Stiltzkin's Castle Exploration

[scriptrix]

Characters: Team Fairy Tail (Levy McGarden, Robin, Tsubomi Hanasaki, Ib, Cloud Strife, Morgan), Team Abyss (Luke fon Fabre, Tear Grants, Jade Curtiss, Guy Cecil, Anise Tatlin, Gaara, Selen), Team Nameless (Lydia Deetz, Bartender, Tazrenda, Gaius Van Belsar, K'pandolu Tohka, Olivier Armstrong), Team Discovery Channel (Allenby Beardsley, Yugi Mutou, Gregory, Jude Maverick, Bartz Klauser, Yuri Lowell)
Where: Stiltzkin's Castle
When: The month of June through July 4th at nebulous points in time - groups should bear in mind it takes 10-15 days to get there and back
Summary: Exploring a dungeon we won't have access to pretty soon
Warnings: Unknown!

((OOC: This is basically freeform exploration of the inside of Stiltzkin's Castle.  Each group will have its own subthread to roleplay exploring the castle.  Anything significant in the way of monsters to fight, treasure to loot, or information to find will be explained by the mods if any of the groups happen to look in the right places.  As for the mechanics of the Castle, physical attack power and Job levels are reversed inside - for example, White Mages will be as physically strong as the more combat-oriented Jobs.  As far as Job levels are concerned, it's essentially 12 months minus the amount you actually have in the Job.  So anyone at an Initial level would be considered to have the Job mastered, and everything in between - if you're 3 months in, treat your character as 9 months in.  Higher level techniques will be weaker than lower leveled ones.  All of this information has been made public to the characters venturing into the Castle, so assume that everyone on the expedition knows about that.  Any questions that aren't covered here should be directed to the mods.))

Comments

[bag_has_snapped]

[Tsubomi lets out a small sigh before steeling herself for what's going to happen.]

It's going to be okay, there's all of these people here with me...

[Her Chocobo lets out a "KWEH!" in response]

[her_rose_is_red]

[Ib offers Tsubomi a small smile.]

We'll be fine as long as we stay together.

[Then she turns to look at their potential routes.]

Thrones are usually in a big room sort of in the middle, right?

i'm sorry, Jade. i don't see any adults around here :|

[no_dreams_for_you]

[Selen’s interesting form of greeting had Gaara quirking a brow in mild amusement. Not too surprising, though, considering he had been hearing about their growing friendship, from Luke.

Because he usually shied away from the sun, due to his Job Class (and other reasons), Gaara lingered in the shadows rather than stand out in the open. The light would just further point out how pale he looked. If he stayed quiet, no one would see the fangs hidden within his mouth. Only Luke knew about that specific attribute, and even then, Gaara had yet to drink blood from him. As always, he resisted the urge to feed, despite it going against his innate preference for blood.

While standing back, he made mental note of the other Job Classes that were equipped, and how they could benefit the group. He could figure some of them out by sight, but the secondary ones would have to be revealed.]

Jade, Selen. Hello. [Gaara greeted them in a soft tone.]

[fearlessherosheart]

Tazendra had her own sword out. The reversal made her... well, interested, actually, since it was clear it was intended as a handicap. Thus, fights would be challenging as she'd have to rely on spells rather than the strength she'd been building as a paladin. "As for me, I have no preference. I am certain whatever we find, it will interest those scholars among us."

sorry for the wait!

[nosferatanking]

[Morgan beams a smile back at Robin. Somehow, this made him feel pretty happy and nostalgic.]

Of course!

[And then, he turns towards Ib.]

Usually, but this castle is really weird, right? So it might be somewhere else.

[He pauses.]

But it should still be somewhere that's pretty easy to defend. So where would be the safest place in this castle?

[scriptrix]

The layout is really irregular, so it's probably best to just pick a direction and start exploring.

[So Levy does exactly that, pointing in... some direction or another.]

Let's start with this hallway and see where we end up.

((OOC: I got some clarification from the mods about how things are going to roll with this. There are monsters in the castle to fight - any of the ones listed as being on Old Hera Island. We can find treasures along the way and make them up ourselves as long as they're small things like potions. We can also more or less decide what rooms the group happens upon. Whenever we pick a significant place to go, one of the mods will cut in with a description, possibly a fight, possibly a significant treasure, possibly some information. Otherwise we can freeform this. They said the main staircase to the throne room is broken, but there are multiple ways that lead there, so we can navigate through a few other rooms and then decide when we've reached the throne room. For now, let's assume the next place they go ends up being the castle ballroom and proceed from there.))

[neverfirstclass]

[Cloud nods and takes the lead, making sure that everyone is following behind. The last thing they need is to stretch themselves out so that someone gets lost or their formation gets broken by a monster leaping into the middle.

Heading down the hall he comes to a set of double doors. Confirming with everyone he then nods and pushes one door open into the ballroom, shield leading the way.]

A ballroom. Looks safe so far but keep an eye out.

[Just because he doesn't see anything yet doesn't mean the room is empty.]

[tacticallyminded]

I will. Lots of chairs and tables...

[She frowns and glances around the room, before she starts forward. She pauses, though.]

We should check the walls. There could be a secret passage.

[forcegalactic]

The Barkeep turned to face the group. Be careful, explore the first floor, scout the perimeters: all reasonable suggestions. It wasn't like he had any experience infiltrating a fortified base.

