Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

[dragoon93041]

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:42/42 Status: Fine

The Labyrinth of Freedom

An underground maze rumored to hold an item that could be used to break any enchantment, no matter how strong. Whether the person had been turned into a slime or were trapped as a slave under a dominance collar, this item could return someone to their original form, mind, and soul. There were many properties that were ascribed to this item but the tales varied wildly. Some say it kill any alien it touched, others say that it could even bring the dead back to life. However, no one who entered the Labyrinth has found the item. Most never returned. Those who had spoke of fearsome beasts and devious traps.

However, there will always be those who seek such legendary items. Even if it did not exist, the unfortunate adventurers that did not escape had had items that were worth their weight in gold. Just finding them and escaping for the maze would bring enough wealth to never have to travel again. Or, if the wanderlust proved too much, those items could be used to bring the seeker to greater heights and allow them to search where they never could have before.

This story opens with another intrepid adventurer. Though the citizens of a nearby village had warned her of the dangers, she had not been dissuaded. Finally, a guide offered to take her there. Money passed hands and the guide took her to the entrance of a cave. Then he lit a torch and led her past dead ends and branches that were filled with nothing but toxic air. As they got near, she saw the walls of the Labyrinth for the first time. They were made a solid metal, though she could not identify it. The guide gave her his torch as he lit another. He mentioned that he would be coming back once a week for one month. If she never appeared, it was assumed that she was another one lost to the maze.

As she entered, the maze split into three paths. One kept going straight, one left, one right. The passage to the right had light spilling out from around a corner. The other two had no differences as she could see.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Kaena smiled at the guide as he led her to a crossroads, waiting a moment for him to explain what lay in wait on the directions they wouldn't be taking, but when he announced his departure that expression didn't fade. The rest of the way she would apparently be going on her own, but that didn't terribly bother the adventurous young woman, and she nodded in response to his promise to return once a week for the next month. "I'll only need a day, but thanks~ I should be able to find my way back," she said, and it was true. Not only did she have an impeccable sense of direction and a near perfect memory, but she knew a trick or two that would see her through any maze.

Blowing the man a kiss after bidding him farewell, she waved her new torch briefly before glancing at the directions available to her. Three ways to go, the ones ahead and to the left featureless but the one to the right sporting a light. She examined it for a moment, trying to tell if it was a constant source or the flickering light of a flame. Then she glanced at her torch and either planted it in the ground or laid it against the wall, whatever she could do to ensure that it wouldn't be in her eyes, wouldn't give her away directly, and wouldn't cause her to cast a shadow that would give away her presence. Her eyes would let her see in the dark just fine, and worst case scenario she could douse the flame entirely and rely on her excellent night vision in order to see.

Whether she placed the torch for later retrieval or doused it, Kaena advanced on the pads of her feet, creeping forward slowly but surely towards the crossroads while hugging the right hand wall. She kept her eyes glued directly ahead and her spread wide apart for better stability, making sure that nothing was secretly lying in wait down the two seemingly empty passageways. Once she was almost at the corner, assuming she hadn't seen something that made her go still, Kaena paused and held perfectly still. She tilted her ears about, listening intently for any signs of something waiting around the corner, breathing through her nose to try and detect any scents that might indicate the presence of something as well. If neither of those senses notified her of anything, Kaena would cautiously peek around the corner to try and determine the source of the light.

(Stealth modo, and possibly a perception check depending.)

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:42/42 Status: Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

14+23 Perception v 35 DC- Success!

The light was flickering, much like her own torch. She couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary, no smells or anything, until she got close. She smelled something very faint. Then she got closer and realized it smelled like a human. She was pretty sure there wasn't a human nearby, though. Her senses told her that a human had passed by recently but something of his was still around. When she turned around the corner, she saw a backpack left on the ground, the contents spilled out carelessly. The flickering was the torch he (she could tell it was a he) had left on the ground. It seems like he had a fair hand at magic because the torch was still going strong even on the ground while the human hadn't been there.

