2021-02-19: Anomalous Nightmare

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DG: A party led by Loren Voss is now entering The Spitsbergen Nightmare.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
========================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>=========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - How Inconvenient *>=======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Finding where the Nightmare is supposed to be is the tricky part. Rumor has
 it that it wanders. Rumor has it that it is never in the precisely the same
 place twice. Are either of these statements even true? That, unfortunately,
 isn't something anyone who has heard of the Nightmare can tell you.

 But you find it, however you manage it -- a hole in the earth, streaming
 with strange mists in some odd and possibly unexpected corner of Southern
 Aquvy. Or perhaps the more accurate statement would be this: finding it is
 the tricky part. Removing the overly large boulder that is taking up most of
 the entrance to the nightmare is the /hard part/.

 But if you want to explore the Nightmare -- whatever it might be, beyond
 that inconvenient barrier -- you'll have to remove it in some fashion.

 BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1IAKyY4kl4
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    Getting back to normal means a lot of things. It means people aren't looking over his shoulders. It might mean people aren't inspecting his every movement, or gossiping about the same. It means leaving a hell of a lot of hurt behind and focusing again on what he can do. What he should be doing (whatever that is).

    Getting back to normal also means that he's again gotten saddled with the 'fun' work. There's an anomaly out around here that intel wanted to gather some data regarding. He's here with a group.

    Or was, technically speaking. The intel guys were all still busy arguing over the location of the anomaly. He wasn't about to start trying to make nice with the other soldiers just because he didn't have anything better to do (ha ha, it wouldn't get him anywhere anyway), so he'd opted for a short walk.

    ...

    The fact is, he thinks he's gotten lost.

    Also as a point of fact: that boulder of there. The one with the weird mists streaming about it. Is that the--

    Pulling out his communicator, he tries to reach the rest of the team--

    "...What do you mean, 'out of service area'? We brought a signal booster!"

    Slowly, he turns his head to regard the boulder.

    So what happens if he... nudges that. Just a little bit?

    Approaching it with trepidation, he presses his gloved hand upon it. It's... probably okay to crack this open. A bit.

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, How Inconvenient.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    And then, just out of nowhere, there's a bearded fellow looking out from behind the rock. Only one of his eyes is half-way open, as he peers out from juuuuust behind the boulder where Loren is poking and prodding.
     "Mmmm... hey, glad ya came here," says the strange fellow with all sincerity and a dopey smile to match. "I can't move thish boulder at all! Ha ha ha!" The laughter subsides. "...'m not shure if I wanna. Ain't gettin' the besht feelsh from it... shooooo."
     Lanval just leans up against the boulder. "...Ya wanna take a load off fer a bit?" He asks Loren in earnest as he just flops down and leans against it. "I mean... the misht here, ain't great if ya wanna relax, buuut..."
     Beat.
     "...oh right, no shoup."
     Because Loren's life needs less non-sequiturs in it.

DG: Seraph Lanval has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, How Inconvenient.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor Klein has been to this nightmarish place before, and hopes that she's more prepared this time to understand its secrets. But she isn't relying on the bangle they uncovered last time, not as such. She is more inclined to rely on...

The Power Bracelet!

A lovely red bracelet clapsed along Eleanor's left wrist, the power bracelet is her favorite accessory of the moment, and its magic is ready for use. Eleanor herself steps out from the opposite direction from which Loren came, and tilts her head, looking over the man in his uniform this time. "Oh, hello there." She looks around to make sure it's just him, before she actually relaxes, but good enough for the moment. Especially since he mentioned something about being out of service area...

"Hello!" she also says to Lanval, smiling at him, too. The mist here...

"Actually," Eleanor says, "I'm pretty sure that this is the entrance! So we do have to move it. If you don't mind, I have something for this."

Eleanor walks up to the boulder and breathes, focusing briefly--

She's gonna lift it. She does not look like she should be able to lift it.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The Spitsbergen Nightmare had a place of interest in Jacqueline's mind since her previous attempt at it. It's a strange, curious place, and she wants to get to the bottom of it.

