2022-07-09: The New Sun Rises in Gold

From Dream Chasers
Jump to navigation Jump to search
  • Log: The New Sun Rises in Gold
  • Cast: Eleanor Klein, Zhang Xiumei, Link, Marivel Armitage, Mariel, Venetia Vuong
  • Where: Xenobia's Library
  • Date: July 09, 2022
  • Summary: In her quest for a translation for the mysterious prophecy, Eleanor Klein hears of an ancient library in Spira--and brings along some friends to investigate. They find much, and more than she expected.

DG: A party led by Eleanor Klein is now entering Xenobia's Library.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
 ===== =======================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Second-Floor Window *>======================
 | Type: Entry         | Dungeon Ability: Agility          | Challenge Rating: 2   |
 ---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 Xenobia's Library is a large tower. Getting here was not trivial, for it      
 involved a long hike through treacherous foothills that few ever cross. Now,  
 the imposing tower stands before you, with ancient Yevonite sculptures        
 carved on the outside. There is a long pathway leading up to a set of         
 stairs.                                                                       
                                                                               
 Unfortunately, this set of stairs has fallen into disrepair and crumbled.     
 The door is flat against the building, which makes it hard to enter.          
 However, by climbing the statues and decorations, you can reach a window on   
 the second floor.                                                             
 ============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
 |           Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure! and Slow:_Agility_Down!           |
 = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================


<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

The trek here was not easy, but the rumors of a great library in the mountains east of the Calm Lands was too good a lead for Eleanor to pass up. So, she's assembled a group... which is /not/ just ARMS. It is easy to guess why she's invited ARMS and Mariel; the former her companions in most adventures, and the latter with specific expertise on the mission she's undergone. But she also invited young Link, despite not knowing him well, and has brought him from Klein all the way across to Spira in order to have him here.

The hike was rough. It's still daylight by the time they reach the great tower, but not for that much longer. The long pathway above leads up a set of stairs, and there are Yevonite sculptures and scriptures carved outside. Or, it would. If the stairs weren't crumbled and in poor repair. They'll have to climb up, instead. There are statues and things to do this with.

"Thank you, everyone. I hope that we find what I need here... and if not, who could resist a library like this?"

She frowns at the statues, and then starts to try to bring herself up them. "Hup!"

DG: Eleanor Klein has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Second-Floor Window. 
<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei activated her Biometal well before they got close. Its white and green armor over a bodysuit of black metal mesh, with segments lit up and glowing; parts of it look like crystals. She walks with purpose, next to Eleanor. Her eyes are glowing, slightly; instead of the deeper green they usually are, they are a lighter green that actually casts some light out.

She slows to a stop, as she looks at the crumbling stairs. Xiumei glances sideways at Eleanor -- then she nods. She knows this is what Nora has been searching for; this is the culmination, she hopes, of a lot of research.

"We'll have to do our best. I admit I'm curious to see what we might find," Xiumei says. She takes a breath -- then she steps forward, and she leaps. She jumps up at the stairs; then, she jumps again, bouncing off the air, and does a tight spin, before coming down for (hopefully) the place the stairs lead to.

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Model AV Boots toward her party's challenge, Second-Floor Window. Quicken! Party Agility boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

Link may be a weird island child, but he was open to the journey immediately. Make new friends! See wonders! Earn his temporary room at Klein!

And then they went through the Lost Woods and ended up on AN ISLAND ON THE MOON and then boated and then walked forever (he asked several times 'are we really on the moon?' out of sheer confusion) but now they're at a library!

"Wow! I hope we find cool books for you!"

The green-capped child might seem like a burden, until he reaches into his bags and grabs...a grappling hook! He starts swinging it around, and tosses it up the steps for a latch with precise ease, before pulling himself up.

"Do you need a hand?" He asks Eleanor, though he's probably not strong enough to support her by himself.

DG: Link has used his Tool Grappler's Hook toward his party's challenge, Second-Floor Window. Quicken! Party Agility boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel is happy to help Eleanor in her investigations of the library. Frankly, Marivel is curious too. Marivel is finishing quaffing down some TOMATO JUICE for GROWNUPS, glugging the bottle empty before returning the cap and sliding it back into her pouch.

She smacks her lips once, eyes glancing towards Link--but not commenting on it.

"Heh. I hope we find 'cool books' too." Marivel jokes because children are awesome.

She poufs into her batform to cheat. CHEAT. CHEAT!! her way across.

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Tomato Juice For Grownups toward her party's challenge, Second-Floor Window. Cleanse! All negative effects will be cleared at the end of the round! 
<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel was happy to be invited to a library. It is significantly better than *some* of the places she has been invited in her time, it might help Eleanor with her mission, and her linguistic skill might be useful. She learned how to read the Spiran alphabet!

Well, and all those old languages she has at least a passing knowledge of. Those are probably actually more useful.

Either way, she came along. It's one long hike, but fortunately Mariel is used to walking a long way since she's never owned a horse. (She knows how to ride and it doesn't bother her to do so, but it always seemed kind of rude to her to claim she owned one.) She's got short legs and occasionally she falls behind, but she makes it up eventually. She's patient. The library isn't going anywhere.

The wall does slow her down for a few moments. "Ah, I'll be up in a moment," Mariel says, letting others go first so that she can 'borrow' Link's rope and pull herself up after him. She's trying to juggle her big satchel along with everything else, but despite being dressed kind of inappropriately for climbing with boots and gloves and a long robe, she works her way up.

Inappropriately in that it's awkward, not immodest. Mariel has pants on under it. You can't see her ankles.

DG: Mariel has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Second-Floor Window. 
<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

A library! "What, do they still make those?" Venetia had said with her usual charming mix of scornful disdain for everyone below her personal judgment and rank, naked greed, when Eleanor had revealed this prospect. Even so, she has come along, trampling with the group if likely not in the lead.

At the entranceway, Venetia reorganizes her bags, which enigmatically enough removes most of her real sassy high-powered magic spell cards-- er-- Crest Graphs from consideration. At this point she retied her hair back, adjusted the knot on the ribbon tie on the lace face mask she habitually wears, and gave Eleanor a big thumbs-up.

Eleanor then goes 'hup.'

Venetia Vuong has many virtues but agility is not prominent among them. She is probably the heaviest person present excepting any contribution to mass from the use of ancient Biometals. "Hup, eh," Venetia says, watching upwards.

"Mr. Link," Venetia calls after their youngest member, "Could I trouble you to dangle that line? My immense magical might is limited, at present, in terms of how to deal with this." She ain't even gonna try going 'hup'.

DG: Venetia Vuong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Second-Floor Window. 


 ===== =======================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Second-Floor Window *>======================
 | Type: Entry         | Dungeon Ability: Agility          | Challenge Rating: 2   |
 ---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 Xenobia's Library is a large tower. Getting here was not trivial, for it      
 involved a long hike through treacherous foothills that few ever cross. Now,  
 the imposing tower stands before you, with ancient Yevonite sculptures        
 carved on the outside. There is a long pathway leading up to a set of         
 stairs.                                                                       
                                                                               
 Unfortunately, this set of stairs has fallen into disrepair and crumbled.     
 The door is flat against the building, which makes it hard to enter.          
 However, by climbing the statues and decorations, you can reach a window on   
 the second floor.                                                             
 ============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
 |       Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!,       |
 |                Quicken:_Agility_Up!, and Slow:_Agility_Down!                  |
 = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
 =======================<* Xenobia's Library - Round 1 *>========================
=======================< Results - Second-Floor Window >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mariel                              0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Tomato Juice For Grownups           1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       0 --(17)--> 17                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Venetia Vuong                       0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link                                0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Grappler's Hook                     2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Model AV Boots                      2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Eleanor Klein               0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Injure(2) |Slow(2)
Effects: Cleanse |Quicken(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Eleanor Klein 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: Eleanor Klein has drawn a new Challenge.
 ===== =======================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Sliding Shelf Puzzle *>=====================
 | Type: Exploration   | Dungeon Ability: Wits             | Challenge Rating: 2   |
 ---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 The room you enter is filled with shelves that rise floor to ceiling. Each    
 shelf is filled with books. You come to a dead end, though: a bookshelf       
 ahead of you is blocking the way. The pathways are quite narrow, moreso than  
 most of the hallways here. However, you also see a small switch on the        
 floor.                                                                        
                                                                               
 Pressing it makes the shelf move -- opening the path ahead -- but a second    
 shelf behind you moves, and blocks off your exit. There are more shelves      
 like this; each switch on the floor is tied to two shelves, and they have to  
 be pulled in the correct order, to open up the pathway to the exit from this  
 room.                                                                         
 ============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
 |       Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!,       |
 |  Quicken:_Agility_Up!, Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, Slow:_Agility_Down!,   |
 |                           and Stupify:_Wits_Down!                             |
 = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"Me, too!" Eleanor reports to Link cheerfully. She has been glad to have him around; no matter how many times he's asked if they're really on the moon she has been happy to answer that they really are.

