| Logs |
2003 April 20
| Idlewild |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Idlewild Logs |
April 20
This is partial. Needs added stuff at start from personal log.
A thin layer of magical cloud is revealed by the rip in the parchment ceiling, wispy white tendrils drifting through into the next room through the hole. Tiny sparks of light are mixed in here and there, flowing sluggishly toward the watchers' faces as they peer through the rip. The rest of the ceiling, seen from the proper side, is a fantasy evening sky with shifting colors and stars in the mist. Almost directly across from the rip, on the other side of the great dome, is a glowing white crescent moon.
Below, the great hall is darker than its glowing ceiling, but figures can be made out. A tall, thin figure in voluminous robes and a bright, jagged crown is pacing back and forth on the raised dais that holds an elaborately carved dark throne. Wolves are scattered across the floor beneath, lying down or standing. All are completely silent, and also very thin... perhaps six or seven total
Aiden turns a little on the floor to look over at Sol. He raises his hands, holding seven fingers up.
Sol nods.
Aiden scoots back away from the rip so that Sol can take a look into the room as well.
Lotte whispers, "I wish we still had Willow and Seodil with us."
Aiden shakes his head slightly, "Just Seodil."
Soleil lies on his stomach and looks through the rip with Steven.
Steven gets up and says mildly, "Give Willow a bit of time. He'll come into his own soon enough."
Soleil rolls off his stomach and to his feet again, and backs away from the hole, motioning the others toward him.
Aiden walks over to Soleil, looking curious.
Lotte follows Aiden to Soleil.
Steven follows. Sol waits until Lotte joins them, then says, "Thoughts? Strategy? Alternatives to shimmying down the rope, as Aiden put it, naked?" He makes a face. Wistfully, he adds, "Anybody see any more store-rooms up here?" but doesn't seem to expect an answer.
Lotte says, "How far down do you think the floor is from here?"
Aiden says, "I can't think of another way to get down there, unless we can find our way through the castle to get ourselves on the same floor as the throne room.."
Steven says, "I don't fancy going back the way we came, but we haven't looked for any more doors. There could be something on the other side of this dome."
Sol says, "Maybe fifty feet to the floor, Lotte.. less to the floor around the throne, but I'd hate to try to land on those steps."
Aiden looks over at the dome, almost wistfully. "I wish we had a bow. That would come in really handy right about now."
Lotte says, "I think we should explore some more before we plunge down into the snakepit."
Aiden nods, "Agreed. Let's see if we can't find some more doors.."
Sol and Steven both nod.
Lotte points to the right side of the dome. "I'll go this way. Will someone come with me?"
Aiden nods and follows Lotte around the right side of the dome..
Steven and Sol separate and go left.
About a third of the way around the room, another alcove appears, like the one from which the group emerged from the forgotten armory into this room.
Aiden grins at Lotte and makes his ways over to the alcove, stopping at the side of the doorway to listen.
A narrow room is visible from where Aiden and Lotte stand, dimly lit by the golden glow from the parchment. The light touches grey dusty mounds very similar to the ones in the first old armory they encountered. A bundle of things both long and narrow stands in one corner, and a lone dagger gleams forlornly near the entrance. For more detail, the room would have to be entered.
Lotte looks at Aiden and whispers, "Shall we?"
Aiden nods at Lotte and enters the room, moving cautiously..
Upon entering the room, the two immediately spot both several undamaged-looking items, and what appears to be another loose stone-- this time in a wall rather than the floor. Aiden's eyes are drawn to what looks like unstrung bows in the corner, and a tangle of belts and swordsheaths. Lotte notices something that looks remarkably like a harp frame with no strings, and a tiny crossbow.
Aiden gets a distinctly malicious grin on his face when he spots the bows and immediately walks towards them.
Lotte makes for the harp frame immediately, mouthing "wow" as she takes a second look around the room. Noticing Aiden's expression, she quickly snatches up the crossbow as well.
