Fantasy ┌ spellsword ┘ Amaric Temple

[The Regal Rper]

Malikron | Amaric Temple, 4th Floor

A year plus had seen a lot of change. A year in general was a lot of time to do a bit of growing up. Being in the position he was now, was not one he would have envisioned several years ago, but if Malikron had developed any skill from his time in service, it was being adaptable without question. Seeing the arrows fail to have the impact he intended, really just had him start weighing his options on what to do next. Time was key here, he had no intention of becoming monster chow. Lucas’ warning was heard, and listened to. However where everything took a turn was when his thoughts were derailed automatically by this sudden rush but recognizable feeling of concern, insecurity, doubt.

It was a feeling that threw him back to those hated days of captivity and transportation. That was not a feeling he could ever forget, not at eleven years old, at how he could have or should have done x or y. A time where his future was just as uncertain as the day the bids for his life were being made even if things had generally, by twist of fortune or fate, turned out somewhat good before being capsized in life once again. That lowness was not a unknown experience, it was one he was deeply acquainted with, one he vividly recalled in his days as a captured slave, especially when he faced the harsh reality of what possible routes his life may lead to from the grapevines all around him, and the crushing realization he could not just flee.

At first he thought it was a brief sense of trepidation passing at seeing his arrows fail to truly make their marks effective but honestly the arrows had been a test to see what damage he could do at a range. The longer it persisted, the more he began to think what he was feeling might just be otherworldly related instead. He stashed the other arrows and swiftly took the opportunity to move around Ake after he slaughtered the spider approaching him. Cowardly as it may have seemed, Ake’s strength was a greater benefit and for the moment, Malik was willing to let the giant advance as he noticed the spider Ake had killed, did not give the sense of being a threat anymore but instead seemed to be stitching back together, in a way that while odd, was also reassuring in a peculiar way as it didn't make a second advance on the giant, nor did Ake immediately try to test out the sharpness of his weapon on it either.

Shifting his focus off that creature as it lunged at one of its former peers and turning his attention to Lucas, Malik switched to his blade, adding the Bloodletter cantrip once more, and then activated Unleash, to give himself a boost of strength and speed as he moved in from behind to assist in Lucas efforts as he stunned the spider with a devastating hit.

Uncertain of what to make exactly of this strange feeling and how sudden it had come, even as he blitzed to the back of the spider and drew his blade to attack, careful of his approach, Malikron reached out to his patron, asking: Is there something here I should be worried about beyond these spiders? What is this sensation I am feeling, please, help me.

The plea was really to know if there was something he genuinely should be sweating about, because in all honesty the sudden onset of insecurity felt a lot like when he experienced his ‘episodes’ of bloodthirsty rage when near or around individuals that were marked. It was a sensation he had quickly become used to enough to rein himself in, but at the same time it also meant he knew when something was off. For him to be suddenly getting cold feet when he hadn't even exhausted half his options of approach yet, felt off. At the same time, if there was in fact something, a bigger threat, here, that his patron could sense, letting the others know sooner than later was definitely more of a benefit than being quiet about it.

Mentions: Sir Les Paul Shotgunpenguin @Megilagor Daddy Dream

Interactions: n/a

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (6th floor)
DATE—07/06
TIME—0931

While it was always a task, ascending the stairs a second time did become less a labor. With the notable exception of Symphony, the growth of each party member was such that even the climb to the top of the temple was notable easier the second time around. Whether or not this allowed any individual person to enjoy the ascent any more was entirely uncertain, but most tasks in life were generally easier to enjoy when they were less strenuous. As long as one was in shape and had even the slightest affinity for nature, the ascent truly wasn't horrendous to begin with. The cooler air helped calm the harsh sunlight as one climbed the temple stairs and the non-native plant life on the carved plateaus of the temple was diverse enough that even an eagle-eyed alchemist wouldn't catch every new herb on the way up.

Without the need for introductions or explanations, the descent into the Dungeon was even easier than the ascent. Of course, the vast majority of that was due to the fact Markus didn't need to teach them nearly as much as he did in their first meeting. What this did allow them was a chance to see how the absurd ecosystem of the temple actually worked. By the time the party was making their way back to the Trading Post on Monday, the halls were effectively dead. Only a few days later, the hallways had a good amount more life to them. More rats on the Secured Floors, though most living vines were cut down by the guards. Unlike their first walk where one could have counted on a hand how many enemies they saw, that number had tripled this time.

Nothing of major consequence, admittedly. Nothing even worth looting. What it mostly allowed was an opportunity to test themselves. Leonel could have his blade cut down these rats from a distance, making them an effortless kill. Symphony could smash them with that hammer, even if she felt it useless. Heleni could set them ablaze with her new sword. Getting the hang of using these weapons and their verbal activation had a mild learning curve. Of course, armor was more difficult to test, but realistically, Ayn could cut through these critters just as easy as Heleni or Leonel of not easier.

While Heleni would still require some time to pray and learn from Priests during her downtime as he tried to learn Healing Word, Ayn could actually benefit from using the mana in the Dungeon to try to learn hew own healing magic. Of course, it would start small with plants, but that was the benefit of the Dungeon. If they retrieved plant cores from Living Vines or any member of the Arcane Cluster Family, she could implant any seed she had on her into it and practice her Life Magic Spell ad infimum. Markus assured her that he would try to make time for magical practice.

Of course, he yet again insisted everyone - including the living Doll - learn Firebolt.

Overall, it took far less time and less effort to get to the 5th Floor this time. Unfortunately, given how fresh things still were, the fifth floor had its rooms picked over. The only few remaining begin marked with a large red X, the indicator from the Guild that they were some type of atypical door that a higher level party would be assigned to. One such door, currently being called the Man-Eater Door, was rumored to have a Lamia that could seduce most men into fighting alongside her. Whatever happened after was left to the imagination. Nonetheless, it wasn't a room they were about to test. Not that they knew for certain where it was anyway.

Luckily, the group only needed to move on to the first third of the sixth floor before Rooms of Surprise started appearing populated. Rumor was, nearly forty would-be Dungeoneers quit over the last for days and about two-dozen died total. Sixty in the first week was a pretty big drop, but given there were hundreds in total that were freshly starting, it wasn't a huge percent. Just enough to act as a reminder that this profession wasn't for everyone. What they picked up in passing, in truth, was that this season had already been pretty different due to the large infusion of Spellswords into the mix. The shift to whole teams of them from one-per-party had changed the landscape in no small way.

But, those were big issues for people in high places.

Instead, the group of five stood near a door in one of the main hallways of floor six. It had a door twenty feet to the left and a sealed off from twenty feet to the right, meaning this was likely a small room. Chances were, a single cell, just 20x20, at worst, 20x40. Those were typically the easiest of rooms, but it was impossible to actually determine without entering it. Before they did exactly that, Markus had backed them up to where they were before: the planning stage. Before they entered any room, they needed to communicate precisely how they intended to do it. A Room of Surprise was a fair bit different than the Hallway where they fought the mossmen.

"Symphony is still your leader," Markus said, reaffirming what they had chosen earlier, "but who is going in what order?" He was stiff with this question, being firm that they needed to communicate better and clearly outline priorities. He still didn't like their choices, but he wouldn't argue with them. Instead, just insist they pay attention to where a lesser adventurer wouldn't.

"I assume Leonel again with the shield," he said, mostly because there truly wasn't another good option. Ayn might have had enchanted armor, but her fighting style was meant to dodge and deflect, not take hits for the team. Markus wasn't going to waste time deliberating over the only position that seemed set in stone. "I would suggest Symphony follow after to keep eyes on the front and backline," he added, wanting to put his input to correct the error he saw last time. The team leader and shot caller being so far from the front was just generally a poor choice.

