2017-05-16: The Quiet Ruins
- Log: The Quiet Ruins
- Cast: Josephine Lovelace, Bart Fatima, Leon Albus, Lily Keil
- Where: Ruins of Lahan
- Date: 5/16/2017
- Summary: Following the cleansing of Lahan of malevolence, a small group goes looking for supplies and leftover ghosts.
==============================<* Ruins of Lahan *>============================== Lahan was once a medium-sized village of 50 or so residents. Now, however, it is a ruin, with buildings smashed and their remnants scattered and scorched. Large gouges have been torn out of the grounds, and chunks of metal lie in the small creaters dotting the landscape. To the trained eye, it is clear that the village was decimated by a battle between Gears, and a few dozen marked graves nearby indicate that someone, at least, survived it. But whoever they were, they are long gone. A short distance from Lahan, atop a jagged cliff separated from the village by a rope bridge (currently dangling broken), a small home sits. According to signage at the base of the cliff, this is where the town doctor can be found. So that is helpful. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPrm1nrkZ3k
DG: Bart Fatima has joined your party! DG: A party led by Josephine Lovelace is now entering Ruins of Lahan. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Obstructed Path *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A promising side path to the destroyed village of Lahan turns out to have its own difficulties. While the approach through the forest goes well enough, it turns out one of the massive indigenous creatures that lives here has blocked the road with several fallen trees and large rocks. The sight of giant claw marks on the bark and scratched into the rock suggests that the fastest way through might be to clear a path through the blockage - trying to clamber over might attract the attention of some beast when the party is in a less than ideal position. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
The first thing anyone would notice about Lahan is that Lahan has seen better days. To put it mildly. There are at best the remnants of villages, and scars dug into the earth that haven't healed a bit in the months since the incident that leveled Lahan.
There was a village here, but it's gone now.
Josie is currently lingering around the distant sidepath towards the village -- near a stand of trees that had escaped the initial destruction -- perched on an ancient-looking stump and starting down at the ground. In her hands, she holds her rifle, the weapon just about dangling from her grasp. Penelope perches on her shoulder, hunched up. The bird seems vaguely uneasy.
After a moment or two, her thoughts apparently elsewhere, the archaeologist looks up. "Took you guys long enough," she says, coupling the statement with a lopsided smile. Lurching to her feet, Josie rolls her shoulders and glances over at the ruins. "Just think about how much fun you missed out on! What with the giant evil skeleton, and that asshole of a knight..."
She had, naturally, filled them in on the basics -- fought a giant skeleton and some highly unpleasant (the word she used was in fact 'asshole' there as well) person in armor, the sense of wrongness everywhere -- in her initial request they come out here to check things out.
She's got the feeling of some unfinished business, anyway. And she's got enough sense to know better than to poke around here alone.
"So, what do you think?" She gestures, vaguely, towards the stand of trees. And rocks. And fallen trees. "Looks like something else beat me here and made a huge mess. But I think we can dig through this." Holstering her rifle, she stoops a moment to reclaim the mattock that had been resting against the stump as well.
Trying to bear most of the weight with her left this time, she gives it the good old overhead swing. Penelope immediately makes herself scarce (for now).
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Obstructed Path.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
"This place again, eh?" Bart comments as he looks over the wreckage of Lahan. He's been out here before, although the previous time they hadn't been able to actually find much of use. He looks over the blockage for a moment, and then casts his gaze back at the forest. "So, Josie. I don't want to alarm you or anything, so feel free to just ignore me like the chattering idiot I am... but we ran into a giant dinodragonthing last time we were out here. It apparently piles up all the crap to make it so people can't escape when it comes to nibble on them."
The pirate walks over and starts pulling on some of the branches, tossing stones aside, moving at a good pace. "So this sort of thing we should probably deal with using a combination of speed and being quiet."
As an additional measure, they should pray that Zed doesn't show up out of nowhere and lead the dinodragonthing to them again. That... that did not help matters.
Bart then immediately contradicts what he just said by asking, "So giant evil skeleton and an armored asshole, eh? Sounds like a fun little scrap. Sorry I missed it."
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Obstructed Path.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"That sounds like a damned disaster," Leon says with a sigh. "A giant skeleton? I've never... quite run into something like that before." His experience with monsters has been limited to the natural sort -- if the naturally gigantic and human-eating kinds. The ex-soldier adjusts his coat, and then he stops to look around for a moment.
"But... something twisting places where wars are fought," he says. He frowns at it. "I don't like. The kind of misery here... it doesn't need to be made worse."
He glances sideways at Bart, then he shrugs. "Zed isn't here to piss it off," he says. Then, he grabs onto one of the fallen trees, braces himself with his leg, and pulls. "That's something."
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Obstructed Path.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
Bart just hisses out a loud SHHHHHHHHHHHHH at Leon.
