Play@YSDC

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:24 am**

The supplies are packed and loaded onto three of Eliza's llamas and the group departs early on Wednesday morning. Atauchi and Jackson leading the way, with Jackson's map having been marked up by Nayra. Husiy brings up the rear leading the animals.

According to the map, it is another sixty miles to the site of the ruins, tough going climbing though a landscape that is a mixture of grassy plains, hills,
valleys, and mountain passes. It is likely to be mid-afternoon on Friday by the time the ruins are reached.

The journey on the first day is enjoyable, hiking through spectacular terrain with views that stretch for miles. At one point the group spot a pair of magnificent Andean Condors circling overhead - a good omen as the birds are strongly associated with the Sun God in local mythology.

It is chilly at night in the highlands, with the temperature dipping below freezing even during late summer. It is fortunate that this little expedition is well equipped. The night passes by safely without incident however.

The Andean Highlands
Midday - Thursday 24th March, 1921

The morning of the second day passes much like the first, with the group making steady progress into the highlands. Then at around noon the peace is shattered by the sound of gunshots, probably from a rifle coming from some distance away, over the next rise. There are seven shots in total, then the quiet returns.

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:27 am**

OOC: Do you fetch Larkin's crate of dynamite?
Or leave it at Eliza's farm?

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:07 am**

The first thing Amy does upon hearing the gunshots is to take cover. While the shots came from the other side of the rise, that doesn't mean that there isn't someone else on this side. Then she unslings her shotgun and keeps her eyes and ears open.

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:58 am**

Marcus enjoys the trip as much as he can, which is not all that much. He's a city boy through and through, and he can't cope with this damn heat. There were some fantastic views, but it hardly made up for the hiking.

He's almost happy when he hears the gunshots the second day. Gathering his own rifle, he begins to move slowly and carefully to the next rise, where he could hopefully see what was going on.

OOC: Marcus is not one to turn down more explosives either.

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:44 am**

Dr. Sánchez readies his rifle and scans the area.

OOC: +1 on dynamite

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 10:11 am**

Also a city person, Cynthia doesn't appreciate the joys of the Peruvian countryside as much as she should, muttering under her breath about the intense heat during the day and the crippling cold at night. Nonetheless she has so far managed the trek without incident, despite her frail build.

The presence of the dynamite worries her. No doubt it would come in very useful, but Larkin and the kharisiri obviously planned to use it to blow up the remaining wards.

At the sound of shots, she loads her pistol and heads to Jackson.

"This could be a trap to lure us away. I'll go guard the ward, but we'll also need to guard the dynamite in case someone tries to reclaim it."

Pistol readied, she stands guard over the area where the ward is stored, scanning the area for anyone trying to sneak in to the camp. However she doesn't spot anything suspicious.

OOC: Yes to the dynamite

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 10:19 am**

Anderson is really excited, finally he will be doing something he likes: discovering ruins and ancient artifacts. He appreciates the landscape for it's beauty but gets bored after a couple of days.
When he heard the gunshots he gets his pistols. Seems the peace and quiet didn't last long.

Posted: **Thu Nov 29, 2018 1:01 pm**

Atauchi stoically moved to the highest point in his immediate area which he could discern and scanned the horizon with his binoculars. The sounds of gunfire could have easily traveled for many miles through this terrain and the man wanted to be certain before he recommended any sort of aggressive or evasive action to the group.

OOC: Booyah, pass. What does he see?

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2018 4:14 pm**

The Andean Highlands
12:10pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

"I'll guard the dynamite," says John.

Jackson nods and those who are moving to the brow of the hill.

When they get there they can see a man crouching in the grass on the far side of the hill, about half a mile away. He is holding a rifle and is crouched over another person laying on the floor.

Through his binoculars Atauchi spots two other figures fleeing into the distance - they are probably almost a mile away, double the distance to the gunman and about to disappear over the next rise.

Atauchi cannot make out fine details at this distance, but the man with the rifle looks very upset. The person laying on the ground is covered in blood.

The ground between the brow of the hill and the man with the rifle is very exposed, other than occasional shrubs and a few large rocks there is little in the way of cover.

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2018 5:46 pm**

Seeing Atauchi peeking over the rim, Dr. Sánchez approaches Atauchi carefully not exposing himself.

What do you see Atauchi ? is it safe?

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:23 pm**

Amy holds her position, waiting until she knows more before she takes any action.

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:32 pm**

Clutching her pistol, Cynthia cranes her neck to try and see what's happening, but nonetheless remains on guard.

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:14 am**

Atauchi lowered the binoculars momentarily and glanced over in Doctor Sanchez's direction.

"Hay problemas. Veo que dos grupos, un par, tal vez atacantes, están huyendo. La otra pareja tiene uno que parece herido con un hombre armado parado sobre él. Podría ser un compañero. Parece molesto." he said in reply.

OOC: As Sanchez is a Spanish speaker, I think it's more likely Atauchi would communicate with him in the language they have in common with the greatest skill.

OOC: Translation: There's trouble. I see two groups, one pair, maybe attackers, are fleeing. The other pair has one who appears wounded with an armed man standing over him. Could be a companion. He seems upset.

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:15 am**

Anderson is in the ground with his pistol to avoid been detected.

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:49 am**

Zero wrote:Atauchi lowered the binoculars momentarily and glanced over in Doctor Sanchez's direction.

"Hay problemas. Veo que dos grupos, un par, tal vez atacantes, están huyendo. La otra pareja tiene uno que parece herido con un hombre armado parado sobre él. Podría ser un compañero. Parece molesto." he said in reply.

<<Let's go and see, when the two 'attackers' are gone>> answers Dr.Sánchez in spanish.

He shoulders his rifle and starts walking towards the couple when the seemingly two attackers are gone over the far rim, if need be he will raise his hand sin the air to not threaten the troubled couple.

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:38 pm**

OOC: Anyone else walking down with Dr. Sánchez?
Anyone staying concealed at the top of the hill?
John, Cynthia and Husiy are out of sight behind the hill.

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:13 pm**

Amy, unable to understand Spanish, still doesn't know what's going on beyond the hill, so she stays hidden on this side of it for now.

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:39 pm**

OOC: I think Anderson is lying low at the top of the hill isn't he? Or is it Marcus?

Posted: **Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:04 pm**

Cynthia strains her ears to make out what's being said. She recognises certain words in Spanish, but is too far away to pick up exactly what's being said.

"They're talking in Spanish," she whispers to Amy. "But I can't make out what they're saying."

Posted: **Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:22 am**

Marcus follows with Sanchez , keen to offer some support. He grips his rifle tightly, ready to raise it at a moment's trouble.

Posted: **Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:51 pm**

The Andean Highlands
12:15pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

As Nemesio and Marcus begin making their way down the hill towards the pair, the rifleman notices them, screams in panic and fires a badly aimed rifle shot in their direction.

Fortunately, at this range of over seven hundred yards, it would take a miracle or extremely bad luck for the crazed man to actually hit them.

He shouts angrily in Spanish as he fires, <<Be gone kharisiri demons! You will not take my son!>>

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:34 pm**

The shouting and the sound of another shot causes Cynthia to grip her pistol even tighter. She translates for the others at the camp.

"Some guy's shouting something about 'kharisiri demons' not taking their son. Sounds like someone's in trouble."

