Scene #1178: Temple of Quiet

Owner	Pose
Ainsley	The City of Aztlan - Surface Like a massive sun dial, the city is circular in shape. The buildings are arranged in a grid around the central park, expanding outward for an impressive distance. At the very end, massive black walls stand, with watch towers set up for a vantage out into the surrounding farms and jungle. The city is built out of architecture inspired by mesoamerican designs, with artistic engravings everywhere, and nearly every window in sight is a stained glass window of red or purple. The Aztlan Camp is a camp set up in the central park by the resources of a few Elites, particularly the Secret World crew and Faruja's own subordinates. There are tables and chests and tents set up, with a camp fire. The warp gate ripples with red light, like a suspended pool of blood, in the center of the park, like the entire city was built around it, though the gate is obviously much newer than the rest of the city. The park is surrounded by a nearly invisible bubble of iridescent red energy, which shields those inside from the rest of the city and the many creatures that lurk in the streets. Right now, the skeletons are all dormant, simply piles of bone and decomposed parts waiting for the darkness of the evening to return so they can roam unhindered. They aren't waking up anytime soon, just hitting noon and the sun is high in the sky. The only thing the party has to worry about is boiling in the merciless heat and humidity of the tropical climate. Ainsley is standing outside of the park barrier, ready to head toward the temple. The temple is a pyramid that is immediately obvious from the park, and it isn't that far. She looks nervous, and keeps her distance from the various skeletal remains, knowing what they mean and what they would do if they woke up. There are other roads leading down to structures like the entrances to subway tunnels. They have thick stone doors that are seemingly locked, but the nearest one seems to have been broken open from the inside by some huge blunt force, the doors left ajar and partially smashed.
Iji	Iji Kataiser, reluctant warrior and cyborg, is with Ainsley's party. Having originally came here to see if reports of 'lizard people' were the Komato, she turned out to be /quite/ mistaken. Instead, she found a near-literal hellhole. Iji might still be working out her issues with non-humans, but the whole landscape is enough to remind her in a twisted way of home. And so, Ainsley now has a new recruit for the mission, bent on at least seeing one person's home set to rights. She's currently a foot or two behind Ainsley, black nanogun held easily in her arms. "So are we looking for something in particular, uhh...Ainsley, right? Or just following hunches?" Questions the woman even as she mentally fiddles with her nanofield.
Kotone Yamakawa	So Kotone has once more returned to Aztlan and was somewhat bettered armed than before, she had a smaller gun than the XCOM pistol she used but this one was far more customized from the looks of it and it was easier for her to get ammo really. Still she was on edge and made sure she'd at least had a nanofiber vest under her clothing anbd she seemed to be on edge either way the side arm's holster is open but she's not drawn the weapon just yet. "This place just... I'm not sure what to say to this." How does she keep falling into things like this? Seriously how did she fall past the viel into the relm of magic? She'd like to know this.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Naturally, Inga is here. With the presence of the Filth, she feels it is her duty to be hear to combat it and help whoever is left here--which does not look to be anyone. Still, they will try. To those from her world, to see the Filth spread is /very/ alarming. Inga wonders if others in the worlds know just how alarmed they should be. Inga moves up behind Ainsley, staff clacking gently against the road. The woman is dressed in a long black skirt and a black t-shirt, a silver hammer pendant around her neck and a belt at her waist on which sits a myriad of pouches and a couple of knives. Her hair is tightly braided, a symbol drawn upon her forhead in what one can only assume is blood. Inga moves to stand beside Ainsley, looking off at the temple, brow furrowed. She looks quite troubled. Any who do not have more permanent talismans from Inga would be offered magic wards to protect them. Inga would be /very/ insistant on this. Inga glances toward Kotone, sighing softly, nodding. Too much death. Too much horror.
Amalthea	"So this place again, huh." There is a unicorn nor far from Ainsley's side. When word had gotten out that her student's home city needed some looking into, of course Kuklos ka Amalthea Schmendrick-Fortuna would show up to get nosy. Hence why the mechanical mythic i idly adjusting the fit of one gauntlet, and tugging a strap on the lighter armor of chain and surcoat that she's been fancying lately. At least before she simply pats Ainsley on the shoulder.
