Well the thing about fireball is you don't really target one guy with it. You kinda target all guys within a 20ft radius, which is at the very least the three of them and Margaret, who is reaching out to shake hands politely.
You also rolled a 33 on the wild magic surge, which means that your spell does ... max damage. All those sweet, sweet d6s pumped into these actually rather polite and nice adventurers. The guy with the staff goes down fucking immediately - burning alive with a horrible scream. The other two, perhaps a bit sturdier are still upright but very horribly burnt and in pain. But not enough to stop them from immediately swinging into action.
Margaret, you were standing close enough that the fireball absolutely catches you in its path - leaving at least your hand and arm burnt horribly, flesh sticking and crisp.
Sidon ... in a weird, uncanny way ... you can see a sword swinging towards you and somehow find yourself stepping out of the way before it can hit. Odd.
One brings his sword down again Owner, for castin', and the other against Guy, for being unlucky. ]
[well. she screams! because she's burning and that hurts a lot! it takes a moment, of the pain throbbing, her damaged hand, not able to focus on anything but the intensity and the voice in the back of her mind telling her that that was on purpose, owner has been being an asshole this whole trip, and her weakness is something she can't trust them with.
still, they're supposed to be a team and they're in danger. so with her other hand she'll take out her pistol and fire at the guy swinging towards guy.]
he blinks, learning in this moment that fireball is not a single target spell. ]
Ah, Margaret--
[ is the book okay?? it didn't get burnt, did it? he is not paying any attention to the guy going after him because there are more important things to worry about. ]
[ the fireball is a surprise, most of all to Margaret, who is now lightly toasted. ]
Margaret!
[ though despite how he could intuit away from the blow directed at him, he still sticks around to face down the guy going after owner, rushing to protect him with a flourish of his trident. but francy can get whatever injuries she wants, who am i to stop her. ]
[ he's whipping out his sword to try to block the sword coming at him, first and foremost. can't do anything for the team is he gets stabbed to death!!! ]
[ The Drow aiming towards own aims for the elbow of Owner's prosthetic - a heavy blow to the elbow that might slice through some of the mechanics there, the sword sticking heavily in it as he struggles to pull it back out. These guys are not running on much juice, even just one skewering from the trident (did you mean to skewer him, Sidon? Maybe you didn't, but. Your hand move, your body turned--) is enough to finish him with a terrible groan and he goes slack on the end of your weapon.
Margaret, your aim is maybe not great with burnt hands, because Guy has blocked him with ease - that Dex is so wonderful - he's held still enough that the shot of the plasma gun goes right through his head. He drops, like a broken puppet, to the floor.
[she catches her breath, putting the gun away, and then goes for her healing potion, hand trembling. even trying to open it is painful, but she doesn't let anyone else do it for her.
as for whether the book is safe - she has to open her bag to get the potion, hissing the whole time - and seems to confirm that something is still in there, but that's the most she willingly shows anyone.
she'll take a drink of the potion. tell me how much it heals. she's angry, but the pain is a little clarifying in a way. these things do happen in the heat of battle. owner looked surprised. and she doesn't disagree with someone making a judgment call and starting a fight; sometimes following that instinct is the best move.]
...Okay. That - good work, guys. [with her networking charms, she probably has a sense of what the xhorhasians might have been up to down here, maybe?] That was definitely probably going to have to go to a fight, so I'd rather we started it. Should we keep going, or does anybody need a minute?
[ well, there is a sword stuck in his prosthetic, i guess. owner tries to get it out, before internally saying fuck it and moving to just detach the entire thing from his shoulder and letting it drop to the ground.
he takes a deep breath. the book may be okay. ]
Perhaps a moment to catch our breath. [ should they rob them. ] You all did very well. My apologies, that spell was-- stronger, than I thought it would be.
[ he pulls his trident free with a splash of gore. in the end, he isn't the type to hesitate against an enemy. it's not so strange he went for a fatal blow, even if it came a little too naturally.
he at least reaches down to close the corpse's eyes. ]
It's all right—situations are like this are why we have healing potions.
[ a fight was probably inevitable, even if he doesn't like to think that way. but since margaret definitely needs a second to heal, even if she's stubbornly doing it all on her own, he'll just line up the bodies respectfully, out of the path. anything he can tell about them from taking a look at these freshly dead folks? ]
... Just be more careful next time. Here, I'll do something about your arm.
