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Silk Moon Lotus	Silk has had a few weeks to decorate the dank cave that Hoarfrost told her about. Being a trained thief does have some advantages. She isn't sleeping directly on the ground anymore and the walls have tapestries of the Three covering the worst of the drafty holes. The bed was a little challenging but the lord shouldn't have boasted of his trip to Nexus so loudly in the market. The Enterance to her home has a fine piece of leather across it to keep out the drafts. She has managed to place several tree limbs in front of the enterance that she thinks is doing a great job of concealing it. She has only ventured into the next chamber behind her home as there is an underground stream that provides all the water she needs. She has not crossed the stream yet but hears noises from the other side sometimes.
Amethyst	Amethyst finds herself investigating a rumor of something happening in a cave near the southern end of Great Forks. She's curious, and cautious. She heard in whispered tones that a monster might live there. Well, she's not scared of any monsters, but she's not taking chances. Red liquid is coiled up the side of her arm, waiting, ready, as she makes her towards this interesting cave.
Bright Journey	Great Forks is one of those endlessly entertaining cities that has something new and unusual behind every corner. A city of miracles and wonder, and a constant source of interest, education, adventure and excitement to the city's lucky denizens. Of course, obscure cultists never live in a thrice-damned -house-, do they? No, of course not. They're in the dankest sewer in the most woebegone street of the most bedraggled ward in the city. If Bright Journey's armor could rust it would have surely disintegrated by now, she mutters to herself, as she folds her voluminous black cloak around her, hood flipped up over her head and prowls down the wharf, past the docks, just into the warehouse district towards that place that hysterical dockworker swore was haunted. Well, maybe he was right, or maybe it was those pervasive cultists. Or maybe this would be chasing wild fowl. That's happened before, too, after all. Not every story leads to much more than a pair of sore feet and a day wasted.
Tenken	The City of Temples, the House of Festivals, Decadence... all are names given to the city of Great Forks. It is a city known for its bustling festivals, overwhelming numbers of spirits and godlings and the like, and is generally associated with excess and endless partying and indulgence. Lately though, the vibe of the city has changed somewhat. Rumors have been swirling around in all corners of every district, as citizens speak in hushed tones about the disappearances. Many young women, of every socioeconomic class and background, mostly in their late teens and early twenties, as well as a number of sorcerors and even their familiars have gone missing. It is not uncommon for folks to go missing in the sense that many travellers come into Great Forks for a festival and then leave, only to return a year later. What is strange is that these disappearances have distinctly worrisome characteristics, as those missing are people who had planned events, obligations, and other indications that make their absence notable. Mothers disappearing without their children, a shopkeep of sorcerous reagents there one day and gone the next... In all cases, the victims have disappeared without a trace, with nothing but a bad feeling and hair rising on one's neck to indicate foul play. Along with this disappearances, rumors of strange hooded and cloaked figures walking the darkened alleys during the night have been reported in numerous districts, and travellers from outside the city have even brought these rumors from other large towns and cities from all regions of creation. For those paying attention, these signs are concerning, and indicate something of great scope. This night, a heavy mist blankets the city, which is uncommon, and a silence that is deafening in a usually bustling and clamoring town has residents on edge.
Silk Moon Lotus	As the sun set, the damp has started creeping into the cave once more. Silk brushes back the leather screen from her doorway to see the fog has rolled almost all the way up to her home. "It's not normally this thick" she mutters to herself. Silk takes the few steps across her room and sets her lantern on top of the chest she has her spare clothes in. She slips on her gloves in case someone decides a foggy night is the right time to try to raid her home. She pulls the book she "borrowed" from the lord's house and picking up where she left off. "Ghosts cannot cross a line of salt." She reads aloud. "Interesting."
Rishi	In the unnatural silence, the sudden sound of splashing from the next room booms loudly. If Silk comes to look, she finds a dark haired woman lying in the stream, completely submerged, her eyes closed.
Amethyst	Motive ears twitch and she sniffs. This fog is supernatural, and weird. And not in the good way either. The blood on her arm cautiously uncoils, and gently unwraps her feet and hands, revealing the finned and webbed limbs in earnest. And she stashes the wraps and looks around. At least she could retreat to the river if things don't go too well.
