2020-06-26: Killing Two Birds With One Stone

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  • Log: Killing Two Birds With One Stone
  • Cast: Loren Voss, Lily Keil, Elhaym van Houten, Leon Albus
  • Where: Dragon Roost Island
  • Date: June 26, 2020
  • Summary: Loren, with the clock not precisely on his side, deploys his gambit to induce the Black Wolves to go after Odessa.

DG: A party led by Loren Voss is now entering Dragon Roost Cavern.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Obscured Temple Door *>=====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Dragon Roost Cavern incorporates an ancient temple's structure into it. Many
 of the entrances are from that temple, though few parts have survived
 otherwise. The first hint you find, after entering one of the cave mouths,
 is a section of the wall that has worked stone. However, there are huge
 blocks covering it -- and you might miss them, with grime and moss covering
 some. It will take careful work to determine which blocks can be moved.

 ...and, it seems, they should be moved. Despite their size, these blocks
 prove easy to pull away once they have been identified.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Tire============================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    It starts with a rumor.

    As the story goes, a team exploring Dragon Roost Cavern unexpectedly excavated a large machine just days ago -- something ancient, something too difficult to easily remove on their own -- within the depths of the cavern. They'd left and then sought aid in the matter at Windfall Island, but...

    So the story goes, they suddenly vanished, and went silent.

    As the stories tend to do of late, Odessa had been implicated. After all, they've been active in the area -- decidedly so.
    And, after all, they'd stand to benefit from the retrieval of an ancient device of significant size.

    But there have been no reports of a large-scale excavation project just yet -- and no signs or reports of any exploration/excavation teams of any sort reaching the island. Is it possible that Odessa has not yet mobilized?

    Or...

    The area leading up to the temple is still, seemingly undisturbed. Even the blocks covering the cave mouth appear to have been set there for some time.

    EARLIER

    "...So, why are we doing this?"

    "In case we're followed," sighs Ben Lyon. "Do you really think we'll be the only ones here?"

    The nutritional bar, when mashed and mixed with water, makes a particularly cement-like paste. Perfect for re-sealing a block-filled cave entrance.

    The other recruit looks dubious about Ben's logic, but shrugs and carries about his work. After all, this was on orders from Lefanu.

    Ben had said so.

    NOW

    The only sign that anything at all may be awry is a fresh booted footprint.
    And, if one looks closely, the sign of equally-fresh mortar-work.

DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Soylent Nutribar toward his party's challenge, Obscured Temple Door.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

"A boot print," Lily comments, kneeling down beside the blocks. "Fresh. And..." She looks thoughtfully, "Mortarwork." She is looking closely, after all--she tends to in the first place, but especially when they're actively on the hunt like this.

A large machine in a ruin would be interesting on its own; a large machine in a ruin that catches Odessa's interest is double interesting. And that brings her here. Here, where she takes a hand to the mortar and runs dark energy across it to weaken its binding. "Guess we get to figure out how they go."

She is concerned, but is in better spirits than she was recently. Maybe it's having something to do.

DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Obscured Temple Door.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

Elly's lips thin into a frown. She is not wearing her usual summery fishing costume today, because, of course, this is serious. From a distance she looks like any soldier might, or a traveller in military surplus; the hair, of course, is a pretty telling mark.

She seems less cheery than she might have been. "So they bricked the place up after them...? I suppose that's interesting. And polite of them..." Elly says, not sounding like she exactly means it.

It would explain a few things about some of these sites.

Elly refrains from joining Lily in any sorcerous detonations, instead looking round carefully, as if trying to suss out any lingering watchers.

DG: Elhaym van Houten has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Obscured Temple Door.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"A boot print," Leon agrees with Lily. He follows after her -- and his eyes are briefly on her back, before he looks at Elly. He gives her a glance, and then nods. "They must want to throw us off. I wonder what the hell they're thinking..."

He stops, looking down at the boot marks. He recognizes some boot prints -- though it's an iffy science. For one thing, the soles get worn down quickly. But...

It could tell him something.

At his side, he has a new shotgun. It swings in the holster, idly, as he looks over the boot prints.

DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Obscured Temple Door.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Obscured Temple Door *>=====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Dragon Roost Cavern incorporates an ancient temple's structure into it. Many
 of the entrances are from that temple, though few parts have survived
 otherwise. The first hint you find, after entering one of the cave mouths,
 is a section of the wall that has worked stone. However, there are huge
 blocks covering it -- and you might miss them, with grime and moss covering
 some. It will take careful work to determine which blocks can be moved.

