~ [GALA 2017] Journey into Snowspire Caverns ~
* wrote:
For generations, clan elders have told tales of the terrible secrets that lie buried deep within the caverns of the Fortress of Ends. Horrifying monsters with their images frozen solid in blocks of eternal ice, treasure hoards brimming with gemstones and gold, a glimpse into the history of Sornieth - all of the things a dragon in search of adventure could only dream of. While most of your clan may be content to spend their Gala engaging in political pleasantries, gathering snowflakes, and dining away the evenings, some dragons wish for something a bit more exciting...
Dragons participating in the expedition:
The Vortex Squad
The Adventurer - wrote:
Dragon Name: Loki
Dragon ID#: 27918533
Dragon's Pronouns: He/Him
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[Curious] - "Even as a hatchling, I have been itching to just fly off somewhere and my mom had to drag me back to the nest after running after older adventurers. Ah, the good old times! Good for me, I have never lost my hunger for adventure. Let us go make a new discovery~"
[Cooperative] - "Company is always welcome! I like to have someone to talk and share things with! I was once told, I'm a peace maker and the 'one-to-go-to' dragon whenever a disagreement is about to get out of hand."
[Fight] - "Come on~ I'm an adventurer! I'm totally able to look out for myself."
Why do you descend into these caves?
"I don't know - It seemed like a good idea at the time."
(curiosity... defenitely xD )
Loki has chosen the the following skills: Climbing / Survival / Light Magic
Flip a coin. Decide your fate... [Heads]
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The Warrior - wrote:
Dragon Name: Avalanche / Lance
Dragon ID#: 21996779
Dragon's Pronouns: He/Him
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[Cautious] - "I'm the thinker, observer and strategist of our group. One has to be! What woulb be happening otherwise! I just like to take everything in consideration before acting... is that so bad?"
[Cooperative] - "Hmm, I'm one of the teachers back home in the Warrior Squad. Being part of such a big group and being one of the higherups, I knows quite well how to collaborate and use the others strong points to everyones advantage. It's my job to do so."
[Fight] - " 'A dragon's gotta do what a dragon's gotta do!' No problem with a fight here! I'm more than willing to protect my friends and to fight off the enemy."
Why do you descend into these caves?
Knowledge - "Being the trainer of young recrutes, a new adventure always has its benefits! I want to learn a lot from it."
Avalanche has chosen the the following skills: Combat / Awareness / Cartography
Flip a coin. Decide your fate... [Tails]
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The Healer - wrote:
Dragon Name: Aztec
Dragon ID#: 28325947
Dragon's Pronouns: He/Him
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[Curious] - "Well, seems like I am another rather curious dragon for this team. I'm always ready to study something new and uninvestigated... Maybe some new plants for a new cure...?"
[Cooperative] - "I've been part of something like this before. It was way before I joined my current clan, so we have jet to do something together as a team... but Avalanche and I are quite used to integrate with others, and Loki is a kind soul ready to listen and to share his thougs. Seems like, we will be able to work together quite well...."
[Flight] - "If the situations turns out to be too dire and one of my friends could be in great danger, sure.. I'm the first one to voice misgivings. I'm not a coward--mind you--and I'm able to look after myself; but I still prefer 'Safety first!' "
Why do you descend into these caves?
"I don't know - It seemed like a good idea at the time."
(Precaution, I didn't want to let those two out of sight... Who knows what they'd get themself into!)
Avalanche has chosen the the following skills: First Aid / Beasts / Botany
Flip a coin. Decide your fate... [Heads]
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Logbook
Entry 1 - Rockfall
Date: Jan 23, 2017
Location: Southern Icefield - The entrance to Snowspire Caverns
After three days and three nights of flying across the harsh and icy peaks of the Fortress of Ends, we, The Vortex Squad, have finally arrived at our destination. Our guide, a frazzled, robin-blue fae called Harold, had led us twisting and turning through massive glacial spires, rocky peaks, and stone-cold trenches cracked into the ice. As we traveled, our hearts fluttering with anticipation, we scanned the cold and cloudy horizons, hoping that each cave we passed might be our destination. At one point, Harold stopped the party to rest beneath the thinned branches of an old and scraggly pine tree, turned to the group, and said:
'Well, I was pretty sure the cave entrance was half a kilometer back, but I didn't seem to spot it... You wait here while I circle around. Don't worry! I'll be back shortly.'
