Fantasy The Devil's Meridian (Closed)

[K0mori]

Having heard Dos Santos' side, Meinhardt crossed his arms and in his native language, demanded an explanation from Kuromaki.

"[We entered a cave together in search of anything noteworthy,]" she briskly explained, her hands shoved deep in her coat pockets. "[When we discovered the skeleton, it was wedged inside a narrow opening between two chambers. While the men and I worked to lay the remains onto dry ground and prep it for repatriation, the doctor poked her head into the same hole and found the chest on the other side, stashed away. But I think it's unfair to claim that the whole find belongs to the Platense just because only one person could fit into the opening at a time!]"

By now, the Alamannians who had accompanied Kuromaki had come to agree with her interpretation that the two groups had discovered the gold together, and that it should be split. The Commodore knew that the bigger issue ultimately was the health of the Shinjuku officer, but everyone was distracted by the issue of the plunder and so it had to wait a moment. He wanted to know more to render a judgement, however. "[And how old was the corpse you found? And the coins?]"

"[They both appeared to be between 80 and 100 years old, sir,]" Kuromaki replied. "[The coins are Alleghenian.]"

"Ah," Meinhardt grumbled. "Mr. Warren, in this sea, treasure belongs to the finder, except in cases like these where the rightful ownership can be traced. It might even be government property," he explained. "[Kuromaki, the coins belong to the Alleghenians.]"

"Nani!?" she yelled, inadvertently pulling her claw-like hands out of her pockets as she went red in the face. "[Then what recourse will I have?]"

"[We'll get to that, but first...]" Meinhardt replied, turning his attention to Captain Alvarado and Commander Warren. "Everyone, the coins will be placed in the care of Captain Flint, as he's the ranking Alleghenian on this Expedition. We'll have to do some research to determine the likely source of that gold, as well as the identity of the sailor you found in that cave. Do I make myself clear?"

 

[Radley]

Flint had pondered the explanation of undeath and necromancy linked to the black aetherine. A worrying implication indeed, and Warrens further involvement in the dream did not bring any ease to him. He had known him as a fairly honorable man, although with the penchant for daring and sometimes reckless maneuvers in the chase for glory. It would be up to time to see if any hidden traits would emerge during their expedition.

Back at the camp, the commotion increased as Kuromaki had been infected by the Doctors illness. This was something for the scientists and Meinhardt to sort out, but he and his men would give the woman and the apparently cursed stone a wide berth. When the subject of the looted chest came up, his attention was renewed as Riddle spoke up, then Warren and finally the Commodore.
"I am relieved you are no stranger to the protocols of found goods." he began as he looked to Meinhardt and then to Warren. "Your Master Chief is not getting ahead of themselves at all, Commander. By the power invested in me by the Alleghenian Federation, and with the Commodores approval, I will confiscate the treasure for safekeeping."

He looked to his men and gestured for them to take the chest. Two of the sailors approached, casting vigilant gazes towards the obviously irritated Platenese and the furious Ensign. Hoisting the chest off the ground, they began carrying to the boat to ferry it back to The Terror. "Sergeant Moss." Flint commanded without taking his eyes off the Doctor and the Platenese. A burly man with a thick mustache stepped forward. "Yes, sir?" he replied with a noticeable Albionian accent. "Take the men to the cave and recover the remains of the sailor. Let's see if we can't identify this fallen fellow." Moss and the rest of Flints men approached one of the Alamannian sailors that had accompanied Kuromaki earlier to show them the way. "Now..." Flint continued "With this confiscation settled, perhaps we can return to discuss more pressing matters." he said as he looked from Meinhardt to Dos Santos and Kuromaki.

 

[K0mori]

"You're right, of course, and that's what I was about to address. We've got a curse afflicting two members of this fleet, now, it seems. I'd like to know more clearly how it happened. [Ensign Kuromaki, tell me about your hands.]"

"[We found this device on the body of the Alleghenian sailor. We weren't sure of its purpose, but there was a discharged piece of aetherine glass. The doctor offered her shard for use, and so I assumed that the stone would be safe to touch. Not only did the device do nothing, but after handling that stone, both of my hands began to change, thanks to the curse that woman is carrying.]"

Meinhardt looked puzzled. "[May I see the device?]"

"[Yes sir,]" Kuromaki replied, bitterly. She walked over and handed the hinged wooden ball over to the Commodore. "[I suppose it's the property of Captain Flint as well?]"

"[I think so. Just from looking at it, I don't believe this is ancient. Look at the tooling of that metal... I suspect this was actually made by whichever crew that sailor was on.]" As the Commodore spoke, Kuromaki's expression changed as she realized he was correct. This was not an ancient artifact at all, but something made less than a century prior. "[It probably didn't do anything to begin with, just aimless experimentation,]" Meinhardt mused.

Kuromaki nodded. "[What a disappointment. And now, this,]" she said, revealing her hands more clearly to him. While Dos Santos' hand was merely strange, the Shinjuku woman had suffered more dramatically- her claws were actually somewhat frightening by comparison.

Meinhardt looked over her strange digits, sighed, and then ordered her to report to Dr. Lonstray to provide a blood sample. He looked to Lonstray. "I want you to compare, as best you can, the biology of our two subjects to see if you can find a connection between their afflictions that we can quantify. Dos Santos, ensure that nobody else touches that stone of yours until we understand what it's doing to us."

 

[joshuadim]

"Understood. Me and my team can begin analysis as soon as we return to our vessel." Lonstray responded, hiding his giddiness under a demeanor of professionalism. To him, now that there were two people afflicted with these strange transformations, this was prime material for analysis and research that was ripe with important information.

 

[K0mori]

Before their next departure, both Dos Santos and Kuromaki provided blood samples to Lonstray. Captain Flint took possession of the Alleghenian remains, gold, and the device which was found nearby. The crewman from the Prophet who was bitten by the aggressive spiders that were found developed a fever not long after returning to the ship, and while resting later that evening, had severe nightmares. By the next day, he had fully recovered. Kortova's crew set about dissecting the serpent they had pulled from the river. Initially, they worked to fulfill the Grand Captain's wishes to construct a pair of boots, but soon found that they had so much leftover material that they proceeded to produce a set of matching gloves. The scales on the snake's back were razor sharp, and so they were embedded at the toes of the boot as well as the tips of the fingers, turning both items into wonderfully effective weapons. The meat inside was then taken to the kitchen, and after testing it for toxicity, found that it was quite tender and delicious when cooked.

Returning to the ship had been an easy matter due to the clear weather, but that began to change as the ships began to steam their way along the ley line to the Ossuary Islands, as winds began to pick up and the sea became choppy and gray once more. Castle Island disappeared behind them as the sun began to set, and despite some sightings of large, whale-like sea creatures in the distance, there was little to note on the journey as the day crews went to bed, including the officers. Lonstray and his team worked late into the night to identify something - anything - unusual about the two blood samples they had taken, but they did not discover anything on the first night. They would try again tomorrow, and again the next day, until their science prevailed.