Wary that this is meant to distract them, she decides to stay where she is rather than investigate, but calls out over the rise to Dr. Sanchez and co.

"Hey! You guys okay?"

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:11 pm**

"We need to be careful," Amy says. "What if he mistakes us for the kharisiri?"

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:09 pm**

Marcus can't make out much of what the man is saying, so he looks over to the professor to learn if this is a friend or foe.

Posted: **Thu Dec 06, 2018 9:48 pm**

Raiko wrote:The Andean Highlands
He shouts angrily in Spanish as he fires, <<Be gone kharisiri demons! You will not take my son!>>

'En el nombre del señor,no nos dispares!, venimos en paz y con ayuda!'
<<In our lords name! dont shoot at us!, we come in peace! and with help!>>

Dr.Sánchez raises his hands and continues to walk towards the man while reciting 'Dios te salve, María; llena eres de gracia; el Señor es contigo; bendita Tú eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús. Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén.'

<<Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.>>

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:13 am**

OOC: Please make a Fast Talk roll for Dr. Sánchez, I'll give you a bonus die for proving that you are a Catholic not a demon.

If you fail then you can push the roll using fast talk again or persuade or luck (or anything else you think might work).

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:20 am**

Raiko wrote:
OOC: Please make a Fast Talk roll for Dr. Sánchez, I'll give you a bonus die for proving that you are a Catholic not a demon.

If you fail then you can push the roll using fast talk again or persuade or luck (or anything else you think might work).

OOC: post updated

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:28 pm**

Anderson will follow with the others.
"Those vampires have arrived here before u? Just convince the guy with the riffle that we are monster hunters. Nowadays it's not far from the true..."

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2018 12:50 pm**

Below the hill, Cynthia translates as best she can.

"I think Sanchez is saying his Hail Mary's. I guess he's trying to persuade the guy that we're not kharisiri. Very clever."

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2018 1:02 pm**

Atauchi continued to watch the proceedings from his position of concealment. Rather unexpectedly, the frightened man had taken a shot at his companions, but he surmised that it had been accidental. The tracker remained confident in the professor's ability to begin a dialog with the stranger. He knew one thing for certain, others coming out of hiding would only serve to escalate the situation. He gestured to any who appeared to be on the verge of action to hold position.

Posted: **Fri Dec 07, 2018 5:16 pm**

Amy remains hidden, waiting until someone signals that it's safe to emerge.

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2018 12:38 am**

The man falls to his knees, dropping the rifle and kneeling tearfully beside his son.

<<Please señors you must help me to save my son!>>

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:43 am**

Marcus rushes towards the man and his downed son. Assuming he gets there without trouble, he kneels down and examines the wounded lad.

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:20 am**

Impatience begins to get the better of Cynthia, so she takes a step towards the rise. However she stops when she sees Atauchi's warning gesture.

"Atauchi, what's going on?"

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2018 1:37 pm**

Raiko wrote:The man falls to his knees, dropping the rifle and kneeling tearfully beside his son.

<<Please señors you must help me to save my son!>>

ooc,Sánchez and Marcus (and Anderson perhaps, but Atauchi tried to stop him) are still at least 300 yards away. Everyone else is half a mile away.

Dr.Sánchez hurries up and will try to aid the son of the man at arrival

Posted: **Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:58 pm**

Atauchi slowly rose to his feet when the situation's volatility seemed to diffuse due to the professor's carefully chosen dialogue. The tracker then glanced in Cynthia's direction.

"Seem okay now, but approach with caution. No weapons." he replied as he strapped his bow across his back.

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2018 2:20 am**

Amy slings her shotgun across her back and approaches with her hands in plain sight.

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2018 3:40 am**

The boy is teen aged. He has been savaged in a similar way to Trinidad back in Lima. There is a large circular wound in his chest from the kharisiri attack. Unlike Trinidad though he has not had his insides sucked out.

<<They came to speak to us!>> Says his father.

<<But as soon as they got close the woman went for my boy and the man for me. They were kharisiri!>>

<<Luckily I had my rifle handy. I shot the woman, and tried to shoot the man, but they turned and ran. The woman had already bitten Renán!>>

<You must save him! We must get him to my farm!>>

With Marcus' help Dr. Sánchez manages to clean up the injury and stem the bleeding for now. The boy's chest is a mess, but he might survive if you get him indoors.

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2018 4:15 am**

Atauchi listened to the farmer recount the tale of their encounter with the kharisiri as he approached the small gathering. He too was sure to keep his hands visible.

"Sí. Me encontré con uno de los demonios en Lima. Sobreviví al encuentro. ¿Tienes transporte rápido?" he said.

OOC: Translation: Yes. I encountered one of the devils in Lima. I survived the encounter. Do you have fast transport?

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2018 12:26 pm**

Raiko wrote: <You must save him! We must get him to my farm!>>[/color]

[ic-think],A too big coincident did Nemesio think for himself.
Just as they approach the pyramid they would have to change plans... and fleeing karishiri? what was all that about?
The karishiri they had confronted had all been perfectly able to tear apart a man and a boy even if they got shot once or twice[/ic-think]

Dr.Sánchez tried to see if the man seemed dubious in any way [ic-think],nah this man is definitively telling the truth[/ic-think]

While attending the boy Dr.Sánchez talks to the man.
<<What is your name Señor?, and how distante is your farm?>> <<We are part of a large group, the others are still over that hill over there, is it ok i call them in? On off them might be able to help your son better then we have>>
If the man agrees Dr.Sánchez will call on the group to get closer, and retell the incident.

At some point Dr.Sánchez leans into Atauchi telling him that deviating from the plan to get to the pyramid might be a bad idea... maybe Huisy could take the man and his son to his farm?

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2018 8:48 pm**

As Amy makes her way up the hill, Cynthia watches with alarm.

"Hey! We shouldn't get split up too much - ever heard of divide and conquer? Get everyone back to the camp, before the kharisiri come back!"

She turns and looks at Jackson imploringly.

"We gotta be careful yeah?"

Posted: **Sun Dec 09, 2018 10:00 pm**

Amy nods, rejoining Cynthia and Jackson.

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 3:26 am**

In order to appear non-threatening, Atauchi remained at medium distance from the farmer and his son. Besides, the professor and Marcus had already managed to stabilize the boy with uncommon skill. His own efforts were not needed.

"Huisy ha sido leal, no debemos despedirlo. Además, el agricultor puede tener información valiosa sobre los peligros futuros. Deberíamos ayudarlo, luego ver qué puede decirnos." he replied to the doctor when out of earshot.

OOC: Translation: Huisy has been loyal, we should not send him away. Besides, the farmer may have valuable information on the dangers ahead. We should help him, then see what he can tell us.

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 7:25 am**

Content to let the others speak with the man, Marcus examines the ground, seeing if there is a set of tracks they can use to track the fleeing kharisiri.

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 10:18 am**

Anderson will keep his distance so he won't make the man panic.