He didn't continue on. He didn't want to dominate the conversation, not to mention, the order Ayn and Heleni went in mattered less. Figuring out their priorities could still tell him a lot about any of them. He tried to toe the line between allowing them the slack to make mistakes and learn while not letting them act afool entirely.

Character Updates​

Following their unfinished encounter with the Lulectorum at the Church of Espel in Ardynport, Heleni and Leonel permanently have the interaction of [White Flame Stars] acting as a combination Spell with [Bulwark Stars] and [White Flame Blade] are cast close to each other once per day as a Miracle. Additionally, Heleni has gained an additional level one Spell Slot from this encounter.

Heleni gear updated to include a Tier I Maintained Enchanted Shortsword with the Flametongue Enchantment (ignites via a verbal component or Cantrip to deal fire damage) and a Tier III Maintained Enchanted Metal Buckler with the Dungeon Enchantment and Rune of Returning (provides durability increases and various resistances; cannot be magically disarmed and will return to her when thrown).

Symphony gear updated to include a 6 inch, 8 inch, 10 inch dagger, and a light hammer.

Ayn gear updated to include a Tier II maintained Studded Leather Armor.

Leonel gear updated to include a Tier III Maintained Enchanted Longsword with the Dungeon Enchantment (provides durability increases and various resistances) with the Dancing Blade Enchantment (when thrown at a target enemy, homes for the first throw, then performs two slashes before returning to the hand of owner).

No new spells learned.

ERode Haze- November Witch Carolyn

​

 

[Daddy Dream]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple

┍━ ☽ 【❖】 ☾ ━┑
Rioka Yorel​

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
LvL 1 | Spore Druid
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1: 2/3
Pact: 1/1
┕━ ☽ 【❖】 ☾ ━┙​

TAGS Shotgunpenguin | The Regal Rper | @Megilagor

Rioka stood at the ready as she watched the spider she took over rip apart the one that was approaching her. A leg went flying there, juices splattered across the floor, and the once silent spider seemed to skree in pain as it was killed. Red eyes then darted to a spider that was approaching from a different angle and pointed a finger, directing the infected to attack a new target. The spider did not hesitate as it shot over, ripping into its enemy with unwavering hunger. Meanwhile, Rioka turned her attention to Malik as he had moved behind Ake and activated something. She didn't know what it was, but it seemed to boost his skills and allowed the elven man to dart behind a spider for an attack. She was impressed and silently gave a nod before looking back to the gory scene between the two spiders.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple
DATE—07/02 | Early Summer
TIME—0931

Cecelia Blake​

Level 1 | Arcane Assassin
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1 3/3

TAGS Sir Les Paul Merciless Medic SCP-0029 November Witch

Cecelia followed along mostly silently. Cole was talking up the new girl it seemed and Lumina was guiding them on what to expect for the first few floors. It was all very well organized, as she had come to hear in the days leading up to their expedition. Little to worry about, from what it seemed, so long as you didn't completely let your guard down. She looked around at the walls, at the masonry, any scratches or inscriptions, but there wasn't much of interest. Partly she was also watching for any hidden vines or other such mentions of Lumina.

That was until she heard a crackle. Her head swiveled to her front, just in time to see a spark shoot down the hall. Her hands instantly went for her stowed weapon, but as her eyes looked around, she saw no threats. Nothing at all. Then came the announcement of the guard.

Had he noticed a target in the distance a fired? No, surely not. They were too far to see the man. Plus, taking into account his excitability for magic, that meant that...

Cecelia's eyes went from focused to exasperated in a second, her face somehow dropping into a deadpan from her already stone-faced visage. He just fired off a spell simply for the sake of it without even checking what or who may be further down the hall. Then, he said 'oops'. He almost struck a man with lightning and said 'oops'.

Her eyes drifted over to the elf, noting the woman had reflexively gone for her weapon as well but not drawn it. She even cast some kind of cantrip. That was comforting, in a way. It meant the woman had good reflexes but also the control not to simply draw and start waving the blade around. They didn't need anymore rogue casting, after all. Cole and Lumina didn't seem as surprised, but they also likely watched Leander just shoot into blackness rather than a target while Cecelia had momentarily looked away.

"First-born thoughts and now actions. My aren't we privileged today," Cecelia commented with a soft sigh, her own grip on her dagger releasing as her arms rested at her sides again.

Though, at the very least this did confirm that the floors were cleared up to the sixth. That meant it would be a bit of a walk before they encountered anything, likely.

 

[SCP-0029]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple
DATE—07/04 | Early Summer
TIME—1027

Vaelithra Velaryth​

Level o1 | Frontline Class
Status Overwhelmed

Spell Slots
Lvl. 1 1/2
Pact 1/1

TAGS November Witch Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul

Vaelithra’s body remained tense, muscles coiled like a drawn bowstring. Lumina was chastising Cole and Leander, her presence grounding, but the way she edged closer meant someone had noticed. That realization sent a flicker of unease through Vaelithra, an instinctive tightening of her spine before she forced herself to release a slow, measured exhale per the woman’s advice. “I don’t take well to sudden surprises.”

Her voice was cold, soft even, yet it had no true bite. Her silver-hued gaze flicked to Leander, sharp but not unkind. The restrained disdain was there, for Leander’s display was reckless, but something else sat just beneath her skin. The unsettling chill that travelled up and down her spine in all its familiarity. “I’ve never felt this much power in my life.” She heard him say. There was something about the statement that came after Leander’s apology that resonated with the snow elf. Even as the tips of her fingers curled into her palms and melted the frost that lingered there.

Vaelithra exhaled again, slower this time as her eyes rolled dismissively into a close. Power. The word lingered in the dark behind her lids, a ghost of something too familiar. It pulled at memories she had long since forced into submission—memories of raw, untempered strength slipping from her grasp, of a recklessness she had yet to atone for fully.

Simply recalling how far she had come from home, and the memories that came from such recollection, elicited another tension that was most unwelcome. That said, Vaelithra rolled her shoulders, forcing the tension from her limbs, all the while her fingers flexed, then lifted to her scalp, raking through thick, loose ivory bangs. A pointless effort, but something to occupy her hands. It was an attempt to dismiss the past, of her recklessness, as she attempted to skirt the matter entirely with her dry humor too. “I suppose I should get used to it with this group.”

It wasn’t quite a joke, but it was close enough–an attempt to deflect, to smooth over the edges of her reaction without outright dismissing it. She didn’t look at Lumina, but she felt her presence, steady and near to which she was grateful. Strangely, that realization began to ease something within her. It wasn’t just that she had been noticed, but rather that she wasn’t left alone with it. . . at least in the physical sense, for there was also Tiadhm. Yet, already her perception of Lumina was that of someone who was reliable in a way that the snow elf wasn’t quite sure she would get from Leander and Cole. Hopefully, time would prove otherwise, and soon as Vaelithra regained her composure, piece by piece.

Then Leander spoke again and the exasperation came swiftly.

Vaelithra’s silver-hued gaze practically froze over as turquoise met red, unreadable for a long moment as she processed the audacity. Then, with the slow deliberation of someone weighing the merits of a particularly foolish question, she said, “If you plan to make a spectacle of yourself, then you are more careless than I thought.” Her fingers flexed at her sides as her brows furrowed, clearly unimpressed, for though her words were sharp, there wasn't any malice—only the lingering skepticism of someone who had seen raw power spiral out of control before.

