DUNGEON ♛ GISELA TOWERS

[boardmaster]

GISELA TOWERS
20 MAY (VALLARIA) 2016

High in the skies, the howling winds tangled around the Gisela Towers make it difficult to hear anything. The monolithic structures believed to exist only in legend or harpy memories loom over you. The thick ropes of ivy crawling up the length of each tower is the only sign of life. Every now and then, shadow seems to pass overhead. It might just be a trick of the light.

Instead of the usual suspects, another familiar face comes forward to greet our Heroes: the devil-may-care Lei, captain and commander supreme of the Airy.

Lei Nervous that your commanders ain’t here? Don’t worry, you’re in good hands. So! Here we are at this… thing. Something something tragic romantic tale about a dragon and a phoenix. Anyway, it’s stupid and you don’t gotta know. Ask one of your commanders later or bribe me with a drink. Now for something more important— [ the winds roars loudly, muting lei’s voice. but heroes can watch his hand gestures and actions as he teaches them how to use the grappling hook: aim and shoot the gun. maybe twirl it with a fancy flourish first ] —did you get that? All right, good! I don’t have enough hooks, so you’re gonna have to share. And take good care of them, I want them back! Now get in there and clear it ASAP! I ain’t got all day to fly you all back home!

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 ♙
One does not simply walk into the Gisela Towers. The only way in is up the long and weathered staircase that wraps around the structure. However, the thing is riddled with missing steps, weak stones and slippery condensation from the cloud cover, so you’re going to need a little help. Should you attempt to climb the stairs, they will crumble beneath your feet at best and bury you beneath their rubble at worst.

This is where Lei’s newfangled(?) contraptions will come in handy! The pockmarks and small ledges created by weathering in the first tower’s structure could prove useful. There are, of course, a limited number of grappling hooks available, so you’ll have to partner up if you want your party to get anywhere. Parties of four are given two of these guns, while the poor souls with less party members get one.

Gisela’s gale-force winds will knock you around and make it seem like the towers are close to toppling over. However, as you make your way up you’ll see that the towers are actually far from abandoned.

MONSTER ♟ Ocypete
Weak against Lightning	Strong against Wind	Immune to None
Regarded as abominations of the avian world, ocypetes are BIRDS the size of horses, which would be incredibly advantageous if they had wings. The offspring of a human and a harpy, ocypetes have HUMAN ARMS that they use to scale surfaces and strong TALONS that can crush rock. They don’t fly, but they do RIDE THE WIND with the use of their long tail feathers, which possess magical wind properties and are nearly twice as long as they are tall. They would look almost elegant if they didn’t have a tendency to flap their arms while gliding. Legend has it that when the phoenix left the towers, the ocypetes were accidentally left behind because dragons plucked their wing feathers, making them look kind of funny. Now with a few millennia’s worth of abandonment issues on their semi-feathered shoulders, they’ll seek to prevent Heroes from ascending the towers by any means necessary with an odd variation of Airy MARTIAL ARTS. Their TAILFEATHERS may be acquired as loot.

What will Heroes encounter once they finally make it inside? More broken staircases, more monsters, even stronger winds blowing in from cracks in the walls and the foot of the tower (which is open to the air), and no floor whatsoever. Gisela’s Towers are hollow! The only footing to be found is on small ledges: some similar to those outside the tower, some that look more artificial; and intact sections of the stairs winding around the walls. You’ll need magic or some ingenuity to stay on your toes—literally! If you lose your grip or footing, it’s a several thousand foot drop back to Gresser. The quickest way down… and the deadliest.


TWO ♙
The treacherous and exhausting climb brings you to a more sturdy area that looks a little less like a wrecking ball just passed through and more like some kind of hive. Blocking your way are dozens of sturdy-looking nests suspended like particularly ugly balls of twine from the walls. These are home to the insectoid Aellos. Tearing the nests apart for loot is only a good idea if you want angry swarms after you.

