2017-10-22: Klean-Up Duty

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==============================<* Krosse Cave *>===============================

Krosse Cave is an old subterranean complex believed to have been used as a supply dump by an unknown military force during the battles that led up to the Day of Collapse. The upper regions of the cave have been thoroguhly explored by Drifters and Adventurers over the years, but a recent earthquake following the arrival of the Sorcery Globe opened up an entire series of chambers that have previously been unexplored.

DG: A party led by Layna Manydays is now entering Krosse Kave.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==============================<* Krosse Kave *>===============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Kome Into My Parlor *>=====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The first level of the Krosse Cave has long been picked over by Drifters,     
 and poses no barrier to your party as you move through it. Near the end of    
 that level, in a large, open chamber, a section of the wall has been opened,  
 revealing another tunnel beyond. Before you can move towrd it, however,       
 large spiders descend from the ceiling, spitting webs - and venom - in your   
 direction.                                                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Over the past few months, Layna and her crew had been constructing a new base of operations on the Krosse shoreline. In secret they had found a remote cove and transformed it into a settlement of their own. Of course, having a base of operations was not without its problems. She had heard from her scouts that there was a strange cave nearby, filled with who-knows-what.

Layna wasn't too worried about this. In fact, she considered it a good opportunity to hang out with some of her friends. So, after discussing the matter with Talise, she sent out invitations to her reliable friends of Team Chauncey. When they get to the cave, though, Layna...isn't there.

Posted outside the cave is a sign, written in...surprisingly neat hand-writing.

...So, it probably isn't Layna's.

'I asked her to wait, but the Captain heard something moving around inside and got excited. Please join us at your earliest convenience.'

        - Dahlia

Following the trails of monsters that have been knocked out cold - clearly low-level monsters that probably didn't even give any experience! - one will eventually find Layna who appears to be...

Wrestling a giant spider.

She has its legs pinned and is currently harrassing the poor thing, which is hissing(or whatever noise would be appropriate for a giant spider to make when it is angry), though she pauses and lets go long enough to offer everyone a wave as they approach.

"Ah, good to see you, me hearties! Sorry for running on ahead, but I thought I heard somethin' I haven't heard in an age!" She greets with a wave.

The author of the sign is here as well. Dahlia - who they may recognize as the short, stern-faced woman who acts as the crew's Quartermaster - does not say anything to everyone as they approach. Instead glancing to them and nodding curtly in their direction before burying her weapon, a large boarding axe, into the carapace of one of the spiders.

Fortunately for everyone, there are plenty of spiders left over...and they don't look happy!

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

A part of Talise hopes to hell that getting out and about will be enough to help Ida feel a bit better about herself. The woman's morose attitudes as of late have left her worried.

But are they any worse than she herself tends to get?

She'd hoped to meet with Layna on the way in, but instead she ends up following the trail of knocked-out kobolds, looking back to check on Ida and Sephy and Rosaline as she goes. "I see Layna's been busy," she murmurs with a roll of her eyes as she unslings her shotgun, loading a few rounds into it and leveling the weapon forward.

Sure enough, there's Layna. And a friend.

"Could've waited around!" she calls out with a wave of her hand, before a couple of spiders come hurtling at her.

Without so much as blinking, Talise pumps her shotgun, then blasts one of the spiders straight-up. She fires off another shot, then one more, then shoulders the gun, letting it hang behind her. Reaching back, she draws Rastaban with a steely hiss, then swings forward to attempt to slice through another arachnid. "Let's clear 'em out!" she shouts.

DG: Talise Gianfair has used her Tool Trench Sweeper Shotgun toward her party's challenge, Kome Into My Parlor.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia.

Hates.

Spiders.

This means that Chauncey is immediately grown to his battle size--and...is he a little bigger than he normally is? Surely that's just a trick of the light.

Sephy, wailing in disgust, passes forward the folding chair. "SQUASH 'EM, CHAUNCEY!" she cries, and keeps making grossed-out expressions.

DG: Sephilia Lampbright has used her Tool Folding Chair toward her party's challenge, Kome Into My Parlor.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        The Dust Dragoon is parked a safe walking distance away from Krosse Kave, and locked down. Ida has heard... stories about this place, mostly from Claude, and because of their source it's difficult for her to ascertain just how true they are. She is not looking forward to it, but the alternative was thinking too hard about what she found yesterday, and working up the courage to go visit Kalve's dead drop.

        Ida brings up the rear of the pack, wearing a battered military-surplus overcoat over her shirt and pants--and, oddly enough, her ARM belts are nowhere in sight. She flinches, ever-so-slightly, as Sephy wails in disgust. Ida gives Layna a nod, which seems to be all the greeting she can afford. A few minutes later, a lit flashbang sails over Layna's head and into the middle of the spiders.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline has had a rather fraught week, and to tell the truth she's been rather exhausted, but hearing the call to adventure from Layna came as good news. Getting the whole band together for a straightforward (right?) trek through a mysterious cave should be just the cure for her alleycat blues!

She's her usual pleasant-if-nervous self as the team meets up. She stammers out something resembling 'Sorry for causing a scene the other day' to Ida before running off from the potential threat of further discussion on the matter.

She pauses in front of the sign, a single drop of 90s anime sweat somehow beading on the back of her coif, before she follows the rest of the group in.

And soon they find Layna and Dahlia, as well as... spiders! Lots of them! Oh no!

