2018-04-14: See the Light of Althena

From Dream Chasers
Revision as of 05:33, 7 May 2018 by Hats (talk | contribs) (Created page with "*'''Log: Neriah 071 18-04-14''' *'''Cast:''' Character :: Jacqueline Barber, Character :: Matilda Whitehead, Character :: Lydia Seren, Character :: Neriah Parrin...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

===============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>================================

The Gaferis Ruins are a mausoleum dating back nearly a thousand years, to the Asgard Empire or even older. The stone halls inside of this place place are ornate: murals and engravings adorn the walls, while pillars are sculpted to have a distinct art style. The most eye-catching piece, however, is the presence of numerous sarcophagi that contain the remains of those interred here long ago. The ruins also have doors with advanced magical seals, which are difficult to open without a truly talented mage (or a Seraph). They are also home to dangers, as monsters have formed nests here.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNMtEfUZLMw
DG: Matilda Whitehead has left your party.
DG: A party led by Jacqueline Barber is now entering Gaferis Ruins.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>==============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Doorjam *>===========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Doors from the ancient age just aren't all they're cracked up to be. Why,     
 some of them just don't make a lick of sense in understanding when they work  
 and when they don't. This case seems to be the latter: time has rusted metal  
 and distorted stone in a way that makes this vertically-opening entranceway   
 just kind of stuck, partially-open, with a sliver of space between it and     
 the weed-swept floor. You can try to break it down, or force it up -- but     
 fortunately, there's a number of helpful tools and items here to take with    
 you before you do, probably left behind by intrepid explorers who failed to   
 wedge the door open. Hurray!                                                  
                                                                               
 ... Best not to wonder what happened to those intrepid explorers. You'll      
 probably be fine.                                                             
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The ruins of Glenwood posed some interest to Jacqueline. While the treasures were okay, her primary interest was the vast amounts of history stored away deep within. As an outsider, it was important to know as much about the world as she could find out - and sometimes, that meant going into places that could be potentially dangerous.

This time, Jacqueline's interest lies in the Gaferis Ruins. Once a tomb, it had fallen into disrepair over the last thousand years or so of its existence. She was no graverobber, however - she intended to try and pass through here as respectfully as possible.

Her primary interest was due to a large black stone she had found while fleeing from the Weylish Ruins, bearing names. Maybe it was a bit morbid, but it had made her curious.

And so, Jacqueline arrives at the ruins with a couple of friends. She takes a moment to look over the door blocking their way into the ruins with a slight frown.

"Hm...it looks like time hasn't been kind to this place..." She murmurs. As she looks around, her eyes eventually find a few tools left behind. ...She frowns.

"...It looks like we weren't the first ones here. At least they were kind enough to leave supplies behind..."

...Sure, it was just kindness.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Doorjam.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Though her path has diverged in significant part from the CaraKin's, Matilda still considers herself part of the group, and still maintains pretty friendly relations! As a result, when Jay expressed an interest in taking a peek at the ruins of Glenwood, Matilda was more than happy to join her.

When they arrive, she glances at the tools and... can't quite stop herself from laughing. "So many teams seem to give up here," she says. "This isn't my first time seeing this sort of scene..." She looks to the door, considering the tools... and then her own satchel.

She decides to start with some corrosives from her own pack, rather than turning to the tools. There's a reason they were abandoned -- and besides, if they don't break them here, they can sell them!

DG: Matilda Whitehead has used her Tool Bubble Lotion toward her party's challenge, Doorjam.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

And Seren!

Lydia has joined the Carakin Gems to help out in their latest adventure in the Gaferis Ruins. These sorts of places have intrigued Lydia and she's perfectly fine with making multiple trips inside to figure out what's what. She is, presently, trying to take a baseball bat to that door and work it open with it, trying to use it as a piston. Her teeth are gritted, showing off her many sharp fangs. Eventually she might just try hitting the door really hard.

