Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The magic on the doors was impressive. The triggers were obvious, completely unobfuscated. The spell could go off in two ways. Touching any of the symbols on the door would do something in the inner workings. Messing with the door, the walls, or the magic itself in a way other then what was clearly intended would trigger a slew of powerful spells on whoever set it off. Exactly what the spells would be, or what would happen inside the door, was completely impossible for Amber to determine in less then a few weeks work.

Reading down the left side were four symbols. A triangle, two parallel lines, a single line, then another single line. Down the right hand side was a pentagon, two squares (one inside the other), three triangles very nearly joined at the tips, and an octagon around a pentagon. Each one occupied a distinct region, pressing which would trigger... something... inside the door.

While she thought on this, Amber went to the statues. The female statue did indeed seem to have a hole in the right shape and size for female genitalia. On closer inspection the figure seemed like it wasn't exactly made of stone, either. It looked softer, if not terribly much. And also layered in spells. What they would do wasn't clear, but anyone touching the woman's privates would find out quickly.

An inspection of the male statue would yield similar result. The same not-quite-stone material, and a weave of complex spells around the statuesque cock.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber stared at the markings hard, trying to determine if there was some sort of sexual intonation to the way the runes were designed. She decided that such a thing could be possible, the shapes could be roughly sexual depictions. When also looking at the bizarre, though admittedly erotic statues, she wondered if perhaps one was supposed to touch the symbols and perform a corresponding action to the statues.

Well, she couldn't be sure of anything without actually experimenting. Dropping her perception-enhancer, she stood in front of the statue of the woman and summoned a mass of entangling vines, trying to get it to stick one of its vines into the woman-statue's vagina-hole-thing... Sure she could have shapeshifted herself a cock and enjoyed the odd statue herself, but she wasn't about to risk it with all of these unknown spells set up. She would much rather the mass of vines loose a tentacle or get burned to a crisp than have something of that sort happen to her. It occurred to her that she might contact Dr. Saben, but she held off on that for now.

Spoiler

Entangling Vines Lv 2 Summon (nature). Figured if something happened it would probably kill it anyway with all 20 health it has, so I didn't bother to do any stats for it.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The vines proved cooperative, and in seconds one had plunged into the female statue. Nothing happened. Then the vine began to withdraw, and the magic triggered. It held the vine in place just before the tip exited, quite securely. The vine wasn't strong enough to break the grip of the magical trap. It could plunge back in freely, but it couldn't fully withdraw. Without direct control from Amber, the vine seemed to be pushing in and pulling out in a steady rhythm, as if it were fucking the thing. And on closer inspection, the statue's genitalia-analogue seemed to be vibrating.

It seemed likely that Amber could break the actual magic that held the vine in place without setting anything off, but it would be near the edge of her abilities. If she had instead chosen to shapeshift and try the statue herself, the 'distraction' would have at the very least made freeing herself a lengthy and frustrating process.

Spoiler

43/67 EP; +16 dodge (Arcane Armor), +14 perception (Lesser Strength), +14 dodge (Force Armor).

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Well this was...strange. Amber was glad she had had a summon bite the bullet on this one. She wondered if maybe part of it was bringing the statue to orgasm, but she decided to leave that to the summon.

In the meantime, she went back to the door and examined the symbols. If her initial hunch was right, it was possible the symbols could relate to the statue. Looking the door over, she decided the triangle was the most vaginal in nature, and perhaps the symbols had something to do with what one did to the statue.

However...On closer inspection, maybe it was a three part system. Select either what you were using and what you were using it on, and then perform the action on the statue. Sooo...Phallic object into vagina...

The first thing she pushed was the triangle. If nothing happened, she would then press the parallel lines.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

One dose of gas grants 1d4 resistance damage per turn.
2 = 2 resistance damage.

The reaction to the triangular button was delayed enough that Amber had nearly pressed the two parallel lines before she noticed it. After some minor magical activity inside the door, a pinhole opened next to the triangle, and a pink gas began to spurt into the room. It diluted until she could no longer see it within a few feet, but looking around showed dozens of spurts of pink gas all around the room.

A hint as to what the gas was came quickly. Unaccountable desire started rising inside Amber. Only a small amount, barely noticeable, but while the gas had diluted enough to be invisible - and even as she realized what happened the plumes of gas were stopping - it was still undoubtedly present. The longer she stayed here, the more lusty she would become.

Spoiler

43/67 EP, 18/20 resistance; +16 dodge (Arcane Armor), +14 perception (Lesser Strength), +14 dodge (Force Armor).

