2018-06-30: A Day at the Zoo
- Log: A Day at the Zoo
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Malfi, White Knight Leo, Josephine Lovelace, Fei Fong Wong
- Where: Volgran Forest
- Date: 2018-06-30
- Summary: What secrets lie in the Feral Menagerie?
=============================<* Volgran Forest *>============================= The Volgran Forest is the eastern frontier of the Rolance Empire. These ancient woods abutt the mountain ranges that divide Hyland and Rolance, and end at Glaivend Basin in the east. Travel through Volgran is dangerous, as monsters are common and ancient ruins can be found in the woods. The main routes are patrolled heavily by Imperial knights operating out of Lastonbell. Still, the beauty of these woods and their flowing creeks is a constant reminder of the bounty of Althena's Gift to Lunar. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeOoGRHkyNM
DG: A party led by Jacqueline Barber is now entering The Feral Menagerie. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Weedwhacking *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Something has taken hold of the woods here. The vital forces of nature seem to be amplified in some primal way, causing the flora to grow and proliferate beyond what can be called normal. You make your way to a breach in the fence surrounding the Menagerie proper, and for one beautiful moment it seems like you might get through scot-free And then the vines and gnarled brambles draping the entrance come alive, seeking to drag you screaming back into the shadowy depths of the forest. Whatever happened here has infused these plants with a malevolent will; fight to break free before they drag you to your fates! =Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Weedwhacking *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Something has taken hold of the woods here. The vital forces of nature seem to be amplified in some primal way, causing the flora to grow and proliferate beyond what can be called normal. You make your way to a breach in the fence surrounding the Menagerie proper, and for one beautiful moment it seems like you might get through scot-free And then the vines and gnarled brambles draping the entrance come alive, seeking to drag you screaming back into the shadowy depths of the forest. Whatever happened here has infused these plants with a malevolent will; fight to break free before they drag you to your fates! =Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Even with the current atmosphere, rumors spread like fire. A particular rumor had reached Jacqueline's ears, attracting her interest - Withertallow Keep and its Menagerie.
On one hand, it sounded like it could be potentially dangerous, and therefore needed to be investigated.
On the other hand, the part of her that craved knowledge thought it might possess fascinating discoveries, and therefore needed to be investigating.
...So, it was a pretty easy decision to make.
But of course, Jacqueline wasn't foolish - she put out some requests for aid, and after meeting up with those who had answered, decided to set out.
"Hm...this place...it's quite fascinating. The plants here are so full of life, unlike anything else I've seen on Lunar..." Jacqueline murmurs with her arms folded in front of her. It was a little exciting. She began to wonder just what else they might find, and if there was anything here that could be used to help Filgaia...
Eventually, however, they run into the fence surrounding the Menagerie. At some point it's been breached.
"...This is concerning. I hope nothing's escaped." She comments. But of course, where things could escape, things could also enter. Jacqueline draws out a long stirring rod from one of her bags and uses it to prod the fence experimentally, and after deciding its safe, she climbs through and gestures for the others to follow.
It's not a moment after, however, that the flora around the fence starts to shift...and then moves, suddenly and violently, trying to grab Jacqueline and drag her back into the forest.
She lets out a yelp of surprise before quickly drawing a knife from her bags and swinging down at one of the vines.
"Careful, everyone! Looks like it's time to take some samples already!" She warns.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Weedwhacking.
<Pose Tracker> Malfi has posed.
Malfi recognizes more than a few of her companions but has to pretend she doesn't because she's in disguise as the human warrior-woman "Cynwen." So far she thinks she's been successful at it. All seems to be going well when Jacqueline lets out a yelp, and the local plants spring to life, engulfing and entangling. Are those killer bromeliads...? "Cynwen" grabs her sword and starts hacking. It's not as effective as she'd like because the ferocious flora are entwined around her legs, making moving awkward. They're reaching for her sword-arm, too!
DG: Malfi has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Weedwhacking.
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Following the siege and successful evacuation of Lastonbell, the Dragonship Destiny has taken up residence near Volgran Forest. The refugees need care and protection, and Leo and his troops have done their best to ensure they have food, water, shelter, and protection. They've already had to violently repel several groups of brazen bandits, to say nothing of the Hellions left in the wake of the Fell Dragon. Word spread that those weren't the only threats--several of Leo's scouts ran into something in Volgran they described as 'unnatural' and 'an affront to the Goddess', which is why Leo and a group of his soldiers are presently approaching the overgrown compound.
"Pair up and spread out!" Leo says, and the Guards obey.
Sighting the little group of adventurers about to do something reckless, the White Knight walks right on up, engaging Jay in conversation as though completely unsurprised by her presence here. "Miss Barber," says Leo, walking up to the manager of the Caravan Kinship as though he owned the place. "This is a restricted area! There have been reports of unnatural--"
rustle
"--monstrosities in the--"
rustle rustle
"--area. I know attempting to discourage you is a fool's errand, but GOOD ALTHENA." Leo's blade all but leaps into his hand as the vines grab for Jay. The big Beastman rushes forwards, cleaving through a half-dozen of the vines in a single blow. Unfortunately, that's not all of them--several more grab for Leo's ankles, tugging violently as he tries to pursue. Leo snarls, and starts swinging, but he might need a little help, too.
