[Nexus] Random Places and Plots 8: Adventures! Thrills! Groceries!

[Earl of Purple]

Pyramid of Painful Demise

The axe will be needed for hammer duty; the stone's been magically reinforced, as well as enchanted to prevent things sticking to it.

Also, I believe there are four harpies.

[5a Violista]

[Mirror, Mirror]
Card

As Card searches the Master Bedroom, he'll definitely find a small little wooden treasure box, the kind that fits on your shelf and has a small little lock on it. It's easily opened (whether through breaking the lock, breaking the box, cutting through it, or picking the lock) and there's some jewelry in there. Five gold rings, a pearl necklace, and a shiny silver bracelet are found in there, along with a winding pocketwatch on a chain, which has long run down.

There's also three or four torn pages that can be found in the room. They seem to be from the story "1001 Nights" - specifically, the part of the story about the man who loans out money to his brothers and they throw him overboard but a female djinn saves him and curses his brothers.

As Card examines these objects, he might notice flashes of movement around him. When he looks, he won't find anything - unless he looks at all the broken mirror shards and fragments along the ground. He'll notice that the movement comes from inside the reflection.


Darsy

And so, Darsy climbs down without incident. The silence of the upside-down room is eerie. I'm sure she could hear the blood rushing through her ears, if she tried.

Like Card had, Darsy has her pick of directions and stairways and hallways and doors to go through.

[Hattish Thing]

In Search of Broken Things

Krystal gives the small smile again. Leech...I'm not even human. I'm a mutant. Back in my home world, most of the population hated mutants. When my powers activated, most of the people I thought of as friends turned on me. And on my parents. Trust me. I know what it's like to have people hate you as soon as they see you.

Then she nods a bit. Yes, it's art. My favorite kind. And I would love to see your work.

I do sculptures, too. I use a, uh, unique kind of crystal. Very unique. Her own bones.

Leech growls at her, obviously unhappy. He hated it when others called him Leech. He had hated his name from the day his parents named him and cast him off. He never heard them say it, but the name was engraved in a necklace he'd had for many years. He'd kept the small dog tag necklace for many years, until the day he decided he never wanted to gaze upon the name again. He had it locked away. Unfortunately, due to having no one but himself to talk to, he developed a habit of addressing himself in the third person. No, no. Never do that. Never address... address... Never call me that name. Call me Tinker, call me Builder, call me Smithy. But never that name....

He draws near her now and taps his bronze staff upon the ground gently, causing the glimmering light of the room to rise again, illuminating the large workshop. Leech lurches toward her, his robe of rags dragging across the ground, his body groaning as he moves. I do not need friends down here, below. There is no one here to need, or want. I am all that is needed to run it all. He moves to pull back a curtain of sorts revealing a smaller store room. Here, many mannequins of varied condition are standing, clad in a variety of armors. Some have masks, some have helmets, others wear hoods, but the recurring theme is that of hiding the wearer's face.

The sets are all extremely well-designed, and made to look beautiful. However, in an ironic twist, cloaks of black rags, gnarled and dirty, cover the mannequins. Parts of the mask appear to be made of stained glass, and all seem to be split down the middle. One side depicting images of beauty, one side depicting a twisted and frightening visage. Leech Qraytyr speaks. My masks are beautiful... Yes, but I enjoy my current one. You topsiders have your beautiful paintings... I have my metalwork. It's clear that the masks are meant to go over both the metal side of his face and the fleshy one.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Mirror, Mirror

Actually, Darsy will first go to inspect that bloodstain she saw earlier. It was pretty much directly below/above where HarleyMs. Martinezs fell through, so Darsy suspects that that's where she landed. She wants to see if there's a trail of blood. And see how much is there.

In Search of Broken Things

Krystal winces a bit as Leech growls at her. She knows she did something wrong. Now she just had to figure out what it was so she wouldn't repeat it...

Oh. What do ya know. He told her. That's helpful.

Krystal nods a bit. Okay, sorry. I'll go with Tinker. I like that one. She gives a smile, which fades a bit when he declares that he doesn't need friends.

