Osiris Open 2020: Round One (Ebi vs Tyr)

The Sanctuary of Draconis was a beautiful place.

An ancient fountain stood in the centre of a huge, glass surfaced platform that served as some sort of intersection between two opposing pieces of a huge floating walkway.

Surrounding this lengthy, marble platform were a number of levitating shrines.

There seemed to be seven of them, all floating in a stationary orbit above and around the fountain area. The two story buildings seemed to be made from the same sort of ancient grimy limestone that the rest of the sanctuary was, and finely carved statues of angels adorned the edges of these temples and their massive, broken wooden front doors. Their more prominent features seemed to be their metallic halos, each uniquely coloured and breathtaking in their beauty and refinement. Unlike the rest of the arena, these seven spinning rings didn’t seem to be worn through age.

It may have once been a place of peace and prayer, but today it would find new purpose entirely...

Polished metal shone sharp under the white light, the walkway stretching off in a gentle curve, and just beyond that horizon loomed a cluster of small buildings; finally. The empty corridor fell silent as the broad-shouldered man clanged to a stop, eyeing bright walls with alarm. Days on the move had surely taken their toll, but he could not recall when dimly-lit ruins had shifted into this blinding place. Behind an involuntary squint, his blue eyes peered at the pristine metal walkway, and a gloved hand fished around in one of the pockets of his leather vest. He pulled out a pebble, and flung it into the void. It clacked against a bright white wall moments later, and then fell into dead silence. After nearly a minute the man continued on, noting the salt that hung in the stale air.

The chime of his steel-toed boots on the metal below brought a grimace to his stubble-covered face, and he pulled his raven hair over a slightly pointed ear. Proceeding with what stealth he could muster, the half-elf rubbed his eyes as he mused with a smirk. If he hadn't lost his pursuer in the labyrinth of traps, the bastard would have no trouble following him now. He reached one bare arm up to pull his cloak clear of the polished hilt above his shoulder, and clanged his way toward the buildings in the blinding distance, tossing pebbles ahead as he went. His satchel of food, lying now on dried blood amidst a clockwork of rusted blades, had been lesson enough to proceed cautiously in this place. Though he did stoop to scoop the pebbles back up, the half-elf hoped his pursuer would persist; his appetite clawed for more... exotic fare.

Along with that swirling need flowed the usual nausea, his breaths slowing as he focused on something else. The buildings loomed closer now, studded with statues and stretching two stories of pale, porous stone. The seven rings floated there, adorning each of the shrines with glinting crowns; at least the map had been worth the gold. His stomach roiled as his excitement swelled, mind returning again to the burnt scrap of paper in his pouch. A frown soured the man's face at the thought of the small fortune the old bat had wrung out of him for it, but not even that could dull his anticipation. The line about 're-purposing the vessel' had been particularly interesting, and standing now in the sanctuary, the miles of muck and misadventure seemed paltry payment for the possibilities filling his head. Reaching down to the pouch hanging aside his canteen, the half-elf fished out the object of his desire, the 'vessel.' Carved vines and critters crawled along the pale statuette, a foot-tall tree covered in plants and wildlife. Its porous stone matched the shrines surrounding, and its square base sported strange symbols in neat lines.

The thing had once grown hardy crops for a mountain village, one he had flown over several times on his smuggling trips. Even after he heard of its connection to this place, the flying flecks of spittle spewed by that money-grubbing old bat had nearly ended his search in a murder case and a swift exit. The rumors of the items that came out of this sanctuary in the past were too intriguing to ignore, however. The sudden warmth radiating from the statuette was also hard to ignore, but not as much as the splash of steaming water that sprayed now from the fountain ahead. A downward glance revealed a single foot sat on the smooth stone of the central platform, and the half-elf's pause abated with cautious steps. Rotted wood hung in stone frames, and the smell of salt drenched the dry sanctuary; he rubbed his eyes again. Though his feet wandered to the low wall of the fountain's basin, the smuggler squinted up at the various statues. The cacophony of shapes converging on each was dizzying, but with furrowed brow and a studious chin-stroke, he started comparing them to the symbols on the statuette.

Round 1 is now closed for judging.

Ebi proceeds to round 2. Rewards to follow.

Ebi receives 128 EXP and 12 GP!

All rewards added.