"Gnnnnaahh..." She looks over to Matilda and then looks down, not making a comment at all. Not out loud.

DG: Lydia Seren has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Doorjam.
<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

"Peace be with you," a quiet voice says suddenly from behind the three.

The members of the Kinship have been joined by someone who wasn't standing there ten seconds ago. The new arrival is draped in a snowy white overcloak and a matching underdress and broad hip sash, edged in black, blue and gold. At her throat, clasping the cloak, is the sigil of Althena's Priesthood.

The hood is deep, though. It casts a shadow over most of the woman's face, save for full lips done up with a glossy dark-red lipstick. A few black curls can be seen settling free of the hood's shadow, but that's it.

Moving forward with a quiet click of shoes beneath the hem of her long white underdress, the Priestess lays a hand on the doorjam. "Seekers in search of more than their hands can hold," she says quietly. "Poor wretches."

Delicate fingers trail along the door, over the rusted face of it, then towards the rust-caked hinges. The priestess bows her head slightly, silent for a moment.

The surge of magic is very subtle - but those watching closely can see the rust around where her fingertips are touching beginning to turn into an ugly greyish dust. Microfractures begin to dance through it as particles steadily slough away, as though the Priestess were simply turning the rust into a fine powder.

DG: Neriah Parringer has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Doorjam.
=============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>==============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - Doorjam *>===========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Doors from the ancient age just aren't all they're cracked up to be. Why,     
 some of them just don't make a lick of sense in understanding when they work  
 and when they don't. This case seems to be the latter: time has rusted metal  
 and distorted stone in a way that makes this vertically-opening entranceway   
 just kind of stuck, partially-open, with a sliver of space between it and     
 the weed-swept floor. You can try to break it down, or force it up -- but     
 fortunately, there's a number of helpful tools and items here to take with    
 you before you do, probably left behind by intrepid explorers who failed to   
 wedge the door open. Hurray!                                                  
                                                                               
 ... Best not to wonder what happened to those intrepid explorers. You'll      
 probably be fine.                                                             
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
========================<* Gaferis Ruins - Round 1 *>=========================
============================< Results - Doorjam >=============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(10)--> 10                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neriah Parringer                    0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matilda Whitehead                   0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Bubble Lotion                       2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen           
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         0 --(5)--> 5                   Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           0 --(25)--> 25                 Pass
Conditions: Treasure(1)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to use party
management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline was glad to have Matilda along, of course! She still considers her a good friend, and she assumed Matilda knew more about Glenwood than she did. It was good to have her along to help. And Lydia was always a delight, of course. While they were attempting to get the door open, however, they suddenly hear a voice behind them.

"A-Ah!" Jacqueline jumps slightly and turns around quickly, a hand over her chest. She sighs in relief, however, when she sees that the source of the voice is simply a Priestess of Althena. She hasn't seen her before, but she recognizes the vestments.

"O-oh...I'm sorry, Sister. I didn't see you there." Jacqueline says, offering her a polite bow. "Have you come to pay your respects?"

Sister Domitia joins Matilda and Lydia in opening the door. Matilda's Bubble Lotion corrodes the door, giving Lydia weakpoints to swing her bat at. And when Sister Domitia approaches the door and lays a hand on it...rust and obstructions simply give way.

Before long, the way forward is open and Jacqueline looks back at the Priestess.

"I would feel uncomfortable if I left you here by yourself...would you care to join us?" She asks.

DG: Neriah Parringer has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>================================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Yum, Knowledge! *>=========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
 You weren't the only people to try to explore this place: enterprising        
 graverobbers abound in Gaferis, attempting to swipe ancient treasure from     
 the cold, dead hands of heroes who have come and gone. Of course, that        
 doesn't always end super well, no matter how good at robbing graves you       
 might be. Take, for example, the group of very extremely dead graverobbers    
 before you, courtesy of one very large, very fat, and very hungry Troll       
 Hellion. A very large, very fat, very hungry Troll Hellion currently is       
 happily consuming what looks like a map of the Gaferis Ruins painstakingly    
 charted by those very extremely dead graverobbers. It could be useful, for    
 plotting a course deeper into the ruins. So you should probably, I don't      
 know. Try to take it from the extremely large, extremely angry Troll. Maybe   
 ask politely?                                            
=Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

As the door swings open, the Priestess in the deep hood looks back at Jacqueline, inclining her head slowly. "...I have come because to not come was no option," she says, as if that explained everything. "I will join you."

