deercountry | Delilah Dirk and the Temple of the Forgotten Mother [Quasi-Closed]

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Delilah Dirk and the Temple of the Forgotten Mother [Quasi-Closed]

Who: Delilah Dirk and Others!
What: The exploration of a small part of a temple complex discovered at the edge of the known map of Trench.
When: Early month
Warnings: Mummies, potentially other violence.

She had sent out invitations. Not engraved ones, but still - very nicely done. A proper adventure needed to be done correctly. It took some time for this to happen, from her announcement - to her extreme annoyance. But it had turned out that the entire entrance way of the temple complex, at least the one she had stumbled across, was completely unstable. It had taken time, and nearly every shiny rock she had, to get workmen to shore it up.

She'd been slightly worried they would dive into the ruins themselves - but they seemed far more reticent to the idea of adventure than she was.

What people would find, as they approached, was a small campfire in a dense wood; though she'd tacked up helpful direction arrows to help people find their way. The entrance itself blended into a slight, tree-covered hill, parts of it shot through with the roots of the trees above it. The stone itself was of a dark, cold colour, leading down into the dark.

And sitting before it, Delilah Dirk, with a cup of tea in her hands. A teapot slung over the fire promised more.

"Ah, there you are," she said, brightly. "Time to get started, hmm?"

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[Meet and greet threads can happen here?]

A temple was very much NOT a cave, and for this, Luz was honestly pretty grateful. Her last foray into a cave had not gone swimmingly (though they had at least escaped those bees) and Luz had been worried that things might go badly like they had then. Luckily, it was a temple, which Luz realized was very much NOT the same thing, so she figured that would be ok.

Now that she knew where she was going though, she'd come prepared. She had her backpack with her full of things she thought might be useful: her glyphs, a thermos of water, a few knives and some wrapped up foodstuffs in case it was needed. She's also taken care to wear protective gloves in case they needed to pull or scale up some rock faces.

It never hurt to be prepared!

She leans over a bit, seeing the bulging backpack and nodding, approvingly.

"Oh, good show," she said. "Full kit."

"I wouldn't have it any other way! Fern's always telling me to be prepared if I ever do a dungeon crawl. I figure that temples' are pretty much the same thing that way."

She'd never been to one of course, but there was a first time for everything, right?

"Do you think I missed anything?"

She sipped at her tea, waving it away.

"All you need is a good mix of offensive weaponry, something to bandage any injuries, and food that'll keep."

She pauses.

"Oh, and rope. Significant quantities of rope. Everything after that is bonus, really."

Luz smiled further.

"Good thing I have all three of those then! I always carry bandages, you've seen the food, and I've got my glyphs ready in case we need them!"

Luz had thought briefly about taking the staff, but finally decided against it. If something were to happen to Owlbert she'd never forgive herself.

"Oh! That I DON'T have. Should I run out and get some before I come back here?"

She kicked the box she was sitting on with the heel of her boot.

"Taken care of. Enough to rig Nelson's flagship," she said, proudly. "Say what you will about this place, they know how to make a good rope."

"Heh, great! I should probably see who else is coming, I didn't check the manifest!"

No Varian this time? Aww. She was hoping he'd be down like the last time. Oh well.

"Oh hey, there's Rose! And a guy I don't know, but I'll probably learn about soon!"

She nodded, sipping her tea and watching Luz from behind the cup. A natural. Pity she hadn't been born in her time - she would have swashbuckled with the best of them.

"Could have used you on a few adventures," she said, very casually. "Like the time I raised a lost city from beneath the sands of North Africa."

A phrase she dropped into the conversation in the same way someone might talk about fetching the milk.

Luz was definitely the type who would have gone (and often does) on adventures! Sadly, this was not a thing that happened for her back home in Connecticut. The most she could hope for was the adventure of explaining to her mother why she was in trouble again.

"You RAISED a lost city?! Incredible! How did it happen?"

Now you certainly have Luz's attention!

"Oh, you know how it is," she said, with deliberate casualness. "Levers and things, and then all the gears took over."

"You know I don't mean the mechanics!"

Luz pouted. "I mean, how'd you know it was something that was even possible? Were you specifically looking to raise a lost city?"

She held the grin for a little longer before giving in.

