2020-05-27: Mysteries in the Dark
- Log: Mysteries in the Dark
- Cast: Citan Uzuki, Lily Keil, Gwen Whitlock
- Where: Kasutho Island
- Date: May 27, 2020
- Summary: Following up on certain rumors, a small group heads into the Baskar Village on Kasutho and tries to confirm various matters.
DG: A party led by Citan Uzuki is now entering Mysteries in Baskar Village. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ================<* CHALLENGE - Waiting Around til After Dark *>================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Every night, the Baskar Village closes its gates. Life in the wilds of Kasutho Island can be dangerous, with the beasts outside the village posing a threat to travelers... and whispers of Veruni are not so hushed. While the Aquvy Baskar do not tell visitors to leave, they do not welcome them -- and will not admit them after dark. Thus, to investigate the happenings in the village after dark, when the strangers are said to gather, one has to get here during the daylight. But, standing around waiting for it to get dark would be suspicious. You need to find some way to disappear into a not particularly crowded village until after sundown. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Tire, Exhaust===================================
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
If asked, Citan Uzuki will say that he does not know much about the Baskar in general, let alone those of Aquvy. What he does know is what is generally know, he's said -- that they are known to be more reclusive than those who dwell on the Ignas continent. And that there are a number of rumors that circulate about their practices.
Of which, he strongly believes, about half are strong exaggerations and the rest are blatantly false.
It had apparently just been coincidence. That Lily had mentioned an interest in investigating a particular Baskar village about which the rumors were flying more thickly than usual. That she'd just ordered some parts that had been delivered by a certain young courier.
That a most singular country doctor had happened to be in the same place at just the right time.
But the Baskar had been reticent to speak with outsiders. And while they had not asked them to leave...
...it had also been abundantly clear that they were not welcome and that the Baskar would really rather they go.
"Hmm," the doctor had mused, once they had been out of earshot, "It appears we may need to take the matters into our own hands. Perhaps if we were to look around on our own at night... I do not believe we would be able to find much during the day."
If there had been any remaining misconception that the country doctor was the type of steadfastly adhere to, shall we say, 'a conventional set of morals', well, it's dashed to bits now.
The difficulty of course comes in finding out how to blend in within a village that is not very big and is surrounded by a barricade. Because it's a safe bet that the Baskar will make their preference that they not be here very much known should they wait about in the open.
"Now, this is a conundrum..." Citan considers, taking in the whole of the village, and in particular, any bins, storage sheds, and other places where it might be possible for a person to hide until nighttime.
DG: Citan Uzuki has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Waiting Around til After Dark.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil has a personal interest in the rumors of this particular Baskar village, and that's more than enough excuse for her to poke her nose in. It wouldn't be the first time she'd arrived at a village unwelcome but needed to gather information, though.
She is sometimes skeptical these days of coincidences. But coincidence or machination, this group should be fine. As for the Baskar...
"I agree," Lily answers simply.
But how to blend in? That depends mostly on how bold the group would like to be. For Lily's consideration...
"That shed," Lily suggests, "The ruined one. There's little reason to look into it, but plenty of space in its overgrowth for a little more. There's enough stray branches..."
Lily moves to grab her satchel as she moves for the shed, looking around for fallen branches from a recent windstorm. She can do camouflage more than well enough if they can just get out of eyeshot...
"I can work with the shadows, too. This place is out of the light."
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Waiting Around til After Dark.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"The lowdown is this: this place is distrustful of outsiders, their customs ain't like what I've seen from the different Baskar tribes of Ignas, there's whispers about something about a 'pillar' or somethin' that is clearly *not* a real pillar, but somethin' else." Gwen is here, quietly ticking off each point on one finger. "There's something about a mysterious man comin' in at night and giving people tonics to help with illnesses, and this mysterious man is givin' younger folk hope that there's other ways. The guy only comes around at night, and this place is secretive as hell."
If you don't know much about the Baskar, you can't do much better than another Baskar, specifically from that tribe. Failing that, you get another Baskar. Failing that, you get a scholar, who could also be a Baskar. After that, you get someone with background in the Baskar tribes of any sort.
