2021-04-01: What's Solaris Up To Anyway

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  • Log: What's Solaris Up To Anyway?
  • Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Ethius Hesiod, Lily Keil, Avril Vent Fleur
  • Where: Lake Macalania
  • Date: May 01, 2021
  • Summary: A few Drifters stage a small-scale infiltration effort to see what Solaris is up to, anyway, in Macalania. Highlights include: the very real hazards of the Macalania Lake region, artillery fire, and surprise dolphin-Gears.

DG: A party led by Avril Vent Fleur is now entering Lake Macalania - Solaris Control.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
==================<* CHALLENGE - When in Doubt Break Things *>==================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Things have changed in the Macalania Lake region. Even here, a distance from
 where Solaris has entrenched themselves, you're able see the signs of their
 fortifications.

 Whatever it is you're intending to do here -- reconnaissance, sabotage, or
 otherwise -- you'll have to begin your initial approach carefully, lest you
 bring down the entire bee's nest that is the Solaris forces stationed here.

 You're immediately faced with a bit of a problem, since the best place to
 get to from here is where the perimeter patrol is lingering.

 But that doesn't mean you can't make your own distraction. A visible enough
 sign of destruction could send the Gears scurrying over in that direction,
 freeing you up to move as you please.
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Reckless====================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

There's been a lot of activity from Solaris lately. It's enough to send Jacqueline's mind back to Spira and Lake Macalania, and the temple they had been taken over. It had been on her mind for a while, of course, but now more than ever there was a question that seemed important to ask -

Just what have they been doing there?

In the interests of finding out, Jacqueline has decided to pay them a visit alongside others with similar concerns.

Now, they find themselves on the lake's perimeter, and it's immediately evident that infiltration isn't going to be easy. Gear patrols occasionally make their way through, forming a net that makes even going through on foot difficult. Even a single Solarian Gear is a dangerous opponent for a group of experienced Drifters, in Gears or out. The last thing they want is to bring an entire unit down on top of them.

Having decided to arrive in her own Gear, the CK-01 Jaeger, Jacqueline surveys the situation. It's cold - ice and snow rule the land here, and this is an obstacle both sides have to deal with. ...But, in the right situation, it can be useful, as well. Jacqueline's eyes soon land on a rather large mound of accumulated ice and snow in the distance - nearly half the size of a Gear in height.

"...That could work. If we can make a good distraction, we might be able to make a big enough hole in their net that we can slip through..." Jacqueline says consideringly. "Watch out - I'm going to open fire. We just need to draw their attention long enough..."

The CK-01 Jaeger draws its side-arm, leveling it and aiming it carefully at that mound. And then, after a moment, it fires. A bullet silently impacts the side of the mound... and then, a second charge packed with in it detonates, unleashing a burst of destructive force into the mound. It splits with a loud crack. Shards of ice and snow fly everywhere as the top of the mound splits and flies apart.

There's no question that it was destructive... but did it work a little too well?

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Breaker Shells toward her party's challenge, When in Doubt Break Things.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius is along with the rest of the unit. Recent events have called a bit more into question as to how much sway Solaris has with the way things are in the world. They were deeply embedded in the Order of Ethos (in so much that it effectively was a part of Solaris), who had a lot of say and sway in the acquisition and distribution of ARM technologies. Even something as humble as the gunsmoke ARM scarcely ever passed around without having their fingers on them, and the Order's collapse and disposal raises a lot of difficult questions.

     It's not his idea to come here, but he's not disagreeing with it. He's elected to act on foot, and given his proficiency in moving through environments like this... all he needs to do is bundle and dress appropriately, and he acquires layers of lighter colors for the task of mixing in better with the ice.

     While Jay provides the sound by shooting a mound of snow, mysteriously there is a barricade that is on fire and Ethius also his hand raised towards it. It must be that this man has suddenly developed empathy for inanimate objects and is reaching out to save the life of a currently burning barricade warped by heat from an unknown source, and alas, in this traged--

     Okay yeah he did it, he's melting something, it's Ethius.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, When in Doubt Break Things.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily, too, has had Solaris on her mind--and a plan to return to Macalania and investigate Solaris's presence there. What have they been doing? It's a good question. So... Here and now, Lily moves on foot, her Gear still under repairs at the moment. She recalls those questions--and has been calmly waiting for this chance, since the matter of the Ethos. It was, she thinks, possibly her idea to come here.

"Destruction we can do," Lily says to Jay, nodding to Ethius. He starts burning a barricade; Lily, for her part, looks past the barricade to a container that presumably holds something valuable, and likewise reaches out her hand.

There is suddenly even more fire.

DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, When in Doubt Break Things.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Avril, as it happens, has been entirely uninvolved in the matters of Solaris and the Ethos order. But even if she hasn't been involved, that doesn't mean that she hasn't heard about what happened. Though she has matters of her own to investigate -- and resolve -- in Spira, she had still been quick to volunteer the use of her own Gear for the infiltration mission into the Solaris-held lands in the lake region.

