Petra Rock City

[Sierra]

<El-Cideon> Afternoon shades into evening as you make your way back to your hotel, alcohol and bandages having been procured along the way to treat rat bites. The sky darkens and laborers rush home from work as you get back to your rooms. (OOC: Your next move? Cor mentioned there was something Yomi might want to say, also?)
<Yomi> "Is it alright to leave someone like that man alone?" Yomi asks as soon as a measure of privacy can be secured. "It is the first time I came across a person with a demonic heritage, but he doesn't seem particularly harmful, aside from his odor."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Demonic heritage?" Nadia repeats dubiously. "Magic is one thing, but now demons, too?"
<Yomi> "It is up to you what you call them," Yomi allows, "yet an evil thing that is not human and seeks to destroy humans would be what I refer to. Our guide was not fully human, although he did not even seem to be aware of that fact."
<Erin> With her wounded leg propped up on her bed whilst she sits on a wicker chair, Erin turns their newly acquired bracelet over in her hands and considers just slipping it on. "Oh, yes, magic is often blamed on demons, which seems to me a term synonymous with 'misunderstood'" she remarks, with a shrug. "Really, that's quite rude, you know. Calling someone 'not fully' human."
<Nadia_Chekova> "So perhaps his grandmother was seduced by an imp," Nadia shrugs, "It is not his fault, and he has enough troubles without us compounding them."
<Yomi> "Which he is," Yomi states bluntly.
<Erin> "Circumstances of blood make no difference. He is human, and he can achieve and share in enlightenment," replies Erin.
* Yomi relents. "I suppose his human origins overcame the demonic taint, then, though it continues to clinge to him," she says.
<Erin> "Yes, along with many other things," replies Erin, taking the moment to slip on the bracelet around her right arm.
* Nadia_Chekova wrinkles her nose in silent agreement with Erin. "In any case, shall we see about getting transport to Petra in the morning?"
<Yomi> "Did you wash that, first?" Yomi asks in concern.
<El-Cideon> There's no obvious effect, though after a moment a few arcane syllables echo in Erin's head. It's a short phrase recognizable as the one Elgin and Ivo used before they disappeared in Istanbul. You get the impression that they're instructions, as though whoever made the bracelet wished it to be used by anyone.
<Erin> "It's rare to come across such a friendly artifact," remarks Erin, raising and turning her hand about to let it dangle off from multiple angles. "I think I can use it, and either of you could, too."
<Nadia_Chekova> "We could? I thought magic took years of study?" Nadia asks curiously.
<Erin> "It does, but, well. You've probably heard stories about it- people finding and opening things they shouldn't?"
<Yomi> "It's just a tool, isn't it?" Yomi inquires. "Then it would have magic vested in it by an artisan."
<Erin> "I suppose you could look at it that way," mutters Erin. "I'm sure that's how Elgin sees it. Suffice to say, you can use it, and it wants to be used. Mmm. They've been activating theirs at certain holy sites- but I wonder..."
<Yomi> "If we got to Elgin's next destination before him and used it first?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "He has a large head start on us, though. Unless we can find out where he intended to go after Petra and we skip straight there."
<Yomi> "We're certainly in the right place to find out about other holy sites in the area," Yomi muses. "But what if Petra is the final destination he has in mind?"
<Erin> "We'll at least be able to figure out what he's doing there."
* Yomi frowns all of a sudden. "Then why not use the chance here? If we can use the bracelet, and we know there is a spot below that church in this very city, we could try activating it and seeing where that takes us."
<Erin> "Because it's disgusting down there!" replies Erin, stamping her good foot.
* Yomi laughs in amusement despite herself.
<Nadia_Chekova> "I have no great desire to go back down there myself," Nadia agrees with a grimace. "We would also have to enlist our demonic guide again."
<Yomi> "The idea is too disgusting to properly contemplate. I understand," Yomi says solemnly. "Alright. In that case, our path is decided? To try and see what other destination might draw Elgin's attention next, just in case, and then to depart towards Petra?"
