2018-03-17: A Trip to Tintagel
- Log: A Trip to Tintagel
- Cast: Riesenlied, Seraph Nimue, Bethany Liston, Ambrosius
- Where: Tintagel Ruins
- Date: 17/03/2018
- Summary: A motley crew descend upon the Tintagel Ruins, led by a dragon sensing something calling out.
DG: A party led by Riesenlied is now entering Tintagel Ruins. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================= ===================<* CHALLENGE - Seal of the Forged God *>=================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Tintagel Ruins' ground floor is an old and dusty place with little worthy of note. It could make a good hideout, perhaps, for some enterprising merchant assassins, but that's too niche to really be feasible for anyone, right? Right. What the ground floor -does- have, however, is a door. At least, it looks like a door. A series of concentric stone semicircles compose the far south wall of this place. There's no key, and it's a thick enough door that trying to break through it would likely be too time consuming or exhausting. But if one looks closely, they might just be able to see some upraised floor tiles scattered throughout this room, secreted away in hidden places. Depressing a tile causes a soft click to fill the air; finding all of them may well get you your way in. You might, of course, need to find them in the right order, because no secret dungeon developer would dare be so boring as to put in a puzzle where you just have to step on a small number of very obvious things with no hidden tricks, right? ... Right?? =Dungeon Conditions: Reckless=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The Tintagel Ruins is in the midst of a war-torn continent south of Meribus. It's a day's journey away via a ferry, and probably considered terribly risky for someone who, due to the vigilant work of the Althenan Guard spreading Metal Demon bounties around, is worth more than half a million Silver, with very distinguishing details.
But barring all that...
Even after all that...
Riesenlied is gazing at the entrance to the ruin, with a quiet, unsteady look on her face. She's looking as if she's shivering and cold, sighing to herself as her companion Odjn floats beside her.
Odjn is a foot-tall winged Draconic creature of black and red colour, rather rotund with adorably paw-like claws and feet. Don't call her a lizard.
Riese herself has exchanged her garments for the white and blue gown of a Baskar shamaness, with detached, flowing sleeves that flare out like the feathers of a fine, blue bird. Her long, pale blonde hair is still worn long, and the horns and scales still show through.
"... it's coming from inside here," Riese confirms to her friend.
Odjn huffs and says, "Riese you TOOK A BOAT halfway across the world for this!! Noeline is going to be LIVID at you!"
Riese winces and says, "I--I'm sorry, I just... I can't..."
Odjn grumbles and says, "You really gotta teach the voices in your head 'no'! Something something restraining orders?"
Riesenlied tilts her head to one side, looking guilty. "True..."
She does close her eyes and focus upon the Tear at her necklet, which starts to shimmer with a soft glow as she concentrates upon the spirits ambient within these Ruins. "Tell me..."
Odjn's ears wilt. "... while you sit on the hotline, I'm gonna make sure no bounty hunters followed us." She peers around....
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, Seal of the Forged God.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
Nimue isn't entirely satisfied with what she managed to get out of Tintagel Ruins last time; she wants to get access to that library again, perhaps get a few extra books. Granted, she herself is not the greatest translator in the world -- but she can at least find them and hand them to Ragnell.
When everyone else arrives, thus, she's hanging out in the Tintagel Ruins ground floor zone. She doesn't have the combination of patience and weight to hit all the switches.
So instead, she's making herself useful by not interfering with anyone who does. She contents herself with a huge raw meat chunk in the corner. When you're a Seraph, you don't have to obey basic rules like 'food safety' or 'don't eat Black Stuff.'
The Seraph gives a wave to Riesenlied. "Heeeey!" she calls, brightly.
DG: Seraph Nimue has used her Tool Stolen Food toward her party's challenge, Seal of the Forged God. Riesenlied (Image: https://dreamchasers.space/images/9/9e/RieseAct2.jpg ) Glance upon Riesenlied on the streets and you're likely to first notice the dark, twisted horns on her head. These grow out to metallic scales upon the sides of her cheeks and temple, and monstrously envelop her right arm and leg, ending in sickly discolourations upon her skin. Aside from those bizarre features, she bears the look of an attractive, but ill young woman possessed of a pallor -- her fine pale-blonde hair is worn long and flows demurely to her sides, following the trim of her tribal capelet and modest, form-fitting gown. Dark leggings cover her legs, ending in a single flat shoe at her left leg where her scales have not overtaken them. She carries herself genteely and softly, often speaking in a mild and calm demeanor; her posture and gait also very much reflect that, owing to a soft naivete that seems so very out of place at times in this harsh and unforgiving world of Filgaia.
<Pose Tracker> Bethany Liston has posed.