The human's pack was more interesting. She saw a coinpurse that had fallen open, revealing several denarii. Then she saw some kind of liquid on the pack. Looking up, she saw what the human had probably missed: part of the cieling was a little off. She saw cracks where a piece could be pulled out. The panel could probably be lifted out, letting someone or something in right above whoever was passing by. There was no way to tell what it reacted to, though. And there were monies right there. Other than that, the path continued on into darkness.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Realizing the light was flickering, that meant she could expect a fire, maybe another torch judging by the amount of light. Peeking slowly around the corner, Kaena spotted a discarded pack, one that looked as if someone had been rummaging through it with many of the contents - including a coin purse with some coins left inside - spilled out over the ground. Up above, however, she spotted what looked like a removable panel, or perhaps even a trap door. An ambush? Or, well, a trap.

"Toooo easy~" she purred quietly to herself, and with a quick dashing motion of her finger she drew the Amazonian rune for force and then snapped her fingers. The gestures weren't technically necessary, but they were the way that she channeled her energies and maintained her concentration, and when she had the chance to do them she would. The spell allowed her to extend her will as if it were a physical limb, and she used it to silently pull the pack, coinpurse and all, towards her without ever getting near whatever had snagged the previous owner. Clearly they were some sort of mage, if their torch was any indication, and something had apparently just grabbed them up.

She clearly wouldn't be going this way, but after she'd carefully dragged over the pack, the torch, and the coinpurse she would turn and examine the other two directions she had, focusing her night vision to try and see what might lie ahead and to the left.

Spoiler

Level 1 Force Spell for 0 EP, Manipulate. Grab dat loot.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:42/42 Status: Fine

In addition to the 23 denarii, Kaena finds a potion. However, the label on it read "energy potion plus ?". Apparently, the previous owner had found the potion but was unable to completely identify it. The liquid in the bottle glowed purple with occasional bright green bubbles forming. The backpack also holds standard adventuring tools, nothing that she didn't already have. There was some more rope, though, if she wanted. And lastly, as she turned the pack upside down, she noticed a hidden bottom. Inside was a journal. The journal kept track of the mage's various experiments, mostly attempting to create golems out of differing materials. It was probably worth something to the right person.

One path led to a T-junction. She could vaguely make out some words on the wall. "Welcome back." That was it. In the other direction, the ground abrutly dropped off about 10 meters ahead. Judging by the ceiling's slope, it was probably stairs or a slope. Quite a steep one too.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Searching through the pack, Kaena would pocket the coins promptly. It wasn't a fortune, but it was a gain for no risks taken, making it a definite win in her opportunistic mind. She took the rope as well, coiling it and securing it in her own bag, and after finding the mage's journal and glancing through it decided to keep that as well. Sorcerers sometimes paid good coin for the journals of their fellows, and she might be able to learn something from it. The potion she looked at dubiously for a few moments before deciding to slip that into a softened area in her bag as well, thinking to be very careful with it. It said energy, but the question mark made it a bit dubious.

With her new loot stowed, Kaena tossed aside the lost man's backpack and glanced around. One direction lead to a T intersection with a very strange message written on the wall, and the other seemed to slope downwards sharply. After a few moments, she marked the walls in the corridor she'd come from with a bit of chalk with an arrow heading towards the maze's exit and then carefully started toward the sloped hallway. She moved extremely gingerly and with the utmost caution, trying both to remain silent and to carefully look for any other dangers that the maze might produce. The ceiling, the walls, the floor.... Anywhere that a trap might be set off, she looked, and though that made her progress slower than she might like, she hadn't survived this long without learning the difference between being reckless and being daring.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:42/42 Status: Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

12+23 Perception v DC 30 Trap 1 Success
8+35 Perception Searching for Loot v DC 42 Success

The slope ends up being no more than a flight of stairs. They were steep but her agile form was able to walk down them with no problem. She even was quick enough to jump over a stair on the staircase that seemed free of any detritus, unlike the rest of the stairs. Her senses were so sharp, she was able to notice what was missing as well. Her efforts brought her to a small room.

The room looked clean. She noticed some signs that a person had stayed here for some time before leaving. Unlike the first signs of life she saw, this one seems to have left in safety. The room's right hand wall perfectly square exit. At her best guess, Kaena judged the hole to be 4 feet by 4 feet. She couldn't see much and she would have to either duck and walk awkwardly or get on all fours to go through the tunnel. Right as she was examining it, she noticed a small niche a few feet in. Something gave off a silvery gleam when her light touched it.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Proceeding carefully down the stairs and hopping over what she could only surmise was a trick step meant to set off a trap, Kaena grinned girlishly as she cleared the stairs and entered another chamber. Someone had been here, for some time, though she couldn't say exactly how recent it was. There was an exit on the right, a small square tunnel that she would have to crouch to enter comfortably, but before she moved to examine it she spotted something. A gleam that excited her, and for a moment she made for it without hesitation.

