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Shadows Cast by the Hearth's Fire

Scene details

Setting: At the base of Rosia's glorious Hanging Gardens may be found the modest waterways that irrigate this wonder of the world. Following an unremarkable lead, our heroes venture into one abandoned channel to investigate rumors of shadowy figures passing through, seeking to confirm that no harm will be done at the Vampire Ball. Little do they know that a conspiracy is afoot, and traps and threats abound...

Log


 The fabulous tiered Hanging Gardens are the crowning jewel of the already opulent crown that is cultured Rosia. At its peak is the Royal Court, where the divine Queen of Oradia hosts grand feasts, performances, and debates for her vampiric elite and bestows her favors upon the supplicants who yearn to be invited. While the Court itself is a dream destination, the public is free to wander the breathtaking gardens themselves, delighting in the choicest flora of the bountiful jungle that surrounds this luxurious city. Given these sights, few indeed spend much time about the base of the garden, where some unremarkable side passages allow for maintenance of the complex irrigation system required to keep the many plants in good health.
 And this is where our heroes find themselves today.
 "Based on the quest posting, I had my suspicions," Ivo is saying, regarding the entrance to the specific waterway in question, its inconspicuous pale stone entrance girded only by an old gate. Brief examination would reveal it to be closed but unlocked. "But this is a major security risk. I'm reminded of the rumored Warrens within Cosmopolis, where the old city buried within the spire is used as secret passage between upper and lower tiers. If these passages lead through the Hanging Gardens themselves, they could lead someone unseen straight up into the Royal Court."
 The Cosmopolitan pauses a moment.
 "...Or out of it," he thoughtfully adds.
 Ivo then looks to his friends and smiles.
 "At the very least, let's take a look and see if we can find evidence of such passage. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even meet one of these alleged shadowy figures." After their success regarding the chaos in the plaza, he's feeling confident in their abilities. "I didn't mention it, but I think I've repaired Hauteclare's pommel sensor that was damaged at the isle. I attuned it to the fire elementals we contended with, after the battle, and it seems to be detecting-- hmm?"
 When he takes his hilt in hand instinctively, Ivo is started to find it vibrating. Half-drawing the sword, he examines the inscrutable readout, an eyebrow eventually lifting.
 "It says-- there are fire elementals in there."


BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79o1OxUJM_c

Ruidosa is in the irrigation system with Ivo and Reize. This is totally how she wanted to spend her holiday here, by the by, totally! A+!

She's following along and considers that. "They say long ago the young Queen of the court vanished one day. Maybe she eloped with a common human after escaping through here...." she remarks curiously.

She eyes Reize. Pause. "I don't think of you guys as common humans for the record." she says.

She then ughs. "Great. Fire elementals. More of them. Where are they coming from. I swear."



 So this is their destination...

 Reize's eyes wander around to take in the surroundings of the irrigation. Reize looks over towards Ivo. "So this is where we have to find the culprit, huh?"

 There is a question mark above Reize's head, "...Well, I am a great explorer, after all!" He speaks with pride in response to the 'common human'.

 Upon the sensor's activation, Reize watches with awe and then he tilts his head over then out through the garden. He draws his boomerangs out, almost ready in a sort of battle stance. "Well then, I guess we'll have to keep our wits about us." He frowns, looking back. "Oi, Rui... will you be alright?" Fire is the worst attribute for Ruidosa to deal with, after all.

 


 "I do think we're rare, as humans go," Ivo lightly replies, grinning between Reize and Rui. Special, one might say. His grin eases into a smile as he nods to Rui, reaching up to rub his chin thoughtfully. "We're thinking along the same lines, Rui. I wouldn't be surprised if the royal family has kept this passage open for a reason, in case they need to make a quick and inconspicuous exit. But a passage out is also a passage in, and I don't know how adept our allegedly fanciful Queen is at risk assessment. Of course, one cannot judge on rumors alone."
 Glancing down at his pommel, he nods again.
 "And I have the same question," he adds. "I can't be sure until we get closer, but the signature isn't the same as any of the elementals we encountered last time. I suspect this is unrelated to our plaza incident and the untamed areas of Oradia are simply conducive to the manifestation of fire elementals, which is why merchants come to collect them in the first place. But..."
 He looks back to Rui.
 "Surely the vampiric aristocracy has a vested interest in there thus not *being* untamed areas of Oradia in the first place, especially not in Rosia itself, of all places. This shouldn't happen, not naturally, even in an ignored waterway. Let's be on our guard."
 He thinks for a moment.
 "Reize, would you lead the way? If there's an ambush, you're best poised to evade it. I can take the middle and load water elespheres and prepare an ice shield if fire is aimed at Rui, and if not, she can attack at range freely."
 It's their usual formation, probably, but with the added bonus of Ivo saying more or less explicitly that he's asking Reize to spring the traps. Oh, well. Let's be real: that'd probably happen anyway.

Ruidosa frowns and huffs. "So vampires hate fire, as a record. It's awful and burns us. It's like the one weakness we all have. Universal. Except for..." she shifts uncomfortably. "I'm not here to expound on more Ordian legends. Let's get on with it." she says.

"So no one is importing these things in here. And the reading is different. Ugh. I wonder what it is. Why hide in a water way." she says.

"Hrm."



 After assessing the situation, Reize steps forward to take point per Ivo's recommendation. "Yeah, you're right." He is now in a 'ready to fight' mode, as he expects for there to be combat as they explore the area.