    It wasn't as if she had any immediate leads on the whereabouts of a certain young man (or his friend), and it wasn't as if she was doing anyone (least of all herself) any good by sitting around the Outreach encampment on standby. This way, she can help others and do something worthwhile.

    Besides, while she has no personal grievance with Solaris, after what she has heard about what happened...

    They would be doing everyone a disservice by ignoring the situation.

    "I believe those are some of there Gears over here. --Yes, you are quite right, Jacqueline. If we can cause a distraction over here... we must simply take care not to be seen doing it."

    When it comes to 'create a distraction', though, the Skadi is more than equipped for the situation.

    "Over there, is it?"

    And she focuses on the Medium that is slotted into the Skadi, channeling the power of the Ice Guardian.

    ...Right into the heart of the detonation Jay commences (which is assisted by Lily and Ethius). It might be quite a sight from afar: in the middle of the explosion, there is the impression of a blue and white beast, glittering with ice as it dances in flames.

    ...Maybe they won't come to investigate as much as they might head back to base altogether?

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Stone Ice Medium toward her party's challenge, When in Doubt Break Things.
====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>====================
=================<* CHALLENGE - When in Doubt Break Things *>=================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Things have changed in the Macalania Lake region. Even here, a distance from
 where Solaris has entrenched themselves, you're able see the signs of their
 fortifications.

 Whatever it is you're intending to do here -- reconnaissance, sabotage, or
 otherwise -- you'll have to begin your initial approach carefully, lest you
 bring down the entire bee's nest that is the Solaris forces stationed here.

 You're immediately faced with a bit of a problem, since the best place to
 get to from here is where the perimeter patrol is lingering.

 But that doesn't mean you can't make your own distraction. A visible enough
 sign of destruction could send the Gears scurrying over in that direction,
 freeing you up to move as you please.
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous, Reckless====================================
===============<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 1 *>===============
===================< Results - When in Doubt Break Things >===================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Stone Ice Medium                    3   Brute   Effects: Fanfare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Breaker Shells                      2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Overzealous(2)|Reckless(2)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Avril Vent Fleur has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use
party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Fire and ice are combined in a terrifying display of power. Ethius sets a barricade ablaze, and Lily ignites a container of valuable goods. Jacqueline splits a mound of ice apart and Avril draws upon the power of Aru Solato, conjuring the image of a blue and white beast. To the unaware, it's almost as if the Guardian itself has burst forth from the mound.

Solarian Gears retreat at the sign of such a high level of threat in the area... but by the time they return with reinforcements, the real threat will be far away from there, deeper into Solarian territory.

"Good work, everyone... that was some quick thinking." Jacqueline compliments, pleased. Things were going smoothly so far. Hopefully it would remain so.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
===============<* CHALLENGE - There's Always the One Exception *>===============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Technically speaking, little comes into the lake region from the woods --
 the woods are comfortable enough compared to the bitter cold of Macalania
 that even Fiends from the woods stay there.

 And yet, sometimes you get the strange exception to the rule. There's no
 real accounting for /why/ there's a Spherimorph here -- a large
 semi-translucent pale blue sphere-shaped Fiend -- and yet, here it is.

 Even for a Spherimorph this one's pretty big...! And aggressive.
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer, Injure===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "Yes, thank you, everyone. It appears they are retreating. Perhaps they are obtaining additional support?" Avril muses, from within the cockpit. "We should make haste."

    And they press on into the expanse of the lake region, snow gently beginning to drift downwards from the skies above. It's to their benefit; any additional cover they can receive will only help keep them hidden from view.

    For a time there is silence but for their passage across the snowdrifts, even the Gears' engines muted by so much snow.

    And then a particular drift shudders before them. Something is underneath it--

    That something is a large, bluish, Sphere-shaped Fiend. Which comes erupting out from under its encasing of ice and snow...!

    With water spells (does Waterga freeze in this weather?) at the ready!

    The Skadi takes a half-step backwards in self-defense. "What is-- very well!" Avril replies; metal rings against metal as she draws that large blade where it is sheathed along the Gear's back. Gripping the massive blade -- it likely weighs several tons -- with both hands, she lunges for the Fiend, swinging it in a horizontal arc.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Gear Blade - Gambanteinn toward her party's challenge, There's Always the One
Exception.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

"Right. No sense in being here when they make it back."

Lily nods to Jay, and then darts off with the others, looking over the lake region and the snow above and down. She makes a point of obscuring their tracks as they go, but suddenly... there is something--

"One of these?" Lily wonders, and throws up fire to counteract water. In the next few moments she is moving to the side, to evade spells, and trying to find its weakness with what elements she has available to her next. "Ethius!" she says. "We'll mix it up--between us we should have what we need!"