Quentyn Westwind	New boots on his feet, a new notebook in his hands, and a new place's findings to write down in that notebook. Chrismas come early for the boy who doesn't celebrate Christmas, and Quentyn seems to be in high spirits as he steps through the warp gate. High spirits, yet very, very puzzled. So puzzled, in fact, that the student-adventurer doesn't notice the sights around him. So puzzled that his eyes are fixed on something else in his hands, kept on top of the open and folded back notebook. A book with a rabbit on the cover, but all the actual content is in braille (which of course, means the book is bigger too). Quentyn looks over to Kotone and holds up the novel's cover. "Do you know what language this tome is in?" It's that looking up that finally gets Quentyn to notice where he is too, and he stands looking around at the city for a moment. He pushes up his glasses slightly, mouth curving into a faint impression of a grin at first but fading as his eyes rest on the signs of death. He slips the braille book back to under the notebook, jotting down a few notes. He'll keep up with Kotone wherever she goes, of course.
Riva Banari	Riva was not really looking forward to coming back here. It reminds her of Kingsmouth, except with 100 percent more Mesoamerica and 200 percent more Gross. Her usual exuberance is cut down to more normal levels while she looks over the road that they're going to have to travel through. While Ainsley keeps her distance, Riva has her guns, and she shoots the piles of remnants in the hopes that her Anima Bullets will reduce the number of problems they're going to inevitably face at sundown. "So, get in and look around, and get some information, and get out. Sounds like a plan." Riva says. She hangs around near Inga and Amalthea, mostly because she instinctively recognizes the utility of having the Holy Trinity of Tank, DPS, and Healer in a solid cluster.
Ainsley	Ainsley turns a sad smile to those who have gathered, in particular to Amalthea who is providing a shred of comfort to the otherwise distraught snake woman. She looks out across the road and the path of skeletons that seem to have moved since the last time she was here. There's a few more of them than last time, but the creature that was slain on the last trip is nowhere to be seen. "A hunch," she confirms for Iji, simply enough. "We are looking for clues." Those that are new to this place might feel the oppressive air, deathly silent and still. Nothing feels alive in the city, or if it is alive, it's hidden away very well. This becomes more evident when Ainsley begins leading the party to the temple. She is careful to avoid stepping on the skeletons, frowning down at them. She hesitates when one of them has a heartwrenching sight, though it's not immediately visible with getting close to it like she did. Once she has passed it, the others would notice that there's a dead Quetzal there, not skeletonized, in a suspiciously fresh pool of blood, like it just happened a couple hours ago. He's slumped back against the wall of one of the many unmarked buildings, and he's loosely clutching something bundled in what looks like a curtain. He's covered in claw marks, probably having died of blood loss during his attempt to escape. What can be noted is that his eyes are covered by a metal plate that shields them, etched with intricate Mesoamerican symbols. Close examination shows he was escaping with a large black cat. It's dead. It seems to be covered in rune-like symbols as well. "Maybe he was hiding until today," Ainsley sadly muses. The rest of the trip to the temple is uneventful. As opposed to traditional pyramids, there is a doorway leading inside. Ainsley approaches the door that lacks any visible way of opening it, and reaches out to touch it, baffled by the purpose of such a design. It responds directly to her touch with a soft chime and a shimmer of red light, revealing a stairway down into the building, and she begins to walk into the dimly-lit stairway without pause. It's a very long stairwell.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa pauses for a moment and looks at the book nodding. "Brail, it's an older form of script used for storing information for the blind. Not as common as it used to be on my world given the viablity of replacements now still it was a really effective and creative idea for it's time. I also suggest you stow that as we're marching into some nasty things and you don't want to be distracted." She has the pistol out at this point and is keeping alert, she's also avoiding the ded as best she can as she looks the corpse over for a moment to see just what the dead man was carrying it might be of note or a clue to where surivors are hold up.