 Steeling his resolve, he steps forward to lead the way for the trio. "Sounds like a plan." He looks back towards Ivo and Ruidosa, "I'm counting on you both!"

 As the surroundings become more of Reize's peripheral vision, he takes a look for a good route to move towards. For now, he moves ahead until they can find any other paths. "Hopefully that sensor can give us what direction those elementals are at."

 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Perception
Roll(s): 11. Total result is 11. This is a success (by 1).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20.
Comment: Perception
Roll(s): 2. Total result is 2.

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: I'm gonna look around.
Roll(s): 16. Total result is 16. This is a success (by 6).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=13.
Comment: Trap 1 catches Reize
Roll(s): 7. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 6).

Reize Seatlan rolls 1d20>=15.
Comment: Trap 2 catches Reize
Roll(s): 15. Total result is 15. This is a success (by 0).


 The party enters the waterway to find it effectively decommissioned, its stone channel mostly dry save for puddles and patches of water. While the masonry is meticulous, in keeping with the quality of the Hanging Gardens itself as a veritable wonder of the world and suggesting that the overall structure needs little maintenance, there is little indication that anyone has done work to maintain it in some time. Most likely it has been decades at least since this was an active irrigation channel. That said, it is not so ancient that one may easily find evidence of recent passage.
 "Hmm... the sensor indicates that the fire elementals are concentrated this way... and that's also the way I'd go if I were headed up to the Court."
 The channel slopes and wends, as it must to control the flow of (currently absent) water in the interior of this pyramidal garden, and Ivo repeatedly glances at the pommel of his sword to confirm the strengthening signal.
 "Hmm?"
 It is only as he does that he notices something curious by his foot the moment before he would have taken a step.
 "A tripwire...?"
 A beat passes before Ivo's eyes widen. How foolish. He was so focused on the elementals he didn't even consider that whoever was responsible might have set up physical traps, too.
 "Reize, watch out!"
 He calls out, but he has no sense of what other traps there might be. Ruidosa, however, might have gotten a better look at where other tripwires or triggers might have been located by whoever has infiltrated this place.

Ruidosa, being a vampire, can easily see a stone that's raised. It's a little darker than the rest of the area and this is enough to stop her from stepping on what she thinks is an obvious weight trigger for a trap. "H--"

Oh. Ivo already noticed. "It's ''Trapped''. Reize, watch out, please!" she says, looking behind her with wide worried eyes.

She tries to reach forward and grab Reize's scarf to save him---!?

Ruidosa La Crima rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Can she save her beloved!?
Roll(s): 4. Total result is 4. This is a failure (by 6).



 Upon entering the waterway, Reize takes a look around, getting a sense as to the dryness of the surroundings. "This explains why the fire elementals are able to thrive here. There's not much water here."

 As they travel, Reize goes down the slope and he takes ahead. He does not notice the tripwires around. In fact, he manages to step on one just as Ivo and Ruidosa both try to warn him, the latter even going as far as to grab him by the scarf.

 However, it's too late.

 Once the tripwire activates, there is a flash of flames erupting in front of Reize's face. "GAAAH!" The flash blinds Reize. He flails back, finding himself clicking on the second one.

 This time, two flames erupt from the sides to engulf Reize. However, he quickly takes a leap back, evading the erupting flames from consuming him. "Whoa!" He furrows his eyebrows. He sweats. "...That was close."

 He rubs his eyes, trying to let the flash wear off. Reize is currently dazed.

 

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20+3>=10.
Comment: Elemental lore trivia, with skill and Perception success bonus
Roll(s): 4. Total result is 7. This is a failure (by 3).


 Ivo can only watch as Ruidosa desperately attempts to save Reize with the aid of his long yellow scarf, only for it to slip through her fingers. The poor boy takes the blinding flash head on, a trap which seems have been placed precisely to get him to step onto the flame trigger. However, their fearless leader's keen reflexes save him nonetheless, sparing him from further damage. It seems that their formation was well-chosen, or so Ivo tells himself in the wake of what was probably mostly luck.
 "Are you alright, Reize? Nice moves," Ivo says, expressing his concern in the form of praise. "I didn't expect a flame trap embedded in the walls. That's quite elaborate for an infiltration. How would they do that, and why go to such lengths...?"
 Instinctively, he glances down at his pommel again, having been distracted by Reize's dire straits for a moment.
 "Well, we should still have a little while to go until we encounter any elementals... what? No, that can't..."
 Doubt flickers in the magitechnician's eyes, and he hesitates for a moment, but confident in his earlier testing and ever better safe than sorry, he blurts out:
 "It says they're here!"
 Nothing is visible at the moment, and Ivo's generic warning is unlikely to provide much help in detecting the angle of attack. But if Ruidosa is knowledgable about rare variants of fire elementals found in the deep reaches of the Oradian jungle, of the sort veteran vampires might tell heroic tales, she may be able to put together what is happening: the flame trap was itself a trigger to stir fire elementals embedded in the walls, entities of fire that may meld with earth the way that water seeps through cracks in stone. Such beings have many names, as they tend to, but the most common appellation is Hearthkeeper.
 Even though no one has triggered a trap, on each side of the channel, a set of large flaming hands seem to emerge from the masonry itself, an amorphous fire head peering out with winking ruby eyes to belch jets of flame at the party, with a wide enough area of effect to potentially catch everyone, especially without advance warning.

> Two Hearthkeepers have attacked!