"Don't say his name. You'll summon him."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily has seen scars in the earth before, but this is a level of devastation that would only be at home in a warzone... and stark even then. Lily has respect for this much death in one place, and walks quietly on the approach.
She'd been meaning to see for herself the handiwork of those who destroyed it. It's difficult to imagine that this was an accident, though...
Regardless, the black-haired woman has a pistol on her hip and a dark red dress on, with black gloves (she replaced them long ago) and sturdy boots. Her hair is braided back today.
"I walk slowly," Lily says in a dry tone to Josie when she's greeted, though they all know it's not true. It might be a joke. She glances around. "Of course. Fun." A pause. "...Whatever it was," she says after Leon mentions it, "It's gone. I don't feel anything like that from here."
When did she turn into an expert, anyway?
"This place is twisted enough as it is," she agrees, and waits a beat, "I doubt Zed would do anything as sensible as come when he's called."
"Here, I'll try to muffle the charges, but I can make this a lot faster." Lily opens up her satchel and starts toward the pile. "But you'll want to stand far back."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, Obstructed Path. DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace 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> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Bart comes bearing a warning.
Josie lifts an eyebrow, even as she picks up the Archaeologist's Friend from its resting spot on the ground. "Really! Well, let's try to be careful then, okay?" She pauses. "And quiet." There's a sidelong glance at the rocks and trees, followed a look down at her tool. "...Well, quiet enough."
Breaking logs doesn't come quietly.
"Mmhmm. That's what it seems like, anyway. Well, from what some of the other people said, that is," she says to Leon, pushing back a few stray locks of hair. "I was a little late to the party." That smile of hers turns a little towards 'well what can you do'. "Still took a sword to the gut, though! --Don't worry, I didn't die." She smiles, a little more broadly. In other words, it's fine. Apparently?
Josie, judging by the briefly puzzled expression, hasn't met Zed.
Shifting a few of the trees and stones out of the way is pretty easy for the guys. "Whatever it was, it's gone now. I don't feel anything anymore, either." Explosions are a pretty good reason to get out of the way. Giving Lily a little mock-salute, Josie pulls back after denting a few of the logs. To be fair, they're pretty good dents. Her hand hurts, anyway.
"According to a nun I met, the knight calls themself 'K.K.'. I don't suppose any of you kids have heard of them?"
Moments later, a muffled charge easily handles the rest of the debris. Hopefully nothing unfortunate is attracted to the muted explosion.
DG: Leon Albus has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* CHALLENGE - Blocked House *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The damage to the town has left a number of buildings shattered into pieces, and the wreckage has been tossed about, leaving the streets a maze of blocked roads and alleys. Rubble piled up on the road means the only way forward into the town is through a nearby home. However, the door does not easily open, and it is clear that rubble inside is obstructing the path through the building. There's no choice but to clear away the debris, although the home seems sturdy enough that a new doorway or window won't cause it to fall down. Right away, at least. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon stands back and lets Lily do the explosives thing. He nods, with that calm that only comes from having done this so many times that he is familiar with Lily's explosive usage. He starts walking, once the way is clear, and then he glances sideways at Josephine. He shakes his head.
"K.K.? No," he says. "Never heard of anyone by that name. Was the knight the one behind whatever was happening here?"
He keeps walking -- and they get into the village proper. Leon quiets, when they do; he sees where buildings have fallen over, along with trees and what seems to be a landslide from the hills above. It has the streets all blocked, save for the house ahead -- and a door. He walks to it, then steps aside, before he yanks the door open.
There is a shriek -- and a bat flies out. Leon frowns up at it, before he peers into the home.
Part of the house has collapsed. Timbers and broken walls have made a blocked path in front of them. He frowns, before he begins to yank some of the smaller ones aside. "The damage here is severe," he says. "Always surprises me, even though I've been here once."
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Blocked House.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"I can do quiet," Lily answers, with no small sense of irony. "And careful." She remembers barricades, too.
But she does keep listening to the others. Josie said she was late, and Lily nods before turning sharply towards the older woman. "...You look good for a dead woman," Lily says weakly, and shakes off that feeling. "You should let me look it over later. Whoever you had dress it up isn't as good as I am."
Lily nods at the mock-salute, doesn't even look back at Leon. "...K.K., mm... No." Leon has tht covered; they keep walking, and Lily quiets too, looking through the streets, collapsed houses that were once homes...
"...I wonder how long it took this Gear to upend this many lives," she murmurs, and has no taste for jokes. "Surprise..."
She is, too. "...Josie. I'll freeze this cluster so you can smash it. If I use a charge I'll blow the whole house with this setup." Lily sets out her hands and with strange blue circles about her hands, lets loose a blast of frigid air that freezes rubble solid where it goes, leaving an obvious icy veneer.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Blocked House.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
"Never heard the name - sounds kind of stupid honestly," Bart muses. K.K.? Really? Who just went with two letters for a name when you could have something more reasonable and descriptive?