"I had been meaning to try this," she says to no one in particular, reaching into her satchel bag for a single phial of water. The label helpfully indicates that the liquid contained within is in fact holy water! The nun closes her eyes, holds the bottle up with one hand, channing magical energy into it. The surface of the liquid glows and bubbles, a fraction of it draining...

"HYDRO STORM!" Rosaline exclaims.

A torrential downpour washes over the battle, seemingly pouring from the cave's very ceiling. The spiders will find it unpleasant, slowing down their movements and impeding their visibility the way you'd expect heavy rain to, while the party instead finds it... refreshing, even providing minor healing as it's needed.

"HYDRO STORM! HYDRO STORM! HYDRO STORM! HYDRO STORM!" Rosaline continues.

Look, she was very excited to try it.

DG: Rosaline Calice has used her Tool Holy Water toward her party's challenge, Kome Into My Parlor.
DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kome Into My Parlor.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Flare Grenade toward her party's challenge, Kome Into My Parlor.
==============================<* Krosse Kave *>===============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Kome Into My Parlor *>=====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The first level of the Krosse Cave has long been picked over by Drifters,     
 and poses no barrier to your party as you move through it. Near the end of    
 that level, in a large, open chamber, a section of the wall has been opened,  
 revealing another tunnel beyond. Before you can move towrd it, however,       
 large spiders descend from the ceiling, spitting webs - and venom - in your   
 direction.                                                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
=========================<* Krosse Kave - Round 1 *>==========================
======================< Results - Kome Into My Parlor >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layna Manydays                      0 --(5)--> 5                   Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rosaline Calice                     0 --(5)--> 5                   Fail
Holy Water                          1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephilia Lampbright                 0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Folding Chair                       2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey                   0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Flare Grenade                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talise Gianfair                     0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Trench Sweeper Shotgun              1   Combat  Effects: Embolden and Fanfare 
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Layna Manydays              0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Slow(2)|Tire(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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> Layna Manydays has posed.

As it turns out, Layna taking her attention off of the spider even for just a moment gives it an opportunity to wriggle out of her grip and bowl her over with a tackle. Before it can do anything, though, a trio of shotgun blasts ring out, each one punctuated by the collapsing of an attacking arachnid, before Rastaban sails through the air and cleaves through the spider.

Layna pushes it off of her and offers Talise a grin and a wave.

"Aye, Dahlia suggested as much. But...well, you'll see it, if I weren't imagining things." She replies with a wave.

Nearby, Chauncey gives the spiders the chair. They aren't particularly fond of the chair, but neither is it fond of them. As it turns out, the chair does a pretty good job of squashing them...and its helped out, a moment later, by a flashbang going off that disrupts their senses and makes it difficult for them to function.

Rosaline invokes the power of 'HYDRO STORM!'...but the spiders seem to adjust quickly to its slowing effects, and they've already been blinded enough from the flashbang. It does, however, wash away any of the venom or webbing the spiders try to lay down. It even heals and refreshes the party of anything the spiders try to do!

Eventually, every one of the spiders has either retreated or been slain. Layna stands in front of everyone. Dahlia stands by her side, boarding axe resting against her shoulder.

"Well, it's good to see you all again, aye? Been far too long since we've gotten everyone together!" Layna comments with a grin.

"I apologize for the Captain's recklessness. She can be difficult to deal with sometimes." Dahlia comments dryly.

"Ah, it worked out just fine, didn't it?" Layna replies with a hearty laugh. Dahlia simply rolls her eyes.

"Well, we're all together now. What say we move on, aye?" Layna asks, glancing toward the path ahead.

DG: Rosaline Calice has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Kareer Kounseling *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 As you round the corner, you find a pair of nervous, shaken Drifters huddled  
 in a corner, surrounded by the bodies of monsters... and by two of their      
 friends, now deceased. They reach for their weapons when they see you,        
 terror rising in their eyes. If you can convince them you're not hostile,     
 maybe...                                                                      
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"Nooooo..."

Rosaline's holy water trick worked to some extent at least. However, at some point during her casting, a spider snuck up on her, causing her to break into a run, trying and failing to get it off her habit. It's quickly dispatched by another party member, but she seems shaken by the experience nonetheless.

"It's good to see you too," she tells Layna once the dust has cleared, answering her grin with a subdued smile. And soon the group moves on. Yes, she could take a page from her carefree attitude, from time to time. This is going to be a fun adventure, she knows it!

A few minutes later, the group is facing four Drifters, evenly split between shell-shocked Drifters and dead Drifters.

"Red... Please talk to me, Red!" an elven woman wearing a pink robe says, unheeding of the new arrivals.

"Wait, is that... Pirates!? With two beastmen holding a little girl hostage! And... I don't know what to stereotype the sixth one as but she's very scary!" a very stout man says, dressed all in yellow save for his swirly glasses*. "Stand back, Pink! I won't let them do to you what they did to Red and Blue!"

"O-Oh... Oh dear," Rosaline says, looking at the corpses in horror, then back to the ones still standing, barely. "Please, we mean you no harm! I can tend to your wounds!" But... almost certainly not their friends', she thinks sadly.

"I have a Bible, you can trust me, you see?" she says, holding up the book, with its cover displaying Granas throwing up the horns. She's barely holding back tears as she does.

"THAT IMAGE IS BLASPHEMOUS AND WEIRD, BEASTWOMAN!"

"Oh no... Oh no."

* Yellow was the team's the comic relief, just a minute ago, before things GOT SUPER REAL.

DG: Rosaline Calice has used her Tool Extreme Teen Bible toward her party's challenge, Kareer Kounseling.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia takes advantage of some of the hydro storms to wash spider ichor from the chair before returning it to the backpack she rides in.

