2022-02-25: Volcanos, Erupt to No Good

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  • Log: Volcanos, Erupt to No Good
  • Cast: Avril Vent Fleur, Ethius Hesiod, Jacqueline Barber
  • Where: The Crater Sea
  • Date: February 25, 2022
  • Summary: It's a little bit of well-needed practice for Skadi. It's a little bit of expedition on behalf of the geologists of Guild Galad. It's an expedition into the living mountain, Mont Maléfique!

DG: A party led by Avril Vent Fleur is now entering Mont Maléfique.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Shake Shake Shake *>=======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The only way into Mont Maléfique and the ruins hidden inside is via an
 approach from the top. Even on a good day this would be a chancy maneuver,
 given the semi-active state of the volcano.

 Today? Today's not looking great: the mountain rumbles and rattles
 ominously, just enough to make your approach in that much more dicey as the
 ground beneath your machine pitches and rolls. Keeping your balance will
 take some effort.

 But you're Drifters -- you've had worse than a cantankerous mountain. It'll
 be fine. Probably.

 BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St4FSI_JzoU
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Exhaust========================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    The reason in the end is really just a simple one: things being as they are, Avril has not had the opportunity to make use of Skadi in some time, and the best way to keep a Gear 'in shape' is to utilize it. And if she's going to use it, she might as well put it to good use.

    And if she's going to put it to good use, she might as well check in locally to see what she can do with it. As it happens, the Guild Galad geologists could make good use of someone with a Gear equipped to withstand the heat of a volcano.

    Hint, hint.

    A little asking about in her circle had turned up some people who had also proclaimed interest in investigating Mont Malefique along with her. And thus, here she is now, touching down on the floor of the crater within the volcano, having just made her descent through a plume of smoke. The volcano is hardly dormant.

    ...As the rumble and roll of the earth underfoot would serve to remind them all.

    "Oh-- be careful!" Avril calls out, over local channels. Skadi shifts its weight, attempting to reposition itself as the rock below continues to move.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Shake Shake Shake.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    While it's not Ethius' first foray about the semi-active volcano, a part of him continues to gnaw that what he's looking for is ever closer and the volcano itself is something more than an academic curiosity despite insistence otherwise. (For one, he has never been identified as having gone to school... anywhere.)

     The Aiguille's capacity for gripping carefully to less-than-perfect terrain for sake of perching serves to prevent the initial rumbles from having the lightweight Gear unit capsize, as Ethius considers the route along the climb.

     "I will move ahead and confirm the seismic activity is not result of outside actors," Ethius communicates as he engages the heatless short-range dash jets to try and move quickly between reasonably stable ground in bursts.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Phantom Jets toward his party's challenge, Shake Shake Shake.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

There's plenty of interest that can be gleaned from Mont Maléfique and the ruins within. It's enough to make one curious - and when Jacqueline is curious about something, she must investigate it. Fortunately Avril is looking into it as well, which creates an excellent opportunity! And so, Jacqueline joins Avril and Ethius on the expedition today.

Of course, it is still a volcano - it's worthy of their respect and must be approached carefully if they intend to make it through.

Issachar stands at the edge of the mountain approach as Jacqueline takes a moment to observe the situation.

"It's still active, I see..." Jacqueline notes, as Avril warns them to be careful. Ethius, meanwhile, is concerned about outside actors. "...I suppose that's worth looking into. Let us know if you find anything."

With that said, it's time for Jacqueline to consider her own approach.

"Booster... on." Jacqueline says aloud. ...She doesn't actually need to say it, as Issachar is linked directly with her thoughts, but it sounds cool and serves as an alert for her allies. Issachar rises up, just a bit, and accelerates forward - gliding at high speed across the terrain with the aid of the active booster. If need be, she may be able to rescue anyone who finds themselves in trouble.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Booster toward her party's challenge, Shake Shake Shake.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Shake Shake Shake *>=======================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The only way into Mont Maléfique and the ruins hidden inside is via an
 approach from the top. Even on a good day this would be a chancy maneuver,
 given the semi-active state of the volcano.

