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[Slyph]

"Feeling greedy already?"Linea sheathed her knife and readied her bow, chuckling mildly like a mischievous kid with a slingshot preparing to rustle some ripe apples from an orchard. Her arrow may not create an explosion on the level of her mentor's crystal arrow, but the blast should be enough to jar the pillar.

[wierd]

When the damn thing fell, it had startled him terribly, that much was certain-- but the reality of the situation was dawning on him from every side.

They were woefully under-equipped for a task this large. They were being grossly underpaid for a task of this magnitude. If they were to have any chance at long-term success, they needed to grab on to every advantageous development that happened their way, and not let go, until the situation was in their favor.

He did not consider that greed; It was prudence. Despite having only one working eye, he was NOT blind. He *Had* seen the dead heart of this forest during the climb up, from that lofty window view in the stair.  There was a LOT of work to do.


It ain't greed, if ya ain't takin' more an ya need. he gruffed, before taking a slow, deep breath, making an unpleasant face, then standing up in a quick motion and then exhaling again.

If those there baubles can help us get our job done, and whoe'er made this taudry brothel of a tower is involved in the goin's on as what's makin the poor critters lose their damn minds, and killin everythang for miles-- then turnin' those gaudy thayngs against whute'er's goin on, is just poetic justice in muh mind. There was a raspy quality in his speech since standing up. Not terrible, but enough to sound a little off. Asides, the villagers ain't payin us enough to keep body an soul tegether anywhoo. --Hell, Betwixt us, we got wha- maybe a hunerd gold for riskin our necks? I gots a bear I gotta feed ye know? She caint help she's big as a barn-- We gotta keep on goin' sommow. Money don' grow on trees, but clearly it does fall offn' walls.

After that, the old hobo pulled his bow, knocked an arrow, and took aim at the next panel in line.

Af'er you miss-- Jus' dont take the whole wall daown-- It'd be a nastay ride--

[Frank]

"Feeling greedy already?"Linea sheathed her knife and readied her bow, chuckling mildly like a mischievous kid with a slingshot preparing to rustle some ripe apples from an orchard. Her arrow may not create an explosion on the level of her mentor's crystal arrow, but the blast should be enough to jar the pillar.

The arrow arcs through the air and strikes the glass panel holding the gem. It explodes... in slow motion. The flames billow outward, an orange-and-crimson flower furling open its delicate petals. After a few seconds, the flames begin to reverse and seem to get sucked into the glass... or into the gem inside it. Slowly all the gems start glowing a deep scarlet and bathe the whole room in that light, making every person within look like they're bathed in blood.

Gems (East): 3/3 gems glow
Gems (West): 4/4 gems glow

Burt then looked in the room we just unlocked.

There is yet another stairway, leading upstairs.

[wierd]

Well naow.... 'At's diff'nt!  I hope the door's still op'n!

[Frank]

Well naow.... 'At's diff'nt!  I hope the door's still op'n!

All doors remain open. For now.

[wierd]

Given the "welcome" the floor below had offered, he was having severe second-thoughts on trying to knock any more of those glowing hunks of [expletive] off the wall, and he slowly unstretched the bow, and put the arrow back into his quiver.


I uh... I think I'ma go upstarrs-- afore those things get any angrier lookin'...  he breathed, before skirting a sideways walk back to Mama, and then gliding with her toward the still open doors, half expecting them to slam before he got there; his cautious eye not once leaving the glowing rocks stuck in the wall, wary they might erupt into angry death-beams at any minute.

[The Centipede]

"Tough glass... More importantly, they can absorb magic... "

Dixie stares at the sapphire in her hand for a while, then puts it in the neck/chest pocket of her leather armor. "Let's come back for the gems later. "

She then follows Jack, climbing up the next set of stairs.

Not before waiting on Lucy so she can hold his hand on the way, though.

[Frank]

The party files through the door and starts climbing. As they trudge up the stairs a chill seeps into the air. Looking outside the windows no longer offers a view of the forest, but just a blank whiteness. A wispy smoke without form, its appearance cotton sponge one moment, silvery threads the next.

The waiting room greets them with welcome warmth, the torches and riotous appearance a familiar sight by now. The door at the end this time is unpainted, the distinctive texture and creamy colors of honeywood contrasting with its lustrous opal handles.

The door opens easily and leads to another large room. Immediately standing out are what look like ghosts standing in formation, clad in battle gear. On closer inspection it is just the work of some sort of illusory magic. The “ghosts” are a conjuration of light and insubstantial. They can be passed through freely and seem to be projected through tiny crystals embedded in the floor.

Looking at the floor reveals a checkerboard pattern spanning the whole room. The ghostly figures stand facing away from the party, occupying the row closest to them. A quick check reveals the room to be a 10x10 board, and the illusions some sort of macabre chess pieces.

To the left of the party is a podium with a book, and and a regular sized board of this game with ten pieces, on it.

[wierd]

Jack moves uneasily toward the podium, and looks through the book.

[The Centipede]

"It's chess... but the board size is wrong, it should be an eight-by-eight grid..."

Dixie glances at the regular-sized version, noting the massive lack of pieces on it. " Looks like we won't be playing a full game, either. "

She sighed." It's another puzzle. "

[MeimieFan88]

Jack moves uneasily toward the podium, and looks through the book.

Opening the book reveals the ruleset for the room sized board game:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Goblin Chess

Greeting Adventurers, Rogues and Magickers!

To proceed you need only play a game of Goblin Chess. The next door will open, win or lose, but you might earn great riches on winning, so do try to win. What riches exactly, who knows?

