2019-04-27: Dungeoneering Is A Real Time Sink
- Log: 2019-04-27: Dungeoneering Is A Real Time Sink
- Cast: Ida Everstead-Rey, Ratatoskr, Dean Stark, Margaret, Fei Fong Wong, Zed
- Where: Kilika - Jungles
- Date: April 27, 2019
- Summary: The Sunken Monastery of Gusong once more invites the curious into its watery depths... and then it turns out at least two among them hadn't even left it from their previous (and thus technically, still current) expedition. Even at risk to their health! Such is the level of captivation this sunken, forgotten place holds. They can't be too pokey, lest they get poked some hundreds of times. Maybe even a thousand. (I'm not keeping count!!!)
===========================================<* Kilika - Jungles *>===========================================
The island of Kilika is filled with a massive jungle, which is no stranger to Fiends. The recent attack by Sin has made the jungle a dangerous place indeed; powerful Fiends patrol, and a few Sinspawn are rumored to be sighted. Much of Althena's Guard, having arrived, is devoted to making headway into the jungle and protecting the route to the Temple, which is nestled up in the mountains beyond the jungle.
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHw2V0C-D-o
DG: A party led by Ida Everstead-Rey is now entering Sunken Monastery of Gusong. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>========================
============<* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks *>============
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
The entrance to the Sunken Monastery is above ground, at a place where the
recent attack by Sin caused a landslide and revealed a small section of
worked stone... and tunnel that leads the depths. Following that tunnel,
however, soon leads to a portion that has flooded and filled with water.
Swimming will be required.
The entry tunnel is a long, narrow one. As you begin swimming, though, you
find the tunnel presents a challenge in addition to needing to swim:
Large blocks begin crashing down from the ceiling at regular intervals.
While none fill the hallway, they crash down from the ceiling fast and
sometimes unexpectedly, threatening to crush someone under them -- and
sending shockwaves that makes swimming even harder.
Fortunately, there is a door ahead -- and stairs leading to air.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Once more, Ida Everstead-Rey stands just outside the flooded tunnel leading into the monastery. Her last expedition wasn't precisely fruitful, but she did learn about the layout of this place. As she binds her hair back in a loose braid--slightly more practical underwater than both the bun and leaving it unbound--she explains.
"On the other side of this entrance is a shaft," she says, "and it's flooded with seawater. The last time, there was an obstruction, so don't go gallavanting in until we're sure the path is clear. I would rather not have to knock the water out of someone's lungs if we can help it." The martial artist squints into the depths a moment, and then frowns. "...Fei, Dean, have either of you seen Zed in the... last week and a half? Or Ratatoskr?" She hasn't. In fact, the last she saw of Zed, he was vowing to find an ancient ghost master. It's entirely possible that Gusong just doesn't have one. She sincerely hopes he hasn't drowned, or starved.
"I'll go first." Ida takes off her pack, and fastens one of its straps to a releasable carabiner attached to her belt. She takes several deep breaths, and jumps in feetfirst. A trail of bubbles follows her down to the bottom, and the little glowing crystal on her belt glimmers. The surface of the water grows still. Half a minute later, Ida resurfaces, hair slicked against her scalp. "The path is clear," she says, flashing the 'OK' signal with her hand.
The problem only presents itself when the party is about midway through. A dull creaking echoes through the water--and a block above Ida's head detaches from the ceiling, plummeting into the tunnel! Ida lets out a squawk of surprise, bubbles pouring from her lips. She twists to the side, brings her heels together, and wills the enchantment in her boots to work. The water begins to flow forwards of its own accord, pushing Ida and the others along--and possibly knocking blocks out of the way.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Zephyr Boots toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Where is Ratatoskr, indeed. The last Ida saw of the squirrel-esque troublemaker slash war hero historian, he was giddy with hope that the entirely useless smudge of ruined text in a tome would help him reconstruct a destroyed mural with all sorts of youthful hope. (He also might have been trying to punch the water again.)
An odd complication seems to present itself - a flash of light of some color, further down the passage. It doesn't seem to be in accordance to a trap going off, but a select few may instead recognize the unique profile and signature of a color and level of luminosity related to the somewhat unreliable handheld teleportation crystal-device thing or another Ratatoskr carries around.
...
is he still down here
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Teleporter Fragment toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Don't worry, Ida; I've got it covered," Dean reassures his friend. "I know how dangerous flooded places can be, so I came prepared!"
And, indeed, he is prepared. The thing about Dean is that... well, he can't swim. If he jumps into any body of water deeper than his waist, he will immediately drown. Dean knows this about himself, and has no desire to drown, but is also curious about this sunken monastery and isn't about to let something like sinking like a hammer stop him (what if there's a Golem down there?! ...well, no, he doesn't think that seriously, not here in Spira, but what if there comes a day where there's an underwater Golem?!), so he's geared up. To whit: he has an inflatable waist raft, a kickboard, flippers, goggles, inflatable arm wings, and a snorkel. He catches Fei's eye and gives him an enthusiastic and completely unironic thumb's-up.
"Huh? Zed? Ratatoskr? Can't say I have," he says while preparing to head inside. "Why?" But then Ida dives. He waits until she gives the all-clear signal, and then he jumps in after her. There's a second of two of instinctive, primal panic when he's surrounded by water; then he doesn't immediately sink, and he can put his head underwater and still breathe, so hey, this isn't so bad!
Except for the falling blocks.
At least those Dean can *shoot* at with his freeze ray. Since this is out of the way, he doesn't need to pretend he's casting Blizzara or anything, either!
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Freeze Ray toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
THE HOUNDS OF HELL are in evidence on this expedition. It's not much of a hike for them. Margaret, wearing a purple singlet instead of her usual dress due to the ample warning of WATER LEVELS, is pre-gaming a pipe load while Rex adjusts a fundoshi and a comfortable woven vest with several pouches on it. A couple of other members of the Hounds of Hell have pitched a tent or two near the entrance. They have some wicker cages. Probably an unrelated project.
"You hear that, Rex?" Margaret cracks as Ida explains things. "Once again we get the shaft."
"And it's already soaked."
At this the two old people cackle. After this, they move downwards, crouching down to watch. Ida indicates that the way is not shut, and down they go. Rex goes for a cannonball, Margaret a more fluid dive inwards. They swim along.
Until rocks start falling. Margaret looks upwards and somehow transmits with her heart despite being underwater and thus superficially unable to talk, "What Borgan nonsense is this??" A rope end is pressed in her hand by Rex --
Who looks round with some anxiety in his wrinkled eyes, before rubbing a blue stone on a ring he wears and looking ahead. He tenses up and watches carefully. Margaret, meanwhile, ties the loop of the rope round her waist and swims to grasp a side of the wall.
"hrrrrghh--"
Rex seems to just kind of go 'zoop,' leaving behind a supercavitated bubble trail and reappearing on the far side of the Peril Zone. The ropeway is towards one side, and Margaret unloops it and dives down to let a dropping rock anchor one end, which then lets her swim upwards and also wink and waggle fingers at Dean.
DG: Margaret has used her Tool The Hounds of Hell! toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei is happy to lend Ida help on an adventure but when Ida asks him if he's seen Ratatoskr or Zed as of late, Fei is forced to admit, "Um, not really. I haven't actually seen many Hyadeans in general if you'd like me to be honest." There's Riesenlied and Noeline of course but they have a large boat and extended family and such so they were pretty easy to find. Zed, well, should also be pretty easy to find but Fei hasn't seen that particular fellow. "But to be honest," He adds to Ida. "I've been kind of taking it easy on Spira. I didn't actually get to relax too much in Meribia or Glenwood and uhh we had our vacation after the Photosphere but I guess we needed a second one. Elly's still recovering though she's making great progress."
