DiscoDude: ---BEGIN SESSION---
DiscoDude: Session logging commenced
Ryusui|GM: "Testing, testing, one, two, three. Can you hear me?"
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "****! What?! Where am I?"
Ryusui|GM: All of you hear a voice as you regain consciousness. It's a high-pitched woman's voice, with a slight accent.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((What kind of accent?))
Ryusui|GM: (slight posh British accent; slight)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Something Dr. Grey would recognize; got it.))
DetectiveCaillou: Coma opens his eyes and glances around. Where is he, and what's the last thing he remembers?
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((I think that's for you to decide.))
Ryusui|GM: The room you're in might best be described as...well, a dungeon. The walls are made of roughly stacked stones reinforced with wood; it's spacious for a cell, though, and there are packing crates stacked in an uneven pile against one wall, suspiciously modern in construction.
Ryusui|GM: There are wooden doors on opposite sides of the room.
DetectiveCaillou: (Well, I need to know what the taking process was like, first.)
Ryusui|GM: All of you can remember the same process: your perception went red, and then suddenly black. There was a humming, crackling noise, less like a proper sound and more like sound itself breaking down.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((I assumed it'd be different for each delver.))
Ryusui|GM: The voice speaks up again: "Hello? Are you all conscious? Are you all, er, sentient?"
Norwick: "Conscious? Yes. Sentient? Yes. Pissed? Very likely. Where the hell are we!?" The wolf barks.
DetectiveCaillou: Coma sits up slowly, careful not to let blood rush to his head too quickly. He looks to the others.
"I'll choose to ignore that last statement, young unseen miss. We're all wearing clothes, aren't we?"
Ryusui|GM: All of you are exactly as you were when you were, well, taken.
Ryusui|GM: You're not missing any clothes or possessions or organs that you can tell.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey begins muttering to herself; "This seems tied to the signals I was picking up in the lab, but even in support of my hypothesis, this is still beyond initial conception."
Norwick: Lazarus stands up and folds his arms, "Well, why are we here? There a reason for this?"
DetectiveCaillou: "I should think we've been kidnapped, but I'll give our speaker a chance to explain herself."
Ryusui|GM: "Yes, well. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but...we're in a bit of a bind right now, and this was rather our most expedient option..."
Ryusui|GM: Another voice cuts in, still a woman's, but deeper and somewhat nasal: "You're not gonna get anywhere beating around the bush with 'em like that, babe. Lemme try: hello, weirdos! You've been abducted by the Department of Metatemporal Cartography to take care of a little bit of legwork for us that, for reasons that I'm not going to get into, we can't do ourselves. Capiche?" The voice isn't hostile but it's clear she finds this whole situation rather amusing.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: The muttering continues, "Could be the detector is what drew the expedient option to me, rather than some other hapless character."
Ryusui|GM: The higher-pitched voice sputters angrily at her friend's interruption.
Norwick: Lazarus looks up and sighs, "Y'all don't seem very professional, just cut to the chase so I can get back home." He says, waving a hand in the air.
DetectiveCaillou: Coma gets up, locates his briefcase, and brushes himself off.
"Well, I can't speak for the others, but I must say; I'm something of an interesting choice if legwork of any sort is what needs doing."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey looks up, as if expecting to find an intercom speaker. "Fascinating, so there are other worlds!"
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "This first-hand experience will do wonders for my research!" Her arms outstretch in excitement.
Ryusui|GM: "Ohhhh you have no idea," the deeper voice chuckles. The higher-pitched voice cuts in: "The Causal Weave is one of numerous phenomena connecting the greater multiverse together. It binds narratives, themes, and individuals together in threads which stretch across multiple worlds. And sometimes-" "Sometimes there's a big friggin' knot in it, and it needs sorting out," the deeper voice interrupts. "Which is where you're gonna come in for us."
Ryusui|GM: (brb 1 sec)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey returns to a closed, pensive stance and resumes muttering, but still looking around the ceiling. "They talk as if story concepts are themselves physical properties that forces can act upon. I'm curious as to the underlying phenomena that would breed such analogies."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "The use of time as a metaphor for distinct spaces also leaves some .... intriguing implications."
