[Nexus] Temples of Dalachrech I

[happyturtle]

Azurelle's Room

Probably was too dark for Brand to see, or else he was trying not to look at the poor naked girls and missed the cruel scars.

"Yes, we should move," Brand agrees. They've been too long in one place.

He didn't loot anything from the room, unless Justin wanted him to put some of it in his pack.

[The Alexandrian]

[Underside Temple]

Would One and Two not elect to return because they would escape or because they wouldn't be able to return as the tunnels are quite infested?

Either way, Three still desires a weapon to use against the worms should they ever deem use of the passage inevitable under some extreme circumstance or other. Maybe they could rout these invertebrates with a clever trick!

"That would be the bessst option to follow that isss available to usss, then, unlessss we determine how to flood the tunnelsss and wasssh the irksssome pessstsss away."

------
[Percival's Quarters]

As Percy reassures Eericka that his prior actions were simply a jest and nothing intended to be taken literally, Eericka slowly lets her guard drop as her eyes drift back up to gaze into his own. A calm seems to have enveloped them and she seems at ease enough to approach.

"I...I apologize for my mannerisms, my dear master. I shouldn't have addressed you in that tone or with those words. I honestly thought you would do me harm, and..."

"Were you a slave, you'd understand. If you don't put another slave in his place when he messes with you or intimidates you, everyone will want to take advantage of you."

Those masculine pronouns should hint at exactly what Eericka is referencing all too well.

-------
[Azurelle's Chamber]

Object lifts an eyebrow at the "you don't have masters anymore" section of Justin's speech. Slavery is all they know. Freedom, free-will, and rights are alien words to them that don't translate well for they have no equivalent of similar meaning. Object presumes that Justin is repeating that they want to be known not as masters but as Justin, Brand, and Waterstrider although they are at their very roots the same thing.

"We can be silent for you, Justin, but we cannot guide you through the interior of the temple. We've been stuck in these two rooms since we arrived for the most part, and haven't explored as much as you have. We can escort you to the torture room if you'd like, but that's it."

Slave nods in agreement. Her mind is engaged in brewing up a pleasantly cute name to please Justin so she doesn't have much to add.

[OrchestraHc]

Azurelle's Room

He didn't expect brand to loot anything. "Don't worry, Brand knows the way. Just try to stay between Waterstrider and me in the group, okay?" Justin tells the girls, leading the way to the door. "Coast clear?" he asks Waterstrider. He intends to fall back into the old marching order plus the two girls in the middle.

[Shadowcaller]

Inside Temple

She eyes them curiously before slipping inside the temple once she get the chance she was waiting for. Too bad she couldn't pick their pockets, they looked too dangerous.

[Murkus]

[Percival's Quarters]

As Percy reassures Eericka that his prior actions were simply a jest and nothing intended to be taken literally, Eericka slowly lets her guard drop as her eyes drift back up to gaze into his own. A calm seems to have enveloped them and she seems at ease enough to approach.

"I...I apologize for my mannerisms, my dear master. I shouldn't have addressed you in that tone or with those words. I honestly thought you would do me harm, and..."

"Were you a slave, you'd understand. If you don't put another slave in his place when he messes with you or intimidates you, everyone will want to take advantage of you."

Those masculine pronouns should hint at exactly what Eericka is referencing all too well.

"Doing you harm for something like that would be a tremendous waste," Percy says, appraising the young slave. "I'm more offended that you'd think me so foolish. But your apology is accepted." He looks at her more closely, seeming mildly amused. "You seem... brave. You've put another in his place before then, yes?" He had to wonder if she was merely repeating a lesson someone taught her.

[UncleWolf]

Azurelle's Room

"It is." Waterstrider says, giving a growl before opening the door. He'll follow along behind the others, holding the makeshift club him his paw as he tries to ignore the scents of the two slaves with them.

[happyturtle]

Hermitage >> Towards Slave Quarters

Brand continues to lead the way.

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage- To Slave Quarters

Around the corner from Azurelle's room is the stairs to the next floor. From there, Brand leads them to a heavy oaken door studded with iron knobs. The door has a large iron bar set into two hooks on either side. It looks really hard to break through, especially from the inside. There's no lock, though the bar looks heavy.