DG: White Knight Leo has used his Tool Leo's Goods toward his party's challenge, Weedwhacking.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
In a way, it seems like the world goes mad every time she goes off on her own. She'd been fresh off that chat with a wayward Metal Dragon -- a few harsh truths concerning the history of Filgaia included -- and followed that up with an agreement of sorts with a Guardian... and then soon following Josie had simply head off to do a little review of her tablets (and some updates to her notes... and some drinking... and some planning) when a calamity had befallen Lastonbell.
In restrospect, the city was probably cursed anyway, given her last unfortunate encounter within its walls. Still, it only supports her general theory.
And then she'd gotten an assistance request from Jay, and just figured, as always, 'why not'.
So here she is.
"Can't say plants are my specialty," the archaeologist comments on the approach. "But that doesn't mean I don't appeciate what they give us." She winks, and briefly mimes taking a shot of a drink, but follows that up instead with a: "I can certainly say my wounds would be worse off without 'em!"
She pauses. "Looks like we've had a few escapees after all, huh?" One hand rests on her hip.
There's a shouting in the close distance. Josie's expression runs deadpan, and then she slowly turns towards the sound of...
Yep, she called this one.
"The Guard, huh? Hunting strays too, are we?"
Her gaze suddenly shifts from him towards something not far behind him.
"Behind you," Josie informs White Knight Leo.
Before rolling back herself, in an attempt to evade the snaring vines and tendrils. "Jay, on your left!"
When she draws, she draws quickly, opening fire with a crack of a gunsmoke sidearm.
Penelope, aggreived, plunges halfway down the back of Josie's shirt collar.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Weedwhacking.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong is feeling better about himself today and that's why he's about to ruin it by going outside and adventuring in an area that's new to him. Naturally, he is always happy to take jobs from Jaqueline Barber and the Carakin since those jobs tend to go well and not involve him staring at mirrors and hating himself. It's pretty great!!
Of course that was before the vines took hold of him and held him into place, but as he thinks about it, it could be a lot worse yet.
He summons the power of his chi and bursts into flames. It's one way to free yourself from vines.
"Huh, the White Knight's here too." Fei says, glancing over to Josephine. "Heard Lastonbell went even worse once we left."
He thinks it over.
"Well," He adds. "At least I can't take credit for that one."
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Weedwhacking.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Weedwhacking *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Something has taken hold of the woods here. The vital forces of nature seem to be amplified in some primal way, causing the flora to grow and proliferate beyond what can be called normal. You make your way to a breach in the fence surrounding the Menagerie proper, and for one beautiful moment it seems like you might get through scot-free And then the vines and gnarled brambles draping the entrance come alive, seeking to drag you screaming back into the shadowy depths of the forest. Whatever happened here has infused these plants with a malevolent will; fight to break free before they drag you to your fates! =Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Weedwhacking *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Something has taken hold of the woods here. The vital forces of nature seem to be amplified in some primal way, causing the flora to grow and proliferate beyond what can be called normal. You make your way to a breach in the fence surrounding the Menagerie proper, and for one beautiful moment it seems like you might get through scot-free And then the vines and gnarled brambles draping the entrance come alive, seeking to drag you screaming back into the shadowy depths of the forest. Whatever happened here has infused these plants with a malevolent will; fight to break free before they drag you to your fates! =Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
=====================<* The Feral Menagerie - Round 1 *>====================== ==========================< Results - Weedwhacking >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Malfi 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ White Knight Leo 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Leo's Goods 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 0 --(10)--> 10 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Fright(2) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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.
Jacqueline's never met this 'Cynwen', who is definitely human, before but she seems like a useful ally! Jacqueline gladly welcomes her along, along with her familiar friends of Josie and Fei.
"Oh, yes, they're rather useful...I'd be out of a job without them!" Jacqueline remarks, chuckling at Josie's joke, just as they're spotted by a certain White Knight.
Jacqueline turns and offers Leo a polite bow of her head.
"My apologies, Sir Leo, but I was hoping to find-" She began...
But then the vines happen, which brings us to the present. Jacqueline managed to take care of the one, but the others are doing a pretty good job of dragging her off...until Leo brings his sword down, freeing her.
"Ah...thank you." Jacqueline says, hurrying to her feet and diving to to the right the moment Josie shouts out her warning.
It's not an easy fight - while one can eliminate some of the vines, it seems like there's always some replacements waiting to take advantage of any possible opening.
Sword, ARMfire, actual fire... it helps, but the longer the fight goes on the more the flora seems to actually learn from them, and adjust accordingly.
Eventually, however, they retreat, giving the party time to breathe.
"A-anyway...! Sir Leo, I was hoping to find something that might be able to help us back home here...though seeing this, I'm beginning to doubt that possibility. Still...if you would prefer to supervise us, I would gladly welcome you along, but either way I must see what's in this facility." Jacqueline says.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>============================ =========================<* CHALLENGE - Boreal Face *>========================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- It's as if you've stepped into a freezer. This entire section of the facility seems to have been plunged into the depths of winter. Frigid tendrils creep across the corridors and twine through broken doorframes, chilling the air around them. The temperature drops further and further as you progress, and you go from seeing your breath to watching as the moisture flash-freezes into glittering diamond dust before your eyes. Suddenly, the apparent source of the frigid cold erupts from a nearby room on a stalk of crystalline wood. It blossoms into a beautiful, frozen flower, unleashing a wave of freezing, creeping tendrils that set out to drag you to an icy grave unless you can tear free of both their grasp and the smothering cold that surrounds you. =Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Practical as ever, Jay," Josie comments, in those moments before Leo arrives. "But it's not a bad way to be."