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 1:49 pm**

The man points to the north-east. <<My name is Domingo. My farm is maybe a mile and a half in that direction>>

<<Thank you for stopping to help me. I am deeply ashamed to have shot at you, I thought that you were more of the demons>>

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 2:11 pm**

'Friends' Dr.Sánchez says 'Seems we are forced to make a decision. Help them or persue. Im afraid this boy is infected with the kind of stomach creature that burned my arm,and ever worse i cannot see how to help the boy without risking his life. Im of the opinion we should not stop the pursuit of the kharisiri, we got them on the run!.My Christian hearth say stay, but in our Lords name, these demons must be dealt with now, not later.
A third thing, and almost the thing that bothers me the most... why would the kharisiri flee? they can take a shot or two and still go at you, we have been proven that so far'

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 8:43 pm**

Cynthia smiles ruefully as Amy returns.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have shouted orders at you like that. Damn vampires have got me on edge..."

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:47 pm**

"They left a path for us. Look, directly to the ruins is my guess. We should probably follow it.

"I don't want us to delay either. Maybe we could send John and one of the girls to get these folks back to the farm, while the rest of us pursue our quarry."

Posted: **Tue Dec 11, 2018 4:58 am**

"We've got to do what we can to help the boy," says Amy, "but I don't think we should split up, and I don't want to miss seeing the ruins. I think there's enough time for all of us to go to the farm and then proceed to the ruins from there." She smiles at Cynthia. "It's all right, you were just worried for our safety, and you're right about not dividing our forces."

Posted: **Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:41 am**

Cynthia nods, glad that she hasn't upset her friend. If she's within earshot of Marcus, she scowls at his suggestion.

Assuming that the others bring Domingo and Renán back to the camp before deciding what to do next, Cynthia speaks to Domingo in Spanish as fluently as she can manage.

<<Had you met these demons before? This is a silly question, but did the kharisiri kiss either of you?>>

If Renán is conscious, she will whisper the same questions to him.

Suspicious of treachery, she studies the pair carefully when/if they respond.

Posted: **Tue Dec 11, 2018 5:10 pm**

Domingo replies, <<No I have never encountered a kharisiri before, thanks to God. But I have heard tales of them, and it is known that it is dangerous to walk the hills alone or after dark. What else could have attacked my son in such a way?>>

<<What do you mean, kiss? The lady kharisiri, she was sucking my Renán's fat out. Is that what you mean?>>

Domingo wipes a tear from his eye, <<The man kharisiri, he was thin and pale like the tales say, but the lady, I could walk past her in a town and never know that she was a monster>>

<<Please though, I do not want to waste more time. Will you help take my son to the farm?>>

Cynthia can see that Renán is unconscious. There doesn't appear to be anything moving inside him at the moment though.
******

John looks sulkily at Marcus, "I will do no such thing. I'm happy to escort Cynthia or Amy, but I will be visiting the pyramid as planned.

"What if an ambush is waiting at the farm? Who will protect me if my bodyguard rushes off to the ruins without me."

******

"If we're going to the farm, we should get moving," says Jackson.

"Any significant delay will prevent us reaching the ruins before nightfall."

Posted: **Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:38 pm**

<<We discovered that the kharisiri sometimes kiss people they attack and put something into their stomachs.>>

Cynthia explains to Domingo.

<<My friends found a man in Lima who had something inside him after one of them kissed him.>>

Confident that the man is telling the truth, she turns to the others.

"Part of me thinks this might be a bad idea, but I vote we take these two back to their farm - together."

She won't admit it, but she feels the need to atone for the fact that she briefly considered leaving the baby to it's fate back at the hotel in Puno.

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 12:34 am**

"You're safer at the farm than you are visiting a pyramid where a literal monster dwells. Sir." Marcus says, but he sighs in defeat.

"Seems you folks all want to make the detour first. Fair enough. I don't want the kid to die if I can help it." I just hope we're not giving them time to prepare.

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 3:41 am**

"Let's go to the farm now, then," says Amy. "If we leave right away, we'll still have time to get to the pyramid before dark."

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:26 am**

Dr.Sánchez re adjusts his backpack and rifle and starts walking towards the farm

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:06 am**

"Last time we had the advantage of having prepared a trap. This time, we may suffer one. We should have followed to the pyramid"-says Anderson not happy with the decision.

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 4:30 pm**

Cynthia frowns.

"I hear what you're saying, but we can't leave the kid to die can we?"

Suddenly a thought strikes her.

"Hey, what's at their farm that we haven't got with us here?"

She gestures at the llamas bearing their gear.

"We could set up a comfortable enough camp hidden in the bushes. The kid recuperate here. Meanwhile we could take what we need and head for the ruins while they rest up - a compromise, sorta."

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:11 pm**

"So we leave Domingo and Renán in the camp for now? And pursue the kharisiri to the pyramid?"

Jackson nods and asks the others, "What do the rest of you think? Renán might be safer staying put as long as we don't take too long to return from the pyramid."

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:19 pm**

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:24 pm**

Posted: **Wed Dec 12, 2018 6:24 pm**

Raiko wrote:
Jackson nods and asks the others, "What do the rest of you think? Renán might be safer staying put as long as we don't take too long to return from the pyramid."

'Let's press on then' says Dr.Sánchez unceremoniously and starts walking to the pyrimd when all are ready.

Posted: **Thu Dec 13, 2018 1:24 am**

"Well, if you're sure they'll be all right here," says Amy. "The farm would have actual beds. I'd be concerned about the kharisiri coming back and finding them still here, but they fled toward the pyramid. If they returned, they'd have to go through us."

Posted: **Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:03 am**

Atauchi had already given his opinion on their present predicament and appeared visibly dismayed that the others appeared ready to be move onward with undue haste. Larkin and de Mendoza were dead. The Quechua man suspected that any remaining kharisiri which laid ahead would act against them based solely on thoughtless instinct. Larkin, or perhaps the demonic spirit which had taken possession of his body had been the driving force behind the change in their behavior. He was no more.

"No expect ambush, but maybe many free roaming kharisiri between us and goal." the tracker commented as he passed a handful of coca leaves to the farmer.

Posted: **Thu Dec 13, 2018 12:11 pm**

Cynthia shrugs, dismayed that her suggestion of compromise isn't universally agreed upon.

"Well, what do I know huh? I'll go with whatever plan you all think best, but I reckon time is of the essence..."

Posted: **Thu Dec 13, 2018 5:42 pm**

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 4:18 am**

"Oh, that's right, there could be other kharisiri roaming around!" says Amy. "If they stay here, they could be found by some of the others coming from a different direction. We can't in good conscience leave them here to be attacked again. We'd better take them to the farm after all."

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:13 am**

"Why don't we bring them with us?"

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:36 am**

Cynthia mulls this over.

"Not a bad idea, but the kid would need to regain consciousness first, and we'd have to make sure he isn't infected."

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 11:56 am**

The Andean Highlands
12:30pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

John shakes his head, "I think Renán will die if we take him with us, two days crossing rough terrain will be just too much for him."

Shrugging he says, "Perhaps Marcus is right, and I should stay with him. Me and Husiy could take him to the farm, while the rest of you carry on. I'm probably closer to a doctor than anyone else who'll reach him in time."

"You guys just make sure you don't need any medical attention, and don't forget to come back for me..."

"...erm, if you make it back, I mean..."

He tries to recover with a joke.

"...because my father will be really, really cross if Marcus forgets me and leaves me in the Andes."

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:16 pm**

'Let's press on then' says Dr.Sánchez unceremoniously and starts walking to the pyramid when all are ready.

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:18 pm**

Cynthia gathers her gear, making sure that the ward is packed securely.

