2024-03-15: Filgaian Tutorial Dungeon
- Log: Filgaian Tutorial Dungeon
- Cast: Ida Everstead-Rey, Damian Tamaoka, Dirk Swordsman, Xantia, Nina Chiyome
- Where: Ruins of Memory
- Date: March 15, 2024
- Summary: Ida and Xantia take some Nedian visitors on a Dig, picking a relatively well-traveled location to introduce Damian, Dirk and Nina to what one might call Drifter-style sightseeing. It goes about like you'd expect... if you're Filgaian.
============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================= The Ruins of Memory are located in the Ranchlands, as a towering structure nestled in the foothills. The temple's outer layer has been thoroughly pilfered, with large and emptied rooms that have little but inscriptions on the walls. The Ruins allegedly date back to the Metal Demon War. The lower levels of the Ruins of Memory, however, have not been breached. There, one can find fiendish puzzles and drop traps that make this a dangerous place to explore. Nonetheless, it is said that ancient treasures and ancient history lay within. BGM: Wild ARMs - Cold Darkness - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C55flOnlXMg
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Entering the Depths *>====================== | Type: Entry | Dungeon Ability: Agility | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The exterior of the Ruins of Memory has been well-combed. Drifters have cleaned out the huge ground level, which is easily moved through. However, as you approach the deeper parts, you can find a great hole leading into the depths of the ruins. It will require caution to enter the depths in one piece, but the rewards may be worth it. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Slow:_Agility_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida's first trip to the Ruins of Memory was over five years ago. It was a formative experience for her--entering a ruin with only her wits, her mother's journal, and a handful of trusty companions. Now, she's returned with friends from a different Star--teenagers who embarked on a very different sort of Journey than the one she began in Adlehyde.
The trip to Adlehyde from the rift near Lahan was, thankfully, mostly unremarkable. A Kislevi patrol that got too close for comfort, a minor storm that hit just as they got to Adlehyde. They had time to rest and recover, and prepare. The first group departed yesterday, and returned safely. There were a few close calls, and Ida has decided to invite Xantia as well--not that she doesn't trust the Nedian kids, but this is still a hazardous environment.
The Ruins await. To people who grew up on Energy Nede, the idea of a structure being abandoned for centuries might be unheard-of. (Except whatever was lost with Johto. But nobody talks much about Lost Johto anymore, do they?) But the Ruins of Memory are still very much there. The surface levels are a temple complex, made of brick and stone, and they've been thoroughly stripped by age and explorers.
Ida stays towards the rear of the group this time, to better keep an eye on everyone. She's dressed in Filgaian field gear--a buttoned leather duster, a wide-brimmed hat, jeans, boots. Catastrophe Sal, Ida's steadfast Butterfree companion, flits about beside her, a tiny crystal dangling from a silken strand around her neck. It's a smaller version of a crystal Ida's clipped to her coat--both cast pools of soft, warm light throughout the otherwise-darkened ruins.
"Here it is," Ida says, glancing to Xantia. 'It' is a hole in the floor, about ten feet wide, with a sheer drop beneath it. "The entrance to the parts that haven't been picked clean yet." The wind picks up as Ida clicks her heels together, and a soft, gentle breeze--lit by motes of green energy--rises from the hole. "Now, how do we get down?" Ida looks at the three Nedian teenagers, and it's clear she's got a solution in mind... but first, she wants to see how they approach this.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Zephyr Boots toward her party's challenge, Entering the Depths. Quicken! Party Agility boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Damian is almost always a little nervous and skittery, but for some reason, he's been a little extra skittery lately, at least with the group at large. You could attribute it to being on a foreign planet on a far less developed but far more dangerous world...
But really, he's just nervous about Dirk potentially making him. They hadn't seen each other since they'd fought on opposite sides of a Team Rocket operation... and Damian had been wearing the Team Rocket uniform that day. (He's not now, of course: just his customary purple hoodie, brown shorts, and black sneakers.) He almost turned around when they convened in Nede to embark on this mission, but had taken far too long to come up with an excuse that sounded natural and had been roped into going along anyway.
He's nice, and doing his best to be pleasant... he's just extra skittery, too.
But he does forget some of his nervousness for a moment, funnily enough, when they reach the ruins. He pulls out his smartphone and starts taking a lot of pictures. "H-has this really b-been here, for centuries...? A-and nobody uses it, still...? H-how come?"
While Damian is snapping pictures, though, Purri hops off of Damian's shoulder and strolls over to the pit, peering over it curiously. Her eyes glitter in the darkness as she peers down into the hole. After a moment, Damian joins her, though he kneels a bit so he's less likely to pitch over into it.
Purri looks up at him and meows, and Damian nods. "O-okay, if you're sure..."
And then the feline pokemon just jumps right into the pit. After a moment there is a sound from below. "Purr, purrloin."
"I-I think it's c-clear," says Damian... "Um, I have some rope..." He takes his backpack off and removes a coil of rope from it. He's got more space for that now that he doesn't have an egg in there.
DG: Damian Tamaoka has used his Tool Purrloin toward his party's challenge, Entering the Depths. Fanfare!
<Pose Tracker> Dirk Swordsman has posed.
Dirk doesn't talk about Lost Johto much.
HOWEVER:
Dirk has a great imagination and is also capable of easily imagining an area being left alone for a long, long period of time. Because that shiz is, in a word, tight as hell. He has seen such places in media.
"Huh," he says, when he sees the actual form of the ruins. He adjusts his sword.
With him are Chespin and Farfetch'd - at least, they're the ones who are out and about right now. He has, cryptically, several more Pokeballs in his hip holster for them. "So you just jump into these holes in the ground?" he asks, but it's more thoughtful than anything.
"Farfetch'd," says the bird. And then -- the cat jumps into the pit.
Dirk and Farfetch'd both look at Damian.
Farfetch'd narrows his eyes with a sudden stiffening.
Dirk... frowns a little. His head tilts back. "Aight," he says. "Farfetch'd, you think you can do a knot?"
Farfetch'd considers, eyeballing Damian directly, and answers presently. "Faaar. Far, far... far?" He makes a sort of loop.
"If you pull a loop tight that oughta hold good enough for one of us to get down and tie it," Dirk concludes.
"... Your guy gonna be okay down there?" Dirk asks Damian, even as the Farfetch'd approaches him, looks up at him, mimes drawing his leek across his own neck, and reaches up one wing for the rope.
"Chespin!" says Chespin, who isn't sensing any of this awkwardness, greeting Ida and Catastrophe Sal. The stout li'l hedgehog-like guy just seems happy to be here!
"He had a good question, though," Dirk says. "People really just left this alone for like five hundred years, but they came back for part of it? Are you like, real far off the path or something here?" A pause. "You know, if you guys have like a MAP of Filgaia or something, I wanna see. I'm gonna take a picture of it, though."
"Chespin!" agrees Chespin. :D
DG: Dirk Swordsman has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Entering the Depths.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Though she wouldn't have expected it beforehand, Xantia has been a common sight on Energy Nede as of late, having completely turned around on the whole Pokemon Training thing. She's been working at that in earnest, while keeping her eyes and ears open for anything related to activity of the Wise Men. It keeps her busy if nothing else, makes her feel like she's not just idly whittling away her time while Filgaia is in danger.
Which isn't to say she won't make time to help out if someone asks of course, she was more than happy to accept Ida's invitation. There is no such thing as a Dig Tour Guide, but where it comes to the Ruins of Memory, Xantia may be the next best thing. She's been here on multiple occasions, which had everything to do with the name. If it surprises you that someone could be moved to go somewhere based purely on what it's called, then you must not be familiar with Xantia and her propensity towards taking everything at face value.
Pretty much never dressing differently than is usual for her, the armored bodysuit worn by the hand-to-hand fighter with long red hair may be a familiar sight to anyone who's seen her around before. At least this time it actually makes complete sense to want to be prepared for any trouble. Even though she's understood from Ida that she isn't supposed to just barrel straight ahead and punch through any obstacles that might loom ahead. Not exactly her idiom, but she can work with being support, she supposes.
And so, she stands back with Ida, doing some warm-up stretches before it's her turn to make her way down. She'll be happy to make use of the rope, though she'll employ some... creativity, in doing so. It's faster when you take the occasional leap to where you remember solid handholds are. Hopefully those are all still there, or it'll be a bit more trouble than she thinks.
"Uhhh. Ruins are just... like that," she gives a non-answer to the question posed. "They're all over, places that people abandoned and forgot about. ...oh! That's ironic isn't it, being forgotten when they're called the Ruins of Memory?" She seems thrilled by that little revelation. Irony is something that took her years to start grasping, it's still exciting when she manages to spot it. Of course that also derailed her train of thought, so that's all of the answer that's coming out of her.
DG: Xantia has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Entering the Depths.
<Pose Tracker> Nina Chiyome has posed.
Nina's excited in a way that Damian's all nervous. Sure it's old and has been stagnant for a while, but it's different when it's been abandoned. That's a chance to explore, to get out there, to do things. She stretches out as she walks up, then in the way the others are doing, she pulls her phone out and begins to take some video. She's also playing with something else with her free hand, checking a strap or two more likely.
Xantia's given a curious wave, then a look to Ida. She doesn't outright ask who this strange person is, but it's clear she wants to!
