2019-03-20: To Love Is To...
- Log: To Love Is To...
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Catenna, Ethius Hesiod, Cyre H. Lorentz, Josephine Lovelace, Elvis
- Where: Love's Cradle
- Date: March 20, 2019
- Summary: A group attempts passage into the depths of Love's Cradle, in pursuit of K.K. and Ragnell, in an effort to stop their plot. Takes place shortly after The Dark Colossus.
DG: A party led by Jacqueline Barber is now entering Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================
====================<* CHALLENGE - The Order of Things *>=====================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The Fallen Sanctuary has many secret passageways. Wings that only the Baskar
could know -- perhaps even only the Elw before them. And yet...
Come...
A voice. A warmth. Beckons you. Guides you. Towards a secret entrance
leading into a foyer that looks notably more ostentatious than the simpler
trappings of the rest of the sanctuary. Bedecked in the regalia and symbols
of love, it is clear what this place is -- a wing dedicated to the Guardian
Lord, Raftina. There is warmth here. The power of the Ley thrums strong.
There is something else here, too. A sickly feeling that pulses along the
same beat as the Ley, only slightly off. Discordant. Anomalous. It can be
felt here acutely, beyond the closed doors of the foyer. They are magically
sealed in place, surrounded by symbols of Guardians and insets in which to
place them. Each correct placement makes the Leyline pulse all the more
stronger, weakens the seal on the door further. Eventually, it will open.
But do you have the time to spare--?
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
They all knew what was about to occur. The Trial Knight and the Seraph Ragnell were descending into the Fallen Sanctuary and if they were not stopped, they would drive the Anomalous Orb straight into the heart of Guardian Lord like a bullet.
And if that happened...
...Jacqueline didn't need to think twice. And so, she gathered her friends and headed deeper into the Sanctuary, hoping to locate them before they could enact their plan.
This is perhaps deeper than anyone has ever delved in quite some time. There is no map to guide them...but there is a voice.
Warm, beckoning, guiding...toward a secret entrance.
"That voice...the Guardians...?" Jacqueline murmurs. She follows it, eventually finding herself in a more ostentatious part of the Sanctuary.
"These statues, these symbols...this must be...Raftina." Jacqueline murmurs. "They're...going after the Guardian Lord of Love..."
...Jacqueline's brow furrows somewhat. Love...it was very important to her. That they would be threatening her...she feels all the more like she can't allow this to pass.
But alongside the warm feeling, there's something else - a sickly, discordant feel...
They must be on the right path. But before they can get through, they must pass through a door sealed with symbols of the Guardians, and insets to place them in.
She looks at the gathered party.
"...This should be fairly simple for us. Try to be quick, I don't know how much time we have." She says, then moves. She gravitates toward the symbol of Grudiev and, by instinct more than knowledge, looks it into place.
The Leyline pulses more strongly, and the seal weakens. But there were more symbols left to place.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Order of Things.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
This time, she decides, I will go in with what brought me here.
Catenna got Cyre to bring her a change of clothes. With her faith-mask discarded, she fell back on her light armour and plated boots, and she approaches the sanctuary with her bow at the ready, clutched in her shooter's glove. It feels more familiar than trying to blend her heart's beliefs with the dehumanizing facelessness of her people's traditions.
Something beckons - Talise can't be sure if it's the voice of the Guardians, or something else, but that anomalous beat in the firmament of existence tells her all she needs to know. Things are already off. Pressing her lips together, Catenna moves towards those symbols.
"Interesting that the Trial Knight would choose love," the Moon Shaman murmurs as she begins to move symbols with the ease of someone who simply knows them all.
She doesn't elaborate. Even the Owlet is silent, the tiny bird moving to try and push a couple symbols around with her wings.
It helps. A bit.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Saarda-Shanta toward her party's challenge, The Order of Things.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Jay doesn't have to say it twice - arguably, she doesn't have to say it once. Like clockwork, Ethius already has that sorcerous eyeglass out. Its usage is well-defined among his regular traveling party - the ability to determine what parts of a contraption or arrangement are connected to what. One small burst of Symbological electricity later, its soft light is cast upon the environs.
The sickly feeling speaks of a precursor to something gutwrenching, heart-stopping... but he does not seem to pause much, if at all. The man, at his worst, seems uncontrollable and beholden to almost no one when he goes about his more pragmatic and destructive, seemingly thoughtless acts.
This sort of thing, for all the trouble it causes, seems to keep him in the mindframe of simply getting to work on it.
He lowers the lens from his face. "The fluctuations in here make this a difficult read... but I do believe there is a clear connection between this third symbol," he should say Fengalon, "and this inset."
They have no time for mistakes.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Spectral Lens toward his party's challenge, The Order of Things.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Somewhere deep within this sacred place, someone aims to shatter one of the very cornerstones of the world. And with that someone is another, whose treachery is responsible for this dark turn.
Thus, for Cyre Lorentz, vengence is once again the name of the game.
"He did say that he did all this for 'love,'" Cyre answers as he makes his way toward a familiar symbol. The shaman reaches out, gently shifting the glyph of Fengalon into place with a quick arcanum of wind. "But..."
"Do you feel that?" His ears twitch, eyes flickering furtively. "It feels almost like what my brother was doing, back in Xibalba. We need to hurry, I'm not sure we have much time."
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, The Order of Things.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
This shouldn't be Josie's problem. There are more than enough people who would see it all handled, without any need for her to bother. Hasn't it been more than long enough since she's tended to her real work?
And yet. ...And yet. Here she is.
What it all came down to, she decides in the end, pausing a moment just outside the temple, is that they crossed her path.
And she's still mad.
She doesn't specify about what, even to herself.
And it's into to the heart of that that something calls out to her.
Beckons her in, nearly in a trace, to this place where -- parted from the other Black Wolves -- she's left to stand in the foyer with several of the others. Slowly, she sets down the cannon.
"So that's it, huh."
The presence that throbs in the air. The Anomalous Orb.
Her gaze follows Ethius for a moment; she reflects on past encounters a moment more.
Then, with a shake of her head, strides over towards the doorway ahead. "Don't suppose anyone would do a girl a favor?" she asks, already lighting a cigarette in even this place as she gazes up the regalia lining the corridor.
She gestures at a display a short distance overhead. "That statuette up there shouldn't be. Wrong era, for starters. And I don't even think that is the Guardian of Love."
...So what is it?
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Order of Things.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
This was it. It was time to end the troubles the Trial Knight has caused over their recent foray. And while Drifters and other sorts knew only a vague location, a voice around the Fallen Sacntuary draw in those ready to end the threat for good.
Having recently spoken to some of their top units in the field, Elvis found the healing supplies he needed to restore himself after the fight with the Sword Dancer, and close in on the sanctuary. Even now, others gathered closeby. "Hrn. You lot seek to do battle with the fiend? Very well."
Elvis may as well attend them if the have no objections. "A strange choice. Perhaps it had something to do with their notions of letting us know where they were. If they intend to kill the planet, why inform their assailants?"
The time for speculation was past, and the time for actio nwas now.
Before them lay a glyphed passageway, led there by a soothing voice, an ancient one at that. Eyes study the pattern-work and runes. "Such kinds of magic are always mere equations." A massive book is pulled forth, and a page is flipped open. Studies and rubbings of old Elw patterns and glyphs gotten from scouting ruins. "Let us see how quickly we can put this together."
"I hope you all are ready for what lay ahead. Expect anything. They will know we are coming."
DG: Elvis has used his Tool Copious Research Notes toward his party's challenge, The Order of Things.
====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================
====================<* CHALLENGE - The Order of Things *>=====================
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The Fallen Sanctuary has many secret passageways. Wings that only the Baskar
could know -- perhaps even only the Elw before them. And yet...
Come...
A voice. A warmth. Beckons you. Guides you. Towards a secret entrance
leading into a foyer that looks notably more ostentatious than the simpler
trappings of the rest of the sanctuary. Bedecked in the regalia and symbols
of love, it is clear what this place is -- a wing dedicated to the Guardian
Lord, Raftina. There is warmth here. The power of the Ley thrums strong.
There is something else here, too. A sickly feeling that pulses along the
same beat as the Ley, only slightly off. Discordant. Anomalous. It can be
felt here acutely, beyond the closed doors of the foyer. They are magically
sealed in place, surrounded by symbols of Guardians and insets in which to
place them. Each correct placement makes the Leyline pulse all the more
stronger, weakens the seal on the door further. Eventually, it will open.
But do you have the time to spare--?
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless=================================================
===============<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 1 *>=============== ======================< Results - The Order of Things >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elvis 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Copious Research Notes 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Saarda-Shanta 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Spectral Lens 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Reckless(2) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(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> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"You mean," Cyre mutters, idly taking up the role presently left vacant by the absent Lydia, "What... ley ahead."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"...Yeah." Jacqueline comments, glancing toward Catenna. "Courage, Desire, Love, Hope... They're all vital for people...for Filgaia. Any one would've worked..."