As it turns out, Eleanor's 'hup!' is followed by an 'eep!' as she slips and falls back to the ground. Ordinarily, she might forego this challenge and ask Xiumei to carry her up... but she's trying to impress Link. So it's funny what happens next.

When he offers her a hand, Eleanor blinks at his grappling hook and then smiles again. "Yes," she says, "I would appreciate that." She waves up at Xiumei and accepts some help, though indeed she'd definitely be a little heavy for Link if she didn't. ...Eleanor is /not/ especially agile; what she gains from being an elf she balances out by being a sedentary nerd. But working with ARMS has helped raise her baseline of physicality. With the rope, and Link's hand, she is able to make her way up.

Mariel and Venetia who used the rope in the first place do not suffer any such embarrassment. Marivel, of course, was able to /fly/, and thus cheats completely, whereas Xiumei thanks to the Biometal is the most athletic member of the party, and her double jump takes her all the way up. Link, of course, is a pro at grappling hooks already, and when it comes time to take his hook back he is already up.

"Well," Eleanor says, "That... went fine." Pause. "Super fine."

Then she leads the way inside; there are shelves floor to ceiling, all full of books, and the narrow pathways ahead block the way. But there's a switch on the floor. "Aha!" Eleanor says, and flicks the switch--and the shelves begin to move.

...This is going to require a bit of careful maneuvering in order to find the path forward. "Hmm... Perhaps if we write down what changes and approach it methodically...?"

DG: Eleanor Klein has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Sliding Shelf Puzzle. 
<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei looks back at Link, smiling at him for a moment. She also glances down at Mariel -- watching everyone make their way up -- and then she glances at Venetia. "There are quite a few on Filgaia," she says. "Particularly in Sielje, and I imagine other locations... and I spent many a day at the one in Meria, growing up!"

Xiumei might have been the type to spend all day there, her nose in books. Several books, for that matter. She looks sideways at Marivel, nodding at her as a bat.

Once Eleanor is at the top, Xiumei is happy to help lift her the rest of the way. She turns, walking in after Eleanor -- and then gasps, at all of the shelves. There are more books here than that library in Meria Boule, she suspects. Her eyes widen -- and then narrow, which Eleanor flips a switch.

Several shelves move.

"I can do that," Xiumei says. She holds a hand out; cubes of light appear, then form a large ledger. She has a pencil, too; Xiumei takes the pencil, then begins to jot down a sketch of the room's layout and notes about each shelf. "Now, let's see... what moves where..."

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Clerk's Ledger toward her party's challenge, Sliding Shelf Puzzle. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

Link is happy to share his rope, and puts it away once they're done. "Teamwork!"

When they reach the bookshelves, Link starts by glancing at the books to see if any has a solution (or looks like one Eleanor would like), and then moves to offer his help. "Hmm. Most puzzles I deal with involve pushing giant blocks. Trial and error and methodicalism is a good plan...!" He'll be the one to press the switches when they need.

DG: Link has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Sliding Shelf Puzzle. 
<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel is surprisingly athletic. It's just hard to climb up a wall while carrying around a bag of - well let's be honest; it smells like flowers and growing things. It probably has an entire herbalist's station in there, knowing her. The rope is a much safer be

Thank you, rope! "Thank you," Mariel says to Link, once she's up and dusting her robe off a little bit. The entrance seems to have brought them to -

"Ah! Are these the books you were looking for?" Mariel is going to quite distract herself by picking a few random ones up to see the titles (and, more importantly, the languages they are written in, to make sure they have someone who *can*). None of them seem immediately relevant, so despite her inclination to park here and read for a bit, she begrudgingly puts them back. None of them end up in her bag for later reading.

Well, maybe one if there's a materia medica or an herbal.

She also ends up pulling out a book of her own - a diary, to take notes in. "All right. Let's push that switch, and see what happens..." Mariel makes a couple marks with a pen that writes in intense black without benefit of additional ink, which she tucks away again once she's done.

Her brow furrows at Link's words, though. Is that...? She'll ask later.

DG: Mariel has used her Tool Millennium Diary toward her party's challenge, Sliding Shelf Puzzle. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia looks solemn at Eleanor's fall, and while she will render aid, that's more Xiumei's dish, and perhaps she feels a minor lesson would not go amiss here. Yeah, she's the kind of person who would say something like 'would not go amiss,' at least in a formal environment.

"Allez-oup!" Venetia says on her way up, "if you'll forgive my Bouleish."

Faced with the enigmatic shelves, Venetia looks round. She draws out the battered - and recently re-covered! - textbook that some forebear of hers annotated, weighing it for a moment and then placing it on a significant seeming gap of a shelf. Which doesn't sit right.

"What the devil? There's this little bowl divot here. Must be water damage or something," says Venetia, highlighting future content, and then steps forwards.

"These seem to be predominantly religious, but maybe that's just the titles I can read. Hold on, let me open the blank leafs for notes." Yes, sir, this annotated textbook has blank pages - *detachable* ones - for *note-taking*. At this point she glances over at Xiumei's holographic cube thing.

"... Is that a thing with the ARM or can I get one of those," she asks Xiumei, "from a shop or something."

DG: Venetia Vuong has used her Tool Annotated Guide to Economic Stone toward her party's challenge, Sliding Shelf Puzzle. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! 

You paged Seraph Lanval with 'Xiumei's ledger is quite useful in keeping track. Link doesn't find a solution in the nearby books, but his experience in moving giant blocks makes him /very/ helpful in running back and forth to actually move the switches as the rest of the party thinks and talks. It's almost like the puzzle was made for him, and they're all advising him on how to do it!


<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Teamwork!

Marivel poufs back into her humanoid form as she says, "Mmm, how's the lucky lady tonight?" She asks of Xiumei. "Maybe we'll be fortunate and find..."

She draws out a tape recorder, playing a THUNDERCRASH.

"ANCIENT ROLEPLAYING SOURCEBOOKS....FROM A TIME LONG PAST...!" Marivel declares before laughing like, "Oooohahahahahahahahahaaaaaaah....!"

She puts the tape recorder away after, clearing her throat and drawing out a book of her own.

It's titled Switch Puzzles And You.

She flips open to page one. It states: 'Look there's only so many patterns for this kind of puzzle. There's literally nothing else to know.'

"Wise words, M. Armitage. Wise words."

She steps on a switch. Gingerly.

