RPGWW

by **Kelne** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:05 pm

Not seeing a great deal of choice, Asp made a quick check for hidden compartments in the pedestal before flipping the paper back over again. Sure, it might end badly, but since when had that ever stopped a kender from doing something?

by **Idran1701** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:26 pm

Automata - Trap Contest Round 13

With a quick scan over the pedestal, Asp doesn't see anything stand out at him; no hidden recesses, no buttons or levers, no mismatched stonework. As for the note, it's got nothing but a short message on it, in messy, cramped handwriting: "It won't be that easy."

Outside, Magpie watches the vaults, while Mona keeps Nora distracted from Asp's troubles with plenty of attention. "It looks like things are close to done one way or another here, Magpie. You won't have a reason to be worried for much longer." She makes the occasional glance to Garrick, speaking towards him as she focuses on the nervous-seeming cat. "So, where've you been that you just got back to civilized life recently? You must have a lot of interesting tales to tell, right?"

by **Jak Snide** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:26 pm

Zant continued to watch the contest with masked concern. He'd initially assumed it would be mostly harmless, even as the nature of the traps became known to him, and Asp's momentary desperation had shocked him.

by **Kelne** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:52 pm

Oringr considered that easy? Well, in all fairness, Asp hadn't made things all that easy for him himself. Okay, if the prize wasn't in the pedestal or the box, that kind of left the walls and ceiling. Certainly the pressure plate on the wall suggested it was meant to catch someone climbing. With this in mind, Asp began scanning the walls and ceiling even as he began making his way up. That spider climb spell was certainly making itself useful.

by **darkknight61189** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:36 am

Garick watched the whole scene unfold, unsure of what to make of it all. He was obviously supposed to be trying to help this Asp fellow, but he didn't know how his abilities could be applied here. So he resigned himself to standing there and watching.

When Mona addressed him, he looked back at her, thinking about how to approach the question. He decided his usual method was best here. "I fell through a dimensional rift when I was young, and I've been jumping through portals to get back home ever since. I finally made it back to the material plane a little while ago, only to find that it didn't make much sense to me any more. So, I hopped back through the first rift I found, which brought me to that big staircase thing, where I found your, err, our guild. Decided to join up and continue to do what I do best: Jump through the planes." He considered this a little more, then said, "Guess that's the only thing that makes sense to me any more."

by **Idran1701** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:55 pm

Automata - Trap Contest Round 14

Asp scales the wall, scanning for panels of any sort. He continues up, soon crawling along the ceiling while doing his best to ignore the blood rushing to his head, his coat dangling "above" him as he checks every bit of the ceiling. Precious seconds tick past, and Öringr still hasn't made it out his vault. Without Nora nearby, his senses seem slightly dulled, details that would normally shout at him falling unnoticed after two, three, four once-overs.

Round 16

Finally, tucked away in the corner of the room's ceiling to the right of the entrance, he finds a small loose tile. The method for opening it isn't immediately apparent, so Asp gets to work breaking into it. He knows every second he works is another second he gives Öringr to escape victoriously.

Round 20

With a click, the panel tips open, and a small object tumbles out. Asp catches it just before it falls to the ground; a flat circle of tin about an inch thick, inscribed with three circles arranged in a triangle - white, black, and red.

And still, nothing from across the hall. Not a sign of Öringr, not since the sounds of combat ceased.

by **Kelne** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:16 pm

Asp was actually a bit surprised at the silence from Oringr. Ever since the spiders, he'd had an edge over him, and he really hadn't expected the last couple of traps to slow him up this much. Still, Asp hadn't won yet, and he set about exiting the vault as quickly as possible, prize in hand. It looked as if Oringr had been doing some research of his own; Asp recognised a representation of the balance between the gods of Krynn when he saw it.

by **ChristianC** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 1:18 am

Magpie nodded silently to Mona, still watching the two vaults with complete stillness... perfect? No, a very, very slight tic in the left hand, a twitch, occasionally made itself known, but the construct didn't seem to be aware of it itself.

by **darkknight61189** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:22 am

Garick watched the two vaults, curious what would happen. The target, Oringr, had suddenly gone quiet, though, which made him worry. Garick turned to Mona and asked, "We're supposed to take Oringr alive, right? What do we do if he's dead?"

by **Besyanteo** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 9:00 pm

"Dead or alive, actually. Alive is simply preferred... and we can sleep easier at night that way."

