[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Iron]

Yes! Lilith gives that Eye a thoughtful look. It's definitely related to the One she foretold, but she doesn't react as if threatened by these mere images.


With Shiva's massive Insight stat, she can feel something of that rage in all the soldiers around the camps. They don't display it outwardly - they are calm, collected, and polite. But in their own eyes Shiva can feel it, and a part of her responds to it like a command... a command to battle and compete! The vitality of these noble men and women of a bygone era is very strong and it makes all of you want to do whatever they say. (Yep, gender is not a final factor in deciding a military career in Creshire. There's one female for every three males.

It's quite a relief for the fae enthusast that Lilith doesn't react negatively or threathened by these depicted Eyes - she finds herself joining in her thoughtful observation of that symbol with lost of caution and reservation, but doesn't make it to hold 'eye contact' with it for more than a few seconds before she turns away with a highly uneasy feeling. Shiva just doesn't seem to like that symbol of King Sarimanok, gets the impression that it's watching and observing her attentively across time, space and distance.

She deliberately turned away from it, took care that she avoided it as best as possible as she began approaching the camp and the people + Pokemon there with the hood of her cloak shadowing a lot of her face and her gothloli fortunerteller loyally by her side. Something there was catching her interest, was sparking her curiosity - what it was, Shiva didn't quite know, maybe it just itched her to explore a bit. She didn't believe to be in danger here - at least not here at the camp as long as she doesn't draw the wrong kind of attention to herself. What Shiva did, could be described as 'undercover sightseeing' - she stopped by here, took a halt there and tried to get a good impression of the surrounding, all while disguising as a wanderer or passerby.

With joy she noted that roughly a third of the campers were women, now she looked out whether there are actual families among the campers. She'd be glad to find out where they are traveling and why to see if her guess is correct, but doesn't dare to ask anyone here directly. Same with these soldiers - THESE gave Shiva goosebumps the first time she gazed them into the eyes. It was almost like a call, she could already see herself approaching anyone here to immediately ask for a battle just because. Thankfully though, perhaps due to the fine rest, good food and help of the bright stars, she made it to ward that urge off before succumbing to it, before she'd end up blatantly overestimating her skills in fighting  - she doesn't feel that even with her most capable Pokemon she'd make it to stand a real chance against any of these. Now Shiva took care to avoid the soldiers as best as possible and approach the Conkeldurr and campfires instead.

The Conkeldurr you find are working together with a cloth map. They're placing dowels made of concrete on the map of west Creshire, clearly planning a construction project like a road or something long and linear. Interestingly, the humans are paying intent attention, as if they respect the Conkeldurr's opinion immensely.

Other Conkeldurr are experimenting with mud, clay, straw, water, gravel, and powders of different colors. They're doing some kind of alchemy, perhaps their namesake concrete. (Well, concrete was named for them, not the other way around). Again, humans of every rank are trying to learn from them, with the utmost respect.

The stories being told are almost always about Pokemon battles, including arena-style matchups, actual violent conquests, and lots of personal grudge matches. They seem to also have the traditional sport style you are used to. Fighting types are definitely in vogue. Steel types like Aron's line are much desired. Fire type is one of the most dramatic. The very common types like grass, bug, poison, flying, normal, ground, rock don't receive any discussion at all. Psychic is mentioned with much reverence but no trainers seem to use it. The big mount Pokemon pulling the carts don't see much battle.

You garner that their battles are probably very intense. In game terms, they will commonly use five actions even if that means just one dice remaining. Or they might use high crit moves/abilities.

Turns out this was a fine decision, as Shiva was pretty much amazed by their actions - she came just as close to them to get a good look what they are doing, but not as close to be considered a distraction from their given tasks. She was extra-careful due to Lilith as a Pokemon controlling massive psychic energy accompanying her, but any worry about that was soon depleted as these Unovian Fighting Types didn't reacted. Maybe they were that concentrated in their planning and alchemy, maybe they just picked up Shiva and Gothitelle meant no harm at all. Or maybe they were so confident in their strength that they were completely unafraid. Whatever it was, she tried to meet these Pokemon with just as much respect as the campers while watching them.

She stopping by at the campfires as a listener seems to be accepted as well without a fuss, none really noticed how she smiled to herself over that. Neither with how she frowned and turned fearful upon catching up how Pokemon Battles here work - 'Guess it was to my own good that I was able to resist last minute...', she silently thought to herself. A dramatic battle where Delphox's blazing flames illuminate the warm night while engulfing the foe - she found herself enjoying this image appearing before her inner eye. She also got the feeling that smol Pancham would be up for such a fierce ancient battle, maybe....!

Eh, Shiva needs to get away from here. Which means she motions Lilith to come, excuses herself to the people beside her and wanders off into the fields by the east until she had enough distance from the camp that she doesn't need to worry them and until there's nothing but a starry sky and the full moon watching her.

