2021-12-10: Under the Crystal Branches
- Log: Under the Crystal Branches
- Cast: Loren Voss, Lily Keil, Yue Rohay, Layna Manydays, Tidus, Lan Lilac, Ida Everstead-Rey, Pearl
- Where: Lake Macalania
- Date: December 10, 2021
- Summary: Solaris' activity within Macalania Lake continues to be largely constrainted to the region, for reasons that continue to be a mystery to outsiders. Some have decided to end that silence, and venture into their territory in search of answers to their questions. But, will their passage go unnoticed?
DG: A party led by Lily Keil is now entering Lake Macalania - Solaris Control.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - Let's Think About This Carefully *>=============== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |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 in luck -- at present, there's a gap in their patrolling. You have some leeway in the specifics of your approach since you don't have to also worry about evading their Gears. Still, it's something you'll want to consider carefully: what is the best way for you to get close without being seen? =Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Hesitate=======================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
WITHIN THE MACALANIA OUTPOST
The good thing about working detail in the Macalania outpost is that nothing much happens out this way. Sure, every now and then he gets tapped for this or that, but most days are fairly boring work if you're doing medical, and in a sea change from several years ago, that's honestly the way that Loren prefers it.
The bad thing about working detail in the Macalania outpost is that when something happens, it sure happens. Take the local Fiends, for example.
Also the fact that it's mind-numbingly cold out here doesn't do it any favors.
Still, peace and quiet (relatively) is still peace and quiet. Relatively.
ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION
Solaris has been up to something. They had claimed the region after the incident with Sin at the temple, but other than a few forays here and there -- most notably at Zanarkand -- they haven't been seen very much in the Spiran region, seemingly content to hold the space they've gained. What's more, getting into the region has proven difficult, and so only a few rumors about what they might be up to have escaped. But, if the stories are true, they are attempting to do something with the temple. And that whatever it is, it hasn't been something they've been able to accomplish just yet.
That they seem as if they're after something within.
It might not be difficult to guess at what that might be -- or the reason why they haven't been able to accomplish their aims. Even in slumber, a Fayth has their protections.
Perhaps it's one of those rumors that have brought people here today -- or concern about what Solaris might be attempting. Or perhaps, there are other reasons why one might challenge the unrelenting terrain of Lake Macalania, particularly on a day like this when it seems as if it might be about to snow heavily, again.
It's that same threat of blizzard conditions that may be the luck people need: Gear patrols have been regular through this point for days, but there's been a noticable gap over the last quarter-hour. Is it possible that the patrol was delayed due to the weather? Is this the opening others might need to make their approach?
Regardless of how it's done, the approach past the perimeter is best done carefully. The next patrol has to arrive eventually... and Solaris' fortifications, though obscured by the weather, still loom in the distance.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil is very interested in what Solaris is up to in Macalania, and in the long months since Solaris took over this place, they haven't had much success in finding out what. It's good timing to do so now--now, when Solaris may not expect trouble on this particular frot...
Besides; Lily needs to find somewhere with Ice attunement, and this is an ideal location. Especially if they can get close to the Fayth...
Lily did not bring everyone together necessarily, but she did bring some. Making her way to Spira, she left her damaged Gear behind, relying on stealth and her own magic instead, though coming without some Gear backup would be foolish. But the blizzard conditions... Those, Lily can deal with.
"Patrol's late," Lily comments thoughtfully, looking over the psace where she'd expect the Gears here. She pulls her knife from her belt, keeping it handy as a focus--and starts forward. If they encounter any on-foot soldiers on the way, well...
That's what the knife and stealth are for. "Here's our chance."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Lily's Knife toward her party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Yue's been having a very... well... unusual course as of late, even for a Drifter. She's been found trying to convince a literal train that ferries those to the afterlife to take her, she's been found lamenting in Zeboim Ruins, she's tried to get snowed under in Mount Zulan, and now...
Well...
Maybe she was thinking Solaris could succeed where others didn't.
At least, until Lily and the others found her. Cowed into not really beinga ble to express what she's here for, she mumbles a lame excuse about reconnaisance, which seems... well, good enough as a cover, really, and...
Well, she's pretty curious what they're up to... even if this seems a lot like work.
"Maybe I should've brought the Gear..." Yue muses, before sighing quietly. "Well... ... we should just take advantage of this."
The long-haired Veruni quietly moves forward, hopping from place to place, her heels softly crunching in the snow.
DG: Yue Rohay has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
When you need someone with a general disregard for authority and a penchant for causing trouble, Layna's always good to have on call. When Lily asks, Layna's right there and ready. Solaris has been on her list of things to look into, anyway... and in fact, this isn't her first time investigating this particular outpost. She'd stolen one of their sorcery conversion engines for her Gear before.
...She hasn't brought her Gear with her this time, though. The Corsair is many things, but it sure as heck isn't stealthy - it's huge and painted in bright, flashy colors. Solaris would spot them right away if she brought it, and even Layna knows that it wouldn't be wise to pick a fight with the entire outpost until they're ready.
And that's why she arrives on foot, perched up somewhere high and studying the area with her telescope.
"Aye. Looks like the others might be a ways off, but we don't have forever." Layna replies, dropping down and joining the others as she collapses her telescope. "There are some snowdrifts up ahead we can use as cover, if they come callin' sooner than we expect."
She points into the distance, indicating the spots she'd noticed.
"Still, better to be quick about it, aye?" Layna says. Once everyone is ready, she moves in along with them.
DG: Layna Manydays has used her Tool Captain's Telescope toward her party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
It's definitely Solaris's doings that brought *Tidus* here. The fact that Solaris took over Macalania Temple--and thus the fayth of Shiva--has been a source of worry for Yuna and her Guardians for a while now. So when Lily approached and asked for help approaching the place, Tidus was more than willing and eager to sign on and help out.
"If you head in a circle around *here*, you'll skim past the frozen lake, and then the temple'll be right up ahead," Tidus says, pointing out a line in the blustering snow and wind, dressed up in a thick, hooded coat, knee-high boots, and gloves for this expedition, all of them as pale as their surroundings. Normally he doesn't bother with concessions to the weather, but if they need to sneak in to a snowy temple, it's better to dress in white, and if he's changing clothes, he may as well wear something warm. "It'd be a lot easier with snowmobiles or something, but that's how it goes, I guess."
Lily notes that the patrol's late, then urges everyone forward to take advantage. Tidus nods, retrieves a certain sphere, and keeps it in hand in case there's a need to reflect light off in the distance as a distraction, or into someone's else as... also a distraction, so Lily doesn't need to knife anyone. "Right behind you," he says, then glances at the others. "Mmm... Maybe a Gear would've made traveling easier, but it'd be a lot harder to sneak in," he points out to Yue and Layna. "I'm with you in spirit, though. Let's get in quick for sure."
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Jecht Sphere toward his party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
Lan is not really dressed for the cold and ice of Macalania Forest. Sure, long pants and a sweater (and actual shoes) are much warmer than her usual togs, but she ought to be freezing. The ring on her finger ensure that she isn't. She really could have used this on Mount Gagazet!!