She begins to move forward, but pauses, looking back towards Jay... then Matilda. Her gaze lingers on the latter, invisible beneath her hood.

"I am Domitia," she says. "Sister of the Devoted Ones of the Goddess."

Moving through the doorway, Sister Domitia moves ahead of the rest of the group. The sense of decay and death within the ancient mausoleum somehow seems to stop at the boundary of Domitia's brilliant white cloak, the brightness of the colour standing out incredibly starkly.

What will probably not stop is the huge troll looming ahead. The tools at the door likely belonged to the troll's dinner - indeed, there are at least three dead bodies, a couple of stripped sets of bones strewn randomly around the area, and of course the massive beast, which is currently gnawing the flesh from what looks like a human arm. A gobbet of bloody flesh drips from its jaws onto the floor near a heap of belongings.

Dangerously close to what looks like... a map. A map of the ruins?

The troll looks up towards the three adventurers -

Wait, three? Sister Domitia seems to have disappeared.

Nevertheless, the troll snarls slobberingly and barrels towards Jay, Matilda and Lydia, brandishing its massive club. Malevolence streams from its eyes and mouth, its muscles pulsing with currents of the dreadful magic.

As it attacks... the stone behind the troll ripples subtly, and the colour begins to leech out of it. It resolves itself into pure white as Sister Domitia's cloak takes on its usual colour. Somehow, she's ended up behind the troll - and is reaching for it with one outstretched hand.

DG: Neriah Parringer has used her Tool Chameleon Cloak toward her party's challenge, Yum, Knowledge!.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia looks at Jay for a moment after her offer but reasons that, well, she wore a cloak for a while so this woman probably just has a horrifying disfigurement. She should be extra nice to her. She seems pretty chill with those who serve Althena these days.

"Yeah sure, come along." She says. "There'll probably be a lot of places you can be gothic at." She pauses for a moment. "Domitia." She supposes strange names are pretty common in the world where they have names like Hiro and Borgan and Jean. "Anyway--"

The troll is charging the group waving around a massive club. Lydia tries to block the club with her baseball bat but ... this is a troll. Lydia is significantly shorter than a troll.

"So are the Devoted Ones like it's own thing, or are you just part of the Guard, or...is it like a church?" She asks.

DG: Lydia Seren has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Yum, Knowledge!.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I see..." Jacqueline replies, with a nod of understanding. She...doesn't actually understand, but it's fine, really.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sister Domitia. I'm Jacqueline Barber, and these are my friends." She lets Sister Domitia go on ahead...though she shortly loses sight of the priestess as they proceed into a chamber that is...surprisingly, currently occupied.

Occupied by a rather hungry troll.

Jacqueline recoils back in disgust at the sight, and as it rushes toward her she reacts quickly, drawing out a bottle of black liquid from her bags and hurling toward the beast. She follows it up with an incantation and a gesture from her other hand, sending a burst of concussive force both the bottle and the troll, sending a wave of repellant and glass shards along with the sheer force.

She wasn't sure it would work, but she didn't want to do anything that might damage that map...they might be able to make use of it!

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Reliable Repellant toward her party's challenge, Yum, Knowledge!.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"Lydia... is something amiss?" Matilda asks, before turning her attention to Domitia instead. "I'm Matilda -- adjutant with Oasis Free Company." Strictly speaking, Kaguya is the name on the charter... even if Matilda in practice does just about everything. She's okay with this, though -- at least, there's no bitterness in her voice. "It's -- good to have you along, Sister."

