DUNGEON ♛ SALAMANCA TEMPLE

[boardmaster]

SALAMANCA TEMPLE
20 MARCH (NARCISSA) 2016

Once a grand place of worship for the ancestors of the Alfersa, the thousand-year-old ruins of Salamanca Temple returned to their full glory overnight. However, it also seems to be teeming with ancient reptiles long thought to be extinct. As the Heroes enter, it’s clear that the multilevel temple is a prime example of the artistic achievements of its time. The rooms are lush with plantlife that creeps in between the cracks of marble tiles and statues of Gladia with serpents at her heel, and the walls are covered in paintings and bas-reliefs depicting a famous epic about the Alfersa’s victory over all reptilian creatures.

The majesty of Salamanca Temple almost makes one fact easy to forget: it was most infamous as a site of magic… and human sacrifices.

Our Heroes know that there’s only one way to get out of here: find and defeat the boss!

	Lisbrand I’m sure you’re all aware, to some extent, that in addition to the war with Noir, Blanc must deal with threats within its own borders. These are what we call dungeons, and we only have a basic working understanding of them. Think of them as natural phenomena. Your task is reconnaissance and retrieval of the mana cores believed to be hidden in the deepest part of the structure, but you will likely encounter resistance. [a gesture to her side] Secretary Verdoni has more details about the nature of the structure. Secretary, if you would.
	Verdoni This is Salamanca Temple, a sacred and important site of cultural heritage to the Alfersa. Grand temples such as this were supposed to fill the devout with hope, but the Gladia of old was not always a benevolent goddess. Gladia’s Alfersan cult was infamous for its taboo sacrificial rituals. As a result, this temple is shrouded in frightening rumors and legends. Over the course of its bloody history, many atrocities were committed over the most trifling matters... The most famous is the tale of Moura Serpente. Perhaps you Heroes will have the chance to personally witness the truth behind these hallowed walls.
	Lisbrand Our scouts are incapable of exploring the structure the way this task force can. Therefore, you will be the front line in this mission. Your issued magical weapon will grant you immediate access to the temple once you approach the entrance. [and just to be safe, she gestures again. some of the Blanc soldiers who have tagged along for support functions march their way towards the appropriate door] Base camp will be established just outside the temple, in the event that you need to leave the area.
	Verdoni Which means that the Airy will be here for a while. Once you finish the dungeon, you are free to retire to your quarters. If you don't feel like riding the ship again, then walk. The journey to Caissa on foot will take a week at most. I suggest heading north to spend the evening at the city of Polgar. I suppose walking is a good thing for you Heroes; we will not always have the luxury of air travel.
	Lisbrand We will be breaking camp in the evening to rendezvous with Airy, so if you are not out of the dungeon by that time, you will be walking back to Caissa. [a pause] But I expect a number of you will do so anyway. This country is on full alert, and traveling by foot should be relatively safe inside our borders, but I hope I don’t need to tell you to be vigilant. I will expect all members of the task force back in Caissa by Lathrya 8th. Heroes, move out!

Basic info on the dungeon can be found here. Dungeon mechanics can be found here. All OOC questions about the event may be directed to the thread below.

ONE ♙

When you enter the temple, the flooring is surprisingly weak — wait, no. That’s a trap. And those are your screams.

You land in what seems to be the vast and sprawling corridors of the temple’s basement: dark, dank, and full of rats. But it’s more than just that — the smell of blood is thick in the air, and every so often, you might hear cries of agony. Magic circles, dried blood on ornate daggers, and tables with unspeakable tools for keeping mouths shut and human limbs in place… something tells you this is exactly what Verdoni warned you about.

MONSTER ♟ Lizardman
Weak against None	Strong against None	Immune to None
Men cursed to roam Enprise in a LIZARD-LIKE FORM by the goddess Gladia. Some conspiracy theorists say they aren’t cursed. In fact, their kind was the first to inhabit Enprise before the Alfersa arrived on a giant spaceship! But locals will squint and silently judge if you honestly believe this. These ANGRY, ARMORED lizardmen are equipped with BLADED WEAPONS and their surprisingly exceptional prowess in COMBAT. Their TOUGH SKIN and SHARP SENSES set them apart from your average human soldier. If you grab one by the tail, he’ll simply chop it off and grow one right back! But you might want to go ahead and take the risk — in alchemy, LIZARD TAILS are known for their regenerative properties. Their WEAPONS, SMELLY ARMOR, TAILS and LOINCLOTHS may be acquired as loot.

Once you make it back to the first level where the laity worship, you’ll be met with... more lizardmen. But not all hope is lost! Find the switch on one of the many life-size Gladia statues to open the hidden door behind the altar and proceed. The switch’s location may vary for each party.

