[F23-PP] Scouting floor 23

[Hestia 0]

I nod my head in agreement at that as i grin knowing that their is a topside and having me curious how different it will be when compared to this underdark as i nod my head towards the tank. Myself not discouraged at all from the fact we didn't find the field boss for the labyrinth. Just seeing this as more of a opportunity to see more of the floor and get more notes written down for later use for players to have if i can get them out for information brokers to distribute to all of the players. Well lets go to this top side then Shield there is still much to explore and lots of things to find out along the way. I say with a smile on my face and a nod of my head as i gesture for the tank to lead the way encase he manages to find something along the way in some fashion or the other. My familiar looking back up at me with a annoyed look as i roll my eyes and pat his head. Don't get upset with me i know you're probably tired but we're continuing there is still much to explore alright? i ask my familiar who just huffs at me and reluctantly continues to follow me.

[Shield 0]

Hestia's optimism was appreciated, and he gave a firm nod to assure her of as much. Still, there were larger plans in the works, and all it would take was a different scout starting out in the right direction and stumbling upon the labyrinth before them. With the cool air of the Underdark constantly around them, there had been little reason for Lilith to leave the warmth of Shield's sleeve. However, as they traced their steps back to the surface and emerged into the sunlight, she thought better of her seclusion and slithered up and out Shield's collar, coiling up on his shoulder to sun herself in the light.

"Glad you're putting in so much hard work for the scouting team, Lilith," he sighed, shaking his head as well at his own familiar. Shield almost made a comment about how Beat's falcon should be able to help them, but he knew that wasn't how such things actually worked.

[Hestia 0]

As we arrive onto the surface i let out a low whistle of appreciation after we live the caves for the first time. I gave around seeing that it actually looks horrible beyond all belief. A crumbling tower being what greets us as i look at it in confusion as i then look around the area and sees no signs of any form of life for what seems like miles on end. What happened here? I say softly in amazement as i quickly go down writing this up for players to know there actually is a above ground, and the state it is seemingly in for the entire floor possibly, or at the very least a good long travel before people could find anything. Okay then..where do we go now Shield? I ask the tank as i am still looking at the landscape with curiosity as i try to figure out what had occurred at this tower as for myself i immediately go closer towards it wanting to see if i can find anything by it be it ruins, people, or books. Just wanting to try and find something of the history of what has occurred.

[Shield 0]

Shield scratched his chin. He had remembered things looking bleak on the surface, but this was a level of desolation he had not expected. "I've been involved with elven conflicts before, but the treants on the lower floors weren't capable of this kind of damage." He scanned the horizon, trying to pick out a promising peak in the mountains to start their search. There was a particularly tall one in front of them, but behind them, there was another peak that caught his notice.

"Doesn't that seem like it's roughly above where the column was in the Underdark?" he processed this thought. It shouldn't be significant, since that pillar had only been a pillar, nothing more, unless- "Unless it wasn't just a pillar, but some sort of support. A foundation for the actual labyrinth above ground. It's a gamble... but I say we investigate." He looked over to Hestia  to see whether she raised any objections, though judging by her sense of wonder in exploration, she would be content in any direction.

[Hestia 0]

I gaze around the area and sees the mountain you are talking about that looks like it would be at the very minimum a hour or two away from where we currently are in terms of travel as i just nod my head with a grin. Fine by me Shield lets go see if the labyrinth is over there. I say with a happy smile completely fine with this development as i whistle for my familiar and points forward. Fly ahead and scout for us Kuro give us some warning if we have monsters or anything that isn't us within the area. Understood. I tell my familiar who nods and then takes off into the skies with his wings as i just nod my head completely content and happy with my familiar at least scouting out potential mobs or NPCs to interact with. I then turn towards the tank and once more gestures for him to lead with a happy smile on my face. Knowing that the DPS partner with the two of them will be right behind ready to kill any monster that could give the players problems.

