Active [Continental Lake] A Malignant Infection, The Shroud of an Abyss

[Giftvi]

Note: This RP takes place within the setting of Isekai Hell. If you're interested in this RP, or in the general setting of the universe, please check out the link above to learn more! This specific RP will be a 1×1 with Baharius, at the moment it is not receiving other participants unless the interest is there, and they personally request to join in due time before things start off properly.

Posting Pace will likely stick to 2–4 days per cycle, due to not wanting to overwork myself by attempting to keep up with a daily pace, lest I can definitely find the time for it early. If you request further time, please let me know. Overall, this RP will be dealing with some political history of the Republic of Kuridan and the See of Chearon. As well as the current situation regarding the Protectorate of Ryke due to the Great War of 50 years ago. Tone would be light-hearted, or at moments leading into thriller.

Setting: Baharius has been summoned by the Ryke Adventurer’s guild after his work participating in the battle against the Scourge. Though he was not solely invited for this specific request. Nevertheless, his particular skills were most wanted, due to his expertise of fighting whilst submerged underwater. For undisclosed reasons to Baharius no word has been said as to why the “Trench Wanderers” have no intent on cooperating with this issue. The request in nature was to deal with lost cargo, further information was to be divulged on a later note.

Location: Coastal Harbour of Nara no Nox Shogunate, Eastern Republic of Kuridan, bordering on the Gloomhold Swamp and the end point of the Kabnak River (the largest river travelling through Ryke which supports the economy of Azuran, Ryken and other settlements).
Time of Day: 1:10 PM
Participant(s): Develius
Weather: Warm and Sunny; Tropical humidity and Clear weather; Fluffy clouds on the horizon and a steady temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius
Current Goal(s): Form a cooperative relationship with your coworkers for this operation, and get briefed on the job at hand.

​

A party of four had gathered on the peer. Derelict vegetation coasted on the water surface here, where the water slowly began to get deeper and deeper, and the many trees belonging to the Gloomhold Swamp began to wane. It was quiet, none of the individuals gave any stares, if in fact outsiders were welcomed or accepted with open arms, if they weren’t stingy at least. After all, this place was neither a town nor a village, but rather a small harbour more akin to a hamlet than anything else. A stopping point rather for ships making their way across.

All the buildings themselves were new, nor was it any surprise as to why, before the Great War had broken out, the Kabnak River had mostly been Chearon territory. A people infamous for their unwillingness to participate in trade. So the river had never truly been utilized to such an extent till only a few decades ago now. Which resulted in any all trade immediately going to Takigahara, a city rich in history prior to the Great War, and one which found itself ample with opportunity for sudden growth.

The air was muggy and uncomfortable to those who were less suited to such humidity in the tropical zone around the Continental Lake itself. Or quite comfortably to those of cold-blooded nature instead. A couple odd stares went in the direction of Baharius, whose visage was neither an impossibility, yet still a rarity. Many countryside folk likely never having encountered a saurian after all. But sights of strange folk in this world were not uncommon at all, so it was but brief before they gathered themselves once more to their daily tasks. Some of the few children playing around did however tug upon Baharias on his way to the pier, asking all sorts of odd questions on where he was from, or what he was doing here. Their minds full of curiosity.

Since just briefly ago, together with Baharius were two distinct individuals. A feminine otter beastkin, who did not stand out for the singular fact they looked not to be from the Republic of Kuridan itself, rather to be from Ryke perhaps, evident by their manner of dress. And the other who had kept quiet, a long curly haired man of sun-tanned skin, who seemed to give little care for their appearance, yet was adorned with jewellery. Garbed singularly in a short skirt length tunic or dress, revealing their scars and the weapons at their side.

Slowly they’d begin to hear the loud footsteps of wooden sandals hitting the crickety old pier upon which they stood.

“Good to see that all three of you are here. As you might understand, this mission is on a tight-schedule, but perhaps a small team would be more befitting some of your personal interests.”

