2020-11-01: Restricted Access

From Dream Chasers
Jump to navigation Jump to search
  • Log: Restricted Access
  • Cast: Scythe Riebaure, Asgard, Ratatoskr, Josephine Lovelace
  • Where: Macalania Woods
  • Date: November 1, 2020
  • Summary: Odessa has decided that the Macalania Woods need to be explored to better comprehend the mysteries they contain. All well and good, except for when it comes to the contents of the group they've sent out, perhaps...

DG: A party led by Scythe Riebaure is now entering Macalania Woods - Disquiet.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Unsettled By Nature *>======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 North of the Thunder Plains lies the Macalania Woods; in order to reach
 Macalania Lake and the temple there, a traveler has no choice but to
 traverse the woods.

 Even Althena's Guard and their machines of war find this a difficult task,
 however -- the power of the Fayth have warped these woods, turning them into
 a labyrinth, filled with foul fiends.

 A rustling and gurgling before you take more than a few steps upon the path
 that leads into the woods is your warning -- you are soon beset by Fiends!
 These lot are a goopy wobbly sort, called 'Flans' by the Spiran natives.
 They move at first as if they were in truth evading something else, until
 they spot you.

 Then their immediate plan shifts accordingly. Their goal? Perhaps it might
 be best put as 'taking your life'. Get ready.
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    Odessa has interests in the Macalania region. Operatives in the area have reported regular clashes between Althena's Guard and the forces of Yevon; this seems to have stirred the metaphysical landscape into a frenzy. Given the volatile nature of the situation--and the presence of a person of interest nearby--Odessa's leadership has deployed a small team to reconnoiter the area.

    Scythe Riebaure takes the lead, the grass crunching beneath the heels of his combat boots. He pauses, breathes in the air, and feels out its arcane scent. "The land itself is perturbed," he says, turning back to the rest of his team. "Do you feel it, Lovelace? Something powerful is at work here, and it is furious." Scythe grins wide enough to put his sharpened canines on full display. It's a smile Josie, at least, knows well.

    He can't wait to find out what's inside, and what he can learn from it. There's an edge to it that wasn't there before, but is she in any place to judge?

    "Come," he says, beckoning the others onward. "The way--"

    Something burbles in the distance. Scythe's nose wrinkles. A half-dozen blobs of goo, each the size of a grown human, slide towards them on gelatinous trails. "Slimes," Scythe says, his face twisting into a dismissive sneer. "Away with this rabble!" He reaches for something in his pocket as the Fiends take interest in earnest. An icicle flies directly at Scythe's face, and--

    Embeds itself in a nearby tree trunk as he is suddenly no longer there. Instead, he is perched atop a nearby boulder, holding up a disk of metal covered with Symbological glyphs. It glows like the inferno as it levitates from his hand, and erupts into tendrils of scouring flame. "Away," he says, as if the very thought of having to deal with these things is beneath him.

DG: Scythe Riebaure has used his Tool Balefire Seal toward his party's challenge, Unsettled By Nature.
<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


"Go into a warzone? What praytell made you think I would be interested in such an endeavor - 'Crimson Noble?'" Melody dismisses the idea instantly, "Nevertheless, I suppose I might grace you with my support. Asgard. Temporary Master designation: Riebaure, Scythe."

The towering Golem's eyes change briefly from yellow to red.

"ROGER." The Golem Acknowledges.

-=-=-

The Golem, created from the Wisdom of Hyades, tromps behind Scythe at a steady pace. Every footfall shaking the ground. It's distance never changing from its master. His questions are not addressed towards Asgard, so Asgard does not even attempt to answer.

The metallic shield was unnecessary, because that icicle would never have struck even if Scythe had done absolutely nothing. It's quite possible that Scythe didn't yet realize there was yet another layer of defense given the subtle translucency of the energy barrier his defender made.

"ENGAGING."

The Golem abruptly slides forward. And smashes its fist into the goopy mass of the Flan. Before lifting it up as it drips over its metallic hand and flinging it away.

The moment the inferno of Scythe's symbology clears... a strange ice fly buzzes nearby. As if it were drawn by the light and the heat of his flame magic.

"ENGAGING."

Asgard suddenly looms over Scythe. Whip quick, it lashes out with two fingers to catch the fly between them, squishing it into a black smear, coming within mere millimeters of his master's skin.

DG: Asgard has used his Tool Auto-Defender toward his party's challenge, Unsettled By Nature.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    One of the primary intel sources as regards clashes between Althena's Guard and the forces of Yevon - Ratatoskr, who is always enthusiastic about watching and capturing just about every facet of battles and emergent war heroes he can find. He is thorough! (There are many further paragraphs that would be descriptively useful for minutae, but they are ultimately unimportant to the central issue at hand.)
     Ratatoskr is mercifully much quieter when he feels that pulse of some force that simply does not want him there. Has he ever heeded the primal forces of whatever when it doesn't want him somewhere? (Historically, from a modern day perspective... never, ever.)
     The Hyadean soldier proves obedient enough in terms of which way they're going, because at least he's caught on to the fact that this forest tends not to play nicely with the concept of 'directions' or 'landmarks' or anything useful for navigation when it doesn't feel like it. Whatever 'it' is.
     Then comes the slimes.
     "Flans!" Ratatoskr calls. His face is always on some gradient between 'smile' and 'grin' but it's not certain that he's really that overjoyed facing them compared to one of the handful of surviving commanders of Operation Mi'ihen who wasn't excommunicated by Yevon, who is-- not relevant to the immediate issue!!!
     He passes a look over to the ancient weapon of the Wisdom of Hyades every so often. It seems a subject that Ratatoskr himself should hold a lot more interest in, as one of the few surviving people of that fallen star - but for the moment he settles into a rapid offensive against the Flans in question. Issue is, they tend not to fold to physical attacks as he tries to flank the ones furthest to the group's right. He makes up for it by rapidly striking as much as he can - occasionally discharging compressed air through a joint in a shotgun-like burst.

DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Unsettled By Nature.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    It wasn't all that long ago that Josie had crossed paths with Yulie, of all people. Quite a coup, there, as it happened -- once she'd been able to muck with her equipment and establish communications/reunite with Odessa...

    Well, it had been a helpful thing to pass along.

    Black shotgun slung against a shoulder, Josie regards the forest before them, tapping one foot absently. "Hmm..."

    "Seems a little colder'n last time," she remarks, her lips twisted in a crooked smile. "Bit of a cold snap, eh?" She turns to regard Scythe then.

    She regards him for a long, long moment.

    "Hey, Chase, I've been meaning to ask," she says, looking him over. "Are those caps, or did you file 'em down?"

    Probably not the respect Scythe was looking for, honestly...

    Perhaps it's not such a bad thing that slimes (of a sort) choose that moment to intrude.

    "Flans," she corrects, having done a stint as a 'member' of the Crusaders. "A little different! --See, he knows the score!" she remarks, glancing over at Ratatoskr. "Now--"

    She swings the shotgun out and away from herself, pulling the trigger the once. For all the force of the ARM's recoil, she only sways slightly.

    Her gaze swings sidelong as Asgard, after the construct lunges out with a massive hand to crush a...
    ...a fly, she realizes. Ever so slightly, Josie lifts an eyebrow and lets out a low whistle.

    "Wonder where they dug that up," she murmurs.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Unsettled By Nature.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Unsettled By Nature *>======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 North of the Thunder Plains lies the Macalania Woods; in order to reach
 Macalania Lake and the temple there, a traveler has no choice but to
 traverse the woods.

 Even Althena's Guard and their machines of war find this a difficult task,
 however -- the power of the Fayth have warped these woods, turning them into
 a labyrinth, filled with foul fiends.

 A rustling and gurgling before you take more than a few steps upon the path
 that leads into the woods is your warning -- you are soon beset by Fiends!
 These lot are a goopy wobbly sort, called 'Flans' by the Spiran natives.
 They move at first as if they were in truth evading something else, until
 they spot you.

 Then their immediate plan shifts accordingly. Their goal? Perhaps it might
 be best put as 'taking your life'. Get ready.
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim=====================================================
===================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet - Round 1 *>===================
=======================< Results - Unsettled By Nature >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scythe Riebaure                     0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Balefire Seal                       3   Combat  Effects: Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asgard                              0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Auto-Defender                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine Lovelace                  0 --(17)--> 17                 Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Scythe Riebaure             0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Maim
Effects: Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Scythe Riebaure 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> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    Scythe is still simmering from the absolute nerve of that woman. Nevertheless, he's not about to deny the services of a capable automaton--so long as it follows his orders. He nods in approval as Asgard lumbers forward, then turns to Josie. "What manner of question is that?" he says, arching an eyebrow.

    Flans, as noted, are terribly resistant to physical attacks. Asgard's fist damn near punches through his target, splattering the gooey remains of the Fiend against a nearby tree trunk. Its corpse dissolves into shimmering Pyreflies, which Scythe notes with interest. "The unquiet dead," he says. "They take on such bizarre forms here, don't you think?"

    And then Asgard is suddenly /right there in front of him, hand reaching out.

    A fly dies between the Golem's fingers before it can so much as touch him. The self-proclaimed Crimson Noble looks out, and for the first time notices the translucent barrier. He grins from ear to ear.

    Josie, meanwhile, puts good old-fashioned lead to work. One of the Flans takes the shotgun blast dead-center; its corpus riddled with pellets, it waves a gooey hand and retaliates with a wave of freezing cold! Ratatoskr deals with it, though, and its neighbor. The compressed air proves quite good at blowing huge holes in the Fiends' bodies. Scythe's inferno descends on the battlefield, sealing their fate.

    "Your master commends you, automaton," Scythe says, his voice oozing magnanimity. "And you as well, Hyadean." Did he just not pay attention to Ratatoskr's name, Ratatoskr does have a name, Scythe

DG: Ratatoskr has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - A Bad Trip *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Light swirls through the boughs of the forest, glittering and shimmering
 where it catches on the crystalline trees. There is a strange feeling in the
 air, as if something about this land's will has shifted.

 You see... things.

 According to rumor, spirits haunt the woods, beguiling and leading astray
 those who encounter them. Perhaps this is only a story. Perhaps this is just
 a further result of the power that allows the forest to be.

 In the end, it doesn't matter. You must break free of the illusion that has
 beguiled you.
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Tire===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr watches his share of the Flans dissipate into their shiny colorful Pyrefly components. His eyes dim just watching them float off. How many times has he tried to call for them to stay? How many times has he wanted to just... talk to who they were. (And fight them.)
     Not even the Farplane, the place where the people of Spira go to visit those who passed, offers neither discussion or fighting. There's a sense that something's being lost for good in the process, and that is...
     Light swirls through the boughs of the forest, glittering and shimering where it catches on the crystalline trees - a bit more so, in the passing of the Flans. His arms are crossed as he walks fully upright, as if looking only a touch less suddenly eager to jump in the fray than usual. Only a touch less. He's a Mother-altered Hyadean, after all, they're always at least two or three hair triggers away from some sort of violent impulse.
     "The dead of Spira... most of them stay," Ratatoskr says as he takes point on virtue of having been scouting around the perimeter of the woods the most of anyone here, "but you know... there's other kinds too...!"
     Ratatoskr's grin widens. "One of the Guado told me about this one day! They say there are spirits in these woods... but they don't fight you. You don't see them." The land takes a stranger turn in terms of hues and shapes. The color palette is still on the cooler side, but there are, shall we say, blatantly incomprehensible sights. There's a tree that does not move in distance no matter how close one moves, or how far they try to get away from it. At one point it seems like the road is upside down entirely and the sky is beneath them without a clear transition between which way is which. Pyreflies flit in ways that do not leave smooth trails but in strange angular shapes.
     That's just the surface level indicator that something odd is happening. Even looking around to make eye contact with others reveals irregularities of what one sees between looking ahead one second and then back another. Dream-like.
     "But they're there! They insist...!" Ratatoskr draws up that old, rare surviving Hyadean datapad that a clawed finger delicately sifts through, as if accidentally blocking out some of the weirdness by just burying his gaze in it. "I'd like to meet them..."
     They may be closer than he thinks, but this is not a friendly meet and greet.

DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Corrupted Records toward his party's challenge, A Bad Trip.
<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


"RESTRICTED ACCESS."

Surprisingly, the Golem actually answers Josephine. If only to infuriatingly deny the information her curiosity seeks. It does not even look at her.

As Scythe commends him though, the Golem's eyes turn from yellow to red. As if it were processing some strange new information.

That new information is Praise for a job well done, as opposed to praise for simply being some pinnacle of Hyadean wisdom.

"ACKNOWLEDGED."

And it being new information that it is integrating, it seems it cannot do more than acknowledge the compliment. Ratatoskr may be interested in him, but Asgard unfortunately makes no show of Hyadean solidarity. To his systems apparently, Ratatoskr is no different from Josephine. They have been comfortably slotted into the 'non-masters' of his three categories of 'masters', 'non-masters' and 'threats'.

And then the forest. Asgard tromps forward. As magical energy assaults its optical sensors. At first, it's like it is affected the same as the rest of them.

The moment its shoulder clips a hazy shape of something that's less than real. It suddenly halts. Its neck turns, as if it were observing something.

It's eyes change from yellow to red to blue.

The Golem starts changing its path, and the entire party can hear the sounds of crystalline foliage shattering as the Golem simply smashes into objects where there is seemingly nothing.

Even when the sky turns upside down, there's the rhythmic tromping of the Golem seemingly continuing forward as it walks on air. And the sound of shattering as it simply impacts whatever crystalline foliage dares to get in its way.

Apparently, unfortunately for the unquiet spirits of the forest...

... its Gemini Circuit is swiftly adapting to its trick.

DG: Asgard has used his Tool Gemini Circuit toward his party's challenge, A Bad Trip.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    "Your teeth," Josie clarifies, that smile of hers only broadening. "Didn't use to be pointed, yeah? Find a good dentist for that?"

    She is never going to let up now, is she?

    Her bullet then cuts through one of the Flans as the others erase the remaining Fiends on the field. She spins the shotgun over in her grasp, ejecting the bullet shell as she does so with a clatter upon the path, then slides the ARM away into its holster. That smile leaves her lips when Asgard addresses her. "Those Prophets are a pain in the ass," she declares, shaking her head as she parts from them and heads onwards down the path.

    "Anyway. You were sayin'?"

    Ratatoskr has quite a lot to say, as it were.

    "I've wondered about that. Something about this place..." Or something about Sin, maybe, she's wondered in private. Sometimes a horrible hellmonster whale is a sign, you know. "Wait, what do you mean, other kinds? Like--"

    She turns, just in time to see that the forest seems to lag along with them as they walk.

    Involuntarily, a chill runs down her spine. She pats down her jacket, eventually turning up a cigarette. One spark of electricity later and it's lit, a small solace and bulwark against the way this place seems to be smearing itself up against her psyche.

    I wonder if she...

    She takes a drag, closing her eyes.

    "Should be so lucky," she murmurs aloud, her dark eyes heavy-lidded now.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Pack of Cigarettes toward her party's challenge, A Bad Trip.
<Pose Tracker> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    "I said, that's a very strange question to ask of me," Scythe says, allowing a touch of annoyance into his voice. He's going to keep evading it. And even if he can't keep evading it forever, he is the Master of an invincible bodyguard robot, Josie, and you can't take that away from him.

    "Wait--" Scythe says, turning to Ratatoskr. "You reconnoitered these woods. Can you verify these claims?" Something tingles at the base of his scalp--not quite enough to raise his hackles, but close. Scythe frowns.

    "It appears, Hyadean, that you are correct." Scythe closes his eyes a moment, presses fingers to his forehead, and shakes his head. When he opens his eyes, the terrain is skewed at a forty-five degree angle. He can smell blood and burning wood and cordite. He grits his teeth, rage settling across his handsome face. It's only tamped down by the fact that Asgard seems... less affected than the rest of them. "Follow the golem! I'll deal with these interloping spirits."

    Scythe reaches for something at his waist, beneath his red overcoat. The touch of his hand undoes the Symbological catches holding the object in place, and it floats up into the air before him. It's a heavy tome--the kind old-school (or Lunarian) sorcerers use to keep secrets of great import. This particular book is bound in dark leather, and edged with plates of bright brass; a fiery Symbological rune glows on its cover. (Josie would recognize it as a bog-standard levitation sigil, with a few minor sub-sigils to provide ominous illumination.)

    The tome flips open to a page full of very arcane Symbols. Scythe presses a hand to it, animating it and infusing it with his own magic. "Let swing wide the gates of the Netherworld!" Scythe bellows. "Unclean, unquiet dead, I abjure thee! Banishment!"

    The incantation is thrown together on the fly, but the spell is very real. It washes out from Scythe in a wave, interfering with the illusion--and, if there are actual spirits behind it, they won't be inclined to stick around.

DG: Scythe Riebaure has used his Tool Forbidden Tome toward his party's challenge, A Bad Trip.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - A Bad Trip *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Light swirls through the boughs of the forest, glittering and shimmering
 where it catches on the crystalline trees. There is a strange feeling in the
 air, as if something about this land's will has shifted.

 You see... things.

 According to rumor, spirits haunt the woods, beguiling and leading astray
 those who encounter them. Perhaps this is only a story. Perhaps this is just
 a further result of the power that allows the forest to be.