And then, after a bunch of other options, you go with Gwen, who is still useful, due to being a Super Courier who has developed to many Baskar tribes. Also, she's been here before. Unfortunately? She sticks out like a sore thumb.
Then again, they all do.
"So your options are to act like you're completely unaware, hiding, or... something else."
Which leads them to... here.
"So." Gwen gets out... a clipboard, and a pencil. "Hopefully no one's really paid much attention to any bounties here, eheh."
Never underestimate the power of a clipboard. "Maybe we could meet back up in this spot in a few hours? I'll leave it up t'you guys."
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Courier Kit toward her party's challenge, Waiting Around til After Dark.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ================<* CHALLENGE - Waiting Around til After Dark *>================= |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Every night, the Baskar Village closes its gates. Life in the wilds of Kasutho Island can be dangerous, with the beasts outside the village posing a threat to travelers... and whispers of Veruni are not so hushed. While the Aquvy Baskar do not tell visitors to leave, they do not welcome them -- and will not admit them after dark. Thus, to investigate the happenings in the village after dark, when the strangers are said to gather, one has to get here during the daylight. But, standing around waiting for it to get dark would be suspicious. You need to find some way to disappear into a not particularly crowded village until after sundown. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Tire, Exhaust===================================
==================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village - Round 1 *>=================== ==================< Results - Waiting Around til After Dark >=================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 0 --(18)--> 18 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 0 --(8)--> 8 Pass Courier Kit 1 Wits Effects: Resilient and Rally -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 0 --(20)--> 20 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Stupify(2)|Tire(2) Effects: Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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> Citan Uzuki has posed.
When Gwen speaks about what's going on in the village--
"Hmm. A 'pillar'. I wonder if..." But Citan shakes his head. "No, let us not dwell on that. What I am curious about is our 'mystery man'. Typically, healers do not need to creep about in the dark. I believe there is in fact a tradition of traveling shamans among-- er, but perhaps that can wait for another time." He appears contemplative for the moment. "I wonder... is it simply a matter of his presence being unwelcome among the older members of this village, or is there some other factor..."
He glances over at Lily. "Well, there is no use speculating. Perhaps now is the time to disappear?"
It takes a little doing -- between ensuring that they're able to get into the shed without being seen (quick, quiet movements, which the doctor apparently has in spades, come in handy here) and making sure that there are no tell-tale signs (which is where Lily comes in handy) outside the shed.
It smells like mildew in here and it's a little bit cramped, but their hiding place goes undisturbed.
Gwen, meanwhile, pratices the underappreciated art of 'looking busy while holding a clipboard'.
...Even here, it works. Well, they have to get in shipments from somewhere...
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - Voices Carried on the Wind *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- As you walk towards the center of the village, several houses are grouped close together. You hear a few words then -- snippets of conversation, where the words are hard to make out. If you get closer, this might be easier. Closer, however, is a challenge: several buildings, with windows half-open but darkened, are nearby. You need to determine /which/ building has a hushed conversation to listen in. IF SUCCESSFUL: You overhear a brief conversation, drifting from a window, between two women. '...don't trust this Stranger. What he says about the Guardians is... it's wrong. We wouldn't just--' 'Then believe in what he's brought with him. Strange medicines. That elixir he sells... it could benefit your daughter.' 'I don't know... those potions, they're not from Berries...' =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Reckless========================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Then we meet up here," Lily agrees with Gwen, and... will. She'll just be a little stiff when they meet back up, but disappearing is disappearing. As they do, though...
"Hm," Lily says, listening thoughtfully. "There's a lot of conversation going here," she says, quiet. "It might be useful..."
Lily considers, and closes her eyes, focusing. "From..." She steps a little closer to one of the buildings, and reaches out with her senses to find where the most pressure comes from--and thus maybe the source of the clarest sound. If it works.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
The real miracle is that Citan Uzuki can apparently indeed sit somewhere alone with another person for hours and not say a word.
He seems almost meditative throughout, in fact, as if he had turned his focus inwards and stayed there. It might even remind Lily of a similar exercise she had learned fairly recently... which might not be that surprising given who that source had been.