Krystal's pure white eyes widen as she takes in the sight of his work. She'll slowly step closer, to examine them better. Her fingers will hover over some of the pieces, following their contours, but not quite touching them. She has a look of awe on her face. It should be easy to tell that she likes them very much. She wants to ask why his masks are split in the middle, but decides not to. He probably has a good reason that he really doesn't want to get into.

These are...wow... She looks back at him. How long have you been doing this?

[ThePhantom]

Mirror mirror

Card picks the lock on the box of course. If you don't practice the skill, you lose that skill. He pockets the things inside the box, then continues his search of the room. As he goes through the pages, he spots the movement within the mirror shards.

"Not good."

Hmm, now how do you destroy a mirror? Well, enough heat will melt the glass so it doesn't reflect anymore, but he doesn't have the abilities needed to make the kind of heat required for long enough. Well, time to go and find the others, and then get out of here.

[Hattish Thing]

In Search of Broken Things

Krystal winces a bit as Leech growls at her. She knows she did something wrong. Now she just had to figure out what it was so she wouldn't repeat it...

Oh. What do ya know. He told her. That's helpful.

Krystal nods a bit. Okay, sorry. I'll go with Tinker. I like that one. She gives a smile, which fades a bit when he declares that he doesn't need friends.

Krystal's pure white eyes widen as she takes in the sight of his work. She'll slowly step closer, to examine them better. Her fingers will hover over some of the pieces, following their contours, but not quite touching them. She has a look of awe on her face. It should be easy to tell that she likes them very much. She wants to ask why his masks are split in the middle, but decides not to. He probably has a good reason that he really doesn't want to get into.

These are...wow... She looks back at him. How long have you been doing this?

Leech doesn't seem to mind her touching his armor, and honestly sort of liked the attention he was getting. It'd been so long since anyone payed him any heed, and so he was absolutely parched for any sort of attention he could get from others, positive or negative. Not exactly a healthy outlook on people, but Leech wasn't exactly a healthy person. He moves close behind her as she gazes over his work, looming over her. She might find his presence a tad uncomfortable. He first gazes at her hair once more before drawing away from her again, into the more shadowy part of the room. What is... wow? Is it admiration? Do you enjoy my works? My arts?

There was... a painting that I found once, from where I draw my parts. It was... damaged, but I quite liked it. People throw away things like that so easily... After hearing him talk more and more, she might find that his accent seems to be a tad german. Odd as that is. Leech ponders her final questions silently before walking across the hall, and moving into the one door in the room. He'll open the door and walk in quietly, speaking back to her as he does so, but eye contact is never reached. I... do not know. But I look.... different than the pictures of the handsome people. I find those sometimes, too. My hair is... graying, which I think means I'm old. So.... quite a long time, I'd imagine. I have machines of every kind down here...

He enters the room.

[KerfuffleMach2]

In Search of Broken Things

Tinker being that close does make Krystal a tad uncomfortable, but nothing too bad. At his first comments, she smiles and nods. Yeah, wow is a word used to express amazement. And in this case, it's definitely in a good way.

Seeing him walk to another room, Krystal will follow.

Well, gray hair doesn't always mean old age. I mean, my hair's white, and I'm in my 20's.

[Hattish Thing]

In Search of Broken Things

Tinker being that close does make Krystal a tad uncomfortable, but nothing too bad. At his first comments, she smiles and nods. Yeah, wow is a word used to express amazement. And in this case, it's definitely in a good way.

Seeing him walk to another room, Krystal will follow.

Well, gray hair doesn't always mean old age. I mean, my hair's white, and I'm in my 20's.

Tinker lurches forward, moving towards the small table in the center of this room. Here is where I install my arts. There's a single slab of metal in the center of the room attached to a base at an angel. Small straps are built into the metal. There's a small table by the slab where medical and surgical equipment stand, and a long lamp peers over the slab, lighting up the room dimly. The corners of this room look very dark and filthy. A robot arm is mounted on a base opposite of the slab. This is where I assemble my pieces and work on detailing... And when I am damaged, I repair myself. You have.... lacerations. Damage from...? Falling? Seperation? Water damage, perhaps? Please, lie down upon my table. I will fix you.

You require some repairs, I believe. He doesn't force her towards the table or anything, but he does look towards her expectantly from beyond the table.