As these things always seem to go, the guide was not back shortly. We waited two and a half hours before he returned, by which point the sun had already begun to set and the nighttime chill set in. The fae touched down in the branches of the pine tree, turned to us, and said:
'Silly me! We hadn't passed it at all. It's just a few kilometers ahead.' And so, we gathered our gear and continued on.
When we finally came to our destination, we found the cave mouth to be a dark and foreboding sight. The stalactites and stalagmites stuck out like crooked teeth in a gaping maw, and the faded sign haphazardly nailed to the nearest tree simply said:
'Don't.' You might wonder what it was that we were not supposed to do, but to those of us standing at the gateway to those caverns, feeling the icy breeze ascending from the depths within, it was obvious. Don't enter.
Of course, that was exactly what we would later do. After making our camp for the night and taking an inventory of our food and equipment, we went to sleep.
Date: Jan 24, 2017
Location: Rockfall Caverns - The camp at the base of the trench
Next morning we ate our breakfast, fastened our hooks and lamps carefully to our belts, waved goodbye to our trusty guide, and entered the cave.
The first stretch of the cave was relatively quiet. The wildlife was few and far between, although we were able to get a good look at some fascinating species of bats, and those first few hours were marked by the collection of a variety of standard geological and biological samples. As we walked further, the cave began to branch apart into dozens of passageways, each leading in a slightly different direction but still looking quite the same. It soon became clear how the decision dynamics of The Vortex Squad would go. Our group turned out to get along quite well together. For every decision, we took a vote and chose the option most favorable amongst the group.
And so, we walked and walked and walked.
As the earth beneath us became loose and rocky, Loki stopped suddenly. Turning to the group, he flicked out his tail and tapped the earth before us:
'I believe we may be on unstable grounds. I think it is best if we find another way.'
As we were just about to turn around, we noticed something sparkling ever so slightly at the opposite end of the passage. Curiosity piqued, we decided to brave the unstable passage, treading as lightly as possible.
Carefully making our way across the passageway, one step at a time, we had nearly reached the opposite end of the cavern when the floor caved out beneath us. Bruised and battered by the falling rocks and disoriented by the sudden collapse, we found ourselves quickly plummeting to the bottom of a great trench.
Fortunately, Avalanche had seen this coming and was able to call out a warning just as the rocks collapsed around us. We quickly jumped to the nearest stable platform and watched as the floor around us crumbled into the darkness below.
Stranded at the edge of the cliff with our return passage blocked beneath piles of rubble, there were two options. We could climb down into the trench below, or we could attempt to move the rubble and head back in the direction we came from. Feeling that the deepest parts of the caverns might hold the most fascinating secrets, we decided to try descending into the trench.
Gazing down into the darkness below with little idea of how far down this pit might go, we prepared ourselves for the descent.
Loki, confident that he could easily climb down to the bottom, led the way, jumping between pillars of ice and clinging to the jagged rock edges. With his guidance, we were able to make our way to the bottom of the trench unharmed.
By the time we had reached what we thought to be the base of the trench, we were ready to make our camp for the day. And so, we logged our activities, ate our meal, and rested.
Entry 2 - Unusual Botany
Date: Jan 26, 2017
Location: Down the Pit - Camp at the Sample Cavern
We awoke to darkness and an eerie sense of silence. The only sounds were the distant drip of water and the occasional flutter of bat wings. Uncertain of whether it was day or night, but feeling rested enough, we figured this was as good a time as any to pack up and continue our journey.
We spent what seemed like hours wandering through the branching passageways, each coated in a number of different species of plant and fungus. It was almost uncanny how much life was growing down in these incredibly dark and phenomenally cold places.
In fact, it was too uncanny. Aztec, growing suspicious of the unusual lifeforms in the area, began to examine them in close detail. There was no good reason for them to be growing here so abundantly, with little source of nourishment, and something about them didn't seem quite right. After minutes of poking and prodding of leaves and mushrooms, Aztec turned to the group with an unexpected discovery: 'These plants... they seem to be feeding off of this strange and unidentifiable powder. Look, it's all over the walls, and even in the air. And do you see how twisted and misshapen they've grown? This can't possibly be good for our lungs.'