Today's buddy riding on her shoulder is a sneasel. She's actually standing up straight, using Nina's head as a balance as she looks on ahead, one clawed paw over her eyes as she watches.
Dirk's given a thumbs up, then she teases, "Still say we should have a sparring practice at some point. Want to see if you're as good as my older brother." She's being a bit cheeky there though. Mostly because he uses a different style of swordplay! (So does Nami on that note)
Belatedly, she does offer a wave to Xantia with the phone hand, "Hi. By the way." Just so she doesn't seem rude.
Finally she checks on Damian, "You uh, you alright? No shame in sitting it out... Or just stick close, I got'cha."
Said free hand finally frees the grappling hook she'd been messing with and offers it out, "Got'cha covered here too. Just.. have to secure it. That's not too worrying though. This doesn't seem as bad as trying to climb a su-.. well. Don't worry about that!"
DG: Nina Chiyome has used her Tool Ninja Tools Box toward her party's challenge, Entering the Depths. Quicken! Party Agility boosted!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Entering the Depths *>====================== | Type: Entry | Dungeon Ability: Agility | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The exterior of the Ruins of Memory has been well-combed. Drifters have cleaned out the huge ground level, which is easily moved through. However, as you approach the deeper parts, you can find a great hole leading into the depths of the ruins. It will require caution to enter the depths in one piece, but the rewards may be worth it. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Quicken:_Agility_Up! and Slow:_Agility_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>==============================
====================< Results - Ruins of Memory - Round 1 >=====================
======================< CHALLENGE - Entering the Depths >=======================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
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Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(5)--> 5 Best
Zephyr Boots Min Agility Effects: Quicken
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Xantia 0 --(5)--> 5 Good
Rush Bsc Agility Effects: BASIC
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Damian Tamaoka 0 --(5)--> 5 Best
Purrloin Min Agility Effects: Efficient and
Fanfare
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Dirk Swordsman 0 --(5)--> 5 Good
Rush Bsc Agility Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nina Chiyome 0 --(5)--> 5 Best
Ninja Tools Box Min Agility Effects: Quicken
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass
Conditions: Slow(2)
Effects: Quicken(1)
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Butterfree!" says Sal, encouragingly, as Purri lines up her jump. And because she's a good pal--and can fly, which makes the whole idea less daunting--she flits down after Purri, providing a light source. "Free!" Up top, Ida supervises as Dirk and Damian secure the top half of the rope, ensuring it will actually hold. Once it's secure, Farfetch'd carries the rest down, and ties it around a nice, sturdy support column.
*Ptoo*, goes Sal, as she spits out some String Shot to keep it secure, and then waves up to everyone above.
The climb down goes smoothly, all things considered. Nina even gets the chance to set up her own grappling line and rappel down into the darkness. Ninja skills.
And once everyone's on the bottom floor...
Ida cracks a smile as Xantia brings up how ironic this place is. "Filgaia's littered with places like this," she says, with a nod to her fellow martial artist. "Settlements abandoned due to war, or a sudden change in the climate, or something else. Labs that were constructed and then shuttered, or forgotten about. Ancient military bases that were never decommissioned... All of them dangerous, mind, because Filgaia doesn't have Pokemon Rangers to clean out the hazards and keep the trails neat."
"As for this ruin, it's hard to say exactly when it was abandoned. The most common theory is that it was a casualty of the Day of Collapse." That's an ominous name. "That was over five hundred years ago. It was... Well. The non-theological explanation is that someone awakened a weapon called Diabolos, and used it to wage war on the entire world. They and their allies were ultimately defeated, but at a terrible cost. It gets its name because most of the nation-states of the time... just collapsed, under the onslaught. Almost every one around was founded within the last five hundred years." As she speaks, Ida looks around, and listens for anything approaching...
DG: Dirk Swordsman has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Goblin Raiders *>======================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Combat | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- Goblins are prone to plunder anywhere they can find. The short, green-skinned creatures are as surprised to see you as you are them when one of their bombs blows a hole through a wall. They rush out, some with long knives and others carrying shortbows. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Quicken:_Agility_Up!, Slow:_Agility_Down!, and Wound:_Combat_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Dirk Swordsman has posed.
The facts of Filgaia are laid out.
A moment passes.
"huh," Dirk says to Ida. "You guys must have a lot of space if you can just kind of forget stuff like that. You guys lose control of the weather or something?"
After this, they descend into the gloom. Farfetch'd is waiting there, and Dirk does what he said and goes over to secure the rope that the bird got more or less in place with his stubby little maniple-feathers and everything. As Dirk is tying the knot, Farfetch'd gazes directly at Damian.
jiiiiiiiii
"Huh? Oh, hey, how you doin'." Dirk says to Nina. "What kind of sword moves he do?" As Dirk says this, Chespin seems to take a shine to Xantia, trotting up a little to walk besides her with a friendly look up. "Ches!" (Xantia may notice Chespin is carrying a hardwood stick, though he fidgets it back and forth. Still, for a critter without... like... hands, exactly, he's handling it well.)
After this, Dirk affixes his phone to his shoulder with a velcro patch of some kind and clicks on the light. He looks to Nina and Damian both as if to prompt: y'all get on this lighting bus. And then...
... he takes off his shades.
... He looks like a completely ordinary guy without them. Tucking the shades into the collar of his hoodie, he ambles forwards.
INTERLUDE: THE MUSIC PLAYING IN DIRK SWORDSMAN'S HEAD WHENEVER HE IS JUST TRAVELLING - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA9LVzuC7z4
The interlude does not last long. A bomb!! Dirk startles up short as smoke and chaos spills outwards and a cluster of green-skinned creatures emerge in a tumble, turning to face a group of people and animals. Dirk gawps for a moment.
"Sup," Dirk says to one of the goblins.
A wild arrow flies. It doesn't hit anyone; that goblin still had stuff in his eyes; but -- "Ah crap!! Chespin, wipe 'em out!!"
Chespin throws himself down as if he's about to do a sick break move but instead of popping or locking, he unleashes a sudden barrage of pin-point missiles, the quills emerging forwards with a smooth series of snaps as the torque pressure, or something, launches them into the goblin horde! Dirk also draws his sword, which flashes in the darkness.
"Yo Ida why are these guys being so rude?!"
DG: Dirk Swordsman has used his Tool R.KATANA toward his party's challenge, Goblin Raiders. Embolden! Party Combat boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Damian is watching down the hole, so misses Farfetch'd making him initially. But he turns to look, blinking softly when Dirk asks if she's going to be okay. "O-oh, yeah... Sh-she's really agile, a-and has good night vision, so..."
The real question, is if Damian is going to be okay up here without her, because right after...
He looks down at Farfetch'd as the bird mimes slitting his throat at him, and his eyes kind of go wide. He flinches, taking a step back and looking up to Dirk before looking down at Ferfetch'd again. There is a pleading look in his eyes, which is all he can do for the moment because he can't say anything, not out loud.
He does hand over the rope, though.
Damian looks to Nina, next, and nods quietly. She's seen him better, of course... but she's also seen him far worse. There's no ghosts out at the moment, so in broad terms, he's 'okay.' "Y-yeah, I'm... I-I'm fine."
But Xantia says that ruins are just like that, that places get abandoned or even forgotten. "Th-that's kinda sad..."
And Ida clarifies with a list of reasons why it happens, and one of them is of note. "Th-the climate can s-suddenly change...?" That too, is kind of a foreign concept. Sure, the weather changes in Nede, but the climate is regulated pretty strictly. And Ida has some especially heavy knowledge to share next, and Damian is stunned into silence for a moment, even as Purri hop back up onto his shoulder. (Purri has a meow of gratitude to Sal for the assistance, though.)
"S-sounds like... wh-what happened f-forty thousand years ago..." Damian comments quietly. "... B-but you c-couldn't fix everything l-like we could..."
Well, they still have a complete planet, too. Give or take.
Damian flinches when Farfetch'd glares at him, ducking his head, but Purri is here to notice now, and she looks at Damian with concern, and then looks at Farfetch'd, her eyes narrowing. "Purr." It's not what you think.
Damian opts for pokemon lightning instead. He tosses out a pokeball, "Pixi, go! C-can you give us some light?" Pixi appears in a flash of red light and nods, summoning a host of blue, flickering flames around her tails to illuminate the way.
But then Goblins attack, and Damian hesitates only briefly. He knows creatures here don't have Types, per se, but they still read as Normal type. A second pokeball goes out."Rishi, g-go! Use Arm Thrust!"
A small teddy bear with a pink bow appears, "Whelp!" She nods and bounds over to the goblins with an impossibly big leap, but while in midair she winds back and throws out her arm, and her arm stretches far ahead of her to attack one goblin, and then while in midair she alternates to throw out the other one, before landing for a last one.
DG: Damian Tamaoka has used his Tool Pokeball Belt toward his party's challenge, Goblin Raiders. Embolden! Party Combat boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia didn't really contribute any assistance with the actual climb, but she didn't feel like she needed to, looked like they had it handled fine. Once it's her turn to start the descent, it takes her no time at all, the way she just goes around hopping from rope to rock wall, more wall-jumping down than climbing down. It may look like she's showing off, but she's not really, that's just how she does things. Xantia's Xantianess is something that may take some getting used to, for those who don't know her.
