[PTU] The Charizard Knights

[Zelphas]

"Renault is... not experienced enough to know any Water techniques at this time," Satomi responds, moving to help assist Chantu with his armor. "In any case, the faster we move through this section, the better our chances for the next."

[CateranEnforcer]

"I don't think this is going to let up; we should keep moving I think. The rain is helping a bit, though." Aloriana turned her face to the sky to let the water fall on her. "Maybe try to find shade or water?"

Spoiler

Show

Perception to look for shade or water along the way (if needed):(2d6)[9]

[Elyander]

Harisson rushes to get Chanu out of his armor, taking off his own shirt and sharing it with Satomi so neither of them gets a burn. His shirt is soaking from the sweat, so he isn't sure the girl will take on his offer, but it's the best he can do now. After they succeed, Harisson just hangs the shirt on his trousers. He can't think straight, so he doesn't consider sunburns as a menace, just trying to get a little fresher.

"Just..." - he says, painting heavily from all the exercise - "...keep going." His muscles start to hurt from the trek, and his vision starts to get blurry. "Try to find the gate." - he mumbles, his mouth going drier by the minute.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Show

Harisson got 2 Fatigue Counters and didn't beat the Perception DC.

Spoiler: Stats

Show

Fatigue Points = 2

AP = 3*/6 (*2 bound in One with the Winds)

[CosmicOccurence]

Tired and exhausted, Neils is happy for the brief respite that the stop to help Chantu with his armor offered. He removed one of his vials of dream mist and cracked the lid. Slowly, he inhaled a small amount into his nose. Not enough to put him to sleep, and not enough to ruin the dose, but just enough to get his head spinning a bit. Maybe not the best idea to do with heat exhaustion pouring down on him, but the rush of euphoria felt good enough that he didn't care.

When the group had finished with the armor and stored it, Neils considered taking off his own sweat-soaked clothes but decided it might be better to just push through. Alright, let's head out again, he said, hoping the heat didn't beat him too much.

Spoiler

Show

Alright, DC 7 Athletics! (2d6)[6]
Can't make perception check, so Imma not gonna roll it

[Arcran]

Harisson, Neils, Satomi

Chantu nods appreciatively at the help from the two of you and lets out a massive sigh of relief. . He attempts to pick up his breastplate before pulling his hand back in pain. Obviously the metal was still not quite touchable. An instant later Chantu releases a blue Pokemon with a huge protruding nose. "Hana, a little help?"

"At least rocks aren't bothered by the heat," Chantu mutters, watching as the Nosepass levitates the breastplate with magnetism.

Studs rips off his shirt, holding it over his head to try to block some of the sun, to some effect. It certainly wasn't helping the heat, but it did take some of the sun's anger off.

"Brawley has all sorts of water Pokemon, but noooo, he went with Mrs. Swordsypants," you can just barely hear the boy mutter under his breath followed by a quite prodigious string of curses about the weather, including a few that none of you had heard before.

And Selky? She just keeps skipping along.

Looking forward, you can't see any sign of a gate, nor the Magmar village. You still have a ways to go up The Mountain.

Spoiler: Pokemon Education DC 8

Show

It's a Nosepass! They're extremely rare in Kanto; due to the shortage of natural metals, they're rarely found but highly prized, especially by miners for their uncanny ability to sniff out deposits of ore.

Aloriana

"That... is a very good idea," Brawley breathes, obviously having trouble in the heat. As you look at his neck, you can actually see small gills, barely visible, flapping wildly in the wind. It would seem that Brawley had a little magic as well.

As you scan the horizon for something useful, water is nowhere to be found, nor are any caves. However, you do see a cliff ahead that, while far from ideal, could provide enough shade to keep you out of the sun.

Spoiler: Everybody

Show

New round of checks for everybody. Aloriana's group is DC 6, other is DC 8.

Also:

Spoiler: Survival, DC 7

Show

Looking forward, you can tell from the heat distortion that it's only going to get hotter ahead as you progress up The Mountain. You'd barely made any progress so far, and if it got hotter you doubted the group of you could keep going.

