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Szandra Assuming Kol'qarsi continues to translate, Szandra 'hmms' softly in response. "If you've lasted nearly three thousand years, I assume you can wait a few more hours. Do you know anything about the nearby dragon? It was occupying what may be the only entrance, up above." She gradually circles the prison, pensive, trying to work out a way to attack the crystal. "If you were imprisoned that long ago, were you witness to the previous occupants of the island? The half-giants? Or had they already gone by then?"
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Sep 23, 2014 07:35
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:00 |
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 Kol'qarsi, the Dark Horse The Unicorn translates the Contemplative's thoughts again, that everyone may hear them. "We may be dead in a few hours," Kol'qarsi says, his rumbling voice low and sullen. He begins pacing a line away from the crystal Szandra identified, his forehooves working to kick away any particularly jagged shards of rubble. Once he's got a few feet between himself and the crystal, he spins and lowers his head. "I have a good chance of jumping the height. Shall I?" My bad! Didn't realize the crystal was in the gem. I remembered it being on the floor for some reason. Assuming the room is only like 20-25 feet high, Kol'qarsi can probably jump that with no problem. Swags fucked around with this message at 10:57 on Sep 23, 2014 |
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Sep 23, 2014 07:55
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Uh the gem is on the ceiling. Also Sieversii's a druid, she can just memorize the right spells when she wakes up.
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Sep 23, 2014 07:58
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Zoka Groaning, Zoka sat up. Well, this is either some truly unique hell, or I guess I'm not dead. Guess I should be thankful for small miracles. "So, anyone mind filling me in? Like what the hell that is, or why Uru'vi seems to have color-shifted on us? Last thing I remember is a sharp flash of pain." "That" being the weird brain-in-a-cage some of the others seemed to be talking to. Starting to stand up, he quickly leaned against a nearby wall, clutching his head. As far as he could tell he was completely intact, if bruised, but he had one killer of a headache.
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Sep 24, 2014 01:33
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Somewhere. The room in which you have found yourselves is about one hundred feet to each side, mostly square, with a ceiling height of just over sixty feet. The turqoise crystal is embedded in the ceiling in the center of the room, casting its light across the area: if you were to scale the walls, it would still be a fifty-foot or so aerial difference between your location and the crystalline structure. The 'doorway' to the room is embedded into the ceiling in the form of a tunnel along the western wall, which is about twenty feet in diameter in this room, though it ballooned to nearly ten times that size at its entrance a few hundred feet up and westwards. It is very likely that this room is a secondary or tertiary tunnel and you happened to get flung into one of the off-shoots without noticing where the rest were or where they might have gone. As the conversation continues, Sieversii is eventually stirred from her unintended slumber. Literally everything hurts, even her leaves, which as far as she knows weren't supposed to be able to feel pain. On the bright side, she seems to be alive. Inside the mind of Z'gell... Z'gell is not aware of the draconic creature of which they speak, although such things are native to most material planes, as far as he is aware. One had never been known to roost in this area during his lifetime, but a few thousand years does have a habit of changing that sort of thing. However, Z'gell is aware that the skeleton's assertion that there may be only one entrance is incorrect, as he knows for a fact that this place was built as a bunker to weather the storm of a terrible war. Although it is possible they came in through the main entrance, basic principles of engineering demanded at least one auxiliary exit, as well as some kind of ventilation system that could probably be blown as an escape hatch in a pinch. Additionally, Z'gell was (albeit unfortunately for him) a witness to the previous occupants of the island. The term the skeleton uses, half-giant, is unfamiliar to him, but it does describe them well: creatures of significant physical build, although also possessed of keen intellect relative to more typical giant contemporaries. They formally referred to themselves as Alphans, and were not native to this island. A sizable contingent of them did, however, flee to this location in order to build their bunker in an out-of-the-way location, hoping to escape the wrath of a terrible enemy that had come from the stars. As far as Z'gell knows, they must have left, as one day his jailers simply stopped checking in on him. Several centuries after that, most of the automated systems within the bunker, including a number of automatons and general life support shut down. Presumably whatever was powering them had failed, or perhaps was shut down intentionally. On the subject of disabling the crystal, Z'gell is also aware that when the automatons were empowered, they would have reacted to any damage to the crystalline device. It has been several thousand years since the whirring of those constructs could be heard, however, and the life support shut down around that time as well. But, given that the force field encasing him never failed (much to his dismay and exceptional patience), it does seem possible that some systems beyond his own are still active, or might reactivate themselves if presented with the correct conditions. There are two types of automatons of which Z'gell is aware, being Troubleshooter Mark IV (engraved with the letters TS-CR4) and Troubleshooter Mark VI (engraved with the letters TS-CR6), that typically were deployed to handle escaped prisoners. The former deployed mostly non-lethal tear gas and blinding lights, generally in groups of two or three, while the latter was armed with a device that emitted a form of radiation which was known to cause incapacitating (but generally not fatal) brain damage.