Bounty Hunters? Well, not in at least one case. Still, the appearance of a human in Filgaian garb might be a bit unexpected. Certainly, a horned woman in Baskar robes is a surprise for Bethany. Not what she was expecting from the patient who told her about these ruins.
And her semi-imaginary friend from town earlier is here too. Oh good. At least if Nimue's getting the other woman's attention, it means she can probably see her too. No point beating around the bush, then.
"Looking to get inside?" Bethany shouts, making herself known early. Don't want to make anyone jumpy in this situation. "I might have a few tips on that, if you don't object to assistance." The doctor's notebook is in one hand, her medicine bag in the other as she approaches. "Got a few tips from someone who found their way in, if not a lot farther."
DG: Bethany Liston has used her Tool Patient Notes toward her party's challenge, Seal of the Forged God.
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
Riesenlied is not the only one to come to the Tintagel Ruins that day. Among the Veruni there is a man with a professed interest in history, who always seems to find his way to wherever it is held to cause problems in his own unique fashion.
No, not that one.
The guy in the red poncho, with the interesting(or creepy, depending on who you are) speech patterns.
In fact, Ambrosius is already there, kneeling down on the stone floor. One of the formerly-upraised stone tiles could be found lying next to him. Apparently he had pulled it straight out of its socket, and is currently studying the mechanisms beneath it with a use of some bizarre tool.
He doesn't seem to have taken notice of the others yet, instead muttering various things to himself as if off in his own little world.
DG: Ambrosius has used his Tool Advanced Multi-Tool toward his party's challenge, Seal of the Forged God.
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================= ===================<* CHALLENGE - Seal of the Forged God *>=================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Tintagel Ruins' ground floor is an old and dusty place with little worthy of note. It could make a good hideout, perhaps, for some enterprising merchant assassins, but that's too niche to really be feasible for anyone, right? Right. What the ground floor -does- have, however, is a door. At least, it looks like a door. A series of concentric stone semicircles compose the far south wall of this place. There's no key, and it's a thick enough door that trying to break through it would likely be too time consuming or exhausting. But if one looks closely, they might just be able to see some upraised floor tiles scattered throughout this room, secreted away in hidden places. Depressing a tile causes a soft click to fill the air; finding all of them may well get you your way in. You might, of course, need to find them in the right order, because no secret dungeon developer would dare be so boring as to put in a puzzle where you just have to step on a small number of very obvious things with no hidden tricks, right? ... Right?? =Dungeon Conditions: Reckless=================================================
========================<* Tintagel Ruins - Round 1 *>======================== =====================< Results - Seal of the Forged God >===================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bethany Liston 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail Patient Notes 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Nimue 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Stolen Food 3 Wits Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ambrosius 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Advanced Multi-Tool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Reckless(2) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied 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. DG: Seraph Nimue has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Reverent Worship *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The worship of dragons is the worship of strength. Dragons represent, in the eyes of many, raw and untempered power. Living forces of nature that cannot be reasoned with, only feared and revered. Perhaps it's only fitting, then, that worship be shown through feats of strength. Take, for example, this large, circular stone chamber: at its center rests a large stone altar fit to look like a dragon's claw, a large, circular piece of metal embedded in its palm. The more that metal is struck, and the stronger it is struck, the more the doors in this place start to groan open. Hit it hard enough, and you might even find some open doors leading to some fun treasure, like random healing gels that are probably well past their expiration date but you can eat anyway! Woohoo! Isn't dragon worship great?! =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point, Treasure=====================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied starts a little as she suddenly hears someone's calling -- she glances towards the strange green-haired Seraph eating... eating meat? The weave of the Tear coalesces back into her as she asks, "Oh, hello..."
She hears Bethany's call a moment later. She blinks a few times. "Hello... are you-- from Filgaia as well?" A pause, as she realises how rude she must've been! "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I am trying to seek entrance into these Ruins. My name is Riesenlied..."
Odjn scouts around and manages to find Ambrosius before anyone. "Oh! Hey, hey, Ambulance!" She perks up. "Y'got dragged over here to Lunar too?? Riese's just around the corner! She got a crazy headache again!"
She sounds so pleased about it...
But, without too much more interruption, Bethany's guidance from before along with Ambrosius' advanced tooling allow for the door mechanism to be unlocked and unleashed without too much effort. It rumbles...
"... is it a dragon ...?" Riesenlied murmurs quietly. "I can't... make out its voice too clearly..."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
"Yeah! Don't really... get the mechanism, though," Nimue replies to Bethany, as everyone else attends to that while she loudly and insistently eats raw meat in front of everyone. Nimue, why are you the way that you are.
