FoE PNP Group 80 Prologue G Zemblanity Part 1

[23:00] <~Radio|GM> >>Group 80<<
[23:00] <~Radio|GM> >>Prologue G: Zemblanity<<
[23:01] <~Radio|GM> ---Sierra Neighvada Mountain Range---
[23:01] <~Radio|GM> ---Carol Peak Pass---
[23:01] <~Radio|GM> ---1937 Hours---
[23:01] <~Radio|GM> The road is long, the mountains treacherous. Yet here you are, having conquered the Sierra Neighvadas like so many before you. But what will you make of it? What shall you become? Black-hearted evil, or brave-hearted hero? Both have crossed over these high passes, and both have carved their names all over the Coltafornia region. What will you be?
[23:02] <~Radio|GM> The air is quiet, a faint chill in the breeze that whistles gently past your ears. The sun has already passed beneath the earth, and all is still. Up in these peaks, stars dotting the inky-blue-black fabric that is the night sky. The moon is but a faint sliver of silver hanging from the heavens. No clouds appear tonight. All is still.
[23:05] * Zemblanity exhales heavily, taking solace in the peaceful still of the night. She shoos away the thoughts of good and evil. She didn't have to be, and wouldn't be, either of those. The world, as she's found, is not so black and white. It is, in fact, mostly grey. The chill never bothered her much, but she tugs the neck-warmer on her trooper armor up over her lower face.
[23:08] <~Radio|GM> The world certainly is quiet tonight, the mountains the very image of tranquility. The path takes you further along the pass, taking you further down Carol Peak. The vegetation to the sides of the not-so-well-worn path on which you trot grow thicker and higher, as they at last become trees that tower above your head.
[23:09] * Zemblanity regards the trees with interest, and tries to take in as much of her surroundings as she can. She stays off any established she can, a habit of hers, as she progresses.
[23:10] <~Radio|GM> A good distance's trot now takes you to a junction in the path. One leads to a trail on the left, another to the right. Both seem almost entirely identical, even to your well-trained eyes. In the inky darkness, you can see that there is a simple wooden sign posted where the two trails meet. The sign, unfortunately, is completely blank. Whatever was written on this incredibly informative sign probably faded a long time ago.
[23:11] <~Radio|GM> Left or right is up to you. Where do you choose to go?
[23:11] * Zemblanity takes the left path, if only because she stayed to left of the previous path.
[23:20] <~Radio|GM> The path you choose continues onwards and onwards. The trees seem to thicken around you, as the darkness seems to close in on your further. The blackness surrounds you, almost tangible now, as the hours slip deeper into the nighttime.
[23:20] <~Radio|GM> But now, whether because luck favored you tonight or because your ears are exceptionally well-tuned, you can hear it. The sound of hooves running lightly on dirt. There is no doubt in your mind that it’s coming ahead of you, and a quick glance ahead confirms it. You can see a vague equine figure on the path ahead of you, running pell-mell onwards.
[23:20] <~Radio|GM> Almost as soon as you see it, the figure is gone. You need to hurry if you want to track this mysterious figure down.
[23:22] * Zemblanity assumes a defensive stance, but soon recognizes that this equine is not a threat. She doesn't dare speak, but instead gives chase, preparing to strike should she find hostility.
[23:26] <~Radio|GM> The figure’s trotting footsteps go on and on, uninterrupted. You cannot see nor make any defining features about what this figure is, only that it’s roughly the same height as your own. It travels onwards and onwards.
[23:29] * Zemblanity eventually works up the nerve to call out to it. "You there! Can you hear me?"
[23:33] <~Radio|GM> No reply is given at first, but some moments later you hear the sound of giggling. It is a foal’s voice, sweet and innocent, but alarmingly enough they do not reach your ears from the figure in the darkness ahead. No, the laughter seems to reverberate in the recesses of your skull, uncomfortably close, echoing from somewhere deep inside.
[23:35] * Zemblanity skids to a halt, whirling around. Her cloak flaps a little with her twirl, and her crossbow is at the ready. "Who is there?"
[23:35] <~Radio|GM> There is no response. All is still.
[23:36] <~Radio|GM> The figure trots further and further off, gathering speed, as the sound of hooves beating against the ground grow fainter and fainter, until at last they are gone. All is silent once more, and there is no trace of the figure anywhere, not even on the trail. The dirt, slightly moist where rain had fallen a few nights before, captures no hoofprints where there rightfully should be save your own.
[23:37] * Zemblanity huffs a little and stows her weapon. She wasn't letting this get to her, and decides to keep following after the figure. Dirt be damned.
[23:38] <~Radio|GM> On you go, the air still once again.
[23:41] * Zemblanity keeps on her current heading. Whatever that thing was... she wouldn't rest until she found it. It... saw her. It must have.
[23:41] <~Radio|GM> "Come thiiiiiiiiiis waaaaaay~...."
[23:42] <~Radio|GM> The foal's voice sounds again, once more from somewhere inside your head.
[23:42] * Zemblanity stops rather abruptly. "No!" she growls. "Where are you? What are you?"
[23:42] <~Radio|GM> Nothing.
[23:44] * Zemblanity frowns deeply. "Well, where is 'this way', then?"
[23:44] <~Radio|GM> Nothing.
[23:47] * Zemblanity takes a look around. If... whatever this was was going to start playing games with her head, the least it could was explain the rules to her. 'Fine.' she thought, 'I'll just go back, then.' She turns tail and heads in the other direction.
[23:53] <~Radio|GM> There is nothing to impede your progress as you turn back around. Back the way you come, for a long time. You covered a great deal of ground while you were chasing that figure.
