Mina keeps a close eye out as she traverses behind Rixian. As the others converse she can't help but let Akyan's last words roll around in her head. What was a trap? So far it didn't seem like it, it looked like they actually found something. And did Leeta say a key? To what? She kept her musings to herself as she approached the pool by Kulogall.
She picks another stone out to look at and see what the picture depicts, wondering if it is anything similar to the one Kulogall is looking at.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rowarin, brushing himself off, silently curses himself for being such a klutz. "Are you OK master?" Podrick peers out from the pocket, looking for response from Rowarin. "Yes, yes, I'll be fine. Damned vines, hopefully I haven't made too much of a fool of myself."
With Rixian pressing on at a faster pace, Rowarin finds it much easier to navigate the path leading to the centre pool. Seeing now that something appears here, Rowarin will try to circle round and get a closer look to see if there is anything of use. Investigation:9
Rowarin glances up at Kulogall who appears to have created an ice-block staircase over the pool - quite impressive. "Can you see anything up there?" he will shout up.
Interested in the pictures, Leeta and Mina decide to investigate farther. The girl in the picture is indeed an elf. However there is no keyhole. Moving on the the next stone, and the next in a clockwise direction, you uncover the following depictions.
Stone 2- Shows a woman with her hands spread out to each side. To her left there are people kneeling and holding their hands up to her, flowers, trees and vines growing around them. To the right, figures are pointing and raising fists towards her. Vines grow on this side too, but they all bear prominent thorns the trees on this side have no leaves.
Stone 3 -the same woman sits on a throne in the center of a pentagram.
Stone 4 -the woman is surrounded by armed figures holding what looks like stars in their left hands. The woman looks to be screaming, and appears to be hovering over a black hole in the ground.
Stone 5 -A sealed tomb. Around it are flowers and wildlife, but in its shadow grows thorny vines.
Mizu is only vaguely aware of what Mina and Leeta are doing, he barely takes in the images in stone as his mind keeps wandering back to why this key was strung up above the water.
Meanwhile, Kullogal tries to let some sunlight down to the forest floor. There aren't any vines in the tree canopy, only fresh young branches which burn rather slowly and produce a lot of smoke. The triton does manage to produce a good sized hole in the canopy, but to his surprise the light doesn't seem to enter the hole. It's almost as if there's some kind of barrier either keeping the sunlight out, or transmuting it into moonlight.
Rowarin and Rixian, decide to investigate the area farther rather than focus on small details. Circling around, Rowarin quickly finds that there's an easily accessible path through the thorns heading off deeper into the forest directly opposite from where the party entered the clearing. It is obviously the only way out of here without doing some serious bushwhacking and risking the spiders again. Rixian comes to the same conclusion as the two circle around the area. As for the place itself, it's fairly old and Rowarin would guess that this garden or park or whatever this place used to be, was built around the same time the village was founded.
Investigating the path onward, you both immediately notice small young blooming roses growing in a trail down the center of this path. These are the only plants with flowers, and they have that familiar smell of blood.
Leeta rubs her chin as she examines the pictures. "Well, this seems to match Rowarin's story, right? That has to be Rose Withermore. That stone", she adds pointing at stone #2, "matches the part that said that she became the leader of the town and they ended up hating her for some reason. Allegedly, because she mistreated them. It seems that she got into some dark stuff, which is depicted there", she points to stone #3, "and though it is unknown what became of her, according to those two stones" , the halfling now points to stones #4 and #5, "it would seem that some knights armed with ... stars? in their left hands?... ". Leeta seems particulary interested by this, as she approaches the picture a little more and mumbles "how very specific. I wonder if those stars only do the trick if held in the left hand" then she continues talking to the rest"... these knights performed some kind of ritual that ended up with her entombed. If this is true, then we can discard the theories that she was burned at the stake".
She falls silent for a moment, thinking. "Could she have been released from her tomb and that is why this is happening? I mean, it does sound pretty crazy. But then again ... we've all seen the plant dogs, the vines and the bloody roses that only grow in the dark."
The picture on this stone portrays a young girl with a raven perched on her shoulder and a stag at her side. She holds a hand out over a bush, half of which has blooming flowers while the other half has withered and dead.
"This duplicity in which the girl has a good side and a bad side is rather curious, don't you think? I wonder what that means". The monk looks at the rest, looking for their opinions. Then she adds "In any case, I guess there's no other option now than to follow that path Rowarin and Rixian have found. Though I don't like it one bit."
Stone 2- Shows a woman with her hands spread out to each side. To her left there are people kneeling and holding their hands up to her, flowers, trees and vines growing around them. To the left, figures are pointing and raising fists towards her. Vines grow on this side too, but they all bear prominent thorns the trees on this side have no leaves.
(OOC: @Rynn: I think you've said "left" twice? this is probably not all that important, but just in case: what side is the one in which the trees have no leaves?)
Rowarin ponders a moment at the edge of this newly discovered path. Glancing around, he's not making much else out - he knows its frivolous to go back so the only way logical now is to move forward. Lowering into a squat, Rowarin takes in the scene (and unpleasant aroma) - "Rixi, as ominous as this path looks, I think this is where we need to go. What do you think?"
Rowarin stretches himself back into standing position and turns to the party, "Have you found anything of interest? I think we've found the only way out here..." and points to the path going further into the dense forest. "When ready, we should press on."
Rowarin will wait for the party to finish what they are doing, and when they make their way over, he will venture onwards also.
Seeing that everyone is preoccupied with... stone tablet of what seems like his suspected culprit, Rixi strays away from them (including Leeta) to calm his nerves down. As of now his attention is turned as he stares at a path full of... more roses.
