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

[rollin]

[ Yata watches in awe as Asuna and Kaito take down the ocypetes. Asuna always called him strong, but despite his training, his magic is still out of a Knight's league. Is he doing something wrong? But he worked so hard! It's frustrating to know that now they're on the field. ]

Nice shot! [ DON'T LOOK SURPRISED, it's better than what Yata can manage. He gestures at Asuna to ride his back again, wishing he was more useful THAN A MOUNT. ] You think we could get its feathers later?

[avantguard]

[ It looks like Kaito is aiming at her and she goes still before a screaming bullet shoots over her shoulder and hits that ocypete behind her. Hah. Haha. Nice... aim.... but all three of them are looking out for one another.

Isn't that what a party is supposed to do? After getting over the initial shock of having a GUN AIMED TOWARDS her she gives Kaito a small wave and turns to the other party member of their team.

Who is definitely more than a MOUNT OKAY. She jogs around to his back and furrows her brow before climbing onto him carefully, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her cheek close to his as she looks up. ]

The feathers? What do you want those for?

[carptricks]

[the defeated ocypetes may be falling out of sight, but the blows Kaito and Asuna delivered to them to knock them out caused a couple of feathers to scatter. those objects float through the air much more slowly. slow enough for Kaito to grab a couple after Yata asks if they could collect some]

Why wait 'til later when we can get to it now?

[he lifts the feather in the air and twirls it around his fingers. he's curious about what Yata wants the feathers for, too, but Asuna asked the question before he did. he won't repeat it]

[rollin]

Kuroba—!

[ Yata is so happy, he almost looks like he could cry. SAVED BY THE KID. While he jumps up the steps, his cheek rubs and blushes against Asuna's as he explains: ]

Rooks can jump, right? I was wondering if I could synthesize armor that can help me jump higher with those feathers. Looks like they help these birds out!

[avantguard]

[ Yata is so damn happy about feathers. But when he explains why, Asuna blinks in surprise at that ingenious idea.

WHO THOUGHT HE WAS DUMB AGAIN?! ]

Y-you noticed that?

[ She leans over him more to see his face, stunned. STUN EFFECT. No reaction to cheeks squishing together. Not yet. ]

If you made armor that could do that, you could probably use all kind of wind magic to fly around!

[ HAND THAT SHIT OVER

Wait their cheeks were touching in front of Kaito

Finally, Asuna gets red with a small gasp and HIDES HER FACE BEHIND YATA DONT LOOK AT HER ]

I could use it to climb this tower, too... since I'm not a Rook and Kaito took the grappling hook.

[carptricks]

[. . . oh no are they having a moment!1 Kaito might be a little ways away on his own, but that doesn't mean he doesn't notice the SUSPICIOUS CHEEK BUMPING. he grins a bit to himself, evidently amused and charmed by their small displays of affection, as he slips the feather into his satchel. next, he holsters his firearm and starts spinning his yo-yo at his side]

You've got a pretty good idea there, Yata. I'll hold onto it for ya until we're done with this tower, yeah?

[and with that, he tosses his yo-yo up, lassos it around another sharp rock jutting out from the side of the stairwell, and begins zipping up towards the tower entrance again. which, by the way, is just ahead. they made it!1]

Ha! That climb wasn't too bad, was it?

1/2

[rollin]

Thanks!

[ Enchanted armor would be pretty sweet. He could make some with Asuna after this is over... But LEAVE HIM ALONE KAITO!! Forget the climb, though. That door is HUGE. Yata nearly stumbles forward on the last landing, awestruck by the sheer majesty of the tower entrance alone. Sure, it's a little rusty, but who makes doors that big? He can definitely believe a dragon hangs around these parts. ]

There's gotta be something badder inside.

[ SO HE OPENS IT AND RUSHES IN ]

[rollin]

[ AND NEARLY STUMBLES OVER THE EDGE ]

Woah—!

[ It's okay, he barely manages to keep his balance. It looks like the stairs inside are in almost same condition as the stairs outside. But there's no floor and Yata almost wants to scream. A few inches more and he and Asuna could have fallen all the way down to Gresser. He lets Asuna back down, thinking all is safe for now...

Until a strong gust of wind blows through the doorway.

