[Nexus] Temples of Dalachrech I

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage- Outside

Unfortunately, the blades of force aren't made of any material substance and therefore aren't thrown back through the wall of flames. The shattered remnants of the door might burn, however.

The door-bar can be moved, and a small part of it falls off the end as it moves into the barrier before being discarded. The part that was chopped off becomes several smaller bits before it hits the floor.

Hermitage- Slave Quarters

They might hear the sound of the door being smashed down, though it won't be very loud from where they are. What may be slightly louder is the sound of a centipede changing direction to head towards the front door. It's hungry, and it's just heard the sound of prey entering its territory.

[OrchestraHc]

Mindlink

Did not know about the blade trap.It's the priestesses room. Justin gives her the quick directions to Elizabethele's room.

Hermitage - Slaves Quarters

"They're going for him," he tells his companions. "Now," he turns to the slaves. "Who here knows where a back door is? If you know, stay close to me and direct me we're doing this on the move, alright?" he says as they begin moving out. "Let's try and stay behind the path of the centipedes," he whispers.

[The Alexandrian]

[Underside Temple]

D'aww! Sylvia's affections and kind treatment of Charynrae have bolstered Charynrae's self-esteem! ... I hope. It'd really be counterproductive to her purposes if she made Charynrae think herself a monster, especially when she personally finds her such a beautiful person where it truly counts. Her looks don't hurt either...

"You're gorgeousss, Charynrae. You're marvelousss in heart and body whereas mossst are lessss than ssstellar and far below my ssstandardsss. No matter how hard I might try, I could never embellish when it comes to how heartfelt my feelingsss are for you. I might not have mastered your language yet, but in my language, there are no wordsss for how being next to you makesss me feel, only the feeling itssself. Love isss sssuch a loosssely applied term thisss day and age. I don't believe it even approachesss dessscribing how much I enjoy being with you and around you. Wordsss cannot expressss what I think of you, but I'll try anyway."

"You're sssmart and pretty and I get thisss fluttery feeling in my stomach whenever I'm with you and being with you only makes me crave being with you more."

D'aww! Sylvia is professing her love for Charynrae!

"I treasssure your every moment I am with you. I feel fulfilled around you, like I myssself am a part of a whole and..."

"And you complete me..."

"Whenever I sssee you sssmile, I'm happy and can't help but join you. If sssomeone ever made you cry."

Sylvia clenches a clawed fist tight.

"I'd beat the living daylightsss out of them. And then I'd tossss them off of the tallessst cliff I could find. I want to be clossse to you and ensssure you are content becaussse you make me glad. You fill me to the brink with joy."

"And...and if your family was ssso blind that they couldn't sssee how rare and preciousss you are, then they didn't dessserve to know you because they were a crassss, ssstuck-up bunch of ignoramusssesss who wouldn't know real charm and classss and comelinessss and graccce and poissse if it ssstrode up to them and sssmacked them sssquarely on the nossse. I never knew who bore me, but I know my tribe would be proud to call you their daughter-in-law."

That's about the highest compliment one can give in Sylvia's culture. They stress family values to a point we'd think quite bizarre in this modern age and offering one admittance to your family is like offering them your heart and status. Although it is customary to take in orphaned children of all sorts altruistically, adults must prove themselves to be accepted and initiated into a clan.

However, once one clan member sponsors you, the rest follow suit.

And they'll never ever turn their back on you, if they can help it.

-------
[Percival's Quarters]

Eericka is not in any way, shape, or form equipped for an excursion among the starving centipede-monsters at this point in time! When Percival suggests that she leave the safehaven of the Hermitage that is Percival's room, her eyes grow as wide as melons.

"Um, Sir Percival? Aren't there monsters roaming the halls at night in this unhallowed place? Wouldn't it be dangerous to go alone?"

If Percival sincerely wishes for Eericka to depart to the comfort his chambers provide, she's going to need one wicked sword!

Maybe the noise of splintering wood a la WATCHTOWER will hammer her point home?

