Ziggurat of Imira: Team Two[IC]

[Faithless]

Ziggurat of Imira

Team Two
{table=head]Character|Class/Race|Player

Boil|

Warforged Warblade

|

Ryuuk

Quien|

Amphibious Fire Elf Factotum

|

Crazedloon

Aphael Ozenamu|

Aventi Stormlord

|

Ghal Marak

Ithor|

Shoal Halfling Scarlet Cosair

|

Expirement10k14

Virva|

Aquatic Half-Elf Mage of the Arcane Order

|

Vael

[/table]

Ages ago an elf, prince of a coastal kingdom, fell in love with a human maiden, Imira. He gave her a sacred amulet passed through his royal bloodline for generations as a token of his love. They eventually wedded and lived within his palace. As the years went on she began to age, while he remained youthful. It wasn’t long before his love for her died and he kicked her out of the palace for a younger bride. Old and alone she soon died.

The prince did not count on the magic of the amulet. Unbeknownst to the generations of hands it passed through the amulet bore horrific powers over ensuring promises were kept. Wresting Imira’s soul from back into her body, infused now with arcane energy, she walked again. The entire kingdom sunk that day, lost forever, in her destructive fury. It is said that the vengeful crone waits in the palace still cradling the corpse of her beloved prince…

* * *

The Ship
One of the few given permission to explore this so called ruins, the emperor himself did not believe his messengers when he got word of the recent discovery. Of all seven people that applied to investigate the discovery they were all accepted, and given passage. It didn’t matter who disproved that the ruins in fact never existed, just that it be proved. There was no such thing as a civilization that was once greater than the one he ruled now. He commanded all the known world, now known as the Silver Empire.

Sailing aboard, the Bronze Visage, one of the two ships sent by the Emperor, you look around you. Crewman in neatly kept dark red uniforms work diligently around the ship. The sight was curious since you first boarded, a ship covered in bronze plating. You had heard of a few of the ships on the royal navy to have iron plating but this particularly one was unique to be sure. The captain had confirmed your curiosities upon boarding.

“Yessiree, back to front. Only one in the fleet.”, to quote him.

A man of golden eyes and a mop of grey unkept hair, the captain was a strange figure. He demanded organization of his crew and their looks but hardly kept up with his own hygiene.

At this moment you hear the captain yelling at a dwarf scurrying down to the lower levels.

“And get that steam engine fixed now. I tell you! We’re within sight of the island and I won’t have this set us back more than an hour!”

[crazedloon]

Quien

Quien sits at the bow of the ship with his eyes closed in a sitting position. He tired of the constant issues with this new kind of ship. And yet this ship seemed a better means of transportation the his own legs. At least the reward was worth it and heck he might even get a few interesting books or scrolls.

[AmberVael]

Virva paces through the ship, arms behind her back and her eyes cast down towards the ground. She was getting closer and closere to her goal, and she didn't know what she wanted from it. How would she face Imira- sympathizer or foe? How would she react to the wonders now sunk beneath the waves- would it seem a terrible grave, or a hidden treasure in the murky depths of the dark sea? One idle hand strayed to the small earring in her ear and rubbed it, her tic showing itself as she puzzled, worried, and wondered.

[Ryuuk]

Boil

Boil stood by the side of the ship, watching as the cut through the waves. He seemed to stand perfectly still, the only thing that seemed to differentiate him from a statue were his eyes. They simply watched the water below, emitting a faint blue glow.

He stood taller then most men, his "skin" a polished dark blue with the occasional scratch of varying lengths. A ragged leather cloak, of a much faded black and perhaps made to fit a man a size or three smaller, covered him from his shoulders to about mid thigh. On his back, a hunch like protrusion hinted to some sort of pack. A strange mouth guard covered what, on a human, would have been his lower jaw. Engraved on it was an emblem, somewhat like an eye, were his mouth would have been. He also carried a short iron spear. Its tip now resting on the deck, he hadn't let go of it since the start of the trip.

