Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Ruins of Rielle [Open Elder Scrolls RP]

The term natural light drew a chuckle from the elf, but nevertheless, she complied. Her staff, nearly forgotten in her left hand, emanated a soft blue light. Almost immediately, an inhuman- or inmeri, or inbeastly, for that matter- rang through the ruin, and her sword danced into her hand. Nothing came immediately, but Gwyneira's heart was pounding and she highly doubted that this was nothing.

"Di-did you hear that?" she asks, turning slowly to her Khajiit companion, voice high and somewhat breathy. She paused, there, in the stairwell, looking from side to side- just in case something less than friendly should happen upon them, or choose to attack.

Though Rahe's ears were Merlike in appearance, they contained the same advantages as any Khajiit's. He nodded to Gwyneira's question "Yes. It sounded like a screech... a wail.." J'o Rahe knew that if this ruin was a home to mostly undead, then a wail would have came from an ethereal creature, like a Wraith. The possibility shook Rahe. Wraiths were powerful beings, let alone a Gloom wraith, of which could only worsen Rahe's already dreaded curse.

"Could that be the sound of a...Wraith..?" The question had to be asked, what possibilities could that creature have been? What horror could await any adventurer that even dare descend? J'o Rahe unsheathed his Silver longsword, if this was an actual creature, then Rahe believed that the conflict would possibly be inevitable.

"... I do-do not like the so-sound of that..." Gwyneira murmured, spinning her wrist in a readiness. Her sword, at least, was a familiar weight in her hand. "Or... a li-lich, even. I cann-cannot tell the difference yet. Le-let's hope for the best, yes?" With he most heartening smile she can muster, she turns to continue up the stairs.

The room they enter is small, a small raised platform in the center surrounded by more Welkynd stones. This time, she is much more cautious about taking them, walking slowly forwards and keeping a sharp eye out- and a sharp ear out. Still, one tentative hand reached forwards, grasping the smooth, glowing surface, and...

... and nothing. She seemed surprise, albeit pleasantly so.

J'o Rahe took a silent, yet heavy breath. That there was nothing within the cracked room lifted his heart a little. However, it also gave way for more questions. Where did that noise actually come, and what made it? Was it simply a recoil from the welkynd stones? Although welkynd stones are a natural source of magicka, Rahe would not have thought them to be sensitive to it. It could have also being a shriek from possibly a fellow unfortunate adventurer. Questions ran through his mind of what could have possibly made such a horrific noise.

Although, the emptiness of the room gave Rahe some respite. He sheathed his sword quietly, though he was still inquisitive. "Where could that awful noise possible have come from... If not within here..?" He covered his painted mouth after he spoke. The chilling cold was starting to get to him.

Quickly tucking the stones into the lavender sash around her waist, Gwyneira shrugged. "A non-cor-corporeal being of some sor-sort, presumably. Those noises..." She shook her head. "I have on-only heard them made by gh-ghosts and wraiths and lich-liches in all the ti-time I have been seeing these ruins- or an-any at all, really."

She looks around the room- more stairs down, these ones descending deeper than any before. Another glowing door rests at the bottom, blue stone streaking across the otherwise pale, blank rock. With a short glance behind to make sure that J'o Rahe is still following, she descends once more, boots softly tapping against the stair-steps as she goes.

J'o Rahe kept his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade. He was still wary of what they could come across as they delved deeper into the Aylied caverns, as well as the possibility of booby traps. Rahe chose his steps carefully, for there was possibility that the stairs or the ceiling could give way at any possible moment, and what would be the newest obstable? A trap, or a creature?

Rahe made sure his steps were as light as possible, under the cracked Aylied stairs. "We should be vigilant... Considering that this place has not yet been plundered, there is probably a reason why only we have made it this far." He made sure that he whispered his words, for should a creature hear them, there would probably be Hell to pay.

Gwyneira once again nodded her agreement, "Vigilant is no-not strong enough of a word for what I would sug-suggest..." she grumbles, pushing the door open. This time, the noise is more of a whisper, though she doesn't like that any more. It distracts her, and she barely avoids stepping on a pressure plate. Thatl eaves her somewhat shaken but, nevertheless, alive.

That leaves her keeping a much closer eye on the ground than she had before, shining her light all the brighter from her staff. It reflects strangely off of the enchanted metal-ice of her blade, and the glimmering stones at her waist only add to the effect of bathing the immediate area in a strong blue light. No complaints from her, of course, so long as her face is hidden. For once, the layers are not stifling in what might otherwise be heat- the unnatural chill keeps her temperature down more than well enough.

