Event 4: Spring Hope Eternal

[letsplayamod]

Down to half your group's size, afflicted with hallucinations of faces long gone, you've certainly been put through a lot these last few weeks.

What's a bit more?

Upon the morning, a great clatter comes from the temple. A few pegasi have once again fled from the stables on their floor, seemingly distressed but unharmed. The cause becomes more apparent the lower you venture. Deeper and deeper down into the temple, the colder and windier it gets...

Comments

[sweetsynergy]

[Man. Would've been good if she'd kept her combat suit on for this. Say what you will about Aegis, they made a comfy, insulated spacesuit. But Vanity slips on her twin fists, chiton flapping in the chilled wind.]

[And- waits for backup, for once, before descending to the lower floors.]

[taintedfayth]

[Man whose outfit is just Tits Out when he's the high priest of the temple that houses Shiva, completely unbothered by the cold--]

What will we encounter this time, I wonder...

[letsplayamod]

[Smart thinking. Looks like the cold is coming from the fifth floor judging by the sudden blast of... snow? Snow in Vanity's face.]

[yourheroine]

Boop boop...chilly...

[She's gonna head down tailing Vanity, since she has enough sense to figure she should probably tackle this with a group.

Eru follows this time too.]

[brokenhabit]

[ Colder and windier...?

Well she was heading down anyway for swing time so may as well see what's going on this time. ]

[letsplayamod]

[Swing time will have to wait, it's time for action now..!]

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark is moving to catch up as he spots Leb heading downstairs]

Leb, wait up--

[stringup]

[ Wow. It's been over a year since she was in the North, so this honestly feels like home (whether that's a good or bad thing is another question).

Time to head down and see what's up. ]

cw hallucinations ref

[fillets]

[ WELP, ALL THE ENERGY SIGNATURES ARE GOING ONE WAY, TIME FOR HER TO ALSO SUBMIT TO THE INEVITABLE

Thankfully, she's not actually affected by the cold, but it does give her a bit of disquiet on the mental level. How does she know this is real, and not just a herald of the man of the north, here to mock her? ]

This is real, isn't it? The cold winds.

cw hallucinations ref

[pariunt]

I don't think it's a hallucination.

[But some other trick? He can't discount that.]

cw hallucinations

[pariunt]

[Astarion has not been in a good way since Tuesday. He's clearly on edge, followed by the figure as he is. The voice that hisses near him.]

How dare you ignore me, boy!

[True to those words, Astarion ignores him, though he's shaking slightly.]

It figures even a horse with wings would be skittish.

[raisethemoon]

[ okay first of all hey ]

Event START

[letsplayamod]

[As you approach the center of these gardens, circling the tree buffeted by mad weather, are ten columns of waist height. Rising from the stone path, each one is decorated in separate symbols, outfitted with a strange indent on the top. The tree itself almost seems to pulse with an unknown energy. Somehow, it's almost like it's the center of all this weather.

The threat here feels less tangible than a horde of monsters looking for a fight. It seems you'll be dealing with the weather this time - and quickly; or else the whole island may be frozen.

So it seems, for now, there's nothing better to do than investigate.]

[This event will focus primarily on investigation and puzzle solving along with some optional combat near the end.]

[fillets]

[ unknown energy, you say...

Can she read anything off the tree or the columns? ]

[sweetsynergy]

[Oh she doesn't trust that for a second. Claws are staying ON, thanks.]

[What kind of symbols are we looking at on the closest column to her?]

[pariunt]

[Oh. Puzzles.

He's definitely seen his fair share of mysterious puzzles before.]

[raisethemoon]

[ Luna will go and check another of the columns! Divide and conquer! ]

[taintedfayth]

[If this is like the Cloisters of Trials then he swears to Yevon--

He knows how columns with indents work!!]

We are clearly meant to set something into these columns. But where to find that something...

[stringup]

[ Let's examine another column and see what symbol it has. ]

[latinumsbetter]

[Well, looks like several people are checking those columns, and Leb is taking a look at the tree.

Any other columns or something interesting to peer at?]

slides in with starbucks and sunflower seeds cw: hallucinations

[catsgothistongue]

[Ranma who has definitely been here the entire time woodenly shuffles over to anymore column available.

... ignore the litter of cats hanging off his body and following him around, or the look on his face that screams AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

[literarybehemoth]

Ah, what is happening here?

[CAT HAS ARRIVED LATE, AS USUAL. are there any pillars for him to check, perhaps?]

Event part 2: The riddles

[letsplayamod]

[It's clear these lines lead all over the temple. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, so it couldn't hurt to work together to figure out this matter.

You've got time, and you've got friends.]

[(For the sake of organization, the investigation of the lines following the columns will be moved to under the toplevels posted here!)]

Floor 5

[letsplayamod]

(Optional) Event part 3: Mind the gardeners

[letsplayamod]

[Meanwhile, as others flock out of the elysian fields to track down these glyphs, the automatons still wander the area. These living suits of clunky armor are ordinarily quiet and organized (unless provoked) but now they're wandering and behaving erratically. A few, whether out of malfunction or genuine malice, start swiping at the rest of you if they happen to wander too close.

They aren't directly targeting you, but they might cause some damage if they aren't subdued.]

[(This is an optional combat encounter with rogue automatons. Characters will roll 2d6 to determine whether attempts to use their powers will result in a failure (1-3) a medium-success (4-9) or a complete success (10-12).)]

Round 1

[letsplayamod]

EVENT WRAP-UP: Spring Has Come Again

[letsplayamod]

[Ten riddles of the Sphinx solved, ten items of (presumably) the island's former occupants gathered and twelve young Gods who put in the work to retrieve them.

When the final object, a lute from the Music Room, is placed on it's column all ten begins to glow with light. The weather calms as does the rogue automatons' erratic behavior. The flashes of lightning stop, the winds settle, the snowy flurries lessen to a gentle snowfall. The bitter cold remains though. It's almost enough, almost, but not quite...

From beneath the cocoon of gnarled roots, a golden glow seeps into the ground and flows with a brilliant light through the ground and up into the cypress tree. It pulses and spreads through the trunk, into every branch and every leaf. The lights from the columns and the golden light of the tree burst in unison, filling the garden with warm, divine light-

When the light fades and the godlings visions clear, the snow is gone. The tree and whatever magic regulates it have been rebalanced after being neglected for so long. Well done, all.

Now the only problem is freeing Leb and Cerejeira because those roots have not gone anywhere.]

[sweetsynergy]

[Vanity, chiton and hair mussed, scuffed automaton head under one arm, takes a breath as things finally settle.]

Well, I feel accomplished as shit. ... what's with the tree-ball. ...Leb, you do that?

[Wheremst've-]