 

[Haze-]

LOCATION— Amaric Temple (6th Floor)
DATE— 07/06
TIME— 0931

⚜ Leonel Blackmane ⚜​

Level 2 | Guardian-Paladin
Status: Tired
Spell Slots
Lv. 1 3/3

TAGS ERode Sir Les Paul November Witch Carolyn

Leonel propped himself on the wall beside the door the moment Markus stopped them.

He was running his eyes over his new equipment. Eyeballing the gleaming edge of the blade the same way he’d been doing so since they started their descent. Hefting the sturdy, yet agile weight to it, feeling its balance in his hand. Running a claw across its razor-thin edge, the mirror finish on its surface— not even leaving a scratch. Reverently, either infatuated or completely annoyed by it, in his own delusional way of thinking.

His resting bitch face made it unreasonably hard to gleam what he thought of it. The only emotion he’d shown towards it was a slight smirk as he demonstrated to Ayn that, as a matter of fact, there were throwable longswords out there.

Enchantments really were something else.

Even after sending it through the hordes of dungeon rats littering the halls, the blade had yet to lose any edge or gleam. He was the son of a warlord, never the one to indulge in commodities. He was taught not to, that it was a weakness. And wielding this blade felt comfortable. Comfortable enough to make him sick to his stomach. It complimented his fighting style in the wrong way, practically skipping over some steps of the Lionsclaw fighting style.

He could simply hurl it, mutter the magic words, and rush in with his claw at the ready while the blade slashed all on its own.

His father would surely be rolling in his grave, seeing his precious martial art being dumbed down this bad, if the old bastard were dead. He’d tell him that all he needed were the full extent of his wits and raw, unbending strength. Not some unreadable runes engraved on his steel.

Those, of course, were words from a man who could probably beat a dragon into submission with his bare fists.

His brother was probably using the same ‘cheap tricks’ to rise to the top as well. Leonel couldn’t help but scoff at himself, thinking about it. He was an elite Dungeoneer now, not even Twice-Blessed. Probably had enough gear to kit out all of the remaining rookies that had yet to quit this season. And here he was. Leonel Blackmane, Lord Blackmane’s prodigal son, in awe at his first purchase of a blade that wasn’t just some sharpened hunk of steel.

It was funny, in a self-deprecative sort of way — “Very well. I’m going in first.” — He sighed, pushed off the wall. He had only been paying half-an-ear to Markus’ recommendations, only perking up at the sound of his name. In truth, he didn’t care much for what the group decided during their planning phase, so long as he went in first to take whatever heat they threw at them first. He was thrown of his feet like he weighed nothing before; Leonel didn’t want to know what would’ve happened if either Ayn or Heleni had been on the frontlines in his place back then.

If the fruits of their first ever planning phase were something to go off of, chances are there was little they could do to worsen their below-average performance with the mossmen.

“I’ll hold off on casting anything to protect you just yet. I think it’s best we assess what’s inside the room first before wasting any spells.”

He had faith that they’d at least do better this time. They had better gear and more experience after all. Leonel waved a gesture in the air, muttered something, and five glowing orbs began hovering around his shoulders. He had the tip of one of his boots planted on the bottom of the door already, ready to raise a leg and kick it wide open. Shield held up slightly, sword at his side, head still turned over his shoulder to catch any barks, orders or suggestions behind him — “Whenever you’re ready.”

Spoiler: Spells used

Cantrips -
- Gift of Espel

 

[November Witch]

Symphony

~{Preparations}~​

Status: Concentrating & Unsure
Spells/Cantrips: World Mana Weaver, Steelsilk Enchantment, Ties That Bind, Spin The Yarn
Active Threads: Left Hand x1
Location: Amaric Temple - 6th Floor
Interaction(s): Carolyn ERode Haze- Sir Les Paul

There was nothing of note to the doll on the way back up the temple, and down into it. Nothing she didn’t see last time for the most part. She was again quiet, and nothing could be gleaned from her expression or how she carried herself. The only difference was that she was carrying a light hammer in her right hand this time. When they reached the room they would enter and stopped outside it, she listened intently and carefully to the words spoken. However, she was surprised that she was still the leader after what had happened last time. That, and she had been second guessing herself. She had gotten in trouble for how she had taken a guard hostage some time ago, and it turned out to be a bigger deal than she had thought. She didn’t want a repeat of being unable to understand something. But it was too late to back out now. Symphony supposed she would just have to go through with it.

She opened her mouth to answer Markus’ question, but unbeknownst to her, it was a rhetorical one as he answered before she could. Leo was going to go first, followed by her. Something she had no objections to. She stepped up behind Leonel and thought for a moment. Having attached herself to Leonel came in handy last time. Perhaps it would again. Leonel would begin to feel his clothing shift ever so slightly below his armor.

“I’m going to connect with you again, just like last time.” She told him as her thread interweaved itself with his clothing under his armor. There between them on the floor, there was a thread cable that was slack, and it looked to be about 10ft long. Just so there could be some separation from them. And she could just easily disconnect it if she was forced to.

Turning her head to the other two, she felt as if the others should work as a more mobile team while she and Leonel worked together. But without knowing what was ahead, it was hard to know if that was a good or bad idea. But at least they shouldn’t need to worry about things sneaking up on them from outside this room.

“Heleni then Ayn.” Both Heleni and Leonel seemed to be somewhat familiar with each other through the church. So perhaps they could work well together. She’d keep Heleni a little closer than being dead last. But Ayn didn’t seem to have much armor. So if she came in last, she’d have her whole team in front of her. Being fast and agile might also mean the three could distract whatever they were fighting for her to hit it from somewhere else. Though it could put the least armored of them all out in the open as well. But Symphony tried not to think about the decision too hard. In her mind, it wouldn’t matter too much until they actually found out what they were fighting.

Her right hand held the hammer, and her left one reached down to pick up the slackened cable so no one would trip on it. Also from her left hand, the cable extended from her index finger that connected her and Leonel. If no one else had anything to say, she would speak once more.

“I’m ready.”

 

[ERode]

​

Ayn, if nothing else, was brimming with a confidence and a pleasure that was perhaps undeserved and unnecessary. The Dungeon, after all, really did feel different, now that her senses were more attuned to the sheer amount of mana that ran through it. It gave a shine to everything around her, a veneer, a secondary substance, that remade an already fascinating world. She couldn't help running her hand along stone walls as she journeyed to the lower levels with the others, couldn't help wondering if the wind she felt tickling her fingertips was a true breeze, or a current of fluctuating mana.

No matter how fascinating her new sixth (more like seventh, really) sense was, however, the swordswoman still couldn't help but tease Leonel over his latest acquisition. Was a magical sword that flew by the machinations of a craftsman rather than the wielder seriously what he spent hundreds of daric on? Was he so affected by her little jabs that he sank what others would consider a small fortune on this? "Aw, how cute!" was Ayn's only comment when he first showed it off, first smirked in her direction.

And she was waiting too. For the moment he threw his sword and the enemy monster caught it.

If that happened, the teasing would be absolutely, positively, totally, incredibly relentless.

Maybe it'd even happen in this coming room, if these Rooms of Surprise were truly the surprising sort! As her companions readied their spells and lifted up their feet, Ayn rolled her neck and shoulders instead, limbering up in preparation for activity. Her swords remained keen, their edges untarnished by the meager resistance they've met so far. Markus had been more or less correct; this high up on the Dungeon, there was nothing that required anything more than sharpened steel. Perhaps it was worth it to keep it that way, for as long as possible.

Disaster beckoned, after all, when the weapon surpassed the wielder.

"Saving the best for last, Symphony?" Ayn said, bouncing lightly on her toes. "Let's get this started!"