<Erin> "Yes, I would think so," replies Erin. "But there is one thing," she adds, removing the bracelet and setting it on a table. "Whilst Elgin has only used his jewels in certain sites, that may not be a necessary condition for their activation. When I'm feeling a bit better, it might be worth trying here."
<Nadia_Chekova> "In all things magical I will defer to your judgement," Nadia bows her head graciously towards Erin.
<El-Cideon> The night passes uneventfully, and you all meet again in the morning refreshed and revitalized.
<Erin> After her usual morning repast, Erin has packed her bags and is ready to go, but before leaving the hotel, she slips the bracelet on again and utters the phrase that springs into her mind.
<El-Cideon> Nothing happens.
* Erin looks a bit saddened, but lets her sleeve cover the bracelet and grabs her bag. "Well, then."
* Nadia_Chekova sets herself to the mission of finding the trio passage to Petra this morning!
<El-Cideon> OOC: Any idea how you're getting to where you're going? GI if not.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+10
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+10 and gets 23."12 [1d20=13]
<El-Cideon> Petra's a couple hours away by car, you gather, which seems like the best way to get there. It's not an uncommon sightseeing destination, so hiring someone to drive you there would be cheap and easy. You also encounter a young member of the British military police who would be glad to drive you there and back in exchange for having dinner with him.
* Nadia_Chekova happily accepts the British man's offer, so long as he knows that her two friends are coming on the trip as well, but assuring him he'll get her all to himself when they have dinner.
<El-Cideon> This doesn't seem to bother him at all. Actually, he seems particularly glad to have Erin along; apparently it's been a while since he was in the company of a British woman and a little piece of home is more than welcome. Anyway, the drive itself is uneventful, if a bit of a bumpy ride--the car is a utilitarian military vehicle, not meant for comfort. (more)
<El-Cideon> It's a beautiful day, at least, the sky utterly cloudless, and you drive with the canopy down. The road takes you south and around the Dead Sea, finally stopping a short walk away from a cliffside settlement in a series of canyons. "I'm not exactly a tour guide, but I know a little about the place," your chauffuer (who identifies himself as Robert) says. Apparently you're not the only people in the area today--there are two similar cars stopped nearby.
<El-Cideon>  nearby.
<Erin> "Really? We're coming in rather blind," remarks Erin, cheerfully. "Do you think you could tell us about the sights?"
* Yomi remains silent, listening to the exchange and studying the area. Due to the weather, she had forgone her coat altogether, and keeps her wrapped bundle by her side.
* Nadia_Chekova nods her agreement with Erin. "I'd like to hear as well," she smiles charmingly.
<El-Cideon> Robert is more than glad to educate such a pleasant collection of women! "Well, it was first built in pagan times, I gather, and pretty much everyone's left their mark here since. Romans, Christians, Muslims...You'll find a little of everything. There are lots of tombs, some monuments and grand public buildings." Entering the city, you pass a series of obelisks and columns, possibly what's left of an ancient building.
<Erin> "Do they have any idea which monuments are the oldest?" asks Erin, curiously running a hand along some of the obelisks.
<Yomi> "You said the bracelet was friendly and wanted to be used?" Yomi asks Erin quietly, walking by her side. "Do you think it would direct you, if you come close enough to the right spot?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Does anyone live here now?" Nadia asks, taking in the sights as they walk past the columns.
<Erin> "It might, but there's no way of knowing for certain," replies Erin.
<El-Cideon> "Well, I'm not totally sure, but I know we can rule out the mosques. You can tell most of the original buildings because they cut them right into the cliff walls." The cliff walls here are mostly red and orange rock and, indeed, some of the structures are hewn of a single piece right from the living stone. "No one's lived here for a long time. Water dried up, I think," he says, gesturing to a dusty fountain.
<Erin> "Can you point out the christian buildings?"
* Yomi perks up at the question, finding it quite reasonable to be their target.
