Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

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Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

Oh, good. Barring any nasty surprises, they're only a few paces away from returning to the surface.

...So Gwas decides to take this last segment slowly, keeping a careful eye on the suspiciously-placed skeletons. A nasty surprise seems almost guaranteed at this point.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Who's like us?
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And they're aaaaall dead.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

The skeletons watch with their empty eyes, but do not move other than to turn their creaking heads.

So, Gwas isn't interested in the easy way, is he? But what nasty surprises can I come up with at this stage, that will affect the living dead and not be too much for little Charles? Hmm.
Oh, these might work.


As they pass out of the prison block and into the first room (portcullis on the left, skull trophy room on the right, costume post in the corner, stairs ahead) stone walls begin grinding inward to cover the exits.
High-speed synth music starts to play.
Beams of impossible color (mostly pink) begin zipping between the floor and ceiling in a regular geometric pattern, visibly disintegrating the stone where they pass.
A circle of the floor, maybe ten feet across, starts spinning, unscrewing itself from the ground.
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Keeper
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

"What?" Charles flaps his way out of Gwas' pocket.
"The heck is this? Uh..."

Charles tries to create an illusory umbrella above them close to the ceiling. He isn't sure if an illusion will throw off the beams of light. If they're actually magical light illusions might actually affect them. If there's actual particles of something in them doing the damage he doesn't think it will work.
He's really running out of spells...
Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

...One thing's certain. That's definitely a surprise.

Although how that's going to affect his approach is still, as of yet, unclear. Sure, it looks like those beams are going to be... less-than-pleasant to touch, but the degree of damage they'll actually do seems... disappointingly small. Even if they do manage to penetrate his armor and hurt him, surely he can simply regenerate any damage? This barely seems like an obstacle at all.

But to be certain of that, Gwas undoes one of his gauntlets, scrapes off part of his hide, and tosses it into the beam.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

Unfortunately for Charles, the beams have solid, high-energy particles and go right through the illusions. Like they're not even there.

The dungeon has less hold over those who are, in many ways, already dead. But this seems simple enough. The bit of hide tossed into the beam should burn up and crumble to dust. Gone for good, one might say.

The circling stone unscrews its way higher and higher, becoming a broad column in the center of the room, and the beams sweep too and fro, still fairly predictable, but less-than-pleasant for anyone standing still.
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Keeper
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

Luckily Charles continues to be so tiny that it continues to be difficult to hit him with such things by sheer probability. He does not look to be having fun with this development though.

”Do you think you have to knock down the pillar or something? I’m almost out of useful spells this might be on you.”
Charles glares at the column to check if it has an enchantment on it.
Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

Well.

That was surprisingly fast.

Gwas will take that to mean his armor will only protect him so much, and when it wears out the beams will burn through him much faster. Now he has an actual obstacle between himself and the door, and he hurries towards it with the added urgency in mind.

Being the large, bovine sort of creature he is, though, he can't exactly nimbly weave between the beams. The best he can hope for is that he can roll and sprint in such a way as to shunt the majority of the damage to his armor rather than himself.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

Sorry, Charles. We have to put Gwas under some real stress. And since you were slow enough that he reunited with you, that means you're in some danger too.

Charles can easily tell that the column is enchanted. Transmutation, specifically the type that grants animating energy to nonliving things. The magic is tied to those tiny whirls of writing near the top corner.

The beams sweep across our beefy hero, scorching his armor and incinerating his flesh where they pass - but he's making good progress.

And then the column unfolds itself into a vaguely-humanoid stone construct and charges towards our escaping heroes. Of course the beams will hurt it too, but it doesn't care about much less than being broken to bits. It's just rocks and magic, after all.
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

Charles squawks and flaps about, trying his best to just dodge the beams. He has no spells that will help in a direct fight, and with it having already seen them his illusions have little chance of fooling it.
All he can do is try to examine it for an obvious power source while he tries not to be fried by death beams.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

The power comes from the magical script along the top corner of its 'head'.
Should be possible for a little bird to zip up there, although it might be a distraction from not getting his feather singed.
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Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

Gwas's approach is a touch more... direct.