She'd better be careful though. Being immune to the cold doesn't make her immune to slipping on a patch of ice.
"Do you think they got caught up on something?" she wonders out loud, kneeling to peek out around an icy branch. Solaris couldn't have spotted them already, right?? Frowning slightly, Lan dips a hand into her pocket and pulls out a bit of folded paper, working it between her fingers and mumbling. "..."
Snowflake, snowflake, lemon.
There's something kind of familiar about that combination. Why is she reminded of Sielje just now? Just because it's snowy there too? Lan shoves the paper back into her pocket and hurries to catch up.
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida has been dealing with a lot, lately. Questions of self, and power, and nature. Old foes returned from the dead, and new obstacles strewn in her path. But Lily knows Ida has a vendetta against Solaris, and she wasn't about to say no to a chance to challenge their foothold in a place they should absolutely not be.
It took a little doing to get the Dust Dragoon here, but the Gear has been deployed as backup from the Fahrenheit. Its paint scheme has been temporarily changed to a blue-and-white pattern, to better blend in with the forest. Steam vents slowly from the machine's heat exchangers as it idles behind the rest of the group. "Well," Ida says, "if you need a bird's-eye view, I can provide." Part of the Gear's skirt armor slides open, and two breadbox-sized objects pop out with a 'ping!' The whirr of rotors follows as the quadrotor drones take flight, moving under Ida's guidance to take visual, infrared, and ultraviolet scans of the area.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Reconaissance Drone toward her party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
Pearl had never been game to approach Macalania Temple on her own. Even allowing for her training, there are too many enemies. This would be a group mission.
And by luck, a group has manifested. Pearl had been analyzing the activity, but seeing Tidus, that's room for her to step out of the snow, clad in her heavy Gagazet cloak, slipping a blanket she had been hiding under into her satchel.
She left Leo Jr with Mariel- you don't bring an onion on a sneaking mission.
"This group seems to delay often, but the window seems wider than usual." She says, commenting on Lily's own. "But it's a long journey through ice." It seems only one has brought a gear. That's fine.
The summoner can provide. Pearl starts into a dance, throwing her arm to one side and going into a spin, then a pirouette, before something rises in a plume of rapidly freezing water and coils around her. The guards surely would have spotted that.
That is why one creates a blindspot earlier, with a shard of ice into a camera.
Leviathan, their aura of clear water turning quickly to ice then back again, giving the impression of heavy snow. "Now is our time to move, as the Lady Sorceress says. If you wish a ride, grab on and hold time. Leviathan is not know for their comfort."
And then she pulls her own trick, a hold over from her training. She shatters a mana sphere in her hand, granting her focus. She pulls the blessing of ice from the depths of lefay and the blessing of shadow she was born with, and then- She pushes out with bost, shadow and ice to mask their path and movements. It's a large effort with a group, but Pearl is powerful. It is a much larger effort with a gear and an aeon. The mana sphere will help give her the power, but the girl is going to be chewing through Star Lights after this.
DG: Pearl has used her Tool Mana Sphere toward her party's challenge, Let's Think About This Carefully.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ===============<* CHALLENGE - Let's Think About This Carefully *>=============== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |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 in luck -- at present, there's a gap in their patrolling. You have some leeway in the specifics of your approach since you don't have to also worry about evading their Gears. Still, it's something you'll want to consider carefully: what is the best way for you to get close without being seen? =Dungeon Conditions: Reckless, Hesitate=======================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 1 *>================ =================< Results - Let's Think About This Carefully >================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Reconaissance Drone 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Lily's Knife 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Layna Manydays 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Captain's Telescope 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yue Rohay 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Jecht Sphere 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Mana Sphere 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 0 --(0)--> 0 Pass Paku-Paku 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Lily Keil 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Hesitate(2)|Reckless(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Lily Keil has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - They Have the High Ground *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Suddenly, you're caught off-guard by an artillery strike on your location! It isn't hard to locate the culprits, whether or not you're on foot. It's a troupe of on-foot Solaris soldiers with heavy artillery! They seem to be keen on eliminating you at range, but unfortunately for them, catching up to their position won't be difficult for you. Best look sharp, though. Even if you're in a Gear, their weaponry could cause you serious problems =Dungeon Conditions: Tire, Fright=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The size of certain parties doesn't affect getting in past the perimeter. No one's just around the bend or even at the far distance, as Layna will be able to spy. This is because he patrol is more than just delayed -- as Ida's drone will relate, they are a good fifteen or so minutes back, assuming normal conditions, which the present most certainly is not. The snow has begun to pick up, bringing with it the promise of cover and threat of hazard alike.
There is no obstacle in their path. No enemy -- Fiend or Solarian -- troubles their passage as they push on, towards the temple proper. There is no need for violence, a fact that may be a source of relief for several of those among them. Even the distractions and concealments mustered by some of them -- while hardly uncalled for -- may not be a necessity in this precise moment. For now, their luck holds.
But will it remain so?
ELSEWHERE, WITHIN THE MACALANIA OUTPOST
He hears the news from someone in the mess tent. "There's what?"
"Something's up near the perimeter. Patrols haven't seen a thing, but the scouts are swearing they've seen something moving."
Loren slowly takes a sip from his coffee mug and frowns. "It's probably Bombs again. That was a mess last time." He'd spent hours patching up the patrol that had run afoul of the Fiends. He grimaces. "Don't tell me. Major Piett's standing down again," he sighs. Just like last time.
"Actually," says the other, "he's given the order for an artillery strike..."
JUST IN PAST THE PERIMETER
And indeed, they certainly have. Maybe it was a glinting light or somesuch through the now steadily falling snow. Maybe it was the apparent sign of movement, in past the perimeter. Maybe it was some errant sount. Maybe it was both of these things and the not-so-distant memory of Bomb-related atrocities. Whatever the reason, the gunners have opened fire with extreme prejudice on everyone's location.
They might be a little bit surprised themselves when their targets make themselves plain. Particularly if they should catch up to the gunners' nest of the moment.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily doesn't have to kill anybody on the initial trek into the security zone,a nd that's probably for the best, considering that some people might not like that necessity very much. Lily is neutral on the matter; she has a vendetta herself, though... and continues to keep an eye on Ida as best she can with the Gear. "We're going to need your backup," she says.
A long journey through ice...
Lily doesn't ride with Leviathan. She keeps afoot, sprinting through the snowdrifts, until--
"Thanks," she says to Tidus for his expalnation. "Come on, Yue."
She brings her along. And then the explosions start, and the gunfire.
Lily dives for cover and then throws up her hand to conjure a glowing golden barrier to take some of the shots, gleaming yellow and unwholesome with impure flames.
"Ida, Pearl! If you can cover us, we can take out the installation!"
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
They have allies with power at this point -- a pointed summoning of an Aeon, Leviathan... and Ida's Gear at that. Not that those that haven't brought something bigger than them are less powerful; Tidus might have the best knowledge of the area of them all, Lan, unbeknownst to Yue, has unique knowledge of Solaris she doesn't, Layna's no doubt ready for anything, and Lily is... Lily.
