Children of Laranthiel - Team Blade

When Skald didn't get answer he slowly advanced outside, knife at the ready in case he had to fight against a wild beast but it became clear to him that the shadow creature was merely a poor soul who had died from a unknown cause. Maybe the cold or perhaps these dark growths but either way his remains didn't tell a tale of sadness, of regret. No, the corpse radiated peace. Skald looked at the shovel and considered what a useful tool it could be.......Skald walked up to the still body and apologetically said to it, "Forgive me sleeping man for taking from you like a filthy grave robber but at the moment I may require this. I do not take pleasure in ruining your unbroken rest but a tool is a tool in this cold land. I thank you for watching over this tomb....if that's what you were doing," and then Skald would remove the shovel from it's hands.

After done with the regrettable act, Skald's tablet came to life with light and a ring. Taking it off his hip where it was secured, Skald read the message. So others are around! Skald soon send back a message:

Greetings Mirari. I am Skald and I'm afraid to inform you that I'm in the same situation as you because all I know is my name and nothing beyond that. At the moment I'm also standing outside my tomb's door at the peak of a mountain. Perhaps we can find somewhere to meet up? I would enjoy talking to someone after sleeping for so long....also, did you happen to get plenty of gifts after your awakening?

And then afterwards he would explore the tablet and would discover all of it's features. He started by moving his items into Storage, keeping the tome, the knife, and the shovel out and putting all the other various tools inside it. Only briefly seeing what the Camera and Logs functions offered, he then went to Map and saw that it was pointing out where Mirari and probably where another awaken person was. With that new found knowledge he placed the tablet back on his hip, put his tome and knife inside a robe pocket, and started to search the platform for a route down the mountain.

edited 31st Oct '17 10:26:49 AM by LightToAll

Enat

Enat gazed out in wonder at the frozen lands around him, marveling at the sight. Seeing the figures gliding along the air, he motioned toward them to inquire as to who they were as an alert ringed out.

Enat, incredibly startled nearly leeped backwards in surprise as his tablet thing rang out, and he grabbed it from the pot, staring at it curiously. "What... The...?"

He read the message, and his eyes widened, and he sent out a reply.

Greetings. My name is Enat. I am in much the same situation as you.

edited 31st Oct '17 4:52:19 PM by SolusLupus

Mirari

Upon setting out onto the unknown Mirari, would see that her chamber laid upon mountainous range... at the shadow of a snow covered pillar or peak. All around the environment was covered in a light layer of snow... and crystal. Flowers and even some sort of crystalline, transparent glass seemed to fill the surroundings of her pod... an even stretch of terrain nestled among the mountain range eventually leading down to a path connecting to other mountains.

Deag

After her careful examination, Deag would discover the same functions on her tablet as Mirari did... and as the map opened up for her, empty and devoid data, she'd see another symbol floating nearby. One that for her read as Ashani.

Would the Prodigious One contact her?

Skald

Skald would be able to take the shovel from the thorn bearing one... it would take a bit of effort but finally he got it... just enough pressure put upon the quiet corpse that the brittle body of bone and hard dark thorns broke off... finally letting the body collapse onto the floor, bone shattering here and there.

Deag’s giggling of fear subsided, but it was soon replaced with giddy excitement as she scoured her new toy. Holy shit! This changed everything! First thing to do of course was manage her gear. Fishing through her backpack she Stored the cauldron, but kept the knives and hammer at hand; she’d probably need them on demand. But then she also realized: with the camera she could know what she looked like! Deag had a vague idea sure but not much. The light of the exit would help a great deal too, and after a bit of fumbling she had taken her first Selfie.

Huh. She didn’t know her fur looked that fuzzy, but the goggles weren’t a good look, personally. Deag stowed them and tried again without both the goggles and the headscarf, flashing a smile, then approved of that one. She was making a good impression, and it would be a great way to introduce herself. Wait, shit! Deag double checked the message interface the map connected to, only to not see any way to forward pictures from her device to whatever “Ashani” was! Agh. Deag growled in frustration, mashed on the tablet for a second to figure out the interface, then finally sent a message:

Hello! Hello!
Deag is my name! This tablet I have is letting me send messages to a thing called Ashani. What is that??? A person??

