2017-05-13: The Golem Lolithia

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===============================<* Silver Coast *>===============================

The Silver Coast is the name given to the northeastern coastline of Ignas. The origins of the name are lost to history, but residents of the area tend to assume it reflects either the famous white-sand beaches northeast of Lacour, or the region's distance from the desertification slowly spreading out from the continent's heart.

The Coast and its surrounding territories are claimed by the Kingdom of Lacour, and contain a wide assortment of biomes, from plains to rocky hills and mountains to rolling beaches. Major roads between Lacour and its next two largest settlements - the Port City of Hilton and the Academy City of Linga - are heavily patrolled by the kingdom's soldiers, and are generally safe. The hinterlands, however, are plagued by monsters of all types; researchers in Linga can find a variety of uses for the body parts of monsters, and do a brisk trade with Adventurers seeking to protect the population and make a little coin to boot.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYbFnoRSW6M

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Some months ago, now, a girl at an abbey that loved the world heard a voice. Free me from my prison, Shaman, it said. You are the only one who can.

And so she with the help of the beating heart of the world, she ventured into a place that had never seen the sky; and there she faced a trial, a beast who ate the souls of gods. And when she had slain it, she heard the the voice again. The tomb of dead Lolithia will open, it said, and the harbinger of the end will appear. Go, Shaman. You are the only one who can.

Now, Cecilia has, through a series of events, found herself in the employ of one Emma Hetfield, who has a problem that needs taking care of at Lolithia's Tomb. Cecilia couldn't quite get her to explain other than that there had been some manner of earthquake and a few people were injured; she needed people to go into the dig site and verify what could be found.

So Cecilia called up a few people she trusts, and a few more just in case. Now, Cecilia stands in the ancient shrine that the Hetfield expedition has reopened, ancient, ornate designs and more-intact-than-expected brickwork lying everywhere she sets her eyes. The outer camp, here, was in some manner of disarray thanks to the quake, but people were quickly getting things back together.

She can feel eyes on her back, and the Teardrop beats against her chest. Something's here. Something's happening. 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has created a party! To join, type +party/reset and then type +party/join Cecilia Adlehyde.
DG: Bart Fatima has joined your party!
DG: Emma Hetfield has joined your party!

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Bart hasn't been receiving any messages from mysterious and distant gods, but he learned a long time ago that Cecilia isn't exactly wrong about her strange messages, even if she might be a little crazy because of them. And so he had come along quite willingly when asked.

Hey, he likes adventure. Plus helping out a good friend, and possibly helping to save the world. What could go wrong?

But he wanders up next to Cecilia as she looks down at the ancient shrine, the lifts abandoned thanks to recent strangeness in the Tomb. "Well, this looks... appealing," he comments absently. "Wonder if the lifts are working or if we're gonna have to make our way down the hard way?" 

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle has not actually spoken much to the people here before today, Cecilia being the only exception - the others she has not met socially, or at least not for very long.

The girl Cecilia ... found? Hired? Recruited? is clearly not from Adlehyde, so it's a wonder Cecilia found her at all. She both looks and sounds foreign; dark-haired and dark-skinned like someone from western Aquvy, she speaks with a faint accent that is fading by the day. She made herself right at home in the group, though, introducing herself as Tethelle Cirdian.

Oh, and she's got a sword. It's hard to miss because it's about as tall as she is. While it itself is not antique, it's of a design rarely used anymore - not in an era where sabers and side-swords are more common due to the lack of people wearing armour. She carries it on a strap slung over one shoulder lazily.

Tethelle walked the whole way from Adlehyde without complaint, but now that she's here she seems a little surprised by the decor. Lolithia's Tomb isn't precisely like anywhere she's ever been before. "This is the right place?" she asks Cecilia, as if to confirm. With the mess around, she shifts the strap of her sword, letting it fall a little less comfortably - but a little more readily to hand, if she needs it. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

EARLIER: "An earthquake in an excavation... historically, that's been a bad sign," Emma said with a frown.

NOW: As the group enters the vicinity of that outer camp, Emma adjusts her glasses. She has been somewhat less buoyant than usual, but this has been relieved slightly when several large round objects under tarps were confirmed to be 'completely safe.'

"It's unclear what caused the earthquake," Emma says aloud, even as she draws out that green-glass tablet of hers - the Emulator - and fiddles with it in that damnable way she has. "But in the end, the details aren't what matters. Whether the cause was tectonic shifting, the Kaiser blowing up his ancient power plant, hydraulic faults lubricated by the migratory cucco effusions, or the recent rise in paranormal potential psychic energy -- it's neccessary for us to investigate."

To Bart, she says, "Don't worry about the lifts. If they haven't been crushed to flinders, I'll be able to repair anything while singing a song."

Is that a threat? (yes)

To Tethelle, she confirms, "The presence of Emma Motor Unit Zero and Emma Motor Unit Two indicate that we have come to the correct place." 

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude C. Kenny has no idea of the world-shaking events he is going through right now, which is pretty much par for the course, really. He came along because he needed another job, and because Cecilia asked him to come along. Sure, she's a princess of Adlehyde and not at all like any of the other princesses he has known in his life, and sure she talked to him about some million-year-old robot demons like they're real and scary, but hey - if this was in any way actually really related to the fate of the world, she'd totally bring an army and not a space hobo and a one-eyed desert hobo, right?

Right. So everything is clearly fine.

Claude loosens the sinclair-hilted broadsword in the sheath at his waist and steps forward. Tethelle gets a look - seems like he'll have company on the front line this time around - as Claude strides toward the front of the group, clapping Cecilia companionably on the shoulder on the way by, committing a major crime against the sovereign of the country he's currently in as part of the process. "Don't worry," he says as he walks forward. "Everything's fine. What could go wrong?"

D
<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

~"Rudy... You dream? You dream. That's amazing! ...I'm sorry, Rudy, I shouldn't have made it seem so unheard of. Of course, people have dreams. Yes, my boy, bad dreams are normal. But you can't let nightmares hold you back. Never let nightmares stop you from enjoying what life has for you."~

With the words of a dead man still in his ears, the blue haired teen awoke with sweat on his brow. After taking a moment to silently compose himself, the young man got his things, slung his weapon over his back and secured his bandana across his brow.

It's little surprise to everyone who knows the lad to see that he arrives in total silence, having made his way with whoever wished for his presence. Agreeable but quiet, Rudy Roughnight gives a simple wave to those gathered with a small but awkward smile. His brown eyes flicker to Bart, Tethelle, Emma, and Claude in turn, his attention staying a beat or two longer for those he hasn't had a chance to get to know. 

