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
 * Reens the Hedgehog
 * Strikes: 0
 * Frost the Wolf
 * Strikes: 0
 * Skyblade743
 * Strikes:0
 * MaxIrvaron
 * Strikes:0

Heroes
Those who wish to explore, and possibly find the Treasure!
 * Mavuto Nagi - Played by Ryu
 * 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.
 * Terra the Ocelot - played by MaxIrvaron (she wants to go on an adventure with Alexia to show her the ropes of treasure hunting)
 * Alexia the Hedgehog - Played by MaxIrvaron (she wants to learn how to treasure hunt with Terra, so thus is the perfect opportunity)
 * Reens the Hedgehog - Played by RtH. Joining her grandfather on his archaeological dig.
 * Anthony "Tony" Thorpe - Played by RtH. An experienced archaeologist. Going on a dig in order to gain the treasure for a museum.
 * Mimic the Mockingbird - Played by FtW. A shapeshifting thief who can't seem to keep himself out of trouble.

Neutral
Those with unknown motives.
 * Egg Ruin Renegades - Played by Ryu
 * Vendeta the Hedgehog - Played by Skyblade. He's usually a hero, but his past has led to him having different motives this time.

Villains
Those who want the treasure for selfish reasons!
 * Dr. Eggman - He believes that a Chaos Emerald is hidden within the temple.
 * 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. Played by anyone (Ryu plays as Bami).
 * White the Rabbit - played by MaxIrvaron (he wants the treasure to sell it and become even more rich; if anyone gets in his way, he will gladly injure them)

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! 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 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..."

Part 1: The Journey

 * Start here.

In the town of Brightdune...

A certain yellow-furred and brown-spotted ocelot was walking around the town. She had an expression on her face that most people would've thought as stoic, or emotionless. Her eyes were sharp, gazing along the town. "So... this is Brightdune. I shan't let this experience be forgotten." Her green, short-sleeve vest with silver lining seemed to blow along with the air as she said this.

Following her, a blue, double-spiked hedgehog seemed to shrink behind her. She looked very different from the ocelot; she looked scared, as if she just wanted to get this experience over with. Her cyan and purple-lined silver vest was almost impossible to see, due to her hiding behind the ocelot. Alexia peeped, "Why couldn't we go anywhere else?"

Terra the Ocelot sighed a deep breath, her oval-shaped eyes rolled. "I've heard that the trading system here is very good. It's not going to take long, Alexia. We just need to get supplies for the village, and we go back home."

The hedgehog nodded, and together, they journeyed into the town.

Within the town, 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.

A little bit away from the ocelot and hedgehog, two other hedgehogs were preparing for their journey. The older male was wearing his traditional archaelogical gear, loading up the borrowed truck. His granddaughter wore a similar outfit, along with an urcharacteristic scowl. "Grandpa, how long is this gonna take?" Reens grunted. She scuffed her foot along the sand. "We've been waiting for an hour for the guide."

"Patience, my dear," the older hedgehog chuckled as he ruffled her head gently. "With all the supplies we've acquired, we should be on our way soon."

Terra was picking up many things that were on the market. She would've picked them up with her controllable, furry tail, but she was already using it to carry the large bag they were using to carry the items. "We already have this... and that... mm, we need this."

While Terra was busy, Aqua stared at the two hedgehogs in amazement. Their gear just looked so... wonderful! Terra noticed Aqua's staring, sighed a depressed sigh, and continued to shop. Alexia wanted to get a closer look; not noticing the hedgehog and only taking the gear into account, she slowly walked closer to the pair, her steps focused, unlike her dazed gaze.

Reens' ears perked up, and she looked over at Alexia. "Uh, is there something I can help you with?"

Aqua's face flushed a bright red as she started to hear Reens talking. "Uh... sorry, miss... if I'm bothering you... it's just that..." Though normally, Alexia would've made a small scream and run away, she just stared at Anthony's gear. It was like she was enchanted.

Terra, being the busy ocelot she was, didn't care as she continued to shop.

"Look, if you're just gonna stare at the gear like that, don't bother," Reens grunted with a huff. Her grandfather, Anthony "Tony" Thorpe, paused in his packing and looked over at Alexia. "Don't mind my granddaughter, my dear. This is her first archaeological trip with me, and she's a little... grumpy."

Alexia shyly nodded in a depressed manner. "No, it's okay... I get-"

Before she could finish, Terra's Danger Sense ticked, and soon, she was right in front of Alexia, her stare more cold than the actual cryokinetic's. "Hello, child. Now, if you could please refrain yourself from being rude and behaving in a bratty manner, it would be most appreciated. I do not see what your problem is with someone admiring this great man's gear, but I do not like the way you are talking to my friend." Alexia facepalmed and started to back away.

Reens' quills flared. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I am not a child. I was merely inquiring her purpose of staring at my grandfather's gear." She crossed her arms, her ears turning backwards. Tony gently guided her to the vehicle and helped her into the seat. "When our guide gets here, we'll be on our way." He looked back to Terra and shrugged. "Again, I apologize for her ... rudeness."

