[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Original Post

LURCH

The timeskip completes and everything stabilizes. You find yourself on a sandy scrubland, standing directly on the turf (no road). Your first thought might be that you have traveled in space now - but then you recognize the horizon line of the ancient Great Divide. Your second thought might be that you've arrived in nighttime again, but then you'd realize the sky is simply blotted out by ashes from the great volcanoes now spotting the Great Divide. They're grumbling and spitting fitfully.

To the east, you can see Mt. Sentry. It's entirely encased in ice and snow, and it seems like the lands east of Mt. Molten are lightly dusted with it. You can see a vast plume of smoke where Mt. Molten is active in the distance. Even here near the volcanoes there is a certain chill to the air.

To the south, there's a mild valley with a bit of snow between occasional blades of grass. Inhabiting it, a boundless pack of wolf Pokemon waits, sitting and sniffing the cold air. There are THOUSANDS of Mightyena, occupying several acres of taiga, and their little cubs gambol about between their legs. Despite their numbers, they look well-fed and healthy, with sleek coats and lots of variation between them. You can see several are chewing on massive bones that can only belong to Mamoswine. Even the nearest Mightyena is still about a half mile away. It's an awe-inspiring sight to see them stretched over so much territory.

A smaller, lighter pack occupies one of the volcanoes above you that has already gone dormant and received a coating of snow and wiry grass.

Calam lets himself out of his Pokeball. He and Dizzy are on extremely high alert, the most worried you've ever seen him. They're growling, and Calam even goes so far as to paw at Nathan. But they aren't looking at the wolf pack; they're gazing more southwest in the direction of Teazel Valley. Calam gives Dizzy a worried nudge.

Suddenly, the whitest wolves break away from the northern pack, and come streaming down the mountain. With white coats and black faces, you realize they are not Mightyena at all, but early Absol leaving a Mightyena pack. Seeing such a number of the Disaster Pokemon makes you shiver, and it has nothing to do with the cold. They reach the foothills in a few bounds, shake the ashes from their coats, and disappear in the direction Dizzy is gazing.

The sensitive Pokemon in your parties have all appeared as well. Delphox struggles to decipher the strange Earthpower of this time. Gallade has a worried hand on Calam. And Gothitelle has appeared - hugging Shiva tightly, a vision begins for her. The ash-filled sky parts to reveal space, stars in the unfamiliar positions of long, long ago. It's a brief vision, but Shiva experiences it along with Gothitelle and can feel the main message: something is coming from space into this time.

Gallade nods with determination. This matches visions he's had as a Kirlia, somehow.


Nathan and Shiva, you both have knowledge that can help you pin down what time period you've found yourself in. This is clearly before human settlement, so it's at least a few thousand years. Depending on when, exactly, it may be that the Mamo have landed on eastern Creshire and colonized what will one day become the swamp.

Judging by the Pokemon, geology, and climatology, this is nearing the end of an Ice Age. That puts it about 10,000 years ago - the Mamoswine will go entirely extinct as a natural evolution in 6000 more years, a long and painful decline for them. For now, they are plentiful, and the predator Pokemon can feast and thrive. Early modern humans will find they can do the same, and come to consider the Mamoswine a sacred animal who saved them from starvation.

Non-modern humans may be hidden away in the secret places of the earth. There's some debate about this among historians, but it's possible the First Technical Society is colonizing the depths of Mt. Sentry while the mammoth and wolves rule the outside.

Over the next few thousand years, the volcanoes will go dormant and solidify, starting the long process of Teazel Valley becoming a plains instead of a desert.

As quickly as that by now almost familiar feeling of a turn of the stomach lasting for a second came here on the ancient battlefield, as quickly it occured once again and mercilessly awoke Shiva from her semi-peaceful slumber in the timeless stasis void. She sharply gasped and needed a few moments to find her balance again and gather her thoughts, a lingering headache from all this travling caused her to rub her temples.

Though when she realized that her breath manifested in visible small white clouds, she became horribly frightened in an instant - 'Oh Celebi, dear and noble one', she bittersweetly thought to herself, 'Is there a way to ever know why you are putting us through all of this? Just what...are you up to, why are you sending us around like that, what is your intention and will? We saved lifes who'd be lost due to that Ryhorn, what else may you have in store for us...? Mythical in every way you look a it... Though will we ever return to 2017? Don't let this hope of mine die...'

