2018-03-12: Discussion Amidst the Hunting Grounds
- Log: Discussion Amidst the Hunting Grounds
- Cast: Matilda Whitehead, Lunata Croze, Jacqueline Barber, Shalune Amira
- Where: Aifread's Hunting Ground
- Date: March 12th, 2018
- Summary: Jacqueline, Lunata, and Shalune venture into Aifread's Hunting Grounds in search of Matilda, who has chosen her own path. Together, the four of them find something that strikes them to their very core...
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>======================== Aifread's Hunting Ground is named after the pirate Aifread, who terrorized these coastlands a thousand years ago. The landscape here is among the most dangerous fields in the world, but also among the most rewarding: very large monsters roam here, which were hunted by Aifread in ages past and by adventurers today. The beasts here include ferocious landstalker cats, enormous boars and buffalo, and land squid the size of a house. The creatures here are dangerous, but the sport is both difficult and pays well.
DG: A party led by Matilda Whitehead is now entering Aifread's Hunting Ground. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>=========================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Where to Begin *>========================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Everyone who comes to hunt at Aifread's Hunting Ground knows to turn to the
authority. You open your inventory, and pull out the book in question...
***
Welcome to Aifread's Hunting Ground!
An expansive, rolling plain stretches out before you. Rocky cliffs,
treacherous plateaus, and not-so-distant mountains make these lands more of
a maze than one might expect. Knowing that dangerous, but profitable
monsters are here to hunt, though... that might make one eager to get on
with it. However, blindly charging into the hunting grounds is not
recommended! One might get lost.
Or make too much noise and frighten off the game. Or, worse, make noise and
lure things in that prey on you. Caution is recommended for the eager
hunter.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground,
Frontmatter
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Tire===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
There have been some rumors about Matilda -- well, rumors implies a lack of veracity. There have been some almost-certainly-true stories going around about Matilda, and Kaguya, and what they've gotten up to on Glenwood. Asking around about them -- or about Oasis Free Company -- leads around to Aifread's Hunting Ground, a place where both conventional and -- unconventional -- monsters roam free.
The reason Matilda is here, of course, is keenly apparent the instant anyone arrives. She needs food -- and she isn't the only one. There's a dozen or so people camped with her -- some locals, some picked up in the transition from Lost July. As it happens, when you've decided to make yourself responsible for a dozen mercenaries, everyone has to eat. And while most of them have at least the Gella or Silver from their last postings, well... best not to rely on that, yes?
Matilda's whole look has changed inside less than two weeks, too. Gone is the compounder's coat, replaced with a bright green mantle over a black breastplate. While she wears Freischütz at one hip, she wears two blades -- one short, one long, both traditional Glenwood swords -- at the other. If nothing else, she absolutely looks the part that everyone's said she's playing.
As the least-informed person on Glenwood in the squad, Matilda is getting herself forewarned and forearmed in her traditional way: a book. Actually, two books; in addition to the traditional guide to the location itself, she's got a book of medicinal plants, and is cross-referencing each in turn when... anyone else arrives.
The camp is pretty loose; no one seems to intend to stop anyone from entering or leaving. There's a dice game going on in one corner, while in another, Rolance mercenaries are teaching their Filgaian counterparts about local squad tactics.
DG: Matilda Whitehead has used her Tool Portable Library toward her party's challenge, Where to Begin.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
~IN TODAY'S LAID-BACK CAMP~
Narrator (voiced by Akio Otsuka): Do not make too much noise and frighten off the game.
A chibi Shalune and Lunata make thundering noises, causing a boar to flee into the woods as Ge Ramda floats in front of her.
Or, worse, make noise and lure things in that prey on you.
Samesaid chibi Shalune and Lunata is now running away from a hellionised boar.
Caution is recommended for the eager hunter.
Chibi-Lunata puts on a safety met. Thumbs up.
---
Lunata's demeanor has certainly changed the moment they've gotten to Lunar; ever since Ethius' 'keep driving' episode, things have kept the silver-haired girl on an utter trigger hair, and today is no exception. Her katana is always kept at her side, and her blade is actually out as she marches forward in a position indicating her as the vanguard for one (1) Jacqueline Barber.
Her outfit hasn't actually changed since she got to Lunar, but... she hasn't exactly gotten the chance to change yet either, or really shop for materials or re-dress herself. She blinks, though, when she spots Matilda proceeds close to the camp... and sheathes her sword when she draws near.
"... we should make soup..."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Going from Meribus to Glenwood was no small trip, but when Lydia told Jacqueline about what Matilda had been up to, she had to go find her for herself. Because of the length of the trip, she decided to bring Lunata and Shalune along - she knew that even if she didn't, they'd probably end up following her away.
Besides, she needed the company. And she's glad for it, when she steps into the camp that Matilda had set up. The people here...there's a certain roughness to them that Jacqueline lacks. She looks completely out of place here, and it puts her a little on edge.
Rather than one of her usual dresses, Jacqueline's gone for a thick, non-descript coat and pants. Better for long distance travel, and the weather in Pendrago made her all the more glad for her choice.
She approaches Matilda cautiously.
"...Matilda? Is that you? Lydia...told me what you were doing..." Jacqueline says, a little unsure. Matilda looks...completely different than what she expected. She never would have expected the Matilda she knew to take a leadership position in a mercenary group.
...And of course, Jacqueline being Jacqueline, her eyes end up drifting down to the books laid out in front of Matilda and begin absorbing their contents. That's just the kind of person she is.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Where to Begin.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
With a very long night or two of sleep in the Caravan behind her, Shalune is looking a lot brighter and more upbeat this morning; she arrives on the back of the Little Dipper, offering a ride to either of her childhood friends along the way should they need it. It might be a little dangerous to use the odd flying scooter out in the open here on Lunar, but any worries that Shalune harbours on the subject have been kind of blown away by how good it feels to race through this planet's much clearer air.
Speaking of worries, though... her face is quick to fall slightly at the sight of the new Matilda, and those with her. She doesn't volunteer any comment, but she barely needs to when she wears her heart so firmly on her sleeves; she's obviously a little worried about the different routes that people around her are taking, and she fidgets to herself gently as she looks over the congregated-- squad. It definitely feels like a squad, rather than a group.
"Um--" she starts, glancing away for a moment before she lightly shakes her head to try to dislodge her thoughts, and firms up her expression. The Carakin's in need of supplies as well, not least because of the paranoid bent that Mr. Hesoid chose to take on the way out of Meribia; somehow, Shalune's got the definite sense that it might not be best to push matters too firmly right at the moment, out of fear of tipping things one way or another. The Laid-Back Camp still feels rather far-off, to say the least.