...Jay too, but Jay also has a Gear.

DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, There's Always the One Exception.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius does not fancy his chances against multiple Gear-scale hostiles at once, and is content to move with the others through the opening provided. He falls behind the others somewhat due to both his shorter leg strides, and also being only roughly 10 percent sorcerous death engine (compared to Lily's own impressive ratio). He has to navigate banks of snow and ice with normal walking movements. His lagging behind a bit means that he's not part of the initial wave of water spells.

     "I understand and copy," he says. In his experience, Spira seems to go between Water vs. Lightning, and Fire vs. Ice. The Spherimorph's water content seems not only large, but distilled of a lot of impurities at a glance. With a satchel in hand, he decides he's just going to chuck it in there without prepping it. (It wouldn't be able to explode anyway once it's damp.)

     Only once he throws it in the Spherimorph and waits several tense seconds for the contents to disperse, does he start working up an appropriate yield of electrical spell.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, There's Always the One Exception.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Unfortunately, it looks like things can't go well for long. They don't have much time to appreciate the peace and quiet before a Fiend erupts from the snow!

"Is that... a Spherimorph!? I've never seen one so large...!" Jacqueline gasps, surprised. It's large enough to pose threat even to a Gear - they'll have to approach this carefully.

"I'm going to go all out on this one... Sorcery Converter Overdrive - engaged!" Jacqueline warns, flipping open a glass case and pressing the button underneath.

...She doesn't have to say it out loud, but it sounds cool to say...

Warnings flash over her console but Jacqueline pays them no heed as she draws out a Crest Graph and inserts it into a slot. On the screen in front of her, the symbols of Wing and Muse appear. The Jaeger draws its combat rod and reacts appropriately - lightning begins to surge down the weapon's length. With a quick stab of the weapon a large beam of lightning screams outward toward the Spherimorph!

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool SC Overdrive toward her party's challenge, There's Always the One Exception.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
===============<* CHALLENGE - There's Always the One Exception *>===============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Technically speaking, little comes into the lake region from the woods --
 the woods are comfortable enough compared to the bitter cold of Macalania
 that even Fiends from the woods stay there.

 And yet, sometimes you get the strange exception to the rule. There's no
 real accounting for /why/ there's a Spherimorph here -- a large
 semi-translucent pale blue sphere-shaped Fiend -- and yet, here it is.

 Even for a Spherimorph this one's pretty big...! And aggressive.
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer, Injure===========================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 2 *>================
=================< Results - There's Always the One Exception >=================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    5 --(13)--> 18                 Pass
Gear Blade - Gambanteinn            2   Combat  Effects: Resilient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       5 --(13)--> 18                 Pass
Powder Grenade                      3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   5 --(13)--> 18                 Pass
SC Overdrive                        3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           5 --(30)--> 35                 Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)|Overzealous(1)|Reckless(1)|Suffer(1)
Effects: Resilient(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Avril Vent Fleur 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> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    The spells it throws out at them don't so much as touch them -- they bounce off of the barrier that Lily conjures and fall to the earth as so much icy rain. But this is only the first part of countering the threat it posits towards them -- it is an especially large Spherimorph, and seems far from deterred by the temperature in the lake region.

    The fact that it is a Spherimorph, too, at first plays as an obstacle to their aim in defeating it: while Avril's blade carves deep into its 'body', its very nature means that this fails to meaningfully impede it in any way, shape, or form. It is wounded, yes, and that is not meaningless, but...

    But it will take more than the swipe of a sword (even one weighing several tons) to finish it. Fortunately, Jacqueline and Ethius have 'more than a sword' at hand. As if in sync, both electrical spells surge forth from Gear and on-foot Symbologist alike, and...

    And as the Fiend shudders and falls atop the snowdrift, quivering, it erupts into a storm of Pyreflies.

    ...They should not linger here.

DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Not Exactly Fair *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 This is, as they say, not good. You've been spotted by Solaris' watch, but
 they're not sending their Gears to finish you off.

 They're sending an artillery bombardment instead.

 There's no time to think about it! You've got to get out of here before the
 bombs fall. RUN!
=Dungeon Conditions: Cripple==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

The storm of pyreflies, as it turns out, is a very effective indicator that something is present. Solarian voices ring out and Gears are visible across the snows, but they do not advance. Instead, explosions start happening as the Solarian forces make use of their artillery bombardments to just blanket the area and get rid of whatever is here.

It's a bit of a problem. Lily narrows her eyes as the first explosion hits, and says, "Go! Hurry! I'll be right behind you!"

She reaches up to her strange ancient pendant, and channels magic into it, becoming extremely obvious to Etheric senses... and also becoming very hard to look at, surrounded by a shell of blue magic and trailing afterimages as if she isn't really here. And indeed, bombs just sort of go through her or else otherwise find that she goes on anyway.

