[Jean] Chapter 11: Mount Velothia

[Throndir]

《Chapter 10: Ceremony

《Chapter 11: Mount Velothia》

Location: New World - Wind Temple of Velothia - Dalina's Home
Date: Day 7 - Morning

The morning came, and when you stirred awake, you noticed that the slimeling was already up as usual. Gust was with Viridio, who seemed to be teaching the hatchling how to correctly hover in place. Anja was stirring as well, and from the way Ren's tentacles coiled around one of your arms, figured she must be up as well.

As you suspected, Dalina was still dead asleep.

[pringerbeam]

     Jean stood up and stretched his arms and looked over his companions.  Seeing Dalina still asleep he went about fully rousing everyone, everyone that is but Dalina.  He gathered them all together with a finger over his lips to signal continued silence and brought them over next to Dalina's bed.  Getting his head as close to Dalina as possible, close enough to just barely move the lock of hair that lay across her face.  He looked to everyone else and brought up his fingers in a countdown, hoping they would get the jist.  Three fingers.  Two fingers.  One finger.  "GOOD MORNING!"  He said as loud as he could without yelling.

[Throndir]

Everyone spoke up at once.

"WAKE UP SLEEPY!" One of them said.

"Master wishes you to wake!" Another said at the same time.

Gust and Viridio chirped as well joining into the call. It was the slimeling who didn't say anything but instead, decided to plop itself on Dalina's face.

That of course was enough to wake her up.

"WHA-" Dalina yelled, and at the same time, bolted up in her bed, hitting her head on the ceiling, while pushing the slimeling off her face.

"O-ow..." She said, blinking her eyes, and realizing everyone was crowding around her. "I told you I was going to wake up..." She said hesitantly, avoiding looking at anyone in the eye.

[pringerbeam]

     "It's morning and everyone else was already up.  C'mon, we gotta eat so we can go watch the landing." Said Jean as he made his way into the kitchen to get breakfast.  "Ren, could you carry Anja?  We should all watch together."  He said as he gathered up some jerky, dried fish, and bread.

[Throndir]

Ren nodded as her tentacles wrapped around Anja. Anja took the proffered appendages, and once she did, the tentacles morphed into something akin to a squishy chair.

With that, the rest of the crew gathered some things as well for the landing, along with prepping their robes, and ensuring they all looked tidy. It was then that Dalina disappeared into a closet, and eventually pulled out what looked to be a fine robe. It was similar in design and make as the rest of the robes that the people in the temple wore, but this one looked exceptionally better made.

"I can finally pull this out... This is a special robe designed for the hero." Dalina explained. "On the day when you depart our temple, I am to give this to you. Because we're landing soon, this is the best time, I think."
 
"It's a robe passed down for generations, since the time of the old kingdoms before the first of our temples took flight into the skies. It has a special property... What makes it uniquely for the hero, is that is grants the wearer a high amount of elemental defenses in relation with the type of elements they have affinity for. But also, you become more vulnerable to elements that you do not have affinity for."

"For example... The priests of our temple have a strong affinity for Air. Meaning, that when wearing this, air weaves around us more easily. Direct attacks based on air to cut or pummel have a reduced effect. However... If a Wind Temple priest were to wear this and walk on flaming stones, it would hurt much more."

"For heroes... they generally have an affinity for all the elements, and are more likely to have affinity for the rarer ones, such as Light or Darkness."

With the explanation complete, Dalina handed it to you.

Feel free to describe the robe. Only requirement is that it's a robe of some sort, but definitely more adorned than what the rest of the priests are wearing. Colors should include white in it.

Statistics:

Robe of the Velothian Wind Temple Hero

The robe grants the wearer 15 resistance to a specific elemental damage type(s) they have affinity in. However, this only extends to specific elemental damage, rather than the physical damages such as Piercing, Slashing, or Bludgeoning.

Fire affinity is a resistance to fire damage and electric damage.
Water affinity is a resistance to cold damage.
Earth affinity is a resistance to acid damage
Air affinity is a resistance to electric damage and sonic damage.
Light affinity is a resistance to sacred damage.
Darkness affinity is a resistance to profane damage.

For elements a user does not have affinity with, the damage taken is doubled.

