2018-02-27: Might Be a Tough One
- Log: Might Be a Tough One
- Cast: Leon Albus, Riesenlied, Josephine Lovelace, Noeline, Fei Fong Wong, Lily Keil
- Where: Lost July
- Date: February 27th 2018
- Summary: The Black Wolves explore the ancient ruin known as The Pleasing Garden. It turns out to not be very Pleasing. Penelope helps. Certain facts about cuccos are demonstrated. A door vents its wrath.
DG: A party led by Leon Albus is now entering The Pleasing Garden. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
===========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>============================ ========================<* CHALLENGE - Platform Crash *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 4 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- When you step into the center of the entry platform, things begin to go awry. The platform is connected to others by three bridges. Each of them withdraws, however. Then, the platform lurches forward and separates from the tunnel entrance, which leads back down to Lost July. This means that you are promptly separated from the way back. Unfortunately, other floating platforms are also moving about. One of them smashes into your platform, hard enough to throw you to your feet. Worse than that, the sheer wall of a building is slammed in your way -- and at an angle, reinforced by the bedrock of the floating island. It cuts the way forward off, leaving you with little choice but to blow through the rock... ...or spend hours scaling a highly angled, highly dangerous ledge in your way. =Dungeon Conditions: Cripple, Maim, Suffer====================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
The Black Wolves have returned to Lost July... and taken the tunnel they found.
Leon leads the way, up the long stairs that they cleared, until they reach the platform in the sky. He stops, as they do; the wind whips and blows about at them, making Leon's hair wave to the side. He looks sideways at Riesenlied and Noeline, who were not here for Lost July. "This is... an Elw ruin," he says. "I'm a little concerned about what we'll find. For one thing, look how damned high we are."
Indeed, Lost July is below them -- but it felt like they did not climb up the height of a mountain. A teleportation happened, somehwere here. Leon frowns, as he looks around the platform. In the center is an obelisk; the platform has stone flagstones, and grass at the edges.
Which is when a second platform comes smashing down. Leon barely has a chance to scream "DUCK!" before it hits. Stone explodes, dust and stone rolling out. Some rocks roll by them, but that leaves a veritable hillside of rubble and debris -- leading up to the top of a wall, now at an angle. The island that hit them has a structure on it, though it is now tilted at an angle.
Leon stares. "This place," he declares, "does not strike me as very stable."
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Platform Crash.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has had quite the astonishing week. And that's not even with the spoiler preview that her village will be destroyed before the end of this week, really.
She went to Krosse with the hopes of aiding prisoners, escapees and Drifters with supplies and instead ran head-long into three Hellions, all people she knew: Ida, Jack, Rosaline. She scarce avoided Garrett's icy blade and had to retreat with Gwen, and now she's...
...here again, where she was once possessed before. She-- winces very softly as she places a hand to her chest. "I can still sense something calling to me from within..."
DUCK!
Riesenlied yelps as she drops to her knees and gets tumbled to her side, flailing as she grasps onto grass in an attempt to keep herself steady. "... uuh..." she sounds rather groggy.
Fortunately, she's not alone: a certain foot-tall fat liz--DRAGON is here with them for once, huffy as she shoves herself against the rubble. "Try to have an outing where you don't get possesed or stabbed for once!" Odjn grumbles. She grins and says, "Hey Fei! I want another portrait, I think I've been getting prettier since last time!"
Or perhaps more portly...
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Platform Crash.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
One of the benefits of a braided and pinned hairstyle: moments like this. The wind whips wildly as they step out onto the platform, up here in the Pleasing Garden.
"So, I was wondering. Is that really Lost July down there?"
Thus Josie comments, idly tossing a... red rubber ball in her good hand. "It had me wondering, the last time."
And thus: the woman will soon challenge Id to a fight (and somewhat regret it) tosses the small rubber ball over the edge.
In those fleeting moments before a shadow darkens the platform and Penelope immediately wings off into the distance of the Pleasing Gardens. Josie dutifully backpedals, yanking anyone close to her out of the incoming shade and finally offering a somewhat disgruntled stare once the dust settles and the heavy stone block lies before them.
"Hm."
"Guess this might be a tough one, huh?"
Thus runs her commentary as she drops her pack and roots for it, before coming up with every archaeologist's best friend:
The mattock.
"Stand back, this might get a little messy..."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Platform Crash.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
If anything, Noeline looks terrifically bright and eager to be here, her eyes lit up even as the platform suddenly and abruptly begins to shift. "Of course it is," she beams back when Leon identifies the source of the ruins. Well, she has described herself as a de facto historian before... "What a thing to find, so far underneath Lost July - and so far above it, as well. If we could only figure out the technology involved, that would be a tour de force of achievement."
She rests a hand on Riesenlied's arm the minute the other woman turns groggy; she's already followed a drifting, distant Riese through the ruined city below once before, and evidently shares Odjn's concerns that she'd rather the blonde stay here in the moment rather than lose herself all over again. Even with a mysterious Elw barrier keeping them up in the air, she'd rather not chance anything where possible.
... case in point - she watches the ball that Josephine drops, her eyebrows slowly raising as it disappears out of sight. "... somehow, I doubt you're getting that back. Somehow, I suspect the person who finds it will need to dig it out of a six-foot hole, or so."
As everyone else drops to the floor to hold on, though, she's the one who steps briskly forwards, an oversize scythe of brilliant crimson suddenly and abruptly melting out of her hand; she brandishes it for a moment, then wrenches the weapon around and up to carve part of the incoming rocks away in a clean swipe. Around her, her twin ARM pods whirl in a tight orbit, acting as something of a point defence system as they snipe different pieces of rubble out of the sky before they can become anything more in the way of trouble.
Speaking of which-- one of them appears to be under the allusion that it's actually a flightless bird, because it's got a pair of papier-mache cucco wings attached to it, flapping oddly up and down as it maintains height, and a beak made out of a cone of card. At one point, it misses a shot - and decides instead to just charge its target, 'headbutting' the piece of rubble aside with an electronic cuckoo call.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Trouble toward her party's challenge, Platform Crash.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong says, "Leon..." Pause. "I have a bad feeling about this."
And then he adds, "I mean, I have had literally zero good experience with Elw ruins... Ugh, makes me feel like I should've harassed her more." Yes he does sort of appreciate him not being a little bit of a jerk upon seeing one in the flesh and not wagging his arms at them going 'hey hey hey HEY'.
Fei ducks quickly,and grimaces as the platform slams by and they now have another obstacle headed straight for them.
"Of course a place that looks this pretty is a death trap," Fei mutters before swinging one hand forward. "I mean...What would the alternative be! Having nice things?!"
He grips at something in his pocket before unleashing a wave of blue and red chi for the obstacle before them. This is not a great start to this exploration, Fei reflects, and since he might crash right into the obstacle before them--well--there's plenty of room for it to get worse.
"Maybe it's a model!" Fei calls over to Josephine.