There is one dose of gas in the room.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Well this wasn't good at all. At least the statue traps made more sense now. The gas would make the victim become so lustful that they couldn't resist mounting the statues and getting stuck, to be dealt with at a later point. There had to be some method to choosing the correct button or combination thereof, but Amber didn't know it off the top of her head.

Racking her brain for a moment, she looked around the room for any sort of clue as to what to do. If nothing jumped out at her, she would press the octagon inside of the pentagon in the other column

Spoiler

Or the big, red, 'open elevator door' button

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

2,4 = 6 resistance damage

Nothing seemed immediately obvious - no symbols that appeared elsewhere in the room, or even which she had noticed so far in the temple. Instead Amber picked the most complex of the symbols, and jabbed firmly at it.

She was treated to another pinhole opening in the door, another spurt of faintly pink gas that was mirrored all around the room. This time it didn't completely dissipate. Little pink drifts formed and fell apart near the floor. The gas was hitting her harder, making those statues look increasingly useful. If she sat around and thought too long, the decision would be made for her. Of course, jabbing buttons at random had every chance of making things worse.

It seemed like there had to be some sort of way to figure out how which was the correct option. Maybe something to do with the order they were in was a hint?

Spoiler

43/67 EP, 12/20 resistance; +16 dodge (Arcane Armor), +14 perception (Lesser Strength), +14 dodge (Force Armor).

There are two doses of gas in the room.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

"Dammit..." More aphrodisiac. There had to be a pattern. Number of angles on each button? In increasing or decreasing order? Or maybe it was adding the angles? But why were there two of the same symbols?"Dammit..."

Well, she had pressed the button with the largest number of angles. Maybe now she should try the one with the smallest. She pressed the second button that had only a single line. If this one prompted another dose of gas, she was going to have to change tact.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

3,2,3 = 8

Another wrong answer, another dose of gas. By now the room seemed to have a pink haze, with large clouds forming and drifting apart all over the room. Amber didn't have terribly much time left. Each second the fact that the statues were traps became less important, and the fact that they were anatomically accurate more.

Was one of the symbols different in some way from the others? Or was there some pattern that one didn't fit? Was this all some sick joke, with none of the answers being right?

Spoiler

43/67 EP, 4/20 resistance; +16 dodge (Arcane Armor), +14 perception (Lesser Strength), +14 dodge (Force Armor).

There are three doses of gas in the room.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

As the lust began to fog her mind, Aura finally saw two options for what she could press. There were only two buttons with an even number of sides, the two lines and the two squares. And then there was that all the buttons on the left only had one shape, except for the two lines, while all on the right had two shapes, except for the one with the pentagon.

Trying to hold her breath, Amber decided she needed to get out of here sooner rather than later. She pressed the button with two lines first, and then decided to press the pentagon immediately after, without waiting to see what the first press would bring. If she was rewarded with more gas she would press the two squares followed immediately by the two lines again if just pressing the squares didn't open this damned door.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

The two lines: wrong.
The pentagon: wrong.

1,3,4,3,2 = 13
0/20 resistance. Amber gains Aroused.

The two squares: wrong.
The two lines again: wrong.

2,3,2,3,1,1 = 12

Amber jabbed two buttons in quick succession. Pink smoke flooded into the room, certainly at least twice as much as the previous instances. She was now looking at the door through a pink fog. Both literally and figuratively. She was practically dripping with lust. The statues were still clearly visible through the fog. It was hard to remember why fucking them would be a bad idea.

But she wasn't there quite yet. She gabbed at the buttons again. The two squares. More gas. The two lines... nothing. The door didn't open, but at least it wasn't punishing her for making the same guess again. By now it was hard to think. There might be time for one more button, if she could remember why she cared about the buttons, but after that the only choice would be which statue she would use. Her vine was still fucking one of them, which might be a problem.

But which button to press? There were only two left that she hadn't tried, and one of them was identical to one she had already pressed, as far as she could tell. The first single line, or the three triangles.

Spoiler

43/67 EP, 8/20 resistance; +16 dodge (Arcane Armor), +14 perception (Lesser Strength), +14 dodge (Force Armor). Aroused.

There are six doses of gas in the room.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Dammitdammitdammit Last chance, Amber could feel her control over her body slipping, her eyes going back to the statue of the woman, that pussy looking more and more inviting.

Which fucking button? Through the encroaching lust-haze, she thought she picked up on a pattern, the way the lines added up... It may have just been her lust-addled brain grasping at straws, but at this point she had no other choice. She pressed the three triangles button hoped feverishly that the door would open.

Spoiler

aaaand now I see the pattern *facepalms*

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Ha, it happens.