 In the end, it doesn't matter. You must break free of the illusion that has
 beguiled you.
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Tire===========================================
===================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet - Round 2 *>===================
============================< Results - A Bad Trip >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scythe Riebaure                     5 --(0)--> 5                   Pass
Forbidden Tome                      2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asgard                              5 --(12)--> 17                 Fail
Gemini Circuit                      1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           5 --(0)--> 5                   Pass
Corrupted Records                   2   Wits    Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine Lovelace                  17 --(0)--> 17                 Pass
Pack of Cigarettes                  1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Scythe Riebaure             20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Maim|Tire(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Scythe Riebaure has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use
party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr looks up from his cobbled-together musings as Scythe draws out his spellbook. He enjoys watching (...and fighting) sorcerers do their thing, a novel craft that the vast, vast, vast majority of Hyadeans can never grasp for themselves. He's never seen Symbology like this! He is so enthralled by watching it happen that he turns away form some of the hallucinations that might grip him - bodies devoid of identifying marks, quiet, peaceful, uneventful stillness...
     And then Scythe unleashes a terrible wave of power - no, it's honestly a rather awesome one, there is nothing to fault about how effective it is - and the illusion bends and warps as Josie might catch the sight of some sort of rat-faced thing... playing a horn of some kind? There's horns in their ears too. They disappear like whoa in the wake of the destructive wave, leaving shimmering mist and flat, thawed ground that isn't quite burnt enough to be scorched.
     ...There is also a lot of loud, heavy noises like rocks being shattered and broken apart. Ancient, undisturbed natural geological structures, which is now host to a tunnel. A tunnel of Asgard's making - creating an entirely new novel path through the woods unknown.
     'Follow the golem!' That was Scythe's orders. It's kind of dark in that cavern being made, but Josie just lit a fresh cigarette and it's just bright enough to provide that. There's much less of a chill in the air, going in there.
     Ratatoskr lingers for a bit. He knows the air of the place has changed, but he sees no trace of these 'spirits' and it takes him a moment to follow the rest as he wonders if they might have been annihilated.
     There won't be much time for lingering.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Check Your Field Guide *>====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 As with any forest, the Macalania Woods are filled with plants and other
 living things. This includes not only the trees, but flowers. And, of
 course, fruit.

 A small bush here is well-laden with attractive reddish-purple berries. They
 look -- and smell -- like they would make a great addition to one's supplies
 when navigating the winding woods. But therein is the problem. They almost
 look too good to be true. Are they safe to eat?
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Treasure=======================================
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    Rather than answer, Josie just smiles at Scythe. Knowingly.

    Until Asgard's response wipes that look right off her face, that is.

    Speaking of Asgard, just as Scythe says, it's as good a landmark as any as the forest seems to warp about them, stringing them along to points unknown. She makes after it, only to stop when she realizes Scythe isn't with them. She turns.

    "..."

    That's just a levitation Symbol. The illumination effects are also pretty standard marks. But she fails to call him out on either of these things. Right now, in these circumstances, in the fell mood that's come over her, he reminds her of...

    "..." Her gaze flicks sidelong. She turns then, and presses on after Asgard.

    She's her father's daughter, huh.

    Fleetingly, she catches sight of something, before the fog of illusion fades, before Asgard grinds them all a new path into the dark, but it's almost outside her consideration.

    The darkness eventually gives way, revealing again the chill of the forest. Josie tosses her cigarette down, grinding it under one foot as she advances, only to stop and crouch by a bush. In spite of the dip in the temperature, it's well-laden with berries. "Well now, ain't you a pretty sight," she remarks to the bush. Reaching out with her good hand, she plucks one free, only to pause. "...Hm... ain't white or green, so there's that, but nightshade's red too..." she muses aloud, rolling the berry between her fingers. Marze was near enough to an ancient forest, so growing up there meant she had plenty of time getting a practical education in forest foraging (particularly while avoiding 'being at home') but--

    This isn't Marze forest.

    "...Maybe if I crush it," she decides, setting down the berry on the path and, producing her screwdriver, procedes to put the handle to use in just that. "Smell's a good tell, sure enough."

DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Lucky Screwdriver toward her party's challenge, Check Your Field Guide.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Ratatoskr is quieter today. This is a net improvement, probably, as they tread further within the unwelcoming forest.
     But then, there is the faint reflection of intensified yellow lights in the shape of eyes that...!! ...oh wait that's Ratatoskr's eyes.
     "What's that? What's that!" Ratatoskr gets down on all fours, as if some of the excitement has returned to his voice as he comes down to a kneel to see what it is Josephine's about to put her screwdriver to. "...That Guado I talked to, we fought... did you know that the Guado Guardians use hand-to-hand combat as their primary combat art? It's true...!" This is surface level knowledge. "There was one I fought managed to land a blow on me with their claws, and then they withdrew... I found them later!" He's excited to recount this! "He asked me how I survived the poison..."
     Ratatoskr's grin widens. "I hear they don't do that so much these days because it's difficult to find what they make the poison out of... you know what? You know what!"
     He leans ever closer to that bush. "These just might be it..."
     Hyadean regeneration is well-known. They can come back from all but the most grievous of wounds... but such a thing requires a fast metabolism, which is the sort of thing poison tends to work better on. Not so much as to be unable to be overcome naturally, but presumably, the right kinds of poisons would be more painful for them to work through than most living beings.
     Now here is Ratatoskr picking a berry that may or may not be the source of this 'rare poison' that his opponent did not expect for him to survive and putting it in his mouth, because he is an eighteen-to-twenty-four-year-old young adult who cannot be taught important life lessons with pain by itself.

DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Check Your Field Guide.
<Pose Tracker> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    "I thought so," Scythe says, as the illusion fades.

    The Crimson Noble follows Asgard, his spellbook floating along beside him like an obedient pet. As the air grows colder, Scythe twists his right hand into an arcane gesture, channeling power through a Symbol tattooed on his skin. An aura of warmth settles in around him, negating the chill. "We're close," he says. "I can feel it."

    Josie points out the berries. Scythe considers them for a long moment, before reaching out his hand and guiding his tome back into position. "Nightshade," he murmurs. The pages flip of their own accord, until Scythe comes to his own botanical notes, drawn from the same source as Josie's. He pauses a moment, a thought occurring to him.

    He glances at Asgard.

    Scythe then plucks a berry off the bush, and raises it to his mouth, preparing to eat it.

