Scene #4543: Sanctum Harbor

Owner	Pose
Khusso	Khusso's request for help was fairly simple. People had been debating about whether or not Scarlet had been killed, and Khusso was pretty adamant on the matter. To put it to rest, she'd proposed just bringing a few people out to find the body... or where the body should be. Arriving at Lion's Arch is simple. As the major transport hub of Tyria, they've already got an artificial Warpgate up and running, and it opens up into Coriolis Plaza. Swirling purple asura gates are in a circle around the plaza, each with guards to check for contraband from travellers. Looks like fast transit is not unknown to these people. Lion's Arch is done up in a very aquatic theme. Many of the buildings are in the shape of sea creatures, and almost all of them look... new. Including the giant glass plate over the Grand Piazza. But that's just 'on the way' to where the whole situation is, that being the docks. It's here that Khusso is going to lead everyone. Dressed in lighter(yet still metal) mail than usual, she's grabbed a boat for use for the day, waiting for others to arrive. A few boxes are nearby, too. She's traded her sword and axe for a spear now, though one with a gleaming goldish tip. Orichalcum? "Thanks for coming, everyone. If you need it, I can furnish an aquabreather. Well, a metal one anyway. I only have the plans for those."
Finna	Finna's been out of the loop about things on this world, but when a request hit the Union about wanting underwater exploration done to find something... that sounded right up her alley! Far better than stabbing everything, like many missions end up being. Even when they aren't supposed to be so... "Thanks, but no need!" Speaketh the foxy young woman, tail wagging lazily and ears twitching as she stretches her limbs out, bends over this way and that, getting ready for a swim by the look of it. "Anywhere an animal can go, so can I!"
Ariel	Geared up for UNDERWATER TRAVELS, Ariel is all serious about this, while Al is... in a swimsuit. Her hair is done up in buns, and she looks more interested in the water than the task. Ariel, at least, is taking it seriously as she clambers onto the boat. "Oh! Um... that would be easier. I do still need to respirate! I'll have one! Easier than a spell I think." She takes a seat and looks Khusso over, wondering if she's finally found someone shorter than she is. "Is it going to be dangerous? Are there wild animals?"
Mel Brock	One of Mel Brock's primary job titles under the umbrella of 'Marshal' is 'investigator'. And Khusso needs investigation done... of a sort. So at roughly the appointed time, the crimson shape of the Firestarter's smaller Chaser vehicle comes through the artificial warpgate, smoothly banking around to keep itself out of the way while Mel finds herself a place to land the vehicle. If all else fails, she can set it to some sort of high-altitude holding pattern before heading into the city. When she arrives at the docks, she's without her usual longcoat, and rather than her standard duty jumpsuit, she's shown up in a skintight suit that looks a lot like it might just be her typical vac suit. Or a spare, judging by the wear on it. The actual air supply helmet looks to be in working order, though, where she holds it under her arm. She has also, perhaps strangely, brought an ornate nodachi, in a sheath strapped to her back. "I got my air supply covered. Need be I can even bubble myself, if we're not too deep down. Water pressure creeps up on you if you're not careful. Or I can bubble someone else, if there's an emergency. I don't think my sword needs to breathe, either."
Heaven's Armory	Hravn arrives with Mel, as already mentioned, but more visibly as a fairly tall woman in a yellow dress that could, coincidentally, pass as fashionable in this part of the multiverse. Her eyes dart here and there as she takes in the sights, though without rubbernecking. Khusso has her full attention once they enter into more conversational range. "I don't, unless you want me to be able to use my hands. I could always just hold my breath awhile, of course." She shrugs. It won't end up making much difference, the way she puts it. Yet, taking another breather might be a good idea for her. And yet, she doesn't move to take one. There's a reason she isn't interested in holding onto it herself, which will become readily apparent in likely short order.
