[closed] 🌊 pain you break me down, you build me up

[phoenixdominant]

Who: Joshua Rosfield, The Hideaway Crew + planned CR
Status: Closed.
Where: An newly discovered half-underwater temple ruin.
What: Joshua has been searching for a way to contain a great evil. After searching through the paladin archives he came across records of an old ancient ruin said to hold a powerful relic that can do just that. He sets out with the crew (and friends) to try and retrieve it.
Warnings: Tba.


Joshua has been searching for a way to contain a great evil. After searching through the paladin archives he came across records of an old ancient ruin said to hold a powerful relic that can do just that. He sets out with the crew (and friends) to try and retrieve it. The ship can be used as a rest area between exploration trips as well as a hub for the crew to interact outside of exploring.



⛵ arrival; stone golems

After a few days of travelling far west the ship and crew will come across what appears to be a stony collection of platforms, jagged rocks and large stones. It won't look much like an island at all but instead, a pattern of rocks sticking out of the top of the water. It will be difficult to find a place to dock the ship so small boats or flying abilities will be needed to touch down on the stones.

Upon setting foot on these stone platforms the crew will see that it's the remnants of an old ruin of some sort. Or at least the top of it. There are no discernable features aside from a few broken staircases and holes that seem to descend downward into the water and darkness.

Getting down to one of the entrances inside will be a problem seeing as several large stone golems are wandering aimlessly around the surface. They don't attack on sight but if anyone seems to come close to one of the entrances that is when they will attack. They use large clubbed arms to swing and smash intruders. Get them out of the way by turning them into rubble.



🗿 descent; mechanical turrets

Once inside the underwater ruins, the crew will find a series of interlocking stone pathways and staircases that lead in all sorts of directions. It's hard to tell which way to go or if the pathways lead up or down. Water floods the entire structure, flowing in from the ocean and filling up various chambers and rooms. The crew might have to find a way to get into those rooms if they want to explore further. Using magic, special skills, magitech or mermaid blessings to breathe underwater...

For those who can search the area on foot and across the various rocky pathways, there are still some rooms and broken chambers to explore. But they are guarded by strange clicking mechanical turrets that turn towards anything that moves. They make a small beeping noise in warning before they shoot bullets at anyone in their line of sight. Either stay out of their way or find a way to destroy them to explore safely.

Inside the various abandoned rooms are all sorts of materials to be found including bits of metal, gold, old broken magitech and if one is lucky- diamonds.



🧊 the final chamber; wisdom cube

Once at the very bottom of the underwater ruins, the crew will come across something beautiful. A perfectly preserved blue cube that floats on top of a pedestal. At first glance, it looks to be unguarded and ready for the taking. There are no signs of golems or turrets whatsoever.

However, whoever reaches out to take the cube will be met with the sound of clicking mechanical gears from all around the room. The room itself will start to collapse and fold in on itself. And the thief will only have a few minutes to escape the room before they're completely crushed. Grab the item (and whatever other relics and treasures found) and run while dodging other traps, and more mechanical turrets. The ruins will also start to fill with even more ocean water at a rapid rate. Everyone will need to escape!

Once on the surface the crew will gather with their prize and determine that this is a magitech relic called a wisdom cube which should be able to contain the great evil that Joshua harbours inside of his body. But... How do they use it? Perhaps the cube needs to be attached or inserted into something else?


[feel free to create your own top levels and threads within this log! joshua's top level can be found here. you can also find me at michrure or discord if you would like to plot something specific out.]

Comments

Joshua Rosfield 🐦 Final Fantasy XVI | Corsair

[phoenixdominant]

[🐦 a. arrival, on the ship]

[Joshua is full of a sense of trepidation. He has never been one to fuss about himself so asking the crew to help him with something as monumental as finding a random unknown relic to contain a god of death is- a lot. It’s a lot to process not only for him but everyone helping him. He doesn’t wish for anyone to be hurt along the way. Nor does he want to ask them to do something dangerous without cause.

Yet, it is time to start facing this part of the problem. What started with arriving in this world still harbouring a part of Ultima’s soul inside of himself turned into months of pain and struggle. Only to be exacerbated by Ultima nearly taking hold of Joshua’s body and mind, burning him from the inside out. And in turn, aggravating Garuda to the point of her causing mass destruction. It is time to destroy Ultima so that this will never happen again.

He does not force anyone to come with him on this perilous journey to destroy Ultima once and for all. He only asks that if they wish to help him they are more than welcome to. So long as they understand the dangers. And he faults no one for saying no.