DG: Scythe Riebaure has used his Tool Forbidden Tome toward his party's challenge, Check Your Field Guide.
<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


Despite bulldozing through the crystalline forest, there's not a single scratch on the Golem, not even the smallest fleck of a crystalline shard caught in its massive trench-coat like armor. The Golem stands in utter indifference after the illusions of disquiet spirits is gone. Before then turning, to tromp back after his master.

Once again, he becomes Scythe's shadow. The Crimson Noble's protector.

As they stop by the bush though.

Asgard simply stands as a silent sentinel. In a moment of silent vigilance. From everyone's perspective, he isn't even looking at the bush, or the others as they try to work it out.

That doesn't mean he's not though. His purpose is data collection after all. His optical sensors passively absorbing the data of what is seemingly toxic, and what is not. His makers in their wisdom gave him every sense other than taste.

So when Josie notes that smell is a good tell. He performs a scent analysis. When she notes the colors that might be exclusionary. He notes that.

When Ratatoskr notes his anecdote about surviving the poison, he compares it to his files on Hyadean physiology, which are quite extensive.

He doesn't intervene if anyone other than Scythe tries to take a berry that is poisonous.

By the time Scythe lifts the berry to his mouth...

... the golem's Data optimization is complete.

"THREAT DETECTED. EXECUTING AUTO-DEFENDER FUNCTION."

The berry simply disintegrates into pulpy goo. As if crushed by an invisible force. The Golem did not even move.

Sadly for Scythe, the Golem does not clean up the mess on his fingers.

DG: Asgard has used his Tool Gemini Circuit toward his party's challenge, Check Your Field Guide.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Check Your Field Guide *>====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 As with any forest, the Macalania Woods are filled with plants and other
 living things. This includes not only the trees, but flowers. And, of
 course, fruit.

 A small bush here is well-laden with attractive reddish-purple berries. They
 look -- and smell -- like they would make a great addition to one's supplies
 when navigating the winding woods. But therein is the problem. They almost
 look too good to be true. Are they safe to eat?
=Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Treasure=======================================
===================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet - Round 3 *>===================
======================< Results - Check Your Field Guide >======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scythe Riebaure                     5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Forbidden Tome                      2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asgard                              17 --(5)--> 22                 Pass
Gemini Circuit                      1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           5 --(17)--> 22                 Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine Lovelace                  17 --(5)--> 22                 Pass
Lucky Screwdriver                   2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Scythe Riebaure             40 --(25)--> 65                Pass
Conditions: Reckless(2)|Treasure(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Scythe Riebaure 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.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    The smell is...

    The smell makes her wrinkle her nose. "Nightshade," she agrees with Scythe, right before plucking another and tossing it at him. And if there was any further question about the safety of the berries--

    "Wow," Josie cannot help but utter, regarding Asgard afresh. "They really went all-in on that 'Ultimate Shield' stuff, huh? Maybe we should just rent you out on tours, keep the hikers out of trouble, yeah?" She rises to her feet, and in this moment...

    ...in this moment there are quite possibly no eyes on Ratatoskr, for whatever it is that he's about to commit himself to.

    "So you think we're close?" Josie asks of Scythe. "What'd you think's in here, anyhow?"

DG: Asgard has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>=======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - For The Goddess *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Rounding a bend as you work your way through the woods, you come face to
 face with a group of elite knights of Althena's Guard! Immediately, they go
 for their weapons.

 "Have at you!"

 It looks like talking you way out of this one just isn't going to work out
 -- and with the forest closing in densely about you here, attempting to
 evade them might just turn out worse for you in the long run. You're going
 to have to fight this one out!
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


"ACCESS DENIED." Asgard notes to Josephine in his synthetic tones at her joke. The modulation of his voice never seems to change. "DESIGNATE: TEMPORARY MASTER CAN ONLY BE ASSIGNED BY PRIMARY MASTERS."

It's of strange note that the Golem is becoming more and more responsive to idle comments as this journey goes. While it's impossible to confirm, one would think that the Golem wouldn't have so much as bothered to answer that if Josie had made that kind of joke when they started. Yet he doesn't seem to comprehend her humor yet at all.

As they round the next bend, perhaps it is the sound of the Golem's footsteps that give them away. Because there are Elite Knights of Althena's Guard at the ready.

Five of them, in the decorated plate armor that marks them in Leo's White Dragon faction of the military.

Swords already drawn, they round upon them - the officer speaks for the rest of them. "Dogs of Yevon! You will know today the judgement of the Althena! Have at you!"

One of them comes straight at Asgard. Asgard makes no effort to defend himself. The blade descends in a perfect example of the Waning Crescent style.

The blade is half-way through its descent when it makes contact with a crackling blue field. Sparks flying as the Knight tries to push through...

... however it's the one rounding upon Scythe that causes him to react with familiar and ominous declaration.

"THREAT DETECTED. ENGAGING."

DG: Asgard has used his Tool Auto-Defender toward his party's challenge, For The Goddess.
<Pose Tracker> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    Scythe gives Asgard a curious look as he explains how his protocols work--part of him rankles at merely being a "temporary" master, but as Josie noted earlier, the Prophets are a pain in the ass. Of course they wouldn't let their automaton bodyguard work for just anyone. "I see," the Crimson Noble says. "And who are your primary masters, automaton?" If nothing else, he might encourage the machine to talk more. Asgard does seem to be interacting with them more as the mission goes on.

    Is it possible he's learning? Scythe is no roboticist, but cannot deny the possibility. It's as dangerous as it is intriguing.

    Then Scythe's train of thought is oh-so-rudely interrupted. The Symbologist's eyes narrow, even as he cracks a smile that shows too much teeth. "'Dogs of Yevon', is it?" he says, reaching under his jacket and pulling out a combat knife. The blade glints blue in the light as he flings it at one of the offending knights--

    And then it disappears, mid-flight, and reappears before one of the other knights. It hasn't lost any velocity at all. Asgard makes his ominous declaration, and Scythe's grin grows vicious. "Destroy them all!" the Crimson Noble cries. A second metallic disc winks into being between his fingers; Scythe holds it up, and focuses his will. Blossoms of flame ignite among the enemy formation, exploding into burning streams. The flame seems to seek out the knights, twisting and turning to find the openings in their guard.