 Today? Today's not looking great: the mountain rumbles and rattles
 ominously, just enough to make your approach in that much more dicey as the
 ground beneath your machine pitches and rolls. Keeping your balance will
 take some effort.

 But you're Drifters -- you've had worse than a cantankerous mountain. It'll
 be fine. Probably.

 BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St4FSI_JzoU
=Dungeon Conditions: Hesitate, Exhaust========================================
=========================<* Mont Maléfique - Round 1 *>=========================
========================< Results - Shake Shake Shake >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(16)--> 16                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Booster                             2   Agility Effects: Quicken
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Phantom Jets                        2   Agility Effects: Stalwart
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Hesitate(2)
Effects: Quicken(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.

    "Yes, it does seem as if it is-- oh!"

    Moving quickly turns out to be the correct answer, as it happens; Skadi stumbles as Aiguille jets ahead, though Avril's Gear does not fall. Instead, she is forced to take a few moments longer than the rest as the rumbling and shaking continues for a short while.

    Issachar glides ahead, untouched by the seismic shuddering. In time, it subsides, without any direct sign of it having been caused by anything outside the volcano itself.

    Presently, at least.

    "I hope that will be all," she remarks, catching up to the other two at last. "It felt like it was merely a reminder from the mountain. Still... if it should seem as if it would erupt, we must leave immediately."

DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Dam Breaker *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 You've reached a bit of an impasse: you can see a section of the ruins that
 seems of interest, but it's blocked off from you by a large lake of lava.

 All is not lost, however: the lake rests near enough to a downward incline
 that if you were to break part of the surrounding rock -- such as this
 natural 'dam' that's formed to one side -- it would follow gravity and empty
 the lake, allowing you to proceed.
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous==============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    There are no direct threats of competing interests ahead, as those who moved further ahead will find - instead, the planned route that was painstakingly worked out ahead of time from previous excursions has hit a snag from yet another mere reminder from the mountain.

     That this mountain is full of pepper and also, it will be happy to share said pepper. This pepper does not contain any actual pepper, for it is... lava.

     "There is a large lake of lava in our path." Ethius communicates as such, and it takes him time to make out that it is near a downward incline and that there is surrounding rock that could be blasted apart to allow the lava to flow away. The lava lake may be a hint that this volcano may be of the 'mind' to erupt, but for now...

     "There." Ethius at last points it out. "If this blockage were eliminated, we may be able to empty the lake." This would be dangerously pragmatic if there were settlements close by, or camps of eager Guild Galad researchers, or anything of the sort, but no. There will be no moral quandaries today. Only rocks.

     Rocks, and 'pepper.'

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Dam Breaker.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Agreed. It won't matter how heat-resistant our Gears are if that happens..." Jacqueline replies to Avril. Better safe than sorry, than any case - if it's a false alarm, they can always return at a later point. Still, for now, there's plenty of time to continue forward - at least, until they find a lake of lava blocking their path.

Jacqueline frowns, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms in front of her - Issachar mimicking this motion as she does - to consider them problem. It's Ethius who ultimately discovers a solution.

"Oh, yes, you're right... that should work nicely." Jacqueline replies. Issachar draws its spear, pointing it at the rocks. Within the cockpit, Jacqueline draws and invokes a Crest Graph, launching bolts of destructive sorcerous energy out from the tip of the spear to blast through the blockage. She is mindful, however, to keep the destruction reined in to avoid causing unneeded damage to their surroundings. Both to preserve the site, and to avoid exciting the volcano too much.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Dam Breaker.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "We shall use our best judgement, though I feel that we will go unharmed. We must simply be cautious..."

    And cognizant of the mountain's tumultous mood.

    Their path through the crater is arrested in time by a particular obstacle, which Ethius names aloud.

    "I see. Then, if we were to cause the lake to drain, we shall be able to cross," Avril remarks, gazing at the same space as the others.

    She leans forward in her seat, reaching out to touch her hand to a single stone tablet slotted directly into a component amongst Skadi's controls. Her fingertips graze the engraving on the Medium's face.

    "Aru Solatu... come forth!" she intones.

