2020-08-20: The So-Called Secrets that Lie Here Sleeping
- Log: The So-Called Secrets that Lie Here Sleeping
- Cast: Citan Uzuki, Lan Lilac, Leah Sadalbari
- Where: Lifeweaver's Whorl
- Date: August 20, 2020
- Summary: Leah and Lan head out to investigate the Whorl, but find that they are not the only ones who have taken an interest in the strange plant-filled place. The good doctor of Lahan, known to both of them, is here as well... and perhaps Lan is given good cause to wonder after his apparent connection to the Major.
DG: A party led by Citan Uzuki is now entering The Lifeweaver's Whorl. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Overgrown Undergrowth *>===================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Folktales claim that the Feywilds are an enchanted place, somewhere that was once home to fairies who could bend the natural world to suit their whims. Whatever veracity may be to the claim, it's hard to deny that the forest seems to be fighting your advance in every possible way. If there's not a pile of rotten logs in your way, there's a tangle of vines or a knot of thorny brambles. Forcing your way through seems to be the only way to advance, and almost certainly results in suffering an overabundance of splinters. Past the obstacles in your way, though, is the facility you seek... The gate you discover sticks out like a sore thumb amidst all this greenery. It's a thing of weathered stone set into the side of a tower at the very edge of a ravine. Beyond, trees and other vegetation have breached much of the ruin, dividing the wheel-like structure into many individual sections. This door is of no exception-- the thing is sealed tight by a lattice of roots and vines. You'll need to clear out the overgrowth before you can pry open the gate. ((OOC Note: Welcome to the Lifeweaver's Whorl! The actual dungeon is split up into indoor and outdoor challenges, each of which will be noted in the card itself. Each card will also contain some commentary from someone who has clearly been here before you. Feel free to find his half-eaten journal notes lying nearby, or perhaps recorded on half-broken consoles...)) =Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous==============================================
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Hmm... so then this must be..."
The Feywilds are a twisted, overgrown place -- just about the last 'real' patch of green this side of Kasutho's fields (or certain Elw gardens), and certainly the all-time-standout upon Filgaia's surface. It is, in fact, a good match for certain parts of Lunar--
If relegated to a far smaller patch.
According to the stories, the place is enchanted. By who depends on who's telling the tales. Some say ancient Elf lords (which is sure to be a laugh for any actual elves who hear it). Others say fairies. Still others claim the Guardians' hands. Others yet whisper of the Elw.
But all of these stories are only just that, and fall far from the real truth of this place.
Within the Feywilds are the ruins of a facility. Lifeweaver's Whorl is its name, and within it may just lie some of the secrets of this place.
But to get there, one must push on through the brush. Greenery -- living, dead, rotting -- is as much obstacle as structure. But push on, and one will find...
A gate, massive and made of stone, stuck into the side of a tall tower into which the rest of the structure of the Whorl connects. It's covered by roots and vines -- that is to say, the gate and the ancient facility both are.
Before the gate stands a certain man who may be familiar to both of the women now reaching this spot, if for different reasons. He rubs his chin with one hand as he regards the now-barred portal, as if in contemplation of it.
"...Ah?"
Citan Uzuki soon turns to face the others as they approach. "Oh my, I did not expect company in a place such as this," he says, lifting his hand to readjust his spectacles. "...Or familiar faces at that! Hmm..."
He regards the both of them in turn. "...I see. Then, am I to assume that you have come here for the same reason as I? It would seem that we first must deal with a certain obstacle, of course. Fortunately, I believe that it will prove quite easily remedied. Now then, where did I put that..."
It takes him a moment, but he soon retrieves a certain manual, which he pages through.
"A refresher never did anyone any harm," he remarks, as if by explanation. "Now, while they do not have 'joints' as such, if we apply the same principle--"
He closes the manual and then turns to the door, delivering a few quick jabs with a finger to key points along the vines.
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Acupressure Guide toward his party's challenge, Overgrown Undergrowth.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan Lilac really enjoys plants. For someone who grew up on the ever-encroaching edge of the Badlands, greenery represents hope! Hope that one day the planet will heal, hope that life will get easier in Little Firelight and hundreds of settlements like it.
The reports of what might lie in wait at the bottom of this particular dig are even enough to make Lan curious! What if this might be a vital clue to restoring Filgaia?!
...Of course, it's not like she would be 'allowed' to go alone, even if doing so were a good idea (it is not a good idea at all).
She's not sure how to feel about her partner in exploration being Leah Sadalbari, the Watcher. But Lan knows how she's supposed to feel, and that ought to be enough to guide her through. Right??
It's just that she feels so much more adept at deceiving Loren, is all. Leah is more tactiturn... and thus infinitely more dangerous.
