2020-04-04: Sword Ghosts And Other Woes
- Log: Sword Ghosts And Other Woes
- Cast: Loren Voss, Lunata Croze, Jacqueline Barber, Allison Storm
- Where: The Cape of Breath
- Date: April 03, 2020
- Summary: Entering into the barrow on orders from Leah Sadalbari, Loren finds quickly that his timing has put him here with a troubling trio. Things proceed to go swimmingly*.
(*no, they don't)
DG: A party led by Loren Voss is now entering Billion Blade Barrow. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
===========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Pedestal Puzzle *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The mouth of the barrow is protected by an ancient gate. Really, it's more of a guillotine-like slab of bladed metal that bars entry to any who do not undergo the appropriate rites. While the meaning of any such ritual is a matter of debate among historians and anthropologists, the implements are still very much present. A series of six pillars have been arrayed around the guillotine gate. Each one is made up of a number of rotating, engraved cylinders. It seems that you'll need to turn them so that each set of symbols aligns properly. The rub being that turning one cylinder causes another on a different column to turn as well. Figuring out which sequence to turn the cylinders in is a puzzle in and of itself. Without foreknowledge of the ritual, you're going to have to rely on your own ingenuity and abilities to unlock the gate leading further inwards. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
If it were up to Loren, he wouldn't even be here.
Unfortunately, being a member of the military (and persona non grata for your entire social class) means you don't get to do things like 'get to decide where you want to go on recon', so here he is, at the special request of Major Sadalbari.
She'd even implied he might find the location particularly fruitful, which just made him chafe a bit. Just because he's in possession of a Medium doesn't mean he even wants to...
But grumbling aside, the young Gebler captain has work to do. Even if it does mean infiltrating what amounts to an old burial mound... for weapons.
He's already uncomfortable. What is with Lambs and their obsession with burying dead and broken things? Can't they just recycle for parts like a normal person?
(He is not the least bit unnerved that he might run into some sort of Sword Ghost. Honest.)
But first there is the biggest problem of them all:
The part where he has to get into the barrow.
The door is quite firmly shut. There is no key, or a keyhole.
And even so, he can't turn back. Even if he has to break down the door by force, he can't turn back. His reputation -- such that it is -- is on the line.
"Hm..."
There are patterns on the columns. On a whim, he turns one. Aha--
And notices that one of the others also turns, moving it out of alignment. "...Seriously?" he utters, scowling at the other column. "...Fine, I guess that's how it'll be." He stands there, thinking over the problem for a moment when something occurs to him.
Some of the carvings are partially obscured. If he cleans them up, maybe he has a (ghost of) a chance. Maybe he'll get really lucky (yeah right) and there'll be some hint to how this is supposed to work. After all people used this place once, right? It can't have been this annoying to enter into...
So he digs into his completely normal Drifter-style shoulder bag and pulls out a wrapped nutritional bar. Which he then unwraps partially. And applies to the column as if it were a sponge.
Well, the texture is about right for a sponge... and dirt does stick to it...
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Soylent Nutribar toward his party's challenge, Pedestal Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Lunata had heard a little bit about this 'Billion Blade Barrows', supposedly a sacred place to Equites, the Guardian of the Sword. And... well, from there, it would seem, the most hare-brained of plans are hatched--
"Oh."
There's a loud shuffling sound as a familiar voice rings through, and she calls out, "Thomas? Fancy meeting you here."
She's kind of dragging on her feet because, uh--
That's...
That's a golf bag. It's full of swords.
Did she take the metaphorical phrase literally???
"Is there like a... puzzle to this or something?" Lunata stares towards one of the pillars. A pause, as she gawks as she gets a better look.
"Are you rubbing granola on an ancient ruin?"
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Pedestal Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Swords weren't of personal interest to Jacqueline, and neither are weapons in general - the closest thing she has to a weapon is the harvesting knife she keeps in her bags. ...And also the terrifying demon book she keeps with her, but she only brought that out in dire occasions.
Regardless, though she may not be interested in swords herself, she's close to people who are - and so, she's put out a general request to explore the Billion Blade Barrow! The request filters through the Digger's Guild and over the Memory Cube - it'd be easy to spot for anyone looking for work.
She arrives with Lunata and perhaps anyone else who might've answered the call for help, only to find...
"...Ah, L-" Jacqueline pauses as Lunata greets him first... as Thomas. She looks between Lunata and Loren. ...This suddenly got a little awkward. Jacqueline clears her throat, and tries a polite greeting. "...Hello there."
Her attention turns, then, to the puzzle. She spots the cylinders, approaches them... and then carefully and experimentally begins turning them to see which reacts to what.
"Hmm... maybe like this...?" She murmurs to herself.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Pedestal Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
The heavens have bestowed a singular gift upon Filgaia.
Sleek, agile, deadly, beautiful, she descended from on high like a burning angelic saviour.
Unfortunately, the starfighter in question then proceeded to crash into a willow tree, catch fire, explode, then sink into a swamp, and now all that's left is its pilot, codename 'Vermillion Five,' her flight jacket identifying her as 'A. Storm.' It's been a week since she wandered, covered in grime and smelling like a mix of swamp gas and burning rocket fuel (not that many locals could identify that particular potpourri) into the nearest town, and a day since she found someone willing to direct such a dubious dame to a paying job.
She's at least rid herself of the swamp rocket smell now, arriving at the site of the Billion Blade Barrow without a single blade at hand. In fact, she doesn't seem to have much on her person aside from a white synthetic jumpsuit, a black synthetic jacket, and a red necktie. Perhaps she thinks the last bit's a good way to impress a prospective employer.
"Hey. I'm Ally... which one of you's leading this gig?" she asks, green eyes flitting amongst the trio before glancing toward the pillars. Somewhat discreetly, she reaches into an inner pocket and pulls out what seems to be a small book of some kind with the words 'Keep Calm' on the front and starts searching through it. "Let's see..."
