2022-03-15: Opening The Fire Shrine

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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Yvain has posed.

Across the Pearloats Pasture, past Biroclef Ridge, and into the hidden village Goddodin, Seraph Yvain has led those who would follow him on a quest towards the Shrine of the Fire Trial. The journey has been uneventful; bandits have been wiser than to approach the group, and only a few monsters and minor Hellions dot the path Yvain leads the group down. Seraph Clarine was of particular help in guiding the group past the Ridge, and Yvain was entirely willing to rely on her pathfinding for that part of the journey.

Now they come out into a tiny village, and those in the group who are visible draw quite a bit of attention. People stop and murmur in the street, and not a few decide to go indoors rather than tangle with a group of armed strangers. Not everyone, though. But Yvain beckons the group onward.

"...We don't really have time yet to stop and enjoy their hospitality," he indicates, "Though you're welcome to come back. It's a lovely village. I've heard they've made some progress on a certain medicine..."

It is a bright, sunny day, hardly especially auspicious as weather goes. In fact, it's downright hot around here at the moment, though the gardens and fields of the village suggest great health. Those who can sense it might notice the power of a benevolent Domain. But it's not entirely clear.

"..We won't be dropping in on the local Lord of the Land, either. They prefer privacy."

He walks out further in front of the group, and turns around to face the others. "...Ready? The cavern is this way. It's a bit of a journey itself." 

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    They make medicine here? That's so great! Dean isn't a medicine guy by any means, but he understands and appreciates its value for people in general. Good for the locals for making medicine! (He does not think to question what it treats or what it's made of. Medicine is medicine, right?)
    
    "We'll definitely have to come back sometime! It's so nice out here. Really warm and sunny, and so much green!" Dean says with a robust smile. It's too bad they can't say hi to the local Lord of the Land, but he respects that a crowd like this might be a lot for someone who prefers their privacy. Maybe next time on that one, too!
    
    Either way, when Yvain tells them they're almost to the cavern, he nods firmly. "Ready!" he says firmly. "Lead the way, Yvain!" 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel has actually been tracking down a Shrine!

Nowhere around here, though. Her research wasn't leading her anywhere in this direction. She thinks she's about tracked down the entrance, but it's not yet confirmed, so that is a problem for another day.

Right now she has come along with the Fiends with her big satchel, which now has a book strap hanging from it because she brought some of her history books along for the ride. "I would like to talk to them about that," Mariel says, because of course she would. Always sensitive to the feel of the land, she says only, "It's green here..." She can tell benevolence when she walks through it.

Also, Mariel has a straw hat on. It looks somewhat incongruous but it is doing its primary job: keeping the sun off her face. 

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.


Hiro and Ruby of course have come along for the journey to find the fire shrine. They've run defense for the few hellions and monsters that they encountered but have otherwise mostly spent the trip chatting with the group. At other times Hiro is abstracted, thoughtful.

On arrival to the village, Ruby stands up on Hiro's shoulders and waves her pawsies in her own friendly way to the people bothering to look. "Hey actual dragon here! No reason to be shy - I don't bite!"

Hiro gives Yvain a look though as they work there way through, "Medicine?" He asks curiously, "Have they been having problems with some kind of affliction?" Before he looks to Mariel in turn at her own interest.

Wiping away a sheen of sweat from his forehead, he takes a small sip of water, deciding to ration it some. "Well no need to infringe on their privacy then." Dean's cheer seems infectious, as he grins, "Yep. Let's get moving... anything we need to worry about on the way, Yvain?"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine was pleased to lend her assistance in charting a path to get everyone through Biroclef Ridge. She knows its winding, labyrinthine canyons by heart, and knows its secret ways - she can ensure they take the safest, quickest path.

She is familiar, too, with Goddodin, the village at the far end of the ridge. Her history with it, however, is far less happy. Here, they know her as the Wisp of Biroclef Ridge, a supposedly malicious spirit that leads travelers to their doom... and so, as they make their way to the village she makes sure to stay close to everyone, even if the villagers can't see her.

For those familiar with her, it's understandable why.

But this is where her ability to guide ends, and she relies on Yvain's wisdom.

"Yes... I am ready." She confirms with a nod. Whatever dangers the entrance to the shrine presents, they may be easier for her than facing Goddodin. 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel Armitage has a pretty relaxed approach to ARMS missions as of late largely because she wants to encourage her friends to think on their feet, follow their own hearts, and lead themselves because one day Marivel isn't sure if she will be around to handle any of that. And so she has invited some of the bossier ARMS agents (and Clarine) along on this trip. A fair chunk of them are on good terms with the Fiends besides and, well, some are even on great terms with Yvain specifically right? Right??

Regardless, Marivel is eager to join Yvain on his quest but is a little less excited about visiting a Fire Shrine. Fire is not something Marivel is 'weak' to in the way that she is to the Light but she's not exactly FOND of it when it's directed towards her. Brings back bad memories if she's not careful.

Marivel as usual is dressed in her SUN PROTECTION ARMOR which is a big pointed witch-hat and a big poofy jacket and mittens that more or less leave nothing but her eyes visible. There's even a scarf! Let it not be said that she has not dressed properly to fight against Ice Monsters.

"Ah, well, privacy. Galaxy is falling apart but we wouldn't want to be inconvenient." She says.

She looks to Mariel. "Worried about a sunburn? Worry not, if you wish to abandon the sun, you can always join me as a queen of the night."

<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.

Talia is with the other Vile Fiends, of course.

She walks along after Yvain -- with a glance and a smile at Dean -- and then she looks back at the Fire Seraph, and she bobs her head in understanding. "Well, I'm not complaining, no? We can always come back later!"

She glances sideways at Mariel -- considers what she says -- and nods, before she looks back at Hiro. "I wonder, no? I hadn't heard anything, but..."

Maybe they just make medicine as an export, she considers.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    Ruth is along on Yvain's invitation. To her credit, given her involvement in a number of difficulties going on around Zoara, she is behaving about as well as she can in a land that seems apt to encourage her to bring out her worst. She's keeping herself contained, dressed in her usual guise with the hood up. It is far too warm for the climate, but as she lacks sensitivity to temperature, it matters not other than making her look... weird.

     It is good that the local Hellions do not push their luck. A part of her grows uneasy when she recognizes the air feels more 'clear,' as Yvain mentions a Lord of the Land. Her ejection from Lastonbell by one such Seraph has not been an easy one to live down. Dean's joy at the novelty of how nice this place is... is kind of infectious.

     "It is beautiful," she says, though she feels the unease in the air keenly, gloved hands tightening as her right hand goes over her heart. She nods once to Yvain's question as the others around her voice their affirmations and thoughts. 

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

    Magilou is here.

    Magilou wasn't always here. She just kind of cats her way in -- after the group reached Goddodin, despite it being a hidden village.

    "Hear what you hear, but see what you see!" That's Magilou, tumbling in. No, like, literally -- she tumbles forward, all in a ball, and then springs up. She is, for some reason, all dressed up as a kitsune -- fox ears pinned to her hair which is back in a ponytail, something which might have been a kimono before she chopped half of it off, a tail strapped back there.

    "What you need to worry about might be riiiight in front of your eyes~!" Magilou singsongs, as she straightens up, lacing her hands behind her head. She is, coincidentally, walking backwards in front of the party now she's upright, so that she is right in front of everyone. Hmm!