[CosmicOccurence]

Neils continued to mop his head uselessly. The heat was really bearing down on him now, and he could feel it in his bones. He knew that if he kept going like this there would be poor consequences. Hadn't his master said that getting up today was going to be the easy part? Their group was being pushed further than they could handle, and while nobody was up now, it was clear that he, if not Chantu, was going to end up on the ground if this deathmarch kept up.

Birds, Neils said suddenly. What about birds? I can see through the eyes of a Pokemon, so I could scout for some water or up the path if we had a bird Pokemon. He turned to Harrison. If we don't have a bird though, your Beedrill will do nicely, though I'm not sure how bugs would handle this heat.

He had no idea if this would work, or even if it was a good idea at all, but he knew they needed to figure something out quickly, because several of them already seemed to be taking a toll from this walk. They still had the two, if not three gates to go and whatever came after the Magmar village. And right now none of it was in sight.

[Elyander]

Birds, Neils said suddenly. What about birds? I can see through the eyes of a Pokemon, so I could scout for some water or up the path if we had a bird Pokemon. He turned to Harrison. If we don't have a bird though, your Beedrill will do nicely, though I'm not sure how bugs would handle this heat.

Harisson considers the idea as best as he can, his eyes barely able to register Neils face. He didn't even think about the whole "see through a pokémon's eyes", simply nodding. "I... I think that will have to do." - he fumbles to grab a pokéball on his belt, dropping on the ground. A tranquil burst up, crying loudly before taking off and hovering near her trainer. "Sorry, Columba, this isn't a good day. Just..." - he stops a little, using the shirt to dry some sweat off his head - "Just do as he says, girl."

Harisson then moves his hand around, conjuring some wind to lift him off. The blazing air around seems to coalesce at his feet, making it even hotter. "I'll try keeping a watch." - he says, even though he's not sure he'll be able to be conscious for much longer.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Show

Harisson's got 2 more Fatigue Counters.

He'll also levitate 3 meters above ground, trying to take a better look around, and use his 8 meters touch range to try feeling something out of the ordinary.

Spoiler: Stats

Show

Fatigue Counters = 4

AP = 3*/6 (*2 bound in One With the Winds)

[CateranEnforcer]

“Over there! Are you doing alright?” She looks to Brawley with concern. The heat was getting worse and Aloriana started to loosen the buttons on her own clothes, hiking her shirt up a bit try and get some air. It wasn't unbearable yet, but it wasn't getting any cooler. “Let's rest a bit in that shade and think this through.” Aloriana goes to sit down and take stock of the situation. She muses aloud. “Our last trial was direct, and we all passed that one. They want us to use our minds. This is hard!” she pouted a bit at the thought.

Aloriana was wracking her brain for anything that could help. She reached into her pack and checked her supplies, pulling out her egg making sure it was alright. I wonder how it likes the heat here, she thought. No way this is natural, but how do you fend off supernatural forces like this? Was this Moltres showing off her power to us?

“Keep up with the water at least, I dunno if my pokemon are of any use here. What if we just ask Moltres to turn down the heat?” she giggled at her own half-serious suggestion, but it couldn't hurt.

With her egg in hand she bowed her head towards the Mountain, trying to remember bits of prayer her family would say and trying to make them relevant to the situation. “Lady of Flame, we feel the heat of your wings. We humbly ask for your blessing before we can begin our Trial of Spirit.”

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Don't know if there's any roll needed to for this one. Aloriana prays to Moltres to let them pass!

[CosmicOccurence]

Spoiler

Show

Let me know if you'd like me to change what she's doing/how I'm presenting Columba. You're the boss here Elyander.

With her trainer's permission, Neils approaches the bird, reaching out to it mentally. This time the connection was easy. Even with the intense heat pressing down, a willing Pokemon made all the difference. As their minds merged, he took the connection one step further, delving into its every sense so it could see through its eyes.

