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This section of the progression (In spoilers) is considered Secret, meaning only characters who are directly mentioned in the Prog can be aware of what happened in it. Other characters are not allowed to know about it IC, unless directly told by those involved.
This section of the progression is public, meaning any and all characters can come up with any reason why their character is aware of what happened here. (Saw it themselves, heard gossip, etc)
In the middle of the night in Regalia, a beam of orange-ish golden light shot up from the House Tyndale Digsite in New Town, flashing for just a second, and disappearing as soon as it arrived. Metropolitan members were first on the scene, taking testimonies from the ducal guards stationed at the site, who claimed that some of them had been attacked and knocked out by unknown assailants who then looted some of the ruins. The guards mentioned seeing some ailor, eronidas, and an urlan in various masks, but had no more information to go off of than that. Not long after, members of the Lothar and Aelrrigan Order arrived to discuss the flash of light with the puzzled metro, demanding to be let further into the Dig. At this point, they were received by the House Tyndale Chamberlain, who was concerned about the integrity of the ruins, especially after they were attacked. He made it clear the House would only let one of the Orders in to investigate, so the ensuing bickering and argument over who that would be between the present Lothar and Aelrrigans put a halt to any immediate investigation. Ultimately, the incident was chalked up to some freak accident of magic, or a divine portent, though multiple priests of various faiths all claimed it for different reasons.
The hour was late, long past the time most citizens in the capital had gone to bed, leaving only the night owls, the night workers, and the criminal element traveling in secret. Carmelita and her group certainly fell into the latter category, as even though their intent and planned course of action were not technically illegal, the act of traveling with such a concentrated collection of Arkenborn and Kathar was certain to draw some kind of "investigation" from a judgemental member of the Metropolitan. This fact was something the gathering was all too aware of, and therefore they traveled as quietly and quickly as possible, in many cases using well placed spells to mask their path towards the House Tyndale Digsite in New Town. Using Andria as their most unassuming member of the party, they're able to scout out the perfect time in which one of the site's ducal guards passes by long enough for them to rapidly file in to the pit below, scaling the scaffolding one after another, to reach the staircase into the ruins proper.
The air in the immediate antechamber is still crisp, having been freely circulated during the past week of the excavation by House Tyndale's private archaeologists. The vaulted ceiling carved of still white and unmarred marble gives the impression of a much larger complex than what is actually present around them. Scaffolding, tarps, and tools of all sorts have been left in the chamber, presumably by the archaeologists with intent to use them the next day. Some of the reliefs in the wall have already been carved out and safely removed, leaving only a pair of murals surrounding an unopened door. The door itself is clearly Carmelita's target, her hand set up on the hilt of Panopticon, the blade still thrumming with magic. Before she can reach the door, Anassa and Anstiss have scampered in ahead of her, with Anassa tearing down a tarp from the wall, and Anstiss mirroring the gesture with the other half. While Carmelita and Andria start to raise their voices in quick chastisement of the action, they're caught off guard by the details of the murals ahead of them. On either side of the door, the Goddesses Cemaan and Talea are depicted in crystal clear imagery, in spite of the age of the murals. This fact the group quickly surmises is due to the same enchantments that have preserved everything else in this level of the ruin. The murals themselves depict Cemaan and Talea each facing the doorway, their arms extended towards it, and runes of magic encircling it. Cemaan herself holds her other hand up, her many spears hovering around it. While the group gawks at the murals, mostly with derision and disgust, Noveyn points down to the tile floor just ahead of the doorway, which has gold-leaf paneling that implies the image of blood seeping out from beneath the door. Kethvarr is the first to try the door, not waiting a moment for anyone else to try, trying to grasp at the stone to scrabble for something of a handle, but in spite of his best efforts, and the efforts of Ammoronokh who join behind him, the door utterly refuses to budge. Just when they're beginning to cast spells and draw weapons to force it open, Carmelita shoos them away from it, and drawing Panopticon, holds the artifact out towards the door. Whatever old magical seal kept the door shut, is unwoven by the all-key, forcing the stone to grind and shudder, revealing a set of winding staircases.