The village is dark and quiet once they emerge. The doctor takes care to open the door carefully, lest a tell-tale sound give them away in the dead of night. He waves once and briefly to Gwen once they emerge, just long enough to ensure that they can regroup, and then...
Moving quietly towards the center of the village, it becomes clear that the villagers are not yet asleep.
"Now is a good time to listen in," the doctor murmurs, pitching his voice just above a whisper. "We can learn what they will not tell outsiders."
He remains still for a moment, as if listening, then slowly creeps towards a particular house.
DG: Citan Uzuki has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Voices Carried on the Wind. DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Voices Carried on the Wind.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Regrouping, Gwen holds her clipboard under under arm, ready for some possible notes.
"Hm, yeah... I forgot to mention this part..." Gwen drifts off as she hears more conversation drifting in from the night wind. She quiets as more words drift in, following behind Lily as carefully as she is able.
And when she is able to discern a possible source, Gwem simply takes the clipboard from earlier, unclips the paper from it, rolls it into a long cylinder, and holds one end to her left ear, a satisfied grin on her face..
See, this is why she has a decent Wits score. Because she's a _Super Courier_.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Courier Kit toward her party's challenge, Voices Carried on the Wind.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ==================<* CHALLENGE - Voices Carried on the Wind *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- As you walk towards the center of the village, several houses are grouped close together. You hear a few words then -- snippets of conversation, where the words are hard to make out. If you get closer, this might be easier. Closer, however, is a challenge: several buildings, with windows half-open but darkened, are nearby. You need to determine /which/ building has a hushed conversation to listen in. IF SUCCESSFUL: You overhear a brief conversation, drifting from a window, between two women. '...don't trust this Stranger. What he says about the Guardians is... it's wrong. We wouldn't just--' 'Then believe in what he's brought with him. Strange medicines. That elixir he sells... it could benefit your daughter.' 'I don't know... those potions, they're not from Berries...' =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify, Reckless========================================
==================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village - Round 2 *>=================== ====================< Results - Voices Carried on the Wind >==================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 8 --(8)--> 16 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 18 --(8)--> 26 Fail Investigate 0 Wits Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 8 --(8)--> 16 Pass Courier Kit 1 Wits Effects: Resilient and Rally -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 20 --(20)--> 40 Pass Conditions: Reckless(2)|Stupify(2)|Tire(1) Effects: Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw. DG: Gwen Whitlock has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Release the Hounds *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A few civilian patrons of Baskar Village keep it safe, looking for any monsters that sneak into the village. There are also, on some properties, local defenders: a particularly hardy, often vicious type of dog. Large, with a wolf-like coat, and a predilection to attacking those who get close... well, when you hear loud barking, you know you have their attention. A trio of hounds lope towards you, rushing into the narrow alley that you entered. They growl, snarl, and then lunge for you! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
There's not many people who would stay that quiet. But it does remind Lily of that exercise, because frankly--she has a lot of time to think about it. But ehre and now listening...
Caaarefully carefully they step out. The villagers aren't asleep; Citan and Lily both creep towards particular houses. Unfortunately, thanks to the way the sound is echoing, the things they overhear aren't terribly valuable--Gwen's guess, however, goes for the right one, and she can share with the group what she hears if she wishes:
Talk of a Stranger, and what he says of the Guardians, as well as potions strange to them.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"The gossip here is that the stranger's been sayin' odd things about the Guardians, n' has been bringin' strange medicines and elixirs with him. The older types are worried because they're not made from ingredients they're used to, like Berries n' the like. Could mean anything, but there's been other gossip I heard that makes it not be a cut n' dry situation. Still, we *are* outsiders here."
And Gwen does not know the stakes.
Nor does she even want to consider the possibilities of what a Pillar could mean, because it means remembering the darker pieces of lore that Frea's old library contained.
Thankfully, she doesn't need to, because, as she creeps along, scouting some steps ahead of Citan and Lily, she sees a flash of fang and fur. Holding up a hand for the other two to still, in hopes that the dog will move on, she holds her breath.