MONSTER ♟ Aello
Weak against Fire, Lightning	Strong against None	Immune to Wind
Aellos resemble large eagles more than the DRAGONFLIES they’re supposed to be. Mature Aellos can fly, but the flightless and fuzzier larvae are just as formidable. They can HYPNOTIZE with their dozen kaleidoscope-like eyes, rendering targets IMMOBILE but still aware of their surroundings. In order to free them, a fellow Hero must gaze deeply into their eyes for at least 15 seconds. These monsters are also able to SPIT a gelatin-like substance that will stick Heroes to any and every surface and also each other. FIRE will reduce its stickiness. The larvae use hit-and-run tactics: they hunker down in their nests, peek over the edge and launch gobs of spit. The flying aello like to drop their SPIT BOMBS from above and occasionally also release a POWDER that ruins visibility and makes you sneeze. Feeling adventurous? Why don’t you give the spit a lick? It’s actually totally EDIBLE, tastes like jello, and is filled with mana. Just be sure to heat it up so you don’t get your mouth stuck shut. Their GELATIN SPIT and INSECT PARTS may be acquired as loot.

The staircases at this altitude are in better shape than the ones you have—or haven’t—been using. That doesn’t mean they’re any less dangerous. Not only do the Aellos chase you down here; traps are hidden in the steps as well. Some may act like quicksand, trapping an unwary Hero halfway into the stone. Others are enchanted with wind spells that can toss you up in the air, the long way back down to the ground, or blow your skirt upward. There might even be some that provoke the pesky bugs even more!

This floor has flowers and trees creeping their way in from the outside and covering every inch of the place, including treacherous weaknesses in the path. Behind these overgrown plants is a mural depicting a sensual dance between a dragon and a harpy. In order to advance, at least two Heroes will have to mimic the dance painted on the walls to open the door.


THREE ♙
A barrier prevents you from progressing any further. Magic, physical attacks or sheer willpower will do nothing. To dissolve it, you must create a concoction from the random ingredients available on the table and splash it on the barrier. There is no set recipe, so trial and error and a little creativity will be your friends! Along with your trusty party Bishop, of course. (You did bring one, didn’t you?) Those not well-versed in alchemy may end up with potions that explode upon completion, splashing party members standing too close with a variety of strange side effects ranging from mild body horror to a bad case of halitosis. The unfortunate effects seem to differ from Hero to Hero, and they last for a few minutes to a couple of hours.

Once your party crosses the barrier, you will find yourselves outside. The skies are darkening, but you’re still able to discern another tower wrapped in the clouds. A bridge once connected the two structures, but most of it is missing. Use those grappling hooks!

Upon entering the second tower, a marble floor at odds with everything from the last tower will greet you. Lift your head and you’ll find that the rest of the tower is also hollow all the way up; those heights allow room for fountains and waterfalls. It’s a suitable area to replenish mana and rest. Parched throats can be quenched with the sparkling water all around you, but approach any waterfalls and they will start moving in a very unwaterlike way.

MONSTER ♟ Celaeno
Weak against Lightning	Strong against Fire, Earth	Immune to Water
Possessed by pride and cursed by the phoenix’s wrath, these dragons are nothing like the ones you encountered before. Celaeno resemble huge snakes made of water and possess ENCHANTED SCALES that float through their bodies and render them extremely RESISTANT to both magical and physical attacks. You will have to find WEAK POINTS in their protective aura. Hopefully you have a Knight or Bishop on your team to find those weaknesses as soon as possible! Each dragon’s weak points differ. Fortunately, all Celaenos go down easily once you find that soft spot. They use their long, slender tails like WATER WHIPS to knock down or douse their targets; the force of a tail may equal that of a fire hose at full blast! The only time it sheds its armor is to shapeshift into a WATER PRISON that can trap one or more enemies. Try not to attack it while a Hero is trapped inside; it will hurt your friend as well! Use STATUS EFFECTS to confuse or distract them so the prison loses shape. Their ENCHANTED SCALES, SMALL GEMS, and DRAGON WATER may be acquired as loot.

Without any stairs in sight, the way up lies in those dragons. After their defeat, their magical scales can be put together to form a boat that can ride the waterfalls upwards to the top floors.


FOUR ♙
The skies continue to change once you reach the top. Black clouds begin to close in, stray bits of land that have broken off from the main island hover nearby, and a sudden torrent of powerful mana may disorient your party. A storm is approaching.

Just as the first chunk of hail falls from the sky, a mighty roar reverberates through the darkness. Something very large lands on the walls of the tower and causes a tremor that whittles chunks from the tower and actually rolls the clouds back; is that the toll of thunder, or just more roaring?