Underside Temple

Well they'd either escape or get eaten. Or both (escape and get eaten afterwards). If a quasit is eaten, it'll be banished to the Abyss briefly and come back.

"The escape tunnels are directly above our heads. Do you think it's a good idea to pour water through them given that the Temple's foundations are silk tied to stalactites? No, we'll send a quasit up there." Charynrae smiles, though.

Inside Temple- Foyer

Beyond the door is a small room with five long drapes that reach to the floor. They're red, with gold two-tailed scorpions embroidered onto them. The floor is covered in thick red plush carpet, and the walls have been painted green.

[OrchestraHc]

Slave Quarters

"Strider," Justin whispers "you take one side, I'll take the other. Let's try and be silent. And be careful, you're a lot stronger than me, I don't want this sliding on me." He turns to the rest, "I need you guys to open the door for us, I think we should take this in with us so we don't get locked in."

[UncleWolf]

Hermitage - Slave Quarters

Waterstrider sets the makeshift club aside before shaking his head at Justin. "I'll get it. You just get ready for anything on the other side." He doesn't say it, but he doesn't believe Brand would be able to take down a guard or a priest by himself, even if he's able to overcome any pacifistic tendencies he has. Other than him, the slaves were useless at the moment, leaving Justin the only one able to fight.

If Justin agrees, the Wolfen will go to the center of the bar and set his shoulder underneath it with one paw in front and one behind him to grip it. Depending on how big and heavy it is, he might be able to lift it by himself.

[happyturtle]

Hermitage - Slave Quarters

Brand is certainly willing to kill, after what he's seen in this temple.

Whether he's able to or not is a different matter. The halfling father who used to grow apples and now works as a camp cook has his knives at the ready though.

[The Alexandrian]

[Hermitage of Dalachrech - Slave Quarters]

Object and Slave are here, doing there best to be stealthy while leaning on each other for support!

That's about it for now!

-------
[Hermitage of Dalachrech - Percival's Quarters]

Being valued even a little itty bitty teensy tiny tidbit for something other than monetary price as a salable commodity is mind-blowing to Eericka. Harming her a waste. No kinder words have been said to Eericka before. Not with any honesty backing them, anyway.

"You...you mean it?"

Eericka inquires incredulously. She can't believe that Percy truthfully appreciates some of her characteristics apart from her body.

"I did put a guy who couldn't keep his hands to himself in traction once, but the guards came and punished me with a beating afterwards, so I never did it again. That made their job of finding excuses to beat me immensely harder, but they continued to do it anyway."

-------
[Underside Temple]

"But isssn't that the what ssstalag- ssstac- rocksss are made out of? Mineral deposssits from water dripping from the ceiling?"

"If you sssay ssso, Azurelle. We'll have to capture one to experiment on later sssome other time."

Because that escape route should be clear in case a dire, dire emergency necessitates use of the passageway. Plus, although Sylvia is no carnivore, she finds hunting really gets the blood flowing!

[OrchestraHc]

Justin agrees with this plan. If Waterstrider thinks he can handle the weight, Justin has no reason not to believe him. He keeps his eyes open, looking back and forth down the hall.

[Murkus]

[Hermitage of Dalachrech - Percival's Quarters]

"I do," Percival nods, understanding by now that she's quite deprived of things that most of us take for granted. Like a sense of self-worth, for just one tiny thing.

His face turns dark when she mentions the beatings. Again, his crippled, drunken, tired conscience is scratching at his brain again. Be quiet in there, you! He's only being nice so he can turn her to the dark side! "They beat you for fun? I would've skinned them alive, had I been their superior." There's the hypocrisy we know and love, you Nazi sonovabitch you! "I'll make sure that doesn't happen here, Eericka. Not from the slaves or the other soldiers. You need not be on your guard."

Perhaps it's not all that hypocritical, though. Percy has done a great many evil things, when ordered to do so. He thought it was for the betterment of the world, and died thinking that. Going to hell did not help his case, of course, but it didn't really teach him to be better either. Just made him worse. Though Eericka's old guards needed no urging or brainwashing to stir up their cruelty.