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia Vuong has no strong opinions about the 'Vile Fiends' other than perhaps frowning a little at their choice in branding. Then again, she lives in a neighborhood literally named 'Void 41' and so she has little room to comment.

Venetia is riding on a general-issue horse, a staid mare who is probably one of Marivel's personal stable residents. (Venetia doesn't hang out with horses a lot, another proof of Guild Galad's advantages. Less horse apples.) She too has a broad-brimmed hat held in place, but this is more because of heavily dark-adapted vision.

"Promise me something," Venetia calls to Yvain.

"If there's a furious foreman or otherwise, let me speak to them first, and if necessary put them in a joint lock. I feel that we'll save a great deal of time and trouble if we do it that way." She glances towards several others after saying that.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    "Was wonderin' that myself. Don't suppose they give out samples or none?" a certain voice drawls from the shade of a particular building.

    It's a damn sight better than a frozen mountain, that's for certain.

    Josie had withdrawn shortly after the climax of that particular altercation, what with her injuries and the more-or-less abatement of the threat at hand. So she'd gone off to lick her wounds and ponder what she wanted to report about this particular little happening, if anything, when she'd been greeted with a message at her current watering hole of choice.

    It had in fact been an invitation. Curiosity piqued, she'd headed south.

    Now, goggles around her neck and cloth mask nowhere to be seen, Josie comes ambling towards the gathered group. "Yo," she says, raising her good hand in greeting. "...And you didn't say nothin' about any others or no, Yvvie. If I weren't curious, I might ask you what was the big idea!" But she's grinned at him, lopsidedly, and rolled her shoulders in a lazy shrug.

    As if to say, 'what can you do'. 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    Gwen Whitlock, super courier, and devious Fiend...

    ..... may not be doing anyone any favors by being here. But even if and when she's given an out, she refuses, likely joining in with Hiro and Ruby at some point to represent the Filgaia arm (no pun intended??) of the terrible, terrible Fiends. "... Maybe th'village has some herbs. It'd be a nice oppurtunity for business, maybe.... but later." Seeing Josie come up, Gwen makes a quick glance over those gathered. Will they be okay with this? They seem to be in a state of being okay with this. Okay! Perfect.

    Dressed in her usual Lunar garb, which throws aside her usual black and white color palette for brighter colors and geometric designs, she's beginning to feel a little....

    .... underdressed?

    She asides to Ruby. "..... were we supposed t'dress up?"

    What would she dress up as, anyway? There was the whole joke when she once dressed up as the Hero of Time, but that's not even a thing here!

    It wouldn't make the real reason for all of this any easier for Gwen. She should've done more training....

    Yvain asks if they're ready, and Gwen draws in a breath, and breathes out. ".... I think so, yeah." Then, as if to emphasize her determination, she firms her mouth into a line. "T'clarify, I'm ready as hell."

    .... no pun intended.
     

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    After the incident in Zulan, Ida regrouped with her Hellion acquaintances, and told them what she could about the "metal dragon-man". As it so happened, Zhenya had picked up a shipment ready for delivery to Glenwood, and Ida hitched a ride, taking the time to rest and recover after a grueling encounter with Azoth. Bidding her friends goodbye, she and Sterling met up with Marivel and the rest of ARMS, and now...

    Ida leads Sterling up the path, taking in the sights and sounds of an early summer. The air is warm and fragrant, there are mercifully few biting insects, and everything is green and lovely. The heiress is dressed for the occasion, wearing her Seer's capelet over a sleeveless shirt and baggy pants tucked into her traveling boots. Sterling carries most of her gear, and pauses every so often to sample sprigs of grass or fresh growth.

    Ida helped deal with the handful of animal Hellions, Purifying them--an act that feels resonant with the land, somehow. "It's a beautiful day, regardless," Ida says. "We've certainly found shrines under worse circumstances..."

    Venetia speaks up, detailing what would definitely constitute "worse circumstances". Her smile turns lopsided, and a little grim, as she remembers her journeys into the Rose Queen's Domain... and Summer's. "Duly noted," she says. "Just in case."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Yvain has posed.

"It's not so much an affliction in particular as that there's a medicine they can make here that's good for many afflictions," Yvain explains to Hiro, nodding along to Dean. "With it they can help a lot of people. It's good." So Talia's guess is right.

He has his eye on Clarine now that they're here--not constantly, but enough because he understands that this place would be difficult for her, even if he wasn't there for her troubles back then. He has interest in Mariel's research as well--but that is for another day. "Between the Shrine and the Lord of the Land here, it's a wonderful place to live," Yvain answers as to the greenery.

And for Hiro and Ruby, he's been conversational. "Nothing especially to worry about on the way in. It's the cavern itself that presents the danger; it doesn't really come out to trouble the village."

Yvain can forgive Marivel her reluctance to visit a Fire Shrine, because he is sympathetic to people not liking to be set ablaze. He grins at her when she mentions the galaxy falling apart, as f they're sharing a particular joke. "I for one still enjoy the day." A pause. "Samples," he says to Josie, "Will be yours to negotiate when you come back." Then, to Ventia, "I'll be sure to give you the chance to speak to the one in charge. Rely on it."

Ruth says it is beautiful... and Yvain nods. "It is." Between her, and Magilou--Magilou gets a shake of his head--and Josie...

"Some of you may not like each other very much. And you all have reasons to be here. But I ask that you put aside your differences for this purpose, for now."

He smiles at Gwen. "i'm glad you're ready."

Sterling, meanwhile, has received a few apples from Yvain already. Ida has received no apples, but pleasant conversation.

"...So, as I was saying." He pauses past the village, where they are already far away from the prying ears of the villagers, who waved back in some cases but did not stick with the group as they started moving on. There were nice interactions. It was nice. Now, they're... at a rock wall. No cavern in sight.

But as Yvaiin was saying, "...The danger is within. You all have your own reasons for being here. Some seek enlightenment. ...Some seek a path to the future they wish to achieve. Some are just interested in the challenge. But all of you will be tested."

"The Shrines of the Elemental Trials are no playgrounds, no sites of celebration. Pilgrims come here, and not all survive."

He looks to Magilou, wry for a moment. "...Definitely keep your eyes open," he says. "Whatever you see may not be what you think it is."

"...But this will be dangerous. Anyone who wants to stay back, see the town, interact with the locals instead--I won't think less of you for not coming."

"...Because if you do, you may find more than you wished. The Trial will test body, mind, and soul. Those who cannot withstand the trials may not live to regret their failures."

"So if you are ready..."

Yvain walks to a stone wall, and sets his hand upon it. A Seraphic glyph in red burns into visibility, suddenly bright and spinning before the whole wall shifts backward, and then slides out of their way, revealing a hallway into the rock.

"...Those who are willing to risk it, come with me. There is more to be said, but not here on the surface." 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"If I dressed like that," Mariel says to Marivel, though she smiles, "I would melt. There is nothing wrong with a hat like this. I made it myself, actually..."

That is a 'yes, I am worried about sunburn'. Mariel spends a lot of time outdoors but she is also a naturally pale blonde, and sometimes the little kerchief she usually wears is just not enough.

To Hiro, she explains, "This region is known for some medicinal compounds - yes, as Yvain says. I'm interested in seeing exactly what they produce." She hasn't gotten any useful samples yet, but it wouldn't surprise her if they knew something locally she did not. She's always willing to learn!

