2019-02-15: A Fun Trip To The Mountains: Difference between revisions

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*'''Log: 2019-02-15 A Fun Trip To The Mountains'''
*'''Log: A Fun Trip To The Mountains'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Ines Colina]], [[Character :: Seraph Nimue]], [[Character :: Jacqueline Barber]], [[Character :: Quin Rosenberg]]
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Ines Colina]], [[Character :: Seraph Nimue]], [[Character :: Jacqueline Barber]], [[Character :: Quin Rosenberg]]
*'''Where:''' Great Krosian Plains
*'''Where:''' Great Krosian Plains

Latest revision as of 02:39, 24 June 2019


===========================<* Great Krosian Plains *>===========================

The bulk of the countryside around the capital city of Krosse consists of rolling, grassy fields, a stark contrast from the arid desert sands to the north. Every year, however, the desertification spreads, and more and more life is swallowed up by the sands.

As travellers near the capital, the grasslands transition into cultivated fields. The yields from Krosse's farmlands have given the kingdom the nickname of the breadbasket of Ignas, and the majority of its trade centres around grains, fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs. 

While its might pales in comparison to its larger neighbours, Krosse maintains a significant standing army to help deal with monsters and green-eyed neighbours who might seek to seize that bounty for themselves. These soldiers are kept active by frequent patrols and maneuvers throughout the Plains and major roadways; as a result, travel in the kingdom is safer than nearly anywhere else on the continent.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYbFnoRSW6M
DG: A party led by Ines Colina is now entering Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - The "Dragon's" Teeth *>=====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The Mountain Palace is found, unsurprisingly, in the mountains, specifically  
 among the peaks overlooking a lake in the northwest of Krosse. The road       
 leading there is not terribly well maintained, and the closer you get to the  
 cave - no matter what time of day it is - the darker the surroundings get.    
 Worse yet, someone appears to have taken a pick or mattock to the path,       
 breaking the stones and earth into something jagged and twisted. Getting up   
 will be a pain.                                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The Mountain Palace near Rurik have been home on and off to a ill advised dragon cult for a few months now. As it turns out, right now is the on season. And once again, requests have gone out for someone, anyone to clear them out again. For a geohound, this is honest work. And that can be hard to find some times. Still, it wasn't solo work, either.

    Ines Colina is one of a few who've responded to the villages call, and made it to the path leading to the mountain. And is one of the first to see the horrible state the path up is in. With a sigh, Ines turns to the others gathered.

    "Looks like they don't want to make it easy for us." She mutters, before trying to size up a way up. She unwinds her whip from her belt, and looks up at an overhand. The easiest way to avoid a damaged and unstable path is to just skip it. The beastwoman lashes out with the whip, activating a rune inscribed on it's handle. The tip loops around the overhang, hopefully with a stable grip. And then, she uses it to try swing over the worst of the damage, continuing as the path goes on.

DG: Ines Colina has used her Tool Runic Whip toward her party's challenge, The "Dragon's" Teeth.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

To be honest, Nimue just kind of wanders wherever. The Wind Seraph does as she pleases, attaching to essentially random people and stalking them for anywhere from hours to days at a time. Today, she's picked Ines.

Once she finds out *why* they're there -- a dragon cult -- she's a little less jazzed about the whole experience. Then again, she tells herself, this is Filgaia -- it's entirely possible it's a completely different type of dragon. That gets some nervous laughter from her. ... A lot of nervous laughter.

Nimue's solution to an ill-maintained road, meanwhile, remains the same kind of thing it always is: long, floaty jumps, taking her between safe spots in the jagged earth.

DG: Seraph Nimue has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The "Dragon's" Teeth.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline was sympathetic to Rurik's plight. As a merchant herself, she was familiar with how dangerous a group like this cult could be to local settlements, no matter how reckless they were going about it.

And so, here she is to lend her assistance as well.

"This place is...different from the last time I was here." Jacqueline observes, looking over the broken, jagged road. The slowly darkening sky is normal, but the road...it didn't use to be so dangerous. "I'd hazard a guess they either don't want anyone showing up uninvited, or someone did a really bad landscaping job."

With that said she draws a Crest from her pouch, slotting it into one of her gauntlets.

"Fortunately, earth Sorcery is a specialty of mine. I should be able to get this cleared up in a jiffy." With a gesture of her hand Jacqueline gets to work, using her Sorcery to attempt to smooth over the path ahead of them and make going forward easier.

If all else fails, though, she can try to hitch a ride with one of the others.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Rapid Remedy toward her party's challenge, The "Dragon's" Teeth.
<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

Clearing out cultists isn't exactly Quin's usual line of work. She's generally the type to run from big battles. Besides, being boxed in by a cult of maniacs who A) know the layout of the place better than she does, and B) think the fact that she draws breath is an affront to something important to them just has 'bad idea' written all over it.

But hey. Maybe while the others who can fight are doing the actual fighting, she can pick through unguarded stuff and grab an artifact or two. Who knows, right?

Anyway yeah, she's out here, and... well, this looks bad right from the get-go. The mention of the road's newly damaged condition gets a nod. "Seems reasonable; we want 'em out, they wanna not be out, so they gotta make it tough for us t' get in, right?" Makes sense to Quin.

