2018-11-21: A Village Seized By Life
- Log: A Village Seized By Life
- Cast: Loren Voss, Gwen Whitlock, Lan Lilac
- Where: Lost Village Fereshte
- Date: November 21st 2018
- Summary: An investigation into the rumors surrounding the Fereshte is initiated... though what is found at the heart of the ensorcelled migrant town may be more than what those venturing to it wish to see. A mystery maintains its boundaries.
DG: A party led by Loren Voss is now entering Lost Village Fereshte. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Behind the Aurora *>======================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The Fereshte were once a prominent Baskar nomadic tribe in the steppes of Arctica. Those versed in Ellurian history commonly know them as experienced nomads and traders, and their priests are renowned for their worship of Odoryuk, possessing healing powers. But the story ends the same anywhere you dig -- the village of Fereshte was destroyed a long time ago, and no longer exists now. Central to this service was the chosen of Odoryuk, called the Heritor, who wielded a Medium of Life and devoted their life to the service of the Guardian. Which makes the rumours all the more wild, that the once-lost village of Fereshte within the Veruni Control Zone now lives on in the present age... a sheer impossibility in every manner of being. Whatever the case may be, you have decided to strike out for the village -- and find that the rumours are, bafflingly, true. A bustling village of perhaps fifty-odd people is visible below you past the roots of a great petrified tree, its yurts and other buildings surrounding a totem of Odoryuk, the Guardian of Life. But something feels quite wrong as you approach -- the air is thick and suffused with energy. Those with the means to know feel a strong veil of positive Ley energy permeating the atmosphere... and it has manifested into a beautiful barrier that shields entry. You will need power to break through the shield of life and descend into the village. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Gebler's arrival into Elru -- the forbidden, cursed continent, insofar as their history and past sorties here have gone -- has been quiet.
At least for now. Perhaps soon, a show of force will finally be warranted, but before that comes the planning.
And for that, the information gathering.
That means taking stock of the land and in particular, any anomalies. Of which the rumor of a village 'reborn' has come worming its way out of the desolations of Elru.
So quite specifically for a part of their efforts here, this now means the on-site investigation by a certain young medic, his Baskar 'assistant' and... friend? in the form of one Gwen Whitlock, known Useful Person.
Even if Loren, himself, is positive that she's cluing in, if she hasn't actually clued in already.
No matter, a resource is a resource.
Right now as they ascend a hill to the outskirts of the village, he's long since passed cursing his fortune and descended into some sort of curse-ridden nirvana state. He'd been expecting danger, probably death. He'd been expecting it to be colder -- he's not dense.
But this? This is awful. The cold is awful. The steppes are awful. How anyone survives out here is a mystery to him.
"Watch the site be deserted," he mutters, grousing as he clears the hilltop. "Just wat..."
His silence is palpable.
The village is very much alive. Bustling, in fact.
"...Fine," he sighs, at the universe at large. "I guess we get to go take a look."
Something, though...
weighs heavy in the air at approach.
And only grows heavier, up until and to the point where passage becomes impossible.
Life in the village, just beyond the auroral barrier continues as if nothing is amiss. They do not appear to hear. They do not appear to see.
Loren rests a hand against the barrier and receives to what will appear to Lan and Gwen to be a bit of a shock. He takes a hasty step back. "What the..."
Before bewilderment gives way to irritation. "--Fine. If that's how you want to make this go, then--!"
Rock lurches from the frozen tundra, spiraling towards the glittering barrier with but an invocation of will.
He's already cold and he's not walking back to camp to submit a report that he was kept out by a sparkly wall. It's just not happening.
DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Behind the Aurora.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Gwen is likely as clued in as anyone really could be, without directly sticking her nose into things. 'Thomas Blackwell' is anything but a med student, or whatever he claimed himself to be once upon a time. He's a soldier from some city in the sky, a concept that Fei and others did not allow Gwen the pleasure of romanticizing. So, no paradise in the sky with waterfalls and rainbows.
But Gwen also knows, however, is that Loren is a grumpy, grumpy young man who secretly used his gifts to save a child from a decade of treatments and pain from burn injuries. And for that, he has her respect, and the continuation of her 'help', regardless of how useful it really could be.
There's also Lan here, who seems to be tuned into the same frequency Gwen is, more or less. So she's definitely coming in to help!
"Bah, we're not gonna turn back now," Gwen says with a cheery grin. "Rumors usually have at least a toe dipped in truth. Or some kinda truth, anyway." Gwen seems at peace with how godawful cold it is, her freckled cheeks red from the cold where her scarf isn't there to mask them.
As they crest the hill, Gwen laughs. "Whoah, okay, even I wasn't expectin' this. I was thinkin' there'd be some ruins or somethin' that have some squatters in them."
Her cheer doesn't last too long, as she picks up on the same heavy quality to the very air. She frowns. "Air feels weird," Gwen says, stating the obvious as Loren flinches back from a shock from some invisible barrier. "Buuuut, there's a part of this puzzle I can possibly..." Her words trail off as a rock just decides to free itself from the frozen ground and attempt to embed itself against the barrier.
"A good workout'll get the blood flowin'." She stretches, winding her right ARM around. "A little electricity n' me are basically kin at this point!"
And with that, Gwen just begins unceremoniously attempting to slam her gloved fist against the beautiful barrier. Maybe they shouldn't go in, but hey. They came all this way.
Why not take a peek?
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool ARM-ored Fist toward her party's challenge, Behind the Aurora.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Hopefully this expedition will end up better than Lan's last venture into unknown territory did. Loren already looks extra-grumpy; Lan may like him, but she doesn't always like his tone of voice.
So she's going to do her best to make sure things go smoothly! It'll be easy with Gwen here, she thinks optimistically.