But then..... Then she stopped mid step as she was about to reach for the niche, and straightened again so that she could very carefully look around. This might be a trap as well, and she could be walking right into it. Paranoia strong enough to make her nervous caused Kaena to give the room and the niche a second glance, a very careful one, but if those searches revealed nothing she would shrug and move to examine what might be hiding in the niche anyway.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:42/42 Status: Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

3+23 Perception v DC 28 Trap 2 Failure

The niche ended up holding a bright silver ring. However, what Kaena missed was the thin, black line that connected it to a hole in the bottom of the niche. As she pulled the ring, the line snapped and she heard a groan in the stones. Behind her, a section of the hallway fell to trap her inside. Then she heard something fall to the ground and clatter against the metal floor. Then she heard a growl and claws on metal. It was getting closer.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

'Shit!' Kaena had missed the line on the silver ring she'd picked up, and it might just cost her her life. The trap had caused the entrance to seal itself off, cutting off what little light filtered into the room, leaving even her excellent night vision useless, but that wasn't necessarily a huge problem. What just might be a huge problem were the sounds of claws scraping against metal and the growl of something that sounded decidedly unfriendly. Kaena froze, ears twitching as she tried to determine how close it was and where it was coming from.

This was bad. If she conjured a ball of light, she would be out in the open and facing who knows what. If she tried to hide, the creature would probably have better vision in the pitch blackness than she did, and not only would she not know what it was, but where it was. If it found her, she'd be dead, or possibly worse depending on the nature of the creature. Having to choose between cowering in place in the dark or confronting whatever was coming for her at least made the decision easier on her, however, and Kaena drew in a steadying breath and muttered an incantation under her breath that caused a glowing orb to appear over her shoulder.

Spoiler

Level 1 Light spell. No EP cost and casting DC of zero.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:42/42 Status: Fine

Kaena's light revealed that a plate had just fallen off one of the walls, revealing a space behind the wall. It was there that the sound was coming from. The only other choice was continuing down the corridor but the size meant she wouldn't be able to move too fast. As she considered her option, a muzzle came into the light, followed by a head. It looked vaguely like a wolf but the fur was blue, it had no mouth, and it had six legs instead of four. It looked at her with piercing blue eyes. Then the muzzle opened to reveal a hole in the wolf. There wasn't a mouth, just a black hole. From that hole came a howl that hurt Kaena's ears. The muzzle closed again and it began to come for her.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

When she got a good look at the thing coming out of the darkness, Kaena immediately wished that she hadn't. "Oh.... Well.... I guess this is your cave? I think I'll... Just be going now!" she said in the midst of its how;, slowly backing away from the approaching creature until she felt her back hit a wall, leaving her out of room. It was at that point that she started fighting back panic, but Kaena was anything but without nerves in the face of danger, and the explorer quickly came up with what she hoped would work as a solution.

Ears flattened against her head to ward off some of the painfully loud howl, Kaena quickly muttered a spell under her breath and waved her hand in the air, hoping that it worked. If it did, the air in the room would begin to swirl angrily, buffeting the creature and making any motion it might try to make more difficult. She didn't know what it was or what its intentions were, but it certainly didn't seem friendly and she didn't feel like testing one way or another without some sort of precaution in place. She began to sidle along the wall, unhindered by the magical wind as she tried to put distance between her and it.

Spoiler

Casts a level 2 Wind spell, Harsh Winds.
Harsh Winds (Utility) [Any hostile creatures within 50 feet of the caster receive a -10 penalty to their Speed and attack rolls.]
Check should be DC 10 vs 15 casting. She also moves away from it as best she can without leaving the room.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:40/42 Status: Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

9+15 v DC 10 Spell Success

The wind howls in the small confines, increasing in volume until it is almost defeaning. However, the spell had its intended effect. The wolf-creature was slowed. Each step it took caused it to scrape backwards a little. Despite this, it still moved very quickly. If Kaena didn't do something quickly, it would catch up to her soon. The wall eventually turned a corner. With the light she was creating, she could see an opening farther ahead. She couldn't see what was inside but if she had it there, she'd be able to move more freely.