Either way, she's digging around in her stuff for her own way through, she hopes -- a rope! Hopefully she'll be able to lasso some rocks and pull herself up or something. Or the rope will somehow make it easier. Quin's player is not a climber, though is fairly certain it will help someway.

DG: Quin Rosenberg has used her Tool Rope toward her party's challenge, The "Dragon's" Teeth.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
=====================<* CHALLENGE - The "Dragon's" Teeth *>=====================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The Mountain Palace is found, unsurprisingly, in the mountains, specifically  
 among the peaks overlooking a lake in the northwest of Krosse. The road       
 leading there is not terribly well maintained, and the closer you get to the  
 cave - no matter what time of day it is - the darker the surroundings get.    
 Worse yet, someone appears to have taken a pick or mattock to the path,       
 breaking the stones and earth into something jagged and twisted. Getting up   
 will be a pain.                                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Exhaust==================================================
=================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult - Round 1 *>==================
=======================< Results - The "Dragon's" Teeth >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Runic Whip                          2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quin Rosenberg                      0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Rope                                2   Agility Effects: Quicken              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   0 --(15)--> 15                 Fail
Rapid Remedy                        1   Agility Effects: Cleanse              
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Nimue                        0 --(15)--> 15                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Exhaust(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Quicken(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina 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> Ines Colina has posed.


    The passage is apparently easier for those with something to swing from than those just leaping. Ines gets across in a few quick swings, and Quin is able to follow suit. Nimue's big jump sails a bit too far, and has is headed straight for a spiky landing. Ines quickly casts her whip out to the Seraph to grab on to, and ideally pull her clear. For Jay, though, even though she has the earth on her side, the ground has been so damaged that even with crest magic reshaping it, the ground is still a spiky, hard to walk wreck. It'll be slow going, unless another hand is offered.

    "From what I hear, they're just hoarding wyverns. Not the real thing. They'll still burn you pretty happily." There's no knowing if that's enough to put Nimue at ease, but hey. She then turns to Jay. "Good to know. Anything you remember of the place will help, Jay." Finally, the beastwoman gives Quin a quick nod. "I know. Was just hoping they were the unorganised types."

DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>======================
===============<* CHALLENGE - Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed *>===============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 At one time, this appears to have been one of those wall-closing traps that   
 dungeon designers are so fond of - except it's already smashed shut, with     
 only an inch or two of separation between the stone in front of you.          
                                                                               
 If you want to proceed, you'll have to eitehr reset the trap or break it      
 apart entirely.                                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Overzealous====================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline frowns. They'd really done a number on this pathway...even Grudiev himself would probably take some effort to clear this up again. She has to be just a little more careful.

"Yes. They can't find a real dragon, so they're...trying to make their own, essentially." Jacqueline replies. "...In the most round-about way possible."

Finally, they make it to the front door.

"I think I have a pretty good memory of the place. I'll see what I can remember." Jacqueline says with a nod back to Ines. Jacqueline holds up a hand and slowly pries the door open just a crack and peers in. Satisfied that they're not about to be jumped immediately Jacqueline opens it steps through...and immediately stops her foot just an inch above a pressure plate.

It's not because she's trying to avoid the trap. It's because the trap has already been activated, resulting in two thick slabs of stone blocking the way forward.

It looks like the original idea was for it to close in on the hapless fool who stepped on the plate, but thankfully it doesn't appear to have been successful in its duties. Unfortunately for them, however, they'll still need to find a way to get through.

Jacqueline stares at it for a moment, blinking.

"...Well, I don't remember that. I guess they've done some renovations." She says, and then sighs. "This isn't ideal... Hold on a moment, I might have something that'll help."

She rummages through a bags for a moment before drawing out three bottles of red liquid which she distributes to the others, though she doesn't take one for herself.

"Alright, I'm going to try and wedge it open just a bit. Once there's room to move, start pushing, okay? And don't stop until you hear a 'click'." Jacqueline says.

Or you could break it. That'd work too.

With a gesture of a hand, a pillar of earth begins to emerge from one of the stone slabs, pushing against the other. It won't be able to do all the work on its own, though.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Nimue gets yanked down by that whip; she leans a little *too* hard into the pull, landing face-first rather than allowing herself to be gracefully caught. It's fairly clearly on purpose -- which might be worrying, but Nimue seems distinctly unworried about it despite the blood spilling from her nose.

Trotting onward with the group as if nothing weird occurred at all, Nimue eventually stops when she walks straight into the slabs of stone, right next to Jay. "... Hmmm..." she reflects aloud, as she takes and downs the liquid without any complaint. She follows up by taking *another* bottle out of her own pack; this one, meanwhile, is entirely for herself, and she downs the whole thing. Looking at the mechanism for a long time, she reflects, "I *could* start pushing... oooor..."

She knocks on the stone once. Then she says, "Okay, nah. Too hard. Definitely gonna help wedge it open." Pulling forth her staff, she uses it like a prybar, trying to wedge the trap back into place.

DG: Seraph Nimue has used her Tool Stolen Drinks toward her party's challenge, Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed.
<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

Quin will help anybody who needs it who she's physically able to help. Those having trouble might be able to grab onto Quin's rope, and it'll be secure enough if they can. Once they're all past it whatever ways, the next problem quickly comes into view. "...Well, crap," Quin notes. "Anybody got any idea how we're gettin' past this thing?"