Ayumu Fukuzawa
​

A young lupine beastkin of grey fur made himself known. His appearance was well-kept and showed immediate affluence, such was unquestionable, the dark blue kimono covered all underneath the neck, and a small pair of spectacles sat upon his snout. The unmatted fur, which showed to have been brushed with a frequency. And lastly the white teeth as he gave a courteous smile. “Let me introduce myself, Ayumu Fukuzawa, I’ll represent your employers. Before we got to any further lengths,” Out of a small satchel hanging off his sash he procured a wooden tablet upon which sheet of parchment was pinned to, “I will require your sign here, it may be unusual but due to circumstances we will need all of you to sign a magical gag order so to say on what you may see during this mission, sign it and put a droplet of your blood upon the written sign, and it will combust into flame to show proper procedure has been followed. Read the contract with all the time you need, but please be understanding it's a measure of personal security.”

As he said, he handed over the parchment pinned on the wooden tablet to the man of matted hair. Before producing a small ink pen and an azure pot of magical ink, one might recognise to be similarly used in the magical contracts used by the Ororoot Empire or sometimes referred to as the Jade Coast. Dipping the pen before having it over, the ink itself seemed to shimmer with a soft glow and sparkled as if it was made out of precious gems.

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Giftvi |
​

---

Several Days Prior...​

Having survived the perils of the raid into the Scourge's hive, Baharius and his team emerged from the depths to see the overall operation fall into chaos. While their sister team - the bombers - had successfully activated a bomb, only two out of the six members survived. The rest perished to the bugs, with claims of sabotage comitted by one of their own. In fact, it appeared this was a problem not wholly unique to them; having been operated on multiple fronts. For instance, he heard of a nearby supply camp had been razed to the ground after some sort of a disagreement. Purposeful or not, whispers of foul play by an unknown party were present. Though who was responsible was left ambiguous.

Yet apparently that wouldn't be the worst of it... for he'd also heard how a major party of powerful players had been claimed to be completely wiped out by stronger bugs within. Or perhaps, according to skeptics, even sabotaged themselves. Compared to these factors, Rico's Raid had been the most merciful, if not downright lucky. They only suffered one casualty, with everyone else surviving with mostly minimal injuries or destroyed armor. The latter was the saurian's case. And as far as they knew, no one in their party sprouted any treasonous thoughts. That, or the bugs killed the traitor before he could enact his plans. They'll never know.

Regardless, Baharius could see the writing on the walls... and he didn't like their odds. Though at this point he had done his duty. This was no longer any concern of his. So as he and the others were given new orders, the saurian snorted before announcing his departure in accordance to the deal. He was given his respected payment... alongside a compensational bonus: a suit of unique Eastern Empire armor. It too was made of bronze, just like his old suit, while able to repair itself outside of combat. A worthy replacement for what was already a battered suit.

With this in tow, Baharius would then set off to new ventures...

---

Present Day...​

Word of the saurian's accomplishments would get around quick, eventually reaching the ears of Ryke's Adventurer's Guild. While Baharius was no stranger to them, having encountered plenty of other guild members during his travels, this would technically be his first time officially working with the guild itself. First time for everything he supposed. While they commemorated his sheer strength and raw power, they also saw Baharius for his skills in aquatic combat given his semi-aquatic biology. Where he was headed should put that use to good use; the Gloomhold Swamp. His mission? Something having to do with lost cargo. A seemed like a simple task, but it'll work as a starting quest to get in the door...

Of course, the veteran saurian figured from experience that something else had to be going on, but he decided going along with it anyways. At least it ought to be better then the bugs...

As the wooden rickety dock creaked under his immense bulk, Baharius found himself basking in familiar weather as he made his way towards the rendezvous point. This place reminded him of home... the vast wetlands near the ghost of the Afroiyan Kingdom. The smells, the temperature, the humidity... for most this would be surely unpleasant. A Green hell even. But for the saurian, he'd have no such burdens. While he still felt others in this tiny little hamlet gazing upon him with the familiar strange stares and glances, the sailed-back saurian didn't brush an eye at their silent remarks. At the least most here were other beastfolk, like himself, rather than the human dominated areas of Ryke. He blended in a whole lot better here then there.

The children here were also innocent and friendly enough, playing around the big lug as they asked who he was and why he was here, amongst a myriad of other adorable questions. The gentle beast gave them a toothy smile and some vague answers as he walked, patting a few on the head and letting them ride his long webbed tail before their parents came over to stop them from bothering him. Of course, walking alongside him were two other guild mates heading towards the same area - a tanned human male and a feminine otterfolk. None looked too remarkable in appearance, but the saurian acknowledged them kindly before their fourth and final member would step forth.