Beyond her expression, Shalune also looks much the same as ever - but then, she's never exactly been the sort for appearances. Her red coat has been mended so many times it's probably more patchwork than coat these days, but it survives still, as does the backpack slung across her shoulders. "... I read the guide," she reports quietly, then does her best to perk up. "... um, I didn't get all of it, but I've done a little hunting an' stuff before. I brought some traps and stuff too."
DG: Shalune Amira has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Where to Begin. DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Soup of the Day toward her party's challenge, Where to Begin.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
At the mention of soup, Jacqueline glances toward Lunata with a slight smile.
"Soup does sound good...we've been traveling for a little while now." She replies. She doesn't take her attention off Matilda, though...and, more importantly to Jacqueline, the people she has gathered around her. She doesn't entirely trust them...
=========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>=========================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Where to Begin *>========================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Everyone who comes to hunt at Aifread's Hunting Ground knows to turn to the
authority. You open your inventory, and pull out the book in question...
***
Welcome to Aifread's Hunting Ground!
An expansive, rolling plain stretches out before you. Rocky cliffs,
treacherous plateaus, and not-so-distant mountains make these lands more of
a maze than one might expect. Knowing that dangerous, but profitable
monsters are here to hunt, though... that might make one eager to get on
with it. However, blindly charging into the hunting grounds is not
recommended! One might get lost.
Or make too much noise and frighten off the game. Or, worse, make noise and
lure things in that prey on you. Caution is recommended for the eager
hunter.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground,
Frontmatter
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Tire===========================================
====================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground - Round 1 *>==================== ==========================< Results - Where to Begin >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matilda Whitehead 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Portable Library 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lunata Croze 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Soup of the Day 3 Wits Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shalune Amira 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Matilda Whitehead 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Reckless(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Cleanse ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Matilda Whitehead 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> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
When Jay, Lunata, and Shalune arrive, Matilda looks up; she seems surprised, for a moment -- then nervous -- then almost... a little chastized. It'd be hard not to realize what happened -- word got out about what she was doing, and from there, well...
... can she really be that surprised that her CaraKin compatriots came to check up on her?
"Ah -- yes, that's me," Matilda answers, after a few moments, with an awkward smile on her face. "You -- I wasn't sure if all of you had made it... erm. Welcome to Oasis Free Company's current camp."
She stands up, giving Jay time to read the book; she approaches the squad -- her squad? -- with... maybe a little more confidence than she often broadcast, back on the CaraKin. "These are my friends from a -- previous situation," Matilda says. "If you harm them, you'll answer to me. ... we'll be scouting ahead. If I'm not back by nightfall, start a search."
Now she can finally properly address the people who came to check up on her. "It's... ah... I'm terribly glad to see you all here," she starts, as she looks out into the Hunting Grounds proper for a moment, then back to everyone. "I have the feeling you're in need of supplies, too... let's try exploring the Hunting Grounds together?" This much, at least, is the same old Matilda. A pause. "... Once we have some soup, anyway." It seems Lunata's suggestion of soup does not go unheeded. Jay, of course, can take her time looking the books over while soup is achieved.
She does not seem entirely eager to address the elephant in the room, which is of course, 'Matilda, what on Lunar are you doing.'
DG: Shalune Amira has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
=================<* CHALLENGE - Identifying Animal Tracks *>==================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The following pages list the tracks of all known animals, beasts, and quarry
that an enterprising hunter might find in Aifread's Hunting Ground! Our
staff of daring adventurers have put together an exhaustive list, and made
many notes. Please note, one has nothing to fear from any of the
creatures... with good Glenwood pluck and the sort of fighting-man spirit
you need for the greatest hunt!*
* IF YOU CANNOT IDENTIFY A SET OF TRACKS, A HASTY ESCAPE IS RECOMMENDED.
PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR SOLICITORS ASSURE US THAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE SHOULD A
NEW SPECIES BE DISCOVERED. SOMETIMES, THAT JUST HAPPENS.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 3
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Stupify========================================
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune carefully hunkers around her soup, cradling the bowl in her lap as she hunches over it. Given the way she's obviously avoiding the various questions that might need asking, it could be mistaken for a bad mood, except for the fact that every named character present knows that's just how she eats from experience aboard the Carakin. At the very least, she does finish early, and swallow down her fear, and-- head towards one of the Drifters who was obviously at Lost July.
She knows, because he's spinning a dented gunsmoke ARM idly around in his hands, and the pink haired mechanic frowns as she reaches for the pot dangling off a belt loop. "--you've got a busted slide. I can fix it, at least for the time bein'. No charge," she offers, at the same time seeking an olive branch and something to fill the air around them.
* * *
A tiny Lunata and Shalune are bobbling along a path of footsteps. Shalune's found herself a magnifying class the same size as she is; Lunata is wearing a deerstalker, for some reason, and blowing bubbles out of a pipe.
Do not follow tracks if you aren't sure about them.
A bear with rounded paws leaps out of the woods, and the three of them become a rolling cloud containing a red-eyed Lunata, a Shalune going 'bwehh >_<'.
... when it comes down to it, the Little Dipper's remarkably good for moving through brush. At the very least, it means she's not trudging noisily through brush, the hover of the craft eerily silent. On board, the pink-haired girl has a pair of binoculars at her face, held on a loop around her neck; she fidgets at the hem of her bobble hat as she does her best to keep her eyes open in front of her. Abruptly, she drops to a crouch as the scooter stops in midair. "--somethin's ahead," she mumbles. "Dunno what, though. I don't know any've these footsteps."
DG: Shalune Amira has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Identifying Animal Tracks.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune carefully hunkers around her soup, cradling the bowl in her lap as she hunches over it. Given the way she's obviously avoiding the various questions that might need asking, it could be mistaken for a bad mood, except for the fact that every named character present knows that's just how she eats from experience aboard the Carakin. At the very least, she does finish early, and swallow down her fear, and-- head towards one of the Drifters who was obviously at Lost July.
She knows, because he's spinning a dented gunsmoke ARM idly around in his hands, and the pink haired mechanic frowns as she reaches for the pot dangling off a belt loop. "--you've got a busted slide. I can fix it, at least for the time bein'. No charge," she offers, at the same time seeking an olive branch and something to fill the air around them.