Yeah, Quin has no way to do anything for this trap. So instead she starts looking at the sides of the trap, trying to find a way to disconnect it.

Then Jacqueline is handing out red bottles and Quin blinks. "What's this?" she asks, looking at the bottle with confusion. There's three bottles, Quin sees that... but there are only two of them, right? Aside from Jacqueline, that is. But no, that third bottle got handed out, so that means there's someone else here... someone Quin can't quite see... but it's not just her eyes. There is a presence. She looks in Seraph Nimue's direction... but not quite 'at' her. She can't see Nimue, but, well. Something's got her attention.

It's just for a moment though -- there's a sprung trap to un-spring. Since the bottle seems to be something she's supposed to drink, so she does so. She'll stand by then, waiting for there to be enough space for her to get in there and start pushing at it. She's not sure she's going to have much luck with it, but hey, give it a shot, right?

DG: Quin Rosenberg has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Ines still grimaces a bit at Nimue's landing. After all, the goal was to avoid a rough landing. "You okay?" She certainly, apart from the blood, seems to be taking it well.

That's a definite obstacle. "I'm just glad it got set off before we got here, rather than after. I just hope the damn thing is empty." Ines follows Jay's lead on this one, downing the red bottle in one go. Quin's hesitance causes a raised eyebrow, but there's a bigger priority As soon as the gap has widened enough for her to get a solid surface to push against, she puts her considerable strength towards pushing the walls apart. It doesn't matter if it's to reset the mechanism, or just cause it to break. After all, this is probably not the most correct way to reset such a trap. The important thing is that it doesn't spring back on them unpleasantly.

DG: Ines Colina has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed.
=====================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>======================
===============<* CHALLENGE - Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed *>===============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 At one time, this appears to have been one of those wall-closing traps that   
 dungeon designers are so fond of - except it's already smashed shut, with     
 only an inch or two of separation between the stone in front of you.          
                                                                               
 If you want to proceed, you'll have to eitehr reset the trap or break it      
 apart entirely.                                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck, Overzealous====================================
================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult - Round 2 *>=================
=================< Results - Wall-Closing Trap - Now Closed >=================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         0 --(15)--> 15                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quin Rosenberg                      0 --(20)--> 20                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   15 --(20)--> 35                Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Nimue                        15 --(20)--> 35                Fail
Stolen Drinks                       1   Brute   Effects: Cleanse              
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 20 --(10)--> 30                Fail
Conditions: Bad Luck(2)|Overzealous(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has failed this challenge! The party gained 10 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.

"Ah, sorry!" Jacqueline says apologetically, noting Quin's confusion.

"That potion is for increasing one's stamina and, well...just generally giving you a little more 'oomph'!" She says, and hesitates.

"...Also, it's strawberry-flavored." She adds, matter-of-factly and a little proudly.

They get to work trying to pry the puzzle open...but it's stuck pretty firmly. It takes a lot of strength to manipulate, and honestly, they mostly just end up getting in Ines's way. She does manage to get it open just enough for them all to get through, but it takes some effort and it'll be a bit of a tight fit.

"...Well, at least it's open." Jacqueline says. "Hopefully it doesn't shut behind us..."

Spoilers: It's totally going to shut behind them. They'll need to find another way out once they're done here unless they want to go through that whole mess again.

DG: Seraph Nimue has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
=================<* CHALLENGE - Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle *>=================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 This ancient hall plays host to a half-dozen large statues of ancient         
 humanoid warriors. Their individual features are gone and their spears are    
 broken, but slightly behind each of the statues is a pedestal with a large,   
 raised floor switch. Secured to one of the statues is a small hand-written    
 note that reads:                                                              
                                                                               
 "I swear to Granas, Larry, if you move these things off the switches and      
 block the door again, I will feed you to my dragon. Making us move heavy      
 things when we're in a hurry isn't funny, Larry!"                             
                                                                               
 Slightly underneath that note is another that reads:                          
                                                                               
 "PRANK'D"                                                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Nimue waves enthusiastically to someone she can tell can't quite see her, because she's a little shit. She also loses interest in trying to actually pry the thing open about halfway through and is mostly just making a show of it; when they all shuffle through, though, she at least *does* do that.

Then it slams shut behind them. "Oh, that'll be super fun later," Nimue says, with the wisdom of the centuries*. "It's kind of funny how everything breaks and then stays broken, like, forever, right? And you can't actually fix things? Stuff is so fragile!"

She did not answer whether she was okay. This comment may be serving multiple purposes.

The group strides into another room full of mechanisms; as Nimue's eyes track across the statues and the switches, she sees the note and promptly ignores it. "Sure wish I had any idea what to do here!" she declares, deciding to take another bottle out of her pack and down that one too. She is now definitely not helping.

DG: Seraph Nimue has used her Tool Stolen Drinks toward her party's challenge, Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

Quin nods at Jacqueline's explanation. "Gotcha. Didn't think you were giving me poison, but..." She smirks a little. The next few moments are filled with a lot of imaginary squeaky noises as they SQUEEEEEEEEEEZE through the trap. Though once they're on the other side? Quin sighs. "Geez. I think I need to go on a diet..."

...Actually it's probably good that the trap bangs closed behind them because uh. Quin says a very un PG-13 word at the sudden loud noise and jumps. "...I hate traps," she mutters as they move on.