She seems a little taken aback by Venetia's request. "I don't think a joint lock will be necessary, under pretty much any circumstances I can think of..." Violence doesn't solve everything! Sometimes it just causes additional problems! A lot of the time, really, it just causes additional problems.

Mariel trails off. Yvain is right - there are people here she doesn't like. (And others that she isn't entirely sure what to make of, like Magilou over there, who she is keeping an eye on. That outfit, really??) But she won't say anything if they won't.

A hidden door? "How long has that been hidden," Mariel murmurs. Even she can feel the power in that glyph. She takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly - time to catch her courage. Sometimes that takes a moment when she has to think about it instead of just acting.

"...I will go on," Mariel says. As if that was really in doubt. "But I would still like to see the town afterwards." 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Marivel in particular receives a friendly smile from Clarine. It's good to have her here - and she knows that Marivel may have her own reasons for not liking this place, but it is good to have her here all the same.

There are others here - many of them familiar faces, some friendly than others. She acknowledges them all with a polite nod, before turning her attention back to Yvain as he speaks of danger.

"...I must see it with my own eyes. I will continue." She replies. This is something she must face, despite the danger. There are things worth risking one's mind, body, and soul - and this endeavor, she feels, is one of those things.

She watches, then, as Yvain approaches the wall... and a Seraphic Glyph activates, opening a hallway through the rock.

"Ah!" Clarine says, with a gasp of surprise. "A hidden passageway... It is no wonder, then, that I have never gone this far..."

She hadn't even known the shrine was here, until Yvain spoke of it. She was curious how they were going to access it... but, the surprise on her face soon gives way to determination and, with a nod, she prepares to follow. 

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

Hiro smiles at Talia, "That'd be the more comforting explanation." And, it turns out to be true, as Yvain explains, "Huh!" He smiles broadly, "Good to know some towns out there are still looking out for their neighbors like that."

The doctrines of the Chosen, as well as the donation requirements have... bled some towns dry of compassion for their fellow man.

He then turns to Mariel, grinning, "Didn't realize there was any kind of medicine you didn't know Mariel. Guess even an expert is always learning."

When Gwen looks at Ruby again, she suddenly has a ring of gold and brass around her waist as she hovers in mid-air, two blue/white socks affixed under her ribbon to look like ears, looking like she's Miu. "What you didn't get the Memo? Gwen you're usually on top of things!" (The memo probably came from Magilou. Though even odds it came from Marivel too.)

Hiro shrugs at Gwen with a smile, he's not dressed up either. Then nods Yvain's way as he says there's nothing especially to worry about. He still stays on guard, alert but...

Yvain explains that they will be tested. And Hiro's face looks at him with a more grave look, but... he actually looks, interested? Sure, his goal is to get Lucia to Althena... but even deeper under the surface... he's the type of person who enjoys being challenged, and growing stronger for it. "Sounds like an adventure of life time. I'm not backing down. Count me in." Hiro looks serious about it. Ruby a bit less so, always a bit like she's along for the ride, just enjoying whatever comes - often she may be worried, but with the crew today she doesn't even seem uneasy about it, "Well if everyone here is going! Then I'm not worried-! We've pulled through a lot of tests and trials before."

Whatever the case, the two walk in as the entrance in the stone wall reveals itself, following behind Yvain. 

<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.

Talia whistles lowly. General purpose medicine would likely sell for a great deal.

In the end, though, she quiets down as Yvain starts to explain. The danger within this place; her eyes look at the shrine's entryway for a moment, and then her eyes shift back towards the Seraph. She hesitates for a moment as he explains that the danger is real -- that some people come here, and they perish rather than find what they are looking for. She lets out a breath she didn't quite realize she was holding in, when the door is made to appear.

Hiro, Mariel, and others say they're in. She nods her head, too. "Maybe," she says under her breath, "if it can help Ivan, then..."

The Fiends have their own mission, too, though.

Talia follows after Hiro and Ruby. Her hand comes down to rest on Mirage's hilt, as she walks in.

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Dean grins at Hiro at his own enthusiasm, looking back at Yvain when he asks about what they might need to worry about. It's good that the medicine has a broad range of uses, though. No need to take more than one medicine! He thumbs up at Talia when he catches her smile, and brightens to see Ruth with the group too. It's good to see her trying to do good! Everyone of course gets a general wave of greeting--lots of his friends are here, so he can't simply ignore any of them, but they *are* here for a purpose.
    
    "Oh, that's a cute costume, Magilou! You look like a fox," he comments to Magilou. ...*were* they supposed to dress up? He scratches his cheek as Gwen poses the idea. Hopefully not.
    
    But it turns out this isn't just a cavern, it's the site of one of the Elemental Shrines. Dean was prepared for that, as well as the danger it poses and the tests it will make of them in their entirety, so he sobers without any sign of nerves, only nodding once in acknowledgement. "I'm ready," he says firmly.
    
    Yvain opens up a stone wall with a Seraphic glyph. Dean walks through the entrance with his back straight and his head high. 

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

    "Not to worry," Magilou wags her finger, winking to Ida, for some reason. "Everyone likes their best friend, Magilou!" Speaking of someone some of them might not like very much...

    She cups her fingers in a heart shape, to Dean. "Did you know that when foxes get terribly old, they learn to use fox fire? Fun fact!" She's so cute.

    "A roasty-toasty town and a toasty-roasty Trial... Yvain, darling, you can't tell them it's not their style! Meanwhile," Magilou hops back, as the rock becomes something less than a wall, only to shade her eyes as she peers inside. "If you're selling salvation, don't you think you ought to mark the price up a little more? Go the extra mile!"

    Obviously, she saunters in.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    "Negotiate? Ah... well, I reckon that's better than none, right?" Josie says, shrugging more emphatically than before.

    It might come as some relief to Gwen, perhaps, that 1) Josie appears to be alone and that 2) she hasn't made a move towards the ARM strapped against her back.
    Though the second may be cold comfort, knowing that Josie is given to carrying multiple ARMs on her person. But at least the first still -- for now -- holds true.

    And if that weren't enough, it's something that Yvain speaks to directly.

    "Right you are. I ain't bothered," Josie remarks. "And there won't be trouble out of me." Not... right now, at least.

    There's a rock wall ahead of them. She stands before it, regarding it thoughtfully, her dark-eyed gaze returning to Yvain. "Shrines, eh. Now that takes me back, in a manner of speaking... Seems I've already seen 'water' with my very own eyes. Can't see how this'll be different." She's propped her good hand on her hip. "...Heh. A little 'certain death' as the risk? Could be worse. And the way I figure, it ain't just passing the trial, right?"

    Her eyes hood. "A place like this's bound to have more'n its share of old secrets."
    And treasure.

    Right on cue, the rock wall parts, revealing the way ahead, downwards.

    Josie follows without further remark. 

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    'Between the Shrine and the Lord of the LAnd, it's a wonderful place to live,' Yvain says. Ruth inwardly fidgets thinking about it, in much the same way she deals with another tinge of difficult feelings when watching Ida restore the local wildlife. The same lowered gaze as Venetia references a particular difficulty that she ended up playing a more direct part in than she could've known at the time - or perhaps should've known.

     She doesn't look Magilou in the eyes on her usual sort of playful appearance. There's a raised hand as if to meekly say, 'hello,' as if she weren't... well, you know.