Here, she'd just take a seat in the grass, takes a breather and figuratively bathes in faint moonlight, after a little Cottonee was summoned to provide a bit of light via her most dazzling attack. She didn't feel tired in the slightest, nor lonely - here, she felt well if ignoring her worry concerning this latest lurch. As well as safe enough to fiddle at the PTC on her right wrist without looking around at first, she ended up trading Azu, Raphael, Nightshade and Vaporeon for Delphox and the Eevee Family. The message she'd send to Bill via Raphael reads the following:

Spoiler

Well, hello again... I hope you don't mind receiving so many trade requests from me. Let me know if it's bothersome or something like that, please! ><; (Though Shiva would guess it wasn't, as the more trades the more data for him, the more resources he has for his research?)

We're landed in... Well, the time of King Sarimanok I'd guess. I have no idea why in Reshiram's flames of Truth we're here, but I feel we'll find out soon enough. Here's a camp, I didn't spot anything suspicious or shady while exploring a bit. Just some intelligent Conkeldurr aiding them, it's indeed true that humans learned how to make concrete from them - if I remember correctly what dad's pokedex states, that means we're more than 2,000 years in the past.

All's well at the moment though, I'm enjoying the clear night under the starry sky - I found an interesting battered umbrella that seems to bear electric AND water power, Vaporeon currently holds it. Maybe you'd like to take a closer look at it?

This time it took 184 seconds until the message been sent. I hope everything's fine with you.

Her magical fox is mostly for providing her a real light source without overstressing her dearest fluffball, while Umbreon, Dittumbreon and their fluffy brown fox of a son got summoned as well in flashes of white light.

As expected Ditto appeared as a female Umbreon, Shiva surpressed an "aww cute!~" as Umbreon licked his mate's forehead as an affectionate way to say hello to 'her'. She herself greeted them with a smile and a *cough* before motioning them to look up and around. "Well, hello you three... It's nice to see you. I, ehm, thought you would enjoy how clear this night is, we even have a full moon tonight. Isn't it almost magical...? You're free to roam a little if you like, but please don't wander off too far from me. I do enjoy your company though, you're very welcome to just stay with me here. Maybe even show me a few of your moves or skills?"

"Oh, the same of course is true for you, Dizzy." If Shiva's being honest though, she's curious to see how the Umbreon react to the Absol and how he likes the night, maybe young Eevee would even be up to play with the Dark Type if encouraged or assured...?


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Mechanics:
Shiva will spend a bit of time with the Eevee Family under the starry sky in the fields, either by Training or Crafting something - depends on how they react to the scenery, that determines the details (means, who will train how or what Shiva ends up creating) of the Encounter. Because searching for Berries or Items here in the dark would be not optimal. I'm not really up for a battle either at the moment.

"I can't view your PC Pokemon but you could show me the item when you get back. Huh, really thought you'd be in 2017 by now, but Raphael's time energy aura has revitalized. It's even stronger now. I can fulfill trade requests for another 10 hours easily. After that I might need a nap. Luckily that counter only decreases when someone is reaching across time, best I can figure. Could be like...200 trades? More? Complete guess. Wouldn't worry about that. If you get close I'll just drink some caffeine."

Umbreon gazes into the dark, and sees several small dim sources of light that interest her in the darkness. She leads you to them!

The first one is a dull rock with a tiny gleam deep within its center - a sort of dampening radiation wave Shiva recognizes from her work in the Daycare. It's a raw Everstone. It's about halfway in the earth and it's a little bigger than normal.

Second one is an Illumise, and a very distant Volbeat is answering it.

Finally, Umbreon wants to check out a ring of fire that turns out to be a juggler soldier. He has a Ninetales who will send a Confuse Ray through a WilloWisp to create rings of pale blue flame like a shiny Umbreon. "Tale the Eighth:" says the soldier. "The time of the wounded Dragon. From the sky he fell, screaming a scream of pure blue light that 'round the world was heard. Magic crystals he clutched, desired by the Old Lords. When the crystals they did wrest, the white and wounded dragon did freeze the Palace to the core. Ironic was his fate, for the ice sequestered that same Altar of Fame deep beneath the palace which could have satisfied his need for healing. Rooted to the spot it has always been since the first Men of Machines, for the Scavengers to find, and never moved has it been. Healed was every wounded King after every fierce battle, rising again to surprise his enemies who him dead believed. But healed not was Zekrom, but entombed in ice to await a hero stronger even than Sarimanok, if such things be possible."

"Tale the Eighth is now concluded. The final tale comes, after my weary throat I rest." Ninetales dims, and suddenly many hands are holding out warm teas or canteens of who knows what to the speaker.

(You see no families, by the way, although with your awesome Insight you count three discreet couples among the soldiers, again with little regard for gender norms.)

Dizzy appears bored by this time period. Nothing he was created and trained to infiltrate exists here, and there's too many fighting types.