[Shadowcaller]

Arty's Epic Quest

Arty shrugs.
"He said he wanted to know what we'd do to avoid fighting his challenge. He didn't say his was the only option. So what now, Libra? Anything else you planned on surprising us with?" he says, raising an eyebrow hesitantly.

[Pyramid of Painful Demise]

"Maybe. I also found a secret compartment here," Wenomir says. "But let's finish putting the explosives up there first. Let's see if my knives work." He'll try to simply pin the explosives to the harpy using the adamantine knives, using his axe as an impromptu hammer if necessary.

Pyramid of Painful Demise

The axe will be needed for hammer duty; the stone's been magically reinforced, as well as enchanted to prevent things sticking to it.

Also, I believe there are four harpies.

Arty's Epic Quest

"Uh, I was kinda planning an epic fight in the end. Maybe a dragon?" She scratches her head. "You guys know a dragon in the nexus?"

Pyramid of Painful Demise

Dena has actually an actual hammer which she can lend to Wenomir, when you have magical compartments that's standard stuff for a dungeon crawl. I was pretty sure it was only two harpies though? "I have an actual hammer if you need one actually." She tells the warrior.

[Deathkeeper]

Arty's Epic Quest

Arty shrugs. "If we knew one, we wouldn't be willing to fight them would we? The only one I've ever even seen was a cook." says Arty simply. Tex is a nice fellow. "You should probably just let us go."

[Recaiden]

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Dragons are no good for an escape like this. You need a power tied to the land, not a monster we'd hunt for and kill."

Ashna has returned to a human shape, and the flames retreated to a safe little blaze around her feet. Maybe Libra could conjure her clothes back over here for her?

"But honestly we'd be best getting let go. Arty winning with words and wits against that imp is a good subversive ending."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Tinker lurches forward, moving towards the small table in the center of this room. Here is where I install my arts. There's a single slab of metal in the center of the room attached to a base at an angel. Small straps are built into the metal. There's a small table by the slab where medical and surgical equipment stand, and a long lamp peers over the slab, lighting up the room dimly. The corners of this room look very dark and filthy. A robot arm is mounted on a base opposite of the slab. This is where I assemble my pieces and work on detailing... And when I am damaged, I repair myself. You have.... lacerations. Damage from...? Falling? Seperation? Water damage, perhaps? Please, lie down upon my table. I will fix you.

You require some repairs, I believe. He doesn't force her towards the table or anything, but he does look towards her expectantly from beyond the table.

It takes Krystal a minute or two to process his statement. Lacerations? Damage? She looked down at herself. Um...I don't think... She didn't see any wounds on her. Not like they'd last long, anyways, what with her healing factor and all. Sure her jeans were ripped at the knees, showing her scars there, but those were old...

Wait a minute...

She looks at her knees again. Then her wrists. Yep. Those were probably what he was talking about.

Right...bit of an explanation there...

Remember how I said I was a mutant? Not human? Well, it's not just my hair and my eyes that set me apart. Ya see...my bones are not normal at all. They're actually made out of some kind of diamond-like material. And...I can extend them at will. To demonstrate, she will hold up her right fist. Suddenly, a pointy crystal quickly slides out of each knuckle at the base of her fingers. The crystals are a bit thinner than her fingers, and almost as long. They're clear, and reflect the light just as well as her hair.

I can make them grow up to twice their normal length. And I can retract them. Three of the four crystals slide back into her hand. The wounds they made hardly bled, and seal up within seconds.

Also, when they're out a full length, they can break in the middle. She grabs the remaining one with her free hand and gives it a quick tug. The crystal pops right off, the wound sealing like the others.

Krystal will hold it out for Tinker to examine. I also have a crazy good healing factor, but it isn't perfect. Hence the scars. They show where I grow these out the most.

[Hattish Thing]

It takes Krystal a minute or two to process his statement. Lacerations? Damage? She looked down at herself. Um...I don't think... She didn't see any wounds on her. Not like they'd last long, anyways, what with her healing factor and all. Sure her jeans were ripped at the knees, showing her scars there, but those were old...

Wait a minute...