Riesenlied and Ambrosius get a slightly more enthusiastic wave a second later, as she says, "Hiiii~" Once the door opens, Nimue pops up to her feet and bravely strides forward. Almost instantly, she's rewarded with a massive altar of a dragon's claw.
"Oh, huh! I didn't think this type of... stuff... would be in here," Nimue says. "I think you're supposed to slam the middle. Like. You have to hit it really hard. I don't usually remember a lot of puzzles but I saw one kinda like this before a few centuries ago and thought it was neat!"
As if to illustrate her point a little better, she pulls out her sling-staff and just starts smacking it. "C'mon! Everyone pile in! Get in here while the smacking's good!"
DG: Seraph Nimue has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Reverent Worship.
<Pose Tracker> Bethany Liston has posed.
"Yeah, I'm from Filgaia too. Still getting used to this whole 'other world' thing. Beth Liston, at your service." At least her new company is polite. Ambrosius gets a quick glance, being another person whose dress code makes him stick out like a sore thumb. "Guessing that makes three of us."
Her notes, sadly, are not as reliable as she had hoped, but still enough to help the others make an educated guess. This only leads into the second 'puzzle'. "That all? Seems a bit straight forward, don't it?" Still, Bethany, giving a little space for Nimue's swings, throws her shoulder against the plate. Then she swears, stops, and digs out a small bottle of pills, downing a few. It's then, with the current (and probable future) pain numbed, that she slams into the plate again, trying to get movement.
DG: Bethany Liston has used her Tool Painkillers toward her party's challenge, Reverent Worship.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Dragons, in the eyes of many, are a symbol of strength and power.
Many Metal Demons view the Metal Dragon as the pinnacle of a Metal Demon's journey of growth. Dragonhood, as emblazoned upon the core of various sources of energy, such as the amber one that Vorthuzahl attained within the ruined Hyadean carrier...
And some Metal Demons are birthed -as- Dragons, intended to be deployed as Wyvern shocktroops, especially during periods of open war. Riesenlied was one of them, so soon after the Day of Collapse...
"... it kinda reminds me of one of those bell games, in carnivals," Odjn muses. She looks at Riesenlied.
"You're kind of a noodle arm, so lemme do it!"
Strongest Dragon in the World, Riesennnn...
She does nod very gently at Beth as she says, "It's nice to meet you... I'm-- I do have some experience with Ruins, so I hope to be of assistance--"
Her eyes widen as she casts towards Ambrosius. She looks like as if she's been thunderstruck.
"Goodness, Mister Ambrosius...!" Riesenlied hurries by his side and inspects him. "I'm so glad you're all right-- were you teleported here as well? Are you-- w-well, no, I suppose you are not harmed--"
She realises she's being overtly fussy and steps back.
Odjn nods at Nimue and yells, "Smackin', while the smackin's good... Odjn go!" Instead of smacking, Odjn's idea of smacking is throwing her entire weight onto the claw itself...
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Reverent Worship.
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
"Ah...faaascinating..." Ambrosius murmurs to himself, as he meddles with the ruin's contraptions. This may no doubt cause trouble for other troupes of adventurers down the line, but right now, it seems to be helping...not that he notices.
In fact, he only seems to take notice when Odjn addresses him directly...kind of...in her own way.
"Ah... Miss Ooodjn..." Ambrosius greets, straightening up. He...doesn't even react to that mis-managing of his name. "...She is...? ...Hm..."
He frowns slightly. He should say something. He wanted to say something. But...
"I wish her...a swift reeecovery..." He says, and instead marches straight through the open door, where he sees...Riesenlied, who rushes to his side and inspects him.
He's surprised for a moment, before quickly regaining face.
"I am unhaaarmed...thank you for your concern..." He replies, bowing his head politely. "And what of...yourself...? Miss Noeliiine...? The others...?"
And with that, he returns his attention to the contraption, and Bethany who is currently hitting it. He doesn't notice Nimue at all. ...Except, perhaps, as a whisper on the wind.
A rather loud and insistent whisper, but a whisper nonetheless.
He moves up beside Bethany and offers her a nod.
"I am called..." Ambrosius hauls an arm back and slams it into the metal. "Aaambrosius..."
DG: Ambrosius has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Reverent Worship.