"Yeah, let's go." She turns to John. "Seeya soon pal - you watch yourself, yeah?"

Posted: **Fri Dec 14, 2018 8:34 pm**

"Be careful, Sir." Marcus tells John. He's proud of the kid. He'd gone from being meek to a leader in his own right. "And hey, when this is over, I'll buy you a new hat. Even better than that one." He knows his employer quite enjoys them.

Posted: **Sat Dec 15, 2018 5:14 am**

"Take care," says Amy to John. "We'd better get moving as soon as possible."

Posted: **Sat Dec 15, 2018 10:25 pm**

Atauchi grumbled a bit about splitting the group up in his native tongue, but finally acquiesced. He gathered his gear and began searching for the tracks which Marcus had previously indicated. Perhaps he could determine the pacing of the kharisiri and whether or not they were headed towards the pyramid themselves.

OOC: I got an error the first time I rolled, but it doesn't matter. Both attempts passed.

Posted: **Mon Dec 17, 2018 1:42 pm**

The Andean Highlands
12:30pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

"Take care everyone," says John as the group split up. "Especially you Cynthia, you're the only person whose life I've ever saved."

With that he departs with Domingo, Husiy and one of the llamas - with Renán's still unconscious body secured over the back of the animal.

The Andean Highlands
4:30pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

Four hours later, the trail of the kharisiri has led the group into a wide windswept valley, which runs more west-to-east than the generally southerly route taken so far. The southern side of the valley rises generally to jagged snow covered peaks, but several miles away to the east, a plateau overlooks the valley, standing between the high peaks and the grassy valley.

Long grass grows here at the bottom of the valley, but the hills to either side are barren.

Jackson Elias points towards the distant plateau, "If Nayra is correct, then that is where we will find the Pyramid of the Fallen God. We'll need to bear left onto the higher ground to approach it from above, unless you all fancy climbing those cliffs."

Posted: **Mon Dec 17, 2018 2:01 pm**

Cynthia scans the countryside towards the plateau. She points to a point between them and the supposed site of the ruins.

"Hey, look over there; in the long grass about half a mile away - two figures heading towards the plateau! Are they the jerks we've been tracking?"

She squints.

"Yeah, a man and a woman - it's them I'd say!"

Posted: **Mon Dec 17, 2018 2:27 pm**

Posted: **Mon Dec 17, 2018 8:16 pm**

Yeah, man and women, must be them

Posted: **Mon Dec 17, 2018 9:37 pm**

"I see people too. Can we run them down before they make it to the temple?'

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:03 am**

Atauchi raised his binoculars to his eyes and scanned in the direction Cynthia had indicated. He spotted the pair and tried to determine whether they were kharisiri or merely other travelers, as unlikely as that possibly may be.

OOC: Normal success w/ binoculars.

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:49 am**

"I can't see anything with the sun in my eyes," says Amy, "but I'll take your word for it. Let's try to catch up to them."

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:01 am**

Anderson: spot hidden 65%

[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:06 am**

"It's a long way to the plateau yet, we should have time to catch them. Lets go!" Jackson sets off after the pair of travellers.

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:10 am**

OOC: failed

Dr.Sánchez sets off to chase the couple down, but his lose shoelaces makes him tripp and fall behind.

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:22 am**

Cynthia trips over Dr. Sanchez.

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:27 am**

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:41 am**

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:05 pm**

Atauchi was attempting to determine the pace of the figures ahead on the plateau when the others had suddenly quickened their own rate of speed at Jackson's urging. He carefully tucked the binoculars back beneath his overshirt and broke into a run.

OOC: Cool. I'll roll a bonus die from now on when using his binoculars in these situations.

OOC: Using Track over CON (50).

OOC: Bonus Die result is identical to the original. No change. Track (or CON) were normal successes.

Posted: **Tue Dec 18, 2018 8:55 pm**

Marcus takes off in a burst of speed.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2018 5:28 am**

Amy has no problem making excellent time. It must be the coca leaves.

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:31 am**

Anderson: con 45%

[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:33 am**

OOC: Can we start playing D&D? At least I will have good rolls...

Anderson is feeling exhausted in this walk. He should have stay at the nice hotel. Or the farm...

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2018 8:46 pm**

Cynthia pulls up, wheezing and holding her stomach where the stitches are starting to ache. She motions to Jackson.

"Don't let me slow you down... If you think you can get 'em, then go get 'em!"

Posted: **Wed Dec 19, 2018 11:39 pm**

OOC: Unfortunately, Anderson's roll is a fumble...

As Jackson turns his head to answer Cynthia, Anderson slows down and Jackson collides with him. The pair end up in a heap.

OOC: Amy, Atauchi and Marcus can choose to catch up either individually or as a group, but everyone else gets left behind for now.

Posted: **Thu Dec 20, 2018 3:22 am**

Posted: **Thu Dec 20, 2018 4:07 am**

Marcus keeps going, not wanting to risk letting their quarry escape. He's going to pull out his rifle if he can, because he's not intent on firing a warning shot.

Posted: **Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:49 am**

OOC: those left behind holds their action until the forward group resolves, right?

Posted: **Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:54 am**

OOC:Ok!

Posted: **Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:08 pm**

Helping Jackson and Anderson up, Cynthia smiles ruefully.

"Well if all else fails we'll go down a bomb as a Vaudeville act."

Posted: **Fri Dec 21, 2018 1:41 am**

Atauchi followed on Marcus' heels. He didn't draw his bow just yet as there was still a great deal of distance to cover before they reached their quarry, but he would be ready if and when it was needed. There was also a distinct possibility that they were being drawn into a trap.

"Keep eyes open, there could be more." he cautioned.

Posted: **Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:53 am**

Amy hurries along with Marcus and Atauchi, keeping her eyes open as instructed. Her shotgun's range isn't the best, but if Atauchi carries a rifle in addition to his bow, she could use that instead if a shootout starts at long range.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2018 11:54 am**

Cynthia watches as Marcus, Atauchi and Amy press on ahead before turning to the others.

"They've a better chance of catching those kharisiri without us slowing them down, but we need to be ready too. Let's carefully move forward so that we can help out if necessary. Might be worth getting your weapons ready."

Posted: **Wed Jan 02, 2019 11:42 pm**

Marcus, Atauchi and Amy have closed within site of the two kharisiri - the man and woman walking 100 yards in front of them clearly match the descriptions of the attackers given by Domingo.

Posted: **Thu Jan 03, 2019 3:53 am**

"I doubt I can hit them with a shotgun at this range," whispers Amy. "I might with a rifle, but you two are better shots than I am. If I tried to get closer, they'd probably notice me. Maybe I should get behind cover in the grass while you two open up with rifles. If they rush us, I can open fire when they get close enough."

Posted: **Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:31 am**

Marcus nods at Amy's suggestion, and looks to Atauchi to see if he agrees as well.

Posted: **Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:44 am**

Atauchi processed the situation, gave a quick nod in Amy's direction, then glanced in Marcus' direction. Would closing the distance between themselves and their quarry grant them a greater tactical advantage? Of this, the tracker was uncertain. He desired the other man's opinion on the matter.

"What you think? Take shot or try get closer?" he asked the bodyguard in a whisper of his own.

Posted: **Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:40 am**

Marcus responds.

"Take the shot, I say." He looks to Amy. "Try and get into cover and I'll shoot."

