Once more unto the hole (Deathtrap Dungeon, Mature, Closed)

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

On paper, it was a rough yet serviceable colony, with  one hundred and twenty hardy souls, starting to smooth out and improve the odd structure of honeycombed tunnels out on the far end of nowhere, connected to the outside world only by a flickering orange teleporter, and a small plugged ash-wood portal to the desolate surface.

In reality, as you arrive at the mine, you discover an overlarge hole, dank and musty, and built like a child's ant farm expanded to a colossal scale. The "hardy souls" are quarrelsome, frightened, and generally smelly, milling around and consuming the supplies sent to provision the new settlement. At least that's in good order. You have enough food and water to last for about 6 months, if rationed normally. And the council sent 800 "illuminators", about a quarter of which are unpacked, casting the largest chamber, which has a plethora of small tents scattered about, in a soft green light.

Perhaps coming here was a mistake, but here you are, and the potential for profit is still there. The tent in the center, guarded by a pair of burly looking half-demons, has a small stack of the yellow crystals that is the reason the council claimed this space.

Better get to work though, if you want to keep your opportunity.

[Inumo]

Why can't everyone else just go through life blindfolded like us? Jio thought as he looked through a corner. Its presence blurred his vision, but he could tell there was at least one person still passing through the portal. Once that last newly-made employee had passed through, Jio waited only ten seconds, an agonizingly long time, before he dashed through the flickering orange light.



"I set my tent up here first!"

"I've been here for longer!"

"Who gives a shit about your seniority? It's only been for at most a day!"

"A day more is still a day longer than you've been here!"

The childish spat between two of the miners started to escalate. First it was a shoving match. As more people came around to watch, it grew to a fist-fight. Cheers and jeers arose as the two traded blows, when someone threw a pair of knives into the middle of the circle. It was only a matter of luck that a more recent employee came through the portal then, smacking face-first into the stone statue of a feline. It was made of granite, rendered in exquisite detail, and had a simple red blindfold tied over its eyes. Standing at about six-foot-three, it was a wonder nobody else had noticed it set up there. "God damn it, you idiots!" A foreman shouted, seeing the stunned employee by the teleporter. "You, in the ring, yes, you, get that statue out of here!" The miner sulked off to grab the work of stone while the other started to snicker. "And you! You've just earned yourself an extra mining shift! Get down to the shafts!" Deflated, the other miner pushed his way through the now-dispersing crowd, grumbling.



Jio unfroze gratefully as the storeroom door closed behind the miner that had brought him there. "What is wrong with all of these Outsiders?" He asked of the empty space. Is the Valley of Stone the only sane place in this world? He continued silently. Peering through the door, he pushed it open as soon as there was nobody about, dashing off to try and find a current map of the tunnels.

[Lisky]

Baseel's was not impressed with what he saw while walking into the room from the portal chamber.  It was a sandy stone ant-hill.  Tunnels, barely tall enough to support the demon's height.  He waited at the portal for his tenure and personal supplies to be brought in.  Having somewhere to sleep would be a top priority, shortly followed by putting some discipline into practice.  The seeming lack of progress was disheartening.  There was no real system set up and the need to get this entire catacomb of tunnels and rooms put into a working underground fortress were pressing.  Things needed to get done to make it a self-sustaining base.

The sleeveless green tunic he wore was accented by silver cuffs at the shoulders.  Flowing green pants, loose fitting and comfortable covered his legs.  His feet were bare, as were his well muscled arms.  He wore rune-inscribed bracelets around both wrists.  His long hair tied with silver rings into their stylistic cords.  His massive horns, combine with the savage looking axe resting in his belt made the demon look every bit like the lord of war he was.

As he entered, he immediately started to make mental notes of things that would be needed.  Flowing water will be needed for drinking, cleaning, and sewage removal.  Guard posts need to be built, and a proper guard-force needs to be assembled and trained.  These ex-adventurers will make excellent captains for a future military force, but, for now, they are the army.  His thoughts grew a bit more in-depth as the first, and most important member of his staff.  At least, in the young demon's opinion, came through, shortly followed by the rest of his entourage.  He waited for the fiery vixen to come to his side before continuing. At least i won't be alone.   I choose the appropriate company for this type of operation... someone who will keep me in-check... while making sure i don't get too serious...

He waited for the fiery furred vixen to set up beside him.  "I'm going to find a place to set up my camp... we'll need to be an example for how things should be done, methinks."

"-your- camp?  no no no... -Our- camp"
Her voice was soft, a soothing soprano, and in harsh contrast to the expectation of a creature bearing her short horns and large, leathery wings.  

"Fine, our camp.  We'll need everything setup.  Tents, beds, supplies, get ourselves settled in, then start taking care of the real business.  I'm going to need you now more than ever.  I'm glad you agreed to come... i have a feeling we're going to be the ones who have to whip this group into shape.  If that lot in the portal room is anything to go by, anyways."

He waited just long enough to ensure his entourage was following, before the demon set off to find a large, empty section to position himself and team.  Somewhere comfortable... As soon as he finished, there were many tasks that would need to be addressed.  However, 1 thing at a time.

[Meany]

It was too cold here.

