Celestina carefully eased out the stone, water brushing against his wound to help clean it. She dug into one of her little pouches and would dress his wound, making sure that the bleeding stopped. "There...that should do." She bit her lip, feeling rather guilty. When Owaja spoke of breaking up into groups, she hesitated.
"I don't know." she said honestly. "It might be better...or it might be worse. I'm just...I'm not sure. Either way, this is dangerous..."
"I don't know." she said honestly. "It might be better...or it might be worse. I'm just...I'm not sure. Either way, this is dangerous..."
Dadj stared at the open part of his skin in wonderment. He was waiting for something to happen with it... Nothing was. After all this time being stagnant, something had changed. He couldn't stop looking at the redness on his side.
Owaja sat back on a step, her elbows on her thighs and her head resting on her hands. Her hair engulfed her face in a sea of beads and ties as she leaned forward in thought. Sunflower seemed to perk up as the silence of other's pondering ideas drew out. He managed to take a few steps towards the others and took a short leap from Owaja's head to the step beside her. His small black beady eyes focused on Celestina then back to Owaja.
The ferret chittered and hopped around in a circle as if to say "I know what to do!" Placing his tiny paws on Owaja's leg, Sunflower pulled himself halfway onto her lap and wagged his tail in excitement until Owaja looked at him questioningly.
"You want to do what?!" Owaja nearly grabbed the ferret off her lap but stopped herself halfway. Instead she changed the direction of her raised arms and used them to prop herself up to listen to her friend's speech.
The ferret chittered and hopped around in a circle as if to say "I know what to do!" Placing his tiny paws on Owaja's leg, Sunflower pulled himself halfway onto her lap and wagged his tail in excitement until Owaja looked at him questioningly.
"You want to do what?!" Owaja nearly grabbed the ferret off her lap but stopped herself halfway. Instead she changed the direction of her raised arms and used them to prop herself up to listen to her friend's speech.
The Sibling was now looking around, scanning the room for any more possible traps. What had just happened to Dadj had shown him that they weren't in some kind of joy ride: the dangers were there, and if he wasn't careful, he'd meet a gruesome end in there.
And that didn't bother him in the least.
Well, he was unable to spot anything, so he turned around to face the group.
And that didn't bother him in the least.
Well, he was unable to spot anything, so he turned around to face the group.
"It would be easier to watch for traps if there were less people to watch out for... But we have to find alternate routes in order to split up." The Ranger's tone was sedate. Although he couldn't feel the hole in his side, he knew it was there and it was bothering him. His face, in turn was becoming ashen. After tying something around it, some cloth he thinks he was handed, he got up and looked about the room.
"We have to head to the staircase."
"We have to head to the staircase."
Celestina looked towards Owaja. "What? What does your companion think we should do?" When Dadj mentioned heading for the staircase, she flinched. "Yes, yes we do. I have no doubt that there is something wrong with the stairs as well, however." The room was peaceful now, after the sudden burst of action. But it most likely would not last long. "Stay away from the walls. I don't want anyone else to get hurt." She moved towards the staircase slowly, carefully.
"Dadj...are you going to be okay? You don't look well." Her concerned gaze was turned towards the man.
"Dadj...are you going to be okay? You don't look well." Her concerned gaze was turned towards the man.
75
Sam started fishing around in her satchel when Celestina mentioned Dadj's injury. She found her bottles of Healies (R) and popped the top off the one with the red label. She offered the bottle to Dadj - it contained four large red pills.
"Take one of those, they're the cure fer what ails ya."
She walked over to where they had first triggered the trap, and immediately noticed a multitude of small holes in the walls, cunningly placed to blend in with the stone's texture. She examined the floor, and noticed the stone had a slightly different color here - likely either a pressure plate, or a magical surveillance system of some kind. She pointed these things out to the others.
"Damn. That's my fault. If I'd known we'd be heading in to a deathtrap, I'd have offered to walk up front. With the job I have, I wouldn't be alive right now if I didn't know how to find and deal with stuff like this."