Metaphorically, that is. She's not sure how safe it would be to literally delve that deep into it.

And so, she makes another arrangement to head out there and investigate... but, it seems like there's another group with an interest in it, too.

"Oh... hello, Loren. I'm a little surprised to see you here. Does Solaris have an interest in this place, too?" Jacqueline asks as she approaches, looking the boulder over. They're in a different place than last time. But the boulder... is that the same boulder...? She frowns, and decides not to dwell on that. "I'm not surprised that your technology isn't working. This place... it defies common logic. You'll see what I mean soon enough."

She glances toward Lanval and offers him a smile and a nod of greeting, then toward Eleanor as she moves to lift the boulder. Jacqueline nods.

"I'll lift from below, then. Watch your fingers!" Jacqueline says. She flexes her left fingers experimentally, then, before gesturing. And, slowly, the earth around the boulder begins to shift, molding the land itself to lift the boulder up and hopefully give Eleanor some extra leverage to help her move it.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Landscaper Crest toward her party's challenge, How Inconvenient.
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Power Bracelet toward her party's challenge, How Inconvenient.
========================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>=========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - How Inconvenient *>=======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Finding where the Nightmare is supposed to be is the tricky part. Rumor has
 it that it wanders. Rumor has it that it is never in the precisely the same
 place twice. Are either of these statements even true? That, unfortunately,
 isn't something anyone who has heard of the Nightmare can tell you.

 But you find it, however you manage it -- a hole in the earth, streaming
 with strange mists in some odd and possibly unexpected corner of Southern
 Aquvy. Or perhaps the more accurate statement would be this: finding it is
 the tricky part. Removing the overly large boulder that is taking up most of
 the entrance to the nightmare is the /hard part/.

 But if you want to explore the Nightmare -- whatever it might be, beyond
 that inconvenient barrier -- you'll have to remove it in some fashion.

 BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1IAKyY4kl4
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
===================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare - Round 1 *>====================
=========================< Results - How Inconvenient >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Lanval                       0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Landscaper Crest                    3   Brute   Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       0 --(32)--> 32                 Fail
Power Bracelet                      2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  0 --(15)--> 15                 Fail
Conditions: Tire(2)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has failed this challenge! The party gained 15 exploration! If anyone needs to use party
management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    It's just at that moment that Loren spots someone he never expected to (read: hoped not to) see again. Ever so slightly, his expression turns from wary frustration into weary resignation.

    "You again," He sighs, slumping his shoulders. It does his appearance (the uniform does feature heavy shoulder padding) no favors. "Why are you here?"

    Lanval is far from alone, though, which really just makes this whole business just perfect. "Do you think I'm going to answer that?" he says to Jacqueline, narrowing his eyes. Inherent Solarian power and weaponry or not, though, there's still three of them and one of him.

    Also, the stone fails to move at his bidding which is... par for the course, really. Stepping aside, he glances at the three of them in turn, frowning faintly.

    Eleanor meanwhile approaches the stone and attempts to lift it--

    It doesn't budge. It seems to be stuck.

    Loren in the meanwhile turns to Lanval. "What's with the mist?" he asks.
    Lanval remarks on the lack of any soup. Loren's eyebrow twitches.

    Just as Jay, invoking the force from her Crest, works on the obstruction from below.

    This does the trick! Shortly thereafter, Eleanor is able to, with some small amount of exertion, lift the stone overhead.

    Loren takes the moment to stare. Her dimensions don't suggest having that sort of ability. AND YET.

    The hole leading underground meanwhile steams that mist freely. The way forward into the depths of the Nightmare is open!

DG: Seraph Lanval has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>=========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Clasping Crystals *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 One moment you're minding your own business within the sprawling
 phantasmagoric expanse of the Nightmare.

 And in the next, crystals have begun to sprout at your feet and grow upwards
 at speed, threatening to entomb you within their matrix!