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Sep 24, 2014 01:55
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 Z'gell <That? I take it you are referring to me? I am Z'gell, as I have told your ... unicorn. Moving onto other matters you seem curious about. I am unaware of the draconic creature you mention. There was no such beast dwelling here back before my capture. But thousands of years leaves a great deal of time for even one such as that to grow from hatchling to ancient.> He turns about in air to watch them, as best he can, and continues. <As for there being only one entrance. That is highly unlikely. This place was built to weather the terrible storm of a great and mighty war. I do not know which entrance you used, perhaps even the main entrance. However, basic principles of engineering demanded at least one auxiliary exit, and of course a ventilation system. So at the very least there should be two more ways out. At the very least.> Z'gell watches in interest as the bark and leaf colored woman stirs, and he is reminded of the beauty of trees. So long it has been since he has seen such life and greenery. He continues, touching each mind as it awakens to include them in his report. <I am unfamiliar with the term half-giant. Though the previous occupants of the island, assuming they have died out since I have been locked up here, were certainly of significant physical build, quite the opposite of what happened to my people. Though they were far more intelligent than other giants and giantkin. They referred to themselves as Alphans. And like you they were not native to this island. Quite a number of them fled here, to this location we are currently residing in, to build their bunker during the war with their terrible enemy that came from the stars. At some point they must have left, or died off somehow, as they eventually stopped checking in on me. My things got quite boring then. But that was thousands of years ago, before the Myconid found me obviously. Some centuries after they left the automated systems, including automations and life support systems, failed. I do not know if whatever was powering them failed, or if they were intentionally shut down.> Z'gell looks up at the crystal, as talk of destroying it rises again. <Back when the automatons were still powered they would have reacted to any damage done to the crystal. But it has been several thousand years since they powered down, and the life support systems failed around the same time. So presumably they would not be able to defend it now. Of course the force field holding me here did not fail, much to my dismay, and so other systems may still remain active. I of course cannot tell from here. Despite shutting down it may be possible that the right conditions will power them back up. I personally have seen two types of automaton in my time here, before they shut down. There are likely more, but I did not witness them. They were the TS-CR4 Troubleshooter Mark IV and the TS-CR6 Troubleshooter Mark VI. They were used to recapture any escaped prisoners. The first used non lethal tear gas and blinding flashes of light to incapacitate escaped prisoners, working in groups of two or three. While the latter used a form of radiation, ... invisible waves of light, to give incapacitating, but non fatal brain damage.>
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Sep 24, 2014 05:16
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Szandra Szandra slowly turns in a circle, looking over the area. "...fascinating. I wonder, could we not appropriate this bunker as a shelter? Not permanently, I'm aware neither the dryads nor unicorns would find it hospitable, you require groves, but during those yearly storms? And for us... particularly for us, I think my people would enjoy this sort of atmosphere, and I know the unicorns in particular would prefer not to cohabitants the same regions as us. We would need to map out the facility, and I'm not sure about the sentries, if ones would still be active, but it seems like a much more preferable start than the wilds." She looks back up at Z'gell. "It would be nice if we could work out a means of communication other than an interpreter. Were you ever capable of speech? Also, would you be interested in remaining in this facility? After being freed of course. I don't quite have much to offer in return, but I'd still like some instruction on these mechanisms if it would suit you."
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Sep 24, 2014 07:21
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Sierversii "My leaves and branches, what in the seven forests happened?" Sieversii looks around, wide eyed, at the room. Her lips are parched, but the bruises already start to fade away as her natural resilience takes hold, and her hands unconsciously straighten her hair and clothes. "I am glad to see we are alive, but where is Uru'vi, and what is this place?" Upon mention of her people she nods slowly but ends shaking her head eyeing at the prism once more. "Depending on the light source, my people might be amenable to a home here, and you have been fair with us Szandra. We would not abandon any of you, in spite of the, ah, cultural difficulties, we should try to make a home together. Something about this prism speaks to me at least, and that is strange for I had not thought to see elvenwork in this new place. Perhaps there is another exit on the other side of the mountain. That would be ideal I think." She walks towards the cage, and circles it. "Still working, after all these years. I was a passable student of the elvencraft, for all I thought never to use it. I suppose it's time to see if their gods are truly listening. Are you alive in there, strange creature? Do you know the key to your freedom?" She settles down to meditate.