DetectiveCaillou: "Fascinating, I'm sure." Coma looks up at the doctor. "Although, I don't think we should treat this as anything more than a psychotic fever dream until we can ascertain whether anything we do here will actually matter back 'home.'"
Norwick: "Yeah, if we get hurt here, are we gonna get hurt back home?" Laz pipes up.
Ryusui|GM: "Good question. Probably?" the second voice says. "It's kinda the reason we're not able to do this ourselves right now-"
Ryusui|GM: The first voice interrupts with a loud throat-clearing.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Turning to look at the diminutive reptile, Dr Grey pulls out a P.D.A.-like devise from her lab coat, "Good (+3) thing I have measurement equipment; I'll be able to bring the readings back with me."
Ryusui|GM: "You have, in fact, been physically transported here. You're not engaged in some manner of mind-journey. However, the thread-pulling which brought you here is inherently fragile. Should you receive any injury that would result in the cessation of your existence, you should be instantly returned home unscathed...plus any lesser injuries you received before the triggering incident."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: She turns back to the ceiling. "I've worked on dangerous field experiments before, I'm no stranger to higher-ups not wanting to risk their precious lab-coats getting muddy."
Ryusui|GM: "In short, you're not gonna die if something happens to kill you here, but you might go home with a busted lip, a few broken bones, maybe the existential trauma of realizing the universe is a lot vaster and deeper than you were expecting?" the second voice quips.
DetectiveCaillou: "The universe was already vast enough where I come from, but thank you for your consideration."
Norwick: "Oh great, I'd love to wake up with broken bones in my bed." He sarcastically quips back.
Ryusui|GM: The first voice is quick to speak up: "We've determined this to be a low-risk expedition-" "Low-risk for the Department, y'mean-" "-so the odds of you suffering any critical injury are minimal. However, we do encourage you to exercise caution."
DetectiveCaillou: "Noted. I suppose all that remains is to know just what it is we're to do here."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "As always." Dr. Grey affirms.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Yes; knowledge of the objective is crucial to our success."
DetectiveCaillou: Coma, meanwhile, is trying his best not to stare at the horrifying tall monstrosity in a labcoat.
(In case you were wondering, humans are this mythical horror in the Fortuna universe. (Played for laughs.))
Ryusui|GM: The first voice speaks up: "You should be in one of the lower antechambers of Glissandria, the Glittering City. Don't let the name fool you - the place itself is a causal anomaly. Its history draws from several unrelated threads and as such both its topological and ontological structure are highly...unstable. There should be an access panel besides the imaging viewer in the northwest alcove. Touch the screen, and enter the passcode 8-1-2-1-4."
Ryusui|GM: As a reminder: the walls here are rough stone reinforced with wood, and the only other thing besides the two doors is the uneven pile of packing crates.
DetectiveCaillou: (Actually, come to think of it, the only Humans within that "game" are in astronaut suits, so maybe he wouldn't even recognize Dr. Grey as such?)
DetectiveCaillou: "It wouldn't happen to be behind those crates, would it?"
Norwick: The wolf looks around and decided to look out from the doors, "Well, I'm not standing in here anymore, I'm getting out of here." He says, looking back at the other two.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Maybe someone got a Good (+3) enough look at through a visor that a description got passed down.))
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "I suspect as much myself." Dr. Grey crosses the room and attempts to move on of the crates.
Ryusui|GM: "Crates? There shouldn't be...oh dear." "Yep. You said this was gonna happen, didn't you?" "I said this was going to happen." "And yet you're surprised it happened." "I am. Regrettably, I am." The second voice pipes up: "You know what babe said about this place being unstable, right? Well, we don't know where exactly you are. So we're gonna have to ask you to like...fumble around the place till you see something that looks like a jumbo-sized Etherium shard."
DetectiveCaillou: "Alright. This is... fine." Coma looks around at the others. "Well, there's no need to be antisocial, I suppose. Shall we introduce ourselves, at least?"
Ryusui|GM: ;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: The [Empty Crates] are light. It seems there's nothing in any of them. They're sturdy, though, and could support your weight if you stood on them; if there was anything high on a wall that you needed to reach, they might come in handy.
Ryusui|GM: Other than that, moving them doesn't seem to reveal anything.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey pauses and turns to the imaginary speaker; "Like from Magic: the Gathering?"