And after which, the appearance of the vines makes matters a little more pressing than usual. Josie plugs one of the lashing vines directly to Jay's left, but without organs, or, indeed much of a sense of pain, it's not as effective as a blade or fire would have been. Still, it at least slows the plant, even if it means that the archaeologist is the next to receive a strike from the lashing plant, one that comes in too fast to properly evade.
Still, at length, they're able to force the plant back -- perhaps it has some sort of intelligence after a fashion, or at least the sense of when it's best to cut its losses.
Holstering the ARM and seeing to her injuries -- nothing major, barely worth fussing over -- Josie eyes the entrance to the facility.
"That wasn't too bad, was it? Heh... no time like the present." Jay might opt to make nice with Leo, but Josie instead approaches the hole leading inwards. "Besides, if we hang around here, those plants are likely to come right back again. So, what say you? Shall we~?"
She ducks inside before waiting for a proper answer.
The first thing she or anyone else at all will notice is that it's breathtakingly cold in here. It had been a muggy, humid warm day outside, but now any heat is only a memory.
Penelope responds to this by diving entirely down the back of Josie's shirt, prompting Josie to wince. Talons!!
"Whew... c-colder than Aru Solatu's tits..." she utters in a puff of frost. "Where's the exit--"
The flower of frost blooms, and quite literally at that.
"K-knew that... weren't natural," Josie utters, ripping free from a frigid tendril and dropping her pack to pull every archaeologist's best friend from its depths...
And starts swinging.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Well-Used Mattock toward her party's challenge, Boreal Face.
<Pose Tracker> Malfi has posed.
The iceblossom is as lovely as it is deadly, emitting both a freezing zone and ensnaring vines. It was cold indeed, colder than Zulan Massif, more frigid even than the tundra around the Photosphere. "Oh, no, not again," "Cynwen" muttered, sick already of homicidal plants. She strikes at the flower itelf, hoping that if she can kill the center, the vines will soon follow. She decides it's too dangerous to leave any of it alive to take a sample. Hardy she may be, but she feels the cold as keenly as any human, and she is eager for the cold to go away -- if it will.
DG: Malfi has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Boreal Face.
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Leo emerges from the fight a little rattled, but otherwise unscathed. The White Knight draws an oilcloth from a pocket with a flourish, and starts wiping the sap off of his blade with exacting care. "I'd say that was certainly an affront to decency," Leo says, and wonder of wonders, he's looking at the vines, and not Josie. "What manner of devilry was at those gardens?" Leo asks Jay, as she mentions a way back home. "Is it similar?"
"Hold!" Leo cries, as Josephine ducks into the hole. "Allow me to take point!"
White Knight Leo has joined your party!
Of course, as soon as Leo is on the other side of the hole, he wishes he wasn't. "Sorcery," he says, direly, as puffs of moisture condense on his breath. The chamber's floral inhabitant erupts from the earth not a moment later. Leo grabs for Jay's hand as Josephine charges in with her mattock, and 'Cynwen' takes shots at the flower. For his part, Leo throws out his other hand, whispering an incantation under his breath. Spikes of jagged earth erupt from around the plant, forming a formidable barrier to those whipping, dragging vines.
DG: White Knight Leo has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Boreal Face.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Diplomacy was one of Jacqueline's specialties! It didn't help anything to antagonize the Guard, after all.
"Elw devilry, and no...or, at least, I don't think so. You'd know if it was from the Elw, it'd be a lot more...well, obtuse." Jacqueline replies, shaking her head. She assumes he's referring to the Garden that brought them here.
Their entry into the Menagerie brings them right into what appears to be some manner of freezer. It's...a rather marked change from the temperature outside, so it's a little surprising at first. Even more surprising is the fact that plants seem to be growing in here, despite the intense cold.
As they're traveling, however, one of them blooms, sending out freezing tendrils.
Jacqueline wishes she had dressed a bit more warmly. Leo grabs for her hand to pull her out of the way, and she sends him a thankful nod.
"H-here...fortunately I a-always pack a few of these on hand..." Jacqueline says, shivering. She draws out...a set of bright red potions! There's one for everyone, and when imbibed they help the drinker warm up. It'll definitely help keep them going, especially when the plant attempts to grab onto them to keep them from escaping.
"...Again?" She adds, with a glance toward Cynwen.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Boreal Face.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
fei Fong Wong reaches for something in his pocket as the area gets way more chill. He looks over to Jay and then back to Leo. He isn't entirely sure what they're hoping to find but he expects it won't be a 'way back home'--but who knows? The Pleasing Gardens didn't seem like a place that would send them to Lunar until they were mostly through it either. Also the name was very misleading.
But then he's distracted from his thoughts.
"Colder than Aru Solatu's tits?" Fei repeats, amused. "Haha...that's a good one, Josie. Hang in there, lets see if we can end this one quicklike."
He sees tis beautiful thing. This beautiful frozen flower that wants to kill them. So beautiful it's easy to see someone staring entranced even as they're strangled by the ice.
Fei doesn't do that.
Instead he raises a hand and fires a red-blue tinted chi blast for the frozen flower, intending to just flat out explode everything in the way.
When you have high-powered chi blasts sometimes everything looks like a Lahan Village. Fei rubs at his forehead briefly and then says, "Hopefully that heated up some of y'all."
