Stage Four: Into the Deep Unknown

[AngelBane]

A creepy conundrum.

Ahhh! More spiders! She almost stepped on them this time. Well at least there was only so many other paths to take. According to her journal they were pretty deep into the cave systems now. Surely someone will find the arch way and alert the rest of them soon. Otherwise they might be living out their eternity wandering these caves and what a way to go that would be. Saga didnt really want to consider what happens if you die while already in the afterlife.

 

[Natty-chan]

Your legs are getting tired. How deep are these caves, anyway?

Reaper was sore, in more ways than one. Not only from stumbling down a ramp… twice, getting stuck… about three times. But, this was ridiculous, he was searching for so long. He didn’t mind helping, but really how deep could these caves be. There was a brief rest for the Pegacorn, just to shake off his legs, but after that was over he just kept going.

 

[Natty-chan]

In a moment of insight, you wonder if there might be some merit to writing this whole adventure down. Sure, you haven't done anything spectacular yet, but it still makes for a weird story, right? Maybe you'll get your big break and become a famous author - Journey Into The Unknown: a Queen's Venture. You can see it now!

For some odd reason, that thought of writing a book came back to his mind yet again. This time though, it didn’t seem like a bad idea anymore. Maybe he can hire someone to write it for him. He can tell the harrowing troubles of how he nearly got stuck in this world several times. He wasn’t trying to be upset about this, he had no control over what goes on in the caves… but with it happening so often and within such a short amount of time, it was kind of hard not to be.

 

[Natty-chan]

You've found it! A great stone archway set into the cave itself, and it's been opened! The arch glows with energy, strange engravings lit up and pulsing with energy. As you hurriedly call for the group, you notice two doors seem to be pulled into either side, a large ball of magic glowing in a small depression of each. Strange, but you don't question it.

As your guide approaches, he cheers with relief.

"I didn't know if we'd be able to get it open! Wonderful! Let's hurry - the cave system beyond here is ... well, if it's like it was, it might be a little busier, anyway. At the very least we'll be out of this stupid darkness."

Seems there was a bit of kindness to shine down on Reaper. After so long searching, he finally found something of importance. Well, it looked like it was important. Not wasting any more time, he stood in front of the archway and beckoned everyone over; waiting for everyone to gather, and then receive instructions to walk through and continue their search. He hoped that the next area didn’t take as long this one to traverse, already making his way to the gate.

 

[Natty-chan]

EVERYONE, STOP ROLLING!​

Link to where you rolled a STOP: Here
Link to any requirement rolls: N/A
@polliwoggi

 

[astralprogenitor]

The mysterious item seems to be some kind of charm ... Maybe you should hang onto it for now.

​

​

Hey, I found a thing!​

Roll where you earned a prize: Roll 44
Link to any requirement rolls: Roll 24 - Obtained Glowing Crystal
@polliwoggi

 

[astralprogenitor]

The lot of you pass through the archway, and immediately you're struck by how true the guide's words are. The room - if one can call it that - beyond is lit with the glittering iridescence of a thousand colors of... mushrooms? Indeed, you decide that they are more luminescent fungi, these blanketing the floor like some sort of strange carpet; the vaulting ceiling of the cave shoots higher, opening up into a height that leaves the cragged rocks barely visible despite the light on the ground.

It seems as though your arrival has surprised someone else as much as you; as the group filters into the space, a movement just barely flickers at the far end of the room - leaving a bit of confusion until the guide sighs with some disappointment.

"A mushroom picker," he explains, before clicking his tongue against his teeth and tilting his head back towards you. "They're very useful for making enchanted lights, you see. Even we're not particularly fond of total darkness. I'd have asked them how to - ah, to make sure we're on the correct path after so long, but ..."

He shakes his head, offering little more than a flick of the ear as he accepts his - and all of your - fate of his own accord.

"I think that large tunnel there is the correct way, but it has been quite a while. Guess we'd better get to looking, hm?"

 

[PeterPan_da144]

Skin-crawling skittering...

As Bloodless continued on, a sound above alerted them. Tilting their head back, they saw nothing in the semi darkness of the cave. However, knowing something else was in here with them suddenly felt weird. Tilting their head back down, they trotted a little faster, hoping to catch up with another group of ponies and not be alone.

 

[PeterPan_da144]

It's a cave

Sure enough, more caves. Caves and tunnels, tunnels and caves. Twists and turns, it was an absolute maze. They wondered what could have made these tunnels and caves without markings. Something that would remember them, most likely. Perhaps huge ants? That would be terrifying. Once more they trotted faster. Find a group. Find a group...

 

[PeterPan_da144]

It's a cave

Huge ants. Yep, most definitely terrifying. Bloodless began to think on that. Ants the size of ponies. A shiver ran through them. Ants would eat just about anything they could get their jaws on. Bloodless didn't want to be one of those snacks. Now they were flying at a good pace, searching for more ponies. They didn't want to be alone anymore.

 

[ChexaRain]

The last thing Lydia expected to find today was a camp, one as especially eerie as this one. There were signs of life all over, and she snapped a picture of the weird coals with her camera. There was a lot more to find in this world than she'd expected, and her camera was quickly going to fill up at this rate. A digital memory card could only get you so far after all. She plopped down on the little piece of beaten rug for a moment to clear out a few useless images from the camera, making a mental note that she was missing something at this little spot, but not much she could do about it now...

 

[ChexaRain]

She had to admit, all these colorful mushrooms and glowing fungi were quite the sight, and she was easily distracted trying to snap pictures of them all... SO distracted, in fact, that she hadn't realized where she was stepping, and not a moment later she was absolutely caught in a cloud of what could only be described as rainbow dandruff and she quickly backed away, coughing and sputtering. When it finally settled down, she felt rather clownish, the colors sticking to her clothes and making her look very festive despite the doom and gloom of being in a world of death. She tried in vain to wipe them off her face and gave up, thinking of ways she could possibly wash them away before her clothes were stained with color....

