blade (刃) 🌠 yingxing (应星) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unreachableside) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
kaisou2025-01-28 08:15 pm
unreachableside) wrote in kaisou2025-01-28 08:15 pm
Entry tags:
action | burn it all down
WHO: Blade and the Dungeon Crew (Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Ash, Ragna, Lapis, March, Varian) and the Backup Crew if they feel like it (Rose, Jun, Scintilla, and Venti).
WHERE: Hyrule and then the Dungeon Below
WHEN: Late January
WHAT: Blade discovered a dungeon underneath his forge, but he's been very patient and uncharacteristically cautious (read: held back by his friends/loved ones) until he could get a group together to explore.
WARNINGS: combat, language, disgusting swamp monsters without faces
argreion, the argent knight.
meeting up.
It's a cool, crisp morning in Hyrule.
Blade's forge in Hyrule has been made slightly more comfy for visitors, given what's going on today. It consists of two noteworthy buildings for those unfamiliar: the forge proper, which is essentially a couple of specialty stoves underneath a chimney and a big roof to deny the rain; and a sort of small warehouse resembling an outdoor garage currently housing all his supplies and some finished projects, as well as propping up the ridiculously-oversized lance he looted from the giant mech they fought last August. The tables underneath the forge roof have been cleared of most unimportant things and there are outdoor chairs, first aid supplies, and a little camping stove and kettle if anyone wants to make tea.
As cozy as this looks for a meeting place, it's impossible to miss the giant gaping hole just a few steps from the outbuilding. Carved stone steps lead downward into the darkness, terminating in some kind of magical stone elevator begging for someone to explore.
Blade waits for what he feels is everyone who means to show up, and then he clears his throat.
"All right, everyone. Thanks for coming. Jing Yuan, Dan Heng and I have done a bit of scouting ahead just to see what this place is like. It has multiple floors, though we haven't figured out how to access them yet. The first floor is infested with monsters none of us were familiar with. Just in case we get separated, I want us to form two groups with strength and support on both sides. Let's not underestimate what might be waiting for us at the end of the maze.
"If you like, you can stay up here and call for help if no one comes back by sundown. We probably have enough people, so backup would be ideal.
"Any questions?"
With everything sorted, he gives the signal for the two groups who are going to file down into the abyss. The scent of cold earth and musty stone assaults your nostrils as you start down the stairs, down, down, down into the unknown...
the first room.
Surprisingly, the stone elevator at the end of the stairs is generously wide. Wide enough for several cars, not that something that large would need this elevator. After everyone is on, Blade hits the button and it grinds to life. The sunlight dwindles and disappears behind the stones as the lift sinks down, accompanied by the creaks and groans of ancient gears.
At last the elevator comes to a stop. As your eyes adjust, you find the place is lit by flickering magical torches. More unreadable symbols have been etched into glowing stone situated all around the room, which is at least the size of a football field... Almost like an arena. Despite your nerves, however, there isn't much here to greet you: just two heavy metallic doors leading in opposite directions, and whatever regrets you might have about not eating breakfast.
"We'll keep this simple. Group one, you're with me. We'll head west. Group two, you head east. Good luck." Brandishing his sword, Blade leads the first group through the door on the left.
Adventure awaits!
group one.
As soon as you step over the threshold of the door, it closes violently behind you and locks. No going back the way you came, apparently. Unlike the other chamber, this one is poorly lit with only flickering old lamps that do little to highlight the corners of the room. The path is long and winding, and the scent of musty stone is strong; distantly, water drips behind broken bricks. Perhaps there is an underground river?
While navigating this darkness, you hear the occasional skittering of something just beyond the light. Anyone exploring the dark areas of the room is bound to trigger an ambush. Armed with sharp claws and venom that slows people, large orb-shaped monsters pounce on the unprepared. As you press on, shadows coalesce into massive slug things known as Dromes in Zemuria, because the only thing worse than a mad mollusk is a mollusk that can cast Blind on you or even knock you out instantly. Interesting enough, it seems to be similar to the spells you can cast with an ARCUS.
None of the monsters are overly strong, but could prove to be trouble to those who are unaccustomed to combat.
At the end of the path lies some kind of torch puzzle. Lighting one torch causes two to go out. Lighting one of those causes one to light up. Lighting the third causes a different one to light up, and lighting the last one causes all torches to go out. It's classic and frustrating, but surely with a little fire magic and some critical thinking you can solve it and go on.
The heavy grate winds up and allows you entrance into this... guarded chamber, where it awaits you:
An even bigger slug. No, seriously. This one is at least fifteen feet tall. It's immune to knockbacks and heals itself by attacking with a wide swipe, and most troubling of all, it can occasionally silence enemies with a cutting wind spell. Still, it's nothing compared to the previous fights that this crew has weathered. It's just... slimy. And gross.
After the Giant Drome is handled, the door at the other end of the chamber opens into the final chamber.
group two.