     She's able to keep pace with the group and not find herself wanting to stay put around uneasy people. Yvain was clear to her about the dangers of what he was inviting her to see and partake, and yet, there's a novelty to the severity in which he states this among others more conventionally 'worthy.'

     She watches Ruby from underneath her hood with a little smile, and again back over to Josie volunteering herself with the usual bravado.

     "...Not live to regret their failures," she repeats Yvain's warnings as she looks aside to the group. "You wouldn't be missing out on much."

     She faces Yvain, if not directly. "I can't look away. I can't do nothing..."

     She's not conflicted on that part, as the Seraphic glyph burns red and shows the way - and she strides forward. 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

"You would be surprised how well it would have helped in the past," Venetia answers Mariel.

They ride on. The opportunity to speak to the one in charge, Venetia thinks. She knows a name that might apply to such an individual. She does not speak it but she thinks upon it for a moment; upon other gods, of another world, somewhere far away.

The group reaches a stone wall.

Venetia dismounts from the horse, patting its flank as she takes a moment to shed some of her riding costume; a thin over-wrapping duster, packed up; some gloves; that hat. She pauses to take a drink from a canteen, rinsing her hands off as well before pulling on a pair of gloves and situation her equipment.

Firearm: rod of authority: Crest Graph pouch: miscellany. Venetia tightens her mask's ribbon tie.

"I don't know what's going to happen in here," Venetia says, in reply to Yvain's warning and to the group in general. "And I cannot guarantee what will happen, for that matter, to me."

"But if you are in despair, and you cannot trust in yourself - or your comrades - then call out to me, and I will strive to deliver you," Venetia says, fingers curling into loose fists and resting on her hips. "This is my responsibility and it is my honor. None of you in there will be alone, in the ultimate analysis, *for I will be with you.*"

~*HUMILITY*~

With this, Venetia approaches the entrance.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    Gwen puts her hands up helplessly with a shrug and a grin. "Ah, but! Maybe I *did* by dressin' up in these fine cl......" See, she hadn't looked over at Ruby's sudden costume change until then, and when she does...

    She has to stifle the 'eeeeeeeeeeee' by closing her mouth, but it's not much help. "Rubbyyyyyyy, you look so *adorable*!!" They have kitsunes, witches, and this.

    Grinning at Dean as he looks perplexed, Gwen rubs her chin. ".... I guess it's to kinda keep everyone's spirits up. It's gonna be a hard time, I bet, n' it ain't like it's gonna matter if we're comin' in there with heat-resistant clothing or not." Then, her brain seizes on a thought that makes her face fall. "..... Ghhhhh, I should've worn somethin' I wouldn't mind gettin' singed. I wanted to look like I was bein' serious n' all... well, I guess, that's part of the sacrifice!"

    no gwen do not say the S word so quickly, you haven't even gone in
    
    When Yvain explains, Gwen shuts up, her expression thoughtful. Sober, even.

    She wants to do this even more, but at the same time, the temptation to stay behind is even stronger, but not as much.

    "Y'say that like bein' set on fire ain't a trial on its own." Gwen can't help but add a wry comment to that, but it's for a good purpose, as she continues, "... better for that pain to be for a cause than t'suffer needlessly."

    The look in her eyes is clear, though: she is heeding Yvain's warning as seriously as any.

    Venetia delivers her promise. Gwen gives her a small, appreciative grin. "You got a heart of gold, Venetia."

     Pausing to look at Josie, Gwen gives her a wide grin. "Glad t'see ya in a friendly context again. It's more fun, really, even if it's not like we always get a choice." 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel looks towards Venetia with a deadpan expressiuon on her face. Sometimes even she will pretend to be the rational one.

"Oh Dean," Marivel says. "Gosh I've missed you. I've missed your sensibility and, well, your sensibilities for that matter. Perhaps once this journey is over we can continue our discussion on the golems."

She smiles at Clarine, "Been a while Clarine. How've you been?"

She nods to Mariel and adds, "Ah, well, we can't have you melting. That would be a problem." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Sterling is learning to associate Yvain with his favorite treat. When the group comes to a stop, he takes a step forward, head bobbing as he looks at Yvain expectantly. Apple. Where's the apple?

    Instead, Ida reaches up to ruffle his crest, and pat his neck. "You'll have to stay here, boy," she says. Sterling lets out a deep rumble, and nudges her with his beak--a gesture of gentle reassurance. He's picked up on her discomfort, which seems to be focused on Josie, and to a lesser extent, Magilou. (Why is Magilou lesser? Ida got a chance to punch her, and didn't have to stop her from assassinating a head of state, twice.)

    Ida's hands curl and uncurl at her sides as she listens to Yvain. It's all sensible precaution--this is not the first Trial Shrine Ida's visited, but they're called Trial Shrines for a reason, and getting overconfident is a good way to end up dead on a dungeon floor. Her gaze slides sideways to meet Magilou's, and return tentative acceptance. Then she looks at Gwen, face pulling into a look of concern--but as she's about to say something, Venetia delivers her... generous offer.

    Ida's expression shifts into a perfect deadpan. "I'll remember this generosity, Venetia," she says.

    Her main focus, though, is on Dean: fellow Seer of Fire, fellow bearer of the blessing of Moor Gault. "As am I," Ida says, and she steps forward beside her friend.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Yvain has posed.

Yvain steps back toward the group just long enough to give Sterling that last apple after all. Then he turns again.

"An adventure... Well, it will be that." To Hiro, of course. His gaze lingers on Ruby for a moment,but that's all. Instead he focuses on Talia, on the seriousness with which she approaches this mission, and inclines his head.

"For the record," Yvain says, looking back to Magilou and then the others at the apparent confusion, "You did not need to dress up. Magilou here is just... special." Beat. "Darling."

"Indeed," Yvain answers Josephine directly. "It has its similarities, but they're all different, just as Fire is different from Water. ...But as you say. It has secrets. And, as you might have guessed, treasure. There are riches hidden here that could make quite a comfortable life on the surface."

"Heh," Yvain answers Gwen. "True. But you've been tested by fire before. You know how it feels. ...I cannot guarantee it will be any more pleasant this time."

"...Regret is a difficult master," Yvain says to Ruth. "Maybe you're right about that one. But remember what I said to you, too." He nods. She cannot do nothing. "Then look forward, with your eyes open, Ruth."

"Hmm." Yvain watches Venetia as she speaks, as she speaks of responsibility and honor. He regards her for a few moments longer when she finishes, and then nods in approval before he turns back to the entrance.

"...This shrine," Yvain supplies for Mariel's murmur, "Was sealed some three hundred years ago."

He says it seriously, as he leads the way into the gray stone corridor, which grows warmer and warmer as they traverse its halls. Down, down, down, into the earth.

Where fire lives.

"Ready. That is good," he says to Dean and Ida, Seers of Fire, on the way down. But he is quiet for much of the journey down in a way that he wasn't for the journey to the village. He walks, and they go through corridor by cooridor, down long stairways...

Eventually, they come to a stop, before another pair of doors. These have no glyphs; they are simply sturdy, made of enchanted wood, and Yvain rests a hand along the metal plating at their center.

It's hot down here. Very, very hot.

"...Marivel," he says. "I hope you're prepared to guide them." A beat, "...because Magilou I'm sure won't help."