TWO ♙

Only the clergy may enter the higher levels of the temple. Before they do, they must wash themselves in the pools of holy water that flank the entrance. These pools are so rich in mana, bathing in them will even replenish your own. As you splash around, you realize you’re not alone. Red and black lizard-like creatures emerge from the depths of the pools with eyes alight with fire and smoke blowing out of their nostrils. Looks like they woke up on the wrong side of the bed!

MONSTER ♟ Salamander
Weak against Water	Strong against Ice	Immune to Fire (except salamander fire)
In Enprise, salamanders are not amphibians, but FIRE-BREATHING reptiles the length of crocodiles. They have sticky pads on their feet that enable them to CRAWL UP WALLS and LEAP on unsuspecting victims. We hope your spars with the feathered inhabitants of Airy prepared you for this. When COOKED, a salamander’s MEAT can BURN ANYTHING that consumes it. However, it can only be cooked with SALAMANDER FIRE. It’d be wise to keep one alive to cook the rest. We suggest using the FLAME on the tip of its tail — less teeth and much safer. The SALAMANDER PARTS and MEAT may be acquired as loot.

At the other end of the room, there is a door with… teeth? That breathing sound isn’t your imagination; the door is very much alive and will chomp at anything that gets too close. Time to get creative. Behind the door is a staircase to the next level.

THREE ♙

Among the rooms on this level filled with treasures of wines, weapons, gemstones and gold is a large shrine with an imposing 20-foot tall statue of Gladia, a thick needle, pieces of cord and a scroll rolled out on a raised pedestal. Written in old Chernovian are instructions in poetry that varies for each party: Heroes must make a necklace out of the eyes of snakes and offer it to the statue. Those who did their research will be familiar with this practice: by doing this, you are giving her all your bad luck and having her bless your journey ahead.

You’ll need all the luck you can get because the moment you finish reading the scroll with your eyes, hundreds of snakes begin to slither out Gladia’s eyes, nose and mouth.

MONSTER ♟ Alfersan Snake
Weak against None	Strong against None	Immune to Poison
“Hissss...!” Men who were transformed into snakes by the goddess Gladia. Alfersan snakes are HOSTILE and VENOMOUS, but their powerful venom is also known to create the most potent of antidotes. Some adventurers might hate snakes more than others, but you Heroes can do this much, right? The SNAKE PARTS and VENOM can be acquired as loot.

Once the necklace is complete and offered to the statue, the statue will turn, revealing another staircase to the next level.

FOUR ♙

Men weren’t the only ones punished by Gladia. One thousand years ago, the priestess Moura grew envious of a higher member of the clergy, whom everyone preferred over the selfish, narcissistic Moura. What did that woman have that she didn’t? Consumed by these negative thoughts, Moura transformed the woman into a snake and chopped her into pieces for Gladia, praying that the goddess would hear her plea.

In an instant, Gladia answered: “All your life you have lived a lesser being, so a lesser being you shall become!” With these words, the goddess cursed Moura with a head of full of venomous snakes. Ashamed of her appearance, she locked herself up in the temple to fully devote herself to Gladia. They say that Moura lives up to this day, waiting for Gladia to grant her salvation...

As our Heroes enter a large, circular room at the top floor, they will see a desolate young woman muttering the prayers beautifully inscribed in gold leaf on the walls. Olive skin, pointed ears and amber eyes — there’s no doubt that she is Alfersa. As she raises her head and meets their eyes, she greets them with an eerie, twisted smile.

And so do the snakes in her hair.

BOSS ♟ Moura Serpente
Weak against Fire	Strong against None	Immune to Poison
“You are not from this world. … Ehehe… Ahahaha! Oh! Oh, praise Gladia!” Believing the Heroes to be her divine retribution, Moura wastes no time. At the snap of her fingers, a GIANT SERPENT crashes into the room and slithers to its master’s side. The serpent is strong and quick, and when Moura hops on its back, she is nearly untouchable. Strike its soft UNDERSIDE to get some damage in! “To deliver judgement and receive judgement — that is why I exist. I live for no one but my goddess...” The SNAKES ON HER HEAD are a deadly force on their own: they can extend, retract, and even change color according to Moura’s mood. Moura can also use them to get around. When the snakes sink their teeth into your flesh, their bite can either POISON or PETRIFY. The venom will grant its victim DIZZINESS and NAUSEA. We hope you stocked up on antidotes. The remedy for petrification, however, is A KISS ON THE LIPS. One from your true love won’t have any special effect, but that’s rather sweet of them, don’t you think? PRAYING to Gladia — even if by just talking or asking her for anything — will grant you a temporary RESISTANCE TO POISON. “Why? Why do you listen to their prayers and not mine? … Heh… Gladia did always favor the pretty ones!” If you are PRETTY, Moura with direct her rage at you and chase you down. And if everyone is pretty? She’ll take down the prettiest first. To make matters worse, swarms of ALFERSAN SNAKES begin to crawl over the Heroes to distract you and restrict your movements. Don't fret; the TORCHES in the room will help ward both snakes and Moura away. “My goddess, is this enough...?” When you deal your final strike, Moura appears unharmed. But she falls a second later, sprawled on the marble floor and looking up at the ceiling. Slowly, her eyes close and her chest stills. Is she at peace? A glowing object rises and floats above her chest — your first DUNGEON CORE. MOURA’S ARMOR and TOMES ON STATUS MAGIC may be acquired as loot.