It'll be fine if Lan just pays attention and does her best, right? Right!!
And if there's someone else along for the ride, maybe Leah will be less likely to dump her body somewhere inside the facility, should Lan's deception prove inadequate. ...Maybe!?
"Oh..." She knows that face, doesn't she? Even if it's been a couple of literal years, he did her a kindness. Lan's face brightens. "Oh, doc! It's been forever! Do you two know each other?" Now if she could just remember his actual name, that would be ideal. "Wait, do vines... actually have chakra paths? Hey, show me that again...!"
Even if she's not very practiced at energy manipulation, Lan can at least copy the doctor's movements. If she just applies the same principle to another area of overgrowth...
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Overgrown Undergrowth.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
This sort of greenery is quite unusual on Filgaia. Its mere presence is interesting. And there are other interesting things about this plce...
Including the company awaiting them.
"Why, hello," Leah replies to Citan. She inclines her head. "I would have to know your reasons, of course," she answers mildly, "But it seems likely that we share them."
She's been up to her usual with Lan thus far, which means she hasn't said anything useful in terms of figuring out what she's thinking or saying.
"Hmmmm," Leah vocalizes, looking over Citan's work and considering his explanation. "Yes," she says, "That is an ideal approach. However, I would suggest a more direct supplement."
From her things Leah pulls a perfectly ordinary crowbar, and smiles at Lan. She steps forward, and starts prying up greenery with robotic strength.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has used her Tool Crowbar toward her party's challenge, Overgrown Undergrowth.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Overgrown Undergrowth *>===================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Folktales claim that the Feywilds are an enchanted place, somewhere that was once home to fairies who could bend the natural world to suit their whims. Whatever veracity may be to the claim, it's hard to deny that the forest seems to be fighting your advance in every possible way. If there's not a pile of rotten logs in your way, there's a tangle of vines or a knot of thorny brambles. Forcing your way through seems to be the only way to advance, and almost certainly results in suffering an overabundance of splinters. Past the obstacles in your way, though, is the facility you seek... The gate you discover sticks out like a sore thumb amidst all this greenery. It's a thing of weathered stone set into the side of a tower at the very edge of a ravine. Beyond, trees and other vegetation have breached much of the ruin, dividing the wheel-like structure into many individual sections. This door is of no exception-- the thing is sealed tight by a lattice of roots and vines. You'll need to clear out the overgrowth before you can pry open the gate. ((OOC Note: Welcome to the Lifeweaver's Whorl! The actual dungeon is split up into indoor and outdoor challenges, each of which will be noted in the card itself. Each card will also contain some commentary from someone who has clearly been here before you. Feel free to find his half-eaten journal notes lying nearby, or perhaps recorded on half-broken consoles...)) =Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous==============================================
=====================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl - Round 1 *>===================== ======================< Results - Overgrown Undergrowth >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Acupressure Guide 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 0 --(8)--> 8 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leah Sadalbari 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Crowbar 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Overzealous(2) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"It has been some time, has it not."
His attention lingers on Lan first of all, as if he were somehow evaluating her presence here. "It was... hmm... Miss Lilac, was that it...? And..."
He pauses, as if to give Leah the chance to introduce herself. Perhaps he simply can't recall the name she used.
"We have met, yes," Citan replies. Indeed, they have met before. On various occasions. "...Am I to assume that you are here as her assistant, then?" He smiles good naturedly. "It is a dangerous place to come on one's own. It is good that you are here to help her. ...But, yes, it does seem that our reasons have converged."
So then what is he doing here? That, he does not offer up, and instead turns his attention to the door.
The vines unfold, peeling off the door after a series of well-placed pokes.
"Ah... so you are familiar with the technique," he says, stepping back to let her make her attempt.
Some of the ones Lan attempts to copy it upon curl back, but refuse to release their grip on the door. "It is, shall we say, a little complex. Perhaps another time I might be able to let you take a closer look."
Leah has another suggestion.
"The direct approach? I see..." He takes a step back--
She soon has Lan's more recalcitrant vines out of the way. And the roots.
It takes a bit of a push, but the door does grind open.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - There's No Escape *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...facility security systems have proven both convenient and effective. I was lucky to have found that keycard where I did. My work can continue without interruption... INDOOR CHALLENGE: It had to be around here somewhere. The one thing that every digger learns to dread not long after they first get into the business. The path ahead of you is relatively clear... Except for the locked door at the very end of the corridor. The security console has been utterly overrun by strangling vines, making a subtle approach less than feasible. The only way through is to MAKE your own way through, but be careful not to bring the entire corridor down on top of you in the process. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
"Leah Sadalbari," the blue-haired woman offers in return. Pleasantly. It's not unusual for her to give a name, after all, and she uses the same one in Elru circles. Has for a while, now.
