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

UNE: creepyass harpies

[shitbastard]

[Grisela's Towers were a sight sight to say the least. It'd immediately been apparent why Lei gave them the grappling hook. As to why he gave them only one...

If the people around him helped or hindered, fully or half-heartedly, it was meaningless to Adam. One grappling hook was what they had. And those crumbling stairs clearly won't hold his weight. So trading it back and forth with Levi (who carried the lighter Cirno), they made their way up the gusty, trembling outside of the tower to relatively stable platforms and what pieces of the stairs still arrogantly withstood the force of the winds.

Tedious work, but progress was progress. Until they come within sight of the entrance of the tower they're scaling--

With annoying grating hilariously awkward ferocious cries wingless harpies suddenly begin swooping down from higher up the tower. They mean business. Worse?

They know kung-fu. This is a really seriously serious thread. Watch out for those dragon punches and chicken kicks!]

My, my. We woke up the welcoming committee.

[Shifting to let a kick pass scant inches past him to embed powerful talons into the tower wall rather than his gut, Adam quickly slams a palm into the presented vulnerable knee. There is a definite crunch, a sound snatched away almost instantaneously by the wind, as harpy bones bend ways they were never meant to.]

It was feeling too easy.

[baka_jyanai]

Finally some action! I was gettin bored! -Cirno quickly hit the release on the harness that bound her to Levi, summoning forth Unnatural Chill and slinging some heavy sleet towards an oncoming hand-bird, stalling their efforts to bumrush the two smaller members of the team.-

Are you ready... to face the Strongest! -Another one came forward, with Cirno spinning on heel and swinging the 'sword' square into the creature's solar plexus, as if swinging a baseball bat at an oncoming fastball. And it seemed she hit a home run...-

Heh! Bet he wishes he could fly now, huh?

[powerdriven]

[ It never could be too easy, could it. Well, they have to Lei to thank for any proper way up this tower to begin with, so there's no sense in being ungrateful. Not to mention there are a multitude of other things they'd do better directing their attention towards. The harpies, for one. Abominations not quite bird or human, and angling their rather heavy-handed glides in hopes of knocking their interlopers into the abyss below.

Levi is more than prepared to use their unwieldy size against them, but once he's free of Cirno, he's also free to get a little bit more up close and personal. Using the grapple to latch himself onto the next ocypete in their path, its talons never have a chance to strike. He bypasses the creature to the next dangling ledge, using his sword to cut it free of the hook on the way.

Although he grimaces as he shakes off the remainder of its parts, he instead tries to speak back to the other two over the rushing wind. ]

Just don't lose your footing. It's a long way down.

[ After all... then they'll very well be wishing they could fly, too. ]

[shitbastard]

We won't hold you back.

[It's a shout to be heard over the wind. And the screeches. Grabbing his would-be ocypete attacker as it moves to free itself, Adam liberally applies a sleeper hold. And then uses the poor unfortunate as a shield against its fellow....kung fu horde. Cause. Who doesn't love choking out birds. Look he's making this work!!!]

Cirno. Can I throw you?

[Things you just casually ask.]

[baka_jyanai]

I dunno. Can you? -That's not what he meant, Cirno. Either way, she didn't seem to have a problem with the idea. It wouldn't be the first time she's been a fastball special.-

[powerdriven]

[ Well, he's tried, so he'll take Adam's word for it from here and focus on taking down as many of these things as possible. Switching out his sword his rifle, it's now just a matter of paring them down without any unnecessary waste, but Levi seems to have no trouble with this, even firing rather liberally. Not to say that it's foolproof. The bullets are magic, and sometimes a shot of poison will only make a creature like this mad.

Meanwhile, he'll try to keep an eye on whatever it is those two are doing... but don't expect a rescue if you screw up. Probably. ]

[shitbastard]

Ku ku...

[This is probably not the time for evil, anime villain laugh, but--]

Just jump off their backs like Levi. You'll make it to the top in no time and I'll be right behind. [Look he even has a reassuring smile. So. Picking up Cirno-- one, two, three, we wolverining this shit? SWORD FIRST CIRNO maybe.]

