Weekend Treasure Hunt 6: Starweirds and Ladders at the Spires of Hell

[Ashin Varanin]

The Spires of Hell - a Strigari nomad, added upon by Celestials, studded with spikes longer than worlds. Somehow there are normal gravity and air, even when standing on the many balconies or climbing the jagged walls.

The broken tip forms a colossal amphitheatre, stained with the blood of the skyscraper-sized Lotek'k, Terror From Beyond. But Lotek'k was not the only creature summoned here. Writhing horrors, starweirds, and withered smoke stalk the empty galleries. [SIZE=14.4444446563721px]The interior of this spire is difficult, maybe impassable. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.4444446563721px]To survive, you must climb, but climbing is not always an option. Sometimes you must run, even descend, in order to lose what hunts you.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.4444446563721px]The only safe landing sites are several kilometres below the amphitheatre, on massive balconies without railings, platforms that project off the sides of the spire. Jump off the edge, exit the mysterious atmosphere envelope, and you will fall ten thousand kilometres -- unless you run into something.[/SIZE]

In the amphitheatre, the broken tip of the spire, is the treasure of ten thousand worlds. The Fringe Confederation's military will destroy any ship that approaches the amphitheatre directly. The only way in is on foot -- or by hand. The only way to the treasure is the climb.

Treasure details to be revealed later, after you've gotten closer to the top.

These enemies are lethal no matter what your character can throw. Play uber and expect to get swarmed hard enough to disqualify you.

 

[Basaba Willamina]

The Yaim'la approached, with the dangers of the One Sith and Ordo turning the field marshal was searching for something to fight as she looked at it. Then she was wondering what could come from it while checking her gunbelt and knives with pistols and a rifle. She was ready for something but "We can't get closer, we're touching down." Basaba looked at Sayuri and patted her shoulder while nodding. "Alright, stay with the ship if I need you I'll call for back up. Make sure we don't get swarmed." Basaba moved when the ship touched down and secured her helmet as the airlock doors opened. her hands clenching and she set off at a pace for the large towers.

 

[Lucien Cordel]

Lucien's informants passed the information up to Lucien. Lucien liked treasure, it was just a shame he didn't like getting beaten up by monsters "I will buy the aforementioned treasure from anyone stupid enough to claim it" he declared before returning to work , important work ... Namely tea.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

Why do I get myself in these types of situations?...

The thought would plague the Icarii's mind as one gloved hand would reach up to test grip a rock above her. Fingers would curl around it and then her foot would start to find purchase on a crevice etched within the wall of rock. Another grunt then the strain of muscle would start. Slowly she would climb up, bit by bit.

I really should consider a pay raise.

A bead of sweat would saturate into the bi-colored strands of umber and gold, the pony tail the only thing that kept her hair at bay. Pale eyes would stare up at the heavens --- and the long... long.... LONG. way she had to go to get to the top.

Feth.

Aeron managed to get a small transport to land several kilometers back, and let me tell you, she was feeling the hump of a walk. Muscles were clearly protesting, but hey, a job is a job that's a job. Grappling hooks would get driven into the rock, attaching herself to the wall as she began her slow ascension.

This was her only safety line.

 

[Basaba Willamina]

THE ASCENT

Basaba had made it, getting to the spire and she looked up taking it all in. Hoofing it had only given her an idea seeing parts of it but she could never had imagined as she was moving towards it and lept up activating the jump jets in her boots and launching up a couple of meters so she could have a start. Then crushgaunts were getting the best grips of handholds while she started her ascension. The hud of her armor showing her there were things but she was going to take it slow and steady towards the top.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

Climbing THE ROCK

There was a sense of calm when it is just one with the elements. Especially with something as physically taxing as mountain climbing. But there was a rhythm to it. As much as it was with breathing. Look up. Scan your surroundings. Insert grapple hook. Test weight. Grab a small handhold. Get a new foothold. Lift. Repeat.

You couldn't rush these things. It took time. Had to make sure you had plenty of energy to last you the long while. Granted, the higher she went the less air she had and the more wilder the elements were.

But there is a time and place. And in this, she at least had the ability to have some time to herself. To think.

There was something refreshing about that.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

Location; Balcony several kilometers below the Amphitheater

​

...a small Tachyon Class Light Freighter had landed on one of the massive stalactite balconies several kilometers below the amphitheater. After it set down the engines would slowly power themselves down and the starship would remain lifeless on the massive balcony without railings. Eventually a ramp would be heard descending, it would hit the rocky surface of the balcony causing a small waft of dust to rise on impact, and following that several footfalls would come from the confines of the light freighter as its lone occupant, unless you wanted to count an astrometric droid, would begin to descend...