She's friendly enough though, cheerfully returning the wave to Nina. "Hi! My name's Xantia, if uh... if I didn't say that." She just kind of assumed they knew she'd be coming, but that appears to have been a little curveball Ida threw. Well that's fine, it can be part of the learning experience. After all, if you're gonna be doing Digs in Filgaia, learning how to deal with the unexpected is a big part of it.
She doesn't interrupt Ida's history lecture, just nodding along a bit. She's heard all this before, and it's no big deal to her. Just part of the way things are in Filgaia, nothing weird about that. Though when Damian notes that it's sad, she seems to agree, sadness briefly crossing her previously cheerful expression.
Now, what Dirk's talking about, that's what would be weird here. "Weather's not... something we have control of here. The planet wouldn't be doing so poorly if we did." She pauses, then adds, "Actually that probably wouldn't help, we've had more than one incident with something that was controlling the weather, it always ends up going nuts or used for evil." Demetrioi, Akasha... so many stories they could tell. But now's not the time.
Hearing a new voice addressing her, or so can be implied by its proximity, Xantia looks down at the little Grass Pokemon. Expression softening, she kneels down to be a bit closer to eye level. "Hey there." She glances at the stick. "A fellow fighter, huh? I can tell. Well, if you're hoping for some action, you probably won't be disappointed. There's all sorts of monsters randomly wandering into these places, we'll almost certainly run into some."
Just casually and calmly mentioning their lives are in danger down here. No big deal. All part of Filgaia's normal state of being.
She is proven right in short order. Goblins, of course it would be goblins. Not exactly a huge threat, but... can she really hang back and let the Nedian group handle this on their own? She quickly decides on 'no', letting them take the initiative, but quickly jumping in once the battle is underway. Sure, she could use her Pokemon, too. But it's far more natural for her to just leap directly into the fray, start parrying knives with laser knives coming out of the bracers she wears, and start smashing and kicking the little green jerks into or possibly through walls. So that's what she does!
Again, if anybody thinks this is unusual... Welcome to Filgaia, and to Xantia.
DG: Xantia has used her Tool Twin ARMs toward her party's challenge, Goblin Raiders. Embolden! Party Combat boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Nina Chiyome has posed.
Five hundred years ago and everything started over. Nina tilts her head slowly to one side then the other. Maybe that's why it doesn't gall her as much. She shrugs off those thoughts for now though because if she tries to get philosophical at this point she might just wander off.
Instead, she secures her hook and just... jumps. She's wearing gloves at least. Don't ask when she pulled them on, it was off screen clearly.
It's when they land down below that she answers Dirk's question, head back in the game for now! "More.. the dirty fighting kind admittedly, but we have some practical training. Have to be able to deal with all comers or something-" She shrugs, "I prefer my own though." Patting her kusarigama. Or glorified jumprope as she usually dubs it.
Xantia's given a thumbs up after, "Nina. Just Nina. I have more, but who wants to be all formal?" She doesn't at all seem bothered by the unexpected at least!
"Buncha ruins.. do you guys ever try to renovate or reclaim any of it? Kinda like you get after a big enough fire back home?" Or other similar issues.
Damian's comment is given a cheery, "They probably had less to start with too. Can't blame them. Just got to help eachother out more now though." She's.. not sure why Damian's being given a death glare by a bird. That's a thing.
"Diabolos? That's an odd name for a weapon. Seems like someone's name... sort of." She rubs the back of her head and frowns. Thinking. "I hope some weird kid didn't trip over or something." Wrong territory there...
The bomb going off gets her to stop gloating for a moment and she hops back a few steps and actually has both her kusarigama and a sneasel at the ready! With a bit of chanting, she sends her sneasel forward. A glow surrounding her while she begins spinning the weighted side in her left hand, right holding the... well wooden blade. At least they're weighted! When she slings it out and forward at the goblin, her sneasel hops after it and tries to slash low across the critter's legs while Nina suddenly hooks her hand in and yanks the weight to give it momentum in a different direction which.. in turn becomes a wide swing for a second attack!
DG: Nina Chiyome has used her Tool Deep Mist toward her party's challenge, Goblin Raiders. Cleanse! All negative effects will be cleared at the end of the round! Liability! Failure will result in extra Exhaustion!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida glances sidelong at Xantia for a moment. She's increasingly-glad she decided to do this. "Filgaia's an entire planet. The Kanto region is--" Ida does a little mental mapping-- "--roughly the size of western Ignas, perhaps? Part of a continent."
They couldn't fix everything, like the Nedians could...?
Nina does bring up a good point, one that's close to home for Ida. "We do, sometimes," she says, with a nod. "My ancestors were among the first people to settle in an old, abandoned military base, and make it into a home."
"Free?" says Sal, apropos of nothing. Her antennae twitch. She hears something--!
BOOM
"Goblins!" Ida shouts. Perhaps inspired by Dirk, or her increasing social consciousness, her first action is not to attack, but to parley. "Hold on!" she says, raising her hands. "We don't want to--!" An arrow flies past her head--a wild shot, but still hostile.
"Sal, Sleep Powder!" Ida cries.
"Freeee~!" Sal trills, as she flies forth into the fray, prismatic powder raining down from her wings. It's a potent, sorcerous soporific, though also... very selective about what it targets. Sal's a good battle buddy like that.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Flare Grenade toward her party's challenge, Goblin Raiders. Embolden! Party Combat boosted!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Goblin Raiders *>======================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Combat | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- Goblins are prone to plunder anywhere they can find. The short, green-skinned creatures are as surprised to see you as you are them when one of their bombs blows a hole through a wall. They rush out, some with long knives and others carrying shortbows. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Embolden:_Combat_Up!, Slow:_Agility_Down!, | | and Wound:_Combat_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>==============================
====================< Results - Ruins of Memory - Round 2 >=====================
=========================< CHALLENGE - Goblin Raiders >=========================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
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Ida Everstead-Rey 5 --(5)--> 10 Best
Flare Grenade Min Combat Effects: Embolden
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Xantia 5 --(5)--> 10 Best
Twin ARMs Min Combat Effects: Embolden
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Damian Tamaoka 5 --(5)--> 10 Best
Pokeball Belt Min Combat Effects: Embolden
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Dirk Swordsman 5 --(5)--> 10 Best
R.KATANA Min Combat Effects: Embolden
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Nina Chiyome 5 --(5)--> 10 Good
Deep Mist Min Combat Effects: Cleanse and
Liability
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Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass
Conditions: Slow(1) and Wound(2)
Effects: Cleanse and Embolden(1)
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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> Dirk Swordsman has posed.
BEFORE:
"Huh. Yeah, I mean, I get that, I respect that," Dirk says, which sounds like a sentence with a "but" behind it and here it comes, if indirectly: "I just am like all about the like, philosophical aspects, you know? So I don't know if we'd even be like on the same, like... I don't wanna say level because I get it with your bro... but like taking a Geodude to the water park, you know? You think he just does sword moves, sometimes?
Farfetch'd narrows his eyes at the cat. He holds his peace for now. Maybe he doesn't anticipate a type advantage.
HERE, NOW, IN A WORLD INHABITED BY -GOBS-:
Fortunately for Damian he has been given a reprieve in the form of goblins! Pixi raises a fiery cloud. Rishi uses ARM THRUST, lunging forwards to a goblin who attempts to square up with the adorable teddy bear and is immediately sent flying back into the darkness.
"Whelp," Dirk agrees, in different tones.
A moment later Xantia joins the GOBBO BEATDOWN! It's horrible! These guys are like four feet tall! Chespin's quill barrage put them on the back foot, but now they're getting thrown around! Xantia comes around --
Just in time for Nena to draw on a darkling mist, which may be another name for, you know, a kusarigama. She batters them; the Sneasel rakes legs. There is unrest and discord in the gobbo ranks as one of them shoots another arrow wildly. It flies towards Ida--
QUICK TIME EVENT - CATCH THE ARROW
-- even as Sal drops a dose of completely unfamiliar sleep powder on the goblins. The ones that haven't gone flying immediately fall over, face down. One of them snores.
"... tight," Dirk decides, eventually. Looking back to Ida and Xantia, he asks the two Filgaians, "So you guys run into stuff like that all the time? That was like a, I don't know,"
SUDDEN CLOSE UP DIRECTLY ON FARFETCH'D LOOKING OMINOUSLY TOWARDS DAMIEN
"robber attack or something. And were they using real bombs or what?" Dirk crouches to look into the room they just emerged from. "... Huh. Nothing important." The blown-open door hole is, mysteriously, not something it is possible to enter, even if you walk up to it and hit X.
DG: Xantia has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ==========================<* CHALLENGE - Blue Books *>========================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Combat | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The Ruins of Memory used to be an ancient library. Bookshelves line the walls in parts of the ruins, such as this long hallway. However, when you enter, some of the books rise. They open, pages aflutter - and ancient Symbols on them flare to life. Then, ice, fire, and lightning come crashing down as the animated books attack. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Embolden:_Combat_Up! and Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia and formality don't go together, so Nina has nothing to worry about there. And it's not like she actually knows whether or not there's any more to her name, anyway!