The barricade is down, and the group continues onwards. Bart looks at Leon starts working on one of the blocking buildings, and nods. "Well, this place certainly had a number done on it. And I'm betting the fight Josie is talking about didn't really help." He looks over at Lily, and asks, "How many explosives do you have? Last time we ended up having a pretty major blockage towards the center of the town, and we probably need to be prepared to break through it this time."
The pirate starts pulling at some of the timbers, tossing them aside. The core blockage is probably best dealt with via tools, but Bart can get some of the stuff to the side cleared out so Josephine can get a good swing at the center.
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Blocked House.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
No one's heard the name before. Josie shrugs slightly, and sighs. "Possibly. They've got some connection with it, I think." Josie does something relatively unusual. She frowns, narrowing her eyes. "They were saying something about a pyre. It reminded me of what we found in the depths of the Hollow."
She glances over at Bart, and shrugs. "Who knows? It probably stands for something..." Whoever that knight was, they were a damn bastard anyway.
It isn't long through the remaining forest and into the village. Josie pauses a moment, Penelope choosing that instant to alight on her shoulder again. "I can't tell if it's worse than before or not, honestly." It's different looking at it now in any case -- compared to rushing in to a pitched battle, anyway. Or in the aftermath of that battle.
"Let me know if you see or feel anything funny, okay? I feel like maybe something might have been left behind. Like a clue, or..."
She glances over at Lily, and lifts an eyebrow, even as a loose bat comes flying out. Even Josie startles, if briefly. "Looks like a mess in here. Let's see if anything's been left behind." The damaged floorboards creak as she treads inside.
Lucky her. She hadn't bothered to put the mattock away yet; it's still in her left hand. "Freeze them first, huh? Sounds like a plan. Okay, when you're ready--"
Josie again holds the tool in both hands. This time, she holds it more like one might hold a bat. And this time, she just assumes it's going to hurt when she swings.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Blocked House. DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace 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> Leon Albus has posed.
"A pyre..." Leon frowns, before he nods. "...It sounds dangerous."
The work in the house is straight forward enough. With Leon and Bart pulling timbers away, it lets Lily freeze the core of it. It all turns to ice, glistening and frosty -- prompting Leon to step back, because it makes the temperature inside the house plunge. And then, the mattock swings, slamming into the iced-over debris.
It shatters into a hundred little pieces of frozen wood and plaster. Leon kicks some away, before he looks over his shoulder at Josie. "Good work, both of you," he says. "Now... let's see."
On the other side, there is a door -- the back door to the house. Leon walks to it, then pulls it open, only to reveal...
DG: Bart Fatima has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Untriggered Trap *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A good eye and careful progression means that the explosives that are carefully packed into a low ruined wall and the tripwire that would set them off are not going to be a problem - but then again, there's also a whole bunch of explosives that could be defused and sold for a pretty penny to a mining concern... or anyone else who might have an interest in causing a good sized mess somewhere. Of course, it's going to take a bit of wit and ingenuity to disarm the trap without it going off, but the reward could be well worth it. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
"Probably stands for Kaptain Krunch or something stupid like that," Bart mutters. He's not impressed with clever and mysterious names. Nevermind that as far as anyone here knows, his full name begins and ends with 'Bart'. Or well 'Captain', but usually it's just 'Bart'.
Still the mention about a pyre is enough to get Bart to narrow his eyes as well. He looks at Leon for a moment, and the two of them are probably both thinking the exact same thing. Involving Lily, a knife, and lots of blood.
The door swings open, and Bart goes to walk forward. He's usually not the most observant of people, but he throws a hand out to stop anyone from walking past him. "...something's not right..." he states quietly.
And then leans down, and extends one finger. He touches a wire strung across the path, which quivers slightly as he touches it. "Looks like a trap. See if we can poke around a bit, we need to disarm it or it might do something bad. Like... y'know. Explode. Or start singing and making Zed appear. One of the two."
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Bart indicates an upcoming obstacle, and Lily inclines her head. "...Mm. Two useful blasts from what I have left on me." And that stands as her answer.
When the others react to a pyre, Lily is too; she goes still, except to, less surreptitiously than she would like, rub at her left forearm. It just bothers her.
She shakes her head and looks up a moment later, stepping forward. "Right," she says to Josie's request, but she doesn't feel anything, and she doesn't think she's going to see anything. INstead, she handles her magic...
Nodding to Leon as he praise her work, Lily follows along in short order, just a little bit behind. She's tense. That means she stops quickly when Bart throws out his hand. "A... trap," she agrees, and pauses. "Do you miss Zed?"