There is still the matter of escaping, of course. And other approaches to distraction...

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Impure Pendant toward her party's challenge, Not Exactly Fair.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    They should not linger here, and this is, apparently, a good reason why!

    "Have they spotted us?" Avril gasps, as one of the shells detonates far too close at hand. "No, they must have seen the--"

    This is no time to quibble or wonder about what's happening and why, which is something that occurs to the young woman in the Gear even as Lily calls out her directions for them to run.

    She'll be right behind them, she says.

    Inside her cockpit, Avril frowns.

    But she, unlike Dean, is pragmatic at heart. Flipping open a sealed switch on her console, she hits the big red button within it.

    It says, T U R B O.

    Jets flare. The Skadi's exit from this spot may not be subtle but it is likely effective.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Turbocharger toward her party's challenge, Not Exactly Fair.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

As if Fiends weren't bad enough, it looks like Solaris was able to spot the commotion as well. Jacqueline groans, shaking her head.

"If it isn't one thing it's another, I guess..." Jacqueline mutters. She takes a deep breath, then. "Alright... focusing on the problem at hand."

She urges the Jaeger forward. Unfortunately, agility has never been the machine's strong suit. It isn't particularly slow, but it doesn't have any particular advantages, either. But there is one assistance she can provide, at least.

"Feel free to take shelter behind the Jaeger if you need to! It's pretty sturdy." Jacqueline advises. That's about all she can offer - other than that, for her the only other she can do is push the Gear to run as best it can.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Not Exactly Fair.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius had concerns when the pyrefly cloud erupted, given the area is doubtless in a state of high alert after their distraction - and he's turning his head when he hears the sound of shells going through the air. He tied the harness of the Hot Air Sack around his wrist before setting foot here for an excellent reason, knowing his mobility is hampered in the ice and snow. A trained ear he has, he has an excellent idea of the shell's heading and that he may be just clear enough of grievous harm.

     Only just. It's going to hurt.

     He tries to get behind the Jaegar for cover as Jay advertises, casting the requisite spell to fill the repurposed patchy-lookin' loot sack with hot air and drift to relative safety. Relative.

     He's not sure he'd consider the Gears themselves to be fully safe cover from what's happening.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Hot Air Sack toward his party's challenge, Not Exactly Fair.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Not Exactly Fair *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 This is, as they say, not good. You've been spotted by Solaris' watch, but
 they're not sending their Gears to finish you off.

 They're sending an artillery bombardment instead.

 There's no time to think about it! You've got to get out of here before the
 bombs fall. RUN!
=Dungeon Conditions: Cripple==================================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 3 *>================
=========================< Results - Not Exactly Fair >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    18 --(17)--> 35                Pass
Turbocharger                        3   Agility Effects: Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       18 --(34)--> 52                Fail
Hot Air Sack                        2   Agility Effects: Resilient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   18 --(34)--> 52                Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           35 --(34)--> 69                Fail
Impure Pendant                      3   Agility Effects: Rally
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            40 --(15)--> 55                Fail
Conditions: Cripple|Injure(1)
Effects: Resilient(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Avril Vent Fleur 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.
DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>====================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Blizzard Conditions *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 As if conditions weren't bad enough, here comes one of Macalania's infamous
 snowstorms. It is, in fact, a total whiteout -- you can't see your hand in
 front of your face!

 This may be some good news if anything was immediately on your tail, but
 it's cold (yes) comfort since there's little to stop you from tumbling into
 a crevasse or similar if you happen to step wrong.

 How are you going to navigate this?
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

The Gears do make pretty good cover, but unfortunately all that does is help people avoid being blown up entirely; shells continue to go through the air and, while Ethius can get out of the way, it kind of sucks. Jay, too, keeps moving forward, and sh e focuses on the problem at hand. While Avril...

Well, the Skadi's escape is not at all subtle, but it does work. and so eventually Lily becomes more appropriately real again, just as the firing stops.

...Of course, the firing stopped for a reason, and they're wandering right into a snowstorm now.

What're they going to do about this part? Lily pulls her knife, and what good is a knife against a snowstorm? Well, she kneels down next to a small tree and cuts it at the base, providing herself with a very long walking stick that she can press ahead to check for the ground's safety ahead of the group.

"Try not to freeze."

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Lily's Knife toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    It does suck for Ethius, who finds himself catapulted by the force of the blast into that tree which Lily cuts as a very long walking stick. He lies face-down in the snow for a dramatic half-minute or two before his senses come back to him, the ringing subsiding as he brings a hand up to his face.

     Just in time for a massive snowstorm. He's close enough to Lily that he can just make out her voice, and he hasn't a choice but to get up and follow close to her even if he's not fully a hundred percent after a near-death encounter like that.