Norwick: Laz looks at Coma, "My name is Laz." He says, before exiting out from the doors.
Ryusui|GM: "Yes." "NO! Etherium is...it's sort of like crystallized imagination," the second voice interrupts. "It might share a name with other things but the Etherium you'll be looking for is a solid physical manifestation of Potential energy, of sufficient size and mass to distort the threads of the Causal Weave. Think of it as a linchpin holding this place together."
DetectiveCaillou: (Which door does he go through?)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Hm." Dr. Grey ponders. "So a focal point for the abnormal ground-state in the local physical law?"
Norwick: (Well there's two doors, I just kinda just went through one. )
Ryusui|GM: "Yes!" the first voice says. "Something like that, exactly!" She seems more than a bit relieved you have some idea what she's talking about.
Ryusui|GM: (for consistency's sake, let's say you went through the south one, and that you all somehow inherently know which way counts as "north" and "south" XD)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "I wonder if my reader can pick up on that."
((Cleverly Create an Advantage to place Pocket-Sized Etherium-Detector on the scene.))
Ryusui|GM: Laz, you almost plummet. Outside that door is a steep drop. On the upside, you can see the spires of what must undoubtedly by the Glittering City, mostly beneath you. So much for being in a lower antechamber!
DetectiveCaillou: "Ah, wait, we should be sticking together!" Coma heads after Laz. "Doctor, whoever you are, our furry friend has decided to go this way."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((That action kosher?))
Ryusui|GM: (is her reader mentioned among her aspects or stunts?)
Norwick: Laz immediately attempts to fly to stop himself from completely falling down, "Holy shit!" He screamed out before moving back inside, "Alright, other door, the other door!"
Ryusui|GM: (i'm cool with the action but you need to justify her Just Happening To Have Such A Device On Hand)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Not currently, thus the roll to establish such.))
Ryusui|GM: (...fair enough, but since you're pulling it out of the void it'll be a +2)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: !f 3
DiscoDude: ;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾ rolled 4dF+3 for 3 [4dF = [-][+][-][+]]
DetectiveCaillou: "Alright, we're going the other way, apparently. Over here, doctor!"
Ryusui|GM: The reader starts pinging. Conveniently, it seems to be pinging more loudly in the direction of the as-yet unopened door.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Right!" Dr. Grey turns to rush towards the open door while quipping, "Did the outfit give me away?"
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey stops. "Hold on. I'm getting something from the other direction."
DetectiveCaillou: (That "other direction" is the direction we were going; we already opened the first door and turned around.)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((That wasn't my understanding.))
DetectiveCaillou: (Well it is now.)
Ryusui|GM: (yes, Laz opened the door, found it led to a steep drop)
Ryusui|GM: (there's one other door and that's the way the reader is pointing)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Yeah, and Dr. Grey is the first to acknowledge the other door, so why would the other two already be going that way?))
Ryusui|GM: (Laz already decided to head that way when he found the steep drop XD)
DetectiveCaillou: (So you completely missed the part where Laz turned around and said "okay, other door.")
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Just looked. Of course I miss that.))
DetectiveCaillou: "It was a safe assumption." Coma stops, but refrains from offering his hand. "I'm Coma; Coma Checomode. I'm known as a fairly affluent Aftik merchant in certain circles across the galaxy." He looks pointedly up at wherever the voices were coming from. "So, again; an interesting choice for this kind of operation."
Norwick: Laz opens the other door and peers inside before stepping into it. "This better not be another trap I swear..."
Ryusui|GM: There's no "peering through" it. It's locked. Or bolted. Or jammed. It's hard to tell which, but it's not opening.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Doctor Amanda Grey, Ph.D." Dr. Grey says as she slows down behind Laz and checks the reader again.
Ryusui|GM: It's definitely indicating the Etherium is somewhere behind that locked/bolted/jammed door.
DetectiveCaillou: "I see. What field did you major in?"
Norwick: Laz looks back at the other two before making a finger gun pose with his hand and aimed at where the hinges should be at the door.
(( Can I roll Forceful to blow the hinges off? ))
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Officially," She looks up as she starts looking over the door for a clue as to get stubborn thing open. "Applied physics. However, I've mostly been delving into more fringe areas dealing with expanding the scope of what can be considered 'reality'."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: It's obvious from her awkward pauses that she's struggling to not use more psuedo-scientific terms thrown around in pop-culture.