    The temperature around her Gear drops precipitously, the focal point for the bestial Guardian that forces itself into its antipode. With a roar, the Ice Guardian surges ahead, frost trailing in its wake regardless of the volcanic heat all around them.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Stone Ice Medium toward her party's challenge, Dam Breaker.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Dam Breaker *>==========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 You've reached a bit of an impasse: you can see a section of the ruins that
 seems of interest, but it's blocked off from you by a large lake of lava.

 All is not lost, however: the lake rests near enough to a downward incline
 that if you were to break part of the surrounding rock -- such as this
 natural 'dam' that's formed to one side -- it would follow gravity and empty
 the lake, allowing you to proceed.
=Dungeon Conditions: Overzealous==============================================
=========================<* Mont Maléfique - Round 2 *>=========================
===========================< Results - Dam Breaker >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    16 --(5)--> 21                 Pass
Stone Ice Medium                    3   Brute   Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       0 --(13)--> 13                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Hesitate(1)|Overzealous(2)
Effects:
===============================< 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> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    It is Jay who does the heavy lifting when it comes to blasting apart the natural dam - Ethius' own onboard weapons lack the touch of widespread destructive potential beyond trying to poke holes in already weak parts of the structure, which is a moot point because the Omnigear's will to dismantle that dam damns the dam's ability to... dam it all.

     yes.

     It is here that Aru Solatu manifests, roars, and more or less makes the judgment that the lava is just going to have to cool it today, and so it does - what of the lava doesn't escape down the mountain is cooled to a temperature safe for the collected to cross ahead.

     "Readings are within tolerable parameters," Ethius remarks as they have the go ahead to go on ahead down the original planned route deeper into the semi-active volcano.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Mont Maléfique *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Giant Salamanders *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Salamanders are a known menace about many volcanic areas, so perhaps it
 shouldn't be a surprise that you encounter a group of them in here amidst
 the ruins.

 But, were you expecting Salamanders as big as your Gears to come slumping
 through the volcanic fog? Probably not! Needless to say, you'll have to deal
 with these fellas if you want to get anywhere: they look hungry.
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline observes the summoning of Aru Solatu with interest. The chill of the Guardian of Ice is more than a match for the heat of the volcano. And with Ethius announcing that it's safe to continue, Jacqueline takes point in proceeding across what was once a lake.

This path leads further into the ruins, and here visibility is a bit lower due to the ruins keeping the volcanic fog from dispersing. They'll have to proceed carefully if they don't want to get ambushed. ...And, careful movement will indeed by rewarded.

"...Hold on, I'm getting signs of movement." Jacqueline warns. Soon enough, Salamanders emerge from the fog - Gear-sized Salamanders, even, and they appear to have their sights set on them!

""Careful... they look hungry." Jacqueline warns, Issachar dodging to the side as one of the salamanders lunges at her. With a quick gesture, the bladed pinions of Issachar detach and rush toward another Salamander, flying around it and coming in for the occasional slice at its hide to keep it distracted and limit the numbers they all have to deal with at a single moment even as Issachar strikes out with the butt of its spear at the Salamander that attacked it to drive it off.

"Be careful they don't get to deep a bite in they don't get a bite in and compromise your heat shielding!" Jacqueline warns.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Wing Unit toward her party's challenge, Giant Salamanders.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "Understood," Avril replies to Ethius, settling back in her seat and reassuming control over Skadi's movement. She does not hesitate in crossing the emptied/frozen lake of lava.

    Indeed, she only pauses once she reaches the other side, as Jay transmits a warning. "Movement? Ah-- something is coming," she remarks, reaching for the great blade held fast against her Gear's back. It comes free in a single jerk, more slab of metal than cutting edge. But at this size, 'edge' doesn't matter as much as the weight being it.

    "Those are... Salamanders," she echoes Jacqueline. "So they prize the heat. I wonder if they have come forth because the lake was drained," she muses as the creatures approach, stepping suddenly then into a single forceful lunge.

    They may scar and mark her blade, but they will be hard-pressed to seriously compromise it -- it was made, after all, for brutal, ugly work.

