Light

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by Light>

Got a bad feeling about unsealing this place, but okay, here we go... ^^"

I think we're supposed to have all of the orbs be alight all at once.

My thoughts so far:

*We touch the Fool first, see what we're working with.
*We can also touch the Fool as many times as we need if we get stuck.
*If we can get all of the orbs to be dim, then we can use the Emperor to get them all alight.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

So what do you want to do, then?

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Only once choice this week, but it's a puzzle-solving write in. Perhaps you all can try solving it together?

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> "Do you know any magic that can help us decipher it?" <

---

"I'm not savvy with magical seals," you mentioned with a light-hearted shrug. "Maybe there's a spell you can cast that can help?" Aika squinted at you, a leer of slight and musing judgement. You returned to her a more animated shrug and excused yourself again. "What- isn't that how magic works, you just make it do what you want?" You seemed to dig yourself even deeper into this comedic hole, and Aika closed her eyes with a long sigh in response. "N-no, you can't just wave your hands and make anything happen," she explained as she took a step closer to the central pedestal. "I do happen to know one spell that can help but- I swear it's just a coincidence!" she threw her gaze back at you with an intense glare, one that soon after broke into a smile, fully aware of the joke in the room. She shook herself back to focus, and turned her attention to the dim glass orb clutched within the spindly fingers of the stone claw before her. Her hand lifted, not to the orb, but to her own face as she spoke the arcane tongue to weave her spell. You could see a blueish illumination reflecting off of her fingers as her hand pulled away, and as she stepped slowly around the pedestal, the origin of this glow became apparent in her eyes.

"Hmm..." Aika pondered out loud as she scrutinized the orb carefully, and then the other orbs around you two. "It seems like these glass spheres share a harmonized and multi-layered aura of abjuration and transmutation. The aura in its entirety is misaligned, preventing the energy flow needed to operate what is likely some kind of arcano-technological mechanism within the door itself." She blinked, and the spell alighting her eyes faded as she looked into yours. Perhaps she was expecting some equally educated response? Nevertheless, you could only muster a murky "Huh?" She blinked a second time, registering only after that you were confused. "Oh! Right- um- these orbs aren't sealing the door. They're the magical focal points to unsealing it, like uh... like the teeth on a key, for each pin within the lock." You nodded along as best as you could, the analogy certainly helping. "Well then, we might as well try to pick this lock then, yeah?" You gave her a nod of confidence, and she returned it with a smile. As you huddled together around the orbs, you got to work exploring the functions of their light and dark states.

First, the central pedestal. Upon touching the glass, the light from the Emperor statue faded momentarily as the center orb took on a smidgen of a little light within, not nearly as bright. The orb on the door flickered a similar wilting luster before they both faded and the Emperor reignited to a full glow.

Second, the Emperor. As Aika stumbled upon earlier, touching this orb seemed cause to all six of the statue orbs to switch their lit and dim states.

Third, the Acolyte. Each time you touched this orb, it would change its own state, and the Emperor would then match this new state.

Fourth, the Knight. If and only if the Scoundrel was alight, touching the Knight would snuff out the Scoundrel and alight the Emperor, otherwise this orb seemed to do nothing.

Fifth, the Scoundrel. Touching this orb if and only if it is dark and the Emperor and Acolyte are both alight would cause all three to switch states.

Sixth, the Fool. Frustratingly, every time you tried to use this orb, any one of the six statue orbs would instead change its state at random.

Lastly, the Hermit. This orb only changed its own state when touched.

With seeing how the orbs changed their luminescence at your fingertips, the central orb seemed to never glow quite as bright each time. It did seem to glow more true with every glowing statue around it, but you had yet to see what would happen if you could manage to alight all six statues at once. You reached out to the center once more, and in a now familiar flash, the room returned to its initial permutation, only the Emperor held a glowing orb.

---

• Try to solve the glowing statue puzzle.
[Write in: Choose which statues to touch and in which order.]

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Oh, I hadn't seen that anyone voted all week. I thought this was the point where it dies lol. I'll have to work on a post later tonight then.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> "I am also Gelish."
[Write in: Province of Aurelius]
[Add Elven to known languages] <

---

A small smile formed on your lips, the similar smoothness in your tone likely not lost on her since you met. "Yeah, I'm Aurelian," you replied in the Gelish tongue as you nodded at her assessment. A returned smile of some commonality from Aika brightened the dim hall on its own, and she commented on it further in your shared native speech. "Oh! I've heard things have been quite peaceful in Aurelia lately, since Lord Brennan now rules as Duke, anyway." Your attention turned forward into the darkness and you let out a small sigh. With a bit of somber in your eyes, you looked to her again. "It was... It was rough. His father before him- Alexander- he was always eerie and aloof, but it was a betrayal of his people through and through, whatever it was he was planning with those mind-eating monsters. Brennan did the right thing, but I can't imagine it was easy to slay one's own father..." Your sobering comment grounded the previously airy mood for a long pause, a small "I see," being the only reply given to you.