Norwick: (( Uh, Ryusui|GM ? ))
DetectiveCaillou: "So a doctor of theoretical physics and a galactic merchant. And you are...?" Coma peeks around Laz to see what he's doing.
Ryusui|GM: (sorry i got dragged away)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey notices Laz's gesture. "If you've got something, try it."
Ryusui|GM: Norwick You're welcome to try!
Norwick: !f 2
DiscoDude: Norwick rolled 4dF+2 for 3 [4dF = [+][ ][+][-]]
DetectiveCaillou: (Got a response for Coma, Laz?)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Oop! You didn't specify a difficulty, Ryu.))
Norwick: (( as soon as I get a read on what the door stands to ))
Ryusui|GM: Something cracks multiple times on the other side of the door. The door is knocked, intact, off its hinges; it lands with a thump on the...dirt.
Norwick: After Laz had blasted the door, he turns back to Coma, "Uh, Father? I guess?" He says, looking back before entering the room.
Ryusui|GM: There's an odor coming from the other side that definitely doesn't speak of "dungeon" or "city." More like "swamp."
Ryusui|GM: (it was +2 so it's a clean win)
DetectiveCaillou: "A 'father' who can shoot compressed air from his fingertips, apparently."
Coma wrinkles his nose.
"Now, this," he sticks his head out into the 'room,' "is something I don't think will agree with me."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Impressive display! I'm wondering as to the mechanism behind the ability."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey proceeds through the doorway, listening for Laz's response.
Norwick: "It's Magic, clean and simple." He smells the swamp-like aroma and looks back, "Yeah this...this sucks, but it's either this or a steep drop into oblivion." He says as he waits for the others to join him.
Ryusui|GM: The walls - if there are indeed walls - of the next chamber are overgrown with dark foliage. Thick vines, blackened leaves. Somehow both thriving and decaying all at once. There are no obvious exits, but there is a pedestal in the center of the room, surrounded by a small pool of water that constantly exudes a thick haze. It smells of autumn leaves, but almost overpoweringly so.
DetectiveCaillou: "Oh, this will need the heavy-duty shoes," says Coma. He gets down to dig through his briefcase for some booties, finally strapping them on. "Alright, I should be ready." He steps into the swamp.
Ryusui|GM: Atop the pedestal is an intricately carved spherical gem.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "The term 'magic' is loaded with superstitious bull**** where I come from, so something a little more in-depth would be better. Training? Intuition? Self-discover?"
Ryusui|GM: "In my experience," the first voice says, "'magic' is generally a blanket term for a variety of anomalous physical properties; it's merely a matter of understanding their construction..." "The audience ain't listening, babe."
Norwick: Lazarus groans as he looks over at the doctor, "It's mix of training and intuition I guess? I'm more aligned with wind so it's easier for me to use wind. I'm not an expert on what the hell the background shit is. If you wanted an explanation you should have asked my wife."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "That construction is what I'm asking about." Dr. Grey's delayed reply betraying her observation of the ground beneath the fallen door.
DetectiveCaillou: "Are you able to fly, Mr. 'Laz?' If not, one of us will need to get themselves dirty, assuming we need that crystal." Coma glances over at Dr. Grey. "Do we need it?"
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Alright. I'll add her to the list of people and places to visit with my research." Dr. Grey says, half-jokingly.
Norwick: "Yes I can fly, indefinitely too." He said, looking back at Coma. "However that gem seems booby-trapped and I want somebody to look at it before I go and just grab it without a care."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "I would say 'yes', since obtaining visual contact is our current goal."
Ryusui|GM: The signal is diffuse here, Dr. Grey. As best you can tell, it's somehow coming from all directions, but it does seem to be slightly stronger in the direction of the crystal.
Ryusui|GM: The reader isn't pinging it as Etherium, in short, but it does seem to be the way forward, somehow.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Also, what was under the door? Did mention that.))
Ryusui|GM: (vines; vines were holding the door shut)
Ryusui|GM: (they broke under the wind assault; that was the sound you heard)
DetectiveCaillou: "I think observation and analysis would be in the good doctor's ballpark. Would you kindly, ma'am?"