She's...nonplussed by being called a little girl. "Excuse me, but I'm a medic in training, not a "little girl," she says, stowing Chauncey into her satchel, rolling up her sleeves. "If you're injured we will help you. I mean, a bit of religious disagreement is hardly a reason to turn down assistance, right? You want help, right? Look. I'm a famous explorer, and my dad was a famous explorer too, and he wrote in his journal that you should never turn down healing if it's offered, because you never know, right?" She pulls out her dad's journal--apparently not worried that her explanation that she's both a famous explorer and a medic in training might be confusing --and flips to a page with some scratchy notes in hard-to-read writing, pointing at it. "See? It's written right here."

DG: Sephilia Lampbright has used her Tool Dad's Journal toward her party's challenge, Kareer Kounseling.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Talise watches Rosaline. The girl seems more muted than usual. Maybe it's the situation, she decides.

Then they turn the corner, and Rosaline is suddenly being accosted, faced with two dead corpses and two colourful trauma victims who don't seem to think too much of the Extreme Teen Bible. Talise sucks in a breath and brings herself up short, immediately dropping her sword and letting it hit the ground with a clatter. Better to disarm right now. It's at least a sign of faith. Her gun hits the ground a couple of seconds later.

As the pair accost Rosaline, Talise bites down to her lower lip, little fangs dimpling it. She watches the priestess recoil in such horror.

She takes a step forward. But not towards poor Pink and Yellow.

She steps over to Rosaline from one side of the girl, reaches out, and draws her arms around her shoulders, attempting to pull the young Etone tightly into her and give her a firm hug, offering up a broad, coat-clad shoulder for her should she need it.

"Rosaline isn't going to do anything to you," she says quietly over the beast-nun's head, her eyes focusing on the two survivors from between Rosaline's ears. It's a miracle she can see through all that poof. "We don't want to hurt anyone. She more than anyone doesn't want to cause harm. So if you feel like you need to make someone pay for the pain you're feeling, then you should hit me instead. I won't fight back."

DG: Talise Gianfair has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kareer Kounseling.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida rips the spider off of Rosaline's back, heedless of how icky it is. She throws it into the cave wall, and it hits the rock face with a solid crack. It falls to the ground, twitching. Ida takes a moment to breathe after that, and to size everyone up. It's only spiders. Nothing to--

        Ida smells blood. It's not the acrid smell of spider ichor, either. The group rounds a corner, and the first thing Ida sees is the bodies. She swallows.

        "Granas," she says. She takes another breath, trying to calm herself. She should say something. That woman is speaking to an obvious corpse. She should talk them down, it's the right thing to do. They're suffering. Open your idiot mouth and say something, anything, before Rosaline gets shot!

        Ida stands there for a moment, awkwardly. Sephilia immediately takes point. No, never mind, Sephilia is going to get us all shot. She is trying. You are not. Open your stupid idiot mouth and offer condolences.

        Ida reaches into her coat pocket, pulls out a waxed paper packet, and opens it. "You look hungry," she says. "Would... would you like something to eat? I--I'm sorry. But you're safe now, right?"

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Chocolate Biscuits toward her party's challenge, Kareer Kounseling.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

The party continues onward, only to be immediately faced with a stark reminder of one's own mortality. It's...a bit of a downer, putting it very lightly. Layna steps foward, giving Sephilia a pat on the shoulder and a brief look. She understood how she must feel, but this wasn't really the time for attitude.

"No one's getting hit." She says with a glance toward Talise, then turns her attention back to the two distressed Drifters.

"These're good folk here. You can trust them." She says. "We've cleared out the path back to the entrance. You should accept their offer of healing, then carry your friends out of here."

Unfortunately, they couldn't spare anyone to help them with that, so they'd have to do it themselves. Maybe that was a bit cruel, but...

Dahlia doesn't have anything to add to the situation, but she does take a moment to assess the area to determine exactly what manner of creature did this. The spiders, perhaps...?

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kareer Kounseling.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Kareer Kounseling *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 As you round the corner, you find a pair of nervous, shaken Drifters huddled  
 in a corner, surrounded by the bodies of monsters... and by two of their      
 friends, now deceased. They reach for their weapons when they see you,        
 terror rising in their eyes. If you can convince them you're not hostile,     
 maybe...                                                                      
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
==========================<* Krosse Kave - Round 2 *>===========================
========================< Results - Kareer Kounseling >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layna Manydays                      5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rosaline Calice                     5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Extreme Teen Bible                  3   Wits    Effects: Fanfare              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephilia Lampbright                 5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Dad's Journal                       2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey                   5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Chocolate Biscuits                  1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talise Gianfair                     5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Layna Manydays              20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline, for the record, is very grateful to Ida for that brutal spider murder.

The Etone-in-training is a bit particular about her personal space and physical contact in general. She makes a little noise when Talise grabs her, but quickly relaxes, grateful for the offered shoulder. Talise has earned it, at this point. Tears trickle down as Talise speaks, but Rosaline otherwise remains silent.

Sephilia shows her puzzling credentials, which at the very least give Yellow pause. Talise and Layna speak for the rest of the group's character. Yellow listens, tense, his hand hovering over a holstered ARM, before slumping forward.

"I'm sorry... I just..." He seems about to cry. "We had a theme going, you know? It wasn't supposed to be like this..."

Ida, meanwhile, manages to get Pink's attention. The traumatized woman looks at the offered biscuits, then back to Ida, then nods and takes one. The emptiness in her eyes is heartbreaking, but at least she's returned to reality. Now she can begin to process her grief.