Ida offers to go in first. Fei smiles at Dean the Keen Jellybean Teen but it's a concerned smile from the knowledge that the moment Dean's snorkel dips below the edge of the water Dean will die forever (or at least restart the room they are in by sending them back to the beginning) but he is confident that Dean, in this at leats, will be reasonably cautious.
"Let's be careful about rushing on ahead considering Dean's situation." Fei says before diving in, working on blocks as well but with chi blasts and his own arms!
It seems like today is going to be busy, Fei reflects on the matter of the hounds of hell.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Indeed, Zed has been utterly MISSING IN ACTION since the last time Ida visited the Water Palace. He's not been idle for the past week, though! Zed has been extremely busy! There's all kinds of places a ghost master can hide in a place like this, after all. Ruins are the ultimate ghost magnet! Well, penultimate-- tombs are a little bit higher on the ghostly pecking order.
But...
For all his effort, Zed has... found absolutely nothing...! What a ripoff! Or maybe the ghost he's pursuing isn't just a master-- maybe they're a NINJA master, and all this is a test to see whether or not he's good enough to find it!? That's obviously what it has to be!
But... He can't deny... that he's gotten pretty hungry.
Fortunately, the ruins are entirely underwater, and there are plenty of places to get some fishing done! While Zed doesn't have a rod, what he DOES have are semi-prehensile dangly scarf-bits. Tying a bit of bait to one end and snatching up fish that approach with the other have gotten Zed just enough ACCUMULATED HEAVY METALS. The gap in his diet has been fulfilled by... chomping on parts of the ruin.
This, in fact, may be why this particular corridor is collapsing.
But the people swimming through it might also be able to see, just in the distance, a pair of scarves twining invitingly from an air pocket. Maybe if they grab hold, they can pull themselves to safety...?
DG: Zed has used his Tool Grapple Scarf toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks.
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>========================
============<* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks *>============
|Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
The entrance to the Sunken Monastery is above ground, at a place where the
recent attack by Sin caused a landslide and revealed a small section of
worked stone... and tunnel that leads the depths. Following that tunnel,
however, soon leads to a portion that has flooded and filled with water.
Swimming will be required.
The entry tunnel is a long, narrow one. As you begin swimming, though, you
find the tunnel presents a challenge in addition to needing to swim:
Large blocks begin crashing down from the ceiling at regular intervals.
While none fill the hallway, they crash down from the ceiling fast and
sometimes unexpectedly, threatening to crush someone under them -- and
sending shockwaves that makes swimming even harder.
Fortunately, there is a door ahead -- and stairs leading to air.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Tire===============================================
===================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 1 *>=================== ==============< Results - It's a Water Level - Collapsing Blocks >============== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Zephyr Boots 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Stark 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Freeze Ray 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Teleporter Fragment 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Margaret 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass The Hounds of Hell! 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zed 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Grapple Scarf 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 0 --(3)--> 3 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Slow(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Quicken(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Fortunately for Dean, there's maybe an inch or two of air above the water level in some places--just enough for him to reach with his snorkel if he stays near the surface. This also lets him see the telltale signs of a block that's about to fall--bubbles, dislodged rock, odd bite marks(?!)--for optimal freeze-raying. He might not be able to swim, per se, but the sudden current sweeps him along at a brisk pace, and he reaches the end in one piece. For those without floaties, Margaret and Rex speed on ahead, and leave behind a trail. The crack of water rushing in to fill space echoes down the tunnel. Ida swims downwards, away from the bubbles, and grips the rope with both hands. She glances back at the others, but her lungs are starting to burn. She's almost there. What's that--?
Ida grips the dangling orange thing without realizing what it is. She hauls herself upwards, letting out her breath as she pulls her way to the surface. She didn't manage to shift this time, and needs air now.
DG: Zed has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>=======================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Ancient Altars *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
The next room that you enter has an altar on the wall, showing a stylized
depiction of Sin. There is script on it, which reads:
THOU SHALL OFFER WHAT YEVON DESIRETH MOST
There is reason for haste. A loud rumble is heard from behind you. And
another. Maybe a monster is coming; maybe a hallway is collapsing. Either
way, maybe this isn't the time for a long philosophical debate?
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Fright, Overzealous, Reckless, Exhaust, Injure=
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
SOMETHING GRABS ZED'S SCARF.
It's... It's...
"IT'S A BIG ONE!" Zed cheers as he grabs hold of his twining, orange contrails. "Hahahaha! I knew this was a good idea! I'm gonna eat for daaaays! ZEDDER..." Zed... glows with an awesome, emerald light!? "FULL POOOOWERRR!" He pulls!
He falls back onto his ass!
And Ida (and friends) come shooting out of the water. They might have a rough landing, but on the other hand, they're not being crushed by rocks. Zed stares agog at his 'catch,' his mouth hanging open for a fraction of a second before--
"What happened to my fish!?" Zed demands, "Hrmph. Well. I'm glad I found you all, anyway. Even if you cost me a fish. I've been stuck in this stupid room for at LEAST a day."
What stupid room, exactly?
Zed thumbs back over his shoulder, where the party sees...
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
They see a certain squirrel-shaped person or another 'hyahaha--'ing as, waterlogged as they are, coming to a kneel before something within the chamber - an altar. A familiar altar, with text on it:
THOU SHALL OFER WHAT YEVON DESIRETH MOST
There's a mural that appears to, of all things, depict Sin - but wait. This very chamber, Ida may remember, was one where Zed punched it. It shattered into basically a zedillion pieces, as things punched by Zed tend to be.
But there it is, again, painstakingly reconstructed as Ratatoskr withdraws a well-used Potion bottle filled with bright blue goop from a slain Flan, slathering it here and there as some sort of adhesive. As a result of his restorations... although the mural now has a cyan tinge to it and some of the surrounding work...
Ratatoskr stands upright, crossing his arms as he peers down to the little activated Hyadean datapad on the ground as his reference. He looks more than a little emanciated. Even his tail, made of segmented plates, looks sort of deflated.
"...Here it was... here it is...!" He says, content--
--just in time to see that Zed's caught 'not any fish,' but the lights of his solid yellow eyes glow ever more, his grin widening.
"Have you seen it? Have you seen it!" He's like a kid that's proud of himself. An eighteen-to-twenty-four-year-old kid who... didn't do that bad a job, at all, of restoring the damaged artifact. Despite obviously starving half-way to death, he is so elated with his work that he's just bouncing around back and forth aggressively, sometimes on all fours, sometimes on his feet.
...Something rumbles loudly, and it grows ever louder. That's a cause for alarm. Structural integrity failing? Sin coming back again?! Ratatoskr falls into a combative stance. Well, there's no time to really admire his handiwork.
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Corrupted Records toward his party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
DG: Zed has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei was born hungry. That's why he was given lots of baby food.
Fei lets go of Zed's scarf with a blank expression on his face. "I guess it got away. Fish on Spira seem much rowdier than the average fish on Filgaia." His hand deftly slides into both pockets afterwards and he glances a bit away for a moment. Underwater is tough to whistle unfortunately but now they are out of the water! So Fei makes his approach and examines the mural.