The bows are mostly warped, some having been actually strung for who knows how many years. Two longbows look serviceable, however, and are unstrung, silvery strings lying nearby. Their color is difficult to tell in the poor lighting. A shortbow also looks acceptable. Lotte's tiny crossbow has a pistol grip and trigger and shoot hand-length darts, of which there are none in sight.
A quick search, however, turns up quarrels for the larger bows.
Lotte says to Aiden, "See that loose stone? I'm going to work on it, ok?"
When Lotte touches the small, dark harp frame, it feels cool to the touch and smooth as silk.
Aiden nods at Lotte and grabs one of the longbows.. He scoops up the quarrels and all of the strings, bringing the whole armload to the alcove before he comes back in, in seach of a scabbard and swordbelt.
Lotte shoves the crossbow into her belt and carries the suprisingly light harpframe over to the loose stone.
Aiden rummages through the scabbards and belts until he finds a suitable combination that will hold his longsword. He frowns and mutters something about the lack of a scabbard for Sol's sword.
Lotte sighs loudly when the stone refuses to budge. She furrows her brow and tries again.
The stone swings creakily open at Lotte's second try, revealing a dust-free niche. Two more kiwi-green-filled glass vials are present here, stoppered with cork but lacking the wax seal of the fiery orange vials Lotte already carries. A plain black ring lies beside them, and the rest of the space is taken up by a few bundles of arrows and tiny darts with colorful fletching, ten to each bundle.
It is too dark in the room to make out the exact colors of the fletching, but the kiwi-green fairly glows.
Lotte grabs the vials and darts, but hesitates to pick up the ring.
Steven's voice comes cheerfully if quietly from outside the room. "We found another armory too. Most of the things were rotted, but I found pants!"
Aiden puts a hand over his mouth to muffle his soft laughter. He wanders over to where Lotte is and frowns, "Not going to take the ring?"
Lotte shakes her head. "I dunno. Do you want it?"
Aiden says, "Let's at least take it with us.."
Lotte has her hands full of stuff and puts it all down on the floor. "I need to organize real quick here."
Aiden plucks the arrows that are sized for his bow out of the little compartment. He picks up the ring and brings the arrows and the ring out to the niche where he left the other items. He holds the ring in the palm of his hands, ".. and in the darkness bind them," he mutters and puts it down, waiting for Lotte.
Confident that Lotte will be alright for a moment, Aiden wanders off to find Steven and Sol.
Steven and Sol, the former now wearing leather pants and the latter sporting a leather tunic that barely covers his dangly bits, are standing right outside the alcove that holds Aiden and Lotte's armory. Sol grins at Aiden, and Steven offers him a wad of fabric.
Lotte carefully removes the strings from her pouch and places them next to the harpframe. She slides the bundles of darts into the pouch. As she attempts to add the vials, she finds that they do not fit. Placing them back on the ground, she eyes the ring, quickly picks it up, and drops it into her pouch. She then picks up the harpframe and attempts to string it.
Aiden grins at Sol and takes the wad of fabric from Steven with a nod of thanks. He shakes the fabric out to see what it is.
Lotte focuses on stringing the harp, finding just the right combination of strings to make a perfect sound. Ten minutes pass of stringing, testing, and restringing before she thinks she has gotten it right. Lotte picks up the harp under her arm and walks towards the alcove, whispering loudly to get Steven's attention. "Do you have any more room in your pouch, Steven?"
Aiden's fabric unwads itself into a long tunic similar to Sol's, but not leather. It smells slightly like pine and is a dark green, not threadbare despite age and neglect, and is cool and thick to the touch. It is matte, but feels faintly metallic.
Steven nods, "A little, yes. What do you want me to carry?"
Lotte points back into the room. "I have some more vials in there."
Aiden takes his cloak off briefly, just long enough to slip the tunic over his head before he puts it back on. He grabs the quiver and bow, grinning at Sol.
Steven walks over to acquire the vials, and returns smiling. "They fit."
Lotte smiles slightly. "Good." She joins the rest of the group.
Soleil looks Aiden over... and grins wider.
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