dc_eldritch (dc_eldritch) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2010-02-27 18:41:00

Entry tags:

alina vasquez, cait curry, dinadan palmer, inactive - aquaknight, inactive - jane doe-smith, jon kent, npc - batman, plot - "call of cthulu", tyler darnell

Cthulu Rises
Out of the temple doors in the bay comes an ancient evil creature. It is Cthulu himself. He roars loudly then snatches up several cultists and eats them. The frightened screams of the others fill the air. His gaze turns to the shore and then he begins to walk.

His march towards the shore begins and he doesn't notice anything else just yet.

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sonoftheatom
2010-03-15 12:47 am UTC (link)

Dinadan breathes deeply when Cait tells him what Ty's told her, biting back the urge to start whimpering. He really, really hates this. It's bad enough being here with that...thing stomping around in the surf trying to get to shore, but now they're playing telephone with passwords in another language and they've got one shot.

If he screws this up... He can't think about screwing this up. He's got to stay calm.

He squeezes his eyes shut tight and carefully pronounces the password.

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	dc_eldritch 2010-03-15 12:49 am UTC (link)
	The burning stops, something in the door clicks, and they can approach to start trying keys now. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 01:58 am UTC (link)
	Cait carefully walked toward the door and put her key in a keyhole. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2010-03-15 02:12 am UTC (link)
	Dinadan leans against the wall, practically shaking in relief. But they're not done yet. He pushes himself away from the wall and unsheathes his sword again, in case there's something on the other side of the door. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dc_eldritch
2010-03-15 03:31 am UTC (link)

Cait's key doesn't work. After a brief moment of panic with nothing happening, it turns out Jane's works fine. A greenish light shines from within the temple. Everyone present begins to feel their minds twisting, and strange words in their mind.
Then the seal Din has glows bright blue, and the feeling subsides.

The room is broken up into quadrants, strange writing covering most surfaces, along with images in each quadrant that, with some head-twisting study, suggest fire, air, earth and water. In the middle of the room there's an altar, the top is clear, like activity has recently occurred using it, but the top is bare now.

In each of the four doors there is a small, barred window. Each room is full of more sigils and glyphs that seem to dance and twist in front of the eye. Each also has a smaller altar, upon which an object rests, though in each case, only one person can see the object. To the others, the altar appears bare.
In the room most closely associated with Earth, Jane can report seeing a sword, from which she can feel tremendous power radiating, the ability to protect herself, the city, the world perhaps.
In the room associated to Air, a wand of bone rests, polished to the purest white. Batman can see this one, and from it, feel a power of command, the ability to bring order to chaos, to force sanity upon a word gone insane.
With some surprise, Cait can see within the room of fire. A silver goblet rests within, its reddish contents smoking. As she inhales the fumes coming from the room, even that brings her a feeling of absolute enlightenment and understanding, such as even the mages of Atlantis have never known.
And within the last, the room of water, a massive tome lies, bound in leather, appearing to itself have a lock keeping its secrets hidden. From it he feels not power, not command, not enlightment - just age, and potential, but its power, for now, remains locked away.

Batman can't help but feel a driving urge to open the room with the wand, likewise, all save Dinadan are drawn towards their rooms, but with a feat of will and warning from the others, none succumb. Each time he passes a room, Din's seal flashes again, and whoever he touches no longer feels that driving urge - but they do somehow know that Batman's key will open one, and only one of the doors.

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sonoftheatom
2010-03-15 03:59 am UTC (link)

It's a good thing that all it takes is a touch, because there's no way that Dinadan could physically hold all of the others back from the rooms if they were really intent on reaching them. He's also not entirely sure how comfortable he is having the power to subvert whatever it was that had been urging them when he sure as shooting didn't have that power before. He licks his lips and looks around at the others.

"Okay," he says in a shaky voice. "I...guess that we need something to do the ritual. One of those things probably, unless Mr. Carter told anyone else anything?" He thinks hard. "I don't think it's the sword. That's a weapon, and in one-on-one combat, he can stomp all of us flat."

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	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 04:02 am UTC (link)
	"I doubt it would be the cup. The book maybe? Maybe there's a spell inside that would put big bad back to sleep?" This was what she got for not being magically inclined like some other Atlanteans. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2010-03-15 04:14 am UTC (link)
	"And, uh. I guess we really can't command him to go to sleep. Because...well, that's not how it works. You can tell someone to go to bed, but you can't make them sleep." He's babbling. Dinadan bites his tongue. "Uh. Book it is. Unless anyone else has got a better idea?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dc_eldritch 2010-03-15 04:16 am UTC (link)
	Anyone approaching the room begins to feel like they're drowning, regardless of Bat-air supply devices or Atlantean heritage. The words and sigils around the room twist and turn about, but for a person holding Terry's key, the become clear, but still don't make any sense. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 04:21 am UTC (link)
	"I can't make any sense of the sigils to show them to Ty for translation," Cait said as she tried to focus on them. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2010-03-15 04:30 am UTC (link)
	The four of them confer for a few increasingly nerve-wracking minutes before they figure out that Batman doesn't seen the sigils writhing about like the rest of them do. "Maybe it's the key? We know it's the one we're supposed to use. See if that helps," Dinadan says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

all_powerfull
2010-03-15 04:36 am UTC (link)

That does the trick. This time, when Cait calls for translation, Ty's words are more strained, he's hurt worse, and fighting off hallucinations, but seems to have something helping keep off complete breakdown.

