[OPEN]

[cantgetanyworse]

WHO: Jane Porter & YOU(????)
WHERE: The Dwemer Ruins, inside & outside
WHEN: During event (can work around when people want to show up!)
WHAT: Exploring, because Jane never really learns her lesson about not getting herself into trouble.
WARNINGS: None yet!

--

i. outside

[Even before she enters the large, brassy-coloured door she's already scribbling notes and gasping softly at the sheer scale of the thing. She takes the odd rubbing here, the odd sketch there, measuring the width of the door with her hand (wider than the full span, thumb to forefinger), and then...

Then, she dithers, because although she came here fully prepared for an adventure - sensibly dressed, wearing strong shoes, with some supplies - she does have the self-control to at least temporarily second-guess the idea of venturing into a place like this entirely unaccompanied. Who knows what might be in there!

But then... who knows what might be in there?]

Alright, Miss Porter. [She says, straightening her rucksack across her shoulders.] Let's go and see what all the hullabaloo's about.

ii. it's a trap!

[So far, so good. It's difficult to open the doors on her own, but she's been managing to create gaps just wide enough for her to slip her slim frame through. Her initial eager scratching of pencil to paper has turned to simple, mute wonder at the magnitude of the place the further she's walked down into it, through wide stone halls lined with heavy, steaming pipes and down shallow ramps and staircases.

She pauses at the top of a particular set of stairs. There's a strange track running down the centre of it, and it's enough to have her pursing her lips and taking a step back. Not so reckless as to take on something so suspicious without due care but not wanting to turn around either, she creeps her way forwards and presses close to the wall, inching along carefully.

Then, a click, a clunk, and a dreadful swooshing sound and suddenly there are blades emerging from inside the stairs, spinning an all too deadly path towards her.

Jane does what any sensible person would do in that situation.]

Oh, dear. [She says, then she lets out a strangled shriek and bolts down the rest of the way, certain that any moment she's going to feel the dreadful things across the back of her legs.

But she's faster than the old steam-powered trap and makes it away unscathed. The blades retract, relative silence falling once again, just in time for her to see another person reach the top of the ramp.]

Ah, be careful!

iii. that's no statue

[She's found herself in a large room full of hissing and distant clunking. The sounds of the ruins have mostly faded into the background by now, and she takes a seat on one of the stone benches to have a break and munch thoughtfully on an apple she'd had stowed away in her rucksack.]

Maybe some kind of meeting hall... or a place of worship?

[Come to think of it, she's seen nothing at all down here to suggest that whoever or whatever lived here worshipped any kind of deity at all.]

Probably a meeting hall. They could have orated from up there... [She allows herself a giddy little smile, though it fades as she notices something - another noise over the hisssss-clunk-hiss rhythm of the ancient machinery.

A kind of strange... rolling, scuttling noise.]

... What is that..?

iv. the oculory

[It is, in the end, the reward for her exploring (as far as she's concerned). A button pressed, a deep pit of spiral stairs opened, and she had ventured carefully down into the silent darkness that it offered.

Below, she'd entered a large, open room and she had gasped. Sunlight somehow managed to make its way here, filtering through large panes of green glass suspended on brassy supports over what might have once been a map... now too faded and worn to be read at all (though she tries, regardless).]

An orrery? [She has to wonder out loud, excitement and wonder gathering in her chest like a tangible, solid thing. Jane wonders, then she shakes her had.] No-- no, this isn't a planetary system-- Oh, goodness.

[The remoteness of it and the initially sealed door have left the place safe from the machines roaming the halls above her (something to think about while she's trying to leave, but not just yet) and Jane seats herself in this place for some time, making sketches and notes or simply enjoying the peaceful aura that it gives off.

At least, until she hears movement by the door.]

Oh-- if you're one of those horrible spider things again, I'm going to--

Comments

iv

[hampire]

[As it turns out, the movement she hears is not one of those horrible spider things, but instead, a rather adorable-looking small black cat, who's approaching her gingerly.

Opening its mouth, it looks as though it's about to meow piteously... but instead, actually speaks, with a deep melodious voice and a proper English accent.]