[ he will try to pull the sword out and fix the prosthetic kind of singlemindedly. also yes they should loot the corpses but guy is busy trying to fix up this arm first ]
[ The healing potion is a pretty good potion! It will remain gnarled and burnt, but healed over as if it has been healing for a week or so. Her hand is useable but painful, and could reopen if she's not careful.
You have three healing potions remaining.
The bodies are crisp and burnt and it smells horrible, but you respectfully line them all up as a warning to anyone else potentially following you to not fuck with you guys. Looking over their clothes and armor, it's all quite expensive, well-made stuff. You get the feeling these guys are probably agents of the Bright Queen, the immortal drow leader of the nation of Xhorhas. These types of warriors don't often venture this far from home: doing and dying here means their souls don't return to a Beacon, and therefore denies them any chance of being reborn again. You realize that by doing this, you have damned them to an eternal death. A strange, unnatural thing for their people.
But they've also got some sweet loot so who gives a shit. They also have a scroll on them, slightly charred at the edges but probably useable, but all of the rations ... burnt. RIP. They do have some equipment if you want it: a set of lockpicks, a full set of Wizard's components for spells (none of you cast magic), and 10,000 gold pieces. Holy shit. ]
[thanks for the lore but hell yeah hell yeah hell yeah.]
Owner, would you like that scroll? And Guy, the lockpicks? [see? she's generous. just not with her journal.] And then there's a lot of gold here - we can divide that up, but if you'd like to hold onto it for now, Sidon?
[she flexes her hand, testing it out. still painful, but usable. shall we go on ahead to the dawn crucible?]
[ really though they probably did them a favor. why would you want to be reborn in a world where four weirdos in a fracturing polycule might murder you at any moment? when you think about it, they technically killed all those other people too by turning off their blue bubble.
owner will take the offered scroll though, and will likely check it out on the walk towards their destination. ]
I do wonder how many more people are down here...?
[ okay, well. this does suck. he doesn't regret protecting his friends, but it still sucks. as he's moving the bodies, he stops for a moment, dropping one of their arms in surprise before finishing the task with a sort of grim resolution. distracted, ]
Ah, yes, I can carry it.
[ the insane amount of gold can go in his pack, but he seems pretty eager to move on. ]
It wouldn't surprise me if there are others looking for the Crucible.
[ The corridors here are tall, and imposing. Ice crawls down the walls from where the city has sunk into the earth, and it doesnโt seem as if - even in the cityโs flying days - anyone really lived here. This was constructed for a purpose. A great one, if the grandeur of the architecture is to be believed.
As you approach a set of doors, a grand plinth stands, halfway broken off at the top, but the bottom still has an inscription carved into it. I will godmode Margaret into reading it:
HERE THE GREAT WORKS OF ELATIS ARE RECORDED, FROM THE DREAMS OF OUR CITIZENS
And reading the name makes your stomach twist in โฆ joy. Like seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time. At last, at last, at last.
As you enter the facility - an enormous building on a scale you have probably only seen temples and castles in - it is a large, bowl-shaped room, sinking down into the middle where a huge golden orb sits. The ceiling is arched, and painted, inlaid with gold and silver in a constellation pattern, the purple and blues of the Astral Sea across its surface. Itโs beautiful now, but impossible to even comprehend what it looked like when it was new. Right inside the entrance to the door, a heap of metal is sort of โฆ collapsed in on itself. It has a human-shaped head, and one of its eyes sort of flickers with a dull yellow light.
Apart from that, across the room there appears to be a balcony of some sort - up a set of stairs and built out over the center of the bowl-shaped room. overlooking the entire space. A conductorโs stage, if you will. ]
[she will read it outloud to everyone, smiling in relief, a little teary with that feeling after the long journey to get here.]
Let's look around - I have a good feeling about this place.
[still wiping away a few happy tears, she'll climb the stairs, up towards that stage. it just feels right, like something she's been looking for will await her here. from up here, can she make any more sense of the ceiling?]
...Hm? Ah, I'm perfectly all right, Guy! Just a bit distracted.
[ he offers a very slightly wobbly smile after, looking pensive as they hurry along to the facility. which is... pretty profoundly beautiful, though he presumably isn't moved to tears like margaret is. actually, general vibe check, how's this place feel as they take a look around?
