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Aug 27, 2017 1:26:35 GMT -7
Post by Etude Amaryllis on Aug 27, 2017 1:26:35 GMT -7
Etude was very proud of her work. “Let’s smite the horrors that lurk in the Twilight Jungle Ruins!” was written across the top of the signup sheet, printed it out in a big, blocky font and in full color. Each letter had been carefully selected for a slightly more gradiented color of the rainbow, so that the first “L” began in the bright red of a freshly opened rose and the final exclamation point was a deep royal purple. Below that and the bright orange tack sticking it to the signup board was a fairly simple declaration: “Together, there’s nothing the Jungle can throw at us we can’t catch and hurl right back! Let’s form a team and delve into the ruins, coming face-to-face with the worst it has to offer and proving we’re stronger at every turn! We’ll come back with discoveries and treasure for our esteemed scientists to create better, more powerful gear and push humanity forward! We’ll meet at noon, at the circle of stones west of the ruins!” The day and time had come, and she had found a very large rock to stand on. Situated not too far from the ruins’ entrance, the six-or-so foot tall boulder had a flat-ish top, save for an oddly crooked claw-like gash that ran across its top. It also had a small break in the branches slightly above, allowing for a trickle of light down to its top. Mix in some dirt gathered in the gash, a seed, and life’s determination to prevail, and a single flower had sprung up atop the giant stone. It would make for a fine metaphor for this expedition, she had decided, and its mouth-like center with the sharp teeth was probably not going to eat her shoe. Etude stood wide and strong directly behind this flower, a hand pressed to her forehead as she watched vigilantly for the adventure-inclined denizens of the city who would be making today’s crusade into the ruins. The small bit of light was rebounding off her face and reflecting sparkles into her eyes, honestly making it a bit difficult to see, but she liked the spot too much to move. If a jungle monster snuck up on her from where she couldn’t spot it, it’d just mean the adventure was starting a bit early. Iris Pires Aphaerla Suir Tristan Carter
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Aug 27, 2017 2:55:53 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Aug 27, 2017 2:55:53 GMT -7
Aphaerla never paid that much attention to which expedition she signed up to. She never even looked at the names before signing up. Normally, she just picked the first one she saw and went with that, and this time was no different. Perpahs the colors made a difference, or perhaps it was just because it was the sign up furthest to the left. Regardless, even if she saw the words she didn't read the message, nor did she notice any of the names on it. Often, she explored the ruins by herself, but that was only for a bit of training on how to beat up the monsters there. If she really wanted to strut her stuff and try to make an actual discovery (or slay large groups of monsters) then she made a point of finding a group. She always got much further in a group and beat up more monsters, so it was worthwhile despite the inconveniences that came with it.
Though once again, she was pleasantly surprised that the group wanted to meet out in the jungle instead of in the safety of the city. That meant less small talk, less touchy-feely nonsense, and more monster slaying. It was a great thing. Aphaerla made her way to the ruins the same way she always did: climbing up a tree with the help of the wall surrounding the city, and then jumping from branch to branch until she got to the center of the jungle. All the while, the lights covering her body were lighting the way and changing colors so they made her look especially cool. It didn't matter that no one was around yet, looking cool was important.
It didn't take her too long to reach the meeting spot. It took a bit of stabbing to get through all the vines and other undergrowth so she could get to the ground, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Once there, she looked around for the other members of the group. One stood out immediately, given she was glowing a little bit. Aphearla stood up straight, puffed out her chest a little, and made the colors change faster than they were before. She was clearly the better glower. Looking around the rest of the area revealed that the two of them were the only ones here. Confused, she furrowed her brow.
"Weren't we supposed to meet like right now?"
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Aug 28, 2017 10:40:51 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Aug 28, 2017 10:40:51 GMT -7
As much as it pained Iris to break the rules, it was clear that she wouldn't be making the most of her abilities if she didn't take part in some of the proper expeditions organized at the surveying association. That meant she had to briefly peek out from under her blindfold, take notice of the most obvious signup sheet, and quickly sign her name. As soon as that was accomplished, she lowered her blindfold again and kept it in place right up until she headed out into the jungle in order to join the associated expedition.
Iris was developing a theory that surveyors were rather eccentric as a general rule. The signup sheet had done nothing to disprove her theory. But some level of eccentricity was probably fine, she thought. Iris had been the first to sign up. She was eager to see what new faces she'd end up seeing this time.
So, she was a little bit dismayed to recognize Aphaerla at the meeting spot. But a moment later, she noticed a woman who must have been Etude standing atop the boulder. Every aspect of her stance and countenance was perfectly aligned with the expectations set up by the signup sheet, as far as Iris was concerned. She seemed like the sort to take charge, so maybe this would turn out well after all.
