[Origin Cave]

Quest: The Fiery Pit

Somewhere deep in the gorges of Monoceros, a large pit has been dug out. It is nearly invisible among the high walls of the gorges, and one can only find it when traversing the narrow passages winding through the ground. The pit is approximately 5 meters deep and 10 meters around; the walls are jagged marked with the scratches of creatures desperately trying to escape. There seems to be no entrance or exit into the pit from the ground - the only way in or out is from above. What is most interesting about this pit is that it is not empty.

In the shadow of an overhanging ledge, a monstrous dragon slumbers. Slick, oily black scales fit his form and a low simmering fire burns in his chest. Small tendrils of smoke can be seen billowing out from his nostrils. The membranes of his folded wings are a deep maroon, but veins - seemingly filled with bright lava - glow beneath the skin. Two ram-like horns curl out from his skull and thick ridges emerge from his crest, moving down his neck and spine; the tip of his tail seems to be comprised entirely of orange carnelian. The creature seems to be about 5 meters long from head to tail. Surrounding him are several stones, some of them holding still a flicker of magic. At the moment he sleeps, unmoving and unbothered by the noises in the room above.

On the opposite side of the pit another creature sleeps, this one smaller and far gentler in appearance. She is a small lamb, perpetually frozen in youth and pristine white in colour. This creature boasts a small cabochon of tourmaline in the center of her chest, beneath her collar. She is curled up against the wall, hiding her face in her legs as she sleeps.

Both creatures seem to be suspended in an eternal sleep. However, it may be noticed that they react to small sounds - a slight shifting here or a rustling there, but nothing has been loud enough to rouse them. Nobody seems to know who they are, where they came from or why they are here - some answers might be found by awakening one of the creatures, but is that really a wise idea? Should you dare awaken them, or maybe risk trying to steal one of the stones from the pit?

Retrievable Stones:
- Twin Conjoined Points of Yellow Scapolite [Claimed by Diamondfang]
- Teardrop Seraphinite [Claimed by Damian]
- Jagged Cluster of Danburite [Claimed by Usui]
- Round Cabochon of Iolite [Claimed by Diamondfang]
- Polished Round Kyanite [Claimed by Tamelyn]

Join This Quest

If you would like to participate in this quest, post with your character in this thread. Completing this quest will require some teamwork, so don't be afraid to roleplay it out! Feel free to request a GM when you feel you may be ready to proceed.

Special Note: While this thread is the main quest thread, multiple other threads can be made with characters visiting the pit. Simply denote your thread as a quest thread by inserting [Quest] into the title.

Participants:
n/a

The peryton walked through the gorges in the monocerous languidly, head held high and gait regal. Inexpressive, Rafael's face was rested and peaceful, calm and unnervingly innocent. He moved forward deliberately with every new clue of this strange scent wafting through the gorge. The beast chuffed and pawed at the earth with his right hoof as he took in the smell of fire and stone foreign to the Monoceros' scent. It aroused his curiosity. Rafael flared his nostrils and snorted, sending little flurries of gritty dust into the air. Then, he was off again, moving forward with head held high. The sound of giant eagle talons clacking onto the ground echoed behind him, magnifying the solitude enshrouding his presence. The pertyon made his way through the winding trail, completely ignoring the wind twisters above head for they proved not to be a threat. He flared his nostrils again. The scent was getting closer! He moved into a trotting pace now, elk tail bobbing behind him as he quickened his pace to a floating trot.

Rafael soon found himself at the entrance to a pit which was almost non-visible. Flicking his ears, the beast approached the pit's entrance to gaze at its contents. A large, fiery dragon lay at one end while a small lamb lay at the other. He noted that she wore a collar and was as cloaked in white. What struck him the most was, both gembounds had several stones/gems of different colours surrounding them. The child wondered what they were for. Naively, Rafael snorted gently and cast his dove, grey eyes gently upon the insides of the pit, then tapped his hoof gently against the edge in a knock-knock rhythm, hoping to greet either of the creatures to greet them a good day and enquire about their existence.

ooc: Rafael is attempting to wake up either of the creatures. Up to GM to decide!

Timby recently had been exploring in Monoceros with Quix and while he was travelling he saw a strange pit in the distance he wanted to check it out. So he told Quix he would be back
later.

So he went near to this mysterious pit and saw a gigantic creature and another sheep like him inside. He felt a wave of protectiveness for his own kind. He wondered if he could use his new magic ability to speak to her without waking the huge creature next to her. He also noted the strange thing on her neck..maybe it was a new gembound trend? There were also some spectacular crystals near them too. It probably wasn't too much of a good idea with a creature that large and probably hostile if woken up. This was quite the predicament. He also heard some noise that might wake the beast. Timby went to follow the sound and he saw a spectacular creature.. a land creature like himself with wings. It seemed he wanted to wake the beast in the pit..that wasn't such a great idea to him but the creature seemed pretty determined to wake the beast..

