Heroica RPG - Quest #99: Six Thousand Feet Under

[Flipz]

Loot Distribution:

Erdathcath:

126 Gold, Fire Bomb (since I'm assuming you plan to go Cannoneer)

Grimwald:

126 Gold, Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom

Arthur:

22 Gold

"Minoid, am I correct in thinking you are capable of using additional weapons now? If so, I suggest you borrow my Hollow-Blade Dagger and slot your Remedy into it for swift emergency use, and I suggest Lady Erdathcath lends you her Quick Bow as well so you are better-equipped for ranged combat."

"In any event, I agree it would be best to move on, but first Erdathcath and I ought to dig with our shovels--there's no telling what other valuables these rats may have hoarded."

"Tell me, Mas--Minoid, what can you tell me about this mine? In your time down here, have you been able to formulate any theories as to the cause of its unusual composition? I'm starting to wonder if perhaps the Goland's origins and those of the giant you encountered might somehow be linked."

[Endgame]

The Party:

Arthur Justus Regulus VII, a Hero Who Is Actually Worth Something (played by Flipz), Level 31.33 Mystic Knight, 22-year-old male Human *Immune to Fragile and all Poisons* *Only Receives One Negative Effect At A Time* [ Currently in: Six Thousand Feet Under] *Party Leader!*

Power: 42 (31 + WP:11)

Health: 54/54 (Basic Health: 5 + Level Bonus: 30 + Class Boost: 15 + Permanent Boost: 4*)

Ether: 36/36 (Basic Ether: 5 + Level Bonus: 30)

Defense: 20 (Arm Shield: 14 + Duke's Coat-of-Arms: 5 + Unicorn Helmet: 1)

Gold: 198 (Owed 128 gold by Boomingham)

Equipment: Gladiator Trident (WP: 11, Spear, causes bleeding effect), Arm Shield (SP:14), Overkill Gloves (Gives the wearer 1 gold for every point of damage they do extra when they defeat an enemy. (Example: Enemy has 50 HP left, you do 75 damage, you earn 25 gold.)), Duke's Coat-of-Arms (Protects against Fragile and all Poisons, SP; 5, suitable for knights, dragoons, skirmishers and regulators; bodywear), Unicorn Helmet (SP:1; the wearer can only receive one negative effect at a time, with a new effect replacing the old one; usable by barbarians, knights, dragoons, infiltrators, regulators, skirmishers, and winged warriors; headwear), Zap-Tap Badge (Artefact, Accessory. Has a 1/2 chance to deal Electric damage to an opponent who has dealt damage to a hero, equal to the hero's level.)

Inventory:

Weapons: Zoot's Rebel (WP:20 broomstick, suitable to Arthur only), Sir Roderick's Sword (WP:12, Longsword), Sword of the Vampir (WP:17, user is Jinxed), Duplovian Swift Halberd (WP:3, stuns on successful hits, Hollow [Ambrosia] halberd),Spider Leg (WP:8, doubled against flying enemies; spear),

(Unsuitable weapons: Hollow Blade Dagger (WP:6, dagger, hollow-blade [nothing]), Ammit (Greatsword, WP 6, gains 5 Ether for each kill),

Artifacts: Duplovian Helmet of the Guard (SP:2, Immune to Magic and Healing), Shackles of War (Accessory, Prevents anyone from fleeing battles), Cloak of Deception (Backwear, Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent), Jester's Hat (Headwear, Wearer may choose to gain one immunity from targeted enemy), Stingy Gloves (Handwear, wearable by everybody. Prevents enemies from ever stealing gold from you.), Minoid Card Key

(Unsuitable Artifacts: Sticky Gloves (Handwear, Increases the amount of gold stolen by 50% (rounded up), suitable for rogues and beast warriors) (sent to Isaac Shawe) )

Gems: Opal (Ice), Amethyst (Darkness), Topaz (Lightning), Diamond (Light), Garnet (Earth),

Tools: Bedroll, Telescope, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Pickaxe, Magic Compass

Scrolls: All Lent!