<El-Cideon> "Well, sometimes they just reused older buildings for their own purposes. One of them's a great big monument up on a hill. I think it was built for some king and they turned it into a church later."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Lets go have a look inside?" Nadia suggests eagerly, looking up at the hill.
<Erin> "Let's get and go." Erin starts off at a leisurely pace towards the hill (her leg still a little sore from yesterday's scrap.)
<El-Cideon> "You've got a walk ahead of you," he says, gesturing to a sizable stone staircase that winds up the hill to an impassiave classical facade. "But it is one of the nicer buildings." He starts up the hill. "Just don't think I'll accept being tired as an excuse to skip dinner!"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Think of it as working up an appetite," Nadia reassures him teasingly.
* Yomi hardly thinks a little climb would be any sort of problem, but is nevertheless there to assist, should anyone's wounds act up.
<Erin> The staircase would tax even a fit and healthy specimen, to Erin's estimation. "We should have brought a picnic, you know."
<El-Cideon> It must take close to a thousand steps for you to reach the top of the hill. It's hard to say; any rational person would stop counting after a couple hundred. Fortunately, Robert brought along a canteen full of water and passes it around once you've reached the summit. You have a panoramic view of the dessicated hills from up here.
* Nadia_Chekova gratefully takes a few gulps from the canteen before passing it on, rewarding Robert with a beaming smile for his thoughtfulness before she takes a moment to admire the view.
<Erin> "And fourty three," mutters Erin, more interested in seeking out the monument than allowing the glories of a natural vista to overtake her for the moment.
<Yomi> Unable to be of much use beyond looking out for herself and her companions, Yomi certainly takes in the sites.
<El-Cideon> The monument itself is an array of columns and sculptures cut from the hillside. There is one entrance, a doorway leading into darkness.
<Erin> "Did you bring the torch?" asks Erin, having managed to avoid buying an explorer's necessities yet again.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Of course," Nadia smiles, reaching into her handbag for the light and shining it down the doorway.
<El-Cideon> The light at first illuminates a wide open space that might have once been quite grand but is now mostly empty (whatever ornaments might have adorned it having been long since looted). Then eight people wink existence right before your eyes (several with flashlights of their own) and start towards the door, though it's hard to make out details from outside.
<El-Cideon> Fortunately, Robert misses this mysterious occurrence due to being too busy admiring Nadia.
* Nadia_Chekova jumps a little at the sudden appearance of these newcomers and quickly looks between Robert and Yomi as the two most likely to be able to protect the group. But will it be enough?
<El-Cideon> OOC: Hiding, standing ground? If they've been in the dark for a while, it's not guaranteed that they could identify you in the glare of the sunlight. 'course, Robert would wonder what the hell you were doing.
<Erin> Erin certainly won't recognize most of them, and she can hope it's the same for them! She sidles over to a nearby column, apparently studying it with great interest, and putting it between her face and the other party.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Someone's coming!" Nadia hisses, flicking off her torch and stepping out of direct line of sight from the door.
<El-Cideon> OOC: Yomi?
* Yomi is far more collected now than she was previously, when she just blindly charged into the fray. Her clothing is different as well, but her very features might draw unnecessary attention, and so she finds the best spot to stay out of sight at without outright going and hiding herself.
<El-Cideon> Robert is obviously perplexed by everyone's behavior and seems inclined to question it, starting with a confused "What--?" but apparently deciding that he doesn't care what the reason is if it results in an attractive Japanese girl taking shelter next to him. He just shrugs, retrieves c aigarette from a pocket and proceeds to light it. (more)
<El-Cideon> You can hear the sound of footsteps echoing on stone as the strangers walk out of the building and then into the sunlight. There's idle chatter in German; Nadia can hear a man expressing disappointment that he couldn't bring back a trophy, before a voice that is recognizable as Ivo's tells him that they were pressed for time and he should kindly shut up.
* Nadia_Chekova remains melded into the shadows and hopefully out of sight, not wanting a confrontation right now.