Terra shook her head in an annoyed fashion as she listened to Reens. ''She's not a child? Who would've guessed?... ''When Tony apologized to her, she gave him a smile. "Thank you, kind sir, but I recommend you get that kid's attitude in check. If she runs into someone who doesn't like that, she'll make an enemy. If she runs into me again..." Terra growled in a very primal fashion and lowered her eyelids as her tail whipped the air. "Well, you'd best be off praying to Chaos that it doesn't happen. Goodbye." Crossing her arms, she turned back and continued to shop, with Alexia following after giving an apologetic look to Anthony.

Tony hoisted himself into his seat, placing both hands on the steering wheel of the vehicle. He sighed and looked over at Reens with a harsh glare. Reens slid down a little in her seat, embarrassed. "You are eighteen years old, almost nineteen. You begged me for you to join me on this dig. And yet, you act like a child." Reens' quills settled down and her ears drooped. "I was just asking her what she was doing, staring at our stuff like a zombie-" Tony hushed her with another harsh glare. "Act your age, or I will take you home."

As Terra continued to shop, Aqua stared at her, wide-eyed; she didn't know if she should've thanked the ocelot or criticize her. Her mouth was open, but no words came out. As if Terra expected it, she sighed and said "You're welcome."

Aqua was finally snapped out of her daze. "Thank you," she said with a bow. And with that, Aqua helped Terra shop. At that point, the lion from earlier happened to wander over to the two.

"Oh, hello there!" he said, giving a friendly wave.

Terra gave a sweet, heartfelt smile. "Hello, random... lion, from what I can tell! How are you doing on this wonderful day?"

Aqua hid behind Terra once again, giving a shy wave. "H-Hi..."

The lion smiled sheepishly when he noticed Aqua's reaction, and felt it'd be best to not stare at her, instead turning his attention to Terra.

"I couldn't help but notice that, uhh...you two don't seem to be from around here," he said, smiling a bit. "What brings you two here?"

The lion hoped that he wasn't coming off as a creep.

Terra's face became more normal. "Well, me and my apprentice Alexia here must get supplies for our village-" And in a whisper, she said to the lion "I'm also hoping to find out if the legend of the treasure is real or not." Going back to her normal voice, she sighed. "Alas, it is a legend. But if I could find more out about it... and I could teach Alexia how to treasure hunt... I would gladly take the opportunity." Terra's look was starting to become more stoic. "But you are correct; neither of us are native to this area."

The lion's eyes seemed to light up a bit, and he clasped his hands together.

"You're talking about the Sandstorm Sanctuary!" he said, looking rather excited about all this. "To be honest, there's a lot of people who think the place actually exists...but...they've never seen it for themselves, and neither have I..."

He rubbed the back of his head.

"I would love to find it someday...they say it's surrounded by an eternal sandstorm, though, making getting to it dangerous."

He blinked, before smiling sheepishly.

"O-Oh, forgive me, I haven't introduced myself; my name is Ramses!"

Terra nodded, her smiling face turned neutral. "My name is Terra Fauna of the Flora Cats tribe. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ramses." Terra stepped to the side, revealing a shivering Aqua. As soon as Ramses could see her, it got cold within a range of five feet.

Sheepishly, Aqua gave a weak smile and introduced herself. Scuffing her foot in the dust, she shyly said "Konnichiwa. My name is Aqua. I'm the last member of the Green Hill Hut."

"Terra and Aqua, it's nice to meet you both!" said Ramses, extending his hand to Terra for a shake. The drop in temperature caused him to shiver a bit, but he tried to ignore it. Terra shook his hand, smiling.

"Alas, we must go. I pray I see you again." Terra waved, and they left to shop, but Terra looked troubled... was the legend more than a legend? Maybe...

Ramses nodded a bit, smiling as he waved goodbye to Terra and Aqua; he, too, turned and started to walk away, mulling over his own thoughts.

Maybe...it's time to try and find the Sanctuary

"Did someone say 'treasure'??" a black and green mockingbird suddenly poked his head, which was embellished with a matching colored fedora, from a nearby stand, possibly almost scaring the living daylights out of the trio by his sudden appearance. "I could have sworn I heard the word 'treasure'." He stepped out, to approach the three. They would see he had seven tailfeathers with green tips and was wearing matching black and green boots, a gray single-strapped backpack, and white gloves with silver accents. The backpack still had the price tag on it.

Terra turned around to see quite an annoying-looking bird. "Hello," she started, her voice threatening. "What are you hoping to find with us? Are you a native also?" She arched a brow, her tone demanding an answer. Before she got one, however, she took the backpack away from Mimic after walking around him. After dangling it's ropes with her finger and dropping it, she asked, "Is this yours?"

Ramses watched this scene quietly, fidgeting slightly as he tried to think of something to say to defuse the potentially tense situation.

"It will be after I pay for it." Mimic replied, picking the single-strap backpack back up and slinging it over his shoulder. "And, no, I'm not from here."