 

[Carolyn]

HELENI​

"Aye," said Heleni. Of the group, she had put up with Symphony the most. After the first expedition, when questions were raised about her leadership, Heleni stood her ground. There was potential in the doll that others lacked the clarity to see. Potential which the group at large had.

The walk to the temple had been a demonstration of that. Such was the renewed vigor and thrumming power of their purchases. There was hardly any difficulty in entering the dungeon and passing the threshold of the rats.

Heleni had the opportunity to test her equipment with the vermin. The blazing short sword made mincemeat of everything the others failed to kill. She learned to pick and choose more: her squat body darted back and forth from the front. The incantations were ironed out after the third floor. She didn't want to mess up a vowel.

Then her buckler saw action. She hurled the shield at a rat and crushed it. Before its friends could swarm her, she activated a rune to return it to her hand. The artisan who made it got high marks.

They were getting better. Heleni wanted to prove that their first encounter had been a fluke.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (6th floor)
DATE—07/06
TIME—0933

Entering a Room of Surprise was something that even kept veteran Dungeoneers anxious. In lower floors, there were rooms that without proper assessment might mean near-instant death. The upper floors were nowhere near as intense, but the set the precedent that would be in place for the entire tenure of the profession. In the case of simple rooms, the entrance was almost always fairly straight forward. The trimmed door, be it stone or wood, would lead directly to a room. It was quite uncommon for them to create smaller passages to further shrink their already small domains, though that wasn't entirely unheard of.

This current room was par for the course. A simple door that opened up to a room.

The room itself was less of a stone-carved room like the rest of the dungeon and more of a synthetic cave of sorts, a facsimile of nature. It did appear to be a simple twenty by twenty room with a single cavernous chamber in the center, albeit it was actually slightly smaller and more cramped due to the extra rock formations taking up space. It wasn't a perfect sphere, either; had any in the group ever been inside caves for hunting or spelunking, it would be fairly clear the temple had done a more than fair job of replicating what the inside of a natural cave would be: haphazard and mostly carved by the flow of water.

The chamber was also illuminating in a fairly different way than most of the temple. Instead of torches or weird luminescence, the room was mostly lit by a series of three floating Moonstones that gathered their light by reflecting some type of pale blue light from crystal formations on the ceiling. The layers of algae and moss found on some of the rock formations in the cave were illuminated by the light, shimmering with aquamarine hues and teal offsets from the underlying stone. Like most caves, this particular room was also substantially cooler than the rest of the temple. Most caves remained a relative ambient temperature of around sixty degrees year-round, a dozen or more degrees less than the temple itself. At least, at the upper floors.

What the party didn't know is that these lights were far less bright prior to their entrance. With the door opened, the light grew, and this caused a secondary reaction. Silk moths flew into the air, chasing the moon stones, dancing with each other in a brief mating flights. Hundreds even began to erupt from cocoons to join in this nuptial flight, leaving their silk bags behind and any undeveloped larvae behind. It was simply their instinct.

In a way, there was nothing special about these silk moths. Perhaps slight changes to their physiology or adaptations to the mana, but they were no threats. Their velvet wings scattered the light from the crystals and moonstones, making it appear to dance and flow in the air as they circled each other. It was an interesting sight, something few got to see. Especially given most silk moths in captivity had been bred to be nearly flightless. Most were killed in their cocoons via heat, even. This natural occurrence would only happen in far reaches of the world, and even then was becoming less common. What was special about this room was the algae. It was doubtful without an alchemist that the group would ever piece it together, but the algae was the source of food for the larvae. Created for the sole purpose of replicating their natural food: the Mulberry leaf. Otherwise, the little caterpillars would have starved long before cocooning.

The wonders of the Temple were aplenty, even if not obvious. Not all of them had to do with combat.

ERode Haze- November Witch Carolyn

​

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (7th floor - Room of Surprise)
DATE—Early Summer
TIME—11:42

Lucas Decovo

Level 3 | Alchemist/Supporter
Status: Irritated, Concerned
Ki Points 4/4
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1 1/2
Lvl. 2 1/1

TAGS The Regal Rper Daddy Dream @Megilagor Sir Les Paul

Lucas’s eyes widened in surprise as time seemed to slow down. As soon as his strike landed on the spider, the hairs on its body suddenly stood upright and launched themselves out in a wide spread. He just barely managed to close his eyes before the hairs hit, bringing an immediate sensation of itching far beyond anything he had ever experienced before. He gasped slightly, inhaling some of the hairs as his body tensed and jumped backwards in an attempt to retreat.

It felt like a thousand tiny insects were biting and crawling all over his skin, begging for him to itch and relieve the sensation. He couldn’t, if the affected area spread from itching it would be bad enough, but if he accidentally managed to scratch himself and rub the irritant into the wound it’d be even worse. The burning sensation in his chest already proved that the fur was capable of sticking inside of his organs, if the fur managed to get into his blood and stick inside of his veins it would be even more unbearable. Each breath felt as if someone had coated his lungs in oil and was tickling the liquid with an open flame, leaving him to take quick and short gasps for air in order to lessen the burning sensation.

Thankfully, he had managed to close his eyes before the fur was able to blind him. Had it done so, not only would he be effectively taken out of the fight, but it would also make him an easy target for the spider to sink its fangs into, injured or not. ‘Shit, I fucked up.’ Lucas felt a twinge of panic shoot through him as he opened his eyes slightly, not wanting to risk opening them fully in case the creature shot more hairs out. He had never encountered a thief spider when it was this small, mostly due to the juveniles subsisting on smaller prey until they could grow big enough to prey on adventurers. Thankfully, it seemed as if his blow had managed to disorient it for a small window, a window that Malikron was seemingly taking advantage of as he flanked the spider, having drawn his blade to engage it.

Ake was still doing fine, better than he was at the very least. It was honestly a bit scary how he effortlessly managed to swing those axes around, but so long as he was on their side he hopefully wouldn’t have to worry about ever being on the receiving end of them. And on Roika’s end, she was currently watching with a small smile as one of the spiders was currently tearing into its sibling with a brutal flourish, ripping off legs and digging its fangs deeply into the thorax. The spider let out a high pitched hiss before stilling, the other spider seemingly under control of Roika as it shot off towards another spider she had pointed at.

Looking closely, Lucas could see the strange mushrooms and growths sprouting from the spider, and the cracked carapace that was off-colored with its previously dried fluids. ‘Huh, she can reanimate the dead with those spores?’ Lucas made a quick mental note of her capability, before focusing back on the spider at hand. Or as much as he could while trying to ignore the burning irritation currently occurring throughout his entire body.

Killing it with multiple blows risked the spider firing off more of those irritating hairs, which meant that a single decisive blow would have to do. Malikron was in a good position from behind it, but there was no guarantee that he’d be able to pierce the carapace if the spider kept moving around. Reaching back into his bag of holding, Lucas produced a flask of dark green liquid and quickly agitated it by shaking it. Rearing back, he launched the flask at the floor below the spider, causing it to burst open and coat both the floor and the lower portion of the spider's body, including some of its legs. Rapidly, the liquid would begin to solidify into a sticky sap consistency, hopefully impeding the spider's ability to move and rooting it to the floor. “Quickly, aim for one strike!” He yelled out to Malikron, urging him to make the most of his next blow.