"Ooooooh," she can't help but mumble as soon as they spot the barrier. It really is gorgeous... Seeing something like this just reminds Lan that Filgaia is still a beautiful planet, one worth trying to save. It's not like everybody can just relocate to the moon!!
Lan thoughtfully steps a little further away from the chunk of boulder as it picks itself out of the ground. "I guess we can't just look for a key or something," the shaman sighs, though she's really just trying to convince herself.
As long as the people inside the barrier aren't disturbed, it should be okay, right? Lan chooses a spot halfway between Gwen and 'Thomas', takes a running jump, and throws herself hell-first at the wall. "HAA!"
It's not like she had a better idea...!
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Behind the Aurora.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Behind the Aurora *>======================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The Fereshte were once a prominent Baskar nomadic tribe in the steppes of Arctica. Those versed in Ellurian history commonly know them as experienced nomads and traders, and their priests are renowned for their worship of Odoryuk, possessing healing powers. But the story ends the same anywhere you dig -- the village of Fereshte was destroyed a long time ago, and no longer exists now. Central to this service was the chosen of Odoryuk, called the Heritor, who wielded a Medium of Life and devoted their life to the service of the Guardian. Which makes the rumours all the more wild, that the once-lost village of Fereshte within the Veruni Control Zone now lives on in the present age... a sheer impossibility in every manner of being. Whatever the case may be, you have decided to strike out for the village -- and find that the rumours are, bafflingly, true. A bustling village of perhaps fifty-odd people is visible below you past the roots of a great petrified tree, its yurts and other buildings surrounding a totem of Odoryuk, the Guardian of Life. But something feels quite wrong as you approach -- the air is thick and suffused with energy. Those with the means to know feel a strong veil of positive Ley energy permeating the atmosphere... and it has manifested into a beautiful barrier that shields entry. You will need power to break through the shield of life and descend into the village. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate=================================================
=====================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 1 *>====================== ========================< Results - Behind the Aurora >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass ARM-ored Fist 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(2) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Loren Voss has posed.
They are very clearly not squatters. They chatter amongst each other here in the distance -- perhaps it might be market day? -- and set about their routines with all apparent vigor.
But that barrier that erupts between them and the village...
The villagers don't seem to even notice it, as if it weren't really there.
"I don't suppose you know anything about this? I believe they are your kin." This is to Lan, in the moments before Loren touches the barrier and gets a light shock.
It's not as much electrical as it is... 'alive'. The feeling you would get from touching the core of someone else's being. The same force in fact that he wills to knit together when he works Ether to mend flesh and bone.
He slams stone into it. The auroral barrier barely ripples. Lan lands heel-first moments after that and likely too gets a mild 'shock' for her pains. For an aurora it's rather sturdy.
But all that comes to a halt when Gwen marches up and introduces her fist into the aurora.
The aurora parts like a curtain...
And the village, beyond, is revealed.
Loren offers a hand up before moving on with all due haste, lest the 'door' decides to close again.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - The Horses Are Bolted! *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The rapid roar of horse hooves fills the air, and in moments, a stud of horses besets your party. These must be the Fereshte's steeds, but they are in no way ordinary -- their flesh is pale, their coat mottled with the gleaming mark of a butterfly wing. Sparks of electricity bounce from one tumor to another, setting fire to blades of grass as they march, their whinnies filled with misery. They turn towards you -- you'll need to be extremely quick and sure to avoid damage from these electrified horses! =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"It'd be interestin' to note the differences in culture. Even on Ignas, seems like the tribes get as varied as
There's.... grass here?
Gwen's fur-lined boots are muffled against the bowing fields of grass. She hears no crunch of snow. She smells the broken blades of grass. It's not balmy out here, no, but it's definitely a complete change from the environments just beyond the barrier.
And where there's grass, there's horses. Gwen's breath hitches in excitement, marveling at this rare sight. Pale skin, strange markings on their skin, and... tumors that generate electricity? "Sound like they're in pain. Lemme see if I can get a better look." She begins to approach quietly, her footsteps telling the tale of a woman who has become well-acquainted with the habits and mannerisms of horses.
Unfortunately, they're not in Ignas anymore, because Gwen just promptly begins booking it in another direction. "Waywayway too wound up! Get out of the fields!"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Horses Are Bolted!.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
It feels like crashing into something breathing. Alive. Lan grimaces, kicks off of the barrier, and lands on her one not-numb foot in the dirt. "Ugh!" Seriously, not even a giant... rock...?
Gwen punches the barrier into submission as Lan stares. That's... that's amazing.
She follows them quickly, unwilling to get left behind if the barrier should decide to repair itself.
Wet grass between her toes is something she hasn't felt since leaving Lunar. The sensation is oddly bittersweet; Lan has to think about something else. Oh, that herd of horses with the... the wings and the growths and Lan turn right back around, sprinting away from the not-horses with a screech. "WHAT IS THAT?!"
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Horses Are Bolted!.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
It's... more comfortable, just beyond the barrier. Still hardly tolerable, by Loren's standards, but a few points of latitude southerly-style biome rather than the wind-swept barrens of a tundra they'd been out and about in just moments before.
This means there's actual grass as opposed to lichens.
"...Huh," Loren comments, glancing about. There's still a distance between them and the village proper, it seems.
The Fereshte are a nomadic people. Thus, they would... have horses?
Loren pauses a moment, glancing over at the horses.
He's no horse afficionado -- quite the opposite.
But something's wrong with--
"What..." What in the Emperor's name is that--
Tumors. He'd know at a glance. What is WRONG with their horses?!