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Wisdom of the Crimson Nobles by M. Armitage toward her party's challenge, Sliding Shelf Puzzle. Fanfare! 
 ===== =======================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Sliding Shelf Puzzle *>=====================
 | Type: Exploration   | Dungeon Ability: Wits             | Challenge Rating: 2   |
 ---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 The room you enter is filled with shelves that rise floor to ceiling. Each    
 shelf is filled with books. You come to a dead end, though: a bookshelf       
 ahead of you is blocking the way. The pathways are quite narrow, moreso than  
 most of the hallways here. However, you also see a small switch on the        
 floor.                                                                        
                                                                               
 Pressing it makes the shelf move -- opening the path ahead -- but a second    
 shelf behind you moves, and blocks off your exit. There are more shelves      
 like this; each switch on the floor is tied to two shelves, and they have to  
 be pulled in the correct order, to open up the pathway to the exit from this  
 room.                                                                         
 ============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
 |           Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, and            |
 |                             Stupify:_Wits_Down!                               |
 = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
 =======================<* Xenobia's Library - Round 2 *>========================
=======================< Results - Sliding Shelf Puzzle >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mariel                              5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Millennium Diary                    2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Wisdom of the Crimson Nobles by M.  3   Wits    Effects: Fanfare              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       17 --(5)--> 22                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Venetia Vuong                       5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Annotated Guide to Economic Stone   2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link                                5 --(17)--> 22                 Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Clerk's Ledger                      2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Eleanor Klein               20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Reckless(2) |Stupify(2)
Effects: Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Eleanor Klein 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: Eleanor Klein has drawn a new Challenge.
 ===== =======================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
 =======================<* CHALLENGE - Locked Away Tome *>=======================
 | Type: Exploration   | Dungeon Ability: Brute            | Challenge Rating: 2   |
 ---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 The hallway that you enter now comes to a dead end. Every wall is filled      
 with shelving. Most of them are filled with books -- numerous tomes, bound    
 in leather and stranger materials, and many quite dusty -- but the one at     
 the end of the hallway is empty, save for one book. That book is bound: a     
 lock is placed on it, with chains that seal it shut.                          
                                                                               
 The spine is telling: 'THEORY OF TELEPORTATION, Published by Vane Magic       
 Guild.' And, indeed, it is faintly aglow; one familiar with the history of    
 magic may be aware that this likely is tied to a teleporter that will bring   
 one to somewhere else in the ruin.                                            
                                                                               
 If, of course, they can open the book.                                        
 ============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
 |             Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!,              |
 |    Secret:_Exploration_Up!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and Weaken:_Brute_Down!      |
 = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Accepting Xiumei's help, Eleanor dusts herself off when she's at the top, before she walks in. As they do, "It's extraordinary," Eleanor says of the library here. Eleanor would be more than happy to just while away the hours here... but it's the books at the center that are most likely to have what she needs. Se of course does not know Venetia is thinking of her fall as a /lesson/ but would be forced to good-naturedly agree.

As it turns out, when Mariel looks--there are many languages represented even just in these shelves. Spiran languages are part of it of course, but she immediately recognizes something of western Lunar in there, as well. There may be more further in. ...There /does/ happen to be a Spiran book of herbology on the shelf easy to hand, if Mariel chooses to take it. Venetia meanwhile is correct; most of the texts on offer this far out are religious theses and treatises on the Yevonite faith. (No 'y'; presumably books about the Fayth are deeper within.)

Xiumei's ledger is quite useful in keeping track. Link doesn't find a solution in the nearby books, but his experience in moving giant blocks makes him /very/ helpful in running back and forth to actually move the switches as the rest of the party thinks and talks. It's almost like the puzzle was made for him, and they're all advising him on how to do it!

"The ledger is just a ledger," Eleanor explains for Venetia. "The trick with making it appear is somewhat more difficult to emulate." A smile. Venetia also takes some notes. And Marivel... Well. Marivel's book is right. There's really only so many solutions. No ancient sourcebooks yet, though. However...

They do make it through, and to another set of shelves. There are quite a number of other books here. "I could spend all day here," Eleanor says. And she might have to, because their trail leads to a dead end. The final shelf, however, is empty but for one book: that bound, locked, chained book...

"A book from Vane?" Eleanor wonders. "...I /am/ interested in the theory behind teleportation," she admits, and looks to the others. "Well! I have a solution for /this/."

She advances towards the book, and the bracelet at her left wrist shimmers slightly--as Eleanor picks up the book with both hands, struggling even with her might!!!

...this will get the book off the shelf, at least, so that the others can work on getting that lock open.

DG: You use your Tool Power Bracelet against your party's Challenge, Locked Away Tome!
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Power Bracelet toward her party's challenge, Locked Away Tome. Strengthen! Party Brute boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"This is a thing with the ARM," Xiumei says. She holds the book up; it's actually a leatherbound ledger, like one might find in the Chateau's storerooms. "I learned how to store additional materials, in the... ah... I'm not sure how the science of it works. Varius and Avile tried to explain, but..."

She didn't understand explanations of quantum manipulation, despite being quite smart.

Xiumei boggles, though, when she sees Marivel's book.

After all of Link's running to-and-fro, though, they manage to get through. There, they find one book -- with a telling title. Her eyes widen, as Eleanor lifts it. She hesitates, then holds her hand out; the Pulse Saber appears, its cylindrical handle forming first. Then, a blade of energy appears. "I can try to cut through the chains... but it might be damage the book," she says. "Let's try other things, first."

DG: Zhang Xiumei has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Locked Away Tome. 
<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

Link runs back and forth, pushing switches, but gets exhausted rapidly. He sighs, but smiles through it, passing through wiith the others towards the locked, chained book. While Eleanor knocks it off the shelf, he considers a solution. It's really stupid - but shows his 'street smarts' immediately.

"I have bombs." Link says, as he pulls a bomb out of his bag. "If we push it too close to the book, we'll probably blow it up! So we put it exactly..."

He places the bomb at a distance. The explosion will probably rattle the shelves, but it won't damage anything but the lock with the splash if people stay back.

Hopefully.

Meanwhile, he finally responds to all the 'smart talk'. "You guys say a lot of big words. I have a lot to learn, huh?"

DG: Link has used his Tool Mighty Bombs toward his party's challenge, Locked Away Tome. 
<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel does indeed take the herbal and puts it away when she puts the pen away. You can't stop her. (Well, you probably can, but given the whole purpose of the trip is to find books...)

She is happy to at least try to explain. "It has to do with folding space," Mariel says, though she lacks the knowledge to explain *how* it has to do with that, or how you could do it. "But you can make, ah... a pocket? It's also how some forms of teleportation work..."

Though probably not that book. "They must have wanted it to stay put very much." Mariel frowns at this. Why would you chain up a book? It's not going to bite someone! She opens her satchel again and starts rummaging. She's got one in here -

"I have an idea." Mariel holds up a large fruit with a hard shell, more like a really big nut - it's bigger than her fist is. She spends a moment cracking it, and the inside is green and a lot softer and juicier. "This is, ah, usually not the way it's used, but..."

She takes a shard of wood from a shelf and wedges it between two of the links. It's a tight fit. And then, using a metal tool, she squeezes the fruit, getting some juice, which she sprinkles onto the splinter.

The splinter slowly grows up to twice - maybe more - its original size! Hopefully it cracks the link while it does it. (It then un-grows right back to normal and falls out, but you can't help that.) Mariel is carefully sealing the remnants of the fruit up, using a jar that looks like glass but probably isn't. She stands well away during the bomb.

DG: Mariel has used her Tool Grow Fruit toward her party's challenge, Locked Away Tome. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round! 
<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

"Ah, so it's a mystery notebook," Venetia says to Xiumei with an understanding nod. That's just how it be with ARMs sometimes. (Not ARMS. ARMS is understandable, even Mari-Berri over there once you learn the trick.)

"A bomb? In a library?" Venetia says. She blinks behind her mask. "Hell, why not? Give it a try, Mr. Link." She does step well back, and in lieu of assistance direct, opens up a can of --

-- it has almost exactly no smell except salt. What's inside is a sort of greyish brown goo with brownish-grey bits in it. Venetia stabs one of the bits, which is exactly cubical, and takes a bite. It sounds crunchy. (She has a little camp fork-spoon combo with a knife/toothpick on the back. SHe used the latter part.)

"Oh, I hope it's not offputting. Eleanor and I are both scholars, Mr. Link, and so is Mariel in her field, and Armitage there," she indicates Marivel, "is a renowned graduate of the School of Cruel Fate with an advanced Doctorate in Chiropterian Studies. Ask her about it."

"Vane - is that the one with the Guild or the flying one?" Venetia says. "And do any of you want any of the roast here?"

DG: Venetia Vuong has used her Tool Chopped Roast - Now With Salt toward her party's challenge, Locked Away Tome. Cleanse! All negative effects will be cleared at the end of the round! Sacrifice! The party will take slightly more Exhaustion this round! 
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "Hm." as she looks at a massive book that is bound by chains for some reason. "I think I heard about this. You...try it like...."