Bright Journey	Oh, great. As if the salt air wasn't bad enough, now there's this -mist- to contend with. Bright Journey is no one's professional scholar, but she's read a book or two. Her lips press into a thin, worried line as she looks around from underneath her hood, watching from her vantage point just beyond the Warehouse District's streets at the fog rolling in. It's not pea soup dense yet...but something about the color, or the odor, or the sound-dampening properties tickles at the edge of her memory. Some book or another explaining occult phenomena apart from the mundane variety. The splish splash of swimming is rather difficult to hear from outside the cave system, unfortunately, at least not in any detail. The fact that the sea isn't that far off makes it even more difficult to hear clearly, or at least separate it from normal wave activity. Still, -something- is audible, and while there's not a whole lot to go on, there's one thing Bright is certain of. If she does nothing, she'll have no bearings and no way to really see through this mess, once the fog becomes thicker. Surely, finding a place to at least orient from is the wisest course, even if her search tonight has taken a bit of aa damp turn.
Tenken	From deeper within the cave system Silk Moon Lotus has been residing in, new sounds bounce off the walls and into her dwelling area. Usually, the sounds of creaking wood on the ships in the harbor, the bustling sounds of the docks, or other noises from the City of Festivals masks any sound from deeper within the caves. With the supernatural cover of the fog rolling in masking both sight and sound, these new sounds are just barely audible, but they are surely real. The soft sounds of footsteps, those of someone trained to walk silenty are barely audible. Also, the faint sound reminiscent of a chisel against rock reaches Silk's ears, accompanied by the hushed tones of papers being unfurled, like a scroll being opened. From outside the caves, Bright Journey barely perceives the sounds of chisel against rock as well, as the silence of the city enables her to perceive sounds that would otherwise be masked by the bustling nightlife of Great Forks.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk closes the book quietly and sets it on her bed. She grabs the lantern from the chest muttering "What is going on back there?" She grabs her cloak and heads back into the cave system that she now regrets not exploring. She carefully makes her way down the short passage and into the next chamber where she spots someone in the stream. Silk rushs over to the stream. She quickly places the lantern next to the stream and and reachs down to pull the drowning woman from the stream. She finds significantly more resistance then she expected but knows she has to try to save her. She bunches up her legs and pulls with all her might. The woman attempts to resist but Silk's leverage allows her to pull her free. The woman thrashes wildly and drenching Silk in the process. Silk shakes off some of the water and speaks in a low tone "I guess you can breath underwater?
Rishi	The woman sputters for a moment, water streaming down her body...especially from some slits in her side? They close up even as Silk watches. The woman spits out several mouthfuls of water, then says in a throaty, musical voice "Ah! I am most sorry. I did not think anyone was using this river. I am Rishi and I appreciate your assistance, even if I did not need it." She bows a bit which draws your attention to the fact that she has large bat wings, a fuzzy tail, didigrade feet, and, since her silken clothing is plastered to her flesh, some quite lush curves. She tilts her head to the side studying you, with a slightly worried look on her face. Given the reception most beastmen get, her being concerned what you'll think of her is warranted.
Amethyst	Amethyst steadily approaches the caves when she spots Bright. Is that a friend? foe? She looks to herself, her whip of blood just lazily hovering around her, and with her more mutant features more obvious without the wraps. Bright doesn't look like the sort of cultists they've been tracking. But if she calls out, she could attract attention. Maybe she'll just head in the same direction. No where in this does Amethyst remember to try to stealth.
Bright Journey	Now here's irony for you. Magic intended to conceal sounds from prying ears ends up occluding the din of the city, making closer sounds, like chipping at rock, genuinely easier to hear. Heh. Like so many other things in her life so far, if Bright wrote a book about her life not a soul would believe it. And yet, here she is. Now, that sound is just about the only clear thing Bright can hear right now, so naturally she's drawn right to the cave entrance. It's not the easiest thing to spot, to be fair, but the sounds are different enough to, and clearer than, anything else Bright can hear right now. So she has but to follow them. Soon the murmur of conversation can also be heard. Just a few words, and not really close enough to decipher, but it's about this time that Bright peers into the cave from between two of the branches covering the entrance, only two see two sopping wet figures holding each other and talking quietly. She still isn't sure of the exact words, but the context is clear enough, is it not? Her complexion turns as pink as her hair, and her boot scrapes across the stone at her feet as she starts to back away. Whoops! Bright then turns to one side, hearing someone else walk up as well. Oh, dear, this isn't going as planned.