[baka_jyanai]

COMIN' ATCHA!

-Like a spinning blade of ice. Cirno cleaves right through an incoming flood of gliding ocypete, making short work of them in a flurry of sleet and bludgeoning. Her 'sword' wasn't good for cutting at all, but it made a hell of a blunt object all the same.-

[powerdriven]

[ Speaking of bludgeoning, when the angry ocypete he'd managed to poison swoops its way in, he saves time on reloading by fighting it off with the stock of the rifle. It takes a bit of push and pull more than he'd like, but there's a fairly surprising lack of close calls for both parts of the team, at the moment.

He'll keep the sniping up thereafter, because there are plenty more where the first several came from. Though it'd be good if they could find an opportunity to continue their ascent, should they clear themselves a free moment. Those two are going to be able to make it over here, right? ]

[shitbastard]

[Dodging a second ocypete by the merest calculated fraction, Adam reaches out and grabs it by the hair.]

I'll be borrowing your body.

[Those are the words he says before he slams it face first into the wall, repeatedly. Once it's unconscious it's quick work to use its own talons to slice off its arms and fashion some climbing gear. Cause these birds have no problem climbing the tower, so he's noticed. Adam may not have the biological advantage of claws to climb up sheer rock.

But that kind of ability can always be manufactured. Aka scaling this bitch. Plz and thx for making sure creepy birds don't one shot him here laughs. Eventually though!! He will get on the same platform as Levi. And looking for Cirno? If they need to rescue her he won't be worried-- they do have the grappling hook after all.]

Sorry for the wait.

[baka_jyanai]

INCOMING!!

-Ah. There she was. She finally finished the arc from Adam's original toss, landing in a sort of Superman like pose that she thought was cool before righting herself with a huff and crossing her arms in a proud stance.-

[powerdriven]

[ He may not persist that they're careful or that they go about this a certain way, but it would be a nuisance to all of them to get separated. Because of that, he hangs around to secure their path, keep the air clear. While he stays alert at the chance he might have to launch a rescue, their ingenuity goes farther than he expected.

Adam, for one, makes use of the only available resources. Perhaps it's a little too easy for him. Plucked from their feathery bodies, the arms are almost human. Only their bones, more hollow and birdlike, snap with his manipulation. But the birds aren't phased, so he isn't either. He can see Cirno moving light on her feet, so to prioritize, he focuses on keeping Adam's back free until they've both made their way up. ]

Good work.

[ He leans down with his back facing Cirno so she can climb back on. ]

We've gotta get moving. Before more of these pests show up.

[shitbastard]

That's some praise.

[Is it a joke? Is it serious? Well, he smiles regardless.]

Let's keep showing them just who the strongest here are. I'll follow you two.

[Because. This is not a suicide mission. And so they should keep some order. As the heaviest hitters it's imperative Levi and Cirno reach the high ground and the battlefield advantage first. It's only some fifteen feet above them, the open hole that appears to function as a "doorway" to the inside of the tower. The inner stairs can be seen beyond its opening circling ever upward.

But the ocypetes are rallying. It appears they'll be preparing one last charge to keep their home free of invaders. Troublesome, but if it's broken it's very unlikely the creepy curious bird people will bother the trio of heroes again. Dominance and victory will be asserted. By one side or another.

So like I guess we're playing IC Red Rover now, go team go!]

[baka_jyanai]

-Cirno had been about to strap herself back into the harness, when a thought occurred to her...-

Hmmmmm... HMMMM

I got an idea! Keep an eye on them, and when they start to come this way, lemme know! I'll throw up an ice wall that they'll crash into, and you guys can keep heading up, and toss me the grapple gun when it's clear.

[powerdriven]

[ Levi doesn't waste time being insincere often, so you can bet he's being earnest for his part in this... but hell, if it gets them moving in an orderly fashion, all the better. The wind is coming on strong, making the respite of the somewhat sturdier-looking portion of the tower above feel much earned. But while they've proved they can survive the first part of the gauntlet, they can't drop their guard and run for freedom yet. Himself included.