 Now would be a very good time to break free, before you're fully encased...!
=Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Even with Loren being a Solarian, it is Seraph Lanval's lot to - generally speaking - be cool to the children of Filgaia. He serves the water of the land, and the water itself gives as freely as it can. He mostly laughs at questions as to why he's here and is in good spirits despite how the mists feel. "I don't knoooooooow~"
     That's not funny, that's a little scary, as they soon find out when the hole leading underground 'welcomes' them. It's... not a very welcome experience, as they descend into the sprawling, strange... place. He's a Seraph, he is oft an excellent guide to have when one delves into the realm of the spiritual, for he exists way more on that wavelength.
     "...'m gonna be level with ya, 'n I hate shayin' it, 'caushe I know at leasht one of ya are gonna ashk," the Water Seraph says as he stumbles ahead with his strange idea of what walking looks like, "'ve... got... nooooo idea what'sh goin' on here."
     Crystals start to form around one's feet. They are in very strange colors. Some of them are colors that don't exist and have strange dimensionality to them that don't play nice with three-dimensional senses.
     "...'cept that there'sh cryshtalsh growin' under ush, that'sh a thing," Lanval says as he sits down and has a sip from his drinking gourd which is ALL TOO RELAXED WHAT THE HELL WHAT IF IT ENTOMBS THEM ALL AND TRAPS THEM IN THIS NIGHTMARE FOREVER AAAAAAAAAAAAAH

DG: Seraph Lanval has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Clasping Crystals.
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"That's okay, Lanval. You know a lot of other important things!"

Eleanor then says to Loren, "The mist is probably the carrier for the strange unreality in the Nightmare." Eleanor is just generally polite to begin with, but it helps that Loren despite being Solarian is interacting in a reasonable fashion. Just complaining.

"But that was very good work, Jay!" She seems impressed by Jay's magic, though some of it is the high of lifting the heavy thing, even as difficult as it was.

Here, though...

Cyrstals start forming, and Eleanor frowns. "This is... not ideal," she says.

Eleanor starts bashing at the crystals with the butt of her rifle to start, but when this doesn't work...

She reaches out to the nearest person and her bracelet flashes again. "Pull me up when you get there!" she suggests, and reaches out to--Loren.

Yes, she's about to bodily pick Loren up and toss him upward away from the crystals. This is happening.

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    "Great," is his sighed response to Lanval. At least Eleanor gives a suggestion of what's going on, though that also makes him feel pretty uneasy about say:

    "Should we be breathing it, then?"

    That.

    Loren debates a few things as the way into the Nightmare -- this is that anomaly, isn't it -- is opened. The reasonable, sensible course would have him try to mark this spot somehow and head back, trusting that nothing about this would shift unduly. But that has some downsides, the largest of them being 'and then they never find the way back here and all of the others doubt his sanity and/or pathfinding skills'.

    The riskier course is to follow them in.

    He debates the wisdom of the options before him for all of a few minutes before following them.

    Might as well come back with a story and/or functional data.

    "Because it's an anomaly," he says to Lanval, once they're a ways in. "That's what the word means. But there's still got to be something causing this. This," he gestures at a wall, which undulates like the tide, "doesn't just happen."

    He has just a moment more to parse what else Lanval has warned them regarding. "Wait, what do you--"

    This is when Eleanor picks him up bodily (how??) and hurls him away from the crystals!

    He tries to grab onto part of the ceiling. This may or may not work out well for him.

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Clasping Crystals.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Loren responds, and Jacqueline shrugs.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just trying to make polite conversation." She replies with a shake of her head. "As for myself, it's a matter of curiosity. This isn't my first time here, and my first visit just left me with more questions than answers."

But she and Eleanor lift team up and lift the stone! It's a little exhausting - Jacqueline looks a bit winded from the spellcasting. Lifting a boulder of that size is no small feat, even with sorcery.