[ oh... he takes a moment to look around, wondering briefly what this place was like, before pushing the thought away. he makes sure to keep an eye on where margaret is going, before heading over to the orb.
There is a designated place she can stand, and she gets the sense she steps into the shadow of someone great. Somehow powerful and kind and loved, benevolent. This is the dream of Aeor: to be powered by the dreams and wishes of its citizens. The ceiling, from up this close, seems less a work of art and more purposeful. Perhaps it moves, or shows a star chart. That would make sense - after all, the ancient flying cities had to navigate somehow. And the grooves in the floor are for markers, to help plot a course.
Owner, through the whispers you hear a womanโs voice: `Through our belief in the power of dreams, we will bring forth the new dawn. One free of control of the gods, free of fear from attack, free of paranoia of infiltrators from the lesser cities. I work tirelessly to wake us from the depths of night. Please, please, lend me your aide - I need only but a moment.` And a vision of someone approaching the orb, and placing their hands upon it.
Sidon โฆ the red eye you have twitches, and you feel a twinge of jealousy. `Sheโs always so full of herself. If you wish to make progress, you cannot ignore the steps you have taken. Itโs the most important part of experimentation.` and you feel a sudden wave of terror. A vision of the walls here, bolted into with chains, and the grooves in the floor filling with blood.
Guy! Itโs actually not a statue, but some sort of โฆ automaton? Aeormaton, even :) A wonderfully crafted mechanical man. As you approach, you see that it is fairly short and squat, or at least the parts of it not rusted away are. The yellow eye continues to flicker. Something whirrs to life as you approach:`โฆโฆWโฆโฆ..wโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆWโฆโฆ.`
There is a section with what looks like a panel for access to its insides though.]
[this is what she wanted, after all. the world feels so unfair, and seeking power only made her feel like a cog in that cruel system, powerless to stop it but a part of it. so she contented herself feeling like no one can have the power to change the universe, all anyone can do it make their small piece of it better. she could try to be generous, and fair, and improve the lives of a handful of people she knows, and convince herself that it makes a dent.
but it doesn't. no matter what they do, this universe is still filled with people who have access to wealth and power that the billions and trillions living in their shadow can't even conceive of. people with the power to destroy a planet just to increase their shareholder dividends, people who will sacrifice lives just to protect their brand.
she could do more, if she wasn't so afraid to try. she feels like she can. she can dream something so much better for so many more.
and in this moment, she feels so much joy and benevolence that she lets go of her anger. it doesn't matter that sidon and owner are jealous of her and want this power for themselves. it doesn't matter that guy is cowardly and afraid of what's happening to them. they're like little children, they aren't to blame. she can show them a better way, too. and she forgives them.]
[ he is too wrapped up in the voices, and the vision, that he doesn't really notice what the others are doing. when margaret speaks, he does finally look up at her, unsure of why she is saying that. but really, it isn't that different from her usual pep talks, her assurances that they're on the right path, so he does not pay it too much mind.
so owner just nods in response to her, remembering they are supposed to be friends and he can't ignore her, before placing his hands on the orb. ]
[ terror. he's strong, he's a proud zora warrior—he's supposed to have trained himself out of such violent bolts of fear. but it bolts through him anyway. he rubs the back of his hand, suddenly uncertain.
almost to himself, ]
No, there's... something wrong here.
[ margaret's instincts are off. this place is dangerous. full of potential, maybe, but still not to be taken lightly. he collects himself and heads over to the metal heap of a man to help guy in case it comes to life or something. ]
[ he does give margaret another look of concern, but... it just seems like a regular margaret pep talk. and, well, there is an automan here. ]
What's wrong?
[ at sidon, giving him a concerned look in turn. then he addresses the automan, looking at the panel and using the power of dex and cha to see if something in there needs fixing, trying to figure out if he can operate it, even ]
... Hey there. I'm Guy, and this is Sidon. Do you need any repairs?
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Well the thing about fireball is you don't really target one guy with it. You kinda target all guys within a 20ft radius, which is at the very least the three of them and Margaret, who is reaching out to shake hands politely.
You also rolled a 33 on the wild magic surge, which means that your spell does ... max damage. All those sweet, sweet d6s pumped into these actually rather polite and nice adventurers. The guy with the staff goes down fucking immediately - burning alive with a horrible scream. The other two, perhaps a bit sturdier are still upright but very horribly burnt and in pain. But not enough to stop them from immediately swinging into action.