Shiva didn't want to raise her head and gaze around where they've landed, too afraid she was over what she'll spot or what may jump at her if she does. The air was weirdly chill, unnaturally chill, and was filled with particles that made it a little hard to take deep breaths - she has never ever experienced such a thing before. From the corner of the eyes though she managed to spot that the others were there as well, they ALL were - Terra was, Heart was, Nathan was, even Spira was - Raphael must have recalled himself without her noticing, probably felt that chill and instantly went 'Nope, not with me! Back into the comfy and warm Ball!', she was able to find him in his Ball indeed when she checked (The archangel smiled as their gaze met). Somethingelse was there, causing Shiva to DO look up now: She immediately recognized this Rapidash here as the one she boldly mounted when engaging in that duel with Hyksos! What it was doing here she had NO IDEA, she'd guess and threorize that it must have to do with these weird threads of light she faintly saw before her inner eye - why it's there though comes second, as first comes Shiva's great delight and appreciating of it being there in the first place. By walking up to that firehorse with a light smile and all calmly stroke its forehead (it allowed) she expressed that she is familiar with this particular Rapidash. "Oh you... What a curious suprise this is, not to see you again I would have expected. Appreciate is what I do though now that this was a wrong belief - you're so warm..." Indeed, without Shiva realizing she has leaned a little closer to warm herself on 'her' Rapidash, she stays all calm when Nathan expresses interest towards this special horse.

No, HER attention is more on the scenery, eventually she dared to look around. Whether this was a good or bad idea she wasn't sure - part of her enjoyed what she saw, part wanted to mute everything and curl up into ball to avoid everything around. All that snow was beautiful, everything felt so natural, so calm, so UNTOUCHED : Pure nature. She had a bit of a hard time to really recognize Mount Sentry and Mount Molten, they looked so different than what she knew about these mountains. All these Mightyena though are observed with interest, liking and a positive feeling in general. The land's clearly in THEIR clawed paws, the very same that viciously tear prey.

Even with her barely ever having paid attention in history class of school she'd be able to guess that they were in the Ice Age, but how many years ago that is she wouldn't be able to tell.

There was barely any time to admire this scenery though, as while she couldn't pick up any tension, the behavious of Calam, Dizzy, Lilith spoke volumes to her. This anxiety, this worry, this state of high alertness - something is wrong, something IS there, something was just not right despite this whole area seemed so right. Something.... Something WHAT ? Shiva's joy over seeing Rapidash again quickly finds an end as immense worry adds to her startle. She's seeking the horse's and Delphox's closure when the Absol began to run down the mountain, though it didn't ease the chill in the slightest. Tightly returning her gothloli fortune teller's hug didn't really help either unfortunately, her reaction and vision only made things WORSE: Now Shiva was crouching there on the ground while not breaking the hug to Lilith, sheer panic threathening to overtake her mind once more after barely having recovered from the battle of Eastern Suns vs Western Plains.  Her voice is shuddering when she spoke up. "Lilith my dear... Dizzy my loyal infiltrator.... Delphox my magical fox... Rapidash my randomized mount... Something... SOMETHING is coming, yes... Something dramatical, drastic, destructive... Matches the describtion of a meteor? YES. Oh why... WHY... Celebi, W-H-Y? There's no way to prevent an impact, even if we'd want to do that... Lilith, this can't be the meteor you've displayed in the visions, can it? No... That one happens MUCH later, after King Sarimanok's defeat. This one here - It might bring the Comite, elemental Pokemon or their origin at last, start the growth of Deyo flowers on this planet? I'd guess so... It'll hit the place I'd mark with 'Teazel Valley' on a map of Chresire? Yes... Why..."

Shiva's NOT calming down, every fibre of her body is worrying at full volume. She's shivering, breathing hitched, gazing around in mild paranoia as she faces the others of the group. "People... PEOPLE...! No more. Meteor, coming, will hit, Teazel Valley... Likely the place these Mightyena dwell? YES. Will we witness it? I'd guess so...?! A hint, something's with this place in our time. We NEED to get there fast once being back in our time, please... But, need to stay safe in the first place." Swiftly, she turns to her magical fox, then to Lilith, then Dizzy (in that order). "Delphox, my dear... Chant for me, chant for us, bring blessings of luck towards this area. Lilith, my dearest... Do you dare taking a gaze into the future? Will we indeed be here to witness this impact, maybe THAT'S what Celebi wishes to show us...! Though are away from the impact enough to remain relatively unharmed or are we better up to seek shelter? And you Dizzy, my companion... Can you see something by a Future Sight as well? Please, if you two can, tell me what you witness..."

In short, a Lucky Chant from Delphox and an asked Future Sight from Lilith and Dizzy. Mostly like to know whether we're in immediate danger from the expected impact or not.