DG: Rudy Roughnight has joined your party!
DG: A party led by Cecilia Adlehyde is now entering Lolitha's Tomb.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.

======================<* CHALLENGE - Trusty? Elevator *>======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The descent into Lolitha's Tomb would be a challenging one in most
 circumstances. But thankfully there won't be much of a physical challenge
 today - one of the elevators is at the top of the dig site, ready to take
 the party into the dark depths below. Of course the controls are also
 somewhat complicated, promising a jarring ride or worse if someone hits the
 wrong lever at the wrong time...
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"I'm glad that you're here, Rudy," Emma says in parenthesis. Heartfelt, though.

Stepping inwards, of course, Bart's foreboding is immediately validated by the presence of a lift which has suffered some kind of damage, including a mine timber that has fallen across what is, thankfully, apparently a metal cable and not a rope. Emma adjusts her glasses and stares at everything for four point five seconds - just long enough to seem awkward.

"Simple enough," Emma says. "That timber's going to block us, but the thermal stress points of this cabling is far beyond what could be caused by a timber of - let's see, I think that's birch - yes, it's oak at worst, and that would still be fine. Yes. We can do this."

Looking to Cecilia, she points upwards. "Please, use your powers to combust this blockage. I'm going to check for damage to the controls."

A large rock has landed on the control panel.

"Hm."

Emma reaches into her coat and pulls out a socket wrench, pauses, and looks over her shoulder. "I will have to do this with careful control, so I'd like you to all cooperate in keeping a lookout and encouraging us all to have a positive outlook. To that end," she pushes a button on the Emulator and it beeps several times, "I'll ask you all to sing along, even if you can't do anything more."

As Emma files onto the lift, a weird little effect like a Symbological ray effect or a lantern in a dusty place shines up. It's green light. A strange synthetic sound comes from it, but soon enough a recognizable rhythm comes from that sound. The exact sonic cues are alien, but a beat can be heard, and the elements of a melody. Emma is able to get most of the cover off the lift cover before words begin floating in midair, changing color from white to green one syllable a time as

a song

BEGINS:

"I ride through the darkness, my old shoes slashing the stones / Even when I gave my body to cheap thrills, I was afraid of tomorrow"

Emma throws a sheet of cheap iron covering over the side of the lift. Nobody can hear it bang something over the next line.

"It's your pain, or my pain, or somebody's pain; if you can live for someone...! It's your dream, or my dream, or somebody's dream~!" (Emma waves everyone on the lift because she pulls the lever and IT STARTS MOVING.)

The descent is uncomfortably swift. Fortunately, there is the chorus. Emma is belting, which probably helps the cold stony wind of a tomb whipping past your hair. "GET WILD AND TOUGH~ You can't solve the puzzle of love alone, embrace it! GET WILD AND TOUGH~ I don't want to beg for kindness in this town~!" 

DG: Emma Hetfield has used her Tool Text File of Her Own Wisdom toward her party's challenge, Trusty? Elevator.

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Well, telling Cecilia to burn this? "Sounds like this is right up your alley, Ci! And I suppose it's better than climbing down," Bart comments when he looks at the lift. Certainly he's familiar with the sort of problems elevators can have - he's had to deal with a few of them going 'aaaah I don't want to work anymore' on the Yggdrasil on occasion. But he looks up and contributes to this situation in the best way possible.

He grabs the rock that has landed on the controls and throws it off the lift!

But he does it in an INTELLIGENT manner. Because pirate captains are smart. To a certain extent.

The ride down though seems like it's a little more exciting than he expected, because as soon as the switch is thrown everything starts rattling. "Oh this is not a good sign!" Bart growls. And holds onto the side of the lift. "THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN AT ALL!" 

DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Trusty? Elevator.

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Hm, Claude C. Kenny thinks as he surveys the damage. This is not his sort of thing.

Fortunately, however, it appears to be someone else's, and so he sits down in a corner of the lift and tries to stay out of the way. When Emma begins her light and sound show, Claude frowns, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a harmonica (a new one, since he threw the old one into a sacrificial magic fire a week or so ago). He tries a couple experimental blows, frowns, tunes the mouth organ while looking at the inside of his jacket--

In G: -3" -1 -1 -2 -3" -3" -3" -3 -4 +4 -3' -3"

---and then begins playing a different song, because this is the sort of thing you do when you roll Pitch and Sense of Rhythm instead of Dexterity. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"Sing and you won't have time to be afraid!" Emma encourages Bart. 

DG: Claude C. Kenny has used his Tool Tricorder toward his party's challenge, Trusty? Elevator.

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle is definitely front-row material. Claude has gotten that right, at least. She catches Rudy's gaze and gives him a grin.

"Quite a few things, but I hope none do," Tethelle replies to Claude, as she looks over the elevator. This is a thing that she knows precisely nothing about, and since her approach would be to jiggle the levers until something moved (hopefully the levers), she is glad to leave it to a master. Or whatever Emma counts as.

"I am sure you don't want me to sing," she says, a little doubtfully. If nothing else, she isn't going to know the song, and she's taken aback by it coming out of... of... "What is that?" she asks Emma, eyeing the Emulator as if it was going to shoot lasers at her or something.

Compared to that, the rumble of the elevator is almost soothing. Almost. She still braces in the corner (near Claude, actually) but she does not seem like she's going to fall over. As long as it stays steady... 

DG: Tethelle Cirdian has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Trusty? Elevator.

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia offers parenthetical smiles around to her supporters. Yes; this is the place, alright. She feels it in her bones. She affords Rudy a particular smile, and then joins the group on the way in. And it's...well. She gives Bart a slightly flat look. "Had to say it, did you?" she quips at him, but Emma's words do give her something tod o, at least. Producing her Tinder Staff, she lines up a shot on the wooden obstruction, and--

"...wow," she muses, as the flames rush from her stave. "She actually meant IIIT!" she squawks, as the lift suddenly jerks downard, and momentum nearly sends Cecilia into the ceiling. She cuts the Tinder Staff off, its work done, before it can set anybody on fire. She ends up on her butt, and decides she likes it there for the moment.

...she hums along to the song for the moment because she's not yet corrupted enough to think of singalongs on a too-fast elevator. 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has used her Tool Tinder Staff toward her party's challenge, Trusty? Elevator.