---

Meinhardt
​

The Commodore fell asleep rather easily, as his evening hadn't involved much drama. Kuromaki reminded him of her request for recourse due to her affliction, and Meinhardt agreed that if the changes did not begin to reverse themselves in two days, or if they worsened, then he would grant her a much larger portion of the treasure value of anything brought back to safe waters than she had originally been promised after the expedition, or else pay the value to her family if she did not return alive. She seemed satisfied by this offer, and not long after a late dinner, Meinhardt went to his chamber and was gently rocked asleep by the boat's swaying on the ocean.

The warmth of the sun made it difficult to sleep, and so he turned over on his quilt and sat up. The Commodore looked over the pond at the center of this beautiful glen and smiled. It was such a gorgeous day, he couldn't help but spend it relaxing, even though it was a weekday. He stood up and gathered his quilt into a big bundle in his arms, scanning the trees for a nice shady spot to move to. Small animals, like squirrels and rabbits, and birds of all types, darted in and out of view. The glen was teeming with life, it seemed. After a bit of walking, he found a nice cool spot to unfurl the cloth again and sat down on it, marveling at the fish that splashed near the surface of the pond, and even the tiny insects that skated along its surface.

Behind him, he heard the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, and he turned to find a strange visitor, someone whose face he couldn't quite make out. She smiled at him as she approached, her body small and sprightly, and limbs covered in fur. Meinhardt found himself thinking: It's been a while. There were no words exchanged as she sat on the grass next to his quilt and gazed out over the peaceful waters. The visitor then held out her hand and waited until a bird obediently landed in her hand. She closed her fingers around it, and when she released it, it was brilliant shades of red and blue. As it flew away, the visitor glanced at the Commodore and reached out her hand.

There was a small piece of Aetherine glass in her palm, with Halja's cross etched on the surface. Meinhardt nearly took it from her, but then suddenly remembered Dos Santos and Kuromaki and jerked his hand back. The visitor seemed shocked and saddened. She turned her attention back to the pond ahead of them, and when the Commodore did the same, the color seemed to fade away. The liveliness of the scene subsided and the glassy surface of the pond became nothing but a silent mirror of the gray, cloudless sky above. The visitor was gone, but the red and blue bird swooped down and landed right in front of Meinhardt, cocking its head at him. It turned, ruffled its feathers, and then flew away, changing back to its original brown.

It left behind a single red feather which fluttered into the air when a cold wind blew through, and Meinhard caught in his fingers. When he awoke a moment later, he found himself clutching it in the air above his bed, shining in the light of dawn. Fearfully he checked himself and was relieved to find no mutations.

---

Dobbs
​

As Dobbs prepared himself for bed, he occupied himself with thoughts of the mysterious figure from the previous night, and hoped that he would meet him once again to lift the veil on his identity. When he finally nodded off, however, he would find himself in an entirely different scene...

The fleet was arriving at its final destination, a towering volcanic island near the center of the Zone. A column of gray smoke rose from its peak, partially blotting out the blazing red sun. Dobbs nodded, turning to leave the bridge and join the sailors standing at attention on the deck. At his side dangled two swords: his naval cutlass, and the eastern-style sword he had seen in his previous dream. It glowed with an eerie blue when he placed his hand upon its ancient pommel, and he felt power surge through his body. He would need all of it for the battle soon to come.

He looked to his side as he descended the stairs to the deck. Meinhardt's ship was preparing to run aground, and the Prophet wouldn't be far behind it. There was no use travelling any further, as there was no fuel. There was no ammunition left for the guns, either, so the ship had fully served its purpose. Nets were thrown over the edge of the vessel and the sailors, armed with whatever weapons they had or could produce on the expedition, now turned themselves to either side so that they could descend to the shallow waters at his command. Dobbs watched the volcano directly ahead for signs of the enemy, and then, as if to respond directly to his thoughts, the plume of smoke turned dark black as thunder seemed to boom from its depths.

The sky seemed to break, now- no, the space itself, between the bow of the Prophet and the mountain. And from these hundred rifts, a mass of inhuman creatures poured forth. Dobbs raised his ancient sword high, a bolt of lightning descending from above to strike its curved blade. This was the signal, and as the ship ran aground, staggering the gathered sailors, they descended the ropes to the beach to join their comrades from the Nixe. Dobbs lowered the blade until it was aligned with the largest and most central of the portals, and at his impulse the energy blasted from the ancient metal through the air to meet the enemy head on.

And there they were, the accursed saints, one with silver wings, the other with wings as black as night. But just as the bolt of lightning reached them, a golden slash replied, sending the electricity crackling harmlessly into the air. A third figure, the devil herself, had made her entrance. The three flying furies split apart, each picking a target to obliterate with their unholy powers. And as it would come to be, as Dobbs lifted his sword skyward again, the silver-winged menace landed at the bow of the ship and locked eyes with the Albionian. It was none other than Grand Captain Kortova.

Dobbs awoke with a start a moment later, more confused than ever.

---

Kortova
​

The Grand Captain went to bed with high hopes, excitedly anticipating the next chapter of the premonition she had enjoyed the night before. It took her a while to sleep, in fact, due to her desperation to live that same fantasy. Finally, she drifted off...

Instead of some grand hall or the city of Constantine, Kortova found herself in the unknown wilds of Sokrovy. Bundled up against the cold, she wandered down an old, forgotten road between the endless rows of pines, until she crested over a hill to find herself looking at a wide vista of the country's northern coastline. Now, she remembered what she had come here for. It had to be secret, and so she had departed alone, two days prior, to this remote place. She would meet them at the water's edge. The wind blew mercilessly, but at this point she had grown fully accustomed to the buffeting, freezing winds. It was a small price to pay for their knowledge.

As she came closer to the land's end, the wind began to carry something other than ice and cold. It sounded melodious, and to accompany it, the water beneath the coastal ice seemed to give off an emerald glow. She stopped at the water's edge and listened closely to the song. There was a point, she knew, where she would have to join in the chorus. All at once, the symphony rose, and with a particularly strong gust, Kortova let loose with a powerful note, joining the chorus seamlessly in its chanting. The wind slowed and circled her now, the green of the ice intensified, and soon, the ice began to split beneath her feet, revealing a swirling vortex of water beneath.

Kortova stopped singing and took her first step into the swirling hole, somehow walking on the water itself as she was bathed in its sickly light. Down she climbed, feeling more and more inclined to laugh, of all things, and when she did, the chorus joined her. The explainable hilarity of it all captivated her more and more, until she found herself cackling madly and barely able to breathe. At the bottom of the vortex was nothing but the sandy bottom of the ocean's edge, and when she reached it, she doubled over and collapsed to her knees in side-splitting laughter, not even resisting as skeletal limbs wormed their way up from beneath her, taking hold of her body and pinning her down.