In contrast to Nimue, Quin goes for the note and reads it. "Huh. What'cha wanna bet if we move the statues back into place something drops out of a hole in the sky to eat us?" She may or may not be kidding. Either way she starts trying to move one of the statues onto the nearest switch to it.

Now, she's clearly not a physical powerhouse, so there's no telling how much luck she'll actually have in this endeavor. But hey, she's TRYING, right? That's what's important!

DG: Quin Rosenberg has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Ines is the last one through, given she is holding the doors. The sudden 'k-thunk' behind her causes a slight jolt, then another sigh. "Let's hope they have another way out."

    The sign in the ancient hall is, uh, not reassuring on that front. Neither is Nimue's commentary. "...Right." That's about all Ines can muster. Still, she moves up to one of the statues, and gives it a test shove. It moves a little, but not easily. "Maybe," she responds to Quin, "but seems more likely that one of them is just an ass." The giant beastwoman starts lining up against one of the many statues, looking at Nimue out the corner of her eye. This is not the first time Nimue has gone and sidelined herself when it comes to matters of strength. She grumbles slightly, but decides not to give her any more attention right now.

    Deal with the statues first, Nimue's attitude... probably never.

DG: Ines Colina has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Hahah, yes, I can understand your hesitation..." Jacqueline says with a chuckle, that becomes just a bit more nervous and awkward when Nimue espouses her wisdom. She's not quite sure what to say to that, really. Something might've hit just a little too close to home.

She tries not to dwell too long on that, though, instead focusing on the path ahead and the room they eventually end up in.

Nimue...doesn't help. Jacqueline frowns slightly, but doesn't call her out on it. Instead, she looks toward Quin.

"I hope not...but I guess we'll want to be ready regardless." She replies. "...That seems a little too, um. Organized, for them, though."

She looks pointedly at the note as she says this. For a cult, they seemed a little...relaxed? Casual?

With that said, she shakes her head.

"Okay! Sorcery didn't work, so...let's try a little bit more of a mundance solution." Jacqueline says. She draws out another bottle of liquid. This one, however, is applied to the base of the statue and the path leading up to the switch.

"This should grease the wheels, so to speak...it should be easier to push. Hopefully." She says. Hopefully. With how old these statues look, it might just erode the base.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool Brewte Force toward her party's challenge, Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
=================<* CHALLENGE - Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle *>=================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 This ancient hall plays host to a half-dozen large statues of ancient         
 humanoid warriors. Their individual features are gone and their spears are    
 broken, but slightly behind each of the statues is a pedestal with a large,   
 raised floor switch. Secured to one of the statues is a small hand-written    
 note that reads:                                                              
                                                                               
 "I swear to Granas, Larry, if you move these things off the switches and      
 block the door again, I will feed you to my dragon. Making us move heavy      
 things when we're in a hurry isn't funny, Larry!"                             
                                                                               
 Slightly underneath that note is another that reads:                          
                                                                               
 "PRANK'D"                                                                     
=Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
=================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult - Round 3 *>==================
===================< Results - Absurdly Large Statue Puzzle >===================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quin Rosenberg                      20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   35 --(5)--> 40                 Fail
Brewte Force                        1   Brute   Effects: Fanfare and Strengthe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Nimue                        35 --(0)--> 35                 Pass
Stolen Drinks                       1   Brute   Effects: Cleanse              
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 30 --(20)--> 50                Pass
Conditions: Overzealous(1)|Tire(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Strengthen(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina 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> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Quin finds the note, and once she does, the suggestion gets Nimue to start working. Jay makes the statues a little easier to push for a few moments, but there's a secondary problem -- the tiles are uneven, so while they can glide a *little* better, there's still a lot of work to do.

Fortunately, they have a huge beastwoman with them, which solves many of these problems at once. The process becomes a waiting game, with Ines dealing with half of the statues -- the heaviest ones, and the ones on the most awkward areas of the floor -- while everyone else scrambles to deal with the remainder.

DG: Quin Rosenberg has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Cultist Paraphernalia *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 A small table in this room is labeled 'MAPS', which seems helpful.            
 Unfortunately, the first dozen papers are some sort of cultist propaganda     
 leaflets with sayings like:                                                   
                                                                               
 "Till You KNOW 4 Simultaneous Days Rotate In Same 24 Hours Of Filgaia You     
 Don't Deserve To Live On Filgaia"                                             
                                                                               
 or                                                                            
                                                                               
 If you would acknowledge simple existing math proof that 4 harmonic dragon    
 days rotate simultaneously around squared equator and cubed Earth, proving 4  
 Days, Not 1Day,1Self,1Earth or 1Granas that exists only as anti-side. This    
 page you see - cannot exist without its anti-side existence, as +0-           
 antipodes. Add +0- as One = nothing."                                         
                                                                               
 Finding the map without having your brain explode could be a challenge.       
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness, Exhaust=========================================
<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

Fortunately the statues get put in the right place, and the way is opened. Quin peeks in before walking in herself, ensuring they're not about to be murdered to death by something waiting around the corner. What seems to be inside is... a table of maps? "...Really?" Quin mutters, and walks to the table cautiously.

Of course... there's a massive amount of clutter on the table and... "...What even th' heck IS all this garbage, anyway?" Sift sift sift. She sighs. "Yeah, this is gonna take all 'v us, I think. Anybody here who can make sense outta any 'a this garbage?"

