The Ruins [Outdated]
An outdated take on Uurien's exploration of some mysterious ruins. Qyii, having been captured, is said to be the key to accessing the ruins; or so she claims.
Canonical changes: Either Uurien or Lor'Lire is replaced by Varris and Jesqii respectively, Feon is present, the ruins appear different, the guards would act differently, the identifying name stuff is removed, and Svatei's character and effects have been altered.
The Artifact Hunter
Elsewhere within the ancient subterranean ruins, a wanderer, dressed in a mismatched cloak, was given a mental alert to the lift activating. They shot up to their feet and pulled up their sleeve top check an armband displaying various colors of gemstones.
They frowned, fully aware of their folly of falling asleep in such a place. There was no time to consider this mistake, however, the eastern lift had activated, and only a mage could do such a thing.
Thus They were faced with quite the dilemma- investigate or flee.
Curiosity could be quite a curse… They did not hesitate in their decision.
They reached into a side bag and retrieved some goggles, though these were unlike any that the guardsman possessed. These were larger, with complex mechanisms and a battery pack to go with them, strapped to his belt and hidden by his cloak.
The allowed him to see in the darkness even when there is no heat to guide him. This place was a dead zone, it’s core- a far larger battery back in essence- was broken, or perhaps never completed, rendering the entire place barren unless an outside force awakens it.
That was one of the mysteries of these ruins, why was forcing one's way in even an option when the power had long since drained? Perhaps, just in case. Or, maybe the power could be purposely shut off, in order to limit transit to those able…
He activated the goggles, which remained dark and inert- incredibly stealthy,m and honestly a lucky find. Not every explorer is able to find objects of this caliber within the ruins.
He took a few steps forward, his footsteps nearly silent, each executed with incredible care and muted by the very materials that made up the boot, though the wanderer was forced to stop as he coughed, completely ruining his attempt at stealth. Curses... he's been sick for a while, and even still it persists despite the medications he was able to obtain...and bow with another mage in the vicinity, who could be friend or foe, it acts up, reminding that at any point it could ruin his attempts.
He finally regained himself and continued down the corridor.
Another mage...hopefully they would be willing to cooperate, share their own stories, information, and gear...though often times, power corrupts; he's seen it happen. Mages will kill one another to loot the others effects, or to cripple the competition...this was rare, as even finding another mage is rare...but it has occurred.
He turned to his left, following the path is given to him upon his first entry to these ruins. It was incredible, really, how simply activating the lift would trigger a side program rendering all mental barriers useless, whether telepath or not, to deliver a perfect map of the area.
Sadly not everything was clear. Images and symbols without meaning, and an overall associated tone that….was incredibly hard to explain. A sort of bland desperateness...or perhaps sadness...the emotion simply could not be placed.
Hidden behind a corner he could see the soft blue light of a lantern, along with footsteps and quiet murmuring...sounded like two people, one a female- she was doing most of the talking.