He hopes at least it doesn't crash into Odjn. She's too adorable to be clobbered like that.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Mother's Cross toward his party's challenge, Platform Crash.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily did not go to Krosse, to aid prisoners or otherwise. She has been preparing. ...Well, preparing, and drinking. She can do both. ...She has reasons to do both, as a rule, and has largely sobered up for their return mission. ...The matter of her father is still on her mind. At least they aren't in Kislev. ...But she is particularly keeping an eye on Josie, as they walk, as they get onto this strange platform that shoots on ahead, frowning abrubtly.
"Looks like you were right to be concerned," Lily comments. She is not thrilled with teleporters. ...But the other platform comes and Lily doesn't duck quite quickly enough to avoid being clipped, knocked to the floor of the platform hard with a noise of surprise. Riesenlied--Odjn--well...
"...Don't know," she admits to Josie. "but don't get so close to the edge." Lily lacks experience with Elw ruins, too. Mostly anyway. But now--
She throws out her hand, and ice begins to creep through cracks in the rubble, attempting to find weak points and deepen them, before she reaches into her bag and hurls a few charges straight for them.
Boom.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, Platform Crash.
===========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>============================ ========================<* CHALLENGE - Platform Crash *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 4 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- When you step into the center of the entry platform, things begin to go awry. The platform is connected to others by three bridges. Each of them withdraws, however. Then, the platform lurches forward and separates from the tunnel entrance, which leads back down to Lost July. This means that you are promptly separated from the way back. Unfortunately, other floating platforms are also moving about. One of them smashes into your platform, hard enough to throw you to your feet. Worse than that, the sheer wall of a building is slammed in your way -- and at an angle, reinforced by the bedrock of the floating island. It cuts the way forward off, leaving you with little choice but to blow through the rock... ...or spend hours scaling a highly angled, highly dangerous ledge in your way. =Dungeon Conditions: Cripple, Maim, Suffer====================================
======================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 1 *>======================= ==========================< Results - Platform Crash >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leon Albus 0 --(30)--> 30 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Noeline 0 --(25)--> 25 Pass Trouble 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 0 --(25)--> 25 Pass Mother's Cross 4 Brute Effects: None -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 0 --(25)--> 25 Pass Explosive Charges 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riesenlied 0 --(30)--> 30 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josephine Lovelace 0 --(30)--> 30 Fail Well-Used Mattock 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Leon Albus 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail Conditions: Cripple|Maim|Suffer(1) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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.
Explosives (backed by ice), a mattock, a scythe, a wave of chi, and... er... Leon Albus's rolled up sleeves lay into the stone.
And lay into the stone.
It takes two hours.
At the end of it, Leon slumps down against the wall at the top. He breathes hard, wiping at his brow. Sweat rolls down his cheeks, and his jacket has been taken off. The top button of his shirt is unbuttoned, and his hair is slick with sweat.
"That... took a bit," he says. But, there is a door -- leading into the ruins.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Ettin Golem *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Elw created the Golems, but they also created smaller constructs. An Ettin Golem rounds the corner: a massive thing, standing a little taller than a man, looking to be crafted of fine stone. It has a large diamond in the center of its head, which seems to be its eye. A huge maul is carried in hand, and the diamond fires beams of light as it gets closer! =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure, Wound==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei ends up getting distracted partway watching Leon but he's working up a sweat too so rest assured, he's no longer wearing his shirt, having slung it over one shoulder. "Maybe we could've just jumped off and saved us the time."
He mops up his brow with his sweat. Usually relying on psychological problems helps, but not this time Fei! You've got to put in the work this time!
Luckily in the end, they beat up the platform enough and manage to move on.
It's a nice day, the birds are singing, and an Ettin Golem turns around the corner and looks at the party.$r
"Rock Paper Scissors?" Fei asks.
The golem quietly lifts up a giant maul.
"That...probably beats rock AND paper." Fei admits as the golem starts launching death beams from the eye in its forehead.
"I knew it! Nothing good ever comes from the Elw!!" Fei shouts because this is the third time he's been in an awful Elw related situation.
He didn't even know they existed for a year!
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool RPS Badge toward his party's challenge, Ettin Golem.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Odjn is slumped on the floor, her belly out as her eyes turn into swirls @_@. "HANGRY..." she exclaims, huffing and puffing. Riesenlied looks all the more fatigued for it as well, having chipped in herself, gasping for air as she reaches for-- a handy-dandy care package. It's got face towels, wet wipes, sanitisers, deodorisers, and bottles of cool water in it. Riese, you're taking this 'mom' thing a little bit too seriously...? "Good job, everyone...!"
---
Riesenlied's eyes widen as she follows into the ruins, ducking one death beam as she hurries towards what she thinks is a safe place -- and Odjn goes, "Um, Riese..."
The wall behind her starts shifting. An eye opens, and it's revealed to be another Ettin Golem -- prompting a yelp as it seizes her and lifts her off her feet...
... to which it pauses, as the Dragon's Tear starts to shimmer and carry a soothing veil of iridescent lights. "... I'm your friend..." Riesenlied expresses.
The Golem pauses a biiiit longer, before it heaves her the rest of the way up and-- onto its shoulder. Odjn groans as she quickly flits ontop, because the converted Golem sure is firing death beams at the rest!!
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Claw toward her party's challenge, Ettin Golem.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Doesn't matter, either way," Josie says, grinning over at Noeline. "The point is--"
Things get a little pear-shaped after that, however briefly, and then after that...
It's a long, slow, agonizing haul.
Two hours of it, in fact.
It should be noticed that during this time, the ball did not come back.
"Whew..."
Slinging her way over the edge, Josie with difficulty makes her own ascent, heaving out a breath as she digs a hand into her pocket and pulls out a familiar flask. She takes a swig.
She doesn't seem inclined to share.
"Damn, that's worse than the time we had to handle the sandworm," she sighs. Her gaze then darkens; her eyes narrow.
"Sunshine, forget about that. I don't think it's gonna listen--"
There'll be one second's silence on the archaeologist's end before a crack of a gunshot rings out.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Liquid Courage toward her party's challenge, Ettin Golem.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"I think--" Leon ducks, under the beam of light that shoots from the Ettin Golem. He ducks below it, the beam shooting just over his head, and then looks back at Fei. "--I'm not becoming a fan, if these things are common!"
He breathes hard, and then he pokes his head up. He swings out Argent Divider. The weapon is already shaped like a shotgun; he swings it up, then fires a flare round towards the Ettin Golem, to try to distract it. Or, perhaps, peg it in the head after the Dragon Tear does its thing.
"Riesenlied, if I am destroying your new friend at any point in here, I preemptively apologize," he says. Then, he aims again, and fires a shotgun slug towards the construct. Then, another one.
DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Flare Gun toward his party's challenge, Ettin Golem.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
... ... ... ... in the end, Noeline ends up with a kind of priceless frown on her face. She's not as tired from attempting to clear the rubble as she really ought to be, her Metal Demon physiology working to her favour. On the other hand, the moment people's shirts start to come off, she definitely slacks on her workload, preferring instead to cling to Riesenlied's arm as if to draw her away from and protect her from this illicit realm of bared chests.