 

[November Witch]

Symphony

~{It's Too Quiet}~​

Status: Concentrating & Confused
Spells/Cantrips: World Mana Weaver, Steelsilk Enchantment, Ties That Bind, Spin The Yarn
Active Threads: Left Hand x1
Location: Amaric Temple - 6th Floor
Interaction(s): Carolyn ERode Haze- Sir Les Paul

As the room opened up before them, her expression didn’t change. Her confusion couldn’t be glimpsed aside from her gaze. It was the same thing with her worry. The less obvious the threat, the more dangerous it was, right? Seeing nothing immediately dangerous gave her pause. A hitch in her step, though for no more than a second before she continued. Weren’t all rooms supposed to have something dangerous? Was it the moths, or the stones? Perhaps there was a trap, or the environment would be the danger here. Her eyes scanned the floor, then the ceiling. Were there rooms that just had little to no threats within them? Perhaps this was one such room Markus mentioned. Though she supposed it’s why they were called surprises.

Symphony was still weary. She wasn’t too worried about the moths themselves, but about something else that could be in the room with them. While she didn’t want to keep everyone on edge, it was also better to be safe than sorry.

“Do any of you see or sense anything else?” The doll knew better than to rely solely on herself for things like this. Perhaps the others had a sixth sense of sorts that could detect something else. Other than that, she did stop at about 7ft into the room. “Do these stones present a danger?” She asked the group. Again, maybe one of them would know. She tried to ignore the moths around her. Even though she was a doll, they still made her uneasy. All bugs did. Not because they were creepy and crawly. But they liked making their home in her body and gunking up her insides. Maintenance she would rather not spend her time doing.

“If there’s nothing, then Leonel and Ayn can search the nooks and crannies of the room. You stay here with me.” The doll told the group, keeping Heleni close by. Outside of this, she simply stood close to the center of the room, looking around. She didn’t want everyone to go looking around this mysterious room and get ambushed.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (7th floor), Room of Surprise
DATE—07/02 | Early Summer
TIME—1142

If there was a hero in this encounter, it would prove to be the totemic warrior, Ake. There were some situations where overwhelming strength was truly overwhelming. The only really challenge to the spiders of this size was timing. Given he was using his large, two-handed axe, it meant there was a small opening each time he swung, but the size of this room didn't put him at risk of hitting his allies or the wall. In a smaller room, that very much would have been the case. It only helped that he took the advice from Aevar. The reanimated spider beside him made the two a bulwark for Lucas, Roika, and Malikron from that side. The only downside was that each one of them took a fair amount of time to kill these spiders. For both the undead arachnid and Ake, there was a dance between them and their adversary that took place before they could find a lethal attack.

Ake may have made it look easy, chopping through the spiders with what looked like buttery ease, but there was actually a fair amount of skill involved. Not perhaps graceful skill, but combat intuition. Reading the minor jitters and movements of the arachnids to know where and when it might lunge, then figuring out how and when to bring down his axe. A second taken in observation could save a minute in slaying an enemy. This strategy worked best given these ravenous arachnids were so starved they were acting on the primal instinct of hunger while also being relatively young, so little-to-no experience colored their actions alongside that instinct.

The reanimated spider had a slightly different method of combat. It was effectively in a mirror match, but in an enhanced state. Spore Reanimation had varied effects depending on the creature it was used on and their relative strength level. In the case of an immature Thief Spider that was starved and deprived of space, its reanimated version was actually significantly stronger than the living one. The power of Atrataria was not to be scoffed at. Thus, when pit against other spiders of the same species, it was only natural the superior specimen - dead or not - would come out on top.

While one side of the room was well taken care of with the thief spiders not being able to pass by Ake and the arachnid, that was not the case for the entire room. A good half of the thief spiders still pouring out of the hole were crowding to the flying fish, consuming them immediately, and even skirting onto the water to catch them. Apparently, these things could swim. Or, more accurately, displace water to float on it. This had the effect of halting the incoming attacks from the flying fish at the cost of feeding the thief spiders.

Worse, Roika was about to learn a lesson in complacency. Thief Spiders were naturally skilled in ambush tactics and she was the furthest from the rest of the party on the undefended side. When one of these arachnids jumped from the shadows it had blended into and onto her, it was timed perfectly with her attention being on Malikron. Her only reaction, though suitable, was that of another Spell: her Spore Hardening. What looked like concrete formed on her arms as she raised them to block the incoming jab from the fangs from the Thief Spider. This was enough to block that first attack and even spread the infection over to the spider. Unfortunately, it wouldn't entirely prevent the attack from hitting her. The tip of those fangs would reach her left arm, causing a minor stab wound, but also injecting her with the relatively weak venom of the spider.

Her resistance to toxins only applied to those created by fungi. The spider bite would eventually affect her, as evidenced by the burning sensations shooting through her left arm. If the Spore Hardening was her reaction, her follow-up action was to use the spread fungal infection on the spider to cast her Spore Growth: Paralysis. This would in fact have the intended effect of freezing the spider in place, at least for the next minute or so.

It also resulted in her being in a tough situation. If this flank was no longer safe, she would have to reposition. The question then became: reposition herself? If so, to where? Also, would she want to reposition her reanimated spider or leave it in place? What could her allies do? What would her allies do if she ran?

A thousand questions and no direct answer without being able to ask them. The most immediate option was fairly clear, at least: flee. That much, she did. Running over to and behind Lucas, even with the stuck spider, surely was a safer position than where she was just at. Still, the stinging reality of the dungeon was setting in and the venom, though mild, was now coursing through her bloodstream, causing a flush of heat and her critical thinking to become less clear. She had lived in the Green Sea, she knew its dangers, but she was also protected from many of them due to Atrataria and her elven brethren. She could solve many problems there as the envoy of her Patron.

But, the Dungeon? The Dungeon didn't give a damn.

Kiya-o was a prideful Fae. Once in his life, he might have been considered comparable to Arjuk, but no more. Now, if anything, he was weaker and corrupted, seeking a type of petty vengeance that many would consider beneath him. He was, at least, able to swallow that pride upon the realization that his emotional influence was affecting his protégé. He hated to admit it, especially to himself, but it was unfair to expect a mere mortal of his age and maturity to parse these emotions on the fly. Intervention, even if in the form of a mild explanation, was necessary. He begrudged, and explained directly to Malikron through the means of a voice in his left ear.

'In this room, Talaka, there are two greater Fae than I. What you feel is what all Fae feel in the hierarchy,' he explained, emphasizing with no small amount of frustration in his tone that this was a universal feeling amongst his kind. Natural, instinctive, like many other aspects of the Fae.

'Not only that, you have done naught but shoot twigs and stun fish,' he added, also not making an effort to hide his disapproval.

Daddy Dream @Megilagor The Regal Rper Shotgunpenguin

​

 

[ERode]

​

There was a relaxed tension present in her body, even as a sight she had never seen before displayed itself. So many moths, dancing in a chilling light, scattering the dust of their wings which sparkled like falling frost in the cool chambers.

Ayn waited, watched, expecting at any moment that this gathering of insects would transform into something twisted, something malevolent. Something that she would strike down, either with the edge or the flat of her swords. Yet it didn't come, and after a few more moments, her body relaxed a couple more degrees, one wrist curling to snap a sword back into a sheath.

There was nothing she knew about these moths, nor did she have a clear understanding of how silk was made. Instead, she trained her gaze on the levitating stones and the magical light they exuded. What else could be considered precious in this Room of Surprise? Bugs were commonplace; she had seen plenty of flies flock to the dumps where she dragged out the night's trash to be tossed. But these?

"Don't sense anything weird myself, Symphony," Ayn said without turning her eyes away from the floating crystals and the swarm of moths. "Markus, you know anything about this? Like, is this a Surprise?"