Iji	Iji, for now, looks to Kotone to nod. "It's like being in Warrior Quest Fifteen. Give me Hero 3D any day..." Mutters the young woman sourly. Then Inga is giving out blood runes. Iji, for her part, accepts it. Squeemishly. She wiggles and 'eep's a bit as it's applied. "So that's /really/ going to protect me from whatever caused all this?" She sounds very, very unsure about the whole thing. Clearly 'magic' isn't a concept she's used to just yet. She hugs her gun tighter, like a very destructive security blanket. Iji looks increasingly jumpy as time goes on. She barely manages a nod to Ainsley. Then they come across the poor Quetzal and the little bundle. A cat. Iji stops, leans down, and just hugs the dead Quetzal. "...We'll find who did this. I promise." She mutters, having to stop for a good five minutes to cry. It's all a little too soon, and too close to home. She'll catch back up with the group soon, looking somewhat ragged. Iji continues to cover Ainsley as they get ot the staircase proper.
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn reluctantly slips the book into his bag, but not the notebook, though the teen does not slip away his notebook. Still keeping that in his hands, he looks over the others in the party, as though committing each face to memory. And well, other standout features. When he comes to Ainsley he asks tentatively, "You're um, professor Ainsley?" He might recognize the voice, but not the Queztal herself. When the party comes to the corpse, Quentyn stops and crouches down beside it. He doesn't touch it, however, instead just examining it. First visually, then with a variant of the Libra spell more suits to medical purposes. But when the rest of the party moves on, the white mage will follow. Observing carefully as AInsley works the door, but quiet besides the scratch of his pencil against paper from time to time.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga looks to Riva. All she has to say can be communicated in that look. They are likely sharing very similar thoughts just now. The woman nods to her, confirming she'll be watching for everyone if comes to battle. As far as she knows, she may be the only one here with healing ability. Upon reaching the fresh corpse, Inga's frown deepends. She is perhaps the first to go investigate it. She shows no fear of the dead, though she examines him with as much respect as possible, saying a prayer to ease his passing. She notes the metal of his eyes, and the symbols there. The package is then examined. She is care to touch as little as she can. She'd looked him over first for any signs of the Filth and saw none. Still, she is cautious. A cat? Carved up. Inga pales for a moment. Poor thing...but perhaps it can still be of use. Though, she doubts anyone will wait around long enough for her to read the entrails. Inga reaches up to grasp her hammer pendant, walking on. "Did you not recognize those symbols?" she asks of Ainsley. Iji, upon her question is given a look. It is a 'do you doubt me? You really shouldn't doubt me' sort of look. It softens momentarily with a sigh. She must remember, multiverse. "Yes, it will help. However, if you see a black fluid--" Inga cuts off as the woman goes to hug the body. "... do NOT touch it," she finishes, managing not to facepalm. "The gesture is touching, but unwise...anything here runs the risk of infection. As I was saying, if you see that black stuff, not not touch it. Do not examine it. Try not to even look at it," she warns, loud enough for all the new people to hear.
Amalthea	Riva gets a bump of one armored elbow from Amalthea- who then gives Inga a dip of her horn in greeting. But then the armored unicorn is already following after Ainsley, lance slung over one shoulder lazily and shield lashed onto her arm at the ready. "Clue hunting it is, then." Amalthea lets Ainsley lead, but keeps close, in the event her shield is needed at the fore of the group, lone eye surveying the remnants and sprawl of skeletal bodies. Ainsley's sudden hesitance earns a sideward glance. And for the record, Amalthea does crane her head to investigate the corpse... And fresh blood. A small whistle through her teeth, and she leaves it to anyone more skilled with MAGICAL FORENSICS than she. Even stopping to lightly just kind of... Stand next to Iji when she has to stop. There's no physical re-assurance though, Amalthea does not like touching strangers.