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

"Glad to be here" Rudy offers in a meek response to Emma as he smiles toward her, clearly pleased that she is with the group as well. In his usual humility, Rudy offers another warm smile, his eyes resting on the Princess of Adlehyde's gaze for a time before she moves on, which reminds him that he should move as well.

As the group enters the lift down, Roughnight glances at the rest of the gathering. For Digs, it's common to see a few faces you don't know. You work together in a life or death situation and you either get someone you want to work with again, someone who you would never trust with your pocket change much less your life, or someone you have to kill because they were waiting until they got what they wanted to double cross everyone and get the desired wealth of resources or knowledge for themselves. People might feel like he's staring from time to time, but there is no malice in it, merely a simple curiosity that remains unspoken.

As Emma pulls out her equipment and works on the elevator, Rudy pulls out a small device, merely pressing a few buttons on it. The words of the song cause him to perk up for a moment. Perhaps, Rudy is wondering if he is WILD AND/OR TOUGH. Once he processes the data of the song and the Portable Radar, the boy with the bandana speaks up to Bart. "According the machine, we've interacted with the device appropriately, we should be fine."

There is an awkward pause as Rudy figures he should be reassuring to help Bart feel better. So he just gives him a really large and fake grin and a thumbs up. And just holds it for awhile because if giving someone a thumbs up and grin for two seconds is good, then doing it for twenty seconds is TEN TIMES as good... Right? 

DG: Rudy Roughnight has used its Tool Portable Radar toward its party's challenge, Trusty? Elevator.
DG: The party led by Cecilia Adlehyde has passed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

As the wind increases in speed, whipping at Emma's hairstyle, she belts all the harder, perhaps to make up for her comrades not singing along yet. "GET CHANCE AND LUCK~ There's something, somewhere, that only you can protect~ GET CHANCE AND LUCK, you'll regain your wounded dreams on your own--!"

The lyrics seem to stop flowing. "It's the Emulator. No time to explain!"

The music seems to be repeating. "Hold on!" Emma braces herself against a railing because

SHE CUT THE BRAKES?? (Actually, they're just somewhat damaged.) The impact of the landing is a surprising, rattling thump, but not actually much worse than a stagecoach can get.

There is a distant 'clonk' from the panel cover Emma threw overboard. They beat it down.

"That went well," Emma said, straightening up. Rudy gets his grin and thumbs-up mirrored. 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has drawn a new Challenge.

====================<* CHALLENGE - Terrible Tatzelbelm *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The Tomb is home to a number of strange monsters which prowl the darkness -
 and one group of those seems to have discovered the group. The Tatzelbelm
 are large grey salamander type monsters which breathe fire when threatened,
 and they seem to be interested in the ambulatory meat that has entered their
 territory...
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia scrambles for the first steely thing she can grab as Emma exhorts them to hold on.

She ends up clutching Rudy's ankle when the dust settles. "Uhm," she mutters, looking around. "We lived! G, good work, everyone." Somehow she feels like she should say that.

Then she follows her hands up from where they're clutching to the face of the owner, and her eyes shrink a bit. "Ah! Uhm!" ...She releases readily and scrambles upright, dusting off her gown. "L, let's be on our way! Yes. There's...quakes to...find."

A Golem's Tomb is no safe place, it seems. Cecilia's barely turned the second corner in her walk away from that when she is confronted by a salamander that immediately tries to set her on fire. "Ah!" she yelps, and reflexively whips up her Crest Sorcery staff to jab it directly into the thing's snout. "No! Bad!" she declares, whips the staff around in a well-trained motion to drive the butt of her staff into its throat, stopping a roaring breath in its tracks.

This works great until three more trundle into view.

"uhm," Cecilia hedges. "...some help, please!" 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Terrible Tatzelbelm.

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Help arrives quickly, in the form of Claude C. Kenny being an idiot.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the blonde-haired swordsman roars as he leaps forward with a burst of chi, clearing a good twenty feet in a single bound. The low clearance forces him to take a short arc, and so he twists his body sideways as he approaches Cecilia, quick-stepping rapidly along the wall so he runs over her instead of into her. Claude drops down and punches the salamander in the jaw, then draws his sword and goes to work.

After that it's just hack, hack, air slash, eat a steak, hack, hack. 

DG: Claude C. Kenny has used his Tool Pocket Steak toward his party's challenge, Terrible Tatzelbelm.

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Alright that was a bit more exciting of a ride than he had been expected. Bart looks kind of rattled by the descent. Pirates are not meant to fall in things, they are supposed to fall ON them. Or something. But still he gets out of the elevator and staggers along.

"I swear, next elevator I come across..." he mutters quietly.

It's a few moments later when Bart hears Cecilia call out for help up ahead that he recovers a bit more of his usual attitude. He grins, pushing his way forward as he spots the fire breathing salamanders. "Wow, that's... that's a thing." He sniffs, and mimes wiping away a tear from his remaining eye. "Man Ci, you didn't tell me this was a surprise party! It's not even my birthday, and I get to fight some GIANT FIRE BREATHING SALAMANDERS!"

Really, Bart is glad to be able to do things like punch horrible monsters rather than trying to figure out complex machines. He flips out a vial from inside of his jacket, popping the cork and unleashing a wave of ether that helps to empower and energize the group. And with that, he... doesn't even get out his whip. He just cracks his knuckles.

"Oooooooooh yeaaaaaaahhh!" he shouts, and just leaps forward to elbow drop one of the oncoming beasts! 

DG: Bart Fatima has used his Tool White Cologne toward his party's challenge, Terrible Tatzelbelm.

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"I'll back you up, Cecilia," says Emma as she raises up her Emulator. "Beginning Download!"

...

Well, she's participating. That's what counts. "What a sultry fragrance," she murmurs as the cologne washes over them. "But is it a good match for my image, I wonder..." 

DG: Emma Hetfield has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Terrible Tatzelbelm.

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle stops bracing as soon as they touch down. She looks slightly rattled by the descent - it might have been not much worse than a stagecoach, but stagecoaches don't go down. "Next time I'll climb," she promises to herself under her breath, running her hand through her hair before holding the disc on the cord she wears as a necklace.

Tethelle will forget that by the time it comes to actually leave. She's not that crazy. That would be one hell of a climb.

And look! There's a salamander. Like Claude, Tethelle is ready to fight, but she mouths something under her breath, holding the token for a few moments first. And then she charges into battle, rushing after the faster swordsman and drawing her blade from its carrying strap.

