[Main Room]
The Rayaat spends the five minutes taking notes on everything around him, including the people and room, then reports back.
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[Main Room]
The Rayaat spends the five minutes taking notes on everything around him, including the people and room, then reports back.
[Main Room]
Reinholdt hesitates for a bit, then gives a smile back.
"Umm... right. I'm interested in becoming a member here." :smallsmile:
Oh. And here I thought I was going to explode the place in a psychotic rage.
[Main Room]
((Oh, by the way, since I don't know if you saw the description or not, Reinholdt might see a large (8 feet tall) creature standing there taking notes on some sort of strange datapad. It is covered in black chitin, and has spikes and hooks of the same material growing out of it. Its tail has a bone spike on the end, and it hands, which there are four of, have four fingers arranged around a central point.))
[Main Room]
Exploderating the place in a psychotic rage seems like it would be the appropriate action for Reinholdt to take, seeing as these guys were moving in on his turf. :smalltongue:
Percilia-prime offers Rein a chocolate chip cookie, a membership form, and a black ink pen in that order.
"IfyouwouldfilloutthoseformsIwouldbemuchoblige d."
She then turns to Will!
"Would you mind fetching Aurea? We can't begin the test without her."
[Main Room]
"Not at all."
He assumes she was the other person that was in the room, and goes looking for her.
After exploring the building, Aurea returns to the Main Room precisely 59 minutes after she left.
[Main Room]
Then she'll probably encounter Will, the Rayaat.
"Are you Aurea?"
It's still taking notes on everything.
[Main Room]
Well yes, but then he can't use the place for his own personal gain! He happily noms the cookie while filling out the form. Yay, cookie!
SpoilerName: Reinholdt, Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire
Species: Cat/Human
Eye Color: Blue/Pink
Fingerprint/Pawprint/Tentacleprint/Etcetera: Fingerprint given
Photo: Photo taken.
Reason for Joining: To hunt Treasure
Special Abilities: Hammerspace, two forms, minor illusion magic, variety of magic items
Medical History: Ummm... GLoG probably has it.
Blood Type/Essential Bodily Fluid Type: (rolls randomly) AB+
Fears:
Regrets:
Psychological Records:
He pauses at this point and looks up.
"Umm... I understand the medical history part and stuff, considering the nature of the work, but why do you wish to know our fears and regrets and psychological information?"
Reinholdt did in fact see the strange 8 foot tall creature. He did not even flinch. He's one of the older ACRO/Nexus people still around and strange stuff is pretty normal. He does however, eye the creature warily, lest those spikes get used on him. :smalltongue:
Aurea smiles politely at the large creature. Indeed. I am Aurea Chrysos, at your service.
Her attention is caught between the Rayaat, which is like nothing she's seen before and the flaming hawt man, who she is staring at for a different reason.
Will smiles back. It seems he's picked up some social skills somewhere.
"I'm Will, or Daetrin. It's nice to meet you. Anyway, Percilia needs us. Apparently, you're required for my testing."
Oh? I have yet to be tested as well. Perhaps we will all be tested with the same problem. A good way to conduct a job interview, where the first to solve the problem gets hired. Not such a good way to determine the abilities of multiple people, if the problem gets solved before everyone has a chance to demonstrate their skills.
"Maybe. That's certainly possible. Given the nature of this group, it is likely that teamwork will be required at times, and that would be a good way to determine whether or not we can work together."
[Main Room]
"We'll be going after at least one artifact that may try to use our fears and regrets against us. I want to ensure that we are prepared for that mission by eradicating these fears and regrets in their entirety. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say."
"Additionally, prolonged exposure to certain relics that may come into our possession may cause serious psychological alterations for a brief period of time. Preexisting psychological records can help us gauge if one of the members is currently under the effects of one of these artifacts or if they are just acting normally."
"Nobody here is going to judge you, if that's what you're worried about. In fact, I'm the only one who is ever going to see that form."