DetectiveCaillou: (I assume the roll here would be to try and overcome the hidden-ness of any potential trap aspects.)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Certainly." Dr. Grey, satisfied with a relievingly mundane explanation, stands up, turns, and heads toward the crystal's pedestal. "The reader wasn't built with any specific source in mind, since none were known to me before, but the crystal is slightly higher than the ambient energy in the room."
Ryusui|GM: The pedestal is decorated with strange symbols but does not, itself, appear to possess any anomalous properties. The crystal is the only unusual thing about it - it's attached to the top in a way that it's not clear whether it can be removed without damaging either the crystal or the pedestal.
Ryusui|GM: "Have you found anything unusual?" the first voice pipes up. "We're still trying to get a bead on you - thread-pulling is not a precise science..."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey kneels down to collect pictures of the writing all round the pedestal. "We've got visual on a crystal; no way to know if it's the crystal. You can clearly hear us; can you see us? That would make giving a full report on these glyphs much easier."
DetectiveCaillou: "Question; if you're aware of how at least one room should look, does that knowledge extend to others? The first door has led us to a swamp-ish place, and there, as my colleague said, is a crystal on a pedestal."
Ryusui|GM: "If we could, we wouldn't have looked like a pair of jackasses just now trying to tell you to...what was it again, babe? Insert a passcode into a access panel that doesn't exist?" The first voice responds with an angry sigh. "We sincerely don't yet know where precisely you are, but we do have enough information to make an educated guess. That crystal is likely a node of some sort - a sort of transitional nexus for causal threads. Think of it as an eyelet in the Weave."
Ryusui|GM: "It's not the crystal you're looking for, but much like it, it's something that's helping hold this place together. You might be able to...navigate the City using nodes such as this. But I dare say the results should prove unpredictable..."
DetectiveCaillou: "So, if there's nothing untoward about the crystal's surrounds, I assume we can just... what, touch it? Although we will need a way for all three of us to cross this mire first."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Sounds like a fast-travel system in an M.M.O."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey looks back at Coma. "Didn't you just put on marsh boots?"
Ryusui|GM: The mire in question is only two feet across, but it would be awkward to simply reach across it and touch the crystal regardless.
DetectiveCaillou: "Yes; for mud. We don't know how deep the water is, however. Ah- Wait here." Coma goes to get a crate from the other room.
Ryusui|GM: The crates are, again, light but sturdy. You could easily make a bridge with one of them.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((They do know how deep, because Dr. Grey is already at the pedestal.))
DetectiveCaillou: (I missed the part where she got that close to it.)
DetectiveCaillou: (I assumed you were taking those photos from a few feet back.)
DetectiveCaillou: (Ryusui|GM, was something supposed to happen if we stepped into the muck?)
Ryusui|GM: The pond's not deep at all, though again, the water is somewhat unpleasant.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Standing up, Dr. Grey produces safety goggles, a pair of thick, rubber gloves, and a short, steel rod, about the size and shape of a pencil and begins picking at the boundary between the crystal and it's mounting.
DetectiveCaillou: (Ah, it just occured; the dungeon hasn't properly "begun" yet, in spite of us going through a door.)
DetectiveCaillou: "Are we supposed to be removing the crystal, or just touch it, or what?"
Ryusui|GM: The crystal remains inert. If there are any traps, they haven't been tripped, but the crystal's function remains unknown.
Ryusui|GM: "Sure, try touching it, that usually works-" "AUDREY!"
DetectiveCaillou: Coma places his crate bridge, meanwhile.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Why do you think I'm not making direct skin-contact?"
Norwick: Lazarus looks up and shrugs, "How about we all join hands, and when I touch it, we all get taken together?"
DetectiveCaillou: "Sounds like a plan." Coma offers his hand to Laz as he steps up onto the makeshift bridge.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "I'm curious is I can manage to pry the to two apart first. A port-key in our pocket would come in handy."
DetectiveCaillou: "Is that wise?"
Norwick: "Or you know, that could just break it." He said, looking at them.
DetectiveCaillou: "Exactly. Listen to Mr. Laz, Dr. Grey."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey pauses. "You have a poi- I'M SORRY: WHAT?" She whips her head around to look at the others. "I'm not about damage a potential font of new research data!"