Also, the tumor-ridden horses are crackling with lightning, which prompts Loren to first take a step back, and then second fumble with the device looped around his right wrist under his coat and gloves with his left hand
wince a moment as he feels it pulse in time with his own heartbeat and synch up
and let uncoil a surge of water-tinged Ether. All the pace of springwater, all the speed of an incoming wave-- their muscles now have it.
Hopefully it's enough to outpaced some diseased horses.
"RUN!" he shouts, gesturing widely as he starts to bolt across the field.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Ether Tuner toward his party's challenge, The Horses Are Bolted!.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - The Horses Are Bolted! *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The rapid roar of horse hooves fills the air, and in moments, a stud of horses besets your party. These must be the Fereshte's steeds, but they are in no way ordinary -- their flesh is pale, their coat mottled with the gleaming mark of a butterfly wing. Sparks of electricity bounce from one tumor to another, setting fire to blades of grass as they march, their whinnies filled with misery. They turn towards you -- you'll need to be extremely quick and sure to avoid damage from these electrified horses! =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
=====================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 2 *>====================== ======================< Results - The Horses Are Bolted! >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 5 --(20)--> 25 Fail Ether Tuner 1 Agility Effects: Quicken and Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 5 --(20)--> 25 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 0 --(20)--> 20 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 20 --(10)--> 30 Fail Conditions: Hesitate(1)|Slow(2) Effects: Quicken(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"T-that didn't look like any disease I'm familiar with!" Gwen yells as she runs.
Safety lies just out of reach as another small grouping of screaming, lightning producing horses race in their way, blocking an easy exit. All that the group can really do is dart around them, Loren's ether buying precious seconds to skirt by the herd, but not without some electric bolts for their trouble.
But, at least, they're safe now.
Panting, Gwen looks at the other two, trying to assess their possible injuries, as well as her own.
Loren's going to totally blame her for letting them into this place, isn't he
DG: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>============================= ==============================<* CHALLENGE - Exuviae *>============================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | -----------------------------< Challenge Information: >------------------------------ You come across a beautiful field of cotton grass at the edge of the village. In front of you, several large slats of rocks are piled high to form a tumulus, flowers presented before it. Everything is seemingly peaceful and tranquil. A glowing blue butterfly descends gently upon the rocks-- --and then an arm bursts forth and outwards. An earth-shattering scream rips out from within the tumult. A corpse dressed in strange clothing writhes outward, the process swift as it is grotesque, flesh knitting itself upon the body. In moments, the corpse is a living, breathing being... save the mark of the butterfly's wings bursting out of its victim's flesh. The man detects you -- and slaked with the agony of the resurrection process, draws a strangely advanced ARM and fires energy beams upon you! (NOTE: If your character has knowledge, they will be able to identify the strange clothing and ARM as a Veruni foot soldier's combat wear and sidearm.) =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"Just because they're Baskar doesn't mean they do the same stuff as I do!" she counters Loren as they run. "Not all white people are the same, right?!" Their feet pound against the grass, no longer quite as comforting when it's full of electric abominations.
Lan, at least, is mostly unhurt. A little scorched, extremely frizzy, but for the most part fine. "What the heck's with all the weird stuff in my people's cultural heritage locations recently?!" she hmmphs, staring at the villagers in the middle distance. "First Malevolence, now... 'this'?"
'This' is actually worse than just lightning horses. 'This' is a bad trip. Death on the snowfield...
Lan jumps back with a shriek as a hand shoves it way free of the carefully-laid stones. "NO!"
What... what the hell is wrong with him?! She gapes at the dead man, stirred to action only once a beam of scorching light lands a little too close to her calf, popping the lid from her jug of special purified water and splashing it out in an arc. "GO AWAY!!!"
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Clear Water toward her party's challenge, Exuviae.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren grits his teeth at Lan's rejoinder. "There's still some things in common, aren't there?" he counters, grimacing. "Anyway, forget it -- I can tell that these aren't normal. They've been afflicted with some sort of..."
He trails out, shedding his focus into the tuner.
...The horses are just too fast.
Loren has met some unfortunate horses in his time.
He'd be hard pressed to argue the cases of any of the ones he's encountered against the disease-ridden steeds as they're quite simply chased across the field. The only good thing that can be said is that they don't get trampled.
Though the horses don't have to catch up to them to hand them an entire bouquet of regrets. At least eventually the horses lose interest.
Smoothing down his hair after they stop for a moment to catch their breath (and so on), Loren resumes his earlier thought.
"...Some sort of disease. Oncogenic?" he mutters.
Stones rattle. Slough away. He turns.
Why do these people keep burying their corpses? It's clearly not working properly, he thinks, staring deadpan at the corpse as it hauls up out of the earth.
Wait.
Wait.
"...Veruni?" he utters, actually incredulous now. "Here?"
It raises a lot of questions.
The corpse, marked again by that strange butterfly tumorous growth, opens fire.
Still pained by the resurrection, the beam doesn't strike home. Drawing his blade, Loren closes on the animate Veruni, eschewing defense for a series of over-the-shoulder hewing blows. Quickly. They have to work quickly before it can adapt.
DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Exuviae.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Even if it seems like they're in the clear, Gwen still seems noticeably twitchy since their run-in with those horses. "... Nothin' like what I've seen. Maybe it's unique t'here?" she theorizes aloud to Loren as she trudges ahead, scanning about the peaceful field. A perfect place for a grave as any.
And Gwen is definitely going to use that topic as her means of escaping the very notion of _Screaming Electric Ponies_.
"I heard the Aquvy Basker are pretty much a group all to themselves,, so it wouldn't surprise me none. Even on Ignas, you get differences." She laughs sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "Seems a lot of human settlements on Elru haven't really done so well."
"But this in particular," Gwen begins, gesturing to the field behind them, "is new. Reminds me of some of the weirdness that's popped up in some of the areas that've been experimented on by Metal Demons. Just... they never... well, they kinda want us dead, so people comin' back is..."
