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Rishi	Misa's walk takes her out of the arena and onto the lowest level of this manse. The Six Caverns down here are all blowing air, well, save for the shadowed one howling like the dead, but, between those, where the spirialing ramp starts going back up to the rest of the manse, is an Orichalcum Door, sealed with five locks. Above it bears the unassuming plaque "WORKSHOP." Alani, there's a glint of yellow in one of the Cavern tunnels. Looking further, you'll see nine footsteps outlined in saffron stardust leading to a wall. Close inspection of the wall reveals a small design of subtle starmetal in the shape of the Sign of Mercury. Alani's Prior Warning sends a tingle of dread down her spine as there is ...potential for danger here, but it is not certain that she will face it.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk looks around at the verious tunnels. She picks another tunnel to investigate hoping for something "interesting" that might help her on her trip to the West.
Nine Roads Alani	Alani--for Elena has indeed gone by the wayside at this point--looks down at her half-charred robes with a wry, exasperated expression. There's still a bright yellow glow around her from the battle, slowly starting to dim, but it doesn't stop her from fingering one charred hem of her robe and sighing a bit...and then wincing as it becomes clear a lot more than just her robe was burned. "Well. That was a fight and a half. I need to devise some remedial avoidance drills, perhaps, because I can't let that happen again." She winces. "...Ow." Still, with another thoughtful look around, her eyes alight on...something...on the ground. She's looking at a specific place on the ground, following it with her eyes, and then placing one foot in a very specific, carefully chosen place. She frowns for a moment. "I see...something. Something very, very interesting. But also possibly dangerous. Please keep eyes open, everyone." And with that, she carefully follows the yellow glowing footsteps she sees, cautiously and deliberately, nine steps to the symbol on the wall.
Rishi	The Tunnels down here, aside from the one that howls like the dead, seem to be unadorned native stone. Carved out in large chunks, but not finished afterwards, apparently from the wind blowing through them, they're mostly for air handling. . However, one useful thing each tunnel has is a small red steel plaque a little ways down. Engraved upon it is a small map of the lower levels of the manse, with signs for "Emergency Exits" in these tunnels, as well as signs for where to find the "Main Control Room," "Ingot Storage Vault," "Armory," and "Workshop."
Serene Herald	Perfect Question, after straightening his attire as best he can, moves off towards the Control Room. "There is an armory. Weapons assuredly there," he says, stilling his breathing. "But I want to see what secrets are in teh central control." And so he follows the signs towards that chamber.
Rishi	Alani, from what you're seeing here, you'd guess that this sign was designed for a Sidereal to drop a bit of essence into. Assuming this was built by previous Sidereals, anticipating your arrival, then...well, while they might have left a trap just in case someone else found it, you should be fine. If it was not made by Sidereals, then it's likely a trap for you. Your Prior Warning seems not to be detecting urgent danger so it's most likely the first one...but perhaps you should duck when you open it. Just to be safe.
Misa	"-More- weapons? It's one thing to hear about the excesses of the first age, but even for me, this is..." Misa trails off at the mention of a further armoury, looking around the various paths before them ponderously. "Though... I assume it means control of these things that continue to happen without workers? That does sound prudent," she muses, followingbehind her student for the moment.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk pauses to watch Alani as she investigates something on the wall. Curious about what she's investigating. Her attention is only kept for a few moments as she spots the sign for an armory and an ingot storage vault. She choices to head into the workshop instead as that most likely to have some wonderous device she has only read about or dreamed of before today.
Rishi	The signs do indeed point to a door marked Armory. This one is utilitarian, but solid, made of Jadesteel and reinforced with Orichalcum. A complex and solid lock holds this door shut. The Main Control Room is further up, the door also reinforced with Orichalcum and held shut by a complex lock, but a large window made of glass stands next to it, presumably so that the operator can look out into the manse. Looking inside, you can see many more of the large levers and other control devices. A much more complicated "map" of the Manse's workings is on the wall. Another of those reference manuals is chained to the wall near the controls.
Nine Roads Alani	It goes without saying that Alani is doing her best to be cautious. Who knows just what the heck she's studying, though? Following a carefully stepped path on, uh, nothing important to a completely unremarkable patch of wall. When she gets to the wall, though, she touches a section of it with the gentleness of a lover. She murmurs quietly to everyone who's still there in the room. "Hopefully this is safe...but I have to know." And with that, she wills Essence into the hidden sign on the wall.
