IC Session 02: Shadow Peak Mines

[SanguineAngel]

The language is too old or obscure to be useful so you have no idea what it says. However, the map itself provides some clear information.

• The Mine is cut into the mountain, extending from a seemingly natural cave system into a series of more regular passages.
• The natural caves seem to end in a larger cavern, from which the mined passages extend outward like a geometric root system.
• There are five upper levels to the mines, each with numerous dead end passages and loops.
• There are three long, narrow vertical shafts from the topmost level up towards the moutain's surface (those extend above the level of this mining complex).
• Each level is connected to the next by a vertical shaft.
• The third level down leads into an extremely long shaft. The scales are impossible to tell but it must be a kilometer or more in length.
• At the base of the long shaft is a massive caver or chamber. It is roughly spherical. It is unclear whether this is man made or natural.
• Extending from halfway up the chamber is another natural looking cave system.

There is a clatter as a skull hits the floor. One of its three horns shatters and the effect is spell-breaking. The crowd becomes instantly agitated, the Chieftain growls - not angrily but perhaps in consternation. The atmosphere is confused in the basement - torn between indignity and reverence, and unable to effectively communicate.

One-Foot pushes through the crowd. He points emphatically to Bardax's Lightsaber and to the mine. He throws the Chieftain a vicious look and storms out of the basement.

[Azzranache]

As all eyes narrow on Bardax, he grimaces and shrugs as if to say "whoops".

He notices One-Foot hobble off in annoyance at the back of the crowd. Bardax rushes forward and pushes himself through the gathering of creatures to reach One-Foot. Bardax catches up with him at the foot of the stairs and puts his hand on One-Foot's shoulder to stop him. As One-Foot turns, Bardax can already sense the aggresion and pulls out his saber hilt.

He holds it in his open palms for One-Foot to see and looks one more time into his mind.

Spoiler:

Bardax; Dark Academy; Influence on One-Foot:
0 Success, 1 Threat



OOC: What is up with this guy?! Is he a God or something??? Jeez..

It was a long shot. And once again, Bardax did not succeed. Whether it was closer or not from his previous attempts, this was a mind that could not be swayed so easily and the negative emotions One-Foot was currently displaying only fuelled his mind against anything Bardax was to try. Bardax's hand was shrugged off in a cold manner and One-Foot did not even fully turn to look back. It was clear now, help from this creature is long gone.

Bardax watched as he continued to hobble back upstairs.

"Damn.." Bardax thought.

"He would've made great cannon fodder!".

[SanguineAngel]

You catch up to One-Foot at the foot of the stairs but his mind is a wall of anger. Despite repeated attempts to manipulate him, there is no room for you to worm your way into his mind. He shrugs your hand off and turns away, grunting as he glances at your weapon.

He disappears around the corner.

[Azzranache]

"I think it is time we left." Bardax says to Raven.

"We have more help now than we intended to have and I think we have outstayed our welcome."

Bardax glances round to see the creatures all watching intently.

He turns and leaves the room to go and exit the mansion.

[crazybirdman]

Raven looks back briefly before catching up with Bardax. Yes, I think we have done enough damage here for now.

As soon as they are outside, Raven's thoughts turn to the next leg of their journey. He remembers the details from the map, and reaches out with the force to see if it will show him which path in the mine will lead them to their goal . . .

Spoiler:

Raven; Dark Academy; Forsee:
, 1 Dark Side


OOC: I will use the point if I can. It's worth not being lost in the mine.

Come, and let us hope there are no more, distractions along the way.

[Azzranache]

While Raven tunes into the force to help them find their way, Bardax starts to look around the entrance to the cave for a source of lighting. Up in the ceiliengs of the mines, old bulbs incased in rusty cages dangled down linked by industrial cables hanging like bunting. Bardax thought to look for a switch to activate the old lighting strung up in the mine.

Spoiler:

Bardax; Dark Academy; Perception for cave lighting:
0 Success, 5 Advantages



OOC: I went for an average check as there is no pressure and Bardax can take his time but it will be low light conditions (limited light from the morning sun). Please advise/change if anything should be added.

Bardax could not see an obvious switch to power on the old lights. Perhaps the creatures had salvaged such components over the recent years in its abandonment. However in his search he did find a row of old lockers on the inside of the entrance near some old machinery. The bottom two rows looked like they had all been prised open (again, probably the local creatures) but the top row were still intact.

Bardax tried to grip his fingers in each of them to see if they would open. Making his way down the line, none seemed to budge until he got to the last one. With a slight pull, the door fell open quite easily. The lock seemed to have just rusted over time and weakened. Inside, Bardax found a hard hat, some papers (looked like a newspaper of sorts), an empty bottle and a couple of torches.

He took the torches out and clicked the switches to see if they still worked. The bulbs came to life and fired beams of light onto the wall in front of him. Bardax gave a smirk at his luck.

He made his way back over to Raven and waited for him to finish before holding out a torch for him.

[SanguineAngel]

[OOC: Heh, I probably wouldn't have made you roll for this - but absolutely, you can use your Advantage to locate a couple of torches. A little extra info for your keen eyes too.]