==============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Reverent Worship *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The worship of dragons is the worship of strength. Dragons represent, in the eyes of many, raw and untempered power. Living forces of nature that cannot be reasoned with, only feared and revered. Perhaps it's only fitting, then, that worship be shown through feats of strength. Take, for example, this large, circular stone chamber: at its center rests a large stone altar fit to look like a dragon's claw, a large, circular piece of metal embedded in its palm. The more that metal is struck, and the stronger it is struck, the more the doors in this place start to groan open. Hit it hard enough, and you might even find some open doors leading to some fun treasure, like random healing gels that are probably well past their expiration date but you can eat anyway! Woohoo! Isn't dragon worship great?! =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point, Treasure=====================================
=========================<* Tintagel Ruins - Round 2 *>========================= =========================< Results - Reverent Worship >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riesenlied 5 --(10)--> 15 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bethany Liston 10 --(5)--> 15 Pass Painkillers 2 Brute Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Nimue 5 --(10)--> 15 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ambrosius 5 --(5)--> 10 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Riesenlied 20 --(25)--> 45 Pass Conditions: Reckless(1)|Save Point(1)|Treasure(1) Effects: Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Bethany Liston has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Perilous Pillar Pouncing *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- These underground ruins are filled with multi-tiered walkways and halls that wind from one level to the next. Falling to the bottom floor when you want to be at the top would no doubt set you back a ways -- so thank goodness the cultists of the Tintagel established nice bridges for you to traverse! ... and then left giant gaping holes in between each supporting pillar such that it's really more of a series of stone, moss-encrusted platforms you kind of need to... hop across. Like a bunny. Fun, right? Right?? Well. ... Get hopping! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
"Yep! There's a lot of this kinda stuff dating about this far back... I never really learned why, though. Most of the time I was, you know. On boats," Nimue answers Bethany, shortly before making way for everyone else to try their hands at the plate.
Odjn has about as much luck as Nimue, which is to say, 'not much.' It's the naturally-powerful Veruni physique -- coupled with a single-minded insistence on beating the hell out of one's own body from Bethany -- that manages to apply enough force to open many of the doors in the ruins.
Nimue notices that Ambrosius isn't noticing her, and promptly gets right behind the Veruni. "HEEEEYYYYY," she insists, right there. "HEEEE~EEEEY..."
The classics never get old.
<Pose Tracker> Bethany Liston has posed.
"Well then," Bethany says, between shoulder barges at the claw, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr Ambrosius." She also casts a look at Odjn. "Rambunctious little critter, ain't ya?"
The raw brute force method works, as Bethany rubs her shoulder and looks at the doors ahead. "Looks like we've got ourselves a pretty clear run." The doctor takes point for the moment, walking ahead of the pack to the next room.
The path eventually leads to a room full of stepping stones, positioned just far enough apart to be difficult, and just high up enough to be dangerous. "Aww, hell." Bethany casts another look back to Odjn. "Don't suppose you got some crazy carrying strength, do ya?" She asks the tiny dragon, suspecting the answer already.
So sure Bethany is of it, in fact, that she takes a cautious leap to the first pillar ahead, steadying herself as she lands. Hopefully, it'll be smooth enough that she can keep making those cautious jumps, without slipping on the mossy surface.
DG: Bethany Liston has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Perilous Pillar Pouncing.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied settles just for a moment, stepping aside to let Ambrosius work. "... I-- um, Noeline is fine, back in Meribus..."
Odjn grumbles, "You really beelined for this one. Just how loud was the voice in your head this time?"
She does puff up at Bethany with a proud grin. "I'm a Dragon! One day, I'll grow huge! The name's Odjn, pronounced 'o-deen', spelled, 'oh dee jay enn'."
Riesenlied's horns droop as Odjn continues to sass her about her questionable decisions. At least she's not horribly injured anymore, even though the bandages remain on her head...
She winces softly as Nimue starts shouting and calling, saying, "I'm sure he can hear--"
A blink. "Oh..."
A longer pause. Awkward.
Bethany leaps forward, and Odjn jolts and dives down to try to hold the pillar steady. "Whoa, whoa!"
Riesenlied tries to move at a slower pace herself, hovering over and attempting to use her... rather tattered, shredded wings... this looks precarious...
DG: Riesenlied has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Perilous Pillar Pouncing.
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
"...That is good." Ambrosius replies with a glance toward Noeline. Riesenlied didn't mention any of the others...perhaps they didn't come over? Well, at least the two of them were together...
Bethany gets another slight nod in response as Ambrosius walks past her. He looks back only momentarily, as he could almost swear he heard something behind him.
He doesn't realize it's a person. He frowns somewhat, but turns ahead and focuses once more on the path forward.
...Well, that might actually give one the wrong idea. What he is primarily focusing on is the architecture all around the path, not necessarily the path himself. He's taking it in a slow and leisurely fashion that is almost certainly going to end with him either falling off the platforms, taking forever, or both.
It's okay, he can take it.
DG: Ambrosius has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Perilous Pillar Pouncing.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
"Ha ha nope!" Nimue replies to Riesenlied, brightly. "... eeehhh that's really only temporarily funny, and even then only when you're trying to do the same things. Bored now."
Oh hey -- she thinks she remembers this part of the ruins from last time she got here! This part's great!