"Huh." Fei says, probably frankly ignoring messages of 'what yevon desires most' because it's not like he'd know. Probably something terrible. He looks towards Ratatoskr for a moment and then says, "An artist too, then?"
He draws out his kit of various supplies and works on methodically repairing the mural's coloring with paint and chisel and--
--there really is no time for this, Fei.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida flies out of the water, and flops onto the stone landing like a fish. Living metal surges into her ribs on impact, reinforcing them; layers of shock-absorbent cells keep her from cracking a rib or two. The naturalist curls up on her side, grimacing in pain, and cracks an eye open.
She sees Zed, and her expression turns to one of complete horror. "Zed," she croaks out. "You've... have you been here this whole time?!" She glances down the tunnel as Ratatoskr's voice filters towards them, grimaces again, and pushes herself up on a hand. "Both of you?!" She stares at the reconstructed mural. "Why? There is no ghost, Zed, you've--"
An ominous rumble. It's not from Zed's stomach.
Ida swears under her breath. She fumbles through a pocket, comes up with a small fistful of gil, and dumps them on the altar. She's not going to sacrifice more good brass to this thing, and while this is a cynical offering, it's what Ivan did last time, and it worked, dammit.
Ida's other hand reaches into another pocket, and checks for her knife. Still there? Still there. They still have a chance.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Multitool toward her party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
It's a very good thing for Dean that there's a couple inches of air at the top of this cavern and it isn't, say, completely submerged in water! That would be less than ideal. Dean appreciates Fei saying something, too; he's not *nervous*, per se, but he's keenly aware he's playing with fire (water?) here. You can't move onwards if you're scared, which is why he's doing this in the first place, but... Well, that's why he's more cautious than usual today.
He still waves back to Margaret and Friends when they pass by him, though. With the kickboard, he can totally afford to spare an arm towards the waving effort!
Eventually he makes it to the other side of the room. There's a Zed there! He yanks up Ida to dry land, which sure is nice of him. Dean clambers up after the two, joining the others, and pushes the snorkel down while holding the kickboard under one arm. "Whew! We made it!" he says cheerfully. "Uh, what's this about a fish, though? And what room?"
He turns towards where Zed thumbs to see... Ratatoskr, having triumphantly restored(?) a wall painting! Or something. Dean is a little lost on that point. He scratches his head, then looks over at Ida. "Uh, at least we found 'em?" he offers. He walks over to said mural and leans in to take a closer look, then gives Ratatoskr a friendly smile. "Yeah, you did a great job! Congratulations!"
Well, statues *are* really important to him for reasons Dean finds unclear, and murals are probably the same given how utterly excited he is, and it *is* a good job as far as he can tell. Why not give him some encouragement? He looks over from there to see some kind of plaque with writing on it... "What Yevon desires most?" he reads, puzzled. "Yevon's that, like... guy the Spirans worship or something, right?" He looks around at the group of non-Spirans. "What's he want?"
As if in response, the room starts to rumble. Heavily. HEAVILY. Dean spins around as best he can while weighed down with swimming gear and calls up Twin Fenrir, then fires towards the rumbling. That'll teach 'em! Maybe!!
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Standard Cartridge toward his party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
Rex and Margaret are uncaught, and emerges in some peace. They drip. Margaret adjusts her top as the two of them consider Zed and his objections.
"Offer it up," Margaret says. (cruel!)
"That sounds like it was difficult," Rex says. (soothing...)
Their attention snaps back to Ratatoskr as he speaks up. Rex is the one who remarks on the level of art first, saying as he does, "Well, this is certainly... hm... it's definitely a Yevon thing. I can identify Sin, obviously, but the message doesn't make any sense. What does Yevon desire most?"
"Blitzball," Margaret guesses. "****ing in the woods. I don't know. What do any of us want, Rex?"
"Security... confidence... the opportunity to be present with people for whom we care," Rex muses.
Margaret explains to Dean, "It's hard to explain concisely and I expect they have some kind of esoteric teachings." You could say that, Margaret, but Margaret is thinking 'secret erotic rites' when she says this. "It's like if the - wait - wait a minute, I remember, it's like that one country on your world, Dean. It's like - shit - what's the name - Toyoda."
"Nisan," Rex says.
"NISAN," Margaret says, at which point the ceiling starts shaking. "Oh for ****'s sake."
Margaret shuffles through her deck, asks Rex, "Do I have a replacement," gets a confirming "the scribe finished it Tuesday," and pulls out a card, placing it on the altar next to the gil, face down. Mysterious!
DG: Margaret has used her Tool Travelers Cards toward her party's challenge, Ancient Altars.
============================================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>============================================
============================================<* CHALLENGE - Ancient Altars *>============================================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 |
-----------------------------------------------< Challenge Information: >-----------------------------------------------
The next room that you enter has an altar on the wall, showing a stylized
depiction of Sin. There is script on it, which reads:
THOU SHALL OFFER WHAT YEVON DESIRETH MOST
There is reason for haste. A loud rumble is heard from behind you. And
another. Maybe a monster is coming; maybe a hallway is collapsing. Either
way, maybe this isn't the time for a long philosophical debate?
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Fright, Overzealous, Reckless, Exhaust, Injure=
=======================================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 2 *>======================================= ==============================================< Results - Ancient Altars >============================================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Multitool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dean Stark 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Standard Cartridge 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Corrupted Records 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Margaret 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Travelers Cards 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zed 0 --(18)--> 18 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------------------
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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> Ratatoskr has posed.
"Art? Art!!" Ratatoskr snaps - there's more edge in his voice, but he's /starving/. "/History/!! That's why...! And I still don't know why there's nothing fighting it? I still don't know why there's nothing fighting it!" He snaps that one to Dean, as if thinking he might have found someone who might know/care about that sort of thing.
It is true - that is Sin, the enemy of Spira, but there's nothing here showing anything trying to stand up and fight it. No depiction of warriors, no show of weapons, just Sin and that text about offering what Yevon 'desireth' most - but Fei can, at least, fix the miscolorations. He has an artist's eye for color.
Well, he might be able to if the rumbling stops, but it doesn't. It's a miracle the mural doesn't fall apart under how heavy the rocking is coming. Dean shoots at the walls and it doesn't seem to dissuade what's doing it (but it feels awesome, so this is fine). Margaret pushes down a card on the altar, mysteriously pushing in something else that was inset there the last time but never quite forced all the way through. The idea, though it is an idea spanning multiple visits, proves to work as something clicks and the walls and floor rumble in a way that is not immediately distinct because everything is rumbling violently.
Something in the wall opens up to a puff of musty, stale air and mold - a way through.
...oh, wait, hold on everyone, Zed just got another bite, maybe it'll be a fish this tim--
Just a confused sahuagin fiend, whose novelty somehow overcomes its innate hatred and envy for the living in that moment to just go limp on the hook. Fiends aren't edible, oh well.
DG: Margaret has drawn a new Challenge. ========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================== =======================================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 2 *>======================================= ===============<* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Air Sphere *>================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Many of the rooms in the Sunken Monastery are flooded, and this one is no different. This room is a long, L-shaped hallway. As you swim through, though, you catch sight of something strange: a shimmering, blue sphere. It is actually a persistent air bubble, made by either machina or sorcery. If you can catch it -- it moves erratically -- it gives you a chance to, literally, catch your breath. =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
"Do you want to know what they do with it or do you just want to shout," Margaret tells Ratatoskr because Margaret is a Mean Woman who Wears Makeup and is Fast. (She doesn't have any makeup on for obvious reasons. It makes her look older and more stare-y.) (Rex is fine.)