Not at all, dear lady! Please don't do anything we'll both regret.

[cantgetanyworse]

[And, as it turns out, this isn't the first animal that Jane has seen speak. The last one was a snake, and a demon, and she manages not to look too surprised.]

Ah--... Hello.

[She'd half-risen from her seat, but she sinks back down with a relieved exhale.]

Good. I'm not sure what I'd do if one of them managed to corner me in here. Perhaps they can't manage the stairs.

[hampire]

[Under normal circumstances ('normal' being back at home in his own world), speaking whilst in animal form was not a thing he would generally do, except in select circumstances, as people there were not apt to take it well, to say the least. Here however, it's a different story entirely.

Satisfied she isn't about to shoot/hex/swing a stick at him, he jumps up on the bench as well, sitting on his haunches and calmly licking a paw.]

They do seem to be rather ungainly. Very... steampunk? Is that the term?

[cantgetanyworse]

[Ah, but he's such a cute kitty... It's only the fact he's talking, and therefore clearly sapient, that keeps her from reaching out and giving him a little scratch behind the ears.]

Oh... I'm not sure. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that word.

['Steampunk'. Hmm. She looks around speculatively.]

This room looks like an orrery, but I've never heard of anything quite like it.

I.

[biochemastery]

[[OOC note: Tyl is wearing Body #2 here today.]]

It's about time he takes a look at one of these anomalies to see what all the fuss is about. Strange creatures manifesting in the cities, strange energies changing people? Feh. That's normal behavior when a Void Fissure opens up. Best stay away from those, lest he get zapped himself.

Reports of ruins appearing, though, that perks him up. Where? How? How much useless gold do they have lying around?

No gold, when he finally gets to one. Covered in an odd alloy instead. Heavy stuff, though he pushes the doors open without much of a strain. Looks crude, looks like brass, but you can't make machinery like this out of brass! It's everywhere, old and abandoned, but all the cogs have kept the points on their teeth, and tik-tik-tik their way along quite happily.

His own little metal feet tik-tik-tik on the stone floor, blending in with the ambient sounds of this mystery outpost. His muttering, however, does not.

"This place. Pulled through a fissure somehow? Portal malfunction? Void storm? Not my field, not my science, never had a need for it. Can't speculate, don't have the sensors to snatch those readings. Machines, though--that's my turf. And I say you can't power this stuff with steam. Especially not without geothermal, this area's too stable for that! Unless this thing goes down deep--Ooh. Hope it does. Could use a place like this. Somewhere just for--"

And then he's rudely interrupted, first by a human, then by--"Oh, that's just precious." He watches the trap slide out of the floor, fascinated. "What adorable little ankle-choppers. I want these in the apartment. Might keep the neighbors out."

Just when the blades should have hit him, there's no crunch or bang or anything. He's simply gone, within the space of a blink.

...Only to blink back into existence a few feet away from the human with an odd rustling noise of energy and displaced air. "Won't keep me out though," the deep voice purring from behind his white mask sounds very pleased with himself. "Or you, whoever you are. That's your cue for introductions, by the way."

[cantgetanyworse]

Jane is sure she's about to see something terrible happen, but the-- the person disappears instead, and she can't quite hold in the squeak of surprise. Not the strangest thing she's seen since she's been here, certainly, but... strange enough to shoot her heart up into her throat, especially when he reappears barely three feet from her.

She steps back neatly - not a jump, but close - and brings her hand to her chest as her heart skips against her ribs. Part surprise, part the excitement and danger of nearly having her feet amputated.

"I don't know why you'd think I was here to keep you out," she says, a little wide-eyed at the idea. Oh, she can be incredibly brave when she has people around her to back her up, but somewhere like this... she is all too aware of her vulnerability.

"And I do believe I'd like your name before I give you mine, sir."

[biochemastery]

"No, you're not," he agrees, glowing yellow lenses of his mask turning to watch the trap as it slides back into the floor. "You're down here, which means you got past that thing. Good for you."

