RP:Unpoached Egg

Kamakio, Karasu, and Lanlan investigate strange sounds and tremors that seem to only occur at a specific time of day. They find a piece of amber the size of a house with fossilized people trapped inside.

Lanlan arrives to the sight of the "mysterious but definitely magical phenomenon", described by an anonymous tipster. Lanlan knows these woods well enough, though he hasn't been here in a long time. In an ancient forest like this one though, many of the landmarks stay the same, so he can follow the directions imparted to the Mage's guild. In fact, this place was investigated before, but there was no findings. Since the case was reopened, though, the Mage's guild clerk takes additional details; a more precise location, and the specific time of day. Even the day of the week! With magical mysteries any detail might be important. So they arrive minutes before the latest tipster said he encountered...whatever it was he encountered. So far there's nothing unusual, and Lanlan doesn't bother turning over piles of leaves or seeing what's under any big rocks. He just leans against a tree. He's not allowed to say so, but places like this do give him comfort. It's true he abandoned this place and its people for the Underdark, but it's where he grew up, and maybe it was in his nature to always enjoy wildlife.

Karasu follows the arcane steward as they trek through the foliage. So far, little more than formalities and pleasantries have been exchanged since the duo set off from Xalious. What information she knows is that something unusual has happened in this area that warrants investigation. The half-feline keeps a wary eye out for any movement that could seem out of the ordinary, including looking behind and around rocks that seem a little too conveniently placed, or peering up into trees. When Lanlan leans against a tree so nonchalantly, she peers up at him as well with a curious expression, but says nothing. The few black whiskers that jut from her cheekbones twitch in time with her ears, hearing someone, or something else move. Another lizard, perhaps, or the phenomenon they are searching for?

Kamakio was no woodswoman. Not a strand of the wild dwelled within. Or at least, the true wild. She was a city slicker, a street rat. Quite literally, as it was, though she dreaded hearing the words themselves. The world was full of scary things, naturally, but the Sage seemed all harmless. Nothing like the back alleys and dark corners of any city. Or under it. So that was why she liked it more. Now, she might not have any inkling of the creatures that might stalk the leaves, or what harms might befall an unwary girl. But what she did know was that black berries grew here, that they were in season, and most importantly, she didn't have to steal a single one. Nor pay for it. Not a copper to Mister Bush, nary a sleight of hand to coax a sweet tidbit from Missus Blackberry. Unless you counted the thorns, of course. But Kio's paws were clever enough, and small enough, that they didn't pose much of a problem. So it was why there would be a gentle voice floating through the rustling of the summer evening. A somewhat tuneless and very bawdy song, no doubt dug out from the depths of some hive of scum and villainy or other, drifts as it grows steadily. Kio's voice was not one of an angel, to be sure, but nor was it the grating of a woman that couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Much interupted as it carried on, a pause as a berry was discovered and claimed, then a drift on as the woman steadily approached the site of whatever the waiting elf and half feline staked. Glimpses of dark fur amid the brush, and then all at once the woman emerges. Her mouth spotted with bits of blue and juice, fur slicked and paws slightly grimy. The hat that normally sits poorly atop her head was in her hand, serving as both a basket and a plate, and it was hard to tell whether more berries were going into it then her mouth. "And then he says as you please, as be bends her over his-" Sudden instincts kick in, far too late, and she stops, eyes going wide, as she finds she is not alone.

Lanlan was wearing his surfacer garb, which meant he was protected from the sun. Everything, his pants, shirt, and hat, were all black. Only his gloves were white. Since he was only half drow, he wasn't plagued as much by sunlight. But it was still a nuisance. Standing in the shade on the perimeter of a glade of dark brown dirt, he looks up to the canopy. "It's called 'crown shyness' when the tops of trees do that," he says to Karasu when he notices her looking at him. Then the peace is interrupted by a queer sort of noise he's never become acquainted with. Distracted, but not enough to investigate, he glances over in the direction of the jingle as it gets closer. By the time Kamakio pushes her way through the brush and into the glade, Lanlan's face is a twisted grimace of confusion. He is not a berry of any kind, so he didn't immediately feel any danger from her, and he was a little too sad to be of any danger to Kamakio. "Oh please! Do finish your song, I still think there might be some tiny vermin who haven't bitten their ears off yet." Honestly, her singing wasn't that bad! But he was bitter about something, and it seems like every time someone disturbed his silence, he received more bad news. By the time he looked back at the glade, the sun's rays had changed and made what looked like an almost purposeful pattern . Anyone who's ever studied runes would recognize the pattern. And as Lanlan stared, trying to remember what they reminded him of, there was a rumbling deep beneath them. Soft at first... but then it started to grow! they were all shaken by violent tremors as something enormous was propelling itself upwards through the Earth, seemingly called by the runic pattern created by the canopy. Lanlan wrapped his arms around the tree he leaned on and slid to the other side of it to hide. Suddenly, the rumbling, the shaking, the erupting, all ceased. The once flat glade was now an enormous mound of brown dirt. "Someone!" His eyes darted from Karasu to Kamakio. "One of you go see what that is!" If they did, by shoveling away a few feet of dirt, they'd find the top of an enormous boulder of amber. The surface of it scratched with infinite tiny runes. Translucent, but probably impossible to see into its depths if you wanted to. A couple things about it were certain. It was enormous, and whoever could excavate it and claim it as their own, would be a very very rich illusionist named Lanlan.