Rosaline hasn't devolved into gross sobbing just yet, and the reason why becomes clear as she pulls away from Talise, wiping away her tears and putting on a brave face, for Yellow and Pink's sakes.

"I can... I can perform quick final rites for your friends, if you'll let me. You're followers of Granas, right?"

The affair is short, and has all the pomp and circumstance you'd expect for a ceremony conducted in a corner of a dangerous cave, but is not short on gravitas. The two Drifters are given directions to safely leave the cave, on the path strewn with spider corpses. And just like that, one of many Sentai homages is culled from the jRPG ecosystem.

As for what Dahlia sees... maybe the Fox Company is about to find out.

DG: Talise Gianfair has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Kamel Tow *>===========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Ahead is a door with no obvious means of opening. In front of the door is a   
 large statue of a camel (maybe a dromedary?) sitting atop a large section of  
 the floor that is a different colour from the rest. Another coloured patch    
 is on the opposite side of the door, and there is a second camel statue       
 sitting about thirty yards away from it.                                      
                                                                               
 Not too hard to figure this one out, but that thing sure looks heavy...       
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise keeps her arms around Rosaline, tight and firm, for just a moment longer. "It's okay," she says to the priestess, her voice low as she gives Rosaline's shoulder a brisk squeeze. "It's hard sometimes. We're here for you. Your friends are all here for you."

When Rosaline finally does pull away, Talise doesn't stop her, just watching the sad Etone with a faint, worried smile. She bows her head as the last rites are given. Through the ritual, she's quiet, but when it's over she murmurs a few soft words: "Merciful Althena, guide the souls of the departed into everlasting life."

Finally, she stands ip, moving past the sentai survivors and looking after them as they leave. Her expression is nevertheless subdued as she moves down the cavern after Dahlia. Pushing around a corner, she opens her mouth to say something.

"Althena's thongstrap," she gets out as she sees what's waiting. It's a gigantic camel statue.

Talise crouches to check out the statue, then looks towards the other. "Huh," she muses. "Those tiles look discoloured. Wonder if...." She blinks quickly. "Oh, this one's easy," she says as she pops up again, clapping her gloved hands together and heading over to the other statue. Circling behind it, she lays her hands on the camel's rump.

She begins to shove the second camel statue across the floor by the ass. Stone screeches against stone as Talise puts both her natural strength and her magic gloves into it. "Help me steer this thing, please?" she calls past the camel. "It's pretty huge...!"

DG: Talise Gianfair has used her Tool Ogre Power Gauntlets toward her party's challenge, Kamel Tow.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia rushes forward once Talise calls for help. Chauncey, once again made big...bigger? He's definitely a little bigger this time... grabs on and helps by both steering and pulling. Sephy beams from his backpack. "I gotcha, Talise!" she says happily.

DG: Sephilia Lampbright has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kamel Tow.
<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

With this heartbreaking scene behind her, Rosaline is back to her baseline level of sadness quickly enough. She's got a job to do, after all.

"Oh, yes... I get it," she says, looking at the camel statues, which Talise calls this one easy. Not ALL of these things are terrible brain teasers.

But before she can lend a hand, she walks up to Chauncey and holds her hand up to her forehead as in... salute? But it quickly becomes clear what she's doing, as she compares her own height with the fox doll's.

"I could have sworn..."

But she doesn't immediately elaborate, instead trying to put her back into helping the team's actual muscle steer that heavy camel and its brother.

DG: Rosaline Calice has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kamel Tow.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna stands to the side as Rosaline performs the necessary rites. The situation's put a bit of a damper on the mood, so she draws out a bottle and takes a deep swig. They couldn't afford to keep standing around, though, so it was time to move on.

It had given Dahlia time to study the next obstacle...though there wasn't truthfully much to study. It was a very simple task. She moves in to help Talise and Rosaline push the statue, while Layna stands off to the side.

Everyone knows, at this point, that if you need drinks during an adventure Layna's the one to turn to, so she doesn't need to announce this. Instead, her moment of sitting out gives her an opportunity to take notice of Chauncey's larger size.

Interesting...

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kamel Tow.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Two grieving women share an exchange over biscuits. It's a somber moment, and Ida finds herself blotting her eyes as the group moves on. Stop crying. Stop crying, it'll only distract you.

        It's almost comical how odd the scene ahead is, honestly. Camel statue switches? Seriously? Nevertheless, Ida gets right to work, applying as much leverage as she can while guiding the massive statue into place.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kamel Tow.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Kamel Tow *>===========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Ahead is a door with no obvious means of opening. In front of the door is a   
 large statue of a camel (maybe a dromedary?) sitting atop a large section of  
 the floor that is a different colour from the rest. Another coloured patch    
 is on the opposite side of the door, and there is a second camel statue       
 sitting about thirty yards away from it.                                      
                                                                               
 Not too hard to figure this one out, but that thing sure looks heavy...       
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
==========================<* Krosse Kave - Round 3 *>===========================
============================< Results - Kamel Tow >=============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layna Manydays                      10 --(10)--> 20                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rosaline Calice                     10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephilia Lampbright                 10 --(10)--> 20                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey                   10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talise Gianfair                     10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Ogre Power Gauntlets                2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Layna Manydays              40 --(20)--> 60                Pass
Conditions: Weaken(2)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 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> Talise Gianfair has posed.