"Again?" He mutters to himself. Reeling a little from the stench of blood, he strokes his pendant, which has now taken the same colour of the blood roses that lay waste in front of him. He really wonders if he has gone too far with his life at this point, seeing that the dread-encapsulated environment is already provoking his doubts. Luckily for him, he wasn't the only one who has the same thought. Rowarin too. The Aasimar that he has taken a keen interest in but never got to know in full.
"She's at the end... somewhere. She's in there. She's alive." Rixi answers in a low voice without making eye contact with him just yet; Although he might be one step closer into deducing that his intended culprit is correct, at the same time, he isn't happy about it, let alone having to endure fighting her, let alone in the shadows. Regardless, it seems like the Aasimar isn't hell bent on trailing off on himself. A wise choice, the aasimar might think; Out of the Wildland Shifters that wouldn't allow their leader to trail off when he feels like it, the Wolftreebrothers, Daisy and Shiji would always be on alert whenever it comes to warning him; Tenebris, Raiden, Yuri and Xenia wouldn't have cared. In fact, hearing the former quartet's voices in his aching head telling him to wait, he gulps slightly, shifting his polearm as such that the lower ignited blades rests on the ground, burning any stray roses nearby, whilst the upper blade just flares into the sky. He remained silent for at least a minute once Rowarin has finished speaking, but that didn't mean he was refusing to reply...
"If you're not going... *Deep breath* I won't either." Was another low-pitched but gentle addition the Aasimar got. If the latter does glance at his face, his molten eyes haven't gone into a strained squint and his shoulders, despite having gripped into his massive polearm aren't tense. A sign that he's calm and focused despite everything he had seen, let alone endured with some other strangers. "We're a team, right? It's our responsibility to look out for each other." Still, that didn't stop him from peering to the path. The BlackRose I'm calling her; Kurobara (黒バラ), after the shades of the roses that form in the dark; She's inside there.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Kulogall descends the frozen ice stairs, then waves his hand and they disappear, the water falling back into the pool after he steps to the ground. He looks back up at the sky from this vantage point. “Damned odd. I wanted to let some sunlight into this place, see if that would help to wither these vines and roses, but there is some sort of magic shielding this place, converting all sunlight into moonlight! So odd.” He looks at the depictions on the stones and what has been uncovered, nodding.
“I agree. Guess we are headed further in, eh? I don’t think we will like what we find… but we must. I am ready.”
"If she hasn't escaped her tomb," Mizu says quietly. "Then she is trying to."He grips the key in his hand. Hopefully they don't accidentally release her by trying to put an end to this.
He looks toward Rixian and Rowaran, tilting his head slightly before nodding to Leeta. "Yes. It seems that is the only choice we have if we want to see this through."He lets out a breath, then presses forward. For a moment, he looks like he might just start heading down the path, but instead he stops and looks to the fire Genasi and the Aasimar. "Perhaps it would be best if one of you take the lead." The flora and fauna in these woods don't seem to take kindly to fire or light. Right now, Mizu can't help but wish his Master was here with him. The other fire genasi paladin wouldn't have had any issue with anything up to this point... but then again, maybe that's why he and Jezza sent Mizu and Leeta on this mission alone... so that they can figure out how to deal with these threats themselves. Of course, they couldn't have known what sort of odd team they would end up forming along the way.
He'll wait for either Rixian or Rowaran to take the lead, and then will follow closely behind.
Once the party makes up their minds, they head down the clear trail with Rixian and Rowarin taking the lead. This path leads directly to another small open area, though it is mostly clear of thorns. Just like the rest of the trail had been, no sunlight enters the area. At the opposite end of this clearing is a stone structure, which marks the end of the path as beyond it is more dense forest. The structure has a round stone door, set at an angle that suggests it leads downwards, around it is the only area with obvious thorny vines growing around it. Moving closer, you see the door has a keyhole directly in the center.
"Alright. We should get going. I'll cover your left, um... I mean- Gomen nasai (ごめん なさい , Sorry)" Rixi says sheepishly to Rowarin, giving him a faint smile before they both lead the group, his bladed polearm held vertically in his two well built arms. Stopping at the front of door, Rixi knows that the key is needed to open it, but isn't sure if anyone else had found one; He hadn't for sure, seeing that he didn't do any thorough investigations.
"Um... Ro... Rowa...rin?" Rixi softly asks him as he points to the key lock. "Do you... um... do you have it?" The demon patiently lurking in the centre of his stomach burns as bright as the flames on his polearm right now... Something makes him want to smash the door open so badly, but figures it might trigger something horrendous too early. So he had no choice, but to hold it urges. Especially when the Aasimar is nearby.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Leeta approaches her two taller friends, peeking between the two of them, and when she sees the keyhole they have found she lets out an excited gasp. "A keyhole! Mizu did find a key back there, over the pool", she turns back to look at the fighter, beckoning him to approach, and when she turns back to face the door she adds "Guys, I worry what we might find there, after the pictures we have seen in the stones, but... we don't have any other option other than to open this door, right? I just hope we don't free anything that is supposed to stay locked. Should we at least check for traps, just in case? Can anyone help me look?"
(OOC: Rolled investigation twice, but I got a 10 and a 3)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Rowarin stops at the stone door with Rixi. "Hmm no I don't recall seeing a..."before finishing his sentence, Leeta appears between the pair and announces that there is such a key, and Mizu has it. "Well, I guess that answers your question Rixi!"
Whilst the remainder of the party gather round, Rowarin will also kneel down and start to glide his hand over the stone surface, feeling for indentations or oddities that could indicate there is a trap. Investigation:10
Once done, Rowarin will stand aside by Rixi and turn to the party, declaring what he found searching the door.
Mizu nods, stepping forward with the key in hand. It feels wrong to unlock the door, especially since it could just be giving Rosé exactly what she wants… assuming it’s Rose who is in there. He waits for the others to inspect for traps before inserting and turning the key in the keyhole.