Karasu raises an eyebrow when the half-drow explains the phenomena of the trees. The trivia does little to sway her one track mind. Trying not to act entirely rude, she gives an unenthusiastic nod and an utterance of "Interesting." As she turns around, the scent reaches her before her ears register the singing. Fermin. Their presence was few, if not nonexistent, in her native area. From what she knows, which is not much at all, they are repugnant little thieves, eager to get their paws on anything that could look remotely valuable. It was an extremely racist mindset, much like her opinions on lycans, but a somewhat sheltered life would have that effect. When Kamakio emerges from the underbrush, the spellblade's eyes are already fixed on her with a look of contempt. The fur of her tail raises slightly in silent warning. When Lanlan makes his comment, the corners of her lips turn up as she turns to look at him. Her eyes drift over to the glade before them, and her brows furrow in thought. "Doesn't that look like a rune pattern?" She asks the painfully obvious question as the earth softly rumbles. The apprentice darts to another nearby tree, leaving the woman to fend for herself. Her claws dig into the bark and hold fast while the tremor passes. As soon as its over, she steps over the debris and begins to dig away at the loosened earth with her bare claws. Sunlight reflects off the mound of amber, slowly casting the forest in a golden light as Karasu tries to excavate it to little avail. "You're going to want to see this." She calls to her elder.

Kamakio || Instinct demanded that she flee. Two unknown ruffians in the forest was bad news. Even though her mind bubbled with questions, the curious nature that always sought more, that divided her from her cousins that lived below. A foot takes a step back and she's almost turning, a hand on the strap that goes across her chest. But...blue eyes peer from behind the lenses, which glint in the sun. A pattern...the tell tale traces being drawn in the air. Something was happening. Just before the ground explodes she blurts out, "Look out!" Ducking, though she was already low to the ground, the dirt scattering everywhere. Reflexivly, she upturns her hat and plops it onto her head. Berries dribble out, hitting her shoulders and going onto the ground, but she doesn't notice because the aftermath of the small detonation was...a stone? No, not a stone, something enormous. A boulder of amber, seeping magic, so bright it nearly blinded her. The spells woven into the glasses she wore, a gift from her mother, marked them clear as day. Instinct demanded that she flee, there was danger here, but...also a mystery. Despite everything, the girl edges closer to the stone. Not too close, mind, but she was hoping for a better look. Fingers, stained in juices, idly finger the flaps of the book holder at her side. Maybe this would be one thing that might be contained in the book...

Lanlan was not a ruffian. How dare someone even think that? He was definitely and as of now canonically the most fashionable being in Hollow. Something about the word 'ruffian' suggested otherwise. After Karasu brushed away some of the dirt and revealed the pretty glow of the stone, he felt his fears abate. Slowly he stepped out from behind the tree and approached. Lanlan had seen a similar pattern of tiny runes before, etched in another material. He never met the scribe, but felt certain they must be the author of whatever this amber's story was too. If he was more diligent, he might be able to make a guess as to the purpose of these runes. Learning more about runes was on his to-do list though. Once the amber became more thoroughly bathed in sunlight, whatever magic was attracting it to the surface was reignited. It inched itself further and further out of its earthy prison. Egg shaped and big as a house, the amber emerged in its entirety. There was a slight danger here though, under the floating monolith was a huge vacuum. The extremely temporary pit's walls began rapidly sliding in to fill the gap. If they weren't quick with their wits or their feet, they could be sucked in and buried. The sliding dirt rushed forward pulling Lanlan's feet out from under him and leaving him clawing uselessly at loose soil and pebbles. He panics briefly before he engages his magical drow insignia. His eyes grow purple, and the magic traces a vivid and jagged path into the small symbol on his chest as he levitates to safety. If everyone else has made it, they'll receive a startling new image at the base of the amber. The silhouettes of sixteen humanoids stand with their arms raised in a "v", trapped behind several feet of the newly excavated amber chunk.

Karasu scurries backwards as the amber lifts itself out, watching it curiously. The smell of earth overpowers any olfactory hints as to where this artifact had been previously and her whiskers twitch in annoyance. As she squints in an attempt to read even a portion of the runes, the ground rapidly begins to give way beneath her. "Ah!" She scrambles backwards and rises to her feet to propel herself away with a swift jump. Before she does, she notices the stranger is also in the crumbling ground's path. With a curse under her breath, she changes trajectory and stops directly next to the fermin to lift her partially over her armored shoulder before making another jump to Lanlan. Karasu gives a relieved sigh for the moment, then unceremoniously sets the woman on the ground. "Are you trying to get yourself killed now?" She quips before turning to the artifact's newly revealed base. For a moment, nothing is said between the trio as she stares at the silhouettes. "Sven have mercy." She mutters, taking a cautious step forward.

Kamakio was away and nimbly so before any of the earth began to slide and collapse. The tunnels she was born in weren't always so stable, so being buried was a very real threat. And given the location being in the sewers, it wasn't dying to a mouth and lungs full of earth that was the true nightmare. To the girl's eyes, Karasu's grab was not born of kindness, but malice. Cats and claws, as it were. What would have been an adroit leap away turns into a backwards stumble from the half feline, causing her to fall on her rear. Maybe protecting that enormous gem that was hanging magically in the air. True, deep down, Kio did want the thing. But not born out of any sense of greed, but what might be considered instinct. As those blue eyes gazed on the amber, the light reflecting, intermixed, she didn't see the riches she might have, but the safety that such money might bring. But there's too much, too fast, and finally her curiousity is caving to the precaution. With a small gasp she comes to, glancing and scrambling up. More berries fall from under the brim of the hat and she secures it better on reflex, but she's backing away, "I, um, think, I should probably, ah...um." Without finishing the thought, and in not quite a full out run, she's scampering from the discovery, heading towards more sane and well known paths.