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage of Dalachrech- Slave Quarters

Behind the door is a long, unlit room with two rows of beds along each wall. They're more like long, low, wide shelves covered in straw bedding. Each slave within has been manacled to the wall, though the chain is long enough that they can lie down comfortably unlike those in Azurelle's slave chamber. There's four, all males, three human and one lizardperson. All have a two-tailed scorpion branded into their left shoulder, with a number branded onto their right- 01 to 04. Each slave has their own bucket.

Underside Temple

"Yes, but slowly; a few drops a day for hundreds of thousands of years. Not enough at once to wash the rock worms out. If they're still there."

Charynrae tries to slap Sylvia's cheek quite hard. "No. Experimenting on Dalachrech's creatures is forbidden. You won't mention it again. We can kill them in self defence or for survival, but NOT for sport, pleasure or to find out more." Charynrae is genuinely angry at the suggestion. It's not one she had thought of, though if she had it would be to think it's 'unthinkable'.

[happyturtle]

Hermitage - Slave Quarters

Brand holds the door to allow Waterstrider to carry in the bar. "Do you think the same key will work?" Brand whispers to Justin, after they've all gone inside.

[Halae]

[Hermitage- Opposite The Gate

"Fliersz usze path too. Top hatch locked till beesz wake up. No trapsz. Trap door szpidersz sztop thosze not uszingk the path. Want me szhow you one?" The ettercap doesn't wait for an answer, turning around and chittering like Mr. Squiggles. A disc of earth raises itself up as a ten-foot-wide spider climbs out of its hole and chitters back.

What the ettercap doesn't know, and therefore can't inform people about, is that the large gates are heavily warded. There's a smaller gate set into the larger which is locked, barred, and which doesn't affect the spell on the larger gate, but it's night time, which means a ward has been placed on it as well. The walls are similarly defended.

[Hermitage - Opposite the Gate]

"Alright then," Harnel says, "Show us the way inside, if you please. The sooner this happens the better."

[UncleWolf]

Slave Quarters

Waterstrider makes his way into the cell before lowering the bar to the ground. Once done, he'll go back just long enough to grab his club. He'll have his ears open the entire time just to make sure that they aren't being followed.

[Shadowcaller]

Inside Temple- Foyer

Beyond the door is a small room with five long drapes that reach to the floor. They're red, with gold two-tailed scorpions embroidered onto them. The floor is covered in thick red plush carpet, and the walls have been painted green.

Inside Temple- Foyer

Huh.

Drapes.

The invisible intruder pouts in all it's invisible-ness. This wasn't fun, first doors now drapes. This place sucked.

It presses itself against the left wall and continues, trying to pass by the annoying drapes unnoticed.

[Earl of Purple]

Inside Temple- Foyer

There's no visible way forward- the room's a cube with the front door behind the invisible intruder, one drape on the left wall, two on the right door and two on the wall opposite the front door. They aren't very symmetrical, though that's because they're in front of the doors out of the foyer.

[OrchestraHc]

Hermitage - Slave Quarters

Brand holds the door to allow Waterstrider to carry in the bar. "Do you think the same key will work?" Brand whispers to Justin, after they've all gone inside.

As he enters, he gives Brand a shrug. "Not sure, just be ready with the magic ring." He certainly doesn't know if it'll work, but he'll try it. If not he'll personally pick every manacle by hand if he has to. That'll take a while though, so he'll try the key in a manacle first, and hope it works.

[The Alexandrian]

[Underside Temple]

Ouch! What needlessly harsh treatment of Sylvia! Now that was completely and entirely uncalled for! Characteristic, perhaps, but not even close to proper stringent enforcement of any non-extremist religious doctrine. Sure, reverence of insects is one thing, but claiming full understanding of a creature without subjecting them to non-intrusive or behavioral scientific experimentation is the technique implemented almost exclusively by fervent zealots who believe what they believe for the sake of believing it and obtuse morons, or so Slyvia would argue. How can one brag that he/she has seen the loftiest heights of heaven and the most dismal depths of hell without first cutting themselves free of the blinders restricting their view solely to the confines of this realm and plane? The truth is worth seeking, even if one has to loose themselves from the traditions of a society in the process. Enough with currying favor! Now is the time to react!