Sometimes an alias is unnecessary.
"That's correct," Leah answers as to Lan being her assistant, "And she's been very helpful already. It would be unpleasant to explore this place unaccompanied, at best."
Neither of them appears likely to share specific reasons for coming. Maybe that's fine. Leah seems content for the moment to focus on the vines, after all. But as they get through, there is another corridor; a locked door takes up the end, and there is a text visible.....
It speaks of facility security systems, and a found keycard.
"Interesting," Leah remarks, and steps forward with her uneven gait. Step-step, step-step.
She raises the crowbar again and jams the pointy end into the doorway.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has used her Tool Crowbar toward her party's challenge, There's No Escape.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Familiar, yes! Practiced....
Well, obviously not on plant life.
"Yeah, I'm helping out! I almost had it," the shaman laments as she's forced to let the stronger of the group do the heavy lifting. Oh well. That just means she'll certainly get a chance to feel more competent later on.
Listen, Lan has to believe certain things to make it through the day anymore.
But the vines are dealt with, and they even manage to get a bit deeper into the facility. Until every Digger's nemesis, the locked door, looms before them. "I don't suppose whoever left these notes also left the key card lying around," Lan remarks, giving the corridor a short lookover just to say that she did. She doesn't expect it to be that easy at all!
Leah busts out the crowbar and Lan sighs a bit, eyeing the doorframe before charging forward. Step step step pivot her hip, SLAM her heel into the door!
...She hopes that doesn't hinder their efforts more than it helps...
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, There's No Escape.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Ah, yes, how could I forget...?" the country doctor says, shaking his head as if at his own poor memory. He grimaces good naturedly. "I suppose my age must be catching up with me," he remarks, then nods. "--Indeed, Miss Sadalbari, it is good to see you once again! I hope that all has been well?"
When Leah confirms it, Citan glances between the two women again, this time more thoughtfully. "Hmm, I see..."
The last time he had met Lan, it had been after an injury, years ago.
And now, here she is again, in the company of...
"Well then! After you?"
As Leah Sadalbari and her 'assistant' head on inwards.
He brings up the rear, as it were.
It gives him time to find a certain screen on the wall, still functioning. "Oho! Now, this is quite interesting. ...whoever left this message was not originally 'of' this facility. That means that they not only managed to make it through here, but gained access to the systems to leave this message."
There is a lengthy pause.
"I do not... suppose that either of you ladies happened to find a keycard...?"
There may be a lengthy pause as Leah attempts to force the door.
"...Ah, of course not."
He pauses just long enough to page through his manual again before striding forward and--
It's just a poke.
In the right place.
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Acupressure Guide toward his party's challenge, There's No Escape.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - There's No Escape *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...facility security systems have proven both convenient and effective. I was lucky to have found that keycard where I did. My work can continue without interruption... INDOOR CHALLENGE: It had to be around here somewhere. The one thing that every digger learns to dread not long after they first get into the business. The path ahead of you is relatively clear... Except for the locked door at the very end of the corridor. The security console has been utterly overrun by strangling vines, making a subtle approach less than feasible. The only way through is to MAKE your own way through, but be careful not to bring the entire corridor down on top of you in the process. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
=====================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl - Round 2 *>===================== ========================< Results - There's No Escape >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 8 --(8)--> 16 Pass Acupressure Guide 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 8 --(8)--> 16 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leah Sadalbari 8 --(8)--> 16 Pass Crowbar 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Overzealous(1)|Tire(2) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Security Drones *>======================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...inner mechanisms are remarkably complex. I'm sure my former colleagues would have found them fascinating. It would be for the best if I can find a way to preserve them to defend the project... INDOOR CHALLENGE: In spite of the grievous damage that the facility has suffered, parts of it are obviously still quite functional. Take this corridor for example. It's hard to tell where the vines end and the cable bundles begin, and yet as you step too far in, the security system still manages to trip. A series of spherical defense burst from ports on the walls and ceiling, though at least one finds itself ensnared by the clinging vines. Still, that doesn't stop it from joining the others in blasting at you with advanced laser weaponry. It's not all bad news though. If you can take them down without obliterating them, you might be able to salvage some of their parts for future use...! =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Almost! ...Though really, Leah would say that she expects Lan's capabilities to come in handy. Would she really just bring her on a whim??
"Ha," Leah replies at the matter of Citan's age. "Maybe it is." This at least seems to amuse her regardless. But she heds inward with Lan and Citan both.
"Yes, I had that impression as well," Leah remarks about the message. "It's very interesting."