Tethelle wields it two-handed. She'd pretty much have to, given its length. But despite its size and weight she makes it look graceful rather than unwieldy; she opens with a broad cutting arc, dropping into a fluidly shifting stance as she slides to the side, clearing Bart's approach while striking downward in short, controlled strokes, using the momentum from her heavy blade to help move her out of the snapping monsters' blows.

She makes combat look almost like a dance. 

DG: Tethelle Cirdian has used her Tool Icon of Equites toward her party's challenge, Terrible Tatzelbelm.

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

As the thing stops suddenly, Rudy looks down and sees that there is a Cecilia there. "Are you okay?" he asks softly, willing to bend down and help her up if needed. But she seems find and moving up on her own. "Sounds good," he states in response to looking for the source of the quakes.

Then the battle begins, with the Princess asking for assistance as they charge in. While Claude's sword sings with power and pairs well with the grace of Tethelle's swings, as Bart offers the sweet smell of victory, and Emma... Stands there?, Rudy moves into place as well. Perhaps being rather noticeable in who he wishes to protect, he withdraws his bowie knife as he stands about halfway between Emma, Cecilia, and the fighting at hand. If the monsters close the gap, he'll move in, but otherwise he'll contend himself to be a human shield to avoid getting in the way of the skilled melee warriors. 


DG: Rudy Roughnight has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Terrible Tatzelbelm.
DG: The party led by Cecilia Adlehyde has passed this challenge! The party gained 37 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Bart Fatima has drawn a new Challenge.

======================<* CHALLENGE - Disappearing Floor *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Someone, long ago, decided that it would be a cute trick to make the floor
 just disappear from existence when you stand upon it. In truth it is not so
 much 'disappear' as 'rapidly collapsing', but the distinction is not really
 helpful for anyone who happens to be standing atop it. And look, they made
 the entire room out of this sort of flooring. Better get moving!
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia's sweet staff fighting is swiftly shown up by the actual melee fighters, and Cecilia steps back to let them do their work. She smiles gratefully as Rudy steps up to guard the back line (he gets a chance to deal with a fireball for his trouble); but between Bart's empowering colognes and Claude and Tethelle putting years of training to work, the salamanders are swiftly put to rout and/or sleep forever.

Cecilia sucks in a breath and starts firing Heal around to keep people healthy after that little scrap. This isn't too bad so far...

She decides to let the frontliners actually be at the front now, though. 

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

He got to punch a salamander! Man, that's something off of his bucket list. Bard is pleased so far. Very pleased.

At this point it feels like things are going fairly well - the Tomb doesn't appear to be that difficult to traverse, and they've not encountered anything too serious. Bart is actually starting to get a bit bored at this point really as they wander into another modestly large, featureless room, and then...

  • click*

The pirate pauses for a moment as he steps onto the next large tile on the floor, and then he looks backwards. Just in time to be treated to the sight of a large floor panel just falling away behind the party, collapsing into the darkness below. It might only be a ten foot fall, it might be a hundred feet, but they really shouldn't stick around to find out.

"We gotta go!" Bart shouts. And basically grabs whomever is closest (probably Cecilia, maybe Emma) and propels them forward. "Floor is collapsing go go go gogogogogogogo!"

And then the panel they are on starts crumbling, and Bart pulls out his whip and lashes out towards a convenient outcropping near the door out of the room. He'll swing over there if he needs to, and hopefully not have to carry more than...

...three, it was three people before, right? 

DG: Bart Fatima has used his Tool Bart's Whip toward his party's challenge, Disappearing Floor.

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

Emma absorbs healing energy even as she examines the salamander data she's... downloaded?

Either way, there is a moment of peace. "Most of these areas have already been cleared out," she explains. "Routine work in order to prepare matters and inventory signs and relics of the previous era. Interestingly enough there has not been much need for Diggers, though I see the earthquake has -"

"Ah!" The falling of floor panels. Seeing that Bart is enthusiastic, Emma - who is a cold and calculating psyche in some ways - shifts herself forwards, and when she's grabbed, she finds herself being hustled with great vigor forwards.

Twisting herself round, she arches up one leg as Bart pulls out a whip, which makes her easy to tow along. "Thank you, Bart," she - well, it's probably not good to speculate on that tone. She does put an arm over his shoulder, making things even more awkward, to--

  • poonch!* Look, it's that STUPID THING OF HERS. The spring-launched punchy fist flies upwards at the nadir of Bart's swing, which means it hits a panel JUST in time to support it from falling for a vital second or two.
DG: Emma Hetfield has used her Tool Punchy Gun toward her party's challenge, Disappearing Floor.

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

It was three people last time Claude and Bart hung out. Claude was one of the people. He was okay with the fact that he was squished between Cecilia and Idea, but the fact that they ended up crashing sort of soiled the experience.

This time, Claude C. Kenny is pretty sure Bart could handle the five people (he's seen the pirate's shoulders, and he's impressed), but he's not at all sure about the whip. And so he begins running along the floor quickly, pacing himself so he can keep one eye on Tethelle in case she needs to be grabbed and/or thrown across the last few feet. 

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle comes to a stop when the salamanders are routed, flicking her sword once to clean it off. It isn't perfect but it's better than nothing; she'll have to clean and maintain her sword later, as she doesn't have enough time to do it now.

"Then I would like to continue before something else comes into the 'mostly cleared out' area," Tethelle says to Emma. She doesn't sound upset, though - Tethelle is one of those people who actually enjoys combat, at least for a good cause, and in her opinion keeping herself and her allies alive is a good cause. It wouldn't do to let them get hurt when she can prevent it... She gives Cecilia a thankful nod at the healing power, as it is something she cannot do.

As they enter the next room, Tethelle hesitates for a moment. Sometimes she gets hunches; this is one of those times, though she has no idea what the danger is. She finds out very quickly as the stones start to fall out from under people's feet. Tethelle's response to that is not thinking about the problem but action; she starts to run, picking up speed and momentum as she leaps from stable section to hopefully stable section. Bart has Cecilia and Emma, Claude has himself...

She glances back as if to check on Rudy. Is she going to have to carry him? (She probably can. She doesn't exactly look like a delicate waif and she was just swinging a giant sword around; her upper body strength is impressive.) 

DG: Tethelle Cirdian has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Disappearing Floor.
DG: Claude C. Kenny has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Disappearing Floor.

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

As the floor gives way, Rudy notices there are a lot of people moving really fast. He doesn't really see a reason why he should push or shove and is more than willing to get out of the way. Of course, in encouraging everyone to move ahead, he then realizes that well, the floor has 'disappeared' from beneath him.