Iris hurried over to the foot of the boulder and gave an awkward little wave in greeting.
"Um, hello, Aphaerla. And you're... Etude, then? I'm Iris Pires. Nice to meet you."
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Aug 28, 2017 13:14:53 GMT -7
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Post by Tristan Carter on Aug 28, 2017 13:14:53 GMT -7
Tristan's last adventure involving the ruins had been surprisingly eventful. He burnt his hand pretty bad; managed to lose track of one of most visible people he had ever met; got kidnapped by a monster; successfully misplaced a small child in the one place on the planet that has deadly traps and monsters; and found a room filled with riches. Not counting a potentially deceased young person, it was actually a pretty good day. However, he unfortunately couldn't keep himself from counting that, so it wasn't long before he was up at the Surv. A., checking all of the planned expeditions to see if Theo had signed up for any of them.
He went through the flyers long after he'd given up hope of getting off easy. By the time he reached the most colorful one in the room, he'd long given up caring about any details on them but the names signed up. However, seeing that Officer Sparkle and Aphy were both going to be taking part, he paused to give the entire thing a read through. Two of the strangest, flashiest, most single-minded adventurers that he'd met, both in the same expedition? It was an obvious recipe for trouble. There was no way he wasn't going to have a front row seat. Besides, Iris was signed up as well, and she didn't deserve to be stuck alone between the human disco ball and the living light show. He signed himself up and took a look around. It was the last flyer up. It seemed that Lady Luck had decided that he'd have to suffer a while more, at least.
As Tristan approached the meeting place, he was happy to see the telltale light display that assured him he was in the right area. The introduction that he briefly overheard also suggested he probably wasn't too late. Once he was sure that he was visible through the foliage, he gave a cheerful wave to the ensemble. "Hey, guys. How's it going?" he asked, leaning against the nearest tree. "Everyone else as excited about this as I am?"
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Aug 29, 2017 4:19:18 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Aug 29, 2017 4:19:18 GMT -7
Expedition of day 60 The decent into the dungeon is steep and precarious. The gray stones of the stairs are chipped, cracked, and broken showing their age. Nature has reclaimed much of the structure, with tree roots slicing through the stairs and other plants sprouting up through the cracks. Despite the stones only being gray, the whole area is quite colorful, even if it's difficult to appreciate plants that could make any explorer trip and tumble to their death. The stairs down twist and turn in odd directions, quickly making it difficult to tell which way is north. The dungeon itself is pitch black, save for any light the explorers have. Even the darkness of Twilight Jungle doesn't compare to the absolute darkness of the jungle. There are crumbled stone slabs, covered in foliage, the remains built in such a way that they could have easily been the remains of a heavy stone door. A feeling of disorientation passes over the explorers as they pass through the gap in the foliage and enter the dungeon proper. The walls are covered with flowers and fruits, the paths bisected by large tree roots leaving large cracks in the stone. There are signs of murals carved into the walls, but they're too faded and covered with foliage to make anything out. As the explorers move, the only things that can be heard are the sounds of their footsteps and the distant sound of stone grinding on stone. --- The party has 110 energy No one is injured You can go to the left, further into the dungeon. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon.
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Aug 30, 2017 0:27:50 GMT -7
Post by Etude Amaryllis on Aug 30, 2017 0:27:50 GMT -7
The first arrival was above and beyond what Etude had hoped for, and not just because she had come from the trees. Agile, judging by her entrance; armed, meaning she was prepared for battle in both gear and mind; literally glowing, which had to be good for moral and had clear utility in a dark dungeon; and punctual to boot. Etude beamed at the woman (bolstered by her increased sparkling in the similarly increased ambient light) and placed her other hand on her hip as well, trying to look leaderly and motivating.
“Right now, yes! You’re right on time. I trust the others will be here soon - they may be late, but it’s better to make sure everyone’s completely prepared!” She declared importantly.
And she was not let down. She didn’t recognize the second woman’s face, but she did her name from the sign-up sheet. With another obvious mutation to boot - mysteriously, her eyes. Sometimes magic made it good and clear what people could do - Aphaerla, for instance, glowed - but Iris’s required some guess work. Maybe she could fire fire out of her eyes? Or anything that entered her empty sockets was permanently removed from reality. Or maybe her eyeballs were floating high above them all, giving her a bird’s eye view.
It was in glancing up to check that Etude realized she had been staring. Returning back to her best guess at eye contact with a grin, she confirmed, “Etude I am! Glad to put your name to a face, Iris.” She finished her greeting with a confident nod.