DG: Allison Storm has used her Tool Starfighter's Guide to the Galaxy toward her party's challenge, Pedestal Puzzle.
===========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Pedestal Puzzle *>======================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The mouth of the barrow is protected by an ancient gate. Really, it's more of a guillotine-like slab of bladed metal that bars entry to any who do not undergo the appropriate rites. While the meaning of any such ritual is a matter of debate among historians and anthropologists, the implements are still very much present. A series of six pillars have been arrayed around the guillotine gate. Each one is made up of a number of rotating, engraved cylinders. It seems that you'll need to turn them so that each set of symbols aligns properly. The rub being that turning one cylinder causes another on a different column to turn as well. Figuring out which sequence to turn the cylinders in is a puzzle in and of itself. Without foreknowledge of the ritual, you're going to have to rely on your own ingenuity and abilities to unlock the gate leading further inwards. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
======================<* Billion Blade Barrow - Round 1 *>====================== =========================< Results - Pedestal Puzzle >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 0 --(3)--> 3 Pass Soylent Nutribar 2 Wits Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lunata Croze 0 --(3)--> 3 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 0 --(3)--> 3 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allison Storm 0 --(3)--> 3 Pass Starfighter's Guide to the Galaxy 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Tire(2) Effects: Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Loren is in the middle of studiously cleaning a dirty engraving with something that is technically a food item when a familiar voice rings out. "--Croze? What are you..."
He freezes right where he is, turning his head to make eye contact with none other than Jacqueline Barber.
"..."
A long, silent, awkward moment ensues.
Into which Lunata asks him why he's applying granola to a carving.
"It's not granola!" is the first thing he snaps in response, after which he kind of has a moment where he just wants to go off and die. "Look -- it's absorbent, okay? And--"
His gaze shifts to the third person in here, someone he hasn't seen before. ...Interesting outfit. "...Great, it's a whole party," Loren groans. He lowers his arm, moving the dirt-encrusted bar from the carvings in the process. "Fine. Let's start from the top. As you can see, the these carvings here," and he taps against the engraving of swords and helpful alignment arrows (freshly uncovered from the obscuring dirt), "are the key to getting the door open. So unless you have some better ideas, just let me work--"
Allison, as it happens, finds within the pages of her book the outline for a similar-enough puzzle. The key is to use as few motions as possible apparently -- the more movements, the more unaligned the turning tiles can get. Huh! Maybe some things are uniform wherever you go in the galaxy. Which might help her help Jay...
As Jay, with the help of the unobscured engravings, can see a suggestion of which ones should be turned first.
(What did Lunata do? She distracted Loren and got him out of the way so the others could see the engravings...)
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Bas Fishing *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The walls of this place tell countless stories. Legends abound- some familiar, some that might have been lost to history. In some cases, it's almost as if the bas reliefs and murals are poised to leap out of the walls and come to life before your very eyes. You come across a rather suspicious stretch of sculpture, though. Suspicious specifically in that you feel a slight draft coming from somewhere nearby. Maybe there's something about the bas reliefs nearby that could open a secret passage deeper into the ruins... Or maybe you'll just activate a bunch of traps. It could really be either one. =Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline pauses in her work at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She turns in Allison's direction, gives her a brief look-over and offers her a polite smile.
"Ah, yes, that would be me! I'm Jacqueline Barber - it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ally." She says, and offering her a handshake.
Whether she accepts it or not, they manage to solve the puzzle by working together! The guillotine blade rises, stone hooks sliding in to catch slots on the side to prevent it from falling as they pass through.
The hallway past the blade is rather remarkable, to anyone with an interest in history. They tell countless stories in bas reliefs and murals, some looking as if they'd leap right out of the walls!
Thankfully, they don't(these ones, anyway).
"Wow... this is amazing. This is my second time here, but we didn't find this hallway before..." Jacqueline says, awed. As they proceed, one gets a certain feeling. Something about this place... it's suspicious. There's a faint draft - might there be secret passage here...?
Jacqueline pauses in place with a pensive frown. She approaches the mural wall, giving it a good look over. ...She seems pretty absorbed in her work.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bas Fishing.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"Oh, Ally, huh? Nice t'meetcha, I'm Lunata," Lunata waves even as she keeps dragging that incredibly heavy and cumbersome bag as if it were part of some kind of patronage for the temple.
She also lights up and goes, "D'you meet Thomas before, Jay? He's a good friend of mine, actually!" Lunata answers with nary a spot of guile in her voice. (Lunata is so guileless her theme doesn't go with anything, actually, come to think of it.)
The murals catch her eye a bit, though...
"Huh... I really feel like we're intruding on some sacred space," Lunata murmurs. "So, how've things been since you-know-what, Thomas?" she asks, standing a bit closer to Jay as she observes. Maybe she'll sit down and accidentally fall on a switch. That's how intuitive types work, right?
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The bladed door opens and, with some trepidation, Loren steps over that threshold. Who the hell builds a door that could cut someone? He just doesn't understand Lambs at all.
Current company included. This is going to be an awkward expedition, Loren decides. Surreptitiously, he checks the sword at his hip, then glances over at Jacqueline. What's her game? Is she planning to wait until they're well in and reveal his identity to the other two? He has one guess about how that would go. Well, he's as ready as he can be.
If things do go south, it will certainly make for an exciting report. No question. And someone up the food chain will probably frame it as his error, too.
Things are going just swell!
Particularly when Lunata choses that moment to remark on how he's 'such a good friend'. He faces forward, his expression completely deadpan. He does not make eye contact.
...He feels like he's being watched.
Or perhaps, like there's a--
"...Something's not right," the young medical officer says, looking about himself. "I wonder if--"
He has one arm halfway into his kit, digging about for an unused probe (the kind for wounds), when Lunata asks how things have gone since 'you-know-what'.