The eastern path is winding, too, and just as musty. However, instead of the sound of distant water underground, you hear wind whistling through the cracks in the stones. The breeze doesn't smell fresh, but at least air is moving. With it, it brings the sound of other things squeaking and eating down in the darkness. The light is just barely enough to walk by, and it certainly won't help during combat.
As you tread deeper, the sound of your footsteps becomes deafening. And then out of the darkness of the ceiling, a swarm of monstrous bats descends upon the group. These bats are way heavier than they have any right to be, like wrecking balls wearing fur. Despite their fluffy appearance they intend to physically assault and then eat you, so maybe fighting back is a good idea!
After the bats are dealt with, you find yourself in another large room. This one smells dank and not in a good way. Shining a light, you can see that some of the room has collapsed and eroded into stagnant cave water. Movement flickers beneath the surface, the only warning you get before abominations made of dead monsters drag themselves up from the depths and charge those present. They have the ability to heal themselves as well as a vile sticky spray attack.
While frightening to behold, these still aren't very strong monsters... It's almost like this is a beginner dungeon or something.
After the swamp room, there is some kind of basic light puzzle consisting of a magical beam that bounces back onto itself. Mirrors line each side of the room, and can be dragged and rotated to correct the light's trajectory. Shine the bright beam from the south end of the room onto the sparkly wall-mounted gem on the north side, and the door will open.
On the other side of the door, you find—
A big angry lobster. Called the Fate Spinner in some monster manual in Zemuria, its nature is that of a venomous, blighted bog boss. It attacks with its sharp claws in a broad, powerful arc, but it can be staggered! On the other hand, its vomit can both Burn and Confuse enemies, so watch out for its breath.
Once it's dealt with, the door unlocks, and the second group can finally proceed.
reuniting at the final room.
Both groups find each other again after their respective boss fights as the paths converge into a final, massive chamber. It looks to be ceremonial in nature but currently inactive. A motionless statue stands at the front of the room, at least thirty feet tall, having the silhouette of a suit of armor.
As Blade steps forward to investigate, sigils etched into the stone floor spring to life until they encircle the statue. Once illuminated, it becomes clear: that's no statue at all.
This is Argreion, the Argent Knight, who had been Arianrhod's companion and weapon in her fight against the rebels.
Before Blade can find what to say, the blue lights on Argreion's armor flicker to life. In a feminine voice that only Blade can hear, she calls to him.
"Awakener..."
And then, in full sight of everyone, the armored suit bows down on one knee. The entire wall behind the mech slides open to reveal that this chamber connects to the very first one, so everyone is now able to get on the elevator and leave the dungeon! ... Including the mech, which is juuuuuust small enough to fit on the lift.
These are clearly not Hylian ruins despite being in Hyrule, and there is still a massive hole next to the forge, but that's a problem for a different day. For now—revel in your hard-won victory against the dark things in the Forge Hole.
You've earned it.
WHERE: Hyrule and then the Dungeon Below
WHEN: Late January
WHAT: Blade discovered a dungeon underneath his forge, but he's been very patient and uncharacteristically cautious (read: held back by his friends/loved ones) until he could get a group together to explore.
WARNINGS: combat, language, disgusting swamp monsters without faces
argreion, the argent knight.
meeting up.It's a cool, crisp morning in Hyrule.
Blade's forge in Hyrule has been made slightly more comfy for visitors, given what's going on today. It consists of two noteworthy buildings for those unfamiliar: the forge proper, which is essentially a couple of specialty stoves underneath a chimney and a big roof to deny the rain; and a sort of small warehouse resembling an outdoor garage currently housing all his supplies and some finished projects, as well as propping up the ridiculously-oversized lance he looted from the giant mech they fought last August. The tables underneath the forge roof have been cleared of most unimportant things and there are outdoor chairs, first aid supplies, and a little camping stove and kettle if anyone wants to make tea.
As cozy as this looks for a meeting place, it's impossible to miss the giant gaping hole just a few steps from the outbuilding. Carved stone steps lead downward into the darkness, terminating in some kind of magical stone elevator begging for someone to explore.
Blade waits for what he feels is everyone who means to show up, and then he clears his throat.
"All right, everyone. Thanks for coming. Jing Yuan, Dan Heng and I have done a bit of scouting ahead just to see what this place is like. It has multiple floors, though we haven't figured out how to access them yet. The first floor is infested with monsters none of us were familiar with. Just in case we get separated, I want us to form two groups with strength and support on both sides. Let's not underestimate what might be waiting for us at the end of the maze.
"If you like, you can stay up here and call for help if no one comes back by sundown. We probably have enough people, so backup would be ideal.
"Any questions?"
With everything sorted, he gives the signal for the two groups who are going to file down into the abyss. The scent of cold earth and musty stone assaults your nostrils as you start down the stairs, down, down, down into the unknown...
the first room.Surprisingly, the stone elevator at the end of the stairs is generously wide. Wide enough for several cars, not that something that large would need this elevator. After everyone is on, Blade hits the button and it grinds to life. The sunlight dwindles and disappears behind the stones as the lift sinks down, accompanied by the creaks and groans of ancient gears.
