______________A r e a tab D e s c r i p t i o n || tabCovering a land twenty miles long and, in places, four hundred feet across the Copper Canyons rest just south of the walls of Kirigakure no Sato. The origin of the canyons remains unknown even to the legends of the natives, but what is known is what remains within: natural caves, alcoves, and hidey holes in which strange creatures, hidden treasures and lost secrets are kept away from a world of prying eyes. A forested region constantly wet with the dew of fresh rain and a quite high water table, the region is best described as just that: wet. Waterfalls dot the region with natural and man made pathways that provide a scenic tour of the region and its many splendors. Yet to truly reach the best sights, and the hidden splendors, one must move beyond the safe paths and explore the untamed wilderness. tab Of note is that within this region are many natural sights and remains of the last human civilization. Machines and supernatural beings dot much of the land, holing up in locations as they come across remains of the past. These natural hideouts are quite easily made due to the nature of the stone in these lands. Called Sandstone, the stone erodes naturally with water, and given the large amount of the liquid in the area this has caused quite a wide range of formations to take its place. While the forest and stones make it difficult to traverse this location, the strange natural sights make actual navigation a breeze.
______________P o i n t s tab O f tab I n t e r e s t || tab • Path of Daggers → The Path of Daggers are is a winding path that leads through much of a one time nature preserve. Unlike many other areas within the Copper Canyons, the Path of Daggers spends much of its time utilizing partially exposed tunnels with stalactites. This path serves as a direct path between the Etched Cave and the Meandering Echoes, stretching over four miles in length. It bypasses much of the natural forest and natural falls, instead offering a quick travel between two locations at the risk of that which lives in the dark. Due to their naturally mostly submerged nature, most of the travel is made in the dark, with light fighting through holes or openings in the walls or ceiling. Many offshoots exist within the sandstone, carved both naturally and by careful hands, and it is here where animals and other beasts make their home alongside would-be bandits. Yet the most dangerous part of these tunnels is what happens when it rains. Due to the sandstone's nature, when water strikes it they become slick, similar to grease. As such travel becomes impossible, as is anchoring one-self. If it rains many flee for their lives rather than be caught in the Path of Daggers, battered against the stone structures never to take a breath of free air again. tab • Etched Cave → There was a time when this place must have been grandiose, a monument to the natural world and the forces that shape it. A cave of enormous proportions, with an entrance several hundred feet high and even more deep, the majority of this cave is the exterior which is carved into a natural amphitheater. Before the entrance is a large stone outcropping, a natural podium of sorts that when spoken from carries the voice to all within the cave clearly. One side bears a natural waterfall that feed a small creek that winds between the cave proper and the natural podium, runoff from the nearby canyons. Fresh water, with even fresher residents. Sometime recently humans have returned to the world and crafted this location into an Township settlement, a natural stopping point both easily defensible and with enough space to house hundreds. Those who awoke with Doton techniques helped shape it even more, excavating into the sandstone walls and forming homes and storage within the damp, cool stone. Outside murder holes dot the sides, with many defenses simply designed to trigger alarms if someone enters. A Township, the Etched Cave draws its name from the hundred, thousands, potentially millions of initials, names, and phrases carved into the sandstone, and it serves as the primary trading outpost for the region. tab • Meandering Echoes → A complex system of caves and caverns that are found underground, with many entrances placed sporadically around the region. A known location of many dungeons, mysteries, and hideouts, the Meandering Echoes are known as the underground, the hidden part of the region. Finding one's way in isn't that difficult, it's surviving once there.
______________N e a r b y tab L o c a t i o n s || tab • The Southern Wall → The southern walls of Kirigakure no Sato's ancient battlements. tab • The Cave Over the Falls → A section of underground rich with chakra and other natural energy. tab • The Father Gates → The land-side gates that lead into the old Kirigakure no Sato lake.
______________D e f e n s e s // D a n g e r s || tab • Rain → Rain is a natural enemy here, an ever present danger due to the very nature of the land. Floods happen, the stone becomes so slick that walking is an impossibility. One wrong step and into the canyons you go. When it rains, it is better to find shelter and wait for the world to dry, if it ever does. tab • Bandits → A world where every turn could be the last, every breath possibly ending in a gurgling demise, has left those who returned to it a bit on edge. Dog eat dog, as it were. Bandits are a natural part of the evolutionary process in a land without laws, or even with them. Perhaps because of them. As such, Bandits are a true threat. Made of up humans and other natural species, the outcasts of society are a threat that should be taken quite seriously.