Fortunately she has a thing that might be slightly helpful -- a magnifying glass! She has to be able to see small things to pick locks, so of course she's got one with her. She starts going through some of the papers with that magnifying glass, hoping to identify something useful.

DG: Quin Rosenberg has used her Tool Thief Tools toward her party's challenge, Cultist Paraphernalia.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline sighs in relief as the door finally opens. She was a little worried that wouldn't work out after the little scare near the beginning. But thankfully, they're able to move on.

A part of her ends up wishing they hadn't.

It starts out simple enough at first, with a table labled 'MAPS', but...the material immediately visible could not be called map.

"...I...have no honest idea, Miss Rosenberg." Jacqueline says, staring in confusion. She joins Quin at the table, trying to sift through the papers and find something of use.

It's pretty difficult, though. She's seen more sensible lines of text in the book she acquired recently, and she's pretty certain that one's housing some manner of ancient evil.

She can be heard muttering things to herself as she gets more and more annoyed the more papers she tries to look through.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cultist Paraphernalia.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    It takes time and effort, but Ines wraps up her share of the work, and follows through once the door is opened. And she follows through to the pile of papers. She picks one up, and stares for a moment. "...'This Man Said That Four Dragon Days Rotate In The Same 24 Hours! You won't believe what happened next!'? What in the world?" She shuffles through similar papers, each more nonsensical than the last. "The hell sort of cult is this?"

    She looks over at Quin going through with her magnifying glass, and sighs, as she picks up a pile of papers and starts going through them, throwing the trash onto the floor below her. A treatise on how the Krosse royal family was supressing the truth about the four dragon days, is crumpled, and thrown against a wall.

    Maybe Nimue had the right idea of just staying on the sidelines when you can't be much help after all.

DG: Ines Colina has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cultist Paraphernalia.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Nimue looks at the pile of garbage before her, seeing the stack of leaflets and assorted nonsense. She pauses, thoughtfully, for a few moments. She breathes in slowly through her nose, then breathes back out.

"Nah."

She decides to sit *this* one out, too, pulling a whole chunk of raw meat out of her pack. It looks nauseating for most humans to eat, which does not seem to be causing Nimue any distress at all. She chomps enthusiastically, and chews with her mouth open directly behind Quin.

It's really like this.

DG: Seraph Nimue has used her Tool Stolen Food toward her party's challenge, Cultist Paraphernalia.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Cultist Paraphernalia *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 A small table in this room is labeled 'MAPS', which seems helpful.            
 Unfortunately, the first dozen papers are some sort of cultist propaganda     
 leaflets with sayings like:                                                   
                                                                               
 "Till You KNOW 4 Simultaneous Days Rotate In Same 24 Hours Of Filgaia You     
 Don't Deserve To Live On Filgaia"                                             
                                                                               
 or                                                                            
                                                                               
 If you would acknowledge simple existing math proof that 4 harmonic dragon    
 days rotate simultaneously around squared equator and cubed Earth, proving 4  
 Days, Not 1Day,1Self,1Earth or 1Granas that exists only as anti-side. This    
 page you see - cannot exist without its anti-side existence, as +0-           
 antipodes. Add +0- as One = nothing."                                         
                                                                               
 Finding the map without having your brain explode could be a challenge.       
=Dungeon Conditions: Madness, Exhaust=========================================
=================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult - Round 4 *>==================
======================< Results - Cultist Paraphernalia >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quin Rosenberg                      20 --(0)--> 20                 Pass
Thief Tools                         2   Wits    Effects: Rally and Fanfare    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   40 --(0)--> 40                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Nimue                        35 --(15)--> 50                Fail
Stolen Food                         3   Wits    Effects: Rally                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 50 --(20)--> 70                Pass
Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Madness
Effects: 
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina 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> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

It really is a maddening shuffle through all the assorted papers. Perhaps it gives insight into the minds of exactly who lives here... and it's probably not a very great mental picture to have. "Ugh. Is stupidity a crime against nature?" she asks. "'Cause like. Yeah." She indicates the pile of papers.

Fortunately she isn't QUITE able to see Nimue, so the omnomnomnom going on back there isn't something she registers easily. She DOES have that weird feeling that someone's behind her, though, and shivers a little.

Eventually though, the proper map is found. Quin breathes a sigh of relief. "Good. C'mon, let's get outta here. Ridiculous crap..." Mutter mutter.

Of course before she personally goes on to the next area, Quin's going to fold some of the useless papers into a pejorative expression and leave them on the table where they can be seen easily!

DG: Ines Colina has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Red "Dragon" Fury *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 With a faint, warbling cry, a half-dozen red wyvern hatchlings - each about   
 two feet tall and waddling around an adorable little pot belly - begin        
 shambling toward you. Bad news: they appear to be looking for dinner. Worse   
 news: baby wyverns like their dinners /extremely/ well done.                  
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    "Thank Granas..." Ines mutters in a way that would have infuriated her sunday school teacher. Once the proper map is pulled out, Ines takes a quick look, and nods. "Alright, this way."

    What the map didn't mention was the wyvern hatchlings being out of their pen. There's six of the things, making sounds that sound like a mix between a screech and a roar, if high pitched. These six little wyvernlings look almost cute.