He pushes open the doors, and ahead looms a great chamber... at the end of which is a great gate, inlaid with red crystal and shining with power. Around the chamber are two gouts of magma flowing like rivers to either side of the chamber, and there is stonework on the ground that is altogether too intricate. This place is ancient, the glyphs inscribed along the walls and floors old by Lunarian standards.

"...I said," he says to Venetia, "That I would give you a chance to speak to the one in charge."

He strides towards the center of the platform, without looking back.

"...But I didn't promise what he'd tell you."

He reaches the center and turns, lifting his hands to either side, as if to show the place off. "I will tell you nothing of the trial within. But if you have any questions before you begin, I will at least hear them."

"...For as Keeper of the Shrine of the Fire Trial, I welcome you to Igraine." 

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

Hiro gives Talia a look, as she says 'If it can help Ivan.' The determination in his eyes growing, as he nods to her in solidarity. Ruby however stands up on Hiro's head and does a turn to show off her makeshift costume. "It's not a dragon - but it'll Miu!" Yvain says they don't have to dress up, and Ruby suddenly flies over from Hiro to hang with Magilou for a while, "She's not the only one!"

Hiro is more serious perhaps, as he winds a pot lid's ropes to strap it his arm. The presence of it alone might make it seem less serious, yet there's something in his eyes as he looks around, a veteran dungeoneer. Eventually forced to wipe his brow from the sheer heat. Down the stone corridor, warmer and warmer. Deeper and deeper.

"Well... Magilou is here right? That's a big help on it's own." Hiro says to Yvain's statement that Magilou won't help. Perhaps he's just used to powerful individuals that hold things back? (Thanks Ragnell.)

Eventually though, they reach the center of the platform, and he listens to Yvan's welcome.

"Igraine." Hiro says, thinking it rolls off the tongue like Pendrago does, "If we can't ask about the trial. Then I won't." Though he then says, "But if there's anything you're willing to share about your connection to this place as Keeper - I'd welcome that."

Of course, he only says if he's willing, as he's not going to pry about this sort of thing normally. Yet now that they're here, it feels like an implicit reason to ask.

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"I know many things about herbals and medicine," Mariel agrees with Hiro (which may be something of an understatement, but she's modest). "But I do not know everything. I don't think it is possible to... and even if it was, this is Lunar. I haven't lived here, like I have on Filgaia."

She smiles again, if a little fainter because things are becoming more serious. "I prefer not," Mariel replies to Marivel. "Though honestly I am already part of the way there." She holds up one of her gloved hands.

Mariel has been staying away from Ruth. She doesn't consciously realize why but something about her is disturbing the feel of the land around her. Of course, as they go further down, it becomes harder and harder for her to trust that particular sense.

Not because her sense is weakening. Mariel is attentive and connected to the world around her as always. It's just that, in one of the elemental shrines, everything else is being drowned out. It feels unbalanced here - but not a dangerous sort of unbalance. Or, rather, it is dangerous, but in the same way a volcano is dangerous; not a twist in the world, just a place where an aspect pushes forward to prominence.

She walks a little slower, and ends up trailing behind. And not only because she has short legs. (Though she does.)

Mariel has pushed back her hat now that she is underground, and just before they reach the great chamber, she spares a moment to tie it to her satchel rather than leave it on her head. Once they actually open the gate, of course, she has no eyes for anything else. The magma, roiling without cooling; the stonework. She is already sweltering. She doesn't know how Marivel is handling it, but she passes over, without comment, what appears to be a bottle of water but is far cooler than it should be for having come out of Mariel's bag.

And Yvain is the keeper of this place. Do they all have keepers? Mariel thinks, before realizing: oh, I can just ask that. "Do all the Shrines have keepers?" she asks, before a more serious question: "If I cannot ask about the Trial, I will not, but instead I would ask: why was it sealed away for three hundred years?"

And why is Marivel (or Magilou) the one guiding them? She doesn't ask that one. She assumes it is a language issue. 

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

    Magilou grins, to Ida, which is probably acceptance. She waves to Ruth, too!

    To Gwen, she adds, singsong: "Pain for a cause~ oh, noble meaning~ then, you won't mind taking on my share of suffering, will you?" She's joking, right? She's... probably joking.

    She pouts, to Yvain. "Don't 'darling' me! Here I get all dressed up, and this is my reception?! This is why no one comes back to knock on your door, buddy!!" Magilou folds her arms, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "Not that you make that easy, either."

    Magilou puts out an arm, then, to give Ruby a convenient place to perch. "Men have no appreciation for an honest effort," she asides to the littlest dragon, as if there were anything honest about her current costume. (There isn't. It's positively scandalous. That's the joke.) And as she wanders in, she asides, to Hiro, cheerfully: "I never said I'd help!"

    She leans on the doorframe, as the others file in. It may, soon, become clear just what door Magilou was referring to as difficult to knock on, when Yvain steps into the middle of the platform.

    Somehow, she's not surprised by this plot twist.

    Languid, her question is both easy and very, very difficult: "Sooo, how's it feel to be back in the saddle?"

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    "Oh! I didn't know that! What's fox fire?" Dean asks Magilou in interest. If it's a fun fact, then obviously the fox fire must be fun, too! (And it probably is, to Magilou! To other people, maybe less so...?)
    
    He perks further when Marivel says they should *totally* talk about Golems again. "Yeah!! That'd be awesome! I missed you too--I don't get to talk about Golems with a lot of people, but you really *get* it!"
    
    In fact, he's absolutely about to go off about Golems with Marivel when Ida steps up next to him, declaring her own readiness. That reminds him that this is Serious Time about Serious Stuff as Serious Representatives of Serious Fire. (Well, fire generally. It doesn't *have* to be serious.) He shares a smile with Ida, then nods firmly at Yvain.
    
    He does beam at Venetia and her generous benediction though. "Aww, thanks, Venetia! You're such a good friend." He means this sincerely.
    
    Good thing dressing up wasn't necessary, though. It's already really hot down here, though Dean takes it in stride. As they head down the stone corridors, deep into the earth, he wonders why this is the Fire Shrine and not the Earth Shrine. Even if it's really hot, so far he's only seen... well, rocks. But then they reach the double doors, and Yvain opens them and turns around...
    
    "Wait, YOU'RE the one in charge??" he blurts out, eyes going wide. Still--Igraine, huh... He wipes some sweat from his brow. "Nah, if you can't tell us anything, then it's fine," he says. "I wasn't expecting you to be the keeper, but when I think about it, it makes sense! Of course the Keeper would be the one to guide us here in the first place."
    
    He pauses. Then, curious, he adds, "Actually, I do have one question. How'd you get to be Keeper in the first place?" Mariel has a couple of good questions too, and he glances at her before listening for the answers. 

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

    "Fox fire is fire for foxes," Magilou asides to Dean's question, as if this explains everything. "Not to be mistaken for fire fox, which is just a fox someone set on fire." She says this with a straight face, so it must be important Lunarian lore. Probably.

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel, who is more honest, adds, "Foxfire is a kind of glow mushrooms make. I'll show it to you if you like - I use it for a light sometimes."

Spoilsport. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

"I have been well, yes... I do hope it has been the same for you." Clarine replies to Marivel. "I have made a friend that I must introduce to you and everyone... but, now is not perhaps the best time."

And Yvain says something interesting.

"Three hundred years ago..." Clarine repeats consideringly, nodding to herself. She doesn't elaborate - instead, she proceeds as Yvain leads the way further inside.

