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Into the Infernex

Scene details

Setting: Our heroes venture to the heart of the Infernex, the roiling toxic tempest that rages within the volcano caldera, to activate the salvaged Tempestquell and at last tame the winds. But what awaits them beneath the obscuring poisonous mists?

Log


 It is not the first time our heroes have striven to navigate the rim of the volcano caldera, but it has not gotten easier. The tempestuous winds within threaten to drive the unwary off the narrow lip of cliffside and send them plummeting down to the desert sands below, with only the embrace of cacti to break one's precipitous fall. Those winds carry a toxic blend of noxious underground gasses and dense Destruction, the lingering malice of the sapient elementals who once warred here. But if the beastkin relic the Star Chasers recovered from beneath the waves is activated in the heart of this Infernex, it should be dispelled -- or at least, to do so is the best hope of success. The challenge, then, is not just to withstand this fatal vortex's perimeter, but to delve within.
 "Is everyone's equipment in order?"
 Ivo, crouched behind a crumbling boulder that provides some shelter from the raging winds, is made more audible by the amplification of a wind shield swirling and sparkling about his face. It is the same enchantment that Scirocco and Wuther concocted for their underwater expedition, now confirmed to function, and has been repurposed to shield them from the toxins and render them more audible and visible to one another amidst the putrid purple mists. The Cosmopolitan has prepared as much as he is able. Tanned megamarmot leather reinforced with iron plates when possible girds his body from toxic vapors, rending winds, and roughened rock. A similar holster protects the elespheres he has methodically produced in their makeshift laboratory.
 "Make sure you have your spare ropes, too."
 Using a variant of the same enchanted fabric he painstakingly developed for use in the Shadowcat Bikini Set, and which was adapted for the rope portion of the Hook Shot EX (RIP), Ivo has crafted ropes resilient to the destructive domain that permeates this place. It is with these that he hopes to guarantee a safe descent otherwise improbable while the Infernex remains. To be absolutely safe, he has tied one around the prize also secured in his pack and secured it to himself: the peridot green orb with which the ancient beastkin tamed the winds, the Tempestquell.
 It is fortunate for them that the treasure with which the lizardfolk pirate Lether absconded, correctly identifying its precious nature, was a kind of ancient beastkin master key, perhaps developed by the collective council at Isla Santo. Perhaps the Beastkeepers with which the Catgirl Mafia are allied could tell our heroes more about it. For now, all that matters is that it seems to work to activate the Tempestquell.
 ...and that they can reach the heart of the Infernex, where they are supposed to activate it, safely.


 The buffeting of the winds risks smothering all other sound, but amidst its chaotic fulmination, either with one's senses or one's addled imagination, the echoing sound of chants may seem to emerge, as though telling the tale of the elemental battle that first set the currents to stir...

> BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiUWo2_vjSc



 There is always strife and discomfort to overcome in such an environment. The main difference is the renewed hope of escaping the island and the fact that he's feeling whole. The wind bellows against the long yellow scarf, whipping it around like a flag. The 'flag holder' is none other than the young explorer, who looks more prepared and ready to face the heart of the Infernex.

 Reize looks over towards the Cloak of the Vultures within the satchel, patting it on the side with a smile. He looks up at Ivo before giving a thumbs up. "Ready!" The boy has the brighten smile as the wind-shield spirals around his face, aiding him in preventing the toxins from getting to his nostrils.

 He pats his satchel, "Got enough rope!"

 He takes a deep breath, his expression filled with determination. "...Let's get to it then." The Boy with the Long Yellow Scarf takes one step forward to their destination to meet with the Infernex.

 

Ruidosa La Crima is here, imagining all the things she's gonna do when she's off the island. She's gonna drink, and be merry! And give Ivo the finger! But first they need to actually stop it. So she's here in her elegant blue dress and peeking out from behind a rock as she purses her lips.

"I'm gonna shove an infernax entirely into my mouth." she says angrily, eyes narrowing.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Initial climb through the height of the tempest
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 5).