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Mother's Cross toward his party's challenge, Boreal Face.
===========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>============================ =========================<* CHALLENGE - Boreal Face *>========================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- It's as if you've stepped into a freezer. This entire section of the facility seems to have been plunged into the depths of winter. Frigid tendrils creep across the corridors and twine through broken doorframes, chilling the air around them. The temperature drops further and further as you progress, and you go from seeing your breath to watching as the moisture flash-freezes into glittering diamond dust before your eyes. Suddenly, the apparent source of the frigid cold erupts from a nearby room on a stalk of crystalline wood. It blossoms into a beautiful, frozen flower, unleashing a wave of freezing, creeping tendrils that set out to drag you to an icy grave unless you can tear free of both their grasp and the smothering cold that surrounds you. =Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
======================<* The Feral Menagerie - Round 2 *>======================= ===========================< Results - Boreal Face >============================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 5 --(25)--> 30 Fail Brewte Force 1 Brute Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josephine Lovelace 10 --(25)--> 35 Fail Well-Used Mattock 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Malfi 10 --(25)--> 35 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- White Knight Leo 5 --(25)--> 30 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 10 --(20)--> 30 Pass Mother's Cross 4 Brute Effects: None -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Jacqueline Barber 20 --(10)--> 30 Fail Conditions: Fright(1)|Overwhelm Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"--Oh, so you're like that, are you," runs Josie's comment as Leo forcefully, well, joins her party. She takes a step back, allowing him past. "Well, I'm not the type of girl to say no, now am I?" She... winks.
Unfortunately, baby, it's cold inside.
Jay hands out a much-needed warming drink, though if Josie is going to be honest here, she's at least a little disappointed there's no spirits in it.
Well, you can't have everything in life. "Heh heh... C-certainly not planning to hang around..." she replies to Fei.
Though even a thought like that will fall by the wayside once the flower blooms and emits those frigid tendrils. It's fight or be snared and frozen --
And, regrettably, the mattock she wields doesn't work well against the tendrils, even with Jay's potion burning in her veins. They're frozen, as hard as a rock -- harder than a rock.
The mattock, which has shattered stone previously, doesn't even leave a scratch.
Leo and 'Cynwen' lay in with spellcraft and sword alike, find that while they can gain a toehold against the flower's wrath, that doesn't amount to much as more and more tendrils spiral from the walls and floors, each burning with cold.
The manifestation of chi then is in the end a minor miracle:
The flower does not fall, still blooming as damnably as ever.
BUT
The wall behind it crumbles. An escape is possible.
An escape is recommended immediately in fact.
Josie grabs her bag and runs for it.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Force of Nature *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The path ahead is obstructed by what appears to be the vascular system of an enormous plant. Great tendrils of fibrous material twine through the corridor's stonework, transforming what were once the cracks and seams of normal wear and tear into great, crumbling crevasses split by strands of meandering, untamed life. Fortunately, the rampant overgrowth hasn't yet sealed over the corridor completely. It is instead merely plugged by pulsing, glowing nodules of twisted, mutant life. The chrysalises pulse as if noticing you, the periodic flush of light briefly illuminating the silhouettes within. Suddenly, several burst, decanting horribly mutated, bear-sized beasts. Each carries three heads. The first and grandest is leonine at the very front which menaces with razor-sharp fangs. The second is a caprine face curled up over its body on a distended neck whose breath is periodically accompanied by a burst of flame. The third writhes at the end of a serpentine tail, fangs dripping with putrid venom. Chimeras! Are the plants manufacturing them? It doesn't matter-- not even a moment after emerging, the beasts are on the attack! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "Huh," as he doesn't actually incinerate the flower. This is surprising to him because, well, that honestly hasn't really happened to him before except maybe in the --ugh--Elw ruins. Just thinking about it makes him want to move on quick. "Lets hurry. Not the best exit but it works!"
He promptly engages in the SLIDE mechanic to slink through the exit. Presumably, other folks do end up moving on through since it's unlikely that Fei can do THAT another time.
And then there's more plants. Fei's good feelings about himself are starting to be reconsidered.
The chrysalises pulse as the team moves forward but then suddenly---they burst!
Releasing...animals? Bears? THREE HEADED BEARS? CHIMERAS!!??
Fei swallows faintly and he thinks about it. Threes, threes... yes, this is just like--
Fei flips his RPS Badge into the air to draw their attention before diving forward with billowing ice and fire, trying to shut down the monsters with his kung fu and his knowledge of 3-type weakness chains.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool RPS Badge toward his party's challenge, Force of Nature .
<Pose Tracker> Malfi has posed.
Those beasts...just can't be natural. Malfi hesitates as she spies the chimeras. They came from plants? Grew in plants? She can't resist the urge to scan them before she charges into battle. Data like this could be priceless!
She tries to run down the corridor past the chimeras without engaging, but has her sword drawn just in case. Sometimes it's a better idea to run than to fight! Especially against creatures with such unknown qualities. If any of her party needs help against them, she'll stop to help.
DG: Malfi has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Force of Nature .
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Whew," Josie breathes, once they're out of the frigid hellhole. She shakes her hands out, then rubs at her face as if to massage life back into it. "I hope I never run into something as cold as that again..."
Penelope, at length, makes a brief reappearance past the collar of Josie's shirt, but doesn't emerge fully into the wide world of the ruins quite yet.