Finally, an impressive three-headed dragon emerges from below. Once it has perched itself on the tower, one head speaks in a rumbling growl.

BOSS ♟ Tianya the Thrice-Scorned
Weak against Lightning	Strong against None	Immune to Wind, Fire
“Did that phoenix send you?! Tell her she cannot return! Not even over my dead body!” Unsurprisingly, Tianya ─the dragon once wed to the phoenix─ is more than just a legend. He lowers his heads and another loud, guttural cry fills the skies. For now, he remains STATIONARY at the top of the tower. All three heads attempt to SWALLOW a Hero whole if they get too close. Should you go on the offensive, you may be able to chop off at least one head before he’s pissed off enough to move. The fallen head writhes in agony as it moans: “It hurts… it burns…” At this point, Tianya takes flight. The strong GUSTS from those wings can launch a Hero right off the tower. Use your grappling hook(s) to play floating island hopscotch: evade devastating dive attacks and run from the MANA BEAMS shot from his mouths. “You’ll never understand! I never wanted her!” As you travel from island to island trying to get close enough to deal some real damage, Tianya hides in the CLOUDS to launch ambush attacks. Eventually, a PHOENIX descends from the heavens in a burst of fiery light. However, it’s not the phoenix of legend; it’s actually one of Tianya’s spells, and it will burn away most of your mana if any of its flames make contact. MANA EXCHANGE may be the only way to continue this battle... Once Tianya is down to one head, he will immediately rise higher into the sky. “My last words are for her and her alone.” After Tianya is defeated, the storm clears; Enprise’s twin suns shine once more. That precious DUNGEON CORE floats down, blanketed by a SINGLE LARGE FEATHER, golden and shining in the light. “It’s warm… She was always warm…” A SCORNED DRAGON HEART and a MYSTICAL PHOENIX FEATHER may be acquired as loot.

As soon as both core and feather touch the tower, an ominous rumbling and shaking begins. The Gisela Towers are falling apart and it’s now a race to escape before you’re buried under the rubble.

And don’t forget the grappling hook(s); Lei wants them back.


FIVE ♙
All that’s left of the Gisela Towers is rubble. The dungeon has been conquered, the island reclaimed, and the ruins of the old regime can now become the foundations for something new: the site of the harpies’ homecoming after hundreds of years.

LOCATION ♟ Gisela

An ancient sky island that has existed since time immemorial. What enables Gisela to RIDE THE CLOUDS may be an even greater mystery than the mechanisms powering the Airy. The island appears most frequently above Gresser, though its extraordinary altitude makes it DIFFICULT TO LOCATE. The landscape of Gisela is overgrown with JEWEL-GREEN FORESTS, crisscrossed with gorges and dotted with networks of small caverns. But its crowning glory is the THIN GLEAMING WATERFALLS that flow from its edges and into the sky beyond. The water is embraced by RAINBOWS and condenses into CLOUDS when Gisela is high enough, lending to its unusual weather patterns. Although the island initially seems largely uninhabited apart from the Gisela Towers, there is a SEALED OFF AREA that, when viewed from the air, looks suspiciously like LUSH, TILLED FIELDS. Should you ask Lei about this, he will only give you an unusually stern warning against disturbing it. Looks like you’ve solved the mystery behind the pai tiles. Now that the menacing Towers have been demolished, a variety of animal life — usually airborne — will begin to appear on the island. Some of them you’ve never seen before! The fall of the Towers also uncovered the existence of HOT SPRINGS below; newspapers speculate wildly about the source, but most agree that it must have something to do with the renewed vows between phoenix and dragon. The few structures already in place on the island have been speedily converted into BAZAARS manned by Airy harpies. Most specialize in legal alchemical gimmicks, but there’s always another side to these things. Everyone’s here to soak in the breeze, and by that we do mean everyone. In response to the tourism boom, NEW AEROPORTS have also opened in both Gisela and Gresser to provide reliable transportation between the two locations.

Comments

Team Unprepared (Akito/Agito, Soma/Marie, Jolyne, Lola)

[sky_shark]

[No seriously, one King and three Pawns, this is going to be a trainwreck]

Entering the Dungeon!

[sky_shark]

[Why did he let Akito rope him into this? Seriously, why? He's not even paying attention to the guy handing out the grappling hooks (at least they get two of those), just. Glaring daggers at the tower. This was a bad idea and was going to go terribly, he knew it.