Laughing so hard she had expelled all air from her lungs, she watched the vortex behind her close up, the waters zipping themselves closed down its length until the ocean swept over her, the freezing cold waters ripping the skin and flesh from her body as they twisted around her. She was soon nothing but a silver-haired skeleton, somehow still conscious and aware of the overwhelming hilarity of it all. Death was powerless. Death was irrelevant. Death is fun. A skeletal hand grabbed her skull by the eyesockets from behind, and dragged her backwards into the sand. She was ready for the next step, now.

All at once, a surge of horror flooded her mind and body and Kortova awoke in her bed screaming and flailing, falling out onto her cabin floor.

---

3rd of October, 1919
​

The seas had grown rougher and more unforgiving during the night, and by morning, there was thunder and lightning as heavy waves pounded against the ships of the fleet. The Ossuary Islands appeared on the horizon and by 9AM, the largest central island was in sight. In the middle of the landmass was a structure which resembled a ziggurat but with cylindrical layers, which had collapsed on one side many, many years ago. However, enough of the structure remained that they could clearly make out the chamber which was still standing at the top of the tower, with a roof that sparkled blue in the low light of the storm. With each flash of lightning, the captains and their crew got a better look at the burial complex which surrounded it, with many small towers and connected arcades.

Unlike before, there was a deep channel close to shore which allowed the ships of the fleet to close right up to the land's edge, which was abutted by an ancient and crumbling sea wall. Nets were draped over the edge, and by 10AM, the Commodore and his landing party were descending in the rain to the open, brick plaza. This time, a few more of his group were equipped with rifles and pistols, although Meinhardt himself only carried an umbrella. As the other captains arrived, Detlev once again unfurled a map, this time inside a tent that his men had deployed moments earlier. He and his associates had used their surveying equipment to translate their sea-level observations into an estimation of the island chain's topography from above. There were at least a dozen islands in the chain, but they grew smaller in either direction from the necropolis.

Before they could begin discussing their exploration plans, the Commodore inquired if anyone had any concerns from their dreams the night before.

 

[joshuadim]

As Dobbs awoke, he quickly took a look around and was relieved to find himself within his quarters aboard the Prophet. However, the dream still lingered in his mind and hastily he wrote down as many details as he could. What confused the captain however, was that the dream was not at all what he was expecting and was rather both intrigued and spooked by what he recounted. The sword seemed to carry over to this second dream upon looking back and comparing to his notes from his first encounter, but why? Was it something calling out to him? Something he needed to find? The calamity and battle signified suggested so. Even then, it was a dream after all and Dobbs quickly reminded himself that this could be all just something played up in his mind. Yet, he could not help but linger...

The sword... the man from before spoke of training... training to use the sword? Dobbs thought for a moment, scratching his chin as he sat on the edge of his bed. And what the hell was that, seeing Captain Kortova as that... thing? Truthfully, Dobbs had hoped he could get some answers but now he was left with more questions and enigmas than before. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, announcing that the Ossuary Islands were visible in the distance.


Later...
Dobbs had descended with Lonstray, his research team, and a few sailors in a similar composition like before onto the island and stood at attention at the new meeting. The weather was dreadful, but nothing too unmanageable to the captain. Lonstray menawhile had an umbrella with him, attempting to keep himself dry. The scientist looked visibly agitated and somewhat annoyed, both because of being in such weather as well as the failings to find anything of note in the past few days.

Dobbs opened his mouth slightly as to start saying something when Meinhardt inquired about the dreams to those in attendance, but then silenced himself and stayed quiet. He didn't want to bring up such details such as seeing a fellow Captain on the expedition in such a manner within his dream.

 

[Radley]

After sleeping soundly during the night, Flint had occupied his time during the voyage to the Ossuary islands by studying the coins, chest and skeletal sailor that was brought aboard during their stay on Castle island. Along with lieutenant Rourke and the Terrors chief surgeon, Doctor Barnabas Marsh, they had poured over the artifacts to glean a better understanding of its previous owners. After a thorough investigation, they had discovered all that they were able to. The coins were indeed Alleghenian, stamped around the 1810's. This seemed reasonable, as Meinhardt had theorised they must have belonged to the expedition that followed Stocks successful one in 1819. The uniform of the skeleton supported this, being a Alleghenian Federation naval uniform from the same era. The rest of the puzzle pieces were not difficult to discern, as there had only been one official Alleghenian expedition in the span of 40 years after Stock; Captain Talisker and the AFV Valiant. The skeleton was deduced by Dr.Marsh to be a around the age of 20 to 25 when he died, with the rank of seaman according to the insignias on the tattered uniform. Unfortunately, his real identity would remain a mystery, as Talisker, the Valiant and all her crew never emerged out of the meridian. With some details noted by Flint in his notebook, he decided to convey them to Warren so that he could deliver them to the AFNC for additional investigation.

On the deck, in the rain and thunder, Flint stood surrounded by a sizable amount of his crew. Behind him were board over the railing, on which a body lay, covered by the Alleghenian flag. He looked to the covered Rochester, and then to his crew. "By the sea we have lived and by the sea we shall be reclaimed. Amen." Flint spoke slowly and his crew answered. He nodded to the two men that flanked the board. As Flint bowed his head, the two mean tipped the board, sending Kent Rochesters uniformed and weighed body sliding out from beneath the flag and into the tumultuous waters below. The crew were silent for a while, before they somberly began humming an old navy song. As the crew hummed, Flint looked up and gazed towards the horizon, where the main island approached.

When the Terror anchored by the necropolis, Flint, Rourke and 6 sailors armed with pistols and rifles disembarked, making their way to the Commodores tent. During their walk, Flint took notices of the architecture and adjacent structures. The likeness to burial cities uncovered in northern Mazonia came to mind. He would have to explore this place further, hoping to find something that could shed some light on this whole necromancy, black aetherine situation. Arriving at the tent, Flint and Rourke entered while leaving the sailors stationed outside. After having been briefed on the layout of the island chain, Meinhardt inquired about any dreams that had occured during the night. Flints curiosity slightly increased, as he had had no dreams of his own this night and was interested who had actually had any dreams and what they were about.

 

[Infab]

The night passed by in a rather uneventful manner for Warren and his crew, each sleeping soundly without incident. In the morning, Warren received the message from Flint regarding the coinage and the body that was recovered. Talisker's expedition, it seemed. A shame they didn't return from their endeavor. Slater would record the events in the logbook, as the Jackal moved along with the other vessels towards the main island in the cluster.

As they neared, they took notice of the structures. A necropolis of sorts. "Time to become grave robbers." commented Slater, as she glanced to her commander. Warren chuckled. "Exploration requires one to cast aside morality at times in the name of discovery." he responded. She frowned. "Hopefully not cast it aside entirely. I wouldn't want someone raiding my casket for trinkets."

