Active [Crimsonharbor - ????] Echoes of the Fallen

[Maxxob]

Develius | Agrigore
Maxxob | Hiroshi
DarkKitsune | Naori
heartspan | Rosette
TheTimePiece | Zolgen
SixSense | Dreayth



As Naori, Rosette and Zolgen press forward down the right-hand tunnel, guided by the compass’s silent insistence, the winding passage narrows beneath pulsing chitin walls. A dull, rhythmic drip… drip… drip… echoes uncomfortably loud in the claustrophobic space. Then something more significant than a drip splatters onto the ground behind them—a thick, viscous blob of acidic resin drops from a sagging, membrane-like bulge in the ceiling.

One of the cyclops’s globular minions takes a direct hit and emits a warbling screech. The poor creature quickly liquefies into a sludgy puddle, its gelatinous body eaten away by the corrosive resin. [4/5 Minions]

The splash sears across the Agrigore's protective outer shell, leaving jagged fissures where smooth plating once was. [Natural Heavy Armor destroyed]

Dreayth’s Heavy Armor caught by the acidic spray, pockets of metal plating hiss and bubble. Portions of his breastplate thin visibly, weakening its integrity. [Heavy Armor destroyed]

A faint chemical hiss lingers, and the acrid smell of burning organic matter drifts through the tunnel. The resin continues to drip, warning of further hazards overhead. Just as this assault subsides, a shrill, keening chitter reverberates from deeper within the hive—perhaps alerted by the commotion.

Undeterred, Naori’s lantern light sweeps ahead, revealing a short drop-off where the tunnel descends more steeply. The ground glistens with sticky residue, suggesting it could be slippery—or worse, concealing more acidic pockets. Along the right wall, half-consumed insect carcasses lie fused into the resin, the passage of time evident in their twisted and shriveled forms. Deeper in the darkness, the shapes of smaller bugs skitter away.

Despite the looming risks, the compass’s needle remains fixed on this downward path. The urgency of your mission weighs heavily—there are fewer than three days to recover Hiroshi’s body and soul, after all. Every hiss of resin and whisper of movement is a fresh reminder that the hive is still very much alive… and hungry.

The deeper the group ventures, the more unsettling the atmosphere becomes. The tunnel’s walls seem to breathe, pulsing with a sickly glow beneath thick swaths of resin. Even the air grows heavier, suffused with the cloying scent of decay and something vaguely sweet—like rotten honey.

Eventually, the slope evens out and widens into a small antechamber. The resin here is thicker underfoot, tugging at boots and claws like tar. Amid the dim flickers of lantern and bioluminescence, a heap of discarded chitin catches the party’s eye. It looks like a partial exoskeleton of one of the hive’s larger inhabitants, its abdomen torn open—whether from a fight or the natural cycle of molting is unclear. Dark fluids stain the sticky floor around it.

From somewhere beyond the chamber’s far side, faint chittering resonates through the tunnels—hard to pinpoint, but ever-present. Each chitinous rasp on stone echoes off the curved walls, creating the uneasy impression that something (or several somethings) is circling just out of sight. Occasional glimpses of movement dance across the periphery of your lantern-light, but they vanish when you pivot to look directly.

Off to one side, a large mound of resin bulges from the wall, shaped oddly like a cocoon. A faint vibration seems to hum from within, accompanied by sporadic twitches of the outer shell. Whether it’s a living creature hibernating or a tomb for something that tried to claw its way out is anyone’s guess. The surface is pockmarked with tiny holes, weeping a translucent fluid that dribbles along the floor.

At the chamber’s far end, the floor slopes downward again—this time into a narrow, funnel-like opening. The compass needle in Naori’s hand gives a more urgent throb, pointing unerringly into that cramped passage. The flickering lanternlight can’t quite penetrate the darkness there, but the group can make out slick, veined walls leading farther below.

