\ Haven:Mist and Shadow Plotlogs/An Out Of Town Mission 240922
Plotlogs

An Out Of Town Mission 240922

The story takes place in the frostbitten territory of Navorost, where a group of adventurers, led by Yora, a local guide, seeks to explore a forbidden temple believed to be a gateway to the underworld. They braved the cold, treacherous forest and a bustling tavern to meet Yora, who warns them of the temple's curse. Despite the ominous warnings, they proceed, using magic to expedite their journey to the temple.

Upon arrival, they encountered a sinister little girl, a phantom with a dual visage blending innocence and decay, who warns them of her intent to devour their souls. Despite the threat, the adventurers press forward, encountering a room where a glowing ice crystal, presumed to be the Heart of Winter, resides. The little girl's spirit attacks, launching shards of ice, but the group's resolve remains unshaken.

In a climactic battle, Dean, one of the adventurers, strikes the crystal with a shadowy spear and a fiery sword, releasing the spirit from its bindings. The spirit grows in size, declaring its freedom before dissolving into mist. With the spirit's departure, the cold and magical barriers dissipate, leaving the adventurers in a thawing temple with only a stone tablet on a pedestal.

The group's dynamic showcased their individual strengths and bonds, particularly in how they protected each other and combined their powers to combat the supernatural threats. Juniper, determined to secure the tablet for an absent ally referred to as "Cornbread," successfully retrieves it amidst the chaos.

The narrative concludes with the group pondering over Yora's mysterious disappearance and their easy path back to civilization, now unencumbered by magical barriers. The temple, now just a hollow shell, leaves a lingering question about the true nature of the challenges they faced and what the future holds with the tablet's secrets in their possession.
(An out of town mission:SRElias)

[Sat Sep 21 2024]

On the territory of Navorost
The forest extends through this area and as far as the eye can see, old trees with brown leaves
surround you, the light filtering through the limited canopy in beams. The ground beneath is soft
and littered with fallen leaves that make every footfall echo. The trunks of the trees continue on
forever making seeing more than a dozen feet in any direction impossible, and making those who
wander through the area take meandering paths.

It is night, about 76F(24C) degrees, There is a waning gibbous moon.

While back on Earth, summer is still going strong as it slowly slips towards autumn. In the past couple days it has reached as high as ninety degrees out, however not the same can be said about Navorost. In Navorost, winter head is roaring strong. The heavy wind blasts against your face, biting with its natural fiercest. A heavy snow falls from the sky, whipping around by these unseen forces, a sharp contrast to what is happening on Earth. Ducking into the small tavern to escape the winter weather and the meeting spot to meet up with a guide in Navorost. Inside the tavern is a bustling scene. Waitresses run around bringing mead, ale, and other more questionable beverages to the thirsty patrons. There are boisterous individuals who stand out with yelling in Wildling about some obscenity or the another, but it is obvious intoxication has a large contribution to the activities here. This is in part due to the smell. There is a strong odor of stale alcohol, body odor, and some other less identifiable smells. It isn't all bad, the smell of fire smoke and roasted mutton lingers there too. A small woman dressed in heavy furs with dish-blonde hair makes her way through the crowd, elbowing their way through them where she needs too. She could be no older than 16 winters old, but she has a hardened look about her. She forces her way through the tavern to make it to the adventurers that gathered, "You must be the Earthlings." She states a bit gruffly, before letting her voice soften, "I am Yora of Navorost and I will be your guide to the temple. It has been forbidden to go into by my people for many generations. The elders speak of it being cursed, that those that go within it never return. Some say it is the gateway to the underworld."

While back on Earth, summer is still going strong as it slowly slips towards autumn. In the past couple days it has reached as high as ninety degrees out, however not the same can be said about Navorost. In Navorost, winter head is roaring strong. The heavy wind blasts against your face, biting with its natural fiercest. A heavy snow falls from the sky, whipping around by these unseen forces, a sharp contrast to what is happening on Earth. Ducking into the small tavern to escape the winter weather and the meeting spot to meet up with a guide in Navorost. Inside the tavern is a bustling scene. Waitresses run around bringing mead, ale, and other more questionable beverages to the thirsty patrons. There are boisterous individuals who stand out with yelling in Wildling about some obscenity or the another, but it is obvious intoxication has a large contribution to the activities here. This is in part due to the smell. There is a strong odor of stale alcohol, body odor, and some other less identifiable smells. It isn't all bad, the smell of fire smoke and roasted mutton lingers there too. A small woman dressed in heavy furs with dish-blonde hair makes her way through the crowd, elbowing their way through them where she needs too. She could be no older than 16 winters old, but she has a hardened look about her. She forces her way through the tavern to make it to the adventurers that gathered, "You must be the Earthlings." She states a bit gruffly, before letting her voice soften, "I am Yora of Navorost and I will be your guide to the temple. It has been forbidden to go into by my people for many generations. The elders speak of it being cursed, that those that go within it never return. Some say it is the gateway to the underworld." (repost for Sienna)

Isaiah seems to have been in the Wilds ahead of time, for rather than approaching from the Gate, she approaches from Brewer Street, carried on Kah's shoulder as the massive man follows her directions to a 'T'. She grins when they ultimately make it to their destination, and she leans down, nuzzling her freckled nose against the top of the guy's head one last time to sniff, before slipping down his arm, climbing the giant like a tree. "Alright, you're gonna meet probably Juney and Dean and Vic," she explains, grabbing Kah by a thumb and leading him on from there. "I dunno if Ash and Sienna are coming... Elias is probably gonna be working from the outside to help us."

Then they're approached by the teenage girl, and she pauses, confused, but listening. "I am not an Earthling, but... Yes. Hello, Yora. I am Jayarr."

Sienna steps into the tavern, her cheeks flushed from the biting cold outside as she quickly lowers her hood, shaking snow from her hair. The warmth inside hits her like a wave, though the mixed stench of stale ale and unwashed bodies makes her wrinkle her nose slightly. Her eyes scan the room, taking in the chaotic scene of boisterous patrons, roaring fires, and the thick atmosphere of a place where people are too far gone to care about the storm outside. As Yora approaches, the Swannling pulls off her gloves and tucks them into her leggings, her breath still visible in the cool air of the tavern. The young guide is studied, noting hardness in her eyes that belies her age, and gives a small nod at the introduction. "That's us," she quips softly. "Gateway to the underworld? Well, that sounds... inviting." Her tone is laced with harmless sarcasm, jade green eyes switching to the rest of the group. "I guess that explains why the elders dont exactly recommend the trip."

First carrying and then following Isaiah, Kah seems content to be there for the time being. Aware of the dangers of this world it seems, the white-haired giant carries a heavy-looking strange spear that's been crafted to suit his size, and a shield to match. Despite the itchiness and rash it may cause, that shield bears a thin plating of silver on its front face. His head dips at the woman's words and his eyes turn to examine the others that have arrived here.

Ash comes in from a Path, Sienna in tow. This time - finally, this time - they are *actually* dressed for the weather. So well dressed that one can't actually see any part of their body - just their clothes and shiny, shiny mask. Given their size and shape - not to mention their scent - the rest can probably guess who they are, anyways. They don't have time to greet the others before the lady is talking to them. They don't relax from the inner warmth, instead actually moving closer to the fire - the fire that is that redhead, anyways. They look over the bronzed man with curiosity, though.

Victoria wanders in silently, traces of a smile given to those she knows, and more curious glances afforded to those she has yet to meet. As she so often elects to do, she relaxes casually, surveying everything around her without saying much of anything at all.