Nimue's jump is slightly not constrained by physics. It's... floaty. Really, it should be both floatier and faster at the same time, but Nimue's is really just floatier. If anything, it's floaty and slow, in the way that suggests she should also have stretchy limbs and a teleport.
As a result, she's probably the slowest of the party, but also the safest. ... hopefully.
DG: Seraph Nimue has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Perilous Pillar Pouncing.
==============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Perilous Pillar Pouncing *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- These underground ruins are filled with multi-tiered walkways and halls that wind from one level to the next. Falling to the bottom floor when you want to be at the top would no doubt set you back a ways -- so thank goodness the cultists of the Tintagel established nice bridges for you to traverse! ... and then left giant gaping holes in between each supporting pillar such that it's really more of a series of stone, moss-encrusted platforms you kind of need to... hop across. Like a bunny. Fun, right? Right?? Well. ... Get hopping! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
=========================<* Tintagel Ruins - Round 3 *>========================= =====================< Results - Perilous Pillar Pouncing >===================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riesenlied 15 --(17)--> 32 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bethany Liston 15 --(17)--> 32 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seraph Nimue 15 --(17)--> 32 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ambrosius 10 --(17)--> 27 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Riesenlied 45 --(10)--> 55 Fail Conditions: Injure(2) Effects: ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied 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> Bethany Liston has posed.
Sometimes, it's the simplest things that are hard to navigate. The moss is slippery, more slippery than expected. Bethany makes a few, but on the third one slips badly, managing to catch herself on the edge of the pillar, but her movement slows to a crawl.
Odjn's attempt to stabilise the pillars doesn't hurt, but the group moving at once makes it harder for the little dragon to keep up. Similarly for Riesenlied, trying to hover through, the next pillar is that little bit out of her flying reach.
The slow, architecturally distracted Ambrosius comes up shy a pillar when he next goes to move, with nowhere safe to step. It doesn't lead to a plummet, but it's not an easy recovery.
Similarly, Nimue's floaty jumps carry her past her targeted pillar, leaving her spaced between two, just in reach for a clumsy catch or similar save.
Eventually, the group makes it to the other side, but considerably worse for wear. "Everyone still with us?" asks a slightly ragged Bethany.
DG: Ambrosius has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================= ========================<* CHALLENGE - Smoke Break *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Tintagel really liked to create chambers that just kind of lockdown at a moment's notice and leave the people inside in some sort of terrible deathtrap. Case in point: whether it be by someone deliberately or accidentally tripping something or by sheer accident or someone claiming it was sheer accident when really it was the first thing, the doors of this stone chamber abruptly seal up tight the second you walk inside. Seconds after that, vents open, filling the air with smoke, which most studies have found is, not exactly a great thing to be inhaling in large quantities, or any at all. Looking for some sort of clever mechanism to open the doors or shut off the vents or preferably both would probably be a good thing. Or you could just smoke yourself to death. Nothing is really off the table here. =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Overwhelm======================================
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
At some point during the parties struggles through the ancient obstacle course, one of the party will hear a subtle 'click'. It's hard to tell who or what caused it. The only thing that is clear is that someone touched something they shouldn't. The ramifications of this are not immediately clear.
Ambrosius reunites with the others. His poncho is looking a little more ragged than it did before, but he seems otherwise alright. It just...ended up taking him much longer than he expected.
But before he can respond to Bethany's question...the door that they entered through slams shut, and vents start to open up, emitting a foul smoke.
In response Ambrosius rummages for a moment, eventually drawing out and putting on a helmet that covers his entire head. Riesenlied will likely recognize this as a standard Veruni soldier helmet, complete with filtration.
He reaches into his bags, drawing out his tools and getting to work.
DG: Ambrosius has used his Tool Advanced Multi-Tool toward his party's challenge, Smoke Break.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks similarly beleaguered, taking her breath and placing her hand to one side as she says, "... I--I'm all right, just winded. Sorry... my wings aren't very suitable for flight anymore." Indeed, the amount of gash marks and gunshot holes along her membrane do make for a difficult time with keeping air currents in to hold her afloat.
"Don't overdo it..." Odjn looks similarly tired, pulling up along with--
'Click'.
Riesenlied blinks as she looks around, gasping. "O-oh no, did I just..." She doesn't have time to hesitate, as gas and smoke start to fill through the room. She's immediately coughing, lowering herself to her knees. "Ah..."
She closes her eyes, and focuses on the light of the Dragon's Tear. "Help us..."
Immediately, a shimmering light would fill through the room -- it soothes and helps to clear the mind against the noxious effects of the smoke, buying them time to think and figure out a way through this deathtrap.
"It stinks worse than Val's potato sourdough starter!" Odjn complains. "Do somethin'!"