______________R u l e s || tab • None, for the moment.
______________R e s o u r c e s || tab • Copper → Durability :: 50 // 50 tab • Tin → Durability :: 75 // 75 tab • Fox → Durability :: 57 // 57 tab • Alligator → Durability :: 125 // 125
______________C l a i m i n gtabR e q u i r e m e n t s || tab • None
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
It took me a day to reach the place where the report had said the squad had disembarked. The air was most enough for me to bring the Land Shark out with me instead of letting it rest here, so I lead the creature out of the water, weary as I always was of the thing, and of this strange environment. While the creature was fast on water, it was very slow on land; the eight-foot-tall amphibious beast would lumber around the forest, stepping on branches and everything around. The going was so slow, that fifteen minutes in I decided to turn around and lead it back to the shore. Despite the relative safety that it gave me, it hindered the advance and made me too conspicuous. My objective was to get in and get out before anyone could see me, get their bodies and bring them back without attracting unwanted attention. Only Sakaar knew what evils dwelled in these woods, and I was adamant, at least for the time being, to make sure that it remained that way. I knew there would not be any danger to leaving the creature behind in the shore, they had been sufficiently trained to not wander far when left alone, and a whistle would call it to me if I came and found it had in fact wandered. It was a wonder the work my people had done with these creatures. After I left it, I retraced our steps back into the woods. As I walked, I made notes in my notepad with my pencil of what surrounded me, writing and drawing the embankment where I left the shark, the route I took, and anything of note. Unfortunately, at least in the first fifteen minutes of trek from the river’s edge, there was nothing but lush, thick jungle.
Techniques used:
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of handsigns.
tab The jungle wasn't silent. tab Far from what many might assume a jungle to be a quiet place, with the darkness that inevitably comes with the thick foliage being a deterrent to life. In point of fact that wasn't the case. All around Reza as he walked things he couldn't see, and some he did, maneuvered across the dead leaves and plants upon the earth or within bushes and trees around him, an ecosystem teaming with life just under the surface, if only he'd scratch at it. As he traced his steps back the boy might well remember the instructions his companion from the docks had given him the path towards the bodies wasn't likely far from where he'd first landed. The group hadn't wandered far, but the memory of just where that was might well lay just out of reach for him. Around the world was dark, yes, but colors bloomed everywhere he could see, helping naturally to disguise paths he might normally have seen otherwise, making it all the more difficult to find the path he'd originally been told about. tab As he walked, too, he would spot something that refracted light from a shiny surface, and only a little searching with his gaze alone would tell him that it came from a lone steel railing, thick with rest in most places, but clearly something he would have seen in his past around public spaces. Beneath it lay cracked and overgrown concrete powdered with age but clearly visible nonetheless. More lay further down a decline, further into the woods with thick surfaces allowing for natural steps to form from the concrete slabs.
Rexnov
Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 7:49 pm
[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
The further I drifted away from the river, the darker it got, and with the darkness came difficulty in mapping my way through the forest. The darkness, however, was paralleled by a flashing array of color, which I jotted down on the rough, makeshift map. Nothing of interest appeared came until perhaps fifteen minutes of walking from the last time I took note of there being nothing. As I looked around me in the darkness, a dint of light caught my eye, reflecting the shy rays that dripped from the tall tree leaves onto the underbrush. It didn’t take me long to recognize what could make such reflections: metal. I approached the metal and pulled a kunai from my pockets. I picked at the metal to remove any foliage that had grown onto it, and it turned out to be a metal railing leading down an incline. Perhaps this was part of a city, was my first thought. It was likely. People in the city claimed this was once the land of waves, and that the village hidden in the mist had once been relatively nearby, but where exactly was a mystery to everyone because of their shattered memories. I stood there, looking at the railings, debating whether I should descend further and explore what that was about, something that might as well end up being a clear detour from my mission; Pyp had clearly said that they did not go far from the river, and at this point I was a ways away from it. The further I descended into this green luscious hell, the likelier I was to lose my way and perish. I turned my back and took to steps back in the direction where I had come from before my curiosity got the best of me and I felt my body jerk the opposite direction, back to where I had once stood, right in front of the railing. I pulled out my notebook and drew the railing onto my makeshift map and made clear that this was going down an incline. With that in my notebook, I put it away, along with my pencil, and kept my knife at hand as I continued my trek downward, following the rail going only where Sakaar knew this ill-begotten trail would lead me.