An embiggened Chauncy helping from the front is always a boon. Talise looks around the statue to grin at Sephilia and her stuffed ward. "You're the best, Sephy," she says before letting out a grunt and putting her shoulders into the task of pushing.

Rosaline's extra strength proves useful. So does Ida's extra guidance, despite the tears in her eyes. Layna, meanwhile, contributes by taking a drink.

Maybe Chauncey is taller. Or maybe it's the al-kee-hawl talkin'.

Talise bites her bottom lip, then looks around the statue. "Chauncey, gonna need you to scootch to the side a bit, bud," she says delicately. "I can't see much around you."

Yep, Chauncey's definitely bigger.

Soon the statue slides into place. At the far end of the room, something clicks within the mechanism of the roughly-hewn stone slab of a door. It slides upwards, vanishing into the roof of the cavern and revealing a rugged tunnel beyond. Wiping her brow, Talise lets her breath out in a puff. "Well! That's step one. Let's move along."

She lets Layna or Sephilia take the lead. Hanging back a little, she turns to move towards the door as Ida does. As she moves, she gives the woman a serious look, then rests a hand on her shoulder for just a moment.

Ida won't respond to hugs like Rosaline will, she surmises. But she can at least try to assure the woman she's there for her and trusts her.

DG: Layna Manydays has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Krosse Kave *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Kiss the Kook *>========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Apparently these caves were not always abandoned - you stumble upon a door    
 that leads to a room cut out from the stone, with a simple stone oven set     
 into the rear wall. The food and ingredients have long since been eaten by    
 monsters, but there's wood nearby and the oven still works - if you have      
 ingredients of your own (or can scrounge some up), you may be able to cook a  
 delicious meal before heading further in.                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

The presence of the camel statues makes a bit more sense when the Fox Company steps through the door. It appears to be the entrance to what might've been someone's home, in days long since past. The owner must've had a fascination with camels, as there's bits of decorative camel imagery dotted around the room. And, perhaps most importantly, a stone oven, with fresh wood nearby. There's even a set of seats and a table carved out of the stone nearby.

"This looks like a good place to stop and catch our breath, aye? Anyone got anything to cook? I can provide the drinks, of course." Layna says, moving to take a seat. Dahlia doesn't sit down just yet. She isn't entirely convinced that this room is safe, so she moves off make a quick sweep of the area.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna didn't even notice that Dahlia had swiped her telescope to help her with the task. Well, if she wasn't using it, someone might as well...

DG: Layna Manydays has used her Tool Captain's Telescope toward her party's challenge, Kiss the Kook.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia beams happily. "I know just what we need! This'll cheer you up, Ida, Rosaline! I have...MEAT PIES!" She rummages through her satchel and pulls out some wrapped meat pies. "I can warm these up for everyone! And while we wait I can tell you stories from my Dad's journal. Did you know he once escaped a whole clan of bandits with a treasure?"

DG: Sephilia Lampbright has used her Tool Dad's Journal toward her party's challenge, Kiss the Kook.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Someone in here really liked camels, huh," Talise observes as she moves past the opening and into the room beyond. She raises her eyebrows, scanning the place with a hand at her hip, taking note of the cooking supplies - well, the cooking utensils and the little oven, anyway. "And it looks like that wood will still burn. Which works for me," she says with a smile as she takes off her gauntlets, hanging them from her belt.

"My Uncle Piet was a really great cook," she explains as she bustles to the stove, setting a pan on it, then reaching into her inventory. She begins to stack items on beside the stove. Soon enough she's laid out a few pieces of beef, some herbs, a bit of butter and a bottle of wine, along with some mushrooms. Slicing the mushrooms in half, she tosses them into the pan, snipping off knobs of butter and herbs into it. A sizzling sound begins to fill the room.

"This one's pretty quick," she explains as she tosses the mushrooms, browning them and sweating off the water. Then the beef goes in, soaking up all that sizzling herbed butter. "I used to make it on the road sometimes, when I had money for beef. Learned the recipe from him when we traveled together. Really helped lift my spirits, traveling with such a cool old guy. He gave me those storm knives I had, y'know. Took care of me since I was ten years old."

She uncorks the wine, then - and with a smile, pours some of it into the pan. The rich burgundy alcohol immediately flames up. "Sephy, don't worry, it won't taste winey," she assures as she tosses everything again, reducing the alcohol down rapidly and adding a bit more butter. Before long she's dividing everything up into little wooden bowls.

"Beef tips and mushrooms a la Uncle Piet," she says with a proud smile. "Eat up!"

DG: Talise Gianfair has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kiss the Kook.
<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline clasps her hands happily when Operation Camel Drag is a success. She follows the group into... someone's home? The sight brings her mixed feelings. To think that this place used to be a home to people, before it became such a dangerous kave.

...cave.

"That's a delightful idea, Sephilia," Rosaline says, pulling something out of her satchel. "I actually bought some seasonings earlier, for... a project. I'm not sure what would be good on meat pies, so you could try a bit of everything, I suppose?" Rosaline is not a great cook.

And Talise has a mouthwatering recipe of her own, too, with her pick of the impromptu spice rack. Rosaline stays away from the oven (perhaps she fears burning something down), instead sitting at the table with her book open.

"And I can tell you stories from the Book of Granas afterwards! Did you know he once took on an entire temple full of money lenders in a..." she furrows her brow at the words she's reading, "Rap battle? ...What's a rap battle? That can't possibly be right..."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida makes sure to close and lock the door, because the last thing this group needs is more spiders stumbling across it when it is eating. She pulls out a chair and eases into it, with none of her usual regard for proper posture. Sephy and Talise have food items--Ida thinks for a moment, then realizes that all she brought with her are a few pieces of hardtack and those damned biscuits. She puts the rest of the biscuit packet on the table for everyone to share, and takes a biscuit herself. She chews on it, contemplatively, as Talise talks about Uncle Piet and Sephy talks about her dad.