She follows along behind Domitia, her gaze turning toward the troll. She considers her options for a few moments -- she could lock up the creature's joints, slowing down the battle but making it much less risky...

... but really, she'd rather just engage the troll, especially with that map in play. She draws her bright silver arming sword, stepping up and going for a very conservative sort of offense -- shield up, blade only coming forward after attempted shield bashes or trips. Caution is essential when fighting a larger opponent!

DG: Matilda Whitehead has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Yum, Knowledge!.
===============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>================================
========================<* CHALLENGE - Yum, Knowledge! *>=========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
----------------------------< Challenge Information: >----------------------------
 You weren't the only people to try to explore this place: enterprising        
 graverobbers abound in Gaferis, attempting to swipe ancient treasure from     
 the cold, dead hands of heroes who have come and gone. Of course, that        
 doesn't always end super well, no matter how good at robbing graves you       
 might be. Take, for example, the group of very extremely dead graverobbers    
 before you, courtesy of one very large, very fat, and very hungry Troll       
 Hellion. A very large, very fat, very hungry Troll Hellion currently is       
 happily consuming what looks like a map of the Gaferis Ruins painstakingly    
 charted by those very extremely dead graverobbers. It could be useful, for    
 plotting a course deeper into the ruins. So you should probably, I don't      
 know. Try to take it from the extremely large, extremely angry Troll. Maybe   
 ask politely?                                       
=Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
==========================<* Gaferis Ruins - Round 2 *>===========================
==========================< Results - Yum, Knowledge! >===========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Reliable Repellant                  2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neriah Parringer                    5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Chameleon Cloak                     1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matilda Whitehead                   5 --(5)--> 10                  Pass
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         5 --(10)--> 15                 Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------< Party >-------------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           25 --(20)--> 45                Pass
Conditions: Secret(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
================================< Dream Chasers >=================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber 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> Neriah Parringer has posed.

What's visible of Domitia is mostly the lower part of her face - chin, lips, cheeks. Those, at least, seem to belong to someone fairly attractive.

Jacqueline's wave of repellant splatters across the troll; glass shards bite into its face and shoulders. It screeches, bellowing and swinging its club. The blow comes close enough to wing Lydia as the woman brings her baseball bat to bear. It's not enough to kill her, but it'll knock the Star Shaman to the side.

Just as the troll seems like it's about to chase after Lydia, Matilda comes in with that bright silver sword. The troll attempts to strike out at her, but Matilda's lighter and faster, swinging her sword and slashing across the beast's chest. With a pained roar, the troll staggers back, several slashes cut into its upper body -

And as it falls back, Sister Domitia's hand gently touches the monster's back.

"See the light of Althena," the Priestess intones, her voice echoing. "Begone."

The Hellionized troll screeches - a sound that cuts off into a horrific gurgle as its skin and muscle suddenly begin to blacken and crack. From the point of Domitia's touch, flesh at once seems to petrify and dry out. Within seconds, the Hellion has turned an ashen-grey colour and begun to collapse in on itself, practically melting away into a heap of ash, which itself disintegrates into a blackening puddle before vanishing altogether.

Slowly, Sister Domitia lowers her hand, bowing her head. "...Althena's clergy fall within the scope of Red Priestess Mauri," she explains quietly. "For now, I serve Cardinal Forton."

DG: Matilda Whitehead has drawn a new Challenge.
==============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Creepy Crawlies *>========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Trolls and the dead aren't the only things that make their home here. There   
 is a skitter, a hiss, that almost dares someone to look up. And if someone    
 dares to court the inevitable and look, they might just get a good eyeful of  
 the mandibles of a many limbed, insectoid Hellion chattering at them...       
                                                                               
 ... before man-sized Centipede after man-sized Centipede drops from the       
 ceiling one after the other, swarming after you for a nice snack. Hooray!                                    
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda's eyes widen a little as she watches Neriah follow up on her frontal assault. "That's --" she starts. She takes a second, wondering: is this normal magic for Lunar? She takes a second to compose herself, before settling on, "... Thank you, Sister." She takes a moment, before saying, "I can provide cover for you if you want to do that at less risk... please -- allow me to take point."