Mirari - In the Shadow of Sparkling Snow

The jade sprite shivered as she stepped outside, a cold but lovely landscape stretched out before her. Struck by the flowers and crystalline structures, Mirari was tempted to start sketchwork of these features before opting instead to take simple snapshots instead. Curious, Mirari took a flower from the ground and examined it from many angles before placing it into inventory, then surveyed her surroundings. It appeared a path lead down from her snowy mountains; somewhere in her mind she felt that a lower, perhaps warmer climate would be a better meeting point.

Switching back to the chat function, Mirari sent both Skald and Enat a group message together.

I appear to be atop a sort of mountain range, though I see a path leading downward. Perhaps we should meet somewhere down along its base; one moment, let me see if I can send you a picture of the surroundings, in case they appear familiar to you.

With that, Mirari dug through the phone options and found she could indeed send over a picture of the landscape. Perhaps the other people would spot details matching their own view, and they could coordinate accordingly to meet. In the picture sent to both Skald and Enat, they could see the far reaching mountain range and the foggy land below... and beneath the fog, a small patch of forest near the base. Mirari would not know this, but this forest could be seen from their locales as well. With permission from daltar.

edited 4th Nov '17 6:04:37 PM by Starbound2

When the tablet displayed her named, Ashani immediately growled loudly, the sound reverberating off the walls, and tossed the tablet to the ground. Then, after it glowed more, she turned suddenly to the wall opening to the outside, wind blowing her hair and the familiar scents of nature filling her nostrils. She took a few steps towards the exit, then hesitated and turned back to the tablet.

Very cautiously, like a predator checking its prey, she stalked up to the device, picking it up slowly. "Infernal machine...How do you know my name?" She stared at the screen, waiting for a response. "SPEAK DAMN YOU, OR I'LL HAVE TO SWIFTLY PUNISH YOU"...No response. She examined it, confused. She turned it around, looking at it from all sides. She turn took a small nibble on the corner. Immediately determining that her extremely sharp teeth couldn't puncture it, she turn started to touch the screen, startled that her touches caused a response.

Suddenly a message appeared, for her. She read Deag's message. "So this thing can be used to communicate...but who is it I am communicating with.

"I am Ashani! You're very welcome for the gift of me allowing you to speak to me first!" She tried speaking into the device.

While continuing to fiddle with the strange device that she did not like, trying to figure out how to send a reply, the big furry chest in her other arm, she began to walk outside.

edited 1st Nov '17 9:10:36 PM by Saturn

Deag stared at the device for awhile, waiting for contact. She waited a little while longer, but then decided that she couldn't just wait for help. She'd gotten this far without it after all, and she could go one step further into whatever was beyond this cave! Enough snooping around! She sent one more message before stepping out into the sun.

I'm writing these messages to you from a glowing tablet I found in a cave.
I woke up in that cave. I was in a pod.
Does any of that sound familiar to you?

His searching found results for Skald found a natural path that slowly descended down closer to the ground level. Taking one last at the broken pile of brittle bone with a sad heart, eye glow becoming softer in sadness, he then started to follow down it. Not far into the trip he received a follow up message from Mirari, who had started a group chat if he wasn't mistaken. Slowing down so he didn't end up tripping and falling from the path he started to type out and send a message to the group: While the sights up here are quite amazing, I would prefer somewhere warmer and at ground level as a meeting place yes. Also, now our numbers have increased to three. Hello Enat. As the map shows I am Skald.

Afterwards he would take a picture of the forest area down below and send it to the chat, adding a message to it: It seems that we are near a forest that lays down below. Shall we meet down there, in the trees?

Done with that he put away the tablet and pulled out the tome, attempting to gain insight from it as he hiked down the mountain trails.

Dakàna

She blinked as she looked down at the contents of the chest. She felt a sudden rush of...nostalgia, but it all felt so frustratingly vague. Still, Dakàna could not help but smile slightly.

She started to dress, grateful that the pieces of clothing were so easy to put on (she was especially happy with the gloves, as she was getting worried that her claws would...well, rip things to shred that she wanted to touch). Dakàna took a moment to admire the cloak. It felt...right, like something she was meant to have. She put it on last of all.