Too cold, his joints were starting to ache with the dreadful lack of warmth.  For once, he was grateful for his medicine, served with warm green tea, for his blood pressure.  Two in the morning, two in the evening.  The leaves would be in short supply for a while, so he couldn't ask for a third cup until they had a crop.  Thank goodness for his foresight in bringing seeds along.  The elderly old cat sat atop a carriage, drawn by a mundane horse.  The carriage, laden with odds and ends, furniture and supplies, everything an old man and his doting son would need to live with a small bit of comfort.  The horse was well trained, with a bit of magical help, that Barbarus need not guide her much, aside from tricky turns and around hazards.

The view wasn't too great either.  Hmm, some plants could fix that.  This place was intended to be a mine, true, and a fortress, also true, but that did not mean it had to be ugly.  Especially if the Council ever ordered an inspection.  Being functional but not pleasing could reflect badly.  Hmm, would magical maple or pine be better for the decor?  Once he'd summoned some water, willows could grow in abundance, but that was not for a while yet.

In addition to the supply of water, he would likely need to ward the grounds against bad luck, perhaps lay the beginnings of magical borders to repel invaders.  The workers about to go on shift would also need to be blessed for luck, and a productive day.  So much to do.  And Belize still needed to find space for a medical tent, or house if the mongoose boy would let Barbarus make one for him out of the readily available rock.  Speaking of houses, he needed to find the space for his too.

The shaman scouted the land as they passed out of the immediate portal area, looking for anywhere he could set up the water summoning.  He'd probably need to go deeper underground, or make a small lakebed himself.  Perhaps there would be a dry one nearby he could resurrect.

The old man atop the cart would wave to people as he passed by, saying hello and good morning, even if they did not say it back.  He would need to appear as the good guy if he was to gain these people's trust, and as Belize's father his reputation would reflect on Belize.  That simply would not do if he made a bad name for himself.  The mongoose was inside the cart proper, either securing his medical equipment or sleeping due to the early rise, Barbarus couldn't remember.  He was searching about for open space close to where people had set up their tents, so he and Belize could be on hand if things appeared troublesome.  Barbarus fingered his long staff at the thought.  Already fights were breaking out, and he wasn't quite so young that he could control an entire mining operation by himself, even if he stopped trying to be nice about it.

Oh well, what would be would be.

[[Edited due to a slight misunderstanding.  Sorry.]]

[VAE]

*clank*
*clank*
*clank*
Along a dirt road already rather far off from anywhere important walked a curious creature - something resembling a giant lobster with only five legs, but on the other hand, a dozen or so prehensile tentacles around where one would guess its mouth to be.
If the one was foolish enough to come closer, he would see a strange ,furry spider-like standing on the creature's back, and hear it's dry, squeaky voice.
           - Look, i tell you, those crystals are gonna be *the* thing in the future! And with all the fuss and whatnot, suckers'll wanna buy stuff.. lots of it. And that's where we come in and do what? Profit!
           - Shugle? If it'sh sho wondeglful, how come thegle aglenth loadsh of folksh coming in? Sheemsh pglethy desheglted to me... and at the old place we had 'egulagl cushtomegls!
           - Sheesh... a poor adventurer and a dozen or so undead aren't a clientelle worthy of mention... Come on! At your age you should have an umber hulk or two already! I almost..
           - You almosht got killed when attacking me... anothegl bglilliant plan i shupposhe...
           - It was a small, insignificant flaw! How the hell was i supposed to know you will sense my mind  as soon as touch...

As it went, both the crustacean and the pseudo-arachnid reached the cave entrance, which was, as of present guarded by two important looking demons... well, important looking to those who weren't nearly the same height, and longer than they were tall.

 - Sheemsh we agle thegle... Dglag out the documentsh , Amit, and let me shpeak to them.
 - Why? I can handle it better.. i am trained in Neogi diplo...
 - Becaushe the lasht time you did sho, i had to paglalyshe the cushtomegl aftegl you ashked him whethegl he ish able to glead, and whethegl the tglanshaction wash  pglopegly authoglished by his ownegl and he became aggleshive...
 - But...  It's standard protocol! Besides, he even had a leash!
 - Tglue, and he did shign the documentsh with thglee cgloshes.. . i guesh you can tgly.. but if bad shtuff happensh, you'll be walking neksht to me.
 - Allright i guess...
The neogi looked with mixed feelings as he shuffled in the chuul's bags - the perspective of trying to maintain  pace set by the armored giant on his tiny legs was averything but appealing.. besides ,imagine the dishonor if any other neogi saw him.
Amit jumped down, clutching the documents  in his pincers ,and approached the guards

[Tipod]

Idiots.

The small cadre of mudmen couldn't be more in sync with each other as they slithered through the underground encampment. A beautiful place of dirt and rock, sullied by the presence of these petty, horrible meat people: loud, obnoxious, stupid, and just plain ornery to the core, it would be a miracle if they could even work half as effectively as Mnogo's drones did on a routine basis. It took every ounce of will in his and Kalua's body to keep from sneering at these contemptible monsters. They could barely even convince the Council that their kind was even a race worth acknowledging, and now they being sent to some childish mining operation to prove their worth. Kid's stuff.

The drones themselves were content to stare forward, blissfully unaware of everyone except their loving chieftain and manager.

"Kalua, please make sure none of these pathetic monstrosities hassle our drones," Mnogo grumbled to his subordinate. "I'm in a bad enough mood as it is."