Khusso	"Oh, good," Khusso replies, nodding to Finna. Ariel gets a shrug. "Dangerous animals? Not really. Maybe if you really aggravate an ornery crab. We'll be going to an area that most of them don't linger around." She tosses the girl an aquabreather, ignoring the funny looks that the unicorn is getting from the various swarthy pirates. This place IS a pirate den... though it's a really clean one! All the construction is so... new! Khusso glances up as Mel makes her offer. There are places to land a craft, though the Lionguard are a little grumpy about it. Khusso herself has a lot of sway here, though... and if it's only a couple hours, it should be fine they suppose. "We shouldn't be that deep. It'll get a bit on the uncomfortable side if we go all the way to the bottom of the Breachmaker, but we'll be pushing in at the side." Khusso offers Hravn an aquabreather, but seeing that she isn't interested in it right now, instead tosses the spare to Mel. Affixing some goggles over her eyes, the asura shrugs, "Right then. This shouldn't take long. Welcome to Lion's Arch! Specifically... Sanctum Harbor. Over a year ago, Scarlet Briar brought her Breachmaker here and drilled down into the harbor, apparently to release Mordremoth." The boat is drifting out as she talks, and after it moves out into the harbor some, Khusso kicks the anchor over and dives in. Anyone following her under the water will see what she means. Deeper in the harbor, wreckage of boats can be seen... and a massive, circular structure that is tilted to the side, apparently the objective.
Mel Brock	Mel holds out a hand and, rather than moving to catch the thrown breather, it veers in the air to land in her grasp. "Well, if we need an emergency dry space, I've got it covered, long as we're not too deep down. Just lemme know." She tucks it into her pocket, then gives Hravn a little nod. And now the history lesson. A brief one, but a lesson nonetheless. "And that's who we're going down to check on. Got it." The marshal gives a quick glance around, checking to see what kind of emergency craft or even just 'boats close enough to help if something goes wrong' there might be, and then with a quick "In we go," for Hravn's sake, she fixes her breather helmet on and then dives in. She's a fairly good swimmer, all things considered. Not superhuman - she'd need an object to push along to exceed human underwater speeds - but she's able to keep up quite easily.
Heaven's Armory	Hravn listens to that bit of history, nodding with an 'ah.' She hasn't found much out about this place on the wikis, yet, but give it time. There are only so many editors for every world that unifies. Mel drops in, and the woman in yellow stays where she is, but only for a moment. She can't get too far from her true body or it feels pretty awful. She still doesn't jump in, however, so much as she stops existing on the surface, winking out with a few, easily missed sparks. The sword that Mel carries continues to look around, as it's been doing since exiting the landing ship, to everything within line of sight with the uncovered hilt. As promised, breathing is not strictly necessary for a sword, nor does the water interfere with her vision quite as much when it doesn't involve eyes. It's a shame that her powers will be rather less than useful down here, so that danger estimate had best be reasonably accurate.
Finna	Swarthy pirates abound, well... Finna's quick to give them a teasy 'ta ta guys!' wave and a wink as the group finishes preparations. She cant help but look aside at the strange material Mel's currently covered head to toe in... "Rubber...?" Well, at least she knows that much by now in the Multiverse. Oh well! Finna takes a dive over the boat's side right after Khusso, somehow managing a fancy triple somersault! "Wheeeee--yoooooooh!!" ...then straightening her body and slipping right in like a pencil! As usual, mobility is one of the areas where she truly shines. Mere seconds after she's below the surface... Finna takes off with a dolphin-kick stroke. Kind of literally, as her feet have grown rubbery webbing! Anyone really paying attention might notice gill slits on her neck! .... the showoff. Despite this, there's no question that her extra-soggy foxtail is now a bit of a drag. Great flurry fur and deep water diving aren't the best mix... but it doesn't seem to bother her much. She just kicks along! And at the sight of the ships... well, she executes an excited little SPIN! Because sunken ships means, possibly, cool treasure and stuff as a side adventure!
Ariel	Ariel pulls her mask on as Al Azif complains, "Wait we're going under the water? I was hoping to catch up on my sun. You can all go, I'll stay up- YAHHH!" Ariel might be a sweet girl, but she can tell when her companion is just grousing for the heck of it. She shoves Al in and nods, "Okay, see you there!" She follows with a splash, fortunately a lot lighter than her mother's mechanical body. She's not exactly super agile in the water, but she can handle a simple stroke toward the wreckage. "Do you think she's still in there?"
