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Rishi	Your group has uncovered enough of the secrets of the Manse to reactivate the ore carrying carts. Though it's easy to say that, but standing out on a narrow catwalk over a long fall into bubbling lava, watching the carts careening past on their spiral track down the inner wall of the shaft, knowing that you'll need to time the jump just right to land in a cart instead of landing on the track in front of a minecart... Well, it's a different story. Of course, such feats are simple for the Exalted. Right?
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk nods her head at the carts and watches the movements of them for a few moments. She them springs into the air and lands on one of the carts with a gymnast's grace. There is then a flash of light like the last moments of dusk and Silk is now wearing slowing robes traced with golden threads. She is also holding a spear with a silver head on it. She winks at the others "I figured we were going to get into a fight so I got dressed up."
Nine Roads Alani	When it's her turn, "Elena" stands just at the threshold, taking a deep, calming breath. So unlike her casual, cheerful self normally, this calm, studied remove more closely resembles Serene Herald, to be honest. She takes the first step or two out onto the narrow beam with absolutely perfect, graceful moves, just like a gymnast starting her routine... ...and then Elena clearly can't take the calmness anymore! A wide, thrilled grin steals onto her face as she lights out at full speed over the beam with not the slightest difficulty, sprinting across the treacherous metal like a wide, paved road. With a spring, flip and tumble, she lands right in the middle of a mine cart. The cart, and Elena, speed off into the depths, with a peal of joyous laughter trailing off into the darkness!
Serene Herald	There is a timing to things. A precision. If one knows physiology, geometry, and has a sense of rhythm, it should be easy to get into a cart. This time he doesn't do a prodigious leap, but actualy runs along the scaffolding and jumps to land with no fuss within one of the carts. "There will be danger below. I would count on a fight," he says with a slight smile. "Be ready for anything."
Misa	Misa does not seem... overly impressed by this manner of movement. Perhaps just not dignified enough for the woman, in some regard. She shrugs, however, and once the others have dropped down, she steps to the edge and looks down a moment. One... two... on the third cart that goes by, she drops rather unceremoniously- nothing supernatural about it, really, just a few moments' preparation and some careful timing... but it works. She lands in one of the carts, placing a free hand on the front edge of it for balance and stability as the cart carries her along behind the others.
Rishi	For several of you, the carts are actually not that fast, giving you time to look out and see the sights. Either looking at the interior space that even the tallest buildings could fit into or looking back through the gratings at the spiral path down the interior of the shaft. If one does look inside, you'll see several more doors and things going past, then a large gate covered in ice? crystal? ...mayhaps that was the salt barrier the "Collector" told you about? Regardless, once past that, things take a turn. The Murals all have deep gouges cut into them, like someone spent hours with a hammer and chisel or minutes with a daiklave, cutting into them. Still, if you look closely, you can make out two female figures, both depicted with golden halos around their heads. One was clearly a war leader, leading armies and sacking demon fortresses, depicted with floating swords around her. The other is more restrained, hidden. But images of dead kings and devils surround her passing. The images get less restrained and more overtly malicious as you descend. Pictures of them destroying cities and silencing dissent. Then war with beings who shine with auras in the colors of Jade. And then... an image of a tomb. Those who know Old Realm and are paying attention not to the Murals, but to the gouges, may notice that the marks form words in Old Realm.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk watches teh murals and a sense of dread washes over here. She steals herself for what is to come. These ghosts were solars once. It is only right that she put them to rest. "I don't think the ghosts want visitors."
Nine Roads Alani	As her mine cart goes by, 'Elena' goes from exultant to interested to genuinely concerned as the ride continues on. She's looking in various directions as time goes by, absorbing as much as she can, especially since every direction has so much to see! The murals, in particular, tell an unmistakable story. As the murals get more and more concerning, both for what they say and what's carved in them, Elena frowns deeper and deeper. Her excitement abates to some extent, replaced by alertness as she looks about for any signs of what made the gouges...
Serene Herald	"This wasn't their proper end," Herald muses, and reaches to touch the scabbard at his side. "But becoming part of that collector..." He shakes his head. "'Leave'? 'Danger'? Do they /really/ think anyone with the skill to get down this far would be warned off by this and /not/ think they could handld whatever is down here? Pah." Because hubris and arrogance is not limited to the Sun's chosen.
Misa	Speaking of hubris... or perhaps other questionable mindsets. The old realm is opaque as can be to Misa- but the pictographic stories tell themselves well enough, and she can get at least a gist of what's going on with the messaging and such, given what the collector had been saying. There's a small flash of gold and violet in her off-hand (Right, for those who are counting), and suddenly a third, sheathed blade is in that hand- this one gently curved and of a greater length than the shortblades at her hip. Perhaps most distressingly, if one could see it- she actually seems to bear a small, satisfied smile at this troublesome news.
Rishi	As you're nearing the bottom, where the carts deposit into the ore crushers, you can all clearly see the large metal grating at the shaft bottom that covers the pit of lava. In the center is a sarcophagus standing on end, being lazily orbited by at least a dozen daiklaves. However, your attention is grabbed as both Question and Elena get a sudden sharp feeling of dread shoot down their spines, just before flying daggers come out of the shadows, clearly aiming to derail your carts!
Silk Moon Lotus	Hearing a call of warning from Elena. Silk leaps out of her cart carried on a sudden gust of wind that gently sets her down on the platform below. She quickly takes a fighting stance and appears ready for the ghosts.