At last the elevator comes to a stop. As your eyes adjust, you find the place is lit by flickering magical torches. More unreadable symbols have been etched into glowing stone situated all around the room, which is at least the size of a football field... Almost like an arena. Despite your nerves, however, there isn't much here to greet you: just two heavy metallic doors leading in opposite directions, and whatever regrets you might have about not eating breakfast.
"We'll keep this simple. Group one, you're with me. We'll head west. Group two, you head east. Good luck." Brandishing his sword, Blade leads the first group through the door on the left.
Adventure awaits!
group one.As soon as you step over the threshold of the door, it closes violently behind you and locks. No going back the way you came, apparently. Unlike the other chamber, this one is poorly lit with only flickering old lamps that do little to highlight the corners of the room. The path is long and winding, and the scent of musty stone is strong; distantly, water drips behind broken bricks. Perhaps there is an underground river?
While navigating this darkness, you hear the occasional skittering of something just beyond the light. Anyone exploring the dark areas of the room is bound to trigger an ambush. Armed with sharp claws and venom that slows people, large orb-shaped monsters pounce on the unprepared. As you press on, shadows coalesce into massive slug things known as Dromes in Zemuria, because the only thing worse than a mad mollusk is a mollusk that can cast Blind on you or even knock you out instantly. Interesting enough, it seems to be similar to the spells you can cast with an ARCUS.
None of the monsters are overly strong, but could prove to be trouble to those who are unaccustomed to combat.
At the end of the path lies some kind of torch puzzle. Lighting one torch causes two to go out. Lighting one of those causes one to light up. Lighting the third causes a different one to light up, and lighting the last one causes all torches to go out. It's classic and frustrating, but surely with a little fire magic and some critical thinking you can solve it and go on.
The heavy grate winds up and allows you entrance into this... guarded chamber, where it awaits you:
An even bigger slug. No, seriously. This one is at least fifteen feet tall. It's immune to knockbacks and heals itself by attacking with a wide swipe, and most troubling of all, it can occasionally silence enemies with a cutting wind spell. Still, it's nothing compared to the previous fights that this crew has weathered. It's just... slimy. And gross.
After the Giant Drome is handled, the door at the other end of the chamber opens into the final chamber.
group two.The eastern path is winding, too, and just as musty. However, instead of the sound of distant water underground, you hear wind whistling through the cracks in the stones. The breeze doesn't smell fresh, but at least air is moving. With it, it brings the sound of other things squeaking and eating down in the darkness. The light is just barely enough to walk by, and it certainly won't help during combat.
As you tread deeper, the sound of your footsteps becomes deafening. And then out of the darkness of the ceiling, a swarm of monstrous bats descends upon the group. These bats are way heavier than they have any right to be, like wrecking balls wearing fur. Despite their fluffy appearance they intend to physically assault and then eat you, so maybe fighting back is a good idea!
After the bats are dealt with, you find yourself in another large room. This one smells dank and not in a good way. Shining a light, you can see that some of the room has collapsed and eroded into stagnant cave water. Movement flickers beneath the surface, the only warning you get before abominations made of dead monsters drag themselves up from the depths and charge those present. They have the ability to heal themselves as well as a vile sticky spray attack.
While frightening to behold, these still aren't very strong monsters... It's almost like this is a beginner dungeon or something.
After the swamp room, there is some kind of basic light puzzle consisting of a magical beam that bounces back onto itself. Mirrors line each side of the room, and can be dragged and rotated to correct the light's trajectory. Shine the bright beam from the south end of the room onto the sparkly wall-mounted gem on the north side, and the door will open.
On the other side of the door, you find—
A big angry lobster. Called the Fate Spinner in some monster manual in Zemuria, its nature is that of a venomous, blighted bog boss. It attacks with its sharp claws in a broad, powerful arc, but it can be staggered! On the other hand, its vomit can both Burn and Confuse enemies, so watch out for its breath.
Once it's dealt with, the door unlocks, and the second group can finally proceed.
reuniting at the final room.Both groups find each other again after their respective boss fights as the paths converge into a final, massive chamber. It looks to be ceremonial in nature but currently inactive. A motionless statue stands at the front of the room, at least thirty feet tall, having the silhouette of a suit of armor.
As Blade steps forward to investigate, sigils etched into the stone floor spring to life until they encircle the statue. Once illuminated, it becomes clear: that's no statue at all.
This is Argreion, the Argent Knight, who had been Arianrhod's companion and weapon in her fight against the rebels.
Before Blade can find what to say, the blue lights on Argreion's armor flicker to life. In a feminine voice that only Blade can hear, she calls to him.
"Awakener..."
And then, in full sight of everyone, the armored suit bows down on one knee. The entire wall behind the mech slides open to reveal that this chamber connects to the very first one, so everyone is now able to get on the elevator and leave the dungeon! ... Including the mech, which is juuuuuust small enough to fit on the lift.
These are clearly not Hylian ruins despite being in Hyrule, and there is still a massive hole next to the forge, but that's a problem for a different day. For now—revel in your hard-won victory against the dark things in the Forge Hole.
You've earned it.