Josie continues to try to warm up, culminating in the point where she produces a flask from one of her many pockets, uncaps it, and takes a long draw off of its contents.
"Whew. That's a little better," she comments, before her gaze lifts to take in the chrysalises. They pulse.
They burst open.
Josie pockets her flask in a hurry. "Looks like we've got company," the archaeologist comments, breaking into a dash to circle around one of the beasts. "Watch it, they've got three heads!" she shouts, spotting the head on the end of the tail.
And then she takes aim and cracks out a shot, right for the back of the leonine head.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Liquid Courage toward her party's challenge, Force of Nature .
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline does not need to be told twice. She does not, in fact, need to be told at all. As soon as there's an opening she makes a break for it, glancing back to make sure that everyone is right there with her.
Fortunately, it does not seem as if anyone is getting left behind. Unfortunately, however, they seem to find themselves in...
Well, if she was describing it honestly, she'd say it made her think of some manner of laboratory. But....it was like the plants themselves were responsible for it...
Jacqueline frowns. She does not like this thought one bit. She hopes to just move onward, but she finds her path immediately cut off as three-headed beasts begin to emerge from this.
"Wh...what is this...?" She says, horrified. She was starting to think it was very unlikely there would be anything here to help them with Filgaia's situation...but even so, it was clear that it was a good they found this place anyway.
Jacqueline attempts to follow after Cynwen, but she finds her path cut off as one of the serpentine heads lunges for her, forcing her to backpedal.
"R-right...new plan." Jacqueline replies, then gestures with her left hand. The temperature around the chimeras begins to rapidly drop, in the hopes of slowing them down through sheer cold.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Force of Nature .
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Force of Nature *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The path ahead is obstructed by what appears to be the vascular system of an enormous plant. Great tendrils of fibrous material twine through the corridor's stonework, transforming what were once the cracks and seams of normal wear and tear into great, crumbling crevasses split by strands of meandering, untamed life. Fortunately, the rampant overgrowth hasn't yet sealed over the corridor completely. It is instead merely plugged by pulsing, glowing nodules of twisted, mutant life. The chrysalises pulse as if noticing you, the periodic flush of light briefly illuminating the silhouettes within. Suddenly, several burst, decanting horribly mutated, bear-sized beasts. Each carries three heads. The first and grandest is leonine at the very front which menaces with razor-sharp fangs. The second is a caprine face curled up over its body on a distended neck whose breath is periodically accompanied by a burst of flame. The third writhes at the end of a serpentine tail, fangs dripping with putrid venom. Chimeras! Are the plants manufacturing them? It doesn't matter-- not even a moment after emerging, the beasts are on the attack! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Leo does not hang around. As soon as an opening appears, he thrusts a hand towards it. "GO!" he bellows. He grips one of the tendrils curling around his arm, and tears. As the group regroups on the other side, Leo tumbles out of the hole in the wall, breathing heavily. "This is devilry," the White Knight says, because he feels that this fact deserves everyone's attention. "What was this place--?"
Unfortunately, worse is yet to come. Leo draws his blade, charging forwards to the head of the group. Fei flips his RPS badge into the air, and one of the chimeras goes for it, its snake-head lashing out with venomous fangs. Leo brings his sword down in mid-strike, before sidestepping a headbutt from another chimera's goat-head.
DG: White Knight Leo has used his Tool Leo's Goods toward his party's challenge, Force of Nature .
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Force of Nature *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The path ahead is obstructed by what appears to be the vascular system of an enormous plant. Great tendrils of fibrous material twine through the corridor's stonework, transforming what were once the cracks and seams of normal wear and tear into great, crumbling crevasses split by strands of meandering, untamed life. Fortunately, the rampant overgrowth hasn't yet sealed over the corridor completely. It is instead merely plugged by pulsing, glowing nodules of twisted, mutant life. The chrysalises pulse as if noticing you, the periodic flush of light briefly illuminating the silhouettes within. Suddenly, several burst, decanting horribly mutated, bear-sized beasts. Each carries three heads. The first and grandest is leonine at the very front which menaces with razor-sharp fangs. The second is a caprine face curled up over its body on a distended neck whose breath is periodically accompanied by a burst of flame. The third writhes at the end of a serpentine tail, fangs dripping with putrid venom. Chimeras! Are the plants manufacturing them? It doesn't matter-- not even a moment after emerging, the beasts are on the attack! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
=====================<* The Feral Menagerie - Round 3 *>====================== ========================< Results - Force of Nature >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 30 --(5)--> 35 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Liquid Courage 3 Combat Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Malfi 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ White Knight Leo 30 --(5)--> 35 Pass Leo's Goods 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 30 --(5)--> 35 Pass RPS Badge 3 Combat Effects: Rally ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 30 --(20)--> 50 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Overwhelm Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Not that I disagree, least if you mean it metaphorically, but we probably shouldn't assume. It could be something else that's totally awful!"
It turns out that chimaera look scarier than they are. Fei doesn't have any trouble with the kung fu thanks to his elite Rion Pillygoat Snake training and Josie gets what is probably the one of the first crack shot triple headshots. Liquor must've steadied the aim. Even chilling the area seems to help and Malfi can helpfully reassure everybody that ice is a weakness hit.
Leo finishes off one of the chimaeras with a well placed sword strike and Fei lets out a whistle, "Nice timing," Fei says.
He normally kind of hates zealots but it's really hard to hate White Knight Leo.