     He can't shout to the Gear pilots if anything's amiss... but the reverse might be true. From the break in the storm provided by Lily's presence, he gets out the Spectral Lens and works up the appropriate yield of electrical spell to turn it in. This is just in case he can make out any connected devices (such as traps) ahead, though... the color of the Spectral Lens' view, and the light of connected devices, is still difficult to see with all the snow and ice.

     If he catches something, he's speaking up on the double.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Spectral Lens toward his party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

They go straight from an artillery bombardment to a complete whiteout. Jacqueline isn't sure which is worse, frankly - they're both dangerous for very different reasons.

"Alright... try to keep your calm, everyone. Follow the sound of my voice - if you get separated, try and make your way back to me!" Jacqueline calls out, using her Gear's external speakers. It may prove helpful.

As she pushes the Gear ahead, though, Jacqueline reaches for the manual at the side of her console and begins to flip through it. Her Gear could use some quick maintenance after how much damage it just took, and there's bound to be something useful in here for making one's way through a snowstorm.

"Oh, Avril... It looks like there are some options we can use for increased visibility in heavy weather..." Jacqueline comments. Of course, the Skadi might not even need these options, but Jacqueline lists them out anyway, making sure to go through the necessary stops on her own machine as she does. It should help, at least.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Maintenance Guidebook toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    She moves forward at speed, pinned against her seat by the force of the rapid acceleration. Fortunately, the cockpit was reinforced to deflect shocks; while it can't dampen all of the incoming forces (see: her current physical position) she isn't, say, rendered unconscious. In fact, Avril herself is doing quite well--

    As the bombardment ceases and she's left standing here as the gentle snow itself accelerates into a blizzard.

    She can't see a thing, actually.

    "Is everyone all right? I will remain where I am until I can determine where you are," she says, flicking a switch to turn on the Gear's exterior lights. "I have turned on my lights. Perhaps that may help you as well, Jacqueline?"

    She'll only hazard moving again when she's sure she's not going to step on someone.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Blizzard Conditions *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 As if conditions weren't bad enough, here comes one of Macalania's infamous
 snowstorms. It is, in fact, a total whiteout -- you can't see your hand in
 front of your face!

 This may be some good news if anything was immediately on your tail, but
 it's cold (yes) comfort since there's little to stop you from tumbling into
 a crevasse or similar if you happen to step wrong.

 How are you going to navigate this?
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness==================================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 4 *>================
=======================< Results - Blizzard Conditions >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    35 --(21)--> 56                Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       52 --(9)--> 61                 Pass
Spectral Lens                       2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   52 --(21)--> 73                Fail
Maintenance Guidebook               1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           69 --(9)--> 78                 Pass
Lily's Knife                        2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            55 --(15)--> 70                Fail
Conditions: Cripple|Madness
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Avril Vent Fleur 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> Lily Keil has posed.

Ethius's careful eye for traps spots a couple of simple snares set up in the snow, allowing him to deactivate them before he or Lily actually step in them--or Lily breaks her stick that way. For her part, the ground-bound sorceress is unconcerned by the snow--though somewaht more conccerned with being stepped on in this. Jay's visibility meanwhile improves significantly--and her external speakers do prove helpful.

"This way," Lily says, and conjures perfectly reflective ice at her and Ethius's position--to reflect Avril's lights, allowing her to see them and know where they're going.

Between that and Jay's Gear's systems finding a path forward, they make it through...

But damn if their systems aren't slowed down by all this chill. Lily herself is covered in snow.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
================<* CHALLENGE - Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't *>================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Ice above all else reigns in Lake Macalania: perhaps this is only fitting
 given the nature of the temple and the Fayth in residence here -- as damaged
 as the building may be due to the catastrophic battle in the recent past.

 But this is a sentiment you may particularly appreciate now as the frost
 beneath you gives way and sends you tumbling into an until-recently hidden
 expanse of the snow-covered frozen-over lake!

 Disoriented in the chill depths of the lake, time is of the essence, even if
 you're in a Gear. Can you find the surface? And more importantly, are you
 going to be able to break through the thick sheet of ice above?
=Dungeon Conditions: Collapse=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Once she knows where they are, she's able to move -- if with care -- through the whiteout conditions and heavy snowbanks. They're making progress in spite of the conditions, though there is one major problem:

    They don't know where they're headed, precisely, or in what direction. And that means that they cannot account for obstacles in their path--

    Or dangers, for that matter.

    Speaking of, the ground beneath them suddenly gives way after they advance a distance through the blizzard, sending them crashing into the frozen waters of the formerly iced-over lake!

    At this point everything is disorienting: there is an impression of light in one direction and darkness in another, and that might be the best anyone has to go by. The situation is a dire one even for those of them in a Gear: air and heat are consuming fuel and without that, even the machine they're in won't make a difference.

    Avril orients Skadi towards the brighter patch, hoping she is facing the correct direction. But it must be, mustn't it?