Techniques used:
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of handsigns.
tab The metal railing flakes at his touch, the oxidized metal unraveling beneath his touch. It must have had a strong inner core to last as long as it had. Here and there were nicks and grooves, some clearly animal in origin, some less so. Making his way down the path wasn't exactly easy even with the guide rail, unfortunately, for steps were uneven, broken concrete made erratic by time and natural shifting of the earth's surface. In fact in many places the king had to take several moments to carefully assess his steps before continuing lest he fall to his death down some relatively unseen pits. It took nearly fifteen minutes of careful climbing before he neared the bottom of what once must have been a natural cave and hideaway, were it not for the enormous statue made of unknown material that lay in titanic peaces around the clearing he'd just found. From its looks it looked to be ancient design, though how old was difficult to tell in the rough, pitted shape it was then. Perhaps the metal podium at its feet would offer answers that way. tab Still, too, it appeared somewhere in the darkness there may be shapes who watched. The cave caught the little light that existed and threw it back into Reza's face without any seeming care for who it inconvenienced. Atop the statue, in fact, it looked like there rested something darker than the ambient light he could see by. tab Here upon the muddied earth could be seen many three towed feet with deep gouges, and not a few prints easily identified as made by the landsharks he hosted.
Rexnov
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:19 am
[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
It took me some time to get used to the walking down and the not falling. There were a couple of close calls, but for the most part I made it to the bottom without breaking a leg, or even worse, without falling to my death. There was one slip that was particularly frightening, but not much came of it. Every couple of minutes I would pull out my notepad and make additions to the map, but after some time, I stopped because it seemed to have lost its purpose, I just kept going down, and down, and down, and the stops were only adding more time to my descent. All in all, it took me twenty five minutes to reach the bottom. Upon reaching the bottom, I stood before the mouth of a cave with a statute made of something I could not identify. I pulled out my notepad once against and made note of it and also stole a quick sketch of it for future reference, it would not prove to be that helpful to identify what it was, but it would be a start, that much was certain. From there, I admired the statue for a few minutes, eventually I approached it to get a better look and saw a metal podium at its base, after inspecting the podium and looked back to the statute, where atop of it I saw… something… I couldn’t quite make out what it was, but it was not a statute, that much was for sure. On the ground around me I saw the tracks of some of the landsharks that we had back in the city. This might be too deep for any of them to come naturally, so it was more than likely made by the team I had sent. Now that I had a clear trail to follow, I went about following the tracks in the mud and wherever they lead me.
Techniques used:
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of handsigns.
tab It would not be long before Reza would catch that in the silence of this great amphitheater it was not just his breathing that could be heard. tab Somewhere in the shadows something moved, and only a brief look would show that whatever had been atop the statue was now missing. There one moment and gone the next the figure was nowhere to be seen, yet the sounds of its rasping breath was amplified by the natural curvature of the cavern itself, making pinpointing its origin somewhat difficult to locate. Still, that wouldn't likely stop him from trying, which was perhaps the sole reason that he heard the whistling of something flying towards him, allowing him to react by leaping backwards and landing in a crouch. A moment later a crash came from something slightly larger than a human smashed into the floor, twin, large wings made of black leather beating the air frantically as it fought to right itself. Shaking its head two fish-belly white eyes turn to meet the King's within a head that was little more than poorly molded clay. Red clay, at that! Standing on two legs, but using two arms long enough to support it like a pair of additional legs, the creature turned entirely and revealed that in its chest another mouth lay, a gaping chasm from which black teeth drip even blacker ichor that stains the earth where it lands.
