Random post with a cave...

[MerricB]

Whoever carved the stone, made it so it looks the opposite way from where I came. He would have designed it so when he could see the "cruel mien" first thing when he entered this area. So he should come from that direction. However I should go weary of the Spirits message. Its secret meaning will unfold later.

I enter the path from which the carving is best visible, when I check from it. I suppose its the opposite path from which I came, though.

....and..huh I pick up the crystal....

The crystal is cold in your hand as you slip it into your pouch. You make your way across the stream (splash!, sploosh!) towards the far side of the cavern. Once there, you find the path that the visage faces without too much difficulty, and you note that the tunnel slopes slightly upwards and is mostly dry and without mold or lichen.

Taking a last look behind you, you notice nothing untoward and set forward. Darkness closes around you, held back only by Alberich's torch flickering in your hand. The tunnel is long, and not entirely straight. After a while, you're unsure as to whether you've doubled back or not, but you press on regardless.

The effort of walking along the tunnel eases, and you realise that it is heading downwards again. After a short further time, it opens out into another cave. It's only feature is a rough shaped block of stone in its centre, perhaps reminiscent of an altar. Dark stains mar its surface.

Two passages lead out, one to the left, one straight ahead.

What do you do?

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

I try climbing a pillar to get a better view of the landscape...and the crystal balls...are they attached or nested in a depression?

You are now on the borders of the city, it lies silent before you. Climbing the pillar is not exactly an easy task as they are moderately slippery, but you hoist yourself up enough to get a good look at the crystal ball. There are no visible attachments as the top of the pillar is a concave bowl that allows the ball to rest within, but neither does it move as you attempt to rock it.

The crystal ball feels slightly warm to the touch, but not unpleasantly so. Looking around the landscape, you can see the city: it seems uninhabited, but with many buildings and towers, many of which have carvings of animals above their entrances. Around the city, all is fire: smoke rises from the aftermath of the fireballs, and the land is transformed from verdant to desolate. The hill and its cave is just on the edge of the safe area around the city.

You can not see to the far side of the city; its seems large indeed.

What do you do?

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

Well, at least we've established that its an animistic setting. I continue toward the great city, keeping a careful watch for whatever might have killed it and the hill.

The city stands proudly before you - still and quiet. There are no signs of the throngs of people that must once of inhabited. It must have been inhabited, surely?

The skies above you have fallen quiet, although the aftermath of the destruction raining from them is anything but, for you can hear the crackle of hiss of fires burning through the fields and forests around the city.

Then: perhaps the city isn't deserted after all! You can see movement up on the fourth floor of a building that overlooks the edge of the city (and the cave). It is brief, and gone before you can be assured it was there, but you feel certain that there was something there.

Above the entrance to that building appears a carved wolf's head.

What do you do?

Cheers!

 

[anest1s]

The crystal is cold in your hand as you slip it into your pouch. You make your way across the stream (splash!, sploosh!) towards the far side of the cavern. Once there, you find the path that the visage faces without too much difficulty, and you note that the tunnel slopes slightly upwards and is mostly dry and without mold or lichen.

Taking a last look behind you, you notice nothing untoward and set forward. Darkness closes around you, held back only by Alberich's torch flickering in your hand. The tunnel is long, and not entirely straight. After a while, you're unsure as to whether you've doubled back or not, but you press on regardless.

The effort of walking along the tunnel eases, and you realise that it is heading downwards again. After a short further time, it opens out into another cave. It's only feature is a rough shaped block of stone in its centre, perhaps reminiscent of an altar. Dark stains mar its surface.

Two passages lead out, one to the left, one straight ahead.

What do you do?

Cheers!

I check my torch, and try to feel if some kind of wind (even feint) comes from one of the two passages.
I examine the altar. Is the stains blood? I try to see if there are any footprints. I check for a place to hide, if I will need one later. Then I place my hand on the altar, and I ask the Spirits to guide me.
If I don't find something interesting in either the stone or the wind direction, I will go for the left passage. But before that, do I find something?

 

[MerricB]

Brent holds his hand and winces and mutters "sunnovabich...how'd it do that". Paul replies, "beats me, but we gotta look at your hand, how bad is it?" Ned adds it, "His spear glowed, like it cast a Heat Metal spell on your gun. yeah, I know that's not possible, but we just survived some kind of attack on Houston, maybe the mutant uprising is getting an early start."

After watching where the lizardman went, and listening to my friends while they check his hand, I finally speak. "I don't know whats going on, but we might as well treat it as a zombie invasion. That means get shelter, supplies, and stay out of trouble.

If that thing comes back, it may be hostile. It seemed to know the gun was a threat, and could come back, or there could be more. I think we could use the pit as a choke point to hold it back, while we hole up here for a short spell. So let's back up and keep the pit between us and him.

Ned, can you check outside, see what you can see, if the area is safe, Brent's truck may be a safer bet, and there's the radio. It might be worth checking your iPhone for any news, if the cell network is still up.