DG: Malfi has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Adventurer Adaptation *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You enter a room to find A chest! What luck. The thing is an earthy brown except where its frame glitters with gold leaf detailing. Who would leave such a thing here? You approach, but something about this chest doesn't quite seem right. Like, for instance, the fact that there seems to be a vine poking out of the back of it. It also seems to be a bit too fleshy for a treasure chest. Is it a mimic? But there does seem to be a faint outline of something inside-- a glimmer of gold, even. How does one safely open up some kind of chest mimic plant without risking life and limb? =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Malfi has posed.
The "treasure chest" is very suspicious indeed. It's probably a predator disguised as something good, just trying to fool reckless adventurers into approaching it. That gleam of gold, a perfect bait. Malfi uses her scanner on it trying to determine exactly what it is...
DG: Malfi has used her Tool Portable Scanner toward her party's challenge, Adventurer Adaptation.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline exhales, relaxing a bit. ...But only just a bit. The more she sees of this place, the less and less she likes it. Leo says it's 'devilry', but she had to wonder what exactly kind of devilry it is.
Jacqueline moves on...but as she does so, she finds where Cynwen went - examining some kind of...is it a treasure chest?
"...Huh. It looks...almost alive." Jacqueline comments with a frown, folding her arms in front of herself. It definitely looks like it might be some kind of organism...
There might be treasure inside, but she wasn't sure it was worth it. Still, it was a fascinating specimen...
"I'm going to take a closer look..." Jacqueline says, drawing closer. She prods it very carefully with the stirring rod she used before. She isn't interested in the treasure, but this could be a good opportunity to find out more about this place.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Adventurer Adaptation.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
The chimera she shoots at drops.
The rest are similarly handled in rapid succession, leaving only the empty pods, dead monsters, and even more questions.
Josie meanwhile holsters her ARM, walking over to one of the dead creatures and prodding it with a booted foot.
"One of the stranger things I've seen," she comments at length, shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. "Well, let's not just stand around here. Where'd that girl, what's her name again -- Cynwen -- get off to?"
It doesn't take long to catch up to 'Cynwen'.
"Found a chest? What's the holdup?"
So says Josie as she approaches the completely normal human warrior woman and the chest she's contemplating, when Jay comments that she thinks the chest might be 'alive'.
"Is it?"
And then one very important thing happens before Josie can put this to a direct test (probably by kicking it or shooting it):
Penelope wriggles out of the back of Josie's shirt, stretches her wings, then takes off a sustained flutter to alight atop the chest.
She delicately readjusts her perch.
"Uh," is Josie's comment on the sudden change in situation.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Adventurer Adaptation.
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
Leo grins to Fei. If there is one thing he still cannot resist, it is the adoration of his fans.
"Aha," the White Knight says, his eyes narrowing as he approaches the chest. "Whomever placed this here must have anticipated more foolish investigators than us!" He sheathes his blade, and rummages through the detritus near the wall a moment before coming up with a long, sturdy branch. He approaches the chest, gives 'Cynwen' some side-eye, and reaches out with the stick.
*poke*
*poke poke*
*poke poke poke*
"Is that an ARM?" he asks Cynwen, after a moment. Then, Penelope gracefully alights atop the chest, and Leo stops poking it, and looks back at Josephine. "...Allow me."
Leo holds out the stick before Penelope. "Come on," he says, and he whistles a little to try and speak bird. "Here's a better perch."
DG: White Knight Leo has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Adventurer Adaptation.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Adventurer Adaptation *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You enter a room to find A chest! What luck. The thing is an earthy brown except where its frame glitters with gold leaf detailing. Who would leave such a thing here? You approach, but something about this chest doesn't quite seem right. Like, for instance, the fact that there seems to be a vine poking out of the back of it. It also seems to be a bit too fleshy for a treasure chest. Is it a mimic? But there does seem to be a faint outline of something inside-- a glimmer of gold, even. How does one safely open up some kind of chest mimic plant without risking life and limb? =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong says, "Be careful, Jaqueline!"
He steps forward but he slows down shortly after. "Uh." He sees Penelope landing on the chest. He sees the chest about to opens it maw and--
Fei lashes out with what's immediately available! Not his hand, of course, that'd be stupid but...
A paintbrush. And he tickles the Mimic's 'nose' with it. This may not be intentional.
The important thing, he thinks, is that Penelope is safe.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, Adventurer Adaptation.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ===================<* CHALLENGE - Adventurer Adaptation *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- You enter a room to find A chest! What luck. The thing is an earthy brown except where its frame glitters with gold leaf detailing. Who would leave such a thing here? You approach, but something about this chest doesn't quite seem right. Like, for instance, the fact that there seems to be a vine poking out of the back of it. It also seems to be a bit too fleshy for a treasure chest. Is it a mimic? But there does seem to be a faint outline of something inside-- a glimmer of gold, even. How does one safely open up some kind of chest mimic plant without risking life and limb? =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
=====================<* The Feral Menagerie - Round 4 *>====================== =====================< Results - Adventurer Adaptation >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 40 --(5)--> 45 Pass Penelope 3 Wits Effects: Resilient and Liabili ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Malfi 40 --(5)--> 45 Pass Portable Scanner 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ White Knight Leo 35 --(10)--> 45 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 35 --(5)--> 40 Pass Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 50 --(20)--> 70 Pass Conditions: Treasure(1) Effects: Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Malfi has posed.