Alongside the clattering of wooden sandals.

Introducing himself as Ayumu Fukuzawa, the young finely dressed lupine didn't hesitate in introducing himself as their employers, before showing them a contract that they needed to sign... alongside a droplet of blood within the signature to confirm it. The saurian gave a concerned grumble at the back of his throat as he proceeded to read it carefully. "Gag order, huh?" the saurian inquired while he read the fine print. He gave an airy chuckle. "For missing cargo? Hmph... sounds like yer pretty uptight about whatever you're carrying. Must be reaaaaal important..." He then flicks out a hook-shaped claw from his left hand, as he loomed it over his hand...

Then his expression glanced over slyly towards Ayumu, laced with a dash of subtle yet inquiring [Intimidation D]. "Now tell me... before I proceed forth... What's all this really about, hm?"

 

[Giftvi]

Republic of Kuridan
Coastal Harbour of Nara no Nox Shogunate, Eastern Republic of Kuridan, bordering on the Gloomhold Swamp and the end point of the Kabnak River

Ambience

Ayumu Fukuzawa

​

The tanned human man of rugged nature, whose name Baharius had not yet obtained, seemed to ponder for a moment himself as he held the contract in his hand. His gaze falling upon the lupine individual standing before him at this moment, though barely visible under the tufts of hair which covered most of his face in such a chaotic manner. Briefly directing such attention towards Baharius who had taken the initiative to participate in the conversation, and perhaps strangely leaving little attention towards the contract in his possession itself.

Similarly, the otter beastkin, seemed to have been slow on saying anything of her own, though her expression seemed more contemplative, and her attention was mostly trained upon Ayumu as if inspecting him thoroughly for whatever reason. Something had at least caught her interest.

Ayumu's brow visibly raised, yet his expression stayed unmoveable for a moment, even as Baharius not only laced his words with an aggressive intent perhaps not meant in any sense of physical altercation. Yet certainly in a manner which was threatening him, or rather attempting to exemplify the dynamic to be more equal than simply one of employer and one who was hired to simply do as they were. Before the unmoved expression faltered and a slight nervousness seemed to arise from a momentary visible twitch, as a cocked grin which displayed his toothy maw once more appeared on his face. As if trying to cover it up with a facade of confidence when faced with an individual whose brawn could cleave him in twain at this moment. Though of course, such a course of action would never occur, less Baharius would want to ruin his own reputation.

“Now, I will explain as much as I can, but I want to clarify. It is not my own cargo. I'll simply be the messenger for who will pay you for your troubles. So far, only the truth has been spoken; all other information withheld was out of a sake for privacy. My employer, an important business owner from Takigahara, a few kilometres to the west of here, is an important individual who handles some trade coming from up there.” He says as he points towards the east, though of course not visible at this moment, but in reference towards the Kahvak river. “A private ship of theirs sailed through the continental lake three days ago, estimated about five kilometres to the south-west from this location. Estimated, due to the fact it likely sunk, as an individual from this harbour found wreckage debris washed ashore, specifically a part of the bow. Which had been ripped off and found with punctures in the wood. Now we had faced trouble before, within this area over the last few months, but losses were minimal. The only ships which were targeted before were small ships bigger than fishing boats and smaller than Fluyts. Anything around the size of the latter was spared such a worrisome fate.”

Ayumu gave a short pause, as he remained quiet, perhaps wondering how much further he should inform Baharius of the ongoing situation, “Importantly, whereas before we had ignored the issue due to mismanagement, the contents of the cargo as I was told this time around could not simply be ignored. Investigating the area where the ship likely had sunk to find the cargo is to be the main priority. Additional reward will be given if the cause is investigated, any corpses are rescued, or if you deal with the cause yourselves.” Once more he gave pause, but rather now his eyes shot towards the contract in the hands of the man next to Baharius. “Now if you'd please sign.” He said, looking quite intently to each member.