"Only too gladly, Chieftain." Deep down, Kalua could scarcely contain the desire to just slap every one of these miners and monsters into submission, but starting a fight as they approached the guarded tent would have them zapped to fine dust particles in no time. She would have to wait for an excuse.

Not that I'd need one. Can't wait for one of these meatpuppets to say something...

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Yes, it is. (Jio)

The door hadn't been in place long enough for rust to form, or the hinges to creak, and as you darted out of the room, you could hear the din and cursing of miners and workmen, behind you and somewhat to your left. As you progressed though, you found nothing inside the tunnels of note, although the slightly downwardly sloping tunnel was odd, very odd. It was perfectly smooth, and as far as you could tell, exactly circular, to a degree of precision beyond anything your craftspeople had demonstrated themselves capable of; far more precise than anything the throng you had passed through before could accomplish.

Several minutes of travel yielded no side branching, and certainly nothing that could even conceivably be a map. It might be your imagination, but every so often you thought you almost felt the presence of something else alive, but never long enough for a distinct image to form.

Portal room chaos (Baseel)

Raucous hubbub continued on, with little attention being directed your way. As your group started to make their way through the crowd though, a figure planted himself in front of you. He was on the shortish side, canine with a dark fur that was difficult to determine the exact hue of in the dim lighting, stocky, with somewhat stunted leathery wings. Two dull gray eyes stared out at you, and he was missing half of his left ear, the marks on what flesh remaining making it look like it had been bitten off by something. Without preamble, he accosted your group.

"Meh name's Hethpthen, leader of this sorry lot of packers and movers. Stvag! You'd think for a job of this importance, they'd send some crewers to do it. I recognize you, they sent a description of some of our new overlords ahead." He gave a brief salute, or at least you think that's what the arm waved around his face was meant to be. " Aah was hoping aah could impose upon you for a little bit. Sign and stuff, it is, but when I knock some sense into these whoresons, I'd rather have someone official like to watch over, handle things if they get out of hand, and more importantly, shut their bellyaching up before it starts. Cahld I have a moment of your time to make rounds, sirrah?"

You could see Aleyna cocking her head, trying to make out a bit of the half demon's (you think) accent. Punching you lightly in the shoulder, she half snickered, half sang "I'm sure we don't need our most glorious leader to select out a camp site. I'll pick something out for us, unless you'd like a chaperon for your date with this beauty."

As the axles creak (Barbarus)
Nowhere in the immediate vicinity was suitable, that was certain.

The carriage, although making it through the portal okay, wouldn't be able to navigate through the tunnels leading off from the central hub, surrounded by chaos and bickering. It would probably just barley be able to enter, but neither you nor Belize could figure out a way to make the thing turn around, and horses are not well known for their ability to move backwards.

Nodding at his foster-father, Belize smiled and said "Now, you should be good for a few hours, at the very least, and if you want to wander off to putter about in a more secluded spot for your magicks, I suppose that's all right. I'll even get at least some basic shelter set up, if you don't find a pile of rocks somewhere to turn into a house. But you better not be out there long enough to make me drag you back for your medicine, you hear me?" Although the words were harsh, he said them with a broad grin on his face, erasing the sting.

Are you sure this is the right place? (Glup)

The two doorguards were muttering some code back and forth to each other. You manage to catch a bit of it "n-g4, B-h3, cdexe4", and the like, but it doesn't really make sense to you. However, when Amit approached, they stopped their conversation, glaring at the little neogi with hands on weapon sheaths. After a few tense and silent seconds, the little one proffered the papers he had. One of the guards examined them briefly, before muttering "more bloody settlers. And weird ones at that." They perfunctorily opened the door, and the second one grunted "Down the corridor, in both senses of the way. Keep to lighted areas, and you'll hit the main hub, all noisy like. If you have a problem, I don't care."

The two went back to their odd coded conversation. You should be able to make it down the corridor, but it'll be a tight squeeze. You can see some magical light fixtures indicating the way onward. Continue into the settlement?


Loud, idiotic meatpuppets (Mnogo)

Kalua had taken the drones off, and as you approach the tent, a grizzled, one eyed feline in rusty and mismatched armor sized you up, right hand resting a bit too casually somewhere under a tattered and mud-stained cloak. When you were within about ten feet, he hails you. "Well, they said a weirdie, and I'm guessing you're it. You're here to help run this place? This is the headquarters." The last word was said with a scoffed snort, "and I've been keeping fools away from it since this morning. You can go in, but there's nought but a table there now, not sure where the others are." With that, he went back to staring at something over your right shoulder. 

[Inumo]

Every time the presence half-manifested itself, Jio stopped and balanced himself, expecting to be frozen at any second. When he didn't stone-shape, however, he cautiously continued through the tubular shaft. This is... too perfect. Those blaggards in the main chamber couldn't possibly have made something this good. He stopped for a moment, wondering, What was this place before we got here? Continuing on, he found no side passages or a map, so he turned around and started making his way back towards the central chamber, taking the first branching path he found.

[Meany]

As the axles creak

"Such a good boy.  I'll be back in short order, once I find a nice little spot to set up shop.  Go, introduce yourself to the masses as one of their hopefully many doctors, and get your first patients."  The elderly cat hoped off the carriage, and tapped his staff against the ground to check for slickness.  "And mind the carriage!"