It sounds a little dead-delivery as she pulls her notebook and kneels before the wire. "I've seen traps like this before. Let me work on it. Captain..."
She gets to flipping through.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Kislev Field Manual toward her party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"Gh," Leon murmurs. "Clever. And dangerous."
More sign, he thinks, that someone has been here. Someone military -- or at least, someone who knows how to make traps -- who set this up. He frowns, before he takes a step back. "Anything in the manual about this one?" he asks, glancing in Lily's direction. "Maybe there'll be directions on dismantling it."
He looks the traps over carefully -- but, explosives weren't his forte. He isn't sure, at a glance, how one works it. But, he nods, and studies it with Lily.
His brow furrows, as he does.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Untriggered Trap.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
Bart pauses as Lily asks this question, and then mutters quietly under his breath. While it's not super obvious what he's saying, it's probably something like: "...Zed never ended up groping me while I was swinging over an obstacle, so he's not the worst guy in the world. Dunno what it is with ladies lately..."
Sounds like someone might have been a little more handy than Bart liked recently.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Josie snorts. Now that's a more usual expression for the archaeologist. "Maybe~"
Nevertheless, Bart might as well make it three. Josie's thoughts had then -- and now -- gone to the same place.
She's going to be feeling that later. Shaking out her right hand, Josie briefly grins at the compliment, before stepping back as Bart steps up. She's going to stash the mattock back in her bag, she's got this feeling that she might not need it again right away.
"...Good eyes."
She sees it now, too. Reaching up, she rubs at the side of Penelope's head, as if to soothe the apparently somewhat-agitated pigeon.
Penelope, briefly, makes eye contact with Lily as she approaches. Almost as if to remind Lily that she owes her something.
"Careful. You got it, Lily?" Her brow furrows, this time as if in recollection. "...Those reports I found in the Hollow seemed to be detailing military operations out here. Maybe that's one of their parting gifts."
Josie's gaze drifts away from the tripwire, though, and towards Bart. In perfect silence, she gives him a long, appraising glance.
"Well, if you want my expert opinion, I think it's pretty obvious why. Don't worry, though." She pauses. Grinning. "You're much too young for me."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Untriggered Trap. DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace 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> Bart Fatima has posed.
Bart really doesn't mind female companionship too much, but recent developments have had him thinking about... well, things. And that generally makes his head hurt because Bart and thinking really don't have that much in common.
This particular trap is not too difficult - the tripwire is connected over a loop attached to a pull pin detonator, which are hooked to a fairly large explosive that would have brought most of the building down. Disarming it is simply a matter of unhooking the tripwire and them removing the explosives themselves. Bart looks at it for a moment, and nods.
"Looks like this is the sort of thing that is designed to try and catch someone moving through here out, but not go off otherwise. Kinda nasty - I'm sure we can use the charge though for something." Heck, they can sell it - military grade explosives are valuable, but... "Take what you need, Lily, and I'll buy the rest off of ya. Can always use a bit more blasting material back on the ship."
He pushes through the passage, looking ahead to see what the next challenge will be. "And I appreciate the compliment, but sadly I'm already engaged. ...ugh, that whole situation is a mess too. Don't let your parents tell you who to marry, it never makes things easier."
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Locked Supply Cache *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Turning over an unstable rock on the side of the path has revealed an unexpected bonus - a small case with a lock secured to the front, labeled as carrying basic field supplies for an army unit. Apparently lost from a previous expedition or patrol that had come to the area, such a kit can be sold for a modest sum or used to bolster the party's own supplies - but only if the lock can be defeated. Failing to open it means either abandoning the cache, breaking it open and damaging the contents inside, or taking it to a locksmith - none of which provide any immediate benefit. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"If not, this is about to get interesting," Lily answers Leon, flipping through and pointing out to him a page. "See, we dealt with this in..." She murmurs about it as she starts to grab her tools.
Then she sees Penelope staring at her. "...You are smarter than a bird has a right to be," she murmurs, and nods once before she shifts the rest of the way over, notebook away, and unhooks the tripwire.
"Easy," she murmurs, and begins looking over the explosives.
If the group actually looks at Lily in that moment, they'll spot the laconic woman actually smiling briefly at her find. "Mm?" It's gone as she looks up at Bart. "Ah, right. That's fine." She loads them into her satchel as best she can, for now, very carefully.
As she stands, she looks over to Bart. "...I can't say I'm much for public displays of affection, but... Ah. An arranged marriage..." She sounds quiet, but slightly sympathetic. However there's a moment, as she looks to Josie while she adds, "But I won't pry into your romantic affairs."
She stares for a moment. "Let's go." At that, she moves on. She walks through and they start down the path again, where she leads left rather than right because right is a gigantic rocky outcropping that they'd have to climb.