The man gave a slight pause before writing upon the contract, and nicking his thumb with the blade at his side. As the bloody thumb pressed upon the writing, it shined a pearlescent light for a moment, before dimming once more. Before giving it to the otter beastkin at his side, who repeated the same action, only after having spent a few moments globally reading the contents. As the contract was handed over to Baharius, whether he would sign would be up to him. However, the abbreviated contents of the contract would laud as such: “Eiko Inoue, hereby guarantees that if the contractee(s) succeed in the mission to retrieve the private cargo of the “Nanami”, the ship which was utilised for transferring the cargo and has sunk in the continental, to be paid an appropriate sum in Ryke as well as a hearty recommendation to an employer of their own preference. Additional faculties such as recovering the crew of the “Nanami” as well as investigating or dealing with the cause of the incident will applaud a better payment. To assist in the difficulties with this mission, the retainer of miss Inoue also known as Ayumu Fukuzawa will give each participating contractee a magical item to be ingested to deal with the difficulties of underwater pressure and breathing.” Furthermore, Baharius would see two names written down upon the parchment: “Athanasius” and “Hua”.

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Giftvi |
​

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Baharius gave a guttural sigh upon listening to the situation. It appeared his tone had rattled the lupine a bit more than he realized. Though in doing so, Baharius felt like he was pushing the tension just a bit too on the nose, even if he had no intentions of initiating any sort of petty conflict. That, or perhaps, the strains from his duty under the Eastern Empire had made him more skeptical than usual. He had to reign it in a tad here; no reason to be rude. He then listened to what Ayumu could reveal on the matter.

What he said appeared to be true, or at the very least checked out with what he was told from the guild report. The ship in question was carrying undisclosed cargo, unmentioned for the sake of the employer's privacy, and was lost due to the sinking of said ship. That part was crystal. Though the following information was new... For while no one knew exactly what sunk it, they were able to find the bow of the ship washed ashore. And it looked as if it was ripped apart by something... supposedly finding puncture marks situated within the wood.

That was crucial information... enough for Baharius to get a good idea about what he truly was here for.

"A monster attack..." the saurian grumbled silently to himself, "No doubt about it..." It wouldn't be his first time tangoing with a dangerous aquatic beast, both here and back on his home world. That said, the last time he engaged with one in the town of Pardan, Ryke - that being a rampaging sea serpent - he was casually flung aside like he was nothing. He couldn't even make a dent through its scaly hide with his sharp claws either. Quite a humiliating and futile display of his aquatic prowess. One could only imagine what sort of water monster was strong enough to cause such damage in this instance... and whether or not someone like himself could stand up to it.

Pfft, of course he should be able to. Surely he's grown stronger since that day... at least enough to make a notable difference depending on what he would face down there.

Though at the end of the day, their primary objective was to retrieve the missing cargo. Finding out and/or dealing with the cause was secondary. Baharius felt satisfied at the notion, as his tensed expression relaxed. He made sure to read the contract fully, ensuring no further surprises could bite him through the fine print. From what he read, most of it remained the same, with the addition of mentioning the name of the lost ship - "Nanami” - and how each participant would be bestowed magical artifacts to ensure they were properly prepared for underwater exploration. The other thing which caught his attention were the two names: “Athanasius” and “Hua”.

Other then that...

Nicking his hand, the saurian drew blood and signed the contract accordingly. "Apologizes for my bluntness." Baharius bowed while wiping off the blood stain from his hand, "Just had to ensure what I was getting into. The employers of my last quest had left some... critical info that we should've known from the start. I don't wish to be in that situation again. Nonetheless, I understand... and agree to the terms provided."

"Just one last thing before we go," the saurian requested as he scanned the contract again, "The names written on the bottom: 'Athansius' and 'Hua'. Who might they be exactly?"

 

[Giftvi]

Republic of Kuridan
Coastal Harbour of Nara no Nox Shogunate, Eastern Republic of Kuridan, bordering on the Gloomhold Swamp and the end point of the Kabnak River

<Ambience>
​

As Baharius wrote down him name upon the bottom of the contract, and planted the blood upon the surface of his name like was instructed, he'd barely have any time besides looking upon the names which were besides own. Barely audibly saying it out loud, before the contract caught aflame in a spark of sapphire blue flame which engulfed every part of the parchment till there was nothing left. Strangely enough, not even the bare ashes of what was once right in his hand remained; nor as the flames flickered and warmed his hands, the actual sensation wouldn't be painful or harmful at all. However, just as Ayumu had stated himself, proper 'procedure' had been followed. As the only evidence of said contract was within the memories of Baharius, and the memories of however else wrote or read that piece of parchment.