She looks toward Cyre, then. They did this all for 'love'... She goes quiet, taking a moment to consider this. There was a lot they could've meant by that. The Trial Knight...they were an enigma, but Jacqueline couldn't couldn't dwell too long on that. Cyre was right - they probably wouldn't have much time.
But it seems they're not alone here - soon, another familiar face shows up.
"Josie?" Jacqueline remarks, surprised. She wasn't surprised to see her up and about already - she knew Josie was a tough one. But she's perhaps a bit surprised not to see her with the rest of the Black Wolves. Still...it was good to see her. They needed all the reliable allies they could get.
"You think so? But if not...then who?" She considers, with a frown. But, as she's considering this, another appears - a man with a large presence.
"Elvis? You're here, as well." She says. She's a bit surprised to see him, considering who he is. But...he was helping them.
"Yes...we can't just sit back and let them hurt Filgaia." She agrees, then frowns. "...Maybe they wanted to see if we could stop them. ...Or maybe they just wanted to make us watch them do it."
It was hard to say why.
Regardless, they all get to work. It's fairly easy for them to put everything together - they're all fairly knowledgeable in the Guardians, and have Elvis's notes and Ethius's lens to help them make connections between tiles that have become worn with age.
It clicks into place, and with one strong pulse of the Ley, the door opens. Speaking of the Ley, though...
...Jacqueline tries to suppress a chuckle at Cyre's joke.
"Th-this is hardly the time or the place..." She says, but from the smile she's trying to hide it might sound a bit hypocritical.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>===================== ================<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare *>================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- "I neVER WANTED THIS!!" A long hall, filled with pillars and pews, bedecked in tiled walls and the religious decor of the Church of Althena. There is no sound; this place is buried deep. Surrounding you, on all sides, are statues of people, haphazardly arranged. A priest here. A commoner there. A noble. A knight. A Hellion... a Guardsmen... ... and then you realize... ... these aren't statues. They're real people. Petrified in stone for all eternity. At the end of the hall, an exit, shining brightly... and a woman. Dressed in the white, immaculate robes of one of Althena's cardinals. Enshrouded in a veil of Malevolence. "Fear is the only thing that WORKS!" A scream of frustration and despair. The woman transforms into a serpentine Hellion with head of hair composed entirely of snakes, her eyes slitted, her expression zealous. Every angry flash of them turning -anything- that dares it dares to look at, any who look at -her-, into stone. Saint of Fear Cardinal Runette Forton Make your way. Swiftly. Do not let the stare of fear paralyze you now. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Who knows," Josie says, ultimately turning her cigarette down towards the floor to grind it under bootheel. "Maybe it's something they put here. Or maybe someone else used this place once."
The doors open and she rounds back towards her cannon, hefting it up with a grunt. "I don't get their motives, anyway. What do they get from this, the kicks of offing a Guardian Lord?" She shifts the cannon's weight.
"...Don't even know if it'll really do what they said... or why they bothered with a warning or whatnot. Ngh... pain in the ass..."
It's unclear if she means the cannon or the duo they're chasing with that last comment.
Though at least there is a dry dead chuckle at Cyre's joke.
"We could all die pretty soon, Jay -- I'm up for a few last lame jokes if that's the case." She smiles lopsidedly, an expression that is not really mirrored in her gaze, and heads in through the door.
To some people here, the scene before them may be immediately familiar.
Josie, for her part, looks about as baffled as a country boy on his first day in the city. "The hell...? This isn't the ruin, is it? Looks like..."
The woman's eyes are blazing. She stalks forward. Her hair writhes--
That's not hair.
Josie is aware of the scrabble of pigeon claws across the back of her neck -- Penelope hunkers down. And for a moment, the archaeologist stands there as if stunned.
Something... isn't... right...
Rising from her reverie, she bites back an oath. "--Damn! Don't look at her, just--"
Her gaze settles on a pair of doors, far and away.
"--Just move!"
As quickly as she can while bearing a cannon, she legs it on yonder, dodging past statue after statue. Each of them wears an expression of frozen horror.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
A frown crosses Catenna's face as she begins to move along behind Josephine. "The Trial Knight often seems to do this," she says quietly. "Their actions have always been destructive, but... orchestrated, and ultimately surmountable."
<If this is a trial, then the stakes are higher than they need to be,> Saarda-Shanta observes drily.
When Josephine starts musing about dying soon, the Moon Shaman shakes her head. Before she can speak, though, they push through the door and find themselves--
"I don't know where this is," says Catenna, who restricted much of her wanderings on Lunar to the land of Meribus.
The woman Catenna doesn't recognize starts towards them - and Catenna widens her eyes as she immediately recognizes what mythic beast is at play here. "DON'T LOOK AT HER," she echoes Josephine, louder and more urgent, as she throws her arms over her face and whirls to put her back to the phantom of the Cardinal of Rolance. The Owlet promptly dives into Catenna's hair and hides her eyes from the petrifying sight.
As best she can, Catenna feels out with one hand and with memory, staggering across the room.
She glances off a statue. "I'm sorry," she manages irrationally before stumbling on.
DG: Catenna has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"What she said," the wind-walker snickers despite the awful, unnatural power thrumming through this supposedly sacred place. "This is not the time to be giving in to despair or desperation. We need to stay focused, keep our spirits up, never stop hopin', and most importantly--"
Cyre clenches a fist tight. The wind howls mightily, "We can never forget that there's a certain someone who still needs to answer for all this. We can't go quietly into that good night until after everything is properly taken care of."
But--
Catenna raises a good point.
Why did the Trial Knight do... all this? Everything he's done? What reason is there behind it all?
...But more importantly: Does it even matter? Whatever his reasons, what he's doing now needs to be stopped-- no matter what.
But then... Statues. Statues everywhere. Cyre casts a curious stare at the twisted visage of a petrified hellion in mid-pounce. Is it really a statue...? It's so lifelike...
'DON'T LOOK AT HER.'
Oh, there's a snake lady with a petrifying gaze at the far end of the room. Cyre clicks his teeth and suddenly tears the outer layer of his robes free from around his shoulders. "Go!" he yells, the wind stirring into a frenzy as he rushes for the door, "Don't worry! Keep your eyes open, find the fastest way out! This should keep her busy for a little while!"
Keep her busy...?
Indeed.
Because that loose layer of heavy cloth is even now swirling through the howling winds! It's going... Right for the snake-woman's face.
Where a vortex of wind will make sure it stays, to keep her many eyes occupied...!
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Reverse Parachute toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius passes gazes over Josie and Elvis. Her gaze on him is not missed. The man codenamed Owl has a glare that is not unlike one, at times, as though a waiting predator in darkness who sometimes seems to care not that they can be seen seeing.
It lingers longer on Elvis as he pontificates and professes the urgency of the situation. To the Veruni who has given the most outreach to the Drifter crowd, the intensity of his gaze might be a little unsettling and also very rude.
Maybe he admires the cravat, and is taking the opportunity to do so while he can. It is a nice cravat.
When they step forward into the hall, with the pillars, Ethius stops. He makes up the rear as he takes in the colors. The architecture...
"...Pendrago." The man's voice tightens. "This very chamber--"
The statues. The arrangement of what statue lay where. The silhouette of the woman ahead... a hand goes to his forehead.
The hand clenches into a fist. This is new. He murmurs to himself. Usually he is good at keeping his voice down.
"...My memories." He does not do that this time.
From the very beginning, Ethius has been honest (...probably?) and forthcoming (...for once?) about his lost memories. The last three years of his life are all he recalls. These exact details, these exact words. Only one person among them could be able to recall this.
Himself.
His stare intensifies. Somehow. He slams the butt of his quarterstaff against the hall ground, a thundering, startling echo.
"So it appears the Anomalous Orb has taken my memories, despite my very precautions..." Ethius states. As the Hellion transforms, Ethius knows the exact route to take to avoid her movements. He elects to find a raised position from a sturdier statue after he wraps the harness for hte Hot Air Sack around his wrist. His casting technique is flawless from there, even bodily moving as fast as he does climbing atop that statue and boosting off. He remembers this is about the part where the Gorgon slithered in the direction of one of Rolance's own knights and his sorcerous counterpart. The inflated Hot Air Sack lets him drift up, up, up...
"Stinger." He drops down behind her, slamming the butt of his staff against the tail and throwing her further back. He will not give her space to recover as he takes the staff again, lunging straight for the monster's face - to violently shunt her gaze aside by pressing the tip of his weapon against her head, up against the wall.
"Far Point!" Ethius' eyes narrow. It's not a question of whether he'll avoid the Gorgon's gaze. These are his memories. He knows how they played out.
The issue is whether he will stop chasing a phantom that has since seized to be, and yet, a question must be asked -
This man has been seeking his memories for years. Should he not be relieved that there is a remote possibility he's going to find them?
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I-I guess that's true..." She admits. They were right...now was the time when they most needed to keep their spirits high.