She then does just that, moving forward with surprising confidence. It isn't long before they come upon a new threat, though -- something skitters across the ceiling, the faint chitter-chatter of tiny legs above...

... and then it falls. Enormous centipedes unhook themselves from the ceiling of the ruins one after another.

Matilda ducks low, and one lands right on her shield; her response is to orient herself forward and try to squish it against a wall. She doesn't say anything; she tucks her head and focuses on the task at hand.

DG: Matilda Whitehead has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Creepy Crawlies.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia Seren is bowled over but she manages to hold on long enough that Matilda can SWORD on in and save her butt! She pants for breath for a few moments afterwards before standing herself up and looking towards Matilda, opening her mouth--and then she looks towards the horrifically dying troll.

"Dude." She tells Neriah. "Metal." Another pause. "In fact you could say that...rocked."

She continues walking along. "I just figured I should let you know we're all pretty accepting here. You don't have to worry about being judged or anything, you probably look pretty cool." Walk walk. "So there's no need to be shy. These are nice people. Even Tilde." Wait why even tilde? "Tilde can even get you hooked up." She lowers her voice and adds, "Like she can get you the good shit." She louds it up again before adding, "I've almost gathered everythin' I need so I can get my own meds again and I won't have to, like, ration it out anymore which is pretty sweet."

Then there's a centipede!

Lydia drops star shaped meteors in its direction.

DG: Lydia Seren has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Creepy Crawlies.
<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

"As you see fit, Matilda," Sister Domitia concedes to the swordswoman, before nodding to Lydia as if to assure her that, yes, it was cool.

"I appreciate your sentiment," she answers Lydia simply. "But there are reasons of faith."

Matilda does indeed take point. Sister Domitia falls in behind her, moving with a simple, calm grace through the ruinous mausoleum. She must have at least modest heels on under that underdress, from the sharp click that comes with each step.

Centipedes begin to descend, one after the other. Even with most of her face shrouded in the shadow of her cloak, the Priestess can clearly see the way Malevolence writhes around each insectoid monstrosity.

And yet, she doesn't immediately move. She watches as Matilda moves assertively to crush the centipede. And then she draws her cloak around herself and steps back against a wall - and the white hue of her cloak rapidly fades away, taking on the pattern of the decaying bricks, until the priestess simply blends into the stonework.

Matilda does her job admirably. Unseen, Sister Domitia moves along the wall. After a few seconds, it's easy to lose track of her in the course of the fighting.

Until she practically melts out of a wall several metres away. Her white garb resolves itself again as she steps up onto a pile of crumbled masonry. Her heels come together as she holds her right hand high above her head.

"Hearken unto Althena and tremble," she intones in a voice that rings like a cathedral bell.

What pours from Sister Domitia's fingers is not decay this time. A surge of energy roils up her arm, like fire. Power builds and builds. The ruin itself rumbles a little. A few small pieces of debris lift from the ground.

And then the wave of force erupts upwards - and begins to pour downward in an immense firestorm of force, raw energy ripping through centipedes and masonry and chunks of walling. Destruction rains from the heavens like a hurricane.

DG: Neriah Parringer has used her Tool Chameleon Cloak toward her party's challenge, Creepy Crawlies.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The Priestess's Sorcery is a little...well, it's a little terrifying, Jacqueline had to admit. There's a look of surprise on her face as the troll just starts to disintegrate. She's unsettled, but she recovers quickly, making sure to claim the map before it disintegrates as well.

"Let's see...I think we should go this way." Jacqueline says. Fortunately, she's sufficiently distracted enough that she doesn't hear Lydia offering connections for certain substances to a member of the clergy.

