@mrz84
Zataka...
~~~~~
You boost Sancireph up on one of the hedges. He tells you there are PEOPLE wandering the maze grounds but they don't look like your companions and he doesn't recognize them from your earlier visit to the grounds.
You raise your greatsword to slash at the hedge maze. Sancireph warns against it but you take the initiative and with two slashes cut an opening the the wall of topiary. Stepping back expecting a retaliation, you are surprised to see that the plants are simply trying to grow back together. You are also startled that your actions didn't create a new door leading to another part of the mansion.
You step through the opening before it closes. Sancireph calls out to you, but you know there are people in this maze and they need to be rescued. You trample your way through the maze, somewhat startled by how easily you are able to circumvent its natural defenses. Something about this place is bolstering your might. Is it proximity to your home dimension? You can't say for sure.
You find a man first. He says he's a travelling salesman and he and his employees wandered into the hedge maze when the front door was locked. You ask him about TELIVAR but he says he just knew the mayor lived here and he was looking to make a sale. You tell him to follow you and proceed to collect all of his employees and lead them back to the fountain at the center of the maze.
Though these people do not seem to know much about the wizard, your actions have taught you that while this dimension plays musical chairs with doors, the WALLS seem to lead to the right places.
Sancireph mentions that the lattice arches are kind of like doors and you might be able to open a connection to another part of the grounds or back into the mansion if you think about the right things. The air here is starting to make you itch.
~~~~~
Sancireph opens the lattice arch. It leads into a COAL MINE. As the air is making your skin itch, you go in first and tell the SALESMAN to follow.
There are miners in this cavern suffering from various stages of PETRIFICATION. Many of them have had more than half of their bodies turned to stone, only wielding the picks because they are locked into their frozen digits.
As you ponder what could cause such a thing, TOMA and MALICHOR approach.
What do you do?
=====
@TheDarkOne
Sancireph...
~~~~~
Zataka boosts you up onto one of the hedges. All you can see is a vortex in all directions beyond the maze, as if you are hovering over an abyss. You spot people wandering the maze grounds but they don't look like your companions and you don't recognize them from your earlier visit to the grounds. You share your findings with Zataka
Zataka raises his greatsword to slash at the hedge maze. You warn against it but he slashes away anyway and creates an opening. It quickly starts to seal up but he leaps through before it closes. Fretting the loss of another companion, you start to look around for a way to assess the danger in this maze. Everything feels so pleasant, though... almost alarmingly so. You feel strangely comfortable standing in the wilderness. Closing your eyes, you focus your attention on your other senses. There's pollen everywhere. But it's laced with something, like back in the Filthy Rabbit Tavern. Magic? Is it residual from the creation of the maze, or something more sinister. You reflect on what Toma said; you've been thrust into a dimensional pocket and because Telivar cast the spell his magical signature is permeating the space. But he's suffering from dragon corruption, so that poison could be seeping into you simply by its presence. You feel one of the pollen clusters land on your skin. It burns and leaves an itching sensation. Opening your eyes you focus your attention on the spot. You can't see anything but a red mark, but taking out a pair of reading glasses you look closer and see a tiny dragon trying to burrow its way into your body. You flick it off.
Coming to the realization of the danger, you affirm that the more magical the space you occupy, the worse the risk of contamination.
Zataka returns with a crowd of merchants. Not wishing to alarm him you keep your discovery to yourself... for now.
You mention that the lattice arches are kind of like doors and you might be able to open a connection to another part of the grounds or back into the mansion if you think about the right things. The air here is starting to make you itch.
~~~~~
You open the lattice arch, thinking of Malichor. It leads into the COAL MINE from before. Zataka goes through first, followed by the merchants. You are the last to enter.
There are miners in this cavern suffering from various stages of PETRIFICATION. Many of them have had more than half of their bodies turned to stone, only wielding the picks because they are locked into their frozen digits.
As you wonder if Telivar is to blame, TOMA and MALICHOR approach.
What do you do?
=====
@Xyvol
Malichor...
~~~~~
It seems that though this paradimension is scrambled it is attempting to stabilize into a concrete reality; once a door connects to a location the two spaces are joined by the opening, meaning that door will always connect those to spaces. To that end you realize the best way to navigate this place is to find doors and open them so that the dimension stabilized. But you fret when you come to this realization; if the dimension is trying to stabilize and it's full of dragons, what impact are you actions having on other realities (particularly the one you wish to return to)?
You approach a miner whose face has not petrified and ask him who he is working for.
"The Colony"
He doesn't seem to pay much attention to you. You mention you can treat his petrification, though, and this catches his attention.