Fly he whispered to it, and the creature spun up in the air, using its view and better perception to see if it could notice anything that the grounded party had missed.

Spoiler

Show

Binds Shared Senses on Columba. 5/6 AP (1 Bound to Shared Senses)

(3d6+1)[15] Perception via eyes of the bird!

[Zelphas]

Satomi seems to be adapting to the heat, staving it off even as it rises. Her gaze turns to the path ahead. "The heat will only increase as we move towards the mountain," she reports calmly, her eyes on the heat distortion rippling the Mountain's face. "What does Columba see?" she asks Niels, a hint of true interest and, perhaps, the smallest trace of jealousy in her tone.

[Arcran]

Harisson, Neils and Satomi

As Columba is released the large bird begins frantically beating her wings to stay aloft, the breeze created by Columba's providing a brief respite against the heat. An instant later, Neils was inside the Tranquil's head, a touch met initially with confusion, both at Neils presence and the heat, but becomes much more accepting at Harisson's command.

Columba rises rapidly, and you notice that almost immediately after the bird is perhaps thirty feet off the ground that the heat returns to normal Cinnabarian levels. It's still hot, but the bird is by no means in danger of collapsing from heatstroke. Looking around, you can see that Aloriana and Brawley area good distance ahead, some sort of Water Type occasionally dousing the two as they make their way toward a cliff of some sort. Other than that, you can see Adrianne teleporting, although her pace has slowed considerably compared to the speed she was going at the base of the mountain. It would appear the heat was getting to her as well.

Up the mountain you can see, well, nothing. Well, at least nothing through the heat distortion. Even at Columba's height you can't make out anything up the side of the mountain. Other than that, you can see a few large stones that could provide meager shade, although none seem large enough to provide cover for the whole group.

Aloriana

For an instant the air grows cooler and you allow yourself to believe that maybe, just maybe, Moltres was going to listen to you before realizing that Brawley's Pokemon had just shot out a jet of water. An instant later the heat was back, almost in full force.

When you pull your Egg out, you could swear that it shook excitedly, but that could have just been the heat talking.

"I'm fine," Brawley says, his tone making it obvious that he wasn't. "Heat and my magic just don't get along that well. At least we're out of the sun?" Brawley says as he collapses onto the ground.

The shade is a bit of a surprise, truth be told. You'd expected it to be slightly cooler, taking some of the heat of the sun off your back, but little more. Instead, the temperature dropped quite considerably. While it certainly wasn't enough to make you comfortable, it made things much better. There were some strange symbols on the wall as well, although they don't look like typical writing to you...

Spoiler: Aloriana, Occult or General DC 6

Show

You manage to just barely translate the carvings; it was old Cinnabar script, something you didn't exactly see every day.

When The Mountain boils and begins to rumble,
And the wise seek the shade so as not to tumble,
Those that plow the stone shall not crumble.

Spoiler: Everybody

Show

Saves again. Aloriana has DC 7, other group DC 9. This does not include Columba.

[CosmicOccurence]

Neils quickly calls Columba back down after realizing there was nothing more to see up ahead. This is definitely part of the trial. The air is only superheated for about the first thirty feet before returning to normal levels. And Columba couldn't see anything ahead even at her height. Not much shade around either other than a few boulders. The other three are pretty far ahead of us though, with the pair near some sort of cliff.

Neils racked his brains. How was this connected to the Gate of the Mind? It couldn't be the dream: none of the birds had died of heat exhaustion, just the cold. And that certainly wasn't what was happening here. The fortitude to push on? Somehow he thought it was more than that though.

[Zelphas]

"Hmm..." Satomi pulls a Poke Ball from her belt, releasing Renault at her side. The little fossil Pokemon hisses in discomfort at the people all around, but subsides quickly as she pats him. "I do not believe you ever introduced yourself," she says to the purple-haired boy. "If above us is defended from the heat, what about below us? Renault can burrow below the soil. Do you wish to view through him?"

Regardless of his answer, Satomi turns back to Renault. "Renault: down, over, and up." The Kabuto chitters before diving beneath the soil.

