of the time. He saw Imogen and was nudged in the foot by Carmen the Eevee to give a small wave to Imogen. Also he noticed Jade immediately afterwards and had to withhold an urge to salute Jade. "Imogen. Ranger Curtiss, I'm Delver Chris Ramirez. Is everyone here or was I extra early?"

[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.]

[antiseptic]

[Jade takes a moment to glance around. More people are steadily trickling in, but there's definitely quite a few that aren't here yet. At least, there's no sign of the person he's dreading to see.]

Hello, Chris. I know it'll pain you to know, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for some time yet; not all of us are here.

[antiseptic]

[Not a morning person indeed. The newness of his clothes and the expression on his face, coupled with what Banzu had told him yesterday, are more than enough to clue Jade in on his identity.]

Hello, Banzu. I was beginning to wonder if we would have to set off without you.

[outtahere]

[He'd even gone to bed early, but because he wasn't used to sleeping so early he'd ended up lying awake in bed until slightly after he'd normally be sleeping.]

You're Curtiss then? Said I'd be here, didn't I?

[He pulls a black-gloved hand out of his pocket and jerks a thumb at the Klink behind him.]

Spur-Mesh wanted to come too. The more the merrier, right?

[ladyofluminosity]

[Lux was riffling through her pack when she stopped at the mention of a few names. Armin was here, and her university contact as well? Standing on her toes, she strained to see, looking for both in the crowd, but failing to see much else but the backs of heads.

Camille likewise stretched out, trying to see. She was a fair bit taller than her partner, so maybe she would be able to pick them out.]

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.]

Open

[ladyofluminosity]

[Lux knew that mishmash of colors anywhere. It was Imogen. Normally she would not be opposed to seeing the other girl--they were part of the same groups, although Lux did find her a bit odd to say the least--but she was trying to keep as low of a profile as possible.

Pulling her hood up over her head, she hoped that she wouldn't recognize her. Camille, however, didn't seem to care, slinking about as if she was owed attention. She knew the general gist of why they were there, but certainly didn't approve. She would engage in conversation if it befitted her, not the other way around.]

[for_realsies]

Camille?

*Sadly, Imogen is very good at recognizing very recognizable Pokemon. She crouched down and said hello to the dragon, offering any attention the dragon wanted. Brighteyes leaning over Imogen's shoulder to strike up a conversation.*

Hey... that is a good point, where's your Human? I would figure in this cold a lovely Dragon such as yourself would like to be home...

[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.