The Mimic shudders at Fei's tickling, then something happens that no one would've suspected. Penelope fluffs her feathers and plotzes right on the "treasure chest," which stops moving, as if considering. Then it spews forth a handful of gold coins.
Fertilizer, that's what a plant-based lifeform would value! Try not to think about what you'd have to do to get the *rest* of the gold.
Malfi looks at the bird with new respect. Maybe she's not an ordinary pigeon; maybe she's a sentient being in the shape of one. Malfi knows more than a little about shapeshifting...
She allows the rest of the party to collect the coins before they move on.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Kitty Krowd *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- An unsettling quiet descends as you enter another of the Menagerie's chambers. It's quiet. Too quiet, even. The sort of quiet that is, in fact, disquieting. And then you feel something brush against your leg. Something velvety soft and rumbling in a vaguely comforting way. It's a cat? A totally ordinary jet black cat. Upon inspection, it looks up at you with big, bright green eyes and squeaks out an adorable meow. And then another, and another, and quickly you notice that the cat is in fact comprised of some kind of velvety shadow that was in fact hiding a vast number of affectionate felines. Progressing through the veritable tide of shadow-cats without stepping on a tail and provoking a nasty clawing will be difficult, but it must be done. The question remains, however How many years of bad luck is this, exactly? =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Vault==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
After all the excitement they've been through, things are suddenly rather...quiet. Jacqueline frowns, as she leads the others through the hallway of the Menagerie.
Of course, she didn't want to say it was too quiet, because that was when bad things started to happen.
As soon as this thought comes to her head, however, she feels something brush up against her leg.
"A-ah!" Jacqueline yelps and steps back, looking down. That's when she sees it - a pair of bight, bright green eyes looking up at her.
It's a cat.
A perfectly ordinary black cat.
...Wait, no. It is in fact an uncountable number of cats, grouped together in the form of another cat.
And there are a lot of these cats.
"...Ah. You wouldn't be related to Schrodinger by any chance, would you...?" Jacqueline comments. Off-handedly, she draws out a plate from her bags as well as a bottle.
The contents within is not a potion, however...but the exact same kind of treats she keeps on hand for Schrodinger, just in case.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Kitty Krowd.
<Pose Tracker> Malfi has posed.
Malfi gapes. There are Fraulosses on Lunar. Correction. There are LOTS of Fraulosses on Lunar. And they all seem to be here in this room, milling about her feet. "Fraulosses," she mutters to her companions. "They shy away from bright light. It has to be brighter than a fire." If the cats had room to make a path, better to persuade them to create one than to risk stepping on their tails. Malfi wishes she had some catnip balls -- but, no, those had been left behind on Filgaia. "We should be able to get past them if we move carefully," she instructs. She had captured this kind before -- but they were on Filgaia, too... She hoped someone there was looking after her creatures while she was away. No telling when -- or even IF -- she'd return home. She tried not to think about it...
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Schrodinger?" Fei asks, doubtful such a cat exists, but he hasn't observed the cat so it could exist or also could not exist. Nevertheless, he tries to edge around and not step on any cats.
He honestly tries his best to not step on cats, but this is Fei we're talking about here.
- YOWL*
- HISS*
- FFFT!*
Fei has a bad time.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Kitty Krowd. DG: Malfi has used her Tool Blackest Coffee toward her party's challenge, Kitty Krowd.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Kitty Krowd *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- An unsettling quiet descends as you enter another of the Menagerie's chambers. It's quiet. Too quiet, even. The sort of quiet that is, in fact, disquieting. And then you feel something brush against your leg. Something velvety soft and rumbling in a vaguely comforting way. It's a cat? A totally ordinary jet black cat. Upon inspection, it looks up at you with big, bright green eyes and squeaks out an adorable meow. And then another, and another, and quickly you notice that the cat is in fact comprised of some kind of velvety shadow that was in fact hiding a vast number of affectionate felines. Progressing through the veritable tide of shadow-cats without stepping on a tail and provoking a nasty clawing will be difficult, but it must be done. The question remains, however How many years of bad luck is this, exactly? =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Vault==========================================
<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.
"Frauwhats?" Leo says, turning to 'Cynwen.' All he sees are a bunch of very strange-looking cats--recursive cats?--but cats, nevertheless. "I don't know what these Frau-something-or-others are, but I do know cats. And if we don't have light..." Leo reaches for the rope ladder coiled up at his belt, and pulls it free. Slowly, Leo unwinds one end, and dangles it above the cat-composed-of-cats.
It's tantalizing. It's battable. And Leo is using it to lure the cats off to the side so Fei and the others don't get more than slightly clawed.
DG: White Knight Leo has used his Tool Rope Ladder toward his party's challenge, Kitty Krowd.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Penelope looks at the stick Leo offers her disdainfully.
Which is the point where... that happens.
Josie wears the sort of expression one might bear if they were looking directly into the camera. "Penelope..."
But hey, there's gold for the taking, whatever the reason behind it. Though the chest is most definitely alive, so there's that problem.
Josie stoops to gather up a few of the coins before moving on.
Penelope meanwhile eventually departs her new friend after a little bit of preening, winging after the group as they make their way down the hall ahead, ultimately alighting on Josie's shoulder.
It's Jay's cry that breaks the quiet that's settled in. "What is it--" Josie calls out, already unholstering the gun and training it on...
A cat?
...
......
"How many of them are there?"
A pause.