As they sail closer to the distant ruins of stone and rock, Joshua leans on the ship deck's railing. He gazes ahead with a determined expression, though his thinly pressed lips betray an underlying fear and uncertainty.]

There. This must be it, the ruins that were mentioned inside the records I found. Or it is a very convincing collection of rocks.

[Joshua will answer any questions given to him about any of this. Be it about Ultima, what has happened to him or how they’re going to do this.]

If this is the correct place then we should have a chance at finding what we need.

[🐦 b. the final chamber]

[After a perilous journey down into the water and darkness Joshua and whoever has made it this far with him will be faced with that glowing item. It sits floating perfectly still in an open-faced room.

Joshua will gently put his hand in front of his exploring partner to block them from taking a step farther inside.]

Have caution. We have no idea what traps might be set.

[🐦 c. wildcard]

[have something else? feel free to put it down here. it can be about exploring downwards, the golems, the turrets or resting on the ship deck. you can message me at michrure or discord for something specific too.]

b

[empyrean_mirror]

[Kaveh's not quite sure how his life got to this point, but he does know ruins. And he does know traps when he sees them. Still, that cube...looks worthy of investigation. That's a dilemma, isn't it? Because that...]

That's bait.

[He sighs a little. Oh, what he wouldn't give for Madam Faruzan, right now.]

We're looking right at the trap, I'll bet.

[phoenixdominant]

[Ruin spelunking is very new to Joshua. He's been down to a few old dusty ruins before but not nearly as many as one would think. This is all new territory for him. But Joshua is not about to turn tail now.]

If the turrets along the way were any indication, yes. This place is well guarded.

[He glances at Kaveh. Time to brainstorm...]

How should we proceed?

bbbbb

[garudas]

[It had been a harrowing journey down here, and that is putting it... mildly. Even for Benedikta, who can thrive in a bit of chaos, not having her wings is felt here. She could try, yes, but having it all fail because of the curse while she is in the middle of being fucking shot at with turrets and bullets would not have been ideal. So she kept them folded. Again. But she would be lying if she said she did not miss them.

She should really be on that much-needed vacation she and Cid had talked about, and she will go right back to it... after these pressing matters. She would not leave Joshua to deal with this on his own, not because she felt she owed him anything by helping, but because this is just as much her battle, all of their battles. They were all used, their fates driven by the whims of a god.

If this will give Ultima his dues, then she would be there to see it.

And when Joshua's hand comes out in front to stop her, she glances at him, brow arched.]

There is only one way to find out, is there not?

[phoenixdominant]

[Joshua isn't fairing much better. In a place that's dominated by water and stone, this is a less-than-ideal place for the likes of him. It's so damp and watery that even Joshua has a hard time igniting fire when he needs to. Wings... Are entirely out of the question. Although there's something poetic about him having to come down here for something that might have a chance at helping them contain an evil god.

He is glad for her presence. He knows that the lot of them all have their own lives and goals but the fact that they have all come together under his makes him feel very grateful. A bit ashamed that they have to help him at all. But entirely grateful. He won't be refusing their help.]

I'm not entirely sure that marching right up to the relic will do anything in our favour.

[This place does look like it's been booby-trapped... But they're corsairs. Surely they can figure this out.]

a!

[gruffier]

[ If there is one force that refuses to let Joshua go about this alone, it's Clive.

Ever since the discovery of Ultima's reappearance, he has spent nearly every waking moment helping his brother. Whether it was in the physical- helping with research or making sure he takes his medicine- to the emotional. Clive would be a steady beam for Joshua to lean on whenever necessary, though trying to get the younger to admit he needed help at all was a battle in itself. He knew how reserved he was, and asking for help had notably been a hurdle not easily overcome. Yet by asking others to help, to know that he wasn't alone in this, had only furthered their resolve to truly put an end to Ultima once and for all.

A hard yet firm hand was placed on Joshua's shoulder as eyes overlooked the side of the boat. They were stern, determined, and yet there was a softness about his look that indicated comfort. If he was to be a true Shield of Rosaria, that meant protecting both Joshua's body and mind. ]

Looks to be it. Hard to imagine there being two ruins that look alike. [ The softness of his eyes match that of his words as Clive peers over to Joshua. ]

How are you feeling? Ready for this?

[phoenixdominant]

[If there is anyone's presence that he's grateful for the most, it's Clive's. His brother and his true shield. The one person in the entire universe that makes Joshua feel entirely safe. As if this harrowing task ahead of them is a mere page in a book that he simply has to turn. It settles a smile on his lips when his brother places a hand on his shoulder. That same steady feeling returns to the center of his chest.]

