the power of friendship.

[adelicateflame]

The Caves of the Arimoi are an extensive network of caverns, winding through the earth. Who maintains the torches which light each passage with a dim and flickering luminescence? Who placed here these treasure chest, filled with artifacts both ancient and obscure? What is it even doing here, as it is clearly not part of the Queen's domain? Nobody knows, or at least nobody is answering. But here it is nonetheless, and it is both ancient and strangely beautiful.

You are not alone in these caves, however. Echidna's children lurk, jealously guarding treasures and preying on unprepared explorers. Here a woman with the lower boidy of a dragon lurks, vicious teeth dripping with venom. There, a formless, shapeshiting mass strikes out with its terrible barbed whip. There, hydras and chimaerae patrol, and in some places the beautiful woman you stumble across may not be what she seems...

How are you supposed to make nice with creatures like these? That's up to you to figure out.

[ooc: A more detailed description of the Caves and Monsters can be found on the setting page. We will be tagging into threads with NPC monsters, if you have a specific monster you would like to encounter please leave a note in your thread.]

Comments

[adelicateflame]

Kuja's experience with dragons may come in handy as a Dracaena peers out from behind a cave wall. Only her top half, her female half, is visible--but no mistake can be made when she bares her enormous, hundreds of teeth. It's a warning. These residents were never kind to her siblings when they first invaded her cave.

[histrionic]

"Hello, my dear." The teeth do not trouble her. There is no death here, and if there were, she would seek it out, not shy away. She smiles, then offers a bow in greeting. It is interest that has brought her here rather than a desire to serve the Queen. She is no one's servant. "A pleasure. My name is Kuja."

The light flickering in her hand is merely colorful, harmless, and it dims as she bows, though it still gleams upon the gold and silver of her raiment. She holds no weapon.

[adelicateflame]

The dracaena growls at the bow, but makes no movement to harm Kuja. She still hides as she inspects the other woman, searching for any sign of a trap, before she speaks.

"What is your purpose?" Her voice is low and rough, and her speech is slow. It is not her native language, of course, though she had been taught enough by watching the people in the Gardens thrive.

[histrionic]

"My purpose? Do I require one? I enjoy these dark places, these glittering caves. They pleased me, so I wished to see more of them for myself and meet their inhabitants. As for a purpose beyond that, I am a poet, a wanderer, no more or less." Well, maybe a little more, but that's a technicality. "I observe, and I create."

[adelicateflame]

"Tssst," the creature makes an irritated sound at such a haughty questions, fingers curling against the rock face of the cavern with a crunch.

"This is ours."

[histrionic]

"Of course. I desire nothing of yours, and I mean no disrespect. As I said, I am merely an observer." She smiles. "I am no live thing, nor even living at all. I require nothing. One might say I am a ghost who has somehow taken form..."

In the darkness, Kuja's eyes glitter as well. "If you wish me to depart, I will depart, but I tire of the sun."

[adelicateflame]

She frowns slowly, not sure she understands the entity that Kuja is trying to describe to her, and undoubtedly curious. She presses close to the wall, edging out enough that her scaled body may be seen.

"There are many ghosts in this hollow."