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, Smoke Break.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
After having to essentially rocket jump herself butt-first to avoid falling, Nimue isn't feeling particularly great. She looks noticeably winded when they head into the next room.
"... Huh. You know," Nimue reflects, as the room starts to flood with toxic smoke, "This doesn't really affect me." She trots over to the corner of the room, takes a seat, and forms a protective swirl of wind pointed generally outward from herself.
The Seraph takes a seat, reaches into her satchel, pulls out a massive chunk of fish filet, and starts eating. Something clicks underneath her. Hopefully it's a 'make this stop' mechanism rather than a 'make this get worse' mechanism!
DG: Seraph Nimue has used her Tool Stolen Food toward her party's challenge, Smoke Break.
<Pose Tracker> Bethany Liston has posed.
The click causes Bethany to look around, suddenly startled. Seeing the smoke starting to descend she quickly pulls out a handkerchief and ties it around her face. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. Maybe.
"Damnit, those idiots found their way out of this somehow." She mutters, referring back to the notes she took from the folks who sent her this way. She starts feeling around the walls, looking for a switch, or a button, or a moving brick. Anything, really, to stop the smoke.
DG: Bethany Liston has used her Tool Patient Notes toward her party's challenge, Smoke Break.
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================= ========================<* CHALLENGE - Smoke Break *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Tintagel really liked to create chambers that just kind of lockdown at a moment's notice and leave the people inside in some sort of terrible deathtrap. Case in point: whether it be by someone deliberately or accidentally tripping something or by sheer accident or someone claiming it was sheer accident when really it was the first thing, the doors of this stone chamber abruptly seal up tight the second you walk inside. Seconds after that, vents open, filling the air with smoke, which most studies have found is, not exactly a great thing to be inhaling in large quantities, or any at all. Looking for some sort of clever mechanism to open the doors or shut off the vents or preferably both would probably be a good thing. Or you could just smoke yourself to death. Nothing is really off the table here. =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Overwhelm======================================
========================<* Tintagel Ruins - Round 4 *>======================== ==========================< Results - Smoke Break >=========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 32 --(5)--> 37 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bethany Liston 32 --(10)--> 42 Fail Patient Notes 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Nimue 32 --(5)--> 37 Pass Stolen Food 3 Wits Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ambrosius 27 --(5)--> 32 Pass Advanced Multi-Tool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 55 --(20)--> 75 Pass Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Injure(1)|Overwhelm Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Riesenlied 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. DG: Riesenlied has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================= ========================<* CHALLENGE - The Godforge *>======================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Whatever the Tintagel were doing here, they kept it well-protected. This antechamber in the cultists' ruins is a large, tile floor and a sealed door that leads to the secrets of the Tintagel just beyond. The tiles here are all different shapes and sizes and can be picked up and moved as one sees fit. They look like the pieces to something, like a jigsaw puzzle -- a draconic claw here, a portion of a tail or stretch of wings there. Solving this puzzle will require arranging these many, many floor tiles into a proper shape to unlock the door. Which, not to rush, but you might want to hurry about, because if you take too long puzzling, vents in the room open up and start spewing helpful poison as added incentive. No pressure! =Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ambrosius has posed.
The party works hurriedly to solve the conundrum they've found themselves in. Riesenlied uses the power of the Dragon's Tear to protect their minds from the noxious smoke of the chamber, while Ambrosius works on dismantling the machinery that's venting it in.
Bethany finds that the fellows she got the notes from...kind of just stumbled into a way out, and don't actually know how they did it. But she will - the switch that Nimue sits on opens the way forward...at least for as long as it is pressed down.
Ambrosius frowns.
"...I will work...on this... In the meantiiime...go forward... Find your answers...Riiiesenlied..." He says.
...He doesn't realise Nimue is sitting on it, or else he would suggest she just stay there instead.
DG: Ambrosius has used his Tool Advanced Multi-Tool toward his party's challenge, The Godforge.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The poison continues to slowly pour through ancient vents through the sides of the Ruins, keeping them in a permanent time limit even as Nimue -- and Ambrosius afterwards -- steps on the switch to keep the door open. Riesenlied looks mildly concerned, but expresses, "W-we'll be quick..."
She hurries ahead, positing a sharp look of recognition as she holds onto her head at the large tiled floor and the sealed door ahead. "This... I..."
She writhes and drops to the floor for a moment. "You're... you want me to... tell me... I can't hear you..."
The Hyadean doesn't look particularly coherent, but even as she struggles, the Tear continues to shine and illuminate certain tiles in what may be a clue for the others.