The Jackal continued on, eventually coming to a stop and dropping anchor so that the landing group could disembark. Warren, Slater, and Riddle made their way onto the island, followed by a handful of sailors with pistols and carbines. It wasn't long before they met up with the other captains and the Commodore, whom asked them if they had any dreams during the trip to the islands. Warren shook his head, as did his small group. He then looked to the others, to see if they'd speak up.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Anastasia Kortova sipped quietly at her hot chocolate as the Ossuary Islands appeared not far from them on the horizon as the expedition made their way there. Her mood had been slightly frazzled from her dream the other night. It was not what she had been looking forward to. She didn't even understand it at all. At the time she remembered being amused in the dream and laughing until it hurt, but then she became a skeleton, and there was the water... a ghastly experience. It had even sent her tumbling over the edge of her cot. She had told her female assistant, a sailor who she was paying extra to be her manservant and was sleeping on the floor of her cabin, not to tell Lieutenant Williams but she wasn't sure if she obeyed or not. Williams didn't mention anything, though perhaps his glances were from the bags under her eyes. She applied a little extra makeup to darken her eyes and had to redo it three times so she didn't look like either a child from a coal mine or a cabaret dancer. At least she had her new gloves and boots, whereas she was wearing the former and letting the latter stay in her room as she didn't want to get them dirty.

Once they reached the island and the ships dropped anchor, a larger team of a dozen armed marines was assembled and they, along with Kortova and Williams, descended to the shore to meet with the others. Given the rainy conditions, all were clad in hooded bright yellow ponchos. Maritime rain slickers. They were a common sight in Sokrovy on every ship, especially the fishermen who dared the dangerous and stormy waters to catch fish and crab. The bright yellow was to help spot overboard men in the water. While the navy had experimented with a more muted color as seen for the land forces, yellow remained prevailing in the navy. Regardless, triangular cuts had been made to either side of the hood to open up each man's peripheral vision, showing that some handmade modifications were necessary.

When the Commodore asked about dreams, Kortova quickly shook her head and remained silent.

 

[K0mori]

"Alright then," Meinhardt said uneasily as the captains shrugged off the question. Had everyone else slept well while he alone experienced the supernatural? Or perhaps they were simply reluctant to share their own encounters out of fear of drawing unwanted attention. He sighed. He would need to volunteer, it seemed. "I had a dream last night in which I believe I encountered Halja. She offered me a stone, much like the one carried by Dr. Dos Santos, but I refused it. So instead, she left me with this," he explained, pulling the red feather out of his coat pocket. "I don't know what it means, but thankfully it doesn't appear to have any mutagenic effect. If any of you are uncomfortable sharing what you've dreamed, then at least write it down in a logbook somewhere. We might discover something if we all work together. Now come over here and take a look at the map."

The captains gathered under the protection of the tent, crowding around the parchment which had now been completely labeled. There were eleven islands in the Ossuary chain, including the namesake island with the necropolis, and ten others which were labeled I through X. Detlev explained what the lookouts had managed to spot from the Nixe on the way in. "I think everyone got a decent look at the burial towers as we sailed up to the main island. Previous expeditions have mentioned that the central step pyramid is dangerous. Along with a number of ancient traps which are still function after all these years, there are supposedly creatures here which defy categorization. Luckily, the ley line tower isn't at the top of the pyramid or anything like that; it's easily accessible. But I'll bet more than a few of our sailors are imagining themselves stumbling on some kind of ancient treasure."

Detlev grimaced a bit as he looked at the other captains. "I won't lie and say that I know better than you all, but if you ask me, approaching this mission like a treasure hunt instead of a scientific inquiry is a surefire way to get yourselves hurt, killed, or worse. That being said, there are dozens of buildings throughout the necropolis which have either been partially explored, or not explored at all, including the pyramid. Some of them are apparently connected via underground tunnels. You'll have more time to explore the ruins than any previous expedition, correct Commodore?"

Meinhardt nodded. "Three days, ladies and gentlemen. If we haven't found something big after a full 72 hours, then we'll depart, but there's so much to see here that it'd be unthinkable to not stumble on something. Castle Island was just the appetizer."

"Uh-huh," Detlev affirmed. "Now, about the other islands. Nobody on any previous expedition has ever set foot on Islands I-X, or at least, no one has done so and lived to tell about it. Our lookouts spotted low-lying structures on I and II that seem heavily damaged, far worse than the main island. III and IV both appear to have been uninhabited and densely covered with foliage. III seems rather flat, while IV has a rocky hill in the center which might have caves. I'd be weary of both of them. V and VI are somewhat barren. We couldn't see much due to the rainfall, but both appear to have some sort of monumental construction- pillars or obelisks of some sort, but no visible buildings or ruins."

Kuromaki appeared at this point with a group of explorers behind her, led by the same men who had accompanied her to the cave the previous day. Her hands were covered by black leather gloves, and she was scowling in the general direction of the Platense crew. She did not interrupt the head researcher.

"Islands VII and VIII are both low-lying and moderately covered with foliage. If there are any ruins, they are fully concealed from sea-level. One of our lookouts spotted large aquatic creatures on the beaches, so be advised. Finally, Islands IX and X were too distant to get a good look at, but we know that both have a steep, conical shape to them."

As Detlev finished speaking, Meinhardt pointed at I and II. "I'll be leading a team on these two islands, everyone, although a portion of my researchers will accompany anyone who'd like to explore the main island. The rest of you need to pick two islands yourself. It'll be your choice however long you spend out of the next 72 hours on each one, but please try not to leave any stone un-turned. And finally, just like on Castle, we might encounter the remains of previous expeditions and their sailors. Try to be mindful of the laws of treasure here so that we don't have any misunderstandings like last time."

 

[joshuadim]

Both Dobbs and Lonstray took a look at the islands in question on the map, listening intently to Meinhardt's information on each of them. "What are you thinking?" Dobbs leaned in to the scientist to whisper. Lonstray was quiet for a moment before speaking up: "I believe we ought to look at the mysteries at the far end of this chain. IX and X." he whispered back. Dobbs was somewhat surprised by the answer, but ultimately found himself agreeing with the doctor.

The captain then straightened himself and spoke up: "After conferring with Dr. Lonstray, the Prophet would like to investigate Islands IX and X."

 

[Infab]

Warren inspected the map, listening to the Commodore as he went over the various islands. When the time came, Dobbs chose the far islands. He'd choose the closest ones. "The Jackal will take the first and second islands." stated Warren, pointing them out as he looked up to Meinhardt.

 

[Radley]

Traps and dangerous creatures. Whatever the Altanians put in that pyramid, they certainly didn't want it pilfered. And it seemed they had gotten their wish. According to the accounts Detlev presented, it hadn't been explored. Flints mind recalled articles he had read about the aforementioned burial cities in Mazonia. The ancient civilizations had filled the walls woth grand murals and inscribed onto them everything from the key to immortality and the prophecy of the ends of days. The scientific community had brushed these off with learned minds, attributing it to a people whose knowledge of the world was far inferior to our advanced age. He had been in inclined to believe them, but in this strange sea of obscure dreams and abstruse artifacts, he was no longer so certain. He felt like the pyramid could possibly hold answers to the questions he had been pondering. Perhaps there were treasures there as well, but Flint remained more focused on revelations than riches. "Have one of the men send for an additional 6, and tell them to bring Rask and Von Paning." He told Rourke as he leaned in closer as to not disturb the overall conversation. The lieutenant nodded and left the tent.