The barking shows that this plan pretty much fails almost immediately. "Gonna see if I can at least stun the guy. No need for someone's possible pet t'get hurt because we're pokin' our noses into this." The buckle on her right glove is undone, exposing enough of the palm below to allow for contact. "Help me distract it. If I can get a good angle..."
Another dog barks, the sound of nails on hardened ground growing closer. "Damn, this'll be difficult. I still maintain a general rule of no hurtin' pets, so try t'work with that!"
why is she asking them to abide by her rules
DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Full Metal Courier toward her party's challenge, Release the Hounds.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Unfortunately...
...Citan picks the wrong house.
"Nothing much of use there, I am afraid. It appears the eldest daughter has, ah, feelings about her match to the son of another village, but I do not think this is what we intended to learn," the doctor reports back, and at least has the decency to look a little bit chagrined about this. Gwen at least has had better luck--
"I see... so, our nighttime visitor is a traveling medicine man, perhaps? Except, hmm..."
Something isn't quite right here, but there is not enough information to determine what about it might be off. Perhaps it's nothing. Or, perhaps it's something.
"Let us continue to look about," Citan suggests, moving on in the dark.
But they aren't the only things out here, as the night soon shows.
Baskar hounds are known for being loyal and fiercly protective of their masters. So perhaps it follows, what comes next.
"Oh dear," murmurs the doctor as the hound lunges for Gwen. He taps a hand on Lily's forearm, there and gone again in an instant. He barely touches her, but impresses upon her that energizing boost. "Lily, I believe you have something for this sort of situation," he says quietly, apparently intending for her to help Gwen out with this.
DG: Citan Uzuki has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Release the Hounds.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"I see," Lily answers Gwen. It's true that they're outsiders, of course. But this only increases Lily's interest in whatever's going on here, rather than dampening it. Soon enough, though, there's a difficulty of a more conventional means, and--
...Ah. Yes. Gwen would like them not to hurt the dogs too much. Of course. Lily lifts an eyebrow, and looks up from where in Lily-vision there are three targets. None of them concern the eldest daughter from the other house.
A touch on her arm of energy prompts action, though. "I do," Lily answers, and pulls a Medium, subtly shifting the balance of the leylines where they are towards something chillier.
"...There's a technique someone showed me that might be ideal for this," she says, and seeks to guide the icy Ether, to encourage slowness instead of forcing a stop.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Moon Medium toward her party's challenge, Release the Hounds.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ======================<* CHALLENGE - Release the Hounds *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A few civilian patrons of Baskar Village keep it safe, looking for any monsters that sneak into the village. There are also, on some properties, local defenders: a particularly hardy, often vicious type of dog. Large, with a wolf-like coat, and a predilection to attacking those who get close... well, when you hear loud barking, you know you have their attention. A trio of hounds lope towards you, rushing into the narrow alley that you entered. They growl, snarl, and then lunge for you! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
==================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village - Round 3 *>=================== ========================< Results - Release the Hounds >======================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 16 --(8)--> 24 Fail Fight 0 Combat Effects: BASIC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 26 --(8)--> 34 Pass Moon Medium 2 Combat Effects: Stalwart -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 16 --(8)--> 24 Pass Full Metal Courier 2 Combat Effects: Embolden -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 40 --(20)--> 60 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Reckless(1)|Stupify(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Embolden(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
It's easy to kill a living thing with electricity. It's easier still to painfully do so without even an ounce of malice or ill will towards the animal.
Gwen remembers the invasion of Port Timney and the unfortunate lessons it imparted, this being one of them.
So, when Lily's magic touches the air with frost, Gwen is thankful in spite of the residual chill it brings to her. It's focused on the hounds, which aren't exactly used to such a rapid dip of temperatures. One by one, the hounds' barks are silenced, Gwen imparting a gentle enough spark to knock them unconscious, without hurting them further. "Whew. Thanks, you two."