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Sep 24, 2014 08:01
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Szandra "Uru'vi was slain by the dragon while defending us. This is Kol'qarsi, her brother." Szandra gives a short bow to Sierversii. "If your people would accept it. I was thinking of your trees' need to be planted, although I suppose you've worked around that ingeniously so far." zachol fucked around with this message at 08:14 on Sep 24, 2014 |
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Sep 24, 2014 08:07
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Z'gell <Speak?> Z'gell is thoughtful for a moment. <Yes once I spoke, it has been a long time but I should still be capable of it. Though I believe this cage hinders my words.> He turns to watch the dryad as she circles the cage. <Yes I live, still I live after all this time. The secret to opening my cage is the crystal above. It has properties similar to the prismatic wall, and other similar spells. Though luckily its triggers are not quite as specific. As you can see it is currently green. The first layers of the puzzle have been dealt with. To remove the green and move on to blue would require a spell from the school of transmutation, a spell that alters the way things are. Once it is blue an evocative spell of force, such as a wizard's magic missile should turn it indigo. While indigo another evocative spell, this time of light, should take care of it. Leaving it finally violet, where an abjuration, a spell of defense or negation such as dispel magic, resistance to energy, or perhaps a trap of fire would work to end the cage's enforcement entirely.>
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Sep 24, 2014 08:16
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Kol'qarsi, the Dark Horse "I..." But Kol'qarsi trails off and Szarda luckily says the words for him. He looks at the Skeleton with something approaching respect and thanks, but realizes he's having those thoughts and quickly turns his head away from her. "These automaton guards," says the Unicorn to Z'gell. "Would they be wielding keys to your prison? I've seen others carry such things when they're guarding a door or a cage. Maybe summoning them would be the way to release you." "Have you ever seen one defeated?"
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Sep 24, 2014 08:34
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 Sierversii "Oh the trees would be planted, but we could plant them in the bones of the world if we desired. It is water, and light, that they need to grow. The soil has never mattered much. Now to see what I can make of this." The contemplatives thoughts reach her, and after a moment she nods. "The sticking point will be the evocative force, as my and the elven magics in general are more elemental, the only trick of that type I am aware of is a simple cup of force, but it should suffice if the lock is simply checking for correctness of components. Hrm, let me see." The dryad stands still a moment, one hand lightly touching the stone base, head tilted to the side, eyes dark and empty as she stares transfixed at the coils and loops of the spell. Her breathing slows, and for a moment stops, then she begins to speak with the voice of a long dead god and a forgotten people. "Atavast, Atavastii, Alantari." She intones, her voice echoing strangely back at her, the crystal resonating into the sudden silence as her magic, held tightly all the time, is suddenly loosed into the cavern. The crystal, predictably, responds, and the light grows with each casting. Soon the whole room is ablaze, the speckled colors whirling and gyring so that even Kol'qarsi's coat is a thing of many colors. Sieversii's voice is calm as the stone, dark as the night. It is a fluid thing of summer wind and winter frost, each word precise and scintillating in the sylvan tongue, her hair shading with the light of the crystal. Strange runes glow underneath her skin in time to her casting, as fish seen through the depths of a pond, or strange leviathans in the ocean.  All told it is quite the change from her normal calm appearance. Given over to the magic, she is unlocked in her strangeness, the primal heart of the fey stirred and set to form. Her eyes lose focus as the last of the spells plays through her, and she gasps as the great spell ends, bending back, back, back, her feet glued to the stone as the final words tumble from numb lips. At the last, she falls, as if the words herself had held her, lips to ceiling supsended, and she lies against the ground, the light gone out. A moment later, her laughter, high and a bit too excited, echoes. "I think, that the next prisoner may be on his own. That was almost too much for me. The lock may be simple, but the sheer weight of it's existence." She draws in a ragged breath, steadying herself, pulling herself back together, till she is the calm but obviously weary dryad you are most familiar with. "A thousand times a thousand years, new friend. Not a thousand times a thousand days. Your prison has been long standing indeed, and yet your gaolers have left. It is as mysterious as our own arrival. Still, there is much to see here, and we have duties to our people to return to. We are something of specialists in the survival of closed backtrails, eh? First water, now dragon and earth. Let us see what lies before us, for it surely cannot continue in calamity indefinitely." My orisons for today are -read magic +scoop, but otherwise per the sheet. Exits from this chamber or other details? Anias fucked around with this message at 09:39 on Sep 24, 2014 |
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Sep 24, 2014 09:34