As Baharius apologized for his behaviour, a good sum of the tension seem to wane and for the most part Ayumu seemed to give a more acknowledging small towards him. Before Baharius began to see a slightly confused, or perhaps it is better to phrase it as a perplexed, expression that grew on Ayumu's face. Nothing which seemed grim or in any sense nefarious, nor in any sense with bad intent. Just caught-off guard, and just as he seemed to be on the precipice of making a comment, Baharius would rather hear someone right closer to him speak up instead.

Hua

“Hua would be me, big fella. And well, I assume you're Athanasius?” To which the last part of the trio nodded silently, as he peered through the mangles mess of hair draped in front of his face to looked at the both of them, “Well that settles some things I suppose then. With everything sorted of that, what's your name there? You're one of those odd saurian, right? Least, I've not really seen any of your kind before, but you don't look like an off-shoot of most lizard or say an iguana beastfolk to me due to the proportions. I hope you've got plenty of experience in swimming, knowing what we might have to face down there, because I can see you've got muscle aplenty already.” As she spoke, foremost it was apparent a pedigree of confidence was certainly abundant, the manner of which she carried herself and the two blades at her side whose firm grip handles showed visible wear and tear. As well as simply in lieu of her tone of voice. Though it was a bit harder to discern mannerisms in the line of not possessing any eyebrow, but rather a small amount of brow movement with each instance of her eyes widening or drew inward from a ray of sunlight.

To a certain degree though, there wasn't an air of intimidation, or anything of such hard handed tone, it was clear that she had every intent of determining what the general pecking order might be. As the three of them would share a bit of time together with the following job in tow. As to why exactly, that wasn't something which Baharius could really tell from a glance, he didn't have a lot of skills at determining someone's full intent or specific quirks with ease after all. But he knew when he was being sized up, and he knew some mercenaries would compare their history after all to get a sense of experience.

Ayumu Fukuzawa
​

“No worries, once more… These things occur, I myself am not in the know-how of everything, but I will share as much as I can and know. Do excuse me a bit of your time first, but if you have any remaining questions, I can answer them. For now, another important part.” As he said so, from the hem of his yukata, he procured a small little glass vial, in which four small remaining bullets of some sort of strange material. Which in the colouration was of a pinkish hue with spots of darkened red, and the general texture seemed quite smooth, as if made out of amber or such. If anything, it resembled in some degree the candy which would sometimes be found in the markets of Ryke, originating from the Ororoot. Slightly bobbing round in a faintly red liquid which was quite transparent, seemingly floating upon the surface tension of it. Removing the cork from the vial, he procured a small bullet, the size only to be held by his index and thumb with a bit of space between them, and began to hand one over to each of them. “Each one of these was enchanted, chew upon it before consuming it, when you are at the destination. After such, you'll see, but just understand you'll find no difficulty diving underwater for a good few hours. As for your transport,” He looked towards one of the boats which was attached to a pier a little off from where they now stood, “That small fisher's boat will work fine in getting to where you need to be, it is from a resident of this area who has not been attacked on any voyage, and we've paid her handsomely in exchange for it. To get whatever cargo can be recuperated, brought back after all.”

 

[Develius]

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Mentions:
| Giftvi |
​

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"Ah... of course." Baharius noted bashfully upon making the connection regarding the names. Hua was the name of the otterfolk, while Athanasius was the tan-skinned human. He had a hunch they might've referred to them, but he simply wasn't sure. Of course, he'd make his proper introduction to the cast with a nod of his head, "And I'm... Baharius." he replied, albeit a bit awkward in tone. Hua would then ask if he was one of the "odd" saurians, while making her own visual connections compared to other lizardfolk and other closer relatives. He could feel as if they were sizing him up, checking to see what he brought to the table was good enough. He better not disappoint... nor did he intend to.

