Player Plot: The Crystal Temple's Secret

[princeandscholar]

Who: Characters signed up for this quest
When: 12th
Where: The Crystal Temple in Sen Devadatta
What: The Heroes of Light vs. Bahamut's Temple
Warnings/Notes: None


IC | Arrival

After a long flight to the Empire, a visit to Parasraya, and a meetup at the capital, the expedition members are loaded onto vehicles and delivered to their destination: the magnificent Crystal Temple. Alas, there is no time for a leisurely tour as the company gathers outside with caving gear and weaponry.

Once all party members are assembled, Orcelito addresses everyone:
"Thank you for coming. I know it was a long flight and there was a lot of preparation. Your presence here is appreciated, and we will be underway shortly.”

He gestures towards the Crystal Temple. “Two teams will be escorted into the basement of the temple. The rest will travel into the forest to look for a way in through the network of caverns. We have leads on where to start searching, so we can make the most of our time.

“As mentioned in the letter, the ruins have deteriorated over the years. Bahamut’s Temple is ancient, and parts of it are no longer standing. I’ve been told that some areas may be flooded or unstable.”

Orcelito pauses, scanning the group. He lowers his tone as he adds, "If you find evidence to suggest someone has tampered with the ruins recently, let me know. As well, please refrain from disturbing the ruins more than necessary. We are here on the Empire's good grace, after all."

And one more thing. "I understand it will be inconvenient, but the order not to use the Mognet is especially imperative while we're here. If you need to send a message to another team, ask one of the Moogles. They are here to help."

From where she hovers by his shoulder, Marigold waves the free paw that’s not clutching a lantern. Those traveling with their Moogle companions will notice they've been given similar lights.

Finally, he smiles; Orcelito may not know everyone here, but he's committed to leading each of them out safely. “Don’t take unnecessary risks. Look after each other.”

Once the orientation is complete, the parties are split. Orcelito turns to lead the way into the temple where a researcher stands ready to guide them to the basement. The other group will find a vehicle waiting to carry them to the forest nearby.


Team Thread Links
Team A thread: Orcelito, Tidus, Rutile, Naoto, Snow White
Team B thread : Ashelia, Castor, Terra, Klonoa, Frisk, Madhuri
Team C thread: Finn, Regis, Adrien, Sephiroth, Ursula, Papyrus, Kanji
Conclusion

Comments

[princeandscholar]

Meanwhile, the Shield is behaving exactly as a proper shield should and Defending, raising its already formidable Physical Defense by 10%. It refrains from acting against the rest of the party while it has an axe to grind with Castor, and fortunately, Castor's stats are high enough that her strength can keep it at bay. (Though, it is angling to try to force her off the stairs.)

As far as the group can tell, there doesn't appear to be anything behind the Shield wielding it, and indeed, such a shield would be awfully large to be wielded by a human combatant. It is a mystery....

HP: 134/150 (doubled weak lightning damage, magic power C, attack potency A, dmg +20%, job mastered)

[sassafrisk]

Frisk flashsteps back into vision for a moment, eyes shadowed. They summon two chakrams made out of electricity with Invisible Lightning Ninjitsu (Damage Doubled!) into their hands. Several more chakrams crackle into existence behind them, which fly towards the shield as they fling the ones in their hand at it. Before the shield can get the opportunity to retaliate, Frisk flashsteps away again, nothing more than a blurry, shadowy silhouette moving almost too fast to see.

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia is knocked back as well, but is able to maintain her footing, having some bodies between her and the shield. She takes a few steps back to create a bit of space, biting her lip as she thinks of a game plan...

She extends a hand, sending Dual Vents at the shield, seeing if it can be pushed back or buffeted in any way.

[littlemhigan]

Castor grits her teeth against the sheild. She feels her feet slipping back ever so slowly and knows what's likely to happen if she goes much farther.

Instead, she bellows with Vengance hoping the adrenaline rush it provides will be enough to hold the shield off long enough for the others to deal with it.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa claps his hands together. Everyone's doing okay, aren't they? With so much armor and armor raising abilities, the shield is just so.. shielded! With that in mind, Klonoa focuses on his real passion. Healing is great, but there's nothing quite like the rush of wind magic dancing through your ears.

"Rupah!!" And with that, he unleashes aero at full force, blasting into the shield with magic!