Sam started fishing around in her satchel when Celestina mentioned Dadj's injury. She found her bottles of Healies (R) and popped the top off the one with the red label. She offered the bottle to Dadj - it contained four large red pills.
"Take one of those, they're the cure fer what ails ya."
She walked over to where they had first triggered the trap, and immediately noticed a multitude of small holes in the walls, cunningly placed to blend in with the stone's texture. She examined the floor, and noticed the stone had a slightly different color here - likely either a pressure plate, or a magical surveillance system of some kind. She pointed these things out to the others.
"Damn. That's my fault. If I'd known we'd be heading in to a deathtrap, I'd have offered to walk up front. With the job I have, I wouldn't be alive right now if I didn't know how to find and deal with stuff like this."
He looked at Sam, who he could really swear he'd met before and reached in to take a pill. He deposited it into his mouth and swallowed it without a drink. He could feel the things being worked down his throat and almost wretched. He did however see the effects not long after consumption. The tear in his body slowly scabbed over and began to itch as the new skin grew underneath. He nodded his thanks to Samantha, who had already turned to inspect the room. The Ranger had been reckless in his assumption that things wouldn't bother him here, but he'd been living so long under those pretenses it was hard to just start looking out for himself.
"Can you get us safely to the stairs, then?"
"Can you get us safely to the stairs, then?"
Celestina smiled in relief when Dadj started healing. "Thank goodness." When Sam said she was good at sniffing out traps and stuff, she nodded slightly. "Then...you may take the lead, if you wish. Just please, be careful." She sighed and would wait, careful and observant. This probably wouldn't end very well...
Owaja stood up with a bantering Sunflower in her hands. The little ferret seemed over eager to say what he had to say and climbed up his master's shoulders, up her hair and onto the top of her head where he stood high (or as high as he could since Owaja bearly managed to break the 3'8'' mark). The ferret squawked and chittered to Owaja, who had her eyes turned up and her mouth parted ever so slightly, as if she were listening intently to her companion. After a moment's pause she nodded and fixed her attention on Celestina.
"Sunflower says he wants to run ahead too. He's small enough to avoid most booby-traps and can warn us a head of time." Owaja blinked several times and remembered Samantha. If it's alright with you, Miss Lady.
Sunflower broke out into a chitter of annoyance which caused Owaja to look up again. "What do you mean you don't want to partner up with her? She's a nice lady....she WHAT?! Sunflower that's not nice at all! -HEY! Where are you going?!"
Owaja made a futile effort to grap the dashing ferret but her attempt was in vein. The little creature had leaped from her head and was already ascending he stair case in a tiny arching leaps and hops.
"SUNFLOWER!!! GET BACK HERE!!!" Rushing towards the stairs herself, Owaja hurried after the ferret; forgetting all dangers ahead of her.
"Sunflower says he wants to run ahead too. He's small enough to avoid most booby-traps and can warn us a head of time." Owaja blinked several times and remembered Samantha. If it's alright with you, Miss Lady.
Sunflower broke out into a chitter of annoyance which caused Owaja to look up again. "What do you mean you don't want to partner up with her? She's a nice lady....she WHAT?! Sunflower that's not nice at all! -HEY! Where are you going?!"
Owaja made a futile effort to grap the dashing ferret but her attempt was in vein. The little creature had leaped from her head and was already ascending he stair case in a tiny arching leaps and hops.
"SUNFLOWER!!! GET BACK HERE!!!" Rushing towards the stairs herself, Owaja hurried after the ferret; forgetting all dangers ahead of her.
"Good. Now we can rely on a weasel to get us safely through with all our lives," the ranger snapped irately. He looked to the lizard woman, waiting for her to do something in the way of leading.
((Mross, Celestina is away for the week, but I think it's safe to assume that there is magic in the entire tower based on what she's already told us. Plus I think she said we could add whatever we feel would work trap and magic wise.))
((Mross, Celestina is away for the week, but I think it's safe to assume that there is magic in the entire tower based on what she's already told us. Plus I think she said we could add whatever we feel would work trap and magic wise.))
48
Sam had been casting her spell to very seflessly help the entire party while Owaja's ferret had been rudely talking trash about her behind her back. She noticed a pinging in the wall up ahead, just in front of the stairs, and checked the floor there. Sure enough...
