[RPG] Sword and Sorcery Play-by-Post

[TheDarkOne]

I crouch low to avoid the hail of darts, drawing my blades and rushing to Zataka's aid. "We can discuss what has happened since we separated later," I say as I join the battle, bringing my blades across in a scissor-slash at his double.

[Xyvol]

Any thought of helping the other adventurers goes out of my head when I hear that the library is on fire. "No, we need Toma's research!" Panicked, I crawl forward in the direction Jerias came, hoping that the flames have not yet consumed the room. I am also concerned for Toma's safety, as I am unsure where he went after we parted ways.

[CJC]

@mrz84 @TheDarkOne
Zataka and Sancireph, the doppleganger is sliced in half as Sancireph scissors it with his blades. It doesn't seem to have any internal organs to speak of; rather it appears to be made of twisted up pieces of rope. Though it's still moving around it can no longer inflict any harm as it cannot wield its weapon anymore. Sancireph glances at the mirrors. His reflection glances back menacingly and starts to step out of the reflection, swords drawn.
Zataka finds a door and throws it open. Beyond it is some sort of HEDGE MAZE, with an ANGEL FOUNTAIN immediately before you out the doorway.
What do you do?

=====

@SUCCESSOR
Reven, you get up off the oubliette floor and dust yourself off. A slip of paper falls from your cloak as you do so, it seems it got caught in a pocket after it was ejected from TELIVAR'S BAG. You read it.
"Shh! He'll find me if you keep sending messages!"
The page smells faintly of smoke, as if it was being stored somewhere near a fire.
You can see the WINE CELLAR from the oubliette. The door back to the hall of mirrors is still hanging open above you. It appears the PATROL OGRE has gone, at least for now.
What do you do?

=====

@Xyvol
Malichor, you make haste to the Library and indeed it is wreathed in flames. You're on the third floor. Toma's research is still on the desk on the ground floor, but the STAIRS are ON FIRE. You can also see that the FLOOR has been weakened by the flames.
The bookshelves are sheets of inferno, sapping your strength with their radiant heat and the toxic smoke that they belch. Tiny embers scatter as individual books crack and burn, threatening your paper supply and the anti-magic talisman you have crafted. Behind one of the bookshelves you can see a glimpse to some SECRET STAIRWELL. It could lead down to the first floor or it might go somewhere else.
What do you do?

=====

@bigjoe
Jerias, upon telling the MAGICIAN about the burning library he immediately dashes in that direction. Something about protecting the books. You keep low to the floor, evading the HAIL OF DARTS. You are aware the mirrors are enchanted with some sort of aggressive magic, and you surmise that magic is connected to matching gaze with your reflection. Odd, your thoughts are becoming more coherent. You feel... liberated since the dragon on your back departed. You always thought you were protecting it, but was it driving you like Telivar suggested?
You close your eyes and crawl along the floor, running one claw along the wall so that you can navigate the room. After a short distance you believe you have escaped and so you open them. You are in a GARDEN. There's a collection of GRAVES immediately in front of you, each labelled only with a date. You feel safe here, almost as if you want to go to sleep. The flowers are hypnotically swaying left and right, almost cradling you as they dance.
What do you do?

[TheDarkOne]

I quickly take a swipe with my katana at the doppleganger's neck, decapitating it before it can brings its weapons to bear. I turn and follow Zataka, heading for the hedge maze and fountain I can see outside. At this point, I no longer care whether or not Toma follows me. I am, however, concerned for Malichor's safety, but I feel that we need to remove ourselves from the more immediate danger, then come up with a plan.

[mrz84]

I enter the door hoping Sancireph will follow quickly and that the doppelganger can't exit the Mirror Hall. I examine the fountain and the immediate area with great caution, while explaining to my companion what has happened since we last met. I keep my greatsword drawn in case of an danger.

[Xyvol]

The fire is obviously way worse than I had hoped. Instead of risking my life and magic trying to make it through the inferno, I decide to investigate the secret stairway that has been revealed. Even if it does not lead to the ground floor, it may be an escape route that Toma used. I gather my cloak around me and pull the hood up tight. With a running start, I leap trough the flames of the burning bookcase (I assume that's how the passage was revealed) and hit the floor/stairs rolling to smother any flames that may have caught. Once I come to a stop, I look around to see where I'm at.

[bigjoe]

As lulled as I am by my surroundings, I keep my wits about me. I investigate the graves further, to see what the dates are. If there is nothing surprising about the dates on the graves, I continue onward, fighting the desire to fall asleep in this seemingly cozy place.

[SUCCESSOR]

I shoot a dart into the cell with the woman. I am not accustom to helping free criminals but I don't want this place going to hell with her locked in it. She should be able to use the dragonscale tip to pick the lock. It is the best I have. I do my best to try to reach the door I just came through to not leave my allies in a hailstorm of darts I created. Nor do I have any idea where the wine cellar might take me. I try to be very quiet as to not bring back the ogre. I look over the paper that Telivar sent to me for any clues to his whereabouts.