"Correct." Baharius confirmed Hua's initial statement, "Though to put it more accurately, I am a spinosaurian - a type of saurian. We're a naturally semi-aquatic species, so our swimming capabilities are far better adapted than most. Perfect for a mission like this one... and believe me." His hand motions towards his giant great sword strapped upon his tail. "You're going to need me down there."

Looking over at the two individuals, he couldn't help but feel it was his turn to ask them. "And you, Hua." he directed his attention towards her. His tone also oozed a sense of challenge, but only to match the initial feeling of strutting their stuff. Though in his case, it would be better to commend their potential rather then vainly prop themselves up with haughty claims and ego. "Otterfolk, right? Heard your folk are very good swimmers as well. And you seem mighty capable of dual wielding twin blades... take it you're a pretty fearsome warrior, are you not? Either way, you seem pretty well-suited for the mission." But while Hua had his stamp of approval, the other human guy seemed rather unassuming. He seemed quiet, like the stoic swordsmen seen in books. Baharius couldn't get a good read on him just by looking at him. "What about you, Athanasius?" he asked him curiously, trying to push him slightly to say anything, "What do you bring to the table? I see you're not the most talkative type, but ut would be nice to know what we can expect from ya. Aside from that blade of yers, of course."

With no further questions, Baharius would be given what looked to be a small 'bullet', almost having a candy-esque quality to its exterior. In Baharius' hands, it was quite miniscule; forcing him to pick it up in between his claws as he took a closer look. Apparently, these are enchanted pieces and chewing them allows the user to withstand the effects of underwater pressure and breathing for a few hours. A handy lil' thing, even for someone as adapted for the water like himself. But his expertise was in shallower water and not for the deeper depths. He could hold his breath for quite awhile, but not for over an hour. Nor was he built to withstand intense pressure the further down he descended for long periods of time.

Their transport of choice would be a small fisher's boat; manned by a feminine sailor who hadn't been attacked apparently. She will take them where they need to be. As Ayumu finished explaining, Baharius gave a respectful bow at the lupinekin. "Thank you." he said, "We won't let you down. You'll have that cargo back in no time... and more depending what we find."

Once dismissed, Baharius would proceed to make it over towards the boat and prepares to depart to their destination.

 

[Giftvi]

Republic of Kuridan
Coastal Harbour of Nara no Nox Shogunate, Eastern Republic of Kuridan, bordering on the Gloomhold Swamp and the end point of the Kabnak River

<Ambience>
Develius​

Ayumu dismissed from the group as they began to talk amongst each other, listening briefly to Baharius’s last words meant for him specifically with a smile on his face. The lupinekin departing towards the centre of the small harbour settlement, whether to perhaps wait in an accompanying building or meet up with someone residing there. All the same to the group, who were amongst only one another now. Hua had a confident posture about herself, not wavering in the conversation in the least. She briefly put her hand upon the hilt of the blade to the right of her waist. Almost pointing attention towards it in particular as Baharius commented on the weapons she carried, and gave such attention to the giant heap of metal he carried.

“Aye then, I’ve in earnest never heard of a spinosaurian before, such specifics fly over my head. But as another semiaquatic species, I see we’re in good company with one another then. And indeed, a proud Lutra Otterfolk. I’ve been a mercenary for some years now, raised with a weapon in my hands, mainly as a monster hunter, though from time to time you’re hired to deal with bandits and the like of course.”

Nodding along as she says so, before pointedly glancing towards Athanasius who had kept to himself for the remainder of this still, whose attention was affixed upon Baharius who addressed him. Giving him a shrewd eye as she did so, cautiously trying to read the man who stood before the both of them.

Athanasius gave a heavy sigh and had a chagrin look on his face, as he seemed very little caring in the immediate pushing attitude that Baharius had given him. Even after having observed the tension that Baharius had given Ayumu before. “What do I bring? Well, I’ve served as a marine in the past, been a board plenty of ships, and got paid for some money on the side as a pearl diver and… exotic fish harpooner and gutter. Might be the best way of phrasing it.” And as he spoke, Baharius had no difficulty immediately recognising where his accent came from. The man standing in front of him was assuredly an Otenzian mercenary, though where exactly he was from, whether south, central, or north, was difficult to discern, as he had little experience in the breath of the culture present there. Rather than simply having an Otenzian name, due to the fact, many Ryke citizens were displaced citizens from the country.