Matilda takes point as they move forward, but before they get too far enormous centipedes unhook themselves and fall from the ceiling. Jacqueline stumbles back, reaching into her bags to throw out another bottle of repellant into the midst of the centipedes.

Before she can utilize any sorcery of her own, however, Sister Domitia brings hers to bear. ...Jacqueline just kind of stares in surprise.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Reliable Repellant toward her party's challenge, Creepy Crawlies.
==============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>===============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Creepy Crawlies *>========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 Trolls and the dead aren't the only things that make their home here. There   
 is a skitter, a hiss, that almost dares someone to look up. And if someone    
 dares to court the inevitable and look, they might just get a good eyeful of  
 the mandibles of a many limbed, insectoid Hellion chattering at them...       
                                                                               
 ... before man-sized Centipede after man-sized Centipede drops from the       
 ceiling one after the other, swarming after you for a nice snack. Hooray!                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================
=========================<* Gaferis Ruins - Round 3 *>==========================
=========================< Results - Creepy Crawlies >==========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   15 --(5)--> 20                 Pass
Reliable Repellant                  2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neriah Parringer                    10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Chameleon Cloak                     1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matilda Whitehead                   10 --(5)--> 15                 Pass
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         15 --(10)--> 25                Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           45 --(30)--> 75                Pass
Conditions: Fright(2)|Secret(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has passed this challenge! The party gained 30 exploration! If anyone needs to use party
management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
DG: Lydia Seren has drawn a new Challenge.
=============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>==============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - The Hive *>==========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Trolls are not the only thing that have made a home out of this place. This   
 room is dank, and dark, with barely any torchlight to guide someone. And the  
 reason why might be clear from the sound of the skittering filling the air:   
 Centipede Hellions, all of them as large as a person, have made this chamber  
 into a nest. The ones here, it seems, are occupied with something -- eating   
 something that might be best not guessed at, or trying to ward off an         
 incursion of Trolls, or perhaps something else entirely. Whatever the         
 distraction, it gives you a small window of opportunity to sneak past,        
 through the darkness. But woe be to you if you're noticed...                  
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda offers only perfectly legitimate substances! ... Well okay she's also been thinking of providing alcohol, though if her current plan succeeds, that may cease to be an option... but Matilda is a perfectly respectable compounder!

Speaking of which: Lydia has the worst time of it; the meteors are a little bit overkill for centipedes, and a touch on the hard-to-aim side, meaning that while they do work, it's a little more exhausting than it probably needs to be. Jay's repellant scatters them, which probably doesn't help Matilda follow up too much either, though it does let her carefully manage her engage --

-- ments...

Sister Domitia destroys nearly everything before them. Matilda watches, mouth open, in slightly dull surprise.

"W -- well," she stammers out, after a few moments. "N -- no one needs to top that... shall we -- move on?"

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia is kind of bad at these encounters since she either can nuke something from orbit or she can awkwardly try to fight with her body. She puts all her level up points into explosion magic after all.

"Huh. If you say so." Lydia asides to Neriah. She sounds dubious but not particularly eager to argue. Maybe it's a different sect than the Margaret Sect of Evil Sorcery.

"I guess it's more like Sister Domination. Daaamn." Lydia says. "Anywho maybe there's a challenge here that doesn't involve murder. That'd be great."

Thte team moves on ahead and step into a dark and dank (not in the drug sense) room. There's still some skittering from MORE centipede hellions it seems, but they seem to not be attacking the party just yet as they're...already eating.

"Probably best to not try and murder everythin' in the ruin. So I have an idea."

She holds out her hand and Schrodinger pops into it. It's kind of weird how accustomed Lydia is to summoning Schrodinger now. She gives Schrodinger a small biscuit, and Schrodinger eats it, and then she sets Schrodinger on the ground who passes through the Hive at a gradual pace.

"We follow the cat and we should be fine." Lydia says, eyes wide.

