Play@YSDC

The group has the following members: Professors Derby and Ling and the students Johnny, Anne and Tobias. They decide to walk to the nearest mound, half a mile. Professor Derby decide to climb the mound (since in the base its all full of mud), and excavate it and make a hole from there.

Vance first walks around the mound, examining it from all sides, then walks up to the top and looks around from the higher ground.

"I'll just be keeping a security lookout like you hired me to do. If you need any help digging, I'm fine with doing some manual labor."

-No, thank you very much. I know we won't need you probably, but it's better to keep it safe.
The work is tedious and takes several hours. Suddenly Johnny screams:
-I hit the rock!

OOC,What does Vance sees when he walks around/looks out from the top during the digging?

Vance peers down into the hole.
"What is it?"

You see mud and ice in every direction, except the city; the walls are too high to see inside.
-Well, now we will excavate to left only the rock that is the roof of the mound; then we will make a hole in the rock and try to enter. But now, it's lunch time! Canned food for everyone. If someone need to make a pee, return to to the base of the mound and leave some distance to avoid to contaminate the ground.
Immediatly, Professor Ling and Anne decide to go both to the base of the mound.

As Vance takes part in lunch, he calls Patrick to ask how the other group is doing.

Patrick answers you call.

"This is Patrick," he says. "What's up?"

"Not much. We've been digging in a mound of soil, and now we're stopping for lunch. I'm going to send you some pictures. So far, it isn't too exciting, so I called to see if what's happening inside the city."

Vance sends some quick pictures of the mound, the dig hole, and lunch over the phone.

"Thanks," says Patrick. "I can use some of these when I send the pictures back to the university. I've taken several of my own too." He transmits the photos he took of the city. "It's been interesting so far. Have you seen any wild animals around? I haven't noticed any at all, and you'd think there'd be some scavengers. We've just found a big building in the center of town. Looks to be some sort of temple." He snaps a picture and sends that too.

"Nope, no animals of any kind. I'll keep an eye out. Even back home there are rats and feral dogs."

Vance studies the picture.

"Thanks," replies Patrick. "I thought it was odd that there weren't any around. Is there anything else before we get back to the exploration?"

"Nope, not a lot happening. We struck rock right before we stopped for lunch, but otherwise things are pretty dull. See you later. "

"Okay, goodbye," says Patrick, disconnecting.

The excavation resumes. They continue to digg the earth and discover that the rock is the roof of the mound; they are made of small blocks. After withdrawing several block, with a rope is it possible to descent. With a lantern it is possible to see the ground: it's about 4 meters.
- Well, I will descent first. Only 2 other persons may descent with me; do you mind to join me after Mr Vance?

"Not at all. It'll be a pleasure to see what waits inside. Mind if I take a lantern?"

Vance intends to descend by seizing the rope strongly but loosely with the fingers of his robotic limb and letting himself slide down slowly. This will leave his other hand free to hold his revolver out and ready to fire. The lantern will be on him, but not in his hand.

-Oh boy! This is quite a discovery- says professor Derby.
The room is completely circular. At the top, in a throne, there is skeleton of a warrior with a helmet, full plate probably bronze, a sword in the hand and several jewels. There are bodies at his feets, and lot's of pottery.
Make a medicine/biology roll.

Vance takes some pictures. His knowledge of biology does not help him understand things.

He puts his revolver away, instead carrying a lantern in his robotic hand and his axe in his other one.

"Impressive. Any field inferences, professor?"

Vance approaches the skeleton and takes a closer look. The unmistakable eeriness of the professor's words cause him to raise the axe warily.

As soon as you aproach the skeleton seems to make a move... to the floor where he crumbles.
Make a spot hidden roll.

Vance is too surprised by the motion to notice anything.

"That skeleton was priceless - maybe we should get out and find a less damaging way to look here? Our footsteps and the atmosphere we let in are evidently harmful."

-Yes, welll but before we leave the camera, I would like to take a look to the main entrance.
You hear from upstairs:
-So, did you find anything?

"It looks like a tomb. We found a skeleton in armor on a throne, but it fell to pieces as we looked. We can also see pottery, bronzework, and skeletons on the floor."

Vance takes pictures as he talks.

-Just bronze- mumbles the professor- this is really very ancient indeed. A new civilization! And a new specie! It's obvious that he belongs to the genus homo, but they are differences. I will depending the results, call him Homo Miskatonicus or if he belongs to the same specie, Homo sapiens Miskatonikus

"But first we need to make sure we have a surviving skeleton."

Vance carefully looks at the ones on the floor.

There is one with a beautiful ring.