Soon enough the door is opened and Margaret, with disgust in her walk, moves through. Rex doesn't apologize for her this time. He does fiddle with his ring again as he checks something on the altar. "... Ah," he says, before moving onwards, pausing to give the others an encouraging little punch at the air.
Through this particular gross and dank hallway comes a long lower reach, containing a dim light here and there, illuminating a body of water that looks as if it has been still and stagnant since, probaly, everyone present was born. Margaret looks over her shoulder for a moment again, as others gather.
The blue sphere...
Margaret points at that. "I mislike that," she says. "Do you think it's a beast? A fiend, or whatever?"
Rex shoots an arrow at it, to unclear result.
"Hrm," Margaret says.
The airbubble drifts down the other side of what looks like a hallway. Then back again. It gets closer...
"Can you do the thing?" Margaret asks Rex.
Rex takes a deep breath, rubs his ring again - it has acquired a milky ring on the blue gem - and there is a hellacious SPLASH as he seems to disappear, showing up on the far end of that open space and pressing his back against the water, which ripples. The air bubble approaches him... seems to wrap around him... consumes him... he silently clutches his throat! his tongue lolls out! his eyes roll back in his head!
Then he's normal. He treads water. And rounds the corner... waving bye-bye as he goes.
"Ugh," Margaret says, moving to tie up her hair. "Asshole."
DG: Margaret has used her Tool The Hounds of Hell! toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei hurriedly closes up shop with his supplies as the rumbling nears and makes a leg for it. He is unaware of any secret erotic rites of the Nisan Church. Id on the other hand probably knows all about them and is expecting an enthusiastic and detailed response from staff on his +request.
Fei doesn't comment on the church though he does visibly quirk an eyebrow at the term 'mislike'.
Naturally his eyes widen when it seems like Rex is dying. He has to go save him! He makes a running leap for the air bubble. "Hold on I'm going to--"
Rex 'wakes up' and waves bye-bye at Fei midjump.
Fei's eyes narrow tightly.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Fighting what, history?" Dean asks Ratatoskr, perplexed. Then he looks again at the mural and goes, "OH! You mean Sin!" He pauses. "I think it's because it's unbeatable or something? I heard that there are these High Summoners who've defeated it a few times, but it comes back." He frowns, thinking back to the one time he encountered it in Azado. That was... that was sure a thing. He doesn't think he could explain to a Hyadean the concept of running from a monster that's 100% sure to kill you. Dean is brave, and many would call him stupid, but he *does* recognize his limits. Sometimes. "You'd wanna ask someone from Spira about it. They'd know more, I'm sure."
Margaret tries and fails to explain him a thing. "Nisan? I don't get it. What about Nisan? What's it got to do with Yevon?" he asks, confused. However, a way forward opens up, and the group hurries forward before the rumbling gets catastrophically worse. There's more water! There's a blue bubble inside! Rex swims into it, and--oh no! He's drowning! He's--oh wait no, he's fine. He's swimming away... He's waving good-bye.
"Was he supposed to come back?" he asks Margaret again, still confused.
Oh well. Time to once again keep EXTREMELY CLOSE TO THE VERY THIN LAYER OF AIR NEAR THE CEILING HA HA HA. Dean will occasionally fire off blocks of ice to keep him nice and floaty so he doesn't drown to death and reset the timeli--room, whoops.
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Freeze Ray toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
Sahuagin!? Zed didn't sign up to fish out any discount, bargain-bin murloc ripoff!! He just huffs and chucks it back into the water as the rest of the party does the actual work for him. Well, at least Ratatoskr was able to restore the mural that Zed totally didn't mean to blow up the first time they'd come down this way. "You've got a talent for that kinda thing, huh?" Zed observes, scratching at his cheek when suddenly Ida makes a statement that Zed just cannot countenance!!
"Of course there's a ghost master!" Zed declares, huffing mightily. "Sure, it might come to me in a metaphorical, non-ghostly form, but one way or another, this place WILL yield its secrets to me! I can't just stand by and let the history of these warriors dissolve into history! There's too much at risk! I-- uhhh is that dude choking?"
Zed peers at Rex. Rex... doesn't die. Hm.
Well.
"I guess he's fine! LET'S GO FRIENDS!" Zed jumps into the water and... begins twirling his scarves like a naval screw. Not even the most powerful of bubble jets will be able to arrest his progress now!
DG: Zed has used his Tool Grapple Scarf toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Perhaps the artist wanted to illustrate the threat," Ida says, "and not mankind's response to it." She thinks this is a reasonable suggestion. She places a hand on Ratatoskr's shoulder, if he'll allow her, and guides him along at as brisk a clip as she can manage. "More times than just a few, I think," Ida says, turning to Dean. "Lady Yuna told me that that thing has haunted this place for a thousand years, if not more." A pause. "Yes, ah, that Yuna. One of the Summoners. I spoke with her, briefly. She's a nice sort, very caring..."
"Zed, the last time I decided something along those lines, I nearly lost my arm, and oh Granas, Rex, hold on just a second more--!"
Ida's expression falls flat as Rex miraculously recovers. "Well, then," she says, and she hops back into the water. This time, streams of bubbles rise from her heels as she sinks, buffeting the air pocket this way and that. Conveniently, this mostly keeps it within easy reach of Ida, and the other divers, as they swim along! Mostly.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Zephyr Boots toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Ratatoskr is given, if not insight, a question as to whether he's actually interested in knowing and is filled in on the idea that maybe it's something that... can't be fought. The horned squirrel Hyadean tilts his head like he were some kind of dumb dog (he might be) at the idea of them revering something they can't fight for keeps.
The grin stays there, though, but he's always grinning in some form (smiling, at 'lowest') so it's tough to tell if that sort of thing can even register as an emanciated tail flicks about.
"So they're always fighting it..." He almost sounds excited by the idea. (That is how one knows he has never met Sin.)
Either way they have to move forward as Ida guides him by the shoulder, and forward they do, back into the very water. He might try to take her by her shoulder, which is almost affectionate if allowed. But then he starts kind of trying to push her along too, like a 'gentle walk' were instead a competition to see who is pushing the other further ahead.
It doesn't last long because they need to go in water. He decides to cheat, and/or subject himself to being stranded underwater in some esoteric pocket, as the weird crystalline teleport device makes him disappear in that distinctive color and flash of light towards some other part of the L-shaped hallway.
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Teleporter Fragment toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - Air Sphere.
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - Air Sphere *>================ |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Many of the rooms in the Sunken Monastery are flooded, and this one is no different. This room is a long, L-shaped hallway. As you swim through, though, you catch sight of something strange: a shimmering, blue sphere. It is actually a persistent air bubble, made by either machina or sorcery. If you can catch it -- it moves erratically -- it gives you a chance to, literally, catch your breath. =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
===================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 3 *>=================== =================< Results - It's a Water Level - Air Sphere >================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Zephyr Boots 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Stark 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Freeze Ray 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Teleporter Fragment 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Margaret 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass The Hounds of Hell! 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zed 18 --(0)--> 18 Pass Grapple Scarf 2 Agility Effects: Quicken -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Hesitate(1)|Injure(1)|Overzealous(1)|Reckless(1)|Save Point(1) Effects: Quicken(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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> Margaret has posed.