“You need not worry, I’ll carry my weight of the job, but I don’t care for the extra reward for risking my hide to kill some beast. But preferably an in and out, if things go my way.” He would exclaim unabashedly, whether it would matter for the remaining two or not. Observing momentarily the ‘bullet’ of candy which he held within his hand, before beginning to walk over to the pier where the boat lay, joined together with Baharius and Hua. Not seemingly interested in much chitchat amongst each other.

As they approached the fishing boat, it was indeed a small vessel. One only needed to be manned by a single individual, with adequate sails which looked relatively new for the rest which showed its age. One would question, how big the cargo ship must have been then or how much cargo they estimated to still be worth bringing back to fit onto this ship. Or whether this was the only safe option they were assured off. Abroad on the ship, they saw a woman whose ancestry was both human and feline beastfolk by the ears and tail, a diluted mixture that resulted from interspecies marriages. Or circumstances of slavery since centuries ago from the Otenzian Empire. Folk who were usually quite looked down upon depending on where they lived, as some saw them as an ‘impurity’. Overall age, Baharius could roughly guess for her to be in her late thirties, whose forearms and broad build showed years of experience of heaving nets of crustaceans or fish caught from the continental lake. Auburn hair tousled into a bun and sunburned skin which evidently showed the years at the waters she had experienced. Upon their arrival, she began to slowly but surely remove the rope that was tied to the post of the pier itself, keeping the boat unmoving, before holding out a hand to each one of them. “Welcome abroad, and a pleasure to meet you all. Oh wow, you’re a big lad, preferably sit in the centre there, give a bit less sway to it. The name is Hideko. I hope you won’t damage her too much, even if I was paid already, I’d rather not see this beauty getting scrapped. Not many rules, just let me helm her, and I’ll bring you lot to where I was asked to fare you to.”

Slowly, as the group boarded the ship, she began to prepare the sails and pushed the boat off from the pier. Slowly but surely, the scenery would begin to change with it, fairing away from the small little harbour, away from the shallower waters at the edge of the Gloomhold Swamp and Kuridan proper, and into the Continental Lake proper. Kilometres and kilometres of open stretched out in front of them, with fairly little obstructing the horizon. So far that you could not see land, as if you were upon the ocean itself.

Continental Lake

< Ambience >​

The sound of insects and other animals was entirely replaced by the sounds of the waves, though birds still roamed the skies above the group, which swooped down at moments. Diving in to catch fish that swam close to the surface of the water. As the group looked down into the Continental Lake itself, the water itself was crystal clear, as below them swam a cavalcade of different colourful fish, and coral reefs which lined the shallow waters of the “shoreline”. Many plants clung to the sandy and rocky sediment, which stayed at the bottom, intermittently dispersed by the rudder of the ship as Hideko directed it with the helm of the ship. Avoiding the rocks and high coral reefs present here, yet requiring almost no visual aid for such. Like she had done so for years now in this very ship. Slowly, the water began to become far deeper, as the sediment faded into the distance.

Only the height of rocky peaks which were covered in plant matter reached up to where the light still penetrated the water's surface, as all else fell away into a dark abyss. Though if one were to put their hand in the water here, it was quite comfortably warm, as the entirety of the lake was within the tropics. Never experiencing a frigid winter, or receiving deep streams of frigid water from the north or south to cool it off. Though how much of this warmth remained in the depths below where no light shone, that would be a good question. And with the frequency of these rocky peaks, it was quite evident why bigger ships had to sail around so close to the coastline, as it would likely puncture the hull of any vessel.

As they began to approach the overall distance that had been specified before, the number of rocky peaks began to lessen severely. Though a good chunk of this area seemed abundant in kelp, obscuring even the parts of the water where the light pierced, as well as strange… trees? Or at least some sort of vegetation that heavily dotted the underwater landscape quite a few inches below the surface, which seemed almost branch outward. A species which Baharius had never seen before. But as Baharius looked at Hideko she seemed to have a slightly grim expression on her face, something had weighed upon their mind for a good part of the journey, “Gathering from what they were talking about, and where most of the big ships sail to avoid dealing with the tricky coastline, I’d harbour a guess they meant around there… I sometimes go fishing here as well, aye. But if you're going diving, I strongly recommend you be careful. Around these parts are old ruins which folk were cautious to scavenge from a few decades ago when they discovered them, and became a bit of local folklore. Some Fae town before it all flooded.” As she said so, Athanasius seemed to grab something out from under his clothes, an odd pair of goggles which he fitted around his eyes inscribed with many runes along the outsides of it.