[info]Add this to your Items sheet. Not sure if I have a place for elemental resistances, but update that too if I did. State any more preparations, and Dalina will lead to the destination and we can move scenes.[/info]

[pringerbeam]

     Jean took the robe and held it up in front of himself, letting it unfold so he could get a look at it from top to bottom.  It was certainly more ornate than what the other villagers wore, made of some kind of fine linen rather than the usual woolen material.  The robe was cut with a firm collar and slits on either side from the waist down, much like the changshan he sometimes saw in old kungfu movies (again, the knowledge of which he didn't think he would have seen before other than in passing).  It was white with deep emerald patterns and gold trim that evoked blowing wind but as he looked closer at it the patterning seemed to ever so slowly change as rich purple streaks seemed to weave among the green.  He blinked and pulled away, at a further distance the patters remained their original color and only upon bringing the fabric up to his face for a closer inspection could he see the additional color.  "Amazing stuff."  He said as he pulled his gaze from the almost hypnotic pattern.  "It must change according to who wears it...  And yet it remains the same"  He took off the simple jerkin he had been wearing and pulled the robe over his head.  It was soft, and the stitching was finer than even the clothes he wore back in his original world, as if they weren't even there, a huge difference from the rough handmade clothes he had been wearing so far in this world.
     "I could certainly get used to this" he said, as he stuck out a leg to see how it fell on his form.  It flowed around him with the slightest breeze, and was surprisingly voluminous, feeling like a cloud or almost like he wasn't wearing it at all.  It was luxurious, almost too much so for Jean.  "It feels...  Well different than anything I'm used to wearing.  Almost like I'm naked."  He turned back and picked up the jerkin he had just taken off and pulled it back on over the robe and rolled up the sleeves to his elbows  "That... feels better."  He said as he seemed to trap the robe with the overlay and feeling more like he was actually wearing something. "So, do I look sufficiently heroic now?"  He asked as he turned around for his companions to see.

[info]Good to move on with scene.[/info]

[Throndir]

Location: New World - Wind Temple of Velothia - Dalina's Home
Date: Day 7 - Morning

The rest of the crew either smiled or grinned when they looked upon you. It was Dalina who first spoke.

"Now, you look like an actual hero. Your hair also works really well with the entire thing too." She commented. "You look great!"

"Master... I still think you look better without anything on..."

Anja furrowed her eyebrows. Though you noticed Dalina's cheek turn slight a slight red, and avoided your eyes. Ren wrapped her tentacles around both Anja and Dalina.

"What do you two think?" Ren asked, surprisingly attempting to include the two others in her musings as the tentacle girl looked hungrily towards you.

"No comment." Anja replied flatly.

"Well, he's not bad." Dalina said. "I mean... uhh, he is pretty fit and good look-" Dalina paused. "Why are we even talking about this?" She said as she began walking off abruptly.

She was trying not to turn around but the rest of you could tell she was probably trying to hide her blush.

"So? Are you guys coming? We'll be there soon and we need to get good seats!"



Location: New World - Wind Temple of Velothia - Viewing Area
Date: Day 7:30 - Morning

Soon enough, Dalina lead the way, and soon enough you and your companions found yourselves making your way to one of the island's cliff-face. The lowest island in elevation among the islands that made up the temple was the destination. It seemed during landing, or perhaps it was more like 'docking', the sides of that island were used as both a viewing area and the dock.

Apart from many other wind temple priest residents, there were other priests who actually had various thick ropes tied to moor-like protrusions waiting their chance to secure the 'landing' island to the mountain.

When you had appeared, many people noted your more-extravagant clothes, and there were some who nodded in approval. During your stay here, you managed to get acquainted to the other trainees under Vitaliya, and you saw her wave towards you in greeting along with some of the other students.

Once Dalina found a set of seats for your entire group, that was when someone called out to you. "Hero! A little late... but I finally got a chance to meet you."

"I'm Marina... The Keeper of the Temple."

[pringerbeam]

     "Sup...  Jean Valois..."  He said with a wave in greeting.  "I think someone mentioned you before but I didn't really have a chance to come meet you.  No offense intended but there were some things I needed to get done before I left and then with the ceremony and its...  issues...  I felt there were more important things than meeting with another of your elders.  Though,  I see you aren't as elderly as some of the others,"  He sat down on the grass with the rest of his companions.  "I thought you were the one in charge of flying this island or something.  Shouldn't you be...  I dunno... doing that?  Not sure if it applies but back where I'm from they say the easy part is the flying, the hard part is the landing."

[Throndir]

She giggled.

"I'm actually pretty old." She said offhandedly. Her eyes brightened. "But the temple's landing will be fine!" Marina said cheerily.

"I got a whole bunch of priests regulating the flow of magic for our descent. Plus, I can simply yank the controls from them, even here."

"Ms. Keeper of the Temple? That's really you?" Dalina hesitated. "You usually never go outside the temple's control room... You don't look.. umm..."

"Hundreds of years old?" She laughed. "I thought I would be visited by the Goddesses' hero! Poor me, waiting in anticipation... I even prepared a grand opening whenever you first stepped through, and here we are... 30 minutes before landing, and I had to go out here to find you." She rolled her eyes.

"With your white hair and that snazzy robe, it wasn't hard to spot you at least." She shrugged.

"Now, follow me?" Marina suggested, eyeing you, Dalina, Anja, and Ren. "Your bird companions and slime companion can come too of course."