Raven, the trek over to the mine passed in a daze for you - your mind was elsewhere. It took considerable effort [2 strain] but you tapped into the future once more. Your vision tunnels down into darkness. You fall helplessly, as you might on waking from a dream but with it you feel invigorated, powerful. But another lurks out of sight, a mighty presence prowling in the inky blackness. You land with an impact like hitting plascrete but continue to plunge. You come to, gasping for air, to find yourself standing beside Bardax inside the cave.

[Raven, the presence you felt was deeply unsettling. I need you make an Easy (P) Fear Check if you would please.]

Daylight does not intrude far into the cave entrance. Cool air brushes your faces and there is an unsteady dripping that echoes around you. Bardax notices a string of, most likely, antiquated lighting attached to the ceiling of the cave. As it is a natural formation here, the ceiling is uneven and in places quite low. The ground has been levelled and worn. There are more definite rail tracks through the ground here leading from outside further into the cave.

The lockers that line the wall of a small recess by the entrance are entirely dilapidated. It is only the strength of the mineral deposits coating them that likely keeps them standing. The torches you find inside are little more than bulky powerpacks with a handle attached to the top and the light source at one end (Encumbrance 1) but they are still working after all this time and powerful too. You can see significantly further than the lightsabers would illuminate.

The floor is slimey with mud and other deposits. In the torchlight you can make out the tracks of someone moving through the cave recently - though the tracks are irregular, as if stumbling or with a severe limp.

You know from the map that there is a larger chamber ahead, through irregular passages. The rail tracks proceed through the largest passage, dead ahead. Although the language of the map was indecipherable, and you were therefore unable to identify and key areas, you know that there are five levels in this mine before you reach the long mine shaft. The five levels were comprised mainly of regular, man made passages and there were several 'rooms' on each level. These could be explored with some thoroughness if you wish, though that may considerably slow your progress. [A Hard (RPPbb) Survival check with 2 boost from your map knowledge. And I would flip a Destiny Point.]

(OOC: Otherwise, if you wish to look for something in particular, or to head for a specific location, let me know. No check to reach any particular location from the map. If you want to look for something else in particular - a location not previously identified for instnace, that may require a check depending on context.)

[crazybirdman]

Raven snaps out of his vision, and attempts to shake off the effects of the chill it gave him . .

Spoiler:

Raven; Dark Academy; Discipline: Fear check:
1 Success, 1 Advantage

OOC: I would definitely like to remove a strain.

When the real world comes back into focus, he is standing in a cave, with Bardax looking at him and handing him a torch. He takes it, and scan the area to orient himself.

[Azzranache]

"I think our best bet is the massive chamber at the base of that shaft we saw on the map" Bardax suggests to Raven.

"Seemed like the most important place, maybe we'll get lucky and there's some leftovers just hanging around!" he jokes scratching the back of his head.

"First thing's first though.. We need to locate that main shaft."

And with that, he steps forward and starts his journey into the depth of the cave.

[SanguineAngel]

Raven, your vision was scary but you marshalled your fear and regained your composure (recovered 1 strain. now at 4).

Your torches illuminate the main passageway clearly but are less effective in the larger cavern at its end. Sweeping your torch beams around, you can see that the walls of this cavern have obviously been worked extensiveley, with hollows, ramps and ledges carved into the rock all around, up into the darkness above. You torch beams are not strong enough to reach the top of this cavern.

At the far end of the cavern, five square(ish) passaged lead further into the mine. These are obviously manmade, being regular and even. The central passage leads directly to the shaft to the other levels. A rail track continues to run along the floor. Although the passages are regular, there is scoring and bore holes all over the walls where miners have presumably extracted material. Larger passages extend horizontally where a larger vein has been pursued.

When you reach the terminal shaft, you find metal scaffolding bolted into the rock forming an open framed elevator shaft. The elevator is not on this level. A call button stands to the right of the elevator shaft, encased in so much calcifaction as to almost appear at first glance like a natural rock formation.

[SanguineAngel]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mines....

Sul Dymos, you find yourself in a dire situation. Sent here on your final exam in order to retrieve a kyber crstal you have ended up lost and alone. You are surrounded by darkness. The rock walls are damp, the air is cool. With no map to guide you, you cannot be sure of where you are or make your way back to your point of entry. Without action, your prospects look bleak. [OOC: Please take an Average (PP) Fear test. You may use Cool or Discipline]

What will you do?

[LaGouache]

Sul awakes in the dark and the cold. His head aches.
I must have fainted He says to himself, before realizing he his still lost in this mine, alone.

Spoiler:

Sul Dymos; Dark Academy; Fear test (Discipline):
0 Success, 0 Advantage

Sul have troubles keeping his calm. He feverishly catches his lightsaber at his belt and ignites it.
I don't know if there's anything down there, and this light might definitely bring them to me ... but I still prefer to know what will kill me than to wait for the death in the dark" he thinks.