[Shield 0]

Shield nodded and strode off down the slope on which they stood, following it to the valley below before starting the climb upward. For a long time, there was nothing save for the occasional interesting rock formation. What civilization had once been there was wiped clean off the map, leaving behind only ruins. It was about what he would expect from hundreds, if not thousands of years of Drow raiding parties hitting every target they could safely reach from the entrance to the Underdark.

"This really is scorched earth," he said after passing the fourth such site. "There's no doubt in my mind that those dark elves were meant to be like the evil dwellers of the Underdark depicted in old fantasy tales. This is the work of someone ruthless. If they weren't NPC's, I'd be pretty upset by this. Instead, I think this is merely meant as a warning. At night, this is likely a very dangerous place to be."

[Hestia 0]

I nod my head in agreement as i write down a warning of beware the night time for the surface as i then gaze towards you. But there does seem to be some kind of life even if said life could be very far away, so maybe it is possible to learn from meeting with these beings? That is assuming if there are any kind NPCs of course to even try to talk to. I say curiously as i gaze towards the mountain seeing that it is slowly drawing nearer by the moment and that within the distance where the mountains start to begin start to show signs of life once more, and some of the rock upon the mountain and the plant life looking completely untouched.  As if whatever happened for the first hour or two of walking didn't even touch where the life suddenly begins as if it had resided there always.  I gaze upwards towards my familiar who is just flying without giving any roar to signal enemies coming towards the group as i nod my head at that knowing there is still quite a bit of time to enjoy just traveling.

[Shield 0]

Shield nodded to her thoughts on learning from survivors. "Worth a shot. If nothing else, finding NPC's might be able to lend us clues we may sorely be lacking to get to the labyrinth."

It took them easily another hour of walking before they came to the first villages. Shield was not even sure at first whether there were really settlements or if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had become so accustomed to seeing nothing above ground but devastation and deserted homes. Now, with little flocks of sheep and livestock and the occasional field of grain, little hamlets began popping up in more sheltered sections of the mountain range that they were slowly coming into. "Not that there has been any actual loss of life here yet, but it still feels a lot better finding something other than just death and decay. Now to find someone who can help us..."

[Hestia 0]

I gaze around the forest that we enter once we actually break through the nothingness that was the entire wasteland surrounding that broken down tower as i gaze around and sees that the forest is mainly nature seemingly and heavily dense in such flora and foliage to the point of being ever so slightly to traverse through mainly as i just make notes of the location and presume that it is around the entire circumference of the devastation making a little mini map of the area in my notebook. Once we do find something akin to a place it seem to just have been a few tents gathered around and having a small area cut out for them. As if this is meant to be a small little nomadic settlement, or maybe possibly just a family. I gaze towards Shield with  a bit of curiosity at what i observe knowing that if  there are tents that means there are at least some person to be spoken to. That the knowledge of what can be found on this side of the floor can maybe be found by getting closer, or just observing from a distance to see if it is dangerous to get closer. Should we move closer. I ask in a soft and hushed voice.

[Shield 0]

"No reason not to," he said with a shrug. "We aren't dark elves, so I doubt we'll be seen as a threat." Shield approached the little collection of tents, spotting an elderly couple by a fire in the center of them. "Greetings. I was wonder-"

Before he could properly get a sentence out, there was already a cane colliding with the side of his head. He flinched, more surprised than anything else as the elderly couple squared up before them.

"Stay back!" croaked the surprisingly spry old man, brandishing his cane once again. "You can't fool us! We know of your games! Filthy dark elves disguising yourselves as the fair folk or travelers and then ambushing unsuspecting camps. Well we're not unsuspecting!" The old man took another swing and Shield jumped back.

"Hey!" Shield protested, swatting the cane away. "Knock that off! We aren't what you think-" he had to duck another swing.

"Lies!" Bellowed the clearly terrified old elf. "Lies and deceit! That's all your kind knows!"