Wait, was that actually a man rising out of that grave
"Damn! Lan, get behind me!" She draws her ARM, but makes a small curse as it spasms at her command. It seems to have taken a few too many shocks in that run-in with those horses. "The Veruni've sided with the Metal Demons, so... I guess some've them must've stumbled across here too!" She loads a few bullets quickly unto the bend of her ARM, manually pressing them into place and aiming. "Whoever's here was just nice enough t'bury 'em!"
She tries to spare a grin for Lan, to try to settle her nerves. "Better that we finish the job, eh?" Shots are fired, punctuating the discord between expression and Gwen's actions as her body jerks back with each bullet. See? As long as she doesn't think too hard on it, Gwen'll be just fine.
Silly butterfly man, you're supposed to be in the ground.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Exuviae.
=============================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>============================= ==============================<* CHALLENGE - Exuviae *>============================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | -----------------------------< Challenge Information: >------------------------------ You come across a beautiful field of cotton grass at the edge of the village. In front of you, several large slats of rocks are piled high to form a tumulus, flowers presented before it. Everything is seemingly peaceful and tranquil. A glowing blue butterfly descends gently upon the rocks-- --and then an arm bursts forth and outwards. An earth-shattering scream rips out from within the tumult. A corpse dressed in strange clothing writhes outward, the process swift as it is grotesque, flesh knitting itself upon the body. In moments, the corpse is a living, breathing being... save the mark of the butterfly's wings bursting out of its victim's flesh. The man detects you -- and slaked with the agony of the resurrection process, draws a strangely advanced ARM and fires energy beams upon you! (NOTE: If your character has knowledge, they will be able to identify the strange clothing and ARM as a Veruni foot soldier's combat wear and sidearm.) =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
========================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 3 *>======================== ================================< Results - Exuviae >================================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 25 --(15)--> 40 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 25 --(20)--> 45 Fail Clear Water 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 20 --(20)--> 40 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC --------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------- Leader: Loren Voss 30 --(10)--> 40 Fail Conditions: Slow(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse ==================================< Dream Chasers >==================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan used SPLASH!
But nothing happened!
(Unknown to Lan, it's because the reanimated corpse is labeled 'Veruni' in the metadata and not 'Undead'. Oops! Maybe it'll be fixed in a future patch.)
Loren's sword works just fine for a short span of breaths, until it doesn't anymore. Gwen's rounds blow chunks out of the Veruni's outline, until they start being absorbed. Eventually there's really nothing left to do but... run.
DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Literal Stone Soup *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- You come across the inn in the village square, a large tent designed to accommodate Drifters and travelers. A hearth is set upon a stone plate in the centre, and the air is rather welcoming. You see several Ellurian Drifters seated around the round communal table, laughing and jostling each other with jokes. One of them greets you: "Welcome, friend! Stay a while -- the soup is amazing!" ... on closer inspection, though, their stone bowls are empty. They've been empty for a while, but none of them seem the wiser, digging away at empty air as if it were comfort food. As one of them holds their arm up to sip, you spot a gleaming mark of a butterfly wing from their elbow. You'll need to be gentle and blend in if you investigate this strange mess hall, lest you agitate someone and bring a row into your hands. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren gets in a few good strikes.
While he has the advantage of surprise. Dead and mindless the Veruni might be, it's still a Veruni -- still possessed of a strength beyond that of humans.
The only good thing they can say about this is that they've wounded it enough that it's unlikely to give chase.
Still, as they say: better part of valor.
Loren, at least, hands out a few consumable restoratives once they reach the boundary of the village proper. But their arrival at least has not gone without notice.
A villager ushers them towards a tent, promising free (?) soup. After treking over the steppes, getting chased by horses and then having to tangle with an undead (?) Veruni (and still in armor at that), they don't have to ask Loren twice. Without so much as a 'thank you' he heads on in and sits at the table with the other hungry Drifters...
And lapses into a silence as he's served a decidedly empty bowl of soup.
"Eat up," the innkeeper says with a smile, before swishing away to check up on the others.
He glances alongside himself at the other bowls.
At the others eating air.
With great gusto.
A butterfly mark glitters.
"Lilac. I need your water," he murmurs, gesturing her over.
Once he's got that, he pours it into his bowl. Pulls a wrapped bar of... something from his bag, opens it, shreds it, adds it to the water. Mashes that up with the spoon.
And in an attempt of slight of hand, tries to swap empty bowl for bowl of reconstituted energy bar (Now With Extra Soylent).
Then observes.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Soylent Nutribar toward his party's challenge, Literal Stone Soup.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Gwen breathes in a sigh of relief when she spots the villager, as well as the hungry Drifters cordially invite them in to eat.
For once, Gwen's actions are not ruled by her stomach. "-hey, I was just wondering if, uh..." She pauses as she looks to the offered bowls, because of course she's going to see what food she'll have to forbid herself to even eat.
Ah, the bowls are empty, that makes this easy to resist, hooray, hello nice butterfly
"Looks... delicious. It's been a long trek, y'know?" Gwen draws out a med kit in subtle offering to Loren and Lan, before sitting down at the table, in order to provide the necessary distraction she feels is needed for Loren's plan to work.
Give the people that food, and see if they react. That's a really good plan! "Lemme just patch up a few things first. Been walkin' all this way 'ere n' my feets are real tired! Where're y'all from?"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Medical Kit toward her party's challenge, Literal Stone Soup.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Siiiiiiiiiigh!! Lan huffs for breath, hands resting on her knees as Loren sorts out medicine for them. "I hate that guuuuuuuuuuy," she complains. She doesn't even know him!