They couldn't let fear and despair win out. With that decided she passes through the door, only to end up...in a Church of Althena??
This was not right.
And what's more...statues were dotted about the room. Statues that were...all too realistic. And what's more, they were not alone here. There is one person who was not a statue - a woman in the white robes of a cardinal.
"W-wait a second...is that...who I think it is...?" Jacqueline comments, struck by surprise. Why was she here? Wasn't she-
A scream of frustration and despair interrupts her thoughts. Josie and Catenna's warnings reach her ears and she averts her eyes just in time and bolts, looking directly down at the ground and reaching into her bags for a bottle. She downs it quickly, using it to shake off a bit of the fatigue from before.
She'll have more for the others when she meets back up with them.
But the pressing question is...why was she here...?
Ethius's words provide a bit of context.
"Your memories...? Is that why you were so insistent before...?" She asks. She doesn't look at him, though - her eyes are firmly pointed at the ground.
Rather than try to avoid her, though, Ethius attacks. Jacqueline does not stop him. This...was just a memory, after all.
It was already too late.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
"Well, this matter concerns all of Filgaia, does it not? It would seem you Humans and..." a look to Cyre. "What you might be, as well, could use some help. The Trial Knight is a fierce opponent after all." Cyre ilicits a longer look as well. Scientific curiosity, of course.
Unfortunately his joke goes over the Professor's balding head.
The seal is broken with some sleight of hand and quick thinking. "Let us not tarry. Far more threatening obstacles are surely ahead!" THere was a twinkle of excitement in his eyes from that puzzle. Perhaps there might be more that require one to think...!
As Elvis walks, he considers his current company. An interesting lot. Josephine, which has endured parental trouble no young lady should. Jacqueline, leading her merry band ever onward. Catenna, the one blessed by a spirit most powerful. Cyre, a seer of the land, closely aspected with the wind. Ethius... was a strange figure. Acting aloof and distant, but to what end? Surely he had his reasons. Elvis spies his glare, and peers back. "Mm?" he breaks the stare with. "Hum, an analytical sort, are you?" That would be his first guess anyway.
"Perhaps to toy with us, young man," he replies toward Cyre. "Threaten to destroy an incredibly important thing can bring those who defend it to many things. Courage. Anger. Enlightenment."
"The Trial Knight thinks himself the victor, and yet-- in telling us, they knew we would confront them. Perhaps to die well and make a story that could be recalled one day, somewhere, far away. Perhaps somewhere inside they want to be stopped."
"Direct success no longer makes sense by their actions. I wonder..."
The room ahead is a peculiar one. "Quite lifelike..." he says, studying a beastman statue. A glow and movement, and Cateena shouts. "Oh, lovely...!"
Elvis does as he says, and barrels for the nearest exit. He will try to avoid statues. Try being a key operator. "A cheap tactic to attempt to unsettle us!" A heartbeat goes by before he recants his statement. "No... that is too convenient. Too simple. Are they trying to remind us of our own past ordeals?" But why?
DG: Elvis has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare.
=====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>===================== ================<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare *>================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- "I neVER WANTED THIS!!" A long hall, filled with pillars and pews, bedecked in tiled walls and the religious decor of the Church of Althena. There is no sound; this place is buried deep. Surrounding you, on all sides, are statues of people, haphazardly arranged. A priest here. A commoner there. A noble. A knight. A Hellion... a Guardsmen... ... and then you realize... ... these aren't statues. They're real people. Petrified in stone for all eternity. At the end of the hall, an exit, shining brightly... and a woman. Dressed in the white, immaculate robes of one of Althena's cardinals. Enshrouded in a veil of Malevolence. "Fear is the only thing that WORKS!" A scream of frustration and despair. The woman transforms into a serpentine Hellion with head of hair composed entirely of snakes, her eyes slitted, her expression zealous. Every angry flash of them turning -anything- that dares it dares to look at, any who look at -her-, into stone. Saint of Fear Cardinal Runette Forton Make your way. Swiftly. Do not let the stare of fear paralyze you now. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 2 *>================ ==================< Results - Anomalous ~ The Gorgon's Stare >================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josephine Lovelace 5 --(5)--> 10 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elvis 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catenna 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyre H. Lorentz 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Reverse Parachute 1 Agility Effects: Rally and Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Hot Air Sack 2 Agility Effects: Resilient -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Jacqueline Barber 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Reckless(1)|Slow(2) Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(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> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Guess we'll see if the pattern holds... or not, eh?" Josie comments to Catenna. Her gaze is heavy-lidded, her expression difficult to read.
The point in Ethius' favor is the part where he assisted against her father.
The part that isn't is the fact that Josephine is a lady who knows how to nurse a grudge.
"No kidding," Josie comments, shaking her head but once. "I ain't in a forgiving kind of mood. Hell, I'm not even sure I'm in a listening kind of mood."
Sure, she wonders after it. Their reasons. What the point of this is.
But at this point she's already made up her mind about what she's going to do.
But at this moment they have more pressing matters to contend with. Catenna, Elvis, and Jay -- downing a potion -- join the rush for the distant door.
"Your memories? So you were--"
A wrong turn sees Josie smash right into a statue; it strikes the floor and shatters, leaving her to stumble across the rubble.
Fortunately for her:
Between the howling whirlwind directed at Medusa, followed by the strike against her from Ethius, much in the way of precious time is purchased. Thus very much 'waylaid', the Cardinal-turned-Gorgon is easily evaded, even with the statues to contend with. They pass through the doors, without further incident.
DG: Catenna has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================== ==============<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight *>============== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ----------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------- "Hey! You're not going ANYWHERE!" There is a entryway. Anomaly pulses. ... and then there is a very tiny boy with a very enormous forehead standing in front of that entryway. His hands on his hips. His expression imperious. His stature scrawny. Extremely scrawny. He's like -- he's just -- it's sad. "I've been training for this day...!" It's really not obvious. DAN HE DOESN'T DESERVE ANSI To get past, you'll have to bravely push a little boy out of the way. He's really just -- not budging from that spot. And he keeps rambling. Sometimes it's about his sister. It's very uncomfortable. Maybe just give him a light shove. It's not that hard. It might be a little refreshing? Really just keep walking and the situation will probably resolve itself. Is this even an Anomalous vision--?? =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"Is it safe to open my eyes?" Catenna asks once they're through.
She does. Blinking a little to adjust herself, she gives herself a shake and straightens herself up slightly. She flicks her hair back with a toss of her head and starts forward once again. "We need to hurry. Whatever the Trial Knight is doing--" Ahead of her, there's an arched entryway, a set of stairs beyond it. Catenna moves towards it--
Anomaly pulses.
"Hey! You're not going anywhere!" a voice shouts all of a sudden.
Catenna practically screeches to a halt as she realizes that someone has stepped out into the entryway - someone she hasn't seen before.
Someone small. Someone ginger. Someone with an enormous forehead and a scrawny build. Someone with his hands on his hips and his chin raised defiantly, as if ready for a fight.
"I've been training for this day!" the little lad proclaims boastfully before putting his fists up in a terrible imitation of a boxer's pose.
"Put 'em up!"
DAN
'THE KID WITH NO ANSI'
Catenna opens her mouth slightly, then closes it. She blinks at Saarda-Shanta. The Owlet blinks back, both of them baffled.
"I'm sorry someone has upset you," she offers with a bow of her head, "but we must continue on."
Dan gives her the raspberries. A few drops of spittle hit Catenna in the, uh, chest. She lowers her eyelids.
DG: Catenna has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Unfortunately, the terrible nature of this warped place is such that Cyre won't be getting back his outer robe any time soon. This might prove to be only the first of many wardrobe malfunctions in the course of this adventure to save the planet. As reality gives way, Cyre resigns himself to his fate and prepares to face the next challenge.
But what is it?
...Who is it...?
Who is... This...
Uh.
"...Forehead," Cyre observes, feeling suddenly more than just a little bit speechless. And definitely, DEFINITELY feeling a healthy amount of... pity.
That... That hairline.
Alas, all notion of good will vanishes when said balding manchild raspberries his lady. "Hey!" Cyre growls, taking TREMENDOUS OFFENSE. "That's rude! Didn't your parents teach you any manners?" He huffs, moving to help dab Catenna off. "What a brat. Let's just go."
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius gave everyone so much headaches about 'interfering' on Lunar. Putting two and two together about word that traveled out, what with Ethius' reaction to meeting Cardinal Forton... the way he moved to dispatch them as though he knew exactly what he did to help make it work.
He must have been one of her assassins. Why did he move to kill a major political figure? This, after what he put Josie through when they fought against one another.
Ethius' intensity does not abate as he storms into the following chamber not far off from Catenna. When Dan appears, his thoughts flicker back to when he and several others came to visit a newly formed bandit shanty town from Lahan's ruins, how they got caught up in a fighting ring.
"...This is the champion of an underground fighting ring," Ethius remarks matter-of-factly, and the phrase should probably be matter-of-fancy because what? Him? He sure doesn't look it.