 

[Haze-]

LOCATION— Amaric Temple (6th Floor)
DATE— 07/06
TIME— 0933

⚜ Leonel Blackmane ⚜​

Level 2 | Guardian-Paladin
Status: Tired, cautious
Spell Slots
Lv. 1 3/3

TAGS ERode Sir Les Paul November Witch Carolyn

Leonel only gave the doll a slight nod as her threads began to weave into his clothes. Without another word spoken, he flung the door open, bracing himself, half-expecting to be tangled in roots again or for the doorframe to grow teeth. Instead, an ethereal blue glow washed over his shield, cautiously held up to his face.

He was prepared for a trap. A ‘surprise’. What he wasn’t prepared for was for the surprise to be a swarm of bugs buzzing over his head. It was a minute motion from him, but he recoiled at the first moth that flew to close to his face.

He flinched.

An unsayable disgust, one that didn’t befit a stalwart knight of his status, boiled within him, tingling on his spine like a thousand-legged centipede crawling up his back as his ears were assailed by the flapping of a hundred moth wings all at once. He was scared shitless of flying critters when he was a kid. A fear he’d outgrown by way of getting it thoroughly beaten out of his system. Now that fear had been replaced with plain revulsion.

Leonel’s face contorted into a scowl as he watched the moths gather and fly perfect loops around the crystals. It’d be a beautiful sight, one to remember, if the sounds and sights weren’t making him nauseous. Leonel had been a sheltered prince in a sense, for a good portion of his life, but even he wasn’t reclused enough not to know what a silk moth looked like. The problem was that he didn’t know what exactly the dungeon’s mana could do to a plain old silk moth.

Ayn sheathed her blade, but Leonel kept his arms at the ready. They could be man-eating moths for all he knew. He glanced back at Ayn, his poised stance only slightly relaxing — “A surprise indeed…” — He paused, scanned the room, waved his hand to control the orbs of light he’d summoned and let them hovering around the moonstones. He was prodding the waters essentially, seeing if any moths would break off from the crystals and follow his light.

There wasn’t much else he could do other than that. He was waiting for Markus to give any insight on what they were looking at.

Leonel straightened, sighed, turned to Symphony. It was then he remembered there was one more thing he could do — “I’ll see if I can detect anything.” — For a moment, his shield lowered. Leonel closed his eyes. He placed his claw on his heart, balling it into a clenched fist as he began channeling the divine magic of his oath. A bobbing glow of light caught inside his fist, pulsing outward, flickering projections of dotted stars like a thousand eyes over his shoulders.

His senses sharpened. Attuned not to the world around him, but to the quality of the souls around him. He first peered into the nearest souls, their karma, that of his party of four. He excluded them, whatever Espel showed him of them, only giving them a passing glance and waving them off as ‘agents of good’ for the sake of not lingering too long on them.

Then he extended his awareness to the rest of the room.

Spoiler: Spells used

Cantrips -
- Watchful Eyes

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (6th Floor), Room of Surprise
DATE—07/06
TIME—0934

Markus ⚜ Stonehart​

Lvl. 5 | Supporter-Paladin
Status Focused
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1 6/6
Lvl. 2 3/3
Lvl. 3 1/1

TAGS November Witch Haze- Carolyn ERode

With the bulk of the group in the room, Markus finally had the chance to lay his own eyes upon it. It seemed fairly simple. There were benign rooms that simply had loot often thematic to the design of the room. In fact, some of those rooms were often the most awe-inspiring. The majority of rooms would throw Dungeoneers into dangerous situations where combat would ensue or traps were set. Ironically, those often didn't demonstrate the full breadth of what the Dungeon was truly capable of. There infinite possibilities in these mana-laden halls. Sights rarely seen even in nature now unnaturally recreated before their eyes. At times, it was impossible or at least improbable sights unfolding perhaps only possible inside a Dungeon.

Some Dungeoneers enjoyed these types of rooms greatly. Some thought of them as merely easy loot. Some even found them a disappointment, only caring for the combat. In any case, they were a reality of the Temple.

Markus for one enjoyed the rooms. He didn't share that opinion in his youth, but time had changed him. No longer the glory hound seeking his next greatest challenge, he had found there was some inherent value in stopping to smell the roses. Or, in this case, stopping to watch the moths. It didn't necessarily mean there was no threat; it was always a poor choice to let their guard down. But, being this early in the Dungeon, if nothing attacked them in the first minute or two, it was likely fine.

"A danger?" Markus parroted. Not mocking her, more so mulling over how to explain this next part. In a different context, they could be, but not just floating there.

"I wouldn't say so," he answered. He then went on to explain, "They are Moonstones. Fairly large ones, at that. They can absorb most light, store it as mana, then radiate it as moonlight. The most ideal ones are used as décor or jewelry, others are used in enchantments and spells." Though calm and factual as always, it was not the end of his explanation. The latter half shifted from a monotonous explanation to a slightly, truly slightly, more enthusiastic one as approached a more personal lens, "The church holds them in high regard. There are unnatural forms of light, like the Shimmering Quartz above us, that Espel is not connected to. Moonstones can convert it into moonlight - which is blessed."

He took a moment to assess the moths, but between the light and his disfavor of insects, he didn't have much information to share about them. "I can't say I've ever seen those. I wager that somewhere in the world, they exist naturally and the temple copied them for this room. It's true that temple supports its own habitat, but it can draw from anywhere in the world. It just doesn't happen often and most things can't survive more than a single generation in the dungeon," he told them, more scholarly than he was before his pause. That is, if one could be scholarly while admitting their own ignorance.

 

[Carolyn]

HELENI​

“A happy view then,” Heleni said of the moon stones. “I’d take one back to the church if they weren’t so large or that it’d disturb the moths.” She shaded her forehead with a hand to view the creatures.

“I suppose they’re the surprise.”

Her ignorance of the algae was plain. The limited education she had never covered their biology.

“Unless you have something to add, Leo.”

The one-eyed man had activated a cantrip of his. Heleni was not so absorbed as to think she saw everything. She stayed close to Symphony as asked, saying while waiting for Leo: “How long do you think we’re staying here?”

 

[Daddy Dream]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (7th floor - Room of Surprise)
DATE—07/02 | Early Summer
TIME—11:27

┍━☽【❖】☾━┑
Rioka Yorel
✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧​

LvL 1 | Spore Druid
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1: 3/3
Pact: 1/1
┕━☽【❖】☾━┙​

TAGS Shotgunpenguin | The Regal Rper | @Megilagor

It was a surprise to say the least. Rioka had thought she had good senses in her blind spots, able to pick up on the slightest of sounds due to her time in the Green Sea, but she had to remember that the dungeon and the sea were two vastly differing places. While her ears were perked up to catch even the slightest of sounds and here eyes were trained to have a wider peripheral, these spiders exceled at ambushing their prey. By the time she realized what was happening, the spider was on top of her with its fangs deep in her arm. She shouted in surprised mostly, gritting her teeth through the pain that was threatening to knock her out, and focused her energy on casting her spells.

"You bloody bastard!" Her once poised and complacent facade broken, Rioka reverted back into her tomboyish state, kicking away from the spider and scrambling to her feet towards her allies. It may not have been smart, but she couldn't think straight at the moment. "Wicked thing got the jump on me! Ah, shit! Damn toxin burns when it goes in!"

She briefly looked over at where her spider was, noting it was finishing up its own fight. She turned her gaze back to the temporarily stuck spider and bit her lip, pulling her spider away to attack the one stuck in place. As it darted over to complete its task, Rioka looked down at her arm and gritted her teeth at the burning pain that was coursing up her arm. What should she do? Could she rely on her fungal knowledge? She she ask for help? She remembered Lucas had potions, right? But as she turned to look, he was currently in the middle of a fight with a spider of his own. He wouldn't be able to help, so who else? Ake was busy having the time of his life it seemed, bashing in spiders like it was a free for all and Malikron was also getting into position to help Lucas. Was she really on her own with this?