Ainsley	The dead quetzal remains still, and even the hug doesn't disturb it that much. Close examination finds that there is a key resting nearby, having dropped out of the lizard man's grasp when life left him. Anyone so inclined would be able to pick it up. It has a symbol on it in the shape of a book and quill, on the head of the key. It also has a number on it: 51-44. The dead feline ... actually it's not clear if it's dead from the runes. It looks an awful lot like the symbols that very aggressive warrior monster had... Ainsley doesn't seem that enthused with the idea of talking about or even thinking about the dead quetzal, instead just giving a sad shrug at Inga. She has no clue. As for Quentyn's inquiry, he gets a smile, and, "Yes. You would be Quentyn, then." She's confident she's starting to grow familiar with the Academy students, at least by name and voice. Once everyone is ready, the party heads down a suspiciously long staircase and they end up in a large chamber without any other doorways. It's lit almost entirely with a ghostly white light, as if it were reflecting off the mist that can be seen nearly everywhere in the room. The room is lined with plaques or statues or other such things. Memorials. What sets this apart from a typical graveyard is something specific. Quetzal ghosts. Barely visible thanks to their translucence, they walk around like it's a formal ballroom and casually talk to each other as if nothing were wrong. Except they don't make any sound. They can hear each other. They seem peaceful, and many of them are dressed in ceremonial or formal attire. Most of them also seem to have a faint red light in their core, where their heart would have been. The room feels enormously peaceful. It's clear this is a holy place for Aztlan. In the back of the room, there's a small group of Quetzal huddled around a red crystal that's giving them warmth. They haven't noticed the party. It's just normal people, probably a family that managed to make a haven here in the temple, even if it's a really creepy place to be.
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn will take the key, but only after doublechecking for curses. Can't be too careful. He closes his eyes for a moment, murmurs something (about a 'cosmos'?), stands again, fiddles with this glasses, and then follows the rest of the party. Key gets tucked in between the notebook's binding. Quentyn nods to Ainsley, returning her smile with one of his own, if a bit ephemerally. "Nice to meet you," he murmurs. Something about the environment makes the student want to keep his voice low, it seems. The ghosts make Quentyn stand up very straight at first, and he only very cautiously starts to relax a little bit. If not for the peaceful sense, well, hopefully he wouldn't have fired off a Banish spell. As it is, his morose eyes are glued to the ghosts for a long time before he notices the group cluttered around the crystal. But the white mage, unsure of who's friendly in a place like this and who's not, looks to the rest of the party for how to proceed.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa pauses at Amalthea she hears the buzzing noises which are not bees for once and wait is that steam? Yes she's giving off STeam and that does get Kotone's attention for a moment as she finishes checking the dead mnan out. She's not being a ghoul but there could be information that is of use. She'll make to gently pick up up the key but Quentyn gets to it first. "We best get going and hello to you as well." She looks over Amalthea for a moment. "I'm Kotone good to meet you." She makes no comment about her being a construct, after all she's got issue with her similiar nature, right?
Iji	The 'deer in the headlights' look from Iji may well prove an acceptable answer. But 'black fluid' at least equates to 'getting infected with horrible disease'. She's seen more than a few zombie movies. Maybe it works like that? Iji leaps away from the body with an 'eep'! But not without snatching the key. "Y..yes ma'am!" Nods the gun-girl. By now, she's frowning, paranoia clear in her eyes as she tries to focus. Every muscle in her body is tense. But at least there's a large robo-unicorn-paladin. That's something. Amalthea looks sturdy, and the shakey Iji gives her a thumbs-up. She's okay. "...okay Iji. Calm down. This is nothing. Nothing creepy, or weird, or sinister here. Anything that shouldn't move, just shoot it." She reassures herself. Within? Holy snap ghosts. Iji, for her part, just /stares/. "...Ghosts. Real. Fucking. Ghosts." Pardon her, she's just a little overwhelmed right now. She almost drops her gun. Nope, not even seeing the group of huddled living Quetzal just yet.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Indeed, Inga notices the key, but Quentyn picks it up. Another student from this Academy? Goodness, there are certainly many of them. The stairs are reached, and Inga sighs. Well, at least it is down. Down is a great deal easier than up. Of course she'll need to go back up at some point... No time to think on that now. Inga descends until she reaches the chamber. Her eyes widen and she reaches to touch the iron blade of her knife. Ghosts. And yet...an air of peace settles over her. These are not the restless dead. These spirits are at peace. The chamber is obviously a place of rest. The eyes of the gods must certainly be on them here. Inga looks again to Iji, with sympathy in her eyes. She places a hand on her arm gently. "Peace, these are not the restless dead," she says. Goodness, she'd scared the girl and now she feels badly. Through the mist and the ethereal presences, there are are flesh and blood people gathered around a red stone. Inga's spirits raise. Survivors! She had not let herself hope they would find anyone still alive in this place. Inga starts toward them as quickly as possible. She will try not to step through any ghosts in the process. "Hail, I am a healer," she greets. Usually a sound way to start things off with people who are most likely distressed and quite possibly hurt.