"Er--"
His personal life dragged front and center, Loren is forced into a terrible predicament:
He has a hard time telling lies (when they're not prepared in advance anyway, like the lie of 'Thomas Blackwell').
And now is A REALLY GOOD TIME TO LIE.
So of course what comes out is:
"I, er, haven't... really..."
He backs into a bas relief. Now would also be a really good time for a secret door to accidentally take him away, but what are the odds of that happening?
DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Bas Fishing.
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
Ally shakes the hand when it's offered, her own covered in a black and white glove - or rather, an extension of her jumpsuit, on closer examination. A totally normal greeting for a totally normal Filgaian woman. (Luckily, this is the fifth time someone's offered it to her, and she got the hang of it around the third.) "A pleasure," she says to those who've greeted her in a worldly, casual tone. "So, I think the trick here's to make sure we don't go goofing around with those things..."
A bit later, as the group moves into the hall of artwork, Allison keeps her pocket book handy. Holding the piece of literature in hand seems on its own to instill the blue-haired woman with some sense of confidence. Her expression turns curious as she looks the murals and bas-reliefs over. "Anyone know what these are supposed to be of? I, uh... didn't pay much attention in history class."
She laughs at the suggestion that the space they're in is somehow sacred. "Sacred, huh? It's a burial place for swords, isn't it? Don't tell me you're worried about poking around the art gallery of a bunch of sword-worshipping yokels."
Allison's eyes flit, as she finishes scoffing, toward the golf bag full of swords on Lunata's back. "No offense," she adds, before looking around the room and starts to look for the source of that indoor breeze. "Anyone else feel that..?"
DG: Allison Storm has used her Tool Starfighter's Guide to the Galaxy toward her party's challenge, Bas Fishing. DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Bas Fishing.
==========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>========================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Bas Fishing *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The walls of this place tell countless stories. Legends abound- some familiar, some that might have been lost to history. In some cases, it's almost as if the bas reliefs and murals are poised to leap out of the walls and come to life before your very eyes. You come across a rather suspicious stretch of sculpture, though. Suspicious specifically in that you feel a slight draft coming from somewhere nearby. Maybe there's something about the bas reliefs nearby that could open a secret passage deeper into the ruins... Or maybe you'll just activate a bunch of traps. It could really be either one. =Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
=====================<* Billion Blade Barrow - Round 2 *>===================== ==========================< Results - Bas Fishing >=========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loren Voss 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Allison Storm 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Starfighter's Guide to the Galaxy 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Loren Voss 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Secret(2)|Tire(1) Effects: Enlighten(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline smiles brightly as Allison accepts the handshake. She doesn't notice anything suspicious thus far - her practice has served her well.
"That's a good idea, yes." Jacqueline says with a nod, and starts moving... but as she does, she sends a glance Lunata's way.
A 'good friend', she says. Jacqueline looks between Lunata and Loren with a nervous smile.
"I-I didn't know that! But yes, we've met a few times..." She replies. So, Lunata definitely didn't know. Jacqueline inhales, but continues forward.
She offers Lunata a smile as she moves to stand closer to her, then looks toward the murals themselves.
"That's not entirely incorrect - from my understanding this place is dedicated to ancient weapons, and the warriors who wielded them." Jacqueline explains, for Allison's sake as well. "...But, as long as we're only here to pay our respects, I don't think it'll be a problem. ...They might end up challenging us, though."
She frowns a little, though, at Allison's next words.
"I'd be a little careful saying things like that here - this place is sacred to Equites, the Sword Guardian. It might lead to danger. Are you familiar with Guardianist lore?" Jacqueline asks. From anyone else it might sound like a threat, but it sounds like she's genuinely willing to explain it.
But, they've all noticed that there's something suspicious here. They get to looking. In the end... Loren desperately hopes for a secret door to take him away, and he gets his wish!
Lunata takes a seat... and she does, a floor tile shifts, causing the relief Loren's leaning against to pull back, revealing a ramp! ...That Loren might end up tumbling down, if he isn't careful.
"Oh! Nice find, Lunata!" Jacqueline praises. "Let's go after him - we probably shouldn't leave him down there alone."
With that, she follows after him!
DG: Lunata Croze has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Inglorious Bas-tards *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The wall murals have been a constant of your time in these ruins. They've always been there, silent sentinels of your journey through the barrow. Sometimes it almost feels like you're being watched, like they were living things ready to leap out of the walls and come alive at the drop of a hat... And that's exactly what happens. Suddenly, a full cast of stone soldiers, dancers and monsters burst from their place on the walls, bristling with blade and fang to protect this sacred place. Be careful as you fight; you never know which mural might decide to take the opportunity to stab you in the kidneys while your back is turned. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"Eh... not really," Lunata answers of Allison. "I'm more of a worshiper of Zeldukes, even though I don't really care about Castles that much...? It's weird to say that, actually. Yokels, huh... I mean, I guess I'm kind of a yokel too, where I grew up?"
Loren says that he hasn't gotten much progress since his you-know-what. "What!" Lunata exclaims. "Did you not ask at all, or did they say no, or--"
Loren starts falling behind a plate that turns once she sits, and Jacqueline--
Is it just her, or is Jacqueline too chipper at seeing someone get dropped down a hole? It's probably just her imagination.
She hops down after Loren to go, "You okay, Thomas?" A pause, as she glances around. A full array of stone soldiers, dancers and monsters erupt from the reliefs on the wall, and Lunata--
--couldn't look happier?
"Oh, I was wondering when we'd get to fight something!" She pulls a random sword out of the golf bag. It's a scimitar with a little price tag that reads '5 gella' on it.
She might go through a few before this Dig is over.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
He has just a moment to glance between Jacqueline and Allison, raising a blond eyebrow at the latter's comments. Definitely not from around here. He can't say he can place the outfit, either, though he's not exactly
SNAP CUT TO A SHORT DISPLAY OF LOREN'S FASHION SENSE
*Uniform
*Dress uniform
*The most boring display of Lamb fashion ever
*Solaris-style tunic and pants (in white and as interesting as rather bland rocks)
*A fashionable take on the typical Drifter's attire, ala Katherine Weave-- hey, what's this doing on here
*A blue shirt that brings out his eyes (that Lan helped him with)
all that good at style and fashion.