J'o Rahe made sure that he did not step on the pressure plate. He was slightly curious of what would have happened if he stepped upon it. Would it have lead to a pit? Would the roof of these ancient caverns give way and crush him? As curious as Rahe was, he did not intend to learn the truth, at the cost of his own life.

Aside from the light from Gwyneira's staff, of which gave the cavern it's natural color, the room appeared deep purple, as a side effect of his Night Eye, which made him question the actual darkness of the room itself. Wary of the eerie whispers from the confines of the ruin, Rahe still kept his hand on his hilt, hoping that the end of this ruin did not lead to his death.

At least this time, the threat was obvious- from who knows where, a few ghosts appeared, their shrill noises cacophonous in the not-so spacious room. Gwyneira made a noise something like a hiss of annoyance, though she, at least, was quick to react. Lightning flew from her fingertips, and one of their several enemies dissolved into ectoplasm with an enraged shriek.

Another slung a ball of frost at her, though the effect did not even reach her. A positive thing, at last. Her magicka reserves were at least somewhat bolstered by her ability to absorb spells. Even as she celebrated that small victory, though, another shot staggered her with its force. All of this, her attack and their counterattacks, probably lasted a half a minute tops.

J'o Rahe kept his grasp upon his hilt. Considering that they had both come across a few restless spirits within the Aylied caverns, who knows what ambushes awaited them. He took a long survey around the room before he decided to continue. Rahe saw little more than a few open coffers, probably containing a small amount of gold, which Rahe needed little.

Rahe then surveyed the room for any possible booby-traps, checking for any possible pressure plates, hidden blades, or cracks in the ceiling and floor. It seemed that the only real trap was the Ghosts themselves for the moment, but knowing that this was an Aylied ruin, that could possibly change within an instant. Lastly, he opened the rusted coffers for a possible hidden blade, though he could not find any concealed traps.

The last of the ghosts were handled pretty quickly, Gwyneira commanding their attention while J'o Rahe rummaged around the room. She took a few more hits, absorbed some and actually felt the blow of some, though considering that it was frost, she was hardly hurt. She collected the ectoplasm and scooped up coins from the coffers, putting them into her too-light purse. Then, she turned to J'o Rahe.

"That's not as ba-bad as it could be," she murmured. "For an Ay-Aylied Ruin, if that's all that we find within these walls, Gh-Ghosts and Sk-Skeletons, we will be fortunate." Then she gives him as heartening a smile as she can make, knowing that he would probably still be able to see her features through a lens of color-blindness

J'o Rahe was not as optimistic. "Possibly... However, we have not yet reached the end... We cannot be certain of what we might find just yet..." He was relieved that they had only come across mere ghosts and skeletons, however, these were early enemies within the top floors of this ruin. He was anxious to know what lay beneath the ancient catacombs. Perhaps there was fabled varla stone hidden deep within, probably guarded by a long dead Aylied king, or lich.

Rahe stood up, ready to make his way down the rest of this abandoned ruin, still making sure that he had not come across any traps he had not seen. He gave Gwyneira a slight nod of preparation, ready explore deeper into the ruin.

"True, but this is no Miscarnand, and I have confidence in my skills as a mage." The elf leaned on a wall as she waited for him to be ready, and when he seemed like it, she straightened up with a nod. A hall lead off of the room, she noticed with a quick glance around, and after checking that J'o Rahe was ready to move on, she advanced towards it.

The hall was narrow and dark, and she was glad for the light of her staff in the face of such a place. Her footsteps echoed far too loudly for her tastes, though if anything did happen to lurk before them, they were not hidden either way, and would have to face whatever it was eventually. It was hard to see beyond the soft blue light, as gentle as it may be for such a reason. Her sword was held loosely in her hand, though she quickly chose to slide it back into its hidden sheathe.

J'o Rahe nodded in agreement. Of course this was no Miscarcand, but he was still unsure of what lie beneath the ruins, considering this palce had not yet been plundered. And of course, Miscarcand had already been plundered, supposedly by the Champion of Cyrodiil himself, who had somehow mysteriously disappeared two hundred years ago.