 ...and, it seems, they should be moved. Despite their size, these blocks
 prove easy to pull away once they have been identified.
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Tire============================================
======================<* Dragon Roost Cavern - Round 1 *>=======================
=======================< Results - Obscured Temple Door >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          0 --(8)--> 8                   Pass
Soylent Nutribar                    2   Wits    Effects: Resilient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   0 --(8)--> 8                   Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           0 --(8)--> 8                   Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          0 --(8)--> 8                   Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Stupify(2)|Tire(2)
Effects: 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.
DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Fire Keese *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 People from the Great Sea are familiar with the keese: a bat-like creature,
 known for being more aggressive than an ordinary bat and swooping down on
 the unsuspecting in caves. Fire Keese are a strange variation that live in
 hot places, such as -- for example -- volcanic caves. Glowing red, and
 surrounded by a nimbus of flame, several Fire Keese sweep down on you from
 above and try to claw into flesh! And, also, set you on fire by sheer
 proximity.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust, Injure==========================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    The mortar crumbles easily under Lily's touch; the rest of it might prove the more difficult part: removing the blocks in a way that clears the tunnel without collapsing it. But eventually, the trio will manage.

    The bootprint unfortunately looks like just about any other bootprint -- the most that Leon will be able to ascertain from it is that it's some sort of workboot, possibly -- maybe -- standard-issue. But other than that, the soles are just too worn.

    As far as Elly can tell, there are no watchers.

    ELSEWHERE

    "Wait. Say that again?"

    The other Odessa recruit tilts his head to one side and repeats himself: "...One of 'em's got long red hair? Kinda like you, Ben."

    The expression that 'Ben' pulls may be one that wordlessly underlines his thoughts on that comparison.

    It's them. It has to be, he thinks nonetheless, rising to his feet. I was wondering how many days we were gonna have to do this. But it's worked. It's working!

    "Come on," he says to the others. "We need to get into position. We can't let them slip past."

    The other two share a moment to glance at each other before mutually shrugging and following after.

    BACK WITH THE BLACK WOLVES

    The pathway into the cavern is otherwise without incident; the temperature has risen noticably, but it's still tolerable enough. From here on in, it looks like a straight shot further into the caverns, with no obstacles in sight.

    Until, that is, the roof of the cavern is rocked by a sudden explosion, followed by a downwards swarm of Fire Keese.
    They look like bats. Bats, if they were naturally on fire.

    They seem agitated about something.

    MOMENTS AGO, JUST ABOVE

    "SHIT! Get it off me!"

    Haste makes waste, as they say: Odessa's advance has encountered a little problem up here that is decidedly Fire Keese-shaped.
    'Ben' falls back, fumbling in his bag for something that might dissuade the bat swarm.

    The other Odessa recruit has a more direct solution: a flashbang.
    That lands where the floor is already rather fragile--

DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Solarian Medical Kit toward his party's challenge, Fire Keese.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

"Oh yeah. Really nice," Lily 'agrees' with Elly, in much the same tone. She glances back to the group once they're past organizing the place, though. And soon enough... Onward inside.

Lily takes up the rear, which means she can best see the fiery bat monsters as they come right on down, and they are terribly agitated indeed.

Lily pulls her Moon Medium and intones, "Gather!" Its power draws more of the Keese towards one another where they can be dealt with more easily... in theory, anyway.

"I wonder too," Lily says to Leon a while after he said it, repeating herself from earlier.

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Moon Medium toward her party's challenge, Fire Keese.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

Elly slips inwards. To Leon, she says, "Oh - is that new?" while indicating his holster, but she speaks quietly. Her staff is in her hand, but not yet fully deployed. She's holding it in its tri-bunched form. In they go, and then -

Her eyes narrow.

"Did they hear us?" Elly asks, before her eyes narrow further and she *pushes* and -

There's Ether, exercised. Maybe it can be felt. Even if she is slower than she used to be there is still a ponderous, decisive power driving the ice-shaped magical pattern forwards in a huge sheath of bladed wind.

After THAT she starts twisting the weapon around like a spinning flail to intercept the bats and keep them (this part is important) out of her hair!

DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Three Stick Nunchucks toward her party's challenge, Fire Keese.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"Damn!"