 "After you, chief," Ivo says, grinning to his younger friend, his grin only broadening at Ruidosa's bold words. "*That's* the spirit." At least it seems like he's gotten over being blasted during their battle with Scirocco. Or maybe he just has faith in his new more protective gear to help defend him from harm.
 He's about to find out.
 "Now...!"
 The wind ebbs and flows unpredictably, and when choosing to move from cover, there is only so well one can judge the opportunity. What matters most is boldness, and in that, Ivo can at least take inspiration from Reize. The Cosmopolitan takes a deep breath and rushes out from behind the boulder. With a swift motion, he withdraws a carefully forged piton and drives it into the cliffside, securing the durable rope as swiftly as he can, and then begins to descend, clambering down the rope.
 Soon the bleak winds grow so dense with toxic fog that he can barely make out his allies, the sparkles of their enchanted wind shields and Reize's yellow scarf being most recognizable. One is not supposed to look down while descending, but because it is so difficult to see anyway, Ivo finds himself unable to resist the curious impulse to glance down. Though the wind batters him about, his boots maintain purchase on the cliffside for now, and thanks to the amplification of the wind shield, he can hear how his friends are doing too.
 "Wait... is that...?"
 They too thus may be able to hear his shocked query as their descent continues. Ivo, having looked down again as the dank mist begins to part, has begun to see the outline of something startling in the base of the caldera: what looks to be the remains of a ravaged town or settlement, the contours of its buildings oddly organic and aesthetically unfamiliar, as though it had been a village of eccentric artists. Any more is difficult to make out this far away, but Ivo, stunned, cannot help but squint to make out more details.
 "Gahh...!"
 In so doing, his boots slip and he begins to swing wildly from the tempest, slamming against the cliffside and grunting, sliding down the rope a bit but barely maintaining his grip and preventing himself from plummeting. His feet kick as he tries to secure his footing on the cliff again. Hopefully his friends are faring better.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Am I climbing or slipping!?
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2. This is a failure (by 8).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Leading the way
Roll(s): 6. Total result is 6. This is a failure (by 4).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: Catching Ruidosa
Roll(s): 19. Total result is 19. This is a success (by 7).

Using one of Ivo's special ropes, she spins it in the air and throws it forward. She starts to move forward in to hard winds and--she can't. Infact, she gets lifted by the windows like a kite, flailing in mid air, before being flung through the air, the rope slipping through her hands as she eeks! and flails.

"HELP!" she yells.



  As the group start to clinb up along the rope through the cliff-side, they are trying to make their way up along the rocky terrain. "Okay, we can do it..." He grimaces, then he lets out a grunt as he tries to climb up.

 Reize immediately slips off from his own rope.

 "Whoa...!"

 His eyes snap wide, and then he sees Ruidosa flail as she slips.

 He pushes himself down and then presses agianst the rocky wall to steady himself.

 A hand reaches over to catch Ruidosa's hand, gripping it tightly as he pulls his might into it.

 "Gotcha!" He looks at Ruidosa, "Maybe you should fly up!" He reminds Ruidosa.

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Will a little magitech do the trick?
Roll(s): 18. Total result is 18. This is a success (by 8).


 "Ghh... alright..."
 Ivo, after some desperate flailing, has managed to secure a foothold on the cliffside again, moments after hearing Ruidosa's cry for help. He looks toward the direction of her voice to see that, fortunately, Reize was able to grab her while Ivo himself was struggling. But it looks as though the two of them are in a perilous plight still. The longer they spend descending, the more danger they'll be in, no matter how well they prepare. The Infernex is simply too strong, especially higher up where the winds swirl strongest. They must seek the safety of the eye of the storm, the strange settlement below.
 "Hang on!"
 Reaching into his holster, Ivo extracts one of the precious vacuum elespheres formed from the very toxic stuff as the Infernex itself, scrapes it with a notch fashioned on his glove, and then throws it past Reize and Rui. It pulses several times before the scrape causes it to shatter and bursts to form a veritable whirlpool of wind in midair. Drawing the raging winds into it for the moment, it produces a kind of shelter for Reize and Rui to get their bearings, even making it possible for Rui to safely take wing if she wishes.
 "I wish I could say I anticipated that would work," Ivo mutters wryly, "but I'm just glad it did. Let's hurry, you two! Down as fast as we can!"
 He begins to slide down the rope, hoping against hope that they can all touch bottom before the winds tear the ropes from their grasps for good.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=12.
Comment: I'm gonna cheat!
Roll(s): 13. Total result is 13. This is a success (by 1).