But she hasn't found keycards. As it turns out, though, the way through the door is fairly simple. Citan pokes the obstacle in just the right spot, and the doors pop open enough that the crowbar finds purchase. From there, Lan kicks the door!! From there, there's a whirring of machinery either from Leah or the door or both, and they slide open.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"What...?" Lan asks, glancing sidelong at Citan. Does everybody have a scary secret agenda around here? He's a doctor! They're not supposed to be scary!
Ugh. If all else fails maybe Lan can just... disappear into the complex and live with overgrown plants and science for the rest of her life okay no, that's not an option, she's going to tough it out and be brave...!
The door finally opens! "Well, at least we didn't need the keycard!" Lan has gotten better at using technology since her conscription into Solaris, but she still finds touch-activated table lamps to be marvelous feats of science. Some things change slowly if they change at all.
"...This is really incredible," she murmurs, emerging into the next corridor. "How did it all merge together like this? Did the vines just overgrow everything? When--" Before she can make too many wildly inaccurate guesses, theres a quiet whirring from within the walls.
Round metal things emerge on metal arms from inside holes in the walls, and then lasers start emerging from the spheres. Pyew-pyew-pyew!!
She dances back out of the way of a beam, nearly bumps into a laser head that' grinding against the grip of a particularly robust vine, and...
Takes the canteen from her belt to dump water over it. "It's okay! Robots hate water, right?!"
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Clear Water toward her party's challenge, Security Drones.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He glances back at Lan. "...Hmm? Is something the matter, Miss Lilac?"
To Leah, he remarks instead on the content of the screen. "So you saw it as well... acquaintances of mine had mentioned that this place was strange, but it seems I had underestimated the matter of how strange! Filgaia certainly hides a great number of secrets..."
This, before he moves in to assist with the door. Beyond it, though, things are more complicated.
Mostly because of combat drones.
"Oh dear-- that is good thinking, Miss Lilac! Please be careful, however! I cannot say what they might be capable of!"
He falls back, lingering just long enough to glance at another nearby screen.
"--Aha! Use positioning to your advantage! They appear to be 'rooted to the spot'!"
...What, is he not going to help?
Then again, he's just a country doctor...
DG: Citan Uzuki has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Security Drones.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
"Likewise," Leah says. "I'd heard very interesting things, but it's another to see it for myself. Quite different from other ruins."
Science... It's a life!!
"A little... elbow grease, as they call it. Hm?" Leah replies this way about the keycard. But wondering how it all merged together--Leah wonders that as well. "Water... Yes, they wouldn't like it much."
Leah can work with that. She weaves a shape in the air and a blast of water materializes out of the air, crashing down onto the first of the spheres. From here Leah moves in, pulling the spear from her back and quickly making herself an obvious target in the center.
"Onward!"
She doesn't seem to mind getting hit by lasers; quite the opposite, her energy seems to increase as the combat continues.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has used her Tool Yamato Belt toward her party's challenge, Security Drones.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Security Drones *>======================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...inner mechanisms are remarkably complex. I'm sure my former colleagues would have found them fascinating. It would be for the best if I can find a way to preserve them to defend the project... INDOOR CHALLENGE: In spite of the grievous damage that the facility has suffered, parts of it are obviously still quite functional. Take this corridor for example. It's hard to tell where the vines end and the cable bundles begin, and yet as you step too far in, the security system still manages to trip. A series of spherical defense burst from ports on the walls and ceiling, though at least one finds itself ensnared by the clinging vines. Still, that doesn't stop it from joining the others in blasting at you with advanced laser weaponry. It's not all bad news though. If you can take them down without obliterating them, you might be able to salvage some of their parts for future use...! =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
=====================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl - Round 3 *>===================== =========================< Results - Security Drones >========================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 16 --(8)--> 24 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 16 --(8)--> 24 Pass Clear Water 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leah Sadalbari 16 --(8)--> 24 Pass Yamato Belt 1 Combat Effects: Embolden and Rally -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 40 --(25)--> 65 Pass Conditions: Tire(1)|Treasure(1) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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: Citan Uzuki has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - Rooting Around in the Dark *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...foundation is sound. Even if the process takes centuries, it should hold. It must hold. I no longer have the luxury of choice... OUTDOOR CHALLENGE: This place is a veritable maze. While the intact sections of the facility are relatively straightforward, the overgrown greenspaces and winding forest understories are anything but. Navigating the roads of intertwining branches and natural vine-bridges is about as confusing as it gets. This particular stretch is especially dark and meandering, comprised as it is out of an uncommonly dense amount of roots, ivies and vines, with what feels like a half-dozen looping switchbacks and crossroads. The only negotiable paths are shrouded under layer upon layer of vine bundles and leaf canopies. It almost seems as though this natural corridor is holding the two adjacent sections of facility together. Perhaps the Whorl is not as structurally sound as it once was? One way or another, you'll need to negotiate this tangle of jungle to progress. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"--Oh, it's just that you don't look old enough for age to be slowing you down yet or anything!" Inwardly, Lan congratulates herself for what is clearly a flawless save. Honestly, if more ruins were this green and promising, she'd probably be more invested in delving into them. Usually there's just stuff like Metal Beasts and cliffs that drop off into infinity.