Khusso	The ships look... pretty shattered, but also picked clean. A few marine wildlife specimens have made them their home. "This is what became of most of the fleet during the attack. You can kind of see why we want to take care of Scarlet if she's back. Crazy and dangerous." Her voice is a little muffled by the aquabreather, but she looks to be surprisingly agile in the water. Eventually, swimming around the rim of the ciruclar structure reveals a door, sealed shut by rust and vegetation. She raps on this, but before she tries to bust it open, she looks at her companions. "Anyone got a good can opener? There might still be air inside, but it's probably flooded."
Mel Brock	As they move through the water, Mel veers slightly, until her course takes her close enough to Ariel that she can keep an eye on the unicorn. That's where she stays for the time being, looking around at the bay's various aquatic features as they go. "You go underwater often, Hravn?" she asks, idly curious about the blade's experiences. It's a way to pass the time mostly. They arrive at the destination... vehicle? Machine? Structure? Whatever it is, and there's a door barring their way. "I can tear it out pretty easy," the Marshal replies, "But that'll make things rough if we have to close it again. That a problem?"
Finna	As Mel offers to 'tear it out' Finna also swims up and raps a hand against the hull of the rusty wreck. Then... SCREEEEEEEE! It's like nails on a chalkboard almost! For she drags CLAWS that she didn't have a moment before along the hull experimentally. It leaves a nasty mark, probably, but she frowns. Nowhere near enough to penetrate whatever it's made of and make a serviceable entrance...
Heaven's Armory	Hravn sends a negative impression in response to Mel's query, with a follow-up of that being someone else's business, though the sensation of that person is vague and certainly without a name. Water feels thick and clinging, to her. She could do something, she further sends, if they do find air in the wreck. She might even know if it's there, if close enough. There's some frustration from her at the lack of a place to stand, with which, she doesn't think a rusted hull would stand against her, air or no. But she cannot make up so much for an inability to swing or thrust her with force.
Ariel	"I can't open the door without... causing some problems," Ariel notes. The unicorn settles down in the water beside the door for now. "But if it has air in there, maybe I can help with that, and keep it in there." She knows Mel can make a bubble, but Mel's powers might be better used elsewhere. So instead, she summons a brilliant yellow cage, then begins to fill it in with 'plates' of mana, forming a barrier around the group so that they can explore the Breachmaker in peace and relative comfort.
Khusso	"No need to keep it inta- oh... that's handy." Her allies really seem to have things well in hand, don't they? Khusso steps aside and gestures. "We shut it on our way out, but this isn't exactly a museum piece. It's the structure Scarlet used as her mobile fortress. Basically a flying city-sized drill. No need to worry about keeping it intact, especially with what Ariel did." If Mel can tear it out, especially with Finna working at it, she isn't going to complain. It IS built like a fortress, but not an impenetrable one. Most of the Breachmaker's defense came from the fact that this entrance was in the air during its use, and assaulting with an airship to get to just one door was difficult. Tearing it out by the way, will find that there is stale but breathable air in there. It's damp and leaky, but seems to have enough to show the various walkways throughout the massive structure.
Mel Brock	It's not a problem if Mel tears it out. So Mel tears it out. There's a shriek of metal even louder than Finna's brief demonstration, and the door simply /rips/ out of place, shifting through the water until it reaches the psychic's outstretched left hand. Her right is settled on the grip of her sword, in case there's a sudden need to set up a barrier and prevent air from escaping until Ariel can do something more permanent. "Well, you got your wish, Hravn. Air." Once everyone's inside, assuming they can find somewhere to stand, the psychic will reach up and pop the clasps on her helmet so she can take it off. If not, well. She'll just have to look slightly silly treading water in a bubble helmet. "Where to?"
Ariel	Ariel's little capsule still had water in it, so that water will roar into the floor beyond... but it's just that little shell's worth. "Thanks, Mel!" She chirps. "My stuff should hold for a while... but if we have to fight, I tied up a lot of my power into that because of the pressure. So you'll have to do it. You and the others." Al is still sulking behind, shaking herself out and grumping, "It's cooold!" But she follows Ariel as the unicorn shuffles in to take a look at this monstrous creation.