The great chamber within is a sight to behold - rivers of flowing magma and intricate stonework. It's incredible, really, and Clarine regards it with interest. She's distracted from it, however, as Yvain explains that he is the Keeper of the Fire Shrine.

He can't tell them what trials they face, but he does ask for questions - however, the most immediate ones to her have already been answered.

"Keeper of the Fire Trial... I am impressed. You have clearly been quite busy." Clarine replies with a friendly chuckle. "...Thank you for welcoming us. We will do our best not to disappoint." 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia looks towards Ida.

She answers her by reaching into a hip pocket and taking out an unusually large Crest Graph. Raising it aloft and holding it by her thumb, she narrows her eyes behind her lace mask. There is a subtle feeling, like a heartbeat in the Ley -- Mariel would know in an instant that it is *different* than Crest Sorcery usually is, if not in a *harmful* way --

A carmine shimmer of light passes over Ida.

Venetia's eyebrow quirks enough to be visible over the lace of the mask, then: back down.

"Thank you, Dean," Venetia answers Dean in her best proper-lady voice. She's still holding the Crest Graph and raises it a little: "Do you want to try this one? It's probably best if I don't quite explain it at this stage, as it may wear off before it would become relevant."

And then down. Down into the earth.

It's warm, not just the deep-earth warmth but something sweatier. No, particularly hot. It reminds Venetia of Marivel's basement - the *deep* basement.

When they reach the final chamber, Yvain tells her she will have an opportunity to speak with the manager. And then --

Venetia squints.

Her lips purse into a tight little scrunchy of an 'o'.

She contemplates this.

She looks at Marivel with a vague accusatory air, more on general principles than anything.

"I suppose you're our lucky works foreman," Venetia says, finally, perhaps to cover up being hecking bamboozled.

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    There's more than a few here that she's crossed paths with in perhaps less-than-friendly contexts. And then there's more than a few where she still gets on friendly-like enough. For instance, there's Ruth.

    "Thanks for the other day," she murmurs, briefly close enough to the other woman to trade words. "Was a little touch and go. Don't suppose it's still lost?" It being Azoth, the wayward machine, last seen falling. Normally an opportunist, especially when it concerns mechanical scrap, Josie had instead bailed.

    It hadn't been worth it.

    Gwen draws a touch nearer to her and here, Josie tilts her head in Gwen's direction. "Huh... suppose it is. Well, mind yourself, kiddo. Just don't forget after: we ain't on the same side no more."

    And that's as much as she'll say about that. Most likely, at least.

    That's right, and as Yvain speaks Josie glances Gwen's way. More than a few people here have been similarly tested by fire prior. Is that why Yvvie invited her along?
    Sometimes she can only half-tell what he's thinking. Perhaps it goes with the territory, once you're as old as he is.

    "Sealed, huh. What's so special about three hundred?" she muses, continuing along as they stride further into that place where the fire dwells. There was something Yvain had said to her once, but try as she might, she can't rightly draw it to the surface at the moment.

    They will need to contend with the keeper of the shrine within. And that keeper is--

    "Aha. Now out it comes. I should've figured you were the one behind this business," Josie says, waving her good hand through the air before her dismissively. "Well, so it goes. I've no questions. Not now, anyway," Josie says, shaking her head. "But rest assured, I've plenty of questions for you after, Yvvie." Her lips twist into a smile as she plants her hand on her hip. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Sterling takes the apple, and eats it in two bites. It's hard to believe there was a time when he was three apples high, looking at it. Nevertheless, he's both a loyal and sensible bird, and as the heat grows--and the trail leads in, through the door--Sterling remains behind. His person will be back. It's just a matter of time. She's always come back.

    Ida's shoulders grow warmer and warmer as they descend. Once they reach the halfway point, she undoes the capelet, folds it into a neat little square, and tucks it into a free belt pack. She wipes sweat off her forehead with the back of her arm. "It wouldn't be right if we weren't here," Ida says, to Yvain. "But nevertheless, I'm glad to have company--"

    Venetia walks up. Ida's gaze flicks down at the Crest Graph, then up at Venetia. The spell snaps into place. Ida offers her fellow Galadian a grateful smile. "Thank you. I hope we won't need it, but thank you nevertheless."

    And then, the keeper reveals himself--or rather, reveals he's been there the whole time. Ida turns to Yvain, blinks owlishly, and then remembers her manners. She clasps her hands together and bows, deeply. "Thank you for doing us this honor," she says.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    'Then look forward, with your eyes open, Ruth.' So Yvain invites, as they go on that jourey. She shows no signs of physical discomfort for the environs versus how many layers of clothing she has over herself - a subtle cue easy enough for anyone to call that there's something off or wrong about her.

     She is bereft of the warmth (and chill) of outside forces in most circumstances, comfortable and combative. In this specific context, a boon, as flowing magma greets them with sweltering, air-warping heat fit to cast mirages - in which the contained Hellion looks up, hood flopping back to reveal her dull copper-hued hair and those pointed ears of hers.

     She doesn't look like she's sweating bullets under the heat, but there's a start as Yvain reveals himself as the very Keeper of the Shrine of the Fire Trial - to 'Igraine,' which is one letter off from a migraine.

     "Three hundred years," she repeats. It makes her own span of existence feel a bit smaller for it as she closes her eyes and holds a Crest Graph in a gloved hand...

     Eyes open, Yvain said, and it was probably for the best, as her eyelids are rarely sanctuary from difficult sights. She has no questions to ask. 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.





     Ida's worry, if fleeting in the face of everything else, is given its due weight by Gwen. Quietly, she places a hand on Ida's shoulder. "... If we don't laugh, we might think too much 'bout the reasons to walk away, n' not enough 'bout the ones to keep going forward."

    But is Ida more worried about her comments, or... just the fact that she's here? Or that they're all here?

    Moments later, with her focus now on Josie, Gwen smirks. "... Y'say that like you know we ain't gonna be in some situation in the future where things'll be just weird enough that it won't matter."

    But Yvain's comments can't be pushed aside with a warm gesture or a cute quip. She sighs.

    "It's the truth. It never gets easier."

    Which is why Marivel's comment draws a rare flummoxed expression from Gwen. "Wha?!" Though, she's learning- she's quickly recovered with a smug grin, her hands on her hips. "C'mon, my wonderful friendship n' gratitude ain't enough?"

    When Yvain reveals his identity, Gwen lingers there despite the growing heat, staring in shocked silence. ".... Man.... if I knew you were the Keeper I would've cut back on the quips..." She rubs the back of her head with an apologetic grin. "Still, I appreciate you doing this much for us."

    She glances back to Hiro and his pot, ready to offer to help him, but the heat radiating from her right shoulder makes her quickly realize this would not be a wise decision. ".... You're... doin' okay with that, right, Hiro?"

    She can't help herself.

    It keeps her from remembering how hot it is, down here. 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "Of course," to Yvain. "Though, I should warn you that I've never been here before so I might guide them into a magma trap. But rest assured, if there is a puzzle, I have several methods on hand to manage it."

She glances to Clarine. "A friend? Oh ho... I'd love to meet them. At the appropriate time of course."

She is called a foreman.

"Ugh." is Marivel's answer to that. "Great, deep into some grimy mines covered in fire. And it being my responsibility. Sounds like my idea of a grand old time."

She does smile a bit at golem talks in the...future. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Yvain has posed.