Yes, even as she does her best to mom everyone, and provide snacks for Odjn. Someone's looking rather like the spoiled brat they sometimes make themselves out to be...
When they're finally able to move on, Noeline does at least resume her eager survey of the strange place they've found themselves in; she keeps risking a look down at the view, whistling rather happily to herself as they maneuver over platforms, and is one of the first to hum in surprise and curiosity at the Elw golem as it ... hefts its maul. "My. The gardeners here are very strict," is her opening gambit, as she dives lightly to one side to escape the weapon as it comes crushing down to meet her.
Of course, then she gets to look agog for a moment at her partner, hoisted up atop it's shoulder all of a sudden. "--you know-- we really do have to all sit down and talk about your powers at some point," she grouses visibly, and takes a quick glance towards Leon. "... at the very least, we can try to keep it mostly intact, I suppose," she adds, dodging back twice more as one of her pods orbits her closely, using the line of her forearm to sight along and fire several bolts at the gem in the construct's forehead.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ettin Golem.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily, while she has not discarded her jacket, has opened it, leaving on her gray scarf. ...She doesn't seem to mind the heat that terribly, though it helps that she keeps a cool mist about herself for a few moments when they finish. ...Her gloves are still on, since she's been helping. She glances to Leon. "...I agree," she says. Her hair is likewise sweaty, and unfortunately, in some disarray with all the sudden wind.
"It's possible," Lily admits to Fei, and then pauses... and reaches into her bag and presses a ration bar towards Odjn. "Riesenlied," she says. "Don't overdo it."
...Somehow it sounds sort of commanding when Lily says it. But she means well.
"I'm not apologizing," Lily says, as she looks up to the Ettin Golem, and lifts her hands. Red light begins to surround the party, barrier against harm. ...She takes a largely support role in this fight. She probably gets knocked into a wall, because obviously. Monsters hate the healer. "Oh, I'm researching," she says about Riese's powers.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ettin Golem.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Ettin Golem *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Elw created the Golems, but they also created smaller constructs. An Ettin Golem rounds the corner: a massive thing, standing a little taller than a man, looking to be crafted of fine stone. It has a large diamond in the center of its head, which seems to be its eye. A huge maul is carried in hand, and the diamond fires beams of light as it gets closer! =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure, Wound==========================================
=====================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 2 *>====================== ==========================< Results - Ettin Golem >=========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leon Albus 30 --(15)--> 45 Pass Flare Gun 3 Combat Effects: Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 25 --(20)--> 45 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 25 --(15)--> 40 Pass RPS Badge 3 Combat Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lily Keil 25 --(20)--> 45 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 30 --(15)--> 45 Pass Dragon's Claw 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 30 --(15)--> 45 Pass Liquid Courage 3 Combat Effects: Rally ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Leon Albus 10 --(10)--> 20 Fail Conditions: Cripple|Maim|Treasure(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei lowers his hand as Riesenlied seems to make a friend. "...Rock paper scissors?"
He promptly gets lasered in the gut and falls over and indeed, everybody gets lasered. Even Riesenlied. It seems that shooting lasers at people is how the Ettin considers friendship to work.
Luckily after a long period of unfortunate amounts of fighting, the team is eventually able to--and forced to in fact--put the Ettin down with a combinatin of martial arts, flare guns, some well aimed tech bolts and...
And drinking.
Lots of drinking.
((and drinking))
DG: Riesenlied has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - The Sun and the Moon *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The room that you enter is well lit, as the sun pours in from three sides between columns. This gives it a golden cast. There are two dials in the center of the room, and then a closed stone doorway across from you. Behind the pillars are two discs: a solid stone one and a lens. Moving the dials moves those. The "Sun" (the lens) and the "Moon" (disc) must be moved into the right position, whatever that might be, to cause the locked door ahead to open. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer, Stupify==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
r
Odjn sniffs appreciatively and revives as she hovers over to Lily's ration bar. "Oooo~oh, I know that smell! That's Kislev's Long-Range Patrol Bar, circa 497 PC! Mmm, the scent of brittle peanuts, rancid oils, stale sugar and an oxidised chocolate coating...~!"
... somehow, this is appealing to Odjn.
Riesenlied finds that her expertise with her powers is not great enough, which really probably does necessitate a talk as Noeline says-- she yelps and huddles onto one side, her wings covering her as more of the leathery, scaley dragon-limb gets melted by lasers. "I-I'm sorry...!"
The Ettins, fortunately, are put down with a combination of fighting and drinking, fighting, drinking, and drinkfighting. (Fightdrinking?)
The Hyadean looks really groggy as she steps into the next room, a chamber of duality -- of gold casts and deep shadows, with two dials in the centre of the room that shift the discs depicting the 'Sun' and the 'Moon' behind.
Riesenlied blinks and is about to contemplate it when--
"Ah..."
The Dragon's Tear shimmers again. It's an inquisitive orange, this time, the sensation of inquisitiveness and curiosity filling her. "The ancients once..."
She wanders towards one of the dials, as if she can see something through the weave of light. "They studied the movement of Lunar and the New Moon with these..."
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, The Sun and the Moon.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon slows to a stop, as he enters the next room. He looks over the walls, trying to process them -- and then Riesenlied speak. He blinks once, as he starts to realize; he turns his head to look at Riesenlied. The orange glow surprises him for a moment, and then he shakes his head once.
"Lunar and the New Moon... that makes sense," he says, quietly. He steps forward, next to Riesenlied, and then looks down at the dials. "There's markings, but--I'm not sure what they signify. Too many for the months of the year, I think..."
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Sun and the Moon.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
In Josie's experience, bullets fix most things, and what the don't fix, well...
That's always something you have to work out on-scene.
In any case, victory does come to them, but it comes at the price of a long and rather pitched fight. "Damn, used too many bullets," is Josie's comment on the matter at least; she holsters the rifle and once again withdraws the flask of spirits, giving it an investigative shake.
It appears to have been an unsatisfying sound, since she slips it back into her pocket again and soliders on without another drink.
"The sun and the moon? Interesting. ...Looks like it's part of what's locking down the gateway in here. See?"
Josie, in the next area over, points between the two dials.
"You're right. It's definitely not months," she answers Leon. "Hours of the day? Perhaps if those are marking the sun. Hmmm, I wish I knew more about the Elw..."
Folding her arms over her chest, the archaeologist settles into contemplating of the dials.
A whirring of wings sounds out in the air. From wherever she'd gotten off to, in comes Penelope.
Who settles on one of the dials.
Ka-chunk, goes the dial.
One pale eyebrow lifts.
(Hopefully the pigeon has not just set off a terrible trap--)
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, The Sun and the Moon.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong is lasered and frankly somewhat tipsy. He makes his way into this latest room, already exhausted. He does seem surprised, though, at Odjn's unusual interest in Lily's guns. That is not something that he expected to appeal to Odjn. He moves a little closer to Riesenlied to study the material. He reaches into his kit and studies a similar looking drawing he made of a similar puzzle that he has run into before. This is not the first 'shine the light from the thing into the other thing' puzzle he has done.