"Oh, well, we'd known there was a lost city but that it could be raised? Absolutely not. An ancient civilization, lost to time. But they'd prepared their own city for the day it might rise again. Granted, it sank again, but that's another story."

Luz shook her head.

"It sank again?! Ok, someone's really going to have to start writing all of these stories down. I'm inclined to believe you might be one of the coolest people I know."

Her smile faded a bit at there. Oh, there had been. And what a charlatan he'd prove to be.

"Well, if they did it right," she commented, sipping her tea to hide her thoughts.

Wait, did she say something wrong?

"I mean, you have a new scribe, and a pretty cool one, I think!"

She eyed her friend Rose from across the room.

And now she's wary of that. Great.

"I suppose so," she said, "have to keep a weather eye on that."

Once burned, twice shy.

"Ok, but I'll personally vouch for her. She's pretty great!"

She hoped she didn't somehow make things worse.

She shifted a bit, thinking. Then she shrugged.

"Well, if it's you vouching for her. I mean, she seemed a decent sort."

Luz nodded eagerly.

"Trust me, you're not going to find a better scribe for you! Rose is smart, capable, and willing to rough things if she has to! You won't find a better person for your team!"

She nodded.

"Sorry, bit of a thing. Last one nearly got us all killed, the charlatan. He was lucky I didn't run him through."

"That sounds like a pretty complicated situation! What exactly did he do, where he almost got all of you killed?"

Luz loved story time. Please tell her everything.

"When we searched for the lost city, my friend Selim and I, there was a chronicler with us. A Dutchman, whom I tolerated because he wrote pretty words about my adventures."

She sighed.

"When the time came, I...misjudged him. He was only in it for his own aggrandizement. It nearly killed us all, when his treachery nearly trapped us inside the city, sinking into lava."

Did it matter that he was Dutch? What did Luz really know about the Dutch? The answer to that was nothing, so she just continued listening to the short tale.

"I feel like something is still missing in this tale? You say he was only in it for himself, and that he was treacherous, but I still am not really sure what he actually did that almost killed all of you?"

It did when the nickname, given as a friend, had been 'Dutchman'.

"His actions sunk the city. And his stories..." She shook her head. "At first I was flattered. But he was...making me into a joke. A silly story-woman. A parody. And then, in trying to steal the glory of the city for himself, he sank it back into the sea. I nearly died, my friend Selim nearly died, my uncle nearly died - half the diplomats of Europe because that bugger reporter was trying to sell the secrets to the highest bidder!"

Ah. So simple logic then.

"Oh wow," Luz said, her eyes bugging out. "What a jerk! And his actions got the whole city sunken again? I hope he got his comeuppance in the end!"

She couldn't help but immediately think of Bellos, the worse person she'd ever had the displeasure of meeting.

She shook her head, harumphing.

"Right, it's all in the past. Today is a new day, hmm? Right."

"Yeah, exactly! Now we get to go on a whole new adventure, and hopefully with no potential backstabbing!"

Luz was just being funny. She trusted Rose implicitly, and Luz was very loyal to Delilah.

Oh. That's a good point. She brightens.

"Oh, good, only the possibility of front-stabbing, then. Which I'm much better at."

"Hey, if I'm on your team, they'll have to go through me first!"

Luz gave her a thumbs up. "No stabbing, back or front!"

Rose wasn't entirely sure she was up to the task when she signed up, but that month's lovely catacomb crawl proved that she was. Mostly. As long as mushrooms weren't involved, she'd be happy.

Since she was supposed to be recording what went on, she had a thick flip notebook and several black ink pens stashed in a pocket of her oversized khaki coat which was covered with pouches. Other than that, boot cut jeans, a pink cable-knit sweater (because who said redheads shouldn't wear pink? not her), and sturdy boots.

She was still afraid she stood out like a sore thumb. But that feeling was lessening the more time she spent in Trench. She could actually picture herself leading a relatively pleasant life here, even more so if Jack washed up on the shore. And she'd thought, get involved, make friends, do things so that you're not spending your entire day with your nose in a book.

So Rose stood with her hands clasped neatly in front of her and an open look on her face, hoping that those she didn't know would introduce themselves.

The boots, well, the boots she liked quite a bit. Rose might well notice Delilah's own pair of thick leather boots. Good for long walks, deep delves, and kicking things in the vulnerables.