The drones certainly don't seem to like water after all - the one Lan splashed begins to smoke almost immediately, its movements slowing as the interior circuitry fries. But the torrent of water unleashed by Major Sadalbari has real force behind it; the rest of the drones are ruined internally and a few are ripped from their moorings to batter uselessly against the walls.
Afterwards there's only the quiet sound of water spilling into puddles on the floor and the lightning-storm smell of ozone.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Oh, I see," is the doctor's response. "I suppose I may still have a few more years in me yet, in that case! Now then, Miss Lilac..."
It's poorly lit beyond that corridor, veering towards the shade one would normally find beneath a forest's canopies.
Save for a single flickering screen.
"'Even if the process takes centuries, it should hold. It must hold.' Do you suppose the author was speaking of the foundation of this facility," Citan remarks, fumbling with something in his bag, "or the foundation of something else altogether? ...Oh dear, it is difficult to do this in this lighting..."
But at last he's gotten free whatever it is that he's been struggling with--
It's a completely normal, somewhat behind-the-times camera. Citan lifts it and takes a snapshot.
There is a brilliant flash, followed by the click of a camera's shutter. For a moment, the room -- the maze ahead, looping about in and around itself -- is beautifully illuminated. But only for a moment.
"I am uncertain how much use the photograph may be in this light," he says, handing it over. "Still, it may provide some reference point."
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Strauss Camera toward his party's challenge, Rooting Around in the Dark.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Leah smiles at the nice, perfect interaction between Lan and Citan there. Very pleasant. Something bout age...
But she doesn't actually comment; instead she lowers her spear once the battle is over, and stows it once again. She looks towrds the corridor ahead, and then towards the two with them.
"Mm..." Leah shakes her head. "A 'process' is not a facility itself--it's perhaps smething done at the facility."
The tangle of jungle proves a little difficult to navigate, naturally--but Leah takes the photograph when offered it, looking it over thoughtfully.
If there's a faint whirring noise it's probably just someone's imagination. Surely.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rooting Around in the Dark.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"...Ugh, it's so dark," Lan complains quietly, padding along behind the other two. She's digging in her pocket as they go, finally managing to dig out a scrap of well-worn paper shortly after Citan uses his camera to illuminate the space around them. Even if it only lasts for the briefest of moments, light is comforting! "Oh, that's a great idea! Uhm, hang on just a sec--"
Folding it into the familiar paku-paku shape, Lan takes a deep breath and draws on the star inside of her heart. A soft mote of starlight blossoms at the center of the charm, providing far less vision than the camera flash had, but the effect is constant. "Let's see, if we use the photograph as a map, and then go from there... Eenie, meenie..."
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Rooting Around in the Dark.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - Rooting Around in the Dark *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...foundation is sound. Even if the process takes centuries, it should hold. It must hold. I no longer have the luxury of choice... OUTDOOR CHALLENGE: This place is a veritable maze. While the intact sections of the facility are relatively straightforward, the overgrown greenspaces and winding forest understories are anything but. Navigating the roads of intertwining branches and natural vine-bridges is about as confusing as it gets. This particular stretch is especially dark and meandering, comprised as it is out of an uncommonly dense amount of roots, ivies and vines, with what feels like a half-dozen looping switchbacks and crossroads. The only negotiable paths are shrouded under layer upon layer of vine bundles and leaf canopies. It almost seems as though this natural corridor is holding the two adjacent sections of facility together. Perhaps the Whorl is not as structurally sound as it once was? One way or another, you'll need to negotiate this tangle of jungle to progress. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
=====================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl - Round 4 *>===================== ====================< Results - Rooting Around in the Dark >==================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 24 --(8)--> 32 Pass Strauss Camera 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 24 --(8)--> 32 Pass Paku-Paku 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leah Sadalbari 24 --(8)--> 32 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 65 --(20)--> 85 Pass Conditions: Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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> Citan Uzuki has posed.
If he hears a strange sound at all, he gives no indication of it.
"Now then, if what we just saw was correct, then the path to the right appears to be intact... and the exit should be to the far left."
It's the parts inbetween that are the problem.