...Aethan done his research on the Spires of Hell, he knew a degree of the history surrounding this place, but there was so much that still escaped him. Yet with everything that he didn't know, couldn't know, he was drawn to this place and he knew he had to make the climb, make the attempt, to see what was at the top. Did anyone really know? Could anyone know? He had rumors but there was also conjecture. He had come to lay those rumors to rest and stake his claim...

...as his feet came to rest on the platform that served as a balcony off the spire Aethan would check his equipment. He wore Armorweave granting himself minimal protection while allowing him to retain the high level of agility he possessed. A lightsaber was clipped to his belt. He would shift his right arm, roll his shoulder, and check the fibrocord rope he had brought with him to make his ascent easier. Aethan also had climbing claws, pins and clips, durasteel stakes and other items one might expect to find on a mountaineer with him...

...he didn't have near enough to maintain a bond all the way to the amphitheater but he'd protect himself from falling as long as he could throughout the climb...

...this platform was massive though, first thing is first, and he started off on a brisk jog towards the side of the spire which loomed a short distance away where he would begin his climb towards the top and whatever awaited him there. Destiny. Death. Something in between. Only reaching the summit would reveal any of this to him...​

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

Talon's fighter landed and he quickly climbed out and looked up.

"Kark." he said to himself glad he wasn't around a Jedi to hear him curse and grabbed a small survival kit from his ship. He didn't take long to pick a rough but steep area and begin his climb. He could use the force for aid, but generally speaking he knew that tended to attract attention and attention he didn't much need at the moment. He started bare feet finding small foot holds quickly as he began pulling himself up the rock face. Emerald eyes focused on the top as he made his way, five meters, ten meters. If he was lucky, which he seldom was, he may reach the top.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

Location: Beginning his Ascent

​

...he'd jogged a way, loaded down by the equipment he'd brought with himself, and as Aethan neared the side of the spire he would have felt slightly winded as a slow burn entered his lungs. It was only a natural sensation. Aethan could have kept it up for awhile longer without needing a rest but there was no need to push himself. He'd be exerting enough of his own strength and will during the climb. Tilting his head backwards he ventured a look up towards the top of the spire which loomed kilometers above him and raising his hands he'd have slid them back across his brow. No wonder not many people come here, his thoughts almost audible, it looks as though a person would touch the face of the heavens themselves by making this climb but undaunted he would begin...

...affixing the fibrocord rope he'd brought with him to his belt, safety first, he'd then ensuring that his climbing claws were tight on his hands and feet. The equipment he'd brought would only serve to aid him during the climb and help him to conserve as much energy as possible. No use reaching the top and not being able to do anything. He moved closer to the side of the spire, the wall, and began searching for his first hand hold knowing that there would be countless more to come afterwards...

...he found one and then it began. Test the hand hold. Look up and scan his surroundings. Pull himself up. It had begun. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat....

...Aethan started the climb and was well on his way before he looked down to see how far he was from the ground. It was already a long drop and he hadn't been at this for very long. Taking one of the durasteel stakes he'd brought with him, carefully, he'd have hammered it into the side of the spire before clipping the fibrowire cord attached to his belt it. This first stake would be his anchor from this point on. If he fell he had to hope that it would, likewise, hold or else he might just drop all the way back to the platform. An awful ending to be sure...

...the climb was going to be hard and it would go on for so much longer. Reaching up Aethan found his next hand hold, tested its durability to ensure it wouldn't come loose and then pulled himself higher while using the footholds beneath himself. Once again he'd repeat. There would be a whole lot of repeating to come as well. Taking a breath he held himself close to the spire, felt it against his chest and looked up again before beginning once more. This had only just begun...​

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

Climbing the ROCK!


Breathe in. Breathe out.

Sweat was now trickling in rivulets that saturated the two-toned hair at her temples, causing the tiny hairs at her nape to stick to the skin. She could feel the grime of dust and sand stick to her flushing skin, the exertion of such a difficult climb starting to show. Every once in a while she'd have to hang on for a bit to rest, securing her safety line while she would rub her fingers.

A glance up beyond to the top of the Spire told a tale that she still had quite a ways to go.

Feth.

Why do I get myself into these situations? came the question anew. A wince and then a deep breath would cause her to square her shoulders.


Time to move again.

