Dark*Matter: Discovery, The Delphi Paradox
- Thread starter Falkus
- Start date
Friadoc
Explorer
Cade looks at Dorine for a long three count, after panicked comments, before turning slowly to Larry and nodding as he says, "Okay, keep an eye on her."
"Well, you heard Face," says Cade with his trademark smile back in place. "Let's strip the joint before anyone else pokes their noses in."
"How about we triple up, Doc," suggests Cade. "Me, you, and Blade sweep the place for anything on the Director's Christmas list?"
OOC
Cade's Search is +5 and Spot is +4, he'll also try and use his PDA sonic imaging suite and capabilities to assist in fidning things and, possibly, hidden rooms or passages.
Hopefully it'll add a +2 bonus to our activities, since we're working together.
"Well, you heard Face," says Cade with his trademark smile back in place. "Let's strip the joint before anyone else pokes their noses in."
"How about we triple up, Doc," suggests Cade. "Me, you, and Blade sweep the place for anything on the Director's Christmas list?"
OOC
Cade's Search is +5 and Spot is +4, he'll also try and use his PDA sonic imaging suite and capabilities to assist in fidning things and, possibly, hidden rooms or passages.
Hopefully it'll add a +2 bonus to our activities, since we're working together.
industrygothica
Adventurer
Shayuri said:
"Definitely.."
Falkus
Explorer
With Diego and Larry guarding the defeated, dejected, desolate and despicable Dorine with unusual alliteration, Meredith, Nick and Cade made their way deeper into the tunnels. They occasionally came across the skeletal remains of soviet soldiers and civilians, but nothing otherwise unsusual.
After about twenty minutes, they made their way into the central chamber in the north. To Nick's expert eye, it appeared to be a temple area and meeting hall, if the ruby and keystone's were being kept anywhere, it was here. He also saw something that would put horror into the heart of any archaeologist.
Somebody had been here first, judging by the dust patterns and the various objects in the room, and had removed several items. It was no coincidence that there was no sign of the artifacts that the team was looking for.
There were about six Soviet skeletons scattered about the room. One of them, at the base of the alter, had a book clutched in his skeletal hands.
After about twenty minutes, they made their way into the central chamber in the north. To Nick's expert eye, it appeared to be a temple area and meeting hall, if the ruby and keystone's were being kept anywhere, it was here. He also saw something that would put horror into the heart of any archaeologist.
Somebody had been here first, judging by the dust patterns and the various objects in the room, and had removed several items. It was no coincidence that there was no sign of the artifacts that the team was looking for.
There were about six Soviet skeletons scattered about the room. One of them, at the base of the alter, had a book clutched in his skeletal hands.
industrygothica
Adventurer
ooc: Sorry for the delay
"Small problem," Nick says. "Someone's beat us to it. Whatever we're looking for is gone."
Nick spot the book in the skeleton's hand. "But this..." he says as he reaches out for it. "This could be interesting."
"Small problem," Nick says. "Someone's beat us to it. Whatever we're looking for is gone."
Nick spot the book in the skeleton's hand. "But this..." he says as he reaches out for it. "This could be interesting."
Meredith leaves the book to Cade and Nick. She on the other hand decides to check out the altar. Maybe it was just bad movies, but it seemed to her that these kinds of things always had some kind of hidden compartment...
She hunkers down near the stone table and starts tapping, pushing, pulling...looking for releases or catches while the others check the book out.
(Taking 20, basically, on Search for a result of 22)
She hunkers down near the stone table and starts tapping, pushing, pulling...looking for releases or catches while the others check the book out.
(Taking 20, basically, on Search for a result of 22)
Falkus
Explorer
Despite Meredith's pokings and prodings, she couldn't find anything unusual about the altar. No secret passages, no death traps, nothing. There was one thing she found, however. Markings on the altar suggested that, at some point, a burst of automatic weapons fire had ricocheted off of it. As she moved about the room, she found several spent shells lying on the floor.
The book Nick picked up was indeed a journal, as Cade suspected. It was the journal of one Dr Alik Vasilev, a member of a group called the KGB Paranormal division. Many of the earlier entries had been destroyed by time, but the later ones were still legible.
[sblock="The Journal"]June 19, 1959
We have finally arrived at Greece, near the coordinate of the German dig site. I only wish I could have gotten permission for this expedition earlier. There are twenty of us, ten archeologists and ten soldiers. Captain Ivanov is heading up the military contingent, I command the archeologists.
June 21, 1959
I lead Project Foresight, a vital part of the USSR’s paranormal research. The goal of our expedition is to retrieve the Prophecy Stone that was used by the oracles of ancient times to control their ability to predict the future. We also seek the means by which the oracles achieved their precognitive abilities which, according to the documents we retrieved from Germany after we conquered Moscow, should be stored in the same site.