It's the fan-dam-ily here tonight as Juniper stares openly at those who wander in through the gate or choose to path or were simply... already here. She's rooting through her duffel bag for a familiar, casually frumpy black hoodie and pulling it out to prepare for biting winds once they leave for a longer journey outside. As it stands, she doesn't much mind the weather in Navorost even as she is, dressed in a simple tee and jeans. A long and curious look is given to Kah that Isaiah just scoots down off of before she flicks her eyes on over to the redhead. Warmth comes to the surface of her expression for a fleeting moment, smiling at Isaiah. "Jayarr, always a new entrance," she muses wryly before she glances over at Sienna next. "I did not expect to see you here. Cornbread will have to give his utmost thanks later for the assistance." Victoria and Dean get her easy smile of acknowledgement and someone too, as she passes a little wink, brimming with an easily detected sort of pride at seeing everyone here.

Finally, to Yora she ticks up her chin. "Juniper. It's good of you to be our guide, Yora... given what the elders say. Whenever you're ready though, I think we're all keen to get into it."

It's the fan-dam-ily here tonight as Juniper stares openly at those who wander in through the gate or choose to path or were simply... already here. She's rooting through her duffel bag for a familiar, casually frumpy black hoodie and pulling it out to prepare for biting winds once they leave for a longer journey outside. As it stands, she doesn't much mind the weather in Navorost even as she is, dressed in a simple tee and jeans. A long and curious look is given to Kah that Isaiah just scoots down off of before she flicks her eyes on over to the redhead. Warmth comes to the surface of her expression for a fleeting moment, smiling at Isaiah. "Jayarr, always a new entrance," she muses wryly before she glances over at Sienna next. "I did not expect to see you here. Cornbread will have to give his utmost thanks later for the assistance." Victoria and Dean get her easy smile of acknowledgement and Ash too, as she passes a little wink, brimming with an easily detected sort of pride at seeing everyone here.

Finally, to Yora she ticks up her chin. "Juniper. It's good of you to be our guide, Yora... given what the elders say. Whenever you're ready though, I think we're all keen to get into it."

Meanwhile, Dean descends into the lively den after the initial few have entered. A lightning-esque streak, gleaming light like the moon erupting in a cascade tainted by something dark barrelling through the door and through a good few people as well. He paths straight in-doors, clad in armor tight, as he often is, with a sword as large as him hung between his shoulderblades. Green eyes take the sight of the tavern first, the people - mostly his people, before they're lead to the sight of Kah. It's impossible to tell what emotion passes over through those features, not while he adjusts the myriad rings between his fingers, and they subtly draw in the light in his surroundings; something hungry, revealed for only a split second in the single step he takes to disappear among the crowd -- and surface behind others. Isaiah and Sienna, but closer to Juniper and Victoria.

Where ever Elias is, it seems like he is not coming or if he is, he is terribly late. The Wildling 'woman' addresses Isaiah first, with just a simple, "I am sorry, I thought all of you would be from Earth." She looks to Sienna, fiddling at some of the beads that that hang off her primitive clothing, "Well, some say it is. I don't know... Not many go there." She turns to address everyone at this point, "Is there any questions before we head out there? We will be using magic to get there or it would take days to get there on foot. Is that okay with everyone?"

Juniper cracks an easy grin at Yora, shouldering her duffel bag up higher once again. "Works for me. Not getting eaten by deranged velociraptors on the way would make a nice change."

"It would, yes," Victoria nods in agreement with Juniper.

Ash asks, their drawl warped a little behind the mask, "What do they all say about the temple? Rumors and stories can better prepare us."

"I'm here to serve" The soft-spoken voice of Kah comes as he nods toward the group of people in general. He rests his weight simply on the spear in hand.

Juniper glances at Kah with a little bit of mischief. "One could get used to hearing that," she voices with some amusement.

Dean's nose twitches, and its just a subtle thing - one that leads his attention away from all the explanation - onto Kah. There's recognition there in his eyes, as well as a subtle draw of his tongue through a parted mouth beneath oversized canids in an narrow-eyed observation, "You better be." Is all that he affords, nothing more, nothing less.

Victoria chews on the corner of her lip, though she says nothing. She just watches, unblinking for several moments.

Sienna watches Yora with a curious gaze, taking in the beads and furs that make up the guide's primitive attire. She draws in a breath, pushing her hair behind an ear, eyes straying aside to Kah briefly before piping up to their young guide, "Magic to get there? Works for me. Beats trudging through a snowstorm for days," she says, her tone light but her mind already buzzing with questions. "No big questions from me," she admits. "Just curious about this temple and what we might find there. Do you have any wisdom from the locals? Lore we should be made aware of?"

Ash probably makes facial expressions in responses, but they probably also forgot that they're wearing a mask. Do people know that they're being a dumbass, or do they assume that the loquacious little bean is being quiet? A mystery.

Addressing Ash, Yora explains, "There are stories that have passed down time of that place, it is dangerous and forbidden. They say spirits that do not belong in this world linger there because that it is a gate to the underworld. I do not know if that is true. Stories are not always true, but only serve as a warning. There are dangers there. That is certain." She looks around at those gathered before she concludes with answering Ash's question, "We should depart while we are fresh." The small woman tugs on a hemp cord around her neck, pulling out a green crystal which is securely fastened to it. She closes her eyes, focusing on the crystal that is clasped within both hands. Green light faintly escapes between her fingers, likely coming from the crystal. Her eyes fling open and there is a dim glow of green within her deep brown eyes before that fades along with the light from the crystal. "Alright, everyone place a hand upon me." And when everyone does as she instructs, there is a pull. While it is a very common thing for many supernaturals, it is not a common thing for most humans, it is obvious that the pull is the opening of a path to a distant place. You find yourself walking down a path which the colors seem to be some how flatted and darker than they normally would be. There are trees along the path, but it is almost as if they are made of shadows, making it very difficult to make out any real defined detail about any of them. It is said that those that wander off the path in this dark forest, never to be heard from again. Yora continues to lead you down the path until you find yourself back into normal reality. Where ever you are now, it almost feels like winter is more fierce here. The wind blows harshly against your skin with the cold cutting deep into your bones. The naked trees covered in a thick layer of ice, the image of their clawed branches reaching towards the heavens for relief against this harsh winter, but the gods do not hear their pleas. In the center of the clearing ahead there is a ziggart half-buried in snow. The entrance to the said ziggart seemingly obvious, a large stone door with runic carvings upon them. The carvings themselves seem to crude depictions of blowing wind and snow, weather worn over time. The door itself seem to have been left undisturbed for a very long time.

Addressing Ash, Yora explains, "There are stories that have passed down time of that place, it is dangerous and forbidden. They say spirits that do not belong in this world linger there because that it is a gate to the underworld. I do not know if that is true. Stories are not always true, but only serve as a warning. There are dangers there. That is certain." She looks around at those gathered before she concludes with answering Ash's question, "We should depart while we are fresh." The small woman tugs on a hemp cord around her neck, pulling out a green crystal which is securely fastened to it. She closes her eyes, focusing on the crystal that is clasped within both hands. Green light faintly escapes between her fingers, likely coming from the crystal. Her eyes fling open and there is a dim glow of green within her deep brown eyes before that fades along with the light from the crystal. "Alright, everyone place a hand upon me." And when everyone does as she instructs, there is a pull. While it is a very common thing for many supernaturals, it is not a common thing for most humans, it is obvious that the pull is the opening of a path to a distant place. You find yourself walking down a path which the colors seem to be some how flatted and darker than they normally would be. There are trees along the path, but it is almost as if they are made of shadows, making it very difficult to make out any real defined detail about any of them. It is said that those that wander off the path in this dark forest, never to be heard from again. Yora continues to lead you down the path until you find yourself back into normal reality. Where ever you are now, it almost feels like winter is more fierce here. The wind blows harshly against your skin with the cold cutting deep into your bones. The naked trees covered in a thick layer of ice, the image of their clawed branches reaching towards the heavens for relief against this harsh winter, but the gods do not hear their pleas. In the center of the clearing ahead there is a ziggart half-buried in snow. The entrance to the said ziggart seemingly obvious, a large stone door with runic carvings upon them. The carvings themselves seem to crude depictions of blowing wind and snow, weather worn over time. The door itself seem to have been left undisturbed for a very long time. (fixed)