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 2:20 am**

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 3:47 am**

Amy gets into cover behind a rock in the middle of the grass, lying on her stomach and resting her shotgun's barrel on the rock's surface as she aims at the kharisiri while she waits for them to get into range. It's not the best hiding spot, but she hopes that even if they can see her, they'll shoot at the people who are actually shooting at them first, though she doesn't want them to be hit either. Even if they do fire at her, the rock should shield her somewhat. "I'm ready," she whispers. "You should fire from behind cover yourselves."

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 4:57 am**

Marcus attempts to find cover
Then he picks up his rifle and fires at the woman. Ladies First.

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 5:38 am**

Atauchi nodded in agreement with Marcus and took position alongside him. The Quechua tracker lowered himself to a single knee, swung the rifle into position and took careful aim at the target selected by the other man.

OOC: Impale is the damage dice plus the maximum damage, in this case 12. The damage bonus is only for a melee attack, I believe.

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 8:06 am**

OOC: Thanks Zero. I swear one day I'll get it down.

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:19 am**

Cynthia desperately peers through the long grass as shots ring out ahead of them, but she can't make out what's happening.

"C'mon, they might need our help!"

Drawing her pistol, she makes her way, breathing heavily, towards the advance party.

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2019 12:56 pm**

Dr.Sánchez hears the shooting and tries to keep his pace steady and as fast as possible to catch up.

Posted: **Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:19 am**

A split second apart, both kharisiri are hit with precisely aimed rifle shots and fall to the ground, disappearing from view.

Posted: **Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:29 am**

"Quick," hisses Amy, "let's advance and burn them before they get back up!"

Posted: **Sat Jan 05, 2019 3:36 am**

Atauchi nodded, slung the rifle over his shoulder and withdrew his machete from its sheath as he advanced on the two prone kharisiri. He intended to behead each corpse before setting them ablaze. He would not keep these heads as trophies, however.

"Si, I agree. We need put end them quickly."

OOC: Fair enough. I didn't actually check the damage for the rifle, I just followed SilverPriest's lead on that one.

I only verified the rule on impale damage.

Posted: **Sat Jan 05, 2019 4:56 am**

"Nice Shooting," Marcus tells Atauchi, impressed. He follows, intending to make sure both their targets are dead and remain so.

Posted: **Sat Jan 05, 2019 5:03 am**

Amy springs to her feet and runs forward with them.

Posted: **Sun Jan 06, 2019 6:12 pm**

Atauchi simply grunted in response to Marcus' comment. That's not to say that he too hadn't been impressed with the marksmanship shown by his companion, but now was not the time for mutual praise. These creatures had to be dispatched with all due haste.

Posted: **Mon Jan 07, 2019 4:39 am**

The three investigators find the kharisiri downed where they fell.

They are both laying face down in the grass and appear to be dead, although they likely will not remain that way for much longer.

Posted: **Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:00 am**

Amy hurries to douse the kharisiri in kerosene and light them on fire.

Posted: **Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:03 am**

"See ya in hell, you bastards," Marcus feels the need to add. He watches the two burn with something approaching satisfaction. It's not that he liked to kill, though he had done it before during the war. But these things could hardly even qualify as human. Everyone of them they put down was making the world a better place.

Posted: **Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:10 am**

Anderson advances to see what happened; he helps Amy to burn the creatures.

"I really need to make more physical exercise".

Posted: **Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:36 am**

Dr.Sánchez catches up as fast as possible.

Posted: **Tue Jan 08, 2019 10:56 am**

As does Cynthia.

Posted: **Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:17 am**

By the time the others catch up with Atauchi, Amy and Marcus, the two beheaded kharisiri are both ablaze.

Jackson looks grimly at the two burning corpses, "Well at least that's out of the way. Two that we won't meet at the ruins."

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:24 am**

With only an hour of daylight remaining, the group finally look upon the mythical ancient ruins, which according to Nayra was built to imprison a fallen god - the one the kharisiri call The Father of Maggots. Having clambered up and around the edge of the neighbouring peak, a narrow path ahead of the investigators now leads down, treacherously in places, for the final mile to the ancient site.

The ruins containing the pyramid are located on a plateau overlooking the deep, windblown grassy valley that the group pursued the two kharisiri through. The surrounding land on the valley walls is arid and plant life is sparse.

No plant life grows on the plateau itself. It is barren and dusty, with only the man-made structures breaking up the monotonous brownish-grey of the dirt. Nothing moves amongst the ruins.

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2019 3:55 am**

"It's so desolate," says Amy with a shiver. "I wonder if it's because the ward was damaged. Maybe after we repair it, plants will grow here again. We'll have to be careful, in case there's more of them here. I doubt they left the pyramid unguarded."

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:09 am**

"I'm hoping we've thinned their numbers enough that they won't be a threat," Marcus responds. Despite his bluster though the man is nervous, and he keeps a tight hold of his gun, ready to fire at anything and everything that moves..

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:39 am**

Atauchi began to cautiously scout the desolate plateau. The Quechua man suspected that the remaining kharisiri were also here and that they lurked within the ruined structures themselves. As such, he made certain never to walk out of sight of another member of the expedition.

OOC: Regular success on Track, extreme successes on both Spot Hidden and Listen.

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:54 am**

Dr.Sánchez sees Atauchi immediately going for a search wich he thinks is a good idea.
Dr.Sánchez will take a better look at the base of the pyramid for an entrance.

Posted: **Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:06 am**

"Real peachy place, huh?"

Cynthia whistles quietly between her teeth as the ruins come more closely into view. The presence of the Kharisiri and the legends they have heard of the evil lurking within the pyramid conflicts with her excitement of finding such a fascinating ancient structure.

Seeing the others carefully looking around, she decides to do the same.
With the light fading and her heart still pounding from exertion, she cannot see or hear anything out the ordinary. However, as an amateur archaeologist with knowledge of Ancient South American cultures, there's something about the ruins that rings a bell.

Posted: **Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:57 am**

Amy looks around in fascination, making sure to stay with the group.

Posted: **Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:08 am**

Spot hidden: 65%
[dice]0[/dice]

Listen: 26%
[dice]1[/dice]

Archaeology: 71%
[dice]2[/dice]

Posted: **Mon Jan 14, 2019 3:45 pm**

At the Ancient Ruins
5:30pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

A stone wall surrounds the site; it is difficult now to tell precisely how tall it once was, as it is now partially buried by silt, but the visible portions protrude from the ground at heights of around six to twelve feet. The explorers find that it is relatively easy to climb over the perimeter wall by scrambling up one of the banks of dirt and dropping over to the other side.

Inside the outer wall, an eerie whistling or piping sound can be heard blowing on the wind. Despite the cold, the group notice an increasing number of flies in the air as they draw closer and the smell of rotten meat grows powerful once they are inside the wall. Inside the walls, the main structure is an irregularly shaped stepped pyramid with a large, flat top. While only the top five steps of the pyramid rise above the ground, Sánchez judges that the structure is wider underground. The steps of the pyramid are made of rough-hewn stone, worn and cracked with age. Each step rises about five feet above the previous step.