She starts running in place before zooming at the book like a cartoon character.

She bounces off the book like a cartoon character and hops back a full two feet after running into it.

"Huh that usually works." Marivel says, crossing her arms and frowning. "Maybe I need better shoes."

Sh e looks to Venetia and says, "Hahh?"

Then another frown. "Ha ha."

She turns her head and pouts.

DG: Marivel Armitage has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Locked Away Tome. 
===== =======================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Locked Away Tome *>=======================
| Type: Exploration   | Dungeon Ability: Brute            | Challenge Rating: 2   |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 The hallway that you enter now comes to a dead end. Every wall is filled      
 with shelving. Most of them are filled with books -- numerous tomes, bound    
 in leather and stranger materials, and many quite dusty -- but the one at     
 the end of the hallway is empty, save for one book. That book is bound: a     
 lock is placed on it, with chains that seal it shut.                          
                                                                               
 The spine is telling: 'THEORY OF TELEPORTATION, Published by Vane Magic       
 Guild.' And, indeed, it is faintly aglow; one familiar with the history of    
 magic may be aware that this likely is tied to a teleporter that will bring   
 one to somewhere else in the ruin.                                            
                                                                               
 If, of course, they can open the book.                                        
============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
|        Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!,         |
|   Secret:_Exploration_Up!, Strengthen:_Brute_Up!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and    |
|                             Weaken:_Brute_Down!                               |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=======================<* Xenobia's Library - Round 3 *>========================
=========================< Results - Locked Away Tome >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mariel                              10 --(12)--> 22                Fail
Grow Fruit                          2   Brute   Effects: Stalwart             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    10 --(17)--> 27                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       22 --(5)--> 27                 Pass
Power Bracelet                      2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Venetia Vuong                       10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Chopped Roast - Now With Salt       2   Brute   Effects: Cleanse and Sacrifice
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link                                22 --(5)--> 27                 Pass
Mighty Bombs                        3   Brute   Effects: Efficient            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        10 --(17)--> 27                Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Eleanor Klein               40 --(20)--> 60                Pass
Conditions: Reckless(1) |Secret(2) |Stupify(1) |Weaken(2)
Effects: Cleanse |Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Eleanor Klein 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: Eleanor Klein has drawn a new Challenge.
============================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Rain of Books *>=========================
| Type: Exploration   | Dungeon Ability: Agility          | Challenge Rating: 2   |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 The room that you enter is enormously tall. Bookshelves reach up for several  
 stories' worth of height. The shelves are also full, stacked with countless   
 books. One would need a thousand years to read these -- which, of course,     
 the sorceress of the Vile Tribe has had. Unfortunately, as you pass through,  
 bookshelves are not always... stable.                                         
                                                                               
 Some of the higher levels shift when people move through. This is why large,  
 leatherbound tomes -- quite heavy -- are coming down, raining down on you     
 from above.                                                                   
============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
|       Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!,       |
|           Reckless:_Wits_Down!_Brute_Up!, Secret:_Exploration_Up!,            |
|     Slow:_Agility_Down!, Strengthen:_Brute_Up!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and      |
|                             Weaken:_Brute_Down!                               |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor smiles at Link when he says they say big words. "You're in good company to learn it," she says, and gestuse to Venetia as she explains their credentials. "And Xiumei is the best head for numbers I've ever seen. Accountants know a lot of big words, too."

Which Vane? "I'm not sure," Eleanor says, "Given its apparent age, the book would have to predate Neo-Vane, but..." She really couldn't be sure. She does, however, take some of the roast. "Ah, thank you, I was getting hungry!" Mariel helps Xiumei out with a basic explanation of very advanced concepts, but there is a bomb. Yes, a bomb.

Eleanor likewise gets out of the way of the bomb. The principle is sound! But before the explosions come, a few things are tried; Mariel tries the patented 'run at it really hard' approach, which.. doesn't work. Mariel tries a clever trick with her plants, and indeed the growing splinter /does/ crack the lock--but not enough on its own to get through. It takes the work of that bomb to make it happen in the end, and work it does! The explosion opens the book, and in an instant its magic functions; they are mystically telelported in the blink of an eye!

"Oh! Is everyone all right?" Eleanor checks, looking around. "Speaking of flding spa....Aaah!"

A book falls right by her feet. The full shelves around the group are /very/ tall, and it would appear that the motion of their forms while they suddenly appear in the room was enough to destabilize some of the higher shelves. Eleanor blinks, and--how to do this without hurting the books...?

Eleanor pulls a blue gem out of her bag immediately, and throws it up, allowing it to explode into a plume of water--which she lifts her ice rod to point at, and /freezes/ it in place, hopefully knocking some of the books away from them.

"We need a better plan!!"

DG: You use your Tool Ice Rod against your party's Challenge, Rain of Books!
DG: Eleanor Klein has used her Tool Ice Rod toward her party's challenge, Rain of Books. Fanfare! 
<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"Oh--ah, don't worry," Xiumei says to Link. She smiles, shaking her head. "I guess we get a little carried away with the book talk..." Then she looks at Eleanor, and smiles. "I-I do like numbers."

She looks at Mariel, though, and nods. Making a pocket sounds like what Varius and Avile tried to explain to her. She looks back at the book -- and the chains -- and it's a marvel how they use their different powers to break through.

They're all teleported -- and then Eleanor yelps, and Xiumei looks up to see several books coming down from above. She gasps -- and then she jumps out of the way of a couple of the tomes crashing down. She tries to grab one out of the air, so it doesn't fall and break.

She can't quite grab both, though.

"Th-this is a bit of a problem!" she says. "Hopefully nothing is too badly damaged...!"

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Model AV Boots toward her party's challenge, Rain of Books. Quicken! Party Agility boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

Link looks proud as his bomb works, as he nods. "Wow! A real Chiropterian scholar!"

He has no idea what that means.

As they teleport away, and the books begin raining down, he's at a loss. No grappling hook - it's not useful here - so instead, he grabs the hand of the nearest person slowing down who'll take it, and moves to pull them forward. "We need to run! If we worry too much about the books, we might never get through, or we'll get clobbered! They're heavy, they should be okay...!"

DG: Link has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Rain of Books. 
<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia pokes out her tongue at Marivel, but otherwise maintains a perfectly solemn mien. Even so when she moves forwards she places herself in a position nearer to Marivel, albeit without total clarity on if this is a body-language way of saying 'u know i <3 u' or just so she can overhear things better.

She turns her head upwards, looking around as books stand above them. "Goodness," she says. "What a collection. I could barely consider that there are so many books in the world, but there doesn't seem to have ever been a time when we didn't have books, so perhaps before the various -"

A book falls towards her and Venetia leaps out of the way of 'AVOIDING CONSQUENCES: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE.' "Ha!" she says.

Its follow up volume, 'AVOIDING CONSEQUENCES II: GETTING AWAY WITH IT,' by Meister Ucant, clobbers her to the ground.

DG: Venetia Vuong has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rain of Books. 
<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"Normally I would give one of you the fruit, but I don't think ripping at it would help." Though the splinter didn't help either, Mariel has to admit. Maybe if she got it in a better spot? She still has some of the fruit left.

She adds, "It means bats," to Link, as they teleport. Because someone had to tell him. Marivel might be her friend, as is Eleanor (if not as close), but Mariel is not good at having fun at someone else's expense.

...

Mariel was expecting to teleport, after a trick like that - she could tell teh book was going to do *something*. She was not expecting to teleport into a shower of books. "Ah - !" Mariel hunkers down, holding her arm over her head, before realizing that is *absolutely* not going to work against books, and uses a much better shield.

Specifically, she hangs close to Venetia, helping pull her up after the book strike (let's be honest: Mariel is not doing most of the work there) and then using her as protective cover from books coming in at an angle. Being short pays off this time. "Come on! Link is right!"

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel knows, Venetia. But she does play along.

It didn't work!! Well she tried. Don't say she's not a team player.

Marivel says, "Of course, I'm fine. I'm fine! why would I, Great Sorceress of Eld, not be fine? Pffah. It's just a library. No problem."