"Thank you! You were pretty impressive, too." Jacqueline replies to Eleanor, beaming.

And then, they descend. Lanval says he has no idea what's going on, and Jacqueline frowns.

"Hm... it's that bad, huh...?" She remarks. ...Which is about the same time that crystals start to grow out from underneath them! Jacqueline gasps in surprise. Were this a normal situation, she could probably handle it... but this situation is far from normal.

"Hold on... I'll try to give us a boost of strength!" Jacqueline says, drawing out a bottle of red liquid. She then... does not pass it out, but instead focuses on it for a moment. The liquid inside dissipates into a Mystic cloud of red sparkles which scatters over the entire party.

This may be disappointing to anyone who wished to actually drink it.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Clasping Crystals.
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Power Bracelet toward her party's challenge, Clasping Crystals.
========================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>=========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Clasping Crystals *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 One moment you're minding your own business within the sprawling
 phantasmagoric expanse of the Nightmare.

 And in the next, crystals have begun to sprout at your feet and grow upwards
 at speed, threatening to entomb you within their matrix!

 Now would be a very good time to break free, before you're fully encased...!
=Dungeon Conditions: Overwhelm================================================
===================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare - Round 2 *>====================
========================< Results - Clasping Crystals >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          32 --(37)--> 69                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Lanval                       32 --(37)--> 69                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   20 --(37)--> 57                Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       32 --(25)--> 57                Pass
Power Bracelet                      2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  15 --(15)--> 30                Fail
Conditions: Overwhelm|Tire(1)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has failed this challenge! The party gained 15 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> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    The crystals form, and in doing so, force their dimensions around them. It is a horrifying thing to experience, the idea that they're all being boxed in. Smothered, yet the space within the crystals is... spacious? It makes no sense. It boggles the mind within this anomaly, and Lanval breathes in the wonderful scent of Brewte Force, which is probably his favorite non-alcoholic beverage (IT IS NOT A BEVERAGE IT IS MEDICINE) and that is some high praise. This is not a time for high praise.
     IT IS A TIME TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE
     Eleanor manages to lift up and save Loren from being trapped inside. Loren has a strange experience with the distance of this psychedelic locale that does not match his visual expectations of how high up is up, and how far is down, that he does not grip any part of the ceiling that looks like he should. The landing sucks, but at least he's not trapped forever within the crystals.
     "...Okay," comes Lanval's voice as he steps out of the front-back-side-at-the-same-time of a crystal structure as he gestures to Eleanor and Jay. (Eleanor will have the easier time getting out, she's 'closer' to whatever extent that word means here.) "...'m shorry, I wash gonna wait 'n be really shure which way it wash all gonna grow."
     To those who live in physical space, everything is distressing and strange and even Lanval struggled a little to 'read' how they'd escape the cluster - but they can all leave it, it's just harrowing to comprehend how and why they can leave in that idea of a direction. "Yer right though," he says to Loren, "thish shtuff doeshn't jusht happen."
     The best he can give is good cheer, but even that can't fully blunt the experience of what they just went through.

DG: Eleanor Klein has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>=========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - A Comforting Glow *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Light has begun to pulse through the suddenly crystalline walls within the
 Nightmare (perhaps there weren't walls here even moments before -- but there
 are now!), at a steady and almost calming pace.

 Something about the glow seems almost benevolent as you move along, as if it
 were on the verge of being able to do you some real palpable good.

 Except... it seems like something in the wall blocks the light a short
 distance on. Perhaps with the proper application of pressure/force you could
 remove that blockage and allow the light to shine forth properly.
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"Probably not!" Eleanor answers Loren cheerfully about breathing the mist. She's a wizard.

But she's still smiling after Jay's compliment when they make it inside, feeling good about this even if it is difficult so far. But inside...

Down there--it is in fact that bad, and Eleanor feels the cloud of red sparkles too. She lifts...!

And she gets the hell out.

"Something must be causing it," Eleanor agrees. "But we won't be finding out from outside, or you wouldn't have come in with us. Right?" Pause. "Unless you came because we're so charming."