Around the pyramid is a network of crumbling inner walls, many of which have collapsed over time. A number of these walls are decorated with archways, hinting at the remains of other structures. At regular intervals in the walls there are carvings that appear to be crude representations of human heads, but they are thin and elongated, with grotesquely distended mouths. The ground within the walls is uneven, with piles of silt blown into small dunes by the winds. Underneath one of these dunes Cynthia discovers a broken stone slab which partially obscures a vertical shaft dropping down into the ground. The gap is wide enough for a person to easily climb down through. Dr Sánchez notices that there are a number of similar vertical shafts around the site, each topped by an intact flagstone. He doesn't notice any other possible ways inside, although he has yet to try climbing up the pyramid itself.

Posted: **Mon Jan 14, 2019 3:54 pm**

"That noise gives me the creeps."

Cynthia shivers at the eerie whistling sound and holds her nose when the stink of rotten meat hits her. Wafting away a couple of flies, she inspects the walls and arches.

"Hey, look at these heads on the walls. They look like the ones at Tiwanaku, but those freaky mouths: remind you of anyone? Seems like there have been Kharisiri here long before De Mendoza..."

She continues to poke around and discovers the broken slab.

"Hey, looks like there's shaft here!" Turning on her flashlight, she kneels and peers down the hole. "Looks like it goes down about fifteen feet, but I think it ends in some sort of exit." She stands up, brushing the dirt of her slacks. "Could be a way in to the pyramid. Wasn't there some rope in amongst Larkin's stuff?"

Posted: **Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:08 pm**

Atauchi paused when he noticed some others reacting to the eerie whistling sound emanating from the ruins. The tracker pointed out several of the strangely carved heads. Despite being inanimate, their appearance reminded the Quechua man of the kharisiri's monstrous visage when they were about to feed. He fought to maintain his composure.

"No worry about howling, just the wind." he announced to the group.

He then returned his gaze to the clouds of flies. They were likely drawn here by the acrid scent of death which the haunting wind carried. He peered at them intently through his binoculars.

OOC: Took some liberty with observing others' reactions before they were posted. Worst case, one of the NPCs will be who Atauchi reacted to.

OOC: No go on the Natural World roll.

Posted: **Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:37 pm**

Nothing about the pyramid stands out to Marcus, though perhaps he's just too unsettled by the whole place.

"Of course there cna't be a nice open door. No, we'll have to descend by rope. Typical."

Posted: **Tue Jan 15, 2019 3:50 am**

"You're right, Cynthia, I recognize the style," says Amy. "That particular shaft must be the one de Mendoza and the others used centuries ago to gain entrance to the pyramid. The place where they broke the ward must be down there, so that's where we'll have to go."

Posted: **Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:37 am**

"Yeah, I think you're right. That must be what the rope, block and tackle are for. We should still scout around a little more before we go down though."

Cynthia ponders for a moment.

"Also we should try to lever off some of the other flagstones. Assuming they cover more shafts that gives us extra ways to get in and out if necessary - we don't know how stable it is down there and we wouldn't want to find our single exit blocked if a ceiling collapses."

Posted: **Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:09 am**

jp1885 wrote: "Also we should try to lever off some of the other flagstones.

'I very much agree on that Cynthia' Dr.Sánchez looks upwards the pyramid 'it might be an entrance on top as well, I will go up on top of the pyramid to investigate in the meanwhile' and with that he starts climbing the 5 feet stones

OOC: Who has the mask we got from the museum at the moment?

Posted: **Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:20 am**

OOC: Is there any footprints that may indicate how many vampires have been recently?

Posted: **Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:02 pm**

Anatomist wrote:
OOC: Who has the mask we got from the museum at the moment?

OOC: Not sure - possibly hidden away? Cynthia is happy to look after the ward (being headstrong and reckless) but voted to destroy the mask, so probably doesn't want that too!

Posted: **Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:26 am**

Posted: **Wed Jan 16, 2019 3:39 am**

After he completed his examination of the immediate area, Atauchi returned to where the majority of the group had gathered around the opening. He ignited his electric torch and peered below.

OOC: Hah, passed by 1.

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2019 2:29 pm**

At the Ancient Ruins
5:35pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

The rough-hewn stone slabs that make up the steps of the pyramid allow Dr. Sánchez to easily clamber to the top of the structure, hauling himself to the top of the five-foot steps one by one.

The smell of corruption at the top is quite overpowering, and large numbers of the flies buzz around constantly. A long, narrow crack runs diagonally right across the top of the pyramid, up to about three inches wide in places. The swarm of flies buzz in and out of the fracture.
Away from the pyramid itself Atauchi shines his torch down into the shaft expaosed by the broken flagstone. The shaft descends vertically for around fifteen feet, to a flat area large enough to stand on. The walls if the shaft look stable - constructed from well fitting stone blocks. Atauchi can see an opening in the shaft wall at the bottom, which looks large enough for a person to get through. It opens into a steeply sloping ramp. From the top of the vertical shaft there is no way for Atauchi to see how much deeper that ramp descends, but certainly a lot deeper than the shaft itself.

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:00 pm**

Atauchi gestured to the others for momentary silence as he lowered himself to a knee and listened at the shaft opening, then shrugged. For a brief moment the native tracker thought he heard a sound coming from below, but evidently if what he had heard was real, it now ceased.

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:23 pm**

Raiko wrote:At the Ancient Ruins
5:35pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

The rough-hewn stone slabs that make up the steps of the pyramid allow Dr. Sánchez to easily clamber to the top of the structure, hauling himself to the top of the five-foot steps one by one.

The smell of corruption at the top is quite overpowering, and large numbers of the flies buzz around constantly. A long, narrow crack runs diagonally right across the top of the pyramid, up to about three inches wide in places. The swarm of flies buzz in and out of the fracture.

OOC: oh shit, do Nemesio Sánchez go deaf?

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:27 pm**

Leaving Atauchi to investigate the shaft, Cynthia fishes a crowbar from out of the equipment they took from Larkin and sets to work on the nearest slab.
Much to her surprise, the slab begins to move.

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:19 pm**

Marcus also keeps an ear out, just in case he hears anything.

OOC: Seems like Marcus may go deaf along with the good professor!

Seeing Cynthia get the slab moving, he lets out a whistle. "Well done. Slab must be really weak after all the years down here," he concludes.

Posted: **Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:46 am**

"Well done, Cynthia," says Amy, peering down the shaft.

Posted: **Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:51 pm**

The second shaft is, to all intents, identical to the first. It descends about fifteen feet vertically to the base. At the bottom, an opening leads into a steeply descending ramp.

Posted: **Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:58 pm**

Feeling rather pleased with herself, Cynthia finishes levering the slab to one side. Blushing slightly, she peers into the newly opened shaft, waving away the stale air that comes out.

"Aw shucks, it ain't noth-"

She stops suddenly.

"Hey, d'you hear that? I don't know how to describe it: some kind of weird... burbling... bubbling... oozing even..."

She stands up sharply, grimacing.

"Something not good anyway..."

Posted: **Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:39 am**

Amy gulps. "No, I didn't hear it," she says. "I don't think I particularly want to...We have to go down there, though."

Posted: **Sat Jan 19, 2019 4:43 am**

Atauchi moved to where Cynthia had levered off another slab and made a second opening. He finally was able to detect the strange sound of bubbling, oozing liquid but was completely at a loss as to its nature.

"Ramp seem steep, may be traicionero... er, slippery. Need bring plenty of rope." he said to the others.

OOC: Traicionero means treacherous. Atauchi doesn't know the direct English translation.

