6491/The Gold Pearl of Psidontas

The Gold Pearl of Psidontas
Date of Scene:	08 June 2021
Location:	Atlantic Ocean
Synopsis:	Superman and Aquaman send Maxima on a quest for a pearl that does not really exist. However things take a turn when they run into the Scavenger! While the Scavenger is quickly defeated by Maxima, he manages to escape she turns him over to Superman for 'Earth Justice', teleporting away.
Cast of Characters:	Clark Kent, Arthur Curry, Maxima

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Clark Kent has posed:
Underwater!

Superman is swimming right now, though the Justice League's emergency sup is a few fathoms ahead, being manned by an automatic crew. Just in case of emergencies. Undersea politics are complicated at best; Namor and Atlantis claim the whole of the ocean, and a number of smaller civilizations violently disagree, all mixed in with relics of an age of adventure lost to the hungry waves. Rumors of monsters, deviants, gods, and ancient curses are all too real. Superman got his heart broken down here, once.

Now he's leading Maxima, world conqueror and prospective Justice League member, down to see if she has the heart to be a full time member of the League.

"How're we doing, Aquaman?" Clark asks in that weird way superheroes can talk under water. Don't worry about it. "It's been a while since I've been down this low, but this is pretty close to the cut off zone, right? Beware of dragons beyond ye point, yeah?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
Arthur is tooling along in that effortless sort of fly/swim thing he does, resplendent in his full Atlantean battle armor and the Trident of Posideon. It's an official event, after all, plus you never know what you'll run into down here.

Looking around, he replies, "Yeah, we're getting past the populated levels and into weird territory. Never know what's going to show up down here."

He looks over to Maxima, "You doin ok in the water? I know you're used to space, but this is a little different medium."

Maxima has posed:
It is quite easy to speak underwater when there is a telepath among you. Setting up a mental network so those within it can share what thoughts they choose with each other is a simple affair for Maxima.

She doesn't so much swim as move through the water, really it doesn't look any different from when she is flying through the air save for the shimmering sphere of psychic force that surrounds her keeping the waters at bay.

"The undersea is no obstacle." Maxima's voice enters the minds of the others at Aquaman's question, "During my first stay on Earth I spent several months in Atlantis as a guest of Namor."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark is perhaps the least comfortable down here. The pressure is nothing, but his delicate senses are thrown off by the strange reality of the underwater world.

He tries not to roll his eyes at the mention of 'Namor', rubbing his jaw and remembering the last time he faced off against the King of Atlantis. What an ass. "The wild zones are a little more treacherous than Namor's court, Maxima." Superman advises as they cross the border.

The water looks a bit more...real as you pass the civilized zone. The water is saltier, the light dimmer, the pressure more of an obvious sort of feel. It's dark, but full of life; lush greens and reds and blues as plants and fish tear into each other in the endless dance of the primordial ocean.

Maxima may notice some crumbling edifices, a small statue that's been cut in half. Signs of the ruins perhaps?!

Arthur Curry has posed:
Arthur Curry has no trouble seeing down here, his senses shifting as the light from above fades. He's used to conditions down here, no surprise. As they see the ruins come into sight, he flips over onto his back, coasting along as he looks to the other two. "So Maxima, do your thing. I'm just along to observe the challenge."

He looks to Superman with a slight grin, aware that the item in question doesn't necessarily exist. At least he's never heard of it, so he'd be fairly surprised if it actually did. But they'll get to see how Maxima handles herself on a fairly hopeless search.

Maxima has posed:
It is not that Maxima can see down here where the light is dim at best, because she can't really. What she can do, however, is reach out with her powerful telekinetic potential to gently caress her surroundings for a fair distance in a trick reminiscent of a dolphin's sonar. Colors are lost to her beyond the feeble visual range that the scant light allows, but shapes, contours, down to the smallest grooves are readily discernable even if the aquatic medium does present some challenges in interpreting the information versus the world above or the void of space.

Maxima only smiles that confident smile of hers at Clark's warning. "I have journeyed to the bottom of the Marianas Trench and fought the horrors from beyond that dwelled there. I think I will be fine in these 'wild zones'."

There is a nod to Arthur as Maxima wills her speed to increase, that bubble of pyschic force energy moving on ahead towards the shapes of structures that clearly seem to have been made by crafter's hands as she sweeps for this Pearl of Psiondatas with her telekinetic field.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman smiles back at Arthur. Maxima does, at least, have the attitude for the job.

Superman's eyes gleam a strange rainbow of colors as he follows Maxima; as Maxima gets further down into the drink, she can see the beginnings of a cave complex, and another one of those strange damaged statues is in front of it.

Huh, Clark thinks, I thought this area was abandoned.

Maxima, you do sense the outline of something inside of the cave. It's some sort of worked structure, that's been damaged by time and the endless grip of the sea. Still, it seems as good a place as any for hidden treasure.