She gripped her arm and reached out to her last resort guide. She always knew her Patron was there to help, but her stubborn need to feel independent and learn from what she was taught caused her not to reach out for assistance often. As she kept her eyes peeled on the room and her surroundings, the question of what to do next came from within, a sense of anxious pleading mixed in from the pain in her arm.

 

[The Regal Rper]

Malikron | Amaric Temple, 4th Floor

The answer he received was quite honestly relieving in its own peculiar way.

He had been worried there was something horrendous approaching, though knowing it was just the presence of other Fae he could not see, was much more reassuring. It merely informed him clearly that the other members of his party also had their own dealings with the Fae. Though with his patron’s comment, Malikron could not help but internally cringe. The opportunity to fix that though came in upon his attention being drawn to Roika's retreat and her wound.


At that moment, Malikron decided to take up action as she took the retreat to deal with that injury. In his mind if the others also had dealings with Fae, and given Roika's ability to seize the undead, it wasn't a leap to assume she could deal with her own injury. So for the moment he focused on the paralyzed foe she had left behind and Immediately began moving towards the paralyzed arachnid. He had roughly two minutes of his Unleash left to capitalize on, and he did that exactly by moving to assist at a run. With the extra speed and strength, Malikron casted two additional spells. First, he reached out to Kiya-o to take on his Dire Wolf form.

Whether it was a blink or a shift of light or a swirl of magical energy around him, however it looked as he cleared Ake and the undead spider under Roika's control, the elf transformed, 6ft dropping to nearly 4 as the bipedal became a massive wolf of reddish brown and white fur with piercing eyes that burned gold at the irises.

The moment he was in form and in a few short steps, in range, Malikron quite literally rose up and slashed at the temporarily frozen spider with his claw, aiming directly for one of the joints on the front legs with a slash that came up as he reared up onto his hind legs and then a slash that came down on the head of the arachnid. Two strikes all done with his second spell, Primal Rend, his claws elongated already by the time he was rearing up for the strike and then reached the peak of his arc. All of this was done with the remaining boost from his earlier unleash, the boost from his transformation, and the added boost from activating his rending spell, all came together in those two strikes in rapid powerful movements, before he immediately hit the ground again with his right foreleg and pushed off in a backwards jump to create some distance and keep himself aware of all the other arachnids so he could follow up with a return move.

Fangs barred and posture alert, Malikron could take advantage of the newly heightened senses here and the longer claws for a better strike.

Mentions: Sir Les Paul Shotgunpenguin @Megilagor Daddy Dream

Interactions: n/a

 

[Merciless Medic]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple, 2nd Floor
DATE—07/02 | Etiuary, Monday
TIME—1027

Cole Forrest​

Lvl. 1 | Warlock
Status: Exasperated, Annoyed
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1 2/2
Pact 1/1

TAGS EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul November Witch SCP-0029

Cole huffed, ignoring Lumina’s pointed glare and her scolding. Though, even though he didn’t so much as glance at her, his lupine ear swiveled in her direction, so it was obvious he was listening to her. He just gave a soft scoff when she was finished with her point, shrugging. He wasn’t going to give Leander the same courtesy, the man had a father who taught him how to apologize and - should theoretically - have apologized in his life than Cole had in his own lifetime. So, why should he give him grace? This was equity at its finest.

Unless… The reason why his father told him that was because Leander also didn’t like apologizing either.

However, as Lumina put her attention on Vaelithra, Cole subtly glanced at the two women. His eyes narrowed, ears able to pick up Lumina’s murmurings. Why was she so kind to the snow elf? She had came all this way, which took guts. Was Vaelithra that weak? Was she pushed to be here? If she went all this way without going back home, then she was much stronger than others thought of her.

Maybe she was told to be here by someone above her station…

Either way, he didn’t appreciate Lumina coddling the snow elf, but he kept his words to himself, staring back at Leander, who apologized in an odd manner. Was that how you apologize? It looked more like he was dismissing it, downplaying the incident like it wasn’t a big deal before apologizing in a rather… bold tone.

Did that mean it was… on purpose? Playing around with his lightning like he was about an hour ago?

Considering Cole was nearby Leander when he pulled off a flex, his hairs stood on end immediately and he growled. “Really…?” He smoothed out his hair and tail, huffing in annoyance.

He stared at Leander with a huff, raising an eyebrow. He spoke quietly as he raised his loosely-made fist up to his cheek, his thumb scratching at his cheek idly as he used the bulk of his hand to hide the movement of his lips, his voice low enough so the guard couldn’t hear. “Did your father also teach you to give white lies when you apologize or was that something you taught yourself…? And was that bolt on purpose…?” He narrowed his eyes, huffing. Leander’s apologies were too theatrical, not sincere to Cole. Cole could smell a lie or deception and Leander - regardless if it was a white lie to relax the guard - was not doing himself any favors in the future if he were to ever apologize to Cole.

Despite Cole’s grievances, his tone was quiet so he didn’t get Leander into further trouble. It also seemed Cecelia was on the same page as Cole for once, which felt nice. He even smirked at her comment.

Even Vaelithra, who even spoke to chastise his question that succeeded his apology. Cole huffed, rolling his eyes at the rather disrespectful question - his tone being what was disrespectful. “I’m pretty sure we’re all eager to let loose. Let’s hurry up before Sparky here decides next time to light up a hallway for fun.” He smirked, walking ahead and taking the nickname the guard gave him. It suited him well. He also chose his words carefully, making sure to not outright blame him in the ears of the guard for what he did, even if he was skirting it.

 

[Sir Les Paul]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple (2nd Floor)
DATE—Early Summer, 07/02
TIME—1027

Leander 🗲 Cromwell​

Lvl. 1 | Mage-Storm Sorcerer
Status Perturbed
Spell Slots
Lvl.1 2/3
Metamagic
1/1

TAGS Merciless Medic EmperorsChosen November Witch SCP-0029

QUICK RESPONSE: Petty Bitches​

It seemed each of his allies had something to say, though with varying degrees of scorn. In truth, Leander probably could have handled any single one of them in isolation, but compounded, it frustrated him. None of them understood. Compared to himself, their magic was petty. Either borrowed from another or inherently less impressive. Granted, he didn't exactly know what Vaelithra could do in full, but anyone geared as much as she was must have been a melee combatant, thus highly improbably to have magic quite like his own. In his darkest thoughts, he now painted all their magic as lesser. Jaded, perhaps, by his own frustration.

"There was no white lie," Leander cut in, immediately on the coattails of the final word Cole had uttered. His stern voice offered a staunch correction. He wasn't about to let the little pup talk to him like that. "Perhaps I should light up the hallway—on purpose," he added, though there was no question as to what he was doing. Mana coursed through his body in far greater intensity than it was when he first cast the Lightning Spell.

"Fulmen-telum," Leander recited, arcane words that only Lumina in her time with scrolls and research would know. Ancient scripture intended to help focus the intent of a blast. Not only did Leander know them, he knew how to use them properly. A marked sign of a learned mage, unlike the others in the group.

Erupting from his hand in a vicious roar that made the previous crack sound like a party popper, another surge of Lightning shot from his hand. This time, it quite literally did light up the entire hallway in a flash of blinding light that for a moment extinguished any shadows around them, save what might have fallen in the paths their own bodies created immediately opposite. Upcasting a Cantrip wasn't entirely uncommon, though it did expend a Spell Slot. In this case, upcasting a Cantrip that was favored to make it a lower tier Spell created a conundrum for how powerful it actually was. Clearly, it wasn't a level three Spell, but also it was quite clearly much more powerful than its first incarnation. At the cost of a Spell Slot, Leander could double its strength. A dangerous thought given it could go through targets, blind others, and moved so quickly that dodging it was a forlorn thought.