As nervous as these plants might have made us, they were only plants and no strong and brave dragon flees from plants. We decided to continue on.
As we continued to walk, collecting samples of the plantlife around us, when we noticed that we had started... *yawn* to grow.... *yawn* quite sleepy... That's funny... oooooh look at those colors..... spinningggggggg.....
Spinning colors is never a good sign, so Aztec pulled a trio of masks out of his first aid kit and forced the entire party to put one on. Having regained our wits, we wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was a bad idea.
Even though this place was clearly dangerous and these plants were clearly out to get us, we had already spent far too much time traveling through these passages to turn back now. No! We had to keep going, stay strong, and carry on!
By some miracle, our determination was met with success.
We eventually came to a large, open cavern with very little in the way of plants. The air was clear to breathe again, and this place contained a number of interesting samples for us to collect. After helping ourselves to some fascinating rocks and gemstones, we set up our camp for the night, ate our meal, logged our activities, and slept.
Entry 3 - Bioluminescence
Date: Jan 28, 2017
Location: Underground Ecosystem - Camp in the Ice-Coated Tunnel
The Vortex Squad awoke suddenly to the site of a small glowing mouse sitting atop Aztec's head. Shaking the creature off, we all stared at it in curiosity. It was covered in tiny bioluminescent baubles and, as we looked up, we could see several more similar creatures running around in the distance, their lights bobbing up and down in the passages of the cave.
After a few minutes of watching in confusion, we ate, packed our things, and followed the little glowing mice - wherever they might lead us.
As we progressed, we noticed a bright light coming from the cavern ahead. Following it, slightly worried about what it might be, we eventually came to a breathtaking sight. The passage opened up into a massive underground ecosystem where everything was bioluminescent. Little animals scurried around, glowing. Plants grew along the walls and up towards the ceiling, glowing. Glowing insects buzzed around glowing flowers and glowing bats slept atop the glowing ceiling. We wondered what the cause of this might be, and noticed a thin, clear dust drifting throughout the air of the room. Yet, we had no trouble breathing and did not seem to be experiencing any harmful effects.
As we continued through the bioluminescent caverns, picking up a number of samples along the way, we wondered how there could be so much life in what we had expected to be such a barren and lifeless cave.
It was then that Avalanche stopped and told the group to stay quiet. As we listened, we could hear the sounds of what seemed to be a very large creature moving through the vines.
But we were no cowards. We moved towards the sounds, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever they might be. It was then that we realized we need to look up. And as we did so, we found ourselves face to face with a massive, glowing spider.
As the spider dropped from the ceiling towards us, our team readied for the inevitable combat.
Avalanche, pushing the rest of us out of the way, scurried around the legs of the beast, distracting and disorienting it. Just moments later, he flew up and around the spider, digging his teeth and claws into the creature's neck. Clawing at its back in desperation, the spider tried to scrape the attacker off onto the nearby wall, without success. It was then that Avalanche took his opportunity to deliver the final blow, eliminating his opponent.
Our enemy defeated, we continued on into a smaller side passageway.
After a few hours of following the small and winding tunnels, we eventually came to a massive, peculiarly straight tunnel with rough, ice-coated sides. It measured perhaps 100 meters in width and an equal number in height. We followed this tunnel for another few hours, collecting various samples from the walls, before setting our camp, eating our meal, logging our activities, and going to sleep.
Entry 4 - A Close Encounter
Date: Feb 01, 2017
Location: Near the Massive Underground Room - Camp in the Tunnels
There was no dawn, and we couldn't be sure of what time it was - or even what day it was - but nevertheless we awoke feeling quite rested. Taking the time to eat a meal and pack up our items, we soon found ourselves up and ready for another day of exploration.
It was not long into the day's walk that our path began to spiral upwards. Although we had not yet seen any creatures, we had heard the frequent shuffling of tiny footsteps echoing through the halls. We knew we were not alone, and we were not afraid, although we soon would be.
It was later in the day when we came to a large, circular hole in the wall. Seeing the movement inside, we approached cautiously, turning our lanterns down as dim as they could go. We found ourselves looking down into the most massive room we had yet seen. At the center of this large and round chamber, was a writhing mass of tentacles and eyeballs and teeth. Nearing 200 meters tall, and equally wide, it was easily the largest living creature we had ever laid our eyes upon. Around it, thousands of tiny version of this similar creature were all feeding a constant flow of various plants and animals to the 'mother.' There were stacks of grasses and plants arranged in nests, where all of these strange and horrible creatures wiggled about.