Ethius starts walking in wide circles, quarterstaff pointed at the angry rambling young man as though expecting to be picked up and tangled in a caged fence mesh. It is an unnecessary precaution. He might need to be physically pulled past, mistaking the young boy's lack of offensive for anticipation of something dire.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
They manage to evade the Cardinal safely. Jacqueline breathes a sigh of relief and allows herself to relax, just a little.
"Yes, it's alright." Jacqueline confirms to Catenna. She moves forward, and flinches at the sensation of an anomalous pulse.
Someone emerges a young boy with a giant forehead. It's...
"Dan...!? What are you doing here...?" Jacqueline gasps in surprise. And if the last one was Ethius's memory, then where was the one for this-
Oh.
But...this wasn't her memory. This wasn't the Lahan Shanty Town's fighting arena. No...this must be his memory. Jacqueline feels a pang of sorrow in her chest.
Her reaction, therefore, is...quite a bit different.
She takes a quiet moment to pass out some potions to everyone. The boy isn't much of a threat - that makes this a good place to rest and recuperate from the previous harrowing experience. And with that done, she turns to face Dan himself.
"Dan...I...I haven't given up on Fei. I don't blame you for...feeling angry, and hateful toward him...but...he's doing the best he can, every bit at a time, to make things better." She explains. "You don't have to forgive him...but you can't let hate rule you forever. You're still so young, and there's a lot left ahead of you..."
She knows it's not the real him - and this version of him hadn't encountered her yet, in fact, so in the end, all of these words were likely to just wash over him pointlessly.
They were for her own benefit, really. To make her feel just a bit better, by that much.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
The escape from the snake-haired woman is simple enough, keep running and youll get away. This works especially well when Elvis needs to because he tends to go right through walls like breakaway props. THis time was not needed, as he got through a door normally.
"...Not going to pursue? Huh." A wide-shouldered shrug, and the Sentinel keeps walking. I am sure the next threat imposed will be even more dangerous, so stay on guard!"
CUE DAN.
"...Are you serious? A child?" The Professor is however cautious to approach. "Careful! He could have some kind of curse or black magic up his sleeve!" Dan blows a raspberry toward Catenna. "...Or not."
He already donned his gloves with a lightning fast motion! What are they supposed to do now? It was just a kid? Elvis just sighs. "Fine I'll deal with him."
and thus
Elvis just kinda strolls over
tries to pick Dan up
sets him to the side
and dusts his gloves
thrilling
"Can we please proceed now?" states the Professor, gesturing toward the exit. A look to Dan. "And this is no plce for a young boy!" Great, he is scolding the apparition. he would be shaking a finger at him but it is currently wrapped in a glove, so he is shaking... a wrapped fist? Kinda liek a boximg glove deal.
This is embarassing.
DG: Elvis has used his Tool PALB-3106 Power Gloves toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
She grunts, making doubletime to get through the door with the cannon before the Hellionized Cardinal can catch up to them. "Where's... Junior when you need 'im..."
A child stands before them.
"...Uh?" Josie pauses for a moment. She glances at the kid, looking him up and down. Then back over at the assorted group she's joined up with. Then back at the kid.
She sighs, setting down the cannon for a moment and lifts a hand to her forhead. "...Kid. We don't have the time for this. You've got two seconds to get out of here--"
Elvis intercedes, in a fashion.
"...Got a kid of your own, professor? Heh." With a wince, she lifts the cannon again.
"C'mon, this thing is killing me slowly."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight.
======================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================== ==============<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight *>============== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ----------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------- "Hey! You're not going ANYWHERE!" There is a entryway. Anomaly pulses. ... and then there is a very tiny boy with a very enormous forehead standing in front of that entryway. His hands on his hips. His expression imperious. His stature scrawny. Extremely scrawny. He's like -- he's just -- it's sad. "I've been training for this day...!" It's really not obvious. DAN HE DOESN'T DESERVE ANSI To get past, you'll have to bravely push a little boy out of the way. He's really just -- not budging from that spot. And he keeps rambling. Sometimes it's about his sister. It's very uncomfortable. Maybe just give him a light shove. It's not that hard. It might be a little refreshing? Really just keep walking and the situation will probably resolve itself. Is this even an Anomalous vision--?? =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
=================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 3 *>================= ================< Results - Anomalous ~ The Ultimate Dead Weight >================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Brewte Force 1 Brute Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Josephine Lovelace 10 --(0)--> 10 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elvis 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass PALB-3106 Power Gloves 3 Brute Effects: Fanfare ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catenna 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyre H. Lorentz 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Save Point(1) Effects: Strengthen(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> Catenna has posed.
Catenna blushes as Cyre helps her to dab herself off. "I don't think he means badly. I wonder where he came from... I have never met this boy, anyway."
Jacqueline, however, has! But the memory isn't hers. Catenna watches the alchemist a moment, her cheeks colouring as things begin to become clear.
"Fei," she murmurs.
Dan just plants his hands on his hips. "Of course I can hate him forever! He killed my sister! I'm not going to forget that, you know!"
Then she gives Ethius a look. It's a slightly shocked look. Her eyes snap to Josephine next, and she holds her hands out in a helpless shrug.
On Catenna's shoulder, Saarda-Shanta is beginning to lean forward, her wings coming up.
Elvis preempts the need for that.
"Hey!" Dan squeals as Elvis hoists him. The boy kicks and flails and whacks at Elvis's... forearm.
It doesn't do much. Elvis casually picks him up and sets him down. Catenna blinks rapidly, then sighs. "...Very well, then," she huffs as she rushes onwards.
"NO WAIT COME BACK I WANNA BEAT YOU UP," Dan shouts ater them, flailing helplessly at open air and jumping up and down.
DAN
CHAMPION OF THE UNIVERSE
DG: Elvis has drawn a new Challenge.
====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>==================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name *>=============== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- This chamber is large. So much so one might feel insignificant in comparison. Dome-like in structure, it carries carvings of bygone days when the Guardian Lords were more a presence in the world -- art depicting Raftina's interactions with shaman, and the Elw. There is a single path forward. A door. And then space l u r c h e s. ...Call upon my Name... Where once was a door, something unnatural, anthropoidal, and bloated occupies. Immense, with an octopus-like head and distending eye-studded feelers writhing beneath it, its body seems to wobble and shift unnaturally with every warping pulse of the Anomalous Orb beyond. A thing of bloated corpulence. The sign of Muse shines upon its head. ...and walk beyond the Ley... The Primarch of Muse -Rahab- A shell of pure Ley encapsulates this creature. Attacking it directly will only cause a certain end. Something ill scratches at the back of the mind, making it difficult to think. There is a small gap in its defenses, but wits and planning must be used to overcome this foe, rather than brute force. Can you find the way? =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Secret==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
The Dan child finds only stone-like dense forearm to hit. Elvis jsut squints as he moves the child. Only enough force needed to effectively move him, not a smidge more. Even if it was a specter of the Orb. The man proceeds with the rest of the party. "Her name's Carol, he responds with toward Josie. A Human I adopted. She is far more well-mannered than whoever's kid that was. Much smarter too! And adorable, and accomplished and WHY CANT I FIND HER," he blurts out suddenly.
There's a second of silence. One can almost hear a lip being bitten into. "It's fine, lets just... go on."
The room ahead seems to be some sort of gathering hall, are extavagant antechamber, far bigger than it has any right to be. Murals and bas reliefs in colorful stone depict the Guardian Lords and their appointed chosen along with Elw from the far past. "Seems like standard passing," Elvis says, his voice carrying a slight echo.
But something else echoes here. The very fabric of reality. A pulse of the Orb, and the portal ahead reshapes, contorts.
'...Call upon my Name...'
Eyes. Tendrils. A vaguely familiar colored shield. that shields that distended body-and-head. Numerous eyelids, if they can be call such, retract from bulging eyes fit to pop from tentacles and body. A thin sheen of light reflects off the slimy flesh,cast from the shield.
'...and walk beyond the Ley... '
The creature was quite large. The tendrils cascade outward in a pattern, almost attempting to feel out prey more than use its jaded and profane eyes to sense. The sign of Muse is prominent as the only semblance of a solid object on this being. Looking upon it makes your mind feel as solid as the bloated mass before you.
And yet, the creature is not without weakness. Despite its superior protection, it moves slow, and the tentacles move in a predictable pattern. So many of them however. It was attempting to thread the needle in a kinetic art scuplture.
"Well then," Elvis states, gazing blearily upon The Prophet of Muse. "We are going to have to go past. I would not tamper with that Ley shield. "Another large tome opens. A few pages flip, and it opens to... invertabrates?! "Hrn... attempting to trick it may work if you can fake it out and give a good opening to pass around the backside of its body. Just be careful!"
Elvis moves to attempt a duck-and-weave to get around it. Eyes track his movement closely.
As do most of the other eyestalks track individual members of the party.