And along the way, her nerves cause her to sit her arm back down--and nudge an unstable rock. It starts to clatter, and here's a case. The label is clear. "...More military matters..."
"Hm." She pulls back out her manual. "Locks--I have a section on locks..."
She'll be in the back consulting her notes until she can implement them--or let others implement them. Lockpicking is hard with gloves on.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Kislev Field Manual toward her party's challenge, Locked Supply Cache.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"Already engaged?" Leon asks. He gives Bart a long look. Why would a pirate be engaged to someone? His brow furrows, and he is ready to think about it a little bit longer.
He glances, briefly, at Lily. He doesn't voice his opinion on arranged marriages either. Suffice to say, given who he spends all of his time with, he has an opinion. He walks after her -- and then he stops, when the clatter is heard. He looks down at the lockbox, then nods, before he looks up at Lily.
He taps on it a few times.
"Sounds reasonably hollow," he says. "Might be trapped, but it shouldn't be a big one, if there is." No explosives.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Locked Supply Cache.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
Hey, a box. Bart loves boxes because they can be a lot of fun to smash open.
In this case however he can see the wisdom in trying to see if they can get whatever is inside out in one piece. HE nudges the box for a moment, and asks, "Does your manual have some indicator about where you can just smash the thing to get it to pop open, or do we need to like... be subtle?"
There's nothing WRONG with subtle, but... Bart.
"Yeah, it's a long story." At least 500 years old, and would require explaining a lot of things that he's not really mentioned to Leon or Lily yet. "If you're curious, I can tell ya if you're both interested in joining as full time crew rather than just at associate status."
Join the pirates, see the world, learn the mysteries of their captain! ...alternately just be in Maison's presence for five minutes, but that's why Maison is back on the ship. He sits back, and just waits for people to get frustrated with the box. THEN he can break it.
Good times.
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Locked Supply Cache.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Hm?" Josie glances over at Penelope at Lily's question, only to lopsidedly shrug. "...Honestly, sometimes I wonder, myself."
Josie doesn't know explosives but she does know machines and what is a tripwire but a simple machine? It's pretty clear, quickly enough, that Lily has the situation under control. "It's all yours, kiddo," she says once the younger woman unhooks the wire, waving her hand dismissively. Hey, Lily smiled -- that's probably already worth something.
Josie lifts one pale eyebrow. "Ship?"
Josie smiles back at Bart, in a manner that can really only be called 'self-indulgent'. "Not a problem~" She catches that look from Lily and ever so slightly rolls her eyes. Mock-long-sufferingly, at that.
Back to Bart: "Arranged marriage, huh?" She plants a hand on her hip and shakes her head. "Well, I won't need to worry about that. Well, lead on!"
Stepping backwards as a rock comes loose, Josie leans in to peer at the unearthed treasure. Penelope rather abruptly takes flight, alighting on the locked box in a flurry of wings and one discarded white black. "Hey..." Josie starts, as Penelope begins to inspect the box slowly, poking at the lid and around the edges with her beak.
"Penelope, are you even helping, or are you just getting in the way?" Josie asks rhetorically, both hands on her hips now. "Lily, I can take her back if you want."
It probably confirms that there's likely no traps by the hollow sound of the bird's tap-tap-tapping though. "Seems that way," she confirms, to Leon.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Locked Supply Cache. DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has failed this challenge! The party gained 17 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> Lily Keil has posed.
"...We have to be subtle, Bart." Lily says this as if she's holding in a sigh, because she definitely is. ...But maybe not as much as it sounds. She glances over Penelope again as they walk and talk, and did in fact smile over explosives.
"That's certainly a form of pay," she answers at the matter of joining onto the crew. "We still haven't agreed on what you think of me yet."
She glances to Leon, though; obviously it's not a decision that even in jest she plans to make alone.
But here they are messing with the box, and Lily lifts an eyebrow at the bird. "...Huh. Far too smart." A glance to Leon, "I think you're right. Let me give it a try." She pulls out a set of lockpicks, of all things, and gets up close to the case, giving it a try--
"...Hm?" Poke. Click. "...Son of a bitch," she mutters. "There's something broken off in it. We're not going to be able to open it without damaging what's in there." She shrugs. "Take it or not, I'm not carrying it."
She starts off towards the end of the path, her braid bouncing with her steps.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Buried Supplies *>======================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A collapsed wall rests to the side of the road. While normally this sort of damage does not stand out from the rest of the town, a faint flash of metal catches the party's attention. Examination reveals that the fallen wall is covering some sort of cache of supplies, buried in the fighting. It could be a map of the town, canteens of water and food, or perhaps rope or tools that make traversing the ruined town easier, if only they can be uncovered. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Lockpicks. "One of these days," Josie comments aloud, "I really should learn how to pick a lock. It's probably not too tricky." Comparatively, anyway. She's already used to close work.