Finally, something seems to draw his attention away from the waters and he turns towards were the dwarf had gone to. "...Steam Engine?" After a moments pause, he starts taking steps towards where the apparent engineer had scurried off to.

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Aphael leaned against the railing next to Quien, watching Virva amusedly. Laughing, he leaned over and elbowed Quien. "Haha! Looks like somebody is already cracking. Think she can handle it?" He was looking directly at Virva as he said this, and spoke loud enough for his voice to carry across the ship.

[crazedloon]

Quien

I wouldn't interfere metal man

Quien Spins on the spot and steps of the rail. He steps onto the deck and grabs the scythe leaning against the rail. He spins it through the air crosses his body and clips it into a sheathe on his back. Once his blade is comfortably on his back he scoops up his pack which was sitting next to the scythe. He slings it over his shoulder and lets it slide to his side. He slides his hand into one of the pockets and slides out a small book.

He finally opens his eyes and leafs through the pages. Quien stands at his full height. The wind blows his short orange red hair into his face. He brushes the hair behind his ears and scans the pages with his sea blue eyes. When she find the page he wants he scans the page and find the not and holds the page open with his ash grey hand.

These machines are rather complex but mundane. He flips the the page and continues to read as he strides towards the warforged. Hmm interesting not that you care but your kind is used to run some of the less advance versions of these machines. Seems no one cares when a construct gets cut in hald when a gear goes loose. That wasn't a pleasant mess...

He strides past the warforged still mumbling to himself and taking quick steps towards the engine room.

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Aphael sighed and shook his head as he watched Quien go. "Well then..." He really didn't know what to say. It was like he didn't even exist. That has never in his life happened to him before. Damnit! That pisses me off. He considered following the guy and calling him out on it, but he decided not to. That would be rude, and it would only lead to more hurt feelings. Instead he turned and looked out to sea, sighing with longing. Being above the waves was novel, but he couldn't imagine spending his entire life on dry land.

[Ryuuk]

Boil

Boil turns to Quien as he's spoken to and continues watching while he spins his equipment and reads from his book. His face remains motionless, until about halfway through his anecdote on constructs, where he tilts his head slightly. As the elf walks past him, Boil takes a moment to consider his words. "No, that would not have been pleasant"

He turns towards the sea and the others, thinking. Slowly, he moves his spear ahead in front of him and starts opening his palm. Only his two middle fingers rise, the others keep their grip on the weapon. Having reached a decision, he continues his trip to the engine room.

[Faithless]

As Boil enters he passes through a narrow hallway, at the end a large bronze door. It seems thick and heavily reinforced but the steam drifting out from the tiny cracks under it allude to it being the engine room. Examining the door-

You are interrupted. Two large aquatic dwarves carrying a large wooden crate are laughing as their muslces bulge from carrying the box.

"Har har an then tha lass said, 'Ain't tha jus dandy.'"

"I bet she was furious with ya, no?"

"Lass was steaming worse than this here engine ya hear. Har har-and who are you?"

[Ryuuk]

Boil

Connecting the dots between the dwarfs, the crate and the door behind him, Boil tries to step aside. "I am... a passenger, heading towards the ruins" This had seemed sufficient in thought, but something nagging in the back of his mind told him more was asked of him.

"I heard the Steam Engine was going to be fixed. I would like to watch."

[Faithless]

One of the dwarves looks at the other raising an eyebrow.

"Probably not the best of ideas mate.

The other dwarf tapped some writing in big block print on the side of the box. You try to look but he doesnt give you enough time and his hand soon covers it again. You can only make out the beginning of the word.

Deco-

"Buh tis ya choice mate. OPEN THE DOOR YA BLASTED SCUM.

Someone behind the door peeks out. It's a halfling with goggles strapped to his face.

[Ryuuk]

Boil

Boil tries to open his hand once again under his cloak. The results are the same. "Yes, it's my choice." Boil steps back, letting the dwarfs pass. He makes no motion to leave though and he stands patiently behind the pair of crew members.