[CosmicOccurence]

Neils, he said in introduction as his eyes blurred once more out of focus to join with that of the Kabuto.

Spoiler

Show

Channel and Share Senses, 5/6 ap left. 1 AP bound via shared senses (I stopped with Columba)

[Arcran]

Harisson, Neils and Satomi

Of the minds Neils has touched, Renault's is particularly alien, matched only perhaps by Shikina's. It was old, primitive; it didn't seem to form thoughts as much as simply run on emotion and instinct, yet clearly had a distinct personality and spirit. It was... different, to say the least.

The Kabuto is obviously unbothered by the heat which seemed strange, due to its aquatic nature. At Satomi's instruction the Kabuto dives underground. While the Kabuto's eyes are useless underground, Neils can feel the ground rapidly cool as the Kabuto buries himself below the dirt, the ground rising in temperature as you come back to the surface, although the Kabuto seems to simply notice the presence of it rather than actually be bothered. It was an experience you could only liken to holding your hand to the stove and recognizing the heat, yet feeling no pain.

Soon enough, Renault was back on the surface, chittering angrily when it realizes that there are still a host of people here. Columba stays up above as soon as Neils severs the bond; it seems the Tranquil would rather avoid the heat.

Spoiler: Perception, DC 14

Show

When Renault emerges from the ground some small stones are dislodged with the Kabuto as it pops up. While they're barely noticeable, you are able to see the dirt literally compress in the shadow of these stones, forming what look like letters, but not in a large enough quantity to make out any words.

[CateranEnforcer]

Aloriana snaps her fingers and shrugs as her prayer has no effect, “Worth a try, but what's this?” She reads the message on the wall. She had to remember some old books on the topic, but Aloriana really wasn't much of a reader. In any case, she understands it well enough and it seems to pretty much describe her situation. Plow the stone? she thinks. That sounds a lot like digging or something. That would get them out of the sun, in a way. The path forward didn't seem to be of much use.

She reaches for her pokeball, “Comon Dirk! We need some protection from this heat maybe we can dig a hole here and get a bit more shade. Help me out!” The Machoke appears in a flash and takes a moment to look around carefully and gets to work on the wall with a grunt.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Attempting to dig deeper into the cliff face and ground to either deepen the shade or dislodge some larger pieces of rock to use as a portable shade from the heat, or perhaps search for a hidden path even.

[Elyander]

Harisson notices Columba's discomfort, and as soon as she returns from whatever Neils asked her, he extends his hand for the bird to land. She approaches quickly, and Harisson caresses her head before returning her to the pokéball. "Thanks, girl. Sorry for that" - he says, slightly out of breath. Despite being higher than the others, there's absolutely nothing of interest around the group. "How are we supposed to endure this?" - he thinks bitterly.

Just as he looks down to talk to the group, something calls his attention. As the prehistoric pokémon emerges, something weird happens in the small shadows cast. "Wait, did you guys see it?" Harisson almost yells, returning to the ground fast and proning himself near where Renault appeared. "I think I'm hallucinating. I could swear I saw... - he mumbles, looking closely at the dirt - "Yes! Don't these look like... letters?" He asks the others, expecting them to tell he hasn't gone crazy. Yet.

Spoiler: Stats

Show

Fatigue Counters = 7

AP = 2*/6 (*2 bound in One With the Winds)

[CosmicOccurence]

Letters in the dirt? Neils asked. He hadn't seen anything in particular, either through his own or through the Kabuto's eyes. Reaching back to he second Pokemon, he released Zepar and quickly Channeled it and borrowed its senses while releasing his bond with the alien creature.

I know this is weird Zepar, but could you lift and churn the dirt? Lift it, move it, anything like that. Try holding some of it above the ground? If burrowing had revealed some letters, he needed to find a way to recreate that in a more permanent way. All the while he watched closely through Zepar's eyes. The creature was much more observant than he. He knew the heat would be an annoyance to the Kadabra, but he didn't really know what his other options were at the moment.