Serene Herald	Question shakes his head. "I am not getting in here unauthorized. If we had a key, or someone who coudl bypass them, perhaps. But this is outside of my expertise." He shakes his head. "We can come back. For now, where else do you want to try," he asks Misa.
Misa	Misa walks up to the door all the same, trailing fingertips along it as she walks to the side of it. "Well, I doubt this will prove fruitful, but..." She raps her knuckles against the glass next to the door- presumably it's wildly reinforced, but one never quite knows.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk looks at the set of locks on the Workshop door and grins. Upon hearing Alani, she moves over towards Alani ready to "help" her move out of harms way if needed as well as curious what's behind the secret wall panel she found by luck? "So, what should I be calling you right now anyways? Elena feels wrong all the sudden?"
Rishi	The Workshop Door has five Orichalcum locks on the door, each one cunningly designed with many mechanisms that would likely mangle or otherwise destroy most conventional methods of trying to pick or trick them. While they are probably not artifacts, they seem to sit on the border. As Alani activates the hidden sign, a section of the wall next to her slides into the ground. There's a low growl and her Prior Warning shudders...but then there's a flare of Purple starlight, a sound of a slicing sword, and a feeling of Finality. When Alani can look again, there is a small puddle of ectoplasm, quickly subliming into essence and fading away. Inside the revealed alcove is walls set with lines of salt and deep scratches between them, as well as stone Coffin on a bier. The Coffin was clearly once well decorated, likely with many depictions of the person buried her, scenes from their life, their great deeds, everything you would want to know who this person once was. Unfortunately, between the deep gouges and what looks like natural erosion from the wind in the corridor, though everything else here looks pristine, all of the markings are worn away, leaving only the faint memory that there was once more.
Nine Roads Alani	The blonde lets out a wry, self-deprecating chuckle at Silk's question and brushes her hair out of her face. Of course, it goes right back to half-covering it again, but her voice is as clear as ever as she replies. She's not actually looking at Silk, though, instead looking in wonder at the interior of the room and the ingenious trap laid there. "Misa asked me pretty much the exact same question some time ago, and...well, you can call me Alani. Nine Roads Alani. Elena...is still around, at least for now. Sleeping." She turns now to look at Silk, and her smile is a sad one. "In many ways, Elena is who I think I'd be if I were...you know...-normal-. An examination of self through the lens of humility, I suppose." She sighs and turns away again, slowly stepping into the hidden mausoleum. That kind of philosophical talk is far and away something the Elena everyone here knows wouldn't be capable of. Still looking away, Alani walks to the sarcophagus with reverence, touching the smooth-worn reliefs as if doing so would tell her who was in it. She speaks facing away, as if to the stone. "Someday, though, I'll have to let her go. Hopefully not soon."
Misa	Misa glances over her shoulder, and shrugs a little. Her hand raises, each of those new daiklaves loosening in their sheathes as she considers the glass. Better that than orichalcum of all metals. One slices downward, another across, the other two at diagonals- before she re-draws that manifested essence blade, and thrusts it through the center where all those initial strikes intersect.
Rishi	The transparent material in the window was certainly tougher than normal glass, thicker and larger than anything that could be made today as well. However, it was not imperishable. Thus, after these strikes, the window remains for a moment...before the sliced sections slide free, leaving a large opening you may each crawl into. In addition to what you could see from the outside, it looks like there's a manual switch on the inside for the door, and a box on the wall for keys. It is, unfortunately, empty. But perhaps some of the mechanisms here could open the doors?
Serene Herald	Perfect Question studies the controls, slowly working to disengage traps, to open doors, to set various systems that can run safely to do so. "Geomancers would love to study this, design, how it's broken, how to fix it..." He looks back to the blazing solar. "If you want, though, assert control over it before any others do." He looks around. "It is a marvelous place, but...this is not for me."
Misa	"I have not an especial amount of interest in the ownership of such an extravagant place. I wouldn't know the first thing about repairing it, for one. For another, the undead of the area would need dealing with- and I find them rather tedious. I expect I'd more likely end up flooding it again," she explains, shaking her head. "Though the promise of people coming to take it once word comes out does appeal a little, I admit." She looks over the apparent key storage for a few moments, eyes flicking this way and that as she frowns. "Too many years. Doubt I'll be able to figure out where these went. Meet up with the others?"
