"I don't feel that letting them leave with the relic in their handd to be a good plan.... But if you say so, I will believe in your word."
"Oh, I apologize... I haven't introduced myself yet, right? I'm Lokam Pilgrim, just a simple Aspirant... Say, what layer do you belong to?"
"I don't like it either, we'll want to avoid that if we can, but we'll have to play it careful. Throwing our lives away won't do us any good either, and then the Church will never learn what went down here.
Well met, Lokam the Ethral. I'm just a simple aspirant as well, but I hope to one day climb to the top of the church by, ironically, going deeper."
After seeing the lava filled cave they stumbled into, Adam reflexively wipes the sweat off his brow.
"Well, if this ain't an unwelcome surprise. Oof, this heat is killing me!"
Take a look at that structure. Does it look like the structure and its immediate environment is cooler than the rest of the nearby magma? And relatedly, does it seem like one could survive the heat there at all, perhaps uncomfortably? Or are we talking boiled-alive-instantly here?
Look at that worm thing. Have I ever heard of something similar before? Any clues in the black book perhaps?
How many guards are currently watching us? And do I see any that seem to have a detonator with them of sorts?
Finally, can I see any solidified magma bridge that extends from the cavern wall to the crystal structure that we could potentiall use to walk over there?
Name: Adam Blavatsky Darvaza
Description: A young man of slightly pale complexion and eternal 9 o’clock shadow, he was raised in a small village. While the village priest and passing mystics droned with endless sermons of the Church and their teachings, what had always captivated young Adam’s attention more were the stories of his Granny.
Old stories of the world as it once was, before people were forced to flee to the caves and crannies of this damp hell. Of warm days where pleasant green plants tickled your feet as you walked through them and a cool breeze blew through your hair. Where food was plentiful, nature was benign and endless vistas reached as far as they eye could see.
Adam was nominally a card-carrying member of the church, though he mostly did it for the connections and perks that brought. They were powerful and had ancient lore, all things he would need to fulfill his true heart’s desire: to return to the surface, vanquish the madness that tainted their homeland and reconquer paradise.
Goal: Plunge the secrets of the depths below to find an answer to the horrors above.
Stats
Str: 10
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 10
Kno: 10
Ner: 13
Skills
Diving: +3
Stealth: +2
Occult: +1
Inventory
Clothing: simple priest robes, shortened a bit so as to less restrict his movements
1 minor artifact
1 black book copy
1 black flame
1 Silent Night
1 field lighter
23 fathoms
[14] You look at that worm thing. You look in the black book. You look back at the worm thing. Hmm. You flip through pages.
"There are lots of dangerous things in the world. Non-believers say this is because god is cruel or doesn't exist, but believers know its because they were put here as a test of our faith. Don't get discouraged.”Hmm clearly this is a rather interpretative knockoff. You close the book and scratch your head. You really don't know of anything like this. So you turn around and look back into the tunnel. There are five guards back there, standing in a line with their rifles in hand. Several have their hands either in or near their pockets. You don't see a detonator, but that seems like a pretty good indication of where one would be. You turn back and look around the cave for bridges or overhangs or really anything that might let you get over to the ruins. There are none; the walls are sort of brain like with rounded ridges and chaotic folds but none of these extend very far from the wall.
Drett sighs as he finally makes his way out of a stupor and the bore, his eyes scanning the cavern under his mask. Nice and bright. At least we do not have to worry about lighting in here.
I don't suppose anyone here can swim through molten rock and make it out alive? He chitters under his breath, Damn my species' ingenuity, if we had more than a day this wouldn't be so damned-above difficult.
Aloud again, he says, It may be better for us to re-enter the cavern from another angle. This one appears to be useless for us.
What information can I glean from this cavern?
Do I know whether or not gemstone people were resistant to molten magma? (assuming this information was shared)
Can I tell what the wormy thing is? A guardian, some anomaly, maybe an old resident?