The goblin attack, to Xantia, is little more than a distraction. She's used to fighting things that are so much more dangerous than just some little guys with knives and bombs. Which... makes her way of handling it kind of excessive, but it works. Once it's over, she turns to the rest of the group, having not even had the decency of breaking a sweat.
"Alright, good job everyone!" she says, without actually having paid much attention to what everyone else was doing. It hits her approximately two seconds later, or at least, it sort of does. "...Oh, shoot, uh. Don't mind what I did, that's... how we do things in Filgaia. Probably not a good example for how you like to do things! Should've done it that way myself probably, my Pokemon could have used the practice against something easy..."
Should've also not made a big deal out of it, she thinks afterwards, grateful for Dirk's questions so she can use it as a distraction. "Yes! This is pretty normal. Goblin raiders can show up pretty much anywhere, even if you're just out taking a stroll. That's just a thing that happens, you get used to it. Very real knives and bombs though, so you know, can't really just ignore them."
Having jumped ahead for the fight, Xantia ends up at the head of the group for a moment as they proceed deeper into the ruins. As established, no such thing as a Dig Tour Guide, but Xantia is the closest thing to it, knowing perfectly well what they'll find up ahead and apprising the others as they approach.
"So, if you were wondering about what sort of place this used to be, it's about to get very obvious when you see all the books up ahead. It was a library! Don't get too excited though, you probably won't find anything that's in a good enough state to read. The stuff I found here before that I could still read parts of weren't anything interesting, anyway." Which could mean anything, Xantia's interests are pretty specific.
The hallway ahead is exactly as advertised: lined with bookshelves in various states of disrepair, many of the remaining books looking like they might turn to dust if you so much as touched them. Oddly, though, some of the books stand out through looking entirely fine and dust-free, as if they were placed here recently. Xantia too notices this after a while, stopping to examine one of them. "That's odd..."
The reason for the oddness immediately becomes clear when the unusual books flutter open, their pages glowing with symbols that aren't part of modern day Symbology, but easily inferred as being just as related to magic. Elemental magic, to be exact, the red, blue and yellow glows telegraphing what spells the magically animated books are about to unleash.
As for Xantia, she is quick to respond, in the only way that makes sense to her: by employing an elemental aura of her own, electricity dancing around her as she moves to fight lightning with lightning. Unbeknownst to her, within a pouch she carries, a yellow-tinted orb begins to glow, empowering her enchanted melee strikes to be even mightier than usual.
DG: Xantia has used her Tool Light Ball toward her party's challenge, Blue Books. Resilient! Party shielded from some exhaustion next round! Liability! Failure will result in extra Exhaustion!
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
"W-wait, th-there've been things that controlled the weather th-that were used for evil...? Wh-why..." They control the weather all the time on Nede. For them, it's the most natural thing in the world. Really, the worst possibility they might have to contemplate is something malfunctioning and when was the last time that happened?
When Nina introduces herself to Xantia Damian looks up. "I-I'm Damian." Damian then nods to Nina on Filgaia having less to start with. "I g-guess... M-maybe we just... lost different things, instead..." They kept the tech, lost Johto and the rest of the planet. Is that a good tradeoff? Who can say.
Well... they were able to fix what was left... Damian's still trying to grapple with the concept of a full-fledged planet, to be fair. He's only ever known Nede as being The Way The World Was. But even so... "I-it seems nice, to b-be able to repurpose s-something like that..."
The way Xantia fights with laser knives is pretty cool, though.
Everyone does their parts, and Damian relaxes as the battle tapers off... and then is immediately tense again when Farfetch'd is just staring at him so ominously. Purri is undeterred and watches with an equal counterstare, only relenting a moment to lean over and give Damian some encouragement and support with a cheek nuzzle.
Damian relaxes, but only a little, and is avoiding looking at Farfetch'd, though he's sharing a look with Purri. But he looks to Rishi and holds his arms out for her. "G-good job..." Rishi jumps up into his arms, and he holds her as they continue through the ruin.
Damian raises a hand when Xantia mentions that Goblin raiders can attack you even when taking a stroll. "D-do they at least l-leave you alone, if you're n-not in the tall grass...?"
But this used to be a library, and Damian is initially kind of excited to hear that... but then three books start to glow and float. "M-magic books...?" He recognizes the symbology, but who would apply it to books? He considers sending out Pixi, since her fire should make quick work of the books--but on the other hand, there's plenty of hopefully non-enchanted books too.
But Rishi knows what to do, and she squirms out of his arms to charge headfirst at the books. She skids to a stop, and takes up a fighting stance. She seems to be concentrating, her eyes closed (okay, her eyes are almost always closed), but she seems to be waiting, one little teddy bear arm outstretched as if waiting for the spells to come.
Rishi used DETECT!
DG: Damian Tamaoka has used his Tool Pokeball Belt toward his party's challenge, Blue Books. Embolden! Party Combat boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
TWANG
The arrow flies through the air. The goblin isn't aiming, but the shot flies true nevertheless, racing for Ida's chest--
"Free!" cries Sal, in visible alarm. She races back to her Trainer, carapace shimmering as it Hardens. But fast as Sal is, she's not going to make it in time--!
Ida's right hand blurs through the air. She takes a few deep breaths, and then slowly opens her hand to reveal the arrow, still intact. "Glad he made me do those drills," Ida mutters, as she snaps the arrow in half and drops it. Who made her do what drills?
Look, it was a rough time in Ida's life, and the only tutor in Ignas with a martial link to her ancestor was a weirdo living in a scrapyard. She went through some shit.
'...tight.'
Ida allows herself a small smile at Dirk's praise. It modulates somewhat as he asks about this kind of danger. "Most cities have trained fighters--militias, they're called--that can deal with bandits and aggressive creatures. But Xantia's right. It's not an everyday occurrence, but traveling can be dangerous. We certainly don't send our children off into the wilderness like Nede does." Ida's nature walks were on farmland or forests owned by her Merian relatives, and kept scrupulously safe. Not everyone has that privilege.
Leaving the slumbering goblins behind, the group continues onwards. Ida's expression turns somber as she looks at the age-ravaged bookshelves, and she stops before one, peering at one book that seems perfectly fine.
"Dammit," she squawks, as it flies from the shelf and lights up with Symbological runes. Ida drives her hand right for it, a lightning-fast chop aimed directly at its spine. (Its book spine. Books have spines.)
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Blue Books.
<Pose Tracker> Dirk Swordsman has posed.
"Are they like Pokemon or like people?" asks Dirk about the goblins - but skeptically, even as he sheaths his blade... unblooded.
*ominous*
As they keep on trodding on, he asks Xantia, "So I wanna know also like... what kind of stuff you find here? Usually we find mostly, like, some gold. Gonna be honest with you that I think they put those pieces of gold in places so people are gonna go exploring instead of like optimizing Pokemon harvesting routes but like she said, y'all ain't got Rangers, so --"
Suddenly, books!
"I always knew those guys were up to something," Dirk says with quiet vehemence, before he reaches to his hip. "Alright," he says, before hesitating when he sees the magical attacks. In fact, he stands there, his Pokeball in his hands -- and Chespin and Farfetch'd have been holding back, although Farfetch'd gets a near singing from a bolt of lightning and Chespin scrambles when he detects flame.
Dirk's eyes narrow.
He watches Rishi -- even if his eyes flick towards Damian again for a moment afterwards. Then back. After the bear makes her move, Dirk throws down his ball. "Get in there --"
"CUFANT!"
THUMP. The Cufant shakes her head. She is a slightly smaller than average Cufant... which means she is only* four feet tall. Otherwise, it's a baby elephant made out of copper. And what's more: wrapped in her trunk...
A thick tree branch, still with a few leaves attached.
"Get 'em," Dirk says, and Cufant charges.
So, of course, Cufant is a baby elephant in side. Cufant only weighs about 200 pounds, which is maybe not a weight you hit in humans that aren't getting fat that readily, but it's you know, a surmountable sort of mass and size.
On the other hand:
"FAAAAAAAAAAAAANT" -- she is, in fact, a rampaging elephant whaling around with a stick. And from the look of it, having a high old time!
DG: Dirk Swordsman has used his Tool Hidden Trump Card ~HONEDGE~ toward his party's challenge, Blue Books. Embolden! Party Combat boosted! DG: Nina Chiyome has used her Tool Deep Mist toward her party's challenge, Blue Books. Cleanse! All negative effects will be cleared at the end of the round! Liability! Failure will result in extra Exhaustion!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ==========================<* CHALLENGE - Blue Books *>========================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Combat | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The Ruins of Memory used to be an ancient library. Bookshelves line the walls in parts of the ruins, such as this long hallway. However, when you enter, some of the books rise. They open, pages aflutter - and ancient Symbols on them flare to life. Then, ice, fire, and lightning come crashing down as the animated books attack. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Embolden:_Combat_Up!, Inefficient:_???, | | Liability:_???, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, and Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ==========================<* CHALLENGE - Blue Books *>========================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Combat | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The Ruins of Memory used to be an ancient library. Bookshelves line the walls in parts of the ruins, such as this long hallway. However, when you enter, some of the books rise. They open, pages aflutter - and ancient Symbols on them flare to life. Then, ice, fire, and lightning come crashing down as the animated books attack. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Embolden:_Combat_Up!, | | Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, and Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>==============================
====================< Results - Ruins of Memory - Round 3 >=====================
===========================< CHALLENGE - Blue Books >===========================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey 10 --(5)--> 15 Best
Fight Bsc Combat Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia 10 --(5)--> 15 Best
Light Ball Maj Combat Effects: Resilient and
Liability
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damian Tamaoka 10 --(5)--> 15 Best
Pokeball Belt Min Combat Effects: Embolden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dirk Swordsman 10 --(5)--> 15 Best
Hidden Trump Card ~HONEDGE~ Maj Combat Effects: Inefficient and
Embolden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nina Chiyome 10 --(5)--> 15 Best
Deep Mist Min Combat Effects: Cleanse and
Liability
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass
Conditions: Stupify(2)
Effects: Cleanse, Embolden(1), and Resilient(1)
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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> Xantia has posed.