"That's what I can do 'on purpose'," Leander gloated, his dry tone less bold and haughty than it was directly contrarian. It didn't help he was emphasizing the word choice, half-mocking what Cole had said himself.

His eyes then glazed over to Cecelia and Vaelithra, the latter of which he shot a more targeted sneer.

"My firstborn thoughts," Leander told them, not letting his dagger gaze shift back to Cece even if these were her words, "is that I am, in fact, a fucking spectacle."

 

[Merciless Medic]

LOCATION—Amaric Temple, 2nd Floor
DATE—07/02 | Etiuary, Monday
TIME—1028

Cole Forrest​

Lvl. 1 | Warlock
Status: Surprised, Annoyed
Spell Slots
Lvl. 1 2/2
Pact 1/1

TAGS EmperorsChosen Sir Les Paul November Witch SCP-0029

So, Cole had misunderstood. Why, then, was he so theatrical with his apologies? No one - unless they really liked to maintain their image in a group of similarly vain people - would do that with normal people.

He jumped out of the way as he heard the incantation, and the entire hallway was lit up by one of his spells. He huffed, his tail hairs raised as he glared at Leander. Still, while that was a spectacle, it nearly hit him.

Rolling his eyes, he scoffed. "Whatever..." He raised his hands up in a form of surrender. "Fine, you win this time. Maybe I read too into your theatrics because people out here - unless they're worth their weight in gold or more - don't really act so vain when they apologize." He narrowed his eyes, then huffed as he looked away.

"Hope expending that energy doesn't bite you in the ass." There was no bite to his tone, even if he did sound annoyed. He was genuinely worried he might have hurt the mage's chance to do more damage as he expended a spell slot to show off. However, finding that they had no shadows for a brief flash did worry him. Just how little would he be able to do in a group who's mage could fire off a blinding flash like that?

He huffed, wondering if he was going to be useful at all thanks to the nature of Leander's magic, which hurt his pride a little. So, he was silent, not even willing to entertain anymore with words as he seemed to ignore them all. The only telltale sign he was listening was when his lupine ear would swivel in their direction, but he wouldn't look at them.

 

[November Witch]

Lumina Wynntress

~{The Storm Passing}~​

Status: Steadfast & Exasperated
Location: Amaric Temple - 2nd Floor - Secured Floors
Mention(s): EmperorsChosen Merciless Medic SCP-0029 Sir Les Paul

The witch was… proud? No, that was the wrong word. She was gladder to see Leander react the way he did. It was appropriate, a commonsense answer. Lumina wasn’t the kind to be impressed or proud of someone with common sense. But she could at least be glad someone had it. As Leander spoke, Lumina stepped away from the snow elf and more towards the center of the group. “Don’t let it go to your head. You’ll feel this every time you enter the dungeon, and with repeated dives, you should be able to control your jitters better.” She gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was an accident. Leander had an impressive grasp on magic, from what little Lumina could see. However, it seemed his control was lacking if this situation was any indication.

She spoke again as Leander showed his wanton excitement. “Patience, Leander. I know you’re eager, but rushing this only increases the chance of getting hurt. Especially when I haven’t even finished explaining some things.” She had been cut off earlier, after all. Lumina’s previous hopefulness that the group could move on from this was quickly dashed when she noticed Leander’s gaze harden as the rest of the party chimed in, dogpiling the boy. She supposed that this could be a lesson, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel like it was getting a little much. It seemed like it was the case, as Leander broke and started to speak. Though not just for communication, but for spellcasting.

As she heard this, she took a single step towards Cole. Just in case Leander was heated enough to try attacking the dog. Thankfully, he simply aimed at, and scorched, the wall. Something she would be somewhat impressed by, if the situation was different. But it wasn’t. And Lumina seemed even colder than usual. Before the others, and even herself, had finished blinking the scorched image into their eyes, she had walked right up to him, and was looking down at the smaller figure before her. Though she was still blinking the afterimage from her eyes, they were the coldest and sharpest any of them had seen yet. Not only that, but Leander could feel a cold aura about her. Literally… As she started to speak, and even as she breathed her breath condensed due to the cold.

“If you are trying to find the fastest way to return to the surface, then congratulations, you’ve found it.” Lumina said coldly. “Now that you’ve found it, I suggest you don’t go through with it. While a reaction to their words was warranted, this was an overreaction.” Her words were authoritative, loud enough to be heard by all, but not anywhere near yelling. A slightly raised voice, like a professor making an example of the troublemaking student. “You have one more chance. But another slip up, be it accidental or purposeful, will result in us returning to the surface. Do I make myself clear?”

After a moment to let her words sink in, she took a step back and addressed everyone. Though her words were seemingly aimed at some more than others, and just as icy as she was to Leander. “Some of your words were unwarranted" Lumina stated. "Some more than others. Perhaps the case wasn't malicious, but please think before you speak. I understand that banter jokes and jabs are necessary to lighten the mood and keep morale up. But these should be carefully made until you know your party members. You don’t know how a jab at someone will cause them to react. So, until you do, please keep your banter more lighthearted. Everyone take a breath, and remember these are your teammates, so it's best you get along.” Lumina didn’t need another moment like this happening in the future with Leander, or any of the others, for that matter. Cole’s insistence on calling everyone out would be a problem if it continued. If Leander had such an ego on him, it would also prove to be a problem in the future. Cece genuinely seemed to be lighthearted in all her remarks so far, if a little quiet. But honestly, for the time being, that was a good thing. Vaelithra’s remark teetered on the edge of what Lumina considered acceptable. But Cole had his moment earlier, and now it was Leander. She could forgive Vaelithra’s remark if she didn’t cause a scene like the other two did. Same thing for Cece. They’d all get a single pass.

She would let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Come now, we’ll talk while we walk.” Lumina said as she started the group once again. She cast the guard a glance as she passed him. “I wonder if the boredom of your job would be easier to deal with than the stress of this one.” She tried lightening the mood, even if just a bit.

 

[November Witch]

LOCATION— Amaric Temple (6th Floor) - Room of Surprise
DATE—07/06 | Early Summer
TIME— 0934

⚜ Symphony ⚜
​

Level 1 | Battlemage
Status:
On Edge
Spell Slots
Lv.1 - 1/2
Active Spells
N/A
​

TAGS ERode Haze- Sir Les Paul Carolyn

It seemed that her teammates also couldn’t detect much of anything. Their words didn’t exactly inspire confidence. But Markus did. He seemed to think there was no danger in this room. So, she believed him. Her stance relaxed a bit, and her threads unwound themselves from Leo and were severed at her fingers, letting the cable and threads drop to the floor, with no master to puppet them anymore. She would stand near the middle of the room, and simply observe the formation around her. She didn’t let her guard down completely. This was a dungeon after all. “Then, I guess it’s fine to do as you please…” She said aloud for everyone to hear.

Her eyes watched her teammates and what they went for. The moonstones, obviously. They seemed to be the most important of the eye-catching items in the cave. Her eyes spotted the change in the monotonous rocks around her, and the silken cocoons… She wondered if she could make something with that silk. Turning her head to Markus, she’d inquire if the cocoons or the quartz seen on the ceiling was more profitable. He replied that, among other things, the quartz would be less valuable, and more difficult to collect than the other option. With that, she started towards the unopened cocoons, while making a small pouch out of her own magical silk. Once upon them, Symphony started to place as many of the silken cocoons as she could fit into the pouch.