In that moment, the exact same thing was going through all of our heads 'Great dragon gods what kind of horror is that?!'
Of course, we did not have too long to take in this situation, as it was soon after that the 'mother' had spotted us, reaching one of its tentacles up through the hole, which was conveniently situated about halfway to the ceiling of the massive room. We knew we had to act, and quickly.
We backed away from the hole as Loki climbed into a nook in the passageway, beckoning for his teammates to follow. There we stayed, quietly waiting and watching as the beast's tendril blindly felt around the passageway.
Quietly creeping from our hiding place to get another look at the creature, we... 'hey! Is that a nocturne egg?! Is that thing eating dragon babies like popcorn?!' This was bad. Very bad. We needed to hatch quite the plan if we were to take out a horror like this.
We knew that there had to be a way for us to fight this thing that didn't simply involve conventional combat. Because, let's face it, we were not going to be able to take down anything that big. Not with only the three of us. As we watched this thing function, we looked around the room, hoping to get a few ideas.
Aztec, having spent a good few minutes deep in thought, eventually pointed to the ceiling of the cavern: 'Do you see all those cracks up there? There's even a hole just above the creature's head. Perhaps we could collapse the ceiling down onto it. I'm not sure how we could do it, but if we can find a way up there we might be able to get a better look.'
We began to thoroughly search the area to see if we could find a passage that would lead us upwards, above the creature.
Fortunately, Avalanche's map would do just the trick. We began to go back, through all the tunnels we had passed, until finally we began to move upwards.
When we had nearly reached the top, we found a secluded place that we thought might be safe enough for a bit of rest, we made our camp, logged our activities, ate our meal, and slept (in shifts, for safety).
Entry 5 - Hall of Mirrors
Date: Feb 04, 2017
Location: Above the 'Mother'-Room - Camp in the Crystalline Caves
'Morning' came - and it brought with it aching backs and cold toes. By this point, we were beginning to grow a bit tired of having to sleep on the cold, hard ground, but our trip was nearly halfway done and there was still so much more to see. We ate our breakfast, packed our camp, and hopped up to continue our journey.
We had not been looking for long when we came across the beautiful sight of sparkling gemstones, everywhere. As we entered a series of crystalline caverns the passages became tighter and more jagged, and the crystals more and more reflective - almost creating a hall of mirrors that easily disoriented us as we wandered through. The light from our lanterns flickered against the floors, walls, and ceiling, bouncing around the corners and sometimes nearly blinding us upon hitting a gemstone at just the wrong angle. We continued through these caves, although slowly and cautiously, taking samples as we went and hoping that we would not become lost.
Fortunately, Avalanche's map kept us on track and headed in the right direction.
Eventually we made our way to the center of these caverns - and up ahead we could see a promising pit in the floor, but it was unfortunately blocked by a thin crystalline wall.
Aztec punched the wall with all of his might, allowing us to make our way into the chamber.
Now able to pass through the wall, we were able to look into the hole in the cavern floor. We had the perfect, bird's-eye view of the large open chamber containing the horrible 'mother' of all mutants. The creature, a writhing mass of black tentacles and eyes, wiggled about, eating the dragon eggs and other foods that the tiny, similar creatures brought it.
Now that we were here, we realized that we needed to be very careful. The horrible creature could easily reach one of its tendrils up through the hole to grab us. This was a good time to be stealthy.
Loki beckoned us away from the pit, showing us how to disguise ourselves with bits of leaves and moss, covering up our bright scales with dirt and mud to assist in this task. When we had finished making ourselves look like ordinary rocks and plantlife, we crouched down at the edge of the hole, peering over the side.
From here, we watched the creatures, taking notes and learning as much as we could.
One of the things we first noticed, is that it was quite clear that these 'creatures' had once been a relatively normal form of wildlife. Years of exposure to the dust had left them strange and mutated, with unusual black tentacles and extra eyes and other limbs. Some of the creatures had mutated more than others. There were creatures nearly recognizable as mice and bats, and others that had long since left their status as 'normal wildlife' behind.