Contrary to the upper level, the air in the sealed section of the ruins is almost suffocating stale. The group quickly requires a combination of magic and torch-light to see on their way down, up until they reach the bottom and stare into a massive hallway that extends straight ahead of them a considerable distance. Within it, the marble walls are inlaid with dark blue crystals that still radiate light, illuminating the interior around them in harsh projected geometric lines. Eidolonite statues of armored warriors with spears, and elven mages, are positioned on either side of the pathway ahead, in pairs totaling eight. Each one is slightly larger than the tallest member of the party. On the far end of the hallway is an even larger doorway, without any handles or openings, surrounded by murals of Cemaan's spears pointing down at it. The outer edge of the doorway is inscribed with old Altalar text, but with the group as far away as they are at the moment, it is difficult for them to make out exactly what. With only the door ahead of them, the group wastes no time in charging forward. However, as soon as the group passes the first set of statues, the blue lights on the walls shift to a bright golden hue, almost white, flooding the room right light just in time for them to see the old enchantments on the statues begin to activate, and for each of them to stand up from their base and begin to encircle the group.
While everyone in the group is quick to draw their weapons after this happens, Keridonn is the first to put a plan into motion, warning Kethvarr of an oncoming bolt from the tip of a wand, which he narrowly avoids. Andria forms the beginnings of a perimeter by conjuring a pylon of magic between herself and the nearest statue, and Noveyn behind her fires off a quick volley of arrows. Though the stone on the statues is slightly chipped with their strikes, the constructs make no signs of slowing down. Valloc's conjured blade manages to cleave the top half of the spear off while she's trading blows with. Unfortunately, as she does so, another closes in on her from behind, spear grazing the side of her body, blood splattering on the floor. The situation is similar across the sudden battlefield, as the constructs themselves are protected by extremely potent magic, possibly even made with oblation pearls. Anstiss does what she can to quickly patch up the most pressing wounds, but it's a slowly losing battle. Seeing no other way, and refusing to retreat, Keridonn calls over to Carmelita and demands she open the door, correctly assuming that their original goal might also be their salvation. Amorronokh, Kethvarr, and Anassa manage to topple one of the statues, allowing Carmelita to bound over it and past it. While the statues begin to chase after her, the rest of the group pushes ahead to fight them, delaying them long enough for her to reach the doorway. Just like before, Panopticon thrums with magic, undoing the seal upon the doorway. Unlike before, however, whatever magic kept this door closed, was likely a hundred times as potent as the prior one, causing an explosion of golden light to fly outwards. Everyone, including the statues, are thrown off their feet and disoriented, weakly looking ahead to what was opened within.
The sealed room was a box smaller than the doorway, with golden chains of divine magic sloughing off a figure and fading away. As they step into view, the scenery around the group begins to melt and fade away, the distance between all of them closing until they stare into a dark, black void, with only an ankle-high pool of golden blood gathered beneath them. The figure is a tan-skinned elf, vaguely masculine in appearance, wearing only a half-robed tied around their waist. Their upper body is covered in dark gold, almost orange, geometric tattoos, and their face's features are gaunt, angular, giving the impression of haughtiness in shape, but their expression is anything but. Golden tears stain their cheeks, and tresses of their long black hair flow in all directions, as if they were floating underwater. They begin to speak in an old dialect of Altalar, but Valloc is quick to translate for the group. They introduce themselves as the Firstborn of the Scornblood, and express gladness in their heart that her children have preserved even in their absence. Though the group immediately has questions, they profess the need to depart posthaste, as their awakening will surely draw attention where it is not wanted. Before Carmelita or the rest can protest, they hold a hand up and proclaim that they will fulfill their role again, in her name, and will remember the service they have done for her this evening. After that cryptic statement, they disappear from sight, and the illusory scene around the group melts away, leaving only them, and a bunch of destroyed statues. Once Anassa has picked out a chunk of statue to pocket as a souvenir, she's dragged on by the rest of the group, led hurriedly by Andria who is trusting her intuition about how clandestine that explosion was. The group flees the scene of the dig site just as a number of ducal guards, and confused citizens, close in on the entrance once more, stealing away into the night to lick their wounds, and most likely celebrate.