Nine Roads Alani	With an instant, carrying shout, 'Elenas voice can be heard from one of the carts in the lead. "LOOK OUT! Daggers!" Not to be outdone by anyone else, though, her graceful aerial movement is second to none, a perfect example of what she's well-trained in. She takes a high, wide stance, wheel in hand, then plants the edge of the wheel sideways on the lip of the cart and uses it to propel her skywards. She flies through the air in a graceful, arms-wide tumble, with a complete flip and spin both to land in a perfect three-point stance. She slowly straightens as the others arrive as well, prepared well for combat.
Serene Herald	Unlike the others, Question stays in the cart, but draws his sword which gleams an almist iridescent steel. He steadies himself in the cart and instead seeks to deflect the daggers from their targets, making fast, pinpoint strikes at each in turn.
Misa	Daggers from the dark... not the most interesting thing here, not by a longshot to Misa. She's seen this kind of floating blade affair before- from her mentor... hell, from -herself-. So while her student maintains his cart for the time being, she bails behind along with Silk and Elena- though, if they're to potentially engage both at once... The blade that just appeared is stowed into her sash, painfully mundane as it is... and instead she gathers the closed fist of her dominant hand against the palm of her other- and seems to draw a luminescent pink-and-violet katana from her own body, wreathed in intermittent lashings of golden sunfire.
Rishi	You all land reasonably safely at the bottom of the shaft, Question's cart stopping just above the Ore Crusher, the lava below producing a shifting yellow-red light that produces many more shadows than you expect or like. You can now also see (and hear) the six large cavern mouths that lead off into the darkness, wind whistling forth from five of them, drawing a vast breeze that blows upwards around you. The sixth cavern mouth seems ..deeper, darker and somehow ...bigger than it should. The wind from it pulses in waves almost like it's breathing, alternating between shrieks and howls of hot, damp air that smells of bile, before subsiding to quiet moans of pain and icy spine tingling whimpers It is just after one such whimper that an echoy voice that sounds like it comes from just behind your left ear, whispers, in a voice that's craaawling out of the grave, "Leave!"
Misa	As the situation settles for a moment, Misa's off-hand curls into a fist with an opening as well- and she begins sliding the other sword through that space as though there were a scabbard there- and the blade begins to dissolve into pink, violet, and golden essence wreathing her right forearm and hand- with occasional glints hinting at the outline of a scabbard when the light passes her by just right- blade still quite at the ready, and quite visibly so. As the demand to leave is barked out, she does wince slightly, looking over her shoulder for a moment... But then her focus reasserts itself- call it a fixation or a creed, but her eyes are all but locked on the apparent warrior-casket before them, the woman standing on the balls of her feet to be ready to make a break for it at a moment's notice.
Serene Herald	Question is normally fair, but the voice makes him go pale, and somewhat shaken. Still, even as he takes a step back, thn then stills and steels himself, sword still drawn and instead of backing up more, he turns his left shoulder towards the source of the voice, and his blade settles in a low guard. "My purpose and word have brought me here, and you will not keep me from upholding them. Leave us be, lest you be taken and bound more than you are already. Seek peace. Cease your strife and sorrow will cease as well."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk stands beside Elena and steals herself for the whatever the ghost will bring knowing that is already fights unfair. The whisper is almost more than Silk can handle. She adjusts her grip on the spear and calls out "I have come to see you put to rest. If battle is how you wish to go, then come forth from the shadows and face us." The shadows around Silk start to writhe as she begins to gather essense within herself.
Nine Roads Alani	Holy crap, that ghost is -terrifying-. 'Elena', for all her skill, shudders involuntarily at the ghost's horrifying voice and actually looks like she's going to bolt for one teetering second. Only at the very last moment does she grit her teeth, a low, subvocal growl coming from the back of her throat as she pivots in place, actively searching for the spirit. As she does so, however, she slowly exhales, forcing her breathing into even, metronomic regularity. Like the bellows of the forge they're in. Like the stately grandeur of the mountain fortress. Like the perfect geomantic center of the manse. As her stance briefly shifts to this perfect geomantic form, upon her brow coalesces a hearthstone to match. A gem of brown spekled stone coalesces out of nowhere, and it has an immediate, profound effect on every single spirit anywhere nearby...and nearby means within a -mile-. Whatever technique 'Elena' is using is profound and bizarre, a puissant manipulation of Essence unheard of in the most esoteric texts...
Rishi	As none of you run, you are all able to witness this. The dead voice skitters around the room "Leave! Go! Run!" while the shadows flicker. Then, one moment the top of the sarcophagus is empty, the next a shadowed figure crouches atop it, wearing the darkness like a cloak, overlong bone white arms with hands that slide between carrying knives and having giant dagger-claws from moment to moment. You can't see it's face under the hood, but two glowing red eyes pierce the darkness....until they gutter out as the figure shakes it's? ...her? head Echoing around the shaft the voice says, in a mournful plaintive way. "Not. Monster. You. Go! Hungry... GO!" And then the red glow is back, and the figure launches into motion, the shifting shadows obscuring it's exact position at any one time, even while you never entirely lose track of it. Meanwhile, while the sarcophagus doesn't do anything, the swords floating around it quickly spin up into a whirling dance, blurring with their speed. Getting anywhere near it is quick way to die.