Maybe Spira -- wait, no, no, definitely not.
And then of course Lunata asks that fateful question, taking his attention from Allison altogether.
"W-well," he stutters, before FATE INTERVENES.
"AAAAUGH--"
It's a short drop. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. He lands ungainly at the bottom, then as he is in the process of picking himself up and dusting himself off...
He squints at the relief figures, vaguely wondering if he has a head injury.
But no. It's just haunted architecture.
I hate this, he thinks briefly, wearing the sort of expression one bears when their soul leaves their body. He goes for his kit in the meantime, rifling through the contents. Quickly, he turns up a set of Aquasols and tosses them out, only then going for his sword at his hip. "Why is it that these places always--"
He turns, attempting to parry a blade born by a stone battlemaiden. Perhaps now is not the time for biting commentary.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Solarian Medical Kit toward his party's challenge, Inglorious Bas-tards.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline's not sure what Loren's 'you-know-what' is, but being chipper about seeing him fall down a hole... that's probably a coincidence, right? Right.
But on the other end, they're faced with an array of foes formed of stone. Jacqueline watches them carefully.
"I see... it looks like some of them are alive." Jacqueline observes. She reaches into her bags and draws out a book, flipping through the pages. "These constructs are some of the protectors of this shrine, and they're not too pleased to see us! Be careful - there's no telling which murals can come alive, so don't drop your guard for a second! They'll fight hard, but don't let them overwhelm you!"
What that done, she stows the book away before gesturing with her left hand. Ice begins to form around the feet of some of the stone constructs to freeze them in place.
"I understand it might be hard... but try not to damage them too badly!" She requests. It's nice to see Lunata having a good time, though - she definitely seems happy to get a chance to fight.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Inglorious Bas-tards.
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
There's definitely a lingering air of smugness about Allison at the conclusion of her conversation with Lunata, for whatever reason. Or maybe she just can't smile without looking like a jerk. Either way, whatever she's thinking doesn't get said. Her search, meanwhile, finds her wandering over in Loren's direction - just before he drops into a hole.
"I guess this is what you do when you can't have voice-activated blast doors," she mutters to herself with a bemused expression. She gives a slight shrug, then heads down after the others.
She's just padding past one of the reliefs when a stone dancer leaps from the wall, nearly kicking the star pilot - I mean, normal Filgaian girl - right in the side of the head, eliciting a cry of shock. Ally notices just in time to duck reflexively, then catches the statue's leg as it spins for a second kick, using the momentum to swing it around and slam it into the ground. "How...?!" she wonders, but there's no time to finish the question as a spear-wielding soldier tries to skewer her from the other side. She retaliates with a swift roundhouse kick aimed at its stone helmet.
All that movement reveals that she's definitely got a gun of some kind holstered under her jacket, but for whatever reason, it's not coming out just now.
DG: Allison Storm has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Inglorious Bas-tards. DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Inglorious Bas-tards.
==========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Inglorious Bas-tards *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- The wall murals have been a constant of your time in these ruins. They've always been there, silent sentinels of your journey through the barrow. Sometimes it almost feels like you're being watched, like they were living things ready to leap out of the walls and come alive at the drop of a hat... And that's exactly what happens. Suddenly, a full cast of stone soldiers, dancers and monsters burst from their place on the walls, bristling with blade and fang to protect this sacred place. Be careful as you fight; you never know which mural might decide to take the opportunity to stab you in the kidneys while your back is turned. =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
=====================<* Billion Blade Barrow - Round 3 *>===================== ======================< Results - Inglorious Bas-tards >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loren Voss 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Solarian Medical Kit 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass The Lifeweaver's Codex 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Allison Storm 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Loren Voss 40 --(30)--> 70 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Secret(1) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 30 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> Lunata Croze has posed.
*BDONK*
The 5 gella scimitar immediately shatters when Lunata hits it against the stonemaiden Loren's parrying against; there's a groan as she whines, "Aaagh, these cheapo bargain bin swords...!"
Jacqueline urges them to not damage them too badly, and Lunata whines as she draws out a katzbalger and a cinquedea with a stamp that reads 'CATS-BUL-GER' and 'SINK-UH-DEA' in Lunata's own handwriting, as if to remind herself how to pronounce her own darn weapons.
"Aww, c'mon, it's Equites! Equites and her followers love fighting!" Lunata whips out another parry and thrusts out another kick against a monster in her path, in time for Allison to do a whirling kick that takes the statue down.
"Hey, nice moves," Lunata grins as her dagger crumbles into pieces, and she just chucks it away with a sigh.
A pause to Loren, as she blinks to go, "Hey, is that the sword you were looking for in Spira? I'm glad you found it!"
DG: Allison Storm has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>========================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Sabertoothed Tiger *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Weapons have come to represent many things over the centuries, ever since the beginning of human history. Primitive humanity created weapons to protect those things he cared deeply about from the dark and the beasts that lurked within. Weapons were created to subjugate the wilderness; this fact is at the root of their very nature. Is it any surprise that the ancients would have chosen a bestial shape to serve as a warden for their favorite weapons? A panther-shaped construct pounces on your group from on high. The thing is a veritable parade of colors, a brightly painted, regally gilded statue with a face almost like that of a man. Its fangs are swords, its claws are paws full of knives. It has a mane of razor-sharp metal around its neck. On its tail is a scything blade. Its every graceful movement and sudden gesture represents a half-dozen killing blows. Defeating this beast will take skill and prowess, but it might just be what's needed to impress the spirits of this place. =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
"Could you ask them to try not to damage me too badly?" Allison complains as she hops on one foot back from the stone soldier she's managed to take down, a hand reaching down to hold the foot she just used to kick the guardian with long enough to confirm it's not broken. As she moves quickly further down the corridor, her path is intercepted by another rock warrior brandishing a sword. She hops over a cleaving swipe and onto the fighter's shoulders, scissoring her legs around its neck and using her body weight to bring it down with a twist of her hips. She picks herself and dusts herself off as she steps backward. It looks like she doesn't need her blaster after all. The thought brings a confident smirk to her lips.