Yata's too slow—the gust sweeps him off his feet before he can cast his magic. Fortunately, he's managed to grab the edge of the platform... hanging on for dear life! ]

[avantguard]

You didn't even need the grappling hook─

[ She saw him using his yo-yo instead as she frowns from her spot on Yata's back. And yeah, the door is big, but she's more worried about WHY that door is so big. What is it hiding inside? STAY VIGILENT.

Or burst through the front door.

Asuna yelps as Yata rushes forward and is very close to sending them to their deaths in Gresser. Her grip tightens around him, nearly choking him in fright as she looks down. Looking down was a bad idea. LOOKING DOWN WAS A BAD IDEA.

Her knees are weak, she almost sinks down to the ground once she's back on her own feet. She presses a hand to the wall to catch her breath and calm down her racing heart from the scare. Another gust of wind isn't new. They should be ready for it and Asuna slowly looks towards the other two...

Her stomach drops to her feet. Where is Yata? Did he get swallowed by something again? No, there's a hand gripping the edge. ]

Yata-kun!

[ She stops thinking, running forward and dropping to her knees to grip his arm. It takes hardly any strength at all to haul him back onto the very small platform they're standing on. In fact, she uses too much strength in her desperate attempt so they go stumbling back and into Kaito. ]

[carptricks]

[UNLIKE YATA, Kaito doesn't burst through the front door. he already had one very near fall today, he doesn't feel like he needs another. hallow towers with only ledges to walk on, huh. . .? a cakewalk for someone with cat-like balance like Kaito, but an understandable difficulty for anyone else]

[he's about to open his mouth and say something when the gust of wind blows through the door. with a surprised hiss, the magician ducks and braces his feet against sturdy ground to keep himself from getting blown over. when it passes, Asuna isn't the only one who notices Yata is missing]

Yata, what the heck. . .!

[but Asuna does beat him to grabbing their missing party member by the hand and hoisting him back up. which is good, because she definitely has more physical strength for it than Kaito does, even though she very nearly knocks him over when she comes stumbling back into him]

O-oi oi, careful! Geez, you guys. . . [Kaito somehow manages to maintain his footing and grab Asuna by the shoulders to steady her balance] We've gotta move slowly. This isn't a dungeon we can just barrel through.

[rollin]

[ Yeah, Yata's starting to realize that now. This isn't like Salamanca where he can just punch lizardmen and call it a day. One wrong step and he can go splat! ... Eugh, that's an awful mental image. He frowns and plants his feet back firmly. ]

Sorry... [ He'll try to keep himself together. Right now, he's just HOLDING THEM BACK!! ]

But I think we can speed up in a bit.

[ The ceiling he's looking at is high, but once they make it past that point, they might find actual solid ground. ]

[avantguard]

[ Asuna releases a slow sigh when she realizes they're safe. Relatively. All three of them are cramped together and Asuna extricates herself from Kaito while giving Yata concerned/annoyed looks. He's always so reckless.

This dungeon isn't necessarily about speed. No matter how quickly she wants to bulldoze her way through to the boss and beat it. Salamanca had traps from the get-go so they need to stay alert.

Asuna doesn't look at the ceiling, she scans the area around them. It's not too different from the outside, all things considered. There's even some ocypete, looking in from the holes in the walls. ]

Kaito, Yata-kun, more are coming.

[ She narrows her eyes and then looks around for another ledge to stand on so they're not huddled together, trying to fight. They would probably hit each other. Like before, she takes a running leap at one and rolls forward once she lands to lessen the impact on her ankles.

Just in time to block a sharp talon from slashing at her face. But Yata and Kaito have their own monsters to worry about as they come in from the outside and swoop down towards the other two. ]

[carptricks]

[ugh, more ocypetes. it's at times like this that Kaito's grateful he has two ranged weapons and a whole lot of parkour experience. he spins around to face the enemies approaching from behind and braces himself for another fight]

Haa, looks like we're gonna be fighting the whole way up. Let's move--!

[he gives a firm nod and a grin to Yata. an attempt at being encouraging and a sign that he still trusts him, even though he almost ran off a cliff just a minute earlier. the moment only lasts for a second, however, as its interrupted by the ocypetes zipping forward and slashing at the both of them with sharp claws. Kaito's reaction is quick: he levels the grappling hook at a sturdy looking ledge some many feet above him, takes aim, fires, and pulls himself through the air once the hook is anchored against the rock-- just in time to avoid the ocypete's attack]

[hopefully Yata was just as fast. . .!]