Talis had stayed about in the middle of the group for the first part of the climb, giving some of the others advice on how to climb such a path, though steadily got farther up the group as time passed and the way got harder. Eventually he would be up front with the ranger and gave all the advice he could, even telling and showing the best steps to take in the most tricky situations. He had quite a bit of practice with things like this and wanted to show them all that he could actually be helpful.

Eventually they reached the top and Talis looked out at the large expanse that spread out before them from the cliff, admiring it all while the sun seemed to make his eyes sparkle. It wasn't until Lysandrix spoke that he turned around and looked at her. At the question he nodded and reached into his pack, pulling out a slightly worn piece of charcoal as he walked over.

"Here, you can use it. Just try not to use it all if possible, please?" he said with a gentle smile. "I use it to sketch, and to make some ink for my pens." he explained before glancing over at the berries. He quickly glanced at Avrielle and then went over to the bushes, kneeling down and examining their looks - such as color and size - before also looking the plant itself over and checking his notebook. He wanted to make sure that they were not poisonous and thus edible.

That is, of course, assuming they were different than ones he had already seen before on this planet.

"I don't like it," Vella simply stated, bringing up her reaper launcher and pointing it towards the entrance. "Not one bit. This entire place reeks of...illusion? Why would you put such a cave in a such calm surrounding? And without a single guard?"

"We should not tarry. Let us explore it as quickly as possible, find the sword and get out. I have a feeling the peace around us will not last for long if we don't hurry."

Maesanai made the climb without much complaint nor pause, hands and feet working at such a speed, she might just be a snake slithering up the cliffside. One might wonder whether she'd climbed much on her Craft, for she scaled the cliff with relative ease and found good holds. Once atop the cliff, she cast her eyes out towards the vibrant fields and beamed. "Ah, Exodites truly know to settle the most wonderful places," she announced approvingly, taking in the vista.

It did not take terribly long before they were all up, and faced with the strange cave. "It is almost as though it was put here without regard for its surroundings," Maesanai mused. "I'd be careful to call it illusion, some other force could be at play here," she replied to Vella (@Colapse). She activated her power spear, a blue sheen surrounding the blade, which was soon surrounded by crackling energy, and then she lowered the weapon, clutching the haft around two-thirds down, near the blade itself. She let the haft align with her arm, carrying it close, almost like a sword with a bizarrely long pommel, as she stepped closer to inspect the wall along with her fellow Corsair lady. "What do you sense, Lysandriax?"

Everything was too peaceful here, it very much reminded him of the realm the Lord had created. Faenkon was unsure if he should trust his eyes, surely an ancient treasure such as this would have some manner of protection. Sending his drone to scan the area, in hopes that the device would show the truth. "The calm is unsettling. There must be a reason why any who came here before never returned." Faenkon checked the surrounding area for any signs of life. Surely an illusion wouldn't account for animal tracks... or would it?

Alo was facing away from the tunnel, instead focusing on the sights and natures calm. He watched as birds flew by and perched on trees or rock surfaces, singing without complex cares of a cognitive mind. Without realizing it first, his mind was blank. As it was like for Winterheart to isolate himself from the rest, he ignored the others and their musings for a few precious moments. He experienced the brief blissful calm again like he experienced before during their trip.
Alo removed his helmet and let the breeze caress his face, his hair fluttering in the wind. He closed his eyes and felt a tingle run up his spine as the pain and worry was gone for a moment, it almost brought him to tears.

Then, the feeling faded. The painful knot returned to his stomach and his anger rose because of it. Alo stared to the horizon for a moment, snarling to himself. He put the helmet back on and tightly gripped his shuriken catapult.
"Hurry it up, you lot. Whatever jester would have cast an illusion would be a fool to face a well armed group such as us."
He said and walked a bit further inside the tunnel than Maesanai and Lysandriax.

Lysandriax took the charcoal with a nod of thanks. She gently rubbed it over the surface of the rock, highlighting minute changes in the height and revealing a subtle veil of flowing, elegant carvings. They showed familiar scenes to all: the shared heritage of the Children of Isha, the story of Eldanesh and Ulthanash and their sibling rivalry, the death of Eldanesh at the hands of Khaine, and the eventual journey of the Eldar into the material realm. Avrielle came forward and took a series of pictures as a record.

"Warlock Liasethanil will want to see these," she said, looking interested herself in the ancient work. "It looks similar in style to those we saw on the Hope of Eldanesh. Perhaps they are as old, too."

Lysandriax handed back the charcoal and dusted off her hands. "It looks as if it might be where we are headed, at any rate. Not that I see any other mysterious tunnels here!" She looked over at Alo, enjoying a brief moment of peace, and whatever she had been going to say she decided to keep to herself.

"Hurry it up, you lot. Whatever jester would have cast an illusion would be a fool to face a well armed group such as us," the Winterheart said, turning back around. Agreeing with Vella's growled warning about the dangers of the place and the obviousness of where they must go next. It was hardly a place for a subtle trap; and yet, it was at odds with the lovely alpine meadow.

Faenkon looked for tracks and signs of animal life. He found some small traces of passing rodents, and the hollow snail shell left from a bird pecking out its lunch. The plants grew next to the cave entrance with no withering or unnatural growth. The bees buzzed over the sun-touched flowers, and the peace in the meadow was unbroken. The drone returned to his side, hovering soundlessly.

