Ready, Aim, Fire! (Round 9) (Tainted Gold)

[Silkenfist]

The sun rises above the peaks of the Andes. The warm rays illuminate the long winded path through the mountains and the group of travellers on it. These are the last days of the fall and soon the winter storms would set in and make the mountains impassable. Still, there were some days left and a few days were all, the small group intended to take.
Taking a closer look at the caravan, it doesn’t seem to consist of natives, as you would expect in this place, where tourism is yet unknown. The group is led by its two oldest members: The archaeologists had organised the caravan to search for a site deep in the mountains of Ecuador. They recruited some of their own undergraduate students and some other volunteers. However, they have kept themselves rather secretive about what exactly they were searching for and they declined to take with them local guides as well as other experienced archaeologist, specialised in the region.
In the back of the caravan, some of the volunteers had been rumoring for days. They had been offered a reasonable payment for their job as bearers and pathfinders, but their employers had placed several demands on them, among them secretiveness about their destination before and after the expedition. Four days ago, they had left behind the last village before the expedition leaders found the small trail that led them deep into the Andes. Several times they had left a rail and cut into the wilderness only to miraculously picking up another path several hours later. Up in the front, their leaders kept rummaging through an assortment of maps, both old and new ones, comparing them and debating several times, which one to believe while they led the group deeper and deeper into the mountains.

While the small group treks through the Andes, many of them are wondering what exactly their destination is. But this is why they were chosen instead of more experienced archaeologists. With only a few unspecialized semesters of study, it is unlikely that they ever heard before of the Treasure of the Llanganatis.
The knowledge about the secret of the Ecuadorian mountains has crumbled with the centuries and before the Professors extracted new information from one of their translations, it had been forgotten already. Deep within the mountains, ravines and caves of the Llanganatis, the Professors are searching for the legendary place, where the greatest accumulation of Inca gold workings is supposed to be hidden. By applying the oldest maps and descriptions of early explorers, they could find, the archaeologists hope to find the path that had been used almost exactly four centuries ago.

Back then, in the year 1533 the path through the mountain was used frequently, since it connected several key cities and temples of the Inca Empire. Those were the last years of the Inca. The Spanish invaders had already made contact with the Inca and abused the rivalries of their leaders to turn them against each other and take advantage of their feuds to capture cities and land. The man around General Pizarro intended to seize the land for the Spanish Crown and the Roman Catholic Church and make the native Inca part of both. When they had successfully weakened the support of the Inca ruler Atahualpa, they approached him with the offer to have his men join the Spanish Empire as vassals, subordinate them to the Spanish Crown and having his people baptised.
Atahualpa had considered joining the Spanish Empire, but the demand to abandon their religion was refused by him. Unfortunately, this was all the excuse, Pizarro needed to declare war against the Inca. Through superior arms, he battled the Inca forces and captured Atahualpa in his very own temple. Being in position of power, Pizarro repeated his demand to make the Inca part of Spain. Being under pressure in captivity, Atahualpa came to a decision to avoid submitting to the Spanish. He offered Pizarro a room full of worked gold and two of silver in exchange for his freedom. Pizarro complied and allowed the defeated Inca Leader to send away one of his generals to collect the ransom.
The chosen general was Ruminahui, who travelled to the temples in the south to collect several hundred tons of the gold workings, promised to the Spanish. After several months, he had gathered the required toll and sent a huge caravan of mules back to the Spanish settlements to meet Pizarro and deliver the ransom. But when he had nearly reached the borders of the Spanish zone of influence, Ruminahui met a small group of Inca refugees who had escaped from the conquerors. They told the Inca general, that he had come too late. Fearing a plot behind his back and doubting Ruminahui to actually deliver the promised toll, Pizarro had staged a trial against Atahualpa and executed the Inca ruler long before the return of the faithful general.
Ruminahui hears this and feared the Spanish enemies advancing south and capturing his caravan and claiming the treasure. Desperate not to grant the invaders a reward for their foul act, he took the gold deeper into the mountains, hiding it deep in the ravines, where even his kin did not venture. He then proceeded to lead the struggle against the Spanish troops but it was to no avail. Ruminahui would later burn down entire cities to spite the attackers and leave them without supply but in the end, it only facilitated the downfall of the Inca. After years of war against the Spanish, Ruminahui was captured and executed just as his predecessor. And with the death of Ruminahui and his followers, the last knowledge of the treasure and its whereabouts became eradicated.