-------
[Hermitage - Slave Quarters]

Neither Toy nor Object have any useful input to add to the conversation, as they seldom if ever leave Azurelle's area. They are as sneaky as can be, and closely follow Justin as instructed.

On the other hand, I do suspect that the male slaves the group has accrued will be chalk full of intel on how not to escape the building thanks to Elezibethele's official tour of the complex!

[Murkus]

Percival's Quarters --> Ground Floor

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure Durant will protect y--" Percival is, naturally, interrupted by the sundering of his new front door. He blinks, and after processing all the things that could be, decides it would be best to investigate. "On second thought, Eericka, will you stay here? I should... check on that."

Well that's a bother. Percy quickly unlocks his chest again, drawing his stand-issue Luger rather than some silly red sword. He holsters the now-ancient firearm and heads for the hall.

Unless Eericka stops him, he will lock the door and depart, making his way downstairs in the next couple posts. What he forgot to lock was that chest of his - which may prove to be a significant error.

Durant, who doesn't appear hungry at all, has sat his belly on the floor and is watching Eericka lazily.

[UncleWolf]

Hermitage - Slave Quarters

Waterstrider will keep the group from leaving the room until he's sure the centipede has left, but afterward, he'll follow the group to keep the slaves protected from behind.

[The Alexandrian]

[Percival's Quarters]

Investigation? A mystery? Splitting up and leaving a sapient, (semi-) talking animal and its (soon to be) best friend to their own devices?

All Percival, Durant, and Eericka need now are two more people, a smart one and one that gets kidnapped all the time, and they'd have compiled the Nexus version of the Mystery Inc. crew! Y'know, if Fred carried around a high caliber pistol and Scooby were a Pokemon and Shaggy were a servant girl!

Eericka is not one to stand in the way of a man with a clear-cut purpose, let alone her own master. Percival will be able to depart in peace without interference from her. After he's long gone, Eericka takes a moment to eye his chest in awe. Though we might categorize Percival as quite the frugal chap, to one who owns not even the clothes on her back, his tiny collection of mementos and curios elicits the same level of wonderment as a dragon's mountain of gold and gemstones. She dares not touch a single item of it, prudence governing her hands and mind at this point in time.

Instead, she skips over to Durant and seats herself next to it, nervously smiling at it in the same way that a young child grins upon first meeting a puppy, an expression that is cautious and boundlessly excited in the same vein.

"Hi there. I'm Eericka. I'm going to be attending to all of your needs while you remain here with Percival and myself."

After a moment of thought, Eericka pats her lap, trying her hand at calling the alien creature to her. She realizes full well that she simply must make a friend out of Durant, and her best chance at doing that rests in demonstrating that she is its buddy, not its enemy.

[Halae]

[Hermitage - Outside]

"Wait, let me try something," Harnel says, and he walks over to the wall to the right of the door, drawing his sword. Three quick slices should carve a triangular chunk of the wall out, as his blade is much like adamantine in it's cutting properties.

[Morty]

[Hermitage - Outside]

At the same time, Wenomir concentrates, grips his sword tightly and makes a wild slash at the blade barrier. His sword is covered in anti-magic runes, and he hopes they'll manage to overcome the magic. He realizes they can just break down the wall, and Harnel's doing it right now, but it's not wise to leave an active trap behind your back.

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage- To The Outside

"I know of four ways out, Master. There's the front door which is magically warded, a hatch to the roof that is also magically warded and beyond the centipede's living quarters, the waste disposal chute and a hatch to the stables. Our Mistress claimed the waste disposal chute was infested by flesh-eating maggots and the stables are inhabited by massive white furry spiders and giant acid-spitting beetles. Mistress wanted to show how little our lives meant to her by throwing me through that chute and forcing the others to watch, but I tried to kill myself instead. Mistress chose to punish me by letting me live." The slave sounds meek and subservient throughout the conversation, and all of them do as they ask.