Leon snaps the word out when the explosion sounds. He manages to keep his footing, and then looks up. He sees the bats flying -- and the flashes of magic and Elly's rod. He expects that. For his part, he presses a button on his belt; the three triangle-shaped Raid Funnels drop off, plates unfurling, and then create a field of energy. Several bats fly, and slam into it.

Then, Leon draws his weapon. Argent Divider II looks much like the original; a shotgun, with wood paneling, and the hints of where the sword would be. But, for now, he settles with the shotgun. He takes a few shots at the bats.

"Someone's here," he concludes. "And they're making a lot of noise."

DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Raid Funnel toward his party's challenge, Fire Keese.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Fire Keese *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 People from the Great Sea are familiar with the keese: a bat-like creature,
 known for being more aggressive than an ordinary bat and swooping down on
 the unsuspecting in caves. Fire Keese are a strange variation that live in
 hot places, such as -- for example -- volcanic caves. Glowing red, and
 surrounded by a nimbus of flame, several Fire Keese sweep down on you from
 above and try to claw into flesh! And, also, set you on fire by sheer
 proximity.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust, Injure==========================================
======================<* Dragon Roost Cavern - Round 2 *>=======================
============================< Results - Fire Keese >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          8 --(8)--> 16                  Pass
Solarian Medical Kit                1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   8 --(8)--> 16                  Pass
Three Stick Nunchucks               1   Combat  Effects: Stalwart and Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           8 --(8)--> 16                  Pass
Moon Medium                         2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          8 --(8)--> 16                  Pass
Raid Funnel                         3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Injure(2)|Stupify(1)|Tire(1)
Effects: Cleanse
===============================< 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.
DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Large Wooden Barricade *>====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Your path leads you to another winding tunnel. This one, however, has a
 barricade over it. It seems that the Bokoblins that have moved into the
 Temple have built it, as large wooden boards have been hastily placed over
 it, and secured into the stone with big, ugly metal screws. Getting through
 will take brute force -- or maybe throwing a sufficiently-sized sword at it.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust, Treasure========================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    IN THE CHAMBER ABOVE

    If Ben (Loren) didn't already have a good sense of what was playing out below--

    The pulse of ice Ether tells him everything he needs to know. It's her, of course.
    He wonders, briefly, if it's possible to kill two birds with one stone. ...A thought process that is terminally interrupted when a lingering Fire Keese takes a dive for him. He throws the potion in his hand at it.
    Shortly after that, vacating the place they're in -- as more of the floor/roof crumbles in -- becomes a much higher priority. The Odessa retreat is not perhaps the most subtle one, given its haste.

    BELOW

    There are a lot of Fire Keese, that's for sure. Whatever happened above must have riled up an entire nest of the things, or something.

    But it doesn't matter how mad they are: following the initial salvo of Ether -- and Elly's personal 'clear the area' in the form of the three-part-staff, the Moon Medium's power concentrates the swarm that would have otherwise been difficult to deal into a few clumps of burning bat.

    After the Raid Funnels and Agent Divider are done with them, there are a few clumps of burning bat... in a very different sense.

    For now, at least, it's quiet.

    The tunnels beyond turn a bit cooler -- perhaps they wind towards the outer walls of the large volcano?

    But with the drop in temperature also comes its own problem: fresh barricades, apparently of Bokoblin make. This is somewhere the creatures didn't want anyone to go. Is it possible something fortunate -- or at least a shortcut -- lies behind?

    ELSEWHERE, PERHAPS NOT THAT FAR AWAY

    "I thought you told them to clear the tunnels out."

    "Nooo? That was your job."

    Loren, staring at the obstacle in his path, just rubs at his temples. "Just shut up," he mutters, approaching the barricade that absolutely shouldn't have been there and attempts to put the boot into it.
    (And maybe a little bit of the Earth Ether, carefully.)

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Large Wooden Barricade.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

"They might've," Lily admits, calmly regarding Elly's construct of Ether. She answers the question of whether the weapon is new, "Yes. He finished it recently." She appreciates it for a moment. But there is the problem that...

"Clearly so," Lily agrees. "We'll have to keep an eye out. I don't want to be surprised again..." But it's quiet; there's not a sign of people actively present at the moment, just the clear passage of others. Lily frowns, but shakes her head. As they walk, the temperatre drops, but...