"Hullo," she said, pointing at the teapot. "Tea?"

She's gotten far more used to wearing hiking or work boots than her usual heeled slippers from home. The boots are far more comfortable. The same goes for the rest of her clothing, she's never wearing a corset again.

"Yes, I'd love some. Do you have any sugar?"

She pointed at a bag nearby, with a nod. "Help yourself," she replied. Then, of course: "Excellent boots, quite proper for this."

"Thank you. I know most people consider it a sin to put sugar in tea, but that's how I grew up drinking it," she says, going over to the bag. "Thank you. They're much better than the shoes I used to wear. More practical, too, given the circumstances."

"Oh, I've had it every which way. Can't say it bothers me," she replies in turn.

"And too right. We're going to be in dust up to our ankles, possibly. Maybe sand."

Jake shows up in full Librarian exploring gear, which for him is a sturdy button-up shirt and bandana around his neck, with a leather bag with archeological tools, and an axe on his belt in case they got into something like sentient vines that went after you or something. Because that totally has happened to him before.

He is so ready for a proper adventure, after all the crap this place has already put him through. He's positively homesick at this point when he sees the campfire.

"Made it!" he announces his presence as he manages to squeeze past a particularly thick bramble.

Axes were, frankly, fairly universally useful in oh so many situations. She preferred swords, for preference.

"That you did," she replied, brightly. "And intact, too, which is a good start."

"That's half the battle, showin' up to a mission intact," he laughs, taking off his bag and setting it down for a moment.

"And eatin' before you go in. One time I was stuck in a tomb for like, two whole days with nothin' but old biscuits. Can't say that was one of my favorite excursions."

"Oh, that's a familiar tune," she replied, pouring out another cup of tea. "Good old hardtack and Royal Navy biscuits."

Somehow, Leon always keeps finding himself underground. At least this time, he can console himself with the knowledge that he deliberately chose to be here. He shows up a little late, armed with his handgun, his shotgun, a knife, and a shitload of hand grenades just in case, as well as his notebook.

When he sits down, he pulls out a granola bar and starts snacking down on it. If someone else happens to pass by, he passes out a bar to them as well. "Brought as much as I had room for," he says. "Be careful. You don't know what's in there."

"Cheers," she said, taking one. "And so far? Nothing as far down as ten feet - had to stabilize the entrance that far."

She gestured vaguely at some of the scaffolding.

"Oh, grenades," she added, gesturing to see one. As if that was a normal thing. "Take it this pin thing is the activator? Rather better than a burning fuse for timing, I'll bet."

"Yeah, it's a quicker countdown," says Leon, because for him this is a normal thing. "Once you pull the pin, you have four seconds to throw it until it blows." He taps the casing with a fingernail, and says, "I didn't bring any flashbangs or incendiary grenades with me, sadly. Kinda got a little pressed for time while packing."

He glances at the entrance, then says, "What'd you bring?"

"Swords," she replied, patting the one at her side. "Really all I need is rope, torches, food, and swords."

Her list of needs were very simple, really.

One eyebrow goes up, disappearing into Leon's bangs. Funny how this grown man walks around with a haircut straight out of a boy band album cover and no shame about it, really.

"You're sure about the swords?" he asks. "I'm not sure I want anyone getting close to anything still lurking around down there." He can't help but think of just how badly a swordfight with a zombie would go. It only takes one slip for things to go south quick.

That was the thing about her. When it came to swords, she never did - there were no mistakes. They were for others to make, in order to make her job easier.

"Oh, absolutely. I'm the best, you see," she replied, simply. And meant every word of it.

She rigged up some ropes very firmly tied to the surface - the entryway ran for about four meters, sloping downwards. Beyond that, there had apparently once been a long, wide spiral staircase, moving down into the darkness.

Time, or some past disaster - either very possible around here - had torn most of the stairs free. So they'd be descending into the dark. She lit a torch, peering over the edge for a moment before dropping it downwards. It took a good while to hit the ground.

She leaned back again, asking for a coil of rope, tossing that down into the darkness as well.

"Well," she said, turning back to the company, "downwards we go."

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Delilah Dirk and the Temple of the Forgotten Mother [Quasi-Closed]

INTRODUCTIONS

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sorry this is late!

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THE TEMPLE DIVE

Starting here, alphabetical?