"True. But a Dragon is always a little dressed up, don't you think?" He says this to Ruby, and RUDELY IGNORES Magilou's complaining about the rest. It's really very terrible. He only says, "True." To which part???

"My connection to this place?" Yvain nods to Hiro, before he walks towards a small pedestal near the center of the room. "...I've spent a lot of time here. Hundreds of years ago, when the Seraphim faded into myth and the people stopped believing... I came here, to think. To commune. My connections with mortals had wavered; my connections to my fellow Seraphim were scattered. The Goddess had been gone for a long time. ...So I sought out places of Fire. I came to this place."

"Originally, it was to be sealed for a shorter time than that--unlocked when a new Shepherd came, or someone proved worty. But..." He looks wry, and shrugs to Mariel. "I was indisposed for the last two centuries, and no one worthy enough to break the seal came while I was gone." He nods to Mariel, and then answers her other question: "All Shrines are meant to have Keepers. It is possible that those Keepers have become lost, as I was. I haven't seen the other Shrines in a long time."

Magilou's languid question gets a a brief laugh--and he reaches the pedestal he'd approached. He lowers his hands to open a chest on it, and from it pulls a draconic mask, gleaming metal--and turns it, lifting it up to bring down over his face. "It's been a while," he admits. "...It's more difficult than before, because I like these mortals. Last time I was here, they thought us myths."

Others have fox fire covered. and Golems. The question of why it's the Fire Shrine is a good one for a while. But Dean doesn't voice that one. Instead he voices his surprise, and Yvain smiles beneath his mask. "I figured if any of you were looking to investigate these Shrines... it was best that I took your measure first myself." A beat, as Dean asks how he became Keeper.

"When you spend long enough in a place, sometimes they offer you a job. After decades--a century of communing with elemental Fire, I became the best suited to keep this place. And so I accepted the duty. ...But there is much of Fire that I have yet to learn. I have hoped to return..."

Yvain nods to Clarine--three hundred years. But they can talk about that later. Instead, he answers later--when she thanks him for the welcome. He grins back, under the mask. "I'm sure they and you will do their best. I would expect nothing less of mortals you'd chosen."

Yvain appreciates Venetia's reaction. He does. And so, in return for lightning up an old man's life with amusement, he does not rub it in by apologizing for the deception. Instead he simply answers, "I am. Though to be clear, I didn't build the place--it's much older than I am, and that is saying something."

To Ida, "The honor will come in passing. You may be Seers of Filgaia, but Lunar must see your worth, as well."

Ruth has no questions--but she has clearly listened to his instructions. The time will come, soon, when she is tested with the others. He has hopes for her, Hellion or no.

And for Marivel, "I'm sure you'll do fine. You've guided them so far. ...And of course," he says, behind his draconic mask, "I'm sure it must feel interesting to be tested yourself again. Lunar awaits you."

He then turns to the others, and nods. "I will welcome the questions," he says finally to Josephine, "...Provided that you make it to the center to ask them of me." Does it feel weird to him to wear a dragon mask? He doesn't say. "...But I imagine you will. Especially if you're willing to work with the others..."

Yvain looks over the assembled group again, thoughtfully, and returns to the center to address them. "To reach the trial, you must go through the Shrine itself. It is a trial all its own, but it is not itself the Trial. That will be conducted at the center. I will be there, waiting for you. The Shrine tests more than courage--a flame that burns itself out before getting anywhere is not a useful flame."

"I hope to see all of you again. Remember: what you see is not always what it seems. Fire brings a haze, heat distorts. And of course... to touch fire is to burn."

"Good luck."

He turns, and starts towards the sealed gate at the end. When he approaches it, he dissipates into flame, and the resulting bonfire surges through the gateway, into the center.

They are alone with each other, in the sweltering antechamber of Igraine. 

<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.

"Good attitude to take, reminds me of how my Grandpa would look at all the ancient ruins he came across." He replies of Mariel's desire to learn of medicines, "Like it was just another opportunity to learn."
"I know right?" Ruby harumphs as she grouses with Magilou, though Yvain... says, that a dragon is always a little dressed up, and she cocks her head in confusion,"Uh - it's true that we're fabulous."

Does she get it? Probably not.
 Hiro then says to Magilou, "Hey, being here is cheering us on in a way - even if you don't."

As if he's just implacable in the belief that Magilou means well at all times, despite being herself, or at the very least doesn't mean harm.

"Might ask the same of you." Hiro notes to Gwen with a grin, at her arm, "It's not the most comfortable, but..." He twists his arm to show that his arm is padded and he has the ropes between his arm and actual contact with that padding. "... it never feels as hot as it should. Though I guess we'll be testing it here if it starts to burn the ropes."

He falls silent as Yvain speaks about how he spent a long time here after Seraphim faded into belief and people stop believing, to commune. The Goddess gone. There's perhaps a sort of sadness in his eyes. The idea of an age of magic and miracles coming to an end, the kind he read in the books. He can understand perhaps why someone who lived through a different age would come to think.

It must have been lonely. Just him and the fire. Even Ruby looks more solemn thinking about it. Every story she'd ever heard of Dragons has them living in the solitude of caves. Perhaps... that's why she's not in such a hurry to...

"We'll treat this place with the respect it deserves then."

He finds himself a bit awed that they're about to undertake a trial that Shepherds might have. Yet, perhaps more importantly, as conveyed through Yvain's words, they have to survive it. Watching Yvain as he approaches the sealed gate, opening it as the flame he dissipates into becomes a bonfire at the gateway.

"We'll meet you there, Keeper Yvain." He says as he uses his title, before turning to the group, sounding excited. "Our goal is the center of the shrine. Let's take a little time to prepare. Then... let's face this trial with all we've got!"

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.

Clarine nods as Yvain explains the past - how he came to bet he keeper, and why this place was sealed. It certainly makes a lot of sense. She watches as he pulls out a draconic mask and puts it on. It's a curious thing, certainly...

...and she smiles, as Yvain responds to her. Though hidden by the mask, she can hear the grin in his voice.

"I have the utmost faith in them. We will meet again very soon." She agrees with a nod. Those of ARMS... they'd rekindled her trust in mortals. She has every expectations they - and the others as well - will pass this trial.

And then, he leaves them. She looks toward Hiro as he speaks, and then nods.

"Yes... if there are any last minute preparations anyone would like to do, now is the time to do them." She agrees.

She's ready, though. She won't flinch from this trial. 

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Fox fire is fire for foxes, Magilou says matter-of-fact. Except for fire foxes, which are just foxes that are on fire.
    
    "Oh. Okay," Dean says blankly, confused but willing to accept this on its face. But Mariel speaks up to explain what it *actually* is, and he perks. "Oh neat! Glowing mushrooms? I'd love to see that!" To Venetia, he says, "Oh, it wears off? We better save it, then. We don't know what we're gonna face, after all!"
    
    Yvain explains why him, and why here. "Ohhhh, I get it," Dean says, nodding once. He actually does get it, too! It was a nice, simple, and direct explanation. The best kind, in his opinion! Yvain explains that the Trial is at the center and they need to get there before walking off in a burst of flame.
    