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Somewhere. Although Kol'qarsi asked the question, whether or not the automaton guards may have carried the keys to Z'gell's prison seems to be rather irrelevant a few moments after the words leave his mouth. Roused from her slumber, the dryad invokes a series of powerful druidic magics, one after the other as if there is no end to her power. First, the crystal pulses a deep oceanic blue as her first spell layers itself upon its structure, and then shifts to a brighter indigo as the next spell weaves its way in and throughout the crystalline matrix. The next spell has the color palette swapped to a vibrant violet, which radiates proudly throughout the room for several moments as the dryad completes her final spell. The abjuring effect has the expected impact, resulting in a low humming sound as the ten-thousand-year-old bars surrounding Z'gell fade away into nothingness. When he is finally freed, the other aspect that the crystal had been providing - light to the chamber - also fades in brightness, still providing some ambient lighting but barely enough to see a few yards in any given direction. It now seems to be radiating some kind of black light, which Z'gell recognizes as an ultraviolet hue that has historically been used to disinfect the chamber when prisoners are removed.
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Sep 26, 2014 06:57
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Szandra "Excellent." A pause. "Do you remember enough about this facility to create a map? Also, I am feeling quite anxious regarding the dragon. It may begin hunting our group, or try to gain entry into the complex to hunt us. Or, if the complex has defenses keeping it out, it may begin guarding the exit, waiting until we waste our strength escaping so it can ambush us. We should try to find a stealthy way to exit, return to the main group, and form a relocation plan to return to the complex."
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Sep 26, 2014 07:12
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Z'gell As his prison disappears Z'gell floats down and out toward the others, he coughs a few times, as if his mouth is full of dust, and has a few false starts as he tries to use his vocal cords for the first time in centuries, or perhaps even in thousands of years. "*cough* *cough* Th..thank you." The words that leave his mouth are likely unrecognizable, yet by the time they reach the ears, or magical equivalents, of the others they are perfectly understandable. "Yes it seems I can speak." His voice falters a bit, as if he is still not used to the action, but he is able to get thew words out. And if at any point he falters over a word he simply adds it mentally, though the skeleton might not pick up on those mentally added words. He racks his considerable mind to remember what he can about the layout of the structure. I assume Z'gell remembers at least some directions, not sure how much. Should I roll anything or would he just know parts of the layout?
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Sep 26, 2014 08:17
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Kol'qarsi, the Dark Horse "Well done," Kol'qarsi says to the dryad, his lip curling back from his teeth in what may be a smile. He shakes his head as the glow fades from the crystal, and forces more of his innate magic outward through his horn. There's another flare of bright light that slowly begins to taint itself until it shines brightly in a low scarlet color. "How many other prisoners might be down here? Dozens? Thousands? And for what were they imprisoned?" Kol'qarsi asks. Unicorns, as a rule, never imprisoned their own, either not committing crimes in the first place, or suffering a number of years of exile for their misdeeds. Imprisonment was a concept very much for humanoids. "Some we may wish to release. Is there a..." he struggles for the word. "Dwelling for the warden here?" The word was office. Figured a unicorn would have no idea what an office was.
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Sep 26, 2014 17:25
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Sierversii "The only way out is up it seems. Which may be a bit of a problem, although not an insurmountable one." She pauses, lost in thought then resumes, briskly. "We are now on something of a clock, as whatever central intelligence maintains this place will certainly note the unlocking of a cell, not to mention what limits there might be to the air we brought with us, or the disaster of our people left without guidance or warning of an angry dragon about, or..." She shakes her head, taking one last look around. "Or, everything. There's much to do, and little time to do it. Still, a quick search of the walls would not be amiss before we begin our ascent, and might find us a more convenient ladder at least." Ok, so per IRC this is a dead end, the only exit is a 20' wide tunnel that leads up and may have branching paths that we missed in our hurricane trip to the bottom. Good thing we have a rope of climbing I guess. Lets search the room for any further points of interest, then if we don't find anything move into the tunnel. Anias fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Sep 28, 2014 |
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Sep 28, 2014 18:44
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Szandra Szandra nods. "Excellent point. We should get moving." Updated my character sheet. Added infernal healing and blindness/deafness as spells, eschew materials as feat. Should I reprepare spells/update my spellbook, or wait until we reach the home base? Also, 27 hp. zachol fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Sep 28, 2014 |
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Sep 28, 2014 21:09
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Kol'qarsi, the Dark Horse "I don't suppose anyone can fly? Or move rocks with their mind?" The Unicorn strains to gaze up into the hole. "Otherwise we are in for a long climb."