Too late though, Sunflower had already bolted for the stairs.
"Hey wait, there's a tripwire!" Sam flailed her arms about uselessly, trying to draw the animal's attention. She needn't have bothered though, as he deftly leaped over and avoided the simple trap altogether.
"Huh. Well, I'd better disable that thing anyway, I know Mort'll walk right in to it and get us all killed."
Mort refused to dignify this with a response.
Sam closed the on the wire, knelt down, and prodded it from a safe distance with the tip of her sword's sheath. A jet of flame erupted from the wall, slightly in front of the wire. It left the wire intact, but anyone who had been walking normally would likely have been incinerated (or severely injured on a successful save).
"Yikes. Thaaaat's not happy." She'd been paying attention, and had noticed a light that glowed briefly before the trap had gone off. It was right where her spell had said it would be - a small red gem, possibly a ruby, set in to the stone at about waist height. She unsheathed her sword and used the tip of the blade to wedge it free of its recess, then cut the wire. No further incendiary death was forthcoming.
She was about to signal the "all clear" when part of the wall retracted, then slid away to the side, revealing a hidden alcove, containing one large chest.
"Awwww yeah! Now this is what adventuring's all about! Guys, come check this out!"
After casting Trigger and Open on the chest to ensure it was safe, she flung the lid open and immediately began pulling stuff out of it. All told, there were a magician's stage wand, (purple body and magenta tip), a pair of running shoes (light blue with multi-colored laces, and what appeared to be white fluffy wings sprouting from the sides), a leather sack (violent pink), a matching robe and wizard hat (violet with blue and yellow stars), and a yellow staff that appeared to have been grown rather than carved. Pink leaves sprouted all along its length.
After double checking that there was nothing left in the chest, Sam turned back to the pile of loot. "Man, what a haul! Looks like there should be something in here for everybody... now we just need to figure out what each thing does. Oh, hey, they have tags! That's pretty convenient."
She picked up the magician's rod. As she had said, a white paper tag was affixed to the bottom end with a thin string. Samantha examined each article in turn and read its tag aloud to the group.
"It says, The Number One Assistant. Superhuman speed reading, photographic textual memory, improved telekinesis. Nice!"
"The Random Rucksack. WAY better than the handy haversack! We can't tell you what's in here though, then it wouldn't be a surprise! That's all it says. Huh." The sack featured two drawstrings, allowing to be worn either over the shoulder or on the back like a backpack.
"The Staff of Compassion. Communicate with almost all animals, mentally and emotionally. Also grants the wielder a wide range of healing abilities and knowledge: magical, herbal, and more. That one seems pretty useful."
"Great Hat. When worn with the Powerful Robe, all your spells become greater! Their costs and casting times are reduced by half! Anything your enemies can do, you can do better! Jeez, who wrote these? Seems like a pretty good caster hat though. Oh, they must mean this..."
"Yep. Powerful Robe. When worn with the Great Hat, all of your magic will become FAR more powerful! Huh. I guess we're supposed to take their word for it?" The "Robe" was clearly a robe in name only. It was actually a cape, fastened in front with a large blue gemstone, cut in to the shape of an octagon.
"And finally, we have these funny-looking shoes... let's see... oh, here it is. The Buccaneer Blazers. Twenty percent faster running, twenty percent slicker dodging, twenty percent quicker reflexes, and twenty percent more willpower."
"...That's awesome! I'm keeping these, you guys can split up the rest. Finder's fee!"
With childlike glee that could only have come from finding amazing loot, Sam slipped off her standard black adventurer's boots and stowed them in her satchel. She slipped on the new sneakers (being magic, they re-sized themselves to fit her), and ran a few circles around the room to break them in. True to their "advertisement", she was much lighter on her feet. Literally, in fact - she seemed to float along, her feet barely touching the ground.
"Holy crap! If the rest of these things are this good, we'll be unstoppable!"
((Post has been edited, added some detail on a couple of the items.))