 

[Basaba Willamina]

Climbing

Basaba let out a breath, even without her shoulder pack, and major equipment she was still carrying heavy armor. The jump jets were great for measured jumped but she wasn't going to be able to use them without a surface to fire them against and this spire wasn't giving her that. She could pick up small blips of other people while she climbed and stopped gripping the spire long enough to swing and grab from her belt a bottle of water. The filtration straw there so she could drink without having to remove her helmet and she secured it back. Then continued to ascent while her crushgaunts clenched on hand holds of punched in new ones.

 

[Bass]

Awareness came slowly. First it was snatches of vision, fleeting glimpses of stars and darkness and massive crystalline spires. Feeling came next. Cold, bitter cold, creeping from his extremities. Threatening to consume his entire body. Thought was last, and with a convulsive shake Bass jumped to his feet and gazed out into the black. He was standing on a ledge which jutted several meters out from a spire that appeared to made of the same material as those he could see in the distance. Off in the distance, the edge of a planetoid ringed the horizon. Above that, there was nothing but the void itself. He crept forward to the edge of the balcony. The world fell out beneath him.

He was on a spire as well, force only knew how far it extended from the base of the planet. Bass wasn't about to try and find out.

He eased his grip on his lightsaber, and gingerly reattached it to his belt. A quick check showed that all his equipment was intact. That was promising, at least. It didn't explain how in the hells he'd gotten here, though. He sat, exhaled slowly. A Jedi meditative technique, one of the few he'd bothered to maintain since leaving the order. The Fortress of Memory. Involuntary thoughts surged forward as he drifted into a trance. Horrors beyond imagining, tearing his mind to pieces. Spams wracked his body. He saw his mind decay, and writhing in chaos. The horror faded, replaced with a numbing pain. From the pain he gained a purpose, an identity. Piece by piece, brick by brick, he rebuilt his mind, rebuilt the fortress. Strengthened its gates against the torment. The pain became normal. The torment, bearable. He exhaled again, he was whole. He drifted back through his memory, to recall how he came to be on a ledge on a crystalline spire thousands of miles above anything.

Nothing.

Bass burst out his trance weapons in hand, sweat pouring down what parts of his body were still flesh. Something had taken his memories. Forced its way inside his mind and stripped them out. AGAIN. How could it happen again? Something that existed beyond space and time itself, something...

Something was here.

He turned in a slow circle, the moved to put his back against the spire wall. He saw nothing, heard nothing, only felt a presence. One of malice and anger and hatred. A kindred spirit, perhaps? Whatever it was, it wasn't that, but he didn't want to stick around for it to arrive anyway.

The only way was up, so he began to climb.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

Ascending the Spire

​

...pulling himself up by another hand hold Aethan had to rest momentarily afterwards. He'd been climbing for awhile now at a calculated and steady pace. Inhaling a breath he'd bring one hand back off the spire after ensuring his other had a firm grip and that his feet were similarly set beneath him. Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand he'd fling a few droplets of sweat down below while continuing to look up towards the summit which still seemed impossibly far away. Now he started to learn why so few ever ventured to the spires of hell; it wasn't only the danger it was also the climb long and exhausting...

...by now beads of sweat lined his temples,he could feel the dampness of his two toned hair, but with teeth gritting Aethan would need to press on. Not before he did something first though. He'd decided that this would be one of his pinch points on the climb. Instead of the usual solitary durasteel stake he hammered into the wall of the spire he'd hammer two before clipping his fibrocord rope through the both of them for extra support. It was a long fall and Aethan hoped that by periodically hammer two stakes into the spire instead of the usual one if he did fall with any momentum it would have been able to support him beyond what a single stake may have been able to do...

...reaching up after he'd secured the rope attached to his belt to the clips on the stakes he'd seek out another hand hold while muttering to himself..."It's worth it."...he'd have said this over and over, a hundred times if it mattered, to inspire himself to keep on climbing up towards the summit. It helped. No one with half a mind wouldn't have considered turning back from this...

...up above Aethan saw something as he continued to climb. It looked like a narrow ledge. Maybe a path he could follow a ways that would make the climb easier for a time. Regardless he hadn't reached it yet. Outstretching his hand he'd have reached for another hand hold, gripped it and tested that it could support weight and then pulled himself up again. Breathing, always breathing, he climbed towards the ledge that he saw now. The Amphitheater might have been his ultimate goal but for now this was his short term and reaching it would be a victory for him. His arm was tense after the exertion it had felt from continuously pulling Aethan higher as he climbed, he could rest it as well as himself by sucking close to the wall of the spire but it wasn't the same, the pain would subside though...