She could think of many reasons why Oringr would be quiet. She was directly responsible for several of them. She was confident that the Modron hadn't done him in, but that wasn't her last little surprise for Oringr. However, there were other possibilities. She didn't want to believe that he could teleport... but if he could, that would explain things.

"At any rate, if he doesn't come out before Asp finishes, we'll go and check. Despite what I've said, after the bit with the spiders, I wouldn't feel too bad about Oringr not coming back from this thing."

by **Idran1701** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 9:08 pm

Automata - Vault

With nothing else impeding his progress, Asp makes his way out the door of the vault with his trinket in hand. He has now officially won the contest, and yet there's still no sign of Öringr. Frowning, Mona gives Asp a look as he comes out. "He's not out yet. We haven't heard any sign of him either. Any idea what it might be, Asp?"

As for Hoshi, she seems to have made herself scarce; with the appearance of a new Planewalker that isn't yet aware of their agreement, that's perhaps not too unexpected, if a little overly cautious.

by **Besyanteo** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 9:41 pm

And what timing.

"Well, let's check on him then. If he's still conscious, he deserves to know the contest is over. Shall we, Asp?"

by **ChristianC** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:05 am

Magpie had been watching with some anticipation the two doors, and when Asp stepped out first, well, the warforged certainly seemed relieved. It hurried over to the kender, weapons clanking against its sides, the glow in its eyes unusually brilliant.

"Congratulations, Asp." it said hurriedly after Lorraine had uttered her question. "Let us hope that Öringr have not suffered ill fate inside our vault."

by **Kelne** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:11 am

"Sure thing," Asp said, fishing the key to the vault out of a pocket, "I don't know what could have happened to him - he's a cleric, so even if he was hurt, he could fix himself up again." Oringr certainly hadn't been worried about anything Asp might have had in store for him. Which, in hindsight, might not be a good attitude to take into a trapmaking competition.

Well, there was only one way to find out, Asp reflected, inserting the key and opening the door. Come to think of it, this might be the first time he'd actually used a key to open something in his life. It seemed like cheating somehow.

by **Idran1701** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:59 am

Automata - Vault

Asp walks to the door, and Nora hops down from Zant's arms, rubbing against his legs with more affection than she usually bothers to show. His key clicks in the lock, and Asp's locking enchantment holds back at his touch. The door swings open, revealing...an empty room. There's no monodrone to be seen - though that's to be expected if it was defeated. But there's no dwarf either.

A murmur rises from the crowd; did he escape? If he did teleport out, then who won? Would that even be legal? Cautious on the matter of what untriggered traps are still left in the room, the crowd holds back, but there's more than a few whispers about what this means.

Lorraine:

Spoiler:

A few moments later, though, things are answered when a voice comes from the exit. "Good show, berk, but not good enough, I'm afraid." Öringr strolls in, the trinket gripped in one hand and a broad grin on his face. He looks a little charred, a little beaten-up, and more than a little exhausted, but it doesn't seem to have impacted his mood any. "Guess this means you lose."

by **ChristianC** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:09 am

Magpie turned to look at Öringr, the light in its eyes flashing momentarily. It showed no real body language, remaining as still as usual, but there seemed to be a tone of... disappointment in its voice.

"...Asp was the first to come out and show himself to the others." the construct said as its eyes continued to flare occasionally, "Why did you wait?" the voice was almost accusing in tone.

by **Idran1701** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:11 am

Automata - Vault

Öringr scoffs. "More fun this way. I wanted you sods to have a moment or two of hope first."

Asp, Magpie:

Spoiler:

by **Kelne** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:26 am

"Wow, that was a neat trick," Asp said brightly, "Nobody saw you do it or anything. Can you do it again? I want to see if I can figure out how it was done." Asp motioned invitingly towards the door. This was not entirely true; Asp thought he had a very good idea indeed how the trick was done. Or at least he knew how he'd go about reproducing the observed result.

by **ChristianC** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:32 am

Magpie turned to look at Asp, and then back to Öringr. The construct seemed slightly confused, folding its arms slowly, "Does this mean that we have lost? Did anyone see Öringr leaving the vault?"

by **Idran1701** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:36 am

Automata - Vault

"Sorry, takes a lot out of me." He smirks, giving Asp a look that screams he's more intelligent than anyone else here and knows it (in his eyes, at least). "'sides, I'm sure you've got some plan t'bob me out of my rightful winnings churning in your brain-box already. If you want t'put it to good use, maybe you can clear things up for that leatherheaded excuse for a golem there."

by **Kelne** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:54 am

"Well, at least let me see if I can do it myself," Asp said, matching Oringr's look with that innocent air that calls into question anybody who would dare accuse him of being sneaky or guileful, "Let's see, I know I didn't put in any secret doors in. And teleporting's tricky because you need line of sight, otherwise you risk appearing inside of Magpie or someone, which would be really awkward. I mean, it'd be much safer to just -" His face fell, assuming an expression of dreadful disappointment, "Oh dear."