* * *
A tiny Lunata and Shalune are bobbling along a path of footsteps. Shalune's found herself a magnifying class the same size as she is; Lunata is wearing a deerstalker, for some reason, and blowing bubbles out of a pipe.
Do not follow tracks if you aren't sure about them.
A bear with rounded paws leaps out of the woods, and the three of them become a rolling cloud containing a red-eyed Lunata, a fearful Ge Ramda, and a Shalune going 'bwehh >_<'.
* * *
... when it comes down to it, the Little Dipper's remarkably good for moving through brush. At the very least, it means she's not trudging noisily through brush, the hover of the craft eerily silent. On board, the pink-haired girl has a pair of binoculars at her face, held on a loop around her neck; she fidgets at the hem of her bobble hat as she does her best to keep her eyes open in front of her. Abruptly, she drops to a crouch as the scooter stops in midair. "--somethin's ahead," she mumbles. "Dunno what, though. I don't know any've these footsteps."
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
The CaraKin is as CaraKin does, and it probably isn't long until they've inadvertently wormed their way into the hearts of some of the Oasis Free Company's troops. They say an army marches on its stomach, after all, and when your usual dietary requirements have only been met with something approaching trail rations and gruel, something like:
* * *
TODAY'S SOPA DE MILITAR:
Army base stew
with a clarified Glenwood ear mushroom and dried kelp stock
served with pork belly, sweet potatoes, cabbage and Meribian sausage
This may have been something Lunata learnt earlier in her youth when hanging around some of the Adlehyde barracks, when her mother and father have undoubtedly become involved with the Guard as part of their work.
* * *
"... mmm," Lunata nods slowly as she clings behind Shalune, preferring to save her energy and just ride on the little hovercycle. It's cheating, but...
"... it's too early for another soup break ..."
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Identifying Animal Tracks.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline's not sure what to make of that look on Matilda's face. She doesn't pry, though, instead just watching her carefully and with a hint of concern.
"Thank you." Jacqueline replies, bowing her head politely. She repeats the gesture when Matilda introduces them to her current comrades.
"That's a good idea, actually. Yes, let's do that." She agrees with a nod.
She can kind of understand what Matilda is doing, and Jacqueline agrees with it. She didn't want to get into it at this very moment, anyway, with their current company in mind. She had no intention of doing anything that might undermine Matilda's authority in the middle of her camp. Discussion could be saved until they were further away.
And so, they set out, and it isn't too long before they stumble upon something...interesting. Jacqueline herself elects to travel on foot alongside the Little Dipper, and when Shalune points out some unfamiliar tracks, Jacqueline moves in to get a better look.
"Let's see..." She starts murmuring to herself as she draws a notebook from within her coat, and begins to make a sketch of the prints. "This isn't anything I recognize...not from the book, either..."
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Identifying Animal Tracks.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"Well I'll be damned, an ARMs meister around these parts? Praise Granas!" comes the reply to Shalune. Honestly, a lot of these people are looking for just about anything to go right -- and this makes a strong start on that front. "Was pretty sure I'd end up junkin' it and using one of these damn swords..."
The Rolancians, meanwhile, are won over by sausage-and-pork-belly stew. "... We never ate this nice under Geoff," one says. "Always lining his pockets first, buying that stringy bird meat for the rest of us... nice work, miss.
* * *
As they start to get further away from camp, Matilda... pulls out the guidebook again and starts cross-referencing, moving close behind the Little Dipper. "Let me see if I can identify this," she says, looking between the two books -- and eventually putting the guidebook itself away, focusing only on the survival guide she picked up in Lastonbell.
"It's not in here, either... I think it might be best if we just go around," she reflects, chewing at her lower lip. Now that they're a little further from camp, though...
"Did you end up on -- the other continent, then? Meribus, I believe?" she asks, her tone... not quite conversational. Further from camp, more worry and more discomfort enter in. She sounds even more like the usual Matilda.
DG: Matilda Whitehead has used her Tool Portable Library toward her party's challenge, Identifying Animal Tracks.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
=================<* CHALLENGE - Identifying Animal Tracks *>==================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The following pages list the tracks of all known animals, beasts, and quarry
that an enterprising hunter might find in Aifread's Hunting Ground! Our
staff of daring adventurers have put together an exhaustive list, and made
many notes. Please note, one has nothing to fear from any of the
creatures... with good Glenwood pluck and the sort of fighting-man spirit
you need for the greatest hunt!*
* IF YOU CANNOT IDENTIFY A SET OF TRACKS, A HASTY ESCAPE IS RECOMMENDED.
PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR SOLICITORS ASSURE US THAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE SHOULD A
NEW SPECIES BE DISCOVERED. SOMETIMES, THAT JUST HAPPENS.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 3
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Stupify========================================
===================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground - Round 2 *>=================== ===================< Results - Identifying Animal Tracks >==================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matilda Whitehead 5 --(20)--> 25 Fail Portable Library 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 10 --(20)--> 30 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 5 --(20)--> 25 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 5 --(20)--> 25 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Matilda Whitehead 20 --(10)--> 30 Fail Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Reckless(1)|Stupify(2) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Matilda Whitehead 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> Shalune Amira has posed.
"--yeah," mumbles Shalune as they puzzle over the tracks. She'd at least been able to do a large amount of rudimentary repairs in a ridiculously short amount of time, though she's also had to apologize that she doesn't have all that much in the way of actual gunpowder on her; more or less structural repairs only, but even then she looks a little more satisfied at having helped out.
"We, um, we touched down right in the middle of a major city. We had to seriously race to get everyone out of there before the guards came down on us," she adds with a light frown. "I mean-- we're pretty much all safe, just really rattled. And Mr. Hesiod's been getting really pushy and weird," she adds with just a touch of sulk-- no, wait, that's a spark of actual annoyance on her face, so rare as to be basically unheard of. She might make it to anger yet one day.
Letting out a breath, she leans back to bump against Lunata, apparently offering the light contact in place of a hug as she watches the two scholars puzzle over the tracks. She's happy to do that; she knows full well that Matilda and Jacqueline are better at this sort of thing, whereas she and Lunata tend to be more about instinct. Even so... ... well, it's a while before she pipes up.
"Um. ... I think I see somethin' moving--"
* * *
A bear with rounded paws leaps out of the bushes, and the four of them promptly become a rolling cloud.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
================<* CHALLENGE - Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks *>================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The cliffs of Aifread's Hunting Ground are one of the true natural beauties
of our fair Glenwood! However, the enterprising traveler will know to
exercise caution. The switchbacks up the cliffside are prone to sudden
rockslides, which makes crossing them precarious. Additionally, one must
always be mindful of the yaks.