Time for exploring.

Barbarus was looking around for a shallow cave.  Something that didn't go very far before becoming a dead end, hopefully one with enough ambient rock that he wouldn't need to bring more in from the surrounding caves, possibly damaging the passages, and putting undue strain on the floor separating the levels.  However, he was trained to handle massive supplies of raw matter if necessary.

[Lisky]

Cracking Down on the Shenanigans

Baseel assessed the half-demon.  The canine was respectful enough as he gave his description of the situation and what he needed, and while he would certainly not complain to have her at his side, that would be selfish and counterproductive.  He needed her getting his camp running, not strutting around at his side...

He playfully tapped a claw across the tip of Aleyna's nose before replying to her and the half-demon.  "Take care of the camp, then... Be sure not to cause too much trouble without me."  The glint of teeth in Baseel's smirk was meant to be more unnerving to those around them than to Aleyna... She knew him well enough to catch the show he was putting on for anyone looking around... his razor sharp, and white polished teeth gleaming at anyone who was gawking.

Bowing his head slightly, Baseel replied to the half-demon, "If there is something i can do to get things moving, please let me know while i'm getting myself settled in... I'd like to make this place a little more tolerable as quickly as possible."  His tone was level and matter of fact.

"So, please, lead the way to where-ever it is you think you need me"

[techmaster-glitch]

   It should be around here somewhere...
  Aboveground, something strange was lurking about. It appeared slightly insectoid, made of black metal, and had angular lines of a green glow running across the 'skin'. Four articulated legs were set around a central base, with an upright 'torso' mounted on top of the center, two arms protruding from both sides of the torso, and no apparent head.
 Xephelon had caught a flyer in a nearby town advertising a new Crysx mine, with help wanted. While Xephelon did use crystals and crystalline materials in the construction of magic items whenever possible, Crysx was by far the most superior. Now, he was searching about a specific patch of desert, looking for the shaft that actually marked the entrance to the mine. Despite the chill wind in the air, Xephelon felt nothing--his body, for the moment, was effectively metal, though warmed by magical energy flowing through it.
  Wait...could that be?
  Xephelon moved over to an irregularity in the landscape, and sure enough, he came across some kind of door over a hole, an unlocked double-door.
  Terrible. Nothing to mark it. No guards?
  With little else to do, Xephelon pushed the doors open, revealing an unnaturally smooth and steep tunnel. With nothing else to do, he decended down the tunnel, the stability afforded by his four metal legs preventing him from slipping on the smooth stone.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

It's a long way home.(Jio)
It takes about ten minutes to retrace your steps,  and then another five to find a fork in the tunnels, leading back to a more "civilized" area. Voices bubble in, and it occurs to you that if you go too much farther, you'll be spotted, petrified, and probably carried back to that same storeroom. If you want to come up with a plan or a way of communicating, it would probably be best to do so before heading into the main area.
Exploration (Barbarus)
Rock, you have, but at least a quick exploratory foray reveals little else that you can use. As far as you can determine, the passages are made out of solid stone, not purely granite, but some sort of conglomeration of granite and a softer rock you can't quite identify. There don't seem to be any dead ends, with a lot of the passages either continuing at an even elevation, or going up or down at forty five degree angles, They all seem to loop into other corridors, or split off, but eventually return somewhere. If you want a dead end, you'll have to dig a bit. On the other hand, you can feel for water in some of the pockets, and the tunnels seem to be almost impossibly well crafted; you could easily tunnel around, or bring in stuff without wrecking the integrity of the place.
Headcracking.(Baseel)
It doesn't take long to get to what Hethpthen was referring to. It wasn't exactly a riot, but more of a score or two dozen small arguments all happening in a small circumference. You hear him mutter some kind of spell, although you didn't catch the exact specifications of it, before he roared in a voice that was loud enough to shake a bit of loose debris on the floor.

"All right you stinking whoresons! T was one thing to carry on like this for your foreman, but if you want the Council to see what a disgraceful lot of hairless humanspawn you are, then be my guest, but I doubt you'll ever find work in any sanctioned project after this again, and who else would pay for a sorry pack of dirtgrubbers like you anyway?
o
The speech does seem to cow most of the crowd, but one of the nearerm iners roars some obscenity you can't catch and swings a fY
Now might be a good time to do something, although you can't kill too many of them, not if you want to meet your quotas......
Breaking nothing, but entering (Xephelon)

You descend down the steep tunnel in near silence, but about forty feet in, two forms, one canine and one that resembling an upright goat, almost materializing out of the darkness. As soon as they do, you start to hear a bit of conversation, in some odd code you can't quite get, although you make out "eeaight-N-check". The canine approaches you and crows to his companion.

"See, I told you after the lobster fellah, this'd be a better way. Besides, we keep out of the wind. He taps on your shell, and says "I donnae which wizard sent yeh, but you tell him he better come himself if he wants to deal. We have some restrictions here, and I doubt some drone would be able to handle the complexity. You hear that? Go Home."

[Meany]

Hocus Pocus

As he Traveled, Barbarus made several small modifications to the walls of the cavern, where he felt water in the walls.  Marking them for future harvesting.  If they could be, anyway.  A simple clap of the hands, and a firm press to the walls, and a bit of magical pyrotechnics, a raised dias would emerge from the wall, with a simple water drop emblazoned on the disk.