"Alright, bring it on! If they're down for a smackdown, I'm happy to oblige!"
Suddenly, the chamber shakes as something loud, heavy and metal lands on the stone floor behind Ally, followed by a tinny roar. Allison's eyes go wide as she freezes momentarily at the sound, before turning around slowly.
"Ah, crap..."
The fantastic feline monstrosity now confronting the party tightens its bladed claws, scratching the ground with a terrible sound as it coils, then pounces! Allison rolls out of the beast's path just in time to avoid being sliced to ribbons.
"Heads up!" she calls out from the ground as the literal saber-toothed tiger goes on the prowl for another target. One hand reaches under her jacket, finger tightening around the grip of her white-and-black handgun...
DG: Allison Storm has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Sabertoothed Tiger.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"I don't have a direct line to Equites or anything, sorry!" Lunata lets out a little laugh, perhaps taking it way too casual for someone who's in what is technically constituted as a life and death affair.
Before long, there is, uh...
"Is that a--"
The tiger pounces!
"THAT IS A TIGER," Lunata exclaims as she stares towards her golf bag, and then just glumly tosses it aside. "Right, okay. Can't use the cheap stuff here."
Instead, she focuses as she slips a pair of glasses on, perhaps just for good measure--
"Ge Ramda!"
The air chills, darkness takes hold around the immediate space of Lunata as a spectral lich dressed in rotting, ancient bridal regalia erupts from her shoulders. "Get 'em!"
Her ghostly lich sweeps forward with one of her massive bony claws, seeking to seize the tiger in a grapple!
so you were talking about sword ghosts, loren
DG: Lunata Croze has used her Tool Lunata's Glasses toward her party's challenge, Sabertoothed Tiger.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Oh, I just mean... try not to smash them up too badly." Jacqueline apologises. "I don't think we'd be let through if we didn't fight at all. ...And, I don't think they'd listen to me if I asked, Miss Ally."
The writing on Lunata's weapons... Jacqueline's not sure what to think about that, but at least she's making sure to get their proper names?
She doesn't know much about Loren's sword, either. She looks between him and Lunata for a moment, a subtle frown crossing over her face.
She doesn't have time to comment on it just yet - as they walk into the next room, they're immediately set upon by beast! A tiger, specifically, as Lunata points out.
Quickly, Jacqueline brings out the Codex again - flipping through it for information on their opponent.
"Be careful, this construct is as dangerous a predator as the beast it's designed after! Even more than that, it's entire body is a weapon. It's both fast and powerful, but other than that, it has no real tricks up it's sleeves. This is going to be a straightforward fight, but don't think that means you can let your guard down!" She advises, then stows it away.
She pauses briefly, watching as Lunata calls upon Ge Ramda. It feels like it'd been a while since she'd seen her last. With Ge Ramda going for a grapple, Jacqueline decides to go on the offensive.
"If this creature is made of earth... then wind is a factor!" She says. With a gesture of her right hand, a cutting gale surrounds the construct, looking to slice away at it.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Sabertoothed Tiger.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
To be fair, there are a large number of people who would not at all be displeased to see Loren take a fall.
Once the dust settles, Lunata remarks on the sword. He glances down at it, his gaze briefly unfocused as if he were attempting to place something and partially failing. After a lot of forcing the pieces do snap into place--
"...Yeah. I was able to find it," he says. That's right. It was important. He'd gone out there alone to find it, because it was his...
His...
Into his reverie, there is a sudden roar. Loren's attention snaps up to face the feral feline figure that fiercly strides forward.
"This is a joke, right," he remarks, his tone utterly flat and humorless.
Palming another Aquasol, he assumes a defensive stance, watching the beast's movements. Holding fast is of course a bad idea, but sudden movements are also a bad idea and,
oh yes there's a sword ghost here now too
this is great
"Can you at least give me some warning before you do that?!" he shouts, trying to slowly circle around the tiger as it advances, ideally towards someone other than him.
"If it's weak against wind, then I can't help you!"
He tosses the Aquasol then--
Across the metal tiger's nose, as a distraction. Animals don't look towards the source of thrown objects, they follow after them... or so he's read.
And assuming this thing even has an animal's mind.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Solarian Medical Kit toward his party's challenge, Sabertoothed Tiger.
==========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>========================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Sabertoothed Tiger *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | --------------------------< Challenge Information: >-------------------------- Weapons have come to represent many things over the centuries, ever since the beginning of human history. Primitive humanity created weapons to protect those things he cared deeply about from the dark and the beasts that lurked within. Weapons were created to subjugate the wilderness; this fact is at the root of their very nature. Is it any surprise that the ancients would have chosen a bestial shape to serve as a warden for their favorite weapons? A panther-shaped construct pounces on your group from on high. The thing is a veritable parade of colors, a brightly painted, regally gilded statue with a face almost like that of a man. Its fangs are swords, its claws are paws full of knives. It has a mane of razor-sharp metal around its neck. On its tail is a scything blade. Its every graceful movement and sudden gesture represents a half-dozen killing blows. Defeating this beast will take skill and prowess, but it might just be what's needed to impress the spirits of this place. =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
=====================<* Billion Blade Barrow - Round 4 *>===================== =======================< Results - Sabertoothed Tiger >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loren Voss 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Solarian Medical Kit 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lunata Croze 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Lunata's Glasses 3 Combat Effects: Rally ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacqueline Barber 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass The Lifeweaver's Codex 2 Combat Effects: Embolden ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Allison Storm 3 --(5)--> 8 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC ----------------------------------< Party >----------------------------------- Leader: Loren Voss 70 --(20)--> 90 Pass Conditions: Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
As she's about to pull out her blaster, Allison finds herself on the receiving end of a vicious swipe from the metal cat's claws. Knives slash into the fabric of her jumpsuit, drawing streaks of red from her side, and the paw itself sends her flying aside into the wall. As it's going for her, the ghostly lich summoned by Lunata manages to catch the cat in its own clawed clutches. The beast continues to lash out, violently thrashing at Jacqueline and Lunata as it whips to and fro, trying to shake its spectral captor.