Asp turned to the audience, "In order to replicate Oringr's amazing feat, I shall need to borrow one trifling item from a member of our audience," he said in theatrical tones.

by **darkknight61189** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 12:32 pm

Garick was just as confused by the whole thing, mostly because he didn't quite understand the rules of the game. He had fought many things in his time that could teleport about, or even just walk through solid objects, so he didn't know why everyone else was so confused. Still, he figured there must be a reason to it all. He stood there watching the little humanoid laughing at everyone and believing himself to be quite superior to them all. Garick didn't like that. Garick was tempted to take out his sword and take what little there was left of the short humanoid off the top. Still, Asp's confidence and the presence of so many witnesses made Garick stay his hand. Instead, he stood there with his arms crossed, amused by Asp's showmanship.

by **Jak Snide** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:24 pm

Zant had watched with concealed dismay when the dwarf had shown himself. It didn't take long for suspicion to set in. Öringr was a trickster priest, after all. To expect him to obey the rules of a competition would be foolish. He wished that he'd realised that before, though it seemed that Asp had everything in hand now. He hoped he had everything in hand.

by **Kelne** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:51 pm

"Does anybody have... A potion of invisibility?" Asp asked, "I'd cast the spell myself, which would probably be more impressive, but I neglected to prepare it this morning. Mostly because it's not in my spellbook, which I should really do something about one of these days."

Asp looked about, seeing if any potions would be forthcoming, and also checking Oringr's reaction.

by **Idran1701** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:54 pm

Automata - Vault

Stepping forward from the crowd, a human in dark leather hands Asp a slim vial, an amused grin on his face. Though the rest of the party recognizes him as Shade, Asp hasn't yet had the pleasure of meeting him. "I'll be wanting you to pay me back on this, though, eh?"

by **Kelne** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 6:38 am

"Oh, absolutely," Asp said, not having a great amount of attachment to money in any case.

Potion in hand, he passed Magpie his key and proceeded to step inside the vault, "Magpie, could you give me a count of five and then reopen the door?" he asked, waving to the audience as he pushed the door closed behind him.

by **ChristianC** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:37 am

Magpie gave Shade a skeptical look... as much as is possible with a face cast in mithril. But it nodded, turning its attention back to Asp and stepping slowly up to the door.

"I will do as you ask..." it said equally slow, as if doubtful that the kender was going to accomplish anything with these silly antics. But success or not, it would play along. Helping to close the door behind Asp, it stood in silence for five long seconds before it opened the door to the vault once more, curious as to what would happen.

by **Idran1701** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:24 pm

Automata - Vault

While Asp goes through his motions, Öringr crosses his arms, leaning against the wall and rolling his eyes. "You can put on as much of a show as you want, berk, doesn't change the fact that I won and you lost. Don't know what you're trying to prove with these unfounded accusations."

by **Besyanteo** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:09 pm

Lorraine simply continued to watch. She was sort of hoping that Asp would get to the point soon, and more importantly that it would be a good one. They put an awful lot of time, work and money into those traps for the dwarf to simply cheat his way around the lot of them.

by **Jak Snide** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 6:14 am

Zant let a slight smile creep onto his face, sensing what was to come. Öringr's reaction seemed all too telling in his eyes.

by **darkknight61189** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:10 am

Garick knew nothing of the ways of the arcane. But he could smell a cheat from a mile away, and this Oringr fellow smelled like a cheat. Garick moved, slowly but purposefully, towards Oringr. He tried not to make it obvious, looking away from him and at Asp, taking a few steps to the left, a few to the right, as if trying to get a better view, but always moving ever slightly closer to the dwarf. If the dwarf tried to make a run for it, Garick would be on him, quickly and violently.

by **Kelne** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 6:52 pm

As soon as the door was closed, Asp drank down the potion. Thus, when Magpie opened the door, the room appeared - gasp - empty. Wasting no time, Asp dashed quickly and quietly for the nearest entrance, making sure to give Oringr a nice wide berth, just in case he tried to meddle.