The rewards can be great, however, for the view from a plateau top is often
tremendous! Please refer to our supplementary volume, 'The Poetry of
Aifread's Hunting Ground,' available at every reputable bookstore in
Pendrago.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 22
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline gets a little distracted from her sketching by the conversation at hand.
"Yes. It was called 'Meribia', I believe. Kourin was with us, so she was able to guide us out of the city with minimal trouble..." Jacqueline adds with a nod. She doesn't say anything about Ethius being 'pushy and weird'...though there is a slight frown of disapproval on her face. Not directed at Shalune, of course - presumably, at Ethius himself, wherever he happens to be at the moment.
"I'm still not sure where Doctor Ardan is, but other than him we're all back together..." Jacqueline says, her attention returning to the tracks. It's as she's trying to figure out where she left off in her sketch that Shalune notices something moving...
And thus the four of them exit, pursued by a bear.
They end up running so far they come upon the cliffs of the Hunting Grounds. Jacqueline pauses, momentarily out of breath and with a few more scratches on her than she went into this with.
"Wh-whew..." She says, straightening up. "Anyway, Matilda...um...how have you and Kaguya been...?" She asks.
She's...kind of dancing around the main reason she came here. She doesn't want to seem too rude, after all. Her attention drifts toward the cliffs, and more importantly, the view beyond.
"...Wow, this is quite beautiful. It's so...bright." She says, surprised. She hadn't seen a view like this in quite some time.
...She is not, however, being mindful of the yaks. Someone should probably be mindful of the yaks.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata proceeds along with a vigilant eye, once more with that twitchy sheath finger... what do you even call a twitchy quick draw hand? Maybe there was once an Arctican joke about it being a "van Burace" but it's all awkward now that Arctica is no more, courtesy of the Metal Demons.
"... the CaraKin is pretty big now..." she murmurs. She pauses, and shakes her head. She glances towards Matilda again, and sniffs the air for a moment. "This continent looks like it has more troubles than Meribus..."
She pauses for a moment longer...
And then suddenly reaches for the contraption at her side, one of the Yggdra cables suddenly flaring out into the air and to the cliffs above, grasping against the side as it just kind of -flings- her up. She disappears for a moment...
And several yaks bobble out, apparently satiated by soup.
"... they enjoy it..."
DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Soup of the Day toward her party's challenge, Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune is being very mindful of the yaks. By which I mean, she's starry-eyed at them, having carefully and slowly maneuvered the Little Dipper up towards them after Lunata's launch to take a closer look. "He~ey, big gu~uy," she croons in what is perhaps an attempt to imitate a 'moo', addressing one of the yaks busily tasting Lunata's soup. "Wah, you look so big and shaggy! Must be good up here in this cool, huh?" she talks at them, grinning brightly as she--
--well, as she tries to make up for Lunata's reticence, really. All along the trip thus far she's been quietly protective, fussing over the other girl when she can and continuing to offer her a lift on the flying scooter rather than make her walk. It could be called spoiling the waitress, except they still seem to be a little at cross-purposes when it comes to how each of them want to act.
Either way, she smiles quietly at Jacqueline's estimations, glancing back over her shoulder and then plonking down to a seated position on the back of the Dipper. "... yeah. Lunar's really pretty, I've gotta give it that. Funny how I never really realized what a 'whole ton' of trees looks like from afar or up close before. Gounon just doesn't begin to cut it," she rattles off easily as she fishes in her pocket.
What she takes out is a slim panel of white metal, about twice the size of one of her palms; she swipes at it with a finger, then grins as she holds it up in the direction of the two scholars who haven't just launched themselves across a gap via wire or contraption. "Lunie, you too! And say-- um-- say 'please take a good image of us, Shal, you're so cool and wise'."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
BEAR AHHH NO
Out of breath and panting, the compounder rests her hands on her knees and takes a second to breathe. She doesn't quite start retching but she's pretty winded, to put it lightly.
"Ah -- Kaguya and I touched down in the middle of a war zone, and then we looped back and found Janus Cascade, of all people," Matilda replies, when Shalune and Jay recount their experience. "I'm glad you managed to get yourselves safe -- and as for Mr. Hesiod..."
Matilda's eyes hood a little, and she says, "I think he's likely to get you killed. That man fears what he does not understand, and understands nothing."
With that bit of yikes out of the way, Matilda turns her attention to the view -- and to the yaks -- in about equal measure, a little more capable of talking about herself. "A -- at any rate... Kaguya and I encountered a group of Rolancian mercenaries and deserters on our way out of the basin, and were able to talk them into following rather than attacking us... which I suppose brings us to the present."
She nods to Lunata's comment about Glenwood, and adds, "That... seems to be true. There's open war here -- from what I've gathered the situation is like that of Aveh and Kislev. Periodic conflict without... reason, practically. Regular desertions. Lives upended."
The compounder reaches into her pack and pulls out her book on local wildlife again. "I... even knowing that I could escape it by heading to another land, I'm not sure I want to. The sorts of -- situations that give rise to deserters, to brigands, to banditry... I can't just..."
... she looks to Jay, who knows -- possibly best of all, among the CaraKin -- what she's getting at. She then puts her nose back in her book, making sure soup won't cause the yaks to charge thirty seconds after eating.
When she's satisfied with that, she looks up to Shalune again, answering, "Ah -- yes, please, oh wise Shalune, please take a good image of us...!" ... There's a certain contemplative quality to Matilda, as she checks her book one last time, that makes for extremely artsy photography, especially juxtaposed with her current outfit.
DG: Matilda Whitehead has used her Tool Portable Library toward her party's challenge, Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks. DG: Shalune Amira has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
================<* CHALLENGE - Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks *>================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The cliffs of Aifread's Hunting Ground are one of the true natural beauties
of our fair Glenwood! However, the enterprising traveler will know to
exercise caution. The switchbacks up the cliffside are prone to sudden
rockslides, which makes crossing them precarious. Additionally, one must
always be mindful of the yaks.