"I think we're supposed to have the sun reflect into the moon in order to open the door." Fei says. as he starts fiddling with dials, unaware of Penelope's help.
Or her 'help'.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, The Sun and the Moon.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"..." Lily lifts an eyebrow at Odjn. She does not take back the ration bar. She simply adds, "At least someone else appreciates them."
Once they finish the fight, Lily dusts herself off, walks forward. "It's fine," she says to Riesenlied, and moves forward, towards the dials, considering both... and pulling out her notebook as she does. "I'll take some measurements..."
Lily says this quietly, looks ahead; she has a good eye for such things, and works deliberately, checking the angles of the light, the positions of the dials... And so on. "Good theory," she says to Fei. "Maybe... it's meant to reflect an eclipse..."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Lily's Notebook toward her party's challenge, The Sun and the Moon.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"They tracked phases," pipes up Noeline from behind the pair in the lead, peeking around them with a lit-up sort of smile. "A mixture of lunar phases and corresponding tidal phases, if I recall properly - not quite twice-daily, but certainly close. It was all about how the tides affected the land and life around them, I believe, though details on it are ridiculously scant these days. In the end, that's more of an educated guess than anything like a certainty."
The rather charred metal demon natters absently as she brushes down the aftermath of their encounters thus far, but it's not like it actually helps them without an idea of where to move things - it just explains the motif, and the apologetic grin on Noeline's face suggests she's well aware of that fact.
"At the very least, I-- would like to say we should just experiment. I find it hard to believe we'll be plucked out of the skies, but I suppose we should all be wary of trapdoors at this point," she grumbles, shooing the errant pigeon a little. Helpfully, Penelope patters across the dias, disrupting Fei's work and probably stepping on three other buttons along the way.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Sun and the Moon.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - The Sun and the Moon *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The room that you enter is well lit, as the sun pours in from three sides between columns. This gives it a golden cast. There are two dials in the center of the room, and then a closed stone doorway across from you. Behind the pillars are two discs: a solid stone one and a lens. Moving the dials moves those. The "Sun" (the lens) and the "Moon" (disc) must be moved into the right position, whatever that might be, to cause the locked door ahead to open. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer, Stupify==========================================
=====================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 3 *>====================== ======================< Results - The Sun and the Moon >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leon Albus 45 --(20)--> 65 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 45 --(15)--> 60 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 40 --(20)--> 60 Fail Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lily Keil 45 --(20)--> 65 Fail Lily's Notebook 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 45 --(15)--> 60 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 45 --(15)--> 60 Pass Penelope 3 Wits Effects: Resilient and Liabili ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Leon Albus 20 --(5)--> 25 Fail Conditions: Stupify(2)|Suffer(1) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 5 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> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks really confused, like she might have misunderstood Noeline. "You've met the Elw?" Though Noeline's remand that it's an educated guess makes her doubt again. She nods at Leon to say, "You're right... it isn't the months -- but the New Moon and Lunar would differ? Tides..." She looks at Lily and nods, as she measures. "An eclipse... hmm, there would be a case for that too..."
They're carefully working through the dials and seeing how it interacts with the filter that controls the shine of the sun through the lens, as Fei mentions, when...
-BEEP-
-BEEP-
-BEEP-
A helpful female voice expresses:
Self-destruct sequence initiated.
Penelope!!!!!
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"I knew it," Leon immediately states.
DG: Noeline has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Twenty Pillars Falling *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 4 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You arrive at a large platform with two parallel rows of ten pillars. Mounted atop them is a platform, and you can see the telltale orange glow of a teleporter tile on one. This offers the only way forward. However, there is no easy way up. You may be able to bring the ceiling down -- but it will require an incredibly careful, incredibly delicate demolition to bring it down without shattering the teleporter tile and requiring a rather lengthy backtrack. =Dungeon Conditions: Collapse, Vault==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... oh, good grief," blurts Noeline, as the peace and tranquility of the Pleasing Garden is interrupted - not for the first time today, certainly, but the red flashing lights are a new one on her, and it's through sheer instinct that she throws a shoulder against the door to slam it open as hard as she can. It takes some time, and the platform is rumbling in an extremely worrying manner by the time they've got the way open, but before long they've managed to lurch across to a new and hopefully not imminently-exploding platform.
Except it appears to be a dead-end - until Noeline, in the middle of walking around, catches a light orange glimmer out of the corner of her eye. Glancing up, there's the tell-tale sign of a teleporter above them, and for a rather uncharitable moment the metal demon obviously considers just flying up to the top level instead on the back of Strife, ferrying people up and down.
Before she can even voice the idea, Strife - already beaten up by rock dust and a little dented from helping bonk into a door - promptly vetos the idea with a raspberry-like squeal of low noise, making quite clear its position on the whole affair. "Oh, fine," huffs Noeline in return, planting her hands on her hips as she stares at the task ahead. "Really, just when you'd be useful, you give up!"
"I suppose we'll have to do it the hard way," she adds as she turns back to the group and flicks out some of her hair. "But I have to admit, I can't really recommend my helping. The tools I have available are all a little overbearing--" DONK DONK DONK "--so I don't think--" DONK DONK DONK "cucco"
Hesitating, the Hyadean looks over her shoulder, where once again Trouble has decided to believe in its cucco brethren, applying its beak to the stone pillar as if it could possibly accomplish anything. It probably can't, the beak already crumpled - but the other half-dozen cuccos around it could probably assist, if you don't mind the risk of accidentally blowing one up and bringing hell down on the place.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Trouble toward her party's challenge, Twenty Pillars Falling.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is hurrying at a dead sprint after Noeline, the moment the door's been burst open. She lets out a heavy breath as she whips her head around, mumbling, "It's a dead end...?" Noeline is looking up, however, and she sees the teleporter tiles a moment later. She bites her lip as she reaches up and cuddles Strife instead, patting it on the head. "Shh, it's okay..."
Her horns wiggle. Beep beep.
"Oh? Oh--!"
She senses CUCCO.
"Please, help us, cucco...!" she encourages, as the half-dozen flock of cuccos comes in. She takes a grooming brush out and lovingly brushes against Strife's side, before letting it go so it can help.
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Twenty Pillars Falling.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Incredibly delicate demolition...
Fei slowly edges as far away from this challenge as possible, sweating heavily but as he's backing away, he accidentally bumps into one of the pillars. Fei freaks out immediately and lashes out to steady it but ends up sending it flying to the other pillars in the process.
"Ahh!" Fei says, eyes wide. "Adjust! Adjust!"
......And they say I'm the Destroyer...
Fei raises his hands to his head, sweating heavily. "Ahhh... Ahhh....!!"
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Twenty Pillars Falling.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"You don't think--" Leon stops, his eyes narrowing, and he becomes immediately guarded when he hears a cucco. He remembers that day in Adlehyde; he remembers the day that the skies darkened. He is not in any hurry to relive it. (He has yet to see how Riesenlied feels about the damnable birds. But one only has to look to Penelope to understand Leon's distrust of most of our feathered friends.)