That's not good.

The knife still within Rudy's grasp drives itself into the wall. Through sheer strength and desperation, it finds purchase, lodging itself into the wall to the hilt. Awkwardly, Roughnight tries to figure out exact what he's doing for a good bit before he finally pulls himself precariously on the handle, using the wall to help climb up. Once he does that and is standing on the hilt, he looks to the group and just makes a long and powerful leap for the other end of the hallway, gripping the edge and just trying to pull himself up.

The bowie knife just falls into the void in the wake of the leap. Thankfully, it wasn't special, so he'll likely just get another one in a day or two. 

DG: Rudy Roughnight has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Disappearing Floor.

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia is busy healing people and looking around like a dolt when Bart...does the thing.

Cecilia isn't a honed and abused enough Drifter (or, really, much of one at all) to have the heart attack that a mighty CLICK like that should give her; she doesn't pick up that there's a problem until Bart starts yelling, then she looks back like a freakin' idiot, and then yelps "RUNNING RIGHT GOT IT" and has to hike up her skirts to try and bolt for the far end.

To her credit, she can really haul in those heels. They're more like fashion boots than for running for your life!

Near the end, she makes a point to slam into one of the tiles Emma immobilized (THANK YOU, STUPID THING) and then jumps, trying to cover the last few tiles with a jump.

She may need to be caught, if only so she doesn't slide the last few feet on her face. 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Disappearing Floor.
DG: The party led by Cecilia Adlehyde has passed this challenge! The party gained 22 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Claude C. Kenny has drawn a new Challenge.

======================<* CHALLENGE - Plentiful Pillbugs *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Pillbugs are modest sized for monsters, and generally tend to be slow and
 unthreatening individually. Unfortunately, the party did not find one
 pillbug. Or two. Or even ten. There's about a hundred that come rolling into
 the room in a giant wave, looking to munch on whatever they can find,
 including the unfortunate party!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

The party books it across the floor, running, swinging, and generally doing whatever they need to in order to cross the difference and arrive safely at the exit. The group tumbles to a halt, and Bart reaches back as he sees that Cecilia isn't quite going to make it.

He reaches, and grabs onto one flying princess before she becomes a falling one, grunting from the impact as she knocks him over, the two sliding for a moment across the floor.

He doesn't say anything, instead just laying there for a moment while waiting for Cecilia to get back to her feet.

He most assuredly makes no comments about the fact that she basically flattened him. Nope.

The pirate then stands up, and dusts himself off for a moment. "Well, that was... exciting," he states, and looks back at the collapsed floor behind them. "Ha! Gonna have to try harder than that, ancient... trap things!" 

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude grins at Bart's antics. "Yeah!" he shouts, holding a hand up to the taller man, angling for a high-five. "Ancient trap things ain't got NOTHING on---"

The ceiling suddenly parts with a loud *click* and then pillbugs are raining down on the group like rain, only more.

"This could have happened to anyone!" Claude shouts as he tries to use one pillbug as a club to smash another pillbug back into the pit, while three more are chomping on his shoulders. "It's not specifically because I said that!" 

DG: Claude C. Kenny has used his Tool Pocket Steak toward his party's challenge, Plentiful Pillbugs.

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

Emma's arm stays around Bart's shoulder for about two seconds longer than it needs to. She's just... steadying herself. Sure.

She adjusts her glasses after disengaging, looking towards the others and doing an impromptu headcount. There are as many heads as she expected. So that's good!

Then they are confronted with pillbugs. That's bad.

"Please, everyone, try not to inhale the fumes I am about to summon," Emma announces even as a pillbug bounces off her head, thankfully too curled-up to take a bite out of her. The Emulator is addressed, tapped, and and what rolls outwards is a cloud of sickly green gas that diffuses like the vape from an extremely languid rip. The smell is like sweet and horrid death, improving the vaping analogy.

However, things around knee height and down that breathe it - such as, say, giant bugs - are gonna have a bad time, and enter into what might be called a "death" relationship with Emma Hetfield.

"You shouldn't be too impatient," Emma tells Tethelle. "We'll move with all deliberate haste, but being in a big rush is one of the leading causes of horrible death in the solitary depths of Filgaia. Number two is rats." 

DG: Emma Hetfield has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Plentiful Pillbugs.

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Good! Tethelle doesn't have to carry anyone. It's for the best. She lands, breathing hard. She's not used to the acrobatics - but she's healthy, she recovers fast even from sprinting and leaping.

"Rats," she repeats to Emma, in a neutral tone as the pillbugs erupt. "Not, for instance, insects." Why are there even this many pillbugs in here? Tethelle asks herself. This is a horrible ruin. For as battered as the shrine is near her home, it has nothing like this in it.

As far as she knows, anyway. She technically has never checked the basement.

Tethelle runs her fingers over the neck charm again before wading into battle. Her stance is totally different this time; her stance is wider and lower, the pommel of her sword almost down at hip level, her blade held to the side. She strides forward in measured steps, sweeping as if she was going to knock entire swaths of pillbugs out of her way; the fact that she is sweeping with the edge of a sword ensures that when she does they're not going to get back up. She stays well away from Emma's gas. She's smart enough to not want to breathe it.

"It could have," she replies to Claude, "but it happened to us!" 

DG: Tethelle Cirdian has used her Tool Icon of Equites toward her party's challenge, Plentiful Pillbugs.

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"Usually the insects eat the corpses, but that's misleading - vultures don't kill people, the Black Ties kill people," Emma parenthesizes. 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

As Rudy scrambles up to the top, he notices Bart's antics with Cecilia. His brown eyes look confused, as if trying to figure out why he's focusing on that rather than everything else that is going on. He might have pensively considered that for a bit of time but thankfully, bugs are trying to eat if his friends and allies.

Wait what?!

Blinking, Rudy takes in the situation. They are too close for his ARM, as there is a chance he could hit an ally. But he doesn't have his bowie knife.

So, he merely bends down, getting a rather large rock. One that seems a little TOO heavy for a boy his size to pick up. Either way, he charges forward with it, just going primitive on the foes and slamming the rock on as many of the creatures as possible.

Tethelle moves with agility and signs of clear training. Meanwhile, Rudy has none and seems more like a brute than anything else. As a creature bites him, Roughnight opens his mouth and inhales in pain, resulting in coughing as he accidently does what Emma told him NOT to do. He keeps going, however, smashing and coughing like he has a job to do. Because he does. 