DG: Scythe Riebaure has used his Tool Balefire Seal toward his party's challenge, For The Goddess.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    TJosie's initial reaction is to blink at Asgard, as if she were uncertain about how to proceed.

    And then? And then she laughs. "Keep that up, and you've got a future made as a jester," she quips, almost as if she were entirely unconcerned about the increase even over this short a period in Asgard's ability to function and speak and react to their actions and words.

    Then again, machine learning, as it were, was never her forte.

    Perhaps it's the general mood about the place that has her pull her flask from her pocket and uncork it. Is she about to offer it around?

    But the merry mood is soon intruded upon, and by none other than--

    "Oh, for--" Josie utters, and here gives the nearest knight, perhaps, a faceful of rotgut. It was right in her hands!

    She follows it with, quickly enough, the shotgun, taking the moment to slide the flask back into her pocket, first.

    Then! There's enough shotgun shells for everyone.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has used her Tool Liquid Courage toward her party's challenge, For The Goddess.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    Appropriate of nothing, Ratatoskr calls, "...it is these...! Hya... ha... ha... aaaaaaaaaa....." There are gurgling noise. (It's a happy kind of gurgling, though.)
     (this is a thing now)
     The berries have been verified as poison both through the faultless logic of a dutiful Golem, and the tried-and-true method of putting it in one's mouth and seeing what happens. Ratatoskr's silvery flesh, what of it is visible, takes on a much greener hue as his Hyadean biology goes 'no, why :('
     'Dogs of Yevon!' An officer yells, and Ratatoskr straightens up from his body preparing to try and violently expunge the source of this horrible discomfort. "Is... is that...? Is... is that...!" Yes, somehow he perfectly matched the inflection of his strained voice between the patented question-exclamation repeat.
     He can't quite run over in time before he sees the blade of a Waning Crescent-style swordsman get deflected by that crackling blue field, and dimming, flickering solid yellow eyes dim a bit more in sheer disappointment of what he just missed.
     Scythe sends out burning flames next. Bright, showy, all-consuming flame - something Ratatoskr himself has to be at least somewhat careful around given the way he uses compressed air, but more importantly the 'bright' part means he can't see them fight.
     Then Josie fires off her shotgun and its report is so loud that he can't hear the commands of some of the best of Althena's Guard - he can't even see which of the Four Heroes they are under, and by the time any of them are done he never will.
     It's so distressing! He doesn't want to miss any of it and he doesn't attribute the thought that maybe he shouldn't have eaten the berry. Of course he had to eat the berry! He had to know it was that kind of poison.
     The trials of tribulations of a would-be military history scholar who wants to see and experience all of the war that is happening, where the best he manages is an anemic flying knee attack somewhere into the bright visual slurry that is the incredible power brought to bear.

DG: Ratatoskr has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, For The Goddess.
=======================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>=======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - For The Goddess *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Rounding a bend as you work your way through the woods, you come face to
 face with a group of elite knights of Althena's Guard! Immediately, they go
 for their weapons.

 "Have at you!"

 It looks like talking you way out of this one just isn't going to work out
 -- and with the forest closing in densely about you here, attempting to
 evade them might just turn out worse for you in the long run. You're going
 to have to fight this one out!
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
==================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet - Round 4 *>==================
========================< Results - For The Goddess >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scythe Riebaure                     10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Balefire Seal                       3   Combat  Effects: Rally
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asgard                              22 --(5)--> 27                 Pass
Auto-Defender                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           22 --(22)--> 44                Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine Lovelace                  22 --(5)--> 27                 Pass
Liquid Courage                      3   Combat  Effects: Rally
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Scythe Riebaure             65 --(20)--> 85                Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)|Reckless(1)|Wound(2)
Effects: Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Scythe Riebaure 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: Scythe Riebaure has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Shiva's Wrath *>=========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Even in the coldest parts of the year, the Macalania woods never get more
 than chilly. This is a truism that is put to the test as you venture further
 along the trails, as the temperature continues to steadily drop.

 And then proven entirely false. Ice rimes the trees and trail, turning
 flowers and Fiends alike into statues wrought in frost. Snow piles in
 enormous drifts the further you press on along this transformed part of the
 forest path. Everything has been touched by Winter's hand.

 It is bitterly, bitterly cold.

 Between the sweeping swathes of slick ice that now coat the trails and the
 thick piles of snow that catch and grab at one's legs, passage will be
 difficult through this part of the woods.

 Unless, of course...

 You prove yourself to be one of those who fight further.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Hesitate===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


"QUERY FROM DESIGNATE: RIEBAURE, SCYTHE ACCEPTED. ACCESSING."

The Golem actually takes time to answer this question. It does not seem so simple as simply recalling a list of information from its databanks.

"DESIGNATE FOUR: MALIK BENDICT."

"DESIGNATE THREE: MELODY VILENTE."

"DESIGNATE TWO: ACCESS RESTRICTED."

And then a lengthy pause, like one can feel it's processors need time to work on the next entry, before he intones.

"DESIGNATE ONE: ACCESS SEALED."

One gets the feeling that the semantic difference of 'sealed' is important, as opposed to restricted.

The implication at least is there is at least two individuals that he would obey over the two prophets in Odessa that everyone knows.

Scythe's flames twist and turns and one of the Guards screams as he cooks in his armor. A quick litany from one of his fellows the only reason he doesn't die immediately.

But he doesn't last much longer after.

A knight takes a faceful of rotgut, and he sputters. "How dare y-" And that's the moment a shotgun blast takes him at near point blank range from Josie.

Ratatoskr's kick misses, because he HAD to eat the berry. And he had to know. And as a knight raises her blade to take advantage of his vulnerability...

Asgard's fist comes down on their helmet. As they drop to the ground with a squishy noise.