Except that the cuccos are here. He stares, backing up for a moment. "Be careful, in case they--"
They seem tp be helping? He stares for a moment, and then he walks backward. He looks at a pillar, and then at Lily. "Tell me where to hit it, would you?"
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Twenty Pillars Falling.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"...Really," Lily sighs at Penelope. Then she rushes over to help Noeline, crackling black power seeking to weaken the door so the Metal Demon can open it properly. Once they're through, she also looks around, and keeps walking. She checks her ARM in its holster as she walks, stretching a little to keep herself as limber as possible.. But then there's the glimmer. Noeline pots it, Strife squeals, and Lily lifts an eyebrow. "...The hard way," Lily repeats. Overbearing...
"I've met few problems that can't be solved with explosives," Lily admits, shaking her head as Fei starts knocking something over and... staring for a brief moment at the cuccos. How. Why. ...Nevermind.
--She gets an idea, as she's preparing to dodge pillars. "...Fei, that's a great plan." She gets out some charges--and works to build a rubble pile that can take them up.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, Twenty Pillars Falling.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
With all the aimless nonchalance a pigeon can muster, Penelope walks across the dial. Or more specifically, the buttons on the dial.
Her dark eyes glitter.
A cool feminine voice intones a few very specific words.
"Penelope," Josie says, with all the intonation someone might use towards a dog that's just puddled on the rug.
She reaches over and snags the bird who is -- of course -- still standing on the face of the dial.
Red flashing lights are rarely a good thing.
Neither is the platform one's standing on rumbling.
Josie runs for it, pigeon held between both hands as she books it right in Noeline's wake. So much for the way back, it seems--
...Or the way forward, for that matter.
"Huh. Well, that's a pretty mess," she opines. Penelope wriggles free of her grasp, alighting on her forearm for a moment.
cucco
With a cry and a whirring of wings, the pigeon abruptly takes flight, soaring up high above the pillars.
Josie plants a hand on her hip. "You know, I would have thought you'd all be friends," she remarks.
She dredges out her mattock and squares her shoulders. "So, the direct approach, then?"
Wasn't this supposed to be delicate?
Where directed, she'll swing for the fences.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Twenty Pillars Falling.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Twenty Pillars Falling *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 4 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You arrive at a large platform with two parallel rows of ten pillars. Mounted atop them is a platform, and you can see the telltale orange glow of a teleporter tile on one. This offers the only way forward. However, there is no easy way up. You may be able to bring the ceiling down -- but it will require an incredibly careful, incredibly delicate demolition to bring it down without shattering the teleporter tile and requiring a rather lengthy backtrack. =Dungeon Conditions: Collapse, Vault==========================================
=====================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 4 *>====================== =====================< Results - Twenty Pillars Falling >===================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leon Albus 65 --(12)--> 77 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 60 --(7)--> 67 Pass Trouble 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 60 --(12)--> 72 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lily Keil 65 --(7)--> 72 Pass Explosive Charges 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 60 --(12)--> 72 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 60 --(12)--> 72 Fail Well-Used Mattock 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Leon Albus 25 --(10)--> 35 Fail Conditions: Collapse|Vault(1) Effects: Strengthen(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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> Noeline has posed.
It turns out that 'incredibly careful, incredibly delicate' does not begin to describe what you get when you add a small flock of cuccos and an ARM with an identity crisis to anything at all, let alone a precariously balanced demolitions job. The cuccos get to work with something approaching gusto, as Noeline stands back enough and flicks a rather disbelieving - but simultaneously very fond - glance at Riesenlied's exultations over the big round birds.
Lily's experience with explosives works well enough to bring the pillar most of the way down without too much incident, helped with Leon's strength and Josephine's willingness to just hit the damn thing with a mattock wherever it needs it. For a moment, it almost looks like it might work.
Stood clear enough from the destruction next to Fei, Noeline's still levelling a disbelieving stare at the whole scene when the cuccos pile back in against the stone. The pillar suddenly jolts several inches downwards with a worrying sort of masonic bang, mixed with the distinctive 'tink-tink-tink' of small chips flying every which way. As if that were a prelude, there's a long-drawn out groan, and then an almighty crack as the teleporter block falls about fifteen feet to shatter apart on the platform the group is on.
"... well then," Noeline heaves out.
DG: Leon Albus has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Bearcat Swarm *>======================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Some of the platforms have areas of greenery -- and natural life there, including some rarely found in Ignas. The bearcat is one such creature: a red-furred ursine, but with the jaws of a sabertooth tiger and wicked, terrible claws. Six of them see you -- and rush forward, but cry out. Howls echo, and more of the creatures may be on their way! =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Fright=========================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
The teleporter tile slams into the ground and shatters apart. Noeline speaks, and Leon looks down at it, and stares for a moment down at the broken fragments. His eyebrow does not twitch. His lips, however, curve downward into a frown. That frown begins to intensify.
And then turns into a shocked gasp, as the floor suddenly cracks out from where the roof hit -- and it all gives way. They go plummeting down twenty feet to a platform below them. When they land, it is amidst something most strange: green grass, bushes, and verdant life for such a high altitude.
And bearcats. Huge, hulking red-furred things with white claws stalk towards them. One opens its jaws and roars, before they all come forward -- with slashing claws and gnashing teeth.
"Bloody hell!" Leon shouts, before he shoots a flare into the air. He hopes it will scare them.
DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Flare Gun toward his party's challenge, Bearcat Swarm.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied huddles her hands over her head and tries to get clear as the teleporter tile tips and slams, possibly locking them into this dead end where, as far as anyone knows, there's still a self-destruct timer of some sort going on. This has gone terribly wrong terribly fast, as she looks to Leon--
--and follows the line of his gasp, to where they suddenly fall, fall, fall--
There's a whimper from where the Hyadean emerges from some bushes, wincing ever so gently as she rubs her side and says, "That is probably the worst behind us..." she optimistically tries to say.
Optimism! Optimism worked for Leon, it can work for Riese-
And then her hair flies straight back as a bearcat roars virtually right on her face. She ducks away as she holds the Tear up to shield her allies with barriers of light, but one dives forward to try to rake its claws straight through her--
Time slows.
The bearcat saaaaails through the air, spit flying from its rabid mouth.
Its claws are stretched, gleaming with menace.
Riese gasps in shock, unable to avoid in time...
And a cucco... flies in front...
Time resumes.
The wounded cucco is glowing red...
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Claw toward her party's challenge, Bearcat Swarm.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's reflexes aren't terrifically bad - dulled a bit by the sheer exhaustion of the past few weeks, perhaps, not to mention the exhaustion of the past few hours. She does at least have the werewithal to yelp in stunned surprise as the floor begins to give way, diving for and barely missing grasping onto Riesenlied's hand. Not that it helps; the cracks spiderweb further through the platform they're on, and she's sent tumbling downwards just as surely as the others.