DG: Citan Uzuki has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Climbing Down a Well *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One rumor notes that the well in the northeastern part of the village, which dried up five years ago, is used by the village's youth to pass messages back and forth. Sneaking over there is not so difficult; it is in a part of the village that few travel to. When you arrive, you see a badly frayed rope that has been lowered down. Someone has been coming here, though their regard for their own safety is questionable. Climbing down the well to look will be dangerous. The insides are slippery, the walls of the well are smooth, and the rope is frayed and treacherous. The bottom is far, far below. IF SUCCESSFUL You find a message below. Paper that has been lacquered and then sealed in an envelope awaits. When you open, you see a note: "Friend: We've talked to him. He is interested in meeting you. The new Guardian offers us a hope the elders never allowed us. When you see me tomorrow, nod twice if you want to arrange a meeting." =Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Injure, Exhaust====================================
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He shakes his head when all is done and over with. "I am merely glad we could settle this quickly and quietly," the ever-practical doctor says.
Perhaps Gwen, out and about during the daylight hours, might have heard the rumor best -- that the teenagers of the village are accustomed to passing notes amongst each other in secret using the old abandoned well. Given that the night draws long, given their last encounter, and given the fact that it seems the youth of the village have been taking to the mysterious medicine man more than others...
A visit to the well, once the topic turns towards where they should check next, seems potentially fruitful (and also takes them away from the houses and further canine encounters).
"Hmm."
Even in the dark it's clear that the bottom of the well is a ways down.
It's also clear under moonlight, as Citan pulls at the rope, that said rope has seen better days.
"I do not think we should put much trust in this," he remarks with a grimace. Then he shakes his head. "I am afraid it will have to be the hard way down," he says, before stepping up on the edge and -- however briefly -- abseils down.
Before bracing himself against the sides of the well and slowly, using his feet, works his way downwards. He lets go of the rope at some point; it goes slack.
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Martial Arts Shoes toward his party's challenge, Climbing Down a Well.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"...You're welcome," Lily says to Gwen, rolling her shoulders as if the exertion requires a little stretching out of her as a result. It was definitely a way of using magic, though.
They move on, and as this rumor goes, the well seems... interesting, at least. Lily peers down into it, and reaches out thoughtfully with her magic. "...Can't sense the bottom quickly," she says, with only a little spark of Ether at the edge of her perception. A small trick, but one done with roughly a thought.
"I think you're right," Lily says to Citan, and pulls a small, strange pendant from under her collar, putting fingers around it and focusing down on the well. "I'll get you some light," she suggests, and makes use of the gimbals on the pendant as a meditative device, a ring of radiance appearing below and traveling with Citan, avoiding actually touching him.
...There are occasionally sparks of something strange, but for the most part it's remarkably normal for this pendant.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Impure Pendant toward her party's challenge, Climbing Down a Well.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Eying the frayed rope, Gwen frowns and shakes her head. "It'd be a bad idea to get me on it. The combined weight of me and my ARM would make it snap on the way down. I'll tell ya what- one of you goes down first, and if it's something more than a message, let me know and we'll figure a way down."
She pauses, then adds, "Last time there was a message hidden down there. I'll keep a lookout. If you see or hear electric snapping, that's my signal." She lets out a laugh. "Better than me yellin', I spose."
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Climbing Down a Well.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - Climbing Down a Well *>===================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One rumor notes that the well in the northeastern part of the village, which dried up five years ago, is used by the village's youth to pass messages back and forth. Sneaking over there is not so difficult; it is in a part of the village that few travel to. When you arrive, you see a badly frayed rope that has been lowered down. Someone has been coming here, though their regard for their own safety is questionable. Climbing down the well to look will be dangerous. The insides are slippery, the walls of the well are smooth, and the rope is frayed and treacherous. The bottom is far, far below. IF SUCCESSFUL You find a message below. Paper that has been lacquered and then sealed in an envelope awaits. When you open, you see a note: "Friend: We've talked to him. He is interested in meeting you. The new Guardian offers us a hope the elders never allowed us. When you see me tomorrow, nod twice if you want to arrange a meeting." =Dungeon Conditions: Slow, Injure, Exhaust====================================
==================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village - Round 4 *>=================== =======================< Results - Climbing Down a Well >======================= Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 24 --(8)--> 32 Pass Martial Arts Shoes 2 Agility Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 34 --(8)--> 42 Pass Impure Pendant 3 Agility Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 24 --(20)--> 44 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 60 --(20)--> 80 Pass Conditions: Exhaust(1)|Injure(2)|Slow(2)|Wound(1) Effects: Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki 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> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"I shall be listening for it, Gwen," says the doctor, before he descents.