"YAAAAAAAAARGH!" The strigoi charges, bringing his shoulder down toward the stone humanoid's waist. In this position, he's well-primed to lift the creature off the ground... but he doesn't care to. All he needs to do is knock it over so he can get out of here.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

"I think its head is its weakness!" Charles chirps, but Gwas seems to have things in hand. At least seemingly. Maybe he doesn't need Charles' help much after all.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

Gwas collides with the golem like a train-
It rocks back-
It starts falling-
It wraps its giant stone arms around Gwas to try to bring him down with it, literally-
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Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

Its weakness is its head?

How convenient. Gwas is in a terrific position to exploit that.

Wham!

Still slightly dazed from the impact, Gwas raises his head to strike again, coming down in the same motion to avoid having to adjust to his blurred vision. After two or three of those, only one of these two should have a head, though it might be a bit of a toss-up which one.

Of course, if rigor mortis (or whatever the construct equivalent would be) sets in and keeps Gwas's arms pinned inside the golem's, breaking off its head would seem to be irrelevant.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

With the first headbutt, the construct's head cracks. After the third, it's in pieces, the magical inscriptions wrecked and its animating force departing.

It would be sensible and tense for the arms to freeze and pin Gwas here...but there's no chance that Charles can pull him free. And that would just be too sad.
Now a bunch of lifeless rock, the thing's arms fall back, spread out to either side.

A few more steps and they'll be out of here.
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Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

Well. That's lucky.

Gwas hauls himself to his feet and charges for the door, leaving the fallen golem where it lay. There's no point in dwelling on the subject, at least not until they're out of danger.

Fortunately, there's nothing else between him and the door... right?
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Keeper
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

Charles returns to his place on Gwas' horns.
"Good job, Gwas. You're unstoppable. I think just a little bit more and we'll have gotten you out without you even having to be a bird."
He still does want to know what's going on. But he'll settle for Gwas not being cursed.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

I can't believe you're tempting fate like this, Charles. I'm hearing it and yet I can't quite believe it.
Do you just want more company in your difficult new condition? Are you jealous?


The spinning beams that have been melting holes in his armor fade away, and there's a hurried scurrying noise above the ceiling. There's nothing between Gwas and the doorway. Just one more step and he'll be on the final flight of stairs out of here.

Rooms aren't going to just rearrange while you're looking at them. It would be too discouraging, for one thing.

But would any of our heroes notice if someone were to follow them up out of the dungeon, creeping along as quietly as a cat?
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Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

...Well... not any more cursed than he already was.

For his part, Gwas is too busy trying to get up the stairs to notice any pursuers. He'll turn when he reaches the top of the stairs, on the off chance something is following him; a golem did animate in front of him, after all.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

When Gwas turns around to look back down the stairs, he'll see ...the floor.
No staircase whatsoever, just the intact floor of the room, the way it looked before he stumbled into the hidden stairway in the first place.

I've already left, of course. There's no good moment to interfere here. Any curse on Gwas will have to be slower, more insidious, than anything that's happened so far.
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Keeper
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

Considering how sick Charles was of being the unhealthy frail one? Yes, yes he might be a bit jealous of Gwas being big and strong and having thumbs.
Still, he'd never willingly throw his friends under the bus.
"Well, that's that. Now that just leaves getting back. Shame we didn't really get much to make up for all the curse. A few relics. I admit that weird room I found you in is going to bug me forever. Oh, well."
There were a LOT of rooms Charles wishes he got to explore. But instead his fate will be looking for bird-sized wizard hats...
Ironsmith
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Ironsmith »

"Indeed. But the sustained losses already outweighed the foreseeable gains. It would not have been wise to continue." Gwas rumbles, tapping the floor with one of his boots to make sure it's not about to open up again. "...We can return to town and try to find a way to revert the curse on you and Penelope. If we manage that, at a reasonable price, this will still have been a net gain."

A small one, though, probably.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Recaiden
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Recaiden »

And that's it, they're out of the dungeon.
Penelope is just a short walk away, most likely.

Anyone else here would be well-hidden in another part of the ruins, waiting for the adventurers to depart.
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bc56
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by bc56 »

Penelope sees the pair approaching from her seat not far from the dungeon entrance. "Charles! Gwas! You're back! And Gwas isn't a bird!" She's glad her companion's survived, although the question of how she'd get un-birded is a mystery still. At least she's still mostly human. Charles isn't nearly as lucky. "We should get away from this cursed, bird-obsessed place."
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Keeper
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Re: Dungeon Odyssey - For the Birds

Post by Keeper »

Charles fluffs up his feathers in annoyance.
"That, Penelope, I am entirely in agreement with."
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