[PRP - Forge] Shiny!

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Shiny!

While the Forgemaster is all scars and muscles, he still has an appreciation for the finer things in life. Particularly, sparkling jewels. Venture into the caverns to the East and if you’re lucky enough, you may find some shiny gems to trade for gold pieces!
Goal: Collect as many gems as you can find!
Instructions: Roll 1d6 and match your rolls to the outcomes below!

1. There is a rumbling sound and the ground begins to shake. The cavern is caving in! You better leave as quickly as possible! (End exploration!)
   
2. Something glimmers in the distance and you carefully seek it out. It seems to be some sort of crystal but it’s sparkly enough! (+2 gems)
   
3. A bat drops down from the ceiling of the cave, scratching and screeching. In your attempts to escape its claws, you lose some of your gems. (-2 gems)
   
4. You seem to be searching for hours. You’ve not sure if you even remember the way back to the exit. All hope is fading. But then you see it! The biggest gemstone you’ve ever seen. You’re not even certain you’ll be able to carry it out alone! (+5 gems)
   
5. You slip on some loose gravel and slide down a dip in the cave, tumbling as you reach the bottom. Your gems spill out and while you find most, some are still lost. (-1 gem)
   
6. As you enter the cave you notices some crystals forming. They’re not the shiniest of jewels but maybe they’ll polish up nicely. (+1 gem)

Reward: 2 gold pieces for completing.
Bonus: 1 – 3 gems: +1 gold piece
5 – 7 gems: +2 gold pieces
7 – 10 gems: +3 gold pieces
10+ gems: +5 gold pieces
Note: the bonus for RPing with another person does not apply to these bonuses!

Soquili and familiar in question:

 

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Ix'kin was in need of a new blade. He had heard about a master craftsman who was working in the area and decided to take a gander. It was his first foray out into the kawani lands since mating with the Troll matriarch, Malis, to join his small flock of Arakkoa to her larger herd. Strength in numbers had been the goal but the end result was so much more. He actually found he liked the gruff Troll, even if she was a little rough around the edges. She was actually the reason why it had taken him so long to explore further than the Vitterfolk borders; he enjoyed her company. Still, he had a task at hand and wished to not impede upon the Troll crafters. While they were skillful, he needed someone who was a little more delicate with their metalworking.

It wasn't until he had traveled quite a distance he realized he was being followed. With a small frown he looked around carefully behind him, judging the distance and angle that his follower might be located. Ix'kin was about the spin around the confront his would-be attacker except the cate slunk out of the bushes to the side first.

"Hold up, no attacking me now ya hear. Malis sent me... well, not Malis, but I was sent." The bobcat looked up at the large feathered stallion and blinked lazily. "Something about not wanting ya to get lost or anythin'. That kinda stuff."

Ix'kin recognized the bobcat immediately. He wasn't sure who the cat belonged to but Voirya was a common sight in the Vitterfolk realms. "Good thing you came out when you did, I was about to attack." His gruff reply betrayed how on edge he has been for that moment. The flock had been stalked by skin-walker so he had become sensitive to their style of movement. "So you are here in case I forget how to get back?" He wasn't sure that was possible since he had a pretty good memory, especially for landmarks, but also appreciated the company. "Well, if it is needed then a thanks is in offer."

The cat shrugged, "Whichever way ya feel, it is no mind to me. I just need to get you home safely before the sun goes under the horizon." He leaped along side for a few strides before jumping back into the trees. "If ya don't mind me I'll be back around shortly." And with that he vanished.