Only tiny traces of the knowledge have remained in the narratives of the few Inca survivors, but these traced have persisted for all of four hundred years. Now they are finally put together. After four centuries, the Treasure of Llanganatis could be found. Through the winded paths through the Andes, the Professors lead their expedition on the path of Ruminahui – eager to find his destination and reap their rewards.


Previous Winners
Round 1: DarkLightDragon (14 contestants)
Round 2: B-Man (8 capos)
Round 3: Bookman (12 pirates)
Round 4; Alarra (16 cowboys)
Round 5: Bookman (17 cavemen)
Round 6: Deckmaster (20 hackers)
Round 7: DarkLightDragon (27 shinobi)
Round 8: DarkLightDragon (28 rebels)


Registration for Round 9 ends Friday, 1 PM Eastern


Possible Themes for Future Rounds

Star Trek
Highwaymen (Richard Turpin, Tom King)
Fighting Jackie Chan style (Drunken Mastery & arbritary use of improvised equipment)
Royal intrigue (Roman senate, Hamlet scenario, Japanese daimyo...)
Snipers
War (England-Scotland, American Civil War, Thirty Year's)
Blaster Mages
Swashbuckling
Roman Gladiators
Jungle Fight/Amazons
Horse to Horse Combat/Huns/Goths/Mongols/Romans
Vikings
007 Spies
A-Team Agents
Vampires



Contestants: 32

Alarra
Angela
Atreyu the Masked Llama
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
Castaras
DarkLightDragon
David94
Deckmaster
Destro Yersul
El Jaspero
evnafets
faerwain
Fredricus
Gezina
Gnome Babarian
Indurain
Ink
inky13112
Kantur
KewlKat
Khantalas
Krursk
Lord Fullbladder
Lord Herman
Lord Magtok
Lucky
purple gelatinous cube o' doom
Selrahc
Shadow
weebl
Zar Peter

[Indurain]

Sure...sign me up. Is there a link to the rules?

[inky13112]

I'm in. Been waiting for the new thread to start to sign up.

[Silkenfist]

: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries

: The Hall of Fame

: The Rules


At your service, sir or madam.

[evnafets]

Count me in.
Faerwain, maybe this time you can resist the temptation for suicide until I can get around to killing you?

[Lucky]

In .

[Lord Magtok]

I hope I survive the first round this time!

[DarkLightDragon]

*DLD waits to see how long it will take for everyone to start plotting against her*

[Castaras]

Count me in please.

[Lord Herman]

Put me on the list.

[Captain van der Decken]

*plots*

Something involving snakes, methinks.

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

It would seem that there would be a large amount of gold at stake. Gold is valuable. It's also shiny. Like honey.

I'm in.

[Weebl]

I am in because if i weren't i would lose my grudge title!

[Captain van der Decken]

*plots*

Suicide, it is.

[Shadow]

I'm in! (damned character minimum....)

[Lord Herman]

*summons forth more players from the lowest depths of hell*

[InaVegt]

In .

[faerwain]

Wow, I'm meanwhile a suicidal, homicidal pacifist.
My therapist will be interested.

In as always. (shooting evnafets while saying"paeace, fellows" and hanging himself)

[Deckmaster]

Wow, I'm meanwhile a suicidal, homicidal pacifist.
My therapist will be interested.

In as always. (shooting evnafets while saying"paeace, fellows" and hanging himself)

Not to mention that you've got 2 grudges.

[Silkenfist]

Woo! 31 players is a new record again. Unfortunately, I have an appointment before writing the next story batch. Feel free to sign up in the meantime if you haven't. Next part is up in 2-5 hours, depending on how lucky I am.