Staren	<<I'm on my way to your position. Sorry I'm late.>> Staren's voice comes over the radio. He steps out into the park, looks around, and makes his way to the temple. He's in strength-enhancing, environmentally controlled power armor, so neither the distance nor the heat are especially problematic. <<I wonder if we could destroy these things while they're inactive.>> Iji starts freaking out about ghosts, so Staren activates his energy wings and pours on the speed. He notices something odd, but no time to investigate. <<I saw a dead guy down there. Why isn't he eaten?>> That sounded a bit weird. <<I mean... everyone else is skeletons. The hunger...>> He shakes his head and flies on, finally coming down the stairs where he sees... "Woah. Ghosts!" Somehow, this isn't what he was expecting! Also, there doesn't seem to be any immediate danger after all. "I mean... how does that work? Are they psychic imprints of some kind? Actual trapped souls? Pieces of souls?" He starts to reach out to poke one, then decides not to. "What are the red lights?" He's so fascinated he almost misses the Quetzal family. Frowning, he scans them for lifesigns. Can't be too careful... And it wouldn't do to get ambushed by HORRIBLE HYBRID FILTH UNDEAD when there are ghosts to study!
Amalthea	"Oh that's right. It's Professor Ainsley now, isn't it?" Idle conversation from Amalthea while on the last leg of those stairs, lone eye flitting from Quentyn to the quetzal. "That does have a pretty nice ring to it, doesn't it." It's a light tease, a jabbing attempt to brighten Ainsley a little on the way down. "Yo. Amalthea." Is her introduction to Kotone, lone eye silently lingering on the woman's imperfection-lacking features. But she moves right along. She takes in the ghosts with an almost somber, serene, look, silver lips pursing into a thin line. Her lance tucks under the barrel of Iji's gun lightly, to make sure it remains steady in the girl's hands, but then she's already moving along. Weaving through the chamber of wandering ghosts, respectfully not touching a single one, some by spans of mere near-brushing millimeters. Inga already has the family handled, for the most part Amalthea is inspecting the memorials.
Iji	Iji manages a dumb nod to the good Witch-Healer, before belatedly replying. "Y...yeah." She shivers. Could Mia and her dad be somewhere, sipping tea and enjoying themselves. She forces herself to get moving, jolting as Amal tips up her gun. It helps. She keeps an eye on the ghosts, clearly not trusting them, before she moves over behind Inga. Cue 'healer's guardian' role. Having a big gun helps, as is being pretty tall herself.
Wuyin Tsai	There is another ghost among those in the chamber. It is exceptionally strange for a couple of reasons. The first is the wholly anachronistic clothing: hoodie, jeans, and... some kind of miscolored glasses? It's hard to tell; it's monochrome. The second is the whole 'is a human' thing. Wuyin's ghost waggles his fingers at Staren, and then turns back to the Quetzal ghosts, apparently listening in on their conversation from the edge. He totally wants to ask them all kinds of questions, but he isn't going to just /interrupt/. That would be rude.
Ainsley	Ainsley largely stays away from the ghosts, and wanders around the room itself looking for clues. She nearly stumbles into a pit, though, at the end of the room, squeaking and dropping down a few feet before catching herself with her flight magic and floating back out of the drop. She stares down into the darkness and-- It stares back up at her. She backs away from the pit and stands there, staring down there with a grim fascination. The Quetzal ghosts just don't seem at all evil. Some of them leave, and then others show up to mingle. None of them are able to interact with the living... but Wuyin is an exception. A few turn to look at him in confusion... A few snippits of conversation: (The foreign corruption is everywhere in the city now. Should we just abandon the temple--) (No. We are the guardians. They may have forgotten, but we still have a duty.) They're guardian spirits, apparently. The family of Quetzal look up to the party, and a few stand up, adjusting their cloaks and blinking groggily in that direction. Their red eyes glow behind the faint mist in the room, an eerie effect, but the way they tentatively shuffle over, and murmur in uncertain greetings, show that they are quite alive and more than a little afraid.