"Well then, I guess it's just me again for now." Ix'kin turned his sites back to the path, his ear keeping a listen out for Voirya or any other troubles. Thankfully there was no other interruptions and Ix'kin soon made it to where a large crowed was gathered around what looked to be a rather busy forge. Other soquili was bunched around the focal point while others were obviously just milling around waiting for something. Upon arrival he noticed there was a job board of sorts. After reading it over he noticed the smith needed gems and crystals for a few projects. Ix'kin was fond of bargaining and decided this would be the perfect way for him to get a good price for the blade he needed to have made. The arakkoa loved hunting for shinies in the first place so this was the perfect job for him!  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Ix'kin made his way towards the caverns that had been pointed out on the map. He could sense he was still being followed by Voirya and slowed down a little to make sure she could get there also. After turning a sharp corner he found himself at the entrance of the cave. Already the place seemed to sparkle but nothing caught his eye until he glanced over to the side where he suddenly noticed the bobcat was already sitting. "How did you...?" He shook his head before changing the subject. "Mind if you move aside? I need that spot you are sitting."

With a small huff, the bobcat slinked off to the side and looked reproachful. "Just be glad I was told to be nice." She lay back down and washed a paw, "I was told to make sure I got you home in one piece, they didn't say you had to look pretty." She smirked and stretched out to her fullest.

"Good to know..." The stallion mumbled to himself as he dug at the spot with a sharp claw. Nimbly he pried out a decent sized crystal. It wasn't the best but it had clarity and the gem that could be cut from it would prism rather nicely. He was about to turn to duck into the cavern when he noticed the crystal had uncovered something. He continued to dig, unearthing the gravel and debris until quite a large hole had been made. An hour passed and he hadn't even passed through the entrance! The arakkoa continued to dig until he finally loosened up the biggest gem he had seen! Forgetting the first one he uncovered, Ix'kin carefully examined the almost flawless crystal. With that he could almost pay for a full custom sword, he was sure of it! Nodding to himself he placed the crystal carefully in his bag before looking around again. "Ready to head further in?" he asked the thin air, not seeing where Voirya must have gotten to in the meantime.

(+5 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Making his way deeper into the cavern structure he found Voirya underfoot all of a sudden. "Shards!" He stumbled, trying to catch a grip on the loose silt that had piled upon the floor. "Voirya!" The arakkoa stumbled and slipped down a ravine, catching himself at the end with a heavy thump! The bobcat was right in that she didn't expect him to be pretty when he returned, already his feathers were turning a light shade of grey from the dust. "What did you go and do that for?!" Ix'kin yelled up at the top of the ledge he had just fallen from. "I thought they told you to be nice?!"

"I was being nice..." The bobcat gestured slyly, nodding towards something that was behind him. "Who needs paltry crystals when you can have proper gems?" Voirya hopped carefully down the loose gravel and dirt before looking smug. "Tit for tat yes?"

Ix'kin glared at the cat scathingly "Not quite, you almost made me lose what I've gathered so far!" Shaking his head to loosen the dust collecting in his feathered mane, the arakkoa looked around at where he landed. There before him stretched a few offshoots, one that seemed to call to him. He took a few steps forward, looking carefully at the details of the passageway before focusing on a new glint embedded deep within the wall. He used a wing claw to scratch around the glint gently, carefully working lose a gem that almost matched the one he found at the entrance. Already he had paid for his trip out here and then some! Ix'kin wrapped up the second gem and then placed it beside the other securely in the satchel.

(+5 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

The passageway got tight and Ix'kin spotted Voiyra a few paces ahead. The cat managed to pick the hardest spots to get through, either the walls were super tight and difficult to squeeze through, or his footing was treacherous with loose gravel or silt under his claws. Ix'kin usually had an advantage on rocks and such with his bird-like feet, but they were useless in this broken terrain. He was about ready to call out to the bobcat about picking a better pathway, especially as he got the nagging feeling the cat was making it difficult on purpose. Opening his mouth, it was at that point that Ix'kin suddenly spotted what Voirya had been talking about. He moved forward, away from the pile of shale and dug up a few small crystals. There had to be something better in here... he had a feeling and a glint of the low light caught his eye. He dug around the area of note, managing to uncover two rather nice gems. They had a very pretty shade of blue and seemed rather opaline in color. He knew that they would cut into very nice baubles indeed. Maybe Voirya wasn't quite so bad after all. not that he was going to let on his change of heart to the bobcat.