"Well," Margaret tells Dean, "I'll explain a bit more. Yevon seems to be the government of this whole continent, or near enough to it, in the same way that the Nisan sisters or whatever were the government of that place. But there's nobody sending Gear armies to interfere here, there's just Sin, who appears to be decidedly of the monstrous persuasion, and thus uninterested in governance, taxation, and so on."
Margaret pauses. More kindly, she says, "They're a church and also the government. It's not like Neo-Vane, where the governance is more on we, the magi, and we pay our homage to Althena from a distance."
Frowning, she says, "In theory, but I'll trust his judgment. If a fiend ate him it would serve him right."
Fortunately enough Rex is fine on the other end of the hall. "You're an interesting one, aren't you?" he asks Ratatoskr, who is the first one to join him, followed momentarily by Zed. "Yes... the both of you. I think I've met you before, Mr. Scarf. So I doubt you were being held prison in the depths of this monastery..."
A mysterious interruption makes Fei abruptly splash in the water. Dean is able to freeze his way through, Margaret swimming in behind him. Ida steers the air bubble, though it seems to resist reaching the end of the sitarway - which is certainly an odd little quirk but seems to be the price for the bubble's integrity. Some form of magic, no doubt.
... behind them...
Back on the altar...
A mysterious force makes the objects quietly disappear. Part of the monastery itself? Sin's subtle action? Who knows. Margaret's card had sat oddly. It falls off the altar, half disappearing, the hand-colored plate of pasteboard briefly showing a number, '13,' before evaporating.
Nothing, perhaps, to be concerned about.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= =====================<* CHALLENGE - Sphere-Sealed Door *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Warrior Monks who followed the teachings of Gusong based portions of their temples on the Cloisters of Trials, where the Fayth were hidden. This includes doors sealed by spheres... which presents a problem when those spheres have been lost. A large stone door stands before you, and those who have spent some time on Filgaia, know what must be done. The door must be broken. =Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Tire========================================
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Well," Fei says after a moment. "Come to think of it, does it really make sense that Sin went to Azado in the first place? I mean, Sin seems to largely act on instinct rather than Will, and your lands are very far away from Spira. Itf it's purpose is to wander around and smash things--why would it go all the way to Meribia to do it? Even a creature that large needs to move through space, right? That's gotta at least be a few days travel, no? I mean, it doesn't really seem like a fast whale even if it can just fly in a straight line. I mean according to Yevon, it is powered by the people's 'sin' right? And I don't think they, uh, even know about your lands here in the first place. So I don't think it was sent somehow, so something in the Boundary must have lured it over."
He frowns thoughtfully. "But I don't think it could be the Boundary itself, since if it was that it would've tried to destroy it ages ago." But he can't help but think what Lanval said about his own lands succumbing rather than resisting to the reach of malevolence even with Althena descending from the heavens.
Could Zophar be real? And could his reach be more powerful than Althena's resillience? There's so many questions yet unanswered here and he has a feeling he won't like any of the answers.
"I guess I'm not surprised the Guard was dispatched but it must have been a tough trip." He considers the '13' that appears and Fei is completely unsurprised by the presence of the unlucky number there and franklly just finds it in line of what he expects.
The group moves on and finds themselves in front of...a door.
Fei hesitates and tries to push it open. Nope.
Fei steps back and looks towards Ida for a long moment. "Holding up okay Ida?"
He then looks back to the door and exhales for a moment.
"DOOOOOOOR!!!" Fei shouts suddenly and without warning as he unleashes a massive red chi blast at the barrier before the aura fades down as quickly as it appeared.
"Doors, you know?" Fei says.
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Mother's Cross toward his party's challenge, Sphere-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida folds her arms, and listens to Fei. Her usual polite smile abruptly shifts gears, and turns into a frown. "There was a fire in town," she says, "but I don't know what caused it. But it couldn't have been just that, unless the fire was a side-effect of something else. I agree Sin's arrival was exceedingly suspicious. Perhaps something... happened here, during that time? What if someone attempted to banish Sin, somehow, and just sent it somewhere else?"
Ida doesn't want to think too hard about the alternative--that something or someone could guide Sin, intentionally, towards a specific target. But what if that's exactly what happened?
"Well enough, considering," Ida says, once the ominous subject is dropped. "What happened to Luca was... difficult. And I haven't seen or heard from Kalve." She takes a step back, and then another, bracing herself and looking away. Once Fei's done with the door, she steps forwards, winds up, and launches a roundhouse kick for the door's center of mass. Chi glows around the heel of her boot.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Sphere-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
There is something fundamentally unnatural about Ratatoskr, which makes sense, he is a genetically engineered alien soldier as he twirls and pirouettes in the air from where his teleport device 'dumps' him (which is to say, in midair). He lands cleanly in a four-point stance before Rex (only his head being within the 'bubble safe zone') with a grin that is not at all reassuring.
"I'm Ratatoskr... never heard of 'Anintrestynwon!!'" There's an energy there even though he looks, to put it mildly, awful. Starved. He puts a gil coin in his mouth and starts to chew it like gum. "I want to keep this history... I never even knew there'd be a place like this..." He sounds so exciteable, even with some weakness in his voice.
Anyway, they come to a door. Ratatoskr gets out a weird-looking, derelict gun-blade ARM thing, brandishing it even though it has not been worthy of a weapon in some time. "I always wondered where this came from... what if it came from here? What if it came from here!" He sounds excited by the prospect. Though it is absolutely mere coincidence, there are some likenesses in the colorations and patterns in the grooves (actually just decay) between the blade and the door itself. "This... must be the key...!"
'DOOOOOOOR!!!'
Then there's a massive red chi blast and there is a flash of a barrier from the blade itself that is only quasi-effectual as a defensive measure before Ratatoskr is flung back away from the ENEMY TO ALL DIGGERS, the door.
(He'll be okay.)
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Derelict Relic toward his party's challenge, Sphere-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
"Pffft, yeah but you got a TOTALLY COOL ARM to replace it, didn't you?" Oh no, Ida, he thinks your arm is too cool for that aesop to work!! "It's fine, it's fine! Really I kind of just want to make sure Ratatoskr doesn't get too upset, you know? He's a good kid! Just. Weird? Not relative to most Hyadeans though."
"Ah, you noticed my ultra-stylish super-cool scarf, did you!?" Zed beams at Margaret's... possible... complement? "I think maybe we met in Besaid? I am Zed! The Coolest Dark Hero, Ultimate Macho-Man and the Grim Reaper's Pen-Pal. Nice to meet you! Properly!"
"Well, there's an awful lot of that weird purple stuff over there," Zed muses at Fei's theorizing. "Maybe the whale thing wanted to go destroy it, or something? I mean, there's not much of it around here, is there? So it'd make sense! Maybe."
Beat.
Oh, there's a door.
Zed...
Actually doesn't use his hammer this time? He just sort of nods sagely at Fei and then--
SHOOTS SWORD BEAMS AT IT!?!?
Does he think this is some kind of beam-off or something?
DG: Zed has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Sphere-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Margaret explains more. Dean listens as best he can. "But Sin wasn't sent by anybody, right? It just appeared," he says. "Yevon didn't send it, it sent itself. I think?" He scratches his head, then gives her an apologetic look. He knows at this point would be when Rebecca starts getting cranky, so: "Sorry, I still don't really get it. Thanks for trying, though."