[KewlKat]

If it's not too late, I'd like to sign up.

[Silkenfist]

The helpers in the expedition don’t exchange banter as usual as they rest in the shadow of a majestic peak. They had spent the last hours walking non-stop through dense vegetation, at the edge of ravines or down steep slopes. This time, they haven’t crossed a path again since they left their last one and the Professors at the front had completely stashed away the modern maps by now. The whole day has been exhausting and the tension has spread throughout the ranks. As the evening draws near and the wanderers gather their strength for another marsh through the wilderness, they suddenly hear an ecstatic scream from above.
One of the younger bearers had been scouting ahead and came back running and cheering. After he regains his breath, he exclaims. “It’s there! It’s a temple! We have found a temple!” Despite their weariness, the explorers get up and walk up the hill in the direction, the bearer had pointed to. As they arrive on the top, they look down into a narrow valley that has not been visible from the higher peaks. Shielded by a line of high trees, there is a small flat before the mountain, they are looking at. Through the trees, you can see the remains of a winded path that leads towards the rock face.
Amazed, the group stares at the mountain and the large cave in it. At the very first glance from afar, it could have been mistaken for a natural cave, but as you approach it, the explorers quickly revise this impression. The cave had been natural once, but human hands have evened the entry and chiselled runes and ornaments into the rock. Awestruck, the group stands in front of the majestic building. After what feels like an hour, one of the Professors speaks up. “We will continue inside. Get your gear and prepare the torches”

Mere minutes later, the explorers arrive at the entry again. Hastily, they erect a camp for the night and deposit their gear there, before they equip themselves with torches and the light equipment only. Shortly before the dusk falls, the explorers continue their journey and enter the temple. In a straight line, they move on the path deeper into the mountain. They see that the walls at the entry are covered in the runes of the Inca and that these runes are seemingly forming a pattern. The explorers in the back of the group however are unable to identify the runes, while their leaders in the front are preoccupied with what they expect to be in the caverns deep in the mountain. They notice that there are several small holes in the ceiling and the walls as well as a few narrow passages, but still they follow the broad main path that leads straight down into the mountain. As the explorers travel deeper and deeper, even the main path becomes narrow and steep, forcing them to tread carefully. They continue at a slower pace, but finally they find what they were looking for. The main path leads to a small exit to a platform at the edge of a giant cavern. The torchlight reaches down and is reflected faintly by the glow of metal. The explorers anchor ropes in the hard ground and climb down into the cavern. As they reach the surface below, they gasp in awe as they see the hoard before them. Countless masks, goblets and other trinkets of pure gold are arranged in arrays before them, forming a path that is lined with pure gold. Gazing in wonder, they move through the treasure towards a giant stone pedestal at the end of the array. Stairs lead up to the pedestal. On top of the pedestal, an emerald of the size of a human head is held into place by stone cylinders crafted onto the pedestal. In a semicircle, the group gathers around it, unable to move or speak.
Again, the Professors are the ones to break the silence. The two old men climb up the stairs towards the pedestal, then turn around to their helpers to give them a speech.
“Gentlemen, I can see the amazement in your eyes and I can assure you that we are just as surprised as you are, that the rumors of this place are actually true. Our work has proved to be fruitful and we all have the honor to witness the historic moment that the temple of Ilanganatis has been revealed to the western world. The archaeological world thanks you for your effort and we are happy that we can attribute this success to the efforts of our faculty.” A few of the bearers applaud, but it dies down quickly. “We will choose one or two examples to take with ourselves and present to the authorities in Quito, then return with an official team of native scientists. This is a great day for South American history and…” The Professor stops speaking as murmurs in the group have become audible. Puzzled, he looks down at them and sees one of them stepping forward.
“That’s all very nice, boss. But why inform anyone. Just look around you.” The men steps up to where the Professors stand, gets next to them and gestures around with his torch. “This could all be ours. All we need to do is to take it.”
The face of the expedition leader turns deep red. “Be quiet. This is not your property. This belongs to the people of Ecuador and I will not allow this noble expedition to turn into filthy robbery.”
“So what do you expect us to do? Sit on our butts and watch the state take this away from us. After all, we endured? Let them steal our reward? Let them steal yours?”
“If this is, what you think, you will never grasp what archaeology is about. Let alone science. Let alone being responsible. Now get back everyone. We camp outside and return tomorrow and you will take NOTHING with you.”
“Afraid to say that, but this is unacceptable, prof” the man snarls. Suddenly, he has a machete in his hand. Before anyone can react, the blade is swung around twice, cutting open the hapless Professor’s torsos with ease. The leaders of the expedition fall down the stairs, screaming silently through their punctured lungs. Their attacker steps up next to the pedestal, addressing the others. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t harm you. There is plenty for us to take and no reason why we shouldn’t just walk away with a fortune for each of us. This doesn’t belong to anyone but us.”
With these words, he turns around to the giant emerald. With ostentation, he rips it from the pedestal with both hands, raising it over his head. He opens his mouth to speak up again, but lets out a surprised scream instead. The whole pedestal trembles and a loud rumbling can be heard throughout the cavern. Then suddenly, they hear clanking sounds echo throughout the cavern, followed by a deep thundering sound from where they came.
With their dying breaths the Professors mutter “You fools. You damned fools.” before they pass away. Stricken with panic, the explorers run back to the entry, but the dust cloud that meets them halfway tells them, it is too late. A large piece of rock has fallen and blocked the entry to the cavern. They look around and see other entries to the cavern that have been destroyed by the same mechanism. However, they find some other ways reaching from the cavern that have not been blocked in this manner and offer a potential exit.