    She swings again.

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

    Upon being given the heads up of there being incoming Salamanders, there's already an instrument within Ethius' cockpit that's (far too) overtuned for prospective threats. It could be the volcanic fog might be setting some of it off - and honestly, that alone may be the whole of the truth, until Jay points out that there's incoming Salamanders with dietary needs that are distressingly high in heavy metals!

     Ethius, for his part, backs the Aiguille up and levels the rifle-staff as the Skadi moves forth to take the lead and meet them head on.

     "There may be more than appears," Ethius says as he uploads the (exhaustive) data with the occasional laser pot shot.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Panic Eye toward his party's challenge, Giant Salamanders.
=============================<* Mont Maléfique *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Giant Salamanders *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Salamanders are a known menace about many volcanic areas, so perhaps it
 shouldn't be a surprise that you encounter a group of them in here amidst
 the ruins.

 But, were you expecting Salamanders as big as your Gears to come slumping
 through the volcanic fog? Probably not! Needless to say, you'll have to deal
 with these fellas if you want to get anywhere: they look hungry.
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
========================<* Mont Maléfique - Round 3 *>========================
=======================< Results - Giant Salamanders >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    21 --(5)--> 26                 Pass
Gear Blade - Gambanteinn            2   Combat  Effects: Resilient
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Wing Unit                           2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       13 --(5)--> 18                 Pass
Panic Eye                           1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            40 --(20)--> 60                Pass
Conditions: Fright(2)|Overzealous(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)|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> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"...It could be." Jacqueline admits at Avril's observation. It's a little sad to think about that - that they might be the cause of it, but the only thing they can do now is fight back.

...And fight back they do. The Salamanders may have numbers, but this is a group of experienced, well-equipped adventurers - and with Ethius spotting an approaching group before they can even ambush them, they're in a perfect position to drive the lot of them back in the direction of the volcanic lake.

Soon enough, everything seems clear. The pinions return to Issachar's wing unit as Jacqueline takes one final look around the area.

"...I think that was all of them. We should be clear to move on." She notes.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - A Horrifying Statue *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Wow. That is a huge, horrifying statue. You might have some questions now
 for whoever had been living here before the volcano presumably took them
 out: there is a large statue here, and from looking at it, you'd say it was
 pretty horrifying before it got half-melted from the heat.

 More importantly for you, it's blocking the pathway you'll want to take (you
 know, if you would prefer to not wade through a lava pool) if you're
 continuing this way. Maybe you could move it out of the way somehow?
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Fright===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    It's possible, though hardly certain. The same could be said though of many places to which they have traveled -- and similar could be said of the times they have altered something without then drawing out the local monsters in a killing mood. In the end the situation is as it stands... and they must do as they must.

    Sliding the blade into place again against her Gear's back, where it snaps into place, held by magnetism alone, Avril heads up the group as they soldier onwards along what stable ground curls through the ruins within the crater. The volcano's activity has destroyed much of what had been here, but traces can be seen. The remnants of buildings, of plazas, of pillars and--

    "I wonder," Avril speaks aloud, gazing up at the statue before them. "What manner of people had dwelled in this place? It would seem we know little of them."

    The heat has damaged this statue. But even before that, the statue had not been quite... right. That mouth is too wide. That arm is not bent like a normal human's arm. The eyes -- are those eyes? -- are set off in a position that shouldn't be correct. It doesn't seem as if it were crafted in error thus, but rather that... it was intentional. It would be a masterwork of metalwork, were it not half-melted.

    If it had a body that did not twist in a way that seemed unnatural and unsettling.

    "It is blocking the path near the pool. I would not wish to use fuel flying above it," she continues, in truth frowning more the longer she regards the statue.

    She has reached out a hand to touch the stone Medium.

    "Aru Solatu."

    When the Guardian surges ahead, it is not just pragmatism that has induced Avril to act thus.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Stone Ice Medium toward her party's challenge, A Horrifying Statue.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    With the way decidedly less filled with hungry, agitated, or agitated and hungry Salamanders, non-Salamander things that are agitated or hungry, Ethius takes up the rear to be safe, as to not have the group be blindsided by aggressors or anything else a bit spooky. In this respect, he fails, for the come before that immense, damaged statue that has not survived the immense heat of the semi-active volcano.