DG: Lydia Seren has used her Tool Schrodinger the Cat toward her party's challenge, The Hive.
<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Slowly, Sister Domitia lowers her arm, looking out overing the smouldering wreckage of what was once a den of centipedes.

Overkill? Perhaps, she reflects.

"Let us move on," she says coolly as she steps down from the pile she was just standing on. She begins to move into formation with Matilda again, once more letting the better-armoured woman take point.

Lydia gets a glance from the Priestess, and her lips curl briefly into a small smile. But she lets the comment go.

Sister Domination, huh. I like that, she decides.

Lydia leads them into that dank room full of centipedes - but the centipedes seem preoccupied with something too ghastly for the group to truly see. With a tilt of her head, Domitia sinks into a crouch, dipping her head and folding her hands in front of her hood as if in prayer.

(In fact, she's discreetly moving her sighting lens in front of her eyes so she can get a better look at the room and check for a secret passage. There isn't one.)

"...Then we follow the cat," she says simply as she eases to her feet, beginning to move forward. Her footsteps are light. She doesn't seem tense, aside from a slight tilt of her head as if she's keeping an eye on the centipedes.

DG: Neriah Parringer has used her Tool Excavator's Lens toward her party's challenge, The Hive.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"A-agreed." Jacqueline replies with a nod toward Matilda. Sister Domitia suggests they move on, and she agrees with that as well. There was no need to stick around here any longer, after all. A part of her ends up regretting it when they proceed - the centipedes they had already encountered were bad enough, but an entire hive of them?

Jacqueline backpedals, her face rapidly going pale.

"D-do we really have to...?" She starts...but the Lydia calls up Schrodinger and sets him loose. "I see..."

Jacqueline exhales, nods, and then very quietly begins to follow the others through. As she moves she draws out a bottle of black liquid, keeping it on hand just in case any of the Centipede Hellions start to take notice of them...

That would definitely be unpleasant.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Hive.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"There are lots of monsters in ruins -- such things aren't uncommon," Matilda says to Lydia, gently. That said -- they've found the nest of the awful centipede Hellions.

"... I'm inclined to burn this myself," Matilda says, reaching into her pack and pulling out a book. Sure, it's probably not going to cover Hellions -- but the care and disposal of normal giant centipedes, maybe...?

... nope. It allows her to take a second and clear her head, at least, before they start to move forward. She drops her voice to a whisper before answering Jay, "I don't think there's any other way around... we could go back and try another fork, but that might take ages."

She keeps her shield up as she advances, just to be safe. There is a certain amount of tension to the art of walking forward and blocking, but it's still important.

DG: Matilda Whitehead has used her Tool Portable Library toward her party's challenge, The Hive.
=============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>==============================
==========================<* CHALLENGE - The Hive *>==========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Trolls are not the only thing that have made a home out of this place. This   
 room is dank, and dark, with barely any torchlight to guide someone. And the  
 reason why might be clear from the sound of the skittering filling the air:   
 Centipede Hellions, all of them as large as a person, have made this chamber  
 into a nest. The ones here, it seems, are occupied with something -- eating   
 something that might be best not guessed at, or trying to ward off an         
 incursion of Trolls, or perhaps something else entirely. Whatever the         
 distraction, it gives you a small window of opportunity to sneak past,        
 through the darkness. But woe be to you if you're noticed...                  
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
========================<* Gaferis Ruins - Round 4 *>=========================
============================< Results - The Hive >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   20 --(5)--> 25                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neriah Parringer                    15 --(5)--> 20                 Pass
Excavator's Lens                    2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matilda Whitehead                   15 --(5)--> 20                 Pass
Portable Library                    1   Wits    Effects: Cleanse              
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lydia Seren                         25 --(5)--> 30                 Pass
Schrodinger the Cat                 2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten            
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Jacqueline Barber           75 --(35)--> 110               Pass
Conditions: Fright(1)|Stupify(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Enlighten(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Jacqueline Barber has successfully explored Gaferis Ruins!
=============================<* Gaferis Ruins *>==============================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Plentiful Pots *>=======================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Who doesn't love ancient pottery? Historians probably do! And they can        
 probably find some value (read: pay you) for the findings you have come       
 across in this room: a chamber of pottery and other similar relics decorated  
 with stretching murals of old battles waged in Rolance and the heroes who     
 helped to wage them. Many of these clay-wrought relics are lost to the        
 elements, crumbling and useless -- but more than a few can be found intact    
 here, just waiting for an enterprising adventurer to swipe them up.           
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"I don't even know what you're trying to correct me over. Like, I know there are monsters in ruins? I'm not an idiot." Lydia says to Matilda before adding to Jay, "Course we gotta. Don't be afraid of gross things, CaraMom."