[23:53] <~Radio|GM> You return once again to the junction in the road. It is almost exactly the same as it was before – with one noted difference. Your sharp eyes do not deceive you – there is something now clearly written on the sign.
[23:57] * Zemblanity peers at the sign cautiously. Things were starting to become creepy... or interesting. One in the same, she suposes.
[23:57] <~Radio|GM> "Return".
[23:58] * Zemblanity gives a derisive snort and shakes her head silently. In defiance, she begins to travel down the path to the right, (now her left).
[00:00] <~Radio|GM> Just in front of you, you hear a sudden loud cracking, splintering sound. With a loud creak and a groan, a tree to the side suddenly falls upon the path with a thundering crash. Quick though your hooves are, you only just manage to avoid being ground into ponymash.
[00:01] <~Radio|GM> A log lies on the path directly in front of you, where but a second ago you stood. Whether it is coincidence or something more sinister is up to you.
[00:03] * Zemblanity narrows her eyes at the falling tree. "Whatever game it is that you're playing, stop it..." She mutters, turning back to the fork and heading left once again.
[00:04] <~Radio|GM> As you pass by, you notice one more change to the sign from before. A single character has been appended to the simple message written on the sign before. It now reads:
[00:04] <~Radio|GM> "Return!"
[00:06] * Zemblanity delivers a swift kick to the sign as she passes.
[00:09] <~Radio|GM> The sign doesn't so much as budge, and you only manage to give yourself a sore hoof.
[00:10] * Zemblanity huffs once more, and resumes her trek down the left path. She was getting tired of this game.
[00:13] <~Radio|GM> Nothing interrupts your trek this time. No mysterious figure, no giggling, no trees falling.
[00:13] <~Radio|GM> The path before you continues on as before, as it suddenly opens up to a clearing in the forest. There is the sky, once again, stars cold and piercing. In the center of the structure is what seems to be a cylindrical structure the size of a house.
[00:14] * Zemblanity exhales once more. Finally. Out of there, the game is over. She approaches what she thinks is a silo, like the ones back home. She checks for any obvious entrances.
[00:17] <~Radio|GM> The structure reveals itself not to be so much a silo as much as some sort of strange, hollow tower about five Zemblanities high. The structure is built like a three-dimensional "C", the opening facing towards you. Where the structure opens, you see a deep hole leading down to Celestia knows where, a set of metal rungs lining the side for access belo.
[00:17] <~Radio|GM> *below.
[00:18] <~Radio|GM> As you approach, you notice four hoofprints in the dirt, directly in front of the structure's entrance. Again, the sound of giggling echoes in your mind.
[00:20] * Zemblanity stamps a hoof in the ground in irritation. She looks up at the night sky and takes a deep, hollow breath. Her horn lights, casting its luminosity around the hole as she descends the rungs. "If this is what it takes for you to leave me alone..."
[00:22] <~Radio|GM> Down you descend, into the darkness below. Thank Celestia you are a unicorn, else you wouldn't be able to see the rungs in front of you.
[00:23] <~Radio|GM> Down you go for about a minute or so, until your hooves touch solid ground. Or rather, they splash upon solid ground covered in about three inches of water. It is damp and chilly below, the stones cold beneath your hooves.
[00:24] * Zemblanity finds the damp, chilliness of the water familiar and refreshing. She casts her gaze, and her light, forward.
[00:29] <~Radio|GM> You find yourself in a dank corridor lined with stone. Only the occasional drip of water can be heard.
[00:30] * Zemblanity manages a small smile. Just like home.
[00:35] * Zemblanity press onward, playing this silly little game.
[00:39] <~Radio|GM> Your hoof bumps against something in the water with a metallic *clang*.
[00:41] * Zemblanity lowers her gaze, tapping the something a few times with her hoof.
[00:41] <~Radio|GM> Whatever it is, it shifts about in the water as you tap upon it. It's like a small, thin metallic box of some sort, about the size of a small book.
[00:42] * Zemblanity grasps the box in her telekinesis and lifts it up to eye level.
[00:54] <~Radio|GM> It reveals itself to be some sort of a strange square cassette-like device. It entirely metallic, save for a translucent cover on the front that reveals what appears to be three bronze discs stacked atop one another inside. Two parallel sides of the square have grooves etched into them, another side lined with some sort of black plastic.
[00:54] <~Radio|GM> You’re fairly certain it’s nothing more than a music cassette. Perhaps containing some Pre-War tunes?
[00:55] <~Radio|GM> Your attention is drawn, however, to the curious seal etched onto the back of the device. You positively identify it as the seal of the once-extant Ministry of Wartime Technologies.
[00:55] <~Radio|GM> What’s more, beneath the seal, you can see the number “28” is etched into the metal. On a corner of the cassette, you can also see another small etching, that of the lowercase letter “e”.
[00:57] * Zemblanity doesn't have the slightest clue what this thing does, or why it's ankle deep in water at the bottom of a hole in the ground. Not thinking more on it, she tucks it away and resumes her trot.
[01:00] <~Radio|GM> "I'm hiiiiiiiiding~"
[01:00] <~Radio|GM> That voice sounds once again, taunting you.
[01:01] * Zemblanity frowns slightly. Another deep breath. "Why?"
[01:03] <~Radio|GM> Silence.
[01:04] * Zemblanity keeps trotting deeper into this tunnel, then. "I'll humor you, then." She starts looking for any places to hide in this... tunnel...
[01:09] <~Radio|GM> You see a sudden rustle of movement up ahead.
[01:13] * Zemblanity 's eyes snap to the source of movement. She crouches, and shines her horn... brighter. "Who's there?"
[01:26] <~Radio|GM> ---Intermission---