Posted: **Sat Jan 19, 2019 2:58 pm**

"Yep. Larkin obviously wanted to climb down the open shaft, and we've got his stuff, so doing that won't be a problem. Finding where to place the ward, avoiding the Father of Maggots and getting back out of there will be a different matter."

Cynthia puts her hands on her hips, squinting up at the top of the pyramid.

"We need to make a plan: who's manning the ropes up here; who's going down the shaft - and what shaft to use; who wants to carry the ward and who wants to kill the Father of Maggots if we fail."

Posted: **Sat Jan 19, 2019 5:43 pm**

"We'll need to leave a rear guard up top," says Amy, "in case more kharisiri come by. Otherwise they could just seal the shafts and trap us inside! I can carry the ward, unless someone else would rather do it."

Posted: **Sat Jan 19, 2019 9:42 pm**

"I can be the guard up here, unless you'd rather have me down there in case things go south." Marcus says. Truthfully he'd rather avoid going down any shafts. He's a bit claustrophobic. But if he has to he'll grin and bear it.

Posted: **Sun Jan 20, 2019 4:31 am**

"That makes sense," says Amy. "You have a rifle, and you're a good shot with it. You should be able to stop them before they get too close."

Posted: **Sun Jan 20, 2019 9:17 am**

"I'll go with you Amy and watch your back. I'm light enough that it should be easy to winch me down and back up again."

Posted: **Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:12 am**

Nemesio return to the group feeling a bit dizzy... 'No entrance at the top im afraid, but there is a crack, 3 inches wide at the most, something is indeed making some outwards pressure'

Posted: **Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:17 pm**

"Thanks, Cynthia," says Amy, "but it can't just be the two of us."

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:07 am**

Despite being a fairly decent climber, Atauchi didn't care to repeat his experience from the basement storage room at the university in Lima. The interior walls of this structure was far too cramped for his liking. Besides, the tracker was a skilled marksman and believed he was best suited for look out duty.

"I keep watch with Marcus up here. Kharisiri no trouble you." he said, assuredly.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:09 am**

'Are we sure there's no other entrances? just these shafts?'

Dr.Sánchez pulls out a 30 ft long rope, secures one end to the heavy slab and lets the end fall down to the bottom, 'I will go first, ill flash my flashlight upwards if its secure' as he sets his feet at the edge he smirks 'love this part, an archeologist dream'
The Sánchez when landing starts searching the room he is in.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:21 am**

"So, Dr Sanchez do you see anything?"

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 11:57 am**

"Huh!" Cynthia snorts with scorn. "Some knights in shining armour you are! C'mon Amy, let's follow Dr. Sanchez."

Sitting on the lip of the shaft, she grabs hold of the rope.
However the effort of trying to climb down pulls on her stitches.

"Okay, plan B: we can be lowered down." She rummages through Larkin's gear. "Help me set up the block and tackle someone."

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:07 pm**

Jackson joins those gathered around the shaft that Cynthia opened.

"I'll follow you ladies down, while Atauchi and Marcus keep an eye out. I'm a better shot with a handgun anyway if it's necessary."
At the bottom of the shaft, Dr. Sánchez find that the area that he can stand in is only the size of the chimney shaft. An opening in the wall leads to a ramp that slopes at about sixty degrees below the horizontal in the direction of the pyramid. The ramp tunnel continues as far as the torch illuminates, disappearing into the darkness about twenty or thirty yards from the shaft.

The ramp is steep enough that it might be tricky climbing back up. The ceiling of the ramp tunnel is only about four feet high, so Sánchez would need to either crawl head first down the steep slope, or shuffle down while sitting.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:17 pm**

OOC: Sorry, I almost forgot

Sánchez also notices that the rancid smell of decay is considerably worse at the bottom of the shaft than it was on the surface - although it is not as bad as it was on top of the pyramid near the crack.

Jackson calls down the shaft, "Is everything okay down there Nemesio?"

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 5:44 pm**

Amy has practiced for this sort of thing, but even she has difficulty in spite of having the aid of a rope.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:06 pm**

Feeling rather inadequate, Cynthia frowns as Amy shimmies down the rope. After checking her pistol and grabbing a primed pump of fuel, she turns imploringly to Jackson.

"Er, little help?"

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:32 pm**

Raiko wrote: Jackson calls down the shaft, "Is everything okay down there Nemesio?"

Dr.Sánchez flashes his flashlight upward the shaft. All good, it's a small space, I'll wait for you at the ramp down here

Dr.Sánchez moves to the ramp and makes a marking on the wall that takes to the shaft. A big arrow indicating the direction they came from. He will instruct the others in doing so as they go further down towards the base of the pyramid.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:06 pm**

Jackson lowers Amy and then Cynthia down with the rope, before climbing down himself.

Four gathering people at the bottom of the shaft is a very tight squeeze, not helped at all by the awful smell of decay.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:11 pm**

"Ugh!"

Cynthia wrinkles her nose. "Why do I get the feeling that Father of Maggots isn't a euphemism?"

Despite the squeeze, she shifts so that she can look down the sloping tunnel.

"Say, how much rope have we got left? We could run some down the slope - it looks pretty steep so it could help us climb back up."

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2019 5:18 am**

"Yes, we'll need to tie it to the end of this rope to extend it," says Amy. "I hope we don't have to leave in a hurry. Getting out won't be as easy as getting in was."

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:49 am**

OOC: Raiko, Nemesio used the group inventory rope (30ft) to climb down, and will now use his personal (60 ft) rope. Is that enough to knit together and get to the base of the slope?

'I got my rope here with me' Nemesio says and start joining the ropes with a Double Fisherman's Knot

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2019 3:36 pm**

Cynthia waits until Dr. Sanchez ties up the rope and helps feed it down the slope.

"Let's hope it's long enough, huh?"

She rummages in her satchel, swapping her pump for her flashlight whilst trying not to elbow any of her friends.

"Shall I go first?"

Switching on the flashlight and shining it forwards, she sits down and slowly edges herself down the slope feet first, conquistador sword scabbard scratching the dirt as she bumps down.

Posted: **Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:14 pm**

Andreson climb to join the group.
climb: 70%
[dice]0[/dice]

Posted: **Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:14 pm**

With the help of the rope, Cynthia has no difficulty shuffling down the steep ramp.

The combined length of the ropes is almost enough to reach the bottom, but Cynthia finds that when she reaches the end of rope she is still about three years from the end of the ramp.

Ahead of her in the beam of her flashlight, she can see the ramp ends by dropping through the ceiling of a low tunnel - the tunnel appears to be about four feet high, like the ramp, although it is at least wide enough that they won't be stuck in single file.

A band of the far wall of tunnel glitters gold in the torchlight, so the tunnel looks like it runs around the buried base of the pyramid.

While Cynthia hangs onto the rope and shines her flashlight around, Jackson Elias calls down from the top of the ramp asking if she needs anything.

Posted: **Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:59 pm**

"About seven feet more rope, or something to stand on." Cynthia replies.

She describes what she can see and then drops to the tunnel floor, trusting in her lightness to mitigate any heavy landing. Taking care not to bump her head on the low ceiling, she takes a look around, paying particular attention to the glittering band, whilst trying to pinpoint the bubbling sound.

Posted: **Fri Jan 25, 2019 11:58 am**

Dr.Sánchez follows Cinthya alertly, closely and gun in his hand.