Hermitage- Already Outside

Harnel carves a hole in the side of the Hermitage, though after over one metre thirty centimetres of solid stone is a metre-thick layer of rubble that pours out of the hole and blocks it back up again. Beyond that is another layer of solid stone as thick as the other. The Hermitage is a small keep, and the walls of most true castles were thicker, at least at the base. Harnel might have more success higher up, where the Hermitage's walls are thinner.

The anti-magic runes on Wenomir's blade cause the barrier to flare indigo and disappear. That worked.

Underside Temple

"The members of my family that I knew are probably mostly dead by now. The main way to gain power in drow society is to assassinate those that have power and step into their shoes. I'm older now than my mother was when she was killed by failing to kill my grandmother, and I'm older than my younger sister will ever be. My mother too is dead, assassinated by a cousin I think. She's probably dead too by now." Charynrae doesn't mention her male relatives. But she does smile and lean over to give Sylvia a large hug.

Charynrae has more self-esteem than she used to, yes. But she's not confident enough in her appearance and nature to free Sylvia yet- she's too worried about Sylvia abandoning her, and will be for a while yet. If that's Sylvia's goal, to make Charynrae feel confident enough to free her so she can escape, then when it's successful I hope Sylvia manages to go very far away, change her name and pay a wizard to change her face and possibly species.

[Shadowcaller]

Hermitage- Already Outside

"Alright, we need to move inside now. I take the lead." She says, looking at Harnel. "And dear, remember this is just an elemental. It's not me. I'm safe."

With those words she heads into the building once Wenomir have taken care of those blades. "We need to free the last slave who is held in one of the high priests office. Should we head there or does someone have another idea?"

[Murkus]

[Percival's Quarters]

Investigation? A mystery? Splitting up and leaving a sapient, (semi-) talking animal and its (soon to be) best friend to their own devices?

All Percival, Durant, and Eericka need now are two more people, a smart one and one that gets kidnapped all the time, and they'd have compiled the Nexus version of the Mystery Inc. crew! Y'know, if Fred carried around a high caliber pistol and Scooby were a Pokemon and Shaggy were a servant girl!

Eericka is not one to stand in the way of a man with a clear-cut purpose, let alone her own master. Percival will be able to depart in peace without interference from her. After he's long gone, Eericka takes a moment to eye his chest in awe. Though we might categorize Percival as quite the frugal chap, to one who owns not even the clothes on her back, his tiny collection of mementos and curios elicits the same level of wonderment as a dragon's mountain of gold and gemstones. She dares not touch a single item of it, prudence governing her hands and mind at this point in time.

Instead, she skips over to Durant and seats herself next to it, nervously smiling at it in the same way that a young child grins upon first meeting a puppy, an expression that is cautious and boundlessly excited in the same vein.

"Hi there. I'm Eericka. I'm going to be attending to all of your needs while you remain here with Percival and myself."

After a moment of thought, Eericka pats her lap, trying her hand at calling the alien creature to her. She realizes full well that she simply must make a friend out of Durant, and her best chance at doing that rests in demonstrating that she is its buddy, not its enemy.

Durant actually seems to comprehend what she's saying, to a certain degree at least, and crawls into her lap readily. It will go about flicking it's antennae over her clothes, smelling her quietly.

"Durant." It says, a bit depressed. It misses the Lord of Invertebrates. It misses insect-heaven, which is, by all rights, what part of Dalachrech's realm seems to be. I'm not sure if Eericka can tell whether or not a giant metal ant is homesick, but it certainly seems a little down about something.

Percival, meanwhile, is still on his way downstairs. Earl did say it would take a bit.

[Morty]

[Hermitage- Already Outside]

Alright. Cessie's elemental first, then me and Harnel, and DC in the back. And I can't say I have a better idea than heading to the office of whoever's in charge. We need to make a big ruckus anyway so the others can slip away, Wenomir says.

[Darkcomet]

[Hermitage-Already Outside]

DC will follow along as instructed, then.