Margaret, you were standing close enough that the fireball absolutely catches you in its path - leaving at least your hand and arm burnt horribly, flesh sticking and crisp.
Sidon ... in a weird, uncanny way ... you can see a sword swinging towards you and somehow find yourself stepping out of the way before it can hit. Odd.
One brings his sword down again Owner, for castin', and the other against Guy, for being unlucky. ]
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still, they're supposed to be a team and they're in danger. so with her other hand she'll take out her pistol and fire at the guy swinging towards guy.]
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he blinks, learning in this moment that fireball is not a single target spell. ]
Ah, Margaret--
[ is the book okay?? it didn't get burnt, did it? he is not paying any attention to the guy going after him because there are more important things to worry about. ]
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Margaret!
[ though despite how he could intuit away from the blow directed at him, he still sticks around to face down the guy going after owner, rushing to protect him with a flourish of his trident. but francy can get whatever injuries she wants, who am i to stop her. ]
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[ he's whipping out his sword to try to block the sword coming at him, first and foremost. can't do anything for the team is he gets stabbed to death!!! ]
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Margaret, your aim is maybe not great with burnt hands, because Guy has blocked him with ease - that Dex is so wonderful - he's held still enough that the shot of the plasma gun goes right through his head. He drops, like a broken puppet, to the floor.
The way to the Dawn Crucible is open. ]
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as for whether the book is safe - she has to open her bag to get the potion, hissing the whole time - and seems to confirm that something is still in there, but that's the most she willingly shows anyone.
she'll take a drink of the potion. tell me how much it heals. she's angry, but the pain is a little clarifying in a way. these things do happen in the heat of battle. owner looked surprised. and she doesn't disagree with someone making a judgment call and starting a fight; sometimes following that instinct is the best move.]
...Okay. That - good work, guys. [with her networking charms, she probably has a sense of what the xhorhasians might have been up to down here, maybe?] That was definitely probably going to have to go to a fight, so I'd rather we started it. Should we keep going, or does anybody need a minute?
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he takes a deep breath. the book may be okay. ]
Perhaps a moment to catch our breath. [ should they rob them. ] You all did very well. My apologies, that spell was-- stronger, than I thought it would be.
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he at least reaches down to close the corpse's eyes. ]
It's all right—situations are like this are why we have healing potions.
[ a fight was probably inevitable, even if he doesn't like to think that way. but since margaret definitely needs a second to heal, even if she's stubbornly doing it all on her own, he'll just line up the bodies respectfully, out of the path. anything he can tell about them from taking a look at these freshly dead folks? ]
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... Just be more careful next time. Here, I'll do something about your arm.
[ he will try to pull the sword out and fix the prosthetic kind of singlemindedly. also yes they should loot the corpses but guy is busy trying to fix up this arm first ]
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You have three healing potions remaining.
The bodies are crisp and burnt and it smells horrible, but you respectfully line them all up as a warning to anyone else potentially following you to not fuck with you guys. Looking over their clothes and armor, it's all quite expensive, well-made stuff. You get the feeling these guys are probably agents of the Bright Queen, the immortal drow leader of the nation of Xhorhas. These types of warriors don't often venture this far from home: doing and dying here means their souls don't return to a Beacon, and therefore denies them any chance of being reborn again. You realize that by doing this, you have damned them to an eternal death. A strange, unnatural thing for their people.
But they've also got some sweet loot so who gives a shit. They also have a scroll on them, slightly charred at the edges but probably useable, but all of the rations ... burnt. RIP. They do have some equipment if you want it: a set of lockpicks, a full set of Wizard's components for spells (none of you cast magic), and 10,000 gold pieces. Holy shit. ]
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Owner, would you like that scroll? And Guy, the lockpicks? [see? she's generous. just not with her journal.] And then there's a lot of gold here - we can divide that up, but if you'd like to hold onto it for now, Sidon?
[she flexes her hand, testing it out. still painful, but usable. shall we go on ahead to the dawn crucible?]
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owner will take the offered scroll though, and will likely check it out on the walk towards their destination. ]
I do wonder how many more people are down here...?
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Ah, yes, I can carry it.
[ the insane amount of gold can go in his pack, but he seems pretty eager to move on. ]
It wouldn't surprise me if there are others looking for the Crucible.
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Here.