As he walked he dropped blocks of blessed salt on the ground periodically.  An offering to the spirits to grant luck, and to keep their dark kin from tormenting the cave-dwellers.

Since he could not find a dead-end naturally, it seemed he would need to make one for himself.  He found the one of the tunnels that around, that no one was currently using, and got ready.  Out came a simple horsehair brush, and a small pot of ink.  The brush, once doused in ink, was used to create four simple transmutation circles on the walls of the cave that linked to the main one, then a much larger one on the floor.  Once done, the old shaman would step back and stab the base of his staff into the array.  The physical connection complete, energy would arch about the array, and to the circles on the wall.  The rock which made up the wall would, hopefully, reach out and connect, sewing itself together into one seemingly natural wall.

Once done, Barbarus made two more small circles on this wall, and empowered them, to create air passages, blocked from being holes by stone slats which spiraled through the two ends of the hole.  Effectively letting air in, but not much else.

Periodically renewing the ink on the brush, Barbarus went through the tunnel, marking areas of wall for rooms with circles, empowering them, and forming simple circular rooms with them.  He wasn't a young man anymore.  So he limited himself to five rooms to start with.  Two large enough to be bedrooms, one suitable for a living room, a store-room, and one he would later turn into a bathroom.  Once done, Barbarus would duplicate the wall making process he'd done for one end of the room for the other, but spending the extra effort to make a door, and a simple lock and key.

Now a tired old cat, the Were wandered down the tunnels again, for the hub, and looking for his carriage.  It would be a simple operation to get his son's attention...he hoped.

[Inumo]

Jio halts outside the main area with everyone about. He had been planning on just going right through the area to the nearest command location, forgetting that these people didn't wear blindfolds. Tef damn it... he thought, thinking. With no idea as to what he was to do, he whispered some power words under his breath. "Ksin-besteh." Assuming he'd gotten his grammar right (never could be sure with only a year of Arcane Theory), the words, "I am alive," would be written in light over his head. ((Note, this doesn't actually happen, as Jio used the wrong "light." That, and they're very literal. If there are any objects with words on them nearby, they now weigh about fifty percent their normal weight.)) With this security measure hopefully in place, Jio continued on, taking a slow, balanced step so he wouldn't fall if he was spotted.

[techmaster-glitch]

Near the entrance

  As Xephelon decended, his exoshell's artificial vision detected two beings approaching. He froze, waiting to see what they would do. They spoke in a strange vernacular that Xeophelon could not make out at first, but switched to more understandable speech as they closed in. They did not appear to be hostile, however, so Xephelon mentally relaxed. One stepped up to Xephelon, tapped his exoshell, and made several declarations.
  Each of the three lights on the center of the exoshell's torso, seemingly symbolic of eyes, flickered in sequence.
  "I assure you, I am no drone, nor was I created by a wizard, and I represent no one but myself." A voice emitted from the construct, metallic and slightly buzzing in its tone. "I do, however, commend you for recognizing this body as an artificial construction, and not some unknown beast to be destroyed. That is an unfortunately frequent misunderstanding. That said, are there any other restrictions that may be pertinate to me, or am I clear to 'deal'?"

[Lisky]

The full blooded demon watched the scuffles unfold.  The flurry of insults and personal bickering.  There seemed to be very little to keep them in line.  That is, until the half-demon roared at them.  They shut up, almost instantly, save for one.  Had he been expecting the fight, he might have had the axe in hand for just a little extra intimidation factor.  He didn't, he'd come in, and taken a smug pose, arms crossed across chest, disapproving glare.  The fact that one of these "hearty" swine would have the gull to take a swing at both a pure-blood demon, and a warrior prince to boot was almost preposterous in Baseel's mind. 

He made his move, enhanced speed had it's advantages, and it was very useful here.  He took but a moment to extend his claws from small nubs atop his fingers to several inch long dagger points.  He hardened his skin, no point in taking risks in the event that someone threw something.  Lastly, in the blink of an eye, he collected a small ball of dark energy in the palm of his hand, forged it into a sharp, narrow bolt shape, then used a bit more magic to fling the solidified shadow at the miner's upper thigh.  As soon as the bolt had left, the demon took a defensive combat stance and prepared to gut the miner, should his incapacitating strike fail to phase the charging assailant.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Digdigdigdigdig (Barbarus)

The work went well, carving a simple but serviceable passage, and the rooms were fashioned with no sudden complications. Plumbing might be a problem, as you'd have to carve a path for waste to flow out from, but that complication aside, the rooms are serviceable, at east if you added some furniture.

As you step from the areas you just fashioned into the main tunnel complex, you notice that the tunnels that were there before are smoother than the ones you just made, and if there are any imperfections in the tunnel that you're moving through, they're far too slight to be taken as anything other than completely circular by your senses.

As you make your way back to the main habitation area though, the sounds are different. Although it was loud, boisterous and chaotic before, now, the sounds is more purposeful, dangerous. creams of pain lance through the inchoate shouts of rage and aggression. Right now, it might not be the safest place to visit.