<El-Cideon> OOC: genuinely trying to not be seen, or being there but inconspicuous like the others?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: hiding
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+11 to prove it
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+11 to prove it and gets 19."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> Robert exchanges polite greetings with the man in the lead (which turns out to be Ivo, who gives a dismissive response and sounds like he's taken Robert to be a common tourist). Some of the soldiers still talk amongst themselves despite being told not to, though others are eerily silent as if taking in their surroundings.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4 spot 1
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 spot 1 and gets 10."12 [1d20=6]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+4 spot 2
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+4 spot 2 and gets 9."12 [1d20=5]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+1 spot Ivo
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+1 spot Ivo and gets 9."12 [1d20=8]
<El-Cideon> No one seems to notice Nadia's hiding place and the group soon passes by and starts down the long staircase (though one soldier trails behind to bum a cigarette from your tour guide before leaving).
<Nadia_Chekova> "Sorry," Nadia is all smiles as she materialises once more. "I didn't like the look of them, though."
<Yomi> "Germans," Yomi agrees, the word explaining everything.
* Erin wanders towards the entrance of the cave, uninterested in giving an excuse for her not-at-all strange behaviour.
<El-Cideon> Robert shrugs. "What's wrong with them? Terrific job of rebuilding after that slump in the twenties, I'd say."
<El-Cideon> The cave seems to be empty once again.
<Yomi> "Bad experiences with them throughout," Yomi says with regret. If only there were less of them, or they didn't point guns at her point blank....
* Erin steps inside the cave, feeling her way along the wall with one hand once it starts to get a bit dark.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Not everyone wants them to rebuild," Nadia observes, flicking her torch on once more and shining it down the doorway as she approaches. "Considering what happened last time they were a power in Europe."
<El-Cideon> "Yes, well, we've all learned from that, haven't we? It's 'The Great War' for a reason. No one would be stupid enough to repeat it." Another shrug. The intricacies of international relations don't seem of great interest to him.
* Yomi isn't particularly interested in wars, herself, as her grudge tends to be of a far more personal nature. "Let's explore?" she suggests instead.
<El-Cideon> The main room of the building is a wide, high-ceilinged hall, probably meant for some manner of procession, though the room is mostly empty and gives little clue as to what specifically might have gone on there. There are broken off stumps that might once have been some kind of furniture or decoration.\
<El-Cideon> "If you insist," Robert says. "Most of what's worth seeing in Petra is on the outside, though." He lingers by the doorway, still smoking.
* Nadia_Chekova passes the torch to Erin. "Try the bracelet and I'll keep our guide occupied?" she suggests quietly, before going over to Robert. "Yes, I wanted to admire the view some more," she smiles, leading him to the edge of the hill overlooking the valley. And coincidentally seeing what the Germans are up to.
<Yomi> "Just a thought," Yomi says quietly, gravitating towards Erin, "but Nadia's friend serves in the local police, doesn't he? Perhaps there could be a pretext for detaining some of Elgin's group?"
<El-Cideon> The Germans are walking down the stairs. As you know from experience, this is quite the chore.
<Erin> "Pretext? They were guilty of attempting to murder our former guide," remarks Erin, fiddling with the bracelet. "Reality is on our side."
<Yomi> "Realistically, I don't think the police -- any police -- would care," Yomi states flatly.
<Erin> "Hmm. Well, then, I could impersonate that Ivo character and commit an unseemly act."
<Yomi> "It might be worth trying, I think," Yomi voices. "Especially if we get a lead on their next target."
<Erin> "It'll have to wait," replies Erin, muttering that phrase under her breath once again.
<El-Cideon> Erin vanishes right in fron of Yomi's eyes!
<El-Cideon> OOC: I'm debating moving Erin to another channel...if Erin's going to port right back, we don't need to.
* Yomi expected as much, but stands in such a way as to conceal this from view, should Robert choose that moment to peer inside.
<El-Cideon> Robert is thoroughly engaged with Nadia's charms at present. He is currently trying to determine where she is from and what kind of food she likes.