Distance

Spoiler

Due to unfavorable conditions, Kaena can only move half her speed. The wolf double moves. Original Distance = 52 - 26 (wolf's double move) + 9 (Kaena's move)= 35

Distance to opening: 20

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Kaena didn't have many options. The confining corridor slowed her movement and kept her from really gaining ground on the wolf thing that was still getting closer despite her wind spell slowing it down. Her back hit a corner, and she turned to see the tunnel opening up a ways ahead. That wasn't good. It might mean a better arena for her to move in, but it also meant going into the unknown with a hostile something already tailing her, and while she might sometimes behave in a manner some might call reckless, now was not one of them.

Instead, she gathered another spell, this one an offensive one that sent a bolt of flaming streaking towards the beast's face, and then started down the corridor towards the opening at a steady pace, using her ears to check when the wolf would hit the wall and she had to send another spell at it while her eyes were fixed up ahead.

Spoiler

Flaming Sphere, level three fire spell, and then move some more.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:36/42 Status: Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

10+15 v DC 20 Spell Success
2 + 30 v DC 25 Spell Hits
Damage 30

The wind continued to press back on the wolf, though it continued forward nonetheless. It was getting uncomfortably close. Then Kaena blasted it with a ball of fire. The wolf yelped, a noise that raised goosebumps on Kaena's skin. Then it turned and fled back into the hole it had come from, leaving to lick its wounds.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Well. That had gone much better than she'd expected. Releasing a sigh as she watched the monstrous canine retreat, Kaena made sure that it was gone before turning her full attention to what lay ahead of her. Peering down the tunnel with her light orb behind her so that it would let her night vision go beyond the normal range of the light rather than blinding her. Only if she saw no threats would she release her wind spell, letting it fade as she started cautiously toward the next chamber, once more looking for traps.

(Drop the wind spell. You should keep active effects in the status bar, so Light should be in there. Characters can only have three active spells or power at a time normally, so it's important to keep track of.)

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:36/42 Status: Fine
Active Spells: Light

The room appeared quiet. It turned out to be a junction that had four paths, minus the one she had come from. Each passage her had an arrow and a message. The arrow pointing to the right had "For the cleverest." From what she could see, it lead into another room. There was a plaque on the other side of the room but she couldn't quite make out what the words were. The arrow pointing to the left had "For the fastest." In this passage, the walls were broken up into different shapes. There were gaps in the wall as well. The passage leading forward had the message "For the weak." This passage didn't seem to have anything interesting in it.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Four paths, one behind that she didn't terribly feel like taking with the wolf creature still back there, and three others splitting off. Once more writing an arrow to point her back in chalk on the wall, Kaena pondered which way to go. Three signs suggested what she might face, the three options being a test of speed, a test of mental acuity, and one that she wasn't sure of. Uncertainty prompted her to discard the third option, and so was left with two, and after a moment's consideration turned down the left path reading "for the fastest." She still moved cautiously, trying to figure out what she might be in for before she actually had to face it.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Kaena Meer HP: 54/54 PP: 52/52 EP:36/42 Status: Fine
Active Spells: Light

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception 23 + 12 vs 30 DC Success
Perception 23 + 5 vs 35 DC Failure
Perception 23 + 5 vs 25 DC Success

From what Kaena could tell, the hallway was meant to move around, with the walls and ceilings covered in plates that could press inward. She couldn't tell what the holes were for, though. Something was obviously supposed to come out but... now that she looked at it, the holes were uniformly the same. Some were narrow and others were larger and shinier, as if covered in something. The holes, like the rest of the mechanism, were in all four locations: floor, both walls, and the ceiling. However, she did notice the plate at her feet. She almost tripped over it but manage to sway backwards, using her tail as a counterbalance.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Loot, Glorious Loot (Tassadar) GM'd by dragoon93041

Swaying back after examining the strange room, Kaena frowned. She hadn't seen any exits save for the holes, and given that she couldn't see any of those they made her nervous rather than hopeful. She cast a pair of boons upon herself, ones meant to see her through the strange room, and then began to cautiously move forward while looking for more plates to avoid and trying to stay away from all of the holes.

Spoiler

First, Lesser Luck Manipulation from Entropy. Then Force Armor for more Dodge. Lets see if you can calculate them on your own, show all your math.