Now fully dressed, Dakàna stuffed everything else (she hesitated with the symbol-engraved stones) in a pouch and walked towards the...tablet.

Dakàna poked at it, trying to see what it was, although she didn't dare pick it up.

edited 4th Nov '17 6:22:01 PM by GrimHelm

Mirari - Winding Down the Snowy Trail

Understood; let us meet by the forest then. For your ease, I shall send you a picture of myself, so you know to look for me.

With that, Mirari sent Skald and Enat a picture of herself before proceeding down her trail, keeping the log function open as she took notes on her way down the mountain.

Enat - Snowy Mountain

Looking at the chat again, Enat noticed that there was apparently another being brought into the conversation. He set out communicating more with mysterious device.

Very well. I shall meet the both of you down there.

He himself then began to trek downwards with his pot, debating the pros and cons of simply sliding down the snow covered hill like a child on first snowfall. Again, his eyes turned towards the figures in the air, staring in wonder.

Not long after he sent his message he got back a reply. Out came the tablet and Skald observed the picture. Interesting. The group chat would receive back a message: Ah, thank you Mirari. I would be amiss to not notice a lady of rock like yourself in a place such as a forest. Truly amazing the ways life takes shape, don't you agree?

Then he would continue down his way, slowly but surely making it down the cliff side.

edited 6th Nov '17 3:20:17 PM by LightToAll

Ashani

Ashani's pod led into quite a curious environment... the ground was sandy... nice, fine sand like that of a desert... yet there was a lot of green as well. Trees grew directly from the sand, tall with big single leaves for each branch, affording patches of shadow and light all around her pod. Though it wasn't just trees... a curious sort of bright yellow grass also grew in small patches here and there... it appeared as though she was in some sort of desert forest... small critters moved here and there, birds and the like though it was hard to spot any single one for too long.

Unfortunately for Ashani, no matter how much she yelled at the device it did not appear to respond to such treatment. Their will was strong and would not be bent, they insisted on her typing out her responses.

Deag

As Deag walked out, they'd find themselves and their chamber to be build onto a plain with some notable hills dotting the landscape here and there... their own chamber was certainly hidden or made up one of them. Though she could see in the distance mountains and the like, for the immediate environment, it was all plains with some bits of tall golden grass...

And not too far away... a ruin. It must be about 45 minutes walking but she could certainly see off to the West something that was a tad too tall and grey to seem wholly natural on this environment.

Mirari

The gem child walked down the mountain... though soon enough she'd find a small obstacle in her path. Or rather, a big one... the paths down were a tad perilous... strange currents of air swayed here and there and it wasn't long before she stared down at a sheer cliff at the end of her path... a fall of roughly 40 feet... and she could see a lot of the path from here was similarly treacherous.

Skald

Skald's path down the mountain was somewhat gentle... a few jumps here and there, but in general it seemed pretty straight forward. The peak gave way to grassy hills with a gentle enough descent that it made for a rather comfortable hike. Here and there he began to see signs of life... a little bit off his path he saw what appeared to be a herd of big furry creatures grazing on the hills... quadrupeds with shaggy manes and big, tall humps of some sort, though it was hard to see the details from here.

Enat

Enat's movements seemed to warrant the attention of the flying creatures... a few which glided still high overhead... yet they began to circle him, their movement leaving sparkles... or perhaps rather smalls shards of ice behind them. Their glide was both elegant and seemingly effortless. Of them all, Enat's path down to the indicated forest seemed to be the longest... his peak was the highest of them all... the whole way down seemed to be covered in a slope of near pristine snow... only small tracks of animals here and there dotted the environment as well as the rare tree or shrub.

Dakana

Dakana's poking at the tablet didn't reveal much... that is, until she touched a particular symbol on the tablet. Glowing, the tablet let the sigil for 'Opening' sparkle before a doorway began to manifest from where the tablet was hanging... and as it opened, of course, the tablet now unsupported by the wall and not held by Dakana fell screen first right onto the floor.... all while a rush of light and warm, salty air hit the young one in the face... a new world before them.