Both eyebrows lift, Josie's face becoming a mask of lament. "What...? Really?" She kneels, peering at the lock alongside Lily. "Aw, hell. You're right." She pokes at it with one gloved finger. "There's definitely something wedged in there. Damn, someone else's bad luck..." Rising to her feet, she only pauses long enough to scoop Penelope -- who still pokes and pecks at the permanently locked box -- up with both hands. The pigeon struggles before slipping free, alighting with a rustle of feathers onto Josie's shoulder.
Judging from the sulky way she perches, Josie's getting the Back. Someone's feeling uncooperative now.
"I've got enough to carry," Josie says, shrugging. She looks over at the guys. "Your call. I'm going to go on ahead, though."
Something shines under the sunlight, catching Josie's eye. "Hey..."
A quick approach -- and investigation -- reveals that it is indeed a metal box of some sort. "Looks like another lockbox, or something. Some kind of box, anyway." Dropping her pack, Josie retrieves the mattock from within. Kneeling a moment, she prods the exposed section, trying to shift what's below. "Ground's pretty hard -- and it's buried pretty deep. I'll try to make a dent, and you can follow up with a charge." She taps the exposed corner. "It seems sturdy enough to take it. Military grade, I guess. ...Okay, Lily?"
Breaking up (the earth) is hard to do. Still, it's a mattock's job in life. Josie does her best to make her little hole angle towards the supply cache -- ideally to direct the blast.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Buried Supplies.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"I appreciate the offer," Leon says to Bart, "but I don't want to be weighed down too much." He pulls his hand back, eyes drifting down to the chest -- and watching Penelope work at it. His fingers linger there, uncertainly.
Then, he nods to Josie. "Clever bird," he says. He wrinkles his nose, but slides his hands into his pockets. He looks, at least, a little more at ease with Penelope than he has in the past. He still keeps an eye on her, cautiously, like she might decide to peck him at any moment.
He isn't much of a pets person.
He stands up, then, and looks down at the chest. He shakes his head. "Not worth the extra weight," he says. "It'll just slow us down." He looks sideways at Josie, and then he follows after Lily. He slows, though, as they find yet another lockbox -- and this one under a mess of stones. He nods, before he looks at Josie.
He moves in, and begins prying pieces free as best he can. "Maybe we'll have better luck with this one."
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Buried Supplies.
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
"Yeah, I figured. And maybe I'll have a reason to tell you later on, but we'll see. Some things... it's not just my story, y'know?" Bart offers to Leon. "Other people are tied up in it as well, and I'd rather not go into all the details without their permission if I didn't have to."
He's looking away for the moment, so Leon can't actually see his remaining good eye, or whatever emotions the pirate might be showing at this point.
But there's one more box, and given that the last one was a bust... hey, worth a shot with this one.
"Here, let me see what I can do," Bart comments, and starts bashing away at the area where Josie indicates the hole should go. Given Bart and his ability to break stuff, this sort of bashing is pretty enthusiastic, and should help get the explosives in place relatively quickly.
Then Lily can get to work.
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Buried Supplies.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"I could teach you," Lily offers Josie. But then this one isn't working, and they all leave it behind, for someone else to find and be stymied by. Maybe they'll have better tools.
Not their problem.
Leon answers Bart though, and Lily nods along. "Besides, I don't think you want me on your ship yet." She cants her gaze at Leon for a moment, as she thinks of one reason they both know about.
But she shakes her head watching Penelope and Leon before she heads onward. Instead she just adds, "What you're saying is that right now, it's not our business, and that's fine."
They talk about good luck as they see this box shining, and Lily inclines her head, staring out at it. "...All right. That's a good plan." While everyone else works on preparing the spaces, Lily gets her charges ready. "Right there," she directs, "That would be perfect."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, Buried Supplies. DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has passed this challenge! The party gained 17 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> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Everyone's got things they want to keep to themselves," says Josie, chiming in and probably winning hypocrite of the year award.
Lily would know better. Which, speaking of -- "Maybe sometime?"
Briefly, she closes her eyes. "Honestly, I'm not sure what she's picking up on half the time -- I really only trained her in some flying routines and a few things," Josie says, shrugging her free shoulder. "I guess she might be smarter than she looks after all?" She sounds dubious, though.
For her part, Penelope squints her eyes shut.
Dragging her free hand across her forehead, Josie pauses, taking a short breather. "I've got a good feeling about this one," Josie says to Leon. "Trust me."
Collectively -- between Josie digging and Bart helping break up the earth -- and Leon moving some of the smaller rocks (likely to just deflect the explosion in a way no one wants or get blasted in some dangerous to bystanders way) out of the way, the area is prepared for some charges.