The rewards can be great, however, for the view from a plateau top is often
tremendous! Please refer to our supplementary volume, 'The Poetry of
Aifread's Hunting Ground,' available at every reputable bookstore in
Pendrago.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 22
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
===================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground - Round 3 *>=================== ==================< Results - Sheer Cliffs and Hidden Yaks >================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matilda Whitehead 25 --(5)--> 30 Pass Portable Library 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 30 --(10)--> 40 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 25 --(5)--> 30 Pass Soup of the Day 3 Wits Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 25 --(5)--> 30 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Matilda Whitehead 30 --(20)--> 50 Pass Conditions: Suffer(1) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Matilda Whitehead 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> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"So it would seem..." Jacqueline murmurs in agreement with Lunata...before her friend flies off into the cliffs above. Jacqueline's gaze follows her a moment with a hint of concern, before raising an eyebrow in surprise as a bunch of yaks wander out.
Lunata's actions may have made their trip that much easier - the normally territorial yaks of the Hunting Grounds, satiated by the soup, have no problem letting the four of them through. And thanks to that, there won't be the risk of them accidentally causing any rockslides, either.
She glances back to Shalune and Matilda with a slight smile, however.
"...I know. I never saw anything like this in my travels. Even Blackmoon Forest or the Arlian Woods pale in comparison..." She replies, then glances toward Matilda.
"...Mr. Cascade..." She says, a slight frown on her face. "...Well, as for Ethius, we hopefully won't have to worry about him. We had a talk. I just hope it was enough."
She shakes her head slightly, and listens as Matilda further explains the situation in Glenwood. Her expression falls somewhat.
"...You can't just do nothing, right...?" Jacqueline finishes quietly. "...I...I think I understand what you mean..."
...This wasn't necessarily the way Jacqueline would go about it, but in all the ways they were similar, the two of them had their differences, as well. She couldn't even necessarily say that Matilda's answer to the problem was wrong, either.
She goes quiet for a moment, a contemplative look on her face...until Shalune draws out her device.
"A-ah! Um... 'P-please take a good image of us, Shal! Y-You're so cool and wise!'" She says, and smiles.
It's...kind of a nervous, somewhat embarrassed smile. The picture Shalune gets of Jacqueline might not be the most flattering one, in Jacqueline's opinion...
...but perhaps, in a way, that made it more genuinely 'Jacqueline'.
DG: Lunata Croze has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
==============<* CHALLENGE - A Note About Avoiding Landslides *>==============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
In the Delfis Highlands subregion of the Hunting Ground, please take note of
the potential of landslides. Every year, a few poor hunters are lost when a
landslide occurs. We believe that loud noises may be at heart.
Of course, who could blame them! After all, the striking sight of the sun on
the mountains... the feeling of monster blood on your hand's, after you tear
the beast's heart from its chest cavity... the knowledge that your family
will finally love you, for your accomplishments now outweigh your
disappointments! Why, it makes me want to whoop!
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 35
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata listens to Matilda's assessment of Ethius. Her only contribution to this is a murmur of: "Now more than ever, I'm more determined to protect Jay and Shalune." The air feels a little cooler right afterwards, as if there's an unspoken 'no matter the cost' to it.
When Shalune harps on them to request a shot, though, she kind of just half-moonedly stares at Shalune to go, "Really...?" as she sighs and glumly looks towards Jacqueline... and when she chimes in, she does rather quietly and insistently slide herself into the frame...
Perhaps Jacqueline's nervous smile and Lunata's quiet grump is as close as they can get to home right now.
She does... look towards Matilda, though, with a squint. "I get that feeling, but... now I am wondering if the Lunarians we met ever feel this way. Like--"
She pauses and glances aside. "Whether we should interfere or not. ... from what Hiro talked about his home world, ARMs weren't known. Introducing Gunsmoke crafts to a long, ongoing war....."
There's a quiet rumble for a moment, as they proceed onward. Lunata pauses as she remarks, "... is that a..."
Rumble.
Rumble.
"Oh..."
A longer pause.
She points.
"The land's moving towards us..."
Landslide!!
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Note About Avoiding Landslides.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune just puffs up back at Lunata, her expression brooking no discontent; as worried as she might be about all of them, she still looks terrifically pleased with herself at the resulting image that's been captured, clearer than any ragtime camera from Filgaia, as she flips the odd pad towards the others to show it off. "There we go. One more thing to remember," she adds with a quiet smile, clinging the device to her for a moment.
(It isn't quite Veruni, Matilda can make that much out. Which probably suggests Metal Demon. Shalune's sticky fingers at work...)
She lapses back into silence as the conversation turns towards Glenwood and the difference between the worlds, though, and clearly hunkers down a little as her spirits start to sink.
"... I'm kind of with Lunie. I mean-- even back on Filgaia, the Carakin was always supposed to be neutral, y'know? But we ended up in a religious war, and then we got involved in Aveh and Kislev, and now we're on Lunar with more people than ever and I'm kinda figuring Cyre's gonna do something real dumb in ten seconds or so. I kind of-- I kind of want to avoid anything big, at least for a while."
Her voice has gotten very far-off - but she hesitates the next moment, though, and pinches at her brow. "... maybe? Maybe it's just bein' selfish and stickin' my head in the sand," she sighs. "... I dunno. I need a little time, at least, I think, to just sorta-- work it all out. Take a breath."
She takes a breath - and then lets it out in a yelp as she suddenly stamps on the back of the Little Dipper, banking the craft upwards as an instinctual reaction to the rumble of boulders. "--hang on!" she blurts, sweeping downwards to grasp for the hand of anyone who happens to be closest, with the aim of pulling them out of the way of the incoming boulders. Were it any other vehicle it would more or less instantly stall, but somehow the craft simply keeps hanging unnaturally in place.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"Exactly," Matilda replies to Jay, with a nod. "It's -- we have to take control of the situations we're in or let them control us. I... have seen how this ends, in the hands of compassionless and iniquitous men. I'd -- like to see if I can do better."
She does not comment further on Ethius, meanwhile. If Jacqueline thinks she can wrangle him, Matilda won't gainsay her -- any more than Jacqueline seems to intend to gainsay her about whether she can forge order out of the chaos of desertion and brigandry.
Maybe they're more alike than either of them feel, right now.
Lunata gets a nod. "I'm sure of it -- but... the first and most important thing is to survive, yes? Any questions of what we 'should' do fall away in the face of what we 'must' do..."
As the landslide starts, though, Matilda shows her other side -- one less contemplative, less moody. She breaks into a run again, moving immediately toward Shalune. She knows that Jay and Lunata can best take care of each other, but... she also knows ('knows' - thanks, Rahab) that Shalune has seen some element of her true feelings and not led the CaraKin to turn against her for it, so...