Kulogall stands at the ready, his hands waiting ready to funnel the weave through his fingers onto anyone who jumps out. “Here goes nothing…” he mumbles, as he watches the key turn in the lock.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Leeta and Rowarin thoroughly investigate the stone door for traps. Between the two of them, you can confidently say that the door itself holds no hidden threat. What lies beyond...well that's a different story.
When Mizu inserts the key, the stone door falls inward then rolls to the left revealing a dark tunnel. When you enter, the torches on either side of the door ignite with ghostly green-white light. The walls are lined with thorny vines which appear to have broken through the stone walls, while the cobbled floor is layered with crumpled rose petals. As you continue forward, the torches ahead continue to light themselves while those behind extinguish themselves, leaving only four lit up at once.
When you enter the first room, you notice that it seems to be hard to see very far in front of you, even with the torches lining the walls. The air seems thick, and red-ish dust floats around the room and you can’t even make out what may be on the other side of the room.
Looking back, panic fills your chest when you realize the path you entered seems to have disappeared as well. This panic continues as you each realize that you can no longer see each other either….
(Alright this is where your fears and wishes come into play. You are all trapped in an illusion, once the illusion starts you seem to have forgotten what you had been doing. They are your new reality right now.)
Mizu:
It’s done. You’ve done it. Every last one of them lay dead at your feet. And you saved HIM for last. Yes, that demon who killed your father. Oh how he begged for his life, for forgiveness. Hah! As if you’d spare him. As if you’d show him any more mercy than he or the rest of these monsters showed your parents. No, they all had to die. All of them. Now the world is a safer place.
“Forgive me….Mizu.” You hear a voice behind you. Ashtar, the man who pulled you from what would have been your frozen grave. The man who trained you to hunt demons. You turn to face him. He kneels on the ground, breathing heavily. His fiery hair flickers around his ashen face…and blood runs down his chin. His expression is sad, an expression you’d never expected to see replace his seemingly perpetual smile. He coughs “Forgive me. I’ve allowed you to lose yourself.”
It is then that you realize you are not carrying your two hook swords. You look down at your hands. Each finger tipped with a sharp claw, all stained red. Frantically you look around, sprinkled in with the bodies of your foes, are those of innocent people. Some of whom you knew. You catch a glimpse of your refection in the pool of blood at your feet. Your eyes are that of a devil’s and your head is adorned with two curved horns.
You’ve become one of them.
Rixian:
Shoving your booted foot down on the creature's chest, you stare into it's bright blue eyes. You've finally done it. You've found them at last. Flames dance all around you, creating a thick barrier to contain the other monster's you've hunted down. You've captured them, but now what? THEY MUST PAY.
You feel that familiar pain of your curse welling up inside you, but that pain is bittersweet. Vengeance is yours. You shove down on the creature beneath you, shattering it's relatively human shape with your fiery foot. It's body evaporating from the heat of your rage. You killed it. There's no going back. So why stop there? Turning, you fix your red gaze on the remaining creatures. These water elementals already look rather bad, as their forms are slowly evaporating from your flame prison. They cower in fear, but you walk forward nonetheless. You will show them no mercy. Lifting your hand, you shower them in flames. Not enough to kill them outright, just enough to make them suffer. Yes, they must suffer before they meet their end. Their inhuman screams are music to your ears.
Then you hear another scream. A familiar one.
"Rixian! Stop this! Can't you see what you've done?"
Looking through the walls of your prison of smoke and fire, you see the familiar forms of your friends. Raiden, Daisy, and the others. Tears flow down Daisy's face as she stares at you, gripping a severely burned arm as she does. It seems your flames have harmed more then your foes...but what of it?
"That's not Rixian anymore" Raiden coughs. "His curse. It's taken over."
(Ok, I don't have time to write up the others at the moment, but I'll get them up either later today or tomorrow. I'll put them in another post.)
You are weary from your long travel, though that's not the reason you are dragging your feet. No, you've slowed your pace because you know what lays ahead. Eventually, you see a modest house in the distance, and the next thing you know, you're at the front door. This is Jezza's house. You know he's probably already aware that you've returned, but he won't come until you knock on the door. You have to be the one to initiate the fight, but are you really ready?
You stand there for a moment, trying to prepare yourself. Then it hits you. You have to fight him, but do you really have to just waltz right in and declare your duel? He never said that was a rule did he. Probably because part of the test is to be tactful, to use your wits and not just your muscles. Nodding to yourself, you quietly back off the porch and round the house, intending to peek through the living room window to see where Jezza is and what he's currently doing.
Taking a deep breath, you try to peer through the open window....
Only to meet Jezza's disappointed gaze. "Come now Leeta, I thought I taught you better." He says as he somehow slips out of the window. Landing beside you, he kicks you with lightning speed, sending you flying away from the house. Your body slams into a tree, and before you have time to recover...he's there again. You barely manage to avoid his punch, before you are met with another kick to the stomach. He speaks again with a voice laced with disappointment, "Have you really not improved since I sent you out of the nest? Why have you returned to me when you've barely spread your wings?"
Rowarin:
Why did you do it? Why did you have to seek it out? That power?
These thoughts run through your head for what? The thousand time? The millionth? You can't remember anymore. Isolation does that to you. Had you only managed to keep your curiosity under control, it wouldn't have ended like this. There was a reason it was locked away, but you just had to turn that key.
You remember that moment oh so clearly. You'd found those ancient ruins, you'd traversed the dungeons underneath, and eventually...you found it. That glowing orb of light, radiating with magical energy. You'd reached out, touched it, and now that power is inside you. That journey had only been meant to understand that artifact, to gain knowledge. However, it turned into something far different. You gained that power, but had no way to control it. It lashed out, consuming those who followed you, consuming the ground around you. You tried to run, but everywhere you went, destruction followed. And now....all that's left, is you. The world is no more, but that power just won't let you die. Even as you float out in space amidst the ruined fragments that once made up the planet, you are still alive.