In one swift, fluid movement Sylvia bolts to her feet...foot...tail? Scaly sapphire-blue tail? Anyway, she holds out her slightly...clawed hands, a patch of dark orange fur interspersed with spots of black hair rippling up her arms, halting where her shoulder meets her torso. It takes a moment for reason to overthrow reflex. She realizes her transformation a little too late to prevent it, but her thought processes prove reliable in expelling the air she drew in for a hybrid between an unforgiving hiss and a booming roar in nothing more fearsome than a crestfallen sigh. She proceeds to rub the red mark Charynrae left imprinted upon her cheek docilely.

"Ow?"

She didn't expect that response from Charynrae.

-------
[Hermitage of Dalachrech - Percival's Quarters]

Percival should really consider promising Eericka the hidden secret to eternal life to get his whole "Come to the dark side; we have cookies." scheme off to a smooth start. It worked out in Emperor Palpatine's favor when he did it, right? Then again, Percy is a whole lot more persuasive than that dude, and likely a better actor, so he could probably weasel his way through the powerful turret defense grid guarding Eericka's infallible moral compass and slap a magnet onto it thereby sabotaging it without promising her a single thing in return.

Eericka nods to Percival thankfully. His words are reassuring, but the actuality behind them will rest in his actions, not his glib speeches, however motivational, gilded, or inspiration they may very well be.

"They only got in trouble if they inflicted any permanent damage on me or anyone else because after the day is done, I'm nothing more than a living, breathing expensive piece of merchandise to them...and to you."

-------
[Hermitage - Slave Quarters]

Object and Slave are still here, and can be skipped unless needed for something special. They'll tag along at the minimum distance required, loyally tailing their masters wherever they decide to go.

If I am meant to be controlling the temple slaves in general, then none of the slaves will speak yet, not because they are lacking tongues...mostly but because they are unsure of the interlopers' intentions and suspicious of whether or not Azurelle or Elezibethele is watching them.

They might also be a tad traumatized from the inhumane sacrifices they were forced to assist in while under Elezibethele's weighty heel.

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage- Slave Quarters

The key won't fit the manacles of the slaves. However, the key that does fit is, at this time, on the back of the door the entered through.

The slaves within are likely blinded by the light; there's none within the chamber.

((If you don't want to RP them, Alexandrian, I'd do it if you want))

Underside Temple

Charynrae believes that she already knows everything she needs to know about invertebrates, and if there's something she doesn't know that she will need to know she trusts in Dalachrech to let her know of what it is. It would seem that Sylvia isn't from a culture with a strong religious heritage, if she's so adverse to blind faith. Not that this faith is particularly blind, given that Charynrae has spoken to Dalachrech Himself before.

"That... Was unexpected. Can all humans do that?" Charynrae was briefly scared for a moment, but her compound eyes make it hard to tell exactly what she's feeling- they're less expressive than humanoid eyes. Or more accurately they react differently to a humanoid eye and thus are harder for those unaware of what to look for to know what they're expressing.

This does, however, reveal another point of Charynrae's ignorance, and throws my theory of Sylvia being descended from cat-people out of the window. Unless cat people suddenly have scales.

[The Alexandrian]

[Underside Temple]

((That might be best as I am quickly becoming a notorious prolonged deadtimer, regrettably.))

Sylvia is not religious in the least, suffice to say. She's about as religious as Clarissa is a pacifist. She was, incredibly enough, loosely affiliated with one religious group that worships nature as a god, but she quickly renounced it upon being captured by the slavers that delivered her here.

The jaguar-serpent-human hybrid rubs her right arm sheepishly with her left. By now her entire lower body from her hips down is the tail end of a sapphire-hued snake. Her arms are covered in the jaguar fur and her hands, though shaped like your average human hands, have sprouted dangerously sharp claws which jut out of the tips of her fingers, perfectly adept at ripping out throats and less appropriate for manipulating delicate objects should the need arise. The rest of her remains as it was before, her face splendidly ornamented and framed by rambunctious strands of hair spilling down from the top of her head until it reaches the middle of her upper back where it animatedly sways back and forth as she shakes her head from side to side.

"No. This isssn't normal for humansss. Then again, I'm not exactly human."