But they walk further, and... light pulses. The walls are back,a nd they are crystalline; at least the crystals aren't growing on them this time, instead around them. But it's almost nice. Almost, it can do something good. But something in the wall...

"Hmmm," Eleanor comments thoughtfully. "...If one of you can conjure something to use to hit it with, I can probably break through. I'd break my hand trying that way I think, no matter how strong I might manage to be."

"What do you think? It's only maybe a horrible thing to be released by our actions~!" She laughs. Someone's in a good mood, despite being very tired.

DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Power Bracelet toward her party's challenge, A Comforting Glow.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Lanval walks straight up into the crystalline wall. For some reason, the light stops shining past where he presses against it.
     "...mmm. I dunno. Thish one wall'sh polite," he says, slightly muffled as he leans against it. It's warm in a sort of nice way, and he waves with an arm towards everyone to come give it a feel. "I don't think it'll mind if we all jusht lean on it."
     in theory he might be the blockage

DG: Seraph Lanval has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Comforting Glow.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

It's... a little disconcerting, to feel crystal start to grow around her. But Jacqueline's grateful that they manage to stop it before it can do so fully, as exhausting as it is.

"It's alright." Jacqueline replies to Lanval, shaking her head. "It's like I said before - this place defies common logic. You can't really be sure about anything here."

Crystal starts to grow again... but this time, it forms a wall rather than grows around them. The light within is a little calming, actually. It's nice... but at the same time, it puts her a little on edge. What does this all mean? Why and how is it here? She shakes those thoughts from her head, though, and looks toward Eleanor as she requests something to hit the wall with.

"I think I can do that. Any preferred specifications?" She asks. With her left hand, she makes two quick gestures - one to bring up a pillar of earth, and the second to invoke her Landscaper Crest to begin to shift and mold the pillar into an optimal smashing implement. She'll follow Eleanor's preferences if available, otherwise, she forms a large hammer. Perfect for smashing through obstacles.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Landscaper Crest toward her party's challenge, A Comforting Glow.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    The look that Loren gives Eleanor is more or less 'why do you do this' encapsulated in the form of a facial expression. This is another reason to not go in -- he's just recovered pretty much from the long-term effects of going into a weird-looking place the one time!

    And yet, the possibility of missing out on some important data just because he's already been through some shit once is too much to ignore. Loren sallies forth!

    This is a decision he comes to regret quite soon after. Yes, the good news is that Eleanor pulls him free. The bad news comes when he tries to grab onto the ceiling and the ceiling is

    sort of not at all where he'd thought it would be, how it looks like it'd be (it's up and to the left if it matters, not that he can tell) and after a few seconds of grabbing air, he begins his descent.

    The good news is that he's not troubled by the crystals. The bad news is every other part of this.

    "Ugh," he groans, rising to his feet. He does not look much the worse for wear.

    "Of course something's causing it. It's just a question of what that is," he says, looking around. Oh, damn, are those crystals coming back again now?

    It's as if they're holding something within them this time. Something good, maybe, inside the wall. Which is now crystal.

    "I think... it sounds like a bad idea," Loren remarks, slouching his shoulders. "But fine."

    He takes a breath, centering himself. There follows a brief sensation of a shudder, a destabilizing vibration that tries to weaken or even shatter the crystal wall.

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Comforting Glow.
========================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>=========================
======================<* CHALLENGE - A Comforting Glow *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Light has begun to pulse through the suddenly crystalline walls within the
 Nightmare (perhaps there weren't walls here even moments before -- but there
 are now!), at a steady and almost calming pace.

 Something about the glow seems almost benevolent as you move along, as if it
 were on the verge of being able to do you some real palpable good.