Sam had been casting her spell to very seflessly help the entire party while Owaja's ferret had been rudely talking trash about her behind her back. She noticed a pinging in the wall up ahead, just in front of the stairs, and checked the floor there. Sure enough...
Too late though, Sunflower had already bolted for the stairs.
"Hey wait, there's a tripwire!" Sam flailed her arms about uselessly, trying to draw the animal's attention. She needn't have bothered though, as he deftly leaped over and avoided the simple trap altogether.
"Huh. Well, I'd better disable that thing anyway, I know Mort'll walk right in to it and get us all killed."
Mort refused to dignify this with a response.
Sam closed the on the wire, knelt down, and prodded it from a safe distance with the tip of her sword's sheath. A jet of flame erupted from the wall, slightly in front of the wire. It left the wire intact, but anyone who had been walking normally would likely have been incinerated (or severely injured on a successful save).
"Yikes. Thaaaat's not happy." She'd been paying attention, and had noticed a light that glowed briefly before the trap had gone off. It was right where her spell had said it would be - a small red gem, possibly a ruby, set in to the stone at about waist height. She unsheathed her sword and used the tip of the blade to wedge it free of its recess, then cut the wire. No further incendiary death was forthcoming.
She was about to signal the "all clear" when part of the wall retracted, then slid away to the side, revealing a hidden alcove, containing one large chest.
"Awwww yeah! Now this is what adventuring's all about! Guys, come check this out!"
After casting Trigger and Open on the chest to ensure it was safe, she flung the lid open and immediately began pulling stuff out of it. All told, there were a magician's stage wand, (purple body and magenta tip), a pair of running shoes (light blue with multi-colored laces, and what appeared to be white fluffy wings sprouting from the sides), a leather sack (violent pink), a matching robe and wizard hat (violet with blue and yellow stars), and a yellow staff that appeared to have been grown rather than carved. Pink leaves sprouted all along its length.
After double checking that there was nothing left in the chest, Sam turned back to the pile of loot. "Man, what a haul! Looks like there should be something in here for everybody... now we just need to figure out what each thing does. Oh, hey, they have tags! That's pretty convenient."
She picked up the magician's rod. As she had said, a white paper tag was affixed to the bottom end with a thin string. Samantha examined each article in turn and read its tag aloud to the group.
"It says, The Number One Assistant. Superhuman speed reading, photographic textual memory, improved telekinesis. Nice!"
"The Random Rucksack. WAY better than the handy haversack! We can't tell you what's in here though, then it wouldn't be a surprise! That's all it says. Huh." The sack featured two drawstrings, allowing to be worn either over the shoulder or on the back like a backpack.
"The Staff of Compassion. Communicate with almost all animals, mentally and emotionally. Also grants the wielder a wide range of healing abilities and knowledge: magical, herbal, and more. That one seems pretty useful."
"Great Hat. When worn with the Powerful Robe, all your spells become greater! Their costs and casting times are reduced by half! Anything your enemies can do, you can do better! Jeez, who wrote these? Seems like a pretty good caster hat though. Oh, they must mean this..."
"Yep. Powerful Robe. When worn with the Great Hat, all of your magic will become FAR more powerful! Huh. I guess we're supposed to take their word for it?" The "Robe" was clearly a robe in name only. It was actually a cape, fastened in front with a large blue gemstone, cut in to the shape of an octagon.
"And finally, we have these funny-looking shoes... let's see... oh, here it is. The Buccaneer Blazers. Twenty percent faster running, twenty percent slicker dodging, twenty percent quicker reflexes, and twenty percent more willpower."
"...That's awesome! I'm keeping these, you guys can split up the rest. Finder's fee!"
With childlike glee that could only have come from finding amazing loot, Sam slipped off her standard black adventurer's boots and stowed them in her satchel. She slipped on the new sneakers (being magic, they re-sized themselves to fit her), and ran a few circles around the room to break them in. True to their "advertisement", she was much lighter on her feet. Literally, in fact - she seemed to float along, her feet barely touching the ground.
"Holy crap! If the rest of these things are this good, we'll be unstoppable!"
((Post has been edited, added some detail on a couple of the items.))