Well, hover along. Not much else to do as of this moment.

[The Alexandrian]

[Hermitage - Percival's Quarters]

Yay! Eericka appears to have made a Pokepal today as a side-effect of Percival's demonic pact promoting endeavors!

Aww! The poor thing seems tragically upset! Eericka wonders what is awry with it. Hmm... No, it didn't seem starved mere moments ago. Perhaps it is weary or uncomfortable in its this new environment?

"Hey! Are you alright?"

Eericka tenderly asks Durant, attempting to soothingly pet its back.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine. I promise."

Eericka is employing her tranquil, reassuring, and very, very practiced bedside voice that one would use to let a gravely ill child know that she won't let anything bad happen to him/her.

-------
[Underside Temple]

Aww! Sylvia would never try to do such a mean, nasty, traitorous, spiteful thing to Charynrae! She's quite attached to her (and lacks the subtlety and patience to even concoct such an underhanded scheme). If she did want to rid herself of Charynrae, she'd go for the more direct approach of not betraying her, but arming herself with a nice, big weapon and walking straight out of the temple. Erm, climbing straight out of the temple...

As is, she wants Charynrae to move up and out of the darkness and into the sunny, wide, adventurous surface-world, but not much else.

Sylvia gasps when Charynrae recounts the kinslaying that has become a commonality in drow culture. To Sylvia, this is a crime on par with what Charynrae thought of needlessly killing an invertebrate to subject it to invasive experimentation. Worse still, it is being perpetrated on a larger scale, so large that it has become a regular, well-accepted custom.

Sylvia can't help but release a disgusted hiss as Charynrae's tale concludes.

'Tis a good thing that hugs can cure even the most depressed of moods!

"Don't worry, Charynrae. If any of them try to hurt you they'll have to go through me firssst!"

Sylvia apparently doesn't appreciate or accept drow culture or society!

[Halae]

[Hermitage - Outside]

Harnel looks at Cessie with a frown. He knew that, of course. Maybe it hadn't really gone through his mind, but he knew. But he doesn't say anything regarding it, knowing that to do so would be to start an argument they didn't need.

"We should split into two groups. Three to distract the guards and draw their attention, while the last gets to the high priest's room. Cessie, DC, and I can cause a lot of havoc if we put our mind to it. Wenomir, you're fast and can defend yourself in a pinch - can I get you to go after the slave in the high priest's room?"

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage- Outside

Three centipedes have arrived. They were the ones closest to the door when it was knocked in. They're all very large- one is six metres long, the other two are nine metres long. The small one is on the ceiling, and may therefore escape notice.

The two on the ground rear up and chitter before attacking. They avoid Cessie- she's on fire, and unlikely to make a good meal. Harnel, however, looks nice and tasty. They'll try to bite him, before releasing their jaws and biting again. If any of the bites are successful, they'll inject a venom that will make the wound numb but the area around it sore and on a limb they'll hamper his ability to move that limb around.

Underside Temple

Yes, walking out of this Temple is more likely to be fatal than walking out of most other temples, isn't it? Long way down onto stalagmites... Ouch.

"I'm reasonably sure I'm safe from my family. I'm an outcast- only reason why they'd try to kill me is to remove me as a threat, and I'm too far away from my home city to be a threat. The local drow might try to kill me; they don't like Dalachrech much as He doesn't get on well with Lolth, the Demon Queen of the Drow. She styles Herself the Spider Queen, but spiders are invertebrates and rightfully Dalachrech's." Charynrae's hands are rather thoroughly exploring Sylvia's new shape during the hug, stroking the fur and scales.

[happyturtle]

Hermitage- To The Outside

"I know of four ways out, Master. There's the front door which is magically warded, a hatch to the roof that is also magically warded and beyond the centipede's living quarters, the waste disposal chute and a hatch to the stables. Our Mistress claimed the waste disposal chute was infested by flesh-eating maggots and the stables are inhabited by massive white furry spiders and giant acid-spitting beetles. Mistress wanted to show how little our lives meant to her by throwing me through that chute and forcing the others to watch, but I tried to kill myself instead. Mistress chose to punish me by letting me live." The slave sounds meek and subservient throughout the conversation, and all of them do as they ask.