    And then the fire breathing starts, and Ines quickly slams the door she just walked through to avoid a burst of flame, and waits for the flames to subside. At least the doors are stone. "...Okay, new plan. When I open that door, we go out full force. It doesn't matter if they look adorable, they're hungry and full of fire and gonna be a big problem. It ain't pleasant, but it's the job."

    With that, Ines looses the triple weight boleadoras from her belt. "On three. One, two, three!" She hurls the door open and hurls the boleadors, aiming to rope two together around the necks, before charging into the fray with her fists, trying her best to avoid the flames.

DG: Ines Colina has used her Tool Bewitched Boleadoras toward her party's challenge, Red "Dragon" Fury.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Honestly, Jacqueline has to admit Nimue probably had the right idea. She's not entirely sure the map was worth going through all, well...all that nonsense.

The map, unfortunately, leads them to some of the results of the cult's work - six red wyvern hatchlings. They're hungry, they breathe fire, and, even worse...

...They're absolutely adorable.

Too adorable, in fact. Jacqueline can't really bring herself to hurt them. She can't help but think back to a series of wyvern eggs they're taking care of back home.

With a frown, she draws a book out from her bags, paging through it."Let's see...this is a different species of wyvern, but...I think I saw something about...ah, here it is!" Jacqueline says, shutting it and storing it safely away.

She takes a deep breath, and once the door is opened again...she rushes toward one of the hatchlings, dodging out of the way of a plume of fiery breath and moving behind it.

Once she's positioned properly she lunges for it, one arm seeking to wrap around its midsection and haul it up off the ground while the other goes to the back of the neck, looking to scratch at a specific point on the back where the scales are just starting to grow in and were often a point of discomfort for wyverns of this age.

If her information is correct, this should help make the hatchling relax and become more docile...assuming she was reading the right entry in the first place.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Red "Dragon" Fury.
<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

Quin is surprised when Ines slams the door, and blinks. And then the explanation of what's out there? "...Aw crap," Quin mutters, pulling her daggers from their hidden place under her coat. A nod to the plan. "Good as idea as any," she realizes.

She waits at the door, tensed, and when the doors open, she's out as soon as possible. Though her aim is to get AROUND the wyverns. Or over them. Wall-run? Maybe, if she can get enough speed. Hell, she'll slide UNDER them if she has to.

Quin is gonna try to keep on the move -- hopefully a moving target is going to be more difficult to hit. And she's not really sure how much good a pair of daggers is going to be against something with scales, even a baby version of it. But, well, they're really all she has, so she'll stick to them.

When she IS forced to attack -- as she doubtless will be, because she doesn't have Jacqueline's knowledge to draw from -- she's aiming for vital spots. But vital spots are going to be close to places where there are teeth in, and that fire comes out of. So... yeah, that might be a thing that happens...

DG: Quin Rosenberg has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Red "Dragon" Fury.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Nimue flings a bone at the wall, once it has successfully been stripped of meat. She moves on entirely without incident, not really paying attention to whether the map was found or not, because -- well, it's not like she's going to be the one reading it.

As the wyvern hatchlings appear, though, Nimue seems like she's *very* clear on what to do about that part. Unlike Jay -- precious, sweetheart Jay, who does her best to take out the wyverns without actually hurting them -- Nimue has a very simple, very straightforward plan:

Bonk them on the head until they fall over. It probably won't kill them, because Nimue isn't exactly strong... but sometimes she approaches complex problems with simple, potentially-pointless solutions and a lot of enthusiasm.

DG: Seraph Nimue has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Red "Dragon" Fury.
======================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>=======================
======================<* CHALLENGE - Red "Dragon" Fury *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          | 
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 With a faint, warbling cry, a half-dozen red wyvern hatchlings - each about   
 two feet tall and waddling around an adorable little pot belly - begin        
 shambling toward you. Bad news: they appear to be looking for dinner. Worse   
 news: baby wyverns like their dinners /extremely/ well done.                  
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
=================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult - Round 5 *>==================
========================< Results - Red "Dragon" Fury >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Bewitched Boleadoras                3   Combat  Effects: Rally                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quin Rosenberg                      20 --(5)--> 25                 Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   40 --(0)--> 40                 Pass
The Lifeweaver's Codex              2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Nimue                        50 --(5)--> 55                 Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 70 --(20)--> 90                Pass
Conditions: Madness|Wound(2)
Effects: Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Ines Colina 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> Ines Colina has posed.

    The outcome of the wyvern fight is.. mixed. Ines succesfully manages to rope two of them together, and take them out of the fight for the moment. Jay, meanwhile, manages to put one of the baby wyverns to sleep, and it starts snoring in her arms. Nimue has less of an easy time, as part way through operation 'hit wyvern in head' runs into an obstacle of a ball of fire catching her weapon. The wyvern goes down eventually, though. Similarly, Quin's attempts to hit the vitals glance off the wyvern's scales, leading more to a lot of cuts, but her wyvern eventually drops. That leaves one, which is easy enough to keep running past, and Ines makes a waving motion to encourage folks to move. The last little wyvernling is eventually left behind, unless someone takes extra effort to take it out.