"No," Isaiah tells Kah, frowning at his verbage. "You're here to /help/," she corrects him, releasing his thumb from where she'd been guiding him along. Her pretty blue eyes scan over the crowd of those gathered, but when Dean gets that look in his eye, she gives Kah an apologetic look. "You uh.. Yeah. This is Dean," she says, hooking a finger towards Dean before reversing the invitation, extending it to all involved. "Everyone, this is Kah- I won him in an auction. He was supposed to be a slave, but I'm not enslaving a fucking Wolf," she claims, scowling. "So... He's gonna be family now, if everyone's okay with it. Please try to get along.... Dean." That man in particular is singled out with a narrowing of pretty autumnal lashes. Then, she falls silent once more to listen to Yora, edging forward to settle a hand on her shoulder, taking the offer quite literally. Hopefully that was the correct thing to do, otherwise the redhead... Well.. She's gonna look as dumb as she always does, so not much will change.

Kah simply lowers his head in an easy manner, Dean's direction. Whatever he sees there doesn't surprise, or offend. "That, too" he agrees with a quiet chuckle.

Sienna stands quietly, observing the dynamic between Isaiah, Dean, and the newly introduced Kah with an amused smile tugging at her lips. She takes in the surreal atmosphere surrounding them, the eeriness of the path they just crossed still lingering in her mind. The cold bites at her skin, but the sight of the half-buried ziggurat ahead captures her attention, sending a chill down her spine that isn't entirely from the weather.

"Well, this place sure knows how to give a warm welcome," Sienna mutters, her breath visible in the frigid air as she tucks her hands deeper into her coat. The wind howls around them, the skeletal trees clawing at the sky like they're begging for mercy, but her focus shifts back to the present.

"Nice to meet you, Kah," she murmurs toward Kah with a quick nod, luminous jade greens cutting back toward Yora and the massive stone door ahead, studying the weather-worn runes upon it.

She steps forward, boots crunching over the half-frozen terrain as she reaches to lay her hand on Yora's shoulder.

Victoria arches an eyebrow at Isaiah's introduction, and ceases the gnawing on her lip long enough for "Nice to meet you," to be said to Kah. Her gaze lingers a moment, still curious, but that's left aside as her attention turns back towards the door.

Once the trip has concluded, Kah simply follows the group of people, intending to guard the rear perhaps. The Ziggaraut seems an interesting sight to the tall man, his head tilting to one side in animalistic fashion. HIs eyes search for seams, in wonder of the buidling's design. Is it of a single piece of stone, or crafted to tall by many block and engineering?

Without another second to delay, Dean simply reaches in - tugs on a sleeve, wrist, whatever may be available without being overbearingly close to anyone else. That's just it before Dean disappears along with others, to reappear wherever it is that they've translocated to. He's quick to disentangle himself, step away, keep to his observant watch like a hound on alert, senses spread to wtch the ziggurat.

Following the journey through the dark woods, Juniper slips the comfortable hoodie over her head and sucks in a nice deep breath of lung crystalizing air. "Kah," she verbalizes only when they're on the other side, this introduction needing to get out of the way for all the curious glances being thrown by the 'family'. "We're not in the business of enslaving wolves, no," she agrees with Isaiah, a firm set to her jaw at that while she looks over Kah. "I'm Juniper. Don't ask Dean to be nice, just ask Dean to..." she looks at Dean then with a click of her tongue. "What would I ask? Be civil?" It doesn't sound all that convincing but she's lingering back with him all the same, keeping an unspoken close range with the distant looking man. When she finally looks at the ziggurat she makes a stifled, snorted laugh. Something about it amuses her, but what, she doesn't exactly voice.

Ash nods to Isaiah, drawling, "Ah, so that was it? Him? And I was so close...." They then turn to Kah, before drawling to him next, "Kah? Nice to meet you. I'm Ashen Starling, Auction-losing Darling." There's a grin in their voice, even if it can't be seen. They place their hand on Yora, undaunted by the Path - after all, they and Sienna just walked a very similar one to get here. When they arrive, that's when they pull the rifle out of their sloth bag, putting the strap crosswise over their shoulder, and follow it with a sword that they hook to their waist.

They murmur to everyone, "I got bandages a-plenty, but let's try not to need 'em, yeah? I'm not yet able to path directly to people yet... working on it."

Juniper pats her hand against her duffel bag for Ash's benefit. "I've got a few here too. Hopefully we won't be needing any, let alone refills," she agrees.

As the adventurers as they were look upon the ziggurat before them, it stands in more of a South American style of structure, made of several large pieces of stone stacked upon each other. But over time, it seems the stone has been blasted smooth by the elements. Whether it was done by snow and ice or just the weather in general. Yora raises an arm pointing towards the ziggurat and its entrance way, stating, "That is the gateway or whatever it is. It is the old temple that is forbidden. I will stay here. I can not step foot in there, it is against my people's traditions." She offers rather unhelpfully.

Ash nods to someone, drawling, "Thank you for your guidance, Yora. Stay safe - let's hope we return before you freeze. Though, we can probably get home fine if you need to leave."

Ash nods to Yora, drawling, "Thank you for your guidance, Yora. Stay safe - let's hope we return before you freeze. Though, we can probably get home fine if you need to leave."

Isaiah seems pleased by the way those around her greet Kah, but for the most part she keeps to herself. Her glassy blue eyes gaze at the monolith of stone before them all, eying the ziggaraut with a crinkling of her nose. She's silent, keeping her slight form ever between Dean and Kah, as though her all of five-foot nothing ass could stop a fight if it broke out. More than likely she'd simply be tossed aside, stomped on, or otherwise caught in the crossfire. Still, she does her best to at least provide some form of barrier as they are all guided visually towards the entrance. "So," she says, piping up afte ra while. "What's the plan? Balls to the wall, or be careful?" Those are the only two options that she can think of, apparently.

Only thing in reply to Juniper there, from over her shoulder, is grunt. Dean is busy looking around, watching, weighing his options, essentially - and when he does take in the view enough like he's all alone and not flanked by a whole group of the Fortune's; Dean starts to slip around Juniper, and start to march ahead straight at the so called 'gateway' to the Underworld. Whether people follow along or not, he's storming. Sole intent being cruelty, as always.


"Careful," comes Sienna's vote without hesitation, the cheerleader's jaw tensing with a clench of her teeth in an effort to subdue their chatter. A misted breath is puffed out, weight shifting from one foot to another. "Sure we're all capable of super healing and incredible feats or whatever, but I do not *like* pain if I can avoid it. Wish I had a bit more preparation time. Maybe I could've built something to be useful for this specific resonance or whatever," she murmurs wistfully under her breath.

"We should just go," Victoria says quietly with the shrug of one shoulder. "Maybe a mix of that, and careful." Then Dean's heading forward and she shakes her head. "I suppose we're going," she states and glances to Juniper before moving to follow.

"Magic users I hope, are going to take point here to let me- us know about what's up?" Juniper chimes in, giving a lifted eyebrow to Ash, Isaiah and then even Sienna in a bit of question. "I can smell it but I don't know what it means necessarily. Help us get in. Let's try and do this with /some/ consideration." She's crunching in snow to follow Dean, already poised to move when he does.