Just for funsies, can I determine what rocks the cavern walls are made of, and how it differs, if at all, from the surrounding bedrock?
Desc: Coated wholly in downy white bugfur, he is crowned with two fuzzy antennae and collared by a just-as-fluffy mane. His limbs are dainty, almost gangly if it weren't for his 4 hand a half foot stature. His cloak is a mottled light gray, able to blend in better with the environment than his alabaster being. A silver mask adorns his face, with a circle carve in the top third, stylized lightrays splitting the mask in half and coming down in symmetrical angles. The eyeslits are angled, almost malevolent looking.
Goal: Concerned with the Light of Knowledge, Drett has taken it upon himself to study the complexities of biological organisms, and lesser so, how those organisms may bond and interact with the world around them. Having learned all he could of Ethrals, he has signed onto the bore in order to better understand those species he coexists with
Str:7 Dex:12 Spe:10 End:8 Awa:7 Cun:14 Kno:15 Ner:10
Medical +2
Biological +2
Mechanical +1
Chemical +1
Occult +1
Archeology +1
1x Doctor's Bag - 25
1x Field Lighter -3
6x Cave Spider Venom - 18
Fathoms - 10
[5]
You look around, sticking your head out into the cavern to see as much as possible. Volcanic, clearly, though it probably wasn't so flooded in the past. You doubt the gemstone people, resistant as they probably were, would want to build their structures half submerged in magma. They might have been able to survive it but it would have been quite a hassle; like building your house in a mud pit. There are no entrances here either; chances are that this cave used to be either cold or only have a small amount of magma in it, but an eruption forced more into the cavern and coated the walls at some point, blocking off any existing entrances. Unless there's one under the magma. Which is completely possible. You tap a finger against your hard exoskeleton, lost in thought.
[1] You've heard about things like that star worm; you think it might be what humans call a "Golem", a servant creature the gemstone people created. There are many known kinds that they created for various purposes, but this one looks like what is called a "Diamondback". Those stars are actually the core of the creature, giant diamonds, and the black haze is a cloud of obsidian fragments. It is believed that they were used in construction, engraving, carving, that sort of thing. They're rarely seen but not hostile from what you've heard. Though contact with them would be dangerous none the less; its a cloud of obsidian razors flying around with the force of a train, not the sort of thing you'd like to walk into.
[20] You don't have even a single clue what that rock is.
"A little help? Anyone? No? Well, as Mother Church would say: 'The troubles of this world are shallow, My Child. You will find Peace in the Depths.' Second Stratum, Fifth Vein, first pocket.
Diving has brought me to this point, diving will carry me on."
AsHul Closes his eyes and pictures his Map of The Depths, inscribed on the inner cover of his copy of The Black Book.
material, tech, fundamental forces. Alteration? Thy Path is FourFold. Sealing. Thy Path is ThreeFold. Movement. Thy Path is Threefold
If you've dug yourself a hole you cannot climb out of, Dig Deeper!
Forst, place my other Fathom on the floor at about arm's length, but within easy reach.
Going to go to Tzimtzvot (elemental forces). Reinforce with one roll.
Then through Akhmah to Es (move, control). Reinforce with five rolls.
Move the magnetic force out of the collar and into the Fathom
I hope I still have advantage on my nerve rolls.
So the final spell will look like:
nerve rolls:
Tzimtzvot: 2 (elemental forces: magnetism)
Akhmah: 1 (passage)
Es: 6
Final Sanity Nerve Roll: 1
Total nerve rolls: 10
Final stat roll: Strength(9) + Diving(3) = 12. a 55% chance of success.