"Books aren't even trying to eat us." She says.

Moments before like a book flops ont oher head.

"Ahhh...!! The books ARE trying to eat us. My head... My...!"

  • POUF!!*

The book flops onto the ground, still open, directly towards the ground like FOOMP.

The name of the book is called HUBRIS VOLUME ONE OF TWELVE.

Marivel promptly rolls out from underneath the book and flaps up to drop down on Venetia's shoulder.

"Yes, see? I am invincible." Marivel says, with absolute confidence.

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Tomato Juice For Grownups toward her party's challenge, Rain of Books. Cleanse! All negative effects will be cleared at the end of the round! 
DG: Mariel has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rain of Books. 
=============================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
 =======================<* CHALLENGE - Rain of Books *>=========================
| Type: Exploration   | Dungeon Ability: Agility          | Challenge Rating: 2   |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 The room that you enter is enormously tall. Bookshelves reach up for several  
 stories' worth of height. The shelves are also full, stacked with countless   
 books. One would need a thousand years to read these -- which, of course,     
 the sorceress of the Vile Tribe has had. Unfortunately, as you pass through,  
 bookshelves are not always... stable.                                         
                                                                               
 Some of the higher levels shift when people move through. This is why large,  
 leatherbound tomes -- quite heavy -- are coming down, raining down on you     
 from above.                                                                   
============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
|       Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!,       |
|    Quicken:_Agility_Up!, Secret:_Exploration_Up!, and Slow:_Agility_Down!     |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=======================<* Xenobia's Library - Round 4 *>========================
==========================< Results - Rain of Books >===========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mariel                              22 --(5)--> 27                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    27 --(5)--> 32                 Pass
Tomato Juice For Grownups           1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       27 --(5)--> 32                 Pass
Ice Rod                             3   Agility Effects: Fanfare              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Venetia Vuong                       15 --(17)--> 32                Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link                                27 --(5)--> 32                 Pass
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        27 --(5)--> 32                 Pass
Model AV Boots                      2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Eleanor Klein               60 --(30)--> 80                Pass
Conditions: Injure(2) |Secret(1) |Slow(2)
Effects: Cleanse |Quicken(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Eleanor Klein has passed this challenge! The party gained 30 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: Eleanor Klein has drawn a new Challenge.
============================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
 =======================<* CHALLENGE - Dewey Decimal *>========================
| Type: Final         | Dungeon Ability: Wits             | Challenge Rating: 3   |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 You come to a large, octagonal-shaped room. This lay at the very heart of     
 the tower, and has tall shelves on each side. These contain a number of       
 tomes, like the rest. However, there are alcoves built into the shelves,      
 with a small stand for a number of important books. First, though, there is   
 the matter of the center of the room. A pedestal rests there, with an open    
 book upon it.                                                                 
                                                                               
 When you approach the book, you notice that it has a stone tablet built into  
 the pages. There, you find numerous stone tiles -- which can be moved across  
 the tablet, and reordered -- that have numbers written on them. The numbers,  
 you realize, could be moved to solve a rather complex mathematical puzzle     
 where the tiles are added and multipled to equal numbers written in the       
 margins of the book.                                                          
                                                                               
 It may take awhile.                                                           
                                                                               
 You do not have awhile, though. When you enter the room, a ball of flame      
 appears over the book, high in the air. Every few seconds, it glows a little  
 larger. You will need to solve the math problem /before/ it explodes.         
============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
|       Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Injure:_Exhaustion_Up_On_Failure!,       |
|     Quicken:_Agility_Up!, Secret:_Exploration_Up!, Slow:_Agility_Down!,       |
|               Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and Suffer:_Exhaustion_Up!                 |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor smiles back at Xiu. She does that a lot. Mariel has the thing about the scholar type covered, though. But they have indeed stumbled into a shower of books!

It /is/ a problem. Xiumei catches one book; the other hits the ground and bounces. Venetia has kind of a point; there are a /lot/ of books here. But the mastery of avoiding consequences requires some further action. Link has the right of it; they need to /run/ until they get out of this spot. Marivel does this easily; Marivel, as it turns out, is invincible for now! The books just don't fall on her! Except for hubris. That one did.

Mariel's strategy of hiding under Venetia is a wise one. Unfortunately it's not as good for Venetia. Venetia gets pelted with a few more books despite all their efforts, but her noble sacrifice protects the smaller party members near her.

Link leads the way into the large, octagonal room that is the heart of the tower, and there are many more books within. However... As they reach the pedestal with the largest book upon it--

The ball of flame appears over that book. It grows, and grows, and quickly, Eleanor sees--

"Xiu! We need you!"

It's MATH. Eleanor is--ok Eleanor's not /bad/ at math, but there's a reason she calls on Xiumei above the many smarties in this party. She pulls her ice rod, and holds onto it, beginning to focus. "If it goes off, I can try to counteract it, but..."

But the group might want to look for ways to survive a magic fireball or else get to work on the math puzzle.

<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

"Don't feel bad! You're having fun, right?" Link tells Xiumei, as they make it through into the room with the book. And a fireball. "I don't know complicated math...let me guard while you figure it out! If all else fails, maybe it's simpler than it's trying to scare us into thinking!"

He draws his shield, moves in front of the fireball, and starts making Link Noises. "Hah! Hah!"

They help him concentrate.

DG: Link has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Dewey Decimal. 
<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

"But--" Xiumei protests to Link and Mariel. "But--the books--"

But she follows, hurrying after Link into the octagonal room. She sighs, as she looks up -- and her eyes widen at the ball of flame that appears. It swirls and grows; her eyes widen, and she looks at Eleanor, as she calls out that she is needed. Her eyes look to the wall.

Sliding tiles -- with numbers on them, that can be added, multiplied, subtracted, and divided. She furrows her brow.

Then she holds her hand out. Her ledger appears; she opens it, pulls out the pencil slung through a leather loop, and begins to get to work.

Xiumei stays quiet. She is focused on the task -- and trying to ignore the heat of the fireball as best she can.

DG: Zhang Xiumei has used her Tool Clerk's Ledger toward her party's challenge, Dewey Decimal. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "Hm. Stone tablets. That's old school." She is about to settle down to study it when--

---a ball of flame appears over the book. Marivel's eyes widen. Why? Why would they make this test?? She's not too fussed because it's MATHS and Marivel is quite capable at MATHS but it FEELS a little uneccessary.

But since there isn't too much time she draws out a calculator and proceeds to type the math problem into the calculator. But will there be enough time?!

"Ugh this is why you should always take a robot friend with you on these adventures...!" She complains.

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia accepts the hand up from Mariel. Instant karma and all of that. "Thank you," she says. "Mostly my dignity and my neck, I think. I'm kidding about my -" A wary glance upwards, in case of stray osteopathy manuals.

Something lands on her. Venetia flinches comically hard, but it turns out to be Marivel. She gazes at Marivel's adorable bat form, and gestures at her, telling Link, "See what you can do if you study?"

And soon enough they reach the depths and what is clearly a reading room, and a pretty nice one in Venetia's opinion - yet there it is! The horrible truth! The terrifying potential of a book being engulfed in unquenchable flames! "Shit! I hate how dramatic the ancients were about this!"

"Don't say that first word," she tells Link - if not with great force since he's not THAT young and he's not her child or her relative's child, as far as she is aware - and in the process she gets out her book, TEARS OUT A blank SHEET OF PAPER, and sets it with a grease pencil, which she holds up to Marivel. "Go!" she tells her, sternly.

Her eyes cut to the side. "Oh, you have a calculator."

Venetia's face goes something like :I as she looks off to the side. She puts a hand on her Crest pouch, although nothing is whipped out just yet.

DG: Venetia Vuong has used her Tool Annotated Guide to Economic Stone toward her party's challenge, Dewey Decimal. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! 
<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel says, "Hm. Stone tablets. That's old school." She is about to settle down to study it when--

---a ball of flame appears over the book. Marivel's eyes widen. Why? Why would they make this test?? She's not too fussed because it's MATHS and Marivel is quite capable at MATHS but it FEELS a little uneccessary.