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Bart makes the save!! Cecilia wheezes a little while she gets her breath back into her. She, in a rare fit of anime restraint, does not smack him for daring to do something useful; she just rolls off him and breathes once she realizes she totaled him and then mutters, "Good....good work," with a breath. "...thank you, Bartholomew."

Then she angles to get herself to her feet, at which point there's a horrible noise.

And then a horrible rain. Cecilia's shriek is not vocal, but the next part is: "Fire!" as she spirals her staff in her fingers, a mystic diagram drawing itself in the air!

Which then disgorges blazing death on horrible bugs. 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Plentiful Pillbugs.

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

"My pleasure, Ceci," the pirate replies. He shrugs, and gives Emma a wink for taking a moment to disengage from him earlier (but it's with his bad eye so really more like a glance). Bart generally enjoys the close proximity of pretty women, but at the moment he's got a few other things on his mind.

A big part of it is the fact that the room is just pouring pillbugs down onto them. The monsters are not huge, but they're numerous. INCREDIBLY numerous. Bart just flails for a moment as one lands on his head. "Hey! NOT THE EYE! NOT THE EYE!" he shouts, before knocking the things off, even as several more land on top of him. "Okay this is totally your fault Claude! You should not be taunting the dungeon!"

Nevermind that Bart had been doing... basically the same thing. DETAILS.

But he uses the last of the ether energy sealed into his cologne bottle, and pulls out his whip. Part of what the bottle was designed to do was to provide INCREDIBLE REACTION TIMES if you were attacked, and that means Bart just becomes a terrible whipping machine! Really it's like a tornado of whips when you come down to it! Whip cyclone! That sort of thing! 

DG: Bart Fatima has used his Tool White Cologne toward his party's challenge, Plentiful Pillbugs.
DG: Rudy Roughnight has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Plentiful Pillbugs.
DG: The party led by Cecilia Adlehyde has passed this challenge! The party gained 27 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

"Details!" Claude shouts to Tethelle as he headbutts the wall to dislodge a pillbug from his skull.

"I did not!" Claude shouts to Bart, in spite of the very clear evidence that he absolutely totally did do that.

He punts a last one into the pit and then whirls, looking for more... only to discover that smashing, fire magic and poison gas have taken care of the rest. "Uh... okay!" he says brightly, pulling a steak out of his pocket. "Thff wrfnf srr brf!" 

DG: Emma Hetfield has drawn a new Challenge.

======================<* CHALLENGE - Extreme Electrical *>======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The doors to the final chamber of the Tomb have been sealed shut for many
 years now, and the party has now been able to figure out why. Something has
 shredded some of the connections between the Tomb's final chamber and the
 rest of the structure, and parts have been pulled out and tossed across the
 floor. However, despite the claw marks and some teeth marks on the
 components, it appears that there is enough intact that it can be repaired!
 But only the fortune of the Guardians and a clever eye for these strange
 wiring connections will restore power to the door and allow ingress.
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

The pillbugs' retreat and horrible demise paint a trail deeper, up to this final door. Emma gazes upon it... And then down on the crack which the earthquake put in the wall.

Squatting down she looks inside. "Could it have been this simple? Was it just the nest of a succession of insects? But then, damp - and the warmth from current impedance... It would make sense."

Parts get hauled out and, soon enough, Emma's produced a thin canvas tarp and stretched the damaged components out on it. "... Hm... Hm, yes... I think..."

The Emulator is tapped and set down on the edge of the tarp. "Rudy, are you alright? I hope you aren't badly poisoned. Don't worry, your body can metabolize these compounds much more efficiently than an insect's... Alright."

She straightens upwards. "We're going to have to make up for a few gaps, but repairs are possible. Even so, we're deep within a structurally questionable tomb with a string of corpses behind us and the risk that we could bring the entire place down upon us at any time. There's only one way to keep our morale together."

That electronic music, the synthetic tones of a technical ghost, starts up again. As do the lyrics. "You know the tune, now, so please sing along," Emma says as she whips a wire splicer out of her pocket.

"When you shower me with kisses, in the light of the bar~ She dances in the shadows, she made the cold night sky her stage~ She clowned around with sorrow..."

Clunk, whirr... SNAP SNAP SNAP. "It's your pain, or my pain, or somebody's pain~ If you can love for somebody's sake... come on, everyone:"

"GET WILD AND TOUGH" Here Emma finishes roughly refabricating some kind of complicated interconnector. "You can't erase the pain alone, hold it in your heart~"

Waving people back to the insect-reeking access point, Emma keeps singing. Apparently SHE knows this one by heart. "Get Wild and Tough~ I don't want to control my freedom in this town~"

The chorus cycles several more times, because it is a MESS in there, and even if Emma has gotten the chewed-on chunks in at least approximate order, more than that will be needed.

BUT... you can't solve the puzzle of love alone!! 

DG: Emma Hetfield has used her Tool Text File of Her Own Wisdom toward her party's challenge, Extreme Electrical.

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Bart has had quite a few insects to deal with, and is starting to feel kind of insected out right now. So the sight of all the complicated electronics makes him feel ambivalent. On the other hand this is crap that he has no idea how it works. On the other hand... it's not more bugs.

So he decides that he's going to emulate a tactic Cecilia had used before when it came to heavy debris. He sits on a nearby, convenient chunk of stone and looks at the wall and ponders it. He ponders it very hard indeed!

It's supervising! Clearly someone needs to make sure the party doesn't get ambushed during all this complicated ARM whatchamadoozits. 

DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Extreme Electrical.

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude C. Kenny enters the room, looks up, and sighs. "Doors," he says with a weary sigh. "My ancient foe." Of all the things he misses about not being in space any more, his mom is first, hot showers are the second and doors that open by themselves when you walk up to them are a close third. He rubs his eyes wearily and then walks over to a corner. "I'll help in a sec," he says. "Just...need a minute."

During that minute, Claude has a conversation with his jacket. That's pretty weird, but he's a weird guy.

He comes back and leans over Emma's shoulder. "I have a feeling that you're gonna find a burnt-out connection in that board," Claude says, pointing at it. "Do you have a soldering iron? If not, we may want to splice it with a couple extra wires."

Claude C. Kenny: may have been replaced by a pod person. 

DG: Claude C. Kenny has used his Tool Tricorder toward his party's challenge, Extreme Electrical.

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Bart narrows his eyes as Claude starts giving useful, helpful advice.