I am feeling... trepidatious. [But he glances at his brother with that same small smile anyway.] Yet, for the first time in months it feels as though we're finally taking a step in the right direction. And for that, I am excited.

[He knows how hard everyone has been working. Even more so now that Joshua took the plunge to tell everyone the root of the problem. And to be perfectly honest... Joshua is not sure he would have been able to push himself this far without his brother at his back the entire time.]

Thank you, Clive. For coming this far with me.

[He knows his brother would do anything for him. But he feels the need to say it anyway.]

b

[historiology]

Ah? Oh. Traps. Yeah. I'm not sure if the ones here might be similar enough to the ones I'm used to in the ruins back home or if they might be different to what I might expect.

[But having made it this far. He wouldn't be surprised. This feels a bit easy to have what they were after right there. So Sorey doesn't argue or protest when Joshua urges caution and puts an arm out to stop him. His green eyes glance to see if he might recognize any potential signs of a trap he might be familiar with or at least something that might seem off?]

Do you see anything?

[phoenixdominant]

[Joshua frowns softly. There is nothing out of the ordinary that catches his eye now but it's also hard to determine that without looking farther into the room.

It looks like bait, for sure.]

I do not see anything strange that sticks out to me... Perhaps tell me more about the types of ruins you're used to back home? That sort of knowledge might help us here.

[How did Sorey solve these sorts of rooms? Puzzle rooms? Whatever this might be... (it's totally a bait room).]

C, before the voyage

[emet_sulk]

[ He had received a message to meet at the dock where Joshua's ship is due to depart, from someone whose name he only vaguely recognises. He arrives promptly; stares up at the ship with a slight frown. He hadn't been asked to join a voyage, so he wonders what the purpose of the meeting is to be. A quick scan of his surroundings allows him to pick out the one who had called him and he ambles over while sliding out of the way of workers loading the ship. ]

Greetings. I am Emet-Selch. You wished to speak?

[phoenixdominant]

[Joshua has an immense task on his shoulders. To put it simply he has a piece of a death god's soul in his body that he needs to destroy before it takes over. He is on a limited amount of time to destroy it too. Lest it escapes his body and wreaks havoc on this world... annilating everything.

He had heard of Emet-Selch from G'raha Tia at first. And from a few passing conversations with Cid Telamon as well. That is why he reaches out now to the man. Because he had heard bits about this man's control over... aether.]

Hello, my lord. Joshua Rosfield of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[Sorry, old royal habits die hard.]

Thank you for coming this far to meet with me. I had heard that you are quite knowledgeable when it comes to aether...?

Turrets

[afflatusexarch]

Joshua, my friend, is this what you had in mind when you had wanted your freedom a while back? If so, I may have to question your tastes.

[ He says, hiding behind a stone wall. Those little machines do seem to track movement all too well. G'raha has a mind to switch to blade and shield. Perhaps that would be enough to get the both of them close enough to take the things out. ]

At least a bullet or two I can handle.

[ Excuse you what? ]

[phoenixdominant]

[Meanwhile, Joshua is also hiding being a cracked piece of stone wall. He tilts his head as if exasperated with the whole situation. Shooting turrets... All he can do for the moment is stay pressed up against the cold stone because one wrong movement will make the turret shoot again.]

I will admit. This is not my first idea for fun.

[...]

But praytell, how do you think you can handle a bullet or two?

[Do not!!!]

c exploring

[ramuhs]

[Somewhere in the ruins, Cid is looking over the structure itself as well as a pile of metal. Well. Some charred metal of what was once a turret. Beyond is yet another defunct turret that he's clearly taken care of, along with some of the precious metals that they were likely guarding. So when he happens to spot Joshua, he'll smile and give a bit of a wave.]

Joshua, you've been through the Fallen ruins before, haven't you?

Alhaitham | Genshin Impact | Paladin

[indispensable]

A) the long, long journey (of pain and suffering)

[The unfortunate thing about seasickness is that exposure therapy has not done anything to help him. Combine that with the fact that Alhaitham has pointedly kept his experiences with sea travel to a minimum, and the only thing one can get from that is the worst, most awful experience any normal human being has to go through right now.

When not curled up into a shivering ball of nausea in the cabin that he shares with his husband Alhaitham can be found in various other parts of the ship—that is, namely the sections where he needs to go for some reason or other while generally doing his best to not let his nausea get the better of him.