Consumables:

*Healing: Potion, Grand Potion x10, Tonic, Grand Tonic x8, Ether Core, Remedy x9, Elixir x4, Sushi x3

*Status: Nostrum x3, Hurricane, Smelling Salts x 2, Mead x3, Ambrosia x2, Dragon Scales x2, Jinxy Juice x2,

*Venoms: Exterlate, Noxious Venom (When used on a weapon, the weapon deals the Poisoned-by-10 effect for the duration of the battle and the Confused effect for the next three rounds, for the duration of one battle.),

*Permanent Improvement: Bright Polish, Grating Stone, Ella's Pie (Permanently boosts max. ether by 5 but permanently decreases max. health by 5 when consumed.),

*Bombs: Smoke Bomb x5, 3 Bones, Chaotic Bomb (Causes 100 random elemental damage to all opponents), Pumpkin Bomb (Causes stunned-, poisoned-, asleep-, blinded-, sealed- and confused-effects to all opponents when used.),

*Currency: Scrap Metal x2, Silver Ore

Erdathcath Madilinas, 199 years old,

Level 20.66 Druid

Power: 35

Health: 34/34

Ether: 20/23

Gold: 213

Equipped: Tritech Handcannon (WP:15, Fire-elemental), Satchel of Awesomeness (Permanent Lucky-effect; bodywear), Amulet of Optimism (Adds the confused-effect to all attacks; suitable to Erdathcath only; accessory)

Inventory: Longbow (WP:7), Quick bow (WP: 6, Suitable to rangers, provides hastened effect for one round each battle), Helmet (+1 max. health), 6 Potions, 3 Grand Potions, 6 Mead, 6 Smelling Salts, 15 Venoms, 3 Deadly Venoms, 1 Super Deadly Venom, 2 Floral Bombs, 2 Ice Bombs, 2 Lightning Bombs, 1 Fire Bomb, 3 Smoke Bombs, 2 Water Bombs, 2 Holy Bomb, 2 Dirt Bombs, 2 Air Bombs, Bone, Skeleton Decoy, Bedroll, Shovel, Pickaxe, Telescope, Saber teeth, Scroll of Weakening, Snake Eye Charm (protects from petrified), Mage's muffler (protects from sealing), Jinxy Juice, Grand Tonic x2, Love Potion, Blind Fury, Grating Stone, Jinxy Juice, Deadly Venom, Mythril Shard, Unlucky Horseshoe (WP:13, retrievable, causes Jinxed-effect; throwing weapon), Staff of Ennon - (WP: 5, Light-Elemental, Restores 2 ether on a roll of 2, 3, or 4), Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Confusion, Healing Staff (WP: 5), Noble Mask (Wearer gains gold equal to the number of enemies after each victorious battle; headwear),

69 year old male gnome Cleric (Immune to Weakened)

Level: 13

Power: 20 (13 + 6 + permanent boost of 1)

SP: 0

Health: 21/21

Ether: 8/17

Gold: 226

Equipment: Knotted Broom (WP: 6), Pugilist's Gloves (Power +2, protects from Weakened ), Lens of Speed Reading (Accessory, Allows a scroll to be read in addition to a normal action. Suitable for scroll users.),

Inventory: Shovel, Pickaxe, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep, Mead, Tonic, Remedy x3, Potion x2, Bone x2, Grand Potion, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten), Chaotic Bomb (Causes 100 random elemental damage to all opponents), Bedroll, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Ambrosia, Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Confusion, Scroll of Armor Sundering (Reduces target’s SP by 5 and has a 50/50 chance of success), Scroll of Poisoning (Grants target’s weapon the Poisoned 10 effect for one battle at the cost of 5 ether), Scroll of Luck (Grants target the Lucky-effect for one battle. Costs 10 ether.), Scroll of Weakening, Healing Staff (WP: 5), Scarf of Misfortune (Accessory, Wearer deals the Jinxed effect on every third round), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom

Staff of the Cultist Battlemage (WP: 7, 50% chance of Fleeing upon being KO'd; suitable for Mages and Clerics), Tricorne (suitable for anyone, SP: 3, headwear),

"Arm reattached."

Minoid, Level 18.5 Drilling Automaton

HP: 23/30

Power: 28

SP: 2

Equipment: Minoid Drill Arm (WP: 13), Iron Shell (SP: 2), Scanning Eye (Allows the Minoid to analyze most foes before battle. If in battle, it can spend a turn to analyze the fight)

Inventory: Ether Core, Health Core, Remedy x3, Grand Potion x3, Ambrosia

Arthur and Erdathcath dig, but find nothing; there are remnants of once shiny things. A silver pickaxe, rusted and brittle, now worthless - a dented, concave, filled-with-holes miner's hat. All reduced to nothing over time.

"Affirmative. I may wield any weapon.

On the subject of the mine's odd composition: I have found ethereal traces using my scanning potentials. The Giant incapacitated before I could complete a full scan. From my partial findings, however, I can only conclude that the Giant is invincible."

Edited April 23, 2014 by Endgame

[Flipz]

Arthur frowns. "Invincible how, exactly? To be invincible in one manner usually means being vulnerable in another."