Oh well. Nothing for it now but to try and not get horribly killed]

I'm not going to need one of those things, so long as I have mana. [He mentions that over his shoulder, looking at the grappling hooks before turning his attention back to the giant building. This thing was going to be falling apart wasn't it? He growls softly, shifting on the not!AT he wore, resting easily on the bladed wheels.

Agito sighed. This was going to be a thing]

[drawmecute]

I won't either. I'll need perches to land on. If only long enough to find the next one.

*Lola's hair is pinned close to her hair, and she has a pair of goggles (pink lenses, surprise surprise) in one of her belt pouches. She had accessorized for the occasion. Durable metal gloves with clawed fingertips. To protect her nails, and help her climb. A few health potions on her... but no other weapons. She was still surprised she wasn't the shortest.*

So... grappling hooks first or do we climb up ourselves?

[stonefree]

[As Jolyne stared up at the tower, she already knew this wasn't going to go well. Without her Stand nor have any idea what her teammates could do, they were going to be in trouble. Oh why did she thought about signing up for this again? And especially with her weapon, she had to get creative and fast should anything go wrong]

I'd say we take the grappling hooks, it'll be the fastest route to get there. And it might be useful if anything should happen.

[sky_shark]

Hooks first. They'll have at least an anchor to hold onto if the floor crumbles.

[Good luck convincing him to buddy up with someone with a hook, Agito's stubborn. He's already plotting out a route up the building]

[dualized]

Right. There are only two so we'll need to make due. I would advise against using too much mana at this point. From experience, I can say that you will need it as we progress- unless you're comfortable cuddling up for it later.

[Soma is not that type herself, so she knows to conserve. Even so, it may prove necessary and there's no being stubborn when the alternative is death. This is her third dungeon now- so she feels confidant in saying anything could happen.]

[drawmecute]

I have no trouble cuddling up, even if none of you are my type.

*She just likes hugs. She's also trying to scope the path she can move up quickest with her dancers. She'll buddy up if she has to, but she's pretty sure she can do this.*

[stonefree]

Then let's hurry and hug already! It's not like a little contact's gonna hurt you or anything!

[Jolyne might not look like the most affectionate person in the world, she doesn't mind hugs either. Of course, she wished she could say the same for a certain person whom she was eying at]

[sky_shark]

[Soma has a point, much as he hates to admit it. He could always let Akito out, and the light is suggesting it, but there's too much potential for things to go wrong in this place]

Fuck, fine. [Jolyne's getting glared at for her words. Agito is not a contact person, he sort of hates it. If there's one person here though that he's willing to put up with for this it's Soma, given they are roommates. So he'll walk over to her, growling softly under his breath]

[dualized]

[With Agito willing, it was safe to say they were all in agreement now. It wasn't Soma's favorite solution either; but she refused to prioritize her own feelings over a logical solution. She takes one grappling hook and hands the other to Jolyne.]

Very well. It's decided. Using the hooks, we'll climb in pairs. But be careful- the winds are strong here.

[drawmecute]

*Lola made a face when she saw how this was working. Sure the short guy was intense, and the pretty one was a bit scary. But something about the last one just sorta weirded her out. Still, it wasn't like it was a big deal. And it sorta made sense, the two smallest paired off with two others. Balance, or something.*

I always hated climbing the rope in gym... but I'm ready.

*Sorry Jolyn, Lola is just incredibly vain.*

[stonefree]

[As she saw the other two paired up, Jolyne still had that smirk on her face. She figured Agito wouldn't want to get anywhere near her after that comment but at least she got something about of him!

When Soma handed the grappling hook to her, she figured Lola would be a bit irked. Especially when Jolyne was the one who suggested to use the hooks. But she's not going to let it bother her.]

Then let's go. The faster we finish this, the better! [With that, she launched the hook to the building before giving her hand out to her partner]

[sky_shark]

[Already does not like you, Jolyne. He will remember this, even if Akito seems to like you! Sometimes his other had bad taste in friends.

Either way, he'll watch and wait for Soma's cue. No point wasting words when there wasn't much to say]

[dualized]

Right.

[She has to agree- she'd like to ascend quickly and put the need for these hooks behind them. Taking Jolyne's lead, she launches the hook; giving it a solid tug before deeming it secure.]