It's much better to think about soup, and not how she may be in some kind of weird frozen time loop. With Veruni and zombies and horses that look like they have some unspeakable disease. She's more than happy to follow Gwen and Loren, and sit down at one of the tables. "Huh, what for--?" she begins to ask him, before she realizes what's wrong with this picture. There's no...
Lan passes her water bottle over to Loren wordlessly, digging for a slip of paper in her pocket. Fold once, fold twice, and Lan makes the paper dance on her fingertips as she mutters a chant.
She's just gonna... not interfere. --Wait, he's just gonna give them cold beanwater?! Lan looks briefly upset, but keps quiet. "Y-yeah," she joins in, glancing at Gwen to judge where this is going. "Thanks for sharing! It's really nice of you!"
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Literal Stone Soup.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Literal Stone Soup *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- You come across the inn in the village square, a large tent designed to accommodate Drifters and travelers. A hearth is set upon a stone plate in the centre, and the air is rather welcoming. You see several Ellurian Drifters seated around the round communal table, laughing and jostling each other with jokes. One of them greets you: "Welcome, friend! Stay a while -- the soup is amazing!" ... on closer inspection, though, their stone bowls are empty. They've been empty for a while, but none of them seem the wiser, digging away at empty air as if it were comfort food. As one of them holds their arm up to sip, you spot a gleaming mark of a butterfly wing from their elbow. You'll need to be gentle and blend in if you investigate this strange mess hall, lest you agitate someone and bring a row into your hands. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
=====================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 4 *>====================== ========================< Results - Literal Stone Soup >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 40 --(0)--> 40 Pass Soylent Nutribar 2 Wits Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 45 --(0)--> 45 Pass Paku-Paku 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 40 --(5)--> 45 Fail Medical Kit 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Stupify(2) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Loren Voss has posed.
"Good stuff on a cold day," says the person sitting next to Loren as Loren prepares the bowl, giving the contents a good stir to ensure they reach a reasonably uniform consistency.
It's much the same chatter as around the table:
"Good food," one of the Drifters comments, continuing to tuck into a bowl of nothing.
"Yeah, really hits the spot," says his tablepartner, shoveling in a mouthful of air.
The two women provide the distractions -- Gwen's comment about 'patching an injury' does earn her an odd look from a tablemate but it's only fleeting (she's back to eating her nonexistant meal in no time) -- and their tablepartners continue to 'eat' without missing a beat.
Loren swaps the bowls without incident.
The man sitting next to him just eats it. Without hesitation, and certainly in just the same manner as he had eaten 'soup' moments ago.
"Good stuff on a cold day," the Drifter says again. The butterfly mark glitters.
Loren watches the man eat for a few moments more, his expression trending further towards one of discomfited. He's begun to frown.
Gesturing at Gwen and Lan, he stands and makes as if to leave, without a word or comment otherwise.
Stuff tastes like cardboard. And he ate it without blinking. No, without even noticing...
He's descended into a troubled, thoughtful mood.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Truly Hare Raising *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A bolt of shining energy streaks far too close to you for comfort! The magical attack originates from... several Arctican hares, which are not known to be spellcasters. Despite logic, another gleam of eruptive energy erupts from their mottled foreheads, grafted with glowing butterfly marks. A deeply disturbing presence must be causing this phenomenon nearby. But what? =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"I'm beginnin' to wonder if we should get outta here before one of us develops one of those butterfly markings." Gwen can't find it within herself to smile and at least *pretend* she's not bothered. Not after seeing the way the social interactions simply repeated themselves while they were all watching. "But is this a case of just 'illness struck a village', or is there another cause beyond just 'nature happen-Gughhh--!!"
Gwen flinches away mere nanoseconds before a bolt of shining energy strikes the ground near where she and possibly Loren and/or Lan were, moments before.
Wheeling around, the courier spots the rabbits, and, with the practice of someone who is used to having to hunt occasionally for her meal, she automatically begins loading her ARM once more. "Not sure of my aim right now, but I can aim enough to get my intent across rather than hit somethin'. See if one of you can get closer n' see if you can take a few of those rabbits out. Probably'd do them a favor, in this state." She raises her right ARM and begins to shoot, attempting to take one or two of the rabbits down, while herding the others towards an area Loren and Lan could possibly intercept them. "But if you two got other ideas, I'll do whatever y'need."
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Truly Hare Raising.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
This is... super gross, Lan thinks. Not just Loren's 'soup', but the sight of over a dozen other Drifters caught in whatever illusion has wrapped them up. She's starting to think that even pretending to eat the soup might be what makes you believe it's true.
She's never been so glad to leave a table in her entire life!!
Back outside the inn's ensnaring air of festivity, she tries to shake off her case of the creeps. Yuck!!
"Okay, who gave the rabbits lasers?" she groans, head drooping. "Who does that?!" Watching Gwen as the courier herds most of the rabbits toward her, Lan takes a deep breath and... punts the first rabbit to get near her. "GET LOST!"
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Truly Hare Raising.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"Not yet," Loren answers Gwen, a touch absently as he continues to dwell on the subject. A disease? A curse? Some fallout from the Metal Demon influence around here, or any number of fell presences crawling around this Emperor-forsaken continent?
He'd be lying if he said this place didn't make his skin crawl.
But at the same time, he's not about to just turn around and leave. Not simply because the report would certainly result in a snide comment or three from the higher-ups, but simply because he...
There's something wrong here and he's found he can't let it alone. As much as it repels him he finds himself almost compelled to unearth what it is. Maybe by understanding it, he can...
Well, think about it later most likely because Gwen's yelp has jarred him from his thoughts. "Oh, what is it now--"
Rabbits.
Rabbits that shoot light beams. Not for the first time today, Loren is nearly taken out by a laser shot.