[crazedloon]

Quien

Quien still scanning his books walks past Boil just behind the dwarfs.

[Dwarven] What seems to be wrong with the engine.[/Dwarven]

He slips his book back into his pack and begins to rub his brow.

What an ugly language. Hopefully this tin can doesn't get in the way.

You probably should sheath the weapon metal man.

[Ryuuk]

Boil

At the sound of these words, Boil's head seems to tilt downwards slightly, as if in shame. My apologies, I can't. He brings the spear out from under his cloak, it stands perpendicular from the ground. The hand that holds it stands as rigid as its owner, until the two middle fingers start raising. They alone move away and back to the spear, the other two, as well as the thumb, remain at their place, as if jammed.

"I heard that the Steam Engine was going to be fixed, I hoped that the fixer could also see my hand." He stops, as if finished. But once again, a small nagging thought tells him he should add something. "And my name is Boil, not "metal man""

[crazedloon]

Quien

spins on his heal and looks boil in the eye or what passes for eyes on a warforged.

You know you are far more curious of a construct then I have ever seen before.

Quien grabs the hand giving boil problems and begins to examine the joints and plating.

Hmm interesting well if he can't help you I would love to learn more about your construction. Indeed you would be wonderful to learn about....

He spins on his heal bights his thumb and slides his pack off his pack and retrieves another notebook. He thumbs through it before getting to a blank page and he grabs a pen from his bag. He begins to write quickly as he walks after the dwarves with the box.

Spoiler

Show

(knowledge) arcana (1d20+7)[14] engineering (1d20+7)[25]

[AmberVael]

Virva

The half-elf turns and gives Aphael a piercing look, her eyes like the strange color of the sky before the storm. She heard him full well, but obviously doesn't think highly of his assessment. Yet, despite this, she remains silent, just letting him know exactly what she thinks via her silent and disturbing stare. Her hand has dropped away from the little earring that marks her acceptance into the arcane order, and instead rests easy at her side.

After letting her gaze linger and uncomfortable amount of time on Aphael, Virva turns her eyes back to the ship and the sea, wondering how long she'd have to prolong the enchantments that kept her able to breathe out of water. She may be used to living on land for extended periods, but at the same time, it was always a hassle to make it work. Without her spells, it would become even more difficult. She'd been practicing- trying to build on the nature given to her by her father, but she figured that breathing without spells was still a very long ways off. At least her spell lasted all day... and then some.

Finally, she turns back towards Aphael and looks him over, her storm green eyes judging and cool. She lets the silence linger just for a moment more, then speaks in a voice that matches her expression.
"What is your name?"
It almost seems more of a command than a question. Granted, she didn't have much respect for the Aventi at this point.

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Aphael felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and looked around. When he spotted Virva starring at him, he simply smiled and turned back to the sea. When she finally addressed him he turned and performed a small bow. He definitely seemed amused by Virva's ire. "I am known as Aphael of..." He almost choked on that last word. Clearing his throat brought back his voice, but it no longer contained any mirth. "Aphael will do for now." A period of silence followed, he seemed to be lost within his past. Snapping back, he smiled again and looked Virva over. "So, what's got you worried? Sickly father? Scorned lover? Perhaps you lost a trinket?" Laughing heartily, he walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, never fear. As long as I am around, everything will be as right as rain."

[Faithless]

The door cranks open, it's obviously heavy as the halfling pushes it open. Behind it you see large bronze tanks and pipes running into the floor and ceiling. There are large machines with gauges covering thier surface, steam rushing through the cracks. In a corner you see some Darfellan pressing their hands against an opening where a pipe should be.

"Bring in those parts." says the halfling, cackling.

The dwarves toss the crate down and the lid shakes off. Pieces of iron rush out of the box, and you make out a face among it. A warforged face.

On the side of the box it reads in those blocky black letters.