Tenken	As Rishi gets yoinked from the stream and exchanges pleasantries in an admittedly awkward meeting with Silk Moon Lotus, Bright Journey and Amethyst make their way to the entrance of the caves. With all four now in approximately the same place, this mix of terrestrial and celestial exalts makes this cave system one of the greatest concentrations of power in the entire region. Unbenknownst to the four, beneath them in the cave system there is a place even more supernatural power resides - it is from this place that the sounds of rock being chiseled grows louder. Suddenly, a rumbling sound is heard, and then a piercing sound that makes one's teeth clench cuts through the silence, punctuated by a man's scream. Just as suddenly as the commotion started, the sounds stopped. The only noise that can be heard now is - 'drip... drip drip drip... drip..drip'
Amethyst	Glyphs flare and blood goes long and razor thin in front of her, as if to cut the sound itself with her own. It's a careful and calculated effort, hear ears adjusted just right as she cracks her whip into the face of the noise, hoping to pierce through it if only a moment.
Silk Moon Lotus	"That cannot be good" Silk mumbles. Looking Rishi in the face "I'm Silk and I would like to take longer to chat but that requires immediate attention." She stands up and turns to the sound she heard upstream. She spots a hooded figure, standing near the enterance. Silk scopes up her lantern and turns towards Bright. "Bright is that you? Welcome to my cave. Care to join me in investigating that horrible noise and possible dead person?" Silk turns to the "friendly" cave mouth and wills the Orichalcum blades of her gloves to manifest. "I don't want to be unprepared."
Bright Journey	Fortunately, cracking a whip made out of, uh, -blood- at the sound is not the same as cracking it at Bright. That would have changed things dramatically for the worse. As it is, though, the sounds were disturbing enough that this new figure seems concerned by them, and that, at least, is something with which Bright can agree. She still looks at Amethyst worriedly, but simply put, she no longer has the time for gracious formal introductions. She just spares a few moments to say, "Uh, nice to meet you, whoever you are. Pleasantries later?" And with that, Bright turns and pushes aside the camouflage in front of Silk Moon Lotus' abode and hustles inside. Once inside, Bright's voice starts apologetic. "Er, sorry for barging in, you two, but I think something bad just--" She cuts off, finally getting a good look at Silk and Rishi. The latter looks both amazing and arresting in her own right, but it's the former that stops Bright mid-sentence. "...You! I remember you. Sorry, but I thought I just...um." Bright wisely shuts up, since Silk is asking her to do what she obviously came here to do. "Uh, yes, let's. I guess we can actually chat later. Sorry about barging in like this." Given that Amethyst and Rishi are both at least clearly not put off by supernatural happenings, there's not much Bright can do to conceal her nature. Especially if things get as out of hand as they seem to be. From nowhere a massive bow, bone wrapped in moonsilver, appears in her hands, and she brushes her hood and cloak back.
Rishi	Rishi's pointed ears twitch as she turns to look at the cave mouth, her head remaining tilted and her hair moving like a waterfall of ebony silk. "Yes, that WOULD take precidence. But it is most nice to meet you." And then the newcomers arrive and start pulling forth artifact weapons. Rishi smiles, in spite of the screaming. "Ah. It is most lovely to meet more of the Exalted who reside in this area." As she is not well suited to fighting, she allows Silk and Bright to take the lead, but says as she goes behind them "Oh, there might happen to be a largve carved column further in. It is likely angry, please do not upset it further by trying to read it."
Amethyst	"Pleasntries later." Amethyst nods and lets the whip collapse into a vague form that follows behind as she rushes forward on her flippered feet. She makes it into the cave soon enough herself, and looks to the gathered parties. "That was a dying man, and I don't like the sounds of--" She looks at Bright as she just produces a moonsilver bow. And the rest of the artifacts. Oh boy, what in Creation has Amethyst gotten herself into this time? The alchemist shakes her head and focuses. "That's the sound of death. And we've no time to waste." Amethyst leads the way, her ears tuning for potential dangers.
