Roleplay:Secret of the Sands

Plot
Rumors of a legendary treasure hidden deep within the Desert Ocean Zone of Efrika have been passed around for centuries, in the form of fables and myths. But now, beliefs become firmer, and many people believe it is entirely possible that the place does exist.

Unfortunately, these rumors have reached those with less-than-noble mindsets, including Dr. Eggman himself. Believing that such a hard-to-reach and nigh-mythical location would be the perfect place to house a Chaos Emerald, as well as other potentially powerful artifacts, Eggman orders the Efrika Sub-boss stationed in the Desert Ocean Zone, Kerion Croc, to seek out the sanctuary and find the Chaos Emerald for him.

Rules

 * 1) Stick to the plot. Do not alter it to revolve around your character, do not change it drastically, etc.
 * 2) No Godmodding. You should all know what this means; no auto-hitting, no random attacks, no constant avoidance of damage, etc.
 * 3) No Trolling.
 * 4) No picking random fights with others.
 * 5) Do not just randomly jump into a scene. Either ask, or build up your arrival accordingly (I.E "Suddenly, such and such and such" or "Meanwhile, somewhere else blah blah blah")
 * 6) No steering the plot off course or making it revolve around your character(s).
 * 7) No canon characters.
 * 8) No controlling other users' characters without their permission.
 * 9) As of now, only the Sandstorm Arbiters (which also includes Nassor and Rashidi-Oba) live in the temple. This means you can't suddenly decide to have your character live there as well; you must ask me, first.
 * 10) No finding the treasure early! I already have an idea as to what it is, and I'll decide when it's found!
 * 11) No randomly teleporting into The Pharaoh's room!
 * 12) Put effort in your posts. I mean it; none of this "Person: Shadow Ball! *uses Shadow Ball*" crap.
 * 13) *Acceptable method: (Person: Shadow Ball! *charges up a concentrated ball of shadow energy, and then fires it at Person 2*)
 * 14) *Preferred method: ("Shadow Ball!" Person yelled. Cupping his hands in front of him, he began charging up a concentrated ball of pure shadows. After a few seconds he threw the ball at Person 2.)

Current Participants
''Moderators are the peacekeepers of the RP (their names are in green). Listen to them if they tell you that you broke a rule, and don't throw a hissy pissy fit if they give out constructive criticism on how you RP.''


 * green - RP Owner/Moderator
 * Strikes: 0
 * green - RP Moderator
 * Strikes: 0
 * MaxIrvaron 
 * Strikes: 0

Heroes
Those who wish to explore, and possibly find the Treasure!
 * Ramses the Lion - A resident of Brightdune who's had two strange stones in his possession for as long as he can remember. Played by Ryu.
 * Squad 17 - Members of the Word of Kiritsu who seek out the treasure on a mission to ensure it is not a threat to the Dawn Kingdom. All played by Skyblade
 * Mammoth the Moth
 * Carson Mercury
 * Grainne the Hedgefox
 * Razer the Fox - Sent to the Desert Ocean Zone alongside Twinkle to search for the treasure within the area, maybe more! Played by VGN34D.
 * Twinkle the Cat - Sent alongside her fellow ally Razer to help find the pyramid for treasure, or maybe more than that as well! Played by VGN34D.
 * Tasha the Raccoon - A hyperactive and young speedster who wants to find the treasure and.... well... she doesn't exactly know yet....
 * Shade the Porcupine - An 11-year-old Porcupine who loves adventure. He has read about the "myth" from his books, and had ventured on a journey to find the treasure. Played by CaneTheVelociraptor.

Neutral
Those with unknown motives.
 * Egg Ruin Renegades - Played by Ryu

Villains
Those who want the treasure for selfish reasons!
 * Dr. Eggman - He believes that a Chaos Emerald is hidden within the temple.
 * Orbot and Cubot - Two lackeys also sent to search for the temple, though knowing Cubot and his antics, Orbot will have to try and keep him at bay, lest Cubot ends up unleashing Kerion's wrath! Played by VGN34D.
 * Kerion Croc - Kerion searches for the temple at the behest of Dr. Eggman. However, Kerion will gladly take any other treasures he can find, as well. Played by Ryu.
 * Efrika Egg Soldiers - The regiment of Efrika Egg Soldiers who serve under Sub-boss Kerion Croc. Random Egg Soldiers are played by anyone.
 * Bamidele the Kudu - Played by Ryu.
 * Tinashe the Fox - Played by Ryu.
 * Yohannes the Tenrec - Played by Ryu.
 * Fredrik the Rhino - Played by Ryu.
 * Tyrus the Lemur - Played by VGN34D.
 * Crys the Hedgehog - Alexia's murderous older sibling, he believes that finding treasure here will prove his worth and will end up as good training, and he's not afraid to harm anyone who gets in his way.