"Oh! I believe I have heard of such things. Are those not used in Baskar fortune-telling?" Citan remarks, upon catching sight of the paku-paku. "Perhaps that may be just the trick. Please, lead on! Intuition should not lead us astray in a maze such as this."
And if they do take a wrong turn -- however brief -- somewhere...
Well, Leah has their backs (and a better eye, so to speak).
In good time, they walk the dimly lit maze and arrive at that distant portal.
"It does seem that the plants themselves are what is holding this facility together," the doctor observes.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - Benediction of Archgenesis *>================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 4 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...all that I can do. And yet, the truth I have been running from for so long is so painfully obvious. Even if I find my answer, someday, who will bring it to those who need it most? I will die here, so far from home... or else I will be bound to this place, never to see them again. When it is done, will I even remember what I did all this for? INDOOR CHALLENGE: You've finally drawn near to the heart of this place. The vines creeping across the facility walls pulse with light and energy, and grow so thick that it's impossible to tell that you're in an artificial structure at all. Whatever is going on in here, whatever treasures might be hidden here, they're very close by. The problem is, you're not the only ones who realize it. The corridor suddenly shudders as a cascade of roots and vines erupt from the walls to bar your path. Saplings shoot up from the floor, expand into fully grown tree trunks, and then rapidly die and petrify to bar your way. The life-force filling this place surges to keep you at bay. Whatever lies in wait knows that you are coming, and it's doing all that it can to stop you. =Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Walking through the dark, Leah of course notices the light Lan makes. She holds on to wait for this to activate--
Hmm. Helpful. Leah regards Lan for a few moments, even as Citan mentions the Baskar fortune-telling. She is thoughtful, her single eye faintly luminous with reflected light.
It lasts only a moment; she watches their backs... and the path.
"Yes, though that may not always have been the case. It seems that they've long since overgrown their original bounds."
But But here is the heart of this place; once again they travel indoors, and in this place the vines pulse with light and energy. The walls ar not visible--and the corridor suddenly shakes. A cascade of roots and vines erupt from the walls, and this is only the beginning.
Leah sets her jaw. Her expression is that of someone identifying a weakness--and she steps forward with her crowbar. Where saplings shoot up and expand into tree trunks, she shatters their petrified remains with swings of the metal bar. Where vines curl, she tears them up.
"Through is the only way forward."
DG: Leah Sadalbari has used her Tool Crowbar toward her party's challenge, Benediction of Archgenesis.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Yes, it certainly--"
It takes one step inwards for everything to come undone.
"--does."
The way forward is rapidly barred. So is the way back. And so, as this place becomes ever narrower in the expanse afforded to them all...
"Be careful! It is coming in from various angles! I do not think--"
Shaking his head, the doctor instead pulls from his bag that manual and hurriedly flips through the pages. Then, reaching out a hand for the back of Lan's neck (just to the left of that place where the spine touches the skull), he brushes that spot with the tip of his finger.
Perhaps she feels a little stronger. A little more empowered.
"--There! The effect will only be temporary, I am afraid. Now, let us hurry, Miss Lilac! Let us see if we are able to catch up to her!"
And Citan runs, moving quickly in the wake of Leah's destruction, dodging roots as he charges on.
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Acupressure Guide toward his party's challenge, Benediction of Archgenesis.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan continues to murmur under her breath for a few moments, the last syllable leaving her mouth as the paku-paku shows a squiggle that she doesn't remember writing there. "Uh... oh! Oh, if we go right but skip left... uh, there were the pile of rocks is..."
Maybe it's better for her nerves if she doesn't notice the way Leah regards her. "They're simple to make! I can show you later if you want." Whether or not Citan can get the kind of use from it that Lan does is up to fate...!
The influx of energy, the defensive impulses of whatever lies beneath ages of neglect... Lan skips backward just in time to keep from being swept off of her feet by a surging vine. "Hey--!"
Briefly, she considers the Fire medium tucked safely into her shirt, but discards the idea. The last thing she wants to try is untested fire magic in what is probably a very flammable environment. And if the plants turn to stone this quickly, fire probably won't work anyway. "Don't worry, we'll figure something--" Poke!
Lan jumps a bit, not quite expecting the doctor to turn that same technique on her! "O-oh, okay-- Leah, wait up!!"
She's really got to study this more, Lan reflects as they dash after the Major.
