[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

The Cave at the End of the Earth: The Legend of Ninetales - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red/Blue Rescue Team

Nathan doesn't say anything at first.  Just hugs Kirlia.  Sobs quietly a little.  He's noticed the strange old man...but right now, he doesn't know if he can really bring himself to speak to him...

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

The Metagross stomp up the spire and crawl into the cave.

There is a very dim light coming from it. As you enter, you see this light comes from torches set in the walls, burning dimly. But the torches aren't made of wood - they are little rods of stone, with the flame burning at one end.

The cave walls and floor are all of clay - the Metagross immediately start sinking in, bit by bit - with interesting shapes worked into them. It looks a bit like a raging ocean, in clay form. Big scoops have been torn out here and there, marring the abstract workmanship.

A man sits in the center of the cave, his back to you. His skin is an odd dark reddish-orange color, and his hair is shockingly white. You can practically see his spine through his skin, and his limbs are skinny, with the exception of his forearms, which are bent akimbo and hard at work on something. He wears only a muddy white loincloth. The sounds of worked clay come from his workstation.

He's making a lot of funny noises - pops and whistles and rattles. Once, he sticks his thumb in his cheek and withdraws it with a sharp 'pop!' He doesn't even turn to see you.

Around the walls of the cave are madly scattered piles of things - stones, clay shards,....and fossils, just heaps of them, as carelessly strewn about as the broken items.

Kirlia immediately starts dripping water. Rose and/or Apsis easily thaw him the rest of the way. The man still hasn't turned around.

The architecture, the odd stone torches that made his skin crawl slightly, and impeccable artistry with the clay on display alone would have been shock to Ventus' system, but the positively ancient man and the fossil strewn all over the place nearly had him boggling in open astonishment. Thanks to him superb self control he managed to mask his reaction and get himself undercontrol, before he decided to cast out his empathetic senses to gauge whether or not the man was aware of their presence, and whether or not they held hostile intentions towards them, with Raphael aiding him in the task once they realized what their master was doing. Apsis just stood guard beside her master, casting sullen looks of discontent at being surround by so much Ground influence and her scales getting dirtied by the substance, blegh....

Order: Going to use Ven's and Raphael natural heightened empathy/awareness to do an Intent Check on the old man. Not sure what roll that would require, if any, so its up to you how to handle this. Once he has gauged where the group stands with the man, he'll proceed from there.

EDIT: Also going to level up Knowledge for 8 XP, since being exposed to such weird/abnormal stuff has really got him thinking as of late....

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Cool. Found an eremite, in a cave of clay. Doesn't seem to be an aggressive one, even.

Before anything more happens or someone speaks up though, Shiva tries to obtain a clay shard from all those piles of stuff. And a stone. Any weird sensations from it? Whatever it was, she felt...weird and yet welcome here. Crafting, yay!

[Spiritmon]

Heart was very aware to any danger coming from the man. Heart was quite stress after all the situation and Nathan actions dont help too much. Heart go behind Nathan and give a slap in Nathan head (not enough to hurt him, but enough to catch his attention to bring him back to reality). "Earth calling Nathan Drake, wake up you big Onion. We need your help here. If you have time to cry, then you have time to help us. We have a mission to do, and a City to save from the vines. If you want to feel pit of yourself, so be it, feel free. But we are not wait for you, so or you get up and help us find the source of the power, or stay here and feel pit of yourself. If you are like that because your pokemon loose, then grow stronger to not loose again. We have bigger issues here to deal and we dont have time to your personal problems. The City need us and here you are,sobbing." Then Heart decided to go foward. "We going to foward. Tell me when you are better." Then Heart decided to have attention to the man for any signal of danger.

(Alert + Insight + Knowledge to notice anything from this man like items, or something similar to pokeballs)

[Iron]

Ventus is pretty sure the man is aware of you, but engrossed in his task.

Shiva easily sneaks a stone and a piece of clay. They both have a greasy feel of power, perhaps like something that has been exposed to power but doesn't possess any of its own. The stone is a lot like the ones studded into the spire.

[Lord Windos]

Ventus is pretty sure the man is aware of you, but engrossed in his task.

Shiva easily sneaks a stone and a piece of clay. They both have a greasy feel of power, perhaps like something that has been exposed to power but doesn't possess any of its own. The stone is a lot like the ones studded into the spire.

