Private Dunnstads Damnatio Memoriae

[Fina Drago]

‎

Luna was quick to disembark, causing Fina to quickly look over her own shoulder to watch as the lioness performed a few much-needed stretches after the decently long trip. Well, not much to do there, unless the information she received was wrong, they should definitely be in walking distance to their goal now. Spotting a longer stump from a tree that clearly fell over for one reason or another, the feline would lead the horse toward it before jumping down herself and producing a lead from a bag hanging from the mount's side.

"Alright, you stay here. No danger in sight, should be fine. Easy enough to remember location… I think…"

There really wasn't much in the way of landmarks, but if they were to find the dungeon nearby, then that should not be of any issues either.

"As far as clues go… well, the item we need was buried alongside someone. So we're on the lookout for some sort of catacombs. Not a structure above the surface then… probably a large gating leading into a hillside if I had take take a guess from the church's architecture."

With her two cents given, she quickly jogged over to Luna, joining her in the search. It seemed a bit unwise to split up, given that they didn't have a way to communicate with each other over longer distances, after all.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

There really wasn't much in the way of a vista here. Sure, things looked nice, but they also looked the same in almost every direction. If they had to head too far out to find where they needed to go, this was going to be one hell of a struggle to find their way back. It was unfortunate that she didn't have empowered senses to go with this new lion-fashioned body, but a begger couldn't be a chooser, as it turned out.

Did he say what the place used to be used for? If it was an old graveyard or something, maybe we should be keeping an eye out for mossy and overgrown gravestones?

All they could really do was set off and search, though. Without anything that could really help them out in their search, it was just a case of blindly exploring and hoping they stumbled across something.

Which made it convenient when, upon taking a step, a sudden metallic clang rang out. Lifting her foot, Luna noticed that she'd stepped on a fallen fence of some kind. It was made of rusted iron, unkept, with no real hint of structural damage. At least this section.

Well, there's a fence here. I still don't see an entrance. Maybe if we follow the fence we can at least outline the area we need to search?

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

‎

Since the location was marked on the map, it had to be a relatively small area in which they would find the entrance. Otherwise, the marker would have been dotted down elsewhere… assuming the clergyman wasn't just approximating the location. Which was ultimately possible, but Fina hoped that these relics and catacombs were important enough to them that they at least remembered where exactly they were.

"He didn't exactly say it out loud, but as I said - I believe it should be some kind of catacombs. Whether there would be something in front of the entrance-"

It was then that Luna apparently found… fence. Not exactly a door, but better than nothing at all. It was a mad-made object, which meant that they were likely in the right area, given the apparent lack of anything else the fence would be for.

"Not like following it would cost us anything."

And sure enough, the mostly fallen fence would lead them around one of the jagged hills that surrounded the area, all the way to something of a cave, or perhaps just a mildly carved out spot in the hillside. A large marble door was jutting out of the gray stone, surrounded by plant growth with a statue of an angle, though its top half had already crumbled to the ground. Probably would have been easier to spot if they arrived from a different direction…

"Blimey, how long ago did they last use this place..? Well, I'd assume that this is probably what we're looking for. That doors looks heavy though, mind giving me a hand?"

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Rusted iron clung to the bottom of her metal boot, though it quickly dropped, unable to hold itself above the ground against its own weight. It wasn't exactly the most groundbreaking clue, but it was useful to find nonetheless. People tended to not fence something off unless it was worth the hassle. Even the type of fence, it being an iron one, told them that this wasn't a simple sheep run that they'd just stumbled across. Why use metal to keep sheep inside, after all?

No, this one lead the pair to a jagged hill, with some kind of cave or mouth. It wasn't entirely sure if the opening was man-made or natural, but a door had been placed there all the same.

Well, at least we found it. It doesn't look particularly well sealed either, so the air should at least be clean and breathable enough.

She'd heard tales from urban explorers, of something called 'dead air'. Air in sealed environments that had been stripped of the oxygen by other compounds that reacted with oxygen, such as iron. It was just as dangerous as still water.

She nodded to Fina, stepping up and placing her hands against the door, planting her feet firmly and bracing herself, before pushing with all of her might, trusting that Fina would do the same and that together the door would either open, or topple over.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

‎

As uninviting as the jagged edges that embraced the stone door were, the pair pressed on as both girls decided to push against the heavy slate. Given the physical prowess Fina possessed, and how strong Luna must have surely been if her armor were to indicate anything, it begged the question how ordinary people used to open these contraptions when this location was still actively used. Alas, a question that would likely remain unanswered, as the obstacle in the way finally started to give in.

The first motion was quite sudden, as if each half of the stone door slid into place, before their applies pressure on each side would push each half open. And while there was no dead air inside as Luna had speculated, there was certainly plenty of dust that quickly became airborne as it was pushed aside by the opening motion of the doors, and subsequently the wind that found its way past the newly created opening. With a few coughs and waving of her hand to disperse the troublesome particles around her, Fina peered inside.

"Alright, that wasn't too bad… time to see what is inside, I guess."

She wasn't sure if Luna maybe wanted to lead the way, but like a proper adventurer, the feline was prepared for excursions like this. Producing a lantern from the bag that was hanged around her shoulder, she quickly lit the candle inside before going in. Right after the entrance was a long descend, stone stairs that led deep into the bowels of the earth. A bit imposing, perhaps, but without any signs of danger present. What more, there were lit braziers along the way, allowing Fina to light each one as they passed them on the way down.

Dunnstads
Forgotten Catacombs

"Huh…"

As the ground eventually evened and they reached the bottom of the stairs, Fina noticed something about the tiles they were standing on. While it was hard to make out due to all the dust and debris lying around, her enhanced sight allowed her to spot deliberate grooves in several spots. Some kind of text… and after she knelt down and wiped some of that grime off, surprisingly, a legible text! That was to say… legible for her as an outsider to this world.

"That's… latin? Real world latin..? Guess the church had some traveler members… Damnatio Memoriae…"

@Luna Avalbane