Other
''Are these guys Good or Evil? (All played by Ryu)''
 * Pharaoh Nassor - Once a kind and generous king with a wife and child, a traitorous magician cursed the pharaoh's people, causing them to turn on him; as a result, Nassor locked himself away in his temple...
 * The Sandstorm Arbiters
 * Rashidi-Oba - Male; the keeper of the Sanctuary's grand library.

Prologue
Within the Shifting Sands Egg Base, a large, Cyberized crocodile was bent over an old-looking map sprawled out on a table. Scaly, clawed fingers drum rhythmically against the paper, and icy blue eyes are narrowed.

"For too long, you've been hidden from me...a drop of precious water in an endless, parched hell..."

He growled a bit, eyes scanning the map restlessly. It was a bit of an archaic-looking scroll, with the illustration of a beautiful temple roughly in the middle of it; the map itself was of the Desert Ocean Zone.

"You're there, I know you are! There wouldn't be an eternal sandstorm for no reason!"

The door opened up behind him, and a male tenrec wearing Egg Soldier fatigues poked his head in.

"Sir?"

Almost instantly, the crocodile whirled his head around, snarling and baring metallic fangs.

"Who interrupts me?!"

The tenrec cowered, clearly terrified of the much taller Mobian.

"I-It's Dr. Eggman, sir! H-He wants to speak with you!"

The croc snorted a bit, and strode forward.

"Very well..."

Within the command center, the tenrec was timidly following the crocodile as he approached the central monitor, where the face of the doctor himself could be seen, with an impatient frown on his face.

"I hope I did not keep you waiting, sir," said the crocodile, his brusque tone having completely vanished to be replaced by one of careful respect; even he feared Eggman's wrath.

"Thankfully, no, but this is an important matter, Kerion," said the doctor, hands behind his back. "I'm sure with all the time you've spent in the Desert Ocean Zone, you've heard of a place known as the 'Sandstorm Sanctuary', yes?"

The croc, Kerion, looked surprised, and quickly nodded his head.

"Yes, of course, sir! Said to be a myth... always surrounded by a sandstorm... wh-why do you ask, sir?"

"As you know, those Chaos Emeralds have been eluding me for far too long, now," said Eggman, crossing his arms now. "But, I believe I may have gotten a lead on one. My radars have detected energy signatures that are quite similar to those of a Chaos Emerald, and those signatures were coming from the place where the Sandstorm Sanctuary is said to be."

The crocodile nodded again.

"I want you to take your men and find that Chaos Emerald," Eggman continued, his bespectacled gaze not breaking from Kerion's. "Raid the entire place if you have to, and capture anyone who resists you."

"But sire, what about that sandstorm...?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Eggman. "I've got some Helihaulers delivering some very special devices to your base as I speak. They should be there... now."

Kerion frowned a bit as he scratched at his metal chin, before nodding.

"Thank you graciously, sire. We will not fail in our mission!"

"I know you won't, Kerion," said Eggman, his face stern. "You know the price of failure, after all..."

The two lackeys look on, though Orbot was very weary of Kerion's presence, and all he could do was hold Cubot close to him.

"Hey! No touchy-feely, dude!" Cubot tried to give himself some space, but Orbot hushed at him.

"Shhh! It's for your own good...!" Orbot voiced with worry.

"Why? He's just a giant ol' alli--" Cubot was cut off when Orbot quickly placed a hand to his mouth.

"Shush! Keep your comments to yourself, especially if you want to keep your vital parts intact... he's not entirely known for enjoying funny jokes..." Orbot whispered to Cubot with obvious worry before looking on to Kerion and Eggman.

Kerion wasn't paying attention to the robots at the moment, and nodded again.

"Yes sir, I understand," he said. "I promise you I will not fail!"

Eggman smirked.

"Good," he said, and then cut the connection. Kerion straightened up and turned.

"Hmph; I wonder exactly what he left here, anyways," he mused to himself, starting to walk out of the room. The tenrec had been standing near the corner of the room, staring at the floor as the crocodile passed by.

Part 1: The Journey
In the town of Brightdune, a slim male lion was already wandering around, arms behind his head as he walked; he seemed to be rather bored.

"Man...there's nothing to do today," he groaned. The disposition would naturally be offputted if he knew about the invisible plane hanging directly above him.

”Alright, people, here’s the deal,” Carson Mercury said to the rest of Squad 17. They stood in the plane’s mostly empty underbelly, looking at a computer screen “We know our mission. Find information about this mysterious is treasure, make sure it’s not real or a threat, get out. I’ll be here, talk to me on comns.”