A new noise rises from that funnel—a hushed, scraping sound, like something large dragging across resin. It stops, then starts again, irregular and unsettling. Along with it comes the smell of stale air, undercut by the tang of acid.

Time is pressing, and the hive seems increasingly agitated, as if sensing trespassers. The party stands at the threshold of yet another deeper descent. The acid-laced environment, the half-seen motions in the shadows, and the urgent pull of the compass all weigh on them.

 

[heartspan]

As she descended into the mucky mess of the hive, following Master Destieen's direction, Master Zolgen's warning not to become unnerved stuck strongly in mind. She kept her wits about her despite the gnawing darkness, the cloying scents of the cavern, and the skittering of things just beyond sight. Each foot step carefully placed lest she slip or become enmired in the filth of the place. Though as she kept her vigil she would note what seemed like pustules here and there along the roof. She briefly wondered what they might be, but the sound of a heavy splash followed by hissing and an inhuman wail told her all she might need to know. By the time the acrid chemical scent had reach her she had already determined to be extra wary of things falling from above. She never looked back, knowing no good scene would greet her ruby gaze, instead she kept slogging carefully forward.

She kept close enough for commands but other wise she held to the front picking the best path she could manage in a passage that grew worse with every few heart beats. There were so many unsetting things to be witness to. Here and there little bugs scurried away from Rosette and the little group. Unnerving sounds seemed to come from the darkness itself, and even the walls seemed to breathe of their own accord. To Rosette it was as if she had descended into some hell, and as they passed a large dead bug with it's belly split open she wondered what the heck'n heck had brought this Hiroshi Nakamura to such a place. What possible business could bring a person to such a place? Beyond rescuing someone she was hard pressed to come up with anything.

When they passed the oozing, vibrating cocoon thing Rosette could only shake her head at the disgusting likelihood that there was some unnamed abomination just waiting to hatch inside it. Still she kept trudging carefully onward, right until they reached a point where the wall narrowed further into a funnel of sorts. From with in the funnel the sounds of something large dragging along the resin would here and there, start and stop. A truly unsetting sound if you were to ask Rosette her opinion on the matter. She paused there at the entrance for a moment, the smell of stale air mixed with the chemical tang of acid wafted up to her.

Rosette was definitely going to die. She could feel the cold hands of the grim hugger come to give her life's final embrace as she stood there. That was the exact moment that she chose to go in as quietly and as carefully as she could. Her weapon she held ready for use. She checked the safety once again to ensure it was off and there would be no dangerous delay in it's operation. She kept an eye out for acid and bugs, and whatever it was that was dragging itself along in darkness ahead. If she were to die at least she would die taking some action, and if she lived she felt she would have earned at the least a warm head pat.


Maxxob Develius DarkKitsune TheTimePiece SixSense

 

[TheTimePiece]

Zolgen
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Maxxob heartspan Develius DarkKitsune SixSense

Zolgen traveled along vigilantly with his goblins noticing that unfortunately it wasn't just harmless fluid dripping occasionally. Who even let the buggers build a place this large to begin with? Zolgen originally had somewhat been hoping that the hive would have provided an avenue for diplomacy, but so far he wasn't really sure just how smart these bugs were..It didn't change the fact that if they got In his way for forming and leading the Wild Hunt they could either align themselves or be destroyed, either option was fun for him.

Regardless back to the present he saw that one of Agrigore's minions got killed by the acid, something told him that it'd be really bad if any of his goblins got hit by the same stuff.

"#Ah, sorry about the loss Agrigore, Hope you can get or make more of those little guys easily enough..#"

Unfortunately that wasn't the only damage as Zolgen's fellow demon ended up getting his armor damaged, between the two of them. And Zolgen didn't have the skills to be a crafter very well in this case nor the materials really needed to do so.

"Tch, environmental hazards.." Zolgen grumbled quietly. He took notice of the carcasses and the potential for more acid pockets saying simply to the group, "Pay attention to the landscape, possible dangers. Might get slippery, might be more of that acid..."