All that talent...your connection to the weave....you can no longer use it to better the lives of anyone. Not even yourself....it may as well be lost
(Ok that's two more! I'll get Kullogal's and Mina's up as soon as I can. The rest of you can feel free to react to these visions. Everyone will need to make a Wisdom save as well.)
(Also I don't mind if you read each others, I just did the spoilers here to keep things separated)
Leeta stood up as quickly as she could, her body aching from the impact against the tree and the subsequent hits Jezza had landed on her. Of course, this was to be expected. Her mentor was right: why had she even returned? It was clear she wasn't prepared, she would never be! How the hell would she ever defeat him? It was impossible!
The halfling wiped the blood from her mouth as she took a defensive stance, her mind racing as she thought about her next steps. What was she going to do? The disappointment reflected in the drow's eyes urged her to turn and run away, to escape the one who wasn't only her teacher but the only parent figure she had ever known. But wouldn't that be worse? Shouldn't she at least try?
Leeta didn't reply to the Skydancer, she just rushed forward to punch him. Or at least, tried to.
(OOC: Leeta's Wisdom Save: 12. Should I roll for any attack?)
He had sensed it... the disappearance of his temporary teammates. The thought of wreaking havoc on the ones that he can't stand... Kulogall, Mina, Mizu... and now these guys. The unending psychological trauma that has burden him throughout his entire journey has finally reached its peak right at this moment. As if the demon has suddenly took ahold of him, as if his curse had finally consumed his gentle soul, he spots the nearest Water monster, easily defeats him with a karate kick, stomps him down, conjures his Wall Of Fire and suffocates the life out of the first one with his fiery glaive. He does the same to the next few, one after the other, the screams of their agony fill his eardrums as he unleashes his unfathomable retribution on them before they perish; This is it. The few monsters that his curse will allow him to kill without severe penalty. All lying before his eyes... He suddenly hears a different scream... one that came from a girl, followed by a mixture of pain and desperation that made his eardrums bleed, and looks behind him. It's everyone. All nine shifters that survived. They followed him after all. Worse is that they've brought three stragglers too, including a harengon, a very young Aasimar draped in blue armour and a... Wait... is that... a water genasi...?! No... Rather... He knows him... because he's with him right now... No... why did they come?! And they all appear injured; the fox trio (Raiden, Yuri and Shijiro) weakened from having their mystical tails severed painfully, the Wolftree brothers slumped back and losing large volumes of blood, Xenia and Tenebris having their arms and legs broken, his lover Daisy suffering the most horrific burns yet... It was the straw that broke the camel's back; they did what he hoped they wouldn't do... When they shouldn't have done so. All because of Ethan, the one friend he told his secret to about his current trauma. And now... now they finally know. Tears made of lava pour from his eyes as the feeling of betrayal and guilt as his fire wall suddenly disappears and the water monsters he had tortured in mortal condition; These guys have suddenly been forgotten. The anguish fire genasi, wishing to complete his lifetime goal in order to start over, must now deal with another enemy made of several people who had watched his back in the past...
"No... Why... Why did you follow me?! I... I TRUSTED YOU!" Rixi yells out, unleashing a massive burst of flame at his companions on his last word, expecting to hear more screams of pain too whilst he blows them all back into the sturdy trees that line the coastline, hoping to finish them off as a 'bonus'. Except that when he does, they fade away before they reappear and repeat the same thing in the same positions. Unable to control himself anymore, he lets out a ferocious roar, a combination of unbottled fury and pain in his voice. "I was right... you have been by their side weren't you?! YOU WERE ALL SUPPORTING MY DOWNFALL BEHIND MY BACK! THAT'S WHY YOU CAME TO SAVE THEM, DIDN'T YOU?! THAT'S WHY HE'S ON YOUR SIDE!" Rixi again screams without thinking, slashing unceremoniously at all nine shifters plus their stray friends as he ignites unstably, leaving Daisy for last. He can't even tell if the Shifters he lead are even fighting back, nor he doesn't want to know at this point in time. "NAZE?! NAZE WATASHI... O FOROU... SHITA NODESU KA?! (なぜ?! なぜ私をフォローしたのですか, WHY?! WHY DID YOU FOLLOW ME?!) I TOLD YOU NOT TO FOLLOW ME! ALL OF YOU! I NEVER HAVE THOUGHT OF ANY OF YOU AT ALL! YOU DON'T DESERVE MY CARE! MY RESPECT! MY-" He stops short when he turns to the one girl he loves the most. And then he sees the entire thing repeat again as everyone had their wounds healed and the same message the wood elf screams is repeated.
"You shouldn't ha-ARRGH!" He screams, finally realising that by wasting his energy he's only going to relieve this horrendous vision. Clutching his head in pain as he briefly drops his polearm, he turns towards the shifters again, before he arches his head down to the floor. "What is... You... Y-y-y-you should- No... this isn't real! This isn't real! They're not with me...! AGGH!" To himself, it seems that he's caught up in a literal boss fight since Tiamat... except this time, he's the boss that everyone wants to strike down. No wait... that's not him... because it seems like there's someone else... someone standing in front of him... telling him something inaudible as he looks up. His molten face... his deceptive smile... the flames standing on his molten hair... this man looks familiar to him... "M... Magmarion?! O-o-otou-san?!" Rixi gasps before that smirking illusion fades from his sight. Closing his eyes, he suddenly opens his hands and recalls what he had done; the appearance of his adoptive father only means something important. And important to him alone. He had succeeded. He has accomplished goal hasn't he. But at what cost? Why isn't he happy about it? Why does he feel so much guilt? So much pain? So much... regret?