Mirari - A Diamond in the Breeze

Keeping her distance from the drafts lest she slip and be swept away, Mirari considered her options for her descent. None of the equipment she had was particularly geared towards climbing, which seemed to her a risky proposition anyway. Of course, when she saw the swirls of air her mind immediately returned to the "wind catcher" cloth, but that too was a rather dangerous idea. Mirari traced her steps back up the path until she felt she had enough room to safely sit, far from the winds which might pull her things away, before she drew out her wind catcher from the device, carefully holding onto it and looking it over, checking it for signs of magic, feeling its texture for elasticity and likely durability if it were to endure harsh winds.

Traped

Not knowing how to get out from here, Yuzuki began to think, what was she going to do? Well first of all there are some lizzards around, maybe they would know how to get out of here?

The floof decided the best way to find that out was to take her hat off and shoe at them a bit to see if they tried to leave.

So far Skald found himself taking the path of least resistance and he could only hope that his unknown contacts faced the same smooth sailing to the meeting point agreed on by all of them. Trying his best to follow in the direction of the woods, he encountered his first sign of animal life in this land and wanting a closer look at them, he would sneak up as best as he could and see what they looked like and what they were doing.

Deag shrieked in laughter at her surroundings, marveling at all that her eyes were giving to her. She immediately started snapping pictures, clambering on top of the hill her cave was hidden in to get even better angles on all her surroundings. She ran a paw through the grass and hooted, feeling its softness as a welcome change from the oppressive stone of the rest of her world up till now. It was around now, snapping pictures, that she finally figured out how to actually forward pictures too!

Ashani! There was a place outside my cave too! This is what I look like, do I look familiar to you?
Deag forwarded the picture she took of herself in the cave, trying to flash a nice smile and show off her best features.
And does this place look familiar to you?
Then she sent a picture of the plains around her prison.
I see some ruins in the distance too, you can see them over there, do you see any? Maybe we should meet there!

As Ashani stepped out into the desert environment, she basked in the familiar sunlight and the scents in the wind. She considered stripping nude and roaming around that way. She decided she would save that for a more appropriate time when she was more assured in her surroundings. Her stomach grumbled. She was hungry. Very hungry. She spotted tiny critters she could munch on, but that would be like a potato chip to her. Not worth the chase. A hippo would be nice, but something smaller like a zebra would suffice.

She grimaced at the tablet in her hand, lamenting that the tool would not allow itself to be eaten by her. She couldn't figure any use of the object otherwise. But the very intentional layout of her previous chamber led her to believe that the object was placed specifically for her, as the others in her chest were. So clearly, it had some use.

Just then, the messages continued to come in, as well as a picture of Deag. Ashani went wide-eyed at that. Now that was a delicious and succulent looking meal. A gift from the gods? It seemed this Hyena girl was communicating with her, through a device similar to her own. It also seemed that this girl did not know where she was either. Ashani nodded, understanding this to be some kind of test or a challenge. If she wanted to eat, she would have to hunt for her food.

It took her awhile, but she finally figured out how to type and send messages. She typed slowly, with only her index finger.

i can c u. srry for not saying anything b4. i dont c any ruins. im in a forest with yellow grass. where r u?

She smirked, satisfied. Not as eloquent as she usually was, but she was proud of the obviously stoic and dignified tone of her message. She gripped the tablet tightly, licking her thick lips and beginning to pace forward, sinking her toes into the soft hot sand, feeling comfortable. Ashani would have a meal very soon.

edited 11th Nov '17 12:10:47 PM by Saturn

Oh holy shit, Deag was clearly dealing with a master wordsmith. She for a second didn’t understand the letters coming her way, only to realize that Ashani was using “c” as a homophone for “see,” the same for other letters. Deag had neither the head nor the mouth for such language, but she could appreciate it in others. She rattled off a message back as she kept striding through the grass, towards the ruins; her hunch became even more severe as she kept an eye on the tablet.

U craft your messages expertly! Very clever double meanings! Haw haw! I’m on a... plains. Some hills.

Deag sent several more pictures, giving Ashani a full 360 panorama. She felt very satisfied with the idea of basically making up a word to emulate that she was laughing.

What do U look like? U can send pictures if U have a camera! Any big things near where U are?