        She tries not to think about her own family. "That smells wonderful," she says to Talise. Because it does!

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Chocolate Biscuits toward her party's challenge, Kiss the Kook.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Oh wow, are we gonna tell stories?" Talise grins as she sets to serving up the food. "I can tell you some great ones. There's a fantastic story of Dragonmaster Chloe and the Sirens of Saith...."

Her eyes brighten as Ida thanks her. "Thanks! C'mon and have some. Warm your insides up."

DG: Rosaline Calice has used her Tool Extreme Teen Bible toward her party's challenge, Kiss the Kook.
==============================<* Krosse Kave *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Kiss the Kook *>========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Apparently these caves were not always abandoned - you stumble upon a door    
 that leads to a room cut out from the stone, with a simple stone oven set     
 into the rear wall. The food and ingredients have long since been eaten by    
 monsters, but there's wood nearby and the oven still works - if you have      
 ingredients of your own (or can scrounge some up), you may be able to cook a  
 delicious meal before heading further in.                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
=========================<* Krosse Kave - Round 4 *>==========================
=========================< Results - Kiss the Kook >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layna Manydays                      20 --(5)--> 25                 Pass
Captain's Telescope                 3   Wits    Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rosaline Calice                     15 --(5)--> 20                 Pass
Extreme Teen Bible                  3   Wits    Effects: Fanfare              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephilia Lampbright                 20 --(5)--> 25                 Pass
Dad's Journal                       2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey                   15 --(5)--> 20                 Pass
Chocolate Biscuits                  1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talise Gianfair                     15 --(5)--> 20                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Layna Manydays              60 --(25)--> 85                Pass
Conditions: Treasure(1)|Weaken(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 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> Layna Manydays has posed.

It seems like everyone has something to contribute to this little get together. They've got something a small feast going, enough for everyone to eat comfortably, chat, and share stories - some about family, and some about ancient rap battles.

Layna and Dahlia don't really seem up to contribute when it comes to tales about family, though. Layna sits back and she seems to be having a good time, though Dahlia does send her a subtle, concerned glance. It's hard to tell if Layna herself even noticed it.

Eventually, though, they've eaten or packed up everything.

"Ah, well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Layna says with a smile, getting to her feet. "There's still a bit more cave to go, though, I wager, so let's get moving, aye?"

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Kantankerous Kobolds *>=====================
|Type: Climax      |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 A swarm of angry kobolds suddenly emerge from the shadows, rushing toward     
 the party with cruse gunsmoke ARMs and knives. Others in the rear begin       
 hurling buckets of grease at you. How odd.                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Fox Company enjoys a warm meal and some stories. That's not something that happens in the middle of a dungeon--at least, not often. Ida is almost feeling okay when she walks towards the door again, having packed up her kit and stowed it in her backpack. She pushes the heavy deadbolt back out of the way, opens the door--

        And sees beady golden eyes glimmering in the room beyond. Kobalds, lots of them. Clever, Ida thinks, as fear sinks into her heart.

        "AMBUSH!" Ida screams. She throws the door closed, but it's too late--a camel tapestry on the far wall falls away to reveal a passage, and even more kobalds streaming out of it. Ida snarls, reaches for a flashbang, and lights it. She chucks it into the passage without another word, and then begins laying into the intruders with both fists. The ones with the grease are hanging back, as is probably wise.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Flare Grenade toward her party's challenge, Kantankerous Kobolds.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise laughs gently as she finishes off her story, seemingly in good cheer even with two of her friends seemingly so down. She can't let that deflate her. All she can do is try to uplift them all. Smiling, she slings her lute over her shoulder again, sets the bowls aside, then stands. "Alright! Let's get going." Ida opens the door.

And reveals what this was all about.

"Wow. What douchebags," she says with a roll of her eyes.

More kobolds stream into the room. With a growl, Talise pumps her shotgun and blasts a hail of buckshot through the doorway. Several kobolds go down as the shotgun rounds slam into and through them. Once she's out of bullets, Talise switches gears.

Rastaban slides from its sheath with a metallic rasp. The big half-Beastwoman plows forward -

She pauses for a second, staring briefly at Ida. She doesn't often hear her friend snarl. Something's really gotten into her.

Talise can't dwell on it now. She wheels and swings her blade, slicing through a kobold and pivoting to rather rudely kick another one square in the plums. "Why do those ones have grease!" she shouts, before one throws some at her.

Talise is now killing kobolds while greased up. Insert your own jokes.

DG: Talise Gianfair has used her Tool Trench Sweeper Shotgun toward her party's challenge, Kantankerous Kobolds.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia is happy to see Ida looking a little more content--and then the kobolds ruin it.

"Okay. That. is. IT!" She makes Chauncey big--yup, he's certainly bigger than he used to be--and passes him up the folding chair, then pulls out a small ARM--the Foxtail. She loads the cartridge into the side, as it's a strange harmonica gun, and then hollers, "FOXINGTON FOLDING CHAIR PLUS FOXTAIL FUSILLADE!" before opening fire--and the gun lets out a jaunty little tune as she does so.

NOBODY ruins Ida's day when Sephy's around!