Percilia-prime appears to have calmed down a fair bit by this point! She's also being bluntly honest. She takes a cookie from the platter and munches upon it cheerily.
Mmmm. Cookies and hawt guys.
The Rayaat starts to return, probably with Aurea.
[Main Room]
"Oh. I... see..." Reinholdt frowns and looks at the form. Maybe... he could get away with some of the lesser things on the form and find some way to shield himself from this artifact. "Why do we want an artifact that plays on fears and regrets anyways?" :smallconfused:
SpoilerName: Reinholdt, Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire
Species: Cat/Human
Eye Color: Blue/Pink
Fingerprint/Pawprint/Tentacleprint/Etcetera: Fingerprint given
Photo: Photo taken.
Reason for Joining: To hunt Treasure
Special Abilities: Hammerspace, two forms, minor illusion magic, variety of magic items
Medical History: Ummm... GLoG probably has it.
Blood Type/Essential Bodily Fluid Type: (rolls randomly) AB+
Fears: Becoming undead
Regrets: Not holding onto the Brightheart
Psychological Records: None currently available
Because those are the only fears and regrets Reinholdt has! Yep!
>>
<<
Reinholdt still holds onto the form. He thinks a bit more, tilting his head. Actually... something she said...
"You say you intend to eradicate our fears and regrets. How?"
[Main Room]
"Because that artifact is a key. A key which will lead us to a more powerful artifact that we will find particularly useful."
Percilia-prime smirks. It would be well worth the effort. She had to ensure they were ready for it before they embark on that quest. They only have one shot at that.
"As for your fears and regrets, you will face them in your mind. After you gain more confidence in me and your fellow guildmates, with your permission, we will send you into a battle against them and aid you in your struggle."
Percilia then addresses everyone in the room in a much louder voice that seems to command respect.
"Everyone head down to the library. I will meet you there in a few minutes."
Percilia-prime then merely leans backwards and crosses her arms.
First, they would be tested mentally. Afterwards, they would be tested physically.
[Main Room -> Library]
Will begins to head down.
[Main Room]
Reinholdt rubs his head. This could be an excellent opportunity to deal with things in ways years of psychology and sulking and drugs wouldn't do. Or this would prove totally disastrous. Was it worth the risk?
Well, it's not like Reinholdt's known for making good decisions.
"Do all the fears and regrets have to be on the form to face them in our mind or is that just a helpful formality?"
He'll head down to the library shortly.
[Main Room]
"I don't expect everyone to list their deepest fears and regrets on that form. So long as they are in your mind, you will find them and, with any luck, conquer them."
Percilia-prime stretches and yawns.
After everyone has arrived in the library, she will join them, sitting down in cushy, brown, leather chair after she does so.
[Main Room -> Library]
"Oh, yay..."
Reinholdt hands over the form, takes another cookie to nom and goes to the Library.
Group sharing time was the worst time. :smallyuk:
Aurea heads to the library! Where there are an incredible amount of books! Now the young woman's attention is taken off Reinholdt and moved to focus on the bookshelves for a few minutes. She finally takes a seat and turns to Percilia, ready to begin the test.
[Library]
"As we all know, temples that once belonged to long dead civilizations are trapped. So are the tombs in which members of the ruling class of any given civilization are interred after they expire. These places are where we conduct most of our business."
"Usually, there are puzzles associated with quite a few of these traps."
Percilia-prime attempts to toss a printed paper copy of (Shakespeare's) Sonnet 107 to each member.
Here is the text on said paper!
SpoilerSonnet 107Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul
Of the wide world dreaming on things to come,
Can yet the lease of my true love control,
Supposed as forfeit to a confined doom.
The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured,
And the sad augurs mock their own presage;
Incertainties now crown themselves assured,
And peace proclaims olives of endless age.