The group stand in front of the wall with raised torches, contemplating. Inside, they see the passages split up and twist again and again, forming a seemingly endless maze. The murderer of the group leader looks into them and speaks up.
“Okay, this will be difficult but we will get out. Everyone take some of the stuff with you, then we will split up and everyone searches one passage. Whoever finds the exit shall get something to mark the way and rescue the others. Are we clear?”
“No. Why should we trust you? You brought us in this mess and you already betrayed the leaders. How do we know that you help us when you reach the exit. How do we know that you won’t just take the stuff and leave us to die in the middle of nowhere?”
Grimly, the accused replies by merely raising his machete. “Is this enough of a reason to cooperate? I don’t need all of you to get out” He tries to stare his opponent down menacingly, but to his surprise, the others are suddenly drawing weapons from knifes to whips and handguns.
“Do what you want. But I won’t die here.”, the murderer shouts and runs into the nearest passage. The others look after him, unable to decide whether to pursue him when they suddenly hear a loud twang and the ugly sound of a human body falling headfirst onto a stone floor. Shocked, the trapped explorers look at each other and hold their weapons tight. There was no room for trust. Only the first escapee could be safe. Eyeing each other with suspicion, they head for the passages, trying to get there first.


The game starts NOW and ends Monday, 6 PM Eastern. Send in your actions until then.


Contestants: 32

Alarra
Angela
Atreyu the Masked Llama
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
Castaras
DarkLightDragon
David94
Deckmaster
Destro Yersul
El Jaspero
evnafets
faerwain
Fredricus
Gezina
Gnome Babarian
Indurain
Ink
inky13112
Kantur
KewlKat
Khantalas
Krursk
Lord Fullbladder
Lord Herman
Lord Magtok
Lucky
purple gelatinous cube o' doom
Selrahc
Shadow
weebl
Zar Peter


For Metagaming


: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries

: The Hall of Fame

: The Rules

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

All right, then. To the victor go the spoils.

[DarkLightDragon]

*evil grin*

[Lord Magtok]

My western avatar doubles as a Indy style one! Woo!



*Indiana Jones theme music plays.*

[David94]

FINALLY I got in! It only took me three tries.

[Castaras]

Bwahahahaha! I am going to get the treasure, so nyah!

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

Hypothetically, does the Great Gender Bender affect the story portion?

[Fredricus]

Lara Croft time!

[Castaras]

Lara croft?! Where?! Where?!

* Stabs Lara *

* Spits on her corpse *