Spoiler

Show

Zepar can lift/move 90lbs of dirt/rock, including holding it above ground. If we need more we can head into higher than heavy lifting, but we'll try this for now.

Neils Perception on the ground (2d6)[3]
Zepar's Perception for the same (4d6)[18]

[Zelphas]

Satomi gives Harisson an inquisitive look, before turning to Renault. "Renault, down, then up." She watches the ground closely as the Kabuto dives.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Perception: (2d6)[5]

[Arcran]

Aloriana

The second a karate-chop locked hand makes contact with the wall a huge chunk is dislodged, falling to the ground with a rather impressive thud. Still, it didn't seem to actually do anything of note, unfortunately. There's no path, nothing, although you do note that, when Dirk accidentally cracks the wall a little too close to the lettering, the entire passage shifts a few feet to the left. At least you knew it wasn't a normal inscription now.

"What's it say?" Brawley asks, looking at the letters inquisitively, breathing better now that he is in the shade with you.

Harisson, Neils and Satomi

Zepar shoots a sullen glance at Neils as he appears, but whether that is due to the heat, the instructions or simply dislike is anybody's guess. Either way, an instant later a huge chunk of stone is lifted up, casting a shadow large enough for an entire phrase to be seen in the shade, although the letters don't appear to be typical Cinnabar script. Renault digs again as well, a few letters easily made out in the rocks knocked loose by his digging.

Spoiler: Occult or General, DC 6

Show

You manage to just barely translate the carvings; it was old Cinnabar script, something you didn't exactly see every day. Well, unless you're Satomi; many of the library books utilize the old script.

When The Mountain boils and begins to rumble,
And the wise seek the shade so as not to tumble,
Those that plow the stone shall not crumble.

"Muk if I can read that. Selky? Chantu?" Studs asks, looking around at the others, only to receive a negative nod from Selky and no response from Chantu; the boy is kneeling currently, breathing a bit harder than you would like. It would seem the armor had taken quite a bit out of him.

Spoiler: Perception DC 10

Show

While it was not as obvious before, thin lines are beginning to branch out from where Renault is digging. They looks like cracks, but a bit too perfect to be natural, truth be told. They were faint, but after the second tunnel became far more obvious.

Spoiler: Everybody

Show

I'm going to say Harisson is in the shade cast by the rock. That means his save is only 7, same as Aloriana. Dirk has DC 9 because of the rock-breaking, as does everybody else, including Zepar.

[Zelphas]

"When The Mountain boils and begins to rumble,
And the wise seek the shade so as not to tumble,
Those that plow the stone shall not crumble."

Satomi reads and rereads the letters, trying to think. Those who plow the stone... "Renault..." she says, then simply points to the shade. "Overturn," she says, making a circling motion with her hand. In some of her forays looking for fossils, she had had Renault churn the soil, loosening it around certain sections of the ground to free up digging space without harming any possible fossils beneath."Shake up the soil." Renault dives back into the ground, leaping in and out of the rocks beneath and spraying dirt everywhere.

She moves over to Chantu as Renault begins to move, digging through her bag to see if she has anything for heatstroke.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Satomi does not have anything to help against fatigue, so that's just fluff.

If possible, Renault will do as described, using his Burrow to basically flip the soil up around him.

[CateranEnforcer]

“Hmm?” Aloriana says, “Oh! Sorry!” she reads the passage aloud for Brawley. “So that's why I was hitting the stone, but you can't really plow it though can you? Maybe it just means the earth? Dirk, let's try an treat this soil, we know how to do that easy enough. Besides that, I may try and see what's ahead, can't stick around here forever. Unless you have ideas?” As she speaks, Aloriana gets to work on the ground and has Dirk do the same.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

The plan is to literally plow the soil. Sounds like a job for a general edu with agriculture bonus! (2d6+3)[6]
Failing that, to just dig a bit and see if there's anything to unearth.