J'o Rahe unsheathed his blade incase there was something awaiting them both at the end of the narrow hall, knowing they were not hidden in the magical light, or the blue welkynd shade for that matter. As Rahe perched his head over Gwyneira to see what was infront of them, it felt stuck, as if he could no longer move it. Not wanting to disturb the descent, he chose to hide it.

J'o Rahe was behind her, and so she could not see when he failed to move his head. She did, however, squint into the shadowed depths. "Do you see anything?" she asked, her voice a quiet murmur. Almost unthinking, one of her hands presses gently against the wall, sliding along it as she walks. Her steps slow down as she awaits an answer, not trusting the darkness she was walking into.

As a rule of thumb, she tended not to trust darkness in general. It hid her, true, better than her clothing might at times as the Khajiit's earlier comment had proven, but this darkness lacked even the possibility of the sun's touch. That terrified her, to a degree, and she was almost tempted to waste one of the precious Welkynd stones to flood this place with what she could of the golden glow she was used to. She would not, though. He needed them.

It wasn't until he had attempted to answer until J'o Rahe realized that his jaw had locked in place. As he struggled to open his mouth to reply to her question, he tried to signal that he was in need of assistance, unable to speak. Rahe tried to shout, but his voice was lost, he was silent. He began to realize that this was urgent. Trying not to disturb the undead within the ruins, Rahe banged his fist against the cracked wall, as quiet as he could, whilst trying to grab Gwyneira's attention.

As he started to become stressed from this unusual event, he realized his body began to stiffen. Though Rahe's body had already felt very stiff since being cursed, this time it was incredibly alarming. Unable to move his fingers, from out of his sword's hilt, and that his joints began feel locked in place, Rahe felt fearful for the first time in years.

Upon failing to hear an answer, Gwyneira whirled around, hand going to her blade just in case. The light in her hand she brightened, just in case it should be necessary. There was a faint hissing sound from the distance, but she ignored it in favor of seeing what was wrong. A hand went out to touch him, unless the crystalline stuff from his arm was spreading. If that was the case, she would keep some distance, out of some fear that it might cross to her.

Either way, her hand would go to her belt, where the Welkynd stones were, and she would hold one out to him, placing it over his chest. "Ta-take it in," she said urgently, pressing it close to him. "Just tr-try, I don't know if th-this will help, but it might." If it did not work... well, she shuddered just a little at that thought. What could she do? Daedric curses were hardly her expertise.

J'o Rahe unchlenched his fist, of which he could only slightly move, when he reached out to grab the welkynd stone in Gwyneira's hand, he held it as tight as he could, before it shattered within his grasp. As he absorbed the welkynd stone's natural magic, he slowly felt his ability to move came back to him. Rahe began to stand up properly from the wall that he leaned upon as he struggled. He did not know what had caused such a reaction.

"That is the first time that such a thing has happened to me... I do know what caused such a reaction from the curse, or what little time I now have, but it unnerves me." He felt his face for a moment, the texture of it felt hard, like a rock's, and his skin felt very cold, even as he touched it whilst wearing his glass gauntlets, however, he did what he could to hide it. "I thank you for helping me, I do not know what would have happened if you had not given me the welkynd stone, but we should move on.."

The whole time, the elf was watching her Khajiiti companion in his struggles, her free hand tugging worriedly at her cowl. She nearly whacked it against him, but stopped herself and let him do it himself. She somehow doubted that would be very helpful. At least he managed to take it, and there he was, slumped on the wall she was touching, and she put her hands on him to administer a very quick healing spell, just in case.

"That wa-was... terrifying," she agreed, nodding her head as she put her hands back at her sides. "I wish I co-could tell you more, but my kno-knowledge does not lie with the Daedra." The sigh she gives isn't quite regretful, but it's still quite unhappy. "I do not kno-know either, and I agree, but... don't you wa-want to rest for a few more minu-minutes?"

"...I suppose we should rest... If only for the moment." J'o Rahe realized that he should allow himself to process what just happened for a second. Rahe allowed himself to rest by the narrow wall, though the power of the welkynd stone had exhilarated his body, he somehow felt tired from his experience with his curse. Though he had to, taking a rest both annoyed and agitated him. Knowing now that this curse will not stay quiet much longer made him want to continue.

"It is of no matter... Aside from Malacath, I am no scholar of Daedric Princes either." Trying not to reflect back on the brutality of Orcrest. He took himself from the wall, walking silently back and forth, trying to keep his agitation to himself.