 Except... it seems like something in the wall blocks the light a short
 distance on. Perhaps with the proper application of pressure/force you could
 remove that blockage and allow the light to shine forth properly.
=Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
===================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare - Round 3 *>====================
========================< Results - A Comforting Glow >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          69 --(34)--> 103               Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Lanval                       69 --(34)--> 103               Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   57 --(22)--> 79                Pass
Landscaper Crest                    3   Brute   Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       57 --(22)--> 79                Pass
Power Bracelet                      2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  30 --(15)--> 45                Fail
Conditions: Overwhelm|Save Point(1)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Loren Voss is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Seraph Lanval is too exhausted to continue!
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has failed this challenge! The party gained 15 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> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Why does she do this? Eleanor smiles at Loren.

Maybe they can all just lean on it. That's a plan that would give them a little rest anyway. Maybe Eleanor takes him up on it for a few moments while she waits for Jay, since she indicates that she can do the thing needed. So, logic aside...

"A hammer or something would be ideal," Eleanor says, and indeed they seem to be on the same page as regards what's best for this. She looks to Loren as he mentions it's a bad idea, and 'hmms' a little. "That's possible," she admits. "But we'll never know if we don't try it!"

WHAM!

The good news is, the wall does in fact shatter, and all that good quality of the light works... the bad news is that there's a huge dustcloud and a bunch of stale air on the other side, and the dream gets kind of ugly for a little while. They're not going to die or anything, but it doesn't feel very good.

"...Well," Eleanor says, "That may be just about as much as I can do today being powerful." Siigh. "...Jay, everyone, I think we should consider finding a way out."

DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>========================
==============<* CHALLENGE - In Case of Emergency Break Glass *>==============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The Nightmare obeys neither rhyme nor reason as you progress through it, and
 never has a better statement of that been made by the display that unwinds
 before you now:

 Spinning itself outwards as if it were being woven from filaments at high
 speed, an enormous array apparently made of stained glass forms in your path
 as you progress through this tiled corridor, blocking all progress forward.

 With the current shape of the Nightmare about you, you have no options save
 to break through the supposed glass if you want to proceed. But will it be
 that easy to shatter?
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Overzealous======================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The wall is smashed through!! The air around them pulses violently for a moment. Jacqueline winces, feeling that backlash from the dream.

"...I think I'm in agreement. I'm starting to get a little worn out - I can't really draw on any big spells like that again, either." Jacqueline replies, shaking her head. "Not if I want to collapse like I did last time, anyway..."

They can find answers next time. It's not like they haven't learned anything. The question is... how exactly do they find an exit?

They proceed beyond the wall, but as in response and in direct opposition of their responses, an array of stained glass spirals outward all around them. Soon, everything if as if made of this glass. Jacqueline says.

"...This place... it really knows how to take something pretty and twist it against you." Jacqueline says. "I really like the use of colors. They're so vibrant, but..."

But, it doesn't seem like they have any option but to break the glass. Jacqueline takes a deep breath.

"Here, before we do this..." She says, bringing out another bottle. This one has a more earthy look to it. Once again she spreads the effects across the entire party. Rather than outright strength, this one strengthens one's natural defenses. "I don't know if this will shatter like real glass, but... just in case, this should protect from any stray shards."

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, In Case of Emergency Break Glass.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    The crystal shatters. A warm glow flees its prison, washing itself over them all. But it's followed by dust and darkness, a static that crawls across the mind and body alike. Loren's not about to die, no.

    It doesn't stop him from sort of feeling like he might, though, as that dark wind howls. Especially when

    he's sinking. drowning. the hands pull him down, press him flat. they're gentle when they start taking him apart. he

    Straightens suddenly, flame green and red and yellow in his hands. Like a gas fire, it billows about him for a moment before vanishing as if it never been.

    Loren sways for a moment, then drops down onto his knees and buries his head in his hands.

    "I need... a moment. I think," he mumbles.

    Is it a good idea to have a moment here, though?