She lands a little heavily, but not necessarily the worse for wear. Her dress has honestly taken the brunt of the expedition, and she huffs and grumbles slightly for the instant it takes for her to realize they're not alone. "--perhaps we should revise this place to 'the Pleasing Zoo'?!" she blurts in mild astonishment, though as the first bearcat lunges at her she's quick to summon her weapon from herself, this time as the giant blade rather than the scythe.
Sweeping it in a wide arc causes the flat to bat the bearcat aside; Noeline seems rather predisposed to not killing the creatures, though as another jumps at her, it increasingly looks like that might be the only option.
Don't look back, her honed senses tell her, some intrinsic danger sense within her rebelling at the very thought. Don't. Look. Back.
DG: Noeline has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bearcat Swarm.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "It's okay." to everybody as is his duty as morale officer.
"That teleporter probably would've taken us to somewhere really awful."
He's probably not wrong especially when the relatively nice alternative, a rampaging horde of sabertooth tigers, is shortly upon them. "I wonder how they got here--" Fei says. "And who has been feeding them." Pause. "And how they've been getting around."
Naturally, he tries holding up his RPS Badge and much like Jack's guitar, it just summons more tigers who try to eat everybody.
Fei at least does help with kung fu.
"...That cucco is glowing red..." Fei murmurs. "It tells me to defeat you!!"
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool RPS Badge toward his party's challenge, Bearcat Swarm.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
For a moment, it seems as if their fortunes on this expedition may be turning for the better.
But alas, it's only for a moment. The pillar slams into the ground, and seconds later, the tile comes down to shatter across the floor below.
Josie utters something that can't be repeated among polite audiences. Someone's dubious parentage is involved.
It's definitely sacreligious.
And then the floor cracks beneath her feet!
This fails to evoke further blasphemies, only a wordless scream as Josie plummets.
She lands in a bush, thankfully one without thorns.
"Well, on the bright side, kids," she starts to say, hefting herself up out of the greenery with a decided wince and an 'oof'. Gamely, Josephine Lovelace smiles.
Then she stops, spots the array of bearcats before them. That smile grows brittle; Josie reaches for her gun.
A cucco wings its way into the path of the oncoming bearcats--
Josie in that moment opts to forgoe the gun, pulls out her flask instead, and finishes off the contents.
Sometimes you can't make your own optimism.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Liquid Courage toward her party's challenge, Bearcat Swarm.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily frowns, too. Hers, as well, intensifies. The floor cracks though--Lily's eyes widen. When they land, Lily hits the ground and rolls a little, groaning briefly. ...Until she looks up, to see the creatures before her, her black hair halfway into her eyes from the fall. Her single showing golden eye narrows again at them. That's when the cuccos happen. When the cucco's... defense happens. And it glows. "There is little pleasing about this place," Lily points out. She does not point out to Fei that this is someplace awful. "Josie..." She pauses.
"You'd better have more of that." She throws out her hands and fire happens. Lots of fire. Much fire.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bearcat Swarm.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Bearcat Swarm *>======================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Some of the platforms have areas of greenery -- and natural life there, including some rarely found in Ignas. The bearcat is one such creature: a red-furred ursine, but with the jaws of a sabertooth tiger and wicked, terrible claws. Six of them see you -- and rush forward, but cry out. Howls echo, and more of the creatures may be on their way! =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Fright=========================================
=====================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 5 *>====================== =========================< Results - Bearcat Swarm >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leon Albus 77 --(5)--> 82 Pass Flare Gun 3 Combat Effects: Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 67 --(5)--> 72 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 72 --(10)--> 82 Fail RPS Badge 3 Combat Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lily Keil 72 --(10)--> 82 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 72 --(5)--> 77 Pass Dragon's Claw 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 72 --(5)--> 77 Pass Liquid Courage 3 Combat Effects: Rally ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Leon Albus 35 --(20)--> 55 Pass Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Collapse|Fright(2) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Leon Albus 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> Leon Albus has posed.
With the power of whiskey, finally, something goes right. The flare makes the bearcats stumble -- and Noeline sends one running with a slash of the scythe. A tiger leaps for another, courtesy of the RPS Badge; the bearcat facing one turns and opens its jaws.
A spray of blood later, and the bearcat swallows the tiger's head whole.
Flame blows back one bearcat, which starts to stumble forward... but then the cucco glows red. The cuccos descend -- they sweep and scream, and the bearcats roar. One raises, of all things, a banner stained with blood. It swats -- and then the cuccos rip the banner from its claws, and descend. Fur flies up from it.
Leon stares, then looks to the rest of his Wolves. "Move," he says. "Now."
DG: Riesenlied has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Rune-Warded Door *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You find a massive, slate grey steel door. Strange runes on it glow a brilliant golden color as you approach. There is no key to this door. However, blowing it down presents a unique problem: every blow and blast to knock through it sends a powerful shockwave out from the door. You will need to proceed carefully, as the door causes powerful thunder waves that could decimate you, even as you knock it to smithereens. =Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Suffer======================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Poor Black Wolves. But at the very least, it would seem like something went right for once. Except...
"C-cucco? What are you--"
POORLY KNOWN FACT: Riesenlied has never seen a cucco get angry before. In the midst of Adlehyde's invasion, she pretty much was found adoring the big, fluffy round birds from the start and pretty much missed the entirety of the carnage.
Fur flies up from the flock of feathers as the banner gets shred.
Riesenlied stares at the scene of carnage.
"Cucco...?"
Blood splotches onto her face.
She...
She might need to get dragged away...
Odjn huffs as she finally catches up, floating down to mumble, "I told you cuccos were terrible news!" as she drags the stunned Hyadean and gapes towards the massive runic door. "... what's this?" She knocks on it and--
-BOOM-
Odjn peels herself off the wall as she groans and remarks, "Well, that's one way to keep intruders out... whadda we do, Cap'n?"
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rune-Warded Door.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon looks sideways at Riesenlied, and considers what to do for a moment. Then, he lays his hand on on her shoulder, and squeezes once. "Riesenlied," he says. "Cuccos hide their true nature. It's okay. It only happens if you decide to kick one. Or claw one."
Then, he looks back at the door. He stares -- because he caught what Odjn did out of the corner of his eye. He looks down at her, then back up at the door. "What in the... ah. We can't risk explosives, can we?"
He frowns. "We could bring the whole place down."
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Rune-Warded Door.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline is not just Riesenlied's protector in body; she's quick to cover the other woman's eyes, petting her on the hair at the same time as she and Odjn rather drag Riesenlied away from the carnage. "T-there, there," she mutters, a hitch coming even to her voice as she glances behind her with a bit of a grimace. "They were just playing a little rough, and trying to protect you. That's all it was, yes?" she encourages the poor Hyadean, nimbly wiping away some of that blood after a moment and giving Leon brief but frantic 'no, no' motions.
Fortunately, she's-- reasonably aware of the few blinkers Riese does tend to wear, and would be willing to bet this won't be too long-lived a dent; that's enough reassurance to herself to look up just in time for Odjn to bounce off the door that's vibrating hard enough to make the sensation a physical force.
