Roleplay

@Stanzascale and here's the thread! I'm going to subscribe to this so you won't need to ping me.

The yearly emergence of nocturnes late in December is not unusual, but the S.H.I. has found their own problems rising along with Night of the Nocturne. Creatures have begun to camouflage themselves as familiars, and the S.H.I. refers to them Mimickers. All members of the S.H.I. have been called in to help deal with hunting down and researching such Mimickers, including the Eld Reapers. Emere, a junior researcher of the S.H.I., has been called into the Southern Icefield's outpost to be paired with Clodi, a skilled Soul-Hunter. The pair is being sent into the icy terrain of the Southern Icefield with the mission of hunting down, capturing, and researching the Mimickers. Unfortunately, they are going in blind with only their wits and skills to defend themselves.

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Okay not my Best writing but oh well. There's the plot line, I'll do some scene setting in a bit!

[i]Southern Icefields, half past noon[/i] [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=46335830] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/463359/46335830_350.png[/img] [/url] ((Just including a pic of Emere so you don't have to run around my messy lair to know what she looks like)) As Emere trudged through the thick layer of snow, she was beginning to regret brushing off Scorn's offer to fetch her a warmer coat before she left the warmth of the Shifting Expanse. Every inch of her was frozen and shivering, but it was a small miracle that the S.H.I. outpost was close now. That being said, Emere would probably be longer than the few moments it would have taken her to fly there; she had half a dozen thick books strapped to her back, about 10 scrolls of her various notes, and a bag stuffed full of pens, ink, and quills. Finally, she reached the outpost. It was underwhelming; there was a small, ramshackle shack with a door falling off its hinges, rotting and frozen wood splintering at the seams. With a heavy sigh, Emere stepped into the shack, wondering how an imperial would ever fit in such a building. She peered around the darkness, spying what seemed to be a handle in the frozen snow. Frowning to herself, Emere fumbled her things and lifted the trapdoor, finding a nice, inviting pit of darkness. Emere dropped down, then followed the long tunnel that emerged in her view. When she finally arrived at the end of it, she found yet another door, and luckily this one led to a warm, open room with a few other S.H.I. members around. She pulled out the crumpled assignment paper, peering down at the creased image for several long moments. She glanced up at the room a few times, then landed on a massive, brown imperial. Emere shifted her things more firmly onto her back, then stumbled over to the dragon. "Erm, hello there," Emere nearly flinched at how soft her voice sounded, but pushed on nonetheless, "You wouldn't happen to be Clodi the Soul Hunter? I'm Emere, the Researcher, I believe we are supposed to go on a mission to hunt down the Mimickers? In the Southern Icefields?"

((Alrighty, I'm subscribed too, so no need to ping me either. :) Seems a good standard practice to post an image when a new character enters, so I'll post Clodi with her extra cold-weather clothes.)) [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=14056740] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/140568/14056740_350.png[/img] [/url] The outbreak of Mimickers meant that, regardless of how well one was regarded as a team-member, all who were able-bodied were called upon. Those delegating tasks and selecting groups had wisely decided to assign Clodi to team up with a researcher. This way meant the Imperial could focus her violent energy on keeping both of them safe, and capturing Mimickers. Imperials like Clodi were well-suited to the latter, as they would be able to carry many medium-sized Mimickers without much difficulty. She hadn't expected it to be a fellow Plague dragon the assignment would pair her with. Hopefully that meant it wouldn't be one of those escort missions Clodi had heard of from one of the other agents where you practically had to keep your charge on your back for the entire time. When the clan learnt of her destination, they insisted Clodi accept some spare apparel from the communal hoard to help ward against the weather of the coldest of realms. They'd made it clear that this wasn't an offer she was allowed to refuse. The Imperial was examining a pale Wraith Hound. There were one or two Beastmasters at the outpost who were allowing Soul-Hunters and others to borrow familiars trained to aid in their work. With nothing more than bone and soul, some looked quite fragile, but the Tamer had assured Clodi it would take far more than a passing snowstorm to stop them in their tracks. A Skydancer nearby started to speak to her, drawing Clodi's attention. The newcomer identified herself as Emere, the researcher Clodi had been waiting for. “Yeah, that's me.” The Imperial rose to her feet and the Wraith Hound stood as well. “Time to head out?” Her mouth twitched briefly into a grin. Just the squeeze out again, and then it would be time to see what challenges the Icefield, and these new creatures, had to offer.

((look at her, so much more prepared than Emere! Sorry about the late response, was at a christmas eve party then needed to Nap, may or may not respond tomorrow.))