But since there isn't too much time she draws out a calculator and proceeds to type the math problem into the calculator. But will there be enough time?!

"Ugh this is why you should always take a robot friend with you on these adventures...!" She complains. "Maybe some people aren't in such a hurry--"

Venetia dramatically draws out a piece of paper and says GO and--

Marivel dangerously takes a moment to pat Venetia on the shoulder. She's still in bat form. She's somehow holding a calculator bigger than she is.

boop boop beep. boop boop boop. BOOP. "Aha...!!"

DG: Marivel Armitage has used her Tool Wisdom of the Crimson Nobles by M. Armitage toward her party's challenge, Dewey Decimal. Fanfare! 
<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"I can fix a book's spine; I can't fix *yours*!" Mariel's herbalism might be the next thing to magic - and in some ways it *is* magic - but even she has limits, and she is not eager to find them out.

At least they manage to get bludgeoned a bit less on the escape. "Hold on, I do have a poultice, if you want it," she offers Venetia, because she feels slightly guilty for letting her get bashed up in her place. Even if some of that bashing was Marivel, who - let's be honest - is small and squishy as a bat, compared to getting hit with a book.

Once the poultice is applied (or not) Mariel steps away. "We should get moving," she says. And they do - right into a pedestal book. That one looks important.

It is important. And on fire!

"I'm inclined to agree!" Why *were* the ancients so dramatic about it? Mariel isn't that dramatic and she's literally a thousand years old. She crouches, pulling out her own book once more, and that fancy pen - yes, she's brave enough to do math with a pen (her pencil is buried under all the other stuff in there - flowers, berries in bags and wrapped in cloth, nuts, some compounds in jars and bottles - and she doesn't feel she has the time to find it).

Mariel does math regularly but hers is practical math. It's not pure math. She double-checks Xiumei's work instead of trying to do it all from scratch, because that's the best way for her to keep up.

DG: Mariel has used her Tool Millennium Diary toward her party's challenge, Dewey Decimal. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! 
============================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
 =======================<* CHALLENGE - Dewey Decimal *>========================
| Type: Final         | Dungeon Ability: Wits             | Challenge Rating: 3   |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 You come to a large, octagonal-shaped room. This lay at the very heart of     
 the tower, and has tall shelves on each side. These contain a number of       
 tomes, like the rest. However, there are alcoves built into the shelves,      
 with a small stand for a number of important books. First, though, there is   
 the matter of the center of the room. A pedestal rests there, with an open    
 book upon it.                                                                 
                                                                               
 When you approach the book, you notice that it has a stone tablet built into  
 the pages. There, you find numerous stone tiles -- which can be moved across  
 the tablet, and reordered -- that have numbers written on them. The numbers,  
 you realize, could be moved to solve a rather complex mathematical puzzle     
 where the tiles are added and multipled to equal numbers written in the       
 margins of the book.                                                          
                                                                               
 It may take awhile.                                                           
                                                                               
 You do not have awhile, though. When you enter the room, a ball of flame      
 appears over the book, high in the air. Every few seconds, it glows a little  
 larger. You will need to solve the math problem /before/ it explodes.         
============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
|     Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and Suffer:_Exhaustion_Up!      |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=======================<* Xenobia's Library - Round 5 *>========================
==========================< Results - Dewey Decimal >===========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mariel                              27 --(13)--> 40                Pass
Millennium Diary                    2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marivel Armitage                    32 --(13)--> 45                Pass
Wisdom of the Crimson Nobles by M.  3   Wits    Effects: Fanfare              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eleanor Klein                       32 --(13)--> 45                Pass
Investigate                         1   Wits    Effects: Risky                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Venetia Vuong                       32 --(13)--> 45                Pass
Annotated Guide to Economic Stone   2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Link                                32 --(25)--> 57                Fail
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zhang Xiumei                        32 --(13)--> 45                Pass
Clerk's Ledger                      2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Eleanor Klein               80 --(35)--> 115               Pass
Conditions: Stupify(2) |Suffer(1)
Effects: Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Eleanor Klein has successfully explored Xenobia's Library!
============================<* Xenobia's Library *>=============================
 ====================<* CHALLENGE - Memories of Yunalesca *>===================
| Type: Discovery     | Dungeon Ability: Conclusion       | Challenge Rating: 1   |
---------------------------< Challenge Information >----------------------------
 You select an alcove -- and the others have thick stone doors slam shut,      
 blocking access off to their books. The tome that you pick has a foreword of  
 interest:                                                                     
                                                                               
 'In the past three centuries, Yunalesca's consciousness has degraded. When I  
 knew her in life, however briefly, she was a woman of passion and drive. She  
 was happy to lay her life down -- a fool, as all humans are -- for her        
 cause. But, I have found that Unsent have difficulty maintaining their        
 consciousness over the centuries. They take their core beliefs, and slowly    
 wash out all else; their complexities and subtleties are lost.'               
                                                                               
 What follows is a fairly extensive log of how Yunalesca changed over the      
 centuries. It doesn't tell you much that you haven't learned, but it is an    
 interesting treatise on the Unsent and how they become less human in their    
 thinking.                                                                     
============================= Dungeon Conditions:  =============================
|    Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Secret:_Exploration_Up!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and     |
|                            Suffer:_Exhaustion_Up!                             |
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

The books... will be fine. They can fix the books' spines, as Mariel says. People spines are harder. But as they go, there is... much to be done. And little time in which to do it.

Link makes himself useful by stepping forth between Eleanor and the flames, and something in her mind clicks suddenly--this is why she couldn't see the monster, in her vision. There was no monster; there was only Link, her, and the flame.

But the others work hard at what's to come next. Xiumei handles the math problem, with Mariel backing her up. Marivel and Venetia make an incredible pair, but the calculator, as it turns out, finishes the problems just in time to confirm Xiumei's correct math!

Why /were/ the ancients so dramatic about this? It is a question. They don't have an answer. But the puzzle settles; when the last stone is lokced into place, the fireball winks out. Eleanor sighs in relief, and looks to the books ahead. There are a few of interest; one in standard western Lunarian, which msot of the party can easily recognize. But another, Eleanor recognizes--a script ancient even before Marivel and Mariel came to be. She reaches out to the green book, and touches it--

The world flashes in light, and is suddenly pure blue.

"Good, good. You're here! And you brought friends--you will need them. Now, listen closely. We have little time!"

Eleanor blinks, and looks around. They can all see it; it is a featureless plane of blue-white, swirling all around--and in an instant, she knows that it is a space beyond time, a sacred realm. At her feet is an octogonal floor of crystal, inscribed with eight circles, each containing some sort of element, and in the center, three golden triangles arranged within.

The voice that spoke an instant ago has a face. He is an old, old man, with a bushy white mustache extending to his sideburns and a stern face with sharp features. He is dressed in orange, white, and red robes, and is familiar though she has never seen him before. Despite the harsness of his eyebrows and the severe tilt of his eyes, he smiles. This is the point at which Eleanor notices his long, furry ears, hanging down from the sides of his head, and his furred hands.

And Eleanor is first to ask, "Who...?"

"I am Rauru. Once, as the Sage of Light, I and the other Sages sealed Ganondorf's evil. ...I know--that seal is broken."

But there is a moment for questions as he gathers his breath to continue.

<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

Link's defensive posture is readied - one who has used this shield before, but maybe not to shield another. But as the books are discovered, and the sacred realm with the Sage appears, Link hears his words. And then...he gets fierce

"...Ganondorf! Where is he?! He's the one who had that bird take my sister...! The King of Red Lions told me that Ganon is a great evil...!"

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei breathes a sigh of relief to see she did the right solution.

She looks at the books available; she can't quite make out the written language on it, but she sees Eleanor approach, and realizes this must be the one they were looking for. Her eyes widen at the flash of blue -- and then the sudden wash of light, leaving them standing on a blue featureless plane.

Her eyes scan over the octagonal floor, then the surroundings, and finally -- finally, she ends up looking at the old man. Xiumei hesitates, as she spots those long, furry ears. They're not unlike Mariel's, she thinks. She draws in a gasp. "Rauru...?"

She doesn't know the name. She does know the name of Ganondorf -- and she looks at Link, blinking in surprise.