Name: AsHul
Description:Former human. Awful, ugly, indifferent
Goal:To find God
Stats
Str:9 Dex:8 Spe:8 End:10 Awa:12 Cun:10 Kno:10 Ner:16
Skills
Diving: 3
Animal Handling: 2
Survival: 1
Inventory
Relic Fragment
Black Book (copy)
1 Silent Night - calming. gives advantage on diving rolls
4 Worm Blood - steadies nerves
2 Occult Junks
2 Fathoms
[16 + 18 + 15 + 4 + 13 + 16 + 3 + 18 + 17][18, 10]
You take your last fathom and stick it out at arms length, just far enough out that you can get it with your finger tips. Then you close your eyes and dive once more. As you return to consciousness, shattered images of worlds beyond quickly fading from your memory as they always do, you hear a metallic clank. You carefully try to sit up and find that you can do so fairly easily. The collar is still quite heavy -there's probably a big chunk of metal where the explosive used to be, adding considerable weight- but no longer magnetic. The Fathom, on the other hand, is absurdly magnetic. You try to pry it free from the floor and cannot budge it. Huh. Guess that's what happens when a big, powerful magnetic force gets placed in a very small container.
The safest place is wherever Nyw'geuq is. Other than that I don't care where we're going.
Hmm. May as well get the measure of our guard detail. Describe in great detail the guns they're using, please!
More useful but less interesting: is it obvious that they're carrying radio devices to set off the collars? If so, do they all have one? Do the radios have buttons for each of us or just one panic button? Are the obviously carrying keys to the collars, as well?
Name: Wiellste Gunsmithy
Description: A young Ethral, no taller than 4 feet tall. Her fur is unpatterned and a milky white. Usually wears a rather plain quilted brown silk cloak, and a polished copper mask with symmetrical, spiraling lines etched on the sides.
Goal: Wiellste is like many Ethral in that she seeks to gather knowledge about the world before all else. Though being an Ethral from Knot, her skills are largely more on the practical building side than the scholarly side. She isn't particularly invested in the teachings of the Tenebrous Church, but the idea of the spheres intrigues her, especially Balarim, with it's writings and technology.
Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 15
Kno: 13
Ner: 11
Skills:
Weaponsmith 2
Diving 2
Pistol 1
Bore 1
Translate 1
Stealth 1
Inventory:
Silk cloak
Copper mask
Revolver 7/7
1 Fathom
Missed me ya big idiot. <3
I completed this in discord. Feel free to repost it or just go from there.
Faffing about actions:
If there's a possibility that it could work, search the bore again for pieces of junk I've missed
After/otherwise, I'd like crafting recipes/parts/junk needed for the following:
-Radios/walkie talkies
-Flame/chemical thrower
-Namite. If namite isn't possible, some other flammable liquid, plus points if it sticks like napalm.
-Sticky goop. Goop that sticks, then expands and hardens.
-combat drugs, to enhance dex, str or end.
-regular old hallucinogenic drugs. Anywhere from mild LSD to full on xenospit is fine.
-A guitar/banjo/ukelele. Just instruments in general really. Gotta get that moth idol group going someday.
Here we go. You guys should make a list of these, to keep us all honest. Wiki gnomes?
1. Circuit board, Speaker, 2 electronic junk, 1 structural.
2. Igniter, tank, 1 mechanical, 3 structural, and then 1 chemical junk if you want it fueled.
3. 3 chemical junk to make something like napalm or namite.
4. 2 chemical junk
5. A chemical lab, first. Otherwise it depends on what you're trying to enhance specifically. For Str, 2 chemical junk and Beetleman psudeomuscle fibers.
6. 1 chemical junk, and 1 of just about any oddly colored mold or mushroom you can find.
7. Assuming acoustic, we can just throw between 2-5 structural at it and make one.
Can I tell if there is any angle from which it would be safest to approach to avoid the dragon? Can I detect any pattern in its movements?
How safe would it be to try to reach the top of the ruins via Zipline or by climbing a rope straight down from the ceiling? I'm concerned about the dragon and about being blown away by the winds.
Do the top of the ruins look like they have entrances leading into the ruins? Or at least some windows we could climb through?
Do I know anything about the material the ruins are made of? Does it look like we could break through it with a pick? What about an explosion?