When Dobbs finished, Flint spoke up, "The Terror will field a small expeditionary force to take on the pyramid. I have two skilled pioneers under my command to tackle any obstacles we might find. However, as I do not employ any men of science I would be grateful if one could be spared for us." He said, looking at the other captains. He had wanted Lonstray, but Dobbs and the professor had already announced they would explore the hitherto unidentified islands.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Kortova eyed the map curiously alongside Williams, knowing the selection was up to her, but truthfully she didn't know anything about exploration. She listened in to the explanations and tentatively pointed at V and VI.

"We have experience with barren locations," she said, glancing at Williams who nodded. She straightened up a little more as the confidence bolstered her. "We have several experts on board the Archangel knowledgeable on such environments - such as the arctic and tundra. Much of our north is such a landscape. We shall tackled these two islands without issue," Kortova declared.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

The crew of the Correntino had come to a few clashes with the other crews, specifically the Alemmanian one due to the discusson over the gold chest. Alvarado severely reprimended his men for such of brash behavior. He knew his crew thought little of the other crews: it was the Platense way. To a person of the north, the foreign is silly and dumb. He explained to them that sort mentality will not take the crew far, and they needed everyone to work together. While reluctant at first, the Platine sailors eventually nodded and accepted the responsability. The crew had an immense amount of respect for their captain since they gone through the Mazonian war together, where he showed his courage and dedication for his crew.

Dos Santos did not leave her quarters during the rest of the travel. Severely ashamed and despressed over the incident at the island, constantly berating herself in her personal dairy while trying to study the stone she had in possession. She was out of her element. She always worked alone or with few, inexperienced people and made her research in peace. She was not used having people around her, having others that depended on her. It caused severely anxiety and she couldn't concentrate until she hid the stone in a small box and kept it locked away. She'd finish her studies some other day. Right now she just wanted to lay down and cry.

3rd of October, 1919

When the time came to explore the other islands, Dos Santos looked miserable. Standing near Alvarado while looking down at the ground beneath her. Alvarado seemed concerned in her morale, but for now he just listened at the others at they talked with the Commodore and thought about the different islands they'll have to explore the following three days. A dangerous task but an important one nonetheless. Alvarado then poked Dos Santos in the shoulder, and she snapped back to reality and looked at the sailor who gave her a friendly smile. "[...Did you listen to the commodore?]" he asked in Castelo, the common language of the Platines and the old kingdom. "[...Some of it, yeah... I don't know where to go.] she said meekly. "[You should choose captain... you are an experienced man.]" Alvarado looked at her a bit more concerned, her shinning scientific personality seemed to be completely absent. "[I'm afraid I cannot, Ana... you are our lead researcher. I leave that to you but I also trust your judgement."] Dos Santos looked away for a moment, noticing Kuromaki glaring at her, then she took a heavy breath before stepping forward and speaking about their plan. "...We'll head to the III and IV islands." she said shyly, before walking back to Alvarados side. The captain gave her the thumbs up.

 

[K0mori]

Once Dos Santos had selected a set of islands to explore, Kuromaki declared that she would stay on the main island to explore of her own accord along with Flint and the researchers Meinhardt was leaving behind. It seemed as though she waited in order to be sure that she would not be on the same islands as the doctor for the duration of the next 72 hours. However, as soon as the groups began to part ways, she walked directly over to Dos Santos and spoke to her in Shinjuku.

"[I hope you've made some progress finding a solution to our affliction. As much as I resent what you did, I know it was merely recklessness and not malice. But I'm afraid we may have limited time.]" She pulled at one of the black gloves she was wearing and revealed that the backs of her hands appeared to have sprouted fur overnight. She then looked at Dos Santos's hands and realized that the affliction had not progressed similarly for the doctor, and she gave an unpleasant smirk. "[Or maybe it's only me who has limited time. Nevertheless, I'll search for anything I think might cure us, and I expect you to do the same.]"

"Alright everyone," Meinhardt declared. "Be sure to use the telegraph if anything notable happens. My first officer is in control of dispatches on the Nixe, so the only way I'll know about your progress, or your needs, is if you radio the head ship. Understood?"

---
​

Shortly after the meeting, Flint, Kuromaki, and their combined entourages began traveling toward the pyramid at the center of the island. The weather was unrelentingly wet, and water sloshed from the crumbling brickwork down onto the ancient roadways with the sound of a roaring cascade. The material itself looked durable, but centuries of harsh weather had worn clear grooves down the middle of roads and between buildings where there was no longer stone, but instead deep, murky puddles. The buildings had no windows, and the entrances were rotted away into simple rectangular voids into the dark interiors. One by one, the group approached the small tombs and shined their lights within, but most were either fully-collapsed within, or had been looted by one or more previous expeditions.

Then, they came upon one which was not only intact, but had an open pit within with a stairway to the reported underground tunnel network. The group debated for a while the merits of exploring it when they were so close to reaching their original target, when one of the men took a step too close to the pit and was grabbed by something in the darkness! He was yanked backwards, screaming in horror as he fell down the stairs with a tumble. Instead of chasing after its original pray, however, the beast exploded forth from the shadows and revealed itself: a screaming, eyeless mummy, stumbling toward the Alleghenians at the door of its tomb!

In the heat of the moment, the men were too stunned to attack it. Instead, they all ran backwards, and the mummy, seemingly unintelligent, couldn't tell which one to pursue. Kuromaki, who realized too late what the source of the screaming was and why the men had leaped back so suddenly, was tackled to the ground by the ancient undead creature, which opened its jaw wide open before slamming its mud-colored teeth into her neck. Her screaming joined the mummy's as her life was in imminent danger!

---
​

By 11AM, all of the ships which had departed the main island had reached their intended destinations and began to unload exploratory crews. The Alemannians and Alleghenians under Meinhardt and Warren used skiffs to land themselves on the beach of Island I. Just as the lookouts had reported, there were highly-visible ruins on this island which appeared far less monumental and more practical, as if there were once a small village here. They worked their way inland, slogging through the muddy swampland up to the edge of the settlement, where they noticed something particularly unusual: there was a hut nearby the ruined remains of a fountain that looked as if it had been constructed far more recently than anything else there. It even had a roof made out of thatched palm fronds.

At the same time, the Platense vessel reached the edge of island III, which seemed to be a rocky, flat plate utterly covered with jungle. Even up close, the crew couldn't see much further than the first ten or so feet into the trees, and a feeling of unease settled over the landing team. From a scientific perspective, however, the jungle resembled a true rainforest, and so there was reason to believe that great discoveries lurked within. Not every secret in the Zone could be found within ruins. With the use of their skiffs, they unloaded a few crewmen at a time onto a flat slab of rock. Nearby, they found another overhanging slab, and so the crew smartly gathered some semi-dry kindling and shoved it into the dry space, where they were able to light a fire which smoked well. They could use this smoke to lead them back to the Correntino, or at least to the side of the island where it was easy to see the ship.