They get across. He manages not to drown. Score another point for the Mean Dean Machine!! Fei starts talking about Sin going to Azado, and Dean blinks over at him. "Does it? I never really thought about it," he says. "Huh... What d'you think could lure something that huge away from Spira?" Ida chimes on the matter, and Dean frowns. "Banish Sin... But I thought something was summoning it?"
The topic changes, though, and Ida mentions that she hasn't seen or heard from Kalve. "I'm sorry," he says in sympathy. "I'm sure he's doing fine, though. Kalve's tough!"
Door appears before them. It will not open due to spheres being missing. They gotta bust it down. Busting things down is what Dean does best. He brightens at the opportunity, even, pulling out his shovel so he can work on digging up and around the door to weaken its structure and make it easier for Fei and Ratatoskr and Zed and Ida to break through. *This* he can wrap his mind around!
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool The Trusty Shovel toward his party's challenge, Sphere-Sealed Door.
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
Rex looks at Ratatoskr as he speaks. "Do you hear me?" Rex asks him, with a certain sort of implicit weight. He does not sound angry, only curious.
"I wonder about that, sometimes," Margaret muses to Fei. "Azado isn't even the closest point to Spira. Like you'd think it would go to Glenwood or something, first." She then looks at her hand and she tsks, before nudging Rex, who passes her an emery board.
Margaret considers... but then realizes you shouldn't cut wet nails. "Do you have whales on Filgaia?" she asks. Then she looks back to Fei. "Frankly, less than you'd think. We certainly were eating carefully planned dinners, but the weather was good. I won't be telling you any secrets to say that the Dragonmaster is with us."
A second passes.
"The Dragonmaster is very strong," Margaret says. "Hence the name, Dragonmaster." ("Yeah," Rex concurs.)
"As far as we know, yes," Margaret tells Dean. "I would - and I want to emphasize this is your darling Margaret being paranoid - not be surprised if it would be possible somehow to lure it from place to place. I expect that wouldn't work reliably or Yevon wouldn't have summoners, they'd have a navy of fast sloops training the beast round some area they'd offer up as sacrifice."
Instead of helping with the door blasting, Margaret offers - "If you have a sketch or description of 'Kalve,' we can keep an eye out."
DG: Margaret has used her Tool Gratuitous Post-Labor Grooming Supplies toward her party's challenge, Sphere-Sealed Door.
=======================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================= =====================<* CHALLENGE - Sphere-Sealed Door *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The Warrior Monks who followed the teachings of Gusong based portions of their temples on the Cloisters of Trials, where the Fayth were hidden. This includes doors sealed by spheres... which presents a problem when those spheres have been lost. A large stone door stands before you, and those who have spent some time on Filgaia, know what must be done. The door must be broken. =Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Tire========================================
==================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 4 *>================== =======================< Results - Sphere-Sealed Door >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dean Stark 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass The Trusty Shovel 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ratatoskr 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Derelict Relic 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Margaret 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Gratuitous Post-Labor Grooming Supp 1 Brute Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zed 18 --(0)--> 18 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fei Fong Wong 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Mother's Cross 4 Brute Effects: None ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Overzealous(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Cleanse ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Oh uh. I may know about the fire. Not a lot, but." Fei begins, sounding awkward because uh--hey hadn't really had occassion to talk about it before and now all of a sudden Ida is bringing it up! "Lucia, the Fiends and I were in town before the fire started. Though, uh, not for very long. We were looking to get a boat
to get to Pentagulia. I think Leo was there too come to think of it."
He looks over to Margaret for a moment and adds, "Anyway, soon as we show up--Bam. Fire everywhere. We managed to climb the lighthouse where we found that this strange fire bird thing was causing all the flames." He shakes his head. "It wasn't even Sin. We destroyed it though I guess it didn't really ... matter much in the end."
Considering what showed up AFTERWARDS.
"I have no idea if these two things are related though." Fei admits.
It turns out that sword beams isn't as effective as fist beams (Fei grins a bit at this) but honestly while Fei's chi explosion and Ida's foot end up damaging the door somewhat, it's actually Dean's trust shovel that finishes off the villainous door before it can do further harm.
"I know how strong the Dragonmaster is." Fei says. "I fought him."
He frowns, not especially buying that Yevon sent it over to the Boundary for no reason. What benefit would it serve? Most of the people don't even seem to know what that territory is.
But he didn't think about Margaret's other comment. "A pretty circuitous path then." Fei says. "Weird."
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>========================
============<* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault *>============
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
There is one, final chamber to enter. You locate, after passing through a
large stone door, the vault of the Sunken Monastery. While some rooms are
not flooded, the main chamber is. This makes getting anything valuable in
the higher sconces difficult, if not impossible: the water might ruin much
of it.
Fortunately, the vault includes a vast number of large sealed doors and
drains in the floor. If you can devise a way to drain the water from them,
you might be able to take the loot you have uncovered from here.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Reckless========================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
On the other side of the door is glimmering gold. Piles of old coins spill from the ruined remains of cloth sacks, carpeting parts of the floor. Locked wooden chests, warped by exposure to humidity, accomodate larger items. This is it, right? This is the treasure of the Sunken Monastery!
Ida steps forwards, and looks suspiciously at the hole in the middle of the floor. "We're back here," she says, eyes narrowing. Down the hole lies a room that used to connect the vaults to each other--but now it's completely flooded. Removing anything from the vaults, beyond a token sum of gil that won't make swimming difficult, is going to require drainage.
"We need to drain the chamber below us," Ida says. She looks at the others, each in turn. "There's some sort of drainage system, but the last time I was here, I couldn't figure out how to activate it." But perhaps now they have a better shot?
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Multitool toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
"Huh? I can hear you!" Can Ratatoskr understand him and not segue into weird flights of fancy about his interests, that is another question - but anyway somewhere in this slurry of dialogue he gets blasted back (almost) harmlessly. It is only sheer youthful excitement that gets him back up on his feet and following the rest through into the other side of the door. Footfalls fall much slower, much more carefully, much more reverently as Ratatoskr steps through the door, having to rest a hand on the doorframe. He's careful not to scuff or further destroy the carpet underneath. He rests a ditigrade foot on it, as if to just feel what it was like.
To think about whatever kinds of boots once stepped to and fro this place. He rubs that foot back and forth on it, gently, as if trying to even go so far as to imagine how they marched. It's a fun, distracting thought, something to take his mind off of hunger and weakness and that bit of quicksilver dribbling off the side of his head and lower back.
"...Drain? Oh... drain." The horned squirrel-shaped Hyadean gets out the datapad of his again. A clawed finger delicately taps across the screen, not so much as leaving a scuff. (How it has survived this long without losing power and/or being waterlogged, uhh, science.)
"I didn't want to break anything like Zed did... I just kept swimming..." He can provide at least, from his records, a basic idea of what waterways he's been to, if that helps map out where things will or even can drain.
DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Corrupted Records toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
And here they are again.
"Hnnnnng, the only thing we've had to fight in this place have been weird treasure sprites and slimes!" Zed harrumphs at the mysterious puzzle they're once more faced with. So close. They're so close to all the treasure submerged in those floodwaters. If only they could just... go down there and carry the crates up by hand!
"Hey! I didn't break much, Zed huffs again. Today is a... huffy day.
But they'd probably fall apart if they did that. And then there'd be nothing to be done for their contents.
Hrmph.