    "Well, that's simple enough," he declares. Hiro suggests they all take some time to prepare before heading in, and he grins and pumps a fist in agreement. "Yeah! Let's make sure we're all ready and then give this one everything we've got!" After all, they've got to prove themselves to Lunar, too! 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel does not use Crest magic, but that's not due to a lack of sensitivity or ability with the forces it controls. It feels -

It's something *like* Crest Sorcery, but not quite. Like viewing it through a prism, or tinted glass. She shoots Venetia a surprised look, but she elects not to ask about it yet. There'll be plenty of time for that later.

"So you've opened it now..." is what she says to Yvain. It's not really a question and she doesn't expect it to be answered; it's self-evident, and she can guess why he's done it. Though perhaps she'll ask in more detail - once they've caught up to him at the center of the trial.

But of all the people here, she's certainly one of the most likely to understand the desire to... stay. It reminds her of her garden, though his connection is different than hers. It's enough to draw a faint smile, at least.

"Thank you for taking us here," she says, as he walks away.

She speaks again after he's gone. "I agree. We should certainly prepare. There's some things I would like to mix *before* we enter. I've never done a trial quite like this before."

Mariel looks up to Magilou, then, and asks, "Are you intending to come along?" It's Magilou. Of all the people that got this far, she's the only one she can believe would simply walk away and not come back. 

<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    Josie just looks over at Gwen, then turns her eyes up towards the heavens, as if to there invoke intervention from some higher power. It's very overdramatic. "One of these days, kiddo..." she sighs, shrugging her shoulders. "But don't say I didn't give you fair warning, now!" Folding her arms loosely across her chest, she turns her attention back towards Yvain.

    Three hundred years. Wasn't that what he'd said--
    Now she remembers. No wonder it had been that long ago, or that it'd been left to its own devices for hundreds of years. One pale eyebrow arches as he pulls a particular mask from the pedestal and she gets a good look at what it's of.

    Huh. Well, there's irony, perhaps. She wonders how that feels -- wonders, but doesn't ask.

    "Sure as sure can be, Yvvie. But you'd best be ready with the answers. I intend on asking them."

    She may be a wicked woman -- she would hardly deny that -- but if anything is pure about her, it is her intent. When she means it, she finishes it.

    "So into the fire we go," she remarks in the end. "What was that old saying, again?" She waves a hand, dismissively. "...Well. I for one do not intend to be consumed." 

<Pose Tracker> Magilou has posed.

    "Don't say that too early!" Magilou grouses, to Yvain, when he tells Ruby dragons are always dressed up.

    Once they're situated in the chamber, though, Magilou is -- well, just as casual, but her mood's shifted a little. "If you go easy on them, I'll never let you live it down," she comments, lightly, on how much more difficult it is to have friends visiting.

    "For their brothers, for their honour, for their friends... if you don't burn away their weaknesses, I'm afraid they're all doomed."

    Magilou shrugs one shoulder, looking over to Ruby with a loose grin. "Be sure to pay attention yourself, too. A southerner like yourself could pick up some real pointers." It's quite the artful way to refer to a Red Dragon.

    She turns that grin to Mariel, too. "Oh, don't you worry about me. I've seen many things in a haze. Besides, I simply have to see how you do!" She's lying, of course, but it's a lie of omission.

    Magilou isn't quite as detached from the desires of everyone else as she makes out.

    Because, in Pendrago...

    "Now, do remember this is a test, so there's no referring back to your notes." Magilou straightens, from her slouch against the doorway, and paws a hand at the pockets her kimono evidently has.

    "... say, did anyone bring a pencil?"

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

"It's not exactly limited use, but you know how magic is," Venetia tells Dean. "It's like eating dinner. One little bite more or less isn't an issue worth worrying about, but at a certain point you're full."

Or empty. Whatever.

Venetia wipes off her forehead. "I wonder how old this place truly is, then. Someone must have made it... somehow," she answers Yvain, but it has an air of faint grumbling.

A shrine in there, Venetia thinks, and I'm already sweating like a roast duck. Wonderful.

Someone asks her for a pencil. "Yes, actually," Venetia answers Magilou. "Do you need a bit of paper to go with it?"

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "I know," Ida says, to Gwen. She sets a gloved hand--her right hand, the hybrid one--atop Gwen's, fingers curling around the courier's. "Keep your eyes open, and remember that tempering is a balance. Heat and stress strengthen the metal, but they can also make it brittle and useless." She gives Gwen's hand a squeeze. "I believe in you as much as everyone else here."

    She turns back to Yvain, and listens, respectful and somber. She can only imagine what it would be like to disappear from history, to become a creature of legend--she almost fantasized about it, when the Umbral Mirror had its claws deep in the Earthpulse, and she felt powerless to do anything, but she never experienced it. Yvain settles the draconic mask over his face. Ida's eyes widen, and then she blinks. "It suits you," she says, with a gentle smile. "Dragons... are guardians back home, as well as here." She touches a hand to her heart. "I understand, Keeper. We'll approach this together... won't we, Dean?"

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "Haw." to Yvain. "Every waking a moment, a test. I shudder to think at the ones proctoring the exam."

She crosses her arms, glancing to Magilou for a moment. "Never carry a pencil. They're like tiny little stakes. Hate 'em."

She...is probably joking, right?

"Please do come with," Marivel asides to Magilou. "We could use lava bait," she is probably also not being serious with that but, well, Magilou has had a way of going about things and Marivel is going to adapt. 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    Feeling Ida's hybrid hand curled around her own, Gwen closes her eyes and nods, knowing Ida's words. "... Same to you, Ida." Her hand squeezes back. "... I have to burn away this fear, but not at the cost of what's important."

    Later, as the heat strengthens with each step downwards, Gwen finds Josie's comments a refreshing change of pace, allowing her to don that persona of the guileless courier.

    "C'mon, Josie! Fine, let's just say, if you come in at me or my friends all 'gonna shoot you now' I'll take you as seriously as I've ever done. Which, if I remember right, has been pretty darn serious!" The light of the fires of this place may be bright, but Gwen's well-meaning grin at being able to tease Josie _just enough_ is certainly putting her in a sunny mood.

    At least Gwen's not lying. Josie's warnings are as true as the fire here is eternally hot, unapologetic in its own existence.

    But the persona's ability to mask her own feelings is useless here, especially for people who have known her as long as Hiro. "Bah, I can't really fool ya..." Gwen chuckles at Hiro's comment, using the excess of her neckerchief to blot up her sweat. "The Mockingbird can handle heat beyond what my own body could take, but it don't mean it's not gonna be uncomfortable. So I guess... we're both holdin' on. But with Ruby here, I think it'll be just fine if we just keep movin'."

    Which is exactly what she and others don't do as they arrive at the entrance

    Perhaps that's yet another purpose for her here. She knows what it's like to burn, as well as what it's like to be so full of fire's pride that she tried to make others burn around her.

    ".... Experience has its own perks." Gwen sighs softly, but looks up at the distance they've come, already.

    It counts just to get to this point, for her.

    "Listen y'all." She turns to everyone, giving them a soft smile with her arms spread out. "... I have faith in all of ya! I've gotten to know at least a little bit 'bout each one of you, and that's enough to tell me that every one of you has what it takes, no matter where you draw your strength. This ain't a test, it's _confirmation_ of everything you got inside. Yvain wouldn't lead us here if he thought we had no chance. He'll see us all at the very end, and he'll know his faith wasn't for nothin'."

    Maybe they're empty words, but Gwen feels... lighthearted. Like she wants to cry, almost, but for good reasons.

    It's a good kind of pride, to realize she feels each of those words is the truth.

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