The air in the immediate antechamber is still crisp, having been freely circulated during the past week of the excavation by House Tyndale's private archaeologists. The vaulted ceiling carved of still white and unmarred marble gives the impression of a much larger complex than what is actually present around them. Scaffolding, tarps, and tools of all sorts have been left in the chamber, presumably by the archaeologists with intent to use them the next day. Some of the reliefs in the wall have already been carved out and safely removed, leaving only a pair of murals surrounding an unopened door. The door itself is clearly Carmelita's target, her hand set up on the hilt of Panopticon, the blade still thrumming with magic. Before she can reach the door, Anassa and Anstiss have scampered in ahead of her, with Anassa tearing down a tarp from the wall, and Anstiss mirroring the gesture with the other half. While Carmelita and Andria start to raise their voices in quick chastisement of the action, they're caught off guard by the details of the murals ahead of them. On either side of the door, the Goddesses Cemaan and Talea are depicted in crystal clear imagery, in spite of the age of the murals. This fact the group quickly surmises is due to the same enchantments that have preserved everything else in this level of the ruin. The murals themselves depict Cemaan and Talea each facing the doorway, their arms extended towards it, and runes of magic encircling it. Cemaan herself holds her other hand up, her many spears hovering around it. While the group gawks at the murals, mostly with derision and disgust, Noveyn points down to the tile floor just ahead of the doorway, which has gold-leaf paneling that implies the image of blood seeping out from beneath the door. Kethvarr is the first to try the door, not waiting a moment for anyone else to try, trying to grasp at the stone to scrabble for something of a handle, but in spite of his best efforts, and the efforts of Ammoronokh who join behind him, the door utterly refuses to budge. Just when they're beginning to cast spells and draw weapons to force it open, Carmelita shoos them away from it, and drawing Panopticon, holds the artifact out towards the door. Whatever old magical seal kept the door shut, is unwoven by the all-key, forcing the stone to grind and shudder, revealing a set of winding staircases.
Contrary to the upper level, the air in the sealed section of the ruins is almost suffocating stale. The group quickly requires a combination of magic and torch-light to see on their way down, up until they reach the bottom and stare into a massive hallway that extends straight ahead of them a considerable distance. Within it, the marble walls are inlaid with dark blue crystals that still radiate light, illuminating the interior around them in harsh projected geometric lines. Eidolonite statues of armored warriors with spears, and elven mages, are positioned on either side of the pathway ahead, in pairs totaling eight. Each one is slightly larger than the tallest member of the party. On the far end of the hallway is an even larger doorway, without any handles or openings, surrounded by murals of Cemaan's spears pointing down at it. The outer edge of the doorway is inscribed with old Altalar text, but with the group as far away as they are at the moment, it is difficult for them to make out exactly what. With only the door ahead of them, the group wastes no time in charging forward. However, as soon as the group passes the first set of statues, the blue lights on the walls shift to a bright golden hue, almost white, flooding the room right light just in time for them to see the old enchantments on the statues begin to activate, and for each of them to stand up from their base and begin to encircle the group.