DG: Riesenlied has used her Tool Dragon's Tear toward her party's challenge, The Godforge.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
Well, if Ambrosius is going to so helpfully take over holding the door, who's Nimue to stop him? She pops up brightly, saying, "Thanks, weirdo!" before wandering off.
Nimue has now eaten all of her blessed (stolen) meat. As a result, when she comes to the next room -- with its Worst Possible Thing, a tile puzzle -- she has to sort of... look at it vacantly for a few moments. Her head tilts slowly to one side, then to the other.
"... yeah, I, uh. Hm. Thinking... thinking..." Her brow furrows. "... Thiiiinkiiiiiing..."
She helpfully picks up exactly one floor tile and places it in the corner. It does, at least, look like a corner piece. "... I think I did it?" she says, before retreating to the edge of the room and taking a sit.
"Go off, spooky lady! Listen super hard to whatever weird voice is shouting in your ear that I can't see! ... and you apparently can't hear. How's that one work?"
Nimue, the most helpful.
DG: Seraph Nimue has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Godforge.
<Pose Tracker> Bethany Liston has posed.
"Ugh, useless lucky sons of bitches..." Bethany mutters at her notebook. Still, there's not a lot of time to consider, as they moves from one timed room to another. "You'll catch up with us once you manage to stick that, right?" Bethany asks Ambrosius, but she isn't left with much option but to chase after the group when she sees Riesenlied collapses, and doctor urges take over to check on her. She waves a hand in front of Riese's eyes, to little avail. "Damnit..."
And THEN the poison starts streaming out and Bethany swears. "Looks like we don't have time to focus on you right now..." Bethany's notebook is out again, regarding her last page of notes with a bit of skepticism. "Well, if I can learn anything, is that these guys didn't get through here..." She scribbles out a few notes, and quickly takes stock, before throwing the book at the Seraph. "Hey, Nimue, you gonna just sit there? If not, see if any of these look right?" A few potential pictures from the tiles are scrawled out, as Bethany starts moving tiles.
DG: Bethany Liston has used her Tool Patient Notes toward her party's challenge, The Godforge.
==============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================== =========================<* CHALLENGE - The Godforge *>========================= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Whatever the Tintagel were doing here, they kept it well-protected. This antechamber in the cultists' ruins is a large, tile floor and a sealed door that leads to the secrets of the Tintagel just beyond. The tiles here are all different shapes and sizes and can be picked up and moved as one sees fit. They look like the pieces to something, like a jigsaw puzzle -- a draconic claw here, a portion of a tail or stretch of wings there. Solving this puzzle will require arranging these many, many floor tiles into a proper shape to unlock the door. Which, not to rush, but you might want to hurry about, because if you take too long puzzling, vents in the room open up and start spewing helpful poison as added incentive. No pressure! =Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>============================= ========================<* CHALLENGE - The Godforge *>======================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Whatever the Tintagel were doing here, they kept it well-protected. This antechamber in the cultists' ruins is a large, tile floor and a sealed door that leads to the secrets of the Tintagel just beyond. The tiles here are all different shapes and sizes and can be picked up and moved as one sees fit. They look like the pieces to something, like a jigsaw puzzle -- a draconic claw here, a portion of a tail or stretch of wings there. Solving this puzzle will require arranging these many, many floor tiles into a proper shape to unlock the door. Which, not to rush, but you might want to hurry about, because if you take too long puzzling, vents in the room open up and start spewing helpful poison as added incentive. No pressure! =Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
========================<* Tintagel Ruins - Round 5 *>======================== ==========================< Results - The Godforge >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Riesenlied 37 --(5)--> 42 Pass Dragon's Tear 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bethany Liston 42 --(10)--> 52 Fail Patient Notes 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seraph Nimue 37 --(10)--> 47 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ambrosius 32 --(5)--> 37 Pass Advanced Multi-Tool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Riesenlied 75 --(35)--> 110 Pass Conditions: Madness Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Riesenlied has successfully explored Tintagel Ruins!
=============================<* Tintagel Ruins *>=============================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Desiring God *>========================
|Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
It is difficult to say what this room once was. There is stonework here, a
ring of draconic heads that wrap around the entirety of the fringes of this
chamber's ceiling. An altar is in the middle, large enough for a person to
lay on it -- yet the chamber itself is much, much, MUCH larger than that.
Large enough that something of -considerable- size could fit comfortably in
this place. Near the altar is a small shrine that is made out to look like a
roaring dragon, with a plaque beneath it:
'THE GODDESS HAS ABANDONED US'
'SO WE SHALL MAKE OUR OWN'
THE TINTAGEL
At the altar, smatterings of strange, black feathers can be found. They look
beautiful, in a way that feels almost tragic somehow, the black of it inky
and vaporous in an ephemeral way that seems to go beyond a physical
presence. Trace, harmless amounts of Malevolence cling to the feather, and
perhaps ironically, one gets the impression that this is what makes that
feather visible in the first place. A feather can be taken without risk or
harm; historians might be interested in such a thing, or one might wish to
keep it for themselves. Regardless, whatever was happening in these ruins...
these feathers, this place, seems to be the crux of it.