Usui was growing and so was his power. Although he was still 1 cycle old, the young, aspiring lion already held command of a plethora of skills which he wished to expand even further. Stopping at earth magic was not satisfactory enough to him. He needed to learn about fire. It was linked to his desire to become the most skilled blacksmith artisan in the land. Tinkering metal and earth required his expertise in fire too, and so the boy was keen to go onto more pilgrimages to become wiser and perhaps, learn more secrets of the flame. Today was yet another day spent at the Monoceros, only that he was going to venture deeper and push himself to his physical limits if he had to build up his character of perseverance and physical fitness.

On and on he tracked, the winding gorges seemingly never-ending. Usui decided to practice his magic then, Stretching a paw towards a couple of small, dusty mineral bits, the lion extended tendrils of magic from his mind. The bits jumped beneath his paw in a swirling action. The lion blinked, surprised. He read the rocks as being shifted along not too long ago, and not by the wind raging overhead considering that the gorge protected passing creatures from the twisters. The cub flicked his ears and padded ahead, lion tail swinging behind him as he paced along. Soon, he scented two creatures and so approached them. Usui looked at Timby and nodded in greeting, then turned towards the other. It was an odd creature - half deer, half eagle? Usui noted that it was tapping gently by the side of the pit. Curiosity struck Usui and so he padded forward to peer into the depths, only to recoil hastily. It was a dragon! Just like Baratheon but the "real" scaly version. Usui shivered, and after realizing that the black scaled beast was still asleep (for now at least), he craned his neck over to look at the pale white lamb. Was it held hostage by the dragon, or was there more to it than met the eye?

Being cautious and utterly rationale, Usui decided to walk back to Timby, and whispered, "What is that deer-bird gembound doing? Is it crazy?" Waking them up didn't seem like a good idea at all.

Timby saw Usui come and he seemed to notice the deer-bird, the name he recently learned to call it, he was shocked by how the deer hybrid was trying to wake the dragon. At least Timby knew he wasn't the only one who thought waking up a horrendous beast was a bad idea.

He asked him why the deer-bird was trying to wake it up. Actually he had no idea, maybe he couldn't sense danger as well as others. He could try to warn the foolish creature with his new ability. Hopefully it'll work.. Thankfully, it did work. Hopefully that would be enough to make him realise what he's doing is absurd. Then he could go back to thinking of plans with no distractions.

There is no response from either the lamb or the dragon to the peryton's hoof-tapping. They have been asleep for eons; it will likely take a lot more to rouse them. But do you really want to awaken these two sleeping Gembounds? Perhaps they are asleep for good reason.

A deep rumbling vibrated lowly within a chest covered in abyssal fur. Amber eyes studied the large creature, glimmering with a dark emotion as a rather menacing grin peeled lips back to expose sharp canines. Crimson leathered wings twitched from upon his back, but otherwise remained tucked close and unmoving from their resting place. It was a very intriguing creature from the smoldering smoke that billowed up from it's nostrils to it's ever glowing wings. Yet... that was not entirely Damian's full concentration. No, his entire reasoning for being here was not to admire the massive beast and it's smaller companion.

In the pit, around the massive beasts were several stones. Each holding their own personal intrigue. Though, one in particular had grasped Damian's attention. The Seraphinite. He wanted it... and he would have it. However, movement quickly caught his attention and his gaze quickly moved over towards the sound. Eyes narrowed as he saw the freak bird-deer he had met the moment he had awoken. Trying to wake the creatures was he? Damian sneered and turned away, deciding to keep to the side where he was further away from the peryton. He heard even more movement and knew right away others had arrived to see the creatures for themselves.

It mattered not. They were not his priority. With a flick of his tail Damian gazed down upon length of the drop. It was almost a straight drop, which would hopefully not cause him too much trouble. Hss wings suddenly came to life, moving and stretching out from his back and reaching out to the sides of him by only a good foot or two from his body. They were small and unable to carry him in flight for a very long period of time, nor could they carry him high into the air just yet, but they would do just fine to help him glide down without falling. With that in mind Damian instantly began prowling forward, moving over the ledge that led the drop towards the pit. He paused for a moment, but there was no turning back now. He released his hold on the ledge above and off he went, stumbling down the pit's side. His wings were unstable, but still managed to keep him from falling head over himself. At the moment, it did not occur to him that he should have tried to figure out how to get out of the pit before he went jumping down into it. Like it mattered, those creatures were lost in their slumber. Or so he believed.

A grunt escaped the lycanthrope as his wings suddenly lost balance several feet away from the bottom of the pit and gave out sent him falling the rest of the way. A thud was the response of his body hitting the ground and a low growl escaped the lycanthrope. He shook himself, dust flying off from his pelt in all directions. He gathered his bearings before lifting his gaze towards the dragon. He cared not what the lamb was doing, it did not hold what was of his interest. Now that he stood on their level Damian could very well see the size difference between himself and this dragon. A strange sensation sent chills down his spine and he could only smirk. How thrilling was this?

Slowly he began prowling closer and closer, his eyes lowering away from the creature as the amber gems settled upon the Seraphinite. It wasn't long before he was suddenly standing so close to the beast. He could feel the heat radiating off of him, the scent of it's smoke stinging his sensitive nose. He studied the drake for a long moment, waiting to see if it would move. Of course... what exactly would Damian do if this creature woke up? He would be in some deep trouble that was for certain. He would climb his way out of this pit, or at least he would attempt to do so. Perhaps his wings would make use for his escape later, but for now he would not think of that. Not until he had what he wanted or when this creature may wake. If it even did.