"... it's true," she answers Tidus. She listens to the path forward, then looks to Lan as she mumbles something. She leaps onto one of Ida's reconnaisance drones as a foot-step, then lands on a higher platform.
And then -- gunfire.
Lily calls for her, and throws up a glowing golden barrier; she watches the shots ping off, and then impure flames wash the soldiers' way...
...
...
...
All she can think of is...
"... how lucky they are," Yue murmurs to hreself, before darting past the barrier -- then, in another instant, she is a falling star, descending on one of the heavy artillery -- they're going to be less mobile and more dangerous for their Gear-sized companions. Best take out the threat first.
DG: Yue Rohay has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Leviathan, aye?" Layna considers, as Pearl makes the offer. A serpent of the sea... "Aye, I think I'll take you up on that."
She grabs onto the Aeon, holding on tight as they proceed. Indeed, things are quiet as they continue. But then... something explodes near them. Layna grits her teeth as she holds on tight to Leviathan.
"Artillery fire! Did they spot us?" Layna calls out. "...Guess it don't matter much at this point, they'll blow us up either way."
Which means there's no reason not to fight back.
"Sorry about this." Layna apologizes to Leviathan. She uses their back as a springboard, propelling herself high into the air with the aid of a burst of wind. With another incantation she takes control of the wind currents themselves, the wind catching two of the artillery shells in mid-air... and then, with a gesture a mighty gust sends them hurtling back toward the installation responsible for firing them in the first place.
And then, Layna falls, using the wind currents to maneuver herself back onto Leviathan.
"You okay up there?" She calls up to Pearl.
DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
Tidus offers Lily a crooked smile. It's weird, but not in a bad way, to be the one explaining things. "Hey, no problem," he tells her. "We're all in this together."
Meanwhile, Leviathan might be spiky, but Tidus is used to Aeons; when Pearl offers everyone a ride on them, he nods and grabs hold of a fin. Forward they all go--but not for long. Nearly the instant the group's inside the perimeter, there's suddenly ALL THE BULLETS, EVERYWHERE. With a surprised shout, Tidus lets go of the Aeon and rolls into the snow. It's a soft landing, at least, and gives him some cover while he *re*covers.
"Who cares! They're still shooting at us!" he calls back at Layna as he pulls his sword. He doesn't know what Yue means by 'lucky' and he's not in a position to ask; instead, he casts a Hastega on himself and his companions to make everyone better able to kick ass before they get gunned down. After that, it's Ether time for Lily so she can keep on spamming her spells at high speed.
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Baskar Hi-Ether toward his party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
A real Aeon... Lan has only seen them in glimpses. But she remembers Pearl from before, with Seraphita. And this might be the only chance she ever gets to touch one!
Lan doesn't yell 'wheee!' or anything while she rides along.
Not out loud, anyway.
Her jubilation is short-lived once bullets are whizzing around them. "Aw, seriously?!" They were so sneaky, too! ...Maybe a Gear and a giant magic creature were too much... or maybe they just hit some bad luck. Lan raises a hand to the sky, as if she were going to reach out and take hold of the clouds beyond the tree and throws something. No, it's just a throwing motion from an empty hand. How's that supposed to help??
The small meteor that comes screaming out of the sky answers that question.
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
This is not the first time Ida's taken her Gear into a snowy environment. It's been thoroughly winterized, and she is as safe and snug as she could be while strapped into her cockpit. Her biggest worry is not outpacing the others; she can keep them all on visual just fine, and as long as she knows where they are, she doesn't have to worry about stepping on them as much.
The recon drone gets a passenger, briefly. It provides a stable--if perhaps dangerously buzzy--platform. On its way back, it spots something, and Ida's screen lights up.
"Enemy movement," she says, her speakers broadcasting at a much lower volume. "Take cover--"
Gunfire shreds through the woods. The Dragoon digs in its heels and crouches down; bullets glance off its legs and torso as Ida lines up the gunners in her sights. Shit, she thinks, as she realizes just how limited her options are. The Three-Dragon Cannon would clean the emplacement out, but it would also let Solaris know everyone they're here, and maybe endanger the ground crew. No, this needs a more defensive approach. She's here to protect. Ida reaches for the transparent polymer panel on her dash, flips it up, and presses the button beneath.
A shudder runs through the Dragoon's frame. Its whole gait changes as it steps nimbly around the much smaller figures and the serpentine form of Leviathan. It takes a knee, plants both palms on the ground. The air around it starts to shimmer as a shield ignites around it, all arcs of light and ozone.
"Shield up," Ida says, a reverb in her voice. "Get inside and--"
Lan drops a meteor. The Dragoon's body language definitely looks nonplussed.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Dragon-Spine Uplink toward her party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
It turns out the Lord of All Waters won't deny a ride to a woman of the sea. Pirates get complicated, but it's not a problem right now. The shaman and the blitzballer are equally welcome guests as they surge forward. It's not... comfortable- the Leviathan is as rough and choppy as thje seas they call their dominion. And then gunfire commences and Leviathan coils to protect their summoner and riders, and allow them to dismount.
"We can do that. Leviathan!" The serpent roars, and spears of water are pulled from the ice in the air, arraying around the serpent as Dragoon comes in to provide Leviathan defense. "...My thanks."
As the spears fire, Pearl can't help but wonder if Ida would offer her this barrier if she knew who she was. Those demons won't let go. Right now, she just has to keep the artillery busy.
DG: Pearl has used her Tool Water Gem toward her party's challenge, They Have the High Ground.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - They Have the High Ground *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Suddenly, you're caught off-guard by an artillery strike on your location! It isn't hard to locate the culprits, whether or not you're on foot. It's a troupe of on-foot Solaris soldiers with heavy artillery! They seem to be keen on eliminating you at range, but unfortunately for them, catching up to their position won't be difficult for you. Best look sharp, though. Even if you're in a Gear, their weaponry could cause you serious problems =Dungeon Conditions: Tire, Fright=============================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 2 *>================ ====================< Results - They Have the High Ground >===================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Dragon-Spine Uplink 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Layna Manydays 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yue Rohay 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Baskar Hi-Ether 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl 0 --(5)--> 5 Pass Water Gem 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 0 --(17)--> 17 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Lily Keil 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Fright(2)|Hesitate(1)|Reckless(1)|Tire(2) Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Lily Keil has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Loot and Pillage *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- It's your lucky day. You've come across one of the smaller bunkers Solaris has established here and most notably /nobody's home/. Evidence suggests they're not here because of a disturbance nearby (maybe... it was you) but it seems likely they'll be back soon enough. So. Aside from the obvious -- help yourself to their fuel and basic essentials, for example -- now's your chance to cause them a bit of a setback. The kind of setback from, say, breaking their supply cache or messing up the fortifications some. But again. You'll want to break their things and move on before too much longer, lest you get caught in the act. =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
There is, in a word, absolute chaos.