Heaven's Armory	Stale air is still air, and still subject to Hravn's magic. It's true, though, that her manipulation tends to be short-term. Constructing a lasting shield would be difficult, and unnecessary for its great effort. There's a moment of rushing water, but only a moment, before quivering walls of air hold at bay just the water within Ariel's shield, and will continue to hold until everyone is inside, and there is a chance to reconfigure the shield. Or it could be left as is, if they're fine with that much more water following them in. It does seem roomy enough, at least.
Finna	Finna YIPES and backs away as Mel gets to real work, and finds herself hitting rock bottom thanks to Ariel providing actual air and pushing away the water... she finds herself walking on metal now, and... Mel might've wanted to leave that helmet on a little bit longer, because Finna hunches her body up and-- Oh dear. Anyone with a hint of instinct for such things can know what's coming. SOMEHOW, Finna makes like a dog even as she shifts her feet back to normal and the gills meld into her skin again. SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE! Even though only her tail has fur she's apparently MASTERED this manuever to an unthinkable level. Water droplets fly EVERYWHERE! "Whew-ew-ewww... this is SO weird!"
Khusso	Oh come on! Khusso was just taking off her aquabreather when that water shake went on! "GAH!" Sputter. Siiigh. She eyes the barriers, both Ariel's and Hravn's, and tsks. "Nice... I'm not really a magician, myself. A Guardian might be able to do something like that, but I'm not sure. Seems more like a force field..." Musing that to herself, the asura shakes her head and turns to the situation at hand. "I guess we need to head to the command center. That's where she was killed..." Khusso wrinkles her nose, because there is quite a stench in here. Most of it has faded after a year here, though... it's mostly just the sea life that managed to get in, not actual corpses rotting any more. There ARE skeletons about, though! Mostly strange bestial creatures right in this area. Of course the Breachmaker is tilted and damaged, so this makes for some climbing over rusted metal and twisted wreckage to get up to the command center. Along the way it will definitely not look like the sword and sorcery thing though... there's wreckage of clockwork robots, but also what are obviously video screens, and projectors on the floor for holograms. Khusso doesn't pay much attention to these, having been here before.
Heaven's Armory	Hravn continues to look about, but apart from being able to watch her wielder's back, her senses don't allow for much in the extraordinary spectrum, despite their unexplained mechanism. She can, at least, give Mel a firm, flat foot- or hand-hold, wherever she wills one to be. It'll last for anyone else who could use it, though the usefulness is limited in that they are close to impossible to see.
Mel Brock	The shower of water droplets from Finna splatters against an invisible wall in the air between them. The Exalt just kind of gets a flat stare. However, after a few seconds actually being inside, the Marshal's nose wrinkles. "Ugh. Tempted to put the helmet back on. Kinda reeks in here." She doesn't exactly have her sidearm with her, for once - it's not waterproof, after all - so instead she reaches behind herself to actually draw Hravn out of her sheath, keeping the sword on hand. And, more importantly, staying close to Ariel. Maintaining the barrier keeping water out of the wreck is apparently enough to leave her nearly defenseless. So the cop is going to do her job - or at least half of it. The 'protect' half, specifically. Wherever she can, Mel will actually try to use her telekinesis to clear out, or even build, walkways for people to use. Barring that, she's got Hravn's platforms. "Hell of a fight happened here," she'll quip idly along the way.
Ariel	"The technology here..." Ariel looks puzzled, remembering that Khusso uses spear and sword and this is about dragons, but this doesn't look right. She stays close to Mel and Al for now, with Al taking a more serious look at some of the items. What Mel says is what gets some more attention. "You think so?" Ariel's seen a lot more combat than she'd like, but she just isnt' a forensic scientist. At least she doesn't have any problem leaping, with her double jump power, but she takes care not to step on anything rusted and twisted.