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Sep 29, 2014 23:58
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Z'gell Z'gell floats there. After a moment he says, again in a strange language that somehow makes perfect sense to everyone, "well I do fly. I just won't be able to carry you all, or probably any of you." He waves his little atrophied claw like hands. He adds, "Technically I can occasionally lift some things with my mind, but I think most of you are too heavy for that, and I can't do it for long either way." Well I do have a flight speed, but also a low strength. I also have Telekinesis 3/day, at CR 4. Which means I can probably lift 100 lbs for 4 rounds, 3/day. Which is not going to move the horse.
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Oct 1, 2014 03:35
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For the new people - we have a rope of climbing for unicorn climbing purposes because this came up before
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Oct 1, 2014 03:55
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Yeah, just need to get the rope to the top, and then the rest of us climb up and haul the unicorn after us.
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Oct 1, 2014 03:59
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I saw the mention of the rope, and Z'gell can carry that up somewhere, but I didn't see how a unicorn could climb that. Unless it wraps around him?
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Oct 1, 2014 04:35
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If I remember correctly, we just tie it around him and haul him up. Us together was enough to get Uru'vi up some cliffs.
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Oct 1, 2014 04:47
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Somewhere. Inside the mind of Z'gell... pre:Knowledge... Local - 33 (Z'gell) [What did you ever know?] History - 31 (Z'gell) [How well do you remember it?] At the request from Szandra to create a map of the facility, Z'gell scans the crevasses of his mind for any relevant information. It has been a very long time since he has needed any of those memories, and much of his time has been spent trying to keep himself sane, which has necessitated turning off certain memory centers in his brain. His jailers, predictably, didn't provide him with a map of the area, which also doesn't help matters. However, based on conversations that he has overheard from his jailers before they departed, he does know that there are at least six distinct 'sectors' within the bunker, divided into a residential area, an industrial zone, an administrative ziggurat, a research laboratory, an area that contains a power source which feeds energy to the complex, and the security wing, where they are currently located. Z'gell is under the impression that the security wing is located somewhere in the tunnels between the research laboratory and the administrative ziggurat, relatively close to the power station. However, 'relatively close' allows for a fairly wide margin of error, and he has no idea how far underground they currently are, or if it is several hundred feet or several dozen miles of tunnels that will need to be traversed to navigate even the security wing. On the subject of other prisoners in the area, Z'gell doesn't have a good sense of the numbers. It wasn't exactly the sort of prison with yard time, so getting a bead on the number of detainees was never something he'd been able to achieve. He does expect that most of the people imprisoned likely did not possess the stamina and genetic structure required to survive for thousands of years, let alone without functioning life support and constant injection of sustenance from their jailers, however. With regard to why they they were imprisoned, Z'gell is more familiar with that: for the most part, they were political prisoners. Individuals who held beliefs that were deemed to be incompatible with the larger Alphan population, and who were therefore locked away for treatment and study, or until they came to their senses. Mutations were also stored here, primarily for study, but also because it was considered to be criminal by the half-giants. As far as Z'gell knows, there were only two punishments within Alphan society: lockup within the security wing for non-violent offenders, and disintegration for violent offenders. Based on that, he would wager that anybody else who did happen to survive the departure of the jailers was probably not a murderer. Or at least, had not been caught and sentenced as one. With regard to the dwelling for the warden, that might be here, or it might be in the administrative ziggurat, which they would have to find. However, if the group wishes to explore the complex, they are likely going to need to first find the power station and assess what went wrong with the life support systems, both for fear of running out of oxygen again, and also because there are many doors throughout the complex that are operated by that power station, and while they may be able to pry open or lift a few of them, the group likely doesn't possess the stamina and strength required to lift thousands of pounds of iron for hours on end as they work their way around. Z'gell could be wrong about that, though. Meanwhile, in reality... The dryad's assertion seems to be accurate: the only way out is up. The room is approximately one hundred feet square, with a ceiling height of sixty feet. Apart