She looks at her knees again. Then her wrists. Yep. Those were probably what he was talking about.

Right...bit of an explanation there...

Remember how I said I was a mutant? Not human? Well, it's not just my hair and my eyes that set me apart. Ya see...my bones are not normal at all. They're actually made out of some kind of diamond-like material. And...I can extend them at will. To demonstrate, she will hold up her right fist. Suddenly, a pointy crystal quickly slides out of each knuckle at the base of her fingers. The crystals are a bit thinner than her fingers, and almost as long. They're clear, and reflect the light just as well as her hair.

I can make them grow up to twice their normal length. And I can retract them. Three of the four crystals slide back into her hand. The wounds they made hardly bled, and seal up within seconds.

Also, when they're out a full length, they can break in the middle. She grabs the remaining one with her free hand and gives it a quick tug. The crystal pops right off, the wound sealing like the others.

Krystal will hold it out for Tinker to examine. I also have a crazy good healing factor, but it isn't perfect. Hence the scars. They show where I grow these out the most.

Leech will observe her demonstration, his curiosity piqued. The Tinker wondered what he could build out of the diamond-like crystal. Fine tips for his stave? A better eye-lens to see through? Better armor mesh? The possibilities were endless. He didn't often find something like that in the junkyard. He speaks and draws closer to her. ...You are.... What is the word. I know this word. I read of it. Had. Yes. Crytal! You are crystalline! You are not a mineral though... Minerals do not move. Although your structure appears crystalline. What a conondru... A.... difficulty you must be. An anomaly! Difficult to categorize. He'll move to show her his bronze claw-limb now, raising it behind her hand. Mine does not come off so easily... He'll move to gently remove the crystal from her hand, the claw clamping shut around it, the metal cold to the touch.

He'll examine it closer, bringing it close to the red eye of his, the lens magnifying the structure of the crystal. He tries to crush it to dust with his strong metal limb, but to no avail. This is... a miracle. You do not know all that I could do with such a thing. Beautiful in the light... I could make many arts with this... He sets in his pocket, eager to work upon it. And... you have more of this, inside of you?

[Hyperbolic sine]

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"But honestly we'd be best getting let go. Arty winning with words and wits against that imp is a good subversive ending."

"Indeed. Also, I have an appointment in about an hour, so..." Alistair says. He does not really have an appointment, though. Then again, would it be a reversed epic fight?

[KerfuffleMach2]

In Search of Broken Things

Krystal gives a smile at Tinkers admirations.

She nods a bit. Yeah, like I said, those are my bones. Even my skull. She taps her knuckles on her head.

And while I'm okay with giving you a few of these, please don't expect me to pull out a lot. Doing that in a short time really wears me out.

Also, kinda weird to be sharing her bones with people.

[Shadowcaller]

Arty's Epic Quest

Arty shrugs. "If we knew one, we wouldn't be willing to fight them would we? The only one I've ever even seen was a cook." says Arty simply. Tex is a nice fellow. "You should probably just let us go."

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Dragons are no good for an escape like this. You need a power tied to the land, not a monster we'd hunt for and kill."

Ashna has returned to a human shape, and the flames retreated to a safe little blaze around her feet. Maybe Libra could conjure her clothes back over here for her?

"But honestly we'd be best getting let go. Arty winning with words and wits against that imp is a good subversive ending."

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Indeed. Also, I have an appointment in about an hour, so..." Alistair says. He does not really have an appointment, though. Then again, would it be a reversed epic fight?

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Fiiine, you completed the quest alright?" An portal appears at the altar where Ibis once stood. "Just think about the location you want to be when you enter the portal and it will take you there. Still, I got one question before you go, how do you make a good investigation adventure?" Libra asks the group. "It's really hard to think of anything."

[Deathkeeper]

Arty's Epic Quest

Arty fights back the urge to snort. Libra, coming up with a complex mystery? Yeah, right.
"A sense of danger or importance to get them invested, and drop clues slowly until someone figures out the big thing. Holds true for mysterious occurrences, disappearances, and crime mysteries." he says flatly, hoping that's enough for her to let him go home, because he's already walking towards the portal.
But first! He offers Ashna her helmet and some of the torn clothes she left behind that he picked up for her. She shouldn't have to be naked...