Xantia... isn't actually sure about the answer to Dirk's question. Are Goblins more like Pokemon or like people? "Uh. Peeeeople...?" She looks to Ida for confirmation on that one, but that's the way it seems like to her. "Just, really nasty people that you can't reason with."
The matter of treasure is an easier one. "Oh, all sorts of things! Gold, gems, jewelry... those are possible, but more often you just find really old stuff that you may be able to use or will be worth money to somebody. Books, fossils... but also stuff like ARM and Gear parts. You never know! Lots of stuff that just ended up buried for one reason or another." Like that Day of Collapse thing, presumably.
Damien's question though...... Xantia struggles not to laugh. She manages, somehow, to instead clear her throat, and turn this into a learning opportunity. "Putting aside tall grass not being very common... I think there's something very important you need to understand about Filgaia. There aren't really a lot of rules here, about the way you can expect things to go once you leave town. So, I'd say the most important thing is... always be ready to improvise, because any situation can change at a moment's notice."
That point is neatly proven and demonstrated by the sudden book attack. Xantia was taken completely by surprise when that happened, but she instantly reacted to it. That's what being a Drifter is like, for them the motto goes a little differently: Prepare for trouble, or you're gonna be dead.
Luckily this group is VERY prepared for dealing with a bunch of magical books. Whether through direct violence, a field of anti-magic, or...
"Whoa, that's a big one!" Xantia points out the obvious when a small elephant is brought in to deal with the offending reading material. That certainly helps with the task of clearing out the threat quickly and cleanly.
Afterwards, Xantia feels that she should explain, "Okay, I don't know what THAT was all about, those weren't here last time." After a moment of thought, she draws the only logical conclusion.
"Must be a wizard playing tricks on us." She shrugs, no big deal. Onward!
DG: Damian Tamaoka has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Puzzle-Locked Doors *>====================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- When you enter this chamber, the door ahead of you and the door behind you slam shut. Forcing them will be a long, arduous process. Perhaps something in the room will unlock the doors? ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Embolden:_Combat_Up!, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, and Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Damian looks to Ida as she comments that they don't send their children on Pokemon Journies... because it's not safe. And yet they're here... but they all have pokemon. Some of them (Nina, Dirk) even have real weapons. (By contrast, all Damian has is a flute and a very protective Purrloin.)
But Xantia has a very important lesson to impart, and Damian nods solemnly as he absorbs it. It's just like others have been telling him already--and this is his second trip (actually secretly third, but the Team Rocket mission didn't have much time to go exploring), so he at least had a little bit more of an idea what to expect... but there's still so much to learn, even after talking to Drifters.
"M-Mister Hesiod and Holly were warning m-me earlier, a-about not going off by myself... to st-stick to the main roads..." He's quiet for a moment as he considers that. "I kn-know there's no Pokecenters--" he cringes, internally, remembering that fight, "--b-but I brought extra potions to sh-share..." He packs his medicine pouch on his backpack.
He also brought extra sunscreen, too, which he readily shared before they embarked through the rift.
Dirk has a new pokemon to summon--why did Dirk look at him like that?--and it's... Cufant!
"Awww... Sh-she's cute... b-but why does she have a tree branch...?" And then Cufant starts going to town on the books. "... O-oh."
Rishi seems to just draw and nullify the attacks somehow, but Damian still lets out a tense breath as he sees Whelpwisher unharmed. He picks up one of the ruined books, tracing a finger over the Symbols etched within. "Th-they used Symbology as a trap...?" He puts it down again and scoops up Rishi, then presses on.
And as soon as they all enter the room... the doors slam shut on them. He tries the one on the far side of the room, but he's nowhere near strong or stubborn enough to make much headway on it. "Um... d-does this happen a lot...?" He seems alarmed, but isn't exactly panicking, yet.
But as he's examining the door Pixi, who's been providing light this entire time, is examining the room, sweeping her summoned flames around to light up different parts of the room and revealing a strange mechanical contraption. "Vul," she says softly, and Damian turns to look.
Metal plates on the wall provide a riddle, and it seems the solution is for them to work cooperatively to turn the cranks in a certain order and a certain amount. And they need to get the timing down, because cranking a handle and letting it go sees it slowly ratchet back to its original position.
"W-well..." He opens his cell phone and starts taking pictures and notes, experimenting with the cranks and even drawing on his phone's screen to annotate the pictures. "I th-think if we all work together..."
DG: Damian Tamaoka has used his Tool Smartphone toward his party's challenge, Puzzle-Locked Doors. Resilient! Party shielded from some exhaustion next round! DG: Nina Chiyome has used her Tool Tagging Kit toward her party's challenge, Puzzle-Locked Doors. Rally!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Puzzle-Locked Doors *>====================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- When you enter this chamber, the door ahead of you and the door behind you slam shut. Forcing them will be a long, arduous process. Perhaps something in the room will unlock the doors? ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Embolden:_Combat_Up!, Rally:_All_Stats_Up!, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, | | and Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
There's also no Pokemon, Damian. No Pokemon. Is it a Pokemon Journey if you don't have Pokemon?
"People," Ida decides. "Goblins haven't been treated terribly well by other Filgaians. There's bad blood." A valuable amendment, perhaps, to Xantia's assessment of them being impossible to reason with. "Extra potions are almost always a good idea," she adds, when Damian describes his preparations.
Also, Cufant! Cufant earns herself a look of bright-eyed curiosity, and a soft 'aww' before Ida punches another book out of the air.
Ida does a quick head-count once the books are done, comes up with the right total (plus one, for Cufant), and does a second look around for injuries. Thankfully, Rishi blunted the books' offense, and Sal gives the Whelpwisher an encouraging "Free!" before settling again on Ida's shoulder.
They move on. Ahead, another darkened room. It's not identical to the one they ran into yesterday, but it's similar enough that Ida braces a little--and sure enough, the doors slam shut. She hangs back for a moment, letting Damian take the lead. She glances at the wall, studying the devices Pyxi found. "Decently often," she says. She smiles to Damian as he figures out the mechanism, but something catches her eye--sure enough, one of the mechanisms is rusted. Ida pulls out a small metal file from her belt, and starts flaking the rust off with a gentle, practiced hand. Once that's done, a few more pieces of machinery get oil from a tiny oilcan.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool ARMs Meister's Field Kit toward her party's challenge, Puzzle-Locked Doors. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted!
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
The differences between Energy Nede and Filgaia become more obvious to Xantia every day. In that respect, this is a bit of a learning experience for her too, seeing more ways in which the logic of one world doesn't mesh with the other than she'd previously imagined. ...It's nostalgic, in a way. Reminds her of when she herself knew nothing of Filgaia and had to make sense of it through experience and what she heard from others. But that was only a little bit similar. She had no other frame of reference at all, and just kind of accepted most everything she saw as being 'normal, apparently'. It must be harder, for people used to Nede.
"Sound advice, and sound response to it," she remarks to Damian's earlier findings and the extra medical supplies. Another lesson for her to take away from this... Filgaian medicine would probably have no idea what to do with Pokemon. She may not have any plans to let her Pokemon do the fighting while in Filgaia, but she'd best be prepared, just in case.
With the books made short work of, Xantia is starting to feel like they can handle anything that might be waiting ahead. And, like clockwork, as soon as she thinks that, the doors to the room they enter close. And not an enemy in sight. Which can only mean one thing.
Xantia frowns. Not out of concern, exactly, but because, "This is the part I don't like so much." She sighs, spreading her arms as if presenting the room. "Puzzle rooms." Does that happen a lot? "More often than I wish it would."
She brightens, then, the lightbulb just about visible over her head. "But hey! We're doing this to teach you stuff, right? So, you can take this one, and we'll see if you can figure it out!" Totally has nothing to do with her not wanting to bother with this!
Leaning against the far door, Xantia takes out a piece of quartz crystal, gazing into it with an oddly fond expression. It may not look like she's doing anything, but... ok so it's not actively doing anything, but staying out of the way might actually be the best possible thing she can do here. There is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen, this way doesn't run the risk of her scattered thoughts muddying the waters.
"If it's too hard, let me know and I'll just break down the door." No big deal. It may take a bit of time, but she's confident she can do it, if it comes down to that.
DG: Xantia has used her Tool Memory Shard toward her party's challenge, Puzzle-Locked Doors. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round!