Now with the drops of this most balmy time,
My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes,
Since, spite of him, I'll live in this poor rhyme,
While he insults o'er dull and speechless tribes:
And thou in this shalt find thy monument,
When tyrants' crests and tombs of brass are spent.
107-5-3
"These tests, which you shall now complete, will evaluate your ability to think in different ways."
"First test. What do those numbers at the bottom of the page mean?"
Percilia reclines into her chair and crosses her legs. It looks like she is getting comfortable because she expects for this test to take some times.
Prove her wrong!
"It would appear that they would be to indicate position in a book of some sort. Perhaps the 107th work in the fifth section of the third volume? However, not having any experience with the work, or certain of the concepts within, I cannot be certain that that is correct. I am, in fact, uncertain of what the usage of the set form is, though it is aesthetically pleasing for some reason."
He's an alien. He doesn't know Shakespeare. He also doesn't get poetry, as the Tyr-whole doesn't go in for entertainment.
"I'd have to say it refers to the moon. Sonnet 107, line 5, word 3. The moon is a popular symbol amongst tombs, so it could be indicating some sort of switch or trap. Depending almost entirely on the context of how the numbers were retrieved."
Outside the Base
A random patch of air about three feet away from the main entrance twists, distorts and and finally collapses in upon itself, a portal forming about a half foot above the ground. Out of said portal steps Sir Hex, clad in his usual attire and holding an ancient, leatherbound tome beneath one arm.
Nonchallantly striding up to the door as though he hadn't just created a space-time anamoly in CURATOR's back yard, the gentleman of distinction knocks thrice, and waits for someone to answer.
[Outside the Base]
Nobody answers the door. The members are all downstairs and probably cannot hear the rapping upon said doors.
There is the noise of something small unfastening a reinforced, metal, sliding bolt on the other side of the door before scampering away into another section of the base.
The door will creak open if Sir Hex continues to pound his knuckles against it. The lights are on. A large black platter heaped with still warm chocolate chip cookies sits on a coffee table before him (the forms have been removed, though) Someone must be home. The question is: Where?
Inside the Base
"Who" is not a question Sir Hex is overly concerned with. Whoever it is, they're obviously not hostile, as they have been kind and considerate enough to provide their host with cookies. He isn't all that worried about being poisoned either, as he doubts any organization looking to attract seekers of knowledge would risk poisoning one. Furthermore, cookies. How could he possibly resist?
Taking one of the cookies, he sniffs it before proceeding to take a bite. Should it be anywhere near as tasty as cookies are supposed to be, he shall proceed to devour the rest of the chocolate chip filled confection, before helping himself to two more. As everyone knows, three cookies is the maximum you can take without being impolite.
Aurea smiles at the paper, then nods. I agree with... ah, him. She means Reinholdt. The third word of the fifth line of Sonnet 107. It could be the third letter of the fifth word of each line, spelling out a message, but that theory breaks down by the third line. Furthermore, this is from Shakespeare's Fair Youth series, which is about someone expressing their love for a young man. As we all know, the moon is a symbol of femininity, so it could be a symbol for the author of the inscription. If I saw this in a tomb, I would be on the lookout for any images of a moon.
I think she's over analyzing this.
[Library]
"It seems a familiarity with the subject matter and form is useful. I agree that their interpretation is more likely."
He notes all of this down, along with a message to himself to study this sort of thing.
[Library]
"Good. Both Reinholdt's and Aurea's responses are correct."
"Let's move on to something more challenging."
"A dead man. He's been well preserved with chemicals in his tomb. He's dressed in his finest suit. He is wearing a gilded necklace in the shape of a scarab. To move on, you must locate what this man is missing. All of the fingers on his right hand are chopped off. What should you be looking for?"
-----
[Main Room]
Everyone loves cookies!
Sir Hex might hear the sound of a woman's voice coming from the basement level of the complex. There are wooden stairs leading down into the basement in sight in one corner of the very next room! How convenient!