...just a little further and then he would be able to take a rest...​

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Ashin Varanin"] [member="Basaba Willamina"] [member="Aeron Kreelan"] [member="Aethan Tannan"] [member="Bass Terrik"]

The grinding of stobe on stone met the Zelosian as he climbed. The sound, a prelude of near death as a chunk of stone the size of a human head fell away and left him to hang by one bare hand as he made his way along. Green eyes watched as the chunk clattered away and disappeared below, before turning back to the rock face of the spire as he found another hand hold and continued.

How far he had gone exceeded how far he had left before what seemed an edge and with vigor he brought his feet up near his hands to prepare for a leap of faith. Bare toes dug in as he slowly rocked his body and finally pushed off on a forward motion and propelled himself up to a smaller ledge nearing the top. Dusty hands caught ancient stone as they found purchase and he slowly pulled himself up on tired arms. He rolled onto what appeared to be the remains of jagged steps or perhaps a one time bridge connecting to a lost twin. He rolled onto his back and breathed for a moment as he let his tired arms and legs rest. His strong core muscles also burned with mild fatigue and thanked him for the moment's reprieve.

Soon he looked and was met with darkness as he found a space leading into the spire not more than a pace away. The dense nearly other worldly darkness stared back as hegained his feet. A slight sigh of regained breath escaped him and as he looked twin orbs of glowing pale light sprung to life to meet his gaze. Knees bent and muscles coiled as a piercing shriek split his mind. The terrible shriek much like the sonic emitter that once made him crumble sent vibrations through his fibrous body as ghostly teeth and claws lunged for him.

He leapt with the force as a reflex as the thing sought to rip life from his body and caught the edge of the rock face as it passed beneath. Never before had such a creature been seen by the Zelosian Jedi but one didn't need experience to know when one stared death in the face. He tried to climb as the creature turned in the air and shot for h8m as he clung for his life. Vicious claws dug into pale flesh as rivulets of green blood came from beneath them and he let out an unrestrained cry of pain that echoed in the air. In moments he was pulled from the wall and lifted along the rocks before being tossed into another larger black opening.

Zelosian eyes failed him in the perpetual gloom and he reached behind himself and pulled out a strip of cloth to tie around his eyes. His ears twitched at the sound of stirring air and he let out a mighty telekinetic push and heard another shriek that died out abruptly. Moments passed as he stood waiting for death to finally claim him. The sound of dripping reached his ears and he realized it was the sound of his life blood slowly dripping away as he stood in what must be near the top of the spire. Howfar he had been carried and how much farther he had was lost to him but the knowledge that he may not even find a chance of a hope to cure his dark plague was in the forefront of his mind. This trip may yeild nothing at all but he would do anything, anything but turn to the darkness to reach his goal and then find his lost friend.

Force sight becane his eyes as the large chamber appeared before him and he silently stepped in. A shadow among shadows with not a friend in the galaxy besides his wits and hope.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

"Feth!"

The curse would rip through Aeron's lips as pebbles and black rock would go flying from under her feet. A white knuckle grip was all that held to her stone along with her safety line, as a foothold thought to be secure went crumbling under her.

Sinew and muscle would strain as a grimace would rip across the Icarii's face, every manner of curse shooting through her mind as adrenaline went racing through her veins.

Nostrils would flare, and she'd take a deep breath. "Nek take it." that grimace would tighten, as biceps and triceps would strain as she used her strength to pull herself up into position again.

She was almost to the top. Likely will require a few more meters. Either way.

That was a close one.

 

[Basaba Willamina]

[member="Aeron Kreelan"]

Basaba moved as she looked up and rocks were coming at her. The mandalorian moved to the side and jumped grabbing another holdwhile she kicked a boot into the rocks. Feeling the pain in her should as a chuck struck her and the impact of it going through her body. She looked up and let the rangefinder track the woman moving as she started climbing up feeling it in her muscles as they strained. She could see Aeron and climbed more grabbing the knife from her boot while she came to a section of spire and couldn't keep going. The blade made for punching and she usually carried to while she stabbed with a pound to get the blade dug into the rock. A second punch of the other knife and she started climbing using the blades to hold her in place while she scaled towards another crag to give her a grip. She was looking for the top and reaching it.

 

[Aethan Tannan]

Ascending the Spire; resting on a ledge

​

...the ledge that Aethan had seen was right above him, just out of reach, but try as he might he couldn't find any other hand holds that he could take to bring himself closer to it. Outstretching his arm he reached for it but it was just so far and he had to draw back when he started to feel then tension in his body again. This wasn't how his climb could end. Trapped on the spire with his next hold just out of reach. Aethan's mind raced and he started to focus until he heard it in the distance...