The last teammate didn’t seem to need introductions. “Tristan! It’s good to see you again, exuberant as always! I feel like our connection has grown after our last adventure, so I’m certain this time we won’t get split up ten minutes in.” There was no irony in her voice. There was no room over the confidence that this one would go great.
That made four, and four made the group. She turned to the team, crossed her arms, and called, “Is everyone ready?”
It was a silly question. Of course everyone was ready - they were here and wasting daylight. She took a strong step forward, to the edge of the boulder, leapt down, leaning forward as she absorbed the landing with her knees (getting hit in the back of the head with the hilt of her greatsword because she’d let its tip hit the ground had turned it into a habit). Grinning, she popped swiftly to her feet and thrust her fist into the air.
“For New Sumatra, let’s conquer these ruins and everything within!”
She planned to do so at a jog, headed down into the familiar depths of the dungeon.
---
Skill: Strike Together
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Aug 30, 2017 8:32:19 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Aug 30, 2017 8:32:19 GMT -7
Aphaerla was momentarily confused, until she heard some rustling behind her. Everyone else just hadn't arrived yet. Exactly how they could stand to spend even thirty seconds longer than necessary getting here when there were monsters to slay was beyond here, but it looked like that's how it worked out. She just smiled with her new spear at the ready.
Though once again she was a little confused when one of the people recognized her. She stared at her for a moment until the face finally clicked. She puffed out her chest and smiled again, her words and the tone she said them in somewhat disconnecting. Aphaerla was happy because she was able to recognize a person so quickly, and she sounded as such.
"Oh, it's you." A little bit of talking was okay, but once the last person showed up and started going into small talk territory she frowned and turned around. "Come on, this is the jungle! There's no point in talking here. You can do that anywhere! Let's go!"
Everyone was here now, so that obviously meant that everyone was ready. Asking about it again was completely redundant. Aphaerla charged in, making sure she'd get in before the other glowing person, and not even looking back to make sure everyone would follow. They signed up for this expedition, so there was no way they'd just stand around outside.
---
Skill: Strike Together
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Aug 30, 2017 23:40:44 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Aug 30, 2017 23:40:44 GMT -7
So, Tristan would be the fourth and apparently final member of the group. Iris was okay with this. He seemed like the reliable sort. She decided to follow his lead whenever something unexpected inevitably happened.
Meanwhile, it seemed like Etude was plenty eager to take leadership of the expedition. Iris felt a bit self-conscious as she realized that Etude was staring at her, but she did her best to suppress the irrational emotion. Keeping her mutation covered all the time meant that she wasn't used to it receiving attention, but it stood to reason that her fellow surveyors would be curious about the specifics of her magic.
Like Aphaerla, Etude seemed very eager to jump right in. But when Iris noticed that Aphaerla seemed intent on starting an impromptu race to the bottom of the ruins, she groaned inwardly. Thinking quickly, she tried to come up with a good excuse to keep this from getting out of control.
"Um, just make sure you don't get too far away. If anything dangerous shows up, fall back toward me and I'll do my best to slow it down."
---
Skill: Ward
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Aug 31, 2017 3:08:33 GMT -7
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Post by Tristan Carter on Aug 31, 2017 3:08:33 GMT -7
Skill: Guide Move: Right
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Aug 31, 2017 5:15:58 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Aug 31, 2017 5:15:58 GMT -7
The entrance feeds into a complex maze of tight hallways. There are few branching paths, but it winds around in ways that seem impractical. Several of the paths lead nowhere, and look like every other path. The deeper in, the less nature appears to have reclaimed the ruins. After a few turns, torches that are still burning line the walls. Every torch looks identical, down to how the flame flickers. Around each of them are some completely identical looking plants with a single flower right below the torch.
As the explorers walk past a group of torches with no plants around them, the fires in them flare up until the flames completely engulf the section of hallway they're in. The flames aren't any hotter than a fireplace, but they're still more than enough to cause burns.
---
Injury trap was successfully bypassed Loot from this room: 6 Total loot so far: 6
The party has 90 energy No one is injured
You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go to the left, closer to the surface. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon.
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Aug 31, 2017 21:12:55 GMT -7
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Post by Tristan Carter on Aug 31, 2017 21:12:55 GMT -7
Of the various things Tristan was expecting - indifference, outrage at being left behind, or concerns over Theo - Etude saying that they were now somehow closer was decidedly not one of them. He wasn't even entirely sure how she had reached that conclusion, given how the extent of their previous excursion pretty much only involved him burning his hand and accidently leaving her behind. There was no doubt in his mind that she was serious, though. His entire life was spent around fakes. If there was anything he could say with certainty about her, it was that she was sincere. As such, whatever strange reasoning she was operating under, he wasn't going to object. He gave a cheerful, confused salute in response.