Lydia is now covered in spores.

 

[ChexaRain]

Something about being a colorful beacon in the dark caves was a bit unsettling, and so far every attempt Lydia had at removing the spores had proven futile. She pined for the earlier moments where she could blend into the dreary and dark corners, and it was in her whining that she heard the sound of something crawling up above. Every hair on her body stood at attention, and despite the fact she wasn't normally one to be scared, something told her that whatever had passed by was absolutely not her usual brand of strange and unusual. She didn't even think to grab her camera until she fell safe enough to do so, and by then it was long gone...

 

[AngelBane]

[ouch - 1 turn]

They made it through the arch way thank goodness.. but unfortunately they weren't out of the caves yet. Although this area was definitely different in some way. There was much more room to walk and the bioluminescent fungi like lightning made for a nice change of scenery. Saga was too busy starring up at the lights that she didn't bother to see the rock in front of her that she promptly kicked her hoof into. Ouch! At least nothing was chipped or broken but dang does it hurt. She wondered if there was enough room now to fly cuz walking absolutely was the worst.

 

[AngelBane]

[ouch - 1 turn]

It a cruel sense of irony Saga manages to kick a rock with her another foot hoof while trying to stagger the other. Why where there so many protruding rocks on the floor?! Now both her front hooves were throbbing and she was one small incident from coming unglued or at the very least punching something that wasn't a rock.. if it was another pony so be it. Forget the group she needed to sit down.

 

[belloblossom]

((Something in the air hits you suddenly and intensely; it's a smell, something you can't identify but reminds you of somewhere you might call home. It makes an ache form deep in your chest, squeezing as though it might wrench your heart from your body; desperately you want to find the source, the whole of your being wracked by an intense need to satisfy that overwhelming nostalgia.

...imagine your surprise when you realize it's coming from a patch of mold. Ew.

Gain +1 AP. ))

Rock Kandy had been following fairly close beside the group up to this point. Stunned into silence and nervously nibbling from time to time at her rock candy necklace. When they finally moved through the archway, she began to take more accounts of what was happening around her. More pointedly, she noticed that a smell that took her back - the spell of pumpkin spice and warm fur and spun sugar... Her head turned, her heart leaping. Metamora? Was he here? Her eyes lit up and she tore away from the group. The pumpkin pie scent that clung to their kitchen, the smell of warmth that he always possessed - she hadn't even known that temperatures came with scents until she met him, and spun sugar... she'd made him candy jewelry, so familiar to the rock candy necklace she now wore.

She stopped abruptly, her hoof hovering a patch of mold. She recoiled, but the smell remained. Tentatively, she lowered her head and sniffed at it. The smell was there, sure, but... She wilted. Of course Metamora wasn't here. She stood there for a moment, staring at the patch of mold, before turning around and continuing onward. All the more reason to now, after all. She was doing all this for his future - for their future.

((1/3 rolls))

 

[belloblossom]

((You come across one of your other team members, and after a few minutes of talking, they offer you a delicious looking cookie. You eat it happily, grateful for something to munch on.

This one seems to be chocolate chip!

Once a day: Gain +1 rolls ))

Kandy suspected that even after she rejoined the group, she still looked a little weary after her encounter with the mold. Why else would somepony just offer her a snack, right? But, goodness, she was thankful for it. She swapped the cookie for a stick of rock candy with a smile. Licking her lips, she took a bite into it and found the chocolate chips nestled inside.

"Oh, thank you!" She gushed to the pony who'd offered her the cookie. "This is delicious!" It may not be a pumpkin spice cookie, like the pumpkin everything they had back home, but it was truly tasty! And enough to bring her out of her nostalgic gloom. Oh, what a treat!

((2/4 rolls))

 

[belloblossom]

((You come across one of your other team members, and after a few minutes of talking, they offer you a delicious looking cookie. You eat it happily, grateful for something to munch on.

This one seems to be chocolate chip!

Once a day: Gain +1 rolls))

Kandy was already in a good mood having been offered one cookie before, but when that same pony came around to offer her another cookie? Kandy felt a sense of comradery like never before. These were her sorts of ponies. She happily accepted the second cookie with a smile and kept moving forward. How could she have thought that these ponies were anything but friendly? They'd braved the haunted house with her - some of them multiple times. Now, they were exploring the land of the... the what, the dead? She still wasn't totally certain.

Maybe it would be worth getting to know some of these strangers. After all, heroes usually ended up as friends afterwards, right? At the very least, she certainly wanted to befriend the generous pony who continued to give her cookies and treats!

((3/4 rolls))

 

[SwordOfTheNagas]

1/3
An odd find ::
Folded in half and tucked under a rock, you find a small ticket to some event. You're not sure what that's about, but you decide to take it with you. It might come in handy, eh?

First visit only: Gain +1 Specter Ticket

Passhon blinked as he looked at the rock. His head tilting to the side till he was nearly touching the ground as his claw gingerly reached out to pluck the slip of paper. Huh...that was interesting. He straightened with a hum as he looked around, tucking the ticket away into his main pouch. He kept up with the group then started to wander off. There was a shiny...?

 

[SwordOfTheNagas]

2/3
Nothing at all... :: There's nothing here. Just more rocks.

Nope, no shinies. Just more rocks. He deadpanned as he flicked a few rocks to the side with a bored expression. Things were were just...meh. Boring and dull. He looked around with a sigh. Things couldn't get worse than this right? Wait, no they could. They could totally go from dull to worse in several seconds.