Zed... just dives into the water and promptly sinks like a stone. He is made of metal, after all. Cheeks puffed out, he wanders over toward where those mechanisms are set into the wall and looks up to Ida, apparently waiting for instructions.
DG: Zed has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
"Did you," Margaret says to Fei, a little warily.
Margaret gives Fei significantly more personal space in the aftermath of this revelation. Fei has a certain trait of 'walking-aroundness' that Margaret does not associate with those who would challenge the Dragonmaster, and a distinct level of 'not being a bloody Fei cutlet pounded into mash against the cold uncaring stones of a world whose god has vacated the throne,' so, well.
Good work, Fei! Rep up!
Margaret riffles her cards in their waterproof pouch. "Drainage... Let's see... the doctor's spread..." She draws out six cards then, glances at Rex, and Rex oblingingly walks over and extends his right arm. Margaret lays the cards out, starting from the middle. She examines them closely.
"... To lower it," Margaret says, "It must be raised, first."
Margaret looks up and thinks for a good five seconds, before saying, "Wait -"
Then she looks towards Dean. "You can make ice with your ARM there, can't you? How much ice can you make in one go?"
DG: Margaret has used her Tool Travelers Cards toward her party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"*Do* we have whales on Filgaia? I guess we must, if we have the word for whales," Dean asks, looking around at the group. "I've never seen one, though." On account of whales tend to be deep-sea creatures, and he has never been out to deep sea for reasons everyone ought to know by now.
Margaret shares her paranoia with Dean. Finally he gets something of what she's explaining, and his blue eyes widen. "Wait, you think *Yevon* sent Sin out on purpose to Azado?" he wonders, shocked. "But that would be terrible! Even if they did that to spare the people in Spira, so many people in Azado suffered because of that attack!"
But then they reach a basin that is, surprise surprise, filled with water. They'll need to drain it if they want to get the delicious treasure sunken within. Dean kneels down to get a better look at the glittering gold, then looks up and over at Ida when she explains the situation. "We'll just have to do our best!" he declares with entirely unfounded confidence. "If you spot any out-of-reach knobs that need turning or anything like that, just let me know! I'll hit 'em with a rubber bullet and make 'em move!"
He holds up Twin Fenrir, which appear in his hands in a flash of light, demonstratively. ...But then Margaret asks about the Freeze Ray's ice. He blinks over at her. "Hmmm... I dunno, I never tried to push it to the limit," he replies. "A lot? It doesn't run out or anything, so I'm pretty sure I could probably keep going forever if I had to!"
DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Standard Cartridge toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Yeah, he was--" Fei cuts himself off and thinks. Why.. was the Dragonmaster stopping him (Id) from murdering all the Fiends again? Isn't that, like, what they want? Maybe not. Leo doesn't seem to actually be trying to slay them so much as capture them. After a brief consultation with himself he recognizes that there is no answer for him to find as of yet. It still feels a bit off, though, so he'll have to pay better attention if he does run into that pasty scarred elf dude again.
"I bet we have sandwhales." Fei quips, having basically only been on the sesa for the purposes of traveling to Elru. "Uh--it's just an idea, Dean. We probably shouldn't assume that's what happened. I mean, I can't say it's impossible. I could see them only being able to vaguely aim it and if it's to spare hteir people, well, it's not as if they knew anybody within the Boundary. Heck, I could even see them reasoning they only need to send it out until their summoners are ready."
He shrugs both shoulders. "But just because it's possible doesn't mean it's true." He starts making notes in his notebook based on MArgaret's instructions and taking notes on approximate effects of the levers and the like.
"Infinite ice is probably the best power." Fei says. "Especially when you're in the Badlands."
DG: Fei Fong Wong has used his Tool Artist's Toolkit toward his party's challenge, It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault.
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
Margaret explains: "Separate thoughts, about Yevon. They don't seem to have any ill will towards our lands, or us. I mean that we have indirect evidence no lure would be perfect. I don't know who would lure Sin to Azado. The Vile Tribe? I can't speculate. It could simply be some fatal mischance. Sometimes awful things happen for no reason whatsoever."
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>========================
============<* CHALLENGE - It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault *>============
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 3 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
There is one, final chamber to enter. You locate, after passing through a
large stone door, the vault of the Sunken Monastery. While some rooms are
not flooded, the main chamber is. This makes getting anything valuable in
the higher sconces difficult, if not impossible: the water might ruin much
of it.
Fortunately, the vault includes a vast number of large sealed doors and
drains in the floor. If you can devise a way to drain the water from them,
you might be able to take the loot you have uncovered from here.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Reckless========================================
===================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 5 *>=================== ==============< Results - It's a Water Level - The Flooded Vault >============== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(100)--> 100 Pass Multitool 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Stark 0 --(100)--> 100 Fail Standard Cartridge 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ratatoskr 0 --(100)--> 100 Fail Corrupted Records 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Margaret 0 --(100)--> 100 Pass Travelers Cards 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zed 18 --(100)--> 118 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fei Fong Wong 3 --(100)--> 103 Fail Artist's Toolkit 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 80 --(10)--> 90 Fail Conditions: Overzealous(1)|Reckless(2)|Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Zed is too exhausted to continue! DG: Fei Fong Wong is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Oh. That makes more sense," Dean says to Margaret, though he isn't significantly happier about it.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"The Vile Tribe?" Fei asks. "Is that why you call them the Vile Fiends? No wait, they call themselves that too...?"
He looks flustered.
DG: Margaret has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>========================
===========================<* CHALLENGE - Cactuar *>============================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Your descent leads you down to one of the lowest levels of the Sunken
Monastery. Here, you find where Gusong once helped train many Warrior Monks
in his art. There are moth-eaten and faded red tapestries on the wall, and a
large, tarnished bronze gong is on the back wall of the room. In the center
of the room, though, is something most peculiar.
There is a perfectly still cactus-shaped person. It has the tell-tale ridges
and green coloration of a cactus, with spikes covering its body. When it
moves, neither of its arms or legs -- always bent like it is ready to run --
actually move. The whole Cactuar turns towards you.
It makes the following face: :o
It might be cute, but then it fires one thousand needles at you forever
because it is a fiend and incapable of joy.
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Fright============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida dives in not long after Zed, and gets to work on the locking mechanisms. They're still very rusty, and it's slow going. Ida files off as much rust as she can, but she has to surface for breath regularly. Even with the aid of Dean's freeze ray, and Margaret's cartomancy, it's slow going.
And, it seems, all the scraping and pushing and freeze-raying has attracted something. Something sinister.
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
"Well, as for the Vile Tribe," Margaret begins, before she lets out a sudden scream of horror!
Rewind the tape a couple few seconds.
A stone object, apparently of olivine, moved, sensing noise, motion... souls. It stood there, its blank, dead eyes drinking in the reflected light of its prey. It began to charge its forces. Standing on a high place as it is, this glowing light no doubt drew the attention of Zed. And so it is Zed - who, by mischance, is standing not so far from Fei - who has received the blessings of
CAtaclysmic
Covert
Terror
Assault
Unit
Reborn
"Could anyone survive this?!" Margaret says, aghast, shocked, dismayed at the horrid sight of what the Thousand Needles are doing to the poor innocent Zed. "Agh! He seemed like a damn fool but - oh by the Goddess - did he have family?!" He isn't even dead yet and Margaret is just, well, planning ahead. Maybe he can choke out a name, an address, a lock box password.