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Benediction of Archgenesis.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - Benediction of Archgenesis *>================== |Type: Climax |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 4 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...all that I can do. And yet, the truth I have been running from for so long is so painfully obvious. Even if I find my answer, someday, who will bring it to those who need it most? I will die here, so far from home... or else I will be bound to this place, never to see them again. When it is done, will I even remember what I did all this for? INDOOR CHALLENGE: You've finally drawn near to the heart of this place. The vines creeping across the facility walls pulse with light and energy, and grow so thick that it's impossible to tell that you're in an artificial structure at all. Whatever is going on in here, whatever treasures might be hidden here, they're very close by. The problem is, you're not the only ones who realize it. The corridor suddenly shudders as a cascade of roots and vines erupt from the walls to bar your path. Saplings shoot up from the floor, expand into fully grown tree trunks, and then rapidly die and petrify to bar your way. The life-force filling this place surges to keep you at bay. Whatever lies in wait knows that you are coming, and it's doing all that it can to stop you. =Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
=====================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl - Round 5 *>===================== ====================< Results - Benediction of Archgenesis >==================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 32 --(16)--> 48 Pass Acupressure Guide 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 32 --(16)--> 48 Fail Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leah Sadalbari 32 --(16)--> 48 Pass Crowbar 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 85 --(0)--> 85 Pass Conditions: Overwhelm|Stupify(1) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki has passed this challenge! The party gained 0 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Galem the Guardian *>====================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...Gazer and Project Mispolm in particular have been very useful references. The ancients of this land must have been scientists beyond compare. I can only hope that my own work can meet the standards they set... FINAL CHALLENGE: As you pull yourselves out of the tangle of obstacles, you find yourselves in a sunlit grove at the foot of a truly spectacular tree. Colorful flora blooms brilliantly, tended to by a small army of busily swarming insects. The air is fresh and crisp, full of the heady scent of aromatic nectar. Just as you think you have a moment to rest, something abruptly changes. A shadow grows across the ground as the pollinating swarms scatter. Something falls out of the sky! It looks like a massive bush with a single eye. The thing emits a noise that can only be described as an alarm siren as its leafy shell comes apart into a dozen smaller, floating eyeball-shrubs. The core, now revealed to be an enormous seed or nut, begins firing bolts of brilliant energy from its eye and commanding thorny growths to burst from the ground underneath your feet, even as its subordinate drones launch their own beam attacks and menace with stinging tendril-vines! Your goal is within sight, but you're going to have to overcome this final guardian to claim it! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Leah's advance is slow, untiring, and inexorable. She just keeps breaking things out of the way as if she can outlast the springing of life with cold metal, and maybe she could, maybe not. She does not find out.
Lan doesn't use fire; instead she dashes forward and gains the pwoer thanks to Citan's temporary effect to push through too!!
Indeed though it's not all that comfortable, the group does, and Leah ends up next to Lan by the time they finish. Whatever ages of neglect this place has seen...
It's at least not neglect now.
So what else is here? As they finish, and the obstacles stop returning, Leah pauses, and looks down. This particular crowbar is ruined; it's more than half chipped, bent the wrong way, and generally no longer of use.
She keeps it along to dispose of later, and regrds the others.
"That was something of workout, hm? But it seems we did indeed figure something out."
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"We could probably point you at just about anything and watch you plow right through it," Lan tells Leah rather cheerfully, once they've made it through the surging overgrowth. If the thought of that makes Lan nervous, she does a great job of keeping it to herself. "Are you okay, Doc?"
They emerge, winded and blinking in the golden afternoonish light. The smell of nectar and flower petals is light and sweet in the air, and Lan's already kneeling down to run her fingers through the soft grass when the bees scatter.
If the robobush weren't firing more lasers at them, it would almost be comical. She's reminded somehow of the model kit she didn't buy for Loren, the one that boasted 'lifelike bark texture' and 'one thousand leaves to assemble'...!
"Oh for--" Her almost-a-curse is cut off as Lan pushes up off of her knee and breaks into a sprint for the bush--
Whereupon she breaks into a series of afterimages, recoalescing behind the guardian.... and attempting to pour more water onto it from her canteen. "You knock that off!!"
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Clear Water toward her party's challenge, Galem the Guardian.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Between himself and an 'unleashed' Lan, and with Leah in the lead--
Doctor Uzuki brings up the rear.
He pauses for a moment, heaving a breath. "Whew... that was very nearly too close for comfort," he remarks, smiling almost sheepishly considering what they just escaped. "If I am not mistaken, I would say that it seems as if this place may be more aware of us than it had seemed," he continues, stepping out into the sunlight.
As... something unfolds in the center. As its... children scatter.
"What is-- oh no! Scatter!" Citan calls out, doing likewise as that enormous beam of light fires. One of the drones locks onto him soon after, leaving him with his own problem with which to attend. He veers a hard left, then right, as if to shake it, but when that fails--
"A shame," he remarks, attempting to bait it into coming low and for him, after which he will deliver a knife-handed strike to the back of that drone.
But even if he downs that one, there are many more with which to contend.