Paul, treat Brent's hand if you can. Wrap it with a sock and some ice from the cooler outside, if its intact.

Brent, can you shoot southpaw? If your gun's cool, and not damaged, might need to use it, and your prolly the best shot.

While you watch for lizardmen, I'll get the gear we left outside, and start doing a quick inventory. We need to see what we have, dump the stuff we can't carry, and arm up. I got my Kabar on me, we might be able to make a few spears, or a bow and arrow.

Brent chimes in, "bow and arrow? This is Texas. I got a shotgun in the truck."

"Alright, I'll check with Ned, and make a run for it and bring the truck. Gimme your keys. I can't believe a simple geocache park and grab was going to be so much work"

Basically, we're backing up. Checking our supplies, then planning to get out of there if we think its feasible and safer than staying in a cave with an armed lizardman that shouldn't exist.

The truck, amazingly, is safe. It's sitting beneath the tree where you parked it. However, the tree isn't exactly the one you parked it beneath: its leaves are silver, its bark is copper. That gives you and your friends some pause.

Outside, you can see a wall of fire, just over the hillside. It is - strangely - not warm, but the reflections from the metallic tree are strange and dazzling. Beyond the truck and tree, you can see a strange city - you are certainly not in Texas any more... what have you gotten yourselves into?

However, you have a shotgun. You can also see a small packet of cornflakes in the back of the truck, and you feel safe.

What do you do?

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

With a wink, "It's alright, lad. We'll collect that one later." I sheath my sword, take a piton and the hammer, and search for a good, solid rock. Once I find an adequate location, I drive a piton in and secure the rope to it. "I think it best if you stay up here and keep watch. Hand me the lantern." With that, I wrap the rope around my arm and begin crossing; I make sure to test each next step to ensure solid footing.

It is a nerve-wracking business, but soon enough you are on the far side of the pit. The tunnel on the other side is long but - just almost at the extent of your vision - you can see a metal door at its end. Peering further reveals that the tunnel actually ends in a T-intersection with the door straight ahead.

What do you do?

Cheers!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You are now on the borders of the city, it lies silent before you. Climbing the pillar is not exactly an easy task as they are moderately slippery, but you hoist yourself up enough to get a good look at the crystal ball. There are no visible attachments as the top of the pillar is a concave bowl that allows the ball to rest within, but neither does it move as you attempt to rock it.

The crystal ball feels slightly warm to the touch, but not unpleasantly so. Looking around the landscape, you can see the city: it seems uninhabited, but with many buildings and towers, many of which have carvings of animals above their entrances. Around the city, all is fire: smoke rises from the aftermath of the fireballs, and the land is transformed from verdant to desolate. The hill and its cave is just on the edge of the safe area around the city.

You can not see to the far side of the city; its seems large indeed.

What do you do?

Cheers!

I slip back down the side I came up, and try a different column- when I get to the top, I examine this sphere more closely than the previous. It should either act as some kind of lens for the world I actually experience...or if legends are true, it may show me sights I cannot as yet imagine.

 

[Janx]

<OoC>since we seem to be able to introduce elements, let's see what all we can introduce...namely some character ideas I had...Don't worry, it'll fit.</OoC>

I grab my duster from the truck. I really shouldn't have taken it off, but it was getting warm out. Odds are good one of the protection symbols on it affected the truck as well, since the symbols were bonded to me. I hop in Brent's extended cab dually and drive up to the cave. 7/8 of a tank should last us awhile if we're frugal.

I get out, and check on the rest of the guys. Brent's hand wasn't badly hurt, and he's got the pistol back in it, dutifully watching the tunnel. Paul's fiddling with his iPhone, muttering something about no signal. He says, "uh guys, the GPS isn't picking up any satellites, and my iPhone's got no bars. What the heck happened out there?"

I chime in, "that's because they're gone. Well more like, we're gone. Hey, where's Ned?"

Brent says, "I thought he was with you. And why are you wearing that stupid duster?"

Ned steps out of the shadows, chuckling, "Brent, I thought you were watching the tunnel. You didn't even see me sneak down there and back. It's clear, by the way."

Brent jumps back, "How'd you do that? I was watching the whole time."

Paul sighs exasperatedly, "I guess the cat's out of the bag. Brent, your good buddy's the Wizard of Houston. I'm a pirate, software, that is. And Ned, zombie epidemic fanatic, is a ninja. That makes you, dear tinman, our resident paladin."

Ned snickers, "Cool, we're a D&D party in a dungeon."

Brent bristles, "You dorks, this isn't a damned game. I got family out there. Are they OK or not?"

I calmly explain, "Take it easy. Your family's probably safe. It seems that we have shifted realities. So we got some trouble, but we can handle it. Ned really is a ninja. Or at least he's mastered hiding really well. And Paul really is a pirate, though I'm not quite sure how 50 terabytes of copyrighted material is gonna help us. And I really am a wizard. Not like that Harry Dresden guy, he's just fictional."

Brent replies, "You are so full of crap. This ain't no time to be joking man."