     Avril asks the musing questions, and Ethius...

     "Based on the presumed posture of what remains intact, I would surmise this was a form of grotesque - either to impart a sense of protection or a warning of danger." Ethius speaks as he levels the rifle-staff. "It may have been fashioned after local predators of pest species as a means of dissuading their approach."

     They aren't currently being harried by Salamanders! This may have some truth!

     "Based on the composition of the statue, its size, and mass, it would be no small feat to have created the sculpture to remain here. It may be that for a time, those who were present here were here at a time where the volcano was deemed dormant."

     Ethius might have fit neatly into just about any school's anthropology departments, if... they could narrow down which one, as Avril mentions how they don't wish to use fuel going over it, and that's its own set of accompanying hazards too. Ethius lacks much in the way of earth-moving weaponry on a Gear scale, but once given the all clear he'll try and shoot anything that looks like it might be ready to crumble in the wake of Aru Solatu doing its grand tour.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Horrifying Statue.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"...That's a good question." Jacqueline considers. What kind of people would settle in a volcano? An active one, at that... assuming it was always active. It's as they're wondering that that they come across what can only be a relic of their time - a statue. It's horrible! A well-made piece of art, undeniably, but horrible. Jacqueline grimaces at the sight of it.

"...It's very, ah..." Jacqueline starts, trying to find something polite to say... before, eventually, sighing and giving up. "...'Grotesque' is certainly one word for it, yes."

Now, it's time to move the statue. It's in their way, but even in its current condition it might be worth preserving. As Avril calls upon the chill of Aru Solato once more, Issachar raises a hand toward the statue. Jacqueline draws another Crest Graph - one of earth, this time - attempting to force the very stone beneath it to shift it aside out of their way... or at least, forge them a new path.

"That's possible..." Jacqueline considers, at Ethius's suggestions. "It's possible they could have been a hardier people, too - similar to the Goron, perhaps."

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Horrifying Statue.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - A Horrifying Statue *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Wow. That is a huge, horrifying statue. You might have some questions now
 for whoever had been living here before the volcano presumably took them
 out: there is a large statue here, and from looking at it, you'd say it was
 pretty horrifying before it got half-melted from the heat.

 More importantly for you, it's blocking the pathway you'll want to take (you
 know, if you would prefer to not wade through a lava pool) if you're
 continuing this way. Maybe you could move it out of the way somehow?
=Dungeon Conditions: Weaken, Fright===========================================
=========================<* Mont Maléfique - Round 4 *>=========================
=======================< Results - A Horrifying Statue >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    26 --(4)--> 30                 Pass
Stone Ice Medium                    3   Brute   Effects: Fanfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   10 --(12)--> 22                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       18 --(12)--> 30                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            60 --(15)--> 75                Fail
Conditions: Fright(2)|Weaken(2)
Effects:
===============================< 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> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "A grotesque," Avril echoes, gazing at the statue still. "That is an apt description. It is unpleasant to look upon. Did they think, perhaps, that the Salamanders would also find it so? I wonder what a salamander would find as frightening..."

    Perhaps one possible answer might come in the form of the icy Guardian she invokes, which streaks towards the statue at speed.

    It wobbles when struck, then topples into the nearby pool! But, alas... despite this, it is still partially blocking the path foward, and waiting for it to slowly melt and slide all the way into the pool will take far too long.

    There's nothing else for it: it will have to be Jacqueline's earthworks and some oversight from Ethius to shift the rest of it.

    It takes a long time.

    "The Goron," Avril agrees, once they have made their way pass the obstacle. "Yes, that seems right."

DG: Ethius Hesiod has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Magma Kraken *>=========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 At long last, you reach what looks like it might be some sort of
 still-intact vault; the only thing that remains is for you to breach it and
 see what -- if anything -- remains within.