At least... that's what he perceives. Because something that's being encased by his demon... something he feels... is still holding off on it own... (Rixi's WIS Save: Dirty 20; Also waiting if he needs to roll any attack)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Mina keeps a close eye out as she traverses behind Rixian. As the others converse she can't help but let Akyan's last words roll around in her head. What was a trap? So far it didn't seem like it, it looked like they actually found something. And did Leeta say a key? To what? She kept her musings to herself as she approached the pool by Kulogall.
She picks another stone out to look at and see what the picture depicts, wondering if it is anything similar to the one Kulogall is looking at.
Rowarin, brushing himself off, silently curses himself for being such a klutz. "Are you OK master?" Podrick peers out from the pocket, looking for response from Rowarin. "Yes, yes, I'll be fine. Damned vines, hopefully I haven't made too much of a fool of myself."
With Rixian pressing on at a faster pace, Rowarin finds it much easier to navigate the path leading to the centre pool. Seeing now that something appears here, Rowarin will try to circle round and get a closer look to see if there is anything of use.
Investigation: 9
Rowarin glances up at Kulogall who appears to have created an ice-block staircase over the pool - quite impressive. "Can you see anything up there?" he will shout up.
Interested in the pictures, Leeta and Mina decide to investigate farther. The girl in the picture is indeed an elf. However there is no keyhole. Moving on the the next stone, and the next in a clockwise direction, you uncover the following depictions.
Stone 2- Shows a woman with her hands spread out to each side. To her left there are people kneeling and holding their hands up to her, flowers, trees and vines growing around them. To the right, figures are pointing and raising fists towards her. Vines grow on this side too, but they all bear prominent thorns the trees on this side have no leaves.
Stone 3 -the same woman sits on a throne in the center of a pentagram.
Stone 4 -the woman is surrounded by armed figures holding what looks like stars in their left hands. The woman looks to be screaming, and appears to be hovering over a black hole in the ground.
Stone 5 -A sealed tomb. Around it are flowers and wildlife, but in its shadow grows thorny vines.
Mizu is only vaguely aware of what Mina and Leeta are doing, he barely takes in the images in stone as his mind keeps wandering back to why this key was strung up above the water.
Meanwhile, Kullogal tries to let some sunlight down to the forest floor. There aren't any vines in the tree canopy, only fresh young branches which burn rather slowly and produce a lot of smoke. The triton does manage to produce a good sized hole in the canopy, but to his surprise the light doesn't seem to enter the hole. It's almost as if there's some kind of barrier either keeping the sunlight out, or transmuting it into moonlight.
Rowarin and Rixian, decide to investigate the area farther rather than focus on small details. Circling around, Rowarin quickly finds that there's an easily accessible path through the thorns heading off deeper into the forest directly opposite from where the party entered the clearing. It is obviously the only way out of here without doing some serious bushwhacking and risking the spiders again. Rixian comes to the same conclusion as the two circle around the area. As for the place itself, it's fairly old and Rowarin would guess that this garden or park or whatever this place used to be, was built around the same time the village was founded.
Investigating the path onward, you both immediately notice small young blooming roses growing in a trail down the center of this path. These are the only plants with flowers, and they have that familiar smell of blood.
Leeta rubs her chin as she examines the pictures. "Well, this seems to match Rowarin's story, right? That has to be Rose Withermore. That stone", she adds pointing at stone #2, "matches the part that said that she became the leader of the town and they ended up hating her for some reason. Allegedly, because she mistreated them. It seems that she got into some dark stuff, which is depicted there", she points to stone #3, "and though it is unknown what became of her, according to those two stones" , the halfling now points to stones #4 and #5, "it would seem that some knights armed with ... stars? in their left hands?... ". Leeta seems particulary interested by this, as she approaches the picture a little more and mumbles "how very specific. I wonder if those stars only do the trick if held in the left hand" then she continues talking to the rest "... these knights performed some kind of ritual that ended up with her entombed. If this is true, then we can discard the theories that she was burned at the stake".
She falls silent for a moment, thinking. "Could she have been released from her tomb and that is why this is happening? I mean, it does sound pretty crazy. But then again ... we've all seen the plant dogs, the vines and the bloody roses that only grow in the dark."
"This duplicity in which the girl has a good side and a bad side is rather curious, don't you think? I wonder what that means". The monk looks at the rest, looking for their opinions. Then she adds "In any case, I guess there's no other option now than to follow that path Rowarin and Rixian have found. Though I don't like it one bit."
(OOC: @Rynn: I think you've said "left" twice? this is probably not all that important, but just in case: what side is the one in which the trees have no leaves?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
(Thanks for catching that, I'll edit my post to fix it. XD)
(OOC: Innnnnteresting!)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Rowarin ponders a moment at the edge of this newly discovered path. Glancing around, he's not making much else out - he knows its frivolous to go back so the only way logical now is to move forward. Lowering into a squat, Rowarin takes in the scene (and unpleasant aroma) - "Rixi, as ominous as this path looks, I think this is where we need to go. What do you think?"
Rowarin stretches himself back into standing position and turns to the party, "Have you found anything of interest? I think we've found the only way out here..." and points to the path going further into the dense forest. "When ready, we should press on."
Rowarin will wait for the party to finish what they are doing, and when they make their way over, he will venture onwards also.
Seeing that everyone is preoccupied with... stone tablet of what seems like his suspected culprit, Rixi strays away from them (including Leeta) to calm his nerves down. As of now his attention is turned as he stares at a path full of... more roses.
"Again?" He mutters to himself. Reeling a little from the stench of blood, he strokes his pendant, which has now taken the same colour of the blood roses that lay waste in front of him. He really wonders if he has gone too far with his life at this point, seeing that the dread-encapsulated environment is already provoking his doubts. Luckily for him, he wasn't the only one who has the same thought. Rowarin too. The Aasimar that he has taken a keen interest in but never got to know in full.