"You... you're the man he spoke of."
You ask who.
"My grandfather said our savior promised a man would come who could undo the damage."
You're confused. Still, you wrap his arm in paper and tell him it will heal over time as your magic takes effect.
"Magic that isn't contaminated! I can't believe it, you really are the man of legend!"
You ask him what he's talking about.
"He brought us down here to protect us from the black sky. See, the dragons stole the sun, and the poison of their influence destroyed most of the surface world. He brought us down here to protect us, and used the last of his power to fend off the corruption."
You ask if it was Telivar
"Telivar? I've never heard that name before. No, our great savior's name has been lost to the ages. He used the last of his magic to turn the corruption to stone, so that one day someone with the power to fix it might revive us. In doing so he too was turned to stone; he still sleeps in the center of our settlement."
You ask what they are mining.
"Coal. It's too cold to survive by burning fire, and the trees don't grow quickly enough."
He seems perplexed.
"How do you not know of the black sky? Where are you from?"
You begin to feel theatrical and you hush him, saying it is part of the mystery.
You see Toma approach. He sees that the door has been opened, curses, and then runs down the tunnel to the right before you can talk to him. Could thinking about Toma as you opened the door have brought you to this place? It does seem rather coincidental that he's here.
~~~~~
You chase after him, eager to warn him that his Magister's Thesis is about to go up in smoke. But you're having trouble catching up to him. You finally stop him in a cavernous section of the mine, where a campsite seems to have been erected around a single statue in the center. You suspect this is the colony of which the miner spoke. Toma is standing stunned, staring at the statue. You lean in to get a good look and are startled by what you find. It's a statue of TOMA. Granted, he looks quite a bit older but you can still recognize his key features.
"What... what is this? Another phantom? This wretched place is playing games on my mind."
He turns around and sees you. You mention his thesis is in a burning library.
"That's not important right now. We have to find master Telivar. Every moment we spend in this awful place his corruption is spreading across the mansion, his body, and even into us. We have got to find him and calm him down before it's too late."
One of the tents opens its folds, and from it springs Zataka, a group of travelling MERCHANTS, and Sancireph.
What do you do?
=====
@SUCCESSOR
Reven, you try the door and find that it is indeed locked, but that isn't a problem for you. You take out a vial of acidic venom and smear it on the lock, causing it to pop with a satisfying click as the door gently swings open. Leaning in to take in your surroundings, you notice that the door leads to the AVIARY. It's dark, save for a few sources of light you can't pinpoint casting shadows from the statues. You feel the gentle warmth of fire somewhere high above you. Looking up, you see a crest of burning feathers resting on the catwalk one floor up. There's a PHOENIX sleeping in here! You've heard all sorts of rumors about phoenix down and its mysterious properties. You also wonder how your PARTNER would react to an honest-to-goodness phoenix, but she's been pretty quiet as of late.
The thing hasn't spotted you yet.
[Act Medias Res]
Dance with a Phoenix (Filled)
~~~~~
Plundering Plumage
~~~~~
[/Act Medias Res]
You notice the three red pearls in the clutches of the three statues on this level are pulsating, as if reacting to the heat of the bird. There's a switch at the bottom of each statue, but their shadows are dancing as if they're alive and you are filled with a crushing sense of dread as you get close.
What do you do?
=====
@bigjoe
Jerias, you reach out to your little green ward with your mind, hoping to draw him back from the madness he's fallen into. You can hear his thoughts as you focus on him.
"This is all wrong, this is all wrong. It was supposed to be MY gold, MY influence. It's too soon to go back, what is that rotten wizard thinking?"
He notices you and flies up.
"What are you doing here, dragoon? Oh, nevermind, you can help me either way."
[Act Medias Res]
Interrogating an Adolescent Dragon (Filled)
~~~~~
About Atticas's thirst for gold
~~~~~
[/Act Medias Res]
You allow the little lizard to climb back into the sling on your back and, finished in the graveyard, you return to the HALL OF MIRRORS. Upon seeing the HAIL OF ARROWS your partner snickers and lets loose a bolt of green lightning from his mouth. It scatters the darts, knocking them to the floor and then disintegrating them until only one remains.
"Now then... where could that wizard be hiding?"
You know there are several doors out of this HALL OF MIRRORS, and you know that one leads to the BURNING LIBRARY and one leads back to TELIVAR'S CABIN. There's also a door open leading to a HEDGE MAZE and a door open leading to one of the OUBLIETTES, though you get a sense of vertigo as you approach it and you are wary of entering.
What do you do?