This made him realize the cat had completely vanished. One moment the pale blue coat had been close by, minding her own buisiness, the next she had vanished into the shadows and was no where to be seen.Ix'kin knew he couldn't just up and leave her int he caverns so he decided to take a quick look around for the furred familiar. He kept an eye out for other gems while he did so, hoping to find more of the pretty blue ones.

(+1 gem)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

He still couldn't find the cat when he stumbled upon another passageway. Torn between two directions, Ix'kin mulled over the options, searching for clues to where Voirya could have gotten to. He stood there, ears pricked, and listened, standing still for quite a long time. Only the sounds of the incessant dripping of water in the background came to him and the arakkoa frowned. Voirya was there to make sure he found his way home, it wouldn't be fair if he left her out in the wilderness, even if she had tried to bury him at the beginning of the cave structure.

Looking for more clues, or any other kind of sign, Ix'kin spotted a single gem glinting like a marker on one of the two passageways. He carefully picked it up between his claws and studied it. It seemed to be of the same type as the other small blue stones he had found earlier and he pocked it into the satchel with the other gems. Deciding that is might as well have been a clue, Ix'kin picked that passage to travel down in his hunt to find Voirya.

(+2 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

He had only gotten through half of the visible tunnel when suddenly there was another rock-slide and a pile of shale ended up surrounding him almost up to his knees. Picking up his feet quickly and using his wing-claws to steady himself, Ix'kin quickly navigated out of the mess and found himself face-to-face with Voirya who was again, nonchalantly licking her paws.

"You are horribly loud." She stated matter-of-factually giving him a rather long look, nothing betraying the potential cause of the small rock-slide. "If you are not careful you are going to wake something up." The bobcat hopped down from the high passage she had emerged from and then nudged the side of the passage that had been uncovered during the rock-slide. "Also, need more of these?"

Ix'kin looked over towards the spot the bobcat had indicated and was pleased to discover more of those smaller blue crystals. They still wern't as clear as the larger gems he had found but when polished up he got the feeling they would be perfect as a set. "Thanks," he uttered after carefully adding them to the small growing pile in his satchel. He was quite pleased with his haul and was ready to head on back out.

(+2 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Ix'kin turned slightly only to find he had no space to make a full turn so would have to just press on forward. He wasn't too happy about this but was sure he would find a more open area shortly so planned on turning there. The wind had picked up a little, giving him reason to believe that an open cavern was just after the last bend of this passage. After a few more steps and a bit more squeezing through tight spots, Ix'kin was pleased to find out he was correct in his guess. That was until the soft squeaking he hand been hearing got louder and more incessant.

Bats!!

The arakkoa saw the ceiling suddenly fall down, soft wings heading streight for him in quick dive-bombs. He turned on instinct, diving back into the passage way he had just come from and not a moment too soon! He could see Voirya had done the same and squeezed his way back through the passage, looking for the markings he had identified to make sure he was going the correct way back. A few minutes passed and he realized he had lost site of Voirya again and hoped she was following him or something. It wasn't until he had finally got to a safe-ish place that he realized not only had he lost two of the smaller gems in the flight, but he also had lost the bobcat! For the second time this trip, he turned around and looked for a separate passage way in case she found a different way to escape the bats. He was also hoping to find the cavern she had mentioned before that was covered in gems from floor to ceiling.

(-2 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Ix'kin pushed forward, glancing around for any movement or glint of something that would indicate the passage of a cat. While he did so, Ix'kin kept an eye out for more gems. At one point he found some rather nice polished rocks but they weren't the crystals he was hoping for so he left them for another adventurer to find. He was getting a tugging feeling towards the right, there had to be a seam or something nearby. The Arakkoa squeezed through a few tight spots to find a large open spot that sparkled brighter than any star in the heavens. He had found it! The seam glinted with dark light as the crystals gleamed in the shadows. Here he could easily fill the Smith's request and more!