"Hey, professor, look at this," Vance says as he points to the ring.

"So, what are our plans?"

Vance looks at the cold-weather gloves on his hands.

"These aren't exactly laboratory gear, but they should protect the artifacts from my hands."

Then he puts away his axe and carefully picks up the ring and the skull.

-So can we came down too? We also want to see those marvels- says professor Ling.
-Ok, just wait that me and Mr Vance get outside- answers professor Derby.
Then in a lower voice to you:
-Women: They can't restrain the curiosity. But in this case it's really understandable. We are making history! Nobody will remember Carter, and it will be our names who will be revered!

Vance starts to realize just how big the find is.

"Howard Carter? You're right, he never came close to a new species of human. And Neanderthals were not this advanced. If our eyes do not decieve us, this is the greatest find of all time. After you, professor."

He gestures to the rope.

He looks at you with curiosity
-I must confess your surprising me. I didn't expected to have the luck of having an educated man as security, I was expecting more the normal thug. Well, let's not make the women await!
He climbs the rope and then he awaits you.

"And I was expecting a life of uneducated thuggery, but I had the luck of doing security for a reasearch expedition," Vance says as he climbs the rope.

The trio descends to the mound. 15 minutes latter, Professor Derby shouts:
-Ok, time to get out. We don't want to get lost in the night here.
-Right! Just a couple of minutes more-answers professor Ling
They finally climb and they have a big smile in their faces:
-You must had been quite blind down there! Look at what we have bring!
You see a cylinder with a strange symbol. It is open, and you see a scroll inside.
-Humm, congratulations. That is a fantastic discovery. I'm sure we will have lot's of material to study this night. But let's leave this place. Mr Vance, would you be kind enouth to contact our colegues in the city? Just to tell them that we are returning to the camp.

"I'll give them a call. Mind if I photograph the symbol?"

Vance turns on his phone and calls the camp.

-Of course! Take several pictures. I know that our finds are probably dwarfed by the discoveries from our colegues in the city, but nobody can spoil our joy now!
Go to the phone call thread.

"Is everyone ready? If the other crew fainted at what they saw, it was evidently a bit disturbing. Perhaps everyone should sit down first."

-Well, maybe we should get to the camp first then?- says timidely Professor Ling- If one of us faints we will have to walk a long time.
-Well, this is not our discovery, so maybe we can let it for latter, what do you think, Mr Vance?

"What else do we have to do here?" Vance asks.
"I'm sure it won't be a problem if we get some work done before returning to camp and taking a look, although I'm more than a bit curious."

"Then let's get to work."

After some time, you finish to cover the entrance of the mound.
-Right, now it is done and we can go. Everyone is ready?

"Yes."

Vance take a good look around before walking down from the mound and heading back to the camp with the professor.

Everything is very calm. No animals, just a cold breeze.
The group returns to the camp in a quite happy mood. The students are planning papers, and thinking that with some luck they may get a job in a university.

Return to the thread: All.

You return again to the same mound from yesterday.
Professor Derby is talking with Vance about what happened to the other team. Professor Ling is discussing about the credit they will receive about the paper that will be written with Johnny, Anne and Tobias.

"What do you really think happened?" Vance asks Derby.

"Well, maybe we can find something today that will shed some light on it."

-I hope so. It wouldn't be nice to put in the paper: "besides several vases, we found a monster who ate half the team".

In the mound, you uncover the hole you made, attach several ropes and start the descent.
-Well, now we will split in two teams: I will stay here in the main chamber with Anne and Mr Vance; the others will go with Professor Ling to the entrance. Any question?

"Everything is clear to me."

Vance has his revolver ready and a flashlight at his belt.

In this chamber, you see the remains from yesterday skeleton. The weapons are made of bronze. The walls have paintings and there is pottery.
Do you want to study:
The skeleton, the weapons, the pottery or the paintings?

Vance studies the paintings.

You see several images of battles and hunting. Most are against animals (some kind of wolf and tiger) and a creature you don't recognize: a small furry creatures with a dog/simian bipedal with primitive spears. There are images of the ruins of a strange city and a great mountain.

"Professor, do these images of ruins look like the city the other team is investigating? That could show these mounds are from a later date."

Vance examines the pottery next.

OOC: Sorry, examining the paitings have take a couple of hours. Its now time to eat and each member of the group was studing one of the options I gave you.
-Time to eat! No food, no work- says Professor Derby- Ladies, dinner is ready!
They appear.
-I'm starving-says Tobias
-You are always starving! -You gonna be fat before you get 25 years- says Anne
-It's not my fault, I need to eat a lot.