The Aquasol collides with the beast's metal snout, and it chases after the offending object - and finds itself pushing into a wall of razor wind. Its armoured casing starts to disperse with a hideous shriek, bits of metal scattering in every direction. The metal monster tries to pull back out, but the lich that's grappling with it forces it further into the cutting storm.
Meanwhile, the Storm on the floor draws her blaster - a sleek holdout in white and black, unassuming except that one wouldn't expect an ARM to be so unassuming - and levels it with a shaky hand toward the great bladed tiger while her other hand clutches at her side. As she looks like she's about to fire, though, the combined efforts of the rest of the party bear fruit, and whatever life the creature may have been said to had seems to fade as it's ripped apart by the mystic forces assailing it.
Allison lets her gun arm drop, heaving a sigh of pain and relief.
DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Beasts of Blades *>======================= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Equites is unique among the Guardians, in that they possess not one manifestation, but two. In one case, they appear as a valkyrie of peerless strength and ability, a representation of unparalleled skill and absolute mastery of war. In the other, they manifest as a beast of incredible might and fury, a creature which levels its invincible blade against all that might threaten the world and the life upon it. You find yourselves at the final threshold. Somehow, you can sense that your destination lay beyond the gate before you. And yet, standing in your way are a veritable army of ancient weapons. As if sensing your arrival, candles all around the periphery of the room ignite, casting the chamber in a warm, fiery glow. A terrifying presence fills the air, the primordial sense of being watched by an apex predator surges up from the primitive, basal layer of the brain. Shadows stretch from each weapon to a nearby wall, creeping there as if in defiance of the presence or absence of light. They mingle and merge, combining into a massive, bestial form. A single, massive blade extends from a reptilian head, as bladed wings unfold from its haunches. The air quakes as the shadow-creature roars and charges. Equites' Bestial Aspect is an unstoppable destructive force. To overcome this challenge means surviving until the candles giving the shadow life finally flicker and die. Each is extinguished one-by-one, counting down the seconds you must evade the guardian shadow's wild and unceasing assault. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Perhaps his next move would have been to attack the construct from behind: with the blade, or maybe with Ether.
No one gets to find out, because a few things happen at once: first of all, the wind magic slams into the creature, and then Ge Ramda simply has at it, after which the metal tiger collapses in a heap.
Loren's gaze is solely on the ARM in her hand. Now that's... interesting. He can't get a good read on it over here, of course, and hand-held ARMs are not his specialty, but it doesn't look...
quite right.
His gaze lingers on Allison a moment more before he turns away, turns towards the pathway from whence the tiger had come. "Come on. There's probably something down this way."
He's explored enough old ruins to know that when there's something like that lingering around it means--
He steps into a room that is for a few seconds pitch-dark.
And then the candles start lighting themselves, as a terrible spiritual pressure descends.
As ancient fear comes crawling up the spinal column and coils in the brain. The sort of thing that makes you forget, for a moment, that you're a person and makes you focus on the fact that there are so many things out there that just want you incredibly, incredibly dead..
That's right. It's the sense that you, too, whoever you are and wherever you came from, can become prey.
"Uh," Loren hazards, shifting his stance. He feels already the sudden, panicky urge to just run.
He slips a hand into his bag instead. Perhaps it's just the comfort of it -- this object that the Major herself had suggested should be that he takes into hand. It's just a feather token, bound with a cord. But it makes him feel a little better when he holds it.
The feather, suffused with the power of Wing, the cord, blessed by the lost Fereshte.
It's good timing on his part for mere moments after, that Thing forms in the center of the candles. That... thing of shadow, that looks like a combination of just about every natural predator.
Loren's a soldier. He's faced many terrible things in his time as field support personnel in Gebler. He's nearly died more than a few times.
Instinct still takes over in this moment, perhaps bolstered by the charm he's still holding in his hand. He breaks off and runs as the thing charges for them, clutching the pinion tightly as he dodges and weaves. The light is dying, second by second, though, and while the young man may be a bit of a dumbass at times--
He's not stupid.
"The light!" he gasps. "Shadows can't-- not without light!"
If they can outlast it-- it can't last.
DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Pinion Charm toward his party's challenge, Beasts of Blades.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
"You know, I wonder if you'll ever run of pages in that magic book..." Lunata muses to Jacqueline. "Also, uh, wind... I got no wind!"
There's a horrid grimace as she looks to Allison, and she rumamges through to go, "Uh, I got some heal berries, and Jay's a handy sort with potions..." She hands some just in case Jay's got her hand full.
Lunata doesn't seem to take much regard with Allison's ARM, perhaps only having experience with one particular kind of gun in her life - her shotgun.
Loren calls out for them to follow, and she nods as she goes, "Right behind you, Thomas."
What emerges on the other end is-- well--
For a moment it's pitch dark, then the candles erupt and... she stares harder towards the shape of the Guardian.
"Uhh--" She redoubles her focus on Ge Ramda, as Loren points out that shadows can't something without light. "I'll-- I'll buy you some time!"
She, on the other hand, is exactly that stupid!
"The Guardian of Death says hi!!!"
And so she's thrown herself into a tussle with a Guardian aspect, channeling every single ounce of Ge Ramda's unholy strength that's been gifted to her ever since.