With the ability to predict the future, and to control the oracle’s precognitive abilities, the Soviet Union shall reign supreme over the world.
June 22, 1959
Odd, the reports we recovered from Berlin after the war indicated that the dig site was simply ended because of the worsening situation for the Germans in the war, but we’ve found the remains of several dead German soldiers. It seems they died violently. We had them analyzed and disposed of. Probably nothing to be concerned about. No doubt they died from a military strike or some such event.
June 29, 1959
My God! I was in a more isolated area of the ruins today, when Captain Ivanov tried to inject me with something. I just barely managed to avoid it. I demanded to know what he was doing, but he just kept coming at me. I managed to draw my pistol, and shot him in the heart. My God, when he died, he just fell apart into a pile of sand. What was he? What happened? I dare not report it, for I know no one will believe me. Instead, I won’t mention it, and hopefully, the others will assume he’s gone missing or perhaps deserted and defected. I have a friend in the Moscow university chemistry department, I’ll send him a sample of the sand, and see what he can make of it.
My God, I still can’t believe it.
July 9, 1959
The KGB Paranormal special operations group arrived in force today; they almost exposed the dig site when they arrived. Somehow, they found out what had happened, my friend at the university must have reported it. They interrogated me heavily about Captain Ivanov, and arrested two more people from the expedition, after performing blood tests. No doubt this is related to whatever it was that Ivanov was. The KGB told me never to speak of it again, under the pain of death, and that the only reason I wasn’t being liquidated was because of the importance of my project.
July 12, 1959
We finally reached the main chamber today, and finally found the artifacts we came here for. A medium sized, ornamentally carved stone was key among them. Odd, now that I look at it, the carvings are in Egpytian Hieroglyphics, not Greek. Perhaps it is older than we thought, and did not originate in Greece. I shall have to take time to translate them later.
The other artifacts included a strange ruby that glowed with a powerful inner light, and about a dozen sealed, stone jars. They have resisted all of my analysis attempts so far. The readings I’m getting from the ruby simply cannot be true. I need more reliable equipment.
July 13, 1959
The artifacts have been shipped off back to the Motherland. I will join them once we have completed our studies of the writings here, and sealed the site. It seems a shame not to more thoroughly investigate this archeological wonder, but we cannot afford to let the Americans discover what was held here.
July 14, 1959
Rykov, one of my assistants, has gone missing. I’ve ordered some of the soldiers to look for him, he probably injured himself
July 15, 1959
My God, we found Rykov. He’s been torn limb from limb by some inhuman force. What could have done this to him? It’s set most of the expedition on edge.
The replacement military commander has ordered us to make a final sweep of the premises for any valuable artifacts or information, and then he’s going to collapse it with demolitions charges. A shame, but, given the circumstances, understandable.
July 16, 1959
The legends were true, so it seems. I, and the survivors of the expedition, have barricaded ourselves inside the main chamber. Earlier today, two of the archeologists were killed, torn to pieces, before our eyes as we were preparing the demolition charges to collapse the site. It was a giant Minotaur; it matched the description of the Greek legends too closely to be anything else. We must have awoken it when we removed the artifacts. I suppose that if the legends of the Oracle of Delphi are true, then so must the other Greek legends. Fascinating, it must be the guardian spoken of in the histories of this place.
July 17, 1959
This will be my final entry, for I am trapped and bleeding to death. So much for my dreams of being the hero of the Soviet Union in my lifetime. Hopefully, my name and my research will live on. The Minotaur attacked us in the main chamber, tearing several of us to pieces, and severely injuring me. The last four soldiers fled in the confusion. I heard the explosives detonate at the entrance a minute ago, so I would be unable to leave even if I could walk.
Thank God that the artifacts have been shipped to the Hammerfall Base. My assistant is there, he will be able to determine how they function. Long live the USSR.
[/sblock]
Suddenly, all the members of the team heard the echo of a bestial roar of rage coming from somewhere within the complex.
The book Nick picked up was indeed a journal, as Cade suspected. It was the journal of one Dr Alik Vasilev, a member of a group called the KGB Paranormal division. Many of the earlier entries had been destroyed by time, but the later ones were still legible.
[sblock="The Journal"]June 19, 1959
We have finally arrived at Greece, near the coordinate of the German dig site. I only wish I could have gotten permission for this expedition earlier. There are twenty of us, ten archeologists and ten soldiers. Captain Ivanov is heading up the military contingent, I command the archeologists.