Emere found a twinge of jealousy at the imperial's warm clothing, briefly wondering if she could scrounge up something to help her. She debated forgoing warm clothing, but realized it would slow them down. With a sigh, she shook her head.

"Sorry, I've got to grab some warm clothing real fast, I forgot to do that before I came. After that though, we should be off. Nice wraith hound though, I don't usually work with familiars but it would be nice to have on with the Mimickers around!"

Emere waited for the nod from Clodi, then set down her books and hurried off to the nearby community closet. She silently thanked the Stormcatcher that this outpost was stocked with warm clothing as she riffled through the garments, finding a slightly odd but workable congregation of blue, black, and white clothes. She hesitated a moment before grabbing a furry black coat that reminded her of Midnight's, then trotted back out in her new clothes. She slung the books and scrolls back over her, then looked up at Clodi.

"Alright, all set, let's get a move on," Emere chirped. She let the larger imperial take the lead, following her through a different door than the one she came in from. The path was much more well lit and shorter, emerging at the base of a snowy mountain. Emere glanced at Clodi, content to let the more experienced hunter take the leader until her skills were needed.

((edit: enjoy Emere's bad fashion))

((No worries. You can probably guess I didn't check FR yesterday until it was a bit late for me to think about writing, heh. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, and I hope the little time-skip's okay. I thought I'd infer from your last sentence. *waves hand* Emere, you look fine. No one's gonna mind either way, heh.))

It was probably for the best that the researcher finished preparing for the weather. Clodi figured that the Emere's task likely involved staying in one place while she studied something. The initiative's outposts, thus far, had been successfully ensuring that all agents were supplied with what they needed. Should the crisis span a greater length of time than predicted, all of them would have to consider restocking.


Once outside, Clodi scanned the area. "Been hearing from scouts about 'loot-mounds'. When a Mimicker's been around awhile it's easy to see where they keep their hoards. They get too big to hide." She pointed to the west. "Heard of a bunch close together thereabouts. Way I see it: either lots of them have put their mounds together, or one's hoarded so much it won't stay in one mound." The Imperial looked back at the Skydancer for any assent or objection, picked up the Wraith Hound, and took off. "Keep that line of trees to our right, and when we reach a slope up, there should be a few caves."

A couple of times, Clodi slowed, and told Emere to wait as she circled, but the Imperial didn't catch more than a glimpse of a shape or two as she sought the source of other wingbeats she heard on those occasions. She landed on her back feet when they reached the slope. Put down the Wraith Hound, and started checking for signs of anything aggressive wandering nearby like Hoarfrost Maulers. Clodi figured it would also be easier to spot cave-entrances from the ground.

The wind began to blow.

((Welcome to I got Super Tired yesterday so I took a lil bit of a break. I'm back now! Sorry for the short reply.))

Emere followed in general silence, allowing Clodi to search out the Mounds however she saw fit. Emere was no tracker in the first place, and the Southern Icefields were less of a forgiving place to a dragon from the Shifting Expanse. When she had a few moments to herself, Emere was busy scribbling the information Clodi relayed in her notebooks, as well as the path they took.

"These Mounds, did the scouts give you a description of them? Approximate size or contents or anything like that?" Emere queried when they finally landed at the slope, "The hills will only be able to hold so many things, and if I have an idea of what we are looking for then I can help find them."

((Got kinda worried about whether to say that the likes of the wind were implicit 'suggestions' should you want it to increase to the point of tracking difficulty or to require choosing between taking shelter from the storm and pressing on longer or something. Though I wasn't sure whether the caves option was undesirable (given that the snowfield setting was already chosen) when I thought of it before, but the caves can be as big or small as you like and/or lead back out again. And I felt like Clodi might take an interest while writing this post. Whether in or out of character, feel free to say if you have a preferable idea to anything I might be trying, or if you want me to edit something.))

“Some think Mimickers that have been around longer have bigger hoards. Imagine the Fae-sized ones wouldn't have big ones either. Think the ones near here are Guardian-knee height, and some are Tundra-height.” Clodi frowned and tried to remember. Some of the other agents had talked about some of the things that Mimickers collected, but it hadn't been a very interesting conversation.
“I think there's one, probably mimicking a flying shield, which has a mound of swords. There's another, it's either stealing or talking to Longnecks. Got scarves, packs and some of their food. It's tricky to find stuff out here, so plenty aren't picky and take anything they find.”