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa is put off yes she'd be screaming afew months ago now? She's seen horrors shambling ghosts who are not trying to directly harm them? In a twisted way it's oddly comforting she looks to Iji for a moment with a sympathic look. "I know how you feel I flet the same way... when I first encountered this sort of thing." TO say Kotone isn't freaked out by stuff is a lie but she's got a bit better than she used to be the lioving surivors does get her attention she notices they are alive and pauses to take a look at them. She does not make a attempt to distub them she just gives Staren a Dour look. "Hey surivors, pay attention to your surroundings, Staren." She also gives Inga a look as she goes to contact the surivors lets not overwhelm them shall we? She then pauses and /stares/ at Wu just freaking staring at him, but she's now seeing the surivors are coming to them. As for what hte ghosts say she make notes of it and will leave Inga to healing them should they need it.
Staren	Staren puzzles over ghosts. Then: "Wuyin?! What... how... wait, can you interact with them?" He watches Wuyin curiously, when Kotone brings the survivors to his attention! He turns to them. The visor of his helmet retracts to reveal his face. "Hi!" He smiles and strides over to them. "We're here to--" He pauses, then looks at Ainsley. "Um... /are/ we here to evacuate them, or is that culturally unacceptable and we need to help them to survive here?"
Inga Freyjasdottir	On her way over to the living people, Inga passes by Wuyin, giving him a nod. Her steps halt. She blinks, turns around to look at Wuyin. Her lips thin for a moment, then she just shakes her head, letting out a sigh. "Wuyin," she greets, if he can even hear her. Will he be able to ressurect nearby? This place is filled with anima--the whole world seems to burst with it. It shouldn't be a problem. It is actually rather clever--still, she is glad she need not kill herself to speak with the dead, even if that /is/ possible. Inga approaches the group slowly (not that she could do otherwise really), smiling gently to them. "No need to fear me. I am a wisewoman--a healer. I can help you. I come with warriors as well, we can get you out of here and to someplace safer if you wish," she says. "Are any of you hurt?" she asks, looking them over carefully, looking not only for wounds but for anything out of place. "I am Inga," she tells them. Her name might help. Inga looks to Staren, slightly amused. "Mmm, Wuyin is very casual with his immortality, isn't he?" she comments.
Iji	There's no words from Iji. Merely a slightly numb look, and a nod to Kotone. It may as well scream 'Oh god why did I think this was a good idea!?'. But there's people to help. She stays near Inga, offering a small little wave as warriors are mentioned. "Umm. Hi. I'm Iji." She cracks a weak smile. Then gets to guarding them all. "She's right. We'll get you all out of here, no matter what." Comes the woman, then, in greater confidence.
Quentyn Westwind	Staren gets a small wave from the student, but if the scientist thinks he might have answers to those questions, all Quentyn can do is shrug. When he notices Wuyin among the ghosts, that gets a longer look. Mostly thanks to the incongruity with the others, and of course the other ghosts' own reactions. But, well, as long as the new addition isn't attacking the party... Quentyn mostly just watches the others handle the survivors, keeping well back himself. He inhales sharply when Ainsly almost falls to probably certain but, well, the professor can fortunately fly. Looking over to Kotone, he asks in quiet tones, "Um... do you know anything about this place? It sounded like you've been here before..."
Wuyin Tsai	Wuyin is very suspicious. He's also apparently familiar to multiple members of the party. That makes him less suspicious, right? ...nah, not really. The ghostvestigator (Riva would probably approve, it's just dumb enough) nods at Staren, and shoots Inga a quick grin. He looks to the spirits, stepping over and giving them a short bow. It's a pretty universal greeting with people who are more... old-fashioned. His voice, of course, doesn't carry across the barrier between life and death. ("My name is Wuyin,") he says. ("I am a guardian from the Earth this corruption has also visited.") He explicitly does not say it's the source. There's no proof that their Earth is the only place the Filth has been. ("I have come to solve the problem it presents. Are you able to observe the city regularly? If there is anything useful you can tell me about the city or the state of it's infection, I may be able to do something.")
