DUNGEON - BELLMARE MOUNTAINS, PT 1

[phantasmods]

Expedition day dawns with the androids in a final flurry of activity - this time, it's in the glider hangar, where they're furiously setting up racks of heavy coats, piles of warm socks, and snow boots, as much as they could manage to pull together. If you've already got your own, great! Otherwise, you can grab some here, though it will be in the usual amount of mismatched Keystone chic.

There's also a variety of emergency flares and the like. Strange is there to admonish everyone to take at least one - unlike Earth flares, they're magical and silent, and will recharge over time - just in case.

Because you're going up into the mountains, and even more so than the usual abandoned places that you explore, it's going to be dangerous just by the nature of the place, nevermind what you might find up there. Incendia was the biggest market for the Bellmare mountain resort, after all, and you're all quite familiar by now with how long that's been abandoned. More to the point, it's far easier to lose track of each other in the snowy slopes. Keep your phones handy and look out for each other, as well as anyone else you might find up there.

Indeed, in addition to the clothes offered for you now, Strange will push extra warm clothes on anyone with hammerspace, and Down, surprisingly enough, has emerged from their usual place with a good number of extra communication devices to hand out. You should still have signal in the mountains, even in a blizzard, but it's better to be prepared for things to screw up.

Once you're all bundled and ready to go, it's off with a wave, into the land of ice and snow.

[OOC: There is an exploration header for each area of the dungeon! Please limit yourselves to 3-5 characters per thread, and don't double dip in order to allow everyone the chance to explore! Otherwise, feel free to top-level as normal.]

Comments

[founderinglight]

Cavalry era. Lucis didn't make much use of mounted combat, but those handful of ours who specialized in it were quite well-known at the time. The bow I have is from the same period, roughly - they're separated by a generation.

[This is not answering Kurama's question and Izunia is intentionally dragging it out, taking the Lance in hand and letting the lightshow Happen first.]

[byanyother_name]

[It is absolutely not answering Kurama's question and he will remember this, Izunia. This stare is just daggers now. But rather than say anything about it, because he is a mature adult over 1300 years old and he can be the bigger person here, he will let the lightshow Happen and gesture towards the Shield.]

Is it even possible to warp a horse? ...you know, a sled on an incline like this makes as good a mount as any.

[founderinglight]

[Look, he'll get there, he just needs to be a little shit about it first. First he needs to be vaguely affronted on behalf of the birds.]

Chocobo cavalry, dear brother. Eos doesn't have horses. And they generally do not take to it particularly well, no, it's too disorienting for them.

[And with that he'll just... let go of the Shield entirely and float it at Kurama. He has to show off some times.]

Anyway, the wielder of that lance was known for... a quite provocative reputation.

[byanyother_name]

[Being vaguely affronted only provides him an opportunity to poke you back?]

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten. Your giant chickens.

[And by sometimes, we mean at every possible opportunity because Lucis Caelums. Kurama reaches up to catch the floating Shield easily, triggering his own lightshow.]

Provocative, is it? Moreso than all three of us having a propensity for multiple lovers?

[founderinglight]

Well, I know that I only married once.

[byanyother_name]

[That gets a rather amused raised eyebrow at the implications.]

This weapon's original owner, not so much? Serially or all at once?

[founderinglight]

Serially, polygamy has never been legal in Lucis so far as I'm aware, but that's only serially in the legal sense, if you know what I mean. I'm amazed we didn't wind up with more branch families out of it.

[byanyother_name]

Now that's just rude.

[Kurama clicks his tongue a little.]

I won't pretend I didn't have a history in my first life, but at least I never made any promises to break.

[He also is turning his attention upslope thoughtfully.]

Have you run across any of those snowmen yet, Izu-nii?

[founderinglight]

A few; they're not terribly troublesome to avoid when you can warp or speed by them.

[They might be faster in the snow than someone walking, but they're no match for the Sled of the Just.]

[byanyother_name]

They aren't. They also burst apart rather easily.

[Kurama redraws the Lance and gives Izunia a small, sharp grin. He points the tip up the slope with a slight flourish for emphasis.]

So what about through them?

[founderinglight]

...I daresay it would probably work, but I've always been a bit more on the side of dodging things, rather than barreling into them.

[He's also a politician in his fighting style, truly. Never attack straight on what you can flank.]

[byanyother_name]

I suppose that's fair, but they're very sparkly when they blow apart.

[The possibility exists that Kurama has been spending too much time with Goro.

And Kurama, just as much in his fighting style as anywhere else, is a pragmatist. If it works, do it.]