* Nadia_Chekova readily obliges his enquiries, telling of her home in Monaco and her fondness for Chinese cuisine, but since that's unlikely to be found in the Middle East she's happy to try the local flavour.
<El-Cideon> Without any kind of flashy transition, Erin suddenly finds herself somewhere else. One second you're in the ruin with Yomi, the next you're alone in (even more) darkness. The suddenness makes it rather jarring to find herself immediately somewhere different, even though her new surroundings are quite similar. There is no natural light source around you that you can see. (more)
<El-Cideon> The torch illuminates bare stone walls above, below, and around you. You're standing on a wide platform that might once have been polished smooth but which has since begun to accumulate debris and stalagmites. You can see a few feet beyond this platform to more raw gray stone, and something like a passageway proceeding to the left and the right. The air around you is cold.
* Erin wraps an arm around herself for a moment, but shivers nonetheless; she reaches for the gun in her bag and pulls it out, just in case. She advances to the passageway, and takes a glance down both sides.
<El-Cideon> The passageway looks similar down either direction: a wide hall of cold gray rock that proceeds out of sight. Four people could walk abreast down it with room to spare; you could comfortably drive a car down it if you got one here somewhere (wherever here is).
<El-Cideon> OOC: Spot check.
<Erin> roll 1d20+1
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+1 and gets 2."12 [1d20=1]
<El-Cideon> You see nothing that you would consider out of place in a mysterious tunnel.
* Erin mutters a spell under her breath, and quickly takes a glance aroudn the area for any lingering magical signals! She also takes a look at the ground, to see if she can figure out where the 8-man team of Germans went.
<El-Cideon> There are several notable magical auras here, though most are identical: you can recognize the trace of the same magical device you utilized to get down here, perhaps half a dozen instances of it. There's also something much smaller. (OOC: spellcraft if you want). You can detect no obvious clue as to which direction the Germans took, however.
<Erin> roll 1d20+11 spallcroft
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+11 spallcroft and gets 27."12 [1d20=16]
* Erin decides to return to the place where she started and mutter the words under her breath again, since if the germans need eight armed men to feel comfortable running around here...
<El-Cideon> Erin reappears where she was standing in the ruins at Petra, with similar abruptness.
<Erin> "It certainly seems to go to another place," replies Erin, shaking her head. "But travelling about on my own seems a bit foolhardy. I'm afraid there wasn't much to see from my brief glance around."
<Yomi> "We need more of those bracelets, then?"
<Erin> "Maybe. Maybe not," replies Erin, reaching out to take Yomi's hand. "Let's find out?"
<Yomi> "By all means."
* Erin tries to mutters the WORDS again.
<El-Cideon> Erin returns to the mysterious cave environment, this time with a Yomi in tow. There seem to be no obvious problems with taking another person with her.
<Yomi> "At least this question has been answered," Yomi remarks, orienting herself as quickly as possible after the unnatural sense of vertigo passes.
<Erin> "I couldn't tell which way they went," states Erin, heading back towards the passageway. "They didn't go for a long trip in the Hagia Sophia- we should be close to whatever it is they were seeking."
<El-Cideon> The corridor looks exactly the same as it did when Erin was here a moment ago. OOC: Spot check if you want to take a look around, Yomi.
<Yomi> "Pick a direction, then, any direction," Yomi suggests, looking arond.
<Yomi> roll 1d20 I lack spot
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20 I lack spot and gets 2."12 [1d20=2]
<El-Cideon> Yomi sees nothing of note.
* Erin starts off towards the left, torch in the left hand, gun in the right; she walks with some trepidation.
* Yomi unwraps her swords, and quickly overtakes Erin, walking half a step before her, the better to intercept any attackers out of the darkness.
<Yomi> *sword!