The gathering ocypetes make it clear to him it isn't a time to afford being picky either. You could say the wind's actually on their side. Fortunately, he's got enough experience in making split second decisions without losing his head that he might stop Adam from losing his. He has to question leaving that poor sap to bring up the rear.

This isn't a suicide mission, right? That's established? Because it sure sounds like the ideology of a guy willing to throw caution (and himself) to the wind purely out of expendability. And Levi knows that well, too. Though before he can argue, Cirno offers a potential solution herself and suddenly it's like everyone's trying to be the fall guy all at once. Funny, since it just makes him write it all off. Agree to whatever while planning to stay vigilant of them on his own terms.

Which in practice means he scoffs and tosses Cirno the grappling hook, looking to Adam sharply as he draws his swords. ]

Go.

[ He doesn't need the gun anymore, but somebody's got to play signal if this plan's going to work. And if it doesn't... he'll handle it. ]

[shitbastard]

[Is this comradeship? How strange. To receive it with this face... The people of the ghetto had never been able to accept a mystery like him. Nor the humans of Eden, those incomplete people of his own creation. All there has ever been...is Eve.

But Eve's dead now. For all he knows the imprint of her brain, the paths of her neurons, the schematics of her creation, could potentially even rebuild her-- Eve is dead and it is most decidedly of his own doing. Perhaps not his hand. But his purpose, his reasoning.

It's a peculiarity. A change after all these decades (and centuries and millenia). As to how he feels about it...? Enh, there are worse ways to spend a Friday. ANYWHO-]

Ku ku... [Look, it's kind of funny okay.] Understood.

[There's no need for words really. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE PLAN IS. But also caring on a scale of 1 to 10.... He's just here to do what he's told. Scaling this bitch. And I use that term loosely he's 6'2" it's not actually that much of a height for him I shoulda thought of that. OH WELL.

The ocypetes aren't having any of it though and there's a sudden and ugly divebombing chain of birds descending to end this with mobbing and bloody kung fu. Number of saves Adam's received so far: start taking shots?]

[baka_jyanai]

-Cirno didn't really understand what was going on, internally, with her two teammates. She was just glad to have an idea that might actually work. And just as she said, when the screaming murder approached, she slammed Unnatural Chill into what she could, sending up giant walls of craggy ice for them to collide into.

Thump. Thump. Splat. Like doves running into windows.-

[powerdriven]

[ To be honest, he's not sure he understands what's going on in Adam's head any better than Cirno does just yet. The one thing he is certain of is that they need to stick together for now, even if that may mean keeping an eye out for them when they take risky moves with the potential of ending in rescues. He doesn't have to like it for it to be the best path to that mana core.

Not to mention, the more they show off their skills, the easier it is to trust they won't muck this up. She, uh... she really didn't need his help after all. He stays put, staring as the ocypetes make a bloody mess of her ice wall. ]

... Not bad.

[ Bird sure are dumb, aren't they. Well, now they'll be able to take their time. ]

[shitbastard]

[That certainly makes things simpler. Gaining the summit--er entrance--Adam looks down. Cirno has things well in hand. And inside...?

Looking up at the staircase climbing ever onward he can see honeycomb-esque nests that will surely be a problem. But one thing at a time, hmmm? So.

He's just going to brew himself some coffee and wait really. NOT LIKE HE CAN DO ANYTHING. Chill as fuck, hey guys come join the part, this floor's gr8.]

[baka_jyanai]

They're probably too dumb to follow us up without running into the ice. So let's go already! -Cirno put on a proud smile, highly satisfied with her contribution to the party.-

[powerdriven]

No arguments here.

[ Sheathing his swords again, Levi gestures that she go ahead, and waits for Cirno to grapple up to the next floor. He doesn't seen any stray ocypetes daring to linger thereafter, so he follows using the lift granted to him by his magic blade. Given the buoyancy to throw himself up to ledges used as handholds, he reaches the staircase and comes face to face with the ... ]

Ugh. What is this? [ Scowling, he recoils away from the fine coating of goop on the walls. He looks over the forebodingly large nests hanging in the distance. ]