    Once they clear another stone door, Ines closes it firmly behind them, resolving the problem. "Now we just have to hope we don't run into any bigger ones." Because that never happens.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>======================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Frog Door *>==========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 In the depths of the Mountain Palace, you find what appears to be a storage   
 room, filled top to bottom with barrels. Before you can get too involved      
 with investigating the contents, however, a door at the far end opens, and a  
 man in a black robe steps forward. "Go, my children!" he screams in a         
 frantic voice, and out from the darkness comes...                             
                                                                               
 ...frogs.                                                                     
                                                                               
 Frogs of all shapes and sizes pour out from the door, flooding the room.      
 Several appear to have been experimented upon, belching flame and poison      
 gas; others have had crude bat wings merged to their backs. These creatures   
 are clearly part of the Cult's freakish attempts to breed dragons of their    
 own - and they must be stopped!                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Injure===========================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Well, the problem is dealt with, at least, and now that there's nothing trying to roast them they can move on. Jacqueline carefully sets the wyvern in her arms down, patting it on the head.

She'll be back for it later - but right now, she can't really afford to be weighed down. She has an idea of a place that could use a wyvern.

The door ahead of them looks notably Important. It's circled on the map, too, several times.

Once again, they approach the door carefully. It seems quiet, but they can hear a sort of low rumbling noise from behind it. It didn't sound human, at least, so Jacqueline carefully pushes the door open and steps inside.

Barrels of all kinds are stacked all around.

"...Looks like a storage room. This must be where they keep all of the food. Or maybe everything they take from the townsfolk." Jacqueline muses, approaching one of the barrels. She moves forward, going to a freestanding barrel. She moves to try to open a lid, but as she does so, something jumps onto the back of her hand.

It's a frog.

Jacqueline stares at it, blinking.

"...Oh, hey there, little guy. What're you doing-" Before she finishes her sentence, another frog hops down to join it.

This is when the door at the end of the room bursts open, revealing a figure in a black, hooded robe. He extends his hand toward the party...but rather than invoking horrible magic, he does something far worse.

"Intruders! Go, my children!" He commands, and frogs begin to pour forth from the darkness.

Now, Jacqueline likes frogs. They're perfectly fine creatures, and very useful. These frogs, though?

These frogs she is less fond of.

Some of them have wings, some of them breathe fire and/or poison, and still others do all three.

"Be careful, everyone!" Jacqueline warns, retreating backwards and drawing out the Lifeweaver's Codex once more. These creatures were an entirely new creation...but she can look up what she believe to be the component parts.

"Be careful! These might look...absolutely ridiculous, but they're still a threat! They're surprisingly mobile, and their breath attacks are potent...don't let yourself get surrounded!" She warns, then gestures with her left hand.

The temperature in the room begins to rapidly decrease. It might be a little uncomfortable for them, but it'll be worse for the frogs - it should cause them to slow down and become an easier target.

DG: Jacqueline Barber has used her Tool The Lifeweaver's Codex toward her party's challenge, Frog Door.
<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

"Oh, hey. Barrels, huh? Probably somethin' of use in here," Quin notes. "Or if not useful t' us, somethin' important we need t' take away." Reasonable to assume, at least. Then again, where's the guard?

She starts to head for a barrel herself, to look through it. Though after a moment... frogs. Quin blinks. Frogs? "...Oh hey, I like frogs. They're cute..."

...And then they start belching flame and poison and GODS ONLY KNOW WHAT ELSE, start flying around, and basically making an altogether incredibly chaotic scene.

"OH GEEZ I TAKE IT BACK!" she yelps as she runs for cover.

Though she does realize that... yeah, these things DO need to be taken care of! So eventually she'll come out of cover and try to cause some damage. These things are frogs, so hopefully that means they're small and squishy. So maybe she can stab a few of 'em... or punt a few, who knows?

DG: Quin Rosenberg has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Frog Door.
<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Ines nods, following Jay through the room. "Hopefully we can bring some of it back once we clear them out." Then the frogs come in. One, and two, and four, and then lots. Lots and lots of experimental dragonfrogs. Which is to say rather horrible. "Oh hells!"

    Ines once again pulls her boleadoras out, and flings it out. The frogs are a little too small to catch with it, but hopefully it will stop the masked leader from contributing. The frogs themselves, though...

    The symbological tattoos on Ines' skin glow as as she starts casting wind magics to trap the frogs and batter them togetyher in small, localised typhoons. It's a method that comes with collateral damage, but it is preferable to fire and poison breath.

DG: Ines Colina has used her Tool Bewitched Boleadoras toward her party's challenge, Frog Door.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

... Frogs! Too many frogs! It's not that Nimue hates frogs, mind -- but they seem almost anticlimactic and yet uniquely gross, after encountering baby wyverns not too long ago. Once one belches poison in her general direction, she decides, "Oooohhh-kay, that's a big stupid problem!" She pauses, glancing at her still distinctly on fire sling-staff, and frowns. "Gonna' go to November City and get a new one!" she declares, hurling it into the oncoming array of frogs, then fumbling in her pack for something actually useful.

She finds a grenade, which she naturally tosses directly into the mass of frogs. There's sure a lot of frogs to grenade -- but Nimue has a grenade for all of them.

She's starting to look noticeably worn-out, though, as she gropes around her pack for a second such bomb. Maybe this is her limit -- or at least, close to.