Detecting that the man knew they were their but apparently didn't consider them either worrisome/a threat that would distract him from his given task, decides to slowly and carefully walk over to their side to get a peak at what they were working, motioning to Raphael/Apsis to pull him back should the elder try something.....weird. The researcher would also stop if they told him/gestured him to do so, as he didn't want to start anything with somebody he strongly suspect could make the group's live very difficult VERY quickly if provoked....

Order: Ven checks out what has the man so engrossed that he ignore what could be his first human visitors he had since.....whenever. What, Ven's a curious bugger, and he has sufficient backup/scoped out the situation that he feels he can take the risk!

[Dragonstrike]

Heart was very aware to any danger coming from the man. Heart was quite stress after all the situation and Nathan actions dont help too much. Heart go behind Nathan and give a slap in Nathan head (not enough to hurt him, but enough to catch his attention to bring him back to reality). "Earth calling Nathan Drake, wake up you big Onion. We need your help here. If you have time to cry, then you have time to help us. We have a mission to do, and a City to save from the vines. If you want to feel pit of yourself, so be it, feel free. But we are not wait for you, so or you get up and help us find the source of the power, or stay here and feel pit of yourself. If you are like that because your pokemon loose, then grow stronger to not loose again. We have bigger issues here to deal and we dont have time to your personal problems. The City need us and here you are,sobbing." Then Heart decided to go foward. "We going to foward. Tell me when you are better." Then Heart decided to have attention to the man for any signal of danger.

(Alert + Insight + Knowledge to notice anything from this man like items, or something similar to pokeballs)

That DEFINITELY doesn't help Nathan calm down.

"OW!  Gah, that hurt, you dummy..."

Nathan rubs the back of his head, still sorta sullen, not looking at anyone else.

"...keep going then.  What on earth do you need me for, the guy who can't seem to get anything relating to this prophecy done?"

Kirlia looks and feels really sad and tired.  He mimes talking to the rest of the group, though.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Ventus is pretty sure the man is aware of you, but engrossed in his task.

Shiva easily sneaks a stone and a piece of clay. They both have a greasy feel of power, perhaps like something that has been exposed to power but doesn't possess any of its own. The stone is a lot like the ones studded into the spire.

*gasp* Such a weird feeling of power these items have! 'Something' must have empowered them. Possibly brought to 'life' - everything that posses such an energy, somewhat lives... Clay... Could that Beartic...? Whoahw. This was weird. Claydol - could it have its origin HERE?! Crafted by an eremit in what looks like a joyful process, exposed to power or a strange life, then...fleeing to pull off a desaster of stone? Hmm... She snatches yet another piece of clay, before pocketing everything. (I'll add that to Inventory!)

Oh, Shiva also remembers how she saw that stone before. Well, actually not too long ago, as the same stone was there at the base of the spire - an indication that the eremit occassionally leaves the cave? No, probably not given how busy he seems, it was probably that Kabutops that retrieves stones for him! Why else was it coming to the group from below, why else couldn't it be caught, its claws surely are sharp enough to cut stone!

Very carefully, she also joined Ventus' side, in curiosity WHAT he was crafting there.

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

That DEFINITELY doesn't help Nathan calm down.

"OW!  Gah, that hurt, you dummy..."

Nathan rubs the back of his head, still sorta sullen, not looking at anyone else.

"...keep going then.  What on earth do you need me for, the guy who can't seem to get anything relating to this prophecy done?"

Kirlia looks and feels really sad and tired.  He mimes talking to the rest of the group, though.

When Heart hear that words before he go foward he decided to say one last thing to Nathan. "If you let your fate be decided by some type of profecy instead of your free will, then you are a bigger coward. And to think I begin to respect you..." Heart make a sad and disapointed face. "Fine. Feel pit in you. If you give up so easily, then Kirlia will never evolve into Gallade. Goodbye Nathan." Then Heart follow foward. If anyone could glimpse a little tear was rolling in Heart face. If Kirlia notices that, Heart dont care. He just do what need must do. He feel fear about they might find, but even feeling that, Heart already feel despair in the past. He know the only person who can help Nathan its himself. He care Nathan like a friend, but they have bigger issues to deal. Like save Star City. Heart just hope his last words cause some emotion in Nathan. Sometimes, rage is a better motivator than courage.

[Dragonstrike]

Nathan moves to the entrance of the cave, sits on the edge of it, looks out over the scenery while carefully holding Orthros...

Heart missed the point completely.

Kirlia's looking at Shiva and Ventus now...and they're too distracted to help...*sigh*...dang it...SOMEONE needs to talk to Nathan...he KNOWS at least one of them saw his miming...he sits next to Nathan, looking equally dejected.  He can't cheer Nathan up on his own...