Luckily, there was a light at the end of this gloomy tunnel- both metaphorically and literally- as a yellow glow came into view as you and Aika found yourselves in a chamber much smaller than the one you rescued her from. Similar to that giant hall from earlier, this space was filled with ornate banners and decor of the ancient Daldoran culture; tattered cloths of a deep maroon accented by fraying grey trim hung from the walls, each depicting designs both abstract and symbolic. You recognized one such symbol- a halberd whose single-bladed head is backed by a sun- as the crest of the current ruling empire. Across the chamber sat an equally intricate door-shaped depression in the stonework of the wall, complete with the shape of a long scaled and winged creature coiled several times around the symbol of a hand, within which a small black glass-like orb sat imbedded into the palm. Surrounding the serpent-like creature on the door were six white circles. The most eye-catching feature of the room however, sat in the center. There, six humanoid statues of varying designs stood in a circular formation, all facing inward toward a central pedestal. All of the statues and the pedestal each contained identical looking orbs, which sat nestled in the palms of the statures and a claw-like brace of the pedestal. The culprit of this strange yellow glow was the orb of the statue nearest the door, which was alight with an equally odd iridescence from within.

"Woah..." Aika found herself in awe as she gently stepped around the room to take in the sights. Your eye was trained for anything to trip over, step on, or walk past that would trigger danger, but her eager movement in a lap around the statues combined with your careful inspections found no traps. Satisfied with your current and relative safety, you turned your attention back towards her. "What is this place?" She looked back to you, beaming with discovery. "Well, I wouldn't have found it without you so... It seems to be some kind of sealing chamber," she aimed her finger at the door. "Either keeping us out, or something else in. In short- the target of my research." You looked around the room with her, trying to make heads or tails of it all. As you followed her explanation to the door, another question fell from your lips.

"So, how do we unseal it?"

"Ah- well- I'm not sure. Partly what I'm here to figure out, right?"

"Of course. Got any ideas, then?"

Aika lifted her hand to the handprint on the door, pressing her palm against the orb. "Something important enough to secure like this, it's definitely sealed off with some kind of magic- there's no breaking this door down anyway." She removed her hand and took a step back, just as you joined by her side to aid in inspecting the designs on the door. "Perhaps this artwork is a clue for how to open it?" She leaned in and studied the designs for a long and silent moment, then turned to the statues, wagging her finger at each one as she took stock of the room. "Six circles, six statues. And these glass balls," her curiosity got the better of her, as she reached her hand out to touch the glowing orb in the folded palms of the first statue. With a flash of light, the orbs of the other five statues began to glow, and the light of the orb she touched faded away into darkness. A surprised "Whah!" loosed itself from her as she recoiled. She laughed it off, then looked at you briefly. "Sorry- I couldn't help myself, hmmm," the gears in her head began to turn as she reached again toward the orb with greater confidence. At a second touch, the other five statues' orbs faded and this first one began to glow once again.

As you watched her little experiment, you had a view of this first statue from behind. Upon closer inspection, you noticed something engraved across its back. You squinted in the dim light and read the small Daldoran text, which read:

The Emperor - Commander of the Realm

You looked back up, taking note of the statue itself. As the engraving suggested, the shape of a royal crown built onto the head of the statue gave it a rather regal appearance. Your eyes shifted to the other five statues, realizing then that each similarly was constructed with different attire. "Aika, look," you beckoned her to join you as you walked around the statues, reading each engraving on its back:

The Acolyte - Advisor to His Glory

The Knight - Pursuant of the Vile

The Scoundrel - Pilferer of the Court

The Fool - A simple Distraction

The Hermit - Avatar of Solitude

"What do you make of this," you asked her as you returned to where you started. "Another clue?" She scratched the back of her head as she walked between the statues, pacing around within the hexagon they made. "Looks like it, but what about the centerpiece? It looks like just a claw... And there's no name or title on it. We could try experimenting with it more, what do you think?"

---

• "Do you know any magic that can help us decipher it?"

• "What of all these banners on the walls?"

• Touch one of the statue's orbs.
[Write in: Choose a statue.]

• Touch the orb on the central pedestal.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Thanks for the wait everyone. I've updated the Character Tab's post zero with information on the languages of each region. This week's choice impacts not only Verity's lineage, but also the languages she might know. Gelish is such a widespread language that it would be really rough if she didn't know it, and since this story has so far been set in Daldon, it seemed only sensible that she knows that too. There are more languages in the world than the ones listed, especially for other races that don't have their own fully fledged nations, so think of this set of language choices to be more of a flavor of upbringing, rather than a limit for the future.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> "There was something odd about the bookcase." <

---

"Now that you mention it," you started, as your attention drifted over Aika's shoulder and to the desk you had stopped at earlier. With a lifted eyebrow, she turned to follow your gaze. You stepped past her, leading her back to the small wooden table and the shelving unit beside it. With her little arcane light, you once again peered between the dusty books that lined the case, and with increasing certainty you aimed a finger into one of the gaps between them. "Look, see that protrusion in the corner against the back of the shelf?" Aika wedged her face closer to the gap, closing one eye to get a straight look between the books. "Mmh, looks like a piece of the back came loose?" In a spur of curiosity, she simply lifted her own finger and pushed her hand into the shelf, reaching the little wooden button and pressing it flush into place for only until she retracted.