"Okay, stand back--"
The cache doesn't go flying. It does, however, as the charge set near it goes off, very quickly tip over within the small shallow crater that now makes up its home. Thoroughly dented by the charge, it unceremoniously pops open, spilling an appreciably-sized supply of basic military-ready gear -- survival tools, a few dubiously-aged packaged rations, and so forth.
"Well, we'll call that a win," Josie says.
DG: Bart Fatima has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* CHALLENGE - The Central Plaza *>======================= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The central plaza of Lahan is where the fighting was the worst - buildings around here are less ruined than they are shattered and reduced to walls of rubble that have been swept around in strange patterns. Great chunks of the road are thrust upwards, creating massive walls that restrict access to whatever lies in the center. Unfortunately there's little to be done - the damage here is severe, and the only way to reach the center of the town and the site of the true battle is to smash through rock and rubble and carve a path through what seems like near solid stone. But given the utter destruction of the town, a valuable reward must lie just ahead. =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
"Ugh, no that's not what I'm saying-" Bart protests, as Lily works on packing all of the explosives in. "It's not really about trust or not trusting, it's..."
There's a *whump* and the ground shakes, and Bart marvels as the lockbox is ejected from the ground. He looks down at the haul, picking up a few supplies from among the selection. "Not bad - I'll let you know Josie, I'm usually looking for this sort of stuff to help supply my crew, so I'll make sure you get a share as well as Lily and Leon. Unless you'd rather take it back to the guild...?" He grins, holding up some food packs. "My rates are a bit better though."
The group wanders on a bit longer, and Bart finally stops as they come to the huge blockage they had come to last time they had delved into Lahan. "Alright, this is it," he states, looking up at the wall. "If we can get through here, we should find the central area where all the fighting was. Should be some downed Gears and other goodies in here, and if we can get some salvage it should make it worth our while."
He reaches up, grabbing a rock and pulling it from the wall. "How big a hole do we need for you to blast your way in, Lily?"
DG: Bart Fatima has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Central Plaza.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"I can't argue with supplies," Leon tells Josie. He shakes his head, before he collects some of the supplies, to take them with him. The rations get a longer look. He knows field rations reasonably well. He stops, though, before the all-too familiar wall of debris. Like the ground, itself, had been carved and forced upward. He whistles lowly.
"I'll see what I can do," he says. "Last time, this sent us packing."
He can't rule out that it will again. They don't have that many explosives, after all. He strides over to one, then grabs onto a piece of metal, and yanks it backward. He can't clear it all with his bare hands.
But, he can make Lily some room.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Central Plaza.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Hmmm." Josie lifts a hand to rest against her chin a moment, as if considering the salvage, and as if considering Bart's offer. "You've got better rates, huh?" She looks back over at the young pirate, lips curving into a sly smile. "I'll tell you what: you've got yourself a deal." Passing over the mattock to her right hand, she extends her left, as if to shake on it.
Guild rates are fine, but if she can do better, why not?
It doesn't matter to her that she's seen a familiar-looking face on a few posters.
"Okay, this is starting to look familiar." She glances Bart's way. "I came in the other way when I last came here, so it was either up ahead, or maybe a bit past that. I wanted to take a look back there again." Particularly when she's not bleeding out, this time.
"So we just have to get past this wall." She glances up at the wreckage, then over at Leon. "Well, let's see how far we can get." Even if she doesn't find what she's looking for...
A few hammer-like blows fall on the pile of debris. "If we can... just knock some of this down," she says, between strikes, "I think we could climb over--"
She's really going to regret this later, isn't she?
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, The Central Plaza.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily nods to Josie's answer, and leaves it at that. Instead, she looks to her at the matter of Penelope, and shrugs. "Who knows?"
But Bart protests, and Lily shakes her head. Her charges go off thanks to a snap of her fingers, and Lily stands up to peer at the supplies.
"I don't take any offense, Bart. For the record." A beat, "These do look useful to your group. And..." Lily reaches in and takes out two packages of ration, "Dinner."
What? She glances to Leon, holding them up.
They go away as they keep walking onward, and the black-haired woman's boots are dustier than before by the time she comes to a stop near Bart. She looks up at the walls, the rubble, the complete and total ruin.
"...What I need are a few holes, Bart. And they need to be big. Let's see... Right here looks to be the most solid weak point. ...Josie, you see it--" She's hammering away. Good.
"All right..."
She'll help, of course, gloved hands shifting debris as well until, "Here."
Lily sets her charges. "These are the last that I have prepared. ...It's this or nothing." Moments later, "Clear!"
Boom.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, The Central Plaza. DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Josephine Lovelace has successfully explored Ruins of Lahan!