He shifts so he can get to the hidden hand gun at the small of his back in case the blonde haired weirdo suddenly opens his mouth and makes a high pitched screeching noise to notify others of his kind that the remaining humans have been spotted. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"Mr. Bart, I'm having a shoulder cramp, could you massage it?" Emma says, despite having never looked directly at Bart since she started messing with this stuff.

Maybe she heard the noise. 

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle has decided she doesn't like bugs.

This time she actually does pull a scrap of cloth out of her pocket and give her blade a quick wipe; it will still need more work later, but it's a little better than leaving it on now, and this time she isn't busy with running across broken terrain while it needs its cleaning.

Tethelle has no idea about electrical work. She looks over Emma's shoulder (this requires tiptoes) as if she understood the problem, which she does not. Claude seems to, though, even if he had to walk off by himself to think about it beforehand, so she leaves them to it. ARMs, she thinks to herself, with a bit of a sigh. She isn't afraid of them, really - she hasn't tried to dodge Rudy - but she doesn't understand them at all.

She hums this time. It's as good as you're getting. It also covers up the inaudible keening of a theoretical pod person; Tethelle doesn't know Claude well enough to know when he's acting out of character because his jacket is giving directions, and when he's just being him. 

DG: Tethelle Cirdian has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Extreme Electrical.

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Bart considers this request for a moment.

"Maybe a bit later, Emma - someone needs to keep an eye out for any more pillbugs trying to sneak up on us. Or maybe there's some horrible lightning turtle that is getting ready to ambush us." 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

"I'm fine," Rudy replies with a weak smile toward Emma as he drops the bug encrusted rock to the ground and wipes off some of the bug parts from his attire. Then Emma asks him to do something.

He doesn't want to sing.

He likes helping.

He doesn't want to sing.

He likes helping.

He doesn't want to sing.

He likes helping.

The struggle goes on for a few moments before Roughnight looks toward Cecilia with a 'If I don't make it, let my friends know I cared about them' look in his eye before he just starts to sing, off-key and a few words behind because he doesn't really know the lyrics.

As the Rudy feels new levels of shame he never knew he had, he pulls out the familiar radar, getting it active. As they talk about finding replacement parts or things that were missing, he points out things in the area that might have been missed by mere human eyes alone. 

DG: Rudy Roughnight has used his Tool Portable Radar toward his party's challenge, Extreme Electrical.

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

They walk up to a door. Cecilia feels the Teardrop searing at her; if it is indeed tied to some distant, vast heart, it is now excited by something. It feels warmer than usual; never uncomfortable but passing out of a pleasant pulse. And the voices are rattling around. The Guardians are restless.

She glances while Emma treats Rudy's probable minor poisoning. He left his knife back there, too...

Shakes her head. She'll get him one herself. It'll be great. She owes him that much. Until then, she takes a little breath while Emma starts her song, and looks around for...

There. Over the door. The sign...

She gives Rudy a brief, pitying look, and then Cecilia steps up to it, eyes riveted to the icon on the keystone of the door, a shape like a tear.

"Guardians," she breathes, and unloops the Teardrop from her neck; threads her hip-length hair back through it with a small amount of difficulty, and then holds it up. She doesn't say anything; merely focuses on the stone with silent, intent prayer.

It emits shafts of light, brighter than such a thing should be capable of; little beams of spiritual power casting around and pinging onto the walls, searching out cracks and crags. One finally hits the icon of the Teardrop over the door, and others track toward it, sending some unseen signal to some unseen receiver, that the heart of the world begs entrance.

Incidentally, this means she gets religious exemption from singing. 

DG: Cecilia Adlehyde has used her Tool Tear Drop toward her party's challenge, Extreme Electrical.
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Cecilia Adlehyde has successfully explored Lolitha's Tomb!

======================<* CHALLENGE - The Golem Lolitha *>=======================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Discovery |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Dwelling in the deepest chamber of the tomb is its namesake. The Golem
 Lolitha is quite large, almost the size of a gear except for the fact that
 it lacks any sort of cockpit, and appears to be made of some sort of unknown
 metal. Much like the other Golems that have been discovered, it remains
 inert with no real indication of how to activate it. However it remains a
 major discovery, and with the tomb cleared it can now be dragged to the
 surface by the dig's work crews!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

That gets Tethelle's attention.

She looks directly at Cecilia, her humming forgotten. She can feel that from here.

More proof, she thinks to herself. As if she needed it. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

After Bart declines a shoulder massage: "You're missing out. Cecilia, can you?" Emma says. Claude's question is not a surprise to Emma because she's in the zone - whatever that zone may be - and she says, "An iron? I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but I don't have any solder with me... Do you need point heat? I have a little torch."

Somewhere.

"Yes! That's it!" Emma says when she hears Rudy joining in uncomfortably. She immediately abandons the lyrics in order to synch up to Rudy in what is probably the Emma equivalent of an encouraging smile!

Emma does not see the beauty of the Guardians. She does not even press people for a shoulder rub any further. The work is enough. The icon is lit -

THE DOOR RUMBLES...

"Don't stand near it!" Emma warns from inside the functional crevice.

And before them all stands that looming Golem, that Gearlike artifact of history. It has been waiting for generations, silent and patient, and now that patience has been rewarded.

"Lolitha is there, yes? I'm going to be very annoyed if it isn't - Claude, could you please move - oh! OK, just a moment. Yes - now move -"

Emma extricates herself eventually. The Emulator falls silent - perhaps it can read the mood of the room. 

<Pose Tracker> Claude C. Kenny has posed.

Claude looks up from his work failing at telling Emma what to do to see the door opening. He steps forward, hand on his sword, just in case anything comes out of the door. Like... a robot? And not just a robot, but...

"Lolitha," he says, testing the sound of the word. He doesn't mention that the Golem is one letter off of the main character of a novel about underaged hanky-panky because he doesn't know this, because he didn't pay attention in space high school. He takes a few steps toward it, appraising it from a distance. "It's..."

A piece of junk, Claude thinks. Man-sized suits of powered armour have been out of production for millennia because it's ridiculously stupid to invest the time and money required to make something that won't stand up to handheld phase guns, let alone heavier weaponry. Hell, if he was in an AMWS Claude wouldn't even waste ammo on this stupid thing, he'd just step on it and be comfortable in the knowledge that powered armour compresses when it's damaged and humans don't. This is thousands-year-old trash.

And yet on this planet, you could wear it and be practically unstoppable.

"...something," he finally syas. 

<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.

