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

[acknowledges]

Sasuke won't be able to squabble 'cause he's only got one arm.

[penitents]

That isn't squabbling, usuratonkachi.

[ But try to explain to Naruto the difference between verbally arguing and physically fighting. Between the two of them, it's almost the same. ]

[acknowledges]

ALL I GOTTA DO IS SMACK YOU ONE TIME ON THE HEAD AND YOU'D FALL RIGHT OFF

[acknowledges]

[And because he values his life (and jaw) Naruto takes the High Road and walks over to Sakura- sticking both arms straight up into the air.

Somehow, he looks like an unhappy housecat. An unhappy housecat doing a pick me up gesture.]

Okay Sakura-chan.

I'm ready.

[mitotic]

Thank you both for proving my point.

[ To fight about what fighting is. Honestly.

She lets Naruto stew there for a beat too long, her eyebrow arched incredulously. She's dealt with toddlers more mature than he's being right now, but this isn't the time for her to scold him.

Then, abruptly, she loops an arm around his waist. She lifts the grappling hook straight up in the air, takes aim, and fires. ]

[penitents]

[ He doesn't get much of a chance for rebuttal, Naruto immediately turning to his wife to ready for the trip up. Sasuke glances up the tower as they prepare. It's a long way up, and his gaze is still angled that way when he hears the grappling hook go off. Even with it's long range, it appears as though Sakura will have to make a couple of stops before she gets the whole way up.

It should be relatively easy. Sakura is strong and the grappling hook is a sturdy device— but almost as soon as his two team mates are rising into the air, grounded by nothing by the chain, the wind picks up.

Sasuke throws his hand up to block the wind, bracing against the buffet, and feels something in his stomach drop out when he sees Sakura and Naruto sway on their tether. So far below them and surrounded by the howl of the wind, he can barely even hear Naruto screaming on the way up. Squinting, his hand balls into a fist as he watches them.

If they fall, there's nothing he can do about it. ]

[acknowledges]

Ah-HAAHHHHH-!

[He doesn't scream on the entire way up, but her arm around his waist is minimal warning for the sensation that follows- an abrupt rejection of gravity. He's used to being in charge of where his body goes and what it does- he's used to defying convention and possibility and flying through the air isn't the strangest experience he's ever had. It's just that... he's used to making himself do said flying.

They reach the top with alarming speed, and once the grappling hook has reached its limit, clicking into place a short distance from safety, Naruto feels his stomach catch up with the rest of his body. All in once piece.] So- [He breathes.] So mean'attebayo. You haven't changed at all.

[There's no fumbling from his place in her arms. Sakura has always supported him, and Naruto is years and years from doubting her strength. He reaches out, equal parts fearlessness and absolute trust as his hands find the ledge and he pulls himself fluidly onto the landing. It's not that he didn't enjoy the ride, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't glad it was over.

-Just before she can disappear back to the first level, Naruto appears to have a thought, and leans in.]

Hey hey, Sakura-chan. Try an' scare him on the way up, okay? It'll be funny.

[mitotic]

[ In her defense, she hadn't been known just how fast this thing was going to reel them up either; but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't done that on purpose. It's worth the ringing in her ear from Naruto hollering into it just to see his startled reaction. Who's the most unpredictable ninja now, huh? ]

I don't know what you're talking about.

[ Like I said: lying. She's grinning, too.

She keeps a firm grip on him, helping him to climb up on the ledge. For all their joking, it was a little nervewracking for her once the wind started to pick up. It's not the most death-defying stunt any of them have ever done, but they have none of their usual failsafes here. Chakra, to ensure neither of them lose their grip. Giant toads or slugs to summon to catch them, should they get blown off. The faster the ride up, the better, as far as she's concerned.

While she waits for the wind to die down a little before she reverses the mechanism to lower herself back down, Naruto's suggestion makes her laugh incredulously. ]

Yeah, right. [ Of everyone Sakura knows, her husband is one of the hardest to scare or startle, and she ruined the element of this particular sort of surprise on Naruto. The only sure-fire thing she can think of that would scare him is the one thing she would never do, not even as a joke.

Dead family, or the threat of it, is never going to be funny to Sasuke. ]

Try to figure out the lay of the land while I'm gone, alright?

[ The trip down is a lot slower than the trip up. She isn't scared, exactly, but she does hold onto the gun with both hands as the wind whips around her. Her hair is a huge mess by the time her feet touch terra firma again. ]

Ready?

[penitents]

[ His brow creases as he watches them, hand lifted next to his face to block some of the wind. They're small enough that Sasuke can't quite tell if there's any kind of trouble, but from what he can tell, they arrive with little trouble. He loses sight of them once they're over the edge, and can do nothing but wait with a breath stuck in his chest until Sakura reappears.

Sasuke relaxes, albeit only a fraction, when Sakura has come back to his level and looks windswept but safe. He nods and steps close, lifting his one good arm to wrap around her shoulders. She'll have to keep a tight hold on him, unlike Naruto who was able to cling for dear life Sasuke literally need to do this one handed.

But he has no doubt about her strength, even if she does barely come over his shoulder. ]

[acknowledges]

[By the time they both reach him, Naruto is clearly returning from places yet unknown- eyes wide and arms stiff at his sides. This is the expression of a man who has clearly seen some things. His hair is blown almost entirely to one side of his head, sticking up in a comedic imitation of a cockatiel. Left unsupervised for three entire minutes, Naruto has gazed into the abyss and found it gazing back.]

You guys're never gonna believe this.
[Don't worry, he won't keep you in suspense.]

Birds with people arms.

[mitotic]

[ This trip manages to be more harrowing than the last. Sasuke is much taller than she, for one, and he only has the one arm to hold on with, but her grip doesn't falter. She's glad for the speed on the way up, though, and she releases an audible sigh of relief as first he, and then she, put her feet on solid ground again. She's in the process of unwinding the hook from the pillar it had wound around when Naruto finds them.

Sakura turns, brow furrowed with confusion. ] What?

[ How............? ]

[penitents]

[ Finding Naruto missing upon arrival is... not as surprising as it probably should be. Sasuke can't remember him ever sitting still at this age unless it was for a specific purpose, and being told to wait for the rest of his team was a laughable idea. His gaze comes away from Sakura as Naruto announces his return, and his reaction is similar to his wife's in the way his brow furrows.

Maybe Naruto was just finding creative ways to describe things...

Sasuke steps past the pair of them and starts heading the direction Naruto had come from. ]

[acknowledges]

[He is not finding a creative way to describe things??? He's being completely legit here??? This moment of disbelief and shocked betrayal continues even after Sasuke has walked right by him because at least Naruto can share this expression with Sakura- who will understand once she too heads in that direction.

Sure enough, only a few short feet into the cavern- this dungeon's weird excuse for birds can be seen flapping and gliding about.

Naruto says nothing, but that's because the look on his face says everything.
I told you so.]

[mitotic]

... birds with people arms.

[ Okay, so Naruto wasn't making this up. It still doesn't make it any less weird and nonsensical, and kind of uncanny valley levels of wrong. ]

Think they're friendly?