 Unfortunately, all hope of an easy salvage soon vanishes: the lava pool
 between you and it begins to ripple. First one blazing tentacle rises from
 the pool, then two more. Soon these harbingers are joined by the bulk of the
 beast that emerges from the steaming pool.

 No! It's a magma kraken! It's all or nothing now -- you'll need to defeat it
 to stand a chance of claiming whatever might be in that vault!
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    It's a trying and arduous process in which to try and get the statue out of their way, and with the amount of time sunk into it comes something of consequence - the lava pool ripples with increasing activity. (It's not rumbling, so it's not the worst worst case scenario, but among worst case scenarios, this is the best. Best worst case.)

     A blazing tentacle rises up to slap at the statue and push it back in their way, perhaps not with intelligent decision making behind it but it is an inconvenience. It moves up from being an inconvenience to a full-blown crisis as another tentacle rises to grip at the ground and pull the rest of itself up into view: a kraken, adapted to life within liquid rock. Adapted to being especially territorial of this liquid rock, for what few things can ever want to go, 'hello, i wants this liquid rock for myself, can i' to something of this size and stature.

     Also, it spits out inky flame, which is even worse, as Ethius engages the heatless dash jets to move back. "We are being engaged by local megafauna," as if to state the obvious. "I will lay down cover."

     He starts by shooting a ball-like grenade that exudes a scrambling electromagnetic pulse (unto itself, mostly useless) along with bright lights and piercing sound (less useless) towards the immense magma-swimming beast.

     That alone will not stop it.

DG: Ethius Hesiod has used his Tool Scramble Pulse toward his party's challenge, Magma Kraken.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Avril, ascending over the statue to continue along the path, suddenly comes to a halt shortly after her musing about the nature of the inhabitants of this place. "Something... is here," she utters, and Skadi turns about, dragging the blade 'sheathed' against its back free.

    Something is indeed here, rising from the depths of that lava pool.

    "It appears we have no choice," she says, baring the massive Gear blade before her. "Thank you, Ethius. I shall take point!"

    And with that she leaps, launching her Gear to the edge of the pool and lashing for one of the tenacles as the monster attacks them in kind.

    "I am sorry, but I must!" she calls out to the magma kraken, holding that place closest to the edge as best she can. To overextend, or to even step where the edge is no longer capable of supporting her Gear's weight would be disastrous. And yet, she must keep its arms on her and away from the others.

    This alone will not stop it.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Gear Blade - Gambanteinn toward her party's challenge, Magma Kraken.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

It's a slow, tiring process - and unfortunately, it appears to have drawn attention. Issachar leaps back suddenly, stalling in mid-air, as something rises from a nearby pool of lava - a kraken adapted to volcanic environments.

"...I have to admit, it's an impressive specimen. I'm surprised that anything that big can survive here..." Jacqueline comments. But they still have to fight it - and unfortunately, it's as big of a threat as it is physically big.

As Ethius lays down cover, Jacqueline draws another Crest Graph. As she invokes it, she points her spear directly at it. And not only that - the wing unit's pinion feathers detach again but, rather than going directly for the magma kraken, they begin to spin in a vertical circle in front of it. This action focuses and enhances the spell, unleashes a spinning water vortex directly toward the Magma Kraken!

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Wing Unit toward her party's challenge, Magma Kraken.
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Magma Kraken *>=========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 At long last, you reach what looks like it might be some sort of
 still-intact vault; the only thing that remains is for you to breach it and
 see what -- if anything -- remains within.

 Unfortunately, all hope of an easy salvage soon vanishes: the lava pool
 between you and it begins to ripple. First one blazing tentacle rises from
 the pool, then two more. Soon these harbingers are joined by the bulk of the
 beast that emerges from the steaming pool.