Posted: **Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:23 am**

Amy climbs down the ramp, holding onto the rope, until she gets to the end of the rope, though she does not descend to the tunnel below just yet.

Posted: **Sat Jan 26, 2019 7:13 am**

Marcus shifts from side to side, trying to stay alert for trouble.

Posted: **Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:48 pm**

Atauchi maintained close proximity to the shaft with his ear tilted toward the space below. If the others called out for help, he wanted to immediately be aware of it. Further, the tracker periodically glanced about the surrounding area with the aid of his binoculars to ensure that no man or beast could get the drop on them.

OOC: Sweet. Extreme Success on the Listen roll, Hard Success on the Spot Hidden.

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2019 5:02 pm**

Jackson Elias clambers down the rope, following the others down - including Anderson. He has enough extra rope from Larkin's supplies to bridge the final section of the ramp, so that an escape rope is in place from the bottom all the way back up to the surface.

He calls back up to Atauchi and Marcus, nearly 100 feet above, Jackson's voice echoes up the ramp and chimney "We're all down now!"

The low tunnel at the bottom of the ramp heads straight on to the left and the right. Like the steep ramp, it is only about four feet high, and so the explorers will need to crawl, but it is about three yards wide, so there is room to pass each other, or to move two abreast.

The tunnel clearly runs along the outside of a buried step of the pyramid - the floor ceiling and "outer" wall match the small blocks used to construct the chimney and the ramp, but the "inner wall" is constructed of larger blocks like those of the exposed part of the pyramid. Midway up that wall is a narrow, ornately decorated band of gold that matches the ward the investigators brought here.

The band is undamaged for as far as can be seen in the flashlight beams. The oozing, bubbling sound is audible to everyone down in the tunnel - it seems to be coming through the warded wall, but Cynthia is sure that it is louder to the left.

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2019 9:44 pm**

Cynthia presses her ear against the warded wall.

"The bubbling sound seems to be coming from the other side of this wall, but it's louder to the left. Maybe there's a gap in the wall there that it's emanating from. It could be where we need to place the ward!"

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2019 11:03 pm**

jp1885 wrote: Cynthia presses her ear against the warded wall.

"The bubbling sound seems to be coming from the other side of this wall, but it's louder to the left. Maybe there's a gap in the wall there that it's emanating from. It could be where we need to place the ward!"

Dr.Sánchez will follow Cynthia gun drawn and ready for anything.

Posted: **Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:04 am**

"I'd better come too," says Amy, following her. "I've got the ward."

Posted: **Tue Feb 05, 2019 1:32 pm**

"Try not to make any sound, they may still some creatures lurking there"- says Anderson nervous with a gun ready.

Posted: **Tue Feb 05, 2019 2:26 pm**

With her friends beside or behind her, Cynthia slowly edges along the wall to the left, torch in one hand, pistol in the other, looking out for any gaps in the gold band.

Posted: **Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:37 am**

Atauchi maintained his position near the top of the chimney. While generally brave and willing to take on challenges, the Quechua man was glad it wasn't him who was delving into the depths of this ancient structure. Besides, the real danger was atop the temple rather than within its depths.

"What you think of all this? Is real evil spirit at work here?" he asked Marcus.

Posted: **Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:20 pm**

At the Ancient Ruins
6:00pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

Above ground, the sky is darkening and the stars already appearing through the thin mountain air as the sun vanishes behind the western peaks.

It would be a beautiful place to be, if not for the stench of decay, the incessant buzzing of the flies and the worries about vampiric kharisiri and imprisoned gods.

The Underground Tunnels - Beneath the Ancient Ruins
6:00pm - Thurday 24th March, 1921

A hundred feet below ground it is slow going. The floor of the low tunnel is covered with dust and fragments of broken stone - anyone who rushes risks injuring themelves as the sharp fragments lacerate their hands and knees. There are also occasional clusters of small stalactites hanging from the ceiling, where dripping water has left limestone deposits.

To make things even less pleasant, the smell of decay down in the tunnels is absolutely overpowering, and the air is filled with the buzzing flies. Jackson ties a cloth across his mouth and nose to try and lessen the nauseating stench, and suggests that the other explorers do the same.

After what seems an eternity of crawling - during which the explorers pass underneath another of the steep ramps - the section of the golden band damaged by Luis de Mendoza and his companions finally comes into view.

Both the pyramid wall, and the tunnel are badly damaged here: There is a two inch wide crack in the wall, running through the recess where the missing inlay used to rest, and down to the floor of the tunnel. The floor is especially damaged; a hole has been opened that covers a twenty feet long section of the tunnel. The hole is filled with a pool of rancid white fat that has dribbled from the crack over the years. The stench of decay is almost unbearable now and as the explorers try not to retch, they can see that the surface of the pool moves constantly, as though something living writhes around below the surface.

Due to the width of the pool, it appears to be impossible to access the section of wall where the inlay is missing without wading through the accumulated filth.

Posted: **Wed Feb 06, 2019 4:47 pm**

OOC: Dice rolls for those in the tunnels:

Posted: **Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:18 pm**

Carefully putting her stuff down, Cynthia follows Jackson's lead and covers her mouth and nose with a cloth, knotting it round the back of her head bandit-style. She is now convinced that the sound is coming from the other side of the wall. Something is there...

Picking her pistol and flashlight back up, she casts light from the latter over the gap and the pool. Her eyes widen as something writhes in the fat. She backs up by instinct, but holds her nerve (not to mentin her stomach).

She frantically signals to the others to be careful, before making a writhing motion with her hand and pointing to the pool. Pocketing her pistol, she fishes out her fuel pump and looks enquiringly at Jackson.

Posted: **Wed Feb 06, 2019 9:47 pm**

Marcus considers. "You know, i never believed in all this magic mumbo jumbo. I was in the war; you see the things I've seen, your realize man doesn't need gods or witchcraft to do horrible things. But the things I've seen... I can't really come up for an explanation for them. There's an evil at work here, and I don't know if it's a god,a demon,a spaceman. Whatever it is though, I know we need to make sure it doesn't get released out there." He points to empathize the remark.

"You ever seen anything like this?" He asks the native.

Posted: **Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:41 am**

Amy shudders at the sight of the creature and aims her shotgun at it. "While I can swim," she says, "I can't say I like the idea of doing it in that stuff, especially with that thing in there."

Posted: **Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:08 am**

"Whats is that?" Dr.Sánchez says raising his arm to point on the pool. Without completing his movement to point, he take a few steps ahead towards the pool of white fat stopping at the very edge of it ''hes calling on me" he murmurs while passing Cynthia where she stands "its glorious"

Posted: **Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:33 pm**

"Hey, don't be crazy!"

Cynthia tries to hold Sanchez back, being careful not to get dragged in if she fails.

"Anyone got anything we can plug in that gap?"

Posted: **Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:46 pm**

Atauchi listened as the other man spoke on his perspectives on the natural world as well as the supernatural. The Quechua man was also reevaluating his system of beliefs. Until now, gods and demons were merely story, he never expected to encounter them in the flesh.

"Si. My people have some belief in other place, uhm, spirit world... but I never see any proof before until recent. I not sure what to think." he replied and then popped a fresh coca leaf into his mouth.

Play@YSDC

[IC]Prologue 0.6: The Ancient Ruins

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