Finna	Sensing eyes on her or something like that, Finna looks over at Mel staring at her.. blinks a few times... then grins mischeviously. Shamelessly! But continues on as normal a moment later, nose wrinkling a bit here and there. She's gotten quite used to wretched reeking scents, because when you live as an animal for half of the year and you smell ALL KINDS of things people would rather hide and everything in a block or two... yeah, it stops being a thing. "For a flying thing... command would be...highest point up? The middle? The bottom?"
Khusso	Khusso answers Finna first, "Not the highest, but we're close." She nods, climbing up and hopping to grab a rail, then slide onto the next deck up. She waits for the rest, and glances at Mel and Hravn. Sigh. "Yeah... yeah, there was quite a battle here. Pulled me out of retirement." That was maybe a joke. "Two of my friends were nearly killed here. I didn't think one would make it. It was not an easy thing." She shrugs at Ariel then. "Scarlet Briar was a genius. An insane genius, but a genius. A lot of her stuff is years ahead of most of the Pact, the sort of thing we see in the experimental stages at Rata Sum. It IS advanced, if that's what you're about to say. She had the technological edge, that's for sure." There's an archway ahead, to a room full of 'computing' equipment, or at least that's what it looks like. Of more relevance is the... 'husk' is all it can be described as, on the floor. It still has a spear shoved into it, and what looks like a skeleton of wood, with crumbling dried vegetation all around it. "Guess she didn't have enough to save her, though."
Mel Brock	"Well, there's our answer," Mel says, lips thinning just a little. This is the kind of world she doesn't usually step into; hers is 'law in a stable society', not 'wars of conquest, genocide or armageddon'. Scenes like this don't happen in the circles she walks often - neither how it is now, nor how it was when it took place. On habit, the Marshal moves to put her free hand in her pocket, only to realize she has none right now, and just sort of awkwardly hooks it in her belt instead. The hand holding Hravn rests the blade over her shoulder. "Anything we need to do or look for on the way out?"
Ariel	Wince. Ariel doesn't like death, though she's no stranger to it. All these corpses are hard enough. "Huh... I guess she didn't regrow then..." That had been brought up, right? "That's sad, that she was so smart and had to be killed." Al is a lot more flippant, "People die when they're killed."
Heaven's Armory	This room doesn't look particularly dangerous, but it also doesn't have anything that really needs Hravn to go out of her way to poke at. It does, however, have something that prompts a question from Hravn, and that gives enough reason for her to rematerialize her false body, pushing air out of the way to make space for the woman in the flowing dress. She crosses her arms, looks over the 'husk,' then over to the 'computing' equipment, and then turns her head toward Khusso. "Was this area also picked over by the scavengers? But if it was, was there a need for us to come and check?"
Finna	"What the...?" Seeing a skeleton's nothing new for Finna, but she notices a weird texture... Finna dances over towards the Skeleton... and, crouching, pokes a femur with the index finger. "Why's it all woodeny? Also, what about her ghost?" Yes, she's asking that seriously...
Khusso	Khusso shakes her head. "You can look for any interesting loot if you really want, but it looks pretty rusty..." That's to Mel. "And we had to check because she showed up again. On my world. I had to know if she'd somehow survived, or if there's some other explanation. Looters tend to stay out of this area, anyway. For one thing it's pretty high in magic." She points at Finna. "And that's why. They're afraid of her ghost. I don't think she made one, though. Ghosts tend to be stuck in a loop anyway... I've fought more than a few in my time with the Pact. Looters are pretty afraid Scarlet's still hanging around, and the high magic of the area doesn't help. It's low right now because of uh... other things." Which probably had Khusso involved.
Finna	Finna's face brightens into a mischevious smile thouggh she's quick to FLINCH and shiver deeply. In the end she starts poking her index fingers together nervously. "Could try ghost summoning ritual, simple little trick... not sure it has any power in your world, isn't too reliable either way. OTHER THINGS might show up..." That probably explains why she's jittery... she did something stupid and it bit her...
Mel Brock	"Let's... let's not do the creepy ghost summoning thing," Mel replies to Finna. To Khusso, she has little but a faint shrug. "I'm not really the looter type, I'll pass."