Tenken	As the four make their way through the stalagtites and stalagmites giving the entrance to the tunnel an ominous look similar to the maw of some exotic monster, they note the distinct silence ahead which starkly contrasts the bursts of commotion just beforehand. As they move further into the cave system, the ceiling of the tunnel begins to rise. At the start, someone that was 6'2" would have had to duck down to walk in a crouched manner... at this point in the tunnel the ceiling had nearly doubled in height. The only sound ahead that remained was the drip-drip-dripping of liquid falling to the floor of a cavern. Descending for approximately 200 meters forward, the steep gradient of the descent made the group realize that they must be far below sea level, yet somehow this system was isolated from the underwater world of the sea. It was a bit musty, but clearly the ocean did not find its way into this portion of the cave system. Finally, the tunnel's end appears, and beyond it was a large cavern. Much of the cavern was shrouded in darkness and shadow, but at its center was a massive obelisk seemingly made of black polished granite or jade of some type. Closer inspection would reveal blues, reds, greens, and other jades mixed together in the obelisk. Just in front of it was the figure of a man, and about 10 feet to its right was a pair of legs. They had been sliced off cleanly, almost surgically, but the abdomen was crushed to a pulp. The man's arm was hanging from a collection of fungi that had grown on the front of the obelisk, about 5 feet from the bottom (making it about a quarter of the way up). From the hand, blood was dripping into a puddle of blood, which revealed the source of the drip-drip-dripping sound. Runes and glyphs covered the obelisk, and were not in any language seen in modern times, not even in any records of old. The supernatural nature of the obelisk is obvious, but the source of that power is unknown. Another figure is to the right, approximately 30 meters away from the obelisk, and appears to be a man in a light heather-grey haori, which covers a black kimono. At his hip is a lacquered sheath holding a katana-type daiklaive. The weapon was not drawn, and there was no sign of injury or struggle. The figure is unconscious, but two in the group recognize it as Tenken. In his right hand is a medallion, upon which is a shining and unblinking eye - the emblem of The Order. Upon closer inspection, the figure of the dead man in front of the obelisk can be seen to be clothed in the garb of the Order, and a medallion hangs from the neck of the dead man; his medallion is also shining eerily with green light, which is strange as anyone who had previously seen one of the medallions, signets, or rings of the Order would know that they are usually mundane in appearance, as this glow was a new phenomenon.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk walks over to the very dead body and picks up the amulet. "Are these any different from the rings we found last time Bright?" She holds it up and shakes lose anything that came with it. Silk looks up at the statue thingie. "So the guy made it mad and it smashed him like dough?" Silk looks back and forth between the others unsure who knows what it is and if they should touch it.
Bright Journey	Bright Journey has an arrow nocked but not drawn, as she moves down towards the open cavern. She's not especially stealthy, but with three others around her it's a given. She looks over the tableau, her worried expression not changing a whole lot as she takes everything in. She walks forward a step or two and carefully makes her way over to Tenken, kneeling down to look him over more closely. "Well, well," she murmurs. "I remember this gentleman, too. Been a few months." She looks up at Silk and gives her a quick grin. "Silk Moon Lotus. Remember how I mentioned there was another fight I'd had against the cultists? This man was one of the ones who'd helped me out there. He either had me completely fooled or he was investigating them here. Interesting. Let me see..." At this point, Bright stops talking and quickly assesses Tenken, to see if he's suffered any injury he could use a physician's help on. As she does so, her bow actually becomes limned in a soft moonlight glow.
Amethyst	Amethyst glances at the stone, "That's a devil's stone. Here. I wonder who--" Then Amethyst stops as she realizes that Tenken is unconscious nearby. "Oh dear." She hurries over to him, wrapping her whip back up along her arm as she aids in the checking. She's especially curious of that chemical she found before has anything to do with this.
Rishi	Rishi says "Please do not look at the stone. It doesn't like it." Then she turns to the unconcious person, leaping over to him quickly and joining the others in examining him. "I am a skilled healer, may I assist you?" Assuming Bright assents, Rishi's features get ever so slightly more animalistic as she smells Tenken, listens to his heart, checks his eyes, and so on, looking to see if she can determine why he's unconcious as well as how long he's been unconcious.
Bright Journey	Bright spends a few moments looking over Tenzen, but looks both stumped and a little frustrated. "I don't see any actual harm, but he's out cold. Magic, maybe," she concludes. But her voice makes it clear she's not satisfied. When Rishi asks to help, Bright offers Rishi a friendly smile. "Tell you what, you tell me your name and you can look. Deal?" She looks up, though, when Silk asks her about the rings. "Yeah, Silk, I think those rings are pretty much the same. You kept the ones we found last time, though. Not sure it's worth taking the time to compare." Bright frowns again, though, contemplating the jewelry on the corpse. "The glowing thing is new, though. I'm not sure what that means, but I wouldn't trust it."
Silk Moon Lotus	"That's disappointing, maybe I'll keep one as a trophy." Silk says distractedly. "Is the stone supposed to have a blue outline?" Silk reachs out her hand to touch the stone, what's the worst that could happen?
Amethyst	"It's the same substance I found on other victims." Amethyst looks down at Tensen. "If this can affect someone so big..." She clearly doesn't like that it's affected him. She needs to make researching this stuff a priority. "He'll be fine in a few hours. It's a mostly harmless incapacitating substance. At least, that's what I know of it. No idea how it's adminstered. All without a fight to." Amethyst rubs her violet hair, pondering.