He takes it slow on the way down. While he may have a certain reckless spirit about him, it's simply the case that there are both warranted and unwarranted risks.
The stones are slippery, but he was anticipating this. And the extra light on the situation -- well-concealed from the village without -- makes planning where he puts his feet that much easier.
Eventually, he reaches the bottom.
There's a note. He takes the moment to read it placing it back where it had lain.
Citan waves to Lily from below as if to suggest that he's found something before beginning his ascent, in a similar fashion. Grabbing the rope once he's high enough to reach the lip of the well, he holds it only long enough to steady himself as he slips up over the edge.
"Oof... I would not care to repeat that," he remarks quietly, before dropping down onto his feet. "Now, it seems that the note further confirms the situation here in the village. The elders do not trust this stranger, while it seems the youths are interested in what our medicine man has to say. It also mentioned a 'new Guardian'." He pauses a moment, as if in thought. "I admit that I am no great scholar of the Baskar, or the Guardianist traditions for that matter, but I am not aware of there easily being 'new Guardians'. I wonder what it is that is meant, here..."
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Intercepting a Package *>==================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Your investigation has led you to near a house owned by one of the more wealthy Baskar merchants that lives in the village. There, you spot a young Baskar creep along -- hesitate -- and then drop a leather-wrapped package into a bush outside the house. Up above, on the second floor, you see a light come on; a lit candle. It recedes, as whoever was inside begins to come down the stairs. You have only a few moments to make a dash and get the package. This is no easy thing -- the space around the house is mostly clear, and you will need to be fast and quiet. To make matters worse, after you have the package, crossbow bolts from inside the house fire down at you! Crossbows are, after all, quieter than ARMs. Whoever received that package would rather not have others know it was there, much less stolen. =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"There's really room for one of us anyway," Lily assures Gwen. She is content to let Citan do it--he's clearly more agile than she is, judging by the way he moves alone. When Citan waves Lily's way though, Lily 'hmms', waiting for it--and when he remarks about what he found...
"New Guardian...? That would definitely be notable. I'm not a scholar of this either but as far as I know it's not a club accepting new applicants."
Eventually, though, their night time investigation leads them to a wealthier home, and a young person creeeeping up to deliver something. A candle lights....
There are only moments to get the package. ...Right? Then why...
"I'll cover you," Lily says. "Cover you ll'i," the words repeat, as a blue aura crackles around Lily's form and she proceeds to... stutter in place.
She watches the window--the crossbow bolts come ot--is she fast enough to get them?
...Is it a problem that some of them are shooting up towards the window instead down from the window?
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Impure Pendant toward her party's challenge, Intercepting a Package.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He's pretty quick on his feet and surprisingly limber, even if he's apparently headed into his mid-30s.
But then, perhaps Lily might have a slightly better angle on why he might (still) be so capable on that front than Gwen does.
So all's well that ends well (pun very much intended) once the message is plucked from the depths. But the night is not yet gone -- dawn has yet to come. And there's precious little left out here. So there's nothing else for it but to head back for the village.
They're in luck.
"There," Citan murmurs, just above a whisper. The light above suggests that someone upstairs is coming down to retrieve it, so there is not much time--
She'll cover him? He nods, then races in to grab for it.
Bolts loose soon after. He twists like a young tree in a storm and tosses the package for Gwen, only leap out of the way of the bolts soon after.
Are they all behaving the natural flow of time? Hard to say!
DG: Citan Uzuki has used his Tool Martial Arts Shoes toward his party's challenge, Intercepting a Package.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"... So it wasn't a fluke when the people I was with encountered a note like that the first time. I was wonderin' if it was somethin' like a creature from Lunar getting transported here, or something... like that."
But that is less her thoughts on beings like Althena (or those posing as Althena, if Ragnell's vague musings are right) than the ability of this tribe to know.