While everyone in the group is quick to draw their weapons after this happens, Keridonn is the first to put a plan into motion, warning Kethvarr of an oncoming bolt from the tip of a wand, which he narrowly avoids. Andria forms the beginnings of a perimeter by conjuring a pylon of magic between herself and the nearest statue, and Noveyn behind her fires off a quick volley of arrows. Though the stone on the statues is slightly chipped with their strikes, the constructs make no signs of slowing down. Valloc's conjured blade manages to cleave the top half of the spear off while she's trading blows with. Unfortunately, as she does so, another closes in on her from behind, spear grazing the side of her body, blood splattering on the floor. The situation is similar across the sudden battlefield, as the constructs themselves are protected by extremely potent magic, possibly even made with oblation pearls. Anstiss does what she can to quickly patch up the most pressing wounds, but it's a slowly losing battle. Seeing no other way, and refusing to retreat, Keridonn calls over to Carmelita and demands she open the door, correctly assuming that their original goal might also be their salvation. Amorronokh, Kethvarr, and Anassa manage to topple one of the statues, allowing Carmelita to bound over it and past it. While the statues begin to chase after her, the rest of the group pushes ahead to fight them, delaying them long enough for her to reach the doorway. Just like before, Panopticon thrums with magic, undoing the seal upon the doorway. Unlike before, however, whatever magic kept this door closed, was likely a hundred times as potent as the prior one, causing an explosion of golden light to fly outwards. Everyone, including the statues, are thrown off their feet and disoriented, weakly looking ahead to what was opened within.
The sealed room was a box smaller than the doorway, with golden chains of divine magic sloughing off a figure and fading away. As they step into view, the scenery around the group begins to melt and fade away, the distance between all of them closing until they stare into a dark, black void, with only an ankle-high pool of golden blood gathered beneath them. The figure is a tan-skinned elf, vaguely masculine in appearance, wearing only a half-robed tied around their waist. Their upper body is covered in dark gold, almost orange, geometric tattoos, and their face's features are gaunt, angular, giving the impression of haughtiness in shape, but their expression is anything but. Golden tears stain their cheeks, and tresses of their long black hair flow in all directions, as if they were floating underwater. They begin to speak in an old dialect of Altalar, but Valloc is quick to translate for the group. They introduce themselves as the Firstborn of the Scornblood, and express gladness in their heart that her children have preserved even in their absence. Though the group immediately has questions, they profess the need to depart posthaste, as their awakening will surely draw attention where it is not wanted. Before Carmelita or the rest can protest, they hold a hand up and proclaim that they will fulfill their role again, in her name, and will remember the service they have done for her this evening. After that cryptic statement, they disappear from sight, and the illusory scene around the group melts away, leaving only them, and a bunch of destroyed statues. Once Anassa has picked out a chunk of statue to pocket as a souvenir, she's dragged on by the rest of the group, led hurriedly by Andria who is trusting her intuition about how clandestine that explosion was. The group flees the scene of the dig site just as a number of ducal guards, and confused citizens, close in on the entrance once more, stealing away into the night to lick their wounds, and most likely celebrate.
This section of the progression is public, meaning any and all characters can come up with any reason why their character is aware of what happened here. (Saw it themselves, heard gossip, etc)
In the middle of the night in Regalia, a beam of orange-ish golden light shot up from the House Tyndale Digsite in New Town, flashing for just a second, and disappearing as soon as it arrived. Metropolitan members were first on the scene, taking testimonies from the ducal guards stationed at the site, who claimed that some of them had been attacked and knocked out by unknown assailants who then looted some of the ruins. The guards mentioned seeing some ailor, eronidas, and an urlan in various masks, but had no more information to go off of than that. Not long after, members of the Lothar and Aelrrigan Order arrived to discuss the flash of light with the puzzled metro, demanding to be let further into the Dig. At this point, they were received by the House Tyndale Chamberlain, who was concerned about the integrity of the ruins, especially after they were attacked. He made it clear the House would only let one of the Orders in to investigate, so the ensuing bickering and argument over who that would be between the present Lothar and Aelrrigans put a halt to any immediate investigation. Ultimately, the incident was chalked up to some freak accident of magic, or a divine portent, though multiple priests of various faiths all claimed it for different reasons.