Rex, meanwhile, has drawn out an arrow, borrowed Margaret's crystalline match to light something, and has taken aim to shoot a fire arrow right square at the helpfully-immobile object.
CAN YOU DO LESS?
DG: Margaret has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cactuar.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong kneels down by Zed's corpse, hand over his heart ,big tears welling up in his eyes. "Zed... No...."
He promptly gets 1000 needled himself and his body drops down over Zed's. It is very sad.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
It's true. Zed... Zed can't resist. He can't possibly resist. There's a mysterious thing that looks like a running man-- no, that looks like a SHURIKEN! Surely this is an ancient weapon of the monks who once called this place home--
"Ow," Zed ows, pricking his finger on a needle.
The statue... turns around.
Zed goes :O
The statue goes :o
"Oh uh, hey there buddy, what're you doing h--OH NO)]
Needles!
So many needles!
"Owowowowowowowowowowoowowowowowow--" Zed... is being turned into a pincushion! A thousand tiny needles riddle his body one at a time! "--owowowowowowowowowow--" How... how could anyone survive this...!?
The answer is...
"I--" Zed says as he topples over, "Still... function...!"
Zed's HP: -1/999
"Blarg," Zed says, slipping into needle-induced unconciousness.
(It'll be fine. He'll be fine. Dude has like, stupid-high stamina and PROBABLY also the diehard feat.)
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Zed..." Fei whispers. "...Live!"
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
There's a weird cactus-looking creature staring at them. "Aww, hey, what a cute-looking--"
THOUSAND NEEDLES BWAAAAAAARGH
"Zed! Fei! No!!" Dean shouts, horrified. "We gotta beat that weird cactus thing back and save them!!" Twin Fenrir, already in hand, swing around, and he aims for the Cactuar...!
Wait, is he actually going to use his guns to SHOOT SOMETHING instead of hitting it with the combat rods in the handles?? He really is! Will wonders never cease!!
DG: Dean Stark has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Cactuar.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
There are suddenly needles. A thousand of them. A thousand tiny little prick(les) of light shining against what little lighting reflects off of them. Ratatoskr stands alert at the emergence (and also the scream, albeit of a different source than this thing) as it makes its presence known.
:o
The Hyadean squirrel-like fellow stands more erect... and then lurches over, his posture far more feral as he raises his arms up in a familiar martial arts stance to Ida. It vaguely resembles Muay Thai.
"So, it's you..." Ratatoskr speaks, voice raspy but still boastful in some fading vibrancy as Fei gets needled about. "I don't get it? I don't get it...! I don't know what a Vile Tribe is... what an Azado is... but I know what I see..."He makes a face in turn...
-:D
"You are one of the Warrior-Monks of Gusong...!" Ratatoskr declares of this inhuman horror who stands in a permanent state of horror of its own existence, of its askew posture. "You are no 'weird cactus' to me!! You, honored hero of this place...! Hyahaha--!"
The horn on his head builds with crackling energy as Ratatoskr throws himself at it in a flurry of strikes and even bursts of compressed air from elbows, knees, hands, and feet like a hungry predator begging for their next meal. (He sort of is hungry. This is a completely different kind of hunger.)
"Fight me!!"
DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Cactuar.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Zed starts poking at something during an air break. Ida glances at him, silently hoping he's discovered a mechanism she didn't notice before, maybe something to trigger the drainage mechanisms without diving to the bottom of the water--
It's worse. It's so much worse.
"What the--?" Ida yelps, as the thing turns around and fills Zed full of needles. A cactus, she thinks. It's so bizarre, she can't help but feel a little detached, even as Zed and Fei are turned into pincushions. Why is it making that face? Then Ida's combat reflexes kick in. She whips something out of a pocket--a little piece of metal about the size and shape of a playing card. Light flashes off of it, a burst of blue followed by brilliant emerald-green. The light streams outwards, around Ida and the others, speeding their movements.
Ida reaches for the concealed holster in the bottom of her pack with both hands. In an instant, she's holding Devil's Due and another heavy pistol. In the next heartbeat, she unloads on the Cactuar with both weapons, as though trying to outdo its little needle trick.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Haste Cap toward her party's challenge, Cactuar.
<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.
"Blarg," Zed replies, maybe to Fei, maybe to Ida, or maybe it's just gas.
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>========================
===========================<* CHALLENGE - Cactuar *>============================
|Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
Your descent leads you down to one of the lowest levels of the Sunken
Monastery. Here, you find where Gusong once helped train many Warrior Monks
in his art. There are moth-eaten and faded red tapestries on the wall, and a
large, tarnished bronze gong is on the back wall of the room. In the center
of the room, though, is something most peculiar.
There is a perfectly still cactus-shaped person. It has the tell-tale ridges
and green coloration of a cactus, with spikes covering its body. When it
moves, neither of its arms or legs -- always bent like it is ready to run --
actually move. The whole Cactuar turns towards you.
It makes the following face: :o
It might be cute, but then it fires one thousand needles at you forever
because it is a fiend and incapable of joy.
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Fright============================================
===================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong - Round 6 *>===================
=============================< Results - Cactuar >==============================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey 100 --(100)--> 200 Pass
Haste Cap 2 Combat Effects: Embolden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Stark 100 --(100)--> 200 Fail
Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr 100 --(100)--> 200 Fail
Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margaret 100 --(100)--> 200 Fail
Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zed 118 --(X)--> X
Effects:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fei Fong Wong 103 --(X)--> X
Effects:
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 90 --(10)--> 100 Fail
Conditions: Fright(2)|Reckless(1)|Stupify(1)|Wound(2)
Effects: Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey is too exhausted to continue! DG: Dean Stark is too exhausted to continue! DG: Ratatoskr is too exhausted to continue! DG: Margaret is too exhausted to continue! DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has successfully explored Sunken Monastery of Gusong!
========================<* Sunken Monastery of Gusong *>======================== ===========================<* CHALLENGE - 2000 Gil *>=========================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Even monks have to eat. Inside of the sealed away sconce, you find a treasure chest. Within it are centuries-old coins; they show the images of High Summoners of that time on them, and the gil seems to be in good condition altogether. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Margaret has posed.
RIP Zed, ????-502 CE
"I'm gonna live forever!" - Zed
The cactaur turns around, dodging the arrow. It pivots in place several times, dumpstering Ratatoskr's offense completely in an inexplicable and infuriating way.
"*cactaur noise*" it says as Dean shoots. It pivots, parrying the bullet with its needles.
(I am immune to a gun!)
"*cactaur noise??*" it says again as Ida shoots...
(Two guns!?)
It flips upside down and falls without a ripple into the water. Maybe it became pyreflies. Who knows.
"He was a formidible opponent," says Margaret.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.
Ratatoskr's blows come up empty. Every time it seems like a limb or a blast overlaps, something appears over the great green horror.
Miss
No matter how hard he tries.
Miss
"Huh...?!"
Miss Miss Miss Miss Miss Miss Miss Miss Miss Miss
"I'm not a 'miss'?" Ratatoskr asks, and then repeats in exclamation because of course he does. "I'm not a 'miss'!!"
Then the Cactuar, suddenly, emits another four-digit amount of needles, to a new designation as each and every one of them pin down Ratatoskr.
Not Miss :o
The squirrely Hyadean just lies on his back, twitching with a stupid grin on his face.
"...I don't get it..."
There is one last Miss that goes over his head. For some reason.