DG: Lunata Croze has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Beasts of Blades.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline isn't personally familiar with ARMs. She recognizes that Allison has one, of course... but, it doesn't look too out of place to her. Most Drifters carried ARMs of some kind, and sometimes they found strange ones in ruins. It's an easy assumption to make, that she's the same way.
"I don't think so - it seems to have more than enough for what I need." Jacqueline comments. "There's always more every time I look - but at least it means I have plenty of room to take notes on anything that's not already in the Codex."
With the enemy defeated, Loren points them toward a path that seems promising - though Jacqueline takes another look between him and Lunata as she refers to him by his alias again. And, indeed - the room they find is quite clearly something special. The way its laid out... and, that spiritual pressure like something great and powerful watching you.
Jacqueline takes a deep breath, trying to steel herself again those ominous feelings.
"This is... a shadow of Equites. Be careful." Jacqueline warns. She brings out a bottle of pale green liquid. She concentrates... and, with a touch of sorcery, the liquid within dissipates into glimmers of light, that spread over the rest of the party to help take care of any injuries they might accrue.
With that done...
"...The candles, huh... maybe I can do this, too!" She says - and then, with a gesture of her left hand, projects a gust of wind to try and blow some of the candles out!
DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, Beasts of Blades.
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
Allison avails herself of the healing items offered to her before the group proceeds further into the depths. She secrets her weapon back into its holster for safe-keeping.
A shiver runs through the grounded pilot as darkness descends around the party. It's not inadequate insulation - the flightsuit is designed to retain heat even in cold environs.
'Sword-worshipping yokels,' Allison had dismissed the makers of this place as. Now, face to bladed face with this aspect of the god that those 'yokels' served, the woman is rendered breathless and slack-jawed. "Holy mother of Magolor," she mutters, before quickly drawing the blaster, then offering a live demonstration of what a blaster is for those who may not be aware. In her defense, it's dark; there may be some deniability as to where the bolt of red light may have come from. Additionally, she and her acquaintances are clearly in imminent danger of being torn apart by the shadow of an awakened sword-god.
On the other hand, sword-god shadows seem to be fairly impervious to blaster fire. The destructive force of the space-tech weapon dissipates against the aspect's form harmlessly if it hits. If it doesn't? It's much less harmless, typically capable of blasting holes in solid rock.
As the blaster fire proves useless, Allison spits an oath, then quickly hand-springs out of the way of a swipe from the aspect of Equites. Her suit, fortunately, allows such acrobatics with relative ease, and she continues to dash, flip and tumble in her efforts to avoid annihilation.
DG: Allison Storm has used her Tool Flexible Flightsuit toward her party's challenge, Beasts of Blades.
===========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>=========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Beasts of Blades *>======================= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Equites is unique among the Guardians, in that they possess not one manifestation, but two. In one case, they appear as a valkyrie of peerless strength and ability, a representation of unparalleled skill and absolute mastery of war. In the other, they manifest as a beast of incredible might and fury, a creature which levels its invincible blade against all that might threaten the world and the life upon it. You find yourselves at the final threshold. Somehow, you can sense that your destination lay beyond the gate before you. And yet, standing in your way are a veritable army of ancient weapons. As if sensing your arrival, candles all around the periphery of the room ignite, casting the chamber in a warm, fiery glow. A terrifying presence fills the air, the primordial sense of being watched by an apex predator surges up from the primitive, basal layer of the brain. Shadows stretch from each weapon to a nearby wall, creeping there as if in defiance of the presence or absence of light. They mingle and merge, combining into a massive, bestial form. A single, massive blade extends from a reptilian head, as bladed wings unfold from its haunches. The air quakes as the shadow-creature roars and charges. Equites' Bestial Aspect is an unstoppable destructive force. To overcome this challenge means surviving until the candles giving the shadow life finally flicker and die. Each is extinguished one-by-one, counting down the seconds you must evade the guardian shadow's wild and unceasing assault. =Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
======================<* Billion Blade Barrow - Round 5 *>====================== =========================< Results - Beasts of Blades >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loren Voss 3 --(0)--> 3 Fail Pinion Charm 2 Agility Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lunata Croze 3 --(0)--> 3 Pass Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacqueline Barber 3 --(0)--> 3 Fail Rapid Remedy 1 Agility Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allison Storm 8 --(0)--> 8 Pass Flexible Flightsuit 2 Agility Effects: Resilient -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Loren Voss 90 --(30)--> 120 Pass Conditions: Suffer(1) Effects: Cleanse|Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Loren Voss has successfully explored Billion Blade Barrow!
===========================<* Billion Blade Barrow *>=========================== =========================<* CHALLENGE - Shadow Tutor *>========================= |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Victory! The shadow dwindles as the candlelight withers away, and you look to the stone gate expectantly... Only to find that it doesn't open up! It doesn't budge when you try to force it either. And for some reason, one of those candles just hasn't quite guttered out. Maybe that's why...? There, standing hidden in a corner of the room, is a truly ancient blade. The thing is almost falling to pieces, but the shadow it casts upon the wall is as pristine as the day it was forged. You find your gaze drawn to that shadow as it begins to change and distort, taking on a... human shape? The shadow-swordsman bows to you, draws its weapon, and begins performing a complex and mesmerizing martial dance against the far wall. Its movements are almost hypnotic, and you barely notice the passage of time until it completes its performance. Somehow, you find that you've gained an understanding of an ancient martial technique. Did the decrepit, dying blade choose you as a successor for its skills...? ((OOC Note: You've gained knowledge of a new Technique! You can redeem this card to learn a personalized variant of one of three techniques. First, Shadow Stitch, which attacks a target's shadow with your weapon's own, entangling them. Second, Phantom Echo, which temporarily animates your blade's shadow such that it follows an attack with a blow of its own. Third, Fused Shadow, which allows you to swathe your blade in its own shade to unleash a singular brutal strike.)) =Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
It would be nice to think that the token would protect him -- Loren, though he would vehemently deny it, certainly would like to think that something was looking out for him.