Damian moved further along the beast. Taking slow, quiet steps just to be certain this thing would not wake up and try to eat him. His gaze slid over the beast as he walked along side it, studying every detail there was to it. Soon enough his attention pulled away as he came upon the Seraphinite. He shifted and moved most of his weight to his hindlegs as he studied the intriguing stone. His eyes danced up towards the drake's face once more before dropping to the stone again. Slowly his pawed hand reached out to grasp at the stone. Once his fingers slid around it he shot his gaze back over to the dragon once more to see if it would stir. Not seeing anything, Damian turned his focus back towards the stone and began to pull on it. When he realized that he could not even budge the stone from it's place his nose began to wrinkle up in a silent growl. Not a sound escaped him, but his body language expressed sudden annoyance as he began to struggle with the stone.

No matter how hard he tugged and pulled at the stone it would not come free. With gritted teeth Damian removed his pawed hand from the thing and took a step back to reassess what this thing was doing and just how exactly it was stuck into place. Looked like he would have to be more creative than just grabbing the thing and running...

"Speech"

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Ooc:
Tags:

table coded by banshee | For Free Use! | Edited by Arkrael

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He'd been trying to learn to fly.

It was hard going--his feathers were not fully formed. His wings weren't well-muscled, not yet. And, one last minor detail: he was blind. He'd managed to take flight twice, and both times made it perhaps three yards before smacking into an overhead cave.

When he'd overheard talk of a cave full of buffetting winds, with a high ceiling, he'd decided that clearly this was the place to try it out. He wasn't aware that it was virtually a tornado, with sheer drops and raging winds.

He also wasn't aware of the deep pit that had opened until he heard noises there. Breathing, tapping, grinding. Curious, he'd felt his way to the edge, and then--wings spread--glided right down.

Talons hit sleek scaled flesh, and the owl folded his wings over his back and wandered around. He wasn't sure how far he'd fallen, only that it might be too far--with his limited abilities--to actually get back out. It was probably only a matter of time until the little bird flew into his own death trap. This might be that time.

As he wandered around, feet pricking lightly over the scales, he had no idea that he was walking over a dragon. As usual, he felt the faint stirrings of whispers and flashes of imagery, too brief to be recognizable as anything, touching over his mind; but he ignored that, pressing onward toward was he wasn't aware were vast and leathery wings.

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For a moment, there was no response from the large dragon as the little owl waddled along his hide. His sides gently rose and fell, timed and slow breaths lasting half a minute per in- and exhale. Then, he shifted slightly. His body moved and his weight shifted to one side, leaning his body away from the wall. His large, heavy head slid across the ground, pointed snout facing the wall. The movement would be enough to dislodge the owl if he didn't move fast enough. Damian's attempt to steal the seraphinite has gone unnoticed.

Alas, neither creature stirred to his hoof tapping. With a snort, Rafael backed away, swinging his head low in agitation. He flicked his ears as he heard the stifled comments of two gembounds behind him and stared at them, grey eyes bearing into their souls. The peryton felt like calling them cowards for just being bystanders but soon perceived their reluctance – they did not have wings. He smirked and stretched out his own for good measure, hawk feathers displaying magnificently from either side of his body. Although just 1 cycle old, Rafael had been born a splendidly healthy specimen with 4 point horns (the equivalent of a growing buck), functional wings and strong talons. He was immensely proud of his hybrid heritage.

Now, another creature had slid into the scene and flown down. It pricked Rafael’s interest, who watched condescendingly as the other attempted without success to steal a gem. It wasn’t giving up but continued to tug. The peryton was not hasty in nature and watched smugly, feeling secure from his current position. He would wait for a window opportunity to hoard one of those for himself. For now, he remained unobtrusive, wanting to first see the consequences this weird wolf dog would face. Then, without warning, an owl glided in to the pit and landed on the dragon, and walked around. Rafael immediately realized that it was blind for it moved rather directionlessly. Horror filled the peryton as he gazed at the owl, though his lips twisted into a cruel sneer as he spotted the greedy one still trying his luck.

Then it happened. The dragon shifted and he saw where the path of the dragon was heading towards. With a low, urgent bugling call, the peryton swooped into the scene, flying down, down, down towards the heat at top speed, ready to catch the owl within his talons and whisk him out of there. His talons latched onto the owl firmly but gently, and then he made a loop out of the pit, elk legs tucked close to his chest to streamline his body, whereupon he would drop the little owl a few ways away from the mouth of the pit.

The moment Rafael grabbed the owl, the thing started shrieking and screaming like a damn banshee. Rafael was annoyed but he could not blame it - being blind, it must have thought it was going to get eaten alive. He snorted in disdain and when he deposited the fluff, he decided, he'd have to speak or he might have to repeat this stunt."I just saved your life you fluffball. Stay away from the dragon." He snorted again and with a warning screech blasted towards the owl, trotted back to the pit to see what would happen next.