...of course, that is always an eternally losing battle, so its a matter of time before somebody finds him up on the deck with his head over the edge of the ship, making some very unpleasant sounds to indicate an equally unpleasant experience happening right then and there.]

B) underwater not so fantasia

[Who is not having fun with all this water around?? Yeah, its this person right here. In fact Alhaitham makes no attempt to hide his irritation as he trudges around the stone pathways, still not looking the best despite having taken a rest almost as soon as the ship has docked at their destination.

Then again, said disgruntlement might be due to the fact that his boots are soaked through with seawater and the smell of brine is just far too thick for him to be okay with it. But not even trying to cover his face with his cape will help since its just as equally full with that horrible salty scent, so all Alhaitham can do at this point is to try and trudge along whatever paths that exist to see if it gets them anywhere.

And before anyone asks—no, he is not going to go into the water. One near drowning experience is enough for him, thank you very much.]

C) wildcard

[Feel free to make up your own stuff or ping me in the discords to see if we can hash something out o3o]

a

[phoenixdominant]

[Well, if this isn't telling as to why Alhaitham spends most of his time on land on their home island or with Kaveh in their quarters... Alhaitham is looking a little green. More green than usual.]

Alhaitham...

[He approaches the man carefully. Luckily with some fresh cool water in a canister to offer.]

Best to get it out now rather than later.

A

[empyrean_mirror]

[Right, this was a wholly predictable outcome to this entire situation. Which of course means Kaveh is there to rub a hand down Alhaitham's back with a sigh.]

...Maybe I should look for a relic that cures seasickness.

A

[apothecarry]

[When Alfyn finds Alhaitham, he's at least doing one thing right: he's up on the deck, where there's air and a horizon, instead of in a cabin or something where he'd be alone with just the movement of the ship. It's taken him some time - too much time, really, but he didn't know about the problem at all for a while - to locate Kaveh's Roommate but now that he has:]

Hey there.

[It's quiet, an interruption without being too much of an interruption. If Alhaitham needs a minute, Alfyn will wait out the awful before continuing.]

Got a remedy or two for seasickness you could try. Interested?

eizen | tales of berseria | corsair

[verboaten]

a. heading to the entrance - stone golems.

[one of the perks about having earth as your element is being able to explore ruins with significantly more ease than most. whatever bits of path or even stone stairs that might be missing, eizen patches those right up.

easy.

but never easy for too long.

what puts a quick end to said easiness is the stone golems hanging around the entrances. upon catching glimpse of one, eizen stops in his tracks to observe them. they're not attacking just yet, but no one has things like this set up to just for them to have a leisurely stroll around for all eternity.]

I doubt these piles of rock are just for decoration. [he flexes a wrist.] Whatever happens, take care to NOT damage the ruins. They've already been eroded enough as is and can collapse if we go overboard.

b. turrets & diamonds.

[as hilarious as it may sound coming from a pirate, this place has WAY too much water to it. water and him have never meshed well. does he sink like a rock in water? oh he damn well does. factor in the curse and heading underwater won't end well for likely more than just him. needless to say, eizen opts to explore to traverse the rockier parts above. crafting a step or two or whatever to fill up a staircase is significantly less hazardous than going underwater.

soon enough, a glint catches his eye from a chamber above. not gold. silver? no, the gleam's a little off. gems possibly. whatever it might be, that's his target.

said target ends up being wonderfully difficult to get to. the very moment eizen gets close to the room, the beeping starts up. it's not only a single beep or even two beeps but three of them.

wonderful.

he ducks out of sight before those turrets get a chance to make swiss cheese of him. whoever's close by or down below, he'll call out to.]

I might need a hand with this one. Feel up for it?

wildcard!

(if there's anything else you'd want to do, let me know either on plurk or discord!)

b

[ramuhs]

[Having worked his way inside and roaming around a bit to explore the nature of these ruins and the tech within them, he hears that beeping in the distant followed by Eizen's voice.

Hah.]

Curse already getting you, Eizen?

[But he'll hop up the stone steps to reach him and can hear the subtle clicking of the turret as it resets itself.]

Fortunately for you, I've figured out a little trick to these. They seem to be vulnerable to my lighting so one good blast ought to do it.

Darin Altway | Original Character | Corsair

[forgeabettertomorrow]

-ARRIVAL-

[Darin sure didn't know what the expect when Joshua asked him to accompany him on this expedition, but Darin wasn't the type to say 'no' to a friend. It certainly helped that they were heading to a ruin— his journey into the Abyss had given him a wealth of materials for his research in the forge. What might he find here?]