"Since you asked politely," he turns back to the human, bringing a metal hand to his chest. "Chief Researcher Tyl Regor. How d'you think that thing's activated? Pressure plates under the stone? Optical sensors? Magnetic interference?" Yes, he's immediately forgotten that introductions are supposed to have two sides to them. Can't keep track of those things when there's something to hypothesize about!

[cantgetanyworse]

Good for-- hm. She's not sure if she should feel as if she's being insulted or not, but she takes the name and makes a mental note of it. With no chance to give her own in return, she finds herself immediately drawn into the theories of how such a trap might work.

"It seemed to set off when I got too close to it," she tells him, moving up to his side but making sure to not get too close to the thing again.

"But this looks like a passage that lots of people would have used, so how did it know I wasn't supposed to be here?"

ii

[desmodusdraculae]

[Kirk was admittedly curious about the ruins, and had poked his head in there in an attempt to figure out just what they are, outside of something out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. What truly drives him deeper, however, is the sound of shrieking just barely in earshot. He rushes through to see what made the sound... and is surprised to see Jane at the bottom of the stairs.]

Jane? What are you--?

[Stepping forward, he accidentally triggers the trap she had been trying to warn him about with a clunk. Kirk doesn't wait to see what the noise is--he leaps away from the noise, grabbing a notch in the wall for a second before kicking off and leaping over the first blade. A second later and he's dodges the second with another well-timed leap. In another moment he lands next to Jane.]

I should get one to replace my home gym.

[It's said dryly as he glares down at the now retracting blades.]

[cantgetanyworse]

[It's not without a faint drop of her jaw that she watches Kirk avoid the trap with a display of astonishing acrobatics. Now, if she had been able to do that... she would have had no trouble at all.]

Goodness. [She says as he lands beside her, and she watches the blades retract in and leave that suspicious-looking opening down the centre of the ramp. Her lips purse briefly.]

I'm glad you can see the humour in it, Mr. Langstrom. I quite nearly lost my feet!

[desmodusdraculae]

You develop pretty quick reflexes after years of people trying to kill you.

[A serum turning you half-vampire certainly helps too... but the near-death experiences helped him to learn to move without thinking too much about what's after him.]

Are you all right?

[cantgetanyworse]

Oh-- ah, yes, I suppose you would.

[Grimace. Sometimes she does forget that some people come from worlds far, far more dangerous than her own.]

I think I'm fine. I... I'm not sure how I'm going to get back up there, but I wasn't intending to turn around just yet.

ii

[monster_san]

[The ruins attracted Fuu's attention, not being the kind of thing you usually see appear out of nowhere in contemporary America. It seems clear that this is the result of another warping in reality.

She's fairly confident in her ability to get away safely if she runs into anything dangerous, so she's lightly scouting the place, wondering if there's some way to make it go away--puzzles, or the like. She's aware that it's thinking in a very RPG fashion, and she is very cautious of that, but she ought to find out one way or the other.

When she hears the sound of mechanics, she goes to investigate, and gasps as she sees a young woman fleeing some kind of blade trap. It's too late for Fuu to do much but watch, but thankfully she gets away in time.]

Are you all right, miss?! [yeah, she is staying Right Here at the top of the ramp, thank you.] That looked dangerous!

[cantgetanyworse]

I dare say that 'dangerous' is a scandalous understatement. [Jane replies, slightly out of breath from her sudden burst of speed and the adrenaline suddenly pumping through her body.

How she's going to get back up there hasn't crossed her mind quite yet, but she's sure she'll think of something.]

But yes, I'm quite alright, thank you. It seemed to trigger when I got too close, so if you stay right along the wall...

[Maybe.]

[monster_san]

[Maybe. Fuu eyes the mechanism with suspicion. She doesn't feel she can just leave this woman on the other side of it, though. She's probably capable enough if she's got the confidence to explore in here, but it's really better not to go alone into what seems like, for all intents and purposes, an RPG-like dungeon.

It's kind of a shame she doesn't have the Outsider's borrowed power anymore. Teleporting would be handy right now. As it is, she gets as flat to the wall as she can, stepping up on the edge of the stairs. She edges her way down with care and by halfway it seems like it's going to work--and then her foot slips onto the step with an imperceptible sound, and the blades click.