Elsewhere, Grand Captain Kortova stepped out of a skiff onto Island V, which seemed as barren as Detlev had indicated earlier. As she and her company walked toward the obelisk-looking pillars, however, they soon realized that the center of the island was actually bowl shaped and fell far below sea level. The monuments were all engraved in a strange language, and each appeared to say the same thing. At the bottom of the bowl was a large, round stage, something like an arena, but it was ornately decorated with additional engravings, mosaics, and inlaid brass and gold. A ruined archway at the far end of the bowl dripped with water, starkly reminding Kortova of her nightmare from before. A staircase under the ocean...

Finally, the Prophet dauntlessly approached the mysterious islands at the end of the chain, and inexplicably, discovered that they weren't natural formations at all. Instead, they were the utterly, unfathomably large skull of a long-deceased sea monster, and the tail end of an ironclad vessel which appeared to be forcibly dragged to the bottom of the shallow waters and stood upright so that its nose was buried in a sandbar and the tail sat high in the air. Getting closer, they were able to determine that the ironclad had originally come from Ruthenia. This gave them a choice: They could what was left of the vessel for anything useful and claim they found it elsewhere, or sail on to another set of islands altogether.

 

[joshuadim]

Lonstray stood on the deck of the Prophet alongside Dobbs with a large raincoat, only somewhat protecting him from the onslaught of rain, and observed the massive skull with awe. The man was clearly impressed by what he was witnessing: "Fascinating... for such a creature to have once swam these waters."

"We should be grateful we aren't witnessing something like that alive." Dobbs replied as he too observed the skull. "I wouldn't want to fight that thing even with a large battlefleet."

"Nonetheless, we ought to make something useful from our endeavor here." the scientist spoke again as he observed the vessel. "Perhaps the vessel has something of value to us."

"Indeed. We can send a few of our sailors there."

And so, a skiff with Dobbs and some of his men was deployed towards the sandbar and onwards towards the ironclad. It took some time due to the unsavory weather, but eventually the members of the expedition disembarked and headed towards the Ironclad. Before entering however, Dobbs reminded himself of a warning that was spoken by the Commodore before. "If you see anything unusual along the walls, don't touch it."

 

[Infab]

The trip to island one was uneventful, beyond crashing waves and the rain and thunder from above. The trio of commanding officers all went along on the trip, each eager to discover just what the ruins on the island held. With the came a small platoon of troops, armed with naval carbines and shotguns. Riddle, finally allowed by Warren, was armed with one of the Annihilators that they had brought with them. Lined across his torso were several stick shaped magazines in leather holsters, meant to fit in the short, stockless SMG in his grip.

When they made landfall, they moved quickly but cautiously up the beach towards the structures on the island. The swampy terrain they encountered near the settlement slowed them down, forcing them to carefully choose their steps and movements so they didn't fall overrr and lose anything. Once the hut came into sight, however, they all stopped.

They looked it over from afar, before Warren spoke up. "Barnes, Davidson, check it out. If you find anything strange, don't touch it. Just let us know." he said, looking to the two petty officers. They carefully moved in, rifles shouldered as they neared the hut.

 

[Radley]

Flint looked on in utter horror as the mummy threw itself over Kuromaki and sunk its rotten teeth into her neck! His fears of the undeath were more real that he could have ever imagined. He shook the racing thoughts from his mind as the ensign began screaming in pain.
He could see in the side of his vision as his men recovered from the shock and began aiming their rifles. "Hold your fire!" He barked, fearing that shooting wildly might kill Kuromaki as well. Acting instinctively, Rourke dropped his pistol and snatched a rifle from on of the nearby soldiers and began assailing the head of the mummy with brute force using the stock.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

Kortova couldn't look away from the dripping archway, both enraptured and afraid of the creation. It reminded her too much of her bad dream. She wasn't particularly afraid of water, but there was simply something foreboding about it and the entire island. The entire zone seemed to have that atmosphere, but now to be away from the Commodore and on their own, it felt distinctly different. If this is what it felt like to be an explorer, she wasn't sure if she was cut out for it. Not that she'd show such an opinion outwardly. A proper monarch, the ones of legend, led from the front. Best not to trip now.

"Are we almost ready, lieutenant?" She asked, glancing back to look at the Sokrovian deployment. It was the most they had put onto land yet - several dozen marines and sailors, with equipment laid out. Marines guarded the perimeter in fireteams, with bayoneted rifles and shotguns at the ready, while sailors with holstered pistols did the physical labor in the middle of their little cordon. In the distance, observers and gun teams stood ready on the deck of the Archangel, providing distant overwatch and observation. Strength in numbers. Enough eyes should spot danger, and enough guns should stop it.

The labor being performed was fairly simple. Three men were dressing into their diving suits while sturdy, deck-rated rope was being tied around them in a harness like fashion. These three men had their ropes leading to a central point where each end was firmly wrapped around a stake in the ground, but there was significant leeway in the line, which led to several sailors each being present to hold the rope. The suits, while nominally for diving, were protection against unwanted substances, fumes, and the dreaded inky matter. Having heard and seen the affects of near immediate transformations from the aetherine glass, no risks were being taken for this vanguard.

"Everybody listen up," Lieutenant Williams announced, Kortova right beside him. "The vanguard team will slowly advance into the bowl and ensure the path is safe for further entry. Secondary teams," these were men in waders, some with pistols, "will follow behind them from a safe distance. Touch nothing without gloves, and it must be cleared by the vanguard team before anything else. If the air seems foul, return back and we will monitor the composition again." In this case, there was only a single canary they could spare. The air would have to be checked by instruments if anything happened to their sole bird. "Riflemen - those with marksmen badges - will be watching from the top of the bowl. Good luck, gentlemen."

Kortova cleared her throat and nearly stood on her tiptoes to look bigger. "And do not forget that we are pioneers - Sokrovian pioneers - like our ancestors from Ruthenia and Alleghenia, and hardy survivalists, like our native friends who are attuned with the natural world. What we do here in this zone will reflect on our storied lineage, heritage, and national prestige. We will not be outperformed by the opportunists and cheats of the other nations!"

There was silence for a moment until Lieutenant Williams added, "And to reiterate, there is both hazard pay and an explorer's bonus, and pension for widowed spouses." A few men caught on and offered appreciative hollers and some claps, the lieutenant quietly stepping back to allow Kortova to appear to be the obvious target. She did her best to look regal.

A moment later, Williams gave the thumbs up to the teams, and the vanguard in their diving suits began their descent into the bowl, and a few dozen feet behind them, the secondary team of sailors in their waders carefully following behind with instruments to take readings and bins for collection. A few specialists were among this group to take photographs, record inscriptions, and study other phenomena. Everyone else watched from the top of the bowl while guard teams watched the perimeter.