"So how 'bout we head on over that way." He pointed to a hallway leading left. "Might as well start somewhere."

[bag_has_snapped]

Oh! Like those mystery movies where someone finds a hidden spot and a door opens up!

[Tsubomi and her Chocobo starts head for one of the walls, tapping on them, hoping to see what to find...]

[her_rose_is_red]

Really? I'll look too!

[Oh, that sounds exciting. Ib runs to one of the other walls, tapping in several places. Then she stops and turns back to ask curiously...]

Um... what would it sound like if there was a secret passage?

[deadlyvu]

Lydia didn't have much experience with infiltration, but she read a lot. And had been on a few adventures. "We should figure out who's in front, and who's playing rear guard."

Wow, listen to her, she sounded almost like she knew what she was doing.

[sizedoesntmatter]

"Exactly." Yugi piped up a bit, someone that understood the staying on the left method. It was simple and easy enough to do, so if you got lost one can simply turn around and kept what was once the left side on your right and follow it back home.

But at the knocking down walls things, he sighed. "I.. don't think doing that will help us any." But with that thought in mind and at least a basic idea of what to do, Yugi went on ahead with a little bit of determination. Although he wondered why he was being leader. It was weird.

"Let's get going, everyone. This place isn't going to explore itself."

[scriptrix]

It would sound hollow instead of solid, because it would mean there's open space on the other side instead of just more wall.

[Levy's tapping along too, just for the heck of it. Secret passages actually do sound kind of exciting.]

[melodiesmods]

[As Levy taps against the walls, she comes across a long stretch of hollow noises. It sounds more like a secret room is hidden behind there.]

Sorry ^^; I completely forgot about this.

[free_spirited_wind]

Well Bartz only half listened to all of that, but he picked up on the key point.

"Okay! We're heading left, right?"

Hmm, that didn't sound quite right. Oh well. Bartz heads on in, without waiting to see what the others are doing, and immediately taking the first available left. But anyone who did follow him, he's still talking.

"So who was this Stiltzkin guy anyway? Does anyone know?"

[unyieldingspirit]

K'pandolu hummed, tilting her side to one side as she considered. "It's usually been those with the greatest defences," she said after a moment. As things were, Olivier and Tazendra seemed best suited for that, and she glanced between the two of them. "Have either of you a preference?"

Yes, the adults have to make sure the kids are in line ne? :D

[wings_of_steel]

[ Selen chuckled at his surprised look but his chuckle obviously made the mood much lighter than it was before. She was glad to see him in good spirits rather than being sad. This suited him more and as she understood his situation, she still didn't seem to mind mothering him from time to time. It was out of habit. After all. she had more or less accepted that she had a very strong maternal instincts. ]

Yes I have. It's going to be quite the challenge since this class has yet to be used to its limits. I suppose I'll just have to make do for now.

[ She replied with a nod of her head. ]

Indeed. They must have been sleeping or something, don't you think? I'm afraid I won't be of much use healing with this job. Hello stranger, my name is Selen.

[ She replied introducing herself to the one person she didn't know at all. She laughed a little as she seemed to be still attached to Luke. Both of Selen's jobs required her to use a weapon she was familiar with, but their abilities were rather contrasting. Instead of having her usual Paladin Job, Selen was dressed for her Dark Knight one. She was going to have a tough time adjusting right away. There was another person when she noticed their brow quirking-- A face of a boy she had not seen in a while. She quickly slipped away from Luke and hovered over towards Gaara. ]

Hello Gaara, fancy seeing you as well~

[scriptrix]

I think I found something! Here, help me figure out how to get this open.

[Levy starts feeling around for a sliding panel or a hidden switch or something.]

[tacticallyminded]

Great! Let's see...

[Robin, indeed, starts assisting with that. Where oh where are you, switch? (Or button? Or lever? Or other clever mechanism?)]

[fearlessherosheart]

"I would prefer the front, if you would be so good to take the rear," Tazendra said, nodding to Olivier. "Unless you would have better skill at plans from the front, as I recall you are a soldier."

As far as Tazendra was concerned, letting someone else have the front was pretty gracious of her, but if Olivier was as good as she said, battle plans would mean they could fight for longer and against more foes before they would have to leave. And Tazendra could cast her own spells from the rear if she had to, even if she might prefer to use her blade.

[melodiesmods]

[While the walls have been worn down over the years, Robin and Levy don't see any obvious switches. However, they will notice that this room's walls has evenly-spaced beams carved into them. With their elaborate designs, one could overlook something out of place for another stone rose.]

[neverfirstclass]

[After entering the room, Cloud had taken a slow walk around the middle of it, keeping close to the others while just trying to get a good view of the space. It seemed like the room was safe though.

Hearing the commotion over at the wall he wanders over to rejoin the group.]

Did you find something?

[her_rose_is_red]

You found a secret room? Where? How do we get in?


[Ib runs over excitedly, and starts poking at various places on the wall, hoping to get lucky.]

Maybe we should pull on a candle holder! I saw that in a cartoon once.

[bag_has_snapped]

But, how will we know if it worked?

[And Tsubomi goes to join the others, feeling over other spots.]

I-I mean, what if we pull on and everyone disapp-- oh, wait.