Fantasy DUNGEON DELVER: Secrets of Caedia — Expedition #1, The Crystal Cavern Expedition

[Elenion Aura]

DUNGEON DELVER

Secrets of Caedia

A Voice in the Dark

"My Chosen... Listen to the sounds of the stones. They sing for thee...

Descend... Descend... Descend..."

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• 「 #1 」
  THE CRYSTAL CAVERNS

  The Crystal Caverns were discovered long ago by Delvers. A cave system filled with luminous crystals which pulse with arcane energy, found to be immensely useful raw materials for crafting. Used in many critical areas that keep the city of Closter operating at high efficiency, the supply chain of crystals is of utmost importance.
  
  Luckily, the cave system is considered by most to be relatively low-risk (in terms of the frequency and threat of attack by monsters). Still, the miners must always descend with a squad of Delvers for their own protection. The world beneath Caedia is nothing if not unpredictable...
  
  
  

「 #1 」

OST 1 — MAIN THEME

 

[Elenion Aura]

Expedition #1

RAPHAEL

VAMPIRE ROGUE

The Barracks Armory, Closter

He paced up and down the length of a wall of brick and mortar, lined with arms and armors of every make and fashion, tip-toeing carefully around the slants of waning daylight painting the floor that streamed through the open arches in the stone. He paused, sparing a glance at a tapestry-adorned wall, emblazoned with the rearing lion of the royal house of Vere. He tutted... Then continued on his way to nowhere.

The wooden floorboards groaned beneath the black heel of his boot. Watching the hours tick by by the length of shadows cast in the courtyard below, he wondered why the gods had chosen to punish him so. His mind tumbled down the stairs of dismay. "Bloody hells..." He forced the words out through clenched fangs, sighing for the effect of it. For the invisible audience who would no doubt empathize with his plight...

For he had been given the most dreadful of charges... The most wretched of fates.

Babysitting.

Interactions: None

Code by Serobliss

 

[RaiAthar]

Expedition #1

Jasha Taniyn

HUMAN ROGUE

The Barracks Armory, Closter

"Curses..." Jasha whispered to himself before he delicately set aside the covers and slipped off the mattress quiet as a church mouse. The Gods, if they existed, would have cursed his luck once again, for no creaks were heard from the old wooden bed-frame as he made his departure from the embrace of a petite, black-haired and olive-skin half-elf tavern wench. For a moment, he thought if he should feel guilty when he overlooked her sleeping form, perceiving a tender smile recede from her beautiful heart-shaped face. "...You'll get over it," he uttered underneath his breath.

Casually yet carefully, Jasha donned his clothing --black leather shorts and all. The boots, however, had never come off. As per usual, the buckles on his vest were not fastened, showing off his immaculate physique, a physique that did not come without an intense physical training regimen and the discipline to not stray from it. Of course, Anway's Whip was at his side. A rolled up piece of parchment was held firmly in his one hand. The parchment, a writ from the powers that be as he was now a sanctioned Delver, albeit with no experience whatsoever but that would be changing very soon.

He hadn't been in Closter for many a moon. If anything, he was looking forward to further re-acquaint himself with the finer folk of this rotten city.

Before shutting the door to the room behind him, Jasha did not look back; he rarely looked back. Then he was gone.

...​

"Read it an' weep, boys," Jasha teased as he unfurled the parchment, handing the writ over to one of the many gaurds --a guard that appeared to hold station-- at the entrance to Closter's barracks. The guard informed Jasha that the paperwork checked out then promptly had another grunt escort him to the armoury. Rather than making small-talk with the guard, he paid careful attention to the inner workings of the barracks, looking for easy-outs if the need were to arise. He noted that not much had changed in the place from when he was here last...seven years ago...in a holding cell. It wasn't an experience he enjoyed recalling. He quickly brushed those old memories aside to some long forgotten corner of his mind, somewhere where they wouldn't re-surface again, hopefully.

When Jasha arrived at an entrance to the armoury, a rather large room, he found that he was not alone --a tall, dark-haired and pale skinned man was pacing within.

"Hey! Sunshine!" Jasha called out before sauntering over to the man, extending his right hand to offer a firm shake.

A brazen smile graced his visage. "I'm Jasha, we'll be working together."

Interactions: Elenion Aura

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[The One Eyed Bandit]

Expedition #1

BEGONIA SCHULTZ

HUMAN FIGHTER

The Barracks Armory, Closter

A racket filled the armory halls, an incessant jostling of glass clanking against metal and metal scraping against glass. A few jars of preserves, a pair of water bladders, tools to produce fire, ammo, a few lengths of rope, and then the few lucky charms that her former subordinates had forced onto her, too. It was quite the list when Begonia laid it all down in her head, but she still felt as if she were packing a bit too light.