 

[EdwardDewey98]

Dos Santos gave the ensign a weak little smile before departing. It was good to know she was not as angry with her as she was at first. But the revelation that her hands continued to mutate sent chills down the scientist's spine. She had hoped that these few days without any exposure to the stone would have stop it's spread, but now both women were in a race to find a way to stop it. While she was determined to help Kuromaki, knowing that another person depended heavily on her did not help her growing anxiety.

When the time came to get back on the ship and head to the islands, Dos Santos began to prepare herself and the rest of the research team while Alvarado told the crew to get ready to explore previously unexplored lands. Most of the crew was seemingly unfazed, until they saw the thick jungle on the islands ahead of them. There was something unnerving about them that even the veterans in the crew seemed a bit nervous. Including Alvarado.

"That doesn't look right..." said the captain, while crossing his arms. "...Too thick. We'll have to send more than a few guns." Dos Santos agreed. While the thrill for scientific discoveries was there, she was worried about the possible dangers that these islands might hold. After a few minutes, both the captain and the head researcher came up with an exploration plan. "A-alright! Um... l-listen up everyone." said Dos Santos while clapping her hands to gather everyone's attention. "...W-we are heading down there in three teams, ten marines each with a leading researcher. Everyone else stays in the Correntino."

"I want to add this..." said Alvarado, while stepping up to the front. "...As many of you know, there might be many dangers deep in the jungle. I want everyone to know that all of you matter. No matter what happens we will not leave a single man or woman behind. I want everyone to keep their calm at all times, and remember that we will be part of history." He then gave everyone a smile. "...Besides, if we find some treasure, this time it will be ours regardless of what the commodore says!" Some in the crew laughed. Even Dos Santos let out a little chuckle. But the feeling of dread was still there, at the back of everyone's mind.

Once on land, after setting up a fire to know where to come back to, the three teams separated. Team One was led by Dos Santos herself, accompanied by ten marines and two researchers. Alvarado led Team 2, accompanied by ten marines and one researcher. And the third team led by First Mate Mancinelli, his team consisting of eleven marines and two researchers. Dos Santos and her team began to cut through the jungle, as three sailors began to cut through the thick foliage with their machetes. Dos Santos took notes of the flora around them, some of it similar to that of the Mazonian jungle.

 

[K0mori]

Lonstray had committed his men to exploring the wreck of the old ironclad. Once they had reached the sandbar, it was a simple matter to reach the deck of the half-buried ship, but another matter entirely to find a safe entry point. It was decided, after some debating, that it would be best to break through the wooden top deck using a hatchet and crawl through the resulting hole. Two men took turns hacking away at the rotting boards as the rain continued to pelt them with big drops of water, until finally the wood gave way. It revealed a dark and moldy interior which wasn't rendered any more inviting by the addition of lamplight.

Dobbs decided to lead his men by example, and was the first to enter. Very cautiously, he stepped across the soft piles of damp sand within the wreck until he reached what had been the floor of the vessel, which was a steep ramp that would be difficult, but not impossible to climb. He beckoned to the others to follow, and soon they were ascending to the first open doorway. They cleared it to discover the firing room, which was piled high with cannons which had toppled over and rolled to the bottom, along with numerous skeletons in threadbare Ruthenian uniforms. As the scouts began to pick over the bodies carefully so as to disturb them as little as possible, Dobbs hung back and took a look out through one of the gun hatches at the other islands in the distance.

He felt something drip on his neck.

It took only a second to register that it might be dangerous, and before he could even react, Lonstray gave a bit of a shout and pulled the Captain away from the window. Both men lost their footing and slid on the floorboards for a moment, but they gained traction without harming themselves. Lonstray used a handkerchief to wipe the captain's neck clean before showing him the inky black residue on the white cloth. "Almighty!" one of the younger men shouted as he shined a flashlight up at the ceiling.

Small beads of shadow mass were spattered about the ceiling and dripping down toward the far end of the firing room. There was none on the walls, and Dobbs silently chastised himself for not looking upward beforehand. The others checked themselves in paranoia for exposure, but thankfully, none of them had come in contact with the terrible fluid.

---
​

Meinhardt and Warren's groups advanced carefully on the ancient village, but stopped as they neared the mysterious hut. Two petty officers from the latter's crew then took point, moving in silently to check inside the building. There were no windows, but there was a sort of doorway covered in cloth- what appeared to be old bathing towels which were stitched together. Carefully, they pulled these curtains aside, revealing a very modest shelter. The ground inside was covered in piles of dry grass, and, incredibly, there was a very old and frail human male sleeping with his face to the wall of the hut. He was dressed in a tattered uniform of unidentifiable origin, and numerous trinkets were piled on the opposite side of the circular room, including eating utensils, a broken mirror, and the rusted remains of a very old pistol frame.

Gently, they released the curtain and backed away, wide-eyed, and returned to report their discovery to the Commander and the Commodore.

Meanwhile, a few of the other scouts had branched out to investigate the surrounding ruins, picking through the crumbled stones. There were markings which were highly unique; they obviously weren't carvings made by human hands, but also appeared far from natural. The stones were striated with grooves and holes which gave the appearance that they had been melted at some point or had come in contact with lava. On closer inspection, it seemed as if the lay of the land, with odd grooves in the landscape itself, lined up with the largest holes and most extensive damage to the ruins. Gradually, the explorers gained the insight that these ruins didn't crumble naturally over time, but had been destroyed in the ancient era by some incredible force.

That was when, in the midst of their awe, Warren's scouts discovered that some of the stones were glowing with some sort of internal heat which they could feel by putting their hands against the rock. Meinhardt's men, on the other hand, located a small but very heavy iron statue, toppled at the edge of the village. Turning it around so that it faced the sky, they looked down on what appeared to be a mermaid with wings- a very unusual sight.

---​

Kuromaki, despite her screaming, had the wherewithal to jab her palm into the mummy's head and knock it loose from her neck, but when she tried to punch it, it reared back and she missed completely. Blood was gushing out of her neck wound. Rourke closed in from behind with a rifle, swinging hard for the mummy's head, but he missed as well. The best he could do was shove the end of the gun down between the undead monster and the ensign, providing the latter an opportunity for separation. She crawled painfully away, trying to hold her neck wound closed as the mummy writhed on the ground, gurgling and screaming horrifically.

---
​

While the teams up top collected all the information they could from the obelisk-like monuments and ornately-decorated bowl, the Sokrovian divers embarked on the most risky, and yet possibly the most rewarding, venture their crew had attempted so far. Despite the appearance of an arena, the various teams were not beset by monsters as they descended onto its wide, circular surface. Once they had confirmed their safety, the vanguard team proceeded to the tunnel entrance that was connected. Carrying their canary with them, they slowly and carefully descended the stairs, keeping watch for shadow mass and all other traditional hazards. After about one flight of stairs, they reached a floor which had a drainage system, and so the rainwater was whisked away into another small passage, leaving the tunnel dry.