"That's--we've encountered him," she says. "What... what do you know about him? You're--you say you are a Sage?"

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

As the fire is extinguished, Venetia - accepting the poultice, with a bit of a turn and a loosening of part of her top - says to Mariel, "Thank you," and seems, from the looks and sounds of things, to have genuinely benefitted.

Fortunately, math prevails. You can't lie with math, Link. But you can lie with

THAT.

Venetia has her gun out and pointed to cover the old man before he begins to speak in a way dire with portent but not laden with horror. (Quietly, she reholsters the gun.) Venetia blinks at him several times, glancing at Marivel, and then saying, hesitantly, "Are you among the Unsent?"

And then after a beat, and the mention of Ganondorf, "What seal is this? Something loose that shouldn't be? You're fortunate indeed to have gotten all of us here." Link speaks up - Venetia seems momentarily startled, even aghast, at what he says, which isn't something she quite usually does.

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel closes her diary and tucks it away once mathematics is complete. "It looks like that's the correct answer," given the fire went out, but -

White. And then blue.

This is a place Mariel doesn't know, though she knows the feel of it - a place that is not Filgaia, nor Lunar, but somewhere both close by and far away. It feels empty, but not. Words don't describe it very well. She cranes, trying to get a good look at one of the symbols, before the voice speaks.

Mariel's eyes widen. This she was not expecting at all. Though Mariel looks much younger, the similarity in at least their species is clear; similar drooping ears, and though Mariel is wearing gloves almost everyone here has seen her without them, showing the tufts of fur on the back of her hands.

"You mean Ganondorf the King of Evil," Mariel says, so shocked she just defaults to the most obvious thing to say. "Yes, it is broken... there is <Malice> back in the world." The word Mariel uses isn't Malice, precisely - it is Elw, a summation of the same concept but (Mariel thinks) more accurately describing it. "And I have seen him myself."

She hesitates, then asks, "How long have you been here...?" His spirit, perhaps; his memory. But he must have been here so long ago that none of the Elw living when they departed Filgaia, except possibly Fulcanelli, could possibly have met him.

This is the first Elw that was anything more than a video Mariel has seen in almost five hundred years, other than herself. She is surprised, to say the least, even if he isn't precisely 'alive', she thinks. But there's something of him here.

She's been so lonely, even with her new friends. She thought she'd gotten used to it, but to see even one memory of an Elw seems to have broken that shell. It feels... Well she has a lot of emotions right now and Mariel isn't all that good at keeping them off her face.

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel stays in bat form so she can be like the cool helper owl. She hangs tight on Venetia's shoulder for a bit before squinting at those golden triangles. Didn't see see a golden triangle on Ganon's hand?

Well staying in bat form was the plan but now she rolls off Venetia and poufs back into her Crimson Noble form. She looks up at Rauru. The Sage of Light.

"He's been free for years." Marivel says. "Sounds like you were able to get involved up in Lunar too. That's...interesting."

She crosses her arms. "There's a lot we don't know about Ganon. Or the Sages. He predates even me and I don't know where to start looking in father's libraries so..."

She shrugs both shoulders. "Perhaps some explanation would be helpful to all of us, Sage of Light."

She is pretty chill about this even if she might normally be a bit more sassy because SAGE OF LIGHT probably means light powers? She doesn't want to have to deal with that today.

"He must be quite ancient. So your seal did a pretty decent job as far as seals go. Usually they only last a few centuries--not a few millenia."

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"...Yes," Rauru says to Link. "A great, great evil indeed. Continue your quest--you must find your sister, for no one else will rescue her but you." He nods, firmly, an looks to the others. He has said they have little time, but apparently there is time enough to regard each of them. He says to Xiumei, "Once, I was a Sage," he says, to be more precise, and looks to Venetia. "I am not of the Unsent, but I am of the dead. I am an old spirit whose time is nearly done. I have but two final tasks to perform. One is this." He looks to Mariel, and despite his stern manner he gives her a small smile. "I am heartened to see that one of our people at least is here, in this moment. ...But you have seen him, then, and it, the <Malice>."

To her question, "Not as long as you would think. Until recently, I was sealed away as well--it is your young friend who freed me." He nods to Eleanor. Eleanor, for her part, blinks again, and looks to the others as if they might know what he's talking about.

He looks to Marivel next, however. "I have called you here from the moon, but it is not strictly where we are. That is simply where the book I required ended up." A pause. "I will tell you what I can."

"I know much of Ganondorf, but I also know that he will soon be aware that I have acted. Indeed; his seal was meant never to be broken... but broken it has been. This is why I must explain quickly."

His gaze settles on the young elf.

"Since his return, Ganondorf has hunted the Sages, killing or sealing all who remain. But we have yet one hope, and that hope, Eleanor, is you. Your spell, those years ago, the one that gave you your visions--it cracked the seal his minion had placed upon me. I was able to escape... and in time, to bring you here, to this Chamber in the Sacred Realm. That is the meaning of the prophecy you sought." He looks apologetically to Mariel and Marivel. "I deliberately made it obtuse, such that she would need to seek such a library."

"...But now," he says, "Ganondorf believes he has ended us. But we live on. Our hope lives on. In you. You are the new Sage of Light, Eleanor."

Eleanor, for her part, finds herself shocked and at the same time certain; she knows what he says is true. And yet, "My visions... The ritual /worked/? It couldn't have! My colleagues--!"

Rauru shakes his head. "It did, but the seal of Ganondorf's servant Wizzro lashed out at you in the moment that you touched it. Due to your power, you could not be touched... and so it took your friends. ...I am sorry, young one. Think of vengeance in time. But for now, you must listen."

"...That ritual unmoored you in Time. It is for this reason that I was able to awaken you, and foil the Evil King's plans for us, at least."

"...Our seal did better than many," he admits then to Marivel. "But not enough. Your generation was never meant to deal with such things. The future is beyond my sight... but not beyond hers. In time, her visions will become clearer, and she will be able to view the present as well as the future."

"I do not have the time to reeal all that I would like. But I will pass my knowledge on to you, Eleanor. It will take you time to comprehend what you have learned, but you will. And with it, you will be able to guide them in this. In your duty."

"...My knowldge, and my power. I do not know how you all will succeed... But I have faith that my successor will help you to do so." He lifts his hand, and extends it, furry and familiar to Mariel. But he was old, even while alive. And a light envelops Eleanor, who feels a similar light welling up from within her heart.

"...All of you. It will take time for her to master what I have taught her. I will rely on you, as well. ...Ganondorf was ancient long before your time," he says, looking to Mariel and then to Marivel in turn. "But the Sage will be able to assist. And you..."

He steps forward, and kneels down to look at Link. "She will help you in your quest. Do not give up, no matter how great the evil. Have courage, and you will succeed."

To Venetia, "I am indeed fortunate, to have gathered all of you." DC: You switch forms to Eleanor, Sage of Light! DC: Eleanor Klein switches forms to Eleanor, Sage of Light!

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei looks tense. Ganondorf had gone after Eleanor, before; she had felt uniquely unsuited to trying to protect her. It was important -- it is more important, now -- and she curls her fingers into a fist.

Her eyes widen, when Rauru confirms that he is one of Mariel's people. She only half understands; she looks from her, back to Rauru. "Eleanor freed you...?"

But how? When?

She swallows, then. Ganondorf hunted the Sages down -- and then he explains how he escaped, thanks to the magical ritual that Eleanor did so many years ago. It was the same one that put her in ARMS; it was, on some level, why they were reunited.

She bites her lip. Her eyes widen when she learns that Eleanor is a Sage. It is a shock -- and yet, it makes sense. She stays quiet, after that, and stares at Eleanor. She looks at her, her expression nervous.

Ganondorf is hunting the Sages.

She finds herself smiling, nonetheless. Xiu walks over, then slips her gloved hand into Nora's. "I always knew you were special," she says. "I guess the world finally caught on. We've got our work cut out for us, don't we?"

<Pose Tracker> Link has posed.

Link listens to Rauru, even if he gets no push on where his foe is. But..."She'll help me. But I also have to do this...alright. Thank you, Sage Rauru. Rest."