"Battle is best met with caution, in my experience. But then .. once it's begun there's nothing left but to .. what did you say? Balls to the wall?" Kah sets in to follow them at their discretion though.

"Balls to the wall only if we've somehow brought the whole temple down around us, how about?" Juniper offers to Isaiah with a little bit of a lopsided grin.

"I'd love to avoid that if possible," Victoria states, looking slightly enthused at the prospect of going anywhere that may not have snow.

Ash shrugs, drawling, "You know I'm always careful. Who's the easiest to get squashed by something, though? Vic, Sienna?" They look between the two before focusing on Sienna. "You want some good luck in your pocket, Sugar? I don't know what all you can do... if you can't fix up your own luck. You're faeborn as a Swann, right?"

They turn to follow Dean as well, even while making their offer.

When the group of adventurers press forward, Yora does indeed follow behind on her own accord, perhaps curiosity digs too deep? When they finally reach the door, there doesn't seem to be any signs of traps or any real dangers of any sort. The door itself seems to be a solid piece of slate with relief carvings of swirling wind in the very classic elemental sense. Three lines that swirl at the end. There is no real obvious way to get in and the door seems to not have deteriorated at all over time. Either someone comes out here and maintains it or this door has some powerful wards on it.

Ash looks over the door, then grumbles. "Of course, *Elias* has the key... fucking cornbread ass. Where *is* he - at least Jayarr had the excuse of being a dumbass and wrecking havoc." They turn their head to Isaiah, nudging with an elbow after they realize that she can't see their grin. They do hold their fingers out, three of them, to trace the wind, down to the curl at the end... though, it's unclear if it's an attempt, or auDHD - touching textures is a thing they enjoy.

"Too late," Isaiah tells Juniper as she trots behind Dean, waving playfully at the woman with a wild and feral grin. "Looks like it's balls to the wall! Alpha's orders!" she calls it, though that seems to extend to more than just the Wolves present. It's a blanket term that even falls over Sienna and Ash, the way she speaks it so confidently. Though it seems the door to the goal won't open easily, and at first she rubs her hands together, building up heat until they begin to steam- but she pauses, glancing over her shoulder at Ash and Sienna. "Uhm.." she says quietly. "I'll.. Let the better arcanists Hey! I am /smart/!!" she insists, pouting as she shivers in the cold, wearing a crop top and miniskirt. She buttons up her flannel grouchily. Smart. Sure. Smart enough to bring something at least /remotely/ warm this time. At least she also have boots. We call that a glow up.

Ash leans forward after touching it, bending over to blow on the door. They then say, "You can be smart, cute, sexy, and a complete dumbass at the same time. You can have layers!"

With the relief upon the stone door with the images of blowing wind upon is hit with the air Ash's breath, the carvings begin to glow a faint blue and the door starts to rumble as it sinks into the ground, leaving before you a pathway going downward into the earth. The walls are smooth slate stone which appears to be carved out of a single piece. Copper rods stick out of the wall roughly every fifteen feet and from each rod is a dancing cold, blue flame. The stairs themselves, also seem to be carved from that same single piece of slate. There is no obvious tool markings on these surfaces, but more like this is how this stone has always been. A cold breeze blows out of the tunnel, somehow cold than the air outside of the temple. At the bottom of the stairs, there seems to be a little girl, sitting on the last step looking down the hall away from you silently. She has blonde curly hair with a blue bow and she has a high waistline blue sundress on.

Sienna shakes her head in exasperation at Isaiah's antics. "Smart enough to bring boots, at least," she teases, wrapping her coat tighter around herself to ward off the biting cold. Her eyes scan the intricate carvings on the door, curious about their meaning and the magic thats clearly keeping it sealed.

"Looks like it's up to us to figure this --" she begins to muse, but Ash already seems to have solved the big puzzle, so the teen merely offers her older counterpart an easy smile, falling back behind the group yet again. "Well, spoke too soon I guess."

If the sight of the stone is strange, the girl is stranger. Kah instinctively raises the shield on his arm into a march position, the haft of his spear flipping around in his hand to rest along the top curved edge of the shield. From here he can easily slide the weapon forward with vicious stabbing motions without having to move the shield from it's defensive posture. He waits for the others, though. Distrustful of the sight of such a child in such a place.

As soon as the doors open, Dean lays his hand on Ash's shoulder. A restrictive force that stalls any further approach to take the first step in. He's barking orders like on a mission, that fixated attention squarely forward peers into the miniscule darkness dispelled by the coppery display of flickering flame with effortless ease; "Jr, Ash, take the flank, you're ranged- Juniper, you're by my side on the front." Then, a brief pause, and green eyes glance upon Kah, peer with the usual intensity as if weighing them before he decides to contine. "You too, frontline with us." To the remaining two, its almost as if the shield formation almost made for them to make up for the weakness of the whole 'pack', wolf or not. "Sienna and Victoria in the center." That's all he offers - and he hardly needs to, evidently, when Kah is already marching into position. He gets another stare, a simple nod, but also a draw of his blade from behind his back to hold it at his side, tip nearly dragging upon the floor.

Of course, Juniper was right there behind Ash, nosily watching what they do with the runes and nearly getting her nosey nose taken off when the door opens. Eyes adjust quickly with keen senses to the hallway opened up to them next and she's nodding at Dean's orders as if expected. This is usually where she's at anyway and here's where she will stay. What's different is the huge white haired Kah by her side this time. She sniffs the air, nostrils flaring as she takes in his desert scent in this proximity before she offers another small nod of solidarity. "Alright, well, Dean - I'm just going to put it out there that maybe someone /other/ than you addresses the sweetie in the blue dress first, huh?"

Sienna's eyes widen as the door rumbles and sinks into the ground, revealing the pathway descending into the earth. The eerie blue glow from the carvings and the cold breeze that escapes the tunnel make her shiver, despite the warmth of her coat. She glances at the others, then back at the now open path, the unease in the air thickening. "Well... that's one way to open a door," she mutters, the light from the cold, blue flames flickering off the smooth slate walls catching her attention. But the sight at the bottom of the stairs causes her to freeze. A little girl, sitting so still, with her blonde curls and blue bow, looks hauntingly out of place in this cold, forgotten temple. The Swann's breath catches in her throat, quietly moving into the center of the group at Dean's command. "Well, I mean, I'm supposed to be the diplomat but..." She's not going down there first.

Victoria smirks slightly at Juniper's sentence, nodding her head slightly to Sienna as she moves alongside her. She doesn't say much- there's no need to really. She simply stares ahead with slightly narrowed eyes and a curious expression.

Ash steps back behind the alpha, eyeing the girl at the bottom of the steps as they tell Sienna, "I love puzzles, and I try to be efficient - just wait a bit, though, and you'll get frustrated at me overthinking something that really doesn't need all that." Though, as Dean touches them, they look up at him, then move immediately into position at the flanks.

Though the newcomers to the group may know that Isaiah is the official leader, there's evident respect given to Dean, supporting what Isaiah said about the alpha. They move next to the redhead lass, a hand on their rifle, but leaving their hands free for the moment. They don't volunteer for Juniper's suggestion, reaching to tap Sienna on the soldier - volunteering her instead.

The stairwell and the hallway beyond seems wide enough where three individuals could go down it once, maybe four with a tight fit. Yora however isn't having it as when she catches a glimpse of girl at the bottom of the stairs, she runs back to where they pathed in at, yelling something in Wildling as she does.