Arthur Curry has posed:
Arthur considers the cave, trying to make out the style or culture of the ruins that are in evidence. Clark's snipe hunt may have led them to something interesting, even if the actual Pearl he named isn't here. He detours over to one of the crumbling structures, giving it a closer look as he approaches to see if there are any markings he can make out.

After his little once-over, he makes his way back over to Clark and watches Maxima approaching the cave complex that has appeared before them. Realizing that such things are usually not abandoned, he reaches out with his marine telepathy to see if anything is home, as his usual target is non-sentient minds of the natural critters of the deep, while Maxima may be more looking for people, as it were.

Maxima has posed:
Feeling the contours of the structures ahead Maxima presses onward into the ruins, psychic senses peeled for the presence of other minds because you never know what might be hiding down here in the murk and gloom. Here and there she pauses to inspect the ruins for a moment, taking a moment to admire these constructions in harmony with nature, not unlike some of those on her native Almerac, that have stood the test of time in the depths.

A ways into the cave she finally stops. "There is a faster way to do this." She decides and placing her fingers on each side of her head. The planet conquering princess begins to show some of her true power as she reaches out, pushing her telekinetic field further and further attempting to cover the ruin with it, seeking the shape of a small spherical object the size of a Pearl, give or take.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark crosses his arms, but supposes he'd do something similar if their positions were reversed and he was getting sick of playing along with a no-win game. Maxima's scan manages to pick up several spherical objects, a sealed vault door, and.

Something moving? Behind the vault door! It's reacting to the entire room shaking as well; whatever it is knows something else is in the room.

Aquaman, you feel the faint sense of underwater denizens, but their minds are clouded. Could some kind of technology be keeping you out?

Arthur Curry has posed:
Arthur Curry looks a little confused, then glances over to Clark. "Something a little strange is going on here. Let's see how she handles it." He can't seem to pin down what it is he's sensing in there, so has no idea what Maxima is getting herself into.

Watching the Almeracian, he lets himself drift to the ocean floor and grounds his Trident, relaxed but ready to move if something really unexpected happens. For now though, as before, this is Maxima's game. He's just here to see how it goes, and maybe make sure she doesn't hurt anything down here.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima considers the spherical objects but lets them rest where they are for the time being as something more interesting has betrayed its presence to her up ahead. "There is a vault ahead and something moves within it. Moves with seeming purpose. It would seem your ruin may not be so abandoned after all."

Maxima swims ahead towards the vault door of interlocking stone. "A vault seems a likely place to find a valuable relic, though it would seem I shall have to face its guardian first." Undaunted, Maxima reaches out with her telekinesis, feeling out the contours of the vault door and its mechanisms, gripping, pushing, twisting, pulling, ultimately attempting to force open the impediment. So far at least she seems to be showing remarkable patience, for her anyway.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Guardian?" Clark says in a tone no one on a secret snipe hunt wants to hear; the faint possibility that, perhaps, the snipe is real. And armed.

The mechanism is complex, but does eventually submit to your will, Maxima, the doors moving to the side. The first thing Aquaman will feel are a pair of dolphins, who have strange equipment on their heads that keep Arthur from communicating with them directly. They are digging through the dirt of the vault room, which has been breached on the other side through a giant hole in the coral. The device is, there's no denying it, an incredibly advanced submarine, about the size of a traditional bathysphere with a large glass cover. Inside is a man Aquaman will recognize immediately; a large, brutish figure behind a heavy, old fashioned diving suit and a mask that completely obscures any facial features. The Scavenger.

"How did you find me?" The old man wheezes in his unsettling voice, and Maxima, you get the eeriest sense that despite the situation you have immediately been appraised by an expert. "A...new friend, eh? Almeracian by the look of her outfit. Their livers. Get a wonderful price, Aquaman." The great metal claw on the Scavenger's ship clips a few times. "But my buyer only wants the tome of Mu's last high priest. But here you are, in my way."

The ship shudders, sending a pair of torpedos at the pair of you! They're not high yield explosives, but instead have grippers attached to them that pulse ominously with electricity! The Scavenger works on the dirt instead of directly engaging, desperately looking for something.

Arthur Curry has posed:
Pushing off the bottom with a curse, Arthur twirls the Trident, creating a spinning disc of water that he launches forward into the torpedo that's headed his way. He then starts to shoot forward, but pauses, glancing at Clark, then stops, hovering in the water. Sure, he could probably go break the submarine or something, but there's a test happening here, and well, an opponent makes for a better test.