"... ah. Go around, rather than through. True enough," she sighs after a long moment, squinting to herself as if she expects the flock of cuccos to follow them yet. Fortunately, it doesn't happen - and she lets out a relieved breath at that, rather certain that would end spectacularly badly. "... at the very least, Trouble and Strife may be able to ferry us across some of the gaps as a bit of a shortcut," she adds, and only raises her voice louder when one of the robots attempts to complain, talking straight over it.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Trouble toward her party's challenge, Rune-Warded Door.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Huh, The red voice thinks. Guess Riese really is like a cucco. Poke her too much and she gets a-stabbin'
Fei rushes off when Leon says to. It seems like they're finally making progress when then, suddenly, a door.
Fei stares at the door. There is no keyhole to this door. It is clearly a door that you are meant to knock down.
Fei bellows in rage and charges the door. It's done in a still camera angle where you just see Fei running at it and then--of course--
--Fei being flung backwards back the way he came.
This happens a few times honestly.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Rune-Warded Door.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
It's a scene that Josie is, frankly, quick to abandon, leaving the bearcats to their fate. Pocketing the now tragically-empty flask, she follows after the others, apparently no worse the wear for her boozing.
For now.
"I've heard stories about cuccos," she says, gaze hooded as she tags along after them. "There's a reason they're not often raised for their meat, heh..."
She's seen their horrific wrath first-hand, at that.
Naturally, the next challenge that awaits them is...
A door.
"Doesn't look like there's a key," Josie comments, hefting the mattock once more. "How about we--"
Odjn bounces off.
Fei bounces off, multiple times.
"Hey kid, don't have a rock head about this, okay?" she calls out. "Let's think about it. Looks like it's gonna bounce you back anything you toss at it, right?"
Which is why she strides forth and plunges the end of the mattock into the ground around it.
"We don't need to go through that door."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Rune-Warded Door.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
What the cuccos do...
Lily approves (+20)
She does, however, move along as Leon orders, glancing to the banner and heading through where they go. There is blood on Riesenlied's face, and also Noeline covering her eyes. Lily... declines to chime in about cuccos. Instead, when they catch up, when they get to the door, and the others start hitting it--Well, Fei and Odjn...
Lily tilts her head, considers. "...No," she says, "I think I have an idea." She watches Fei, gets an idea for it... and then walks straight up to the door. Josie starts pushing around it, and Lily nods in approval. "...So we can blow a hole in the hallway door to get around. And in the meantime..."
She gets out a few bombs, but doesn't light any fuses after setting them in place as she walks to the door. Her hand abrubtly glows with shadow, dark enough that it hurts to look upon, as she touches the runes... and starts attempting to straight up ruin them. Lines through each, breaking the patterns.
"Fire in the hole!" Only then does she light it up.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, Rune-Warded Door.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Rune-Warded Door *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You find a massive, slate grey steel door. Strange runes on it glow a brilliant golden color as you approach. There is no key to this door. However, blowing it down presents a unique problem: every blow and blast to knock through it sends a powerful shockwave out from the door. You will need to proceed carefully, as the door causes powerful thunder waves that could decimate you, even as you knock it to smithereens. =Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Suffer======================================
=====================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 6 *>====================== ========================< Results - Rune-Warded Door >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leon Albus 82 --(20)--> 102 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noeline 72 --(15)--> 87 Pass Trouble 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 82 --(20)--> 102 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lily Keil 82 --(15)--> 97 Pass Explosive Charges 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 77 --(20)--> 97 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 77 --(15)--> 92 Pass Well-Used Mattock 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Leon Albus 55 --(20)--> 75 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Overzealous(2)|Suffer(1) Effects: Strengthen(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Leon Albus is too exhausted to continue! DG: Fei Fong Wong is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party led by Leon Albus 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> Riesenlied has posed.
"B-b-but they're..." Riesenlied looks to be building up to a full blown panic attack, but sucks in a breath as Noeline puts her hands over her eyes and tries to reassure her that they're just tousling and playing a little. Leon puts his hand on her shoulder and reassures her that they hide... their true nature...
Am I... just like a cucco...?
Odjn and Fei continue the fruitless effort of charging the door -- Fei might do so to make progress, but Odjn stumbles upon a universal truth about the door on her third try:
"HEY this kind of works like a fun trampoline!"
Lily, meanwhile, just straight up corrupts the door's runes at the same time Josie starts hefting it up with her mattock. It's a good plan.
Fire in the hole--
WHABOOM
The way is clear... but at what cost??
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei slams into the door with his Flying Blaze attack!
But the door had 8 charges of reflect/counter!!
Fei finds Flying Blaze in his queue. He grimaces and goes for it. He tries to evade the counter...!
But no, Fei takes full damage. It's really not fair that this door gets to use the new Gunslinger system before anyone else, but as we all know, innovation begins with doors and then moves further beyond.
Fei is also slightly on fire due to the explosions. "I think I'm going to... drink this water." Fei says.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon steps forward, after the explosion. "It seems we--"
A rock falls, after the explosion. A little after. It bounces off the door, and then propels away from it, and clobbers Leon in the head. He falls over flat on his head, grabbing his head, and groans.
He looks at Fei, without getting off the ground. "I'll take some after you," he says.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei, on the floor, passes over the water bottle.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== =============<* CHALLENGE - Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact *>============= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 4 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The final platform appears, with two huge towers upon it. One sits to the east, while another sits to the west. The intricate stone towers have carvings that make them look graceful, with curves and twists to the stonework that sometimes -- but not quite -- resemble statues. However, there is a final obstacle awaiting you on that platform. A massive, terrible wolf. It stands as tall as a man at the shoulder, with thick purple fur and a mane of white hair. Its eyes, however, shine with red light. The wolf leaps into the air. Then, it becomes a brilliant red blur -- and it starts sweeping repeatedly across the platform in a straight line. It tries to knock you off it -- and moves so fast that it feels like it might be in two places at once. If you can flee into one of the two towers, though, you might be free of its onslaught. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Eventually Fei and Leon move but it doesn't seem like they'll be much useful in their condition. Fei is frankly surprised that they managed to make it this far, considering everything. He rubs at his neck and frowns at the new statues. He then winces and starts hobbling.
Uuuunfortunately, as they get near the platform, there's a terrible wolf! And unfortunately, it's not going to be enough to just avoid the wolf yourself as it charges with incredible speed.
Because y'all are also gonna have to drag Leon and Fei to safety too since there's no way they'll be able to make it in time. So it's up to the ladies.
"Don't worry I got along with the wolves back home all--AHH!!!!" Fei says.
ONE YEAR AGO
Fei climbs up the mountain to Citan's and a small pack of wolves approach him. He jumps on one's head, kicks the other in the mouth, and kicks another into a wall.