Celestina watched the animal rush away, squeaking a weak protest. Dadj's sarcastic response made her cheeks turn pink. She felt more and more unworthy by the moment, and truly wondered why she was even leading this expedition at all. Yes, she knew the enemy. But what else? Nothing. She felt useless. Everyone else had special talents, and that was obvious when Samantha discovered the tripwire, disabled it, and found some objects that Celestina herself vaguely recognized.
"I have seen him use those before. When he doesn't feel like putting out actual effort, for the 'not worth it' shows that he did just to make people stop begging him." She inched forward. "Just be careful. There might be a catch." Or there might not be. It would be just like him to leave his stage-help by the stairs, where he could just pick them up on his way out. Celestina sighed.
"I uhm...I guess we wait for Sunflower's signal?"
"I have seen him use those before. When he doesn't feel like putting out actual effort, for the 'not worth it' shows that he did just to make people stop begging him." She inched forward. "Just be careful. There might be a catch." Or there might not be. It would be just like him to leave his stage-help by the stairs, where he could just pick them up on his way out. Celestina sighed.
"I uhm...I guess we wait for Sunflower's signal?"
The Ranger looked at all the magicked items and frowned. He was not a big magic user himself and honestly had no real need for much any of these goods. He figured the sack was probably his best bet if he were to take anything and pulled it over to himself to inspect.
((Mross, did you have anything in mind for this?))
((Mross, did you have anything in mind for this?))
51
Dadj looked inside the bag, but he could see only a swirling maelstrom of rainbow colors. Overwhelmed by curiosity, he reached one hand in, felt something solid, grasped, and pulled out... a tuba. Far larger than the container it had come from.
Fascinated, Dadj turned the bag over and shook it, but only confetti, streamers, and balloons fell out, and this colorful waterfall ceased after a few seconds. The bag appeared to have built-in failsafes.
Sam stopped running around to take a look at the musical instrument Dadj had just pulled from... somewhere. "Huh. That's, um, certainly an... interesting artifact?" Her and mort were both looking at it, heads tilted in the same direction, by the same amount.
((No single object pulled from the bag can exceed three meters in any one dimension, or fifty kilograms in weight. To avoid the problem of potentially infinite mass, let's say it can only be used six times a day.
Anyone can use any of the items, I didn't have any particular split in mind when I thought of them. This being a wizard's castle, the fighter-type classes did get kinda gypped. But hey, there's nothing stopping you guys from magicking up your own loot drops.
The items the bag creates do have a certain "theme" about them, but feel free to be as creative as you like. I can also provide items whenever you feel like a surprise. That's the point of the bag, after all!
Also, apologies for using your character. I felt like an example would be the best way to explain how it's used.))
Dadj looked inside the bag, but he could see only a swirling maelstrom of rainbow colors. Overwhelmed by curiosity, he reached one hand in, felt something solid, grasped, and pulled out... a tuba. Far larger than the container it had come from.
Fascinated, Dadj turned the bag over and shook it, but only confetti, streamers, and balloons fell out, and this colorful waterfall ceased after a few seconds. The bag appeared to have built-in failsafes.
Sam stopped running around to take a look at the musical instrument Dadj had just pulled from... somewhere. "Huh. That's, um, certainly an... interesting artifact?" Her and mort were both looking at it, heads tilted in the same direction, by the same amount.
((No single object pulled from the bag can exceed three meters in any one dimension, or fifty kilograms in weight. To avoid the problem of potentially infinite mass, let's say it can only be used six times a day.
Anyone can use any of the items, I didn't have any particular split in mind when I thought of them. This being a wizard's castle, the fighter-type classes did get kinda gypped. But hey, there's nothing stopping you guys from magicking up your own loot drops.
The items the bag creates do have a certain "theme" about them, but feel free to be as creative as you like. I can also provide items whenever you feel like a surprise. That's the point of the bag, after all!
Also, apologies for using your character. I felt like an example would be the best way to explain how it's used.))
((No big deal, Mross.))