He was already engaging the threats in the area...

... so it's impossible that he was rescuing his fellow Hyadean.

Isn't it?

Odessa isn't precisely known for their mercy, so there are no survivors.

<Pose Tracker> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    "...How interesting," says the Symbologist, as Asgard explains who fits into what category. Clearly, the Prophets are playing their cards close to their chest. Scythe finds it somewhat admirable.

    With the Guards dealt with, Scythe finally answers Josie's question. "A spirit of great and terrible power," he says. "The natives venerate them, and make pilgrimage to the shrines where they are kept--it would be merely quaint superstition if evidence otherwise weren't all around us." So he did at least pay a little attention when Lambda gave him an updated briefing about Spira. "I want to see it. I want to take its measure."

    Leaving the dead Guards behind, the Odessan squad proceeds deeper into the heart of the woods. The air grows colder, and colder, and colder--and what starts as a light dusting of snow on the ground quickly turns into a more glacial landscape. "A spirit of ice?" Scythe says, his breath steaming in the air. He would be freezing, if he hadn't activated that simple warmth rune earlier. He surveys the frozen landscape ahead, frowning thoughtfully. "Bothersome."

    The warlock reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small glass vial. The red substance within is still warm to the touch, preserved by the Symbological enchantment on the stopper. Scythe pops it open, and downs the contents in one swig. It tastes of copper and iron and raw, eldritch power. As usual, the surge goes right to his head, and a momentary expression of bliss lights up his face.

    "I will show it the might of a Crimson Noble," Scythe says, his voice edged with mania. And then he's gone, having left only footprints to mark where he once stood. He reappears further down the path, in front of a long, slick patch of ice; Scythe snaps his fingers, and a firestorm erupts, raining flame down on the works of the Fayth. He blinks away again, reappearing in front of a massive snowdrift, and repeats the proceedure.

    How magnanimous of him to clear a path for everyone else.

DG: Scythe Riebaure has used his Tool Ominous Vial toward his party's challenge, Shiva's Wrath.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.

    "Access denied and sealed, huh. ...I guess one of 'em's the other one," meaning the other Prophet, "but..."

    Then who's the fourth? And why are those guys locking down information like that anyway?

    It takes her a moment to realize that Ratatoskr has in fact helped himself to at least one of the berries. She used to pal around with the likes of Emeralda, so while the concept of someone eating actual poison (or other inedible objects) is not unknown to her, well-- there's a slight difference between the likes of Emeralda and literally anyone else.

    She watches Ratatoskr for a moment, her expression growing ever more dubious by the second.

    Josie shares a look with Scythe. "...He's probably not going to die, but...?" She shrugs, helplessly. It's not like she has anything that'd help with that.

    "Maybe he can walk it off."

    Maybe. Perhaps they'll go with that, then.

    It isn't like there's a ton of room for stopping to check on him when they run into a patrol of Althena's Guard.
    She's never been much known for mercy.

    There is a pause when Scythe explains what it is that he's seeking here. Josie blinks. "...What, the Aeon?"
    She didn't get the shit kicked out of her by Ifrit for nothing!

    But speak of the devil, the ice is heavy on the ground here. "Guess it's mad," Josie remarks, eyeing the path before her. "Well, nothing else for it. Let's break through!"

    Without so much as go, as Scythe downs the contents of that vial, she simply...

    ...plows ahead, racing across the ice and snow-laded trail. Or perhaps not-so-ice-and-snow-laden, if Scythe has his way with things.

DG: Josephine Lovelace has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Shiva's Wrath.
<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


Asgard offers no further insight. By his own words, it's unclear whether he even could if he wanted to. Whether that kind of choice and desire to make a choice is even an option.

As the air grows colder, the Hyadean construct grows more and more rimmed with rime and frost. "ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD DETECTED."

It's movements starting to slow as it steps in front of Scythe to provide a barrier against the icy wind.

"THRESHOLD REACHED."

And then there is a burst of blue energy as it simply blasts off all of the ice hampering it.

It's a logical conclusion right? Simply destroy what hinders it. And yet this presents a problem.

Scythe teleports forward, and thus must Asgard follow. "DESIGNATE OUT OF RANGE OF AUTO-DEFENDER FUNCTIONS. ADAPTING."

And so he immediately heads down the trail at full speed.

The wind keeps blowing, and this next time the cold manages to freeze his feet to the ice.

"THRESHOLD REACHED."

Another burst of energy. The icy path it stands on simply begins to crack.

It is a solution that has made the Golem's path forward all the more treacherous.

As the golem tries to adapt to the sudden awful footing, the cold wind blows against it and... well... he steps through the ice.

Even trying to adapt and overcome in real time, it looks like he's having a real struggle making forward progress.

At least until Scythe begins to melt the ice.

All the same, he's a giant lumbering Golem, and he may be having some problems.

DG: Asgard has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Shiva's Wrath.
<Pose Tracker> Ratatoskr has posed.

    There really isn't anything left, when the Guards are all down. (Great news! This means they've earned some more quiet from Ratatoskr again.)
     Colder and colder the path goes - where it can be assumed that an Aeon is showing its displeasure with everyone's presence the only way they can, with all of the ice.
     To Ratatoskr, whose body continues to fight the danger that has come from doing something the exact opposite of advisable, looks up into the icy storm ahead of him.
     He feels a wave of nostalgia.

     LONG AGO

     He was assigned to look into that legendary weapon - the Demon Fist. The first time he was ever clear to leave the Photosphere.
     The first time he experienced the atmospheric phenomena referred to as 'the weather.' The way the snow and ice surrounded the Photosphere on the outside, as if trying to smother it. As if it were fighting its presence being there. The very air, brisk and frigid, bore the dispassionate wrath of a dying star's wind and ice.
     It was fighting him.
     He swung fists at the open air. He struck feet against the frozen snow.
     It didn't matter how much he thought he hit it, or how much it 'hit' back. These 'fights' were always there. Endless, with no clear concept of victory, loss, or even a coherent opponent. Almost enough to pull him away from his excitement in getting to research and locate anything involving the Demon Fist.
     Would he still get to fight it after Mother won? He didn't want to ever stop getting to fight the snow.