from the previously-pulsing crystal and Z'gell's now-dissipated cage of force, the cell is otherwise rather spartan. Her quick search of the walls of the room does not reveal anything of note, other than a glass plaque hanging from the wall in the northwest corner of the room. It is about ten inches in height and seven inches in width, but it doesn't appear to be engraved with anything or otherwise serve any purpose. There is, unfortunately, no sign of a ladder or anything of the sort. Z'gell knows this is because the Alphans possessed innate abilities of levitation, so the need for such a mundane object would never have crossed their minds, and would only have been of use to certain prisoners who did not possess such talents. On the western side of the room there is a tunnel in the wall near the ceiling, which leads back through the path that the wind tunnel carried the group previously. The journey was rather expedited when you were being carried in this direction, so it might be difficult to remember the path that you took and perfectly retrace your steps, although you could probably follow the trail of blood that King Skullguy left given that his arm had been cut off during the journey. That would, however, lead to an entrance that Kol'qarsi saw collapse. So it might not be the best route.  The idea to follow the trail of blood comes to Kol'qarsi first, given his powerful sense of smell. But that quickly leads him to another question: the orc king is still unconscious, and doesn't seem to be stirring from his state like the others. Will they carry him through the bunker? Or, if not, what will they do with him? Waador fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Oct 1, 2014 |
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Oct 1, 2014 13:18
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Kol'qarsi, the Dark Horse "Z'gell could fly up the hole to scout, see if there's anything on which to tie off the rope. The rest of you climb up ahead of me while I hold the rope taut. Then I'll do what I can, but," he grunts, looking away from the group, "I may need some help getting up. Sheer cliffs are not my kind's strength. We fare better on open ground, or in forests." Kol'qarsi assists in any way he can, which is a remarkable amount for a hoofed person. It's almost as if he possesses a small amount of telekinesis.
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Oct 1, 2014 20:54
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Z'gell Z'gell regales the others with information he has gleaned over the years, while also picking up one end of the wondrous rope they have. Well pick it up with his mind, not with his tiny little claw hands. It isn't particularly heavy so he doesn't need to strain his mind to lift it. "I know of at least six different sectors within this bunker. There was a Residential Area, an Industrial Zone, an Administrative Ziggurat, a Research Laboratory, and an area that contains the power source which feeds energy to the complex, and the Security Wing where we currently are. I hope you understand I cannot make an accurate map of these places, I am merely going off of things I have heard over the years. "I believe that this Security Wing is is between the Research Laboratory and the Administrative Ziggurat. I also believe it is relatively close to the energy source. That said relatively close is just that. I do not have any idea just how far below we are, or just how short or long a distance it is between these areas. "I do not know how many prisoners may remain. We were locked up and did not travel to and from our cells. Those brought here were generally either mutants, for being a mutant is a crime, or disagreed with the Alphan political ideals. Those that committed violent crimes were not locked up here. They were disintegrated. So if any prisoners remain they should not be violent, or at least should not be here for violence. That said few would likely survive the years, let alone without sustenance. And even if they could, who knows what effect such might have on their minds?" He pauses at that, as if thinking about what that may say about himself, before he continues as if nothing had happened. "As to a Warden. One might have been housed here, close to the prisoners, or they might have been housed in the Administrative Ziggurat. I suspect if you wish to explore the complex you will need to travel to where the power was harnessed and find out what went wrong with the life support. It would not be all that safe to continue on with the possibility of running out of air. And many doors will be rather difficult to open without power." As the area is searched for anything that could be climbed Z'gell eventually figures out what they are looking for. "Ah you will not likely find any devices or structures for climbing. The Alphans had an innate gift for levitation, and such devices would never have occurred to them as necessary." He nods to Kol'qarsi and takes one end of the rope and then flies up to try and find a place to attach it so the group can climb it. Of course once it is secure he can fly back down to try and help Kol'qarsi, though while he can perhaps tie the rope with his mind actually lifting the horse, er unicorn, is beyond his abilities.
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Oct 2, 2014 01:10
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Welp, this was a fun game for the 8 posts that I got to make, but it looks dead now. Bye dead game!