The first warning any of the gunners get is a horrible golden glow. It doesn't come for them -- instead it, and the shield Ida's Gear throws down -- are their signs that they're dealing with more than just the regular ornery Fiend. "-They've got-- Gears!!-"
A gust of wind intervenes at that moment, sending a shell sailing back towards their fortification. Forget chaos, it's now absolute pandemonium.
There from the heavens descends two glimmering lights, one of which goes wide and 'merely' takes out the communications antennae.
Yue on the other hand ruins someone's day. And probably goes on to ruin several more, glimmering with the light of Tidus' spell.
Gears, technically, the team had been equipped for. But not so much sea dragons. The remaining soldiers have enough time to scream.
Yue has enough time to escape to higher ground than this.
There is a mighty barrage of watery spears. Then after that, silence.
BACK IN MACALANIA OUTPOST
"What do you mean, 'their communication cut out'?!"
Major Piett can be heard across the 'courtyard' of the encampment. "I want backup out there, immediately!"
Loren, for his part, tries to quickly and quietly make his way towards the medical unit, hoping to remain unnoticed until he can disappear into the back. If they want backup, they're probably going to want someone from medical on it, and the last thing he wants is to get volunteered just to patch up the idiots who decided to mess around with Bombs again. ...Never mind that he was for a pro-active approach moments before everything went south!
ELSEWHERE IN LAKE MACALANIA
...Victory is, as it happens, total, leaving only the (battered and somewhat broken) bunker the unit had been using behind. It's small, as these things go, but still filled with a sizable cache of unscathed supplies and even fuel -- one would guess that this might have been a station used by some of the Solarian Gears while on patrol to 'top up'. Most of the supplies are fairly standard -- measures for wounds and injuries, food, spare ammunition, cold weather gear...
...but also a small red-colored stone, the sort that the sensitive will realize is used for focusing Ether. It's particularly fire-attuned. A few items among the cold weather and protective gear are also a little funny. It looks like it has ear holes in the hats and helmets.
No one is about to stop anyone from confiscating anything they might like. And what's more, if this is being used to support Solaris' efforts out here, then isn't messing up the place a bit (more) probably a good idea? It at least might frustrate or even slow them down here, and considering what they're likely up to, that might be a good thing.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily looks to Lan with some approval at her meteor. She likes meteors. If she hears or feels what Yue is saying though, she doesn't say. Instead she focuses on getting her barrier forward long enough for Ida's barrier to take over, and then diving into the bunker. Soon, total victory is achieved, and Lily goes over the supplies, quickly cataloguing what they've acquired. She takes a little ammunition immediately for her ARM, but then she notices... the stone.
The Fire Ether stone.
"...This..." She considers, tilting her head, and says, "...This could be really useful. It's a stone that channels fire magic."
Lily picks it up. "Unless anybody else here uses Fire Ether," she says, "Might want to let me handle it. Grab anything you want, then let's get out of here."
She smiles, and pulls out another small stone, one in each hand. The other is a strange gem that faintly pulses with power. Her eyes shimmer, and turn black, prismatic iris and pupil beginning to shine out of the dark.
"...They won't be using this bunker anymore."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Power Crystal toward her party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
The Hastega spell fizzles, for a moment -- Tidus can spot something incredibly magic-nullifying as his spell washes against Yue's shackles -- but then a rather brief and adroit trick, and it takes and gains hold over her, empowering her movements. "Thank you," she answers, redoubling her efforts to take down the soldiers--
Yet, as she weaves through Layna's gust... ah-- wait-- meteor.
Yue looks up towards the sky and briefly entertains the notion--
No, not like that.
She hurries, as leviathan's spears of water go in the opposite direction, behind the Dragoon's barrier.
...
The bunker is what remains. Inside... there's a Fire Ether stone. Lily asks if anyone else uses Fire Ether, and, well... technically, but... not under these shackles, Yue thinks to herself. Not that she really needs to exert herself. Lily's got it.
"... there's Gear fuel here if you're running low, Ida," Yue points out. Otherwise, it doesn't look like she's particularly interested in their spoils.
DG: Yue Rohay has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
The installation goes quiet and Layna dismounts, but not before sending Leviathan and grateful and respectful nod. She follows the others into the bunker as they move to investigate it. She is a pirate, after all - pillage is all part of the job.
She looks everything over, nodding to herself.
"Looks like they've left us quite a haul! Good. We can use this." Layna says, a grin crossing her face. She glances, briefly, toward Lily as she picks up a stone and then shrugs. "No Ether here. All yours, lass."
With that said, she starts shoveling useful things into her coat. ...She can fit a lot of stuff in there, apparently. With that said, she looks between Lily and Yue.
"Aye. Let's take what we want and destroy the rest. No use leavin' anything for them, aye?" She says. Once she's taken all she cares to take, she'll reach into her coat and draw out her drill, setting it to whirring. She can break what needs broken.
DG: Layna Manydays has used her Tool Arm-Mounted Drill toward her party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
...Whoops. In her desire to not 'absolutely smash everybody to smithereens', her meteor went a bit offcourse. At least nobody on her team was hurt by it!
She catches Lily's glance and smiles a bit sheepishly.
There's nothing really useful for her in the bunker, aside from the food. Lan picks through it a bit, and loads some up into her bag before moving on to warmer, fuzzier spoils. ...Huh, when did she see a hat like this before...? And the Fire Ether stone, now.
"Seraphita?" She glances around as if she expects the Fire Element to SPROING up from behind a crate or something.
There are other Beastfolk in Gebler, sure, but Seraphita is a known element. Er, Element. Lan pops open a can of something fizzy and gives it an experimental sip bfore hurrying her happy butt out of the doomed, doomed, super-doomed bunker.
"Uh, it might be kind of really obvious but there's a good chance the Fire Element is around her somewhere," she remarks, because she's going to feel really silly later if it becomes relevant and she didn't say anything.
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The Dragoon stays where it is until the artillery goes silent, its shield glimmering around it. Only once the Solarians are dead, unconscious, or scattered does it stand upright, the shield winking out of existence. Ida's signal crackles--there's an oddly fleshy shlck somewhere amidst the noise--and then the Gear's stance returns to 'normal'. There's a faint grogginess in Ida's voice, despite the grimly satisfied tone: "Ready to sack and plunder, Cap'n Manydays."
A minute later, Ida emerges from the Dragoon's rear hatch, deploys the rope ladder, and heads directly to the fuel tank. She's wearing a helmet and flightsuit--something from the Metal Demon Wars, form-hugging but well-armored and thick enough to protect against the cold. "...What makes you say that?" Ida says, turning to Lan as she initiates the fueling sequence. "Aside from this being their foothold on Lunar." As the bunker is stripped of its gear, Ida fills her boots: some spare cold-weather gear, and emergency medical supplies. (She has a feeling Lily would like the rations better, since she's known her long enough to get a feel for her preferences.)
Once everything's stripped, and everyone is clear, the Dragoon steps forwards and reaches for its charge fabrication device. A solid 'ch-thunk' splits the air, and a moment later, it's holding a block of synthesized explosive. Ida sets it atop the bunker, molding it into place, and then steps back.