"Anyone speak Wildling? No?" Juniper wonders with out loud though barely from above her breath. She looks over her shoulder to Sienna. "In the absence of Counsel Cornbread, you'll be our diplomat, Shug. We'll be right here with you."

Marching military orders being barked, Kah falls into line easily with routine habit. Just like that his tall frame provides a front-line structure for the other two to frame and use as neccesary. His nod falls in return as he takes his place. "On your lead" he says simply toward Dean next and he nods at Juniper next as they're closest to him now. His own nostrils flare mildly, and he shakes his head. "Sadly, not. I found English so tedious, and the last time I was in these lands I rarely spent time on two legs" he casually remarks while continuing to keep a wary eye on the child figure.

Sienna cuts her eyes aside toward Ash at the feel of their hand upon her shoulder, cheeks expanding outward with a sharp breath, holding in that air until it's released in a foggy mist in resignation. She strays a few steps forward out of Dean's mandated formation, green eyes scanning over the seamless architecture mistrustfully before she peers down at the girl at the bottom of the stairs.

"Counselor fucking Cornbread," Isaiah repeats under her breath, amused and rolling her eyes at the apparent nickname given to the 'Eli' half of Eliper. "I hesitate to know if I have a food related nickname-" she starts to say, and then reluctant realization dawns on her face, and she nearly crumples as she walks in the back of the Pack alongside Ash. "... Chamoy..." she murmurs. That's her little food nickname. Oh, woe, the sweet and spicy little Isaiah is only now realizing what a delectable treat she is. She might cry, except her tears have become frozen. She has no mouth, and she must scream.

Ash mutters, "I'm gonna have Korina teach me - I need it too often, it seems." They reach out for Sienna again, not expecting her to step forward to speak - perhaps it is wise. But they do hiss, "Wait, your fate - do you want me to change it?" They'd asked her earlier, but things moved a bit quickly, to be fair.

Sienna says "Do you understand me?"
When Sienna stands at the top of the stairwell, it is obvious that she can feels moving cold air coming from the depths below. The little girl does not respond to the words that Sienna speaks. She doesn't even look Wildling, but somehow just like a little girl set out of time. It is obvious that she is not a statue though, since she does sway ever so lightly, a small shuffle of a foot, a twitch of a finger, the breeze ruffling her hair, but no response.

"Smart call." Dean speaks towards Juniper. He defers to that judgement with a smirk - a mirthless one, but a smirk of amusement nonetheless. With Kah between the two of them - and Sienna leaving the shieldwall, so to speak, Dean turns his attention forward to watch her intently. Narrow eyes pierce the back of her skull, like he's a few steps away from jumping out of the wall at a single moment's notice. Knuckles around Dean's fist grow white from the exerted force, efforting to bend the metal under his grap if he did any more. Especially without any response from the little girl ahead at the top of the stairwell, his stance shifts, with his other hand opening like he may just do something to Sienna.

Sienna switches from Wildling to English with an easy transition. "It wouldn't hurt," she supplies in quiet appreciation to Ash, a grateful smile creasing her lips. She inhales a deep breath, kneeling down and reaching into her backpack to dig through its contents quickly. "I probably don't even have it, but... Do you mind if I try something first?" she requests of the group, green eyes flashing an apology toward Dean. If looks could kill, that girl would be atomized on the spot.

"Try away," Juniper intones, apparently just giving her opinion without fear of the outcome.

Juniper either doesn't fear being atomized or is just living on a healthy dose of adrenaline right now - anxious to get into the temple and continue this quest for their absentee Stormcaller.

Ash blows a kiss to Sienna, a hand motion from their mask to her, the unseen kiss shifting lines of fate around the fellow student.

Isaiah stalks along the darkness alongside Ash, leaning into them, stealing their warmth as she always does when she's feeling a little chilly. Or a lot, in this case. Her breath steams more than it usually does as she forces her blood to pump faster, her veins glowing with a combination of inner flame and black vitae, gasoline and a match ready to burst her body into pieces if she does it wrong. A walking timebomb. Luckily her blood has been diluted enough by her lupine tendencies to make it easy to keep them separated. Still, it's a danger, and it requires most if not all of her focus to keep a stray spark from wandering into the black bile that rolls through her veins. The napalm, the gasoline, highly flammable itty bitty body. "What did she say?" the femme whispers to Ash then, apparently not understandign the dribble of strange language that had come out of Sienna's mouth.

Sienna crouches at the top of the stairs, her breath visible in the icy air as she slips off her pack and unzips a small side compartment. With practiced ease, she pulls out a compact drone, her fingers working quickly despite the cold. She glances at the group, her green eyes sharp with focus before turning her attention back to the eerie scene below. The little girl sitting silently on the last step sends a chill down her spine.

Her movements a re quick and deliberate as she powers the cheap little drone, the soft hum barely barely audible over the whistling breeze. She sets it down on the edge of the step and gives it a gentle nudge, her thumb sliding over the controls. The small device lifts into the air with a soft whirr, and she guides it carefully down the staircase, its camera pointed straight at the girl as it skitters down to the base of the steps. She reaches into her jacket, quickly prying out her phone and thumbing through apps to bring up the feed. "Do you think she'll kill it?"

As soon as it seems like Sienna doesn't have much luck with the unknown creature ahead, Dean's hand waves. A flick of his wrist is all that it takes while she's approaching the group once more, and the rest of the steps slide out underneath her. An unseen force coils around her like a force, Dean pulls her with raw, sheer will-- and steps aside at the last second to let her slip by and join the center of the formation. His jaw shifts to accomodate the set of fangs in his mouth, peer ahead in silence, one that he breaks, eventually, with an order. "Diplomacy doesn't work - someone shoot her in the leg, we're moving on." That's for those in the back, the ranged ones.

As the drone starts whirling up, indeed it gets whipped around by the winds and the cold. But when it comes down to it, it seems like the frigid cold makes flight of the small device impossible. Speaking of which, electronic devices not being held close to the body, the screens seem to start frosting up and it only seems to be getting colder as night sets in. Deeper into the structure doesn't seem to be any warmer either.

"Jayarr, is there anything you can do about this temperature?" Juniper asks with a slight bit of annoyance at watching the cold thwart Sienna's best attempt. "If we're going down there, i'd like to not end up as one of Elias's favourite threats."

Dean tips a brow at Juniper, "A popsicle?"

"Pupsicle," Juniper corrects. "But, ya, something like that."

"You had to ask, didn't you?" Victoria shakes her head.

Juniper shrugs in response, innocent and sweet.

When Dean goes on the offensive, trying to pull the little girl towards him. His efforts work like trying to grasp upon nothing physical. This would be strong evidence to that this girl may be a spirit. The little girl, slowly and deliberately she rises from the step she is sitting on. She turns, facing Dean and half of her face seems withered away. Her eyes glow with a soft blue light and she speaks, in a little girl's voice, "Your soul will be mine to devour." And with that a powerful gust of cold wind blows through the tunnels, sending dust and snow into the faces of those looking upon her. When their vision is cleared, she is gone.

"I wasn't attempting diplomacy," Sienna mumbles under her breath saltily from her place stuck between everyone. "I was seeing what was going to happen before we went down there. Now we know. Does anyone have some activated charcoal or iron fillings? I can make big enough pouches to help make improvised hand warmers."

Ash unzips their jacket, taking Isaiah into them for warmth. It makes it harder to use their rifle, but they don't seem to be concerned - Isaiah and Dean know that they don't need it, not here. They even demonstrate - orders are orders, though they shake their head slightly, a show of disagreement that's probably missed, and a shooting star bursts from their mask - like a laser - to shoot the girl in the leg. They pat Sienna on the shoulder as Dean telekinetically pulls her back into formation.