You may exit the temple by going back the way you came or jumping out the hole Moura’s serpent made. Falling to your death won’t be a problem — the giant serpents of the temple see you as their new masters. They will catch you and let you hop off their backs once they reach the ground.

FIVE ♙

Salamanca Temple is in a secluded area, so the Airy is parked at an open meadow. Walking back involves cutting your way south across the jungle and crossing the river. We hope you brought a map and a compass! Both are available for purchase on the Airy. The Airy will leave for Caissa on the evening of the 20th. It will arrive in Caissa on the 22nd.

For those who want to explore, the jungle gets thicker as you head north until you find winding stone paths that lead to the city of Polgar.

LOCATION ♟ Polgar

Although Polgar is a city relatively untouched by Blanc’s technological advances, it remains one of the country's largest urban centers due to its TOURISM. The city is home to the ALFERSA, a matriarchal society similar to that of the Amazons, in which men are often relegated to housework and manual labor. Most Alfersa believe that machines are no replacement for good hard work and prefer to live alongside NATURE, though small clockworks and machinery do exist in certain parts of the city. TROPICAL FLORA blankets Polgar and its architecture. There are many TEMPLES and SHRINES here dedicated to Gladia, Lathyra and Oubliette, all well-kept as the Alfersa are proud of their heritage. For the gods, their faith does not waver. Some of their festivals last entire months, with the celebration moving from shrine to shrine in resplendent procession. Polgar is also a popular tropical GETAWAY; its spas, resorts, restaurants, hot springs and brothels are all well-known and high-class, staffed by beautiful men and women and catering to all preferences.

Comments

[impulsives]

[ As Shinn takes his position, he can't help but notice what exactly he just killed. And promptly wished he hadn't. This kind of abomination is something he shouldn't be surprised at seeing, but seeing it in a video game setting and in real life means that there are certain difference. First of all. They smell fuck ass nasty, and second of all, the kind of magic that would warp a lizard or a man into such a being just makes him sick to the stomach.

But regardless he just pushes any thoughts about the monster for later. And the moment he decided that the coast is clear, he heeds Tieria's call and walked over to him, looking at their loot.

...Yeah, this sword is definitely better than the piece of shit dagger he currently has, so there goes that plan of recovering the dagger he embedded into the lizardman's torso. So he's going to just take it wordlessly, feeling more confident that if the low ranking monsters here aren't that hard to kill, this run should be over quickly. But well, his luck in his past has always bit him in the ass, so... ]

Let's hope our next encounters stay at the same difficulty.

[ At least that's a hopeful prayer. Somewhat.

YOU HAVE OBTAINED: 1x SMELLY LIZARDMAN SWORD ]

[forbothofus]

[Once confident the last of the nearby enemies are disposed of, Emil also spares a moment to study the fallen opponent. He cannot tell if it was once human - if there was a spell it appears to be holding even in death. The overall shape reminds him of some of his weres, though this sort of stance and structure appears in ogre kind as well. The anatomy is familiar enough that he memorizes it in a moment for future use.

Secretly he hopes the legend isn’t true. Had this been a man once, communication may have been possible. The bloodshed could have been avoided. Now they are marked an enemy and more will come. Very wasteful. But this seems to be that sort of place.

While not military and not the sort to follow orders, Emil agrees with his teammates’ plan; they've shown themselves skilled and a sense of trust is slowly forming. He follows the left side of the cavern seeking further signs of danger. He isn’t looking long before his carrier Pomelii starts to chatter into his ear, clearly irritated. Doesn’t Emil know that lizard could've eaten him?! Emil offers a few reassuring pats and continues investigating. The fact that the tosker stops fussing suddenly and digs claws into his jacket makes him realize there will be more enemies. The scent of the reptiles must be everywhere – the native rats are simply used to it. When Pomelii springs off his shoulder to locate safety, Emil doesn’t call him back. It’s probably better this way, and he won’t be stopping to take calls.]

It looks clear, but we shouldn’t stay here long.