======================<* CHALLENGE - Damaged Gear Parts *>====================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Discovery |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The broken remains of several Gears would look like a pitiful reward for the difficulties in clambering through the broken remains of Lahan, but a resourceful Drifter can find treasure even in a wreck like this. The Gears have been worked over by an incredible force - much of their armor and internal framing has been bent by what look to be incredibly powerful blows from another Gear - but because of the damage there are a number of internal systems that are accessible that would require days of work and a full mechanics ship to access otherwise. Gyroscopes, power relays, as well sensor mounts and other various pieces can be scavenged in a relatively short amount of time. A Drifter can sell these on the Black Market for a fair pile of Gella, and some parts are innocuous enough to even be sold openly for a better profit. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Bart Fatima has posed.
With the holes dug and the explosives set, it takes only a moment (and a somewhat impressive explosion) to bring this part of the wall down. It crumbles in on itself, pieces tumbling into the plaza beyond in a cascade of debris. From around the corner, Bart whistles. "That's some nice work Lily. Good job!" he states. Always glad to see a plan come together in a good way.
The crossroads beyond is a scene of devastation beyond what the rest of the town has shown. The Gears here are simply shattered, limbs ripped off, heads caved in, cockpits ripped open. The scene describes a continuous act of indescribable rage, someone taking out endless frustrations on the attackers who had ruined so much of the city.
But despite the damage, there are treasures here for those who know what to look for. Bart leaps up on one Gear, looking inside for a moment before he starts rooting round. "This is still good, so is this... man those Gebler bastards might need to be shot, but they make nice gyroscopes." He looks up for a moment, and pulls out a bag. "See if you can find anything that looks like it's still more or less in one piece. This Gear is one of Gebler's, and they seem almost brand new compared to the crap we dig out of the ruins. I'll give you fifteen percent above what those hacks on the black market will buy this stuff for."
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon is relieved when the wall actually comes down. He watches it collapse -- and then he starts forward, where they find a veritable graveyard of Gears. Machines torn limb from limb, and each of those limbs far taller than a man. He stares up at them.
But he also knows Gears. He walks over to another, peering through a rend in the armor. "This one too," he says. "They've got some interesting things in here. Actuators and servos that look like they'll do," he says. Then, he looks back at Bart. "You can put these to use, then? That makes it easier."
He frowns. "Selling Gear parts can get some questions asked, if you're not careful. This works out."
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
It quickly becomes clear that she's not doing enough damage to the debris piled here and shoulders slouching in exhaustion, Josie withdraws. "All yours, kiddo!"
Sometimes, you just need to throw a bomb at something.
The collapse of the barricade is swift and impressive. Shading her eyes, Josie can see that just beyond is...
Even she has to widen her eyes. "Fengalon's teeth," she murmurs, invoking the usual oath. She'd had some hint before of what happened here, and of course there'd been rumors, but...
Even without knowing very much about Gears, or knowing much about what really happened here, it's as plain as the nose on one's face. Something had gone on a rampage here. Something big.
Josie treads into the plaza with more care than usual, her gaze turning this way and that as she stares up at the wrecked machines. "Gebler? Sounds familiar. Where did I hear that..."
Dropping mattock and pack, Josie undoes the buckle for her rifle's holster, leaving that behind as well. With some ceremony, she gently removes Penelope and deposits the pigeon on the small pile. The only thing she takes with her is a cloth-wrapped pack, tucked awkwardly into a pocket inside her duster.
"I've always wondered about the guts of these things..."
With some difficulty, she levers herself upwards, nearly one-handedly, trying to get up inside one of the half-wrecked machines.
It's a dead Gear, no one will care if she rips some of its inner workings apart.
It's a good way to get an idea of how these things work.
"Not what I was looking for, but it'll do!" she calls.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Thank you," Lily answers, and is quietly pleased--which she mostly, but not entirely, keeps to herself. She just rises from behind her cover and watches her handiwork. However...
It's a grim sight that they see ahead of them. Satisfaction gives way to staring with widened eyes at all of this... desolation. How many bodies ere trapped here, too?
But she is no stranger to picking over a battlefield, and she steps forward, climbing more slowly than Bart leapt onto a Gear of her own. "...There are some useful parts over here." A pause, as she looks over to Josie, "Gebler is a group that's supplementing the Aveh army. I've fought them before. They're... strange." She looks over to Leon.
Then she gets back to work. Everyone else at least seems in good spirits.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Right! That's where I must have heard it," Josie declares, a light going off somewhere. "Back when I was last in Aveh."
It's been a while.
And it involves primarily a conflict far from here.
For right now, Josie has something more immediate to concern herself with: it might not be answers about the knight they faced, or the skeletal monstrosity, but what it is is an unparalleled opportunity.
"I'll save any interesting pieces, okay?" she calls down. Meaning, anything she doesn't disassemble to the point of uselessness or accidently break.