"If I do something about the temperature, I'll have to be in the center," Isaiah announces to Juniper, sharing warmth in Ash's jacket with them in turn as they nuzzle in close. She shivers still, and she's about to speak again when Sienna goes flying through the air at Dean's behest- probably for the best, because now that little girl is doing some fucky shit, and what's the opposite of ice? "Fuck yeah! Action, bitch!!" Isaiah screams at the top of her lungs, blue eyes on fire- literally- as she peels away from Ash as soon as she's cuddled them, leaping up and down on her toes faster and faster and faster, the friction, the motion, the pumping of her blood causing her body to go red hot, and then ultimately burst into flame- Fire Sorcery. "Do you know who I am?" she wonders of the ghost, eager to get to the 'balls deep' portion of this fucking adventure. That's what she's good at. The fucking shit up. It's her best talent, really, as she cups a hand into the shape of a claw, fingers pointing towards the ceiling as a ball of fire starts to form within her palm. "I'm the Juggernaut, /bitch/!" she calls out, quoting something from some X-Men movie and giving, perhaps, a hint for the front and mid lines to duck down as she yeets that ball of flame right into the oncoming wind, aiming right for the half-withered little ghost child.

While target might not have been immediately been the little girl ahead, it did provoke it upon Dean. While it offered a little bit of snow and wind, it is gone now and the pathway seems clear, going down into the ground.

Isaiah says "Noooo come back!"
"Yeah, let me dig out my stash of activated charcoal." Dean growls underneath his breath without looking at Sienna falling into formation. The radius of the pull affecting Sienna, it evidently tried to pull in the little girl as well for whatever nefarious purpose Dean had. Stepping forward, just a step, his other hand extends and the torches flicker all around. The collection of iron rings around his fingers begin to suck in all the light, gather and grow viscous. In their slow drip from between his fingers, Dean draws his hand through the air and the trace of shadow coalesces into a jagged javelin, rippling with tears and bleeding black before he seeks to hurl it straight at the spirit, right after Ash's -- Except, the spirit is gone. Dean is left holding a sword in one hand, a jaggeed spell primed to be thrown. It flickers, devours light and life slowly while his teeth clench, and without another word, Dean takes the helm to charge ahead. Down the open path, into the stairs.

Ash looks at Dean carefully, after the girl leaves. They seem to be staring at him.

In silent contrast, Kah takes a calm march forward as if staring at death in the face. However, with the presence of spirits revealed Kah can't help but take a sharper eye as he surveys their surroundings. "The dead are often testy" he murmurs dryly, the sound of boots crunching over now and the soft rattle of his shield as he moves.

Not to break formation, Juniper is moving down the path as well. No obvious weapon held in hand at the moment she only spares a moment's glance to make sure everyone else keeps in tight and follows as they do.

Victoria moves along accordingly, focusing her full attention toward where the path leads.

Ash frowns - hidden behind their mask, before calling out, "Dean? Hey, Dean?" They follow only after Sienna and Victoria move, grumbling to Isaiah, "Did you see that? His eyes...." They don't really expect Dean to slow down or respond to them, though, so they try to catch Juniper's attention next, while remaining in the rear. They give one last look over their shoulder, though, before descending.

And once the rest of the adventurers enter the stairwell going downward, the door at the base of the temple slides shut. Upon inspection of the door, it is smooth and almost seems to have disappeared altogether like it never was. There is lingering sound of little girl laughter can be heard echoing throughout the stairwell. The atmosphere in the hallway seems to almost get colder after the sealing, almost feeling like one being sealed into a refrigerator. Magic is so dense in the air, that even non-arcanists can feel it saturating everything. The grasp towards the nightmare seems unreachable and the abilities of pathing seem the same. The only path available seems is forward.

"Fucking... Coward!" Isaiah screams into the void, her fireball wasted as the ghost girl disappears just before impact- she's still blazing hot as she walks along, however, keeping her magicks prepped for use just in case. It's clear she doesn't like dealing with spooky shit, and half-melted ghosts definitely qualify as spooky shit to her.

"What about his eyes? Purdy, ain't they?" she asks, fluttering her own blue pools towards Ash in one of those bratty ways that says she expects even greater compliments to befall her. But that pretty expression is ruined at the smell of magicks not her own, and she wretches, covering her lower face with a hand as her eyes finally start to water. "Ugh... What the fuck is that smell? It's fucking disgusting.." she mutters, doing her best to breathe through her mouth instead- not that it matters. The lupine blood in her veins causes her entire body to prickle with gooseflesh at the foreign arcane energy, churning her stomach and raising her hackles instinctively. Once that door shuts, too? She jumps, yelping, then grasping onto Ash, starting to breathe a little faster than she already had been- and threatening to melt any synthetic materials on their jacket with how high her body temperature increases. To accommodate her fear of being trapped, fur starts to bristle over her form slowly, hinting at a subconscious and impromptu shift that may be incoming. "D-Dean.." she stammers out fearfully, calling to her Alpha more than anyone else in the face of danger and despair.


And so, Dean seems like he doesn't hear someone in his stride forward. Without pause, without letting the saturated scent of magic that occludes and clouds his sense of smell with the sickening stench of it. His jaw tenses harder, the sword is clutched, and the darkness in his other hand nearly threatens to spill out and crack with how tight he holds it. Erratic flickers that, as opposed to illuminating anything, suck up whatever light resides around him starting up his arm. Like hungry flames devouring a path up his forearm and spilling in equal measure to leave cracks upon the floor he walks on - clearly intent on taking whatever this place throws at him head-on and first for everyone else.

And so, Dean seems like he doesn't hear Ash in his stride forward. Without pause, without letting the saturated scent of magic that occludes and clouds his sense of smell with the sickening stench of it. His jaw tenses harder, the sword is clutched, and the darkness in his other hand nearly threatens to spill out and crack with how tight he holds it. Erratic flickers that, as opposed to illuminating anything, suck up whatever light resides around him starting up his arm. Like hungry flames devouring a path up his forearm and spilling in equal measure to leave cracks upon the floor he walks on - clearly intent on taking whatever this place throws at him head-on and first for everyone else.

"You know, people wonder why kids aren't my favorite," Victoria sighs, drawing her arms across her chest with a shiver. Despite the lighthearted attempt, her lips turn downward into a frown. "I don't like this at all," she states, wincing momentarily when Isaiah shouts.

Dean moves forward, being the first to see what is at the end of the pathway, assumedly the others arriving shortly after. Made of the same smooth slate, ends in a room. The room, there is ice lining the walls and icicles hanging from the ceiling, it becomes clear this is the heart of the structure. There is a tablet propped up a smooth cylinder of a pedestal which seems to be in the center of the room. Above it, there is an ice crystal which seems to glow a faint blue glow just dangling seven foot off from the ground. Is the glowing crystal the Heart of Winter? Unlikely, it seems like something else, perhaps a prison? The phantom little girl laughter can be heard again, echoing from all around you in the room. Once again, she appears again, standing in front of the pedestal. A clear look upon her can be seen here. Half of her face, she fits many of the features of a young Shirley Temple, an idealized version of child-like innocence. The other half is anything but. Sharp, black teeth, blackened, withered skin, and a blackened eye socket that a faint reflection of a moist orb within.

Kah's lip curls at one corner of his mouth, the sight of the girl's face drawing the reaction from him immediately.

Sienna remains quiet, shivering uncontrollably as the temperature steadily plummets to unnatural levels. Her fingers flex and curl in the thick layers of her gloves, barely able to feel them as she sluggishly moves forward after the group, one foot placed in front of the other to keep herself warm.