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Oct 8, 2014 09:39
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Sieversii She looks around one last time, then walks over to skullguy's unconscious form. "Well then, I suppose you'll need a bower. One moment, let me move the snake." She steps into her garden, and when she returns her hands are slick with blood. "There we go, plenty of room. Up you go." She lifts the orc, and carries him into the garden, to lay against the tree. Thoughtfully, she drapes the head of the snake over his arm to prevent exposure, and tucks a covering of loam and leaf up his legs. Patting the still breathing orc's cheek she wipes the last of the blood off, and then says her goodbyes to the tree. "Watch him, nurture him, we will return him to his people. For now I still seek sun and shade." When she emerges she gathers her garden. Her hair is dark, as she looks at the rope and the tunnel ahead, it drips gently on the floor. "We still have much to do, and little time to do it. Time to climb." Anias fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 8, 2014 09:54
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pre:Not dead - if pace is a concern, I can force bi-weekly updates rather than weekly. I should be able to commit to updates on Sunday and Tuesday? Combat updates are usually more fluid if the actions are posted but exploration stuff takes a bit. Z'gell is able to make his way up to the tunnel entrance without any significant difficulty, on account of being able to fly. It takes a bit of time to find something sturdy to secure to the rope, but that is a trivial task for a genius-level intellect as well. In short enough order, a rope is dangling from the aperture in the western wall of the room, and the majority of the group are able to climb up. Kol'qarsi's ascent is ...less than graceful, but entirely achievable with the aid of the others. Meanwhile, while the others are distracted with ascending the ladder, Sieversii provides a rare honor to the unconscious, near-comatose orcish king. For such a creature to set foot into the private garden of a dryad leader is almost unheard of in the history of leaves. Even the tree is shocked at the surprising turn of events. Security Wing: Through The Tunnel The ascent through the tunnel is a frustrating one, as it is on a steep incline for the bulk of the journey, and the walls, ceiling, and floor are smoother than would be desirable. More than a few near-disasters grip the leaders as they travel through nearly a hundred feet of this terrain. As the group moves away from Z'gell's cell, the ambient light of the crystal fades away fully, and those without darkvision appear to be forced to rely upon the crimson sheen of Kol'qarsi's horn. The wits of the group mostly come back to them as they progress through the tunnel, having taken a bit of time to collect in their minds after the bruising and chaos of the journey into this pit. The group notes that it is somewhat humid in the area, with an ambient temperature of approximately seventy-five degrees: a little bit above what would be comfortable, but not excessively so. As well, the tunnel walls appear to have been melted out of solid rock, given its smoothness, which must have been an impressive feat. The tunnel eventually widens as they progress, finally emptying into the floor of a separate, domed room. Z'gell recognizes lettering on the wall at the exit of the tunnel which reads 'SW-Z465-A4', presumably being a marker for the particular location in the security wing. Any additional information about its contents or purpose are indecipherable based on that limited data, however. Security Wing: Z465-A4  The tunnel exits into the floor of a three-hundred-foot-wide, spherical and domed room. The floor and walls of the area are damp with condensation, as is the tunnel towards the exit. The most obvious feature of the area is a series of constantly spinning and rotating spheres that leisurely careen around the area. There are nine silvery globes in total, seemingly suspended by nothing at all and clearly powered by something. You have emerged from the floor of the room near the eastern wall, and towards the north wall there is another similar-looking tunnel entrance near the ceiling that will no doubt require another steep ascent, and the assistance of a rope of climbing. It is proving to be rather fortuitous that you have such a device on-hand, it would seem. From this distance, it is difficult to get any idea about the nature or features of the globes or the centerpiece around which they orbit - there is a safe zone of about thirty feet around the exterior of the room where their orbital movements do not seem to intersect. They do not appear to be moving very quickly, so staying out of their way would be achievable if you were inclined to get a closer look. Waador fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Oct 9, 2014 |
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Oct 9, 2014 15:44
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Z'gell Z'gell carefully watches the orbit of the spheres, and spends a few minutes calculating their trajectory and speed. Then he carefully flies into the room to inspect each sphere while avoiding actually colliding with any of them.