Ruidosa just stares at Reize. "Fly?" she says. Then she smacks her forehead. "Oh. right!" she says as she just suddenly grows a pair of bat wings and jumps off the side of the edge, and says 'weeeeee!' as she keeps hold of one of those ropes, gliding down into the caldera away from these two bozos.

She means heroic adventurers. Yeah. That. c.c



 Reize is very grateful of Ivo's ingenius method of sheltering them through his technology. As the whirlpool of wind manifests, he gets his bearing and he starts slipping down, intentionally this time, in his climb down.

 While watching Ruidosa gliding down after remembering her vampire linage, Reize can only respond with an awkward smile and a large sweatbead over his head. It looks like even Ruidosa can forget that she is a vampire as well!

 "Let's move!"

  As they continue to slide down the cliff, Reize tries to get as far as he can so they can touch bottom safely.

 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Perception check upon reaching the bottom
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2. This is a failure (by 8).


 To be fair, without Ivo's uncertain elesphere protection, flying down through winds like this could be a recipe for disaster. It is why they are unable to marshal the aid of the vulture flock to help them descend, as the force of the tempest and the viciousness of the poison would be too much for them, at least until the Tempestquell can be activated to begin to abate the effects of the Infernex.
 Besides, it's nice to give Reize opportunities to be heroic.
 "Right...!"
 Shaken by their close call, Ivo is stirred to action again by Reize's exclamation and begins to slide down the cliff, enhanced rope sliding against his gloves. Fortunately, the elesphere's vortex holds for a while longer, and by the time it has collapsed in on itself and dissipated, our heroes have been able to descend far enough that it seems that the winds are abating. They can see the currents clearer now as they travel, observing how the noxious tempest seems to pick up speed as it swirls about the cliffs before blasting up along the rim. Thus, lower down, the currents have not yet had time to build up such force, and the descent becomes easier for climbers and fliers alike.
 "Whew..."
 Ivo can't help but heave a sigh of relief as at last his boots touch ground and he stumbles from the rope, placing his hands on his knees and bending over to catch his breath. Running a dusty gloved hand through his dark hair to brush stray sweat-dampened bangs from his eyes, he looks up, and immediately forgets his fatigue.
 "Incredible!"
 Before them, the settlement that was a mere outline below has come fully into view, and is revealed to be largely fashioned of an arresting pale green crystal. The soil beneath their boots is thoroughly polluted, all vegetation having long since between decayed to dust, but the crystalline architecture seems to have grown as though it were vegetal itself, fashioned into edifices as one might coax a tree into an artistic shape through careful pruning, some mystical topiary once at work.
 "Could this be... the village of the wind elementals?" Ivo's eyes are wide, as though the threat of the Infernex has already been forgotten, walking forward to gaze about with vivid wonder, admiring the aesthetic sense and keen ability on display. "Centuries of sapients dwelling in an isolated paradise of their own making... treating with pirates and adorning their works with treasures... until their conflicts could no longer be contained..."
 It is hard to say if Ivo is piecing together clues or spinning a tale of his own fabrication. But as he looks about, it is the others who may notice, admist the relative stillness, ripples of wind beginning to gather. In alleyways between crystalline walls, in nooks and crannies, vestiges of similarly pale green beings, half-substantial, features traced with the mottled purple of the Infernex, are forming, their eyes unseeing yet baleful. The spirit of ancient conflict propels these elemental vestiges to repel intruders.



  The further down that they make it, the more that they can see. Reize looks downward to see the noxious tempest picking up speed. "... Ugh." However, further down, the currents had not built up, thus making the descent easier.

  Reize himself is quite relieved, moving downward during the climb while wiping his face. It's quite hot. It's getting hotter, too. As the sweaty youth continues his descent, they finally find themselves within the earthen, decayed envrionment.

  It is only the crystalline architecture that remains, as if they're a vegetable. Reize's eyes widen as he looks around through the surroundings. "Wow..." As the boy wanders around, he places a hand to inspect the ground-- until something stirs to life.

  As the mottled purple of the Infernex form, Reize draws his boomerangs and he calls out. "Oi! Ivo! Ruidosa! Get ready!" He is adopting his fighting stance as he can feel the malevolent glare falling on them. As if his hair stands, he sucks in a breath and calms himself in preparation.