June 21, 1959
I lead Project Foresight, a vital part of the USSR’s paranormal research. The goal of our expedition is to retrieve the Prophecy Stone that was used by the oracles of ancient times to control their ability to predict the future. We also seek the means by which the oracles achieved their precognitive abilities which, according to the documents we retrieved from Germany after we conquered Moscow, should be stored in the same site.
With the ability to predict the future, and to control the oracle’s precognitive abilities, the Soviet Union shall reign supreme over the world.
June 22, 1959
Odd, the reports we recovered from Berlin after the war indicated that the dig site was simply ended because of the worsening situation for the Germans in the war, but we’ve found the remains of several dead German soldiers. It seems they died violently. We had them analyzed and disposed of. Probably nothing to be concerned about. No doubt they died from a military strike or some such event.
June 29, 1959
My God! I was in a more isolated area of the ruins today, when Captain Ivanov tried to inject me with something. I just barely managed to avoid it. I demanded to know what he was doing, but he just kept coming at me. I managed to draw my pistol, and shot him in the heart. My God, when he died, he just fell apart into a pile of sand. What was he? What happened? I dare not report it, for I know no one will believe me. Instead, I won’t mention it, and hopefully, the others will assume he’s gone missing or perhaps deserted and defected. I have a friend in the Moscow university chemistry department, I’ll send him a sample of the sand, and see what he can make of it.
My God, I still can’t believe it.
July 9, 1959
The KGB Paranormal special operations group arrived in force today; they almost exposed the dig site when they arrived. Somehow, they found out what had happened, my friend at the university must have reported it. They interrogated me heavily about Captain Ivanov, and arrested two more people from the expedition, after performing blood tests. No doubt this is related to whatever it was that Ivanov was. The KGB told me never to speak of it again, under the pain of death, and that the only reason I wasn’t being liquidated was because of the importance of my project.
July 12, 1959
We finally reached the main chamber today, and finally found the artifacts we came here for. A medium sized, ornamentally carved stone was key among them. Odd, now that I look at it, the carvings are in Egpytian Hieroglyphics, not Greek. Perhaps it is older than we thought, and did not originate in Greece. I shall have to take time to translate them later.
The other artifacts included a strange ruby that glowed with a powerful inner light, and about a dozen sealed, stone jars. They have resisted all of my analysis attempts so far. The readings I’m getting from the ruby simply cannot be true. I need more reliable equipment.
July 13, 1959
The artifacts have been shipped off back to the Motherland. I will join them once we have completed our studies of the writings here, and sealed the site. It seems a shame not to more thoroughly investigate this archeological wonder, but we cannot afford to let the Americans discover what was held here.
July 14, 1959
Rykov, one of my assistants, has gone missing. I’ve ordered some of the soldiers to look for him, he probably injured himself
July 15, 1959
My God, we found Rykov. He’s been torn limb from limb by some inhuman force. What could have done this to him? It’s set most of the expedition on edge.
The replacement military commander has ordered us to make a final sweep of the premises for any valuable artifacts or information, and then he’s going to collapse it with demolitions charges. A shame, but, given the circumstances, understandable.
July 16, 1959
The legends were true, so it seems. I, and the survivors of the expedition, have barricaded ourselves inside the main chamber. Earlier today, two of the archeologists were killed, torn to pieces, before our eyes as we were preparing the demolition charges to collapse the site. It was a giant Minotaur; it matched the description of the Greek legends too closely to be anything else. We must have awoken it when we removed the artifacts. I suppose that if the legends of the Oracle of Delphi are true, then so must the other Greek legends. Fascinating, it must be the guardian spoken of in the histories of this place.
July 17, 1959
This will be my final entry, for I am trapped and bleeding to death. So much for my dreams of being the hero of the Soviet Union in my lifetime. Hopefully, my name and my research will live on. The Minotaur attacked us in the main chamber, tearing several of us to pieces, and severely injuring me. The last four soldiers fled in the confusion. I heard the explosives detonate at the entrance a minute ago, so I would be unable to leave even if I could walk.
Thank God that the artifacts have been shipped to the Hammerfall Base. My assistant is there, he will be able to determine how they function. Long live the USSR.
[/sblock]
Suddenly, all the members of the team heard the echo of a bestial roar of rage coming from somewhere within the complex.
industrygothica
Adventurer
"Hammerfall," Nick whispers. "Looks like we're going to Russ..." His words are cut off by the bestial roar.
"But... that thing can't still be here? We've got to get out, the mouth of this place is still open. If it's true, we can't let it out of here."
"But... that thing can't still be here? We've got to get out, the mouth of this place is still open. If it's true, we can't let it out of here."