DG: Elvis has used his Tool Copious Research Notes toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
As Elvis begins to tell Josephine about his child, Catenna's mouth opens a little. Without realizing it, she begins to reach for him.
She stops with her hand held halfway out. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she lowers her eyes to her shoes.
"If I can help you find her, please, I would like to," she offers the huge Veruni, quietly but earnestly.
The room ahead gives no time for any such kind feelings. Eyes. Tendrils. Something comes forth that is a construct of memory - but not Catenna's. She had heard of this only in the vaguest terms.
But the energy is familiar enough. Clicking her teeth together, she drops into a defensive position, an arrow drawn - but even to look at it is to overwhelm her, and she looks away as something horrifying begins to scrape and grate in the back of her mind. Something primitive and reptilian threatens to claw its way into her consciousness.
<I would imagine this would have been difficult to forget,> muses Saarda-Shanta, entirely too calm about this fragment out of time. <But if you follow Elvis's advice....>
"It hurts," Catenna manages, wincing. She forces her eyes not towards the anomalous Primarch, but towards Elvis --
Tendrils reach for the huge Veruni - and Catenna acts on instinct. She darts away, then forward, sprinting on an odd, curving course, and leaping in the middle of it to sail over a tendril and land to roll beneath another--
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Saarda-Shanta toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline doesn't have a response to that - primarily because Elvis takes the obvious way out and just...picks Dan up and sets him aside.
Yeah, that'll work.
She bows her head apologetically and continues forward, looking toward Elvis.
"You still haven't found her...? I-If...If she's as smart and accomplished as you say she is, then I'm sure she's fine... Take heart, okay?" She says, showing obvious concern. She reaches up, offering a large man a gentle pat on the shoulder.
...Well, as high up as she can reach, anyway.
The next chamber seems normal...for the most part. It is only when they approach the door that things shift, and Jacqueline hears a voice - as much in her head as it is heard.
It's an all too familiar voice. She pales considerably, backpedaling as far away from the door as she can.
"I-I've...I've seen this one before, too! It's...the Primarch of Muse..." Jacqueline murmurs. "Whatever you do, don't let it into your head! It tries to trick you, manipulate you, turn you against those you care about!"
She takes a deep breath.
"I've fought you once before. And I'll do it again, as many times as I have to." She states, then gestures with her left hand.
Earth-aligned energy begins tearing through the shell of Ley encapsulating it.
"Muse is Water, vulnerable to Geo - Earth! Its weakness is earth-based Sorcery!" Jacqueline shouts. "I'll try to make an opening..."
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius' expression darkens to... some context. It could be anything, at this point. He's been on edge since the encounter with the memory - his memory - of Cardinal Forton and there doesn't appear to be any dulling it. Not before a grieving child. His gaze tracks to Elvis' as he steps guardedly past Dan into reality breaking apart and his head hurting. He wasn't present for this. This is his first time encountering this level of pressure...
He can scarce hear the advice and assurance given by the collected, in so much that they have some.
Good, he resolves, in a place and a circumstance that is anything but. His fingers grasp on the Spectral Lens under a poncho, ducking into momentary cover to withdraw it and go about the Symbological spellcasting to activate it. Is there some central mechanism that governs its--
He can't think the context as it bears down again, a swinging slimy tentacle emitting a noise outside of the concept of noise. His ears are challenged. He is not asking his ears for anything. He's looking for something - an opening, a connection, anything - before shouting it out with a pained effort that breaks the carefully maintained stoic manner he has usually been able to maintain even through mortal dangers no one should.
There is a thought that would dawn upon him were the mental sun not being blotted out by Rahab. He turns a sharp gaze towards the others, the more experienced with whatever this is, as if expecting them to give him the opening he needs to... what, exactly?
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Spectral Lens toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Cyre's fingers twine between Catenna's-- and bring her hand the last few inches to Elvis' (admittedly very high-up) shoulder. "Yeah. What she said. We'll find her one of these days, big guy. Don't worry, I'm sure a fine young lady like her is doing alright for herself."
The moment lasts... for nowhere near long enough. The world abruptly twists into something terrible, something grotesque. A chill surges down Cyre's spine as his eyes fix on the abomination of congealed ley unfolding out of the abyssal dark. "That's..." he mutters, memories flashing across his mind-- of a frozen lake and an awful alien presence breaking out of its frozen prison. "It's that thing from under Wayside. Ixquic's--"
The shaman hisses out a curse as he ducks out of the way of a glistening pseudopod. His eyes narrow, a familiar itching sensation at the back and base of his skull. Hair stands on end, every impulse demands he act out that very animal instinct-- the fight or flight response, driven mad!
"Khh-" The metallic tang of blood. A fang pierces the inside of his cheek, pain cutting through the burgeoning terror like a hot knife. "Underside, huh? Got it...!" As Jay blasts into the ley-shield, Cyre turns his attention to briefly throwing the thing off balance. A column of air, compressed into a thin lance, shoots into the aqueous sphere, streaking to make contact with the ground underneath. It connects, and suddenly depressurizes, causing a geyser of rapidly expanding bubbles to blast straight upwards...!
But is it enough of a window for them to exploit!?
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Whatever faint amusement had rested on Josie's face evaporates. "Oh." She glances away, huffing out a sigh. "...Sorry to hear that." She might be happy-go-lucky, but she's hardly heartless. "Hope you find her. Wasteland's no place for a kid..."
Shouldering the cannon, she presses on.
Penelope, pressed at the back of her neck, stirs before Josie herself picks up on the disturbance in the air.
Something's not right. And it's not just Malevolence or the Orb itself, is
it
"...The hell," the archaeologist utters, gazing up at the writhing monstrosity. She grits her teeth, stare locked still on the Primarch as it impresses itself upon her psyche -- her spirit. One dark eye squeezes shut.
"...Damn... whose memory is this?"
Penelope hops onto Josie's shoulder.
Then, without warning, the pigeon takes flight. Is it an attempt to challenge the--
No. The bird vanishes into the space around the creature, dodging and weaving past it like she has intentions on a new job as a hummingbird.
"...clever girl," Josie murmurs, and, bracing herself, shouts out as if invigorated, "Well, let's get on with it!" before barreling on ahead, taking advantage of the possible opening provided by bird and other efforts alike.
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name.
====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>==================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name *>=============== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- This chamber is large. So much so one might feel insignificant in comparison. Dome-like in structure, it carries carvings of bygone days when the Guardian Lords were more a presence in the world -- art depicting Raftina's interactions with shaman, and the Elw. There is a single path forward. A door. And then space l u r c h e s. ...Call upon my Name... Where once was a door, something unnatural, anthropoidal, and bloated occupies. Immense, with an octopus-like head and distending eye-studded feelers writhing beneath it, its body seems to wobble and shift unnaturally with every warping pulse of the Anomalous Orb beyond. A thing of bloated corpulence. The sign of Muse shines upon its head. ...and walk beyond the Ley... The Primarch of Muse -Rahab- A shell of pure Ley encapsulates this creature. Attacking it directly will only cause a certain end. Something ill scratches at the back of the mind, making it difficult to think. There is a small gap in its defenses, but wits and planning must be used to overcome this foe, rather than brute force. Can you find the way? =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Secret==========================================
===============<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 4 *>=============== =================< Results - Anomalous ~ Call Upon Its Name >================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 10 --(0)--> 10 Pass Penelope 3 Wits Effects: Resilient and Liabili ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elvis 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Copious Research Notes 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Saarda-Shanta 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Spectral Lens 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 60 --(15)--> 75 Pass Conditions: Secret(2)|Stupify(2) Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 15 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> Elvis has posed.
The Prophet reacts to the presence of interlopers on sacred ground. Or perhaps what it considers sacred. The minds of unfathomable beings make for a lesson in folly when trying to understand them.
Glossy tendrils wreath the area around where Elvis is traversing, and begin to encroach. Quick thinking on Catenna's part keeps Elvis from being constricted, but those numerous eyes watch her as she moves. A tendril comes down toward her!
Her moves save her most of the issue, but one tentacle collides with another, and a sickly dark blue liquid gets on both Elvis and Catenna in the process. It doesn't smell too terrific, and contact with it befuddles the mind for a short spell.
A moment to uncross one's eyes will have to be taken. Precious time they do not have.
Jacqueline makes her move as the tendrils right themselves from the collision. The earthen constructs do naught to the Ley shield, but a surge of stone from below props up two of the tentacles at the point where they leave the body. It looks most uncomfortable and seems to restrict movement, if only for a short few seconds before Cyre follows up with another element. Tendrils are gusted into the air and drape onto it like unkempt hair. They are beginning to unfurl back into place, so now may be a good time to pass!
Ethius' Spectral Lens reveals a unique perspective to this foe-- it is a construct of the Orb, and thus, all energy. The Lens shows that magic begins to build up where the tendrils plan to be, giving him a small form of foresight into its actions! Traversing the path should he easier.