    The Ice Guardian is brought forth into the world in the next moment, roaring forth towards what must be -- hopefully is -- the air and storm above the lake.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Stone Ice Medium toward her party's challenge, Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Ah! Yes, that's remarkably helpful." Jacqueline replies, beaming, as Avril turns on her Gear's external lights. Having as many external points of reference as possible is vital in such weather conditions, and will be quite helpful for moving forward. Unfortunately, despite that it still isn't easy. The weather is letting up, and there's only so much chill even a Gear can take.

And with the snowstorm obscuring everything it's only a matter of time until they stumble into something they shouldn't.

...Quite literally, in this case as they find themselves walking onto the lake, which shatters under the weight of the machines.

"Ah...!" Jacqueline gasps, surprise, as they all go tumbling in. It's a very unpleasant sensation, falling into the waters. She can feel the chill even from the cockpit. ...They need to hurry.

It can be difficult to tell which way is up when one's suddenly been submerged, but fortunately, her Gear's instruments help keep everything in line.

"This better work..." Jacqueline mutters, trying to keep the worry from reflecting in her voice. The Jaeger draws its side-arm and aims upward at the ice, about where Avril aims - firing off another one of those highly-destructive Breaker Shells with the goal of smashing a hole through the ice so they have a way to escape.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Breaker Shells toward her party's challenge, Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius is a mortal human being... well, 'mortal' yes, 'human being' is occasionally debatable with the level of composure he can muster in certain life-and-death situations. (It says a lot, when Loren's Gear was being engaged in mid-air, that it was Ethius who drew the most concern about whether or not they were about to kill them all, versus the likes of Lily and Ida.)

     He's shivering. He's cold. Whatever training allows him to suppress so much of the idle movements of the body fails once he gets cold, and he is shivering. He maintains enough presence of mind to deal with any prospective traps along the way, but as they continue, there's something going on underneath him. His eyes widen as he realizes what's about to happen.

     He can't communicate it in time. The other satchel at his belt is hurled away as far as he can manage it before he falls into the frozen drink - and of everyone here, he is by far the most vulnerable. The shock of ice cold almost takes him out. He only has so much air to work with as he draws his quarterstaff. He can't spellcast while underwater, because he has to chant - stabbing a stick to try and break enough so he can get his head back up above water is all he can do.

     Even once he's out of there, there's the risk of hypothermia looming ahead.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

It says a lot that Ethius was the one most likely to kill everyone in that situation. But also saying something is the fact that...

'A big stick' only goes so far. Lily falls into the water with everyone else, crashing into the water with a shock to her system that is natural for such cold all at once. Rightly it ought to stun her out of action entirely, but it doesn't; instead she loses what breath she has in surprised exhalation and then is left to look upward. She can hold her breath only a certain amount of time.

Lily reaches down into her belongings, towards a metal plate, which she can read through the water as she treads it, unaware of where the ground is or the light. She does not need to chant in order to cast--but she must know what it is she's casting. No simple spell is enough for this, however. She cannot see the others. But--

Perhaps they can see her, if she does this right.

The water around Lily begins to bubble and to heat, and a flash of light explodes from her position, bursting into gaseous force even underwater. There is a pause, and then another blast--

It should, hopefully, be sufficient to break the ice and draw the attention of others towards the light and the upward direction.

She's going to have to dry out, too.

DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Demolition Formula toward her party's challenge, Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>=====================
================<* CHALLENGE - Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't *>================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 3          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Ice above all else reigns in Lake Macalania: perhaps this is only fitting
 given the nature of the temple and the Fayth in residence here -- as damaged
 as the building may be due to the catastrophic battle in the recent past.

 But this is a sentiment you may particularly appreciate now as the frost
 beneath you gives way and sends you tumbling into an until-recently hidden
 expanse of the snow-covered frozen-over lake!

 Disoriented in the chill depths of the lake, time is of the essence, even if
 you're in a Gear. Can you find the surface? And more importantly, are you
 going to be able to break through the thick sheet of ice above?
=Dungeon Conditions: Collapse=================================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 5 *>================
==================< Results - Polar Bear Swimming This Ain't >==================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    56 --(5)--> 61                 Pass
Stone Ice Medium                    3   Brute   Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       61 --(5)--> 66                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   73 --(17)--> 90                Fail
Breaker Shells                      2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           78 --(5)--> 83                 Pass
Demolition Formula                  3   Brute   Effects: Rally
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            70 --(20)--> 90                Pass
Conditions: Collapse
Effects: Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Avril Vent Fleur 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> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    They all do what they can, turning their attentions towards that brighter patch and giving it all they have and hoping.

    A lot of the time, doing what one can and hoping isn't enough. The universe can be a cold and unforgiving place. But sometimes, sometimes...

    It's enough.
    Right now, it's enough, and that's what matters.