Schrodinger leads the way. Jay steps in something slimy but is not notably troubled by anything otherwise. It's just a natural law of comedy.

Lydia rubs at her eyes briefly because of all the walking about in darkness but eventually Schrodinger leads the party out of the room and into a far more well lit area.

A well lit area with pots! Lydia walks inside and knocks one of the pots over with her baseball bat (probably accidentally) but there's far more here that can be taken and well honestly probably sold to a museum. There isn't much use for them otherwise.

"Woops." Lydia says (hopefully someone catches the pot before it shatters) "These seem to be more old Rolance art."

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"I was -- simply saying that sometimes there's no path forward but to slay the monsters," Matilda says, softly. She actually looks a little chastized, and turns away from Lydia a bit. "... My apologies," she adds, after a few moments, before turning her attention to the pots.

"I think I might have a buyer for these, actually," the compounder notes, a little softly. "You're welcome to take your share and find your own, or accompany me -- either way..."

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Turns out that trusting the cat tends to work out. At least, it works out some of the times.

Sister Domitia looks on without visible emotion as Lydia knocks over the priceless piece of pottery. She doesn't move to catch it.

"Perhaps it would be better to handle it with care," she suggests levelly.

She reaches out, gently picking up a pot of her own, then another one. The robed priestess traces her fingertips delicately over the piece of ancient ceramic, as though testing if it'll crumble to dust under the slightest pressure. Somehow, it doesn't - perhaps these ones are better made than their forebears.

Domitia turns a little to acknowledge Matilda with a simple, slow nod. "It is not a sin to raise your hand when there is no other way forward," she says, her voice low. "Althena loves peace, but she would not ask her children to be helpless."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"C-caraMom?" Jacqueline repeats, surprised. She doesn't really object to it, it's just...a little surprising! "It's not that it's gross, really...they're just..."

...Well, okay. It was a little gross. She couldn't help it! She does proceed forward, freezing in place for a second as she steps in something. ...She doesn't make any effort to find out what it is, instead just continuing right along with a bit more worry in her step.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light seems to involve a lot of rare, ancient pottery.

"A-ah!" She lets out a quick cry and dives as Lydia accidentally knocks over the pot. Fortunately, she manages to catch it safely. Jacqueline lets out a sigh of relief and then straightens up.

"Oh my...this is all very fascinating..." She murmurs, lifting the pot up to her eyes and looking it over. "It appears to be telling a story of some kind, but I'm not well-versed enough in my history to know what..."

She glances toward Matilda, then, and nods.

"I'll go with you. I might be able to help you work out a better deal." She agrees. She glances toward Sister Domitia for a moment when she speak, but doesn't quite have anything to say to that.

It might hit a little close for her.

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia's face goes red. "Buh." She looks away. "...Sorry. It's okay. It's fine." She bites into her hand. She gets bitey when she's nervous and she just ends up leaving her hand in her mouth for a bit while other folks check out the pots. Eventually she does comment on something but it's hard to understand with her hand on her mouth.

She removes her hand to try again, "Nice catch." She says before adding to Matilda. "Sorry I'm a little on edge later. I'll uh. I'll get you what you need soon."