 

[Develius]

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Features Active:
- Water Speed E
- Feature [Breathing Control]
Mentions:
| Giftvi |
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"As do I..." Baharius commented in regards to Hua's backstory with a toothy smile, "Though I too have been craving bigger game as of late... Perhaps we may encounter that sea monster and get our fix." This was merely an eager jab... as obviously encountering such a monster would complicate the mission and make things a whole lot more hazardous. Though the saurian would be lying if part of him was curious to see what this thing was at the very least. Preferably from a distance... but should they fight, he hoped it would be easier then that cursed river serpent back in Ryke.

Listening to Athanasius, Baharius was keen to recognize his nautical attributes and his experiences with the marine environment. If Hua and Baharius were the warriors of the group, Athanasius was best as a collector and retriever. Definitely wasn't the type of warrior who'd go head-to-head with a sea monster that's for sure. "You serve a valuable role here." Baharius stated respectfully at the marine, "You may leave the combat to us should we get into it. Retrieving the treasure is our primary goal anyways. So as long you help do that, you're good." He was a good pick for this operation in that regard. Though Baharius was also quick to discern the man's accent. He was unquestionably Otenzian... an accent he has heard from his last venture with the Eastern Empire. Yet he decided to keep that to himself, given he seemed less interested to talk compared to Hua.

Not that commenting on it related much to the mission anyways.

Approaching the fishing vessel, Baharius was quick to notice how small it was. He was aware that they'd be boarding a smaller vessel, but this seemed nearly comical given the task at hand. Never mind squeezing himself onboard, how exactly where they going to store the treasure they'd retrieve onboard? Assuming there was at least a small horde of valuables. Though he wouldn't question the matter too much currently, before they met up with the captain of the humble vessel. Given her appearance, Hideko appeared to be a half-breed; part-beastkin, part-human. And as a strong board-shaped woman, she certainly looked to be a veteran of the seas here. A worthy guide for sure.

As she commented on the saurian's bigness, the saurian gave a light grunt of ease. "Don't worry. I'll make sure not to topple her." he replied assuredly, as he plopped his way towards the center of the boat. it was a bit awkward to get himself in, but once he did it was evident that the tip of his tail was trailing off the boat's starboard side. Not that he minded it of course... so long as any respectably sized fish didn't mistake his tail as a source of valuable food. At worst, he might make use of it as a makeshift rudder if need be.

Once making their way onto the open waters, Baharius could be seen basking himself amiss the wet breeze brushing against his scales and the sunlight beating down on his massive sail. It looked more vibrant now compared to when they first departed. Though wherever the sun was in the sky, the sail could cast a considerable shade that others may seek refuge from said rays. Looking into the water now and again, the saurian marveled at the relatively warm water lapping against his tail and hand as he plunged his left arm into the crystal-clear waters. It was all so peaceful and serene, while full of life and plenty of fish.

He couldn't help but wonder what some of these exotic fauna tasted.

Once reaching deeper waters, the saurian was surprised to see what looked like strange branching "trees" amongst the rich kelp forest below. He assumed these were some sort of mangroves at first, but given where they were and how deep the trees were, he doubted that notion. "What are these...?" he mumbled aloud. Even back home, Baharius had never seen any sort of aquatic flora quite like this before. Though as he turned to look at Hideko, she appeared to have a grim look on her face.

They were currently above some old flooded ruins from an ancient Fae civilization. Whether this was originally an underwater settlement helmed by aquatic inhabitants, or a terrestrial settlement flooded by the great lake's wrath was unclear to him. Though he took Hideko's warning seriously... especially with the possibility of their quarry being in the area. Baharius nodded, before proceeding to ask her, "Who do you think sunk those ships?" he asked as he began preparing to dive, "I'm sure there's plenty of large marine creatures here capable of capsizing any fairly large ships... but what do you think? That and... anything else should we be wary about before we take the plunge?"