We try things, sometimes they even work (Jio)

It was sudden, just a hushed shout of "Come on, we have to get away from those lunatics" before a knot of three or four burly figures rush through freezing you instantly as they peal into sight. Although you're well balanced, their path of flight bumps them right into you, and you topple over, fortunately without any harm.

You can see the ceiling, but none of the miners are in your field of view; still, their voices are clearly audible.

"Damn odd place for a statue."

"Fucking odd to have a statue at all."

"Come ON! We need to GO!"

"Yeah, and if some petrifier is down that way? Our chances are better in that riot.

"There's magic on him, some sort of spell. Can't tell what it is."

"You're drunk already Ferl, who would enchant a statue?"

"Not enchanted, the thing *cast* a spell, and recently."

"So it's not drunk, it's harder stuff you idiot. How the SHIT could a statue cast anything?"

"Look, I don't know, but here, *indistinct mumbling*, put some witchsight on yourself."

"Well, damn. DAMN. What is it?"

"Beats the shit out of me."

"Think we can carry it? One of the big shits upstairs would probably be interested in it."

"One way to find out."

The next thing you know, you find yourself being hefted, and carried, back towards the main habitation area.

Door Dimwits (Xephelon)

"Fancy, innit?"

"Talks fancy too."

"And there were that other pair of weirdies, came by earlier. I say we did our part for the mine. Too many newcomers at once could destabilize things."

"And we couldn't have that. Don't know what they're digging up here, but it seems to be important. If this metal thing might stop us...."

"Well, I don't think it'd be quite that bad, but perhaps something to demonstrate good faith, or to make it worth our while."

"Yeah, then we'd let you in. Sorry metalboy. You got anything like that?"

Rack and Riot (Baseel)

The energy lance isn't quite quick enough to prevent the miner fro hitting his foreman, but it does dig through his thigh, letting a spurt of blood pool around the floor, as both figures hit the oddly polished stone almost simultaneously. The sudden attack breaks the will of the crowd, but instead of dispersing, shouts are raised, a few crude spells are woven, and small packs, from three to five, generally, break off in every direction (except yours)  trampling their way over anything in their path.

Already, some of them have fled the central chamber, and you think you can smell smoke from somewhere off to your left and out of your immediate sight.

[Inumo]

Well, this isn't what I expected, Jio thought as the workers carried him along. Damn foolish thing of me to not get the grammar right, let alone the proper word even. Really should try and find a book on power words, if I can... He worked himself into a semi-trance as he waited to reach his destination. These non-blindfolded people go really slow...

((OOC: Not really much to say. Figured I'd take the chance to work in the relative speed of life for the Moloi.))

[Lisky]

Quelling the Mobs

With a snarl, the demon shouted, "-If- you surrender now, and peacefully, i will let you get back to work, no harm done! If you do not comply, -you- risk being made an example of!"

He then started snapping off orders to the half-demon, and anyone else who seemed to be paying even the mildest of attention to him.  Pointing to the half-demon first "Take the foreman to the infirmary, get him taken care of... keep this worker alive if you can, as well... he'll need a proper punishment if he survives.  After that's done, start bashing in skulls of any rabble-rouser you find.  Target the leaders, not the mobs.  Without a head, they'll fall to the most powerful voice of authority."   He then turned towards anyone else and shouted, "Get Aleyna and Nadia here! Soonest... We need some proper riot control, and i'm not doing this alone!"


With orders out, the axe came out of it's leather loop.  The demon summoned his massive round-shield and charged off towards the fire.  It was time to end this quickly, and put the workers in line.  Discipline would be required, a chain of command.  Enough time had been wasted already.  It was time to get this place running.

[techmaster-glitch]

Door Dimwits

   Only one of Xephelon's light-eyes flickered this time. These "guards" didn't even know about the Crysx. Just how mixed-up was this mine's information flow?
   Still, he had to appease them somehow. Forcing his way past would not make him any friends inside, and worse, it was impractical with his abilities. So he decided to use his abilities more efficiently.
   One of the four arms of the metal thing reached out. "May I borrow a weapon of yours for a moment?"

[Meany]

You know what?  That makes me mad.

"Belize?  Belize!  Answer me boy!  Where are you?"  Barbarus would wade into the tide of angry persons, demonstrating expert use of his staff to drop anyone that would get in the way of his search for the mongoose with a sharp, swift crack to the head.  Those that put up a fight, would find themselves bound in place as, after a clap of the shaman's hands, and arcing electricity, the rock they stood on reshaped into grasping hands to restrict their movements.  "Belize!  Answer me!"

And he was just annoyed right now.  If he found out these idiots had hurt his little boy...Well, let's not plan for things that might now happen, shall we?

[Tipod]

Take Me To Your Manager

In spite of the chaos erupting elsewhere in the camp, Mnogo kept his face entirely on the sentry and tent before him. It didn't take a psychic to detect how underwhelmed he was at his mongrel standing guard. Were this home, he would groom and fashion an entire legion of dripping brutes to watch over the perimeter, smashing and grinding anyone foolish to even look at them cockeyed.

Installing better security could wait; now was the time to gather intelligence. With a half-hearted grunt, he slithered past the one-eyed feline and into headquarters. Just because nobody was there to talk to didn't mean he couldn't learn anything on his own, be it from a discarded book, map, or other sensitive document. With the way the camp looked so far, he'd be surprised if these morons even locked their desk drawers after leaving.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Bouncing along (Jio)

It's hard to tell, facing downwards, but you think you're heading downwards, not towards the main habitation area. After a few minutes, your conveyors stop, and unceremoniously dump you onto the unnaturally smooth floor.