"If they're all trapped or guarded, then we should probably just directly rendezvous with the rest of the party." Brand suggests. He's starting to feel more and more afraid now that the adrenaline has worn off. He keeps wondering if he'll ever see Pansy or the children again.

[Murkus]

[Hermitage - Percival's Quarters]

Yay! Eericka appears to have made a Pokepal today as a side-effect of Percival's demonic pact promoting endeavors!

Aww! The poor thing seems tragically upset! Eericka wonders what is awry with it. Hmm... No, it didn't seem starved mere moments ago. Perhaps it is weary or uncomfortable in its this new environment?

"Hey! Are you alright?"

Eericka tenderly asks Durant, attempting to soothingly pet its back.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine. I promise."

Eericka is employing her tranquil, reassuring, and very, very practiced bedside voice that one would use to let a gravely ill child know that she won't let anything bad happen to him/her.

Perhaps this new environment is why Durant seems so lethargic. He hunkers down in Eericka's lap, settling his substantial weight on her thighs. The creature's literally made of metal, after all, or at least a substance that is equally hard.

Durant chitters at her stroking, but does not seem very consoled. Like those gravely ill children sometimes aren't, unfortunately. The insect nuzzles his hefty head against her stomach and starts to look drowsy. No Eericka! Don't let it sleep on you! You'll never move your legs again!

((Percival will be approaching the front door by my next post.

Also, Alex, I think we need a post from you in Inside for the theatre plot.))

[Morty]

[Hermitage - Outside]

Wenomir nods.
Sounds like a plan. I can get there quickly...
Then the centipedes show up. Taking advantage of their going after Harnel, Wenomir dashes forward - normally incredibly fast, in a demon temple he's a barely-visible blur of movement - and spins around, building up momentum for a powerful sideways slash between the carapace plates of one of the centipedes. Having done that, he'll try to slip past them and run in the direction of the high priestess' room. DC, Harnel and Cessie can probably handle some oversized bugs.

[OrchestraHc]

"If they're all trapped or guarded, then we should probably just directly rendezvous with the rest of the party." Brand suggests. He's starting to feel more and more afraid now that the adrenaline has worn off. He keeps wondering if he'll ever see Pansy or the children again.

Hermitage - Corridors

"But that's where the fighting is going to happen. Is that worth the risk?" He turns to the slave. "Are there any rooms on the first floor with windows? Or even the second? I'll even take a wall that's particularly thin."

[Darkcomet]

[Hermitage-Outside]

Unfortunately for the ceiling centipede, a floating psychic happens to be quite observant.

"I don't think so."

DC raises his hand at it, and with the usual outer appearance there, attempts to telekinetically rip it off the ceiling and slam it down on one or both of the centipedes on the floor.

He's acting rather casual about it, really.

[Shadowcaller]

[Hermitage-Outside]

If any of the Centipedes manages to survive that onslaught the fire elemental is going to throw itself at any who dares to attack her husband.
It's otherwise Cessie-like hands turns into wicked fiery claws which will attempt to grapple the creature and tear it apart. Only the sheer heat that the elemental starts to unleash as it attacks should burn the centipede pretty badly as well.

[The Alexandrian]

[Percival's Quarters]

((Yep! Thanks for reminding me to check! Everyone has posted for that plot and so I'll be sure take care of that post soon!))

Incidentally, the standard Durant only weighs approximately 73lbs or, more precisely, 33.0kg! While that's not heavy enough to crush a person or a thick sheet of metal, as you stated, distributed over such a compacted space, it won't necessarily be all too easy to acclimatize to and by no means conducive to adequate blood circulation! And Eericka acknowledges that straightaway! Because she cheats and reads the OoC text!