Are there any safe paths through the magma lake to the ruins? Any path of hardened magma or maybe some fallen rock forming a bridge? If yes, how stable/safe does it look?
Edit: simplified the questions a bit
Name: "Kara" is what most humans call her, though the closest pronunciation would be Kr'ra-Kax
Race: Corven (advantage for climb, disadvantage for falls)
Appearance: She is a crow-like Corven with matte-black feathers. A bit short. Constantly moves her head around, examining her surroundings. Moves her tail up and down whenever she's excited.
Age: Adult, but just barely
Goal: Wants to find artifacts and experiences that she can use to make an (under)world-famous museum. Wants to prove herself to her mother and piss off her brother with her success (both financially and socially).
StatsStr:8
Dex:13
Spe:13
End:6
Awa:12
Cun:10
Kno:8 + 3 = 11
Ner:10
SkillsRifle: 1
Medical: 1
Translate: 1
Acrobatics: 1
Caving: 1
Machine Control: 1
Stealth: 1
Geology: 1
Archeology: 1
Navigation: 1
InventorySimple Clothes
Ethral Rifle (rifle 3, pierce 3) 7/7
Silk Rope 100/100 feet
Grappling Hook
Field Lighter (Fire 2)
Kara's Diary
[10] You watch it a bit but you can't really figure out a good angle of attack. It seems too random to you.
[20] You have absolutely no fucking clue but your gut feeling says that both are probably possible?
You have to really squint and turn your head to get a good look, but it does look like there are openings in the top of the structure. The building is so odd and seemingly naturally grown that its hard to say whats just a divot and whats a window, but you're pretty sure there are openings you could get through.
[17] No idea what that is or anything about it.
Nothing you can see, at least not from where you are.
Silently sit on the ground and start reading my Black Book to pass time. Maybe I can find something useful for this situation.
Name: Lokam Pilgrim
Description: Lokam is an Ethral Aspirant of the Tenebrous Chruch currently on pilgrimage. His soft fur is pale yellow, his large and fuzzy mane is golden and antennae and wings are dark purple with white details. His antennae, unlike most Ethral, are also very long and fluffy. Most of the time, he's wearing his silky church robes, which also have a hood included. His mask is very dark purple, with bright yellow spirals and curves, similar to tentacles.
Goal: His goal is to just complete his pilgrimage and ascend in the chruch. He wishes to go as deep as possible and someday become a Living Saint, Stygian or even a member of the Council. But his dream is to someday go deeper than everyone, reach the center and finally find God.
Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 13
Kno: 13
Ner: 13
Skills:
Diving: 3
Caving: 1
Navigation: 1
Survival: 1
Translate: 1
Inventory:
The Black Book (Real)
Black Flame
Bag of Path Markers
Silk Aspirant Gray Robes
Purple Mask
“GOD walks in stone, forever deeper, forever in greater darkness. We seek His path, neath our feet and in our hearts. Travel the path of the divine and you will know your purpose.”Determine what kind of rock the surrounding area consists of. What minerals do they contain and would they be useful for creating more TNT?
Name: Alex Wells
Description: A middle aged man standing 5'7" feet tall. He has short brown hair and an unkempt beard.
Goal: Exploring the depths and collecting its wealth.
Stats:
Str: 11
Dex: 10
Spe: 10
End: 10
Awa: 10
Cun: 12
Kno: 10
Ner: 10
Skills:
Explosives 2
Mechanical 1
Survival 1
Caving 1
Chemical 2
Geology 1
Inventory:
Dynamo Lantern
Field Lighter
3 TNT
Bladed Shovel
Mail Shirt
8 Fathoms
[14] Even with your geological knowledge you're not entirely sure what the make up of this rock is.
Hmm. What do I know about that worm thing? Does the lava provide enough of an updraft to fly using my wings in here? What about if carrying one end of a rope?