<Pose Tracker> Nina Chiyome has posed.
Nina Chiyome looks between Xantia and Ida at the question as to the status of goblin and their typing. "Unconscious. Formerly aggressive types?" She shrugs. There's some jitters to something of a real fight taking over, but she hides it pretty well. Sparring is a completely different beast after all. Belatedly. She kind of rolled through the follow up on auto pilot almost. Like she was disconnected, focused maybe?
With the door slamming shut right behind her, she hops forward, looking back and muttering, though at least she's out of that brief reverie. Nina has no sense of reverence for puzzles like this and she's already breaking out the spray paint cans. Walking past the others to just.. you know, tug on a handle to see what happens before letting it go. "Bet'cha we can count these, then spray paint the numbers to get the order right and just.. make it easy. Besides, I can leave a signature or something here." This might be a clue for Damian at least.
Speaking of which, after the earlier issues, her sneasel might be keeping a closer watch on him.
For a moment back at Dirk she also adds, "And.. sorry, was kinda off in my own little world- Definitely should spar. Or pokemon battle. Or both." She holds her hands up, "I need more practical experience and I bet'cha you're outside of our school's methods either way." And you know, who doesn't enjoy bonking each other with a bit of wood?
"Militias huh?" She looks to Ida, also.. maybe a bit delayed. "I heard other names too poking around. I bet you guys have the..." she waves her hand a bit trying to think, "I bet there's hired help too." She's probably looking for the word mercenaries. She was trying to be more flowery. Poorly.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Puzzle-Locked Doors *>====================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- When you enter this chamber, the door ahead of you and the door behind you slam shut. Forcing them will be a long, arduous process. Perhaps something in the room will unlock the doors? ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Embolden:_Combat_Up!, Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Rally:_All_Stats_Up!, | | Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, Stalwart:_Exhaustion_Down!, and | | Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Dirk Swordsman has posed.
"People just left jewelry in this kinda place?" Dirk says with something like disbelief. "Didn't their mama teach them to take care of their things?" A beat passes. "Gear parts?"
Cufant trumpets a little as she comes up near Xantia. The tree branch rustles. Cufant seems pretty jolly, and as she tromps back to the general area of Dirk, he pats her side. "One'a the junior students," he explains.
As Farfetch'd flutters up to stand on Cufant's back, Dirk turns his head to look at Damian. "Gotta have something to do the moves with," he tells Damian. "A sword style isn't a sword style if you're usin just your body. Still, you see her trunk? I guess the egg got hit in a snowbank or somethin." Indeed, Cufant's shovel seems to be a little off-true in shape. Flatter. Wait a minute...
But Cufant seems happy, and as they move forwards
SLAM
"Chespin!" declares Chespin, who seems dismayed at the slamming doors. "It's cool, man, chill," Dirk tells Chespin as he looks around as he looks towards the riddle.
His eyes narrow. It's a very heroic squint. Dirk's eyes are kind of protuberant and a little dark lined, which may be either natural coloration or just that he wears sunglasses most of the time, having only taken them out since they are literally in a cave.
"I think I get it. Yo Cufant, let Farfetch'd hold your blade for a moment," says Dirk, walking towards the cranks. He gestures towards another one. Cufant moves over, and at Dirk's demonstration, wraps her trunk around the crank. "When I say go, turn it, aight?" (*cuuuu!* comes the muffled trumpet.)
Farfetch'd continues staring at Damian even as Dirk says, "If you wanna call it..."
DG: Dirk Swordsman has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Puzzle-Locked Doors.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Puzzle-Locked Doors *>====================== | Type: Exploration | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- When you enter this chamber, the door ahead of you and the door behind you slam shut. Forcing them will be a long, arduous process. Perhaps something in the room will unlock the doors? ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, and Stupify:_Wits_Down! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ====================< Results - Ruins of Memory - Round 4 >===================== ======================< CHALLENGE - Puzzle-Locked Doors >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ida Everstead-Rey 15 --(0)--> 15 Best ARMs Meister's Field Kit Min Wits Effects: Enlighten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xantia 15 --(0)--> 15 Best Memory Shard Min Wits Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Damian Tamaoka 15 --(0)--> 15 Best Smartphone Min Wits Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dirk Swordsman 15 --(0)--> 15 Best Investigate Bsc Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nina Chiyome 15 --(0)--> 15 Best Tagging Kit Maj Wits Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Stupify(2) Effects: Enlighten(1) and Resilient(1) = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey 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: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Sealed Doorway *>======================== | Type: Climax | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The door at the end of this hall has a great lock on it. Unfortunately, no key was ever to be found inside of the ruins to this point. Perhaps it was stolen or perhaps it was lost. It is no matter - the door must be broken down through other means. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and | | Tire:_Exhaustion_Up! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
"P-people? O-oh... sh-should... we have not attacked...?" Well, they did come in with arrows and bombs flying fast, Damian. "A-are... they k-kind of like beastfolk, th-then...?" He pauses and scrunches up his face as he thinks, then looks to Ida. "... Is... th-there a better name for them? C-calling them b-beasts seems k-kinda mean..."
Rishi is delighted to get attention from Sal, and jumps up and down excitedly with a wave. "Wish wisher!"
Damian wanders over to see what Ida is doing to the mechanism, studying it curiously. "O-oh. You have a toolkit... th-that's handy... You're r-really prepared, huh...?"
There's a small smile to Xantia, as she compliments his preparedness. "Th-thanks..." He hasn't openly talked much about making a previous trip to Filgaia... but he's probably unintentionally hinted at it enough that it's not hard to surmise that he made one. (The real question then, is... with whom?)
Xantia decides to let them handle it--as a learning experience, of course. "Okay!" And then she also offers to bust down the door if needed. "Whoa..." he looks at the door, then back to Xantia. "... c-can you really do that...?"
If a pokemon wanted to bust down a door, he'd not give it a second thought. But a person doing that...
Damian pauses and looks up from where he's diagramming out the puzzle on his phone. "... signature...? S-so... people know you were here...? D-do people u-usually do that, in digs...?"
Nina's sneasel might not have to worry too hard, Purri's always keeping an eye on him.
"A g-gear is a g-giant robot, I think..." Damian answers Dirk. "Th-they use them f-for fighting... I think K-kislevi is making s-some extra powerful ones...?"
Damian looks, when Dirk points out Cufant's trunk, and automatically lets out a soft 'awww' of sympathy. "H-how terrible... a-are you okay, Cufant...?" But Dirk explains that the branch is a sword, of a sort, and Damian nods thoughtfully. "O-oh, okay... Th-that makes sense..."
He looks away, when he notices Farfetch'd looking at him still.
They eventually work out the riddle, though, and once everybody takes their positions (and one of the cranks is fixed!) Damian calls out directions, cranks are turned in a sequence, and with a clunky mechanical sound, the doors slide open.
"Whew..."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"They're like them, yes," Ida says. Her brow furrows as Damian connects dots she'd... never really thought about, before. Her aunt is 'Beastfolk', as are her cousins, and none of them ever said anything about the term.
...But does that mean they've never thought it, though?
"It is," Ida says.
Of course, Damian inadvertently drops some information Ida didn't know he knew. "That's right," Ida says. "Gears are... yes, actual versions of your 'mecha' from your 'mecha anime'." Because she's been exposed to Zed extensively and Nede has anime and as much as the ARMs Meister in her reels in horror at the comparison, it's... not inaccurate.
"What's this about Kislev making new Gears? That's--you didn't go anywhere near the front, did you? Just--in and out of the portal?"Ahead, there is a door. It's a big door, made of ornate metal treated to withstand the test of time. Set in the very center is an even more ornate lock, with no less than three separate keyholes and an additional dial. All of it is in surprisingly good condition, despite its age.
Ida recognizes it on sight. If there's a way to open it 'legitimately', she's never seen it. She glances to Xantia, and nods once, gravely. Sal trills with excitement from her perch on her Trainer's shoulder.
"We're going to have to break this one down," she says. "After you, Xantia." Ida shakes out her arms, and takes a breath. Her hands erupt in a surging tide of silvery flesh, which rushes up each limb, stopping at the elbow. It hardens into exoskeleton, the color changing and settling into blue, black, and gold. Ida clenches an armored hand into a fist, draws it back, and--
WHAM.
Yeah, it seems 'breaking a door down with your fists' is a legitimate Drifter tactic.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a risky Brute Action toward her party's challenge, Sealed Doorway.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"They're like them, yes," Ida says. Her brow furrows as Damian connects dots she'd... never really thought about, before. Her aunt is 'Beastfolk', as are her cousins, and none of them ever said anything about the term.
...But does that mean they've never thought it, though?
"It is," Ida says.
Of course, Damian inadvertently drops some information Ida didn't know he knew. "That's right," Ida says. "Gears are... yes, actual versions of your 'mecha' from your 'mecha anime'." Because she's been exposed to Zed extensively and Nede has anime and as much as the ARMs Meister in her reels in horror at the comparison, it's... not inaccurate.
"What's this about Kislev making new Gears? That's--you didn't go anywhere near the front, did you? Just--in and out of the portal?" There's a note of horror in Ida's eyes, and anger, too--but it's not directed at Damian. She shakes her head. "Just be very careful if you're out there. The portal is near a part of Ignas where two nations are fighting each other."