"What?" Lily says. "Well, whatever. Hold on." She pulls a small metal card from her things just to reference it, murmuring something under her breath as she does. A moment later--

There is a terrific explosion as Lily just nukes the whole thing.

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Demolition Formula toward her party's challenge, Large Wooden Barricade.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

Elly's eyes widen. "But those animals - are we THAT close to them?"

Could Odessa be that sloppy?

SOMEWHERE:

The Guts Dozer stares at a camera.

BUT HERE AND NOW,

Elly raises a hand to Lily. "Hold on a moment..." She then moves forwards towards that wooden barricade, pausing to prod it with a finger, and then wedging in some gray putty from a package in her blouse pocket. Then she moves backwards and points forwards; she doesn't editorialize. Lily knows what to do with explosive packins!

("It's too bad we can't just pass through it without making noise, but if they really reinforced it like this," Elly begins to say to Leon, before, well)

DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Undersea Explosive Pack toward her party's challenge, Large Wooden Barricade.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"Damn," Leon says, as he slides Argent Divider II back into the holster. He rolls his shoulders -- glances side to side, from Elly and Lily, and then he sighs. He starts walking after the two, but he comes to a stop as they come to the part of the dungeon that is cooler.

That, he decides, is a relief.

But the wooden construction is a different thing altogether. He frowns at it, and then he glances at Elly. He nods, and then reaches over his shoulder. He pulls the sledgehammer that he brings to this place off, winds up, and stalks forward.

And then he swings it for the barrier.

DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Field Sledge toward his party's challenge, Large Wooden Barricade.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Large Wooden Barricade *>====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Your path leads you to another winding tunnel. This one, however, has a
 barricade over it. It seems that the Bokoblins that have moved into the
 Temple have built it, as large wooden boards have been hastily placed over
 it, and secured into the stone with big, ugly metal screws. Getting through
 will take brute force -- or maybe throwing a sufficiently-sized sword at it.
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust, Treasure========================================
======================<* Dragon Roost Cavern - Round 3 *>=======================
======================< Results - Large Wooden Barricade >======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          16 --(15)--> 31                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   16 --(8)--> 24                 Pass
Undersea Explosive Pack             3   Brute   Effects: Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           16 --(8)--> 24                 Pass
Demolition Formula                  3   Brute   Effects: Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          16 --(8)--> 24                 Pass
Field Sledge                        3   Brute   Effects: Rally
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  40 --(25)--> 65                Pass
Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Treasure(1)
Effects:
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to use party
management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Rickety Bridges and Lava *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The next turn leads you back into the central lava chamber. The red glow of
 the lava, deep below, greets you. So does the furnace blast-level heat, sure
 to bring a sweat to most people instantly. The path through, now, hugs the
 wall of the caldera. A series of narrow ledges, which are connected by
 wooden platforms and stairs of questionable construction, helps fill in the
 gaps. You will need to jump over them, making numerous difficult leaps...
 and a wrong step could put you into the lava below. Or, up higher, as
 occasionally a ball of lava rises up and splashes down onto the ledge.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Suffer=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    ELSEWHERE, BUT NEARBY

    Carefully, as it happens, isn't quite good enough. The barricade refuses to budge for the Odessa agents.

    BACK WITH THE BLACK WOLVES

    Between the three of them and their equipment -- explosive, spellcraft (as aided by formula) and just a big damn hammer -- there...

    Really isn't much of anything left of the barricade. Maybe some splinters, if one of them feels like looking for it.

    More importantly, in the silence left by the barrier's destruction, there is the sound of a briefly heated argument (someone -- a group of someones -- are trapped behind another barrier? they're having difficulty with it?) followed by the sounds of something hammering against wood.

    ...

    If there were any further question about it, they are not alone in here.

    The barrier, as it happens, blocked passage to the entrance to the central lava chamber.

    The heat in here is incredible.

    The path hugs the wall high along the rim of the caldera, but sections of its construction are... questionable.
    Or nonexistant.

    Bokoblin work, to look at it.

    Occasionally a blob of lava is lobbed up into the air from below, further complicating passage.

    AT A SEPARATE ENTRANCE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CALDERA

    "...We're going the wrong way."

    "You sure?" asks one of other agents. Even with the haze in the air, can one really mistake them for anything except Odessa operatives? "There's nowhere else to go."

    'Ben' shakes his head. "No, listen, we weren't supposed to go through the -- damn, there they are!"