DG: Sephilia Lampbright has used her Tool Folding Chair toward her party's challenge, Kantankerous Kobolds.
<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Tales of family are bittersweet to Rosaline, but this is a nice enough moment. She even manages to put the drifters from earlier out of her mind for a short while. She feels revigorated, physically and emotionally, as the group begins the final leg of this fun advent--

AMBUSH! Of course. Of course. At least the kobolds were nice enough to let them enjoy their meal.

Rosaline lets the brawlers brawl ahead while she tries her very best not to be too ambushed as she casts. As she does, some grease splashes onto her, which is not only worrying but also gross. Luckily, this new trick she's learned is just the thing for washing off sticky stains.

"HYDRO STORM!"

That should do it, she thinks, as rain washes onto what was, for a brief moment, some manner of happy home. The grease comes off, at least unless there's more coming, in which case Rosaline will only have to spam that spell again until she's out of hearts.

DG: Rosaline Calice has used her Tool Holy Water toward her party's challenge, Kantankerous Kobolds.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

An ambush? Well, how rude of them! That was what the average person would think, but Layna...

There's a wild grin on her face as she hurls herself into the fray, lashing out at any kobold that tries to get too close. She even tries to hurl some of them into each other as makeshift projectile weapons. Maybe she views this as a form of after-dinner exercise?

Dahlia, for her part, elects to hang back near Rosaline to provide her some cover as she casts and to lash out with her axe at any kobolds that try to get too close to her. Unlike Layna, she doesn't seem to be the type to revel in combat.

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kantankerous Kobolds.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Kantankerous Kobolds *>=====================
|Type: Climax      |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 A swarm of angry kobolds suddenly emerge from the shadows, rushing toward     
 the party with cruse gunsmoke ARMs and knives. Others in the rear begin       
 hurling buckets of grease at you. How odd.                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
==========================<* Krosse Kave - Round 5 *>===========================
=======================< Results - Kantankerous Kobolds >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layna Manydays                      25 --(5)--> 30                 Pass
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rosaline Calice                     20 --(5)--> 25                 Pass
Holy Water                          1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephilia Lampbright                 25 --(5)--> 30                 Pass
Folding Chair                       2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey                   20 --(5)--> 25                 Pass
Flare Grenade                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talise Gianfair                     20 --(5)--> 25                 Pass
Trench Sweeper Shotgun              1   Combat  Effects: Embolden and Fanfare 
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Layna Manydays              85 --(0)--> 85                 Pass
Conditions: Slow(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has passed this challenge! The party gained 0 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> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Bullets spray into the kobalds' little ambush corridor, followed immediately by a large stuffed fox wielding a folding chair. Horrible shrieks emerge from within, alongside the sounds of wood repeatedly striking flesh. With Talise and Sephy covering one half of the pincer, Ida and Layna wade into the other. As it just so happens, kobalds are not only the perfect size to be turned into projectiles, doing so feels very cathartic. A few manage to get through to Rosaline, but are dealt with in short order by Dahlia and her axe. Rosaline's water deals with the kobalds' cunning(?) grease trap, whatever it was. The kobalds are soundly routed.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Kan-Trip Kantrip *>=======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The path ahead opens into a large chamber overlooking stony stalagmites. A    
 single stone bridge spans the treacherous ground toward a passage leading     
 further into the cave. As you enter, however, ancient Symbols light up on     
 the bridge, causing it to suddenly shimmer and become slick as glass - watch  
 your step!                                                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Suffer=========================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        The group moves on, through the Kamel Kavern and then through a smaller, less-decorated cave that seems to be the exit. On the other end of that, the nice, even ground of the cave gives way to a narrow, treacherous bridge--and beneath it, a field of stalagmites. None of them are terribly sharp, but that might not matter to someone falling on them!

        Ida studies the symbols a moment as they light up, one after another. She frowns, and studies the way the light plays off the bridge. "Be very careful," she says. She kneels down at the edge of the bridge, and then--slowly, carefully--starts to crawl across.

DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kan-Trip Kantrip.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"This is definitely the worst thing I've ever done while greased up and slippery," Talise admits, holding her arms out at her sides and looking down at herself.

It gets worse. Those symbols light up, and the bridge ahead smooths out like glass. Talise grimaces and looks down over the edge, at the spiky stony mess waiting for them far below.

The tall woman lowers her eyelids and snorts through her nose. "Althena's hair clip, do I hate kobolds right now," grumbles Little Miss Problematic Wording Right There as she sinks to her knees, beginning to creep forward. She begins to slide almost as soon as her knees hit the glass, but slowly.

Talise's breath catches in alarm. "Damn, damn, damn," she hisses, wiggling her hands and giving a little push to try and get her slippy-sliding in the right direction.

This all looks very silly. It's like Filgaia has a new favourite sport, and it's Curling With Talise.

DG: Talise Gianfair has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kan-Trip Kantrip.
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

On the plus side, Talise is no longer greasy. Thanks, Rosaline!

On the downside, she's a little damp now. She looks down at herself, dripping a little, then looks up to the nun with a lopsided smile. "Well. This is definitely the weirdest thing I've done in the rain. Thanks, Ros'."

Things get weirder. Those symbols light up, and the bridge ahead smooths out like glass. Talise grimaces and looks down over the edge, at the spiky stony mess waiting for them far below.

The tall woman lowers her eyelids and snorts through her nose. "Althena's hair clip, what the hell is it with weird traps," grumbles Little Miss Problematic Wording Right There as she steps out onto the bridge, holding onto a solid outcrop as she tests how much her boot will slide.

Turns out quite a bit.