Alas, what use is a charm against a god (or Guardian, in this case)?
It catches up to him but a few dozen candles' worth of time in, and he has but the time to bark out a short sharp shout before it lays him out across the floor of this chamber. Then, it is for the others, with equal mercilessness.
As suits its intangible form, direct attacks on this aspect's person do nothing. At best they distract it, particularly from the fallen Loren, who is not as down and out as it may have first appeared: he makes an attempt to get back up on his feet once the apex predator turns its attention on Lunata and Allison.
This is to Allison's immediate benefit also, as while the beast swipes at her directly, shortly after she unloads her ARM at the thing before turning to flee, it means that Loren's back is to her while she makes use of that unusual weapon. He doesn't see it.
Though he does catch the sound of it.
It chases after Allison briefly in the growing dark, until the lich's blade batters into it again, pulling its attention away.
Only a few dozen candles now remain. Do they have that long left, though?
Loren reaches out a hand in the growing dimness of the room and pours his awareness into the foundation.
The room shudders, the candles sway but still burn in the darkness--
The seconds tick out. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5...
--and that gust of wind from Jay snuffs out the few remaining lights.
The room goes dark and still.
Seconds pass, and the light returns.
This time there is no aspect of Equites to contend with.
There are only... shadows.
They bear swords, daggers. Staves, axes. All manners of weapons -- but to demonstrate, not to harm or menace. They cycle through the forms of the techniques they display again and again...
Until the time for education is complete, and they seem convinced (somehow) that the lessons have been understood.
And then once by one the shadows bow and vanish. There is only the innermost sanctum of the barrow of blades.
It is lit by candlelight.
Loren watches the entire time, his focus rapt and upon one of the swordsmaster shadows on the wall. "..."
His hand rests on the hilt of his sword, that had once in another form belonged to the brother whose memory is eroding from his mind.
<Pose Tracker> Lunata Croze has posed.
Maybe it's the fact that she's technically threaded the line between life and death (undeath and... final death?? it's not certain), perhaps she's just high on pure adrenaline right now, but as the creature disappears, with Jacqueline's advice, Loren's own, and Allison's ARM--
"Whew, that was some nice shooting," Lunata answers, totally not seeming to see anything weird in it. ... which is kinda weird for a yokel like her, but perhaps she's more used to beam weaponry than she even consciously is aware of.
Then the shadowy swordmaster appears and...
...
"Yeah!! Thomas, we're gonna be cool shadow swordspeople!!" she pumps her hands to the air.
... it's nice to see her so cheery, at least?
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It's a difficult fight - though, perhaps 'fight' is not the correct word for it. It's a struggle for survival - but, eventually, the Guardian judges them worthy. Jacqueline breathes a sigh of relief. She had taken a few hits - narrow ones, but even that is dangerous against a foe like that.
The light returns, and weapons begin a display of techniques. One of them Jacqueline recognises - the Shadow Stitch. It was used on her in her previous visit to this place. ...Perhaps that might be useful - she doesn't often use weapons, but she may find a use for an ability like that. She pays special attention to the warrior demonstrating that one.
She doesn't say anything until the weapons have given their lesson. And then...
"Thomas - a quick word, if you would?" Jacqueline says, stepping over to him for a moment. She lowers her voice.
"...She's going to learn the truth eventually. It doesn't have to be now, but... do you want to tell her yourself, or am I going to have to?" She asks. Her tone is serious - but still carrying her usual politeness.
And with that, she steps away, looking toward Lunata as she proclaims how they're going to be 'cool shadow swordspeople'. Jacqueline beams, with no trace of the serious expression that crossed over her face before.
It is nice to see her so cheery. Lunata deserved that cheer.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"'Cool shadow swordspeople'...?" he echoes, as if in disbelief.
Jacqueline, in the aftermath of the demonstration, approaches him. He turns his head towards her, his right hand shifting a fraction towards the hilt of his blade.
"Yes?"
She has something to tell him.
"..."
He glances away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about," he murmurs, as if to defray the subject to a later date.
Eventually, she'll find it out. Yeah, it's surprising she hasn't learned it yet. Eventually, she'll stop being... useful.
He knows how it'll go. She's just a Lamb. It doesn't matter.
This is fine.
He turns away from Jacqueline and heads towards the door, pausing only mere feet from it. "I'm heading back. Either come along, or don't."
Lunata might be cheery. Loren is not.
<Pose Tracker> Allison Storm has posed.
By the time that the Beast of Blades is forced to relent, Allison is in full adrenaline mode; bordering on panic, though it's kept mostly beneath the surface. When the light returns, she stares at the shadow masters, chest heaving with laboured breaths. Her expression is one of bemusement, and when the display ends, she looks to the others hesitantly.
Her eyes seem to beg the question that she can't ask: is this normal?
"...Thanks," she finally says in a thoughtless response to Lunata's compliment. When the gravity of the remark dawns on her a moment later, she opens her mouth as if about to say something, then laughs awkwardly instead, holstering her weapon. "It was nothing, though. Really."
She insists.
She turns to Jacqueline, and after a moment, starts to approach. She's the one who put out the call Allison responded to, and she seems to be the resident know-it-all, so she's the one who gets the question: "Is it... always like this?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
'I don't know what you're talking about', he says. Jacqueline frowns, but doesn't press the matter - at least, not here, not now. This wasn't the right time.
Instead, she turns to leave, glancing toward Allison as she does.
"Pretty much." Jacqueline agrees with a nod, offering her a smile. "You get used to it - you're still in one piece, so I'd say you handled yourself pretty well."
...Is she joking? It might be a little hard to tell.
"If you're ever in need of work, feel free to contact me again, Miss Ally - I'm sure I can help get you situated." She says. Well, whether or not she was joking, Allison seems to have left a good impression on her, at least.