Once she, too, is clear, she pulls the trigger. The resulting column of flame is big enough to take out not only the bunker, but what's left of the refueling depot as well.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Structural Demolition Charge toward her party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
The battle soon comes to an end. Tidus wipes his brow in relief, then sheathes his sword. "*That* sure startled me. I thought for sure we had enough cover with all this snow and wind," he comments to the others. "We'd better find some cover and move forward from there before they start shooting again."
Fortunately: cover is right there, in the bunker the Solarians had just been using to shoot *from*! He grins at Layna and gives her a thumbs up, but as they start heading in, he gives Lan a puzzled look. "The Fire Element? In all this ice and snow?" he asks, because he doesn't realize that 'the Fire Element' is a person and not, literally, the element of fire. "I guess Lily *was* slinging it around a bunch earlier, but... is that a problem?"
Either way, Tidus will go ahead and help with looting the bunker. Afterwards, he'll help with setting up explosives, because honestly, if there are actual bombs around, it's better that he helps with setting *those* up than trying to knock down walls by hand and potentially getting blown up in the process.
DG: Tidus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
That is a lot of power being brought to bear, from all of them, not just Leviathan. The artillery crew are annihilated, and they surge for the bunker. Which means a moment of respite. As the group halts, Pearl jumps off Leviathan's head, landing on the ground easily and walking into the warehouse with the rest. "...Leviathan could easily topple the building, and the fuel burns quite well. We could make a very extensive distraction, very effectively. It will burn in the snow, depending on how we used it we could damage the base significantly..."
She trails off. That's not how a good person thinks, right? A good person doesn't think 'and the amount of fire could tie up their medical resources if it was detonated right near the barracks or mess hall. Right?
She walks through, but it's the headgear that catches her eye. Two ear holes, that width... And the outfit. Pearl pauses, but Lan says it before she does. "...Yes. She's almost certainly here if her equipment is. I do not see this organisation keeping specialist equipment in all bases." Still, Pearl hears Ida questions and she nods,picking up the headwear, flipping it so light goes through the earholes. "This is Seraphitas." She pauses.
"...It's for, um, her ears." Pearl appears to be blushing, ever so slightly without realising it. "I think they are wide enough so they can get over without her having to unbend them." A slightly further blush. "There are multiple of them, and combined with the rough size of this cold gear, it would have to be hers." A further, bigger blush, as Pearl doesn't consciously realize what she's saying.
"I am merely saying we should be prepared." Of course... Pearl is not super enthused about fighting someone who had chosen to become her friend. Someone Leo Jr had found to be a decent person. And she... wasn't wrong about what awaited in Zanarkand...
"...We should get moving." Pearl says, moving to place the gear back, only to- through quick movements of her cloak, stash one set of the custom made gear into her pouch. If she's exhausted after battle... she might just need it.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
When they finally leave, Pearl leaps back atop Leviathan in one leap. Once she does, the Aeon sends walls of water smashing into the walls of the bunker, weakening them for a clean collapse once Ida triggers the bomb. She has pulled up the hood of her cloak as the attacks happen.
Even if it makes it a little warm.
DG: Pearl has used her Tool Battering Waves toward her party's challenge, Loot and Pillage.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Loot and Pillage *>======================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- It's your lucky day. You've come across one of the smaller bunkers Solaris has established here and most notably /nobody's home/. Evidence suggests they're not here because of a disturbance nearby (maybe... it was you) but it seems likely they'll be back soon enough. So. Aside from the obvious -- help yourself to their fuel and basic essentials, for example -- now's your chance to cause them a bit of a setback. The kind of setback from, say, breaking their supply cache or messing up the fortifications some. But again. You'll want to break their things and move on before too much longer, lest you get caught in the act. =Dungeon Conditions: Save Point===============================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 3 *>================ =========================< Results - Loot and Pillage >========================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Structural Demolition Charge 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Power Crystal 2 Brute Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Layna Manydays 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Arm-Mounted Drill 3 Brute Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yue Rohay 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Battering Waves 2 Brute Effects: Strengthen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 17 --(0)--> 17 Pass Force 0 Brute Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Lily Keil 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Fright(1)|Save Point(1) Effects: Strengthen(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Lily Keil has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lily Keil 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> Loren Voss has posed.
People take what they can and lay waste to what they can't, as a general rule. A few of them abstain -- for their own reasons -- from blatant acts of destruction, but it's alright.
Layna, Lily, Tidus and Ida, through their respective efforts, destabilize, arrange explosives, magically eradicate, and explode the bunker.
And it does explode, once everyone is out. It's the sort of explosion best not looked at directly. It might even be the sort of explosion to walk away from in slow motion.
And then, there is silence. As well as fat flakes drifting down from the sky, in vast quantity. A goodly number of these, in fact. It's snowing heavily now.
BACK AT THE MACALANIA OUTPOST
"All systems are green," Loren says, inwardly sighing as he finishes running system diagnostics. He settles back into the seat within Schiehallion's cockpit and waits for the response to go ahead. So much for his earlier plans. Now he's going to have to get involved with this... business.
The response doesn't actually come. "...Er. Lieutenant?" he voices to the sad sack who got stuck on this particular duty today.
"Negatory," comes the voice over the line. "Total whiteout conditions out there -- appeared out of nowhere. System's been predicting a heavy snow today, but not this early. Unless it clears up soon..."
It's too dangerous. Especially with a Gear that handles the way his does. Loren takes in and releases a slow breath. "Right," he says, leaning back in his seat to stare up at the ceiling. Figures this happens somewhere he can't even get good reception. Wait, what is going on with that instrument reading?
He leans forward in his seat. It's as if there's been a very localized earthquake... or a considerable explosion.
BACK OUT IN THE COLD
It's bad out there. The good news -- not that anyone in this particular group is likely to know this (though they certainly can guess it!) is that the recon squad being assembled has been put on standby. No one's looking for them out in this mess -- no one can see anything out in this mess. With the bunker officially 'blown the hell up' and no other obvious means of shelter, perhaps it's best to make the most of a rough go and soldier on through the white darkness.
Ideally, without falling down a crevasse or into a lake, or anything else environmentally unpleasant.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"The Fire Element is a person," Lily explains to Tidus. "A very powerful operative for Solaris, who specializes in fire." Hence the name. Seraphita, Lan names her, but Lily doesn't really have to. "The other kind of fire is fine... but if we run into her, we might have some issues." To put it mildly. Lily is not eager to fight an Element. As they get moving, though...
Out in the cold, Lily has to redouble her Etheric protections against the chill, faitly aglow with Fire power to keep herself warm and keep the chill away from her. But it's getting snowy, total whiteout...
"Let's keep going," Lily suggests, loudly. "But carefully!"
She rolls the Fire etherstone in her hand a little more, and also pulls her knife this time, making large gouges in the crystalline trees as necessary to help chart their path.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Lily's Knife toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"That's the spirit!" Layna says with a grin and a raucous laugh at Ida's response. And so, they get to work, though in the midst of it Layna pauses and listens as Lan and Pearl explain the likelihood of the presence of the Fire Element. Layna's gaze lingers just a bit longer on Pearl, but she says nothing.