The second thing that became clear is that the 'mother' was nearly entirely dependent on the smaller creatures. It was so large that it could no longer fit through the tunnels, leaving its children to dig tunnels, collect food from the caverns above, and perhaps even venture outside of the cave itself. The fact that it was eating nocturne eggs, helpless beastclan individuals, and other surface-dwelling creatures indicated that the appetite of this thing may be forcing the helpers to the surface.
The third and final thing that we noticed, is that the cause of all of this seemed to be the dust, which was drifting up from narrow slots in the floor. Creatures collected the dust in piles and licked it up - almost as if it were a source of energy itself. The creatures had such a great appetite for it that there was nearly none on the walls or in the air in this chamber.
When we grew tired of watching the creature, we retreated into a secluded corner of the crystalline caves to make our camp and sleep in shifts. We still had the full intention of trying to take it down - as it was clearly a serious hazard to dragonkind - but we needed to be fully rested in order to do so.
Entry 6 - It Lies in Wait
Date: Feb 08, 2017
Location: ????? - ??Inside a prison of ice??
I don't think anyone in our party got much sleep - not when we had the task ahead of us at the front of our minds. We knew what we had to do, to save the little dragon eggs that did not ask for this fate, but we were not sure we were brave enough to do it...
We all stared down on the creature from above. It would take all three of us, at the peak of our abilities, to take it down. We didn't know if we could do it, but we had to try. There was no use waiting any longer.
Standing all together, ready for action, we planned to jump in 3... 2... 1...
Avalanche dove straight for the creature's eyeballs, weaving in and out between the swatting tentacles and clawing them to pieces, one by one.
Aztec took to the air and spiraled around the monster, slashing at its tentacles and biting into its flesh.
We all continued to attack, trying as hard as we could, but we grew more and more weak and wounded, and it just kept fighting. It was so strong, and soon, in a moment of hesitation, we found ourselves scooped up one at a time and dropped into a prison of ice. We were so weak and hurt from fighting that we could barely stand, let alone break our way out of the thick, frozen stone walls. Collapsing into a pile, we only wished that we had spent a bit more time preparing.
Eventually the world around us faded as we slowly froze. In those last few moments, we had thought that we would be trapped forever - but, if that were the case, you're probably wondering how you're reading this.
Entry 7 - Lost in the Ice
Date: Feb 11, 2017
Location: Outside the Cave - The Clan Camp
It is an excellent thing that dragons are such hardy creatures. We are built to survive in the harshest of environments, some swimming in lava, some roaming the plaguelands, some dwelling deep beneath the sea, and some sleeping in very, very cold places. Wherever we go, dragons are good at surviving - and, primarily, good at sleeping.
Most older dragons have known a good year-long hibernation period, and some have slept for decades. Sometimes you just need a
good rest, and although what we were engaged in was not a good rest, it was, nevertheless, a rest. Sort of. We like to think of it that way. We, The Vortex Squad, were not going to let our time as genuine 100% dragon popsicles get us down.
The next thing we remembered was a rather warm tingling in our toes. The warm tingling began to spread to our legs, and our tail, and soon we realized we could move. Loki was the first to open his eyes, soon finding himself staring directly into the face of... our entire clan. Yes, the
entire clan noticed that we had been missing for a few weeks and came down to dig us out. What an embarassment! All of those dragons making a big trek into the cave, going out of their way to drop whatever important
surface things they were doing just so they could dig their neighbors out of a trench.
When we had all melted, dried off, and begun to recover, our clanmates told us of the
immense trouble they had gone through in cutting us out of the ice like some certified fresh ice cubes and hoisting the blocks of ice up through the trenches and out of the cave. And that's not even considering the weeks it took to find us!
At least they were happy to have the information we had gathered, although it certainly felt like they didn't even need it. With the whole clan there, they had no problem taking down the big monsters, and they didn't even save us any of the goodies. Well, we got a few things each, but it wasn't the same.
At the end of the day, we don't regret our quest into the cave. We don't even really regret getting frozen and failing miserably. If we hadn't needed a good rescue, the clan wouldn't have been able to find nearly as much stuff because most of them would have never bothered to enter the cave. We only regret that we didn't get to keep any of it because we should 'be thankful they didn't just leave us there.'