"So they can get big huh? Well I'll be damned.." Zolgen chuckled at seeing the exoskeleton from a larger bug presumably.

Zolgen almost had an inclination to call out to the bugs who hid in the shadows and invite them to come fight him in Abyssal rather than cowering in their houses like children, but he knew that'd be counter productive to their mission given the time limit, so he refrained from doing so.

When they got to the cross section chamber with the compass guiding them, Zolgen looked to the cocoon like structure, and then spoke quietly,

"Let's..be very quiet..and.." He'd look at the compass, "follow the device, I have a feeling that if that thing gets startled something ugly is going to come out and as much as I'd enjoy crushing it we're on a time limit here.." Zolgen spoke his mind to the group once again, looking to the cramped passage.

"Things are about to get cramped, so let's be smart about this too, I"ll take the front with my Goblins, Naori you keep playing guide, while the rest secure our flank.." Zolgen gave his opinion and what he thought should be done to get through.

 

[DarkKitsune]

NAORI DESTIEEN
INTERACTIONS: Maxxob TheTimePiece heartspan Develius

“Hmm…”

Naori’s gaze followed the light of his lantern in contemplation, considering his options with the current set of skills. They had to choose a smart option, reasonable logical, and quick like a stab to the heart. Or the piercing cut of a knife through a lung. Quick, precise convenient. He looked over at the rest of the group, with only the light of the lantern to decipher their weapons.

”Agreed Zolgen. Rosette and Dreayth stay in front of Agrigore. Rosette has the range, Dreayth has the melee and Agrigore has the appetite.”

Naori answered blankly and then attempted to mix a few of his skills into a new ability, though he lacked the means of guessing if it would work. Though Naori was one for risks regardless, how would one learn if they didn’t experiment? Naori used the ability [precautionary navigation [E].

“Let me see what I can do…”
—
Precautionary navigation- Appraisal [E], Survival [F](from educated), Navigation [F](from educated) - Naori attempts to search for the safe start of a route within 5ft. - E grade- 1 post cooldown

E 0/1


​

 

[SixSense]

Dreayth Dominatus Malus

Titles: Demon, Monster, Born for this, Offworlder
Mentions: TheTimePiece
DarkKitsune
Develius
heartspan
Maxxob

​

Dreayth’s hummed to himself lightly as he trudged through the cavern. Trading in the light for the darkness, as he moved further into the cave his mind could only ponder what Hiroshi was doing in a place like this. Ruling out booze and anything sexual was out of the picture, leaving greed coming to mind. Perhaps payment or power? As light dwindled, Dreayth eyes would dilate further until the sockets of his eyes were filled with black. Utilizing [Darkvision F] to see within the darkness.

As the thoughts went through the demon's mind he would eventually catch up to the others who went ahead. Please see familiar faces and one unfamiliar face, a child a that. He almost immediately assumed it was Naori’s friend judging by the age proximity. Maybe the little guy is raising a child army.

While being surprised by the tiny human girl, the monster was caught by the acidic bubble that quickly corroded his armor, revealing his body once again. He wanted to audibly grow in annoyance considering he had just purchased that gear.

Back to being shirtless

He at least found it better than having an outer shell melted or being chemically broken down so he decided to count his blessings, not even batting an eye at the goblin or Agrigore. The dissonant sounds seemed to only put a smile on the monster's face, providing him with a feeling of nostalgia. He made not of the acidic properties, ensuring he wouldn’t get hit again.

He would assume his position in the formation next to Rosette, giving her a brief side-eye. Dreayth would keep his eyes peeled for any other possible hazards as well as insects perhaps lurking in the depths.

Actions
1. Use Darkvision F to look around in the darkness
2. Use [Darkvision F + Energized F + Perception F + Apprasial F] to observe surroundings.