It's a scenery alright, and Dean spares just enough time to glance around. The walls, the ceiling, floors - it's not the look of one taken by the view while he cuts a path forward to clear space behind him and around him for the rest of the pack. What he does is assess, judge the distance, the span over every wall and object between him, the sharpest route to the way they came - interrupted with the laughter that snaps Dean's attention onto it and while his breath mists heavily, the spear of darkness is hefted up. Dean spins it around, once, twice, caught in a firm grip and beginning to spin where it stands in his grasp. One more step to charge, and Dean throws it straight at the spirit - right in the dome in an attempt to silence that laughter and dispel, if not maim, that wicked display.

Ash starts to explain to Isaiah, holding her protectively, "I think I saw a...," and then they frown, looking over her and deciding against sharing that. They *do*, however, try to hold her back if she tries to move to Dean. They're not strong enough, but they would hope, in that situation, she'll respect that they're doing it for a reason. Instead, they focus on Juniper for a moment.

Whatever they focused on her to do done, they continue down the hall, doing their best to keep Isaiah warm on the outside, even if she's boiling on the inside, until they get to the room. Their mask looks around the room as well, and then focuses on the cylinder and crystal. They don't step out of formation, but there's a clear yearning for this new puzzle... tempered by the ghost as well as the alpha.

They sigh with relief, for some reason, when they see the girl - relief that ends sharply as Dean throws his spear. There's a sharp intake of breath, followed but a groaned, "Fuck!"

The powerful display of Dean's sorcery blasts right through the phantom little girl, almost like a something solid passing through mist, breaking chunks off the pedestal, causing it to rock the tablet on top of it. The wicked little girl spirit laughs as she starts skipping over towards some of the icicles, but not too far, using a form of telekinesis herself, hurling a raining barrage of hard ice fragments almost like a shotgun blast. Fortunately for the others, Dean and Kah weather the worst of it, but their supernatural skin deflects it away for now. It did hurt a good deal and it isn't something they could handle in a sustained manner. The hanging crystal orb glows brighter for a moment as she does this, as if it has a heart beat of its own.

Juniper is pulled from a frowning reverie, almost not even caring about the spirit 'child' while Dean sets his sights on her. She's busy looking at Sienna shivering in the perilously low temperatures and then to Ash next, which is just as well when she blinks against some flash of colour before she shakes her head to remove the fireworks from behind her retinas.

The blast of icicles has her instinctively moving in front of Sienna, bodily, but luckily it is hardly required before she is narrowing her eyes up at that hanging crystal. "Alright, new target Dean," she barks out with her attentions fixed momentarily - no doubt expecting him to have noticed or keyed in anyway.

With a sudden glance at Dean and then Ash and Isaiah, he hears the thoughts of his own mind being voiced by Sienna and Kah is nodding and stepping forward. Such a large frame, he shoves his shield out in front of him - well suited for this kind of attack and willing to take the brunt of the hurt in this. "Defensive seige" he calls aloud, shifting his stance more broad and rather than hanging his Ashandarei over the shield he slams it down int othe ground to offer himself great stability and support against the blizzard-like wave of razor-sharp shards of ice. Perhaps it's good fortune that it's so cold in here, the cuts and lacerations that come are often frozen before they can bleed much.

"On it!" Isaiah calls forward to Dean, raising a flame-engulfed hand, not to fling more of her magic at the ghost, but to /chuck/ a fucking ball of fire right at the guy's sword once he's unleashed that spear of darkness towards her. The ball doesn't explode on impact like one might expect- rather, it sinks directly into the metal, burning its core until the blade glows red-hot in the man's grasp. "Balls fuckin' deep!" she calls out, trying to be bubbly and cheerful still despite the fact that her tongue ring is frozen to the flesh that it impales and is causing reddened irritation. Meanwhile the other hand lets its flames drip down about her feet, the beginnings of a flaming puddle that should mean... Something. But not yet. No. The energy it took to produce that fireball requires that she pause before attempting her summons. Still, she's in her little zone, and she plugs her AirPods back into her ears and brings her iPhone up to her mouth, murmuring, "Hey, Siri? Play my battle music mix."

This is it, she seems to decide. This is where she finally gets to peacock a little bit, even if it's from the backlines. Hey, mages can be badasses in combat too. She lets the heavy metal music in her ears keep her focused on the task at hand, utilizing her bond with the Wolves around her to feel instructions rather than hear them. To feel who needs her help most rather than see it. Everything else? Well. She blocks it out if it isn't in her tunnel vision. She's a tool to be used in this moment, and happily so.

Sienna watches the scene unfold with wide eyes, her teeth chattering slightly from the cold that seems to cut through her clothes like a knife. As the blast of icicles rips through the air, she instinctively ducks, her heart racing. The sudden movement of Juniper stepping in front of her provides a brief sense of relief, but the sight of Kah planting his shield firmly into the ground and bracing for impact sends a wave of dread coursing through her. She squeezes her eyes shut, breaths growing labored as she digs desperately through the contents of her pack, tugging loose an emergency heating blanket she stuffs into her jacket in an attempt to preserve her depleting core temperature from her place crouched out of danger's immediate path.

Victoria glances over Sienna and frowns in thought, moving slightly closer to her when Juniper steps in front of her. She's somewhat warmer than normal, at least. She keeps concerned eyes on Sienna for a time as she digs through her pack.

Of the two apex wolves weathering the storm ahead of others, Dean bares his teeth, hisses out a misted breath to the side through a clenched jaw. It expels out of him like a furnace runs through his lungs - but that's only a testament to the frigid frost of the area. Dean doesn't have any shields other than his own body- but he makes use of it beside Kah in a similar way, becomes a wall of armor and steel flesh. It's obvious that he hadn't noticed anything until Juniper called it out, and so, Dean confirms. "Shoot the thing, we'll cover you." Not that he won't himself. The cuts that have torn through ancient armor bleed over his arms and shoulders- just shallow lines, some more evident on the corners of his face. Icicles that he's subtly tilted away from when they threatened to hit something vital or injure more than he could deign to allow.

With his sword in his other hand starting to glow red hot and scalding, thanks to Isaiah's efforts, Dean glances at the other big wolf, peer, unblinking. "You're the shield." The decision is made, then, without asking for confirmation - he falls into place to be the 'sword'. Even as more light flickers, starts to spiral and get sucked into his other palm to form yet another jagged spear swirling with dark energy, he's charging ahead. He can't path, but that doesn't mean Dean is any slower - boots dig into the frozen floor with every step to propel himself forward up and ahead, trying to get close enough and get past the incorporeal to strike at what Juniper told him to- first with a thrown javelin of shadow and then a steel sword, gleaming hot with heat.

Ash hisses, their drawl warped by the mask, "You'll set her free if you do that - for better or for worse. But, the tablet! Careful!" They would probably prefer that the others did *not* attack the crystal, but that's definitely too much to ask right now. Instead, they hope that they will, at least, spare the tablet. They remain in formation, unable to do much for Sienna than try and pull themself and Isaiah closer to share what meagre warmth they have - after Isaiah casts, at least.

Unable to directly protect people, they instead start to glow, the scent of blood perhaps hidden underneath the smell of magic for the wolves, though easy to smell for Sienna. They pull on the magic around them, even as the blood misted into their lights weakens them, as a finger draws lines from one of the will o' wisps they summon to another, chanting as they draw a ritual circle with light.

With that, there's a noise that comes from Kah's throat, it rumbles out and reverberates within the chamber. A shield .. a wall is what they need. His form will grow .. and grow ... and grow as he begins to shift and change as his belongings fall to the ground around him. Capable of growing to the size of near a house or more, he'll take up as much room in this chamber as it will allow. It will become a tight fit all the way around, now but at least there will be little room for this spirit to attack much beyond him even if it's not going to do HIM any favors. A primal sound rips from him as the transformation takes him in full.