Her accent is even more pronounced in this form, which, as circumstances would allude to, is her natural form.

"I don't actually know what I am. I wasss dissscovered in a foressst by a race of dwarves who peacefully coexisssted with sssnake people. One of the sssnake people's children was lost in the foressst not long before I wasss found, so they missstook me for her, and later adopted me dessspite their missstake."

"I had lived for...I think you'd equate it with three yearsss before that, ssso I don't know how I sssurvived in the wild."

"I'm sssorry that you have to sssee me like thisss. I don't imagine I'm quite ssso...pleasssant to look at as I wasss before."

[Murkus]

Percival's Quarters

"Ah, but unlike them, I understand that valuable things should be treated with the respect they deserve," Percy explains, flashing a mild smile. The demonazi deliberately left out the words 'expensive' and 'merchandise'. He turns and stoops to open up the chest at the foot of his bed, the only place where he keeps anything at all. "That is, of course, provided you can prove yourself deserving of my respect."

Apparently he's not quite done with the charismatic speeches. Percival certainly isn't giving up any secrets to eternal life - he's not even certain she would undertake the necessary steps. Rather, he's trying to befriend her. Promise vague, better futures.

Perhaps he'll eventually free her entirely and elevate her to serve the Church, if she proves both useful and loyal.

[Shadowcaller]

Inside Temple- Foyer

There's no visible way forward- the room's a cube with the front door behind the invisible intruder, one drape on the left wall, two on the right door and two on the wall opposite the front door. They aren't very symmetrical, though that's because they're in front of the doors out of the foyer.

Inside Temple- Foyer

Losing her patience the intruder simply starts looking for some kind of entrance behind the various drapes, checking what's behind them. She do leave them largely the same once/if she finds an entrance though and attempts to peak through the next door.

[Earl of Purple]

Underside Temple

"That is interesting indeed, Sylvia. And I don't think you're less pleasant to look at, not at all. I think this form is as beautiful as your human one." Charynrae will reach out to lightly stroke the fur on Sylvia's arm, savouring the texture.

Inside Temple

There's a door behind each of the drapes. The door on the left leads to a long room lined with two rows of pews and ending in an altar with a shiny gold idol on it. One of the doors opposite the front door leads to stairs upwards. The other enters a kitchen. Of the doors to the right, one leads to stairs down and the other leads into a store room filled with boxes and crates, with a well-maintained but disused pair of manacles bolted into the wall.

The altar room is shiniest, but the store room has lots of interesting containers.

[happyturtle]

Hermitage Temple - Slave Quarters

"Be quiet, but don't be afraid. We're here to help you," Brand says to the manacled slaves, using the magic of the charm ring to make sure his words can be trusted. Whether they are trusted is up to the players of the slaves, of course.

[Shadowcaller]

Inside Temple

The intruder goes to the left and is happily surprised by the golden altar.

Shiny.

She gently tips down the road of pews and attempts to grab the idol. with her claws.

[OrchestraHc]

Hermitage- Slave Quarters

The key won't fit the manacles of the slaves. However, the key that does fit is, at this time, on the back of the door the entered through.

The slaves within are likely blinded by the light; there's none within the chamber.

((If you don't want to RP them, Alexandrian, I'd do it if you want))

Underside Temple

Charynrae believes that she already knows everything she needs to know about invertebrates, and if there's something she doesn't know that she will need to know she trusts in Dalachrech to let her know of what it is. It would seem that Sylvia isn't from a culture with a strong religious heritage, if she's so adverse to blind faith. Not that this faith is particularly blind, given that Charynrae has spoken to Dalachrech Himself before.

"That... Was unexpected. Can all humans do that?" Charynrae was briefly scared for a moment, but her compound eyes make it hard to tell exactly what she's feeling- they're less expressive than humanoid eyes. Or more accurately they react differently to a humanoid eye and thus are harder for those unaware of what to look for to know what they're expressing.

This does, however, reveal another point of Charynrae's ignorance, and throws my theory of Sylvia being descended from cat-people out of the window. Unless cat people suddenly have scales.

Someone else is going to have to notice that key, as soon as Justin fails to open the lock with the key, he begins picking it. Should be done in a right quick if the lock isn't difficult.