They made a right turn around the corner and found that the corridor smoothly curved with the shape of the land, opening up into an odd sort of chamber that was ornately carved and wonderfully preserved compared to everything else the Expedition had seen so far. The Sokorvians had been the first to venture to this island, and were likely the first humans to enter its hidden chambers in thousands of years. The civilization which had built this complex was very advanced, and if it were the same people who constructed the ley line tower at Castle Island, or even the Necropolis here in the Ossuary Islands, it was obvious that this place had been built much, much later. The craftsmanship was impeccable.

The first chamber had many shelves built into the stone itself, but there were no intact books here. On closer observation, the vanguard team discovered evidence that scrolls had been the means of preserving information, but this was based only on the handles which were left over. There was no paper or silk to read from, here. However, they soon found a large, broken piece of pottery which was coated in what appeared to be salt. Gently, they moved the shards to disturb the white powder, and were amazed when a bluish spark shot off into the air. They stopped disturbing it immediately.

---
​

As Dos Santos and her group cautiously entered the jungle, the light of the canopy gradually sealed off, leaving them in a world of marshy darkness. As they moved, the muddy ground gave way to ankle-deep waters which, thankfully, were almost crystal clear under the light of the lanterns and flashlights the group used to keep their footing, at least until their steps disturbed the silt beneath. Progress was slow going, and the team was harassed by various buzzing and biting insects along the way, until they reached a large circular clearing. They could see that the ground dropped below the water's surface dramatically into a roughly circular hole, probably into a submerged cave system.

Just then, they heard a hissing noise from nearby. They turned their beams of light to the edge of the clearing just in time to catch a glimpse of a massive reptilian creature, like a crocodile, but with teeth the length of kitchen knives! It had been laying on the ground with its head above the water, mouth wide open, and once seen it sprung forward, aggressively, toward Dos Santos. Reflexively, she swung her lantern at it and nailed it in the jaw, causing it to flip in a defensive maneuver into the deep pond. One of her assistants grabbed her and threw her backwards, as the crocodile would obviously have a great advantage in the water. The rest of the Platense backed away from the pool toward the clearing's edge, waiting for the creature to make another lunge.

Elsewhere, Alvarado's team was making swifter progress, having found a rise in the ground that put them above the water line. The ground was still muddy and unstable, but over time, they made serious headway into the island's interior, where the trees finally began to let up and grant them a longer view. One of the sailors, who possessed some skills as a scout, used a spare belt to climb one of the jungle trees to get a better vantage point. Once he had reached a strong branch, he straddled it and took out a pair of binoculars. "[Up ahead about half a mile, two o'clock, captain! I see a sort of... stone structure there!]"

The team made a note of this as their scout began to crawl down. As he did, he set his foot down on a vine which encircled the trunk of the tree, which suddenly began to snake itself around in a way which caused the man to lose his balance and fall the remainder of the way. Once detached from the tree, the vine hung there in the air with its pointed, flowered end aimed at the scouting team as if observing them, and as if to emphasize, the middle of the flower opened up to reveal a hideous yellow eye!

The explorers backed away, uncertain, when the vine reared back and squirted a viscous, vile-smelling fluid at them. One young man was caught in the arm and cried out. "[It burns! Sweet mother, it burns!]" he screamed as his skin boiled up in a terrible rash. Alvarado was caught as well, but nowhere near as badly as his subordinate was. Just as the young man had warned, it was excruciating.

Thankfully, not all of the Correntino's crew was beset by misfortune. The third and final team under Mancinelli stumbled upon a narrow pathway through the jungle running perpendicular to their landing site, and followed it as if it were the spine of the island. The path was made of old stones which had been buried halfway into the earth so that they rose several inches above the ground, scored here and there by deep grooves which carried the water out of the way. They soon came to another large clearing, and while there was another pond here, this one was covered with plant life. Beautiful emerald lilies coated the surface, as well as stunning blue lotus flowers.

​

 

[joshuadim]

"Bloody hell, good catch Lonstray." Dobbs spoke as his heart pounded in his chest from the adrenaline rush of near panic. The scientist did not respond, as he was busy looking around the ceiling of the vessel to look for any more sources of shadow mass which, to his relief, he would not find at the moment. "There's shadow mass here, and we don't know how much. I think it's best we don't find out the hard way." Lonstray then commented in a surprisingly cautious tone, with Dobbs only nodding in response. Soon enough, the group made their way out of the vessel and back towards the Prophet aboard their skiff. Dobbs would wash his neck thoroughly with the seawater just in case and Lonstray discording the handkerchief off of the skiff as to not bring it back aboard. To the scientist, this is the one thing he did not favor risking anything over as of yet.

As Dobbs made his way back to the bridge, he then considered moving to another island, he didn't want this all to be for nothing and opted instead to move to the other two islands that were not currently being explored. While Lonstray was getting pictures of the massive sea monster skull on the deck, Dobbs sent out a telegram:

Prophet reporting in STOP
Island IX is large sea monster skull STOP
Island X is beached Ruthenian vessel STOP
Shadow mass encountered STOP
No casualties STOP
Moving to Islands VII and VIII STOP
​

And with that, the Prophet set sail for its new destination.

 

[Emperor Sagan]

The vanguard and secondary teams took note of everything they saw and encountered. Sketches were made, photographs were taken, and even an audio recording was made with a small record in the main ornate chamber, so that the acoustics could later be examined for any anomalies. The lack of recoverable treasure and artifacts was a disappointment to some, but most were content with the fascinating discovery and the safety of the operation. A few samples were taken, however - a man with gloves very carefully scooped some of the white salt-like substance into a glass bottle and corked it, while the pottery shard was wrapped in fabric and placed in one of the specimen wooden crates. With the interior surveyed and outside examined, the vanguard and secondary team slowly crawled their way back up out of the bowl.

Kortova seemed anxious at the lack of an immediate scientific or cultural breakthrough discovery, but Williams sighed contentedly to see everyone safe and accounted for. Everyone withdrew to the shore and began to load back onto the ship. The vanguard and secondary teams were hosed down before they were allowed back onto the ship, and pressure hoses thoroughly rinsed them clean with seawater. These crewmen were soon let back on board the ship and gathered together in the mess hall to discuss and brief the officers and other researchers on their findings.

Course was set for Island VI, and a similar deployment style would be utilized if applicable.

Archangel reports no casualties or anomalies STOP
Island V safely cleared STOP
No major recovery of items or phenomenon STOP
Architecture superb and pristine STOP
Potential empty library or temple or cultural site STOP
Course set for Island VI FULL STOP
​

 

[Radley]

As the blind monstrosity writhed about on the cobbled street, Flint wasted no time. As soon as Kuromaki had crawled away from the fiend, the Captain took aim and began emptying his pistol into it. His men followed suit soon enough, and the sailors and their captain began turning it into Alamannian cheese. As soon as his captain began shooting the mummy, Rourke jolted back in a flash, regaining his composure beside his captain. He too began firing upon the undead monster with his rifle, hoping to which ever god the people of the scriptures prayed to that the nightmare spawn would seize it's unholy attack when confronted with this mighty hail of bullets.