"Hey, eat when you can," says Vance, taking part in lunch.

"So, who was looking at the skeleton? Is it really a new species?"

OOC: Anne was getting all the pieces and putting it in a box

-I'm still waiting that the guys from the chemical departement make me a call; they said they would tell me anything as soon as they knew anything. Hum, no signal, of course, here in this deep hole we can't be contacted. Tobias, as soon you finish eating, climb outside, and see if you can contact them- and yes, you can get an extra sandwich. About your question Mr Vance, we need to find other specime, to be sure; it could just be a mutant of course.
-What i think strange, is why the city was abandoned. I mean, usually, there is a catastrophe like a earthquake, or war, but this city is so well preserved. It's like everybody had decide to leave the place one day- say Anne.

"A plague, perhaps? One that left such a mark on the survivors that they never returned? Or maybe, who knows, it was a case of ancient politics - the city lost a war fought somewhere else, and was surrendered peacefully to oblivion."

"Maybe some people did return, but not enough to leave a mark we've found, yet.

I'm thinking about when conquerors have displaced populations, like the original Babylonian Captivity. They always replaced the populations they moved with someone else, but what if they didn't for this city?"

Mi-Go, please return to the All thread.

Tobias is ready for another mound expedition.

The group arrive to the next mound. Same routine: digging a hole until they arrive at the stone, and retire the roof.
-Well, here we are. Mr Vance, make the normal procedures, I will start the descent.

As before, Vance slowly slides down the rope with his metal grip. His other hand holds his revolver, and a lantern is attached to his waist.

You descent slowly... and arrive at the bottom. This place is very different. The owner wasn't a warrior. You see small box like the other with the scroll, several vases... and a sarcophagus. No paintings or skeleton outside.
-Mmm, this place is very different from the other. Even the vases have a different aspect. It's probably from a different time, that would explain the sarcophagus: it may bee in fashion or abandoned that habbit latter.

Vance slowly approaches the sarcophagus.

"How do we know the mound is structurally sound?"

OOC: Sorry, but does that mean?

OOC: Sorry didn't knew it. Well, the mounds I'm using as models, are basically the tumuli: you make a small building of rock and cover them with earth, so they could exist until the land would sunk, since they turne in a artificial hill (the earth acts as protection).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumulus

-Well, if this survive all that heavy ice, it should be ok.

Vance examines the vases.

You see some organic product (food? spices? Impossible to know). The vases are decorated with geometrical motifs.

Vance takes a picture of the motifs.

"Do you have anything to take a sample of this organic material with?"

-Yes, I have here a plastic bag. Well, now let's open the sarcophagus! Maybe the body is intact.

OOC: Make a str roll against a dificulty of 11.

Vance easily opens the sarcophagus.

And you see... a wooden statue of a man (abouth 40's), with cloths. But suddenly a shadow materialize on front of you.
Make a sanity roll. If passed, lose 1 point. If failed, roll 1d4.

Vance deals with the situation remarkably well.

You are more surprised than shocked. The shadow starts to materialize as a man; but he is translucid as a ghost. His features are similar to those from the people of the city. He starts talking, but even if the words are strange, you seem to understand them:
-It was time that someone came to pay it's respects to me after all I did! At first everyone was giving me offerings, but latter they simply forgot me! Like if I died for no reason! But luckily for you, I'm in good humor, so I may make a cantrip to improve your crops.

Vance has kept his calm enough to play along. He tries to look for a hologram projector from the corners of his eyes while replying in English.

"Honored deceased, we are scholars, not farmers."

"We would be honored to hear about your life from your own self."

"We are from Arkham...somewhat west of Atlantis. The ice has been retreating recently."

OOC: Since you didn't posted anything in the last days, I have npc your character, so you may resume in the thread All. But we will continue this dialogue.

-Arkham... I don't know that civilization, I'm afraid.
Sudenly a student appears outside screaming
-Help! In a couple of minutes some bad guys will appear and attack us!

You phone to Vance:
-Here Vance! One of the students told me they would be company. I'm lefting everyone here, and I'm running to the camp. Should be there in 15 minutes. Talked with the other merc, he is also on is way.
"Eight armed men have arrived by helicopter and taken over the camp," says Patrick. "I'm with a couple of the guys who can fight in the hills north of camp, and we've got the girls with us to keep them safe. Four of the men split off and they're heading north, but I don't think they've spotted us. They're either heading for the mounds or the city. You may want to avoid them on your way back. We can regroup and then come up with a plan."

You may continue talking with the ghost, but go anyway to the All thread.