Juniper is here for someone, and that means she's here for that tablet on the pedestal. While chaos ensues with someone shifting, Dean making a break for the glowing crystal and the order given to the others to shoot - the blonde she-wolf is attempting to go for retrieval of that tablet before it gets crushed, maimed, removed or whatever the case may be. Into her hands. That's where it needs to go.

Now in this form, Kah(wolf) can provide cover as well as warmth that radiates from his enormous form. Small blessings for the situation, urgent as it is.

Juniper is here for Cornbread, and that means she's here for that tablet on the pedestal. While chaos ensues with someone shifting, Dean making a break for the glowing crystal and the order given to the others to shoot - the blonde she-wolf is attempting to go for retrieval of that tablet before it gets crushed, maimed, removed or whatever the case may be. Into her hands. That's where it needs to go.

Juniper is here for Cornbread, and that means she's here for that tablet on the pedestal. While chaos ensues with Kah(wolf) shifting, Dean making a break for the glowing crystal and the order given to the others to shoot - the blonde she-wolf is attempting to go for retrieval of that tablet before it gets crushed, maimed, removed or whatever the case may be. Into her hands. That's where it needs to go.

The only place for Sienna is sheltering place where her body has chosen to deposit her, reduced to a small shivering ball barely kept from succumbing to the weather as Ash and their meager warmth gives her something to fixate upon. The sting of cold has long since left her heavy limbs, green eyes barely opening enough to take in the efforts of the rest of the team as they split apart to try and seize the crystal and tablet, a smattering of words, barely more than nonsense, lost in a lip-trembling hiss of air.

The little girl takes a swipe at Dean as he passes, her left like a withered, otherworldly claw but doesn't make contact with the speed of the wolfish man. The first shadowy spear hits the orb, causing it to crack ever so slightly, but when the searing blade hits it, it is devastating to it, cutting it clear in half. Just as Kah(wolf) is about ready to charge into battle, a powerful shock wave blows through the room with explosive force, knocking everyone but the strongest to the ground [Str 5 or higher won't be knocked off their feet] and disrupting their rituals and other tasks. The spirit of the little girl starts to change, her skin all becoming completely decay and shriveled as she grows in size until she reaches about eight foot tall. She cackles in a shrill pitch and lets out, "I am free!" And with that she dissolves into mists. The mists dart down the hallway and there is what sounds like smashing stone at the top of the stairs. Indeed, bits of rubble come tumbling down the stairs. A rush of heat comes into the room, not so much that it is unnatural, but more the unnatural cold has dissipated. Slowly, the magical torches start going out one by one as the magical presence of the room starts to disappear. All the barriers and wards stopping travel are gone. All of note that remains, is stone tablet sitting on the damaged pedestal.

More than stable, Kah(wolf) snarls out in animal shape now and moves to bite at the spectre as it grows .. only to dissipate and flee. Still, the sound of rumbling stone seems to catch his attention, too. Moving slowly .. his first move is to nudge at Sienna with a tree-trunk sized muzzle. A waft of hot dog-breath washes over her as he tries to rouse her enough to get her moving out of here. The release of the cold may be all well and good, but they need to get out of here before things grow critcal.

"Ash, are you banishing her or trying to figure out puzzles?!" Isaiah asks Ash calmly, shouting over the din of battle and, probably, her own music. Those close enough might hear Slayer screaming out the scant amount of lyrics they put into 'Raining Blood'. "Either way, I'll cover you!" she assures, taking a wide stance then as that waterfall of flame in her hand continues to puddle at her side, finally starting to take shape in the form of a mischievous little imp with glowing, eyes of fiery white. "Shovel!!" she calls out eagerly, bloodlust in her pretty blue eyes as much as it is in that rowdy but feminine voice. She shifts her eyes to Kah(wolf), watching him turn his entire body into a shield wall, and she can't help but marvel at him, a little googoo eyed at the size of that massive white beast. It's like she's never seen a Wolf as ancient as he is before, and so it takes her a moment to breathe in his features, the pure white of his fur, the way he towers over her and everyone else. She grins, excited, palpably so, before returning her focus to summoning her flaming Imp. She seems to innately trust someone, but the moment that wave rumbles across the ground, she stands firm- and snags a hand out towards Ash, trying to keep them on their feet just as that shockwave washes over. She's small, but she's fucking mighty, and it will take more than that to make her take a tumble.

She grits her teeth through it all, watching little girl become massive monster then disappears. Her eyes narrow, suspicious. ".. That can't be all, right?" she wonders quietly, as though both eager to jinx it and afraid /of/ jinxing it. "Where..." her voice trails, and she starts searching every corner of the chamber.

"Ash, are you banishing her or trying to figure out puzzles?!" Isaiah asks Ash calmly, shouting over the din of battle and, probably, her own music. Those close enough might hear Slayer screaming out the scant amount of lyrics they put into 'Raining Blood'. "Either way, I'll cover you!" she assures, taking a wide stance then as that waterfall of flame in her hand continues to puddle at her side, finally starting to take shape in the form of a mischievous little imp with glowing, eyes of fiery white. "Shovel!!" she calls out eagerly, bloodlust in her pretty blue eyes as much as it is in that rowdy but feminine voice. She shifts her eyes to Kah(wolf), watching him turn his entire body into a shield wall, and she can't help but marvel at him, a little googoo eyed at the size of that massive white beast. It's like she's never seen a Wolf as ancient as he is before, and so it takes her a moment to breathe in his features, the pure white of his fur, the way he towers over her and everyone else. She grins, excited, palpably so, before returning her focus to summoning her flaming Imp. She seems to innately trust Juniper, but the moment that wave rumbles across the ground, she stands firm- and snags a hand out towards Ash, trying to keep them on their feet just as that shockwave washes over. She's small, but she's fucking mighty, and it will take more than that to make her take a tumble.

She grits her teeth through it all, watching little girl become massive monster then disappears. Her eyes narrow, suspicious. ".. That can't be all, right?" she wonders quietly, as though both eager to jinx it and afraid /of/ jinxing it. "Where..." her voice trails, and she starts searching every corner of the chamber.

YOINK. Because Juniper didn't get knocked off her feet during that shock wave, only surfing the vibrations with her usual calm and steady anchor to the ground, the blonde is still on point for getting that stone tablet.

Victoria entirely went backwards on that, and will be picking herself up off her ass momentarily.

When Juniper grabs the tablet, SUDDENLY... she has the tablet in her possession. There seems to be no traps or ill effects. It almost seems like a normal stone tablet.

Sienna has barely been holding it together, teeth chattering from the cold and her limbs numb despite the heat of the emergency blanket crammed into her jacket. She had just been on the edge of a losing battle when the shockwave suddenly hits. The force of it sends her flying backward, her body slamming into the floor with a painful thud. Her breath is knocked out of her, and for a moment, she is completely disoriented, gasping for air and clutching her side. The sudden rush of heat that follows is jarring, almost too much after the biting cold she's endured. The girl coughs, lungs expanding with a wheezing inhale, arms trembling from shock and strain to return her to an exhausted prop on her elbows.

For those interested in checking on Yora, it seems she is gone. Considering how afraid she seemed, she likely pathed away or something dark in these old forest grabbed her, but it is impossible to track her with the wind and snow. For everyone else, the travel back home will be easy for those that path and it is likely for those who cannot will travel along with someone else. All that is left of this temple is just a shell of what it was when they first arrived and what it was protecting is now in the possession of Juniper.