"She's at the end... somewhere. She's in there. She's alive." Rixi answers in a low voice without making eye contact with him just yet; Although he might be one step closer into deducing that his intended culprit is correct, at the same time, he isn't happy about it, let alone having to endure fighting her, let alone in the shadows. Regardless, it seems like the Aasimar isn't hell bent on trailing off on himself. A wise choice, the aasimar might think; Out of the Wildland Shifters that wouldn't allow their leader to trail off when he feels like it, the Wolftree brothers, Daisy and Shiji would always be on alert whenever it comes to warning him; Tenebris, Raiden, Yuri and Xenia wouldn't have cared. In fact, hearing the former quartet's voices in his aching head telling him to wait, he gulps slightly, shifting his polearm as such that the lower ignited blades rests on the ground, burning any stray roses nearby, whilst the upper blade just flares into the sky. He remained silent for at least a minute once Rowarin has finished speaking, but that didn't mean he was refusing to reply...
"If you're not going... *Deep breath* I won't either." Was another low-pitched but gentle addition the Aasimar got. If the latter does glance at his face, his molten eyes haven't gone into a strained squint and his shoulders, despite having gripped into his massive polearm aren't tense. A sign that he's calm and focused despite everything he had seen, let alone endured with some other strangers. "We're a team, right? It's our responsibility to look out for each other." Still, that didn't stop him from peering to the path. The Black Rose I'm calling her; Kurobara (黒バラ), after the shades of the roses that form in the dark; She's inside there.
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Kulogall descends the frozen ice stairs, then waves his hand and they disappear, the water falling back into the pool after he steps to the ground. He looks back up at the sky from this vantage point. “Damned odd. I wanted to let some sunlight into this place, see if that would help to wither these vines and roses, but there is some sort of magic shielding this place, converting all sunlight into moonlight! So odd.” He looks at the depictions on the stones and what has been uncovered, nodding.
“I agree. Guess we are headed further in, eh? I don’t think we will like what we find… but we must. I am ready.”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"If she hasn't escaped her tomb," Mizu says quietly. "Then she is trying to." He grips the key in his hand. Hopefully they don't accidentally release her by trying to put an end to this.
He looks toward Rixian and Rowaran, tilting his head slightly before nodding to Leeta. "Yes. It seems that is the only choice we have if we want to see this through." He lets out a breath, then presses forward. For a moment, he looks like he might just start heading down the path, but instead he stops and looks to the fire Genasi and the Aasimar. "Perhaps it would be best if one of you take the lead." The flora and fauna in these woods don't seem to take kindly to fire or light. Right now, Mizu can't help but wish his Master was here with him. The other fire genasi paladin wouldn't have had any issue with anything up to this point... but then again, maybe that's why he and Jezza sent Mizu and Leeta on this mission alone... so that they can figure out how to deal with these threats themselves. Of course, they couldn't have known what sort of odd team they would end up forming along the way.
He'll wait for either Rixian or Rowaran to take the lead, and then will follow closely behind.
Once the party makes up their minds, they head down the clear trail with Rixian and Rowarin taking the lead. This path leads directly to another small open area, though it is mostly clear of thorns. Just like the rest of the trail had been, no sunlight enters the area. At the opposite end of this clearing is a stone structure, which marks the end of the path as beyond it is more dense forest. The structure has a round stone door, set at an angle that suggests it leads downwards, around it is the only area with obvious thorny vines growing around it. Moving closer, you see the door has a keyhole directly in the center.
"Alright. We should get going. I'll cover your left, um... I mean- Gomen nasai (ごめん なさい , Sorry)" Rixi says sheepishly to Rowarin, giving him a faint smile before they both lead the group, his bladed polearm held vertically in his two well built arms. Stopping at the front of door, Rixi knows that the key is needed to open it, but isn't sure if anyone else had found one; He hadn't for sure, seeing that he didn't do any thorough investigations.
"Um... Ro... Rowa...rin?" Rixi softly asks him as he points to the key lock. "Do you... um... do you have it?" The demon patiently lurking in the centre of his stomach burns as bright as the flames on his polearm right now... Something makes him want to smash the door open so badly, but figures it might trigger something horrendous too early. So he had no choice, but to hold it urges. Especially when the Aasimar is nearby.
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Leeta approaches her two taller friends, peeking between the two of them, and when she sees the keyhole they have found she lets out an excited gasp. "A keyhole! Mizu did find a key back there, over the pool", she turns back to look at the fighter, beckoning him to approach, and when she turns back to face the door she adds "Guys, I worry what we might find there, after the pictures we have seen in the stones, but... we don't have any other option other than to open this door, right? I just hope we don't free anything that is supposed to stay locked. Should we at least check for traps, just in case? Can anyone help me look?"
(OOC: Rolled investigation twice, but I got a 10 and a 3)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Rowarin stops at the stone door with Rixi. "Hmm no I don't recall seeing a..." before finishing his sentence, Leeta appears between the pair and announces that there is such a key, and Mizu has it. "Well, I guess that answers your question Rixi!"
Whilst the remainder of the party gather round, Rowarin will also kneel down and start to glide his hand over the stone surface, feeling for indentations or oddities that could indicate there is a trap.
Investigation: 10
Once done, Rowarin will stand aside by Rixi and turn to the party, declaring what he found searching the door.
Mizu nods, stepping forward with the key in hand. It feels wrong to unlock the door, especially since it could just be giving Rosé exactly what she wants… assuming it’s Rose who is in there. He waits for the others to inspect for traps before inserting and turning the key in the keyhole.
Kulogall stands at the ready, his hands waiting ready to funnel the weave through his fingers onto anyone who jumps out. “Here goes nothing…” he mumbles, as he watches the key turn in the lock.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Leeta and Rowarin thoroughly investigate the stone door for traps. Between the two of them, you can confidently say that the door itself holds no hidden threat. What lies beyond...well that's a different story.