Mammoth nodded. Grainne did too but clearly had a loathing for the metal lump in her ear. They walked out one of the side doors, jumping out into an alleyway not far from the lion’s position. The invisible plane flew away, leaving no trace other than a strong wind most assumed was just normal weather. Grainne and Mammoth walked down the alley, ready to begin asking about this mysterious secret of the sands and it’s location.

Meanwhile at a large, open area containing nothing but sand within the Desert Ocean Zone, a 2-door SUV was seen traversing throughout the deep sands, driven by Razer, with Twinkle at the passenger seat.

Twinkle looked out the window and back to Razer, who is focusing on his driving abilities. "Seems it beats me having to ride a bike with you; the temperature outside is quite unbearable. Least with air conditioning, I should be fine."

Her voice had a robotic sound to it, coupled with her normal voice as well. The car itself did not have its navigational system so they have to completely guess which landmark, or places of interest, they could find, maybe a town as well.

"Well you know me, I'm a walking solar panel. The hot temperatures also make me stronger as well, but since I have to ride along with you, the last thing you'd get is a heat stroke." Razer replied whilst looking around to see if there's any place of interest.

"If I remember, the Desert Ocean Zone should have a town around here... though this car doesn't have a GPS so might as well take a wild guess along the way."

He shrugged and merely kept driving, Twinkle nodded her head while sitting back.

"So long as I get to stay inside your car, I'll be perfectly fine..." Twinkle said, trailing off along the way. Razer gave a quick glance at her before looking forward. Over the horizon, Brightdune Town was up ahead.

Razer gave a small smile. "There's a town up ahead. We should be able to stop by there."

Twinkle was delighted to hear this. "Wonderful! Glad to see Desert Ocean Zone having civilization!"

Brightdune Town was a bustling little place, known for being a high center of commerce despite its size. Caravans could be seen coming and going into the village, as well as the occasional motorcyclist or Extreme Gearist.

Upon arriving there, Razer slowed the vehicle down to an appropriate speed, as he looked around. Some of the residents took notice of the vehicle being driven.

"Looks like they're watching your ride, Razer." Twinkle mused.

"Well, it's not a high-roller or anything. Just something that I handpicked for our run in the Desert Ocean Zone. Besides, why would I be driving an ultra-fast vehicle that can't handle the dunes?" Razer soon spots a supply shop nearby.

"Let's pull over here for us to shop for supplies, and ask around for directions regarding the temple." Razer instructed as he pulled the SUV over to the side, shifting it to neutral from the shift stick and pulls the handbrake. He shuts it off and pulls the key from the ignition before the duo exits the vehicle. Once the doors were locked, they closed them shut and enter inside.

The residents eyed on the vehicle that was parked as the duo started shopping inside, retrieving the necessities in case they are to venture on a long trip.

Outside of the town, a lemur looks on with binoculars, having just seen a few enter Brightdune Town, and serving as their scout. He sets down the binoculars and pulls up a walkie-talkie as to relay his teammates.

"Tyrus to Shifting Sands. We got ourselves a Brightdune Town over here. Shall we pay ourselves a visit and ask the locals around for clues about the temples and maybe treasures? Over."

The walkie-talkie crackled faintly with static as the lemur got his answer.

"Sounds good to me. Over," came the female voice.

Tyrus nodded and waits for his team to arrive. It didn't take too long for a group of four Mobians, all riding in a large off-roader, to show up; a female fennec fox, a male tenrec, a male rhino, and a female margay.

He turns around to see the group arrive, and was quick to hitch a ride in their vehicle by grabbing onto its side. His tail grasping onto the railing to keep himself balanced.

"Brightdune Town's just up ahead."

"Good to know," said the rhino, who was driving the vehicle.

"Umm... w-won't the townspeople be suspicious of us?" the tenrec asked nervously.

"Not unless you'd end up screwing up and getting Kerion mad, Yohannes. The last time that happened, he used Cubot as his personal 'stress reliever' by disassembling his parts piece by piece. And it was all because of his botched knock-knock joke he made up. And it took Eggman a whole day to reassemble Cubot again." Tyrus answered. He can clearly remember the incident from the previous day.

Yesterday...

"Hey-hey, ya big and scary! Wanna hear a knock-knock joke?" Cubot asked Kerion, as to try and get him entertained.

Meanwhile, a young, purple porcupine entered the desert, wearing a green backpack. He stares into a book, then looks around.

"I think I'm in the place now," he said to himself. The desert was quiet, and there was nobody else around...