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Lanval collapses face-first on the ground as the wall is smashed, making all sorts of mumbling noises as the Nightmare rewards them all with horrible musty, stale air. He's not all that far off from Loren as the horrid static washes over the lot of them. It's trying, it's tiring, and... it's a whole lot of awful, strange feelings at once without precedent. Even for the Seraph, who is privy to a whole bunch of weird feelings and sensations the corporeal among them will never grasp.
     "Mmmph," he eloquently grunts as he goes onto his back and looks up to Loren with both eyes closed (so he's not looking at all?).
     "...Yeeeeah... 'm with ya. Heyyyyy," he grunts as he raises a hand lazily before letting it slap down on the ground. "...it'sh important, ya know. Ya shavor a good moment. Really... appreciate it. Yer worth it. Moment'sh worth it. That'sh twice the woooorth..."
     His manifestation disincorporates into a little ball of light, which disappears inside a bottle.
     ...
     Moments later, the bottle appears to have found another bottle and is having itself a drink.
     Just like old times.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

They have learned a few things. But indeed, "Yes, I think... Let's avoid collapsing. I don't have enough left to carry all of you."

But there is glass. Stained glass. It's beautiful, even. "Mm," Eleanor agrees. "Quite..."

She looks down at Lanval on the ground. She looks to Loren, swaying. "...I could be wrong," she admits. But she leans down, pulling her rifle and moving carefully. "All right. You may wish to cover your ears." Eleanor takes aim with the huge firearm at the glass. "If all you have is a hammer..."

She starts firing until it starts cracking.

"Just hang in there!"

DG: Eleanor Klein has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, In Case of Emergency Break Glass.
=======================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>========================
==============<* CHALLENGE - In Case of Emergency Break Glass *>==============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 The Nightmare obeys neither rhyme nor reason as you progress through it, and
 never has a better statement of that been made by the display that unwinds
 before you now:

 Spinning itself outwards as if it were being woven from filaments at high
 speed, an enormous array apparently made of stained glass forms in your path
 as you progress through this tiled corridor, blocking all progress forward.

 With the current shape of the Nightmare about you, you have no options save
 to break through the supposed glass if you want to proceed. But will it be
 that easy to shatter?
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Overzealous======================================
==================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare - Round 4 *>===================
================< Results - In Case of Emergency Break Glass >================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          103 --(X)--> X
                                                Effects:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Lanval                       103 --(X)--> X
                                                Effects:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   79 --(34)--> 113               Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       79 --(34)--> 113               Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  45 --(15)--> 60                Fail
Conditions: Overwhelm|Overzealous(2)|Weaken(2)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: Jacqueline Barber is too exhausted to continue!
DG: Eleanor Klein 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 Loren Voss has been fully Exhausted by The Spitsbergen Nightmare!
DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
=======================<* The Spitsbergen Nightmare *>========================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Explorer's Log *>=======================
|Type: Landmark    |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 You did your best, but the ordeal of the Nightmare forces you to relinquish
 your prize in order to make good on your escape. Perhaps it's for the best
 -- would it be worth getting stuck in this chaotic strange place forever?

 As you near the exit you find something strange. A notebook! Grabbing it
 before you emerge into the light, you make certain that you don't leave the
 Nightmare empty-handed.

 Paging through it, you find that this was the notebook of the explorer
 Marion Franklin. In it, they detail their expeditions through various ruins
 in southern Aquvy... as well as their trek into the Nightmare.

 They note that the theme of crystals appears again and again within the
 Nightmare in spite of its chaotic nature, noting also that apparent energy
 levels are high. Whatever this might all mean, though, they have no idea.

 Whatever became of the explorer is uncertain. Did they lose the notebook and
 escape the Nightmare, or...?
=Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Eleanor begins to fire. As she does, the stained glass shatters and begin to fall. Where the glass breaks, a bright light begins to shine through. It's almost blinding - reflecting off the glass, turning everything into an explosion of color, it makes it difficult to see anything.

...But, within the rain of falling glass, Jacqueline catches a glimpse of something that stands out.

"Just a second...!" She says, reaching out. She catches this something, just as the last of the stained glass begins to fall... and just as the light engulfs them completely.