NOW
"WHY??"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riese kind of automatically moves and pats one of the hand towels on Fei's head, and puts a compress on it. Then hands Leon another water bottle. "It'll all be okay...." She concentrates on the Dragon's Tear once more -- grants them a measure of inner strength flowing into their bodies to at the very least let them walk. She looks rather fatigued...
...but her eyes widen further as she gazes her sight upon the wolf--
Because she clutches at her chest and gasps for a moment. It was an incredibly familiar sensation. A similar one to the bottom of the Guardian Temple, when Equites emerged in full, sustained form before them...
"... A... A Guardian? Why--"
That brief epiphany of shock is all she gets before the wolf charges them. She hurries along, trying to keep the empathic tether alive so that Leon and Fei can carry on.
She seems to be glancing to one of the towers in particular. "Hurry...! I'll try to shield you!"
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline hesitates even before she sees the figure of the wolf; it takes one off-kilter Guardian to sense another, after all, and there's a sudden thrum at the back of her mind that suggests Duras Drum is both cackling and offering commiserations all at once. "... you're kidding..." she mutters quietly under her breath, only having the faintest grasp on what's happening - but one thing is entirely clear, and that is that the creature in front of them is terrifically bad news.
Instinct pulls her to one side, plucking Riese up off the ground as part of a bounding leap; there is the sensation of claws just behind her, and an air pressure that suggests she was just in time but also isn't nearly safe yet. At least it's enough time for her to pile a shoulder just a little roughly into Fei's misection, lifting him up into an impromptu fireman's lift to bundle him down atop Strife. Her command of 'Go!' is met by an answering bleep signalling the little pod going pell-mell for safety.
That done, she whirls as she senses another sweeping strike - and there's a shear of sparks as she barely manages to block it on her scythe. The impact on her blade sends her careening backwards, but just about lets her keep her feet - all the better, because she's skidded back in the direction of one of the towers, doing her best to follow the wolf's movements and angle herself in such a way that the next block sends her further back towards it.
DG: Noeline has used her Tool Strife toward her party's challenge, Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily takes a certain satisfaction in corrupting ancient runes. ...Okay, rather a lot of it. But she glances at Riesenlied after, to make sure she's all right, and then--the way is clear. The way is clear and--
"Leon!"
Lily rushes to him, totally before she even looks at Fei (Sorry Fei) and kneels down to look at him. ...Then at Fei. She frowns, and then closes her eyes, holding out her hand to lay shadow over Fei to... put out the fire. "You two..." Lily shakes her head, tired. "I'll take care of you."
She supports Leon getting up, giving him a shoulder. But then--there's..
A wolf. The irony.
"Shit," Lily remarks, because she is terrible when it comes to dodging. So she throws up an ice barrier to try to blunt impact, angling to try to go for a tower...
But this is going to get ugly.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline hesitates even before she sees the figure of the wolf; it takes one off-kilter Guardian to sense another, after all, and there's a sudden thrum at the back of her mind that suggests Duras Drum is both cackling and offering commiserations all at once. "... you're kidding..." she mutters quietly under her breath, only having the faintest grasp on what's happening - but one thing is entirely clear, and that is that the creature in front of them is terrifically bad news.
Instinct pulls her to one side, narrowly missing the first sweeping strike as part of a bounding leap; there is the sensation of claws just behind her, and an air pressure that suggests she was just in time but also isn't nearly safe yet. At least it's enough time for her to pile a shoulder just a little roughly into Fei's misection, lifting him up into an impromptu fireman's lift to bundle him down atop Strife. Her command of 'Go!' is met by an answering bleep signalling the little pod going pell-mell for safety.
That done, she whirls as she senses another sweeping strike - and there's a shear of sparks as she barely manages to block it on her scythe. The impact on her blade sends her careening backwards, but just about lets her keep her feet - all the better, because she's skidded back in the direction of one of the towers, doing her best to follow the wolf's movements and angle herself in such a way that the next block sends her further back towards it.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Indeed, why find a way when they can make one?
Though, they're not all so fortunate as the shaped detonation -- and the immovable door -- have their way with things. Josie slings her repackaged bag back over her shoulder. "Hey, maybe you two should hang back. You're not looking too hot." She slips from out of her pocket her flask, as if about to (!) hand it over--
Then remembers it's empty.
"Whoops," says a more sheepish Josie, before she shrugs gamely and heads forward.
Statues, she notes, at first pass.
They're not alone, she notices in the second. "Oh. Got company."
It tears right for them.
"Come on--"
She grabs for Lily's hand, then breaks into a run, apparently intending to outpace the wolf--
Or at least fail on her feet.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== =============<* CHALLENGE - Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact *>============= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 4 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The final platform appears, with two huge towers upon it. One sits to the east, while another sits to the west. The intricate stone towers have carvings that make them look graceful, with curves and twists to the stonework that sometimes -- but not quite -- resemble statues. However, there is a final obstacle awaiting you on that platform. A massive, terrible wolf. It stands as tall as a man at the shoulder, with thick purple fur and a mane of white hair. Its eyes, however, shine with red light. The wolf leaps into the air. Then, it becomes a brilliant red blur -- and it starts sweeping repeatedly across the platform in a straight line. It tries to knock you off it -- and moves so fast that it feels like it might be in two places at once. If you can flee into one of the two towers, though, you might be free of its onslaught. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
=====================<* The Pleasing Garden - Round 7 *>======================
===============< Results - Luceid's Desire - Desperate Impact >===============
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus 102 --(X)--> X
Effects:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noeline 87 --(100)--> 187 Fail
Strife 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong 102 --(X)--> X
Effects:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil 97 --(100)--> 197 Fail
Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riesenlied 97 --(100)--> 197 Fail
Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine Lovelace 92 --(100)--> 192 Fail
Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Leon Albus 75 --(10)--> 85 Fail
Conditions: Overzealous(1)|Slow(2)
Effects: Cleanse
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Noeline is too exhausted to continue! DG: Lily Keil is too exhausted to continue! DG: Riesenlied is too exhausted to continue! DG: Josephine Lovelace 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 Leon Albus has been fully Exhausted by The Pleasing Garden! DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
==========================<* The Pleasing Garden *>=========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - The Terrible Depths *>===================== |Type: Escape |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- In the midst of crossing the Pleasing Garden, you are knocked off the platforms. At first, it seems like certain death -- but as you go crashing down through the sky, you slam into a building below. There is a network of narrow, decaying passages that lead into the Pleasing Garden's depths -- filled with vicious, half-shattered constructs. OOC: You have fallen into the depths of the Garden! If you choose to come to "My Way" or "Under My Skin," you can enter through the depths. Assume you had a long, arduous journey through the depths (and determine the details are you see fit). =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Well.
On the plus side, nobody is seperated.
On the negative side that's because nobody actually manages to get out of the way of the giant wolf in time. Not even Noeline!
Everybody is sent flying off the platform but luckily, apparently, due to the illusion it's not like they're sent spiraling to their deaths. Everyone is transported to an area near the beginning of the Gardens, though on a level underneath everybody else. With everybody this beat up, though, it might be a good idea to go home first.
It's probably perfectly safe there.