Bart looks up at the golem with more appreciation than some here, at least. He's seen Gears and the idea of some magical self-propelled Gear that can fight on its own is pretty cool. On the other hand it's not working right now and might not ever work, so that does take some of the fun out of it. But he nods once, and turns to Cecilia.

"So is this what you were looking for? Or was it what you were afraid of?" he asks quietly, not really wanting to scream out the details of their previous discussions for others to hear. 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

There is a brief look of awe and wonder as the Teardrop is pulled out, Rudy seemingly never having seen the Teardrop Much less it being used in such a powerful manner. The sins of song are forgotten as the large treasure is revealed. What Emma and Cecilia were so excited about. With everyone's help, they did it.

Perhaps making the matter far simpler than it needs to be, Rudy just looks to everyone. "We did it, everyone, good job!" With that, he gives an honest grin before he peers back at the massive thing and looks back to Emma. "This what we came here for, right?" 

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia wildly disregards Emma's advice and steps right inside. She can feel it. The pulse of destiny....the irrevocable turning of fate...and....!

She's not fully aware of when she stopped, only that it was with enough distance to look up at the towering thing with eyes full of wonder. That's it...Lolithia. A looming figure, but somehow...peaceful. Like a statue of an old knight, she thinks, suddenly, remembering the statuary from the castle. A guardian in repose.

Her hand hovers over the Teardrop, swiftly replaced on her neck. "...both," she breathes to Bart, and then, aloud to Emma, "Is it....safe? You're bringing it back to Adlehyde, aren't you?" ... pause. She looks at it, and then up. "...and how were you planning to move such a tremendous thing, anyway...?" she wonders, practicality briefly intruding on her awe. 

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle is looking at Cecilia with a bit more respect than she had been previously, though she'd always seemed strangely respectful of the princess. More than the others here - but then again, Cecilia is a princess, and maybe that means something to Tethelle.

(It doesn't. She's important for a completely different reason.)

But when the door opens, Tethelle is treated to something she never thought she'd see. A Golem - an actual Golem, or so she's been told.

Tethelle respects, intensely, the warriors of the Metal Demon Wars. Her village was said to be founded by one, after all; while the founder did not use a Golem, they appear several times in the oral history and the stories about that era. When she heard that this place was Lolithia's Tomb, she knew it was important, but she did not expect to see the complete Golem ready for excavation.

Tethelle lowers her head and speaks quietly, under her breath, for some time. It has the rhythm and tone of something recited. When she raises her gaze again, it's to look directly at the ancient machine with something near awe. Someone fought the Metal Demons with this. A great warrior, like the founder of her village and her style. It means something to her.

"Yes," she says to Claude, before looking at him a little more sharply. "It is history. It is a thing that the people of my village would have revered, ARM or not, as the tool of a warrior - a weapon, a strong arm to stand against darkness. It was lost, but now it is found, and whether it works or not it is a relic to respect."

This is somewhat at odds with the general attitude of Baskar toward machinery like this. Tethelle does not care. This was someone's weapon, once.

But she does want to hear Cecilia's answer. Like Bart, Tethelle has heard more from her than most - though she wasn't aware Bart was, and she looks at him a little sharply when he asks, as if surprised, and gives a slight nod when Cecilia answers. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

Rudy is answered as Emma peers into the crevace of the doorway. "Yes," she states, authoritatively. Her arms fold.

"Hmm... The extraction should be perfectly safe," Emma says. "Given its position, it might be easier to blast through the roof and provide a direct vertical lift. Of course, such a thing would have been impossible without the Emma Motor, but that's the advance of technology for you."

"But that's not your question exactly, is it?" Emma says. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she purses her lips. Tethelle raises a question, a good point, and she says then, "That isn't entirely true. The Golems, based on past records, operated independently... We don't understand all of the details. But I remember hearing Hanpan speculate just last week - I had wondered, you see, why it would stay in a situation like this, particularly if, for instance, there was an earthquake -"

Emma pauses to let her train of thought pull fully into the station.

"Lolithia was almost certainly programmed - do you know that word? It's from the patterns we find in Gears and the ARM, sometimes, pre-defined sets of instructions - anyway: Programmed to become lifeless, inert, and still once its mission as a weapon had been concluded..."

Emma admires the massive thing. From her smile she is pleased on a profound level.

"Almost certainly," she concludes. 

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

"It's a weapon," Tethelle says, stubbornly, to Emma. "Even if it moved on its own, someone guided it, and gave it those instructions. So it is said, at least."

Tethelle really doesn't know much about ARMs or Golems. She has never heard the word 'programming' in her life. But her stories say they were weapons, and weapons need someone to wield them. Someone to guide them. A weapon, freed from all restraint, would be a terrible thing.

Tethelle tilts her head back and looks up at the Golem, again. Now that the danger is past, she's seemed to relax slightly. She was being formal before, in some ways, because people expect a Baskar priest to be formal and she was trying to look good for Cecilia. Now? Now they're allies, comrades even. And Cecilia doesn't seem to be prophecying doom and gloom in the next five minutes, so that's a plus.

So she sounds a good deal less stiff when she says, "I'll take your word for it that you can get it out. I will help, if I can, but it is a little ...big for me to lift." That with a slightly cocked grin. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"You could be quite helpful if you're willing to stay here and help guide the hooks," Emma offers. "But there may be some danger of falling rocks." 

<Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.

Tethelle Cirdian considers that for a few moments.

"Let me clean my sword first," Tethelle eventually decides. "Then I will." 

<Pose Tracker> Cecilia Adlehyde has posed.

Cecilia nods along. ('hanpan?' Isn't that that blonde swordsman's funny mouse...?) She remains fixated on Lolithia rather than Emma, but she listens just the same.

Programmed to become lifeless. to die once its task was done. "Only a weapon," she says to nobody, quietly; unburdened by fears that it will snap to life by Emma's words she steps closer, until her hand presses against the stone of its platform. "Tasked to go still forever..."

She doesn't know what this feeling is, but she hates it. She pulls in a slow, shuddering breath, and rubs at her eyes with an undainty knuckle. Then she turns, swiftly on her heels. She favors Emma with a smile, hiding whatever confusion is going on in her heart. "Well then, I suppose it's no threat to us or to Adlehyde, Professor," she says, wearing her best schoolyard-cheer face. "I'm sure Bart will be happy to help with whatever needs exploding. I'll..."

She casts another brief look back. Nothing happened, she thinks, pulling her thoughts apart. This was supposed to mean...something.

"...stay as long as you need," she finally finishes.

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