Ahead, there is a door. It's a big door, made of ornate metal treated to withstand the test of time. Set in the very center is an even more ornate lock, with no less than three separate keyholes and an additional dial. All of it is in surprisingly good condition, despite its age.
Ida recognizes it on sight. If there's a way to open it 'legitimately', she's never seen it. She glances to Xantia, and nods once, gravely. Sal trills with excitement from her perch on her Trainer's shoulder.
"We're going to have to break this one down," she says. "After you, Xantia." Ida shakes out her arms, and takes a breath. Her hands erupt in a surging tide of silvery flesh, which rushes up each limb, stopping at the elbow. It hardens into exoskeleton, the color changing and settling into blue, black, and gold. Ida clenches an armored hand into a fist, draws it back, and--
WHAM.
Yeah, it seems 'breaking a door down with your fists' is a legitimate Drifter tactic.
<Pose Tracker> Dirk Swordsman has posed.
"Huh," Dirk answers Damian, in a tone that suggests he has a very fussy idea of what Kislev is. "That's wack. Why would you need giant machines? I guess if you don't have Pokemon to back you up."
Cufant trumpets a little at Damian. Cufant had no reason to be suspicious. "Yeah," Dirk comments. "She a little small because she had some trouble getting food. Not a problem now."
And then...
Dirk looks at Cufant.
Cufant looks at the door.
Dirk gets his bag open for a moment and digs out a paper bag from Celadon City. It's been carefully sealed; it's apparently hermetically sealed since there's a faint swelling of the bag once he opens the sticker. He takes out a pink sweet and proffers to Cufant, who norms it up.
"Y'all want one?" Dirk says, even as Cufant trods forwards to explore the door. AT SOME KEY POINT, CUFANT WILL UNLEASH TERRIBLE PACHYDERM STRENGTH.
But 'no man may know the hour or the day.'
(The things in the bag are rice flour-derived sweets. They're pretty solid! As in, good. They're also pretty light and fluffy.)
DG: Dirk Swordsman has risked with his Tool Canned Tea and Homemade Sweets toward his party's challenge, Sealed Doorway. Cleanse! All negative effects will be cleared at the end of the round! Sacrifice! The party will take slightly more Exhaustion this round!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Sealed Doorway *>======================== | Type: Climax | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The door at the end of this hall has a great lock on it. Unfortunately, no key was ever to be found inside of the ruins to this point. Perhaps it was stolen or perhaps it was lost. It is no matter - the door must be broken down through other means. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, | | Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, Sacrifice:_???, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and | | Tire:_Exhaustion_Up! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Nina Chiyome has posed.
Nina gives Dirk a flat 'what' look and says simply, "Why not both? How can you not like big stompy robots?" Admittedly, that's a lot of surface area to paint. And something suggests giving Nina access to something that big and mobile may result in problems for a lot of people. Don't worry about it, she hasn't found one yet.
That's when she looks to Ida, a glint in her eyes, "I don't know about them making new machines, but we did find some.. neat things. I don't know what the bird lady was doing with the docs though-" She doesn't use names there. Just habit when you're doing dubiously questionable things. Even if she gave her own name out earlier. It wasn't involving this stuff!
Ida punching the door gets another wry look though and she fishes around in her bag before offering her everhandy prybar. "Here." She suggests. "And I can give you some power buffs and an extra hand or two."
She does begin chanting as she goes. Tapping people as she goes to include them in on it. It's.. just a simple buff after all.
Xantia's hands off approach does get a bit of a laugh, belatedly when she realizes what had happened. Especially when the offer to break down the door pops up. "Your turn after all. Three of us have it I bet?" She pauses. Frowns. "That didn't make any sense. We got this."
DG: Nina Chiyome has used her Tool Power Up toward her party's challenge, Sealed Doorway.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia has clearly dealt with these puzzle rooms more often. She can tell by the sound when the door mechanism is about to be triggered, pushing off the exit door just in time to avoid falling through as it opens. That's sure something that's happened before. Not this time!
"I knew you could do it!" She at least sounds impressed. Or is that cheer for not having had to do the puzzle? Maybe a little bit of both.
To the matter of Gears, Xantia doesn't fully get Ida's way of explaining what they are, but she gets that it's a way Nedians will understand, at least. So she chimes in, "Mine's like a big Pokemon! Sorta like your Purrloin, Damian, but really, really big." It doesn't really look that much like a Purrloin, but it works well enough for comparison purposes. "I prefer to be on foot, but it comes in handy sometimes."
The next obstacle... Xantia looks to Ida, and sees the same recognition. Yep. One of those doors. "Uh-huh. No puzzle here. Gonna have to do this one the fun way." No exaggeration. She genuinely thinks breaking down doors, or indeed breaking down anything, is a fun experience.
While doing so bare-handed is certainly a valid option, she does have a tool to make this a little easier. Opening up its dedicated pouch, what she withdraws appears to be the head of a giant hammer. But rather than the usual handle, it has a hand grip attached to it. It may seem a little bizarre, but when Xantia wields it... it probably still looks bizarre. Is she really going to use a hammer-head as a fist weapon?
Yes. Yes she is. And the impact is distressingly loud, with the amount of power she puts behind that strike, which appears to come naturally, no magic required. Perhaps Xantia, too, is cause to wonder about the nature of certain people. Is she human, or a Fighting-type Pokemon?
Whatever she might be, she is always the first to go, "Ooh, I want one!" at the offer of candy, or indeed any kind of food. She has no idea what it is she's looking at, but she saw it being eaten, so it's clearly food, and so she will eat it.
DG: Xantia has used her Tool Mini-Megaton toward her party's challenge, Sealed Doorway. Rally!
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
Damian has a beastfolk friend! And Timu, who is... not technically one of those but might pass for one to the uninformed. And he's thought a bit about what they've said about how they've been treated. And, well... he's used to thinking about the right ways to refer to people that give them the respect and dignity they deserve.
Ida makes a comparison Damian does actually get--one he's surprised he didn't get before. "O-oh! S-so they're mecha, except real... Th-that's not the type I w-watch the most, unless th-there's a really cool female lead..." Ida's already seen some of Damian's favorite anime.
Damian realizes he gave Ida the wrong picture, and goes a little pale. He quickly shakes his head. "N-n-n-no! H-honest! Th-they had..." Deep breath, try to calm your nerves. (Purri lends a nuzzle of support, too.) "They had a n-new gear part, i-in the camp... s-something for the power systems. Rille has it. B-but we d-didn't go to the f-front, honest!"
And Rille, if Ida knows her, is... not actually here, on this trip. So this isn't his first trip through. (No, Farfetch'd, it wasn't the trip he took with Team rocket, either.)
Damian looks to Dirk and shrugs a little as he asks why someone would need a giant robot to fight with. "M-maybe that's it..." But Cufant had trouble with getting food before... "Awww, th-that must've been so hard, C-Cufant... I'm g-glad you two have each other, now..." That... seems to be a genuine sentiment. Are we sure this kid is in Team Rocket?
But Dirk offers sweets, and Dirk forgets himself for a moment, and the suspicion he's under. "O-oh, sure, can I? I h-have homemade p-poffins I can share, too..."
But Xantia has an interesting comparison to make. "Whoa... a giant Purri?" He looks to Purri. "W-what do you think of that?"
A purrloin mecha... Purri taps her chin contemplatively for a moment and then says, "Purrloin!"
"... I th-think she wants to see it sometime..."
He watches as Ida armors up. "Wh-whoa... wh-what move is that?" People don't have moves, Damian!
Damian certainly isn't about to go hitting a door, though... and none of his pokemon have the raw brute strength (or even just mass) of an elephant like Cufant... He ponders asking Pixi to try and melt the door, but with others still hitting it, that's a bad idea...
And Rishi, once again, provides the answer. She's struggling in Damian's arms, trying to get out (he's been hugging her to his chest like... well, like a teddy bear.) "Whelp! Whelpwisher!"
"Are you sure...?" Damian thinks on it. The door is metal, and fighting type is strong against steel... "W-well, okay, do your best." He lets her go.
Rishi lands in a crouch, and then stands upright. She's only a foot tall, and less than a week old, (and still pretty low level...) but she doesn't look like she's about to let that stop her. She'll happily take a buff from Nina, too, with an excited "Whelp! Whelp!" Rishi bends her knees, then lets them lengthen like springs, flying towards the door. In midair she twists, letting a punch fly out with a lengthening of an arm, and then a twist and a stretchy kick, and a few more blows for good measure.