[ he will also take the sword that was stuck in it and the lockpicks. he also wants to move on, thanks. ]
Don't push yourself too hard, Margaret... [ ..... ] Sidon, you alright?
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As you approach a set of doors, a grand plinth stands, halfway broken off at the top, but the bottom still has an inscription carved into it. I will godmode Margaret into reading it:
And reading the name makes your stomach twist in โฆ joy. Like seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time. At last, at last, at last.
As you enter the facility - an enormous building on a scale you have probably only seen temples and castles in - it is a large, bowl-shaped room, sinking down into the middle where a huge golden orb sits. The ceiling is arched, and painted, inlaid with gold and silver in a constellation pattern, the purple and blues of the Astral Sea across its surface. Itโs beautiful now, but impossible to even comprehend what it looked like when it was new. Right inside the entrance to the door, a heap of metal is sort of โฆ collapsed in on itself. It has a human-shaped head, and one of its eyes sort of flickers with a dull yellow light.
Apart from that, across the room there appears to be a balcony of some sort - up a set of stairs and built out over the center of the bowl-shaped room. overlooking the entire space. A conductorโs stage, if you will. ]
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Let's look around - I have a good feeling about this place.
[still wiping away a few happy tears, she'll climb the stairs, up towards that stage. it just feels right, like something she's been looking for will await her here. from up here, can she make any more sense of the ceiling?]
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[ he offers a very slightly wobbly smile after, looking pensive as they hurry along to the facility. which is... pretty profoundly beautiful, though he presumably isn't moved to tears like margaret is. actually, general vibe check, how's this place feel as they take a look around?
he'll go check out the metal heap. ]
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whispers check, anything up with this? ]
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[ both he and margaret are acting a bit... off. but owner is as rude as ever. didn't even thank him for fixing the arm. god. ]
[ anyway, guy is doing his best to keep an eye on all of them... but he's also going to check out the statue's glowy eye. what's up with that? ]
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Owner, through the whispers you hear a womanโs voice: `Through our belief in the power of dreams, we will bring forth the new dawn. One free of control of the gods, free of fear from attack, free of paranoia of infiltrators from the lesser cities. I work tirelessly to wake us from the depths of night. Please, please, lend me your aide - I need only but a moment.` And a vision of someone approaching the orb, and placing their hands upon it.
Sidon โฆ the red eye you have twitches, and you feel a twinge of jealousy. `Sheโs always so full of herself. If you wish to make progress, you cannot ignore the steps you have taken. Itโs the most important part of experimentation.` and you feel a sudden wave of terror. A vision of the walls here, bolted into with chains, and the grooves in the floor filling with blood.
Guy! Itโs actually not a statue, but some sort of โฆ automaton? Aeormaton, even :) A wonderfully crafted mechanical man. As you approach, you see that it is fairly short and squat, or at least the parts of it not rusted away are. The yellow eye continues to flicker. Something whirrs to life as you approach:`โฆโฆWโฆโฆ..wโฆโฆโฆโฆโฆWโฆโฆ.`
There is a section with what looks like a panel for access to its insides though.]
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but it doesn't. no matter what they do, this universe is still filled with people who have access to wealth and power that the billions and trillions living in their shadow can't even conceive of. people with the power to destroy a planet just to increase their shareholder dividends, people who will sacrifice lives just to protect their brand.
she could do more, if she wasn't so afraid to try. she feels like she can. she can dream something so much better for so many more.
and in this moment, she feels so much joy and benevolence that she lets go of her anger. it doesn't matter that sidon and owner are jealous of her and want this power for themselves. it doesn't matter that guy is cowardly and afraid of what's happening to them. they're like little children, they aren't to blame. she can show them a better way, too. and she forgives them.]
It's going to be alright, everyone.
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so owner just nods in response to her, remembering they are supposed to be friends and he can't ignore her, before placing his hands on the orb. ]
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almost to himself, ]
No, there's... something wrong here.
[ margaret's instincts are off. this place is dangerous. full of potential, maybe, but still not to be taken lightly. he collects himself and heads over to the metal heap of a man to help guy in case it comes to life or something. ]
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What's wrong?
[ at sidon, giving him a concerned look in turn. then he addresses the automan, looking at the panel and using the power of dex and cha to see if something in there needs fixing, trying to figure out if he can operate it, even ]
... Hey there. I'm Guy, and this is Sidon. Do you need any repairs?
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DAY 3
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