"Remember that Cat 1 hurricane we got last year, that popped up out of nowhere in the gulf and hit that oil company? Funny what happens when you manipulate air currents and air pressure. And see this here funny packet of cornflakes? Never seen any cereal in packets. Least not from our earth. Plus the whole parking lot's been replaced with a field, and the trees look funny."

Brent says, "Oh. Good point. Except for the Wizard thing. I still call on that."

"Hey no problem. I'm not sure how much power I have in this reality anyway. I suspect I do, since everything that's near something I charged up is here."

Paul cocks his head, "Huh? You planted something on us?"

"You know those cool rings I made for everybody for christmass last year? Yeah, those are protection rings. Wierd stuff happens to people around me, I thought it was prudent."

Ned adds, "So are these Rings of Protection +1?"

"uh, no dude. That's just a game. Power doesn't work that way anyway."

Brent asks, "So what do we do now? Are we stuck here? Is there a way to get back home?"

"Technically, I'm not sure. If I had a circle, like what've got back at the lighthouse, we might be able to use that to form a link and shift. Assuming that I am correct that this is a parallel reality. I could use my Sight and see if I can see into other realms from here. That's usually a tough and confusing process."

Paul confusedly asks, "You can see other realities? No way."

"Yeah, I can. its kind of like that one Nick Cage movie, where he sees all possible futures, but completely different. Highly probable events cause more repeated reality commonalities. Its how any psychics see the future, they just don't explain it very well. Hey, can Paul use your shotgun? Without it, he's pretty useless outdoors."

Brent exclaims, "Has he ever shot a gun?"

"Well, probably not. Hmm. Good point. Maybe he should carry this stick. It's mostly harmless."

Paul indignantly says, "I'm standing right here. I can use a shotgun. Gimme, gimme gimme."

Brent says, "Hell no. Your just gonna go full retard and get me shot."

Ned snorts. "Good point. Give it to me. I've been voted least likely to shoot a party member in the back."

Paul pouts, "I don't think you can say full retard anymore. It's insensitive to the mentally handicapped."

"If we come across any mentally handicapped individuals, we'll be sure to not use the R word. Until then, let's quit the jaw-jacking and figure out how to get home."


Brent steps up, and says, "well, there's this here cave, the missle strike in our world, and the blast and fire we see here. And that city over there. And since things seem in similar positions, there's a good chance, there's a lot of symmetry. What's the chances that if we head to where your place is, we'll find a tower and a Circle? Hopefully owned by a friendly, but harmless goofball. See. I watched Star Trek, too. I know about parallel worlds. If this world's You has a beard, we shoot his ass."

"Sounds good. Let's go to my house. Where it would be. It's only 20 miles. I hope there's a road where I-45 would be..."

So, after much yakking, we hop into Brent's truck and drive to my house, a light house shaped building on Spring Cypress, a mere 30 minutes away. By highway, anyway. And oh, yes, we grab all our stuff. This little jaunt should give us a chance to recon the area, and Brent's big honking truck should be able to handle the reasonably flat terrain of Houston, assuming a symetrical parallel reality.

<OoC>Yes, these places exist. Along Allen Parkway, is a park, Cynthia Mitchell if I recall, which is in view of the city of Houston. It's just off I45. Further north on I45, and then west on Spring Cypress is a building shaped like a light house. I don't actually live there. But it's a funny idea for a Wizard to live in a tower, err, light house that is land-locked. I've had ideas for these characters for a while, hence my rambling of character development.</OoC>

 

[Jacob Marley]

It is a nerve-wracking business, but soon enough you are on the far side of the pit. The tunnel on the other side is long but - just almost at the extent of your vision - you can see a metal door at its end. Peering further reveals that the tunnel actually ends in a T-intersection with the door straight ahead.

What do you do?

Cheers!

I give a smile and a nod to Petey and turn towards the depths of the cave. Drawing my sword, I slowly move forward. "Strange." I mutter to myself; a cold chill runs down my spine. "Clearly, the pit was dug to keep intruders out; but by whom?". Carefully, I probe the floor with my sword, checking for any traps. As I approach the intersection, I stop for a moment to listen for any sounds coming from down the halls. My eyes remain fixed on the metal door.

 

[MerricB]

I check my torch, and try to feel if some kind of wind (even feint) comes from one of the two passages.
I examine the altar. Is the stains blood? I try to see if there are any footprints. I check for a place to hide, if I will need one later. Then I place my hand on the altar, and I ask the Spirits to guide me.
If I don't find something interesting in either the stone or the wind direction, I will go for the left passage. But before that, do I find something?

As far as you can tell, there is no draft, even a faint one, from either passage. The stains on the altar definitely remind you of blood. As for footprints, there is quite a bit of stone dust around, but no footprints save your own: whoever made the altar has not been here recently.

When you place your hand on the altar, you feel dread, a hungering for flesh which makes you extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, the feeling ends when you remove your hand.

What do you do?

Cheers!