Rexnov
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 8:07 pm
[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
My movements were fast enough to get out of the way of whatever the thing that stood before me was. The creature seemed to be made of some red material, dirt or clay, but it was hard to tell from just looking at it and the poor visibility. I doubted if it was even alive, yet it breathed, and if it breathed, it was definitely alive. I could see the second mouth on its chest, dripping a strange black substance, it seemed dangerous, just as the rest of the creature, I may want to avoid it since it may be poisonous. Perhaps a bite from either mouth could deliver a powerful toxin that would mean the end of me, and of my city. “You best stay away,” My warning came swift, but it was empty. Ruling the city came at the cost of not having time to train, and training was exactly what I was likely to need right now. “I mean you no harm, but if you come any closer, I will kill you.” There was no evidence that the thing even understood me, and perhaps the best course of action would have been to strike first and ask questions while it was subdued since it did attack me first, but nevertheless, I would try diplomacy first. Truth be told, I was itching for a fight. I had been itching for one for some time, I just wished it was under better circumstances. Because of the precarious circumstances I was in, in cave, with subpar training and no back up, avoiding a fight was undoubtedly in my best interest.
Techniques used:
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of handsigns.
tab The creature's dark wings caught the wind, bringing it up and into a standing position at last. With a snap the wings came down and swabbed the creature's body as it writhed, hidden behind the fibrous material of its appendages before it hunched over in a spasm that came a sickening crunch. It then slowly rose, now appearing as a figure similar in shape and size to a man wearing a coat or robe. Twin golden lights with reddish hues burned from within the "hood" it wore, and as it stared at him low, menacing clicking could be heard from within. A sudden crunch as the right shoulder jerked back, followed by more as a thin, inhumanly narrow leg reached forward and caught the ground before it lunged forward to a standing position in a macabre display of walking. It would continue this strange walk as it moved slightly to the right and around Reza, his body twitching, convulsing, popping its joints in and out as it tries to walk, its body little better than a nightmarish blur from the rapid pace of its movements and the great movement they elicited. tab It came to an unsteady halt near the base of the statue where it snapped forward at an unnatural angle and began to rifle through the shadows making the sniffing, snarling grunts of an animal, Reza seemingly unnoticed for the moment and giving him time to think, if he so chose.
Rexnov
Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:43 am
[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
The figure that stood before me was queerly almost human, but there was no man behind those golden-red eyes. I furrowed my brows and stood my ground, pocketing the knife I had pulled a second before because who was I kidding, that would serve no real purpose. Instead, after putting the knife away, my hand pulled out a bola which I halfassedly wrapped around the wrist of my hand. “This is yo-“ I began to speak before stopping myself in my tracks. The creature sniffed at the air, snarled and grunted, but seamed to ignore my presence altogether. What was this thing, I wondered in both awe and fear. I gulped and took a step back, shifting my eyes between creature and the ground around me, looking for stones in the ground. Once I found a sizeable one, I tossed it into the shadows, hoping the sound would make it move away from me and whatever danger it posed, if any, would disappear, but this might not prove to be helpful; if it did not hear my voice earlier, what would make it hear the stone tossed? It was unlikely, but I guessed it was worth a shot. I took another step back, trying to make more distance between the two of us. If it did decide to snap and attack me, I wanted to have as much time as possible to react to the creature’s rage.
Techniques used:
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of handsigns.
tab The noise it released as the rock struck the ground nearby could be described as nothing short of inhuman. The creature's body spasmed upwards, swinging from side to side with it's face pointed to the sky in jerky, rigid movements. Finally it spasmed to the side, darting with a blurring movement that saw its wings unfold and refold as it attempted to snatch whatever it found. In this case, empty air and a rock on the ground, something that caused it to hiss and shriek as it looked for whatever had alerted it. Suddenly it snapped to attention, rigid, its baleful eyes scanning about as its wings formed a tight cocoon around the body. tab This also had the unfortunate result of revealing exactly what the creature had been playing with: Bones. Human bones, from what they looked like. And ones that still bore some meat and cloth upon them.
Rexnov
Posted: Sun May 12, 2019 2:05 pm
[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
The sight of the human remains turned my cautious curiosity into pure white rage. I did not know who they belonged to, and most likely never would, but nevertheless, this thing was likely to be responsible for it, and for that, it would pay. The sound of its screech echoed throughout the cave. I opened my mouth to being an incantation, but I soon realized that to make a sound would be equal to calling it to attention to my location, but at the same time, when I tried speaking, it ignored my presence entirely, so perhaps human speech did not trigger it. Regardless, I was not going to try my luck and risk my life, and perhaps the life of everyone alive at the city. Slowly, I moved my arms up to my chest and clasped my fingers into the ram sign, letting the chakra go through me, and then focused behind the creature. Crystals slowly formed from the ground. They were thin and sharp. There were about five of them, a foot or two behind the creature. From there, I took three slow steps toward the creature while weaving signs: boar, dog, serpent & rat. The ground right in front of the creature quickly turned to mud and erupted toward the creature in a river of debris, stone, and earth. From there, I moved back to the ram sign, sending chakra along the side of the flowing mud river, erecting walls on both sides to prevent the creature from moving out. The walls rose to six feet and curved just behind the spikes. If all went well, the creature would either get impaled with the spikes right behind it thanks to the force of the flowing river, or would drown within the walls.