"Oh!" she pulled back and looked to the desk. "The books! Well- of course- but, let's put them back!" She moved with excited haste, scooping the three stacked books that remained, despite the decades of dust and cobwebs that had coagulated on them. She pushed each one back into a gap in the shelf, leaving only one slot remaining. Turning back to the desk, her alacrity was paused by confusion. "Wait. There were four here earlier, I left one open on the desk right here." She began to panic slightly, kneeling under the desk to look for the fourth book as you calmly drew it from your bag behind her. "You mean this one," you flashed the tome to her as she stood up and turned to you. "I scanned the page it was opened to, and thought it might be useful so I took it with me." You handed it over to her as you explained, and she accepted with a sigh of relief.

With the fourth book in place, the shelf was fully stocked. A moment of silent expectation from you both was rewarded by a sound from within the wall- a grinding of stone, low yet inducing the crawling of skin analogous to nails on a chalk board. The shelf began to move on its own, receding into the wall before sliding to the side, leaving behind a previously hidden hallway. You looked to your new companion, meeting her eager grin with your own expression more composed. With a simple "Shall we?" Aika directed her light to keep in front of you both as you made your way through.

The hall was winding, cramped, and dark. The silvery light of Aika's magic and your careful scrutiny for traps kept you safe, but the march down this narrow decent was slow. Luckily, you each had someone to talk to to keep yourselves sane. "So," Aika broke the silence. "You said you looked through that book?" You nodded with a small "Mhm," before elaborating. "My ancient Daldoran is rough, but I made out something about a beast and a seal- and this temple's name, Zorkuth," you recounted the passage you read, and Aika bobbed her head in agreement. "Yeah, I couldn't make out much more than that, especially since Daldoran isn't my first language... I'm from Geland actually- central Geland- that is." she turned to face you for a short moment as you walked together. "Are you Gelish too?" Despite your conversations with her being so far in the Daldoran tongue, her Gelish accent was certainly audible, a bit more legato and smooth than the percussive and impactful speech patterns of the empire's natives.

---

• "I am also Gelish."
[Write in: choose a province of Geland.]
[Add Elven to known languages]

• "I'm Daldoran."
[Add Dwarven to known languages]

• "I'm Ethwanean."
[Add Ethwanean to known languages]

• "I'm from Minerva."


• "I'm from Lasaruuj."
[Add Dwarven to known languages]

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Got a draft saved, today was kinda busy. Will finish it tomorrow first thing.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Introduce yourself. <
[Write in: Verity Shadowbane, female human.]

---

You nodded along to Aika's story, agreeing with her assessment of her master. You hadn't spent enough time with him to know him very well, but his to-the-point focus and matter-of-fact delivery didn't leave much of a hint anyway. As she explained the secrecy of her mission, your brow lowered slightly in concern. Nobody likes being told half-truths, and while she was holding that information from you, you decided to still be honest with her.

"My name is Verity Shadowbane."

"Verity Shadowbane," she repeated back as she held her hand out to you with a smile. "Well met then, Verity. And thanks again for picking me up."

Your hand met hers, and a firm shake between you two solidified the formalities. Still, there was a rather pressing matter that weighed on you both, and as she broke eye contact with you, her thoughts seemed clear on her face as she looked once again down the hall. "I don't suppose I can convince you to return with me, then?" You spoke with confidence in her next answer, as if she needn't say it. "How can I? I would be remiss to return empty handed," she justified. You let out a sigh, your work would be cut out for you, it would seem. Understandably so, as she was here on her own mission as well. "Unfortunately, I was hired to see your safe return. If you're set on spelunking here further, I'm coming with you," you asserted, vowing to see yourself return not empty handed as well. You could see the thoughts bubbling in Aika's head once again, though more a mixture of possible concerns, outcomes, and emotion. Eventually, she nodded and flicked her wrist again, recalling the little light to just over her shoulder. "All right, then. We'll get what I'm looking for and get out, easy with two of us."

"Sounds good."

"Great! By the way, did you happen to poke around the temple yourself before you found me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, any other doors, or traps or hidden things like that? Or should we just try to clear the rest of those spiders out?"

---

• "Let's take care of the spiders."

• "There was something odd about the bookcase."

• "I haven't checked the other side of this room yet."

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Oh another tie. I think in the event of ties I'll just choose randomly from the tied options from now on.