    The ice and snow above them erupts, torn asunder by their combined force. It's brighter now, as they move towards the light, into the air and the world above the water.

    They're all free. The storm is a pale shadow of what it had been just minutes before. And what's more, from here they can all see...

    "If either of you needs to climb inside, I will make room," Avril says, kneeling a moment here on the shore.

    Before they move ahead towards... what they have found.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>====================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Water Element Kelvena *>====================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 At last, you manage to make your way towards the centermost part of
 Macalania, the place where ruins of the temple rest, largely sunken beneath
 the ice. Solaris hasn't placed its encampment here, but it would seem
 they're at work on something about or within the temple ruins.

 "I had thought something was amiss."

 Suddenly, you hear a voice behind you! Upon turning, the source in question
 reveals herself to be none other than the current Water Element, Kelvena,
 one of the Elements of Solaris! As a group of powerful and highly-skilled
 Ether-users, the Elements are not to be trifled with.

 And it would seem she has tired of your meddling here and intends to settle
 things here and now.

 (GM Note: Whether she appears before you on foot or in her dolphin-shaped
 Gear, Marinebasher, is at your discretion.)

 Image: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/xenosaga/images/d/d5/Kelvena.png
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Bad Luck=========================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

One by one, the group splashes upward out of the lake. Jacqueline takes a moment to catch her breath. Sure, the water didn't get close enough to flood her cockpit... but it was still a pretty harrowing event, and they could all use the time to relax.

As for what they had found, however... they don't need to go far to see it. With the weather finally cleared up, the ruins of Macalania Temple become visible. Most of them are sunken beneath the ice, but they can still see what remains peering out of the top.

"...There it is. It's kind of sad, looking at it like this. But we need to find out what Solaris is doing. Let's-" Before Jacqueline can finish her sentence there comes a sound behind them - a large splash, as something emerges from the same gap in the ice they had created.

"I had thought something was amiss." A voice speaks from behind them. Jacqueline whirls around quickly... and they all find themselves face-to-face (well, face-to-Gear, or Gear-to-Gear, depending) with the Water Element, Kelvena. Her dolphin-shaped Gear, Marinebasher, floats as elegantly through the air as it does the water.

"Who... who is this...? Her readings are off the charts..." Jacqueline remarks, surprised. Her Gear can't really adequately measure them. She doesn't get much opportunity to, either, as Kelvena immediately attacks with Water-based Ether in the form of a massive wave!

The Elements are powerful opponents even at the best of times... and right now, they are tired and chilled from their passage through the lake, and she is in her element(pun-intended). This won't be an easy fight.

"Nothing for it... Hang in there, Jaeger! I'm engaging the Overdrive again!" Jacqueline says. Once more, she presses that button. This time, however, the Crest Graph she inserts is a paired Geo. Orange-yellow lights course up her combat rod, and with a swing the earth rises, forming a wall to disperse Kelvena's wave.

"I'll try to keep her spells at bay... we need to drive her off quickly before we're overwhelmed!" Jacqueline advises.

...And before the Sorcery Converter Overdrive burns away all of her Gear's fuel. That too.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool SC Overdrive toward her party's challenge, Water Element Kelvena.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

It was pretty harrowing; while Lily is confident she can heal from most injury, 'being an ice block' is not technically an injury. She dries herself out immediately with magic, and is willing to help Ethius with the same should he need it. It takes a lot of extra energy to warm up that way, but it's worth it for her. Living is important.

But what they find... Ah. The temple... "It looks like it could be repaired, if... they bothered." She shakes her head. Of course they don't, though. And suddenly--

"Well, shit," Lily comments as she feels the sheer magnitude of Etheric power this individual possesses. "Ethius!" she says. "I hope you have something for this!"

As Jay works to keep her spells at bay, that gives Lily time to dart along the ice and start to build up magic of her own. Whether or not it will work at this scale--with this much water around to dampen it, too--is hard to say, but she throws out blasts of energy anyway, trying to keep at a distance and well out from underfoot of the other Gears.

But she's still pretty freezing, and stiff. "As long as you can keep her off me, I can try, Jay!"

DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Water Element Kelvena.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "Yes. Let us wait a moment before we go and investigate," Avril starts to say; pragmatism may be her watchword to a degree, but pragmatism does not need to mean the same thing as being unkind. They will lose nothing but time should they take the moment necessary to take stock -- and if need be, for those on foot to take shelter inside the Gears.

    But something stirs in the water. Avril -- the Skadi -- rises, pivoting towards the lake as a Gear emerges out of the water into which they had just taken a spill. "Who... are you?" she asks of the pilot of the dolphin-shaped Gear. "This feeling... are you...?"

    A massive wave of water surges towards them all, and only through Jay's quick thinking and magical arts is it kept at bay. Drawing the blade sheathed at her Gear's back, Avril leaps the barrier Jacqueline has summoned. "Lily, Ethius! Follow my lead!"