[Hyperbolic sine]

[Arty's Epic Quest]

Alistair smirks at Libra's request, thinking whether it's best to answer seriously or to say something that could give him an edge, should he somehow bump in that adventure. He then opts for the first, considering that Libra would probably warp his joke-advice of 'The culprit is always the butler'. "Let's see...the best place to hide something is in plain sight, and things are not always what they seem to be." Also, he follows Arty to the portal.

[Recaiden]

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Make sure there's false leads and ambiguous clues. The guys solving the mystery need an opportunity to get lost, to only think that they've figured it out."
Ashna puts on the helmet and then wraps the remains of the robe around herself before strolling towards the portal, thinking of home. That is one of the downsides to transforming like this, but she's had the scarves all along. Something to cover her neck does more for being dressed than the other garment did.
"Thanks Arty."

[5a Violista]

[Mirror, Mirror]
Darsy, in the flipped room

The blood is a little fresh. Actually, it's a lot fresh. There is not much, to be honest. If Darsy felt like it, she could rub it on her arms and it would only completely cover one of her arms and most of the other. So, there's only several drops, and a little pool that looked a bit bigger from up top, from the farther away (probably because of how much it contrasted with the rest of the ceiling).

Sadly, there is - strangely enough - absolutely no trail. Well, there's a couple of drops and a smear heading eastward towards that hallway with the door open (coincidentally, the same one that Card took), but that trail of smearprints stops less than an arms-reach away.


Card, leaving the Master Bedroom

Once again, Card has to go through that hallway with all the rooms and doors. If I read correctly, this means he's on the floor and not the ceiling this time. That means he passes those mirrors that were lining the hallway, and now he can see his own reflection in them.

What this means is that he sees reflection after reflection after reflection of himself. However, the farther he goes on, the less it looks like it's his own reflection. The first couple mirrors, there's only a couple of differences: a discolored hair or a twitching finger at first, then a withered hand or a mouth spewing a black liquid. However, it quickly escalates from there, until the reflection in the last mirrors in this group are snarling beasts who only superficially resemble Card.

Obviously, if he makes it back to the entrance hall, he won't see the others. Well, maybe the people who haven't posted in a while are still there. But Darsy's not there, because she went "downstairs."

[ThirdEmperor]

Suthy

The water is, indeed, very nice and refreshing. One previous swimmer (who knows how long ago) described it as "like the Fountain of Youth." Not that I'm sure they've ever drunk from that fountain, but I'm sure it's just an expression.

While in the water, time seems really long and drawn-out, as if this day could last forever. However, if Suthy cares to notice, he'll notice something very odd. The sun seems to be shining over in the west now, as if he had been there for hours which passed in the blink of an eye.

I'm sure the second thing he'll notice is that his jacket, shoes, belt - everything he took off and left on the side of the pool are no longer there. Maybe one of the others took it, looking for him?

Also, some other things he may notice: the front door is still open, oddly enough. Seems like someone left it open. That fountain the others examined on the way to the front door? It's broken and dried up. Also, the plants look a little more well-kept. That doesn't make sense, though; if there was a gardener around, wouldn't he have noticed Suthy in the reflecting pool earlier and asked him to come out?

Suthy surfaces with a gasp, spilling a handful of glittering coins out onto the lawn and shaking his sodden hair from his eyes like a dog as he clings to the edge. It takes him a few blinks, working the water out of his eyes, to take in that his clothes are gone. A few more to realize that everyone is gone.

And then the whole of the situation slowly dawns.

Glancing between the door and the broken fountain, and then to the sun hanging low in the wrong side of the skies, Suthy puts together a fairly accurate picture of what must've happened. Now the question is, try to find the rest of the group or stay to find out why?

But the door is still open. Whatever happened in there, the party still isn't back with half the day gone. There's a chance they're not coming back at all. Finding them isn't a likely prospect. So with one last look around, he dives back to the bottom of the pool, and wades towards those stairs leading deeper down towards who knows what.