It was then he saw where Voirya had gotten to. The bobcat had probably gone on ahead and was now slinking around on a ledge with no way down. "What happened?" His voice echoed through the large glimmering cavern.

"Another avalanche that is what happened! Or a rockfall... whatever ya call it! And there are still bats around from the last cavern headed this way!" It was obvious Voirya was not secure on her ledge. "Look, this place is unstable and I'm going to get in trouble unless we get out of here and fast!"

Ix'kin figured Voirya was probably exaggerating the rockfalls but he also didn't want to get caught under ground with no way out. As much as he didn't mind traveling through caves he did prefer having plenty of wing space. He looks at the cavern with all the crystals and then back at the bobcat. It was a little shaky under foot he might have a point. The shale started shifting again and Ix'kin realize that if he was going to grab any more gems he had to think fast. He followed a tight pathway towards Voirya and the glittering dark gems. As long as he was slow and careful he knew he would be able to grab a couple on their way out.

"Bugger it!" Voirya lost her footing as she was trying to make her way towards the arakkoa. She found herself slipping on the shale and was about to fall down even deeper into the depths of the cavern. "I need some help!" She admitted hurriedly.

He didn't even give it a second thought. Ix'kin immediately dashed over there scrambling over the loose gravel with harried claws. His wing-claws reached out to grab at the slipping Voirya, the satchel long forgotten at his side. With a second lunge he flapped his wings once and launched the both of them to a higher shelf where the rock face was much sturdier. "Looks like no midnight gems for me." He looked towards the bobcat. "At least I have the large pair though... and I think some small blue ones left." He added, not releasing he had lost another one in the scramble.

"Hey, thanks..."

"Anytime..." The arakkoa looked around at this new, higher, pathway. "Where to next?"

(-1 gem)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

"Well, you said there were bats right? Which way were they going? I'd prefer not to run into them again." The Arakkoa didn't mind the small furred winged creatures in the open air, but such a large mass in a cramped area like the caverns unnerved him. "We need to try and find a new way out," He added as he looked back at the resulting rock-fall. Not only had the midnight gem cavern been closed off to them, but so had the entrance they came in.

The bobcat looked around, shaken up with the current events enough that she completely forgot she was trying to hinder his process. "Best way out is up right?" She glanced toward the new passageway that was slowly ascending. "Seems like this is a better way as any other." Turning towards the exit she sauntered off without waiting for an answer from the Arakkoa.

Ix'kin examined the passageway before starting his walk, its not like they had much of a choice, the other way was blocked. They continued in silence until they reached a junction. A choice of three archways stood before them. "Hmmm... I don't recognize this area, got any... wait do you hear that?" He was about to turn to the cat to see if she had an inkling of which way to go when the right passage suddenly exploded with more bats. "RUN!!" The arakkoa raced down the middle passageway hoping it was correct. His satchel bounced across his back as he ran jostling the found gems until another pair was left in the dust behind them. Ix'kin still hadn't noticed.

Bats! (-2 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

Ix'kin was beginning to feel winded after scrambling across rocky terrain, through tight openings, and difficult corners. They turned through a few more passageways to try and escape the flock of bats... or colony of bats... whichever it was... After a few more twists and turns the arakkoa wasn't sure where they were and he had a sinking feeling they may have backtracked a little. Suddenly he stumbled into another open area and realized his musings had been correct. There before him lay the dark crystal cavern they had been blacked from before. "Ooooh would you look at this!" He exclaimed with wonder. Here was his chance to snag one of those dark diamonds he had been looking for previously. Gingerly he traversed his way across to where the dark gems glittered in the low light and picked the best looking one. "Beautiful..." he hissed under his breath, for a moment forgetting the danger of the passageways and bats behind him.

(+5 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

He might have forgotten the bats but they hadn't forgotten him. While the arakkoa was harvesting the black diamonds they rushed into the large cavern and started swarming around, milling in the air, squeaking ferociously. Ix'kin tossed what gems he could into his satchel and then booked it out of there. Yelling at Voirya and hoping she was close to his heels, the Arakkoa dashed forward, jumping into the first passageway he could find and headed through, grazing his shoulder on the rocky outcropping.