Rishi	After studying the controls and the readouts on the walls, Question is fairly certain that there should be a fair amount of high quality iron, steel, and copper in the storage vaults. But the people who rebuilt this place into a tomb do seem to have carted off the ingots of the Magical Materials. Possibly they missed a few, so checking the vaults might be worthwhile. However, he's also fairly certain that the Workshop remained sealed back then. If anything else remains, it has to be there. Perhaps checking the Accounts office or the Alchemy office back in the middle area would give you an idea what else might be here though? Meanwhile, down below, the mausoleum contains nothing but the coffin and, perhaps, some salt that could be reclaimed from the wards. Opening the lid reveals a half decayed skeleton, swathed in silken robes that appear to be in surprisingly good shape. It's holding a complex looking puzzlebox, inlaid with scenes of travel below a fine tracery of starmetal tinged yellow. Glinting from beneath the robes are a set of delicate bracelets and anklets, patterned with a spiderweb of starmetal wires.
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk follows Alani into the mausoleum looking at the damaged panels and wondering who in interred within this crypt. "I am sad that this had to happen to the Solars. I wish there had been another way that hadn't caused so much chaos for the last thousand years." Silk watches Alani make her way through the chamber checking things as she goes. She helps to clear the lid so as to not kick up too much dust. "A set of robes, some jewelry and a puzzlebox. I do love a good puzzle. Mind if I take a look?"
Nine Roads Alani	It's with wonder and a bit of trepidation that Alani, with help from Silk, lifts the sarcophagus lid out of the way. She looks up at Silk in undisguised surprise at the mention of the Usurpation. Clearly, she didn't expect Silk to know about it, or bring it up in this context. "I'm pretty sure that happened a lot longer than a thousand years ago," Alani replies softly. She smiles weakly. "Though all those dates -do- tend to blur together, frankly. I'm not sure when this person died, though. Weird place for this kind of mausoleum, too, and I'm kind of curious as to why. There had to be a reason." She reaches in and plucks the puzzle box from the corpse's hands. She looks at it from a couple different angles, but soon hands it over to Silk. "I'm kind of curious about everything in here, to be honest, but knock yourself out." She tosses the puzzle box Silk's way, in a bit of a reversion to her typical casual self, then plucks the jewelry from the sarcophagus. She eyes it thoughtfully, then holds it against her wrist while holding her wrist out, fingers splayed, as if she were drying her nails. "Aren't these pretty? And they might be more than just baubles, too."
Silk Moon Lotus	Silk sits down on the floor and looks closer at the jewelry. "I agree, those are most certainly not ordinary pieces of jewelry. I think they would look very nice on you. You could put on the robe as well, yellow appears to be your color." "I understand your suprise at my knowledge of the thing that happened. The scrolls I got my hands on didn't have a name for it. I figured the Shogunate was about three hundred years and the Scarlett Dynasty another seven hundred so that's a thousand years. I may have borrow some scrolls from an Immaculate temple." Silk start tinkering with the puzzle box. She keeps moving pieces that didn't look like they moved at first so perfect the pieces and smoothly the move. After about five minutes of manipulating the box the lid opens revealing an empty compartment. "The bottom of the lid reads Rarely is travel peaceful, but The Journey has no end."
Nine Roads Alani	Alani lets out a dry, amused chuckle. "I don't think I'm surprising you at all when I say to take anything Immaculate with a large grain of salt. They are..." She visibly shuts up for a moment, changing what she was going to say. "They believe what they're saying, to be fair. But there's plenty of self-serving Immaculate monks. Not my favorite people." She pauses and takes a look at the puzzle box as it's being opened, clearly interested in changing the subject. "Hmm, now that -is- clever. Whatever hidden doo-dads that thing has don't seem to be well-hidden from you." She chuckles, clearly feeling a bit better. She lets Silk work at it as she tries on one of the wristlets, then eyes the anklets. "Hm. I'm definitely taking these, but I might have to change my footwear if I wear these. Or maybe not, they -do- fit pretty close against the skin..." She pauses to take up the robe as well from the skeleton. Grisly business, perhaps, but she's taking it with a measure of reverence. "This robe is in remarkably good shape for something this old, too. it might have some power of its own, or maybe it might be something I could use to find out who this was. Not sure this shade doesn't clash with my hair, though..." Her voice trails off, though, as Silk opens the puzzle box and reads the inscription. The inscription makes Alani raise both blonde eyebrows. "Well. The Captain. You've found a genuine treasure there, Silk."