... she immediately moves toward the adorable ARMs-meister, despite the fact that the Little Dipper is probably better for purposes of escaping the landslide than Matilda herself is. She has a shield at the ready, too, for all the good it'd do --
-- and ends up herself snapped up onto the Little Dipper by Shalune. "It's -- good to take time to think," she adds for Shalune, a little breathlessly.
DG: Matilda Whitehead has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Note About Avoiding Landslides. DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Little Dipper toward her party's challenge, A Note About Avoiding Landslides.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline does offer Lunata a smile, once she's sure the picture has been taken appropriately. It's been a while since they've done anything like this...but then again, up until just recently they didn't exactly have access to anything like that device of Shalune's. Jacqueline certainly didn't own a camera.
...Lunata raises a good point.
"...It's true. People here seem unaware of their existence..." She murmurs. She has further thoughts on this, but they're cut off by a warning from Lunata.
"A-ah!" With that she immediately goes for what she considers the safest place in a situation like this - that being the Little Dipper. She immediately latches on tightly to Lunata and Shalune, though she makes room for Matilda as well.
Once they're all clear, she'll pass some potions around, just in case anyone got hit by a rock and needed recovery...but she does not yet offer her thoughts on the situation.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, A Note About Avoiding Landslides.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
==============<* CHALLENGE - A Note About Avoiding Landslides *>==============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
In the Delfis Highlands subregion of the Hunting Ground, please take note of
the potential of landslides. Every year, a few poor hunters are lost when a
landslide occurs. We believe that loud noises may be at heart.
Of course, who could blame them! After all, the striking sight of the sun on
the mountains... the feeling of monster blood on your hand's, after you tear
the beast's heart from its chest cavity... the knowledge that your family
will finally love you, for your accomplishments now outweigh your
disappointments! Why, it makes me want to whoop!
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 35
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
===================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground - Round 4 *>=================== ================< Results - A Note About Avoiding Landslides >================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matilda Whitehead 30 --(5)--> 35 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 40 --(5)--> 45 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 30 --(5)--> 35 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 30 --(5)--> 35 Pass Little Dipper 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Matilda Whitehead 50 --(20)--> 70 Pass Conditions: Slow(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Matilda Whitehead 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> Lunata Croze has posed.
It turns out that landslides aren't that much of a problem when you can actually... levitate. Such is the power of Little Dipper as it lifts up, up and... over the drowning flow of mud that threatens to swipe them all away. At the end of it, Jacqueline passes her trusty potions over to restore their spirits...
Lunata looks askance towards Matilda as she says, "... I think you've already convinced yourself of what you 'must' do, so I'm not gonna say anything else about that."
She lowers her head and her expression firms up considerably, as she exhales faintly. "... Jacqueline's the one that founded the CaraKin, so its intent and reach is something that she has a strong say on," she reminds Shalune.
She thinks back to those words she yelled at Yarobeleedt, back in the tower.
"... but no matter what is decided ... you know I'll be there to defend you two."
DG: Matilda Whitehead has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>=========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - The Glenwood Angler *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Do you fancy some fishing? You will be pleased to know that Aifread's
Hunting Ground offers the best angling in all of Glenwood! Here, you can
find every species imaginable, but the greatest catch of all is the Aifread
Walleye! This fish can feed an army -- and its succulent meat will fill your
belly and fetch quite the price if packed, safely stored, and sold on the
markets of Pendrago.
Please avoid the spines on the Aifread Walleye. Side effects of a spine
mishap include: dizziness, swelling, gum pain, difficulty breathing, and
hallucinations.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 104
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Weaken, Stupify, Injure===========================
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Lunata cuts to the quick of Matilda's feelings -- and indeed, she looks almost wounded by it. "... Lunata," she says, quietly. "If you knew what... ...never mind," she says, still mounted atop Little Dipper. It's the rest of what Lunata says, though, that stings her most. After all... she knows exactly which two Lunata refers to. "I won't try to convince you. We... have our own ways of going about things, I suppose.
The path past the rockslide dips low -- low enough, indeed, to fish in the ocean. Some discarded rods lie not far from the cliffs. It seems as good a time and place as any to take a breather; Matilda looks at one of the rods, canting her head to one side before checking her wildlife guide again briefly.
"Hm -- apparently there are some large, spiny fish near here..." she says, quietly. "If we can bring some back, we might not even need to complete a proper hunt." She casts into the ocean, a few moments later. The first cast doesn't pay off much... so naturally, she casts outward a second time, going for distance.
She looks down at herself, lips pursed slightly, as she waits for a nibble from one of the fish below.
DG: Matilda Whitehead has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Glenwood Angler.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune is quick to take Matilda's hand, hauling her upwards; the mechanic's got a lot of raw, wiry strength in her frame when she actually wants to access it, and it isn't long before all of them are deposited on a safer outcropping higher up the flow. Only letting go at that point, the pink-haired girl puffs out a soft breath, allowing the uncertainty to creep back up her expression at the back and forth there. "Just-- be careful, okay? When it comes to slopes, 'what I must do' is a really really really slippery one."
The note of conviction in her voice is accompanied by a surreptitious glance in Lunata's direction - though she doesn't get far before the waitress thankfully addresses her, masking her motion as she kind of wilts under the miniature lecture. "--I-I kno~ow... it's not like I don't trust Jay's moral compass, and it's not like I'm gonna stop trusting Jay's moral compass. I'm just worried that we're gonna get pulled in way too many directions at once," she rubs at her hair as she says it.
"An' last time that happened--" she starts to say, but catches herself - and deflates slightly as she shakes her head. "A-anyway, um-- yeah. I can maybe float out there and see if I can check where they're gathering most. I mean, I can't go too low or I'll scare them off anyways, but if they're that big I should be able to spot them."
... it might be an excuse to kind of flee the discussion, but at least she can make good on her promise, floating the Little Dipper out over the lake; the binoculars come in useful once more as she scans the waters below, occasionally pointing out good places to lay down a lure.
DG: Shalune Amira has used her Tool Little Dipper toward her party's challenge, The Glenwood Angler.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata is quiet for a moment, as-- she glances away, trying to keep the steel of her expression and not the side of her that feels bad at her saying such terrible words. She clenches her teeth. "... yeah." She looks to Shalune... and... stays quiet at that. It doesn't go unheeded, though.
She looks towards the path down where there are some rods, letting a quiet hum in thought-- and then the little cube that floats with them echoes in her head. "Ah--"
Having consumed the Aifread Walleye, it didn't take long for Lunata's bodily fluids to congeal. Muscle rigidity and paralysis soon followed.