When Mizu inserts the key, the stone door falls inward then rolls to the left revealing a dark tunnel. When you enter, the torches on either side of the door ignite with ghostly green-white light. The walls are lined with thorny vines which appear to have broken through the stone walls, while the cobbled floor is layered with crumpled rose petals. As you continue forward, the torches ahead continue to light themselves while those behind extinguish themselves, leaving only four lit up at once.
When you enter the first room, you notice that it seems to be hard to see very far in front of you, even with the torches lining the walls. The air seems thick, and red-ish dust floats around the room and you can’t even make out what may be on the other side of the room.
Looking back, panic fills your chest when you realize the path you entered seems to have disappeared as well. This panic continues as you each realize that you can no longer see each other either….
(Alright this is where your fears and wishes come into play. You are all trapped in an illusion, once the illusion starts you seem to have forgotten what you had been doing. They are your new reality right now.)
Mizu:
It’s done. You’ve done it. Every last one of them lay dead at your feet. And you saved HIM for last. Yes, that demon who killed your father. Oh how he begged for his life, for forgiveness. Hah! As if you’d spare him. As if you’d show him any more mercy than he or the rest of these monsters showed your parents. No, they all had to die. All of them. Now the world is a safer place.
“Forgive me….Mizu.” You hear a voice behind you. Ashtar, the man who pulled you from what would have been your frozen grave. The man who trained you to hunt demons. You turn to face him. He kneels on the ground, breathing heavily. His fiery hair flickers around his ashen face…and blood runs down his chin. His expression is sad, an expression you’d never expected to see replace his seemingly perpetual smile. He coughs “Forgive me. I’ve allowed you to lose yourself.”
It is then that you realize you are not carrying your two hook swords. You look down at your hands. Each finger tipped with a sharp claw, all stained red. Frantically you look around, sprinkled in with the bodies of your foes, are those of innocent people. Some of whom you knew. You catch a glimpse of your refection in the pool of blood at your feet. Your eyes are that of a devil’s and your head is adorned with two curved horns.
You’ve become one of them.
Rixian:
Shoving your booted foot down on the creature's chest, you stare into it's bright blue eyes. You've finally done it. You've found them at last. Flames dance all around you, creating a thick barrier to contain the other monster's you've hunted down. You've captured them, but now what? THEY MUST PAY.
You feel that familiar pain of your curse welling up inside you, but that pain is bittersweet. Vengeance is yours. You shove down on the creature beneath you, shattering it's relatively human shape with your fiery foot. It's body evaporating from the heat of your rage. You killed it. There's no going back. So why stop there? Turning, you fix your red gaze on the remaining creatures. These water elementals already look rather bad, as their forms are slowly evaporating from your flame prison. They cower in fear, but you walk forward nonetheless. You will show them no mercy. Lifting your hand, you shower them in flames. Not enough to kill them outright, just enough to make them suffer. Yes, they must suffer before they meet their end. Their inhuman screams are music to your ears.
Then you hear another scream. A familiar one.
"Rixian! Stop this! Can't you see what you've done?"
Looking through the walls of your prison of smoke and fire, you see the familiar forms of your friends. Raiden, Daisy, and the others. Tears flow down Daisy's face as she stares at you, gripping a severely burned arm as she does. It seems your flames have harmed more then your foes...but what of it?
"That's not Rixian anymore" Raiden coughs. "His curse. It's taken over."
(Ok, I don't have time to write up the others at the moment, but I'll get them up either later today or tomorrow. I'll put them in another post.)
Leeta:
You are weary from your long travel, though that's not the reason you are dragging your feet. No, you've slowed your pace because you know what lays ahead. Eventually, you see a modest house in the distance, and the next thing you know, you're at the front door. This is Jezza's house. You know he's probably already aware that you've returned, but he won't come until you knock on the door. You have to be the one to initiate the fight, but are you really ready?
You stand there for a moment, trying to prepare yourself. Then it hits you. You have to fight him, but do you really have to just waltz right in and declare your duel? He never said that was a rule did he. Probably because part of the test is to be tactful, to use your wits and not just your muscles. Nodding to yourself, you quietly back off the porch and round the house, intending to peek through the living room window to see where Jezza is and what he's currently doing.
Taking a deep breath, you try to peer through the open window....
Only to meet Jezza's disappointed gaze. "Come now Leeta, I thought I taught you better." He says as he somehow slips out of the window. Landing beside you, he kicks you with lightning speed, sending you flying away from the house. Your body slams into a tree, and before you have time to recover...he's there again. You barely manage to avoid his punch, before you are met with another kick to the stomach. He speaks again with a voice laced with disappointment, "Have you really not improved since I sent you out of the nest? Why have you returned to me when you've barely spread your wings?"
Rowarin:
Why did you do it? Why did you have to seek it out? That power?
These thoughts run through your head for what? The thousand time? The millionth? You can't remember anymore. Isolation does that to you. Had you only managed to keep your curiosity under control, it wouldn't have ended like this. There was a reason it was locked away, but you just had to turn that key.
You remember that moment oh so clearly. You'd found those ancient ruins, you'd traversed the dungeons underneath, and eventually...you found it. That glowing orb of light, radiating with magical energy. You'd reached out, touched it, and now that power is inside you. That journey had only been meant to understand that artifact, to gain knowledge. However, it turned into something far different. You gained that power, but had no way to control it. It lashed out, consuming those who followed you, consuming the ground around you. You tried to run, but everywhere you went, destruction followed. And now....all that's left, is you. The world is no more, but that power just won't let you die. Even as you float out in space amidst the ruined fragments that once made up the planet, you are still alive.