Luckily, what Aphaerla said made more sense. He disagreed with it thoroughly, but it made sense. "Exactly, I can talk anywhere, Aphy," he said, full of good cheer. "Anywhere includes here, you know. Besides, I've not seen any of you since the last time I worked with you." He couldn't say that he fully expected to be listened to, and he highly doubted she'd pay attention if he said anything more; still, it never actually hurt to put an argument out there, he believed. And then she started dashing off as Etude was saying something meant to be motivational and Tristan discarded any hope of Aphy listening to what people had to say. He decided time would probably be better spent just keeping an eye out for valuables.
And, in pursuit of said valuables, he headed towards the ruins' entrance after the two overly flashy explorers, the revolver he finally remembered in hand. Just so that he could encounter an old enemy that neither bullets nor a fireball would likely hurt: torches taking offense at their intrusion. He did his best to dodge, and decided to stick to his strengths. He had no doubts that Iris would be able to stop the flames; meanwhile, he'd be keeping an eye out for anything strange on the path ahead.
----- Skill: Guide Move: Right (Inwards and onwards, unless anyone disagrees)
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Aug 31, 2017 21:31:22 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Aug 31, 2017 21:31:22 GMT -7
As the trap was sprung Iris was filled not with fear, but rather with relief. She had dealt with this sort of trap before, so she could do so again. It was nice to be given a problem she knew she could handle.
She instantly turned her gaze on her companions, blanketing them in the cold feeling of having their movements, both macroscopic and molecular, slowed down. She kept staring until everyone had reached safety, then backed away from the flames herself.
Afterward, she took only a moment to blink a few times to return the feeling to her eyes before nodding to herself and continuing along.
---
Skill: Ward
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Sept 1, 2017 7:30:11 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Sept 1, 2017 7:30:11 GMT -7
Aphaerla had no time to listen to those people talking too much. There were monsters to slay! That took priority. She continued charging through the dungeon, not paying a whole lot of attention to where people were behind her. She was their main source of light after all, so she figured they'd make an effort to keep up.
By the time the torches flared up, she was already most of the way through them. A bit of her hair and clothes were a little singed, but Iris' attempts to keep the fire from being too threatening meant that what little fire Aphaerla had to deal with wasn't that dangerous in the first place. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but she could deal with it. Thus, she continued rushing around the next corner, waiting for some monsters to appear. Traps like this weren't nearly as interesting as the monsters.
---
Skill: Strike Together
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Sept 1, 2017 16:46:04 GMT -7
Post by Etude Amaryllis on Sept 1, 2017 16:46:04 GMT -7
For once, Etude was having trouble keeping ahead of the group. Usually people were plenty happy to let her run headlong into all of the traps - she’d been bluntly told that at least three times and had begun to assume it true of most groups - but Aphaerla was rushing straight on ahead, headless of what may lay around the corner. It was a nice change in pace, and she found herself grinning. Forget just leading the charge, she was going to have to be fast if she wanted to get to the monsters and whatever other challenges the ruins put in their way first.
Etude was doing her best to keep stride with Aphaerla, or slightly behind when the hallways narrowed. As such, she got only a flash of brighter than usual light to the side before she was caught dead-center in the blaze. But rather than heat, she felt a strange, warding chill, and found herself fine. She let out a loud, mocking laugh at the defeated trap and sent a winning thumbs-up backwards to the other two. She wasn’t quite sure whose magic was capable of besting the pure energy of fire, so regrettably she had to be a little vague in her thanks, but she would give it nonetheless!
Picking up at a jog, she hurried after Aphaerla. Perhaps if the hallway widened or turned, she’d have a chance to push ahead and claim the lead spot...
---
Skill: Strike Together (Inwards and onwards it is!)
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Sept 2, 2017 8:42:10 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Sept 2, 2017 8:42:10 GMT -7
Still burning torches line the walls, each tightly wound hallway managing to look exactly like the last. Once the explorers round a corner there's a huge boulder blocking the path. On closer inspection, it appears to be alive, just not moving. Whether it's simply sleeping or there's some other reason it's not doing anything isn't clear, but its huge body is completely blocking the path. The shell is hard as any rock and equally as difficult to break apart. Even if only pushed, it doesn't want to budge.
---
Exhaustion monster was successfully bypassed Loot from this room: 1 Total loot so far: 7
The party has 70 energy No one is injured
You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go to the left, closer to the surface. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon.
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