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Oct 12, 2014 03:23
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Security Wing: Z465-A4 Calculating a flight path that navigated the orbits of the multitude of spheres was not a particularly challenging task for the genius-level intellect that was Z'gell. It was, however, nearly impossible for him to not feel a little smug about how simple a task it was, given his nearly boundless ego. As he does a flyover to more closely inspect each of them (from what he gauged to be a reasonably safe distance), as well as the monument in the center of the room, a few things become clearer to him. First, it is obvious that the majority of the light show and other visual effects in the room is a projection, although it is impossible to tell whether it is a technologically generated image, or an illusion generated by some unknown source. His best guess under either assumption would be that the large object in the center of the room is the projector, or the power source for it, given that it appears to be solid (although he hasn't touched it to verify). Second, at a closer range, it is apparent that the nine silvery globes are some kind of representations of celestial bodies - perhaps a literal representation of a solar system, or quite possibly an abstraction of several of the planes of existence. Although Z'gell's knowledge is nearly boundless, it does not extend to literally every solar system in the universe, so he is unable to confirm whether it is or is not the former. Given the number of planes of existence, it is similarly simple to attach the general traits of the projections to any number of known planes with varying degrees of efficacy, so that is also a bit of a bust. The globes are of various sizes, ranging in diameter from between twenty and seventy feet, with various projections of smaller objects orbiting around a handful of them. However, before Z'gell gets too rooted into the details of analyzing and mentally cross-referencing the topography and general traits of every celestial object in the projection in order to improve his odds of identifying its nature or purpose, something more immediately relevant catches his eye: whether they are planes or planets, each of the nine orbs contains a spherical, silvery 'core', each about the same size, perhaps two feet in diameter. Like the object in the center of the room, each of these appears to be an actual solid object, rather than a projection. Or, at the very least, is a projection of a solid object rather than a semitransparent celestial body. Additionally, upon inspecting the central monument, Z'gell notices a few additional details. From the sides, it appears to be a rather large stone circle, with a few panels and lights along the rim that leads him to believe it is a technological device, rather than a magical one. Although the two could very well be one and the same, or half-and-half: one could never be sure. However, an aerial view reveals that the center of the stone circle is not solid, or at least is not constructed from a material known to him: from a safe height of about thirty feet, as he circles around it to give it a full visual inspection, the substance in the core of the ring shimmers like a silver mirror when viewed from some angles, but is transparent from other viewpoints. It appears to be in a similarly solid state, although it could just be part of the illusion, or perhaps something else entirely: it was hard to gauge such things when merely observing from a safe distance. Having gathered all the intelligence that he can without actually interacting with any of the objects physically, he returns to the group to share whatever information he deems relevant. Two questions are forefront in his mind, though: is this another prison cell, like his own, and if so what or whom does it jail? Or, is this a device used by his former captors to somehow perform their duties? Waador fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Oct 15, 2014 |
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Oct 15, 2014 05:13
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Z'gell Z'gell absentmindedly speaks to the others, in his weird voice that speaks a language they don't understand, and yet somehow they understand everything he says. "These spheres seem to be just projections. Except for the one in the center. That seems like it may be solid, or at the least a more solid looking projection. The rest are basically illusions. I would surmise that they represent something. Either actual worlds, perhaps even a solar system of worlds, or possibly they are representative of planes. Since there are so many of both of those things, and I do not particularly recognize these spheres, I have no way of knowing which of the two it may be." As he flies around and notices more details first about the central object and then about the similar structure on each of the spheres he adds more details. "The central projection, whether actually solid or just more solid looking, appears to be a circle. A ring. The center seems to be less than solid, or constructed of something I am unfamiliar with. And upon closer inspection each of the spheres has a more solid looking core, a ring of smaller size that looks much like the central ring. They look as if they are perhaps technological instead of magical, or perhaps a blending of the two." He scrutinizes closer, always being careful. "Hmm they kind of remind me of gates or doorways, except without a structure for them to be built into. Each sphere contains one, and it seems like it may connect them somehow. Perhaps a relay station to share information, or perhaps some sort of magical or technological transportation?" He finally flies back to the others. "Well I am unsure if this area is some sort of cell, and if so what it could possibly be designed to contain, or if it is some device my captors use to perform their duties."
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Oct 15, 2014 05:33
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 00:00 |
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Sieversii "This is, wondrous. Art, and so much more. If, as it appears, these are representations of our new home then we might be able to abstract a map of this island from them. Even just a general shape would be extremely useful and if they are updating in real time we might even be able to judge the weather! We need to understand, or at least take notes and diagrams, oh if only I had time to carve." Sieversii is extremely interested in sculpture, and moves around the outside of the installation carefully observing the details, looking for any geographic or natural landmarks, till finally she settles to tracking one sphere in particular. "That one." She gestures. "We'll need to diagram it, which would be much simpler if we could tell the sculpture to pause. There should be some sort of cleaning setting to allow the artist to dust and refine." She looks around hopelessly.
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Oct 26, 2014 05:37
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