A pair of tendrils reach out even for the small bird, but is far too slow to grasp it. As they are occupied, Josie is able to slip by unscatched around the few other tentacles left!
"Bwuh... ugh." Elvis gasps, looking like he is going to upchuck, but ends up not doing so. He looks a little crosseyed for the moment though. "Lets... proceed!" he says, finger pointed to the ceiling. A look to Catenna. "I appreciate the offer! When I begin my search again, I shall let you know!" he says happily. "I know she will be fine! She is smart and talented! I taught her as much as I can!" is said toward Jacqueline.
The man finally looks toward Josephine. "Would you like help carrying that device?" he offers, seeing her struggle with the cannon.
The path extends onward...
DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>========================================= =============================================<* CHALLENGE - Love's Pyre *>============================================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | -----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------------------------- Before you, a pyre of pink and white flames burn. Past it, a door. The Ley pulses here powerfully in this antechamber. The door leading beyond is sealed, magically. An otherworldly sense pervades past that door. At the altar, with its flames, there reads a single inscription, carved by the tip of a blade into stone. Malevolence churns between each beat of Ley. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRULY LOVE A THING? This is an offering. Like in the Hollow before it, those wards will not give without being given something in return. It does not ask for sacrifice. It does not ask for pain. It asks for your love. And nothing but the truest will suffice. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Fright, Reckless, Overzealous==================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The presence of Rahab fades with the evasion of the bloated mass, and that sensation is itself a shock to a mind that can scarce comprehend such a presence. It suddenly being a thing is wrong. It suddenly not is... better, but makes up for it by being disorienting to the senses. Senses that have to recall and conform to the 'correct' narrow range of visible colors and sound, for example.
When they all come to, they will see only pink and white flame. Pink and white flame that does not come for them, nor does it threaten just by being. The Ley pulses, and there is the sense of something of incredible awe awaiting. Something beyond all of them...
...but what's in front of them, in the physical sense, is an altar. Ethius recognizes this - Catenna may remember this was among her first experiences with this trange man, where he decided to help himself in investigating one of Filgaia's first(?) known Malevolence infestations. He holds an arm out to the others as Malevolence flares out with every beat of the Ley.
"...What does it mean... to truly love a thing?" Ethius asks aloud. He's not waxing poetic. That's what it says. The lettering is crystal clear to anyone.
The strange man gets out the fogged-up Spectral Lens, which appears to have accelerated its need to cool down just by trying to behold Rahab. It risks permanent damage if he lets it get too hot, as the more and more opaque surface of its strange glass might remind. One Symbological spell later, he brings the lens to his eye.
"You can be assured," Ethius remarks with more palpable tension in his voice as he speaks, "I will not permit this to bring Filgaia to further harm," he says as he does a casual sweep to see if the way ahead is connected to the door (answer: yes, this is the only way - again).
The Otherworldly Hollow asked for sacrifice, something to give up.
Here... it asks for love.
This man sure doesn't seem like he has any to offer.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Spectral Lens toward his party's challenge, Love's Pyre.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Catenna takes a moment to clean off the blue stuff. It's hideous and she's not fond of it. After a bit of time, she's able to shake it off and fall in with the group.
Soon, though, they're seeing something else. Pink and white flame.
It is not a flame that comes for them. It is simply a flame that waits.
"Shapit lao," Catenna murmurs, a visceral tension twisting her stomach into a knot of spiritual horror. "Naolluth."
For a moment, Catenna stares into the flame that demands she give it what it wants: Not a sacrifice, but love. Love infused with Malevolence that seems to want to consume her very heart.
She draws herself up with a flick of her head. "There is nothing that we can give to this flame that could do Filgaia harm, Ethius Hesiod," she says quietly. "What the flame seeks is the antithesis of Malevolence... and while we may share it, we can never sacrifice it, because the supply of it cannot end."
Catenna steps forward - but not towards the flame. She reaches out with slender hands. They draw up Cyre's arms, and one comes up to cup his cheek, to brush his hair back away from his face.
She rises up on her toes, and kisses him slowly and softly.
The Owlet looks on, having landed on Jacqueline's shoulder for now. <Sometimes I despair of understanding humans.>
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Saarda-Shanta toward her party's challenge, Love's Pyre.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Penelope easily outmaneuvers the thing's tendrils, eventually alighting on Josie's shoulders with what might just be a sort of... terrible pride.
Would she mind if he carried the cannon?
"Wouldn't mind it in the slightest," Josie says, handing the thing over. It might have been purposefully lightened to allow her to haul it about, but she's already had to tote that thing across Elru and that was before she got in a fight with a sword, let alone navigate a temple complex while keeping it in tow. She might be an archaeologist-turned-Drifter, but she has her limits...
Even if those limits aren't going to keep her from continuing on.
Just, sometimes a hand up is welcome.
The horror behind them, what lies ahead is quiet. Peaceful, perhaps, in counterweight to the visions/trials that had been before.
And familiar.
"Just like then." In the depths of the Hollow, it had not been Josephine who had given up something to the pyre.
A few beads rain down upon the floor of the cave. The rest of the necklace is consigned into the fire by Penelope.
Even now the bird's beak worries at the cord.
"...Stop it," Josie says at last, brushing the bird aside.
She stares into the flames, as if daring them to come and take it.
"No. That's all I have left of her. I'm not giving it up, even if it costs the world."
Perhaps this is the form of a sister's love, defiant even when all else is lost in flame.
Her gaze tilts Ethius' way, her gaze a distant, cold one. "When you love something, you'll see everything else go to hell for it." She moves to walk past the pyre. "Come on. I've had enough of this."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Penelope toward her party's challenge, Love's Pyre.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
The next room is quite the oddity. When heads finally clear and breath is caught, ahead lay a beautiful flame, if one ever could be. The color certainly helps. "This must be the work of the Guardian..." Elvis muses. It can't be far now.
The altar; a flame with a request. A most poignant request. Ethius states the inscription. Elvis thinks for quite the time. "It wants an offering. And offering of... love?" the man muses. Surely the flame must consume something, a trigger for a magical dwoemer.
THe Veruni remains silent for a small time longer.
He then begins to reach for books in his pack. One, two three... five? Okay how many large books does he have?
Finally, he comes to a large, brass-bound tome. It looks different than the rest of his research books. Inside, it did have research as well. Mostly pictures. Of a pair of individuals. Sometimes more ,but two are always prominent. One much larger than the other. Several mementos adorn some pages, like a scrapbook. A research scrapbook?!
"Hum."
The man reaches the furthest back pages, and reaches toward a page.
He pulls something out.
A small, cerulean ribbon.
He casts it to the fire. "...I'll have to ask her for another for the book... when I get to see her again."
The man looks toward Catenna and Cyre. Then the Owlet. "You and me both."
DG: Elvis has used his Tool Copious Research Notes toward his party's challenge, Love's Pyre.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Cyre remembers that flame all too well, too. How long ago was that, now? The day when the first murmurings of this blight afflicted the world? A year? Two? And now look, look how far it's spread. Even here, to what should be the very throne of love itself.
And the flame... demands that they give love. Is that a joke? Is that meant to be taken literally? Are they supposed to just... surrender love to the flames, to sacrifice it and see it burnt to cinders?
No.
Because Cyre and Catenna-- it seems that they have the same idea.
His arms lock around her back and shoulders and pull her in tight. Love can never truly run dry. Not while there are still hearts that reach out and seek one another...!
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Cyre remembers that flame all too well, too. How long ago was that, now? The day when the first murmurings of this blight afflicted the world? A year? Two? And now look, look how far it's spread. Even here, to what should be the very throne of love itself.
And the flame... demands that they give love. Is that a joke? Is that meant to be taken literally? Are they supposed to just... surrender love to the flames, to sacrifice it and see it burnt to cinders?
No.
Because Cyre and Catenna-- it seems that they have the same idea.
His arms lock around her back and shoulders and pull her in tight. Love can never truly run dry. Not while there are still hearts that reach out and seek one another...!
It's a bit corny, maybe-- and definitely cheesy, but here in the dark depths of the temple of tainted love...
Here, in the embrace of the woman he loves--
Cyre knows... Love will always prevail...!
(He doesn't hear or notice Saarda and Elvis' conversation. He's... a little busy right now.)
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Love's Pyre.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Rahab is, thankfully, defeated - or rather, this spiritual manifestation is. Jacqueline takes a deep breath. That itching at the back of her mind, indicative of the Primarch trying to make its way in - disappears. She's thankful for that. It was an unpleasant memory.
"It could've been anyone's who was present at Wayside when it attacked." Jacqueline shrugs.
They progress into the next chamber, where, standing in the center, burns a pyre of pink and white flames. Inscribed above it is a single inscription.
What does it mean, to truly love a thing?
"...Catenna's right." Jacqueline says quietly.
"...What does it mean, to truly love a thing...?" She repeats. She looks about to everyone - to Ethius, to Catenna and Cyre, to Josie, to Elvis. "I don't think there's one right answer to that. Everyone displays love in their own, unique ways..."