 No! It's a magma kraken! It's all or nothing now -- you'll need to defeat it
 to stand a chance of claiming whatever might be in that vault!
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
=========================<* Mont Maléfique - Round 5 *>=========================
===========================< Results - Magma Kraken >===========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    30 --(5)--> 35                 Pass
Gear Blade - Gambanteinn            2   Combat  Effects: Resilient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   22 --(5)--> 27                 Pass
Wing Unit                           2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethius Hesiod                       30 --(18)--> 48                Fail
Scramble Pulse                      3   Combat  Effects: Fanfare
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Avril Vent Fleur            75 --(35)--> 110               Pass
Conditions: Fright(1)|Injure(2)|Weaken(1)|Wound(2)
Effects: Embolden(1)|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 Mont Maléfique!
==============================<* Mont Maléfique *>==============================
====================<* CHALLENGE - From Beneath the Land *>=====================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The vault was well-made, and has stood firm even against the wrath of Mont
 Maléfique several times over. Once you manage to get the door open, what
 remains inside is yours!

 Among the treasures of the vault, you find one thing of particular note:
 various non-magical ores, all of high grade.

 While it will take the use of a forge to refine them, there are many things
 that you could do with these components, such as make a new weapon, armor,
 machine components, or even use them as one of the many building blocks for
 a magical item. The sky's the limit!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

    As Ethius has to make a called shot as to how the Magma Kraken actually senses the world around them, it's difficult to tell if he succeeds in much other than delaying the initial counter-assault by a few seconds to allow the Scramble Pulse to clear, but any slack on that part is more than picked up for by the other two.

     Skadi barrels forward and holds the line as the Magma Kraken tries to grasp the Gear, and heat warnings start to pop up on Avril's sensors - but the Skadi holds strong.

     The water vortex summoned by the Wing Unit help provide the direct muscle against the Magma Kraken, which unleashes a strange screeching noise as its body steams and cools down towards a temperature deadly to it. It withdraws its grasp of Skadi - allowing Avril a fitting coup de grace if she so chooses - as its tentacles flail around the statue for grip. It succeeds only in pulling it in within itself as it withdraws.

     This clears the way, two-fold, into a vault within. It's not too complicated to get its door open - it appears the safeguards in place are not to prevent entry, but to prevent the environs from damaging the items within. Ethius manages to manipulate the necessary components with the Aiguille to get it open, and inside...

     It's a series of ores. Ores that have not been exposed to any sort of sorcery, but ores nonetheless. Some are of exotic make (but are nonetheless identifiable) and can be refined into various useful components, weapons... or as part of the focus of something sorcerous, if any among them are inclined.

     Ethius doesn't look inside, but instead looking more at the make of the vault. While he cannot claim outright that it is a perfect match for something in the recesses of memory that threatens to surface... there's a likeness.

     Not at this scale in terms of dimensions, but a likeness, a shape. Like... a seed?

     ...

     As far as the conventional prizes here go, hey, the ore's the limit.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Together, they force the Magma Kraken to retreat, and the way into the vault is open. It's definitely a curious place, but what immediately draws Jacqueline's attention is the ores.

"I'll have to appraise them more thoroughly once we're out of here and I can get a closer look, but these ores look to be very high quality..." Jacqueline notes. "I think we can definitely get some use out of them."

Ore of this quality doesn't come along every day - it's quite the boon.

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Early warnings begin to pop across Skadi's screen -- if she disengaged now, then the damage would be minimal. Persist, and the matter might become more dire.

    Avril opts to hold the line, a decision that takes a turn for the fortunate once Jay steps in with her spell: the kraken is forced to relinquish its hold on Avril and thus, steaming and shrieking, an opportunity is created for her.
    Avril seizes it, swinging once with her great blade at one of those retreating arms. This may give it something to think about later while it recovers.

    For now it retreats, dragging the rest of that protective (?) statue with it as it sinks beneath the heated surface of the pool.

    With the way clear, they are able to breach easily the previously inaccessible vault (if, with a little effort from the lot of them).

    "These are... ores. Did the inhabitants of this place prize such things? They are of excellent quality," Avril wonders, after searching the vault.

    "I have a mind to make use of some of these, should you not need them all for your work, Jay. With some work, would I not be able to create workable metal?" She needs but the proper stones to use with it, to create something beautiful.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Absolutely." Jacqueline confirms with a nod. "You could probably make just about anything with ore this good. You just need a forge and the proper tools - if you don't have them, I'd be glad to point you in the right direction."

She is, of course, always glad to help out in situations like this.