Norwick: Lazarus begins to float up off the ground, and held the hand of Coma before hovering over near the crystal, "You grab onto Coma's hand and I'll touch the crystal directly." He said, looking over at Grey.
Norwick: (( No, like....prying it would probably break it. ))
DetectiveCaillou: "Then I suggest you refrain from prodding it- Oh, we're going up now."
Norwick: (( Laz isn't saying to break it, he's saying removing it could break it ))
Ryusui|GM: (so who's touching the crystal?)
Norwick: (( I will as soon as Grey holds hands with Coma ))
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey sighs, and pockets the steel rod. "Alright. Koombaya." she says as she takes Coma's tiny, scaly hand. She smirks in remaneces of all the "Children's Day"'s at the lab. Not one for parenthood, but she always loved spreading the joy of learning.
DetectiveCaillou: Coma winces as the weird horror grabs his hand, but is too polite to say anything. She seems civil enough, anyway.
Norwick: Laz makes sure he hold's onto Coma's hand tightly enough before looking at the other two, "Alright, I'll put my hand on the gem, if it doesn't work, maybe it needs to be a circuit, so Grey and I will need to put both our hands on it. Well...Here goes nothing." He says as he plants his bare-hand onto the crystal, all of them chain-linked through touch.
Ryusui|GM: Everything goes red, and then black.
Ryusui|GM: You don't lose consciousness this time.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Aw, man. I had this whole line set up for the circuit thing. Oh, well; I'll say it for late.))
Ryusui|GM: Instead you're cognizant of traveling along the Weave. Images of other places flash across your perception. Places of violent forces, intense energies. When the rushing stops, you all land on...surprisingly soft grass.
Norwick: Lazarus looks around and stands up, "Everybody all in one piece? none of us fused together in some...horrifying monstrosity?" He says, cheeking himself first.
Ryusui|GM: At first glance it looks like you're outside, but in the far distance are stone walls, much more finely constructed than the ones in the room you started in, but so far off - and so huge - you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in an open space.
Ryusui|GM: As for the ground...you're all standing on a chunk of terrain suspended by some unknown force above what appears to be clouds.
Ryusui|GM: Somewhere, some unimaginable distance below, is a cloud layer, and below that...you can only guess.
Ryusui|GM: The area is full of floating islands just like this one.
Ryusui|GM: And somewhere deep below you, past the clouds, something intermittently rumbles.
DetectiveCaillou: "A courtyard of some kind? Quite an outlandish one at that... Hm?" Coma fishes out his burner phone, which is ringing. "I didn't know I could get reception here. Ah- Missed the call."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Amanda quickly turns and twists, taking in her new surroundings; a "No ****ing way!" slips under her breath.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((I assume the walls were described as "tall" because they stretch below the cloud-cover.))
DetectiveCaillou: He checks the ID; it was one of his work associates. "How strange. I knew it was a good brand, but this...?"
(Don't mind this tangent; I was just affirming the truthfulness/usefulness of an aspect and a stunt.)
Ryusui|GM: "Can he do that? I don't think he can do that." "It looks like he can do that."
Ryusui|GM: Something rumbles once again.
DetectiveCaillou: (I assume it's kosher to do this to ensure that what should be his primary skillset isn't neutered.)
Ryusui|GM: (yeah i don't mind XD)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey quickly retrieves her reader from her coat again and checks the current land-, er, skyscape's energy topograph.
DetectiveCaillou: "Right; back to the present. We can assume that ominous sound isn't good." Coma glances around for something, anything that resembles an exit.
Ryusui|GM: There's no obvious gaps or holes or doors in the wall, but then any person-sized door would be a pinprick at this distance.
Ryusui|GM: That said, Dr. Grey, it's much the same story as back in the swamp chamber - you're detecting energy all around, but there is a faint spike in one particular direction, somewhere across the floating islands to the northeast.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey looks to Laz; "This looks like your ideal arena; mind lending us hand over that way?" one hand towards Laz and the other, with the reader, pointing towards the signal spike.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Norwick?))
Norwick: (( just got back from stuff ))
Norwick: Laz looks at Grey and sighs, "You know I'm not used to flying with more than my normal weight, right?" He says, "I won't be able to fly forever if I hold onto you, fair warning."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((How abundant are the floating rocks, Ryusui|GM?))