Fuu bolts for it immediately, jumping down the steps two at a time as the blades whir behind her, feeling VERY glad that she's reasonably athletic and not letting her think about other things until she reaches the bottom and stumbles to a halt, panting.]

I don't think this security system is in compliance with safety laws....

[cantgetanyworse]

I don't think that safety laws crossed the minds of whoever built it.

[She puts her hand on the other woman's shoulder, just for a moment as a small gesture of solidarity (and slight apology, given she had been the one to urge the attempt in the first place). The blades, once they reach the bottom of the stairs, once again slide back to their hiding place and Jane lets out a slow, careful breath.]

It isn't the only trap I've seen, but a lot of them are terribly obvious. More like deterrents than something meant to kill.

[Slow, easily spotted, placed over oddly positioned chests or visible against walls and hung from ceilings. This is the first one that's caught her out.]

... I suppose they might get more deadly as we go further in.

i

[perfectlyhuman]

[ It should come as no surprise that Adam Young would end up checking out the ruins. Of all the things that are happening in increasingly rapid succession, this is one of the more easily actionable, and also it makes him think of Indiana Jones and a bunch of mummy curse stories.

It's unclear how long he's been there, or if he just walked up or not. But he's only a couple of feet from her when he speaks. ]

What do you think is in there?

[cantgetanyworse]

Oh, I'm sure I have no idea at all, but won't it be terribly interesting to find out?

[Jane, her appreciation for adventure apparently not at all dulled by almost dying not too long ago, turns to Adam with a sunny smile and her notebook clutched to her chest.]

Should we take a look?

[perfectlyhuman]

[ The idea of exploring some old ruins that suddenly appeared overnight is already interesting, but Jane's excitement is infections, specially for a small, odd child. He grins. ]

Yeah. Do you think there's treasure in there?

[cantgetanyworse]

I think there's certainly something in there, and if nothing else, it should be quite the adventure. [She crinkles her nose when she smiles again.]

I think I have enough in my bag for both of us. Do you want to go in?

i

[a_good]

[Jane isn't the only one here taking notes. There's someone perched on a nearby rock, apparently making a drawing. He's tall enough to be an adult, and dressed neatly with a button-down shirt and sweater, but his face clearly marks him as in his very early teens. He stops what he's doing to observe Jane's methods.]

You haven't seen anything like it before either?

[cantgetanyworse]

No, never. It's... no, not even like any of the ancient civilisations of the American or African continents. [Maybe... the decoration on the doors is a little like that, but nothing so ornate has ever been found.]

It's beautiful... and looks like it was supposed to make a statement.

iii.

[slapfight]

[The ruins haven't been what Peridot expected, though she's been fascinated by them, all the same. There's something very archaic about it all, but she's pinpointed several things she can almost recognize.]

There's so much metal... [She muses to herself. Gems have never really used metal quite like this, but it's still too strange and foreign to be even remotely close to a human establishment.

Her musing is cut off by the sudden scuttling arounds, and she squeaks and barrels out of where she was examining some of the grating, only to find herself face to face with a random human.

The strange spider-like creature and the creepy statue follow her out and, sweating, Peridot throws her arms in front of the squishy human.] Don't worry! I can protect you!

[cantgetanyworse]

[She's thinking more and more that she should have never come down here at all. Jane just about managed to scoop up her bag before she started to run, only to almost trip over a small--

person

directly in front of her as she flees. Her first instinct is to just keep going, but she can't just-- She can't just leave the person trying to save her to face those things entirely alone.

A noise escapes her - anxiety and concern combined - and she stops running.]

Oh, please be careful!

[slapfight]

I'll be fine! I'm a Crystal Ge- EUUUGH. [She's cut off as one of the spider-things attempts to jab at her and she only barely manages to roll out of its way, thrusting her hands up and hoping she can just push the darn thing away. The spider doesn't budge in either direction, but as soon as Peridot falters, it and the Sphere are coming back around to flank the two of them.]

I-I'll get it in a second. It doesn't always work when I'm nervous. [Stupid metal powers. She's never tried using them on things that are actually moving either, and this is a terrible time to learn she might have limits.]