A day's outing was about all that she was expecting given the posting, and expeditions like these hardly ever tended to turn too sour, but... Something in her gut was still telling her that she aught to be coming better prepared. It was just beginners nerves, she told herself. It'd been years since a beginner at anything, after all.

"Miners, huh?" She spoke to herself, eyes trained upon a messily jotted on scrap of parchment. Begonia was familiar enough with this whole process, though she'd never been on this side of it. After the initial mining process was done with and the Delvers went home all of the materials procured still had to be processed and sorted, and it hardly rare for precious metals and gems to go missing during that process. She'd had to run down more than one overly ambitious miner during her time in the guard.

She hoped they'd been fired. Not because she was particularly offended by their crimes, but because it would've been way too awkward if she had to spend the next day escorting someone she'd spear tackled before.

Begonia approached the armory, rapping upon the door frame twice. Her eyes first fell upon a dark, sullen-looking shape of a man, and then another much cheerier-sounding soul, though no less clad in black. She smiled to herself before she spoke. Black leather and black robes. Only two heads present and they were already only one sermon and some candlesticks short of a cult gathering. Maybe she'd gotten the wrong room. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"This the spot for the mining gig? Bit more sparse than I was expecting..." She had been trying to arrive on the earlier side, but she'd thought that the parade of teasing she'd had to endure from her ex-colleagues on the way here had rendered those efforts moot. Maybe it had. Maybe it was just going to be her and dark and darker over there.

"It's Begonia." She introduced herself as she approached the men. "Or Schultz, if you wanna keep it formal. First dive here, so bear with me. Not really familiar with all of the uh... Formalities. Code of conduct. All that hat."

Interactions: Elenion Aura RaiAthar

Code by Serobliss

 

[Haze-]

Expedition #1

MORRWYN

DRAGON SLAYER

The Barracks Armory, Closter

The sun came up over the zenith.

Bloated, amber-smeared clouds signaled the passing of a new day. The morning bore its blinding warmth, yet he was still used to the bite of the heat, not the enfolding kiss of the light. The shadow in the room stirred, leaned into a corner, both sets of limbs criss-crossed on each other, bleary bloodshot eyes cracked open to meet the glint, turning a head to it.

The prince grumbled.

“Fuck’s sake…” — It was damn over-bearing. He bit a breath, leather and black-clad armor strung to a symphony of horrid squeaking and ear-stinging groans as he pushed off the wall. Casting a weary eye to the ashen crown that adorned the night-stand; the spear tall by its side, poking the roof.

It was that day, today. He was sure of it. Try as he may to seem a mess of grumbling, begrudging curses, Morrwyn couldn’t help but feel a fizzing of excitement at the chest.

That crown, a mist of misshapen, misbegotten memories— the memories of someone else, of the body he now felt he inhabited— a new beginning. Or maybe, just the beginning in of itself. Maybe, he never started at all.

The past was only as real as the dragonwings that flapped and soared in his head, it only dredged in the recesses of his mind. Faded, flickered— like it were all a figment of his childish imagination, like he’d been born a man spat out the womb by the waves just a couple days prior. but the present…oh, that was at his hands.

It was the only thing that was real, had any tangible weight. Now wasn’t the time to be holding onto shadows he couldn’t even fully remember.

After all, today was the day he earned his keep. Today was the day he would find the flames that burned in the bellows his mind, be they real or not. They’d given him a warm welcome, even a room to stay in, warm food waiting on his return. It was time he repaid these people’s hospitality in kind.

If the dungeon is where they wanted him, then that is where they would see him.

Thus, he took his crown.

. . .​

The door leading to the barracks creaked open behind the trio, and what followed were a steady set of thudding steps, weighty— sounded like the floorboards would give under them. Morrwyn loomed, tall and hunched over them as to not scrape the roof with the horns of his crown, an unhurried leisure as he slowly made his way to them. Hard to tell from under the black crown whether he was looking at them or not, even harder to fully make out an expression.

Even if he didn’t look like it, he was scanning each of them with intent. A man in scandalous clothing, a hedonist, he assumed. Another, more wraith looking than man, clearly disinterested. Then the woman, as unassuming as most of the guards he’d seen on his way in.

'Bloody circus show…' — He cracked a scoff, flashed a smile. No mind readers, hopefully.

“Greetings, friends!” — He straightened, hands behind his back, red cape billowing as he tipped his crown to a dignified bow, rigid like a true toy soldier. Not with jest or mockery, his mouth was stretched to a thin line. He was dead serious — “Lady Begonia. Sire Raphael. Sire Jasha.” — He started, mentally scratching through the names he heard from behind the door.