Dadj's frown got deeper with every useless object he pulled from the sack. Finally reaching his limit for this nonsense, he closed the sack and chose to tie the sack to his belt instead of slinging it over his shoulder. It would get in the way of his quiver otherwise. He left the pile of object on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.
Dadj's frown got deeper with every useless object he pulled from the sack. Finally reaching his limit for this nonsense, he closed the sack and chose to tie the sack to his belt instead of slinging it over his shoulder. It would get in the way of his quiver otherwise. He left the pile of object on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.
Celestina stared at all the items coming from the bag. No matter what was said, she was still worried that something bad was going to happen. "Just be careful. Please. I don't know what, uhm...'side effects' these might have for those that the items aren't made for." She kept her eyes on each, concerned. "He probably already knows we're here. Be careful."
A loud screech from the top of the staircase echoed throughout the chamber, and Owaja, who had been fallowing after Sunflower came running back halfway down to signal to the others.
"Hey! There's a door up here!! And there's light coming from inside!!" Owaja crouched down with her hands resting on her knees while her chittering companion jumped onto her shoulders; tail held high in the air and head perked with excitement.
"Good find." The gnome commended her ferret by stroking his chin. Looking back to the others at the bottom of the staircase, her eyes closed in on the box of goodies Sam had collected. Her eyes widened with wonder at the sight of all the colorful artifacts inside and she nearly fell down the stairs to join them once again.
"WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS STUFF!?" her over excitement nearly landed her head over heals in the pile of goodies. Her hands reched into the pile without a second thought and came back holding a bright blue...kazoo...
Puzzled, but still overtaken by the item's radiance, Owaja held the small instrument at eye level, her large moss green eyes glittering in amazement and curiosity.
"I...I've never seen anything like it!" Perhaps her reaction was a bit over dramatic, as her Sunflower had already lowered his head in distaste and began to shake it slowly. Jumping down to the ground, the ferret burrowed himself into the bag and began jostling though the items, clinking and clanking while his master oogled over the diminutive instrument.
"Hey! There's a door up here!! And there's light coming from inside!!" Owaja crouched down with her hands resting on her knees while her chittering companion jumped onto her shoulders; tail held high in the air and head perked with excitement.
"Good find." The gnome commended her ferret by stroking his chin. Looking back to the others at the bottom of the staircase, her eyes closed in on the box of goodies Sam had collected. Her eyes widened with wonder at the sight of all the colorful artifacts inside and she nearly fell down the stairs to join them once again.
"WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS STUFF!?" her over excitement nearly landed her head over heals in the pile of goodies. Her hands reched into the pile without a second thought and came back holding a bright blue...kazoo...
Puzzled, but still overtaken by the item's radiance, Owaja held the small instrument at eye level, her large moss green eyes glittering in amazement and curiosity.
"I...I've never seen anything like it!" Perhaps her reaction was a bit over dramatic, as her Sunflower had already lowered his head in distaste and began to shake it slowly. Jumping down to the ground, the ferret burrowed himself into the bag and began jostling though the items, clinking and clanking while his master oogled over the diminutive instrument.
Celestina's attention was caught by Owaja. "A door?" She rushed up there, looking at it. "Uhm...I think we all should be up here and ready. I'll go first. You guys watch my back, and be ready for anything, alright?" She looked over at them and would wait for everyone to get ready.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen. So I guess just...be ready for anything." She didn't want anyone else getting hurt, so she would be sure that she went in first. But before that, she wanted to make sure everyone was ready.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen. So I guess just...be ready for anything." She didn't want anyone else getting hurt, so she would be sure that she went in first. But before that, she wanted to make sure everyone was ready.
Dadj fell in line behind her, unused to having to stay back. He was also too stubborn to actually heed the fact that he should, for his own well being. Instead, he pulled the bow from his back and knocked an arrow. When Celestina was ready to open the door, he would put tension on the bow and stand at the ready.
((Mross is gone for a while, I think about 6 weeks or so. Shall we proceed with the idea that Sam is still in the party or... wait? I'm not sure.))
((Mross is gone for a while, I think about 6 weeks or so. Shall we proceed with the idea that Sam is still in the party or... wait? I'm not sure.))
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