//Cait, it says that only someone tied to the sea may touch the book... it will injure anyone who touches it but you... or a priest of Cthulhu... I'm hoping you don't have any of those there... but you're still too angry... someone else will have to cast the spell from the book while you open it for them... but first, to get to the door, the calmest person there needs to say 'c'tthnk ch'ftaghu' - it means 'my essence crosses the boundary of flesh. Do you understand? There is another password for taking the book out of the room, make sure you don't take it out before checking for glyphs inside. Have whoever is reading go with you.//

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	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 04:37 am UTC (link)
	//I got it. Hang in there Ty. We'll go as fast as we can.// Cait relays what Ty told her to the others. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2010-03-15 04:53 am UTC (link)

"...Is that still me?" Dinadan asks unhappily, looking over at Jane and Batman. "It's still me, isn't it."

He really, really hates this. He likes his flesh! And he's not sure what saying those words is going to do to him this time.

But...he doesn't really have a choice, does he?

He takes another deep breath, swallows hard, nods at Cait, and hopes like crazy that he's not about to die.

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	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 04:54 am UTC (link)
	She offered him a small smile and prepared to step through the door. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dc_eldritch
2010-03-15 04:58 am UTC (link)

There's a strange sensation, like walking into a wall of water passing into the room. Looking back, Din and Cait can see themselves, or their bodies, or something, still standing, totally still, on the other side of the doorway.

Dinadan can hear the book talking to him, whispering secrets, urging him with how it would let him do anything, have anything he desires, always be prepared for anything. The seal flashes again, the the voice passes.

To Cait, she can just hear the book whispering something in a strange, eldritch tongue, but she can just feel that it longs to serve her.

The inside of the door does indeed have more runes. Ty's voice sounds far away as he translates to her dream essence.

//He needs to say 'c'thnk ch'agl h'ftagn', it means 'our essence crosses into the place of sleep' - as soon as you have the book and are ready to leave. Otherwise, when you step out, you won't return to your bodies.//

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	sonoftheatom 2010-03-15 05:06 am UTC (link)
	"Let's grab the book and go." Okay, it's not fair at all that his voice squeaks like that when he's not actually in his body. Which he is trying really hard not to think too hard about, thank you. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 05:09 am UTC (link)
	"You got it," Cait said as she grabbed the book. She told Din how to get them out of the room. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dc_eldritch
2010-03-15 05:10 am UTC (link)

Getting out of the room restores them to their bodies, but it still feels odd, slightly disjointed, like they might be dreaming they're themselves again.

The altar holds one more set of runes, visible to Cait while she holds the book.

//Before placing the book on the altar, have him say 'grah'n hafh'drn, hrii'ilyaa' - 'it is the lost priest, its followers await' - then open the book with the last key.//

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	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 05:11 am UTC (link)
	Cait relays the information. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonoftheatom 2010-03-15 05:13 am UTC (link)
	Dinadan listens while pinching himself. It would really, really suck to come all this way and then only dream they'd won. And he is once again deeply unhappy about saying the words -- this time especially, since this definitely isn't a religion he wants to be a priest of. Ever. He says the words anyway. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

all_powerfull
2010-03-15 05:18 am UTC (link)

The voice is struggling when it comes through, but he's still doing his best to help her, and still fulfill his duty.

//Cait, only you can touch the book, but don't start casting, it will try and lure you to do it... he has to, you're going to feel tempted, angry, sad, hopeless... anything it can do to try and offer you comfort, power... he'll be the same, but he's not as far gone... he needs to keep control of himself, no matter what... now concentrate, both of you... have him close his eyes, clear his mind, and then concentrate totally on what he wants to acheive... a number will appear in his mind. Open to that page, do not even look at any other page. Do you understand? The other two with you... they'll need to guard the door. As you cast, more spawn will be trying to get in. They need to hold the door... and you two need to concentrate, don't think about the spawn.//

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	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 05:20 am UTC (link)
	//I understand. Hold on, my love. We'll finish this.// Cait told Dinadan what Ty told her and told the others to watch the door. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sonoftheatom
2010-03-15 05:32 am UTC (link)

Dinadan just wants this to all be over so he can... Well, okay, he's pretty sure he's not going to be able to sleep for at least a week once this is over. If he can ever sleep again after that out-of-body experience.

He squeezes his eyes tightly shut again and puts his hands over his ears...but that's not going to help. He takes his hands away and flexes them slowly, breathing in and out to the count of seven. He can't think about the spawn, or what he's seen, or what will happen if they fail. He has to think about what he wants to accomplish and do it.

Dinadan concentrates.

"Forty-two."

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	young_swimmer 2010-03-15 05:35 am UTC (link)
	Cait opens the book starts to search for page 42. The book whispered to her and she squeezed her eyes shut against the voices. She opened her eyes and quickly found the right page. She held the book for Din to see and relayed the images to Ty. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)