Eericka will prepare to deposit the wistful pokemon in Percival's bunk when it is practically snoozing by attempting to cradle it in her arms, taking great care to ensure that she will comfortably support the massive ant when she strides to the bunk to safely place him onto it.

As a side note, she'd better get her hands on a gun or sharp-edged cleaver or something to keep in reserve in case she ever runs into a terrifying ant-eater pokemon!

Yup! Eericka definitely isn't above slicing up an "innocent" pokemon on sight in order to protect her own!

-------
[Underside Temple]

Oooo! Sylvia is a little worried for Charynrae's health now! If these drow are truly as vulgar and contemptible as Charynrae makes them out to be, then there will be no honor to be observed in their tactics. Their challenge might be a poisoned chalice or worse. Sylvia cannot help but hiss at the distasteful prospect of so low an attempt on Charynrae's life!

"Ssshould they try, they all will die. I'll guarantee that."

"If you'd like, I could try to kill their leader for you and ssstir up ssstrife within their clan?"

Sylvia, apparently, doesn't mind Charynrae getting all handsy. She's too preoccupied fretting over Charynrae's future down here if those drow become overzealous and make a grab for tyrannical power.

At the very least, the kitchen wouldn't burn down. Hmm... She'll need to start tediously fortifying the room tomorrow.

[Halae]

[Hermitage - Outside]

If even a single one of the centipedes actually manages to make it to Harnel, his drawn sword will move swiftly towards it's head, likely slashing it straight off.

Whether on not this is necessary, Harnel nods towards the group and says, "Right then, let's get to it," and ducks inside. He doesn't have any specific direction, but he has a general location for the slaves and so he heads in the other direction, following whatever corridors allow that. Don't want any response team to be capable of handling both threats at once, after all.

[UncleWolf]

Hermitage - Corridors

Waterstrider shakes his head. "Punching through the fight will be the safest and quickest way for us. We and the ones we meet can protect the slaves, and they had to have killed anyone outside to get this far. Not like the spiders we had to go through." The Wolfen points out.

[Earl of Purple]

Hermitage- Corridors

"There is no way out unless you are an ettercap, aranea, or member of the priesthood, Master. The only windows are arrowslits. Whilst Master Halfling may escape that way, and perhaps the others, I doubt Number Four or Master Wolf will fit." Number Four is the lizardperson, and he's the bulkiest slave.

Hermitage- In The Doorway

Wenomir slashes open one of the centipedes on his way away from the doorway. DC's attack is effective in removing the centipede from the ceiling, and it's left some feet behind, but centipedes are quite hardy with regards to falling and hitting objects. Cessie's fire, though, causes them to explode. It's rather disturbing, actually.

Underside Temple

"They won't try. They gain nothing from my death and lose quite a lot by it. Dalachrech curses those who slay His priests with parasites. As many as he can think of, in as many different combinations. If they're unlucky, He'll give them various parasite-carried diseases to them." That's usually true, but not always. Charynrae's confident that Dalachrech will do it for her. Charynrae's hands continue to wander, though they aren't just focussed on what's new about Sylvia. Instead they're headed towards more private territory.

[Morty]

[Hermitage - Corridors]

Wenomir runs through the corridors to the high priestess' room. It is entirely possible he runs into the inside group of rescuers or someone else.

[Halae]

[Hermitage - Corridors]

Harnel, as stated, is taking off in the other direction that he knows the inner group to be working in. As he goes, he'll slash supports, slash doors in half, and just generally break things - anything to make a lot of noise and destruction.

[Darkcomet]

[Hermitage - Corridors]

DC flies after Harnel, acting similarly, flinging psychokinetic blasts of force about randomly and helping to wreak utter havoc.

Needless to say, it's going to get very loud, very fast.

[Shadowcaller]

[Hermitage - Corridors]

Cessie follows Wenomir to the high priestess room but will attempt to keep an eye on Harnel as much as she can meanwhile.

We're moving towards the high priestess room, creating chaos on our way there. She tells Justin through their link.