 

[Develius]

​

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Language Key:
| Common | #Abyssal#|
Mentions:
| TheTimePiece (Zolgen) | DarkKitsune (Naori) | SixSense (Dreayth) | heartspan (Rosette) |
MINIONS:
[Globsters F] 4/5
​

---

The Agrigore's ears twist forth as they all hear a hideous screech emanating from deeper in the hive. More bugs. And they were growing ever more agitated. Combat was inevitable... and the vicious cyclops was more than willing to get it started proper. His perpetual grin seemed to enhance further at this opportunity as Naori and Zolgen confirmed his senses. A few more clicks of his teeth and both the Agrigore the globsters around him would move out, moaning and gurgling as they waddled along with little care of their surroundings. They were near-mindless beings unlike Zolgen's lucid goblins with little in the way of actual thought outside of their master's commands.

And this had often gotten them into trouble in previous lives.

So as the group headed deeper and deeper into the caverns, one of the poor globsters would find themselves suffering a very quick and unfortunate demise. The resin around them had not only groan more pungent but also highly acidic. A large blob dripped down from the ceiling, plopping down on an unfortunate minion with a sickening splat. The globster wailed and screeched briefly in confused agony before the acid ate into its tar-like blobs and bony structures. Within seconds it was reduced to a smoldering puddle... though the chemical reactions which took place between the were surprisingly explosive.

Much to the detriment of those nearby.

While the Agrigore took no immediate action towards the death of one of its fodders, the chemical spray would find itself splattering across its armored back of bone and keratin. Taken off-guard he gave a surprised jerk as his body flailed in response to his back being scaled by the acid eating away at his natural armor.

"#AAGRH!#" the Agrigore screeched briefly, shaking his back and tail rapidly to relieve himself of this sudden agonizing sensation.

While the acid didn't penetrate completely into his skin, the armored defenses he once sported had been greatly reduced, leaving jagged fissures of chemical burns in his outer skin. The smell was absolutely putrid... a mix between harsh chemical and old ancient flesh. Given what they were up against, this could prove much more hazardous than he initially believed. Zolgen relayed his condolences towards his loss, in which the Agrigore gave an annoyed hiss.

"#AAAAGRIGOOOOOOORE....#" he growled, confirming that he could given time but that he was currently more annoyed at what had just transpired to himself.

Not that it truly mattered to him long term... again he could regenerate the damage given time. Though armor took far longer to regenerate than his own essence. He had to be more cautious of his surroundings as he clicked for his minions to tighten formation and stay alert. He wouldn't initially be aware of Dreayth's condition either, focusing more on his self-preservation then those of others.

And the deeper they went the more the environment around them changed. It was becoming more organic in shape and smell, with the resin's nauseatingly sweet and rancid stench filling the air around them. The smell wouldn't bother them... though the ground below them was also becoming sticker as resin seeped underfoot. Even with their ability to change forms into a sticky tar-like substance of their own would they be impeded somewhat and not nearly enough to cause notable aggravation. The littered corpses of discarded bug parts and chiton around them would pull their attention, trying to study the make-up and biology of the bugs surrounding them to the best of what they were provided. All they could tell right now was that some of these bugs could grow truly massive...

Then there's the odd resin cocoon structure in which the Agrigore was quick to investigate. He sniffed its outer shell and listened closely to what might be hibernating within. Whatever it was, it was bound there to the meantime. An easy target... maybe an easy meal. He raised a sharpened claw and was almost ready to cut into it when Zolgen urged everyone to move forth. They were on a time limit after all. This time... the cyclops would spare whatever was inside.

Yet the intrusive urges were getting stronger. He could only resist them for so long... Should they pass another one of these cocoons he might not be able to resist peaking into one.

Once reaching the more cramped portions of the chamber, the group began to discuss formation moving forth. It was straight-foward, with Zolgen and Agrigore taking front with their minions while Draeyth and Rosette were behind at rear guard. He gave a faint nod and exhale of approval as he moved forth in formation alongside his globster minions while scouting for any other dangers.