All that talent...your connection to the weave....you can no longer use it to better the lives of anyone. Not even yourself....it may as well be lost
(Ok that's two more! I'll get Kullogal's and Mina's up as soon as I can. The rest of you can feel free to react to these visions. Everyone will need to make a Wisdom save as well.)
(Also I don't mind if you read each others, I just did the spoilers here to keep things separated)
Leeta stood up as quickly as she could, her body aching from the impact against the tree and the subsequent hits Jezza had landed on her. Of course, this was to be expected. Her mentor was right: why had she even returned? It was clear she wasn't prepared, she would never be! How the hell would she ever defeat him? It was impossible!
The halfling wiped the blood from her mouth as she took a defensive stance, her mind racing as she thought about her next steps. What was she going to do? The disappointment reflected in the drow's eyes urged her to turn and run away, to escape the one who wasn't only her teacher but the only parent figure she had ever known. But wouldn't that be worse? Shouldn't she at least try?
Leeta didn't reply to the Skydancer, she just rushed forward to punch him. Or at least, tried to.
(OOC: Leeta's Wisdom Save: 12. Should I roll for any attack?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
He had sensed it... the disappearance of his temporary teammates. The thought of wreaking havoc on the ones that he can't stand... Kulogall, Mina, Mizu... and now these guys. The unending psychological trauma that has burden him throughout his entire journey has finally reached its peak right at this moment. As if the demon has suddenly took ahold of him, as if his curse had finally consumed his gentle soul, he spots the nearest Water monster, easily defeats him with a karate kick, stomps him down, conjures his Wall Of Fire and suffocates the life out of the first one with his fiery glaive. He does the same to the next few, one after the other, the screams of their agony fill his eardrums as he unleashes his unfathomable retribution on them before they perish; This is it. The few monsters that his curse will allow him to kill without severe penalty. All lying before his eyes... He suddenly hears a different scream... one that came from a girl, followed by a mixture of pain and desperation that made his eardrums bleed, and looks behind him. It's everyone. All nine shifters that survived. They followed him after all. Worse is that they've brought three stragglers too, including a harengon, a very young Aasimar draped in blue armour and a... Wait... is that... a water genasi...?! No... Rather... He knows him... because he's with him right now... No... why did they come?! And they all appear injured; the fox trio (Raiden, Yuri and Shijiro) weakened from having their mystical tails severed painfully, the Wolftree brothers slumped back and losing large volumes of blood, Xenia and Tenebris having their arms and legs broken, his lover Daisy suffering the most horrific burns yet... It was the straw that broke the camel's back; they did what he hoped they wouldn't do... When they shouldn't have done so. All because of Ethan, the one friend he told his secret to about his current trauma. And now... now they finally know. Tears made of lava pour from his eyes as the feeling of betrayal and guilt as his fire wall suddenly disappears and the water monsters he had tortured in mortal condition; These guys have suddenly been forgotten. The anguish fire genasi, wishing to complete his lifetime goal in order to start over, must now deal with another enemy made of several people who had watched his back in the past...
"No... Why... Why did you follow me?! I... I TRUSTED YOU!" Rixi yells out, unleashing a massive burst of flame at his companions on his last word, expecting to hear more screams of pain too whilst he blows them all back into the sturdy trees that line the coastline, hoping to finish them off as a 'bonus'. Except that when he does, they fade away before they reappear and repeat the same thing in the same positions. Unable to control himself anymore, he lets out a ferocious roar, a combination of unbottled fury and pain in his voice. "I was right... you have been by their side weren't you?! YOU WERE ALL SUPPORTING MY DOWNFALL BEHIND MY BACK! THAT'S WHY YOU CAME TO SAVE THEM, DIDN'T YOU?! THAT'S WHY HE'S ON YOUR SIDE!" Rixi again screams without thinking, slashing unceremoniously at all nine shifters plus their stray friends as he ignites unstably, leaving Daisy for last. He can't even tell if the Shifters he lead are even fighting back, nor he doesn't want to know at this point in time. "NAZE?! NAZE WATASHI... O FOROU... SHITA NODESU KA?! (なぜ?! なぜ私をフォローしたのですか, WHY?! WHY DID YOU FOLLOW ME?!) I TOLD YOU NOT TO FOLLOW ME! ALL OF YOU! I NEVER HAVE THOUGHT OF ANY OF YOU AT ALL! YOU DON'T DESERVE MY CARE! MY RESPECT! MY-" He stops short when he turns to the one girl he loves the most. And then he sees the entire thing repeat again as everyone had their wounds healed and the same message the wood elf screams is repeated.
"You shouldn't ha-ARRGH!" He screams, finally realising that by wasting his energy he's only going to relieve this horrendous vision. Clutching his head in pain as he briefly drops his polearm, he turns towards the shifters again, before he arches his head down to the floor. "What is... You... Y-y-y-you should- No... this isn't real! This isn't real! They're not with me...! AGGH!" To himself, it seems that he's caught up in a literal boss fight since Tiamat... except this time, he's the boss that everyone wants to strike down. No wait... that's not him... because it seems like there's someone else... someone standing in front of him... telling him something inaudible as he looks up. His molten face... his deceptive smile... the flames standing on his molten hair... this man looks familiar to him... "M... Magmarion?! O-o-otou-san?!" Rixi gasps before that smirking illusion fades from his sight. Closing his eyes, he suddenly opens his hands and recalls what he had done; the appearance of his adoptive father only means something important. And important to him alone. He had succeeded. He has accomplished goal hasn't he. But at what cost? Why isn't he happy about it? Why does he feel so much guilt? So much pain? So much... regret?
At least... that's what he perceives. Because something that's being encased by his demon... something he feels... is still holding off on it own... (Rixi's WIS Save: Dirty 20; Also waiting if he needs to roll any attack)
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)