Ainsley	The memorials are all written in Spanish. They have the names of dozens of the sacrifices made at the temple. Every single one of them details something the sacrifice gave up in order to contribute to the city in a greater way, and each of them has some depiction of the Quetzal in question. And a few of those faces can be seen standing around the room. Ainsley gives Staren a quizzical look at his question, and looks to the family of shaky, undernurished Quetzal. "All of the other Quetzal fled," she tells Staren, frowning at him. "This place is no place to be staying, whether or not they want to." The survivors make no protest to that effect. They speak in hushed voices, thanking the party for coming to save them and other barely sane phrases. Otherwise, the ragged group keeps to themselves. They warm up to those who introduce themselves, lingering a little closer to them as of the empathy there made them feel safer. The ghosts turn to address Wuyin. ("We were able to, until this foreign corruption showed up,") says an elderly Quetzal ghost lady, and then another steps forward, a young quetzal man, his ethereal heart a little brighter than most, ("We cannot watch over the city while this intrusion remains. It is all we can do to help keep the wards intact. We can't see much of what's going on, it all looks too maddened to make sense of.") Ainsley wanders back over to Amalthea and stands nearby the Unicorn, looking at a few of the memorials herself.
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga assures the people that they will take them to safety, all the while examining them for wounds, etc. if needed. She keeps some food on her, which she offers if they are hungry. Bread, cheese, mead... Tacos. Once they are settled, Inga turns to Iji. "Look after them, I am going to attempt something," she says, then takes a seat on the floor. Inga then takes a few deep breaths and begins to chant. Her eyes grow distant as she opens herself to the spiritual, to see if perhaps she can hear these people without having to kill herself to do it. She is trained to speak with spirits after all, to open herself to other states of cosciousness or journey into the spirit realm. The blood mark on her third eye begins to softly glow.
Iji	Completely out of her depths, Iji is set to a task she can do: take care of people. Being the 'big sister' helps with that. A nod, and she helps distribute food, as well as some water and even a few sodas she has. Otherwise? She'll guard them, and tell a few of the younger ones quiet stories about her home. It's not much, and likely won't make sense given her era, but perhaps it will distract them enough to not be /quite/ so out of sorts. Time to calm people down. She does, however, eye Inga every now and then. Just in case she gets ghost-jumped. That weird one with the glasses, after all, looks out of place!
Amalthea	Fun fact. Amalthea has a basic grasp of Spanish. It's not fluent, but enough to get the gist of the memorials. Though she can't help but snort when Inga produces tacos for the belaguered. Nevertheless. Sacrifices, Ainsley?"
Staren	Staren nods to Ainsley. "Good." Hey, he had to check! People made SUCH a FUSS last time he suggested people leave the homes being destroyed by a corrupted spirit. He looks back to the Quetzal family, smiling again. "Hi! I'm Staren, a... problem researcher for the Union." He steps up and extends a hand to shake. "We're going to get you out of here. Though we might need to take a look around, first." He looks to Ainsley. "Is there anything in particular we're looking for, besides survivors?"
Wuyin Tsai	("I see.") That's troublesome, and a little troubling. Not altogether surprising, though. Wuyin would be surprised if the ghosts had the run of the place. The Filth, after all, leaks between dimensions... ("How will you escape? How do you hobble through this world on three tiny dimensions?") Wuyin says, in an odd absent mutter. He looks to the ghosts again, apparently back to normal. ("Have you been wholly cut off, or only in certain places? Do any of you know where the first places you were blind to are?") He looks to the gathered departed.