She shuts her eyes tight, and thinks back - thinking of everyone she loved.
She thinks of her family, who supported her no matter whatever dangerous business she got up to, and give her a place to return to someday.
She thinks of the people of Adlehyde, who remained strong no matter what difficulties were thrown their way.
She thinks everyone she had met on her journey so far - reliable, caring allies, who protected her and she, in turn, protected them.
She thinks of her Caravan Kinship. They, too, were her family now - people close to her heart, who stood by her, followed her into foolishness like this.
And she thinks of Shalune and Lunata, two of the people closest to her. Things were a little strained right now, but...she loved the two of them deeply.
As she thinks of all of them, Jacqueline finds herself shedding a few tears, which she sniffs and wipes away with a smile. A few droplets may yet touch the flame.
"...I know we can be difficult to understand sometimes. ...Honestly, sometimes we have difficulty understanding each other. But we try our best, each in our own ways...sometimes it doesn't quite work, but even so..." She replies, looking toward the Owlet on her shoulder. "Perhaps that's just another form of the love we show..."
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Love's Pyre.
=========================================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>========================================= =============================================<* CHALLENGE - Love's Pyre *>============================================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | -----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------------------------- Before you, a pyre of pink and white flames burn. Past it, a door. The Ley pulses here powerfully in this antechamber. The door leading beyond is sealed, magically. An otherworldly sense pervades past that door. At the altar, with its flames, there reads a single inscription, carved by the tip of a blade into stone. Malevolence churns between each beat of Ley. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRULY LOVE A THING? This is an offering. Like in the Hollow before it, those wards will not give without being given something in return. It does not ask for sacrifice. It does not ask for pain. It asks for your love. And nothing but the truest will suffice. =Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Fright, Reckless, Overzealous==================
====================================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 5 *>==================================== ===============================================< Results - Love's Pyre >================================================ Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 10 --(0)--> 10 Pass Penelope 3 Wits Effects: Resilient and Liabili ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elvis 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Copious Research Notes 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Saarda-Shanta 1 Wits Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 0 --(5)--> 5 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Spectral Lens 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 75 --(0)--> 75 Pass Conditions: Fright(2)|
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed 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.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius' gaze falls upon Catenna as she clarifies the matter succinctly and accurately as she goes to embrace her lover. The shamans of Celesdue and Fengalon join together in reassurance and commitment to each other, as the flames flicker in... wait? Is it wait?
Josephine clutches her memento tight as she passes by, and the flames seem to dance as she moves past.
Jay's tears reach the flame. The flame is not quenched for it. It flickers and crackles ever more. All of them listed before will feel a warm, pulsing feeling. (Whether Penelope is capable of being receptive of this is a question for the ages.) The Malevolence pervades, thickening and choking out a little more of the air with every passing second - but there is a warmth to be felt, of togetherness and concern for one another, or what another has done for one.
Elvis... only sees the blue ribbon burn. Scientifically speaking, it burns. There is nothing more than that. A sense of loss, maybe, but it doesn't seem to be imparted from external sources.
...
Actually, no, the blue ribbon doesn't seem to burn at all...?
Before Elvis can investigate or reclaim, Ethius stands before the Professor. The strange man stares up at him, wordlessly. Why?
The door will open, before long, and the feeling of warmth will radiate again - but it is not one that asks for calm. It is though a pleading sensation... at least for those of Filgaia.
Ethius doesn't move until the others have moved in first. (This would not stop Elvis if he were of the mind to put him out of the way so he could take the ribbon back.)
What lies ahead, then, owing to the placement of similar tests such as these before...
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge. ====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================
====================================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 5 *>==================================== ============<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together *>============ |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The wards break. The door opens. Light shines. You step through... And somewhere -- "Know this. Know that there will be no quarter given." The Anomalous Orb twists. What you feel first is the heat of beating flames. What you hear is the crumble of stone and the roar of dragons. What you smell is burning. War. And what you see... ... is a throne room. A king on the ground, frozen in time. A knight in blazing blue armor, another with wild red hair. Siegfried and Harken, who attacked the king of Adlehyde during that first siege. Space turns in a sickly spin. "GA HA HA!" Siegfried and Harken unfreeze from the tapestry. And a great, green-scaled monstrosity joins them, massive spiked wrecking ball in hand, a creature of golden masks and flowing robes and floating, mechanical minions soon behind. Berserk. Alhazred. They were not here. It matters not to the Anomaly-skewed memory, however, because here you face -- The Quarter Knights Yes, All of Them Yes, At the Same Time The Glumzambor is drawn. The Negative Rainbow begins to churn. And the Knights charge. Show them how far you've come. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Together, their love seems them through the door into the next chamber, into the shining light. And then...a voice.
'Know this. Know that there will be no quarter given.'
With another churning, sensations begin to come clear. Burning flames, crumbled stone, the roaring of dragons...
And then a throne room, with a king frozen on the ground.
"...N-no..." Jacqueline says, paling. "That's...King Justin. This is...this is Adlehyde..."
And before them, also stood his murderers - the Quarter Knights Siegfried and Lady Harken.
Jacqueline falters a little. She should've known this could've happened. And yet, to be presented it now, to be forced to once more face the darkest period in her life....
But soon, it becomes worse. Siegfried and Harken unfreeze, and turn to face them. And then, arriving unbidden with a terrible 'GA HA HA!' Berserk appears if from nowhere, soon accompanied by Alhazred.
It is now the six of them against all four of the Quarter Knights. Siegfried draws his terrible dark spear, Glumzambor, and the Negative Rainbow begins to emerge.
"All...all of them..." She breathes, and then quickly draws a book from her bags. "Th-this might be our most difficult fight yet, everyone...stay on your toes! We know how to fight them...we've fought them all separately before!"
The Quarter Knights charge, and Jacqueline focus on Alhazred.
"I'm focusing on Alhazred first...his machinations will make handling the rest of them difficult. Try to divide their attention if you can - keep them separated as much as possible so they can't join forces!" She urges.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together.
<Pose Tracker> Elvis has posed.
The door opens in combination toward their efforts. "Good work... everyone." Bit of an emotional moment. Elvis begins to walk past, but notices a bit of blue in the fire. "Did it not burn...?" he ponders, starting to reach for it-- "Oh?"
Ethius Hesiod. The mysterious individual intercedes. "Hm? Is something amiss, Human?" he asks. They return a stern gaze. "I'm just trying to get my daughter's ribbom. What, concerned it would shut the door or something?"
Still a stare.
Now, in this particular instance, Elvis could just pick the fellow up and try to throw him through a wall. But no, that could get him hurt. He could try to force him aside. Again, could cause problems. And either of those options hurt his reuptation with the party here. Not a gamble to take when so close to the prize.
Elvis jsut sighs and crosses his arms, looking down. "Do you... have some kind of problem with me?" he asks. The man is content to just wait until Ethius moves to get the ribbon and follow. Elvis pockets it for now. He will have to place it back in the book later.
---
Into the next chamber ahead Elvis walks, a bit behind the party. He has Josie's weapon slung over his shoulder. "Fascinating ARM you got here," he comments idly. Looks of impressive make. could use some proper repairs, but she wouldn't have it if it didn't still function.
The Orb pulses again, and this time, a setting familiar to Elvis plays out. "I recall this from reports. The Quarter Knights slew the reigning Human monarch of the land called Adlehyde."
The Knights are unenthused when it comes to intruders.
"Oh."
Elvis gingerly goes over to Josephine and sets the cannon down by her. "You might need this." A look back to their foes. "I'm not gonna lie, I always wanted to do this."
Elvis just erupts toward Berserk and Siegfried, looking to get into one slobberknocker of a fight!
DG: Elvis has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"I wish the Trial Knight would stop with that particular gimmick," Catenna murmurs to Cyre, "but it worked out in this case."
Blushing, Catenna makes her way into the room beyond the flame.
A room with a king on the ground. Catenna doesn't recognize him right away, but Jay does. The Zortroan frowns deeply and slides one heel back, notching an arrow to her bow.
'GA HA HA!'
"Oh no," Catenna says, before a massive wrecking ball comes hurtling her way.
Catenna lunges without having to think about it. She vaults backwards, flipping expertly away from the monstrous ball and chain that would have killed her a year ago, back in the Pleasing Garden. Landing well clear of Berserk, she fires an arrow at him, backpedals, and fires another, aiming low to try and embed the arrows into one of the memory's legs - but she's forced to quickly pivot and launch another at Siegfried to try and keep him at bay.
Her eyes dart from target to target. Any one of them could have given the six of them a hard time mere months ago.
Is this another trial?
K.K.'s epithet IS "the Trial Knight."
Is this to show us something...?
With a scowl, Catenna snaps her hand to her side, then forward. Long fingers splay dramatically as she sweeps her palm out across the field.