The sword comes free. "On it," he answers Gwen, moving in to strike at those...
strangely mottled rabbits.
Butterflies. Again.
He swings his blade.
DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Truly Hare Raising.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Truly Hare Raising *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A bolt of shining energy streaks far too close to you for comfort! The magical attack originates from... several Arctican hares, which are not known to be spellcasters. Despite logic, another gleam of eruptive energy erupts from their mottled foreheads, grafted with glowing butterfly marks. A deeply disturbing presence must be causing this phenomenon nearby. But what? =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
=====================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 5 *>====================== ========================< Results - Truly Hare Raising >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 40 --(0)--> 40 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 45 --(0)--> 45 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 45 --(0)--> 45 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Wound(2) Effects: ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Gwen, true to her word, is a lot better at herding those rabbits than she is at actually hitting them, with her ARM in the state it's in.
Lan attempts to end this mess, once and for all, by giving the first rabbit a solid kick into the sky. The first one makes its debut flight well enough, but the second, and the third- not to much. They're too quick, and while the fourth one joins its first brethren in the sky, Lan is about to be beset by the angry rabbit mob.
And then, a flash of a blade, and the rabbits are cut down. Whether Loren intended to or not, he manages to step in in the nick of time for Lan's safety.
"Niccceee!" Gwen gives a thumbs up to the two. "Okay, let's go before more come!" Gwen then turns, darting off towards safety.
DG: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>============================= =======================<* CHALLENGE - Life is too Short... *>======================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 4 | -----------------------------< Challenge Information: >------------------------------ Finally, you navigate your way successfully around the lost village and come towards the most impressive building deep in the heart of the settlement, an octagonal yurt with large doors adorned with the iconography of Odoryuk. This place is purportedly the chieftain's hut, and the dwelling of the-once chosen of the Fereshte's Medium of Life, the Heritor. When you step in, the chill winds take hold once more. The aurora veils the night sky of Elru where the tent's fabric is shredded. The floor is bloodstained and littered with broken furniture. The only object to survive without even a scratch or tarnish upon it is a wall-length mirror on the back... ... which shines with the icon of Odoryuk emblazoned upon its frame. The moment one of you steps in front of it, a humanoid figure emerges from the radiant glass. One, then another, then another, until there is one for each member of your party. At first nondescript, the Leyline exhumes power as it pulls upon the myriad facets of life itself... ... coalescing into clones of yourselves. But these are not dark or malevolent or memory clones as you may have encountered in the past -- this clone instead embodies the question that lingers in everyone's minds, at some point in life: What could I have become? This is the you who took risks when you backed away. The you who didn't let hang-ups and personal pains drag them into a mire of their own creation. The you who owned up to that painful mistake and learnt from it. The you who answered tough, lingering questions and made impossible decisions to get to where they are today. Pure and certain, a beacon of someone who lives their life to their fullest. (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTNhgb0s6qE ) The Ideal You. That is who your opponent is. (OOC Note: Round runners, keep the Ideal self around for the Finale, do not dispatch them in your resolution poses!) =Dungeon Conditions: Secret, Save Point=======================================
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Thankfully, even rabbits can be intimidated by a nerd with a sharp sword. It turns out two working legs aren't enough to win that ass-kicking contest.
"If I'm right, the spiritual center of the village ought to be nearby," Lan tells the others, following the worn stones further in. "I can feel something..." She trails off at the sight of the chieftain's yurt with its middle struts exposed to the sky.
"...But I don't know what it means."
Briefly glancing back at the other two, Lan ducks underneath the tent flap and enters. It's not as dark as she'd expected, but that's no real comfort. That mirror... "Odoryuk," she murmurs, staring at the frame of the mirror. What... is it supposed to be?
She creeps a little closer. Huh, so what? It's just her reflection. Wow, she looks extra good today, especially for someone halfway through an expedition--
The Lan that could have been steps out of the mirror and pivots on her heel, driving the leaf-shaped blade of golden spear for Loren's heart. "HAAA!"
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Clear Water toward her party's challenge, Life is too Short....
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Even if they can shoot beams, they're still just rabbits. Blade bloodied, he steps lively after Gwen as she leads the way.
And for all that, the villagers carry on as if nothing were the matter.
Is this normal?
They duck into a tent -- perhaps as good a plan as any, if there are more of those rabbits lurking about. Or other things, he thinks, reflecting back on the undead (?) Veruni. "We should finish up soon." He glances briefly at the mirror, then back over at the two women. "Perhaps there's something at the heart of the village that might shed some light on what's going on. Did you notice those butterfly marks--"
Lan's reflection emerges from the mirror.
She's not the only one.
Solarian steel drives out as Loren's duplicate swoops in in near lockstep with Lan's own; with a single upwards stroke he batters the spear aside.
This Loren is no taller. Some things never change. This Loren still has a face marked by freckles.
But no glasses.
This Loren wears the dark uniform of a Solarian captain. There is no medical insignia.
"She would have run you through," says Captain Voss, lip lifted in a sneer. "You weren't even expecting it, were you?" His eyes narrow.
"So. I suppose you're my lesser self?"
Loren tenses, as if he'd been struck. Like his brother. It's his own face, but his brother... his brother had made captain at twenty and...
The Ideal Loren doesn't stop there. "You let them push you into medical after all, didn't you?" The captain breathes out a long, weary sigh. "And then what, failed to advance at all over the next two years? You're the same age as me, aren't you?" He slowly shakes his head. "Pathetic. Have some pride in yourself, Voss."
Loren, meanwhile, has been standing there, bloodied blade held before him.
It's been shaking.
Something in him snaps. With a roar, he charges at his better self, to which Captain Voss merely raises an eyebrow, as if to ask 'really?' before indulging him, this time.