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The team work swiftly, before the poison can overwhelm them. Riesenlied's light indicates just enough for Nimue to place the ONE FLOOR tile to lay it on the corner, which sends more beams of light to sprawl through the rest of the masonry... making Bethany's job particularly easy to finish the facade of the dragon itself. Riesenlied looks rather pained from the poison, but...
The poison ceases, and the sealed door rumbles open.
The chamber ahead possesses a ring of draconic heads that ring the chamber's ceiling, surrounding an altar that may evoke the image of sacrifice...
Though, it would be easy to say it would fit even a Dragon, perhaps, given the image of the Tintagel.
The plaque is of interest, as the Drifters gaze upon it:
'THE GODDESS HAS ABANDONED US'
'SO WE SHALL MAKE OUR OWN'
THE TINTAGEL
The feathers are what catch her eye in the end. Riesenlied closes her eyes, holding onto one of them with a quiet tremble--
She lowered her head, and quietly turned from the brazier. There was a sudden popping noise, and her wings spread wide with a bit of a screech and a hiss -- and the translucent amber retrices start to molt from her wingspan. They touch upon the flames of the pyre and start to dance, lapped up by so much dancing bouquets of embers, turning into naught but cinders upon the conclusion of their weaving and bobbing.
When all was said and done, there was naught of the feathery expanse of Riese's wings that she's usually seen in. The outermost feathers are some kind of cover, like a coat, an aid to help her fly, for the true structure of the wings underneath was far more chitinous and dragon-like, with a colouration much evidently matched to her horns. It was... sad, in a way -- decrepit and dilapidated, with pockmarked and punctured stretches of what passes for a leathery membrane between the 'fingers', unfit for flight, except in the shortest of bursts.
"Is this... what you wanted me to see...?"
She holds onto her forehead, feeling a rather sharp pain. It immediately reminded her of her own sacrifice, back in the Otherworldly Hollow of the Trial Knight's. It's as if the entirety of the air in her lungs were forcibly exhaled--
She jitters. It's gone.
"... Malevolence... I can sense it from these feathers. Can you...?" Riesenlied asks of the others. "'Make our own Goddess'... what manner of Goddess do they refer to? A Dragon...?"
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
Nimue is helping! She's helping so much that she calls to Bethany, "Oh, uh -- nah! Nah, I'm good! Really like, I don't 'get' puzzle. Ask blondie!"
She steps up behind Riesenlied, watching carefully and eventually turning her attention to the plaque in earnest. "Wow, yikes. Talk about abandonment issues. Even I'm not that bad, and, like, I've been abandoned tons of times! And been the abandoner tons of times! Honestly it's kind of a thing. I should stop."
Her eyes sweep over the feathers, next; while she's pretty hesitant to do it, she does indeed reach out for a feather, ultimately. "... Iiiii'm... gonna bring this home. I have a buddy who might want to see some of the other... stuff... in here," she says, a little on the quiet side.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.
"And... yeah. Yeah, it's... definitely Malevolence," she says, to the winged blonde. "Zero question about that one. Real obvious."
<Pose Tracker> Bethany Liston has posed.
Again, it's Bethany's instinct that the sick come first. With the poison cleared, she moves back to Riesenlied, seeing her become a bit more coherent. "You back with us?" She asks, looking the dragon woman up and down. Would human healing methods even work for her? She's clearly not in the best of ways.
With that done, Bethany looks up at the plaque. "Well, this is new." She says, before walking over and picking up one of the feathers. The strange black feathers seem to be about the only spoils that are going to come from the dungeon. Might be worth something to someone. "That sounds... ominous." Bethany responds to Nimue, not really sure how to process the weird mystical crap that tends to go over her head.
She also retrieves the notebook she threw towards Nimue, and places it back in her bag. It'd be bad form to abandon half your patient records in a ruin on the moon.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied nods very slowly, coughing gently. "Yes... I'm sorry. I tend to hear voices from these Ruins, and they-- intensify the closer I get to the source."
Odjn peeks at Bethany's notes, and then says, "Do you do sliding scale costs for psychotherapy? Do you specialise in psychiatric medicine or-- oh, you know what, nevermind..."
Riesenlied huffs quietly towards Odjn, before looking back towards the feather. "Yes... I have a feeling whatever was here-- may still be at large..."
She pauses and thinks of the Fell Dragon, back at the Sorcery Globe...
The mind shudders to even think of it.