"We came here to see the landing..." Dalina started to complain.

Marina held up a finger.

"And you'll see it! A view like no other." Marina's eyes then went towards you. "I have a duty, you see. Not just to this temple and its people."

She cleared her throat as she continued to pierce her eyes through yours.

"But to the goddess I swore myself to."

[pringerbeam]

     Jean met the priestess' gaze.  "Great, another of these talks?  Fine.  Let's walk.  Anyone that wants to come can."  He stood up and motioned ahead.  "Lead on."

[Throndir]

She giggled as she started to lead the way. Once you started to follow, everyone else did, partly out of curiosity, but primarily for their desire to follow you. Marina took you to a natural alcove on the cliff-side just a short distance from where the group of you were sitting.

She glanced around her for a moment, and when she noticed all was clear, she turned towards you.

"Luckily the trip isn't that far at all." Marina said as she looked at the wall that made the inner part of the alcove. "Away from the eyes of others, should work just fine!"  She then glanced towards the others.

"This is really only just for the hero... But since the lot of you will be travelling together, and I did promise a viewing area, I'll let you come, too. But keep in mind, this is a secret from the rest of the temple priests."

"Now... follow me." With that, she stepped into the wall.

The other with you blinked in confusion. And a second later, Marina's disembodied head popped out of the wall. "Just step in!" She giggled again.

Assuming you follow in.

The moment you stepped through, you were greeted with a sight you did not expect.

[spoiler][/spoiler]


"Welcome to the temple's control room." Marina explained.

Dalina was the first to respond.

"This isn't the control room. The control room has a bunch of priests, fiddling around with orbs, with star and solar charts. And an observatory on top." Dalina said as her eyes continued to take in the sight around them.

"I guess that's correct too..." Marina said. "I guess technically you can call this a Master Room."

[pringerbeam]

     Jean rolled his eyes at priestess' play at sticking her head through the stone.  "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Ooooh, look at the fancy..."  He said as he walked through the wall.  "Magic..."  He looked around at the new setting.  "Holy shit..."  He stared, mouth slightly open.  His next companion walked into him and he stumbled, realizing he was blocking the door.  He stepped further in.  "Yeah I uh... really didn't see this coming...  And you..."  He looked to Marina.  "What is this?  What are you?  Going to whip out a spooky voice and glowing eyes next?"  He walked over and touched one of the displays.  He had no idea what kind of technology he was looking at.

[Throndir]

Touching one of the displays, it seemed to react. The characters themselves were unfamiliar to you, but the translation ability you were granted made the text readable. It seemed to display all sorts of information about the temple. Things like precipitation, temperature, population, amount of area, number of islands, among other things.

"This is the place I manage the temple." Marina replied curtly with a hint of pride in her voice. She didn't bother to hide it either as she placed both her hands on her hips in a 'I'm-better-than-you' type of pose.

"This place actually isn't real. In the same sense as the physical 'control room' that Dalina mentioned. The control room, or technically the Master Room, is a place that sits outside of reality. You can think of it as a miniature space. If the worse happens... And say the entire temple is destroyed in a large blast. This would still be here. It's the place where most aspects of the temple is controlled. That 'control room' the priests know isn't really a control room either. I just placed orbs up there, with star charts and the like, to make it seem fancy. The orbs do have a purpose still of course... They do regulate the wind currents around temple itself, and in effect, choose the direction. So I guess there's that."

"As for who I am... well, I'm a person... But I'm not either." Marina said. "My actual name isn't Marina either." She strode over to you, still smiling.

"So...! I guess I should reintroduce myself!" She stuck out her hand for you to shake.

"My name is Dungeon Core 17."

[pringerbeam]

     Jean took her hand and shook it.  "Pleasure to meet you I guess...  So wait...  If this..."  He waved around the room.  "Is what is really in control of the island, then is it really the Goddess of Air that makes it fly?  And if you're not human, what are you?  Is your role as the Keeper of the Temple just a guise or real?"  He poked around at the display to see if there were any surveillance devices he could use to peek around the island.

[Throndir]

"I'm what's called a Dungeon Core. This entire temple, believe it or not, can be thought of as one large dungeon. Just... open air, and without all the usual nasties many of the land-dweller cores have. My role as the Keeper of the Temple is both real and a guise. I'm actually not the only Dungeon Core here, but the others are in a kind of deep sleep."

"As for the Goddess... No, she wasn't really directly related to make our temple fly. It's all powered by mana, spells, and magic. If it wasn't for me, the Dungeon Core, the temple would still be among the land-dwellers."

Roll an applicable skill (Or INT) for your attempts to play with the displays.

"That's a lie." Dalina interrupted.

[spoiler]

"That's a lie. That's a lie. That's a lie."


"That's a lie! That's a lie!"
[/spoiler]