When the light clears, they find themselves on the ground, scattered around a hole in the earth seeping with mist, sealed with a large boulder. ...They're back. They're uninjured, though the fatigue and exhaustion from the adventure remains.

Jacqueline sits up with a groan, massaging her forehead and looks around at the others.

"Is everyone alright? It looks like we made it out in one piece, at least..." She says, then looks at the object she managed to retrieve. "...It's... a notebook? Belonging to someone by the name of Marion Franklin..."

She pages through it a bit. There's a lot of interesting information here that she'll want to read more in-depth later, but the most pertinent details are...

"It looks like they were looking into the Nightmare, too. Just like we saw for ourselves, it looks like they noticed the recurring theme of crystals, and high ambient energy levels..." Jacqueline comments with a frown. "I wonder what ever became of them...?"

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    For once, Loren doesn't argue with Lanval. He just kneels there for a moment, trying to steady himself.

    Maybe it's not so great for his mental health that the first thing he sees when he lifts his head is a bottle drinking from another bottle.
    Or maybe it is: it's not the first time he's seen it and it's arguably one of the less weird things he's seen today.

    It doesn't mean he doesn't gain a twitch by one of his eyes for a moment, though.

    Before glass shatters, before the light within blazes outwards, and--

    And they're outside, as if nothing ever happened. Loren lies flat on his back. He makes no immediate move to get up, staring instead at the sky above.

    "What... was that?" he utters finally. He rises to his feet slowly, glancing at the rest of them. "...Did you find something? Give it here," he says, extending a hand.

    He does not actually expect her to do so.

    "Crystals, huh. And glass," he adds, glancing over at the steaming hole from which they'd been flung. "High energy levels... I wonder if..." He frowns. No, 'grimaces' would be the better word.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Ah. The boulder's back. Again.

Eleanor picks herself up and comes to a sitting position, blinking a little at the light. "I'm fine," Eleanor says. "Just kind of tired."

Is any of this really good for mental health?? ...Well, Eleanor's is unimpacted.

"That was a fairly normal day in the Nightmare, as far as I can tell," Eleanor answers Loren eventually. She peers over at him for a few moments, considering as she listens to Jay. "I do hope they made it out," Eleanor says of this Marion Franklin. "And simply lost their notebook. ...But I guess we can't tell."

"The energy levels are fascinating. Sure, it was a little unpleasant, but I'll definitely have to come back again." Eleanor pulls another thing from her bag, a little crystal bangle, and shows it to the group. "We found this when we came here before," she says, and puts it away.

Then she shakes her head.

"And do be nice," she says, looking over at Loren. "Being cute doesn't always make up for rudeness." She says this in the manner of an aphorism, picks up Lanval's bottle, and flops back into the grass.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline doesn't relinquish the notebook - instead closing it and storing it away carefully in one of her bags. Books and other such things are some of her favorite things - getting her to hand one over when she has an interest in it is basically a fool's errand.

"...Since you helped us, I can make a copy for you, if you would like." Jacqueline offers, then looks toward Eleanor and Lanval. "Would either of you like one, as well?"

She considers the Nightmare itself, then, with a frown.

"It really is interesting, though. It feels like every visit just starts stacking on more and more questions. Who or what is responsible for it? Is it meant to serve a purpose?" She muses aloud. And as for the condition of Marion Franklin, she nods in agreement. "...I do hope they made it out alright, as well."

Eleanor displays the crystal bangle. She hadn't considered it before, but... the crystal is consistent with the Nightmare's general theming. Was that a creation of that place, too?

More mysteries.

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    "A copy? But that's not--"

    Eleanor then makes that comment about his being cute (and it not making up for his rudeness). Loren's immediate reaction is to sputter. "Wh-- what d you mean by 'cute'!?"

    The face he's pulling is not particularly cute.

    "...Fine," he says to Jacqueline ultimately. "We'll do it on your terms."