Gravity groans in a deep, tooth-rattling way - and the air itself distorts horrifically as Catenna unleashes a vast font of power. It's one she didn't have access to in the Pleasing Garden - but now, with the Silver Medium in hand, with years of combat and pain and loss behind her, it flows with ease. The singularity expands into a rippling white light, a gravitational field which centers on Berserk and tries to anchor him to the spot, to crush limbs and bones beneath the intensity of gravity. It's as though she were trying to suck him through the event horizon of a black hole and push him out the other end as a cylinder. The gravity waves roiling off the grand singularity swell to slow down and encumber the other illusory Quarter Knights, but it's Berserk who gets the most crushing part of it.
DG: Catenna has used her Tool Celesdue Medium toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
That is love, between two young lovers, and that is love, both friends and allies, and that is love, a father's affection for his daughter, and even this too is love.
That which refuses to relinquish.
Josie does not stop as she presses on past the flames, into the chamber beyond.
Another scene. Another event she had not been present for, but had arrived in time to witness the aftermath: a city aflame, her contact with it, lost... and soon, the king dead.
"So, is this how it happened," she murmurs, even as Penelope takes a quick dive for the back of her collar, hunching down in the face of what is yet to come.
"All four of 'em, huh."
She, still standing in the doorway, reaches into her pocket for her flask and, uncapping it, downs a right good mouthful of the stuff.
This Josephine, who flashes a rakish grin at Elvis as he deposits her ARM for her, is less like the creature that had left behind love's pyre, and more like the willful bon vivant she so typically is. "Sure is. Maybe I'll tell you about it someday."
She slams the core into the cannon next, allowing it to drink up the charge.
"Always wanted a proper rematch with you," she tells Harken's shadow. "Or at least a few rounds. But this'll do."
She bares her teeth.
"C'mon. Let's dance."
DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Liquid Courage toward her party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"I dunno," Cyre answers, grinning between glowing, red cheeks, "If it's more trials like these, I might not mind so much. Nyahahahaha~"
Cyre.
Might have said that too soon.
'Oh no' is indeed the phrase that best describes the situation. Cyre dives out of the way of the far-too-big steel ball, barely managing to hit the deck before the enormous mass of metal slams into a nearby column. "Damnit, I remember this. I remember getting hit by that too--!"
It wasn't then, sure. But the pain of having your everything knocked out of you isn't something someone can so easily forget. The shaman rolls out of the way just in time to avoid a crescent of cutting wind loosed by the woman in red. "But--" An arm lashes out amidst a flash of brilliant, emerald light. Talons of tornado-force wind tear through stone and metal flesh alike as the Nahual of Fengalon emerges in his full fury.
"We've grown since that day," Cyre growls, disappearing into a flurry of motion and wild violence faster than the eye can follow. He engages the crimson one, the one whose speed he once could never have hoped to match. But now-- now it's a different story.
And now, he isn't alone.
"Josie!" The incarnate avatar of Fengalon roars as he moves to try and pin Lady Harken down, "I'll keep her occupied! Line up whatever shot you need!"
DG: Cyre H. Lorentz has used his Tool Gale Claw toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius doesn't answer. Elvis finds himself a likeness with the other Humans of Filgaia, in that he has been shown the same lack of answers for fundamentally key questions when each and every one of them are unified towards their intent and will to save Filgaia. It is only when everyone else goes first that Ethius allows Elvis the ability to retrieve the ribbon.
...
The Knights appear as they all come before the site of the military action that seemed to set almost everyone's journeys together into motion. Ethius turns back sharply - incidentally giving Elvis a look again in passing as the brutish, uproarious laughter of Berserk fills the air. Alhazred drifts down into view. Each and every Quarter Knight, elites of an alien race repurposed to fulfill the goals of a World Eater, may yet be magnified in their already history-redefining capabilities as warriors. He has had a number of close calls with Berserk, who seemed unstoppable. Then there was Lady Harken's blinding speed as she nearly slew him where he stood in the skies high above Lost July.
Ethius looks to the leader of the Quarter Knights. Siegfried, the one who stood at the head of it all.
The butt of the quarterstaff slams again. It does cross him that every memory they seem to have experienced thus far has happened within the time span of the last three years... no, an even narrower scope than this. The last two years. What he saw was still enough - it took some of his.
The Negative Rainbow's reversed colors start to coalesce and bear down upon the gathered. With the slurring of a number of syllables, something being dropped while his fingers wiggle, and then another slurring as he throws an arm inwards as it fires. Electrical sounds and blinding sparks fill the air with every impact as the reverse prism erupts into all sorts of warped, twisted colors on impact as Ethius digs his heels. The Symbological spell that protects him from the majority of ARM weapons is pushed to the limit. It throws him back up against the wall, trying to crush him through...
The Powder Grenade he dropped goes off, and threatens to throw off Siegfried's focus as the Negative Rainbow is to be obscured in a great dust cloud. Ethius moves to reposition, to begin a Symbological volley even as his arms and upper torso are stained crimson from a blast that should have unmade him from the point of impact. He brings it down to 'serious lacerations.'
He does not let that stop him from attempting to bear down upon Siegfried moments later with an piercing electrical blast.
DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together.
====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================
====================================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 5 *>==================================== ============<* CHALLENGE - Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together *>============ |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The wards break. The door opens. Light shines. You step through... And somewhere -- "Know this. Know that there will be no quarter given." The Anomalous Orb twists. What you feel first is the heat of beating flames. What you hear is the crumble of stone and the roar of dragons. What you smell is burning. War. And what you see... ... is a throne room. A king on the ground, frozen in time. A knight in blazing blue armor, another with wild red hair. Siegfried and Harken, who attacked the king of Adlehyde during that first siege. Space turns in a sickly spin. "GA HA HA!" Siegfried and Harken unfreeze from the tapestry. And a great, green-scaled monstrosity joins them, massive spiked wrecking ball in hand, a creature of golden masks and flowing robes and floating, mechanical minions soon behind. Berserk. Alhazred. They were not here. It matters not to the Anomaly-skewed memory, however, because here you face -- The Quarter Knights Yes, All of Them Yes, At the Same Time The Glumzambor is drawn. The Negative Rainbow begins to churn. And the Knights charge. Show them how far you've come. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer=================================================== ===============<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 6 *>===============
====================================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle - Round 5 *>==================================== ==============< Results - Anomalous ~ The Band's Back Together >============== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 0 --(10)--> 10 Pass The Lifeweaver's Codex 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Josephine Lovelace 10 --(10)--> 20 Pass Liquid Courage 3 Combat Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Elvis 5 --(10)--> 15 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Catenna 5 --(10)--> 15 Pass Celesdue Medium 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyre H. Lorentz 5 --(10)--> 15 Pass Gale Claw 3 Combat Effects: Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ethius Hesiod 0 --(10)--> 10 Pass Powder Grenade 3 Combat Effects: Fanfare ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Jacqueline Barber 75 --(35)--> 110 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Hesitate(1)|Overzealous(1)|Reckless(1)|Suffer(1) Effects: Embolden(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 Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle!
====================<* Fallen Sanctuary ~ Love's Cradle *>====================
========================<* CHALLENGE - A Better End *>========================
|Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The final intercession of memories shakes, crumbling apart. All of it gives
way to a warm light. The feeling of a quiet embrace. Words, whispered into
the heart.
i am so proud of you
...
When the light fades, a world of blue is there to greet you. Here, Ley
crystalizes and melds into stonework -- everything here seems transient and
yet solid. A point between the physical world and...
... somewhere else.
Power of the Ley thrums through you. Reinvigorates. Reenergizes.
But the pulse of Malevolence is stronger than ever.
Just beyond that threshold before you...
The final fight waits.
(OOC: This leads directly into the events of the scene Birth of a Wish on
Friday, March 22nd! These events all take place before Odessa's attack on
the Sorcery Globe and the beginning of Chapter 2.
Please report the results of this dig to K.K. in an @mail!)
=Dungeon Conditions: Vault====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
For many of them, this is where their journey truly began. They might have traveling before, but this event gave many of them focus - put them on the path that would lead to them meeting all of the others, to forging the bonds they would eventually form.
They have come a long, long way since then. They've encountered difficulties, faced terrible tragedies, saved lives that would have otherwise been lost, protected the world from a grave threat, and in some cases have even found love.
But all of them have grown, in one way or another. And these are the demons of their past. They've grown past them, and outlived most of them.
By uniting as one force, even the Quarter Knights find themselves routed.
The last of them falls...and so, the memory begins to crumble apart. Jacqueline looks upon the scene and shuts her eyes tight, whispering a single word.
'Farewell.'
She knew this wasn't real...but in a way, to be here, in this moment, and to be able to make a difference...it helps heal, in a way.
Slowly, they're engulfed by warm light, that feels much like a quiet embrace. And they hear words, whispered into their heart.
'i am so proud of you'
The light fades, and they find themselves in a world of blue. The power of the Ley fills them, reinvigorating all of them.
They will need it, for they can feel it strongly - the pulse of Malevolence up ahead.
They are close now. Soon, it will all be over.
One way or another.