Link turns to Eleanor. "If you're a Sage who will help me...then the only thing I can do is offer the same. Link of Outset Island." He's introduced himself before, but it feels like a more formal time to do it again. He has a feeling that his quest just grew a whole lot more complicated, even if he thinks it ends with his sister and Ganondorf.

"...is anyone else hungry?" He did not share in their roast because he was busy, and also it might clumsily break the ice...

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Don't worry about it," Marivel tells Rauri. "It's nice of you to worry about us, and I certainly appreciate not having to have to deal with this guy for thousands of years--but these things happen. You should be proud in what you were able to accomplish. Don't beat yourself up just because you weren't able to make it permanent or I'll feel just TERRIBLE about my own seal only lasting perfectly five thousand years. I've got feelings too, you know."

She's being a bit silly about it but her goal is indeed to try and reassure this guy up a little.

She waves a hand. "I said don't sweat it, don't sweat it! You're already helping us out a lot. I was more thinking about his past but this is good to know too."

She cracks a villainous smirk. "She'll have the assistance of Filgaia's greatest sorceress so that'll have to count for something."

She looks to Link.

"..."

"And that guy." She jerks a thumb at the kid. He's clearly some small potatoes guy here but his desire to save his sister is sweet and she wants to help reunite them too. It feels like the right thing to do even if he doesn't have a grand destiny or anything.

"Oh I ate plenty today." She adds, looking to that furry hand.

"...Our peoples are getting along great, just so you know. Crimson Nobles, Elw. It's worked out. So don't you worry about that either. Peace persisted."

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

The last, Mariel thinks. Everyone else left.

She can't bring herself to tell him that. Even a spirit deserves peace. Perhaps especially a spirit.

She nods instead, very slightly. "I had trouble reading the prophecy," Mariel admits. She can't help it - Elw was a complicated language and the fact that Eleanor doesn't really speak it doesn't make it any easier.

She wants to know why. Why Eleanor? She supposes it can't be carried down in the bloodline if it's in an elf, but why did that power pass to her? She doesn't touch energy like an Elw, Mariel knows that for certain. Ultimately, it's nothing she can figure out, and nothing she is willing to ask. It seems rude. With the visions, and the death... she feels for her. It must be as much a burden as a blessing.

Mariel raises her own hand, in farewell as much as anything else. "I, too, will do what I can," she says. "I..." Mariel trails off, then: "I had never thought I would be standing against the King of Evil, but I have done what I can to reduce the Malice where I find it. I can do more than that, as well. Please, as you go... remember that people will do all they can."

Another smile, though a sad one. "Yes... it has. Marivel and I - I am Mariel - am close friends."

She waits, a few moments, and then speaks to Eleanor once more: "I suppose I have some things to teach you, too. About the Malice. Nothing too esoteric, but if you intend to do battle with the King of Evil's minions..."

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Not of the unsent, but of the dead. His time is nearly done.

Venetia is an arrogant woman; nevertheless she is quiet.

Eleanor is addressed. She is the central target. Venetia has thought well of Eleanor but this is on a wholly different level. Her head turns, and in the illuminance of the Sage of Light that Void 41 lace mask hides most of her expression. He speaks of a truth, and when he mentions the library, Venetia makes a shocked sound -- as if seeing a parallel. Or perhaps a precursor. A prelude.

The rest of what Rauru says... Ganondorf's seal. Something that took friends. That unmoored Eleanor. The ancient sage names a successor. Venetia curls her hands into loose fists and sets them on her hips.

An ancient puts expectations on them...

And Venetia laughs.

It is clear, deep, and confident. She twirls one hand around as Marivel speaks of her, and looks towards Rauru, who may have moments left. "Then I won't keep you. Your successor's victory is certain. She's not lying. Because I," and here Venetia slaps herself over the heart, "am

The world's greatest magician!

and though all things must have their place, the barriers that stymied you will certainly fall before me," Venetia concludes with a firm nod.

"One way or another I suppose you'll learn something new. Perhaps I'll see you there -- but not, I assure you, any time soon."

After this, Link proposes food. "I do have a couple more cans," Venetia says. "I didn't think you'd like the chopped roast exactly. It's a bit of a regional specialty."

  • Chopped Roast is a generic term in deep parts of Guild Galad for miscellaneous inexpensive ingredients prepared in salt, soy-sauce or sugar syrup, stored up against a rainy day. But it gets funky after a couple of years...
  • So it's pretty cheap to fill up on!
  • It has at least four nutrients, guaranteed!

"Congratulations, though I suppose it's got its downsides," Venetia says to Eleanor, and with a more apologetic tone, her and Xiumei both.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"I'll help him, hm?" Eleanor says of Link, and smiles faintly. "You're right. I would've even if you didn't." She looks to Link, and nods. "...Very well, Link. I promise I'll do what I can."

Xiumei comes over to her, and takes her hand. Eleanor feels relief as she does; she didn't know what to expect, but with Xiumei acting so confidently....

"We do." Her hand is warmer than before. Not uncomfortably hot--just warm.

To Marivel, he says, "Ha! Very well. I will rest knowing I have done my duty, then. ...And I am glad to hear of this peace. Preserve it well, Crimson Noble." He nods to Mariel, too--he does not answer her unspoken sentiments. But he does answer her, "I will remember what you have said. Please, guide her. She has all of my knowledge now, but it will take time for her to comprehend it. She has thus far lived as a mortal, as mortals do. And even I never stood alone."

He actually grins at Venetia. "You are arrogant," he says, "...But some arrogance is good in a sorceress. It inspires you to reach beyond the possible. And I do indeed sense a power in you not of this world. Perhaps you will be key."

Eleanor nods to Mariel, as she offers, and smiles to Venetia. But she looks back to Rauru. "...Why me?" she wonders. "Is it only because I freed you?"

"It is passed in the lines of spirit," he explains. "There are others. In time, you must find them. Rebuild our circle, young Sage. You are the only one who can."

"I regret that I must place such responsibility upon one so young... But it is the only way. And you have strong, wise friends on whom to rely. Do not forget them." He nods to Xiumei, too--he can tell there's more there. It is not hard to see.

"Yes, you would be hungry, though. You cannot spend long here. In fact, I sense.. that our time is at an end."

"Rauru," Eleanor starts, "Wait. I have so many questions--"

"And you shall know the answers in time. But I have done all I can. Be well, Sage of Light, and friends. ...I entrust all to you."

"But--" Eleanor understands something, suddenly, and looks up sharply. "Wait--"

"Worry not for me, young one. I have one last visitor to entertain before I rest."

Rauru smiles to Eleanor--to everyone--and then extends his hand. The group will feel the world shift, and expand, and in moments, they are back in the central chamber of Xenobia's Library. In Eleanor's hand is a green book. Another, in Lunarian script, is below it, open from the jostling to a foreword that discusses Yunalesca. And Eleanor...

"..." She pauses, and then recites, translating from a language that only she and Mariel here speak:

"A puzzle impenetrable Words of unknown meaning will become clear as the Sun sets And Power devours the day

But in the last spark of dusk A hope at the library's cellars The new Sun rises in gold The youngest Elder raised aloft"

She looks down. "The last visitor... He's--"

Eleanor looks down. "...He's just saved me, I think."

<Pose Tracker> Zhang Xiumei has posed.

Xiumei's eyes turn towards Venetia. She stares at her for a moment -- opens her mouth, to say something -- and then thinks better of it. Her mouth closes again, because it would be improper to correct her before Rauru. She is helping, after all.

And she means well, too, Xiumei supposes.

Xiumei looks at Link. She flushes at the kid, after a moment. "I... am a little hungry, after all of that, actually."

She sounds embarrassed to admit it.

She smiles at Eleanor -- squeezing her hand again -- and then she looks back at Rauru. They all vanish, a moment later. She looks back at Eleanor. She looks surprised, to hear her speak that language. Xiumei blinks her eyes, then glances down.

"I... I'm glad," she says. "We should... we should probably get out of here soon, then."

Coinciding with the end of this scene is: 2022-07-09:_Rauru's_Last_Flight