[CJC]

@TheDarkOne
Sancireph, you quickly decapitate your doppleganger as it emerges from the mirror and then you retreat through the opening to the HEDGE MAZE. Zataka follows you and you shut the door so that your attackers cannot pursue. You briefly consider waiting for TOMA but come to think of it he didn't actually follow you INTO the hall of Mirrors, it seems he stayed in the lobby when you left. Zataka tells you that he, Malichor, that RANGER from the lobby, and a lizardfolk DRAGOON were talking to Telivar when a dragon ripped off the ceiling and the wizard fled. The doors have been scrambled ever since (but you knew that from earlier). You explain that this dimension seems to tap into your thoughts and by opening a door you can go to any room in the mansion as long as you're thinking about the right thing. You also warn that this makes NIGHTMARES BECOME REAL. Strangely, Zataka says he's seen this sort of thing before.
Looking at the ANGEL in the fountain, you see that it is holding a RED PEARL like the statues in the AVIARY did. But Zataka has already informed you that your host is not in his study on the ship. So if you were to trigger a trapdoor in the same manner, where would you want to go?
Alternatively, the hedge maze appears stable enough. There doesn't appear to be anything particularly perilous about this place, except the tempest in the sky, but there also aren't any apparent doors to use to reach another portion of the mansion.
What do you do?

=====

@mrz84
Zataka, you escape the hall of mirrors with Sancireph and tell him what happened with the lord of the mansion Telivar. Sancireph explains that he was in the lobby with the APPRENTICE when this weirdness began. The doors are scrambled and rather than leading to their spatial relations they lead to whatever is on the mind of the person who opens them. That is, until they've been opened, and then the destination becomes locked. You mention you've seen this sort of thing before; the dimension must be unstable and attempting to lithify into a concrete reality. Sancireph warns that your worst nightmares could come to life if you aren't careful.
The ANGEL in the fountain is holding up a RED PEARL. Alternatively, the hedge maze has paths in all directions except for the door leading back to the HALL OF MIRRORS. Looking at the door now that it has been closed, it appears identical to a LATTICE ARCH that is propped against the hedge wall of the maze. This place seems peaceful enough except for the tempest in the sky. But you worry about being out in the open like this, especially considering the way the dragon attacked in the cabin.
What do you do?

=====

@Xyvol
Malichor, you gather your cloak around you and dive through the burning bookcase, one shoulder forward to smash the weakened wood obstructing you. Landing in the staircase you find yourself unharmed, but the flames have consumed your ANTI MAGIC TALISMAN. Descending one flight of stairs you come to a heavy door and throw it open. You look around. Strange, you would have thought this would be a secret section of the library, but upon thinking of TOMA you instead find yourself in a COAL MINE. Workers toil away at the walls with picks, loading their finds into a cart that is immediately in front of you. You do not recognize any of these people, but you do notice that several of them are suffering the effects of PETRIFICATION, either on their face or on one of their limbs. Some of them even have their pick arms completely turned to stone, rendering them unable to drop their tools.
What is this? You don't really see any traces of Toma but this mine looks expansive. The people are real enough but as far as you can tell they were not in the mansion before Telivar's panic attack.
There are paths leading forward, slightly left, and slightly right. The door behind you looks like it SHOULD have lead to the office. You fret about the fire spreading to this place because coal is so flammable, but the secret stairs were made of stone so it might not be a problem. Also, you can't feel the heat of the flames in this place.
What do you do?

=====

@bigjoe
Jerias, you shake off the comforting lull of this graveyard, convinced it is yet another trap of the mention designed to destroy you. You approach the graves. None have names listed. Instead, each bears only a date. One of the graves is fresh. You dig it out with your spear. The DRAGOON enchantment makes it easy to do so, as the tip makes contact it creates a pocket of darkspace which you direct to fling the dirt aside. Within the grave is the body of TELIVAR, but something is off. He looks too desiccated for a freshly deceased man. You were just speaking to him, he can't have decayed this quickly. You check another grave. There is another body; it too is the wizard Telivar but the corpse is much more decomposed. Are they descendants? No, each is in possession of identical features. Telivar has learned a method of producing clones.
If he has such power, perhaps he might be able to extract the human portion of you and create a copy. Maybe he could split you on your Jekyll/Hyde axis and make you two whole beings; the valiant dragoon and the vicious lizard. You dig up another grave. Strange, this one doesn't have a body in it. Instead, it has only a trap door.
Your mind swirls with thoughts of the wizard, your former life, and your current predicament.
What do you do?

=====

@SUCCESSOR
Reven, you snicker at the misfortune of that crossbow burglar but you decide to help her. You shoot a dart into the wall next to her and whisper "That's the best I can do, good luck". You make a few quick jumps towards the door above you, but you just can't reach it and you fret that you'll generate too much noise if you keep trying. With the ogre sentry out of the way and the path back to the HALL OF MIRRORS unreachable, you decide to pick the lock and try your luck with the cask that's actually a door. As you open it you come upon the TAVERN you shared a game with TELIVAR in earlier. You're on the ground floor. But something's odd. There's a legitimate party in here. In fact, it's standing room only. People seem to be having a grand old time drinking and dancing and brawling but you're certain none of these people were in the mansion when you arrived here. Where did they come from? They're certainly tangible enough as you brush by them, helping yourself to one of their wallets as you do a bump-and-grab. The thing is full of paper with odd printed portraits. Where's the gold? Wait... this paper matches the paper Telivar's return note was printed on! Could he be nearby?
The bartender on this floor looks pretty busy. If you're looking for a drink, you might want to try your luck on the SECOND FLOOR. You also can't reach the door that SHOULD go to the winery without making a commotion, but you know there are at least two exits on the second floor.
What do you do?

[TheDarkOne]

I briefly consider the angel statue, but decide against checking for a trap door there as a do not want to enter the mansion again. My natural sense of direction might get us through the hedge maze under ordinary circumstances, but the dimensional anomalies may not be confined to just the mansion itself and it is best not to assume anything yet. I consider the lattice arch an odd feature and mention it to Zataka, suggesting that we take a closer look.