She's still musing on this when Citan and Lily come across the package ahead of her. "Wh- hold on." Her whisper is hushed. "There was someone on guard with cross arrows, last time." She then nods to Lily and then to Citan's back as he races out to get it. "Be careful, Doc."
What follows is likely a lot smoother than when she was at the helm, racing in to get that package while the fury of arrows rained down from overhead.
She only has to run *half* the distance now, maybe, because Citan's nabbed the package and thrown it to her.
Like an athlete, she tucks the package under one arm and bolts, not quite making records with her speed, but certainly resilient in terms of stamina.
......... hopefully they'll not lose sight of her or this will be awkward
DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Intercepting a Package.
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== ====================<* CHALLENGE - Intercepting a Package *>==================== |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 3 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Your investigation has led you to near a house owned by one of the more wealthy Baskar merchants that lives in the village. There, you spot a young Baskar creep along -- hesitate -- and then drop a leather-wrapped package into a bush outside the house. Up above, on the second floor, you see a light come on; a lit candle. It recedes, as whoever was inside begins to come down the stairs. You have only a few moments to make a dash and get the package. This is no easy thing -- the space around the house is mostly clear, and you will need to be fast and quiet. To make matters worse, after you have the package, crossbow bolts from inside the house fire down at you! Crossbows are, after all, quieter than ARMs. Whoever received that package would rather not have others know it was there, much less stolen. =Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Injure============================================
==================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village - Round 5 *>=================== ======================< Results - Intercepting a Package >====================== Player Exhaustion Pass/Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Citan Uzuki 32 --(12)--> 44 Pass Martial Arts Shoes 2 Agility Effects: Resilient -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lily Keil 42 --(12)--> 54 Pass Impure Pendant 3 Agility Effects: Rally -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gwen Whitlock 44 --(12)--> 56 Fail Rush 0 Agility Effects: BASIC -----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------ Leader: Citan Uzuki 80 --(35)--> 115 Pass Conditions: Injure(2)|Slow(1)|Wound(2) Effects: Resilient(1) ===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success! DG: The party led by Citan Uzuki has successfully explored Mysteries in Baskar Village!
=======================<* Mysteries in Baskar Village *>======================== =====================<* CHALLENGE - An Arranged Meeting *>====================== |Type: Discovery |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Within the package that you recovered, you locate a few things. Several are notes to be distributed, noting that certain individuals have been asked to meet with the newcomers in the village. One note, however, is meant for the merchant. It reads: 'We're ready to meet with you. One week's time, on the edge of town. We'll send someone. -B&W' Who, exactly, this 'B' and 'W' are goes unsaid, but you have evidence that a meeting will occur between these newcomers and this merchant. =Dungeon Conditions: Secret===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
The answer to whether everything involved is obeying the proper flow of time is hard to say still. The answer of whether Lily can get all of the arrows however appears to be no, because Gwen takes a bolt to the metal arm on her way out with the package. In short order, however, their larcenous errand is at an end, and the group has secured something that may yet be some answers:
Notes. Notes of meetings, and notes of a coming meeting, too. One week's time, on the edge of town...
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"One week's time..." Citan muses, once they are clear of the house in question. "Then, perhaps there ought to be additional invitees."
Of course, the more pressing question now might just be:
The matter of laying low until they can slip out quietly come the morning...
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Gwen, true to her job and its unspoken duties (at least, in her mind), does not open the package herself, when the three reconvene. Instead, she offers it to one of them, an apologetic smile on her face as she sweats the sweat off her brow. "Phew. That was a nice run. B and W were initials that came up last time, too. If either of you look further into this, I can try t'help you. It ain't like I'm exactly busy right now, eheh..."
Looking at Lily, her grin widens. "By the way. I, uh, didn't see your face on any bounties, so that's good. Didn't see Leon's, either, which surprised me. Just, uh, me. But, uh, yeah." She looks at Citan, opening her mouth, but decides against it. It's not the time. "I'll show you where I hid, last time. We can chat a bit more there." She yawns. "Maybe a nap, too."