[Hestia 0]

I chuckle slightly at Shield getting hit by a old woman of all things, and is rather glad that she hit his head rather then his armor. Figuring the old lady wouldn't have much health to spare because of his thorns. I walk towards the camp and does a small bow towards the elderly couple as my familiar quickly flies down besides me since he realized he couldn't aid me since this is a forest thus much harder to tell where mobs can come from to attack the group. Greetings wise elders. I would like to request that we seek information and knowledge of what has transpired so long ago to create the wasteland around that tower, and if you know anything about a large pillar that goes straight up towards the skies. I ask in a polite and respectful fashion hoping that they wouldn't hit me for trying to be as respectful and polite as i can. Knowing that the old lady might, but even if she does hit me i would continue on talking ignoring the strike entirely since i will heal more then she can hurt me.

[Shield 0]

Two different canes swiped at Hestia. More out of instinct than anything else, Shield lifted his shield arm to deflect the blows. “A tower that goes to the sky? Sounds like dark trickery to me,” cackled the old woman in incredulity. “What, did you think we’d just turn around to look, then you’d just jump us and take our sheep when we were out of the way?”

Shield sighed, striding over to the nearest of the wooly beasts. He stooped down to pick it up, all the while, the old couple hailing down cane strikes on top of his head. The attacks were so ineffective that they did not even register as real attacks, doing zero damage. Ifgnoring them, he picked up the sheep and threw it over his shoulder, turning back to the couple. “You see? If we wanted anything of yours, we could take it. We could even let you keep trying to stop us, and you couldn’t.” With that, he knelt down, and released the sheep. With a shake of its tail and a bleat, it trotted quickly away.

“So, now that we can dismiss the notion that we would have any reason to fool you as to who we are, could you please address the question?”

[Hestia 0]

Turn around to look? I say softly to myself as i rub the back of my head as i look toward the old woman. I wasn't asking you to look miss i was just wondering if from your memory that you knew of anything of the such. Of what could've transpired to cause devastation to the area around that tower a hour walk from here, and if you have seen any odd giant towers? I ask the old woman once more giving Shield a appreciative look for his help in not getting smacked over and over again. Since even if their is no way to feel pain within this game it is still rather annoying to deal with people smacking you with anything of the sort if done over and over again. I watch him pick up a animal that the couple are raising a simple little sheep that i can assume is meant to help with having a constant supply of meat to eat and wool to make clothes. I glance around knowing i have seen multiple tents but it seems if there are people within them they are hiding out of fear of dark elf trickery.  I just look back towards the old couple rather baffled by how strange this encounter is, but definitely something that shows how this floor has turned out in terms of its history. Lots of dark elves coming and trying to kill these elven beings for one reason or the other, and even going as far as trying to kill them. I once more write down notes of being patient with elves on the surface, and to not be kind with the dark elves in the underdark.

[Shield 0]

The old couple looked more embarrassed than anything else now, returning to their seats and avoiding any of the players’ gazes. They mumbled something about how they still didn’t know what any of them were talking about. Shield tried prying a little longer, but their responses became more and more repetitive, as if they had run out of dialog options. He nodded his head and gave a half-hearted smile. “Well, thank you anyways. Good luck.”

He straightened up and shrugged to the others before taking off the same directions they had already been walking. “I suppose that’s the way it will be. If NPC’s could direct players to important, hidden landmarks like that, then that would likely be too easy.”

He sighed, staring up at the sky, which was likely going to begin dimming as the day wore on. “We’re going to have to start being careful of dark elves ourselves before long.”

[Hestia 0]

Well if anything we did learn one thing Shield. That we should doubt everyone on this floor that we stumble across because it could be a trick, or someone believing we're tricking them. It is just a matter of playing it safe and defensively with these people it seems like if they react in this manner to people like us just wanting to talk with them. I say with a nod of my head as i write down a bit more and then put away my notebook and then looks towards you. So then what is the plan? What direction will we be walking in now? Just stay on course or go back towards that tower thing you saw about an hours back? I ask the tank player as i calculate the time figuring we have probably been searching nonstop from around 2 and a half hours to almost four. having not kept that good of track of the time whilst traveling through the underdark to have a rather good idea within my mind of what it could actually be.