Mirari - Living Life on the Edge

Mirari was considering retracing her steps to experiment with her wind catcher's properties in a safer area before she remembered that her two potential companions could be waiting for her down below. Musing to herself, she decided to take a picture of the broken cliffside path and send it to Enat and Skald.

It looks like the path ahead of me eroded away. Currently considering what might the safest option to navigate down or across. I have a wide cloth labelled "wind catcher" that may be able to carry me over; it may not be apparent in the photo but there are gusts of wind all around the area, which presumably the wind catcher may glide across. However, since failing to do so would be fatal, I want to test the object in a safer location before I even consider attempting such a perilous maneuver. I will provide regular updates as to my progress. If the two of you should meet before I can reach the rendezvous, or if my messages stop abruptly, please come find me.

Mirari

The Windcatcher seemed like a perfectly normal if ornate length of cloth... however she would notice that at the sides it had two 'handles' cut into it and reinforced with comfortable leather. To her inspection, she did feel a bit of energy in the thing... not much, but some. Still, if she tried to lift the thing above her head and fill it up with air... the thing would very easily fill up.

Yuzuki

Yuzuki's efforts did manage to spook the lizard creatures... which quite deftly began to run in all directions... about five of them. And while three of them merely ran far enough that they were out of her range, two did go to some of the openings to leave the underground chamber... one sliding through a small hole too small for her to crawl through and the other going through a larger opening...

Still, at this moment Yuzuki remembers one of the things in her chest... somehow, she feels a sense of familiarity as she remembers the hanging jewel.

Skald

As Skald tried to sneak closer, he would see that the creatures were quite big... about two or three heads taller than he was due to their humps... indeed, they had four big round legs surrounding their big torsos, with one short bushy tail that reached a bit further than the floor. Their faces were nearly hidden by the same shaggy hair that covered them from head to toe, but the most notable feature of them were big noses and large, droopy ears. They seemed content to move languidly about, chewing on grass and rocks.

edited 14th Nov '17 9:55:46 PM by daltar

Skald noticed the slow, lazy nature of these creatures. Not predators but peaceful grazers of the land. Wanting to record the first time he saw a animal in this unknown land he took a picture of the herd using his tablets camera function. He then received the message from Mirari which he replied back with by sharing his picture and messaging back:

I'm now in some grassy hills where I found a grouping of these calm beasts. At least we have meat nearby if it's required. As for your problem, whoever left us our items most certainly did for the purpose to serve us. While I do not want harm to come upon you, I have faith that the cloth is intended to guide you down the right path. Sometimes you can't stop and only take small steps for a big leap can do what a small step can't.

Still though, if you truly do believe that attempting to glide down the cliff will endanger your well-being then consider what options you have. In the end only you can solve the conflict that stands before you after all and all I can grant you is a wish for good luck, safety, and success to you. May you find the answer.

edited 15th Nov '17 10:43:39 PM by LightToAll

Mirari - Readying Herself to Ride the Winds

After looking over her wind catcher several times and performing some minor experiments with it in a safe environment, Mirari quietly nodded to herself, certain of the objects purpose and... reasonably certain of its reliability. Some degree of her was still concerned about her safety, but Skald's reassurances helped calm her fears.

Thank you for your encouragement. I will now attempt to make it across. I will let you know if I land safely.

Returning to the broken path, Mirari took a deep breath and did some estimations on how far the next cliff edge would be. Gripping the wind catcher's handles tightly, the gem child gave herself a running start, rushing towards the edge of the path... and taking a bold leap.

Enat

Enat continued to trudge down the mountain path, a bit annoyed at his slow progress. At least the weather was so wonderful, he thought to himself as he looked once more at the beautiful things flitting through the air. Finally, he worked up the courage and idea to call out to them.

"He-hello?"

Ashani frowned at the messages being sent, and the pictures popping up. How was she doing this? There was also a way for her to take these pictures. Ashani wasn't really able to get a good idea of where Deag was just from her pictures.

this machine thing disgusts me. it taunts me frequently and doesn't respond to my commands and its resilience defends it from torture and coercion. clearly your methods of control have proved more successful. please tell me how to take a picture as you call it. that word is bad and takes too long to say. so im going to refer to it as a pic. please tell me how to take a pic.