It might be safer if you climb on my back.

[Soma is stronger than she looks, but considering the task ahead- this might just be the best way.]

[drawmecute]

*Lola nearly took Jolyne's hand while wearing her climbing gloves. She slipped the clawed gloves off and put it into her belt first. That would have been messy. Once she heard Soma's question to Akito, Lola made a face.*

I am not your backpack.

*She'll put her arms around Jolyne's waist. If she falls she'll just jet around.*

[stonefree]

Didn't expect you to. You don't look like the type who would want that anyway!

[As soon as she got a good tug, Jolyne wasted no time in climbing up against the walls. Of course, every so often she'll look back at see if Lola was holding on. The last thing she wanted was a dead teammate on this mission, thank you!]

You holding all right there? If you feel like you're slipping, let me know.

[She was a lot stronger than she looked but it never hurt to double check. And especially with the huge gusts of wind that might appear soon]

Boss fight boss fight

[sky_shark]

[It's hailing again what the fuck. Aren't dragons supposed to be fire creatures, why is it that it's always hailing when they're around? This world sucks.

Despite the dizzying wave of mana, Agito is not hanging around to get eaten. One of the heads snaps at him but he's already dodging it, trying to work out what exactly would be the best course of action here]

Anyone got a bright idea for stopping that thing flying, now would be the fucking time for it! [Aerial combat is not something he'd mind, as such. But they'd probably have a much better time of it if they can keep the beast on the ground]

[dualized]

Ideally we injure it's wings first.

[Soma has no qualms fighting either; human, beast, dragon... the form doesn't matter. No fight should be taken lightly. She's seen the strength of the dungeon's ultimate foes before and she's sure this one will be no less of a challenge.]

My weapon might be able to do some damage in that regard.

[It's a privilege to be able to fight long-distance in this instance. Speaking of ideals- if it was possible to inflict status effects on this beast as well, that would be great... but she's not counting on it.] If we can organize a way to attack a central point it may be possible. We only need to injure one.

[drawmecute]

I-I've taken a dragon's wing out before. But it only had the one head and it wasn't looking at me.

*She wasn't threatening enough to be really attacked until after she did her thing. Also the thing wasn't as big, or scary, or big. But... it can't be that hard right? It's just bigger, meaner, and apparently mad about a girlfriend. That's all.*

And I had to get on its back to do it.

[stonefree]

[This was where Jolyne wished she had her Stand ability. She would have been able to keep the stupid dragon still with her strings and be done with this dungeon! But nope.

As she was doing her best to avoid any damage, she stared at her other teammates trying to think of a plan. With her weapon, she can get rather creative but...]

Then let's do it already! My weapon lets me stop time for 5 seconds, that will make the dragon stop moving around!

[sky_shark]

[Soma has the range, and the rank, to draw in the dragon, and if Jolyne can stop time...]

If Pieres can draw it in from range, the time stop should be enough to break one of the fucker's wings. [Slightly risky, but possibly workable. His next words are directed at Jolyne] That time stop thing for you only or what?

[dualized]

I can manage. Wait until it's focused on me and then do what you need to.

[All she needs to do is get it's attention-- and with her weapon, that shouldn't be a difficult task. The more it focused on her, the easier it would be for the others to do what they needed to. She trusted they would be able to accomplish as much.]

[drawmecute]

*Lola Hopped and gripped onto a higher level stone perched to wait for the right moment to make her move. She hopes this time stop thing works. Trying this on a smaller dragon was a task. This would be... is there a level past crazy.*

*She's muttering to herself in Spanish, psyching herself up?*

[stonefree]

I think it only works for me but if you want me to do anything, just tell me and I'll do it.

[While she mentioned this ability was pretty impressive, it sure had a lot of drawbacks. For one thing, she never realized how much she depended on her Stand to do most of the fighting. Which was all the more difficult when she saw Soma and Lola trying to get the dragon's attention.

Looks like she'll have no choice but to get rather creative...]

[sky_shark]

Go for its wings then. Even if you can't break it, the distraction should keep it down. [Long enough for Lola to do something about it, and he could possibly help with that if needed, but it'd depend on how it went.

Which meant Soma was up. Let's see how this plan went] Time to bring this fucker down.