The Dark Reaper took point, the low light no problem to Eldar eyes. The tunnel was smooth but did quickly become steeper, descending quite sharply.

There was another problem too. The tunnel had progressed at an angle and a direction that would have taken it over the empty air of the valley below. The ceiling was rising, and the widening space ahead looked like it was opening into a wider cavern. The only light came from that carried by the group itself. To the left, Faenkon discerned a smaller passageway, a few inches higher than the tallest Eldar's helm, just to the side of the entrance, but the air from it was still. That from the cavern ahead carried a faint perfume. There were no sounds, except for the light brush of Eldar feet and any conversation, and a distant sound of flowing water.



@kanila @DaKaptin @Wata @Colapse @Kalle @BlackNecron @BadDo9

Sending the drone down the smaller path to explore, Faenkon continued in the larger area. Everything here seemed too... peaceful. Was it just him being overly cautious or was there some underlying danger yet to reveal itself. Either way nothing would be gained by standing there. So he pressed forward, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

Maesanai mustered all of her superior Eldar senses to the effort of listening for any lurking danger, any creature that might creep up on them, any stink of something foul that hid in the shadows... and no such thing made itself known to her. Only the soft footsteps of the Eldar themselves. Only their sparse whispering. Only the trilling of the water beyond their sight. The odd crackle of energy humming over her power spear broke the quiet. However, judging by the others, she felt no need to alert them to the possible dangers of their surroundings. They were well aware.

And despite the tension of the moment, she also felt the thrill of hunting --- the same kind of thrill she had felt when she had hunted with her father's kinsmen on the plains of Saim-Hann. Spear in hand, she was creeping up on glory.

Alo stalked along with the rest. He hated skulking around in some damp murky cave such as this. His grip tightened around his weapons and he was grinding his jaw.
This better be over with soon. Alo realized he was big on hurrying everywhere, he wondered why.

Avrielle recorded. Lysandriax watched. Faenkon explored. Alo hated.

The Winterheart felt the chill of the caves, the damp of the stone, the scent of aged air. The slight traces of perfume. Perhaps it was some vanity of Lysandriax's. The other Aspect Warriors patrolled the tunnel with vigilance and the journey was swift, but still it was too slow for Alo. Unbidden, the face of the Farseer surfaced in his thoughts, a faint smile on her lips as she contemplated the runes, not mocking, but one as of an Eldar who has recognised something long sought. She always seemed so much more certain in those times. Why could he not have such confidence, such surety of purpose? What else was this quest but a means to such an end? And of course to recover the sword, if such a blade even existed.

Vella sensed it first. The drone was on its return pass to Faenkon, bearing news that the small tunnel contained a closed webway gate. In the same instant, Onvar, who had taken point, noticed the same small sign. The air quality changed, ruffling the high plume of his helmet. The way ahead had opened up, or at least there was a greater airflow there than a moment before. The light level increased faintly, a soft glow typical of an active portal. There was no sound for a little while longer, and then, hesitant footsteps. Faenkon and Talis could recognise the unsteady gait of a four-legged creature on unfamiliar ground.

Maesanai felt her heart quicken with the thrill of the hunt. Iktomi, who had fallen back to be rearguard, exchanged glances with her and lightly touched the feathers tucked into his fancy Corsair hat. She didn't know the story of them yet, and who knows what glory might be added to the telling? For now, it was obvious from his nonverbal communication that he meant to tell her that he hunted them from a creature heretofore unknown. Such as what might be advancing.

A light blazed forth from the cavern ahead, actinic and sudden, casting hard-edged shadows. Those in helmets were quickly protected from the glare, those without momentarily blinded, but sensitive Eldar sight recovers swiftly. Avrielle shielded the radio equipment with an automatic reflex. Lysandriax drew a blade. In the brief flash of brightness, the way ahead was revealed as vast, a vaulted cavern that served as the confluence of many webway gates.

@kanila @DaKaptin @Wata @Colapse @Kalle @BlackNecron @BadDo9




The way ahead was simple enough, leading from the port sector to the markets. The passing Eldar were mostly of the scruffier, more travelled kind, Rangers and the like; reprobates and gangrel wanderers, without the means to trade much save secrets, though those too were currency of a kind. Firnweth knew well how the spread of rumour and knowledge intertwined and how to make a profit from both.

It was with her mind on other things that the routine journey slipped from her notice. The ways all looked boringly similar, the artistry of ancient days having given way to rote repetition of simple architectural motifs. It all looked alike. Was she at the second, or the third concourse? Logically it would be the second, so she must be close to the port access gate and the ships being loaded with cargo. Another successful run. Firnweth was confident as she stepped through the portal.

Face to face with a small, four-legged, knee-high saurid, that blinked at the sudden lack of sun, and the sudden flare of the light as the portal behind her closed, and the vast impression of a dark cavern in that same instant, the Ambassador's confidence mounted a stern defence against panic. Analysis: Eldar voices ahead. Saurid frozen and probably not about to attack. The way behind - she reached out a hand backwards - Khaine's Blood. Closed.

@Casavay



Up ahead, two of the webway gates flared in sudden activation, a third only just powering down. From one, an Eldar woman stepped in momentary confusion, somewhat shorter than average and richly dressed, her short-cut copper hair sweeping back and forth as she turned her head from side to side.


@kanila @DaKaptin @Wata @Colapse @Kalle @BlackNecron @BadDo9 @Casavay