    She'll come in like a battering ram, and that is her intention -- to give the pilot something to consider at close range while Ethius and Lily assault her Gear from afar.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Gear Blade - Gambanteinn toward her party's challenge, Water Element Kelvena.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    Ethius needs the help to get dry, as he doesn't have a good, safe way to do that on his own. (He has reckless ways to do it but this is not a time where he feels the need to do so.) He gasps and looks all the part of someone human and vulnerable in that moment, shaking and noisily chattering his teeth. (At long last, definitive proof he might be a human being underneath all of that Ethius!)

     Let's assume for logistics he's okay enough in the span of time it takes between then and now to go retrieve a significantly less damp-than-it-could-have-been satchel, which he manages to dry off sorcerously to salvage it. He would hope. He will have to hope, as his well-trained perception catches movement before a voice comes up. The Marinebasher - an elite Gear of one of Solaris' top elites - comes for them.

     Ethius, compared to Lily, has to take a more stealthy, careful approach - readying and tossing the remaining satchel he hopes is dry enough to go off correctly. That's his answer to Lily's hopes. The Powder Grenade should scramble most of the sensory equipment and make it more difficult for them to notice and intercept as he prepares the appropriate yield of electrical spell to try and even the odds.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Powder Grenade toward his party's challenge, Water Element Kelvena.
====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>====================
===================<* CHALLENGE - Water Element Kelvena *>====================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 At last, you manage to make your way towards the centermost part of
 Macalania, the place where ruins of the temple rest, largely sunken beneath
 the ice. Solaris hasn't placed its encampment here, but it would seem
 they're at work on something about or within the temple ruins.

 "I had thought something was amiss."

 Suddenly, you hear a voice behind you! Upon turning, the source in question
 reveals herself to be none other than the current Water Element, Kelvena,
 one of the Elements of Solaris! As a group of powerful and highly-skilled
 Ether-users, the Elements are not to be trifled with.

 And it would seem she has tired of your meddling here and intends to settle
 things here and now.

 (GM Note: Whether she appears before you on foot or in her dolphin-shaped
 Gear, Marinebasher, is at your discretion.)

 Image: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/xenosaga/images/d/d5/Kelvena.png
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Bad Luck=========================================
===============<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 6 *>===============
=====================< Results - Water Element Kelvena >======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    61 --(5)--> 66                 Pass
Gear Blade - Gambanteinn            2   Combat  Effects: Resilient
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       66 --(5)--> 71                 Pass
Powder Grenade                      3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   90 --(5)--> 95                 Pass
SC Overdrive                        3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lily Keil                           83 --(17)--> 100               Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            90 --(30)--> 120               Pass
Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Collapse|Fright(2)
Effects: Resilient(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Avril Vent Fleur has successfully explored Lake Macalania - Solaris Control!
====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>====================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Plug in the Amp *>=======================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 You've done it -- against the odds, you've forced your opponent to retreat.

 Most likely, you won't be able to remain here long: she's likely to summon
 reinforcements and return to deal with you if you stick around. Whatever
 they're doing here may need to wait for another time. But you have a few
 minutes at least to help yourself to whatever you can find amidst their
 supplies near the site of the temple ruins.

 It's a known fact that Solaris makes heavy use of technology to enhance
 their brand of sorcery, and you find one of those devices here. While this
 Amp is built to increase the output of Ether sorcery, it provides the same
 benefit with other forms of magic.

 ...And your find is just in time. Judging from the sounds in the distance,
 now's the time to get out of here.

 (OOC: The Amp could be used as a Digger tool (Combat or Brute perhaps) or
 used to justify an upgraded Sorcery attack of some form.)
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Right!" Jacqueline calls back to Lily. She moves in order to provide cover for her, but it's Avril who ends up drawing the most threat as the Skadi unsheathes its blade and engages the Marinebasher at melee range. Even the most powerful practitioner of sorcery is going to have trouble casting as effectively with someone so close, giving Lily the opportunity she needs to provide long-range artillery support with her own Ether.

It becomes much more difficult for Kelvena, too when Ethius surprises her with a well-aimed toss of his Powder Grenade. The dust obscures and scrambles sensory equipment, and soon enough, the Marinebasher is forced to retreat.

They may have surprised her with their ferocity today, but who knows how well things will go next time now that she's more away of what they're capable of - it may be best to learn what they can and get out before she returns.

A brief search of the temple grounds turns up something useful, at least - hidden within some of the ruins is a set of spare Solaris equipment, the most notable being a set of Amps for increasing the output of one's Sorcery.

"Well, we've learned a little bit of what Solaris's forces are up to, at least..." Jacqueline considers, as they get the equipment loaded up for extraction. "Getting an idea of where their people are stationed is pretty valuable info..."