Ainsley	"Sacrifices," Ainsley replies, gently, "I'm gathering that the memorials are listing what they left behind. I think they're acting as..." A beat. "A major component for the magic that is supposed to protect the city, if anything. Sacrifices don't have much meaning if they don't lose anything, maybe?" She doesn't really like the idea of people being used as sacrifices, but the more she reads the memorials, the more she realizes that a great deal of care and respect has gone into remembering all of the sacrifices and who they were. Her brow furrows as she turns away from the memorials. Staren receives an answer, "Clues to what caused the blight that forced the Quetzal out of the city. Other than that, I have no idea. This is not something that I know any precedent for, Staren." She smiles at him warily. "Maybe it will be obvious, or maybe we'll have to comb every inch of the city. I just don't know." The Quetzal family eagerly accepts all help given to them, gradually warming up to the party. It should be a trivial matter to get them out of the city, if they do it before sundown. In the REALM OF THE DEAD, the ghosts look among each other, whispering and coming up with an answer for Wuyin. ("We do not work like you do. It's only here that we can manifest. When the... 'Filth' appeared, its presence here alone made it impossible for us to make sense of the living world. Everything is covered in a fine film of madness, and the few of us who have tried to pierce it have been...") The ghost stops. It doesn't need to elaborate, or doesn't want to.
Staren	Staren nods, and thinks. "...I was wondering... what if we tried annihilating the skeletons and filth by day when they're dormant? Also: I saw a corpse outside that /hadn't/ been picked clean to the bones. Isn't that a little odd?"
Inga Freyjasdottir	Inga's expression is completely blank now. She may as well be asleep but for her eyes being open. Mentally however, she is frowning. She speaks though, and it is out loud. "We understand, Guardians," she says. Inga looks to Wuyin. The Filth effects even ghosts!? How can that be? "Do you know what happened here? We search perhaps for a source of the Filth in this world. If we can find it, perhaps we can cut it off," she comments. To those not privy to the other side of the conversation...it must seema bit odd. At least the others can /see/ the ghosts and don't just think she's mad.
Iji	Iji says, "...Filth?" Asks Iji quietly, even as she looks to the Quetzal. "We really should get these guys out of here before too long." Being around a bunch of creepy ghosts can't be good for them."
Kotone Yamakawa	Kotone Yamakawa i:is hanging back at this point and while she doesn't know that much spanich she's able to at least attempt to google translate it unless something cuts her off from the communicaiton network here she eyes the tacos and strts to look hungry, mmm Dante Tacos. It is a small bright spo here she does listen as more o the tale is told and she hummms. She does take note of the ritual scarficing and there's a scowl in her face, she seems to have issues for the pactice, but isn't going to bring it up there's no point here honestly. "We take down flith zombies back in Kingsmouth and they keep coming back. Danny and even a few of the police have noticed that they just keep showing up even when we burn them but it's worth a try." She thinks a bit longer then Inga says the word Flith and there's a look of fear on her face. "...The Flith?! Here?!"
Quentyn Westwind	Quentyn listens, curling a finger and tapping it to his chin. He nods tentatively. "You've mentioned that Kingsmouth place before and um..." He glances towards the others, then back to Kotone. "Are they necromancers..? They keep talking about that 'filth'. Um. But um, anyways I mean... here here. This place." He looks around at the temple and nods. Then Quentyn looks down at his notebook and fishes up the key from earlier. He holds out the 51-44 imprinted on it so Kotone can see. "Like um... any idea what the context of these numbers is..?"
Staren	Staren blinks at Quentyn. "The Filth is a physical corruption and a memetic virus -- that is, a contagious idea. It also is an intelligent being. We still don't know what, exactly, triggers infection, but physical contact is probably a bad idea." He looks around the temple. "If you see any mad scribblings on the walls, don't read them."
Ainsley	("No,") the ghosts say in unison, ("We have only a limited view beyond the veil. We do not know where it came from.") They pretty much just repeat the 'our hands are tied' sentiment like this if asked anything else specific. Ainsley tells Quentyn, "They are chosen by the Bees, and that is why they are so good with these powers," and that is about all she does to help him understand. She smiles at him after that. As there is nothing else to be gained from the temple, Ainsley lets out a sigh. She turns to leave, ready to get back to the camp and think of how they're going to search the underground tunnels without getting horribly murdered by whatever lives down there. THE PARTY RECEIVED 6x Quetzal Survivors 1x Strange Key (51-44)