"Aye, that tracks. I've encountered one of the Elements on a previous visit here. Stands to reason the others might stop by here too." Layna considers. "We'll need to stay on our toes."
They've taken everything they can, and every else... explodes!!
"Not bad." Layna says with an appreciative whistle. "We should probably get movin', though - they probably noticed us after that."
Unfortunately, as they proceed, they have bigger problem - the snowstorm intensifies to a complete whiteout. Layna grimaces and reaches for her telescope, extending it. But...
"...Still can't see too far with the weather like this." She laments. "But I'll still be keepin' an eye out. Might be able to track /somethin'."
It's better than nothing!
DG: Layna Manydays has used her Tool Captain's Telescope toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.
Yue doesn't know who the Fire Element is, or who Seraphita is, but... it sounds like they might be a person of particular import. The resulting blast is strong enough to take out the bunker, so that's a job well done indeed...
...
Fire...
Just like on that day. His fire. The fire that seared the flesh off her hands.
They enter the cold as they trudge through towards the Temple. Yue quietly moves along, but pauses as the conditions get bad enough...
... here?
No... still not good enough.
Not Mount Zulan. Not Macalania. Honestly, she realises it at this point that no blizzard was cold and biting enough to do her in. No.
There's only one queen whose blizzard rages fierce enough. Only one queen whose blizzard bites so cold that it freezes any semblance of a smile...
Only one queen whose blizzard she'd like to succumb in.
"... sorry, something... came up," Yue speaks up, just before they disappear into the snowstorm. "... go on without me."
There's no trace of her to be found anywhere, after the fact; but the lack of a body is certainly positive, isn't it?
It was always so clear... and it took a blinding snowstorm to open her eyes.
DG: Yue Rohay has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Oh," Ida says, her eyes widening a little as Pearl points out the cut of the hat. She's not only seen Seraphita in battle, she's worked with her--albeit unwittingly. She's seen the kind of power the Elements can bring to bear. "I think you're right, Pearl. Let's get a move on, shall we?"
As the group moves on, Ida keeps one eye on the radar, but the only thing she sees is a snowstorm, moving in fast. "Well," she says, "on the bright side, they might not send out another patrol in this mess. On the downside, everything else. Stay close to me and Leviathan." The Dragoon's spotlights flick on, piercing through the clouds of white. The Gear moves slowly and carefully, keeping an eye on the cluster of small, warm dots around it--and then one of them breaks from the rest. "Yue, what are you--"
And then she's gone. One moment, the heat signature is there, and the next, it's not. Ida bites the inside of her cheek as dark thoughts well up in her mind. "Deploying drones," she says, and there's something tense and pained in her voice, like the mask's splitting open again. Like the stress is boiling out again. As the little machines rise into the snow, casting their radar net wide, Ida continues to speak. "Keep--keep talking, all right, everyone? If it's not too much to ask?"
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Reconaissance Drone toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
The lake, at least, is frozen solid up top. The only way they're falling in there is if the upper crust gets blown up--which, to be fair, could happen.
Lily explains to Tidus who the Fire Element is. "Oh! Huh," he replies. "Why d'they call them 'Elements'? That's just confusing." He is assuming that there's more than one Element here, but in fairness, it's a pretty solid guess most of the time.
The bunker is blown up. That's good, except for the part where the blizzard has picked up to the point that Tidus can barely hear or see anyone around him. "No kidding!" he shouts Layna's way. He doesn't quite hear Yue, and when she vanishes, he assumes he just can't see her. That'll be a weird surprise later. Either way, he pulls out his father's sphere again and uses its light to show the way.
"What?" he calls back to Ida, as best he can over the howling winds.
At least Leviathan's an easy landmark, so to speak.
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Jecht Sphere toward his party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
"It's the hats," Lan explains. "Seraphita lent me one once, when I was climbing Mount Gagazet. It had ear holes like these ones do. Er, did," she frowns slightly, because hats are usually not known for their anti-explosion properties. Pearl explains it much better, although maybe she's feeling ashamed about their battle against the hyperkinetic rabbity soldier. Why is she blushing? "Are you okay?" she asks the summoner, who's pulling her hood up.
Maybe the explosion knocked some snow out of the very sky itself though... because Macalania, already frozen, is soon beset by a howling blizzard. The icy wind is almost enough to nip through her thick clothes and the ice magic protecting her. "Ugh... Try not to get seperated!" Although, isn't that asier said than done?! She digs out that folded paper again as they make their way along, squinting at the white within the white all around her.
"Huh-- wait, where are you--?" The woman with the shackles - her name is Yuy or Yue or something, isn't it?? - just vanished with barely a word. She seemed to do it on purpose, but--!!
Lan tucks her lips between her teeth briefly before taking a deep breath. "The sky, the distant sky. A murmured voice, your dream..."
Yeah, she's singing in a snowstorm.
DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Blizzard Conditions.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
Pearl is very good at noticing when someone's eyes are on her, and she has hardly forgotten Layna- she tried to kill her too once, after all. Fortunately, Lan is there to distract. "I have not received any injury, and I do not have any illness. I should be fine." Then why are you putting your hood up, Pearl? She looks to Tidus and... shakes her head. "...I am sorry. I do not know. We may find an answer here."
Explosions go as predicted. Snowstorms do not. It's cold, and moving quickly is not an aid now. Still, it means they have to be careful, and Pearl... can't really navigate in this, relying on Leviathan, crushing another Mana Sphere and letting it land and dissolve into Leviathan's scales. "I hope you can see easier than eye."
Pearl pauses. Her voice is quiet at the best of times. "I will try!" She responds, even though it is caught in the wind. Leviathan responds with a low rumble. They are much more audible.
DG: Pearl has used her Tool Mana Sphere 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Reconaissance Drone 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Lily's Knife 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Layna Manydays 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Captain's Telescope 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yue Rohay 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Jecht Sphere 2 Wits Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl 5 --(0)--> 5 Pass Mana Sphere 3 Wits Effects: Fanfare -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 17 --(0)--> 17 Pass Paku-Paku 2 Wits Effects: Enlighten -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Lily Keil 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Madness Effects: Enlighten(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Lily Keil has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Earth Element Dominia *>===================== |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. "Hmph. I knew one of you would try to sneak in here. But you'll go no further!" Suddenly, you hear a voice behind you! Upon turning, the source in question reveals herself to be none other than the current Earth Element, Dominia, 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 humanoid-shaped sword-wielding Gear, Bladegash, is at your discretion.) Image: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/xenosaga/images/7/7e/Dominia.png =Dungeon Conditions: Maim, Injure=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Bit by bit, they all make their ways forward, as safely as they all can. It's bitterly cold. They can barely see a thing. But miracles, sometimes, have a way of happening.
In time, as they make their way forward through the blinding white, they will find that the snowstorm is starting to lift.
But they're not quite where they were before. With all these bunkers, trailers, and tents, that clear and present hangar, this can only be...
With the temple in the near distace, no, this really can only be...
This must be their main encampment!