"Private enough Ferg?"

"Yeah, ought to have enough space to put at least a few looker­-spells"

Muttered incantations, but you don't have the vantage to see what they're casting, and whatever energies are entering your stoneform, they don't seem to be harmful. More wait.

"Odd, he's definitely alive, but there's no trace of a petrification spell. It's almost like he's supposed to be that way. None of the usual enchantments you'd see on a spy statute either. It's like he's supposed to be that way, or a statue come to life on its own."

"That is odd, and I'm not sure-" Whomever he was, he's cut off by a pair of high pitched screams, off to the corridor. You have a hard time placing where they're from, and they might be coming from two different directions. There's a short burst of panic, another incantation,and you can feel the edges of force from this one, and then four much lower pitched screams.

Something climbs on to your back, heavy, and with at least 6 feet,that are somewhat soft and padded; you can feel it tense, but then it scampers off, very quickly. About 30 seconds later, you resume your natural form. There's no sign of the miners that took you down........ wherever you are.

Rack and Riot (Baseel)

Only those closest to you, about 15 feet or so in, obey your shouted orders. Whether that's because of your presence, or simply because the others are too far away to hear you over the din, you're not certain, but enough people come to haul away the two supine figures, hopefully for some sort of medical treatment.

The cavern is lit, although not all that well, and you're forced to follow your nose to the source of the blaze, which is burning along merrily right now, consuming a few old crates, filled with nothing that gives off any particularly identifiable aroma. Through the smoke, you can see an old, battered lantern, probably dropped. There are no figures immediately adjacent to the blaze, although you can see a few scattered about the corners of your vision.

Door Dimwits (Xephelon)

The accent seems to be completely gone, and the guard's brow furrows deeply.  "Around here, it's very rude to ask for the weapon of anyone, especially if that anyone might be called to use it. Now give some sort of assurance that you're here for a benign purpose, we have a colony to defend."

Outskirts of the riot (Barbarus)

Most of the people around are more interested in flight than in fighting anyone, even someone as old and frail-looking as yourself. You're only called upon to hit one person, and that was more someone attempting to run right over you to get away from something else, and he didn't stick around to contest the blow.

Still, you find no sign of Belize, and combined with your exertions earlier, you're starting to get tired. Maybe if you had some way of signaling him.

Tent of management (Mnogo)

The tent is almost completely bare. A bit of dim light comes in from two green glowing fixtures somehow affixed to the "roof." Other than that, there's only a low table, and one small cupboard filled with what seem to promotional brochures. Out the back, you hear noise of some sort, screaming you think, although it's somewhat distant.

[techmaster-glitch]

Door Dimwits

   "Rude? Well, perhaps, but necessary." The strange black metal insect-like thing replied. "But very well, then please at least hold your weapon out so that I may touch it, and I will give you the assurance that I am here to assist in the only way I am capable of."

[Lisky]

As the crowd started to disperse more, Baseel's mind started turning, ideas forming rather than just reactions.  He prepared a pair of spells.  One, a simple silence spell which would be cast throughout the hall, cutting off the voices of all those, all the shouting, all the panic, everything.  The next, was an enchantment to his own voice, boosting it's volume to a level that should echo through the halls.  Even if the silence spell were only marginally effective, he figured the followup should be enough to at least draw their attention away from wanton destruction, and give the workers a better understanding of who was in charge, and how things would work.

He cast the spells simultaneously, adding a bit of arcane flash by having the ceiling of the cave seem to sparkle with dark energies, a fairly simple expendeture of energy, connecting to points, and having his own power jump the gap... doing it over and over again in a web like pattern.  He waved his hands, triggering the events.  A series of flashes across the ceiling, as the demon's voice roared, "SILENCE!  From this point forward, -anyone- who continues these riots shall be subject to immediate soul execution.  This is not a threat i give lightly... it is not a threat at all, really, it's a a promise... a mandate.   Now... those who surrender, and return, in -orderly- fashion to the main hall, will not be penalized.  Those who continue to fight -will- be dealt with, harshly.  Those of you with friends and family participating in this pointless demonstration in disorganization, i suggest you let them know that i am giving you 5 minutes."  

Summoning a small time-glass, The Alsatian flipped the hour-glass shaped time-piece over, "starting from now, to assemble in the main hall.  Anyone who is not here, and at attention, or peacefully making their way here... well... You may have noticed a few other demons with me... Not complying with these very direct, and simple orders will not be peasant."

The demonic canine ended both spells, then cast a quick implosion spell upon the empty crates to quench the flames.  Baseel headed for the main hall with the hourglass dripping grains of sand, floating at his side.  He didn't have much time to prepare a proper speech, however, it seemed, if this is the greeting they gave, they were going to need to -earn- the right to be bribed with a carrot, before the stick got put away.  He kept his sense tuned all around him as he made his way back towards the hall.   He kept his face neutral and icy, hoping word got around to the other leaders that there was to be a formal assembly in the main hall. 