Gingerly, Talise begins to step forward with cumbersome-looking sumo steps. She doesn't push off at all - she plants a foot, then lifts the next one and plants it without moving it forward or back, landing flat every time so as not to lead with one part of her foot and create momentum. She looks like a big stupid sumo wrestler trying to waddle over the bridge.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

The battle is won. Rosaline breathes a sigh of relief and thanks Dahlia for her help before moving on.

The intended (convoluted) purpose of the grease soon becomes clear. Thank God for holy water, Rosaline thinks. She nods to Ida, who begins to crawl forward. A good idea.

The Etone-to-be proceeds in much the same way. Having a tail and claws on her feet proves very helpful in keeping her balance, though her smooth gloves, less so. Should she take them off? ...No, she'll be fine, she decides.

"I can probably cast something quickly if someone falls," she timidly proposes, putting a hand to her crest of Legally Distinct Feather Fall. And just as she says this, she mentally chides herself for writing checks she might not be able to deliver upon.

Hopefully no one falls to their doom, that would be the best.

DG: Rosaline Calice has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kan-Trip Kantrip.
<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia holds her breath as she very slowly, very cautiously proceeds, one step at a time, along the bridge. She is not happy, but she's not going to complain or grumble. She's just focusing on not falling.

"Please. Don't. Let. Me. Fall." She exhales slowly and breathes in deeply, punctuating each word with a step.

DG: Sephilia Lampbright has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kan-Trip Kantrip.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Well, that was fun. Nothin' better than a good fight after a good meal, with good friends, besides!" Layna comments with a grin. She proceeds onward, where a rather treacherous and slick bridge stretches out ahead of them.

"Well, would you look at that...aye, careful might be best here." She warns and starts to make her way forward. She elects to just walk, but Dahlia follows Ida and Talise's example.

Every so often, though, she'll take her axe and swing it down at the bridge to create an opening she - and anyone who might be following behind her - can use as a handhold for stability on the way forward.

DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kan-Trip Kantrip.
===============================<* Krosse Kave *>================================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Kan-Trip Kantrip *>=======================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The path ahead opens into a large chamber overlooking stony stalagmites. A    
 single stone bridge spans the treacherous ground toward a passage leading     
 further into the cave. As you enter, however, ancient Symbols light up on     
 the bridge, causing it to suddenly shimmer and become slick as glass - watch  
 your step!                                                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Suffer=========================================
==========================<* Krosse Kave - Round 6 *>===========================
=========================< Results - Kan-Trip Kantrip >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Layna Manydays                      30 --(100)--> 130              Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rosaline Calice                     25 --(100)--> 125              Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sephilia Lampbright                 30 --(100)--> 130              Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey                   25 --(100)--> 125              Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talise Gianfair                     25 --(100)--> 125              Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Layna Manydays              85 --(10)--> 95                Fail
Conditions: Hesitate(2)|Suffer(1)
Effects: 
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Layna Manydays is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Rosaline Calice is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Sephilia Lampbright is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Talise Gianfair is too exhausted to continue!
DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. This attempt is over.
DG: The party led by Layna Manydays has been fully Exhausted by Krosse Kave!
DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
==============================<* Krosse Kave *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Kobold Kantina *>=======================
|Type: Landmark    |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 On your way back to the surface, you stumble upon a large sign that reads:    
                                                                               
 KOBOLD KANTINA --- ASK US ABOUT LADIES NIGHT                                  
                                                                               
 ...could be worth a try...                                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

The bridge, unfortunately, seems to prove too slick...but that's not the only issue they face. It actually starts to tilt, dropping the party down to the stalagmites below...

Alas, this must be the end of the intrepid Fox Company!

...Or is it...?

No, in fact, when they get closer to the earthy spikes, they will see that they're not even there at all! They, and the ground beneath them, are a ghostly image, and the party falls right through them onto the real floor below.

Rosaline, of course, lands on her feet.

From the tunnel ahead, there's faint sounds...living creatures, it seems, moving about. Layna and Dahlia pick themselves up off the floor, look to each other, and nod. Very carefully the party moves forward, until they find themselves in...

A bar. It's a little dark and sparsely decorated, but it's a bar. As the party filters in, they'll see kobold ladies sitting together at various tables and chattering amicably, and a well-dressed kobold bartender polishing a glass behind the counter, with all kinds of bottle on the shelves behind. He looks the party up and down, and nods in greeting. Sitting next to him is a well-made sign reading 'ASK US ABOUT LADIES NIGHT'.

"Evening, ladies. Not often we get surface-dwellers down here. Can I get you anything?" It's a gruff, and yet at the same time polite voice. Layna stares for a minute...and then shrugs.

"You know what? Why the hell not. I could use a drink. Gimme the strongest thing you've got."

...Dahlia, of course, nods in agreement.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"I HATE KOBOLDS SO MUCH," Talise shouts as she goes sliding off the bridge and towards spikity doom.

Which... turns out to not be all that spikey! Talise squeaks with surprise as she falls through the ghostly image. Her arms flail as she plunges towards the floor. Then there's a loud crash as debris gives way.

When the dust faces, Talise has landed face-down in some kobold's lap, her legs twitching in the air, in a corner booth. Then she falls forward, tumbling out of the booth and landing on her face. She lets out a low groan as she begins to pull herself back to her feet, wincing and rubbing at her face with one hand.

And then she actually gets a look at the place they've landed in. Talise stares around the place. Then she looks up at Layna.

She holds her arms out at her sides with a big shrug and a what-the-hell smile. "Screw it," she says. "Gimme a beer."