DG: Citan Uzuki has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Galem the Guardian.
<Pose Tracker> Leah Sadalbari has posed.
Leah laughs faintly when Lan makes her cheerful remark. "There is a certain satisfaction in the direct approach," she answers pleasantly, though she looks to check up on Citan when Lan asks if he's all right. It nearly was too close. "Yes, I think you're right," Leah says, concerned. But... The sweet smells, the beautiful light...
Oh, and the lasers. Leah frowns as a vine wraps around her leg and tears through her boot, clanging against exposed chrome beneath. She does not scatter all that quickly.
However, she still has on that handy belt, and she's resultantly recovered well from the last combat already by now; the longer she goes on, the more time it has to work.
Pulling her spear, Leah bends at the knees and leaps into the air, going up a few dozen feet to slam back down towards the guardian.
She on the bright side remains highly conspicuous to the enemy.
DG: Leah Sadalbari has used her Tool Yamato Belt toward her party's challenge, Galem the Guardian.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Galem the Guardian *>====================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- ...Gazer and Project Mispolm in particular have been very useful references. The ancients of this land must have been scientists beyond compare. I can only hope that my own work can meet the standards they set... FINAL CHALLENGE: As you pull yourselves out of the tangle of obstacles, you find yourselves in a sunlit grove at the foot of a truly spectacular tree. Colorful flora blooms brilliantly, tended to by a small army of busily swarming insects. The air is fresh and crisp, full of the heady scent of aromatic nectar. Just as you think you have a moment to rest, something abruptly changes. A shadow grows across the ground as the pollinating swarms scatter. Something falls out of the sky! It looks like a massive bush with a single eye. The thing emits a noise that can only be described as an alarm siren as its leafy shell comes apart into a dozen smaller, floating eyeball-shrubs. The core, now revealed to be an enormous seed or nut, begins firing bolts of brilliant energy from its eye and commanding thorny growths to burst from the ground underneath your feet, even as its subordinate drones launch their own beam attacks and menace with stinging tendril-vines! Your goal is within sight, but you're going to have to overcome this final guardian to claim it! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
=====================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl - Round 6 *>===================== ========================< Results - Galem the Guardian >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 48 --(101)--> 149 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 48 --(101)--> 149 Fail Clear Water 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leah Sadalbari 48 --(101)--> 149 Pass Yamato Belt 1 Combat Effects: Embolden and Rally -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 85 --(10)--> 95 Fail Conditions: Overwhelm|Wound(2) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Citan Uzuki is too exhausted to continue! DG: Lan Lilac is too exhausted to continue! DG: Leah Sadalbari is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. This attempt is over. DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki has been fully Exhausted by The Lifeweaver's Whorl! DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
==========================<* The Lifeweaver's Whorl *>========================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Hysterical Hybrids *>====================== |Type: Landmark |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Has anyone ever wondered what a coconut might taste like if combined with a lime...? No? I suppose we must all have our hobbies. The Whorl has turned you aside at the last. In the course of your escape, you happen upon an arboreal nursery, but these are no ordinary trees. These are... ... What even are are these? Those fruits, they make no sense! There are banana-shaped apples, watermelons that inexplicably contain gigantic orange rinds. Durians that neither stink nor have the consistency of moist custard when bitten into! Actually those last ones might be pretty marketable. Maybe you should take some of these fruits and see if you can find a market or a place for them to grow. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
For something that looks patently ridiculous, the guardian packs a hell of a whallop. Sure, they could get really serious and fight it off... but in doing so, they'd surely destroy the tree and this beautiful glade. M-maybe it's a better idea to escape for now and try to sneak back in later!!
Besides, the bizarre fruit trees they find on the way out are probably way better than the so-called secrets that lie here sleeping.
Lan can't wait to see Loren's face when he sees a bananapple.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
In the end, there's just too many drones to handle, and in conjunction with the laser beams that thing is firing--
"This is no good! Everyone, retreat!"
The safest place turns out to be somewhere rather close at hand, and not in the way they'd come in by.
Through a broken wall, through some tangles of vines, and then...
And then, there it is. A grove of fruit.
"Is this..." Citan reaches out to deftly pluck a something that looks like a pomegranate from a tree.
Generally pomegranates do not have a wrinkled green rind.
"My, my! It appears whoever it was who managed this place fancied themselves, ah, quite the amateur horticulturalist?"
Once they've retrieved all the fruit they can carry safely and slipped through the defenses of the Whorl and the Feywild beyond, it is there that the two parties part ways. Stooping to sort through his belongings before hitting the road, the doctor pauses for a moment, watching them as they go.
"Does she realize that she has already...? No, she must have..."
Standing at last and shouldering his bag, he lapses into silence. "..."