Rishi	Rishi tilts her head for a few moments, considering what she's smelled. "This anesthetic, is is most similar to that of a viper I have found before. I shall need to go eat one soon, I suspect. For now though..." she reaches into her satchel and pulls out a few herbs and a small ceramic bowl. With deft slashes of her claws she cuts the herbs up, drops them in the bowl, pours in some water from a battered bronze bottle, and five drops of her own blood, squeeded from her left ring finger. After a few moments of stirring, she tips his head up and has him drink the suddenly rather pungent smelling brew.
Tenken	As the bitter and pungent concoction makes its way past his lips, Tenken stirs and awakes, now conscious. The brew which he can taste has broken his sleep, but the paralysis remains until he has ingested the full brew. His eyes flit to Rishi, as the unknown woman treating him with a mixture of her own blood is a memory he will not soon forget. He coughs a sputters for a moment as the paralysis breaks, and he sits upright slowly, then reaches for Silk Moon Louts before he is blinded as she interacts with the mysterious and frightengly dangerous Devil Stone away from the rest of the group. As Silk Moon Lotus reaches out to touch the Devil Stone, the faint blue outline flares and all in the room are momentarily blinded. In contrast to the earlier commotion heard by the group, instead of a violent rumbling there is a smooth humming noise, almost a vibration that travels throughout the room resonating with the bodies of all in the cavern. A voice, alien in nature, speaks in what is heard by those present as Old Realm, though anyone else listening would hear gibberish that would be undecipherable. "The Silken Lotus Flower in the light of the Maiden of the Moon, the Archer of Heaven's Light illuminating the Path, the Divine Blade of Dawn's Wrath, and the mortal among giants destined for ascendance - When The Order accumulates 1,000 maidens' souls within the arrogant vessel of madness, when The Order attains the soul chains of all aspects of the elements, when the essence of the gods, demons, and ghosts entwine, the vessel of madness will rise as the ever self-destructing Doll of Mud in the Walker's Gardens.... stun, flicker, and disrupt the sleep. The illuminated path averts the atrocity of the soul sleep and death...Stay off the garden path"
Amethyst	"<What a vision.>" Amethyst says in Old Realm, momentarily stunned and surprised by it. She was wondering if perhaps one of them was the one the message was attending. "" still in old realm. She shakes her head, and switches to riverspeak. "That was..." She pauses, considering which word to use. And failing to find any good enough in riverspeak, she switches back to old realm. "<Intensely Immense>"
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk staggers back from the Devil Stone and falls to her knees. The prophecy has been etched into her mind forever. Silk shakes her head to clear her vision and looks around at the room. <Agreed, a most unusual vision> Silk replies in Old Realm. In Riverspeak she says "These people must be stopped before this doll is animated." Silk stands up and looks at each person. "Will you help me?"
Bright Journey	It only takes a moment of looking at Rishi at work before Bright acknowledges the obvious: She's a good amateur chirurgeon, but she's not a professional. She's not her mother. This woman, clearly, is the real deal. Bright just nods and watches Rishi work, which is admittedly not as helpful as Bright had been hoping, since there's clearly -something- going on she doesn't see. Then again, maybe she's just off her game today. It'd fit, with that pathetic attempt at diagnosis. Of course it was poison, should have been obvious. Ah, well. That bright blue flash rips through the room, setting Bright to blinking rapidly, and after a moment, shaking her head to free it from the cobwebs. She takes a long moment as she opens her eyes, staring at the devil stone as the message rolls around in her head. "WHAT. Was that. Also, I kind of sort of know Old Realm, but, when I learn from books, well, my accent is probably terrible. Can we stick to Riverspeak?" Bright Journey stands up and looks doubtfully at the statue. "Silk...are you sure you want to take that stone's word for everything? I mean, we've been killing cultist demons, who says they didn't make this themselves?"
Rishi	Seemingly unruffled by the stone prophesy, Rishi helps Tenken sit up, saying "You are feeling better, yes? If your hair feels too tight, or your toes turn green, do not worry. They are entirely expected and should pass in two weeks." She looks over him further, then says "I do not think that you will be gaining any mutations from this. If you should like some, then I shall of course assist you." This done, she carefully picks up the amulet Tenken was holding, using only the tips of two claws and sniffs it. "Yes. It seems these are most complex devices. They glow and they poison people. Best discard them." <That is a Devil stone, an ancient creature of Prophesy.> "They are not made today. I shall join you in your quest, as such a thing would not be made were it not to oppose a purpose most dire."