"Huh. It's like they're taking up most of the floor. ...They shy way from the light, do they?"
Josie holds out her palm and utters a brief incantation. A jelly-like ball of glowing light bursts into being over her hand, which she of course directs cat crowd-wards.
"Let's give this a shot, shall we?"
Pause.
"Oh, and step lightly. I doubt they'll take kindly to getting trod on."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Kitty Krowd.
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>=========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Kitty Krowd *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- An unsettling quiet descends as you enter another of the Menagerie's chambers. It's quiet. Too quiet, even. The sort of quiet that is, in fact, disquieting. And then you feel something brush against your leg. Something velvety soft and rumbling in a vaguely comforting way. It's a cat? A totally ordinary jet black cat. Upon inspection, it looks up at you with big, bright green eyes and squeaks out an adorable meow. And then another, and another, and quickly you notice that the cat is in fact comprised of some kind of velvety shadow that was in fact hiding a vast number of affectionate felines. Progressing through the veritable tide of shadow-cats without stepping on a tail and provoking a nasty clawing will be difficult, but it must be done. The question remains, however How many years of bad luck is this, exactly? =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Vault==========================================
=====================<* The Feral Menagerie - Round 5 *>====================== ==========================< Results - Kitty Krowd >=========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 40 --(5)--> 45 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 45 --(5)--> 50 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Malfi 45 --(5)--> 50 Pass Blackest Coffee 2 Agility Effects: Resilient ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ White Knight Leo 45 --(5)--> 50 Pass Rope Ladder 2 Agility Effects: Quicken ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 40 --(10)--> 50 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 70 --(30)--> 100 Pass Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Vault(1) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has successfully explored The Feral Menagerie!
==========================<* The Feral Menagerie *>===========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - My Little Chimera *>======================
|Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
Finally, you reach the center of the chamber. The pillar's light dims as
spiderweb cracks begin to form across the crystal catalyst it carried. With
a soft pop like the sound of a breaking eggshell, the sphere shatters into
hundreds of tiny shards. The light it contained still remains, however, and
gently lowers something strange and dark down to the ground at the pillar's
base. When the light fades, the thing within uncurls and yawns its three
heads. It struggles up to its tiny feet and shakes off the lingering motes
of light still clinging to its fur and scales and looks up at you with its
three pairs of eyes.
It's a baby chimera! And it seems as though it has somehow imprinted onto
you. You seem to have acquired a pet! Caring for a chimera isn't easy, but
if raised properly, it can become a lifelong companion. How long do chimeras
live for, anyway? Maybe there's a book on the care and keeping of these
things hidden somewhere around here.
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
This is...seriously a lot of cats. But fortunately, the party has an idea. Quite a few of them are drawn to the treats Jacqueline sets out, and even more find the prospect of something to bat at completely irresistable.
Fei...well, everyone knows how it goes with him. Predictably, he ends up stepping on some of the cats. Predictably, they get angry and start clawing at him.
Fortunately, acting on Malfi's advice, Josie produces some light that scares them away, meaning that he doesn't get too scratched up.
In this manner they're able to proceed without difficulty. It looks like they slipped into some sort of side-path, and at the end of it they find what appears to be a small, bundled something.
...Until it curls up and looks at them all with three pairs of bright, shining eyes.
It looks like one of the chimeras they encountered before, but much, much smaller and much more adorable.
...And then, it lets out a little mew. No, a hiss? Or maybe a bleat?? No, all three at once!
"A-aww...this one's actually kind of adorable... Is it...a baby? I thought those pods grew them, but..." Jacqueline comments. She reaches out toward it...and in response, the three heads both try to nuzzle up to her hand.
Jacqueline kind of melts internally.
Oh no.
It was too adorable.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei is all clawed up along his legs, in fact he tenses up when he sees an egg popping open. He slows down, raising his hands defensively only for it to be a ... a baby looking at all of them.
Granted, the baby is a baby chimaera and the party may have punched out or stabbed their mother. He crouches down and takes a look at the chimaera. "Aw... they like you."
One of the heads spots Fei and the creature waddles up to Fei after letting Jay pet them for a while. They look up at Fei and then promptly start licking his bloody legs.
"Hnnn...!!" Fei grimaces.
"Um, maybe...maybe there is something they like better than the blood of adventurers...?" Fei manages.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
It is perhaps an infinite set of black cats. "Hey-- Junior, hold up a... oh. There he goes," says Josie, light still shining from her hand as she continues to tread forward across the hallway. Cats fortunately slide away from her -- just as 'Cynwen' had said, they're photophobic creatures.
In time she makes her way into the chamber beyond.
Light glimmers across the surfaces of the walls, the structures in this room...
And on the small bundle curled up in the middle of the room.
Josie brings the light forward.
"...Huh," she says, at the sight of the tiny creature as it blinks three sets of eyes blearily in the light, then, after a nuzzle of Jay's hand, starts to wobble forward as unsteady as a 4-week kitten towards Fei.
"...Don't that beat all," Josie says from the sidelines.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline chuckles slightly as she watches the chimera waddle up to Fei and begin licking at his legs.
"Hmm...I'm sure we could think of something." Jacqueline replies, then smiles. "They seem to really like you, though. Why don't you take them with you? I'm not sure what would happen to them, left alone in a place like this..."
Such, it would probably be better to leave the chimaera here...but that seemed like it would be more than a little sad.
She was sure this absolutely couldn't go wrong.