[Shadowcaller]

Arty's Epic Quest

Arty fights back the urge to snort. Libra, coming up with a complex mystery? Yeah, right.
"A sense of danger or importance to get them invested, and drop clues slowly until someone figures out the big thing. Holds true for mysterious occurrences, disappearances, and crime mysteries." he says flatly, hoping that's enough for her to let him go home, because he's already walking towards the portal.
But first! He offers Ashna her helmet and some of the torn clothes she left behind that he picked up for her. She shouldn't have to be naked...

[Arty's Epic Quest]

Alistair smirks at Libra's request, thinking whether it's best to answer seriously or to say something that could give him an edge, should he somehow bump in that adventure. He then opts for the first, considering that Libra would probably warp his joke-advice of 'The culprit is always the butler'. "Let's see...the best place to hide something is in plain sight, and things are not always what they seem to be." Also, he follows Arty to the portal.

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Make sure there's false leads and ambiguous clues. The guys solving the mystery need an opportunity to get lost, to only think that they've figured it out."
Ashna puts on the helmet and then wraps the remains of the robe around herself before strolling towards the portal, thinking of home. That is one of the downsides to transforming like this, but she's had the scarves all along. Something to cover her neck does more for being dressed than the other garment did.
"Thanks Arty."

[Arty's Epic Quest]

"Ohh... those are all good, thanks!" Libra replies, she won't do anything to stop them from entering the portal which will take them wherever they want. Just don't use it to infiltrate Magtok's bathroom now.

[Morty]

[Pyramid of Painful Demise]

Wenomir accepts the hammer with a nod and gets to work on hammering the knives into the statues to hold the explosives.

"Good thing Harnel has so much adamantine," he comments. "It makes the knives both durable and largely expendable."

[Deathkeeper]

Arty's Epic Quest

Arty pauses before the portal and turns to the two humans with a smile. "Thanks, guys. I'll see you again in Trog's sometime." he says before trotting through it.
Assuming he was deposited onto the street he was thinking of, he'll try to contact Chadwick. He didn't want to remind Libra of his wish since he no longer has a very high opinion of her definition of "sane" but he definitely should check on the fellow.

[Earl of Purple]

Pyramid of Painful Demise

((I went back to check; there's four of every type of statue.))

The knives can be hammered into the harpy statue's backs and the explosives affixed onto them.

The lever and ring in the formerly-hidden compartment remain in the formerly-hidden compartment. They're both magical, but the drone's not been close enough to pick up what type exactly.

[Shadowcaller]

Pyramid of Painful Demise

If there are four statues, Dena will be completely out of larger explosives. She has smaller ones attached to bolts but they wouldn't be able to do that much damage to statues of this size. Still if Wenomir has enough daggers it looks like this might work. She wouldn't even have to use Violet to deliver one of the bombs. ""Harnel? That half-dragon guy? I actually met him once, nice guy. If a little bit daft." Dena laughs. "Ya' know if he's selling some of that adamatite?" She asks as she she jumps down from one of the statues, landing with the grace of a cat.

[Morty]

[Pyramid of Painful Demise]

"I don't know. They're pretty rich already, but he might," Wenomir says with a shrug, deciding to ignore the 'a little bit daft' comment.

[Shadowcaller]

[Pyramid of Painful Demise]

Hey, she was only joking if that wasn't obvious.
"I have to ask him, but anyway why don't we activate that thing and get this show started? We might seek cover first though." Dena replies.

[ThePhantom]

Mirror, mirror

Ok, mirrors are freaky here. Well, at least they don't seem likely to show the truth about Card. It would be awkward explaining about himself, but he does have ways to explain if someone sees a blue dragon instead of a half dragon. A pity that he gets lost easy, as he gets turned around in the hallway. This may take him a while to get out of it.

[KerfuffleMach2]

[Mirror, Mirror]

Darsy examines the spot. Fresh blood was a sort of good sign. Sure, it meant that Ms. Martinez got hurt. But it also meant that it didn't happen long ago. Which meant that time moved here the same as it did above. Which was good.

The small trail was also a sort of good sign. It meant that Ms. Martinez didn't lose much blood. But, it would also make it harder to track where she went.

Nevertheless, Darsy will go ahead and follow that trail, heading towards the open door. She'll keep her eyes and ears open for activity of any sort.