[Meany]

Bah, let the blowhard force his will where he may, Belize was whom Barbarus was focused upon.  Of course he'd be there in five minutes, but only if he could find Belize in that time.  "Belize!  Ooh, when I find you, I'll take you over my knee if you don't start making yourself known!  Belize!"

If Baseel's little stunt had done what was intended, Barbarus should now have a much easier time of finding his carriage and little mongoose son.  Oh, his back was hurting from all this walking and hitting people.  He still remembered to drops blocks of purified salt down on the ground every so often, as offerings to good spirits.

Bah!  This was taking too long!  Fumbling around in his coat, Barbarus would pull out a segment of seemingly innocuous wood, then transmute it into a whistle.  Which he would use in conjunction with shouting to help locate his son, maybe even call the horse if she was around to hear.

[Inumo]

Whaddaya know, someone that can move as fast as me! Shaking off the worst of the dust, Jio leaned against a wall and tried to decide between reporting the incident he had witnessed and seeing what he could do on his own. After a moment, he figured, I'm just an architect. I can't handle those things, especially since they seem to stone-shape me as well. Back to the tunnels it is. With a sigh, he started walking. Ksin-besteh obviously didn't work. Wait, of course it wouldn't. Ksin is for lightweight, not light. How about... "Besteh-osi. I am alive." Trusting that his magic had worked properly, he made his way back to where the miners had caught him at a light jog.

((OOC: As a reminder, the words will be incomprehensible without something to understand another language. Also, the spell worked right this time.))

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Door Dimwits.(Xephelon)

"Look mister, I don't know you from The Firsts. If you touch my weapon, I'm going to be seeing what sort of insides you have, and that's final. Jink-jink or leave, your choice."


Aftermath (Baseel)

The grand hall isn't so much silent as it is muted. In groups of threes and fours, miners return. By the time the 5 minute counter is up, you'd guess that about two thirds of the crowd has managed to find its way back. Although it's not cold in the tunnels, a lot of them seem to be shivering, and more than one face has gone pale. The last ones you see make it in on time are a pair of youngish looking felines, both male, hauling what looks like an intricate statue between them.

A general sense of the crowd seems to indicate nervousness, perhaps even fear, but things do seem to be calming down.

Whistle while you search? (Barbarus)

Over the roar and panic of the crowd, the whistle is a small, barely heard thing, but with the roared pronouncement, people start drifting their way back to the main cavern, and you see a small swirl as they try to squeeze around a large, horse drawn carriage. The horse notices the thin screams of the whistle first, but Belize must have given it some sort of signal with the reins, as the vehicle stops completely, and the mongoose bounds out, rushing towards you.

He hugs you briefly, and then starts to usher you towards the carriage. "Are you all right father? There's...... I don't know what happened, but there's some madman threatening to soul-drain everyone who's not in the main cavern by a five minute mark. Thank the spirits you're back.  Are you holding up all right? Once we're inside and can be counted, I can mix something together for you."

Teshuvah. (Inumo)

It only takes a minute at a quick clip to head back, although the near constant ascent has you a bit winded. Looping your way back, you hear the newcomers at an intersection about a second before they turn the corner and petrify you, but stand in startled stillness long enough for you to take in their features. Both felines, short, but stocky, twinned pairs of green eyes and countenances similar enough to declare a blood tie between them.

Off in the distance somewhere, you can hear another one of those high-pitched screams, but it's very quiet against the conversation backdrop before you.

"I tell you, it's safer back there, in the main cavern. All those guys want to do is steal your purse. Thems screams are creepy."

"Where'd the statue come from?"

"Well, I'm a blighted idiot, who'd put a statue out here?"

"Maybe them screamers are petrifying people."

"We could say we came across him, on purpose like, that the higher ups needed to know about this. I'm sure someone would know what to do about petrifying monsters."

You're lifted, one cat-man on your head and the other handling your legs, and you're carried back up to the main cavern at a pace you find is surprisingly quick.

[techmaster-glitch]

Damn Door Dimwits

  The three lights on the front "torso" of the metal insectoid "blinked" once again. Internally, he was beginning to retract his earlier appreciation for them recognizing his body as a construct. This was almost as bad as being mistaken for a monster.
  "I do not understand what you mean by something as inarticulate as 'jink-jink'. However, I must point out several things. One, if you truly believe that you or your friend can disassemble my metal form, then there would hardly be an danger in allowing me physical contact with either of your weapons now, is there? But, even so, if you really are are adverse to allowing me this, then any small trinket or worn article will do. A belt, or perhaps a bracer or gauntlet, or especially an amulet if you have one. It must simply be some inanimate and preferably inorganic object, and I simply must be able to hold it in my hands for a minute. I am a manipulator of magic, you see. But my magic is...unusual, to your kind. I do not 'cast spells', rather, I bind magic to physical objects. This is why I must physically touch something so that I may show you my worth by what I can do." The strange construct-like thing was oddly still, but the buzzing voice had changed pitch slightly. If someone actually intelligent were paying attention, they would know that the voice was starting to sound exasperated.

[Inumo]

You're kidding me. Can they not read? If Jio had control of his mouth, he would have sighed. Physically powerless, Jio took the time to look at the wall structure and figure out what the blueprint of a cross-section might look like. After all, it wasn't like he had much else to do.

((OOC: Synchronized timelines are a pain for those that are due to be frequently powerless. >.< Ah well, to be expected.))