     NOW

     Scythe once again radiates incomprehensible amounts of sorcerous power he cannot hope to grasp. The snow just evaporates to the firestorm. Sure, there's talk about the Prophets - people directly responsible for being able to supply a lot of the basic needs of a Hyadean's well-being who have all sorts of reverence for the relics and wisdom of Hyades itself. The stuff that he sort of just nods along with in hopes of getting to go hear what Vinsfeld's next stratagem is instead.
     Scythe is destroying the snow.
     He's seen Aeons come and go, and it's not at all clear what counts as a proper 'death' for them... but somehow, there is that greater urgency that if this is a place of power for one of them, he wants to see it.
     He wants to feel it.
     He wants to remember how it was.
     And to do that, he grips a damaged-looking teleportation crystal and...
     He disappears and reappears a few times, at chaotic intervals. The routing is erratic, because it's already half-broken and taxed and he has done none of the work for properly focusing its directional orientation. It is a wonder he does not teleport himself inside the ground.
     It doesn't matter how uncomfortable or even dangerous it is for him to be exposed to this level of frozen fury - that's just how much he has enjoyed fighting the very concept of weather throughout both of the worlds.

DG: Ratatoskr has used his Tool Teleporter Fragment toward his party's challenge, Shiva's Wrath.
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Shiva's Wrath *>=========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Even in the coldest parts of the year, the Macalania woods never get more
 than chilly. This is a truism that is put to the test as you venture further
 along the trails, as the temperature continues to steadily drop.

 And then proven entirely false. Ice rimes the trees and trail, turning
 flowers and Fiends alike into statues wrought in frost. Snow piles in
 enormous drifts the further you press on along this transformed part of the
 forest path. Everything has been touched by Winter's hand.

 It is bitterly, bitterly cold.

 Between the sweeping swathes of slick ice that now coat the trails and the
 thick piles of snow that catch and grab at one's legs, passage will be
 difficult through this part of the woods.

 Unless, of course...

 You prove yourself to be one of those who fight further.
=Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Hesitate===========================================
===================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet - Round 5 *>===================
==========================< Results - Shiva's Wrath >===========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scythe Riebaure                     15 --(101)--> 116              Fail
Ominous Vial                        1   Agility Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asgard                              27 --(101)--> 128              Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ratatoskr                           44 --(101)--> 145              Fail
Teleporter Fragment                 2   Agility Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Josephine Lovelace                  27 --(101)--> 128              Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Scythe Riebaure             85 --(15)--> 100               Fail
Conditions: Hesitate(2)|Injure(1)|Slow(2)|Wound(1)
Effects: Cleanse
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Scythe Riebaure is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Asgard is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Ratatoskr is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Josephine Lovelace is too exhausted to continue!
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Scythe Riebaure has successfully explored Macalania Woods - Disquiet!
========================<* Macalania Woods - Disquiet *>========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Staff of Alertness *>======================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The travails of winter's heart are no match for you; you pass the obstacle
 of ice and snow, and emerge through to the other side.

 Lake Macalania stretches out before you in the distance, damaged by Sin and
 Odessa's attack. All around you, it seems that the chill of this land has
 expanded, as if the power that rested in this land were intent on wrapping
 the forest in its protective embrace.

 Everything out here is cloaked in whites and blues.

 Save for the single staff you spot a short distance away, standing tall in
 spite of the ice and snow piled about it. When pulled free, you find that
 with the staff in hand you feel more... attuned to the world about you. Like
 on some unconscious level, you are just /ready/ for whatever unexpected
 events might be about to happen.

 (The staff would make a good Combat or Agility tool as its ability to
 heighten awareness permits its wielder to 'go first', in a sense;
 suggestions include Embolden or Quicken.)
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Scythe Riebaure has posed.

    Despite Scythe's best efforts, it is slow, treacherous going. His sorcery tears into the icy landscape, reducing snow to steam and ice to pools of water--but the grip of winter is relentless. The water starts to freeze immediately, a steady crack-crack-crack splitting the air as ice crystals form. On top of that, he's inadvertently forced Asgard into an awkward situation by moving out of his range. The golem keeps up as best as he can, but he wasn't built for this terrain. Ratatoskr, meanwhile, is more focused on his quest to literally fight the elements. Each teleport takes him in a seemingly random location, and while it might be helpful for letting him fight the snow, it's... not good at letting him get past it.

    Josie, meanwhile, just puts her head down and starts plowing her way through it. Ironically, she has the easiest time of all. Is it luck? Is it the Fayth somehow acknowledging her? There's no way to tell. But when the group reunites at the end of the path, she's in the best shape of all of them.

    Scythe looks a little frazzled, a little wobbly--but he still manages to do a head-count, and then looks out at the lake. "It's down there," he says, pointing at the lake--at its frozen depths, where the temple once stood. "The locus of it all. The Fayth." But getting to it is going to be another task for another day. In the meantime, there's a tantalizing object poking out of the snow. Scythe recognizes it immediately, and pulls it free. The frazzled look dissipates as he holds it in his hand, testing its heft. "Interesting," he says. "Not the most spectacular prize, but a prize nevertheless."

    "Hyadean, Lovelace, you've both done well. I will pass along good word to the Colonel. And you, construct..." Scythe looks up at Asgard, and smiles. "You served admirably. I dearly hope our paths cross again."

<Pose Tracker> Asgard has posed.


"ACKNOWLEDGED. THIS CONSTRUCT AWAITS FURTHER ORDERS FROM DESIGNATE."

Is Asgard saying he looks forward to serving in the future? It's hard to say if he's even capable of looking past the present.

-=-=-

~Later~

"I see that your mission was a success. I commend you on it..."

Melody stops, as her eyes focus on one singular spot.

Melody's hand thrusts towards a single spot on the Golem's jacket, pointing at it while looking right at Scythe.

"... IS THAT A SMUDGE?"