[Arcran]

Harisson, Neils and Satomi

The change in your approach isn't met with immediate results but, moments after Renault begins quite literally plowing the earth, the ground begins boiling, causing the Kabuto to leap out in shock.

"That's promising," Studs breathes, still drenched in sweat.

As the earth bubbles, it begins sinking, forming steps into a tunnel burrowing below. While all you can see inside is darkness, it is at least shady.

"Forward?"

Aloriana

When Dirk begins a far more literal approach to his plowing, the ground begins bubbling, drawing a completely bewildered expression from Brawley. A few short moments later, the bubbling ground begins to sink, forming a series of stairs that descend into darkness one by one.

"Think it's safe?"

[Elyander]

Harisson's mind seems to fly away from him, as he sees things happening in blocks without coordination. Last time he was talking about letters, then the girl was commanding the kabuto to... do something, and now? Now there's a tunnel leading downwards, Arceus knows how. Not concerning with why's and how's, Harisson only focus on the fresh patch of darkness inside the tunnels, basically leaping to escape the sun.

"Don't care." - he yells, partly answering Chantu, but mostly just at the mountain - "Dark. Fresh. Good enough for me."

Spoiler: STATS

Show

Exhaustion Counter = 9

AP = 2*/6 (*2 bound with One With the Winds)

[CateranEnforcer]

“Nope!” Aloriana answers cheerfully, pleased with herself. “Just stay behind me if you're scared! Comon Dirk, let's see what's down here.” She grabs her things and takes a peek inside, but descends the stairs. This is clearly what they were meant to do, and she didn't want to risk it in the sun much longer. She kept her shield raised in front of her just in case.

This is a strange way to climb a mountain. Hope we can see down there. I wonder how the others are fairing.

[Zelphas]

Satomi considers the path for a moment, reaching down to scratch the top of Renault's shell. "Well done, Renault," she praises him, returning him to his Poke Ball. A moment later, she releases Guinevere at her side. "Guinevere, some light, if you please." The small Magby nods, a tiny tongue of flame appearing at the opening to her bill. "Thank you." Without any further fanfare, she follows Harisson into the tunnel's depths, wondering at their activation nand construction.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Guinevere is using Firestarter to make light.

Occult Education to figure out how the tunnel was made: (4d6+2)[16]

[CosmicOccurence]

Well that's interesting he thought to himself, wondering if Yvonne's apprentice had found this and rather hoping she hadn't. He quickly severed the bond with Zepar and, after a quick telepathic apology for bringing him out in the heat, returned the Kadabra to his ball. Then, he hurried down the steps after the others. It was probably a good thing he came with this group. It really was a pity he might have to stab them in the back soon; at least Chantu wasn't all he had expected though, so that was something.

Spoiler

Show

If Zepar wants to stay out of his ball, Neils will let him stay out

Athletics Check from previous post. DC 9, (2d6)[5], at 5 Counters now

[Arcran]

Aloriana

"Ladies first and all that?" Brawley jokes as he follows behind you, his humor returning rapidly as he enters the tunnel. Compared to the heat above, down below was almost too cold, but you weren't exactly complaining. There was even a subtle breeze somehow, cooling you down and rejuvinating you at a rapid pace.

The darkness is slightly overwhelming, until Brawley releases a second Pokemon.

"Angler, can you give us some light?" the Knight Initiate asks, a strange pod-like Pokemon suddenly glowing from two hanging lights. "At least we can see now, right?"

Harisson, Neils and Satomi

Do not call me again in such heat, Zepar 'says' in an annoyed tone to Neils before vanishing into his Pokeball.

Through the small flame cast by Guinevere is more than enough to illuminate the tunnel, making traversing the path not quite as dangerous as it would be in the dark. Chantu lets out an audible sigh of relief as you enter the tunnel, as does Studs, although Selky seems almost completely unbothered. While the change is nice for Satomi, for Harisson and Neils the sudden temperature drop of the underground tunnel is almost life saving, rejuvenating them and restoring no small amount of strength. The tunnel is long, and you walk for some time before you find anything of note.