As he ran, Ix'kin felt claws upon his back and was just about to bash them off when he heard Voirya's yowl. Letting her stay on his back to guard their hindquarters he pushed on forward some more, navigating through the tight tunnels. When the squeaking had finally gone down to nothing again and they were surrounded by shadows, he took a moment to slow down and catch his breath. After taking stock he realized he had lost a few of the new gems, but managed to keep with a nice stash so far. "We need to get out of here I think..." He muttered, half to the cat and half to himself.

Bats! (-2 gems)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

After a few more false starts, Ix'kin and Voirya found themselves at the entrance of another set of caverns. "To dive in or find a new way up?" He got the feeling that if they set off down another set of passageways they might get waylaid and not be able to find the exit.

"At this point I'd be happy to take anything away from those bats." The cat grumped from his back. She was done trying to distract the arakkoa and was more interested in getting them out of here. "How many more gems do you need to make the blacksmith happy?" Hopefully Ix'kin was done and would be happy to find the way out instead of traveling further into the cavernous structure. "Here, there are some more glinting over there. Maybe that would be enough? Make up for the ones you lost maybe?" She persuaded in a purring voice, hoping he would listen to reason.

Ix'kin looked over to the spot the cat indicated and uncovered a few smaller gems that were nondescript but found another that shone like the stars when he picked it up. "Yes, I believe you might be right. Maybe it is time to get home..." He wasn't sure what time it was at this point but he could feel the weight of the day falling on his shoulders... or maybe it was the bobcat... still, he would be much happier to be free to stretch his wings again.

(+1 gem)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

As they turned their way up towards the higher reaches of the cavern passageways, Ix'kin slowly started to have issues with his footing. The higher they got, the more difficult it was to keep his footing on the loose shale. This is what caused that first rock-fall. he was sure of it. He attempted to continue upwards but the ground was getting horribly unstable. A few cursewords later and he managed to find a stable ledge. There were two options at this point. A steeper, higher passageway was towards the right while a winding, lower grade, passageway beckoned from the left. He groaned for a moment, muscles starting to protest. He had the feeling it was just about to get more difficult.

Choosing the steeper path so that he could get them out faster he started on the trek and then immediately regretted his decision. Ix'kin felt the claws tighten on his shoulder as he lurched to the side, Voirya trying to keep her balance on his back. They started to slither down instead of going up. He scrabbled at the shale, trying to keep his footing and the perilous ascent. He was more focused on getting up to the next ledge where it looked sturdier. Two more gems bounced out of the satchel as he lurched upwards and the Arakkoa made one last leap to grab is claws upon the ledge as the shale fell away from under his feet. Pulling himself up with both front and wing claws, Ix'kin looked behind him just in time to see the whole rock-face slip down into the depths. "Whew! That was close..."

Rockfall (-1 gem)  

[Malis Vitterfolk]

And then the roof fell on them...

"Shards!" Ix'kin scrambled backwards as sunlight shot through the cavern like bright spears. He narrowly avoided being buried by the loose rocks and looked back to see the rumbling in the ground had been getting worse. Everything was closing up fast. If he was to get out to explore another day it was now or face being entombed into the caverns forever. "Hang on!" With a leap he used his wing claws to help him push his way out, hoping Voirya was able to keep latched on tight. The daylight grew brighter as they neared the surface and when Ix'kin finally burst through the dirt he looked back at the freshly made hole and gave a small shudder. While he wasn't afraid of underground, that was a little too close for comfort.

He was reminded of that shudder when the Smith handed him thirteen coins in exchange for his small pile of gems. What an adventure he had! The Arakkoa was happy to get out of there in one piece but was also please he had accomplished so much. Ix'kin hoped that he would have enough to buy the blade he wanted...

(= 15 coins)