WITHIN THE GEAR HANGAR ON SITE
"So, Captain." It's not specialist who is coming in over the comm system -- rather, it's one of Loren's people in medical, one of those few assigned to the site along with him. Ackers, right, that was his name. "There's been a development up here I figured you should know about," and already at that choice of words, Loren can feel his heart sink, "and I've got some good news and some bad news."
"The good news is, the storm's started clearing up. I bet you'll be able to launch soon."
Loren steels himself for the shoe that he knows is about to drop.
"The bad news, well... it looks like we've got some Gears on our doorstep. Some people, too-- oh, crap,"
Acker's communication line suddenly drops and Loren just... leans forwards and buries his face in his hands. Why does this sort of thing keep happening?
"Voss to hanger, we've got a situation. Requesting launch permissions." And why is he always finding out about them second-hand!?
OUTSIDE
There is no small army of soldiers standing there waiting to meet them all as the storm begins to clear. Rather instead, they find themselves facing down a lone woman. She s dressed for the weather, but with her hair and face bared to the elements. Her hair is white, her ears pointed: at a glance, she does not resemble the typical Solarian. Nearby a man in heavy cold-weather attire scrambles for a fallen communicator before, with one look up at the Gears, scrambles for one of the nearby bunkers.
"...I thought I had heard something," the woman proclaims, and her voice may be familiar to some of them here. "So you were trying to sneak in. But this," and out of thin air, she produces a blade, glittering in spite of the limited light, "is as far as you get!"
Rock propels her forward as she lunges for the group, blade flashing through the air. Even against Gears -- or even a sea serpent -- Dominia the Earth Element does not hesitate.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily can feel Ida's tension, identify it as hers ith a little effort, and looks up towards the Gear again as they walk. "...Sure," she says. "I can keep talking."
She doesn't have a lot to say, but little things she can reply to to keep it going; if it comes down to it, she'll discuss the rations she picked up in the bunker. But before that...
"Because they're the top users of that Element in Solarian military--they're the final word on Fire, Earth, what have you."
She doesn't comment on blushing because she's kind of oblivious to that sort of thing, frankly. But Yue... Yue leaves, and Lily is quiet as she does, considering that set of feelings that is now gone.
"...She'll be fine," Lily says, and whther it's true or not, it's at least likely. Fine enough, anyway.
But soon, they face off against something worse than a small army. A small army would be relatively easily handled for this group, with Gear and Aeon support and more. But Dominia...
"I don't think so!"
Lily rushes forward, conjuring a two-handed blade of darkness and crashing towards Dominia, eyes still black with power. She might be able to tangle her up for someone else to get in a shot.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Earth Element Dominia.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida makes polite conversation as the group treks onwards. Her drones' radar provides a topographical map of the area, allowing her to see despite the blinding snow--information she shares with the others as needed. She talks to Lily like the other woman is a lifeline. There will be time enough to dig into this when the mission is over.
As the group approaches the structure, something catches in Ida's throat. "Where is everyone?" she breathes, as she glances around the monitors. There's only one signature there, and as she speaks, Ida connects the name to the face. Dominia. The Element. The woman she fought atop Shevat--the woman so devoted to the mission that Seraphita had to order her to retreat. She thinks back to what Lily just said.
"Stand down," Ida says, anyway. "Or--"
Dominia's blade cleaves through the Dragoon's calf, sending splinters of armor sailing into the air. It didn't get through to the endos, but Ida cries out in surprise anyway. Her mind flashes back to the last time they fought. She remembers the way Dominia reacted when she activated the Spine--the unease in the Element's words. The possibility of throwing such a powerful foe off their game--the thought of scaring them, rather than being scared--is too much for her to pass up.
Ida hits the button again. Her backrest peels open, revealing the life-support with the glistening Hyadean tissue inside. It surges forward, weaving cell-thin tendrils through the weakening seals in Ida's flightsuit, and sealing them with itself. For a moment, disorientation grips her as sensor data from the Gear fights with what her own senses are telling her.
"Stand down," Ida says, and her voice booms from the Dragoon's speakers. "And stand trial for attempted murder of everyone on Shevat." In a heartbeat, the Dragoon's spear is in its hand. Ida brings the weapon down in front of Dominia--or tries to. She's suddenly keenly aware of how small everyone else is, how wrong that feels, how easily she could kill them if she misses.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Dragon-Spine Uplink toward her party's challenge, Earth Element Dominia.
<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.
The snow eventually lightens enough for them to discern where they are. "...This doesn't look like the temple," Lan says in the understatement of the day. It looks like a hangar or something.
They walked right into it. The shaman curses under her breath and turns around-- if they leave right now maybe they can avoid another confrontation--
"Wrong Element," she frowns at Dominia. Unlike Seraphita, Lan has never met her... but like Seraphita, there was plenty of information (and gossip) floating around Assyria Base about the Earth Element.
Somehow Lan is pretty sure she won't be able to make friends with two of them. It's probably the sword.
And then Lan hears 'attempted murder of everyone in Shevat', and she no longer wants to. That's right. She had helped evacuate civilians while the people with Gears had defended them.
Dominia charges forward and so does Lan, the star in her heart burning hot and white--
"O you of infinite wishes! O you of endless hope! MATERIAL!" Another meteor splits the clouds above them... but this one has a face.
DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Earth Element Dominia.
<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
"Keep talking, aye...? In that case, should I start belting out some shanties? I've got a few that'll really heat things up." Layna says with a grin. ...Lan's already singing, though, and Layna doesn't want to sing over her. Layna can be polite sometimes! "Nevermind, sounds like she's already got us sorted."
Eventually, they manage to brave their way through the snowstorm... and with it lifting, they find obvious signs that they're approaching their destination.
But they don't find an army. Instead, they find a single person waiting for them. Layna knows well enough to know that's the most dangerous situation at all. She rolls her neck and takes a moment to assess the woman before them.
"That so, aye...? Well then..." Layna says, cracking her knuckles. "Show me what you've got!"
The moment Ida's weapon crashes down, Layna's ready. With the wind at her back she rushes toward Dominia, fists at the ready and a grin on her face. It might seem like she's focusing only on the enemy ahead of her, but she's mindful of the others - ready to move at a moment's notice if necessary.
DG: Layna Manydays has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Earth Element Dominia.
<Pose Tracker> Tidus has posed.
By the end of this trek, Tidus is *deeply* grateful to his past self for deciding to bundle up for this trip. He's already freezing, and he can't imagine how much colder he would be if he'd hiked out this way in his usual outfit. Give him warm, sunny beaches any day.
They do make it, though. The Temple is in sight, and there's bunkers, trailers, and so on all around them. The storm's letting up, too, prompting Tidus to tuck his sphere safely away. "The Temple's a little farther from here. It won't be long now," he tells Lan as he does. To Lily, he says, "Ohh, I getcha. I still think it's confusing, but it makes a weird kinda sense."
Speak of the devil, though. When he looks up, he sees a woman he doesn't know. He blinks, startled by her sudden appearance. "Hey, who're you?" he utters.