To play, pick any piece from the board on this podium. The King and Queen start out in the middle, flanked by Bishops, bordered by Mages, surrounded by Knights, ensconced within Rooks. Once all able combatants have picked a piece they will be projected to their positions on the field and the game will begin in earnest. Do note that pieces can only move as long as the player is still projecting themselves into the game, you may withdraw at any time but

For this game you can use your piece’s attacks and special abilities, as well as your own attacks and techniques though they may not be as effective in this battle. All players have to decide their actions simultaneously before moving and attacking. Movement is, of course, analogous to the regular Goblin Chess everyone knows and loves to play. For those who don’t know the rules:

Take the King’s head to win.

The King moves and attacks one square away from himself. The King can summon and control a Pawn, which moves one square forward and attacks one square diagonally ahead. Upon reaching the end of the board, the Pawn can transform into a Mage.

The Queen can move and attack vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

Rooks can move and attack in straight lines. Rooks can exchange places with their King once per game.

Bishops can move and attack diagonally. Bishops can also place a barrier on one unit at a time, which will heal them every turn. The barrier fully absorbs one instance of damage and is destroyed when attacked.

Knights move and attack one-two or two-one squares (L-shaped). They can move through other pieces.

Mages move in a diamond pattern around them (link here) but cannot attack adjacent pieces. They can move through other pieces. Mages have special abilities:
1. Arcane Missile - target any tile, hits the first enemy piece in the attack’s path (this replaces the Mage’s basic attack)
2. Fireball - target any tile, all enemy pieces on that tile and adjacent tiles are dealt damage.

For this game of Goblin Chess however, enemy Mage pieces will be replaced by Demon pieces, which are like Mage pieces but cooler.

For any kill made with a melee attack, the attacker will take the position of the removed piece.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

[wierd]

Jack had had about enough of these damn puzzles.  Pulling the knapped flint knife from his boot, he angrily strode over to the box of pieces, and found that there were no black pieces inside-- Undaunted, the old hobo claims the white king, and storms over to the clever girl.


THey wan' us to play some DAMN FOOL GAME to go on, and I ain't playin! No more! I about crapped muh damn drawers two floors daown, nearly got cut up by a whirlin blade o doom, you nearly got snuffed by magic in rapid successions-- [expletive] this dayum game! I need ye to make this 'ere white king blacker an' pitch-- Can ye do it?

Dixie smiled mischeviously, then held out her hand for the proffered piece.  Several seconds of livid red glow from her clenched fist, and a cloud of white smoke wafted up, before she returned the item, charred black as night.


Aye-- At'll do! At'll do nicely!

Taking the knapped flint knife from his boot, the old hobo furiously and vindicitvely begins his "surgery" on the chesspiece--
Finally, after several minutes of labor, he had the prize he sought.

He held the head up in the room, and declared
I WIN! I GOT THE [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] HEAD RIGHT [expletive deleted] HERE, NOW OP'N THE [expletive deleted] DOOR!

[Frank]

Jack had had about enough of these damn puzzles.  Pulling the knapped flint knife from his boot, he angrily strode over to the box of pieces, and found that there were no black pieces inside-- Undaunted, the old hobo claims the white king, and storms over to the clever girl.


THey wan' us to play some DAMN FOOL GAME to go on, and I ain't playin! No more! I about crapped muh damn drawers two floors daown, nearly got cut up by a whirlin blade o doom, you nearly got snuffed by magic in rapid successions-- [expletive] this dayum game! I need ye to make this 'ere white king blacker an' pitch-- Can ye do it?

Dixie smiled mischeviously, then held out her hand for the proffered piece.  Several seconds of livid red glow from her clenched fist, and a cloud of white smoke wafted up, before she returned the item, charred black as night.


Aye-- At'll do! At'll do nicely!

Taking the knapped flint knife from his boot, the old hobo furiously and vindicitvely begins his "surgery" on the chesspiece--
Finally, after several minutes of labor, he had the prize he sought.

He held the head up in the room, and declared
I WIN! I GOT THE [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] HEAD RIGHT [expletive deleted] HERE, NOW OP'N THE [expletive deleted] DOOR!

The white King piece gets slightly browned by the magical flames, and after much effort the head is separated from the body by Jack's knife. Nothing happens following his proclamation for several moments.

Suddenly a loud grinding sound can be heard. On one side of the room, close to the midway point of the board, a figure is raised on a platform through a trapdoor in the floor. It is a metallic statue of a woman, 12 feet or so in height, her form as beautiful and supple as the finest Hellen masonic craft. She is seated on a throne of gears, the parts moving slowly and producing erratic tick and click sounds. A sash covers her eyes. She turns around and faces the players, an readable expression on her face. She opens her mouth and speaks without moving her lips, addressing One Eye'd Jack. Her gaze is directed somewhere far away, beyond the assembled party.

"I am the arbiter of this room. Do you accept the challenge, or do you wish to concede?"

[wierd]

The challenge says "Take the king's head to win." ya stony old hag-- Either live up ta the rules YOU wrote, or shut up! I took the head, now do the damn needful!

[Frank]

The challenge says "Take the king's head to win." ya stony old hag-- Either live up ta the rules YOU wrote, or shut up! I took the head, now do the damn needful!

The woman continues to look ahead, her lips slightly parted. Behind her ten more illusions materialize out of the floor, taking their place on the opposite side of the room.

"The King's head seems intact to me. You may see for yourself."

A portly, crowned illusion near the center waves his arm at the party, followed by a rude beckoning gesture.

"Will you accept the challenge, or will you concede? You may pass here regardless of victory."