Decomissioned

* * *
Quien

Spoiler

Show

The ship functions on both a combination of magic and dwarven machinery. Steam engines are a fairly new invention, because they pale in comparison to more advanced magic, however, cost-wise, they are extremely efficient. Only mechanical failures as upkeep, no reliance on manpower or wind, and they can continue without stopping. In theory. Still early in it's progression(And prone to malfunction) they have not been widely spread yet.

Simple glyphs of heat metal align metal tanks of water. As the water evaporates as steam the energy is harnessed and used to propel the ship. The water cools down and is pumped back into the tanks.

[crazedloon]

Quien

He notes the boxes contents and bights his pen. He then goes back to writing in his notebook. After jotting down a few more notes he slips the book under his packs strap. He begins to stride towards the Darfellan.

What seems to be wrong with the machine.

[Ryuuk]

Boil

"I... see" Boil seems to hesitate. He eyes the various pieces of metal like one would stare at a crate full of human bones. And the way the crew and the red haired elf seemed to regard...

Nevertheless, he'd made a choice. He steps forward, stopping at the crates spilled contents at kneels down on one knee. He steadies himself with the spear as his free hand takes the metal face from the pile. After looking over it, his eyes go back to the pieces of metal and try to find a hand. "How was he decommissioned?"

[AmberVael]

Virva

"Nothing worries me. I am, however, worrying over something, if you can understand the distinction..."
Virva smirks, stepping slightly out of the way of Aphael to remove herself from his arm. While her smile shows amusement, her eyes are still cool and distant, as if there were a part of her holding back from the conversation. Something just seemed off about how she was interacting with him.
"This journey is very important to me, for reasons I don't expect anyone else would understand, even should I explain it."
She looks off into the sea, thinking quietly again and testing the enchantment around her faintly, making sure it was still doing its job and keeping her breathing.

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Aphael nodded, still smiling. "I see. Or not, whatever the case may be." He crossed his arms and looked back at the doorway where the other two had gone. "Well just remember, we all have a reason to be here too." Walking over to lean on the railings again, he looked longingly down at the water near the bottom of the boat. "Aventernus knows, I would love to just dive in right now."

[AmberVael]

Virva

"You and me both... the surface has its charms, but it always makes me tense to stay above water so long. There are too many problems with staying out of water for prolonged periods of time."
Virva stares down into the water, wondering if any of the others have the same problem as she does, or if they're all amphibious.

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Aphael turned and looked over at her. "Problems? Like what, not finding your favorite crab to eat? Because I can understand that. I don't remember what they are called, but it's delicious."

[AmberVael]

Virva

Virva raises an eyebrow at Aphael.
"I have to rely on spells to breathe. While I can do so with a fair amount of ease, it never fully feels safe."

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Aphael seemed shocked. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had that problem. I haven't had much interaction with other non-Aventi races. I guess I had just assumed that everybody could breathe air and water." He looked back out to sea rather uncomfortably. He realized that he might have just made a rather serious diplomatic error, and hoped that it could be fixed. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry if I had offended you."

[AmberVael]

Virva

Virva waves a dismissive hand and smiles at him.
"Don't worry about it."
She looks over the side of the boat, watching the sea as she thinks to herself, her smile dropping away.
It's nothing more than I expected. So few people think beyond that which is normal for them- barely anyone considers that which will come of differences...
And that's why I'm here, isn't it?
Virva seems to have sunk back into her somewhat overly dramatic and melancholic thoughts of Imira and the legend surrounding her.

[Faithless]

Listen Checks(Everyone on the deck)

* * *
The halfling pull his goggles back over his eyes.

"The tanks town below have been punctured, and somebodies meddled with the stability mechanism. The overload in steam burst several pipes. We're using these here scrap parts to wield repairs to the pipes and tanks."

The dwarf continues for him.

"Aye, outdated regiment from thar Emperor's elite."

[Ghal Marak]

Aphael

Spoiler

Show

Listen - (1d20+5)[9]

[crazedloon]

Quien

Well how can we help.

He begins to examine the broken engine.