[wheretheresawill]

"Castor!" Terra runs forward from where the unexpected Ram knocked him back and steps up beside Castor, bringing his own significant muscle mass to bear on keeping the shield at bay. Two can play at the defense game; his Rampart will provide everyone with a small but significant boost.

"Get behind it!" he shouts. "Maybe it's weaker from there!" He assumes it's some kind of shield monster that doesn't need a wielder.

[princeandscholar]

The electric currents of the chakrams grace the exterior without a hint of effect; only the force behind Frisk's attack leaves scratches. The axe barely leaves a dent. The Shield shutters, buffeted in the powerful crosswind between Ashelia’s and Klonoa’s spells, but isn't swayed. However, nor does it remain still.

A glint of light runs over its surface, caused by none of the lanterns. There’s the snapping sound again, but now it rises to a crackle. The force against Castor’s and Terra’s weapons relinquishes suddenly as the Shield draws back and rises to deliver a Field of low lightning damage to anyone within a 10ft radius.

same as last attack, but with ice damage instead of lightning

[sassafrisk]

Yowch, okay, that was too close for comfort. Judging by the skill the Shield used, it was likely that it was resistant to thunder attacks. So before the smoke screen wears off, Frisk opts for an Ice Ninjitsu, reappearing for just a moment to fling giant ice shuriken at the shield. A moment passes, and they touch down behind it, now fully visible again.

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia's eye narrow as she sees how the Shield is affected by the wind attacks. Perhaps...

She's interrupted, of course, by the shock of lightning damage. She takes a step backward, almost losing her footing on the steps. That's bracing. At least Klonoa could keep the party healed if need be. But those wind attacks...

"Attack together," Ashelia says, breath a bit labored as she recovers from the shock. "Push it back into Frisk's assault!" She extends a hand, sending another Dual Vent at the shield.

[littlemhigan]

"Aye!" Castor hollars in response. She takes a moment to steady herself and hefts her axe. She looks at Terra and nods. "Together, aye?"

Whether or not he responds, she dives back into the fray, trying to land a fell cleave on the shield.

[princeandscholar]

After hundreds of years of being in a cold underground cavern, ice crystals coating the Shield are negligible; Frisk's physical power is still enough to damage the outer surface. Fell Cleave strikes hard enough to knock the Shield back, leaving an indentation in its front. Still, the metal remains unbroken.

The Shield rushes forward to Bash the now-vulnerable Frisk. It’s a heavier physical attack than Ram was, but luckily for Frisk, Ashelia’s wind spell catches the broad surface and slows the shield just enough to spare them the full impact.

HP 120/150

[sassafrisk]

Funny thing about Ninjas: they're fast little buggers. Especially when they're combined with another speedy asterisk and have their already through-the-roof speed boosted by another effect.

But there are downsides. Frisk cartwheels out of the way of the slowed shield with ease, but their skin is crackling with orange lightning that leaves welts behind, they're sweating hard, and their breathing is ragged. It seems that Bravery Mode, which is boosting Frisk's Speed, has some downsides.

Regardless of the slowly mounting scratch damage, they throw down another brief Smokescreen and disappear from sight.

Final Summary for Team B

[princeandscholar]

As the party was not able to discover the Shield’s weakness, they are left pounding it into oblivion through physical force. As the casing finally shatters under the blows, circuitry is revealed beneath. Only once it's in pieces does the Shield finally accept retirement.

(On being examined by local magitechnology experts later, the party will be informed that this was a prototype likely meant to accompany the Iron Giant model still found in the region. Without a body to defend, the Shield defaulted to basic programming and took up a command position in a room to guard. It's a shame the Heroes had to damage it so much… such a well-preserved model was quite a find!)

With the stair clear, the party can finally proceed upwards to the second floor! This area carries the same architecture seen so far, though being on the second floor has allowed for a domed ceiling. Through an empty passage, the party reaches a side wing where they enter a room like many of the others… save that this room is far from undisturbed. That much is apparent the moment the team steps into the room and find their footprints mingling with a chaos of shuffled dust and someone else's footprints.

Searching the space, there are distinct prints where things were removed recently, the fine layer of dust scattered as if from hurried motions. Tabletops are clearly missing multiple pieces, chairs have been moved, and unlike the rooms below, the furniture here is not on its last legs.

Oddly, there were no footprints in any of the rooms the party traversed to reach this point. Moreover, the party were certainly the first ones to encounter and fight the Shield.

Once the team finishes examining the area, it would be best to head back to the entrance to report. The others should probably know they’re not alone down here….