DG: Damian Tamaoka has contributed a risky Brute Action toward his party's challenge, Sealed Doorway.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Sealed Doorway *>======================== | Type: Climax | Dungeon Ability: Brute | Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The door at the end of this hall has a great lock on it. Unfortunately, no key was ever to be found inside of the ruins to this point. Perhaps it was stolen or perhaps it was lost. It is no matter - the door must be broken down through other means. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Cleanse:_All_Effects_Removed!, Stupify:_Wits_Down!, and | | Tire:_Exhaustion_Up! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>==============================
====================< Results - Ruins of Memory - Round 5 >=====================
=========================< CHALLENGE - Sealed Doorway >=========================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey 15 --(0)--> 15 Good
Force Bsc Brute Effects: Risky
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Xantia 15 --(0)--> 15 Best
Mini-Megaton Maj Brute Effects: Rally
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Damian Tamaoka 15 --(0)--> 15 Good
Force Bsc Brute Effects: Risky
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Dirk Swordsman 15 --(0)--> 15 Good
Canned Tea and Homemade Sweets Maj Brute Effects: Cleanse,
Sacrifice, and Risky
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Nina Chiyome 15 --(0)--> 15 Best
Power Up Maj Brute Effects: Efficient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 80 --(0)--> 80 Pass
Conditions: Stupify(1) and Tire(2)
Effects: Cleanse
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has passed this challenge! The party gained 0 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: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Ancient Elevator *>======================= | Type: Final | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- This passageway consists of two levels. Unfortunately, the level you enter on ends in a sheer wall, polished far too smooth to climb easily. However, there is a section of white stone that raises up before it. There are grooves in the side, like that stone slab may raise and lower. Unfortunately, there are no obvious controls for this ancient elevator. A closer look may be required. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Tire:_Exhaustion_Up! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool ARMs Meister's Field Kit toward her party's challenge, Ancient Elevator. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! DG: Dirk Swordsman has used his Tool Questionably Updated Phone App toward his party's challenge, Ancient Elevator. Enlighten! Party Wits boosted! Shortsighted! The party will suffer a penalty next round... but not this round! DG: Xantia has used her Tool Memory Shard toward her party's challenge, Ancient Elevator. Stalwart! Party shielded from some Exhaustion this round! DG: Damian Tamaoka has used his Tool Smartphone toward his party's challenge, Ancient Elevator. Resilient! Party shielded from some exhaustion next round! DG: Nina Chiyome has used her Tool Tagging Kit toward her party's challenge, Ancient Elevator. Rally!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== =======================<* CHALLENGE - Ancient Elevator *>======================= | Type: Final | Dungeon Ability: Wits | Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- This passageway consists of two levels. Unfortunately, the level you enter on ends in a sheer wall, polished far too smooth to climb easily. However, there is a section of white stone that raises up before it. There are grooves in the side, like that stone slab may raise and lower. Unfortunately, there are no obvious controls for this ancient elevator. A closer look may be required. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, | | Shortsighted:_All_Stats_Down!, and Tire:_Exhaustion_Up! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>==============================
====================< Results - Ruins of Memory - Round 6 >=====================
========================< CHALLENGE - Ancient Elevator >========================
Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ida Everstead-Rey 15 --(3)--> 18 Best
ARMs Meister's Field Kit Min Wits Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xantia 15 --(0)--> 15 Good
Memory Shard Min Wits Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Damian Tamaoka 15 --(3)--> 18 Best
Smartphone Min Wits Effects: Resilient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dirk Swordsman 15 --(3)--> 18 Best
Questionably Updated Phone App Maj Wits Effects: Enlighten and
Shortsighted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nina Chiyome 15 --(3)--> 18 Best
Tagging Kit Maj Wits Effects: Rally
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leader: Ida Everstead-Rey 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass
Conditions: Tire(2)
Effects: Enlighten(1), Resilient(1), and Shortsighted(1)
= Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Ida Everstead-Rey has successfully explored Ruins of Memory!
=============================<* Ruins of Memory *>============================== ========================<* CHALLENGE - Dragon Fossil *>========================= | Type: Discovery | Dungeon Ability: Discovery | Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information >---------------------------- The first treasure room that you find is empty, but then you notice a tile ajar. With a firm movement, it is slid aside, and you find a room underneath. There, you can see two great mechanical talons - Dragon Fossils, remains of the rumored and terrible Metal Dragons. A little circuitry can be seen if you peer closely. These could catch quite a price, if sold to an experienced ARMsmith. ============================= Dungeon Conditions: ============================= | Enlighten:_Wits_Up!, Resilient:_Exhaustion_Down!, | | Shortsighted:_All_Stats_Down!, Tire:_Exhaustion_Up!, and | | Treasure:_Exploration_Up! | = Digger 2.0 ===================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The door tries its best. It holds out through the first few impacts, but as the team really starts hammering at it, it strains at the hinges. (Xantia has a good point. It is kind of cathartic to just wail on something.) The dust of ages spills to the floor. With a final, thunderous CRASH, it gives way, smashed from its mountings. It falls into the corridor, revealing the final obstacle.
An elevator, descending into the depths of the ruin. It's nothing Ida and Xantia haven't seen before; the controls are cleverly hidden, but a tea sweet break gives everyone a needed boost to pinpoint and mark the controls. With a soft hum, the elevator activates...
And descends. Beneath is a familiar sight. A sad, small smile crosses Ida's face as she takes it in--a pair of immense talons, claws that must've come from a creature even bigger than a Psynard. She knows what they are.
Even if she doesn't know who they belonged to.
"You again," Ida says. Is she talking to the bones? Before, she was eager to explain matters, but now... God, where does she even begin, aside from 'again, the same place as last time?'
"These are the remains of a creature that died a thousand years ago," she says. "Kept here as an... exhibit, or a trophy, or something. We call them Metal Dragons, and they came to Filgaia from another star as part of an invasion force."
Her right hand tics. Ida looks down at it, but... with Xantia right there, she feels less comfortable doing what she did last time.
"A thousand years ago, Filgaia was invaded by the last survivors of a world called Hyades. Their 'Goddess', Mother, promised them a new paradise here, and none of them knew she was the reason they lost their home in the first place. The war was long, and horrible. The Hyadeans were defeated, at great cost, and retreated to the wastes of Elru. They only resurfaced about... seven, eight years ago, to finish what they started."
"But Mother's dead, now. The truth came out. And now, Filgaia is their home, too."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Easy. Breaking stuff is what Xantia does best. Fiddling with elevator mechanisms less so, but it all works out in the end. Where they eventually find...
"See, what'd I tell you? Mechanical parts AND a fossil in one, even! That happens sometimes."
No sign at all of sadness on her part. Either the deeper implications don't appear to hit her very hard, or she's missing those entirely, which is very possible for Xantia. Either way, they're just mecha-bones. And she's not about to do anything with them, placing her arms behind her head. She won't stop anyone else from taking them, it can be proof of graduation if that's what the Nedians would like.
"Yup," she casually adds to Ida's story. "She's very dead. We should know, we were there, killing her." Killing goddesses too, is Just Filgaia Things, apparently. To Xantia, anyway. Xantia's way of looking at things is a little different than most, if that wasn't obvious enough already. Whether she's eating sweets, or talking about punching gods, it's all with the same, genuinely cheerful smile.
<Pose Tracker> Nina Chiyome has posed.
Nina Chiyome ecracks her knuckles as they get through the door. Working her fingers a few times. Walking in behind Ida and Xantia before stretching out. She's proud of herself and wants to revel in it for a bit. Elevators are boring though and she starts to pace.
Getting into the basement though, she hesitates and looks up at the giant fossils. She's silent! And then she's taking pictures. She's got to show a few people this kind of thing.
Ida's explanation gets her full focus. "Are there other things like this out there?" Out here? She's not sure how to best describe what she means.
There's some pause though. Realizing what she's really signing up for. And she doubles down. She's not going to make these people do her work for her. Terrifying or not.
The fact that these talons are up for grabs.. and are about the right size. She slowly walks forward and reaches out, running her finger along one bladed claw briefly before she tries to pull it free. "I know what I'm going to do."
<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.
They bust through the door, and Rishi celebrates her contributions to the efforts with an excited cheer, and Damian has plenty of praise for her, too. (And a hug!) They proceed forwards, and get through the elevator, and then down they go, until they find...
Damian gasps a little when they see such huge talons, bigger, yes, than even the talons Mypsy will (hopefully) one day have. He flinches back a half a step too, heedless of whoever might be behind him. He's tense, for a moment, but then he blinks, and then frowns thoughtfully.
Purri catches it, when Ida says 'again', but Damian doesn't. He's transfixed on the giant fossil.
But he does hear the 'thousand years ago' part. And with that he relaxes fully. Well, as much as he ever really realxes. "As a trophy...? Th-that's... that's terrible..." He looks to Ida, "From another star...?" A war, only recently resolved, and now... they've made Filgaia their home, too.
"Th-that's nice... that they found a home, after all..." There's a momentary look towards Xantia, at her comment. He should be shocked, or a little upset, by how casually she says that, but... he supposes they were defending themselves, too... and besides, something else is on his mind.
He sets Rishi down, and Purri hops down from his shoulder without being prompted. She meows, and seemingly calls Rishi and Pixi oer to give Damian some space.
What Ida doesn't do, though, Damian does--he reaches out and touches the other fossilized claw with his hand, and closes his eyes. And he spends several long moments like that, in silence, like he's just... communing with it, somehow. Or trying to. He's saying something wordlessly to himself, though.
And when he opens his eyes again, and lifts his head and pulls his hand away... there is just a little bit of a shimmer to his eyes, the silver sparkling just a little bit more.
But that might just be a trick of Pixi's blue flames.
His voice has taken on a bit of solemnity and somberness. "... I-I hope... the s-spirit of the creature th-these claws belonged to is at peace... W-we should return th-them to their people... f-for a proper burial."