"It was good, though," Lunata thought as consciousness faded. "Exquisite, even. No wonder Glenwood residents ate them..."
Dream Chasers MUSH
suketodara wo [K]utta
Voice Credits
Lunata ... Risa Taneda
Shalune ... Yumiri Hanamori
Matilda ... Chiwa Saito
Jacquelin°vaê&|?nC<Bã?ö
¸n8*nÆ"I·O?p·?©vr¹g?÷½j??ÜQíIàqß0--
Lunata looks terrified. "Don't... don't eat the fish," she states out of the blue, almost Ethius-like in her rigidity and sudden note of alarm.
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Glenwood Angler.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline remains quiet, even throughout the perilous escape from the landslide. She glances toward Shalune as she speaks and then quietly looks toward Matilda.
"...I...well, I don't completely agree with it, but if this is what you've decided in your heart that you must do, then I won't stop you. Just...remember that it's people's lives on the line. This isn't something you should get involved with without fulling considering what you're getting into." She says. "...I won't be able to help you with this. I don't want to drag everyone into another war. But..."
She's quiet for a moment, her gaze drifting to the floor.
"...You'll always be welcome with us, Matilda. Don't forget that." She doesn't say anything further, instead following the others to the ocean.
Jacqueline...isn't much of an angler, herself. She does, however, keep some curatives on hand, just in case anything goes wrong. And when Lunata goes into a trance, Jacqueline moves to rest a hand on her shoulder.
"Um, Lunata...are you-" And then Lunata comes too, telling them not to eat the fish in a terrified fashion. "I-I see..."
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, The Glenwood Angler.
=========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>=========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - The Glenwood Angler *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Do you fancy some fishing? You will be pleased to know that Aifread's
Hunting Ground offers the best angling in all of Glenwood! Here, you can
find every species imaginable, but the greatest catch of all is the Aifread
Walleye! This fish can feed an army -- and its succulent meat will fill your
belly and fetch quite the price if packed, safely stored, and sold on the
markets of Pendrago.
Please avoid the spines on the Aifread Walleye. Side effects of a spine
mishap include: dizziness, swelling, gum pain, difficulty breathing, and
hallucinations.
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 104
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Weaken, Stupify, Injure===========================
====================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground - Round 5 *>==================== =======================< Results - The Glenwood Angler >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matilda Whitehead 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 45 --(5)--> 50 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lunata Croze 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shalune Amira 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Little Dipper 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Matilda Whitehead 70 --(20)--> 90 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Stupify(2)|Weaken(2)|Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Matilda Whitehead 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> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"Hm? Why wouldn't we...?" Matilda looks back into her book, seeing nothing... then switches to the guidebook and finds the note on the spines. "... Oh. That's -- that's an excellent reason not to eat the fish. ... Well, it's apparently quite good, too -- I suppose the safest thing to do would be to catch as much as we can carry and have one of the men, ah, dress it..." The compounder gives Lunata a nod, saying, "Ah -- thank you..."
Jay gives Matilda... not encouragement, exactly, but... certainly not her blessing... but an acknowledgement, at least. "I -- suppose that's all I can really ask. And... you're likewise still welcome to ask me for anything you need," she says, with a slightly melancholy-looking smile.
The group ends up with a nice round of Aifread Walleye, a little while later -- and no one actually eats it in the immediate, which is the real win, it seems. Now they just have a very awkward-looking bag of fish attached to the Little Dipper...!
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
=================<* CHALLENGE - The Emerald-Maned Mastodon *>=================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The emerald-maimed mastodon is one of the finest creatures to be found at
Aifread's Hunting Grounds. Though their numbers have reduced in recent
years, these creatures can provide both fantastic ivory, ample meat and fur,
and a sense of pride that will quell your family's and your lover's
questioning of your worth in all aspects!
Please note that the emerald-maned mastodon is highly dangerous and prone to
goring. It is also blessed by Althena's gift of wind, and is able to
generate powerful gales. An enterprising hunter always exercises caution!
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 164
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Maim==============================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It's probably for the best. Jacqueline...is a little wary about eating something with that many side-effects attached to it...though she can't deny that the spines would most likely make for very effective ingredients for other reasons.
"Of course. I do wish you luck, though...the path ahead of you will not be an easy one, I'm sure. Please be careful." She says.
And so they proceed forward. Things seem to going pretty smoothly...until, they can feel the ground start to rumble.
"I-Is that...an earthquake?" Jacqueline asks, stopping in her tracks. She freezes for a moment...and then, over the horizon, they see it. The Emerald-Maned Mastodon of Aifread's Hunting Ground, with it's luxurious green fur and elegantly curled tusks.
It's a beautiful creature, really.
Unfortunately, it's also seen them, and takes offense at their presence. It lets out a massive trumpet...and along with it a powerful gust stirs up, enough to pick Jacqueline up and throw her off her feet. She rolls with the landing, standing back up quickly.
"S-sorry! Didn't mean to intrude..." She says, quickly rummaging through her bags. She draws out a bottle of repellant and hurls it toward the mastodon's feet, hoping it doesn't trumpet and stir up another strong gust again before she can drive it away...
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Reliable Repellant toward her party's challenge, The Emerald-Maned Mastodon.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata looks towards the walleye with a quiet cringe for a moment, though nodding as she helps funnel some of the fish into the bag for them to take back to the Company's campsite later.
Then...
The Emerald-maned Mastodon of Aifread's Hunting Ground, with luxurious verdant fur and tusks... what beauty...
A pause.
Lunata gets flung up high into the sky as she pinwheels and gets flung into the open air with a yelp. She winces as she reaches for a device in her satchel and--
--attaches what looks like a miserable anchorhead to her cabling device. She uprights herself as she holds her arms out, and it launches outwards. There's a snarl as she guides the length of the cable--
--and the scissor anchor -bites- onto the side of the Mastodon, in time for her to slip her gas mask on and dive in with her blade to plunge deep.
She's probably going to piss it off even more.
DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Ghastly Gas Mask toward her party's challenge, The Emerald-Maned Mastodon.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"A-aw ma~an, the Little Dipper's gonna stink if we don't get back soon..." Shalune whines softly as she glances over the edge of the craft, watching the bag bob in place. At least she's careful not to scrape the bag across the ground as the group move on, though it does mean she's rather slow to react to the existence of the creature ahead of them, directing her attention downwards more than forwards.