Clodi looked at the hillside. “Maybe they keep their stuff out of the wind.” She went to take a look. The Imperial snorted at the first cave-entrance she found, which was too small for a Guardian, let alone an Imperial. The second was more to her liking. So long as it stayed large enough, maybe a Mimicker was nesting within, maybe something else was. Either way it was unlikely to be boring. The Imperial grinned.

((Don't worry about it! This is fine.))

Emere nodded as she listened, scribbling messily in a notebook as they went--her handwriting wasn't likely to be legible alter, but that was a problem for another time. She surveyed the land around them, taking in the unfamiliar snowy hills and snow logged trees to her right. It was certainly an unhospitable land, but if dragons could live here, there was no reason why mimickers wouldn't.

"It would make sense for them to keep their hoards out of the wind and the elements," Emere called, writing brief notes on a scroll before tucking it away, "Only the most hardy items can survive this weather for long stretches of time, and if any of them decide to collect lighter items they would be lost quite easily. The most optimal position in the Southern Icefields, according to an ex-ice member in my clan, is hidden away in a cave, lower down with low ceilings to preserve heat. Assuming Mimickers need body heat to survive, I think a cave is a likely bet, and the bigger the cave the bigger the hoard."

With that, Emere cautiously made her way into the cave, glancing back at Clodi and gesturing for the imperial to follow. They were walking into unknown lands, and while Emere would be scribbling notes about the environment, location, and features of any Mimicker's nest inside, Clodi would be the guard. Emere was not keen on getting herself killed for research, as interesting as it could be.

((Happy New Year! Feel free to figure whatever you like regarding the contents of the covered mound.))

As they entered the cave, Clodi took out and lit a lantern. Another item which the initiative had anticipated agents investigating the region would need.

At one point Clodi stopped to consider a side-tunnel entrance. The Imperial would have to keep an eye out for any more to try avoid a potential ambush. It was half-blocked by some particularly large ice stalactites. Clodi would have to force a way through if she wanted passage. For the time being, she told the Wraith Hound, which had begun to dig a small hollow, that they would move on.

Clodi ducked as the ceiling became somewhat lower further in, and they reached a room. The Imperial set the lantern down near the centre where it was unlikely to be dripped on. There were two mounds. One was covered in with a rough cloth, and the other seemed to be a pile of pebbles, stone tablets and statuettes. One end of a branch poked out from under the cloth of the covered mound, and a couple of teeth were on the ground nearby.

Two smaller tunnels were connected to the room, and a third, though large enough to accommodate an Imperial, was narrow enough that it would make turning around difficult for Clodi.

((Sorry about taking so long to reply, school started back up so I was dealing with that! I'll try and do a reply a day from now on))

Emere let Clodi take the lead with the light, and followed patiently, watching best she could for sudden dangers. Luckily, there seemed to be nothing more dangerous than the occasional icy drop of water and slick surface they stepped over. Whatever Mimicker lived in this cave seemed to be absent at the moment.

When the pair arrived at the set of mounds, Emere was immediately intrigued. As soon as Cloud gave her a curt nod of safety, Emere scrambled forward to investigate further. She glanced at the covered mound, frowning at the teeth, then decided to begin with the obvious.

"For the most part, this looks to be the sort of materials a dragon would find from scavenging or digging in the wilderness," Emere said, carefully picking up a pebble and turning to in her palms, "Nothing particularly special. The tablets all seem to be some of the more common texts of the Southern Icefields, a few religious ones, a few from before the Shade, and a few just random ones. I can't read all of them unfortunately." Emere scribbled her findings in her notebook, then tucked a small selection of pebbles, one of the tablets, and a small statue in her bag as well. She would consult Ark later about the rocks, but it would always be helpful to find out what exactly these creatures were hoarding.

Moving to the second found, Emere leaned down to observe the teeth. They were too small to be from the larger dragons breeds, and didn't have the shape of a fae, tundra or spiral. "Most likely from some unfortunate creature being made a meal," Emere said, tucking them in her bag as well. Then, with as much delicacy as she could, Emere pulled back the cover on the mound.

The treasures contained there were much less mundane than the others. A variety of fine weaponry glinted in the fire light, several well made statues of gold and silver had valuable stone set in them. Richly decorated books were strewn haphazardly over the finery, and there was a large amount of what Emere would guess was stolen treasure and gems. Peering more closely, Emere could also see the stray evidence of meals; bones picked clean protruded at odd angles, a tattered pelt laying over a statue, stains of blood on a book.

"Well... can't say I expected that," Emere said, glancing back at Clodi once more. These Mimickers were getting more and more confusing with every discovery.