DetectiveCaillou: "Right, then we jump from island to island."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "I did not. However, there seems to be ample landing space to rest."
Ryusui|GM: It'd be impossible to count how many floating islands there are. The largest ones are easily 50-100 feet from each other, but there are smaller ones that could be used as an incredibly risky footpath, 2-5 feet from each other.
Norwick: "I could probably carry Coma much farther, he's much smaller and lighter than you, Grey." He said, looking at them. "If you're okay with jumping some small terrain, I can help Coma over here."
DetectiveCaillou: "That would be appreciated; thank you."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey looks pensively out across the skyscape. "Hmm.... I'm not equipped for an athletic challenge, but, I've got little other choice." Then she takes a running start and leaps for the next terra ferma.
((Quickly Overcome the gap in the ground))
Ryusui|GM: (roll it!)
Ryusui|GM: (you're up against +0)
DetectiveCaillou: (not equipped?)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Yikes! Fixed.))
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: !f 1
DiscoDude: ;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾ rolled 4dF+1 for 2 [4dF = [+][ ][ ][ ]]
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((Tie!))
Ryusui|GM: (no, win XD)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((You didn't specify non-default difficulty.))
Ryusui|GM: (i did, look up)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((🤦))
Ryusui|GM: Your feet touch down on the nearest small floating island and...you almost lose your balance, as it begins moving! Your momentum causes the small floating island to drift. Fortunately, it's in the direction you wanted to go - you're effectively carried across in a single jump. Definitely a thing to keep in mind - the islands are very much mobile, not fixed in place at all!
Ryusui|GM: (Fortunately, their altitude seems fixed, or at least none of you are heavy enough to make them sink!)
Norwick: Laz looks at Coma and lends him both of his hands, "Alright, let's get going, this shouldn't be too bad." He says, floating himself off the ground to get to the next platforms.
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: Dr. Grey calls back, "They're like iceflows! This should make things easier, but be careful!"
DetectiveCaillou: "Perhaps Mr. Laz can simply will an island forward?"
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Great (+4) hypothesis! Let's test it!"
Norwick: Laz shrugs, "I can try and create a gust, it's not like telekinesis you know..." He says before trying to push an island over near Coma and himself.
Norwick: (( Would Forceful work for this? ))
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((I'd say simply following someone else's advice is straight-forward enough.))
Ryusui|GM: (Forceful sounds great!)
Norwick: !f 2
DiscoDude: Norwick rolled 4dF+2 for 3 [4dF = [ ][+][ ][ ]]
Ryusui|GM: So: making winds is not telekinesis. All the same, you can produce enough of a gust to blow the islands around like leaves on a pond. You have enough control and precision to make them simply go where you want them to.
Norwick: "Well well...That makes this much more easier." He said, looking over at Grey. "Maybe we could just sit on one island and float us over to the island with the energy."
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "Sounds sound!" Amanda calls back.
DetectiveCaillou: "No objections here."
Norwick: Lazarus wills another gust of wind to start pushing the land everybody's on to the source of detector.
Ryusui|GM: The island is now basically your own personal ship to navigate the floating islands, and the reader is your compass. The pinging picks up, and before long, you see an island in the distance with some kind of stone structure on it - a ring of pillars, though it's hard to tell at this distance.
Ryusui|GM: And then the rumbling intensifies.
Ryusui|GM: Something breaches the clouds below.
Ryusui|GM: Several somethings.
Ryusui|GM: It looks like a mass of long, plated tendrils - or tentacles - or perhaps the necks of some many-headed creature. Whatever they are, they shoot out of the clouds below with surprising speed and ferocity, and stand directly between you and the island!
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: "****!!!!" Amanda curses the very well foreshadowed obstacle.
Norwick: Laz looks at the creature and sighs, "Uh, you wanna move over?" He says, looking at the tendril'd monstrosity.
Ryusui|GM: (everyone good for last lines for now?)
DetectiveCaillou: "I don't think fighting this... whatever* this is would be preferable, but if needs must..." Coma reluctantly retrieves a laz-pistol from the briefcase.
DetectiveCaillou: (And I'm good.)
;}"÷™+╎®^★█¬ˇ¾: ((I'm Good with Dr. Grey's final line for the session.))
Ryusui|GM: (then let us...)
Ryusui|GM: !end