Once just out of sight, Asp turned, dismissed the invisibility, and reentered the room, looking ever so slightly out of breath. This did not deter him from launching into a speech, "You fool! You foolish fool, to think that you could best I, Oringr, in a contest of skill. Hang your head in shame, and let us hear no questioning of my triumph."

by **Idran1701** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 5:43 pm

Automata - Vault

Öringr rolls his eyes as Asp reappears, a noticeable strain of irritation running across his face. "And you have any proof I peeled you like this, runt? I know your kind's clueless even for Clueless, but but when you've been beat, you might as well accept it graciously, eh?" He chuckles, but it's slightly forced, and the barest hint of a frown plays at the corners of his mouth.

by **Kelne** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:49 pm

"Well, that's the thing, Oringr. Neither of us has proof. I mean, if it all happened like you say, you really should have spoken up before I opened the door, so you only have yourself to blame. But you can still prove me wrong. All you have to do is demonstrate that you can get out of the vault without someone opening the door." Asp looked at Oringr expectantly, though he doubted the dwarf would take him up on the challenge.

by **Idran1701** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:09 am

Automata - Vault

Looking across the gathered party, the crowds murmuring about the turn this contest's taken, Öringr sneers. "I don't need to prove myself a second time, sod." Whirling, he starts towards the exit, to the disappointment of the spectators that slowly trickle from the building. He passes right near Garick, giving the elf barely any more notice than the rest of the bystanders here.

Keeping to the back of the group, Mona looks on expectantly, wishing to avoid getting caught up in the fight she senses is coming, but staying close enough to keep an eye on events. Shade leans against the wall, curious what's to come next, while Hoshi still seems to have vanished entirely, with no sign of her around the room.

by **Kelne** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:17 am

Asp shrugged, seemingly indifferent to Oringr's refusal to concede. Everybody in the room knew the score by now, he was sure, "Whatever lets you keep your pride, Oringr, but since neither of us is conceding defeat, I suppose we're back to me thwarting your nefarious schemes." He grinned abruptly, "Which certainly won't be dull, if today is anything to go by."

Asp turned to the crowd, "Just for the record, what's the judgement of the audience? Hands up those who think Oringr got out of his vault first."

by **darkknight61189** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:17 am

As Oringr walked past Garick, seemingly trying to escape, Garick smiled. He grabbed the dwarf by the arm and attempted to hold him. "Ah ah ah, you're not going anywhere. Unless you want to show us how you got out without cheating, I think I'll just hold onto you."

by **Idran1701** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:42 pm

Automata - Vault

Öringr sneers up to Garick, unsuccessfully attempting to tug his arm away. "Let go of me, you filthy sod. I'd rather not catch whatever diseases you've got brewing." Meanwhile, amongst the crowd, a few work up the nerve to speak up to Asp and his allies. "Eh, you're just a sore loser!" "Knock the cheater out!" "Lock him up!" While most of the crowd seems to be supporting Asp, it's not quite all.

by **ChristianC** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 7:21 pm

Magpie the warforged's eyes lit up slightly as it became clear how, at least according to Asp, Göringr had cheated. It had stood still for a while, its mind weighing the the two possibilities, and had even gone astray as it began to climb the unsurmountable "What else could he had done to cheat?" peaks, but thought better of it after figuring that there would be an indefinite amounts of way Öringr could have done it, and several of those would most likely not be within the acuity of Magpie.

Therefore it settled to chance, which it had done occasionally (rather often when you thought about it) and stepped over towards where Garick was holding Öringr, standing at a respectable length but looking its usual imposing, still, quiet self. That is, quiet until it spoke.

"Is there something you need in this city?" it asked calmly, looking at the dwarf. Then, with a surprising turn it leaned in (Magpie itself even seemed surprised by this), and spoke in a voice just a trace lower. "Because you are acting in the irrational manner of someone who is determined not to lose something important."

by **darkknight61189** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:19 am

Garick heard the calls of support and didn't notice any of the other bits of the crowd's reaction.

"Well, seems to me like you're trying to flee with what's left of your dignity, but I can't let you do that. You've got a debt to pay, and you'll be paying it, diseases or no." Garick's grip got a bit tighter, making sure not to let the dwarf go. Although it might have seemed odd, an elf being able to overpower a dwarf, Garick was no push-over and didn't let go, even as the dwarf squirmed.

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