The first thing she registers with a yelp of confusion is the way in which Lunata launches off the Little Dipper in a sudden flurry of movement; she blinks up in sheer confusion, taking a long moment to take in the mastodon-- and the way in which it sweeps Jacqueline bodily off her feet.
'Well, that would explain it' says the look on her face for a moment, but then she's swept down with the Little Dipper to cover the alchemist, bringing what remains of her shotstaff up to her shoulder. It looks dented and charred, and a little broken apart after everything in the Pleasing Gardens, but--
--well, maybe it just counts as a mastadon gun.
DG: Shalune Amira has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Emerald-Maned Mastodon.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"... yes. I just... ... yes." Matilda cuts herself off again. There's a need there -- a need to feel like what she's doing makes sense, is right, is wise... and it does seem wise, but...
... well. It'd be more worrying if she wasn't doubting herself, wouldn't it? That's what she tells herself, anyway, shortly before the emerald-maned mastodon starts to make its way toward them with a mighty trumpet.
It'd be nice, Matilda reflects, if she had all her reagents with her -- it'd be easy to make this thing's joints lock up and then simply stab it. As is, she has to switch to Freischütz... which is really not something she wants to use willy-nilly on Lunar.
Matilda's aim is nothing if not careful, and her choice of ammunition likewise well-suited -- rather than use a conventional projectile at all, she uses some of that corrosive lotion she usually reserves for inanimate objects. Nothing she's carrying has even a chance of piercing through, so...
She sticks close to Shalune still, firing in tandem with the adorable pink blob.
DG: Matilda Whitehead has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Emerald-Maned Mastodon.
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
=================<* CHALLENGE - The Emerald-Maned Mastodon *>=================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The emerald-maimed mastodon is one of the finest creatures to be found at
Aifread's Hunting Grounds. Though their numbers have reduced in recent
years, these creatures can provide both fantastic ivory, ample meat and fur,
and a sense of pride that will quell your family's and your lover's
questioning of your worth in all aspects!
Please note that the emerald-maned mastodon is highly dangerous and prone to
goring. It is also blessed by Althena's gift of wind, and is able to
generate powerful gales. An enterprising hunter always exercises caution!
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 164
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Maim==============================================
===================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground - Round 6 *>=================== ===================< Results - The Emerald-Maned Mastodon >=================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matilda Whitehead 40 --(5)--> 45 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 50 --(5)--> 55 Pass Reliable Repellant 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 40 --(5)--> 45 Pass Ghastly Gas Mask 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shalune Amira 40 --(10)--> 50 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Matilda Whitehead 90 --(30)--> 120 Pass Conditions: Maim|Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Matilda Whitehead has successfully explored Aifread's Hunting Ground!
========================<* Aifread's Hunting Ground *>========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - The Bloody Vale *>=======================
|Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The Bloody Vale is among the strangest sights in Aifread's Hunting Ground.
Truly, it stands as evidence that the natural world is capable of
eye-catching marvels. After all, what mysteries could produce a valley
filled with a hundred (always a hundred) animal corpses, each burst apart in
distinct patterns. And what rock formations produce the wind that makes the
animals' blood seem to write the following?
THE BLOOD IS ALL THAT SUSTAINS ME
I DRINK THE LIFE FORCE BUT IT GIVES NO ANSWER
ALL I CAN DO IS KILL
I CAME TO THIS WORLD BUT THE HUNGER DOES NOT SUBSIDE
The enterprising hunter wonders and marvels! Astounding!
-- Going Hunting: A Traveler's Guide to Aifread's Hunting Ground, pp. 92
OOC: You have unlocked the John Dee optional boss fight. Please send in a
+request.
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Lunata launches a cable out toward the side of the mastodon, biting in deep before flying up to it to swing at it with her blade. It lets out another trumpet, this one sounding pained. It struggles against her, attempting to simply fling her away from its body.
From afar, Shalune and Matilda pelt it with shots - Matilda's lotion letting Shalune's shots cut even deeper.
In the end, they don't kill it - it's big, and durable, even to the forces arrayed against it. However, eventually, they manage to inflict enough damage to cause it to reconsider its course of action. It continues to run in the direction it was going before, in an accelerated fashion.
It wasn't angry at them. In fact...it almost seemed /terrified/. And if one progresses forward, they may be able to understand why.
In the valley beyond, the party bears witness to a horrifying sight - exactly one hundred animal corpses, burst open in distinct patterns. That was terrifying in and of itself, but even worse was the passage written in blood...
Jacqueline, having gone incredibly pale stares out in horror, her hands clasped over her mouth. She doesn't move for a long time, frozen in place until she speaks quietly, timidly...
"...What /happened/ here...?" She asks. She then begins to backpedal, a cold fear having taken hold of her heart. She's not feeling well enough to actually contemplate what the words /mean/ just yet.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata clings onto the mastodon's fur as it struggles against her, in what probably won't be foreshadowing to Lunata climbing onto giant furry beings that may be considered Colossi in an attempt to revive a lost loved one. Probably.
There's a flat and sharp exhale that sounds robotic and raspy through the filter of her gas mask, and then she rips it off. She looks towards Jacqueline and-- back towards the message.
"... let's..."
She holds onto Jacqueline and turns her away, then to Shalune. "Let's... let's get out of here. There's-- no sense in seeing if we won't be next if we stay here."
Her stomach is churning.
Ge Ramtos is exhulting, somewhere deep inside of her. Exhulting at the passage of life into death.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune has frozen up on the back of her scooter; it putters forwards without her say-so, continuing slowly on its path as she stares out over the corpse-ridden valley. It takes her a very long time to come back to herself, mostly because she suddenly realizes she's moving closer and closer to it all - and she yelps audibly when Lunata calls back to her, quivering like a leaf as she grips the handlebars.
"R-right!... right..." she mumbles, hurriedly turning away.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
That would've been quite the catch -- and, truthfully, part of Matilda feels like she should bring everyone in to try to hunt it down, as it retreats. There is something of an obligation to a creature you wound on the hunt...
... but those thoughts quickly evaporate as she sees the valley beyond. "... We're leaving," Matilda says, practically shaking. "I -- I want to do something about this... but... later. Not -- now. Our provisions are depleted, and, and," she ... can't really put the rest together.
She staggers toward Little Dipper, moving to get back on.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline doesn't say anything further. She just sort of...wilts against Lunata, and allows herself to be lead to Shalune and the Little Dipper.
They probably should do something about that. But later.
Much, much later. Right now she's just kind of terrified out of her wits.