...it was a woman's voice, screaming, that carried across the spire as though it were echoing in a narrow hall but Aethan couldn't tell if it was above him, below him or somewhere off to the side. Kilometers of distance stretched in all directions making it impossible to tell. One thing Aethan did know is that he wasn't alone climbing the spire though. There was at least one other person here with. Someone who had done their homework, researched the spires, heard the rumors and had come looking for whatever was at the top just like him...

...prompted by this new revelation Aethan began to focus again, channeling the force through himself and enhancing his body with it before his legs uncoiled like a tightly wound spring and he leapt upwards towards the ledge he was seeking to take hold of. He made an impossible jump, a jump that someone without the aid of the force couldn't have made but even so one miscalculation could send him sprawling backwards with only his security harness able to save his life if he fell back off the spire. As he rose through the air Aethan would outstretch his arms intent on making this count...

...he made it too, his arms hooked the ledge allowing him to lean forward and press his chest across it but he still had to pull himself up. Tense, his muscles weary from exertion, he struggled to do exactly that. Gritting his teeth Aethan would have sucked in a a breath while the strain showed on his features until he threw a leg up and managed to pull himself onto the ledge where he'd begin breathing deeply. On hands and knees he'd rest while he could unable to help but look down at the same time. He'd climbed an enormous amount already, he couldn't even see his ship anymore but above him the destination he sought continued to loom...

...a few more moments of rest was all he needed. Wiping his brow he shuffled around until he could sit on the ledge with his back to the spire. There was so much more he needed to climb...​

 

[Bass]

Years of mercenary work was a great way to give you experience in a lot of things. Unfortunately climbing crystalline spires was not one of those. The very thought of slipping and falling almost paralyzed him with fear every time he stopped. But it wasn't quite as terrifying as whatever lurked out around the spire, and with that in mind he kept moving. Foot by painful foot. Cybernetic arms helped, and he was forced to crush handholds into the spire more than once. But every time he pulled himself up he felt his skin stretch, felt the precarious meld between man and machine fray just a little bit more.

He pulled himself on to a ledge and collapsed into a heap, sweat pouring off every part of his body that could still produce it. Blood trickled down his arms from reopened sores. At least his fingers couldn't blister, he thought with a bitter laugh.

A feeling of foreboding hit him like a wave, and he sprung up. Whatever had been out there was close now.

There wasn't time to climb, but the ledge was next to a crevice that appeared to cut into the spire and then out again after a short distance. Bass stepped inside, using his arms to shield his body from the sharp crystal edges. Tiny spear-like formations broke off or cut into him as he passed, and soon enough he had a hundred tiny cuts and scratches. Still the feeling that he was being followed grew. He began to move faster, using his arms to pull himself through without care for any of the sharp edges. He dragged his leg over a protruding knife edge, winced as it sliced deep, then pushed on.

Could they see him because he was marked? Pain was a minor concern right now.

Finally he was through, on to another ledge. This one was larger, room enough he could sit down and bandage his leg. He leaned down, ripped off a chunk of his pants and tied it around his leg to put some pressure on the wound. He looked up, and saw it.

It was like a floating corpse, skeletal, with white hair. Its face was... his?

Before he could act the thing threw its head back and shrieked. The sound hit Bass like a hammer blow, knocking him to the ground. Even with the sound dampeners built into his skull it seemed to penetrate into his mind, stunning and crippling even his ability to move. Fear overtook him. He clapped his hands to the side of his head, where no ears were, and cried out in response. This was it, this was what had been hunting him. This was how it would end. Now, like a wounded beast, devoured by hatred and dying alone and afraid.

Afraid.

Fear.

Terror.

Anger.

Fury.

Rage consumed him, and Bass leapt to his feet and shouted, a cry of force energy, pure anger and rage in a physical wave. It pulsed out, struck the creature, and Bass followed with a charge. He hit the wall of the spire with his fist. The creature had vanished. Furious, he pounded on the crystal for a while. Slowly, the rage subsided and reason returned.

Whatever it was, it was still out there. The feeling from before had returned. He began to climb again.

 

[Talon Vosra]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

Slowly he walked through the darkness. His mind cycled through what he was dealing with as he felt air move. He removed his blindfold and looked up a small staircase to see light. He walked up the steps and found himself in an open air amphitheater. The sounds of howling and shrieks as he walked out and skittering feet could be heard all around the area. It was evident he was in trouble.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Those who made it to the amphitheatre would discover two things: A massive safe, and a small army of Withered Smoke. The safe had no visible dials, though careful examination would reveal two small buttons, one at each of the bottom front corners; they needed to be pressed within two seconds of each other. If that worked, the face of the safe would open, revealing a disc tumbler lock and six combination dials. The safe and locks were not electronic.