Name: Wiellste Gunsmithy
Description: A young Ethral, no taller than 4 feet tall. Her fur is unpatterned and a milky white. Usually wears a rather plain quilted brown silk cloak, and a polished copper mask with symmetrical, spiraling lines etched on the sides.
Goal: Wiellste is like many Ethral in that she seeks to gather knowledge about the world before all else. Though being an Ethral from Knot, her skills are largely more on the practical building side than the scholarly side. She isn't particularly invested in the teachings of the Tenebrous Church, but the idea of the spheres intrigues her, especially Balarim, with it's writings and technology.
Stats:
Str: 7
Dex: 12
Spe: 10
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 15
Kno: 13
Ner: 11
Skills:
Weaponsmith 2
Diving 2
Pistol 1
Bore 1
Translate 1
Stealth 1
Inventory:
Silk cloak
Copper mask
Revolver 7/7
1 Fathom
I'll assume that the other Mothy man who figured things out about the Diamondback was kind enough to share his knowledge.
You're about 90% certain the thermals are strong enough here for you to glide to the ruin while carrying a rope. Assuming no mistakes or accidents, of course.
Examine the surrounding area and try to find a safe path for the group to take.
Name: Garos Ellon
Description: Garos is a 4 feet moth-creature, with a black fur coating his body, the only different colors standing out on his form are located on his wings; blue circular marks that do give him two "eyes" on the back. Aside from the mask his kind naturally wears, he is also wearing a worn kettle helmet, which while doesn't provide the protection it normally should due to its current condition works like his lucky charm. The mask Garos wears is somewhat plain looking, all black aside from some blue marks along the "cheeks" and a crudely drawn star on the forehead area.
Goal: He is just hoping to gather himself a fortune and hopefully some fame too, just in case the hiring-and-shooting business becomes a necessity.
Stats
Str: 7
Dex: 12+2
Spe: 10+1
End: 8
Awa: 7
Cun: 13
Kno: 13
Ner: 10
Skills
Weapon Skill: 2
Stealth: 2
Acrobatics: 2
Defense Skill: 1
Inventory
(40)Ethral Rifle [7/7]
Silk Cloak
[1] With your skill set, you think one possible method might be climbing. The walls of the cavern are quite ridged and provide plenty of hand and foot holds that could make even the oververtical nature of the top of the cavern traversable. With some rope you could climb to the top of the cavern and then just float down and land on the ruins, laying a zipline as you do so. It would be dangerous but you believe it is totally doable.
Examine the surrounding area, looking for hidden passageways or secret mechanisms to get to the ruin. If you don't find any, ask the others that brought some rope to give you theirs so you can make a zipline with your grappling hook.
((Can I get a bonus to the roll looking for a way to the ruins from my navigation +1 skill or would that be a stretch ?))
Name: Rick. No last name, just Rick.
Race: Mole-Man
Description: Rick is muscular and tall, even by mole-men standards. His fur is black and generally messy. His body bears many scars from past battles, most notably one over his left eye.
Goal: Rick's goal is to become stronger, maybe even strong enough to one day face the horrors of the surface.
Stats
Str: 12 + 1
Dex: 10 + 1
Spe: 8
End: 12 + 1
Awa: 10
Cun: 9
Kno: 9
Ner: 10
Skills:
Unarmed + 3
Survival + 1
Navigation + 1
Acrobatics + 1
Animal Handling + 1
Inventory:
7 + 4 + 7 = 18 + 20 = 38Ordinary Clothes (-0)
Mail Shirt (-20)
Grappling Hook (-10)
Cave Spider Venom (-3)
100 feet of Silk Rope (-5)
[9] You look around for hidden passages or secret mechanisms. You do see something far below, just on the edge of the magma pool. It looks like the upper portion of an arch or tunnel set into the stone. Its half submerged in magma though. Maybe the original entrance to the ruins?
So that I can make a zipline? Do it yourself!~
You ask around for rope, though its up to other players to actually give it to you.
Author
Topic: DIG: Heresy (Read 414140 times)