DG: Seraph Nimue has used her Tool Stolen Gadgets toward her party's challenge, Frog Door.
=====================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>======================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Frog Door *>==========================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 In the depths of the Mountain Palace, you find what appears to be a storage   
 room, filled top to bottom with barrels. Before you can get too involved      
 with investigating the contents, however, a door at the far end opens, and a  
 man in a black robe steps forward. "Go, my children!" he screams in a         
 frantic voice, and out from the darkness comes...                             
                                                                               
 ...frogs.                                                                     
                                                                               
 Frogs of all shapes and sizes pour out from the door, flooding the room.      
 Several appear to have been experimented upon, belching flame and poison      
 gas; others have had crude bat wings merged to their backs. These creatures   
 are clearly part of the Cult's freakish attempts to breed dragons of their    
 own - and they must be stopped!                                               
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright, Injure===========================================
================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult - Round 6 *>=================
===========================< Results - Frog Door >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ines Colina                         15 --(0)--> 15                 Pass
Bewitched Boleadoras                3   Combat  Effects: Rally                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quin Rosenberg                      25 --(10)--> 35                Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC                
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacqueline Barber                   40 --(10)--> 50                Fail
The Lifeweaver's Codex              2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seraph Nimue                        55 --(10)--> 65                Fail
Stolen Gadgets                      2   Combat  Effects: Embolden             
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Ines Colina                 90 --(30)--> 120               Pass
Conditions: Fright(2)|Injure(2)|Madness|Wound(1)
Effects: Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Ines Colina has successfully explored Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult!
=====================<* Mountain Palace - Dragon Cult *>======================
=============<* CHALLENGE - Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels *>=============
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          | 
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 Your group manages to put down the frogs before they can escape to the        
 countryside, where they would have burninanted all the people in their        
 thatch-roofed cottages.                                                       
                                                                               
 Good job!                                                                     
                                                                               
 This allows you time to loot the room fully. It mostly contains foodstuffs    
 and other comestibles, but one of the barrels contains an extremely           
 well-made firearm - it may even be an excavated ARM from the Day of           
 Collapse!                                                                     
                                                                               
 You should send in a +request about this Discovery!                           
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

There are a lot of frogs. Jacqueline, Quin, and Nimue help stem the oncoming tide, each in their own ways, but every one they take out seems to be immediately be replaced by several more. The grenade at least manages to put a dent in it, though - with explosive results.

In the ensuing chaos the robed figure attempts to sneak away...but he didn't quite count for Ines taking note of him. There's a yelp as the boleadoras wraps around his legs, sending him crashing to the floor.

"I-I take it back! I surrender! Don't hurt me!!" He calls out. Taking back what must be one of the bigwigs alive would probably be worth some extra gella. With the leader dealt with, the frogs soon follow, leaving everyone time to check out the room.

"Yeah, this is definitely food supplies...a lot of it seems to be stolen from the nearby settlements, but some of these don't seem to have any destinations on them..." Jacqueline murmurs.

She then returns to that barrel she had been going to look at originally then opens it up. She stares, blinking twice.

"...Oh. Well, I didn't expect that." She says. Inside the barrel is an ARM - a rather well-made ARM, possibly even from around the Day of Collapse.

Not the sort of thing one expects to find in a place like this.

<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    That's more like it. As the black robed figure chooses surrender, Ines walks toward him with some rope. While the boleadoras have locked around his torso, she quickly ties the legs, to ensure there's no running. And then, with ease, she pulls him over one shoulder. "Pretty sure the people of Rurik'll be glad to have a face to put to their problems." And hopefully having him in tow will be able to kerb the attacks of the cult.

    Still, Ines whistles at the sight of the ARM. "We are definitely bringing that back with us. Though I'm sure there'll be questions about how this lot ended up with it. Still, we should find a meister, get them to a look at it."

    Ines pauses, and takes a look around. "Now, how do we get out of here?" She pauses, before a toothy grin comes up on her face. "You should probably tell us," she says to her captive. "It'll mean a smoother ride back."

<Pose Tracker> Quin Rosenberg has posed.

Quin is just relieved that the frogs are dealt with. Though she has words for that robed figure. "Culty asshat... should be ashamed 'a yourself, doin' this t' innocent frogs," she scolds. "Hope they nail your ass ta th' wall."

But HEY! There are foodstuffs! Which are things Quin herself always needs! So yeah, some of those are gonna mysteriously disappear into her backpack. That's the closest thing to a magic trick Quin can do!

Seeing the ARM, though, Quin blinks. "Whoa. Is that an ARM? Cool." Yeah, she's never really seen one up close, and she uses daggers to fight with. Though it's also notable that, despite her interest, she doesn't touch it. Can never tell if those things will go off at the slightest touch or not.

Ines's shaking the cultist down for info about getting out, that reminds her they're kind of stuck thanks to that trap. "Oh butts, that's right..." she mutters. But she lets Ines handle the dude (or dudette, who knows?), since interrogation really isn't her strength.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Nimue has posed.

Nimue takes a few moments to lie totally motionless on the floor once the frogs leave. She enjoys her void for a few seconds -- or at least something like it. She does not take any time to try to stop a cultist from leaving; she just lies there for a bit, letting herself be exhausted.

At 'I didn't expect that,' though, she sits up and starts to half-crawl over. "Eeeh? What's going on here?" She takes a peek, and indeed seems interested -- but only in a surprisingly quiet way. As Ines takes a captive, Nimue ... ignores that, too, in favor of the shiny object. She maintains about the same prudent distance that Quin does, at least for now.