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.
tab No hesitation, no thought to the chance that it might not be this beast that had brought so many to their doom. Instead, Reza rashly through himself into combat unleashing a barrage of techniques that would be murdered instantly a creature that was slow and stupid, an animal with features human enough to name it a monster. Nothing could be further from the truth, in some respects. In this case the crystals growing behind it caught the creature's attention who turned in a snapping, crackling blur as it's chest mouth gaped open towards the crystal spears. It wasn't going to bite them of course. That would have been silly! Instead there came high pitched squeals and squelches as a titanic wave of grey-black spiders gushed from the chest's mouth, effectively using a ray effect that appeared heavily, and literally, spider-themed. Yet when they struck the spikes there was no squelching but instead a rapid series of pops and flashes of light as the spiders exploded much like cherry bombs! This stopped shortly as its feet were thrown out under it from the river of mud against which it held no defense, but neither did this mean its end now that the spikes were rubble. Instead it was pressed against a pitted and scarred surface that once had been crystal and which would likely be again shortly. And so it did the only reasonable thing it could have done at this point. tab It self-destructed. tab Red and white-hot lines split across its body rapidly as its body contorted and bulbed out disgustedly as its internal power grew. It screamed in a voice that knew a powerful comparison to nails on a chalkboard as its head split from its body, cascading fire out from its newest orifice about the room. If Reza were not careful it would scorch him, too, in the fires of hell. (A - ranked fire technique)
Rexnov
Posted: Thu May 16, 2019 9:35 am
[ Reza Shah al-Sakaar ]
Ninjutsu l Oathkeeper l Thrall of Sakaar l King of Frostblight l D - Rank
To say that my expectation was for this creature to die with a whimper would be a lie, but I never expected it to end like this. At the end of my combination attack, the creature was battered, but nowhere near dead. It made sure that changed quickly though. The mud that covered the being obstructed my vision so what exactly was going on, but the flash of light that emanated from the creature. That was not good. Not good at all. I looked upon the creature as the white and red light flew from it. My awe was palpable; but so was my fear. I stood there for about a second or two until I saw it contort. That was not a result of my technique, mud did not have that effect on anything as far as I knew, so I moved quickly, sliding through the mud to get myself to the relative safety of the crystal walls I had erected second before. “Oh my lord Sakaar, grant me your power and protect me.” I chanted as I brought my hands together once I was behind the wall. A new crystal structure sprouted between me and the wall, completely covering me in a small crystal dome. Then the fire came and engulfed everything. My only hope was that the combined power of the wall and the dome would be enough to shield me from the hellish flames that this demon had summoned in hopes of reuniting me with my queen. Ironic, the thought came quickly; I wanted nothing more than to be with her, and yet now, with ample opportunity to join her, I hid behind these walls with the hope that our separation would continue.
Techniques used:
Crystal Manipulation: Dome [C - Rank]
PA - Oppression: Reduces the cost of ninjutsu techniques by ten [10] PA - Incantation of Blood: Ninjutsu techniques can be used by reciting a spell instead of hand signs.
tab The heat came powerfully and quickly, battering at the walls with a ferocity that echoed the cries of the damned that surely wailed in the Abyss. And yet the moments came and went, leaving behind a bone-chilling cold from the absence of the once deadly blaze. Silence remained where the roaring once held sway and Reza would find himself alive, safe, and well within his crystal coffin. When it would fall away as he would inevitably decide to see just what remained he would find the cavern and statue scorched with black from the howling fury of the fallen creature of which nothing remained. Of the bones there were many, for the destruction had not taken them completely but merely scoured them clean of anything else that might have remained to burn. Cleansed, the scent of roasted flesh and dying life ebbed and flowed with each breath, echoed only the cavern itself as it cast his own voice back at him. tab Once more, he was alone. tab