<El-Cideon> The corridor echoes with nothing but the sound of your footsteps. The silence and darkness are oppressive; this place feels like a tomb left unopened since the start of time. It'd be easy to imagine you being the first humans here but for the fact that you know the Germans just left. After you've walked perhaps a couple hundred feet--(OOC: listen checks)
<Erin> roll 1d20+2
* Hatbot --> "Erin rolls 1d20+2 and gets 19."12 [1d20=17]
<Yomi> roll 1d20 I lack listen as well
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20 I lack listen as well and gets 8."12 [1d20=8]
<Erin> "S-something's up ahead," mutters Erin. "Like.. rats, eating."
<Yomi> "Rats or... rats?" Yomi asks, imagining the horrific, dog-sized monsters they had met in Jerusalem.
<Erin> "It's disgusting either way," replies Erin, wiping her forehead with her wrist.
<Yomi> "One is disgusting, the other may lead to death in sufficient numbers. Are we well enough to proceed?"
<Erin> "If we turn back now, we have to come back later."
* Yomi needs no further prompting to proceed.
<El-Cideon> Whatever the source of the noise was goes silent and then scatters as soon as the ring of light grows close enough. The chewing sound is replaced by the skittering of hundreds of tiny little...appendages, it's hard to say what, but it sounds chitinous. At the edge of sight you can see a swarm of many-legged blurs retreating down the hall, up the walls, into nooks in the rock. (more)
<El-Cideon> There's something dead in the center of the corridor, the area vacated by the creatures. It's hard to say what it was, given how badly mangled it now is, but it's about the size of a bulldog and has a prominent horn on its squat muzzle. What flesh lies undisturbed is gray and leathery.
<Yomi> The West is filled with freakish, apparently natural animals, but Yomi nonetheless checks to ensure it isn't of otherworldly origins.
* Erin seems to be more interested in moving- anywhere, as long as it's not here.
<El-Cideon> Nothing obviously impedes your progress. You can circle around the carcass easily.
* Yomi does so, unwilling to linger either.
<Erin> "Well," mutters Erin. "At least the germans would've taken care of things like that on their trip."
<El-Cideon> It's another few minutes of walking before the two find anything of note (meanwhile, upstairs, Robert regales Nadia with tales of life-or-death struggles during last year's riots, prominently featuring the speaker, of course). Finally the passage widens into a much larger cavern. (more)
<El-Cideon> the flashlight can just barely illuminate the roof of the cavern, and a brief stroll around suggests that it's vaguely spherical and about twice that wide. What's more striking is the cylindrical structure in its center. (more)
<El-Cideon> About ten feet high, made of a deep blue stone with veins of cyan running throughout, it sits within a simple framework of blake stone that has apparently shielded it from more than a few falling rocks over the years. Every inch of the cylinder's surface is covered in writing, in a crabbed, scrawling script that resembles none you've seen.
<El-Cideon> *black, not blake.
* Erin walks up close to the cylinder, trailing the flashlight up and down it's length to get a good eye for the script. "I've never heard of a script looking like this, or a... one second," she says, setting down the torch and invoking her magical senses.
<Yomi> "We can always write it down and try to find someone who can decypher it," Yomi suggests, picking the torch up to help.
<Erin> "I can decipher it tomorrow," replies Erin, squinting at the text to see how long it would take to copy down.
<El-Cideon> It would take a while to write it all down. The cylinder is quite large and the writing circles it from top to bottom.
<El-Cideon> Examining it closely, though, shows a fine crack bisecting the structure throughout at about head height.
* Erin recoils after a moment, clasping a hand over her eyes. "It's too powerful!" she grimaces, shaking her head nad quickly dismissing her spell. "This is as though it was the power of the ascended ones given form..."
<Yomi> "I bet this would be the last straw, if you try selling that to Nadia," Yomi comments, not troubled outwardly.
<Erin> "Let's copy some bits of it," replies Erin. "Perhaps we should come back tomorrow, when I can make some preperations. But we'll let Ivo and his men get a start on us, too... no, this would help us tail him, I'm sure of it."
<Yomi> "Just enough for a sample? And then we'll head back."
<El-Cideon> Simply copying a sample of the writing from sight is not difficult and nothing bothers you while you do so.
<El-Cideon> -------------------------------------