Keeping an eye out for further attacks, he holds his position while he sees what action Maxima decides is appropriate for this particular situation. His main concern will be making sure she doesn't do anything to the dolphins, as it's not their fault they've been controlled. Should it look like the Scavanger is going to get the tome he's looking for and escape, he'll take action.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima seethes for a moment and her eyes begin to glow as The Scavenger begins to talk about her without actually addressing her. But it is perhaps in that same moment that she remembers she is being observed, tested. "You claim to know Almerac, but do not know the face of her crown princess, the pinnacle of her warriors? Then I shall educate you!" With a wave of her hand her Ferro-kinesis reaches out finding the oncoming torpedo and leaving it just so many disassembled parts floating through the water.

The look she gives Arthur when he destroys the other torpedo looks downright /offended/. "Do not interfere! This is fight is mine."

Another wave of her other hand and the devices on the dolphins' heads keeping them under Scavenger's control and Aquaman out of their minds just begin to come apart like the torpedo, reduced to their component parts floating in the ocean. Before she then surges forward blinding speed to smash her fist through the glass dome of Scavenger's submarine with enough force to shake the entire ruin, leaving the crippled vehicle to the crushing pressure of the ocean depths to finish off.

"Bringing toys to fight Maxima, you are a fool. Now surrender before this goes even more poorly for you." Her eyes begin to glow again and the various fixtures of The Scavenger's oldstyle diving suit begin to vibrate as if to emphasize her point.

Clark Kent has posed:
The Scavenger wasn't equipped for battle; normally he can handle Aquaman and even a friend pretty handidely, but Aquaman, Superman, and this maniac? His sub shakes and shudders under the pressure, and he feels her ghostly grip inside of his sub, which is worrying. Scavenger wheezes a bit, an old man under all that armor, and holds his chest. "What're you..."

"I think you've got him, Maxima. Though I wouldn't mind knowing just what he was looking for down here." Superman says, floating closer to see just how Maxima handles a downed enemy.

Arthur Curry has posed:
Once Maxima removes the devices from the dolphins, Arthur's first action is to shoo them away, sending them back to their normal lives in sunnier portions of the ocean. He drifts a little closer to the scene, his only comment "He shot it at me, I dealt with it. Rest is yours." He's also interested to see what she will do with the man now that she has him.

Scanning the floor of the chamber, he looks around to see if he can spot anything tomelike, since that's what the Scavanger was talking about.

Maxima has posed:
"I do." Maxima agrees with Clark, "This one is old and feeble. It is amazing he had the audacity to try and battle Maxima." Seizing control of the armor with her telekinesis she drags him before Clark and Arthur, arms folded in front of her. "He is yours, do with him whatever your Earth Justice demands. He said he was looking for some book belonging to a High Priest of Mu. There does not, however, seem to be any Pearl. But worry not, we can tear apart the ruin to find it stone by stone if necessary." Though something in her demeanor says she probably doesn't think there was ever a pearl to begin with.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman watches.

The Scavenger's mini-sub is all but ripped apart, the armored villain struggling under the weigh of Maxima's mind.
Hisrthur, the Dolphins told you there was a good spot just...over there, Sealed in a stone box, the tome gives off a strange sensation to your telepathy. What could it mean and who sent it?

Scavenger looks at Superman, Aquaman, and quails a bit at Maxima. But when she lets up the pressure, he touches a button on his belt, and-

Zwoop.

"A personal teleporter?!" Clark says, "Great Scott! He really was down here for something serious. Superman claps Maxima's shoulder. "Nice work, by the way."

Arthur Curry has posed:
With a small nudge of his hydrokinesis, Arthur causes a strong current of water to clean the mud away from the box, then goes over to examine it carefully, not keen on setting off millennia old traps. He glances over as the Scavenger vanishes, shaking his head, "Guy's always got an escape route. And yeah, not bad, though if you want to be part of the team, you need to understand the meaning of the word 'team'. When we're doing something, it isn't your fight, or my fight, it's _our_ fight. That's what the whole thing is about, we all help and protect each other and add to the whole. Wonder Woman drilled that one into me right from the start, cause I tended to be a bit of a loner myself."

He looks over to Superman and asks, "Want to take a look inside this box? I don';t wanna open it if the book is made of something that the water will ruin."

Maxima has posed:
Maxima scowls and clenches one of her fists as The Scavenger manages to activate a teleportation device and escape, perhaps she underestimated him.

Her gaze drifts to Aquaman as he begins to lecture her about being part of a team. "I know what it is to work with others, I have lead armies. However this test was to be mine, it hardly a test of my prowess if you intervene. That is all."

She watches the pair with the box, her role in things seemingly finished and magic books well beyond the realm of her expertise. For the time being she just floats there in her bubble of psychic force, observing.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman pauses for a bit.

He makes a command decision. "Maxima, you're in." Provisionally. "Let's take the book back to Atlantis before we poke around with it, just in case it's super cursed or something."

Clark has a bad record with curses, and Atlantis is like full of wizards.