Steel rings out inside the tent.
DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Life is too Short....
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
When Lan's reflection steps out of the mirror, Gwen flinches back in shock. "What the-"
And, just as quickly, it lunges for Loren. Gwen's instinct is to intervene, to use her position to draw Loren out of harm's way. If Loren had even the chance to look, the naked concern is clear as day in Gwen's eyes. Could it be ignorance, stupidity, or denial?
It wouldn't even matter, because the courier is stopped in her tracks, her hands clawing at the similar gloves of the hand clasped around her own throat.
Her grip pushing the flailing Gwen backwards, the rest of the Ideal Gwen emerges out of the mirror, following Lan and the decorated Loren. She strides , like the victorious heroine of a novel, long curled red hair cascading down her back, not a single fold of cloth or curl out of place. Similar, but with the charisma, confidence, and grace the current Gwen lacked.
"Trying to find the perfect time to pay back your debt to him? How noble of you. However, he's got his own problems to deal with, and you have yours. Namely-" The Ideal slams Gwen into the ground, a boot crushing against her neck. "Tell me. Did some part of you think you'd be the same person after the blue-eyed assassin took your life? Not even the raw power of the Guardians can grant back that innocence, try as you might to deny your loss. Fear and depression have been snapping at your heels ever since." Gwen chokes as the heel pushes further against her neck.
The Ideal's smile is radiant. "Face it. The assasssin took your heart, and there's no getting it back. All that's left is only a doll, puppeted by ideals they can't even fully commit to, regardless of their abilities." As Gwen squirms again, attempting to grab ahold of her Ideal's leg, the boot pushes further against the courier's windpipe.
"You are what people want, but you're not the person they truly deserve. But don't worry. I'll be the heroine for you. Everything will be just~ fine~~"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Life is too Short....
=============================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>============================= =======================<* CHALLENGE - Life is too Short... *>======================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 4 | -----------------------------< Challenge Information: >------------------------------ Finally, you navigate your way successfully around the lost village and come towards the most impressive building deep in the heart of the settlement, an octagonal yurt with large doors adorned with the iconography of Odoryuk. This place is purportedly the chieftain's hut, and the dwelling of the-once chosen of the Fereshte's Medium of Life, the Heritor. When you step in, the chill winds take hold once more. The aurora veils the night sky of Elru where the tent's fabric is shredded. The floor is bloodstained and littered with broken furniture. The only object to survive without even a scratch or tarnish upon it is a wall-length mirror on the back... ... which shines with the icon of Odoryuk emblazoned upon its frame. The moment one of you steps in front of it, a humanoid figure emerges from the radiant glass. One, then another, then another, until there is one for each member of your party. At first nondescript, the Leyline exhumes power as it pulls upon the myriad facets of life itself... ... coalescing into clones of yourselves. But these are not dark or malevolent or memory clones as you may have encountered in the past -- this clone instead embodies the question that lingers in everyone's minds, at some point in life: What could I have become? This is the you who took risks when you backed away. The you who didn't let hang-ups and personal pains drag them into a mire of their own creation. The you who owned up to that painful mistake and learnt from it. The you who answered tough, lingering questions and made impossible decisions to get to where they are today. Pure and certain, a beacon of someone who lives their life to their fullest. (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTNhgb0s6qE ) The Ideal You. That is who your opponent is. (OOC Note: Round runners, keep the Ideal self around for the Finale, do not dispatch them in your resolution poses!) =Dungeon Conditions: Secret, Save Point=======================================
========================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 6 *>======================== =========================< Results - Life is too Short... >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 40 --(20)--> 60 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 45 --(20)--> 65 Fail Clear Water 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 45 --(20)--> 65 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC --------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------- Leader: Loren Voss 80 --(0)--> 80 Fail Conditions: Save Point(1)|Secret(2)|Wound(1) Effects: Cleanse ==================================< Dream Chasers >==================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has failed this challenge! The party gained 0 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ==============<* CHALLENGE - ... to Wonder What Could Have Been *>============== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The battle is intense. Both you and your Ideal self have been tested to your very limits. And what did you glean upon the mirror in the midst of that battle? Perhaps it was an aspect or two about yourself that you refused to face up until now. Or perhaps, you turned even deeper away from pernicious thoughts that nonetheless have a nugget of truth in your heart. Only you can answer that question. But it is nonetheless evident, at the climax of the battle, that you and yourself are fairly evenly matched... and if you or your Ideal self continues, no one will walk away from this cleanly. In other words, the price is life itself. (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5l6XPZxZ8c ) Battle is not the answer here. The Ley continues to flow throughout the room, the very power of the reflection that has borne manifest here, sourced from the mirror itself. If you gaze deep enough into the mirror, and search deep into the Ley itself... Perhaps it is there that you will find the hint. A seemingly minor clue, but one that could be the first step to resolving the dissonance... =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
She doesn't understand. Why would... why?! Lan gapes as another her, one so much like herself but so far beyond as to be a new kind of creature, is knocked away from her target by the blade of another Loren. The Lan that could have been lands on both feet and launches herself again, silent as the grave.
That Lan, apparently, has learned the value of letting actions speak for her - or that her enemies will rarely let her talk them into submission. The blade lashes out again, this time for Lan--
Who jumps back, limbs coiled up beneath her to soften the landing. "Are, are we really going to fight these things?!" she yelps, and lobs her water bottle for Gwen's doppelganger's skull just in time to hear not-Gwen say 'that blue eyed assassin'.
Lan's heartbeat stutters in her chest. Nnn. No, this isn't the time, don't think about it, don't talk about it in front of her--
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, ... to Wonder What Could Have Been.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The blue-eyed assassin.