The desperate mermaid tried one final button. For a long moment it seemed like nothing was happening. The pink mist was so thick it would be hard to tell if more was added. Then, the door seemed to pull back slightly, and pull apart into a thousand different pieces that each vanished. As she scrambled through the open doorway, there was just barely enough time to realize that the symbols around the edge had changed. There were no straight lines anymore, and they formed a completely different set of shapes with no apparent relation to the previous set.

The door didn't immediately closer behind Amber, but fortunately some sort of enchantment still seemed to be in place, holding the pink mist back. It didn't erase the effects the stuff had already had on her body, but it wasn't going to get worse. And she could still resist running back through the doorway and mounting one of the statues, if just barely.

The next room was very much like the one she had just come from, except that instead of two lewd statues of humans, there was just one stone form. It wasn't lewd either, or even human. It was a stone crow, on a perch above the door. And there was only one symbol near this door. On the right hand side was a rectangle slightly outset from the rest of the door, and a smaller circle sticking out even from this.

The door was heavy with spells, too much to make anything out, far more then any of the previous rooms.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The moment that followed pressing the button was very tense, Amber worried that she may have once again pressed the wrong button. But then the door opened and she stumbled forward, gasping for breath once she had cleared the insidious pink mist. Glancing back fearfully, she saw that the mist was magically confined to the last room and sagged to the floor, panting raggedly. That had been way too close. "Dammit, this place...I need to be more careful."

After resting on the floor for a few minutes and trying to regain some semblance of composure, she got up to examine her surroundings. The aching need in her nether regions made this somewhat more difficult than it should have been, however she gave it her best shot. She couldn't make anything out on the door, there were just too many spells there. Instead, she focused her attention on the crow figure and the strange rectangle with a circle sticking out. She needed to figure out what was going on here before she started pushing buttons and setting off traps.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

After a minute or so consideration of the room in which nothing further was learned about either the crow or the stone button, it became clear that the aphrodisiac was wearing off. After another minute, it became clear that it was wearing off very slowly. It might take hours to go away completely. As she continued to study, a voice spoke. It wasn't loud, but in the silence it seemed to have an oddly vibrant quality. "You have to press the button!"

It was also almost petulant. The voice seemed to come from every direction at once. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting here, and now someone finally arrives and they don't press the damn button?" This time movement caught the mermaid's eye. The crow statue seemed to have blinked.

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber was caught by surprise and nearly jumped when the voice suddenly called out to her. Turning about, she tried to find the source before determining the crow statue was likely the point of origin, whether or not someone was speaking through it she would have to determine though. But still, how to address it? "Ummm...there... Who are you? Or what are you? What happens if I press the button?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Even now that she was fairly sure that the voice was from the statue, it still seemed to be coming from the whole room at once."I'm a statue. Of a crow." This time Amber was watching, and the statue had certainly blinked. "When you push the button, it will ring a bell. You may then try to convince me to tell the Master that he should let you in."

Its head moved suddenly, turning slightly sideways and facing the mermaid. Afterward it was completely still again, in a way that no living thing could ever quite manage. "Personally, I don't think you'll manage it. You barely bumbled your way past the last test. That is, the test most recently before this one."

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber sighed, more tests. She looked around the room briefly for anything else that might be important before she committed to pressing another button. If she saw nothing that stuck out, so to speak, she would go ahead and press the button, come what may. "I don't suppose saying 'please, let me in,' will do the trick, will it?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

The room went completely still for a while after Amber pushed the button. Not that it wasn't already such while the statue wasn't speaking, but this time it went on after she asked her question. Nearly a minute went by with no response from the raven. Then it shifted on its perch. "You, ah, never did say if you had any idea how long I'd been waiting for someone to reach this chamber." It blinked several times, tilting its head this way and that, much more than it had before. "I really didn't know. I sort of 'sleep' when I'm not active. No sense of time."

The raven preened, dislodging a pebble from its stone wing. After another moment it spoke. "Okay, okay! I admit it. The Master may have... passed... since the last time I was awake. Not my fault! He was old!" It seemed to compose itself. "Why are you here, anyway? If it's to see the master, he isn't taking callers at the moment." There was a split-second of stillness, then the raven spoke again. "Crap. Some of that may have been in the wrong order. Disregard the bit right after the pebble!"

 

[sturm]

Re: Trouble in the Deep (sturm) GMed by thetwo

Amber arched an eyebrow at the crow statue's response. Dead, well that figured, she had been expecting that earlier after all. Maybe if she hadn't been completely lust-addled she would have remembered that. "So he's dead huh? Why don't you just let me through then, it's no skin off your back. If you want, I'll stay and talk after I'm done here. It must be boring having no one to talk to all this time." Hopefully appealing to the statue's sense of boredom would be enough to get it to let her through, she wasn't sure she had much else in the way of bargaining power when it came to a statue.