    He points at the Black Wolves, across the distance.

    And then, after a moment's hesitation as he stares the rickety points of the pathway and the lava below down, then glances at his apparent competition, palms something in one hand and hopes for a bit of luck (or maybe just some Baskar magic) as he rushes forward.

DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Pinion Charm toward his party's challenge, Rickety Bridges and Lava.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily waits for Leon and Elly, naturally. She wonders if they could be that close--but indeed Lily knows what to do with explosive packins, and as she considers the noise in the dark...

"Seems like we have to be. Another reason to be careful, I guess."

Lily looks to the questionable path ahead of them and frowns. Pasage is complicated. The heat doesn't bother her as much, given her usual method of cheating, but it's hot enough that even she sweats some. But, looking at how dangerous it is...

"Looks like we'll have to risk it." She pulls a pendant from her neck, hanging onto it by the chain as it hangs there. Its strange gimbals are meditative in their way; she channels magic into it, and it's very different from a bit of luck. A blue aura surrounds her, and--

Periodically extra Lily's fall off into lava and don't take damage, instead just disappearing, as the 'real' one--it's hard to track which she is except by assuming she's the one that gets across--benefits. It's very difficult to look at her, as if reality isn't quite... what it should be.

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Impure Pendant toward her party's challenge, Rickety Bridges and Lava.
DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Fishing Tackle toward her party's challenge, Rickety Bridges and Lava.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

"This is a bloody mess," Leon says. "These Bokoblin... I don't know that I trust their work."

He rolls a shoulder, then glances across the distance. He can't make out who 'Ben' or his compatriots are, but he can make out that figures are there. His eyes narrow, and then he looks at Lily. He watches multiples of her move. He sighs, once.

Then he unspools his climbing rope, and loops it about a metal stake up high. He does a pull, to assure its security, and then starts to swing on it to move ahead.

DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Climbing Rope toward his party's challenge, Rickety Bridges and Lava.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Rickety Bridges and Lava *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The next turn leads you back into the central lava chamber. The red glow of
 the lava, deep below, greets you. So does the furnace blast-level heat, sure
 to bring a sweat to most people instantly. The path through, now, hugs the
 wall of the caldera. A series of narrow ledges, which are connected by
 wooden platforms and stairs of questionable construction, helps fill in the
 gaps. You will need to jump over them, making numerous difficult leaps...
 and a wrong step could put you into the lava below. Or, up higher, as
 occasionally a ball of lava rises up and splashes down onto the ledge.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Suffer=============================================
======================<* Dragon Roost Cavern - Round 4 *>=======================
=====================< Results - Rickety Bridges and Lava >=====================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          31 --(22)--> 53                Fail
Pinion Charm                        2   Agility Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   24 --(22)--> 46                Fail
Fishing Tackle                      2   Agility Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           24 --(22)--> 46                Fail
Impure Pendant                      3   Agility Effects: Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          24 --(22)--> 46                Pass
Climbing Rope                       2   Agility Effects: Quicken
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  65 --(20)--> 85                Pass
Conditions: Slow(2)|Suffer(1)
Effects: Quicken(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.
DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Green Bokoblin Squad *>=====================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Your path up the mountain leads to an area near its summit. Here, you find
 something quite disturbing: a wooden fortress that was once rudimentary, but
 now has plates of dark iron bolted in to reinforce it. Some of this
 resembles the structures built by Ganondorf Dragmire's cronies. However,
 some are more advanced -- suggesting that Odessa has aided in the
 construction of this base. Exploring the entire thing would be difficult,
 especially after the trials of your journey.

 You note some of the entrances and the path up here, before you turn to go.
 That is when you hear a metal door swing open -- and a shout.

 A squad of well-armed Green Bokoblins is behind it. A number are armed with
 spears and swords; however, a few have gunsmoke rifles. One carries an
 oversized mortar. They shout, then fire the mortar. It explodes with a fiery
 blast in your midst... and the battle is on!
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    Luck, as it happens, is not enough. 'Ben' slips at an inopportune moment and nearly, nearly...!

    One of his 'fellows' catches his arm, hauling him back over the edge. "You okay there, Ben?"

    'Ben' doesn't have anything to say at first, his grip on the charm vise-like as he stares down into the heart of the mountain, his thoughts turning of all things to the Medium in his pack.

    And you wouldn't even do anything unless I asked you first, would you, he thinks vehemently.