But right now, Loren's attention is focused in one singular point.
For what it gets him, at least.
There's really only one way this fight ever could have gone. Even if he hadn't become drowned by that sudden rage -- even if he had taken the time to think and react as he'd been instructed, there's no helping wielding a few months actual training against... years.
Years, and years. This Loren uses the blade with precision and deadly grace, the likes that he could only ever dream of possessing.
The Scholar's Razor is knocked from his hands, falling to the floor with a clatter.
Loren's rage dies on the vine. He takes one, two, then a third step back, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
Captain Voss huffs out a breath that might be vaguely annoyed, shakes his head, and lowers the blade.
"At least you're learning where to stop. Hmph. I see how it happened... you believed what they said about your talents. 'Apply it where it's useful', right?"
Something in Loren's expression gives -- gone distant, back into the mists of time.
"But you forgot about your dreams. Or were you still... thinking about that?"
Something shifts in the mirror behind his double. Loren's gaze tracks it.
"I... no, I gave up on that a long time ago." He stares at the mirror now.
Suspicion colors the captain's expression; that Loren hazards a glance back at it.
And Loren, reaching into his bag with all the speed of a striking serpent, palms something there and hurls it for the mirror.
Captain Voss rounds on him but--
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Soylent Nutribar toward his party's challenge, ... to Wonder What Could Have Been.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Ideal Gwen is startled by the water bottle hitting her head. Impressively clear blue grey eyes focus on Lan, and the woman smiles, as if the Baskar just was unable to figure out just what was the best deal for her.
It's just enough of a distraction for Gwen send a foot against her own Ideal's chin, rocketing up from below.
Lan's Ideal is rounding up on Lan herself, while a dispirited Loren stands in front of his.
"By chance," Gwen sharply rebukes back at this finer, more impressive-looking soldier that is Ideal Loren, "would y'know what to do if someone with burns came into your care? I mean, an idiot like me, well. Sometimes I need to be told that I'm misjudgin' what I'm seein'-"
Time is up. The Ideal Gwen, now recovered from her startled position, attempts to grapple with the courier.
Bullets fly, at least one of them seemingly in Lan's Ideal's direction. A distraction, perhaps, or chance? Another shot.
Gwen's trying to fight all of these Ideals, on some level, at the same damn time.
_I know I'm the last person who should be crawling towards a Guardian like this._
Loren throws something at the mirror, and his Ideal rounds on him. Gwen makes a push against her Ideal, trying to take their battle straight into the Ideal Loren's way.
All the while, Gwen cries out, with her not-quite-human heart.
"_Odoryuk_!"
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, ... to Wonder What Could Have Been.
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== ==============<* CHALLENGE - ... to Wonder What Could Have Been *>============== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The battle is intense. Both you and your Ideal self have been tested to your very limits. And what did you glean upon the mirror in the midst of that battle? Perhaps it was an aspect or two about yourself that you refused to face up until now. Or perhaps, you turned even deeper away from pernicious thoughts that nonetheless have a nugget of truth in your heart. Only you can answer that question. But it is nonetheless evident, at the climax of the battle, that you and yourself are fairly evenly matched... and if you or your Ideal self continues, no one will walk away from this cleanly. In other words, the price is life itself. (BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5l6XPZxZ8c ) Battle is not the answer here. The Ley continues to flow throughout the room, the very power of the reflection that has borne manifest here, sourced from the mirror itself. If you gaze deep enough into the mirror, and search deep into the Ley itself... Perhaps it is there that you will find the hint. A seemingly minor clue, but one that could be the first step to resolving the dissonance... =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
=====================<* Lost Village Fereshte - Round 7 *>====================== ================< Results - ... to Wonder What Could Have Been >================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 60 --(0)--> 60 Pass Soylent Nutribar 2 Wits Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 65 --(5)--> 70 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 65 --(5)--> 70 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass Conditions: Secret(1)|Treasure(1) Effects: Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Loren Voss has successfully explored Lost Village Fereshte!
==========================<* Lost Village Fereshte *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Threads of Life *>======================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- With a loud and harrowing burst, the mirror's lustre fades. The clones give you one last look -- a confident look, before dissolving into clouds, returning deep into the mirror's surface. For now, the bizarre artifact has lost its power and must recover, and you are safe from its strange reflective machinations. Searching the Heritor's tent, you find a large spindle of softly-glowing thread, laced with the colour of moonlit silver. The thread, despite being thin and lightweight, is remarkably strong. The applications are numerous if you craft it into an appropriate Tool. (NOTE: You may choose to apply for a Tool that incorporates the Enchanted Thread! Examples include resilient climbing rope, a magic-resistant cloak or even a fishing rod. The reliability of the magic makes the going easier and more comforting, suggesting a Stalwart or Resilient Tool.) =Dungeon Conditions: Vault====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"I would find someone who knew what to do and entrust it to them, of course," Captain Voss retorts coldly, sparing Gwen -- the real Gwen -- but a glance. "I have need for only one thing. To bring glory to my people."
The mirror glitters, a cold counterpoint to the fray that erupts.
A thrown waterbottle delays Gwen's double a moment.
Granting Gwen the time to reach for the mirror, calling for the Guardian of Life.
Does the Guardian answer?
Can the Guardian answer?
The surface boils like mercury.
More than mercury. All the colors of the aurora shine for a moment.
And the packaged nutrition bar strikes the silvered glass with a solid whack.
The glass doesn't break, but something beyond the surface shifts.
Fades.
With one parting glance at their counterparts, the Ideal selves fade.
The tent is again silent and still, the mirror nothing but glass.
What had just happened here? And why?
And of the town...?
It'll still be the same tableau when they all exit. Nothing has changed.
Nothing has changed here for a very long time.
The mystery endures.