Spoiler: Satomi

Show

You're fairly sure that rock doesn't naturally melt and form a staircase, meaning that this was almost certainly magic and, unless you're mistaken, The Mountain is almost definitely doing it. Of course, magic of this scale, making a giant tunnel underground, would be a ritual taking more than a few mages no small amount of time.

Everybody

After walking in the tunnel for some time, you notice that the paths seem to slope gently downwards and seem to go on forever. However, after a short amount of time, you're able to distinctly make out the sound of running water, a sound that is quite literally music to your ears. Soon enough, your paths arrive in a fork, and the two groups are reunited once more, although Adrianne is noticeably absent.

"You made it," Chantu says to Aloriana and Brawly, obviously intending to say something else before looking forward and seeing what was ahead.

Before you stood a gate, covered in runes unfamiliar even to Satomi. Even in the darkness of the tunnel it seemed abnormally dark, and the more educated among you instantly recognize it as pure obsidian. The pillars themselves are covered in ornate carvings, full of flames, tomes and some faintly glowing arcane runes. Atop the arch is a strange, sprite-like figure with long tails that Satomi is able to recognize as Uxie, the Goddess of Knowledge in a far away land. As you approach, the crown of the figure's head begins to glow yellow, and a voice flows into your mind, carrying the weight of centuries of knowledge.

You have bested the Trial of the Mind, and with it may pass this gate. While some attribute the power of the mind to rote memorization and the number of books one has read, sometimes simple logic is the greatest gift a mind can give, and the most potent weapon.

When against an unbeatable foe, perhaps the best course of action is not to confront it. Stubbornness is the enemy of intelligence. Such was illustrated when rather than push onward in the heat, you sought the shade.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best, and overthinking a problem can waste both time an effort. Sometimes a knife is a knife, and sometimes plow the stone is not a riddle.

You have shown the presence of a swift mind, with it, have completed the first of the Trials of Spirit. Pass through, and begin the Trial of Emotion.

The statue goes silent, the light fading from its head. Looking beyond it you can spot a small pool of water, a small stream of water feeding into it. Beyond that, there is only darkness.

"Hear that? The statue thinks I'm smart."

Spoiler: Occult Education, DC 10

Show

You know what Satomi does about Uxie.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Say goodbye to your Fatigue Counters! Hooray!

[CateranEnforcer]

Aloriana was pleased to see so many had made it this far, though one person seemed to be missing. She listened intently to the figure, recognizing it as a goddess' likeness. She looks to the group when its done and addresses the group, fixing her clothes to the cooler environment."That first one was a doozey. Looks like we're meeting up before the village after all. How is everyone? We missing someone?" She cranes her neck to examine the candidates and her eyes eventually fall on the pool of water before them.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Aloriana will await any replies and will talk a bit if the group pauses a moment. Otherwise she'll approach the water and look around and in it.

[CosmicOccurence]

After Zepar had returned to his Pokeball, Neils sighed in relief. The two were not on great terms yet, despite Neils's attempts to win over the Kadabra. It was odd having a Pokmeon as intelligent as a human being, and he hoped that the Psychic Type would eventually come around. For now though, he just had to hope that Zepar wouldn't try to usurp his authority. The dangers of training Psychic Types he supposed.

I wonder why the Goddess of Knowledge from another land is part of the trials. Why not have the entire trial be a homage to Moltres? Regardless of what the truth was, Neils failed to mention that Adrianne was missing. Instead he went up to the pool, taking a drink of the water to sooth his parched mouth.

Ibis mentioned there were Psychics at the Gate of Emotion her year, meaning that the next trial will likely involve people or Psychic Pokemon. Does each vary in nature from the others? Would that make the Gate of Willpower a combat situation? After finishing his water, he stood and turned to the group. One down and two to go. Let's hope the other two aren't quite as difficult, his gaze drifted to Selky, who seemed to be the only one not affected by the heat. Curious that, he thought. Maybe she's the one to keep an eye on instead of Chantu.