Hand to his chest, spear at the ready by his side —

“Me name’s Morrwyn. Morrwyn Drakethorn. Proud shield of—! Summat’. To me understandin’, at least. Can’t bloody recollect the memory no more…not since I washed up o‘er these lands. Folks these parts ‘ave gotten ‘round to shortening me to ‘Mor’— for whatever reason— reckon y’ could do the same if y’ so please. A’ don’t particularly mind at all.”

“I’ll be accompanying youse lot to the depths of those mines. Be nice on me, aye? It’s me first day on the job.” — He chuckled, leaning down a bit to be eye-to-crown level with them — “Been given a briefing by them folks o’ the guild, but do y’ reckon there’s owt else I need a’ learn before we begin? Wouldn’t wanna be caught with me spear down…”

Interactions: Elenion Aura RaiAthar The One Eyed Bandit

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[Elenion Aura]

Expedition #1

RAPHAEL

VAMPIRE ROGUE

The Barracks Armory, Closter

His eyes fell upon the outstretched hand. They traced an invisible line up his less-than-adequately-clothed torso until they found a face grinning dumbly back at them. "Indeed," he said, as his hands remained firmly clasped behind his back. That familiar word was once more rattling around inside his brain.

Babysitting.

Mercifully, the moment of awkward silence was cut short by the sounds of an encroaching clangor from the hall. Turning toward the entrance, Raphael took the distraction as an opportunity to distance himself from the whip-wielding gigolo, sidling away as the latest in what was sure to be a long, long line of the absolute worst people he'd ever encountered in his life, introduced herself.

Luckily he wasn't afforded the time necessary to unpack just what exactly it was that this Begonia had brought with her today, for his new vantage had given him a perfect line of sight to the latest arrival—was he part-giant?!—rounding out this trio of misfits.

Is it just me, or are the recently Called all a bunch of fucking weirdos?

"... Right," he said, after a pause to steel himself. "There's a few more we're waiting on—"he prayed to all the gods and some of the devils too that they wouldn't show up"—We'll give them a bit, then head down."

Interactions: RaiAthar The One Eyed Bandit Haze-

Code by Serobliss

 

[Carolyn]

Expedition #1

RIGIDIS

POOR MAGICIAN

The Barracks Armory, Closter

There is a certain perception that magic is separate from ‘normal’ existence. An incorrect conclusion. In fact, magic is rooted in the very nature of life—it exists only because of the world’s sympathy. That is, everything is connected in some way to each other as stitches in a quilt. A wizard is someone imbued with the inquisitive mind to uncover these connections and, through the learned medium of the cosmos, shape them in positive or negative ways. But even they could not escape normality and its social whims and economic needs.

Take as an exhibit Rigidis. A black woman of some twenty years and more. See with her eyes, in the darker shade of cinnabar, a letter of eviction. Her reaction was an open mouth. Next to her was a portly man and his company of thugs.

“You can’t do this to me,” she said, half cursing, half pleading. “Five years we’ve known each other, Silas, and you treat me like a stranger now. After all the things I’ve done for you.”

The landlord shrugged his shoulders. “It’s more what you haven’t done. If I remember correctly, unpaid rents make you a squatter in this city, Rigidis, and liable to get the boot for someone more productive.”

“I’m better than any soot-stained brat and tanner you can find. Look, I’ll make good with time.” She produced a parchment with one hand on top and the other on the bottom. “Got a job with the delvers. One mission will be enough.”

“For me, maybe, but how about the others?” He chuckled. “I didn’t get these boys because I thought you’d get handsy. Course, they’re always be ready to put down trouble. Will you make it?”

Rigidis didn’t.

Her account after was a scarlet robe, a well-worn spell book, a dusty hat, and other minor trinkets of her trade stuffed in the makeshift pockets of her clothes.

---

Her new floor was the street and the sky her roof. The narrow confines, hawkers, and passerbyers shamed her though they did not know it. Those in the upper floors of the lean houses threw their trash down and she weaved to avoid it.

It took forty minutes of this suspense to reach her destination. The brick and mortar of the barrack were so stark in contrast to the wooden frames she was used to. By the very feel of the cobblestone beneath her feet, it was a richer district, and the pain of her soles were the first snub.

Had she hired a coach or paid more attention in flight class, Rigidis could have avoided the awkward state of being late. Four others—two men, two women—were already there. There was not enough energy to spare in judging their appearances. She herself was clad in a dull scarlet save the highlights of her beaten gold hair.

“Rigidis Sammonicus,” she said, feeling the funnel-like shape of her hat gave away her profession. “A pleasure.”

Interactions: Elenion Aura , RaiAthar , The One Eyed Bandit , Haze- .

Code by Serobliss