[sunderings]

[ More than legend (lore of old is so often twisted, skewed by each and every generation as it passes hands), Sion believes in a curse powerful enough to disfigure men into saurian monstrosities, for in another realm, a world far away from this wretched vault filled with the stink of ancient death and echoing cries of agony, he himself had condoned such a terrible magic—he had used it to raise soldiers none too dissimilar from the being he cuts down now (and the Hero King's strike is as ruthless as it is merciful, as baleful as it is benevolent), silencing the lizardman's roiling shriek before it could swell loud enough to sound alarm. The creature falls a corpse at Sion's feet, licked by flame, its flesh blistering, peeling back and blackening from the heat, and it is with a (sorrowful, knowing, condemning) calm that he looks upon the accursed thing, reading the book of its burning body, golden eyes narrowing before...

He turns aside, cutting the air with Guiding Light to rid it of the blood which might come to congeal in its artful filigree.

(It is the most they can do, to grant a quick, clean death to these beasts.) ]

Onward, then. [ Sion is decisive, with both Shinn and Tieria now sufficiently armed (however much their new weaponry carries with it the too-pungent scent of reptiles mired in a crypt), ever-steadfast in his will to progress forward. ] And though I do not doubt in our ability to triumph over even mightier foes...

[ This feels like an omen, doesn't it? ]

My hope is with your own, Shinn.

[ The passageway ahead bleeds into a cavern which seems a series of catacombs threading into the temple's foundations, or so the Hero King comes to find as he walks on, surveying the vast opening as a scout before beckoning the rest of the party to follow. It is entirely devoid of color, save for the green which creeps in on the achromatic rubble of the of the ground as though it were trying to bless the great tragedy of Salamanca with the smallest blades of grass, and it is here that light creeps in from somewhere above, along with—

—the fluttering of wings, and a too familiar sight: a trio of carriers, descended from a stairwell obscured by age-old debris, come to reclaim their masters.

Perhaps their luck is not to be spoiled, after all. ]

[buildyourworld]

[ Whether it's a curse or spell that transformed these creatures into what they were, Tieria isn't surprise by what was done. He had seen plenty of evils done to innocents, that he no longer found anything impossible where human or rather, in their case, living beings are capable of.

Feeling a lot more confident now that he's armed, despite the smell, he gets up after determining that there's nothing else worth taking with them.

YOU HAVE OBTAINED: 1x SMELLY LIZARDMAN SWORD

Following close behind Sion, Tieria is quiet but alert as he memorize the layout of the catacomb room. He marks the wall using the sword, just in case this dungeon is more that what it seems. The ice dungeon, while it was simply a mock run, reminded him that anything could happen in a dungeon. He makes sure everyone in the team saw the mark he left, in case they become separated.

The appearance of their carriers couldn't have been better timing. He's relieved that the Carriers all appear in good condition, although they might all need some serious scrubbing later considering this dungeon's condition. ]

Let's go. [ He suggests, heading towards the stairwell, his sword ready in hand. His steps are steady and quiet, despite the heels he's in. Listening intently for any sound from above, he gestures for his teammates to move forward when he heard none. ] Go, cover each other.

[sunderings]

Hurry after, Tieria.

[ —are the Hero King's parting words as he catches scarlet eyes with gold, offering the man a nod of his head as his leading foot finds the first ledge of a step, giving pause only to confirm the successful regrouping of their party before he ascends. Unwilling to sacrifice time for the sake of stealth (had their arrival not been calamitous, so heralded by a booming cave-in? had their battle of moments, minutes before not ended with the hissing wail of an immolated foe, a fire which still burned even now?), he moves with haste, trusting in Tieria to guard the company's back as he would surely shield the front.

And he does, as they near the stairwell's end, vegetation, verdant and lush, gilding the walls and the slats of marble beneath their feet, the smell of the air no longer so tainted, gone putrid with old blood and rot, but heavy with humidity and flora. There, at the bridge between the underground and the first level of the temple, awaits a second grouping of lizardmen, and it is with his Pawn's rank boon and his own measure of speed that he surges forward, bursting through the mouth of the stairway and into the open space beyond following the flash and flare of Guiding Light's crescent strike. The lizardmen (another trio, leaving the Hero King to wonder if a fourth does not linger somewhere nearby) stagger back, one toppling as Sion pivots upon his heel, trapping their opponents between the two fronts of their party.

With four swords, two so looted from the corpses of the lizardmen's brethren, dispatching the creatures is filled with the clang and clatter of melee combat; blades deflecting off armor only to return, finding the weaknesses between the plates and seeking them out strategically, intentionally before delivering the final blow.

But it is done, and this time Sion draws a handkerchief from his uniform to clean the blood from Guiding Light, his golden eyes surveying the area surrounding (it is an area meant for laity to worship, an altar standing before many white-marble pews) only to find no exit, no place to continue on in sight. And this time, their carriers flutter and float behind them: they will not be so fortunate to have the way presented to them again. ]

So we've been presented with a game. [ Of all things, after fighting their way up, though... Sion is only bright-eyed, intrigued. ] Our path is hiding.