She answers in the simplest way possible: an enemy.
A blade for a blade. When the stranger (Dominia) charges with blade in hand, Tidus draws his own sword and slashes it up to meet her attack with lightning-quick reflexes. It's a good thing he has them; when her blade impacts Tidus's, he's sent flying with immense force. He lands hard and heavy in the snow, and scrambles up to his feet in astonishment. He can still feel that strike ringing in his limbs. A truck might've hit him softer than she just had. "How strong *is* this lady?!" he utters.
Not that it matters. They've just got to beat her. Especially when he hears Ida's accusation. So this lady'd been involved with that... Much as Tidus wants to charge right back into the fray, he's learned to fight a *little* smarter in traveling with the companions he has. Since he's had a distance now anyway, he conjures up magical energy, then releases it in the form of a massive globe of water that crashes down towards Dominia: a Waterga spell. With the Hi-Ether he shared earlier, there'll be plenty of MP for it.
*Then* he'll charge back into the fray. Hopefully getting soaked to the bone will slow this stranger down plenty with these frigid, subzero temperatures.
DG: Tidus has used his Tool Baskar Hi-Ether toward his party's challenge, Earth Element Dominia.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
"No. The temple is below." Where once a mighty temple of Yevon stood, now a hole in the ground and an encampment. Instead, there is a woman with a blade and killing intent that Pearl could feel a mile away. A sword in broad daylight will kill just as well as a blade in the dark, it is only their intent that changes. But the sword in daylight is louder about it.
A sword would meet another sword head on. A knife would sacrifice the second sword to finish the first. Against such a fierce threat, can she afford to be a sword and not a knife?
The sword slices through Leviathan's scales and pyreflies burst through the air, having misjudged the initial attack and Pearl chastises herself. Right at this second, she is not a blade of any kind. She is with the sea itself. And the sea is both kind and treacherous at once. She pulls a water gem from her pack and throws it into the air, the water washing over Leviathan and healing their wounds, before it washes out toothers on the field to those who let the waves cleanse them. Leviathan coils up, and roars the sea as the water continues to gather, before surging forward- awfully low, even as Tidus' globe of water comes crashing down. An underwhelming wave, to be sure.
But the sea is treacherous.
The waters under Dominia suddenly surge up to meet with Tidus' spell and Leviathan suddenly uncoils and it starts twisting and spinning as it tries to form a whirlpool to entrap Dominia, and crash her upon her own rocks as well as any storm would shatter a ship.
DG: Pearl has used her Tool Water Gem toward her party's challenge, Earth Element Dominia.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Earth Element Dominia *>===================== |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. "Hmph. I knew one of you would try to sneak in here. But you'll go no further!" Suddenly, you hear a voice behind you! Upon turning, the source in question reveals herself to be none other than the current Earth Element, Dominia, 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 humanoid-shaped sword-wielding Gear, Bladegash, is at your discretion.) Image: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/xenosaga/images/7/7e/Dominia.png =Dungeon Conditions: Maim, Injure=============================================
================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control - Round 5 *>================ ======================< Results - Earth Element Dominia >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(101)--> 106 Fail Dragon-Spine Uplink 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 5 --(101)--> 106 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Layna Manydays 5 --(101)--> 106 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lan Lilac 17 --(101)--> 118 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pearl 5 --(101)--> 106 Fail Water Gem 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tidus 5 --(101)--> 106 Fail Baskar Hi-Ether 1 Combat Effects: Cleanse -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Lily Keil 80 --(15)--> 95 Fail Conditions: Injure(2)|Madness|Maim Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey is too exhausted to continue! DG: Lily Keil is too exhausted to continue! DG: Layna Manydays is too exhausted to continue! DG: Lan Lilac is too exhausted to continue! DG: Pearl is too exhausted to continue! DG: Tidus is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party led by Lily Keil has been fully Exhausted by Lake Macalania - Solaris Control! DG: The party will now draw a conclusion.
=====================<* Lake Macalania - Solaris Control *>===================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Solaris Sol Stash *>======================= |Type: Landmark |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- No good -- the Elements have a well-earned reputation, a fact that you know have learned first-hand. Still, you put up a good show, and as they say, they who fight and run away lives to fight another day. Your flight in particular takes you through a different part of the ruins surrounding the temple proper, granting you the brief opportunity to avail yourself with some of Solaris' supplies as a consolation prize as you make your retreat. On later investigation, you find it's a fresh set of Sols -- the medicines used throughout much of Filgaia. These could be handy in a pinch, someday. =Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"Granted. Launch proceeding in 10, 9..."
OUTSIDE
"You have not earned that right," she tells Tidus simply, before their blades meet and she quite simply knocks him down. Dominia is met almost immediately in the seconds after by that dark-black sword and barehanded blows as she enters into melee with Lily and Layna, a fight that is both not quite wholly magical yet not entirely built on the basis of swordplay alone. "So that's why he took an interest in you. You are good." Dominia tells Lily as they land, a short distance apart. "And you... that technique. Hmph. It was impressive."
She slams one booted heel towards the earth below. "But--" The earth below Lily and Layna shudders and shakes; Dominia is quickly for the both of them in rapid succession, driving for each in turn with all the force of a landslide.
There at last slams a spear into the ground just before her, preventing any coup de grace.
'Stand down', echoes from the speakers of the Gear that towers before Dominia.
"...You," murmurs the Element, her gaze turned upwards at Ida where she stands. "I do not know what you are, or how you've managed this. But no matter. After the last time--" She pulls from some pocket on her suit a yellowish faintly glowing stone and holds it a moment close to her chest.
It's twin to the one they had found before, out in that bunker.
And it has its own similar-enough in scale effect. Jagged spears leap upwards from the earth, amplified to match the scale of Gear -- such as Ida's -- measure for measure. The earth becomes in short order a prison around the Gear of jagged earthen spines.
Dominia has time enough to glance sidelong, to perhaps guess at what Lan might be planning with that incantation of hers and in a heartbeat, where she was
she simply isn't, seemingly crossed the gap as if slipping across space and time. "I know you," she tells Lan, as she slams the hilt of the blade into her gut. "...Your face, that is."
And just like that, she leaps into the air, blade raised as the watery spell descends towards her.
She cuts her way through the spell, still falling on her meteoric descent towards a terrain that would seem to well into its transition from snow to sea, from seeming calm to maelstrom. She does not shirk from the serpentine form of the Aeon as she descends, instead lashing out once as she closes on Leviathan.
Then lands, the rock beneath them rising up at her call to there catch her.
In this moment, the first white Solarian Gear touches down within the confines of the encampment. "Here to provide support, ma'am," Loren speaks, taking in the intruders where they stand amidst the falling snow. There are more than a few familiar faces here, including...
"Oh no," he utters aloud to the space of his cockpit alone. He hesitates perhaps a fraction of a moment more than permissable before, at his direction, Schiehallion draws its sidearms.
"You are outnumbered and overwhelmed," Dominia tells them all. "Lay down your weapons and surrender. If you do not, I will not hesitate."
Only a miracle could resolve this situation now.