[He's currently perched on a stone overlooking one of the entrances. He's got a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other and he appears to be...sketching? Sketching and taking an almost ludicrous amount of notes. Occasionally, he pulls out his Shellphone to snap a picture.]

Golems guarding the entrance, huh? Gotta be something good in there if it's that well protected...

[A grin spreads across his face as the excitement wells up inside of him.]

-DESCENT-

-WATER TEMPLE-
Okay, do we have any idea where we even are? I've been trying to keep a map but this place is like the worst kind of maze.

[He huffs in annoyance and decides to drop into a squat where he stands, looking out at the water flowing in from outside.]

You don't suppose there's something under the water, do you?

-TURRETS-
[Making the trek through the temple is turning out to be a lot more arduous than initially expected. Not that Darin's put off by the challenge, he just wasn't expecting things to be this puzzling. As he walks, he finds his pace quickening as his mind conjures up images of what could even be down here.]

[He steps into one of the larger, more open rooms and is greeted with a strange beeping alarm.]

What the hell is that noi—

[Two turrets open fire on his position, causing him to yelp and fall backward, essentially crab walking to cover with whoever is unfortunate enough to be with him in tow.]

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?? WHO'S SHOOTING AT US?!

water temple 💧

[phoenixdominant]

[Joshua has to admit he is getting very exhausted, himself. He takes a moment to rest and leans against a jagged piece of wet stone.]

It seems as though all the pathways we've explored go in ... circles.

[And there is so so much water. So much water that a fire-aligned bird like him is feeling a little miserable.]

If this place has half sunken into the sea I wouldn't be surprised if it's the sea below that we have to explore... somehow.

Enterprise | Azur Lane | OTA

[lucky_e]

I - Turrets

[Bullets? And the beeping sounded electronic to her.

Interesting.

Enty is still quick on her feet, however, stepping to the side as the turrets opened fire at her little group. She already had her bow at the ready, however, and returned fire. The bolt of light splitting off into separate arrows that seemed as if they had a mind of their own. As each appeared to instinctively seek out where the gunfire was coming from as they cut through the air. Finding their individual marks and destroying them each with a floor quaking series of booms and blasts.

There is likely still more ahead, which also meant that there is likely more things to find other than just their current objective.]

Area ahead is cleared. Are you alright?

[She'd remark before turning her attention back to her companions. Checking to make certain none were hurt. Bullets are scary things, unpredictable things, destructive and horrible. And given where they are she is worried over the chance of them ricocheting off the walls, or creating harmful, potentially deadly, shrapnel.]

II - The Wisdom Cube

!!!

[Enterprise had to do a double take. She just had to. The bullets, the seemingly unexplainable, working electricity and electrical devices... the feeling of familiar power that pulled her. Well then -- she decidedly needs a moment to compose herself. In front of her is a glowing, translucent, blue cube. An all too familiar site that gently floated above the ground, seeming to be held up by some unknown, contained power.

She hesitates for a moment longer.

Of course, something like this would be here, why wouldn't a cube be here? But, as far as Enterprise is concerned, she's the only shipgirl here. No Sirens are here, none of the Ashes either. She ponders even longer still, not moving, but thinking.

Debating on what to do. It can't be left alone; she can't let others have it. That would be unacceptable. But -- How, why is it here? Is it the reason for much of this world's anomalies, why she and others showed up?

Is it -- who could it become?

Her mind flits back over to the Royal Fortune. Mind's eye filling in the blanks and humoring, for a moment, that the pirate might have just been here. Or is here.

Her feet take one step forward.]

....

[Then another.]

...Please don't touch it.

[WILDCARD]

[ooc; need i say more? i'm good with whatever if the above don't suit you~! if anyone wants feel free to either hit me up here or on discord! or even just throw something random at me!]

II - invoking the timeywimey with the joshua thread it's fiiinneee

[empyrean_mirror]

Eh?

[You may have caught Kaveh literally with his hand out towards the cube.]

Well, it's trapped, Miss, I need to disarm it...

🧊 wildcard - sometime after the cube has been retrieved

[phoenixdominant]

[At the end of their little adventure they all find themselves tired and worn out on the ship's deck. It's time to pack up and return to the roost. They found what they came for. A very strange-looking blue cube with the power to contain a greater evil. Joshua does not know much about it but ...

... He may have overheard that someone might know more.]

Lady Enterprise. May I have a word?