[Shield 0]

“At this point, we may as well,” Shield said. “I doubt the NPCs would be able to steer us properly in the right direction even if we were right on top of it. Head to the tall mountain over there and see what’s above the clouds. It might just be our ticket up to the next floor.”

Shield started walking once again, keeping their target more or less in front of them, despite having to account for the obstacles, cliffs, drop-offs and peaks along the way. He was just glad this wasn’t a real mountain range, where the air could be thin enough this high up to make traveling at a decent pace impossible without weeks to acclimate.

“I feel like it would be less tense in cities,” Shield hypothesized. “With more people around, you’re less vulnerable, so people will be more secure knowing their not so outnumbered. Or at least I would hope.”

[Hestia 0]

Well i wouldn't know about that Shield those dark elves in that town or city whatever it would equate to seemed to have preferred us dead rather then being within the same area as them more so then anything else. I say towards you with a nod of my head as i walk along with you towards the direction of where that mountain area is meant to be my familiar walking right alongside me as i gaze towards beat to make sure he is still coming along and sees him as i just nod my head at that and focuses back onto traversing through the forest. I gaze around at the vegetation trying to get an idea of if there are anything edible for cooks to make for their food, and if there are any poisonous things for alchemists to use to continue making their poisons and antidotes for things that may pop up upon their floor. I nod my head with a smile as i continue making notes with the limited knowledge i have.

[Shield 0]

“Well, the dark elves are like that with everyone,” Shield said, waving the notion aside that they were meant to be included in his thought. “You don’t get anywhere in Drow society without backstabbing and murdering your way to the top, so even friends are potential enemies. No, I meant if and when we find real settlements of elves that are too far away from the Underdark entrance to be struck by night raids. Those are the settlements for which I may hold out some hope.”

The ridge that led from their current mountain to the one which Shield theorized might be their ticket was a narrow one. Although they likely would not encounter many things up this high, there was still a danger of falling. Shield went on ahead, testing each step to make sure it would hold his weight before proceeding forward.

“We’re close,” he said, more to psych himself up than anything. “If this doesn’t work out for us, we’ve got a lot of backtracking to do.”

[Hestia 0]

I nod my head at hearing that dark elves are usually associated with backstabbing and betraying people as i make little notes of that and to take words that they say should be taken with a grain of salt, and that if i get requests to be very careful of kill traps that could occur when doing so. I the nod my head hearing about the whole elven settlements. Well if we are going to see any elven settlements it seems are hopes will be to venture very deep into the forests to try and find something or anything. I say towards the tank with a nods of my head. I then hear you get slightly psyched up about trying to find the floor boss location as i grin a bit rather excited at hearing that as i quickly go in the direction of where it would be located at as i start moving faster starting to wonder if it will truly just be over this hill and to go and fight whatever it could be waiting for us.

[Shield 0]

Quote

Searching for Labyrinth:

ID# 100461 results: Loot: 3+11=14 - No Labyrinth

As they crested the top of the mountain, Shield's hopes once again bottomed out. The further they climbed into the fog of the cloud layer, the more that a faint edge could be seen to the mountain's top. As they emerged, a clear peak stood out against the sky. Nothing behind it, on top of it or to either side. "We're going to be doing a lot of walking..."

Shield turned aside, letting gravity carry him back down the mountain so that they could skirt around the floor's edge and cover new ground rather than retracing their same steps. "Again, it's not like I thought this would be immediate, but it's definitely the longest I've spent searching without finding anything. I've had parties disband before, very quickly, I might add, but aside from that, we've usually had pretty good luck finding what we were looking for. Guess we're off to find our next prospect."

Edited April 28, 2018 by Shield