While his eyes get used to the dim light of the saber, he starts examining his surroundings

[LaGouache]

Sul opens his eyes wide to try to locate anything useful to help him make his way in the mine

Spoiler:

Sul Dymos; Dark Academy; Perception Check:
1 Success, 1 Advantage

[SanguineAngel]

Despite being somewhat unnerved, Sul, you take careful stock of your situation. You have located yourself in a small room off one of the well constructed mine passages. Inside the room is what remains of a set of furniture here, with a table, chair and parhaps a cabinet along one wall. This has the feel of an admin office perhaps. The furniture has gone to ruin, the chair collapsed and and material long since turned to much. The cabintet is covered in so much mineral deposit that it could easily be mistaken for a rock feature.

The mine's passages themselves are very carefully constructed with plasticrete arched supports at regular intervals and smooth walls between. Those walls are still cold and damp but clearly not active mining surfaces. Through the doorway, in the light of your saber, you can see that a number of coloured lines mark the floor. One such line (blue) branches off into the room you are currently in and is marked by a couple of unusual characters - perhaps numbers or letters.

In the corridor there are 4 colours in all on the floor - Red, Yellow, Blue and Green. If you lean out into the passageway, you can feel that breeze flowing past from right to left. You also note that the coloured lines continue in both directions. More writing appears in the lines, paired with directional arrows. The Red, Blue and Green have arrows in both directions. The Yellow points only to the right. There are a number of other open doorways along this corridor visible from here.

There are light fittings embedded into the ceiling above and a light switch by the door in the room. However, there's no power to activate the lights.

[Azzranache]

Bardax manages to just make out the encrusted call button to the elevator and strikes it with the butt of his heavy torch. It doesn't seem to do much at first other than a few flakes and dust particles falling away, however after a few more firm hits, chucks of crumbly calcium start to chip and break away. Eventually after a 8 or so good strikes, the casing falls away reveiling a dusty looking button.

Bardax turns to look at Raven and shrugs as if to imply that it looks simple enough to operate.

He reaches out and presses the button then pulls away slowly waiting for something to happen.

[SanguineAngel]

The button depresses with a satisfying click and... Nothing happens.

As you have chipped away at the call button you now notice a thick insulated cable running down the back of the pole, across the floor and the up the wall, snaking into the lift shaft and disappearing above.

Leaning out into the shaft and looking up, you are buffeted by an up draft, but there is an opening above. Another level that doesn't look as if the lift would travel to. There is a ladder situated inside the shaft to the right of you. It looks rusty.

[crazybirdman]

Raven waits for Bardax to get clear, then gives the ladder a push with his walking stick to see if it will give easily.

[SanguineAngel]

The ladder rattles alarmingly as you prod it. You can hear clattering below, as piece of metal bounce off each other. It's too dark to see if that's pieces falling off.

The ladder does not look terribly secure. It might hold a person's weight with luck. It is, however, nestled in between the lift shaft scaffolding that it also bolted into the rock face.

[crazybirdman]

Raven looks dissaprovingly at the ladder and says, "I think I will pass on taking ladder down. Did you pack any rope? "

[LaGouache]

Sul approches his saber from the symbols to see if he could recognize the alphabet

Spoiler:

Sul Dymos; Dark Academy; Knowledge (Education):
1 Failure, 2 Threats

The symbols are totally new to Sul and he could recognize none of them.
While trying to read the symbols to the dim light of his saber, the blade touches the walls of the doorway, and part of it starts to fall apart ...

OCC : Is the threat use ok ? If not we'll change it

[SanguineAngel]

In the isolated silence of the mine down here there is quite a loud crash as a significant chunk of masonry collapses above the doorway. Ordinarily, your training saber would not be enough to actually destroy anything like masonry. It is a testament of how damp and decrepit these mines are that a small knock is enough to crumble the doorframe. Unfortunately, as part of the frame falls away so does part of the wall above it. The noise is sudden and alarming. There follows a low rumble... Is that the noise echoing down the mine? Or something else?

[SanguineAngel]

Raven, Bardax, as you examine the mine the lift shaft you hear a distant rumble from somewhere below. The source is unclear.

[Azzranache]

"Lucky for us, one of us came prepared!" Bardax smirked.

He rummages around in his pack for the climbing gear and begins to start fixing up the equipment (including fixing his torch to his forearm). He takes a grip of the rope and gives a firm tug to ensure everything is secure.

"Right, you ready?"

Bardax starts to descend down into the shaft however just as he is halfway in, there is a noise below. He looks up with a puzzled look at Raven and then down the shaft but it is too dark to see anything.

"We might not be alone in here..." he mutters as he continues to absail down and disappears from sight.

[crazybirdman]

Raven chuckles and says, "Then I am glad you went first brother. Play nice with your new friend."

[LaGouache]

Sul trembles at the sound of the rumble echoing in the mine. The dust falling from the collapsing structure burns his throat as he tries to refrain his coughs.
While he gets his senses back, Sul decides that he should keep moving before anything collapses for good.

Well he thinks to himself, I should follow one of these color lines. The blue seems to end here, maybe one other end is at the exit.
A light breeze flows from the right
Let's get to the right, I cannot stay there anymore, I need fresh air