    On the other end of the caldera, however--

    Elly sticks close to Lily as she moves. This proves a daunting endeavor, since Lily is everywhere

    and nowhere

    at the same time.

    Including the places where there is no landing to be had. Including the places that break and shatter when stepped upon.

    Lily falls several times into the lava. Lily never falls into the lava.

    Lily? Lily is fine at the end. Just fine.
    Just ignore that nosebleed.

    Elly may be grateful for the block and tackle for those points when sticking close to a Lily becomes untenable.

    Or, perhaps, for Leon's carefully secured approach, as he makes his way across the gaps.

    In the end, they escape the caldera before the other group does.

    There were Bokoblins here -- there stands their fort, and a well-reinforced fort it is.

    But they're clearly not here now. The whole area has even been swept clean of much of the usual detritis associated with the creatures, leaving only a few scraps to suggest they were ever here. It's quite quiet. In fact, it looks like the area was...

    prepared.

    There is no sign of an excavation site. There's no sign that an excavation even ever took place here.

    From behind the Black Wolves, there are footsteps.

    "NOW!" someone shouts, from behind them. From the battlements of the fortress comes the roar of a cannon. An ambush!? Odessa soldiers, here?! ...Perhaps this is somewhat less the surprise than it might have otherwise been.

    The three operatives in the Caldera rush in just after the shell is discharged.

    This was supposed to be more elegant, Loren thinks. His gaze then falls upon Elly.
    In a heartbeat, he makes a sudden slight change of plans.
    He forgoes his standard-issue rifle and rushes her, drawing his blade as he closes.

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Green Bokoblin Squad.
<Pose Tracker> Elhaym van Houten has posed.

Elly blinks at the manifestation of Lily, Lily, and Lily as well. Her lips purse for a moment -- she glances back to Leon. "Yeah," she says, looking back ahead. "Yeah, it's really pretty..."

She falls silent because she can make out moving figures. Bokoblins? Or worse?

Elly moves. She moves with deliberate vigor; she uses Leon's rope once it comes back. She is tactical with her movements and in one case she draws on a burst of Earth Ether to create a jutting platform that lasts only a few minutes in order to bolster her leap. And then -

            THOOM!

Elly's head turns and she stares right dead into the face of LOREN VOSS! Her eyes widen; her mouth hangs open; she stares in outright astonishment, and Loren would know damn well that Elly has RECOGNIZED him! Recognized his face! Before she can cry out anything compromising, however, he is getting far too close with a blade.

Elly opts to throw herself to the side. A moment later she twists the weapon around to smite 'Ben' with the spinning staff's outmost length. "Is this a trap!?"

Who was Elly asking?

DG: Elhaym van Houten has used her Tool Three Stick Nunchucks toward her party's challenge, Green Bokoblin Squad.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily wipes her nose, shaking her head after a moment. It's fine. Super fine. She'll heal.

"This fort," Lily starts, looking to Leon and Elly immediately. It looks prepared--it looks like there was no sign. And suddenly--

As the operatives charge in Lily dives out of the way of the shell, pulling her Medium as she rolls back up. "Ley change," she starts, looking to one of the operatives with a rifle. "Ice."

For people prepared to deal with Fire, Ice might be the best way to go, and Lily follows it up by conjuring a rain of frigid blades as she tries to close to melee.

"It must be!" Lily answers Elly, and does not immediately spot the other operative. Instead she focuses on taking out her set of the three first, before looking back to consider--

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Moon Medium toward her party's challenge, Green Bokoblin Squad.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.

Leon is grateful to escape the caldera. He moves quickly after, though, eyes briefly on Elly and Lily. He confirms they are well; he confirms they are fine. Then, his eyes shift. First, at the cannon fire. The familiar sound makes him jerk his head, and he spots Elly's reaction. He also spots who is rushing at Elly, and his eyes narrow.

"It looks that way," Leon says. "Lily, we fight our way through. No mercy."

The raid funnels appear. Several of the gunshots slam into the field of aquamarine light, before Leon swings up Argent Divider II. A pair of gunshots echo out, for the trio of operatives. Then, Leon flicks the weapon; the barrels open, and the blade telescopes out.

But the energy sword that erupts, more stable than the old one ever managed, is an angry shade of red

He rushes forward, and slash the energy blade across one unfortunate soul.

DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Raid Funnel toward his party's challenge, Green Bokoblin Squad.
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Green Bokoblin Squad *>=====================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Your path up the mountain leads to an area near its summit. Here, you find
 something quite disturbing: a wooden fortress that was once rudimentary, but
 now has plates of dark iron bolted in to reinforce it. Some of this
 resembles the structures built by Ganondorf Dragmire's cronies. However,
 some are more advanced -- suggesting that Odessa has aided in the
 construction of this base. Exploring the entire thing would be difficult,
 especially after the trials of your journey.

 You note some of the entrances and the path up here, before you turn to go.
 That is when you hear a metal door swing open -- and a shout.

 A squad of well-armed Green Bokoblins is behind it. A number are armed with
 spears and swords; however, a few have gunsmoke rifles. One carries an
 oversized mortar. They shout, then fire the mortar. It explodes with a fiery
 blast in your midst... and the battle is on!
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
======================<* Dragon Roost Cavern - Round 5 *>=======================
=======================< Results - Green Bokoblin Squad >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          53 --(12)--> 65                Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elhaym van Houten                   46 --(12)--> 58                Pass
Three Stick Nunchucks               1   Combat  Effects: Stalwart and Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           46 --(12)--> 58                Pass
Moon Medium                         2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leon Albus                          46 --(12)--> 58                Pass
Raid Funnel                         3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  85 --(35)--> 120               Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)|Slow(1)|Wound(2)
Effects:
===============================< 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 Dragon Roost Cavern!
===========================<* Dragon Roost Cavern *>============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Joy Pendant *>==========================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 With the Green Bokoblins defeated, you have a chance to look into the first
 room of their base: an open area enclosed by a wooden fence, with some
 narrower tunnels and ladders leading in deeper. More concerning, though, are
 the series of crates and cages where stolen goods and people are kept.

 All of the cages, mercifully, are empty. But, you do notice a treasure chest
 that has been closed -- and you have a moment before the next patrol comes,
 you think.

 When you open the chest, you find a beautiful pendant shaped like a
 butterfly. Joy Pendants are sometimes traded for on Windfall Island, and can
 be sold for both money and more specialized services. Treasure in hand, you
 know it's time to make your way out!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    Is this a trap?
    It certainly looks like one, if it isn't.

    A shot rings out, narrowly winging its way past Loren's head as he charges.

    One of the ones that had come in with him is not so lucky and drops. The other draws an ARM and returns fire.

    Elly recognizes him.

    There is no shock or surprise to be read in his face. If anything, Loren looks just as intent as before--

    She dives out of the way of his blade, which cuts only air. He rounds on her.

    The staff slings solidly into his helmet which cracks under the impact; 'Ben' staggers as if punchdrunk, then reaches up to undo the strap and let it fall off.

    The hair's the wrong color -- dyed, probably. He doesn't wear glasses, and he's in an Odessa uniform...

    ...But there's no mistaking otherwise the features of Loren Voss. Gripping his blade, he charges again for Elly, without even a word. Is he that intent on killing her here and now-- is this the purpose of this trap...?!

    There's a shout of alarm from the battlements of the Bokoblin fort; the Raid Funnels, loosed, begin their work apace. A scream tells the likely outcome of the situation back there.

    There's a saying that one should never bring a knife to a gunfight.
    Lily brings a pair of swords, rushing as the operative tries, again, to shoot her. They, too, are laid low.

    Leon intrudes, mere moments before Loren nears Elly.

    Loren has, fleetingly, the impression of red light.

    White light blooms in a crystalline burst about his left forearm. The blade still cuts inexorably into that Ether shield, millimeter after millimeter. Blood begins to patter against the ground. He stares at Leon, his eyes wide with shock. "What... did you...?"
    He drops the blade with a clatter. He reaches into his pack, reaching for the only (hated) thing that can stop this.

                "MATERIAL!"

    The earth splits. Dinoginos roars forth with vehemence from below--
    But it is a directionless rage, one with certainly sound and fury behind it...

    But intended only to distract.

    Loren Voss isn't there when the heat fades and the tremors cease. Just the bodies of the Odessa operatives, a chest with some particularly colorful pendants within the fort, and perhaps a whole lot of questions.

    ...

    His arm tucked against his stomach, Loren races through the caverns with all haste. It worked. Probably. They've seen him, and maybe they'll draw the necessarily conclusions.

    But why does it feel like such a hollow victory?