[Endgame]

"Before being stepped on, I detected some parts of organic matter inside of the giant; a heart. Said heart seemed to be impervious to all damage. If we assume the rest of the body is made of the same material that makes the heart impervious to all attacks, we can assume the giant is invincible."

[Flipz]

"I'm sorry--a heart? Well, there goes the automaton theory--though to be honest, it doesn't make much sense. If it's a living thing, why would its heart be visible?"

As he muses, Arthur also hands one of his own Smelling Salts over to Erdathcath. "Thanks for that in battle, by the way--it really paid off. Speaking of things said in battle, I'm still quite interested in hearing more about the 'half-tree' thing." For more reasons than you know...

[Endgame]

"It wasn't visible. Being a mining automaton, I was designed to have hyper-sensitive audio detection - very good hearing, in human terms. I can hear something beating within its chest cavity. My partial scan also yielded the invincibility factor, as you know.

I can hear your hearts as well. I would suggest medical examination soon, Arthur, as your heart beat is highly irregular."

[The_Customizer]

"Becoming part tree was accidental, when learning the arts of nature in becoming a druid, something unexplainable went wrong and my body was forged with the tree I was near. A birch tree at that, causing my skin to become quite pale, and even now, the tree is still taking my body over. I do not doubt that before long tree grain will start to show through my skin. However, the benefits are outatanding, it seems that my Roots of Life are growing more powerful, perhaps I am just becoming more in tune with nature."

[Flipz]

Arthur nods thoughtfully. "Out of curiosity, why did you continue training as a Druid? Why not pick another path that might help you keep the transformation in check?"

[Endgame]

QM Note: Simply give me the heads up when you're ready to proceed.

[The_Customizer]

"The miracle occured halfway through my training, and to be honest, I'm never one to give up once I start something." Erdathcath is ready to move on

[Flipz]

"I see." Arthur is also ready to move on.

[Endgame]

The party exits the Quartz Caverns and heads back to the previous corridor. They trek up the ramp, their heels claning on the metal ramp, and duck under the wooden gate. Navigating another tunnel, the party once again finds themselves at a junction.

There is one gate forward, and two rather nasty cave-ins.

"STATEMENT: Previous outings in this mine have told me that the cave-in to the right is blocking the breakroom, and the cave-in to the left is blocking the elevator shaft down to the Mine's second level. With my new demolition capabilites, now that I am reunited with all of my severed body parts, I can destory these roadblocks."

[Flipz]

"Let's explore the breakroom, then, though I'd rather we keep the path to the lower mine blocked until we're ready to go down. Is there any way we can assist?"

[Endgame]

"Obeying the mine's safety procedures would be beneficial. QUERY: Were you breifed on them?"

Edited April 25, 2014 by Endgame

[Flipz]

"We were not--what are they?"

[Endgame]

"Affirmative. My creator was brifed in this mine's safety procedures, and actually programmed a small speech inside of me in case I needed to relay the information to any potential guests in the mine. BEGINNING PLAYBACK."

The Minoid's voice suddenly fades and his eye flickers off. A scratchy recoridng emits through his body, the voice very familiar to Arthur.

"The mines are usually considred a dangerous place by defintion, but only when the proper steps to ensure safey are not taken. Following these procedures will ensure that you lead a safe and productive career inside this mine. Failure to follow these guidlines my result in bodily harm, injury, or potential death.

Always move in pairs. Never enter a part of the mine alone. Make sure atleast one of you is always equipped with standardized equipment; a pickaxe and a shovel. These tools can get you out of many dangerous situations the mine may present.

When in an area where this warning is applicable, be wary of stalactites. Although firmly rooted into the cieling of the caverns, misues of equipment may cause them to fall. This may be done delibrately to extract any minerals isndie, so stay far out of the stalactite's shadow. No caverns in the mine, as far as we know, contain these as of now, so this is mostly just something to keep in mind.

In case of a cave-in, sleeping is advised. It will quell your desire for food and water, and allow you to preserve resources. Likewise, always keep some sort of edible or beverage on you - for both emergency and snacking purposes.

If you or a friend is caught underneath the cave-in yourself, do not act without the aid of a senior miner. If you are not a senior miner and your current partner is trapped, ensure no rocks are cutting off major airways or circulation, and then find a senior miner. They have been trained to expertly extract people from these types of situations. Do not attempt to save someone from under a cave-in unless you have the proper training.

When explosions are used, standing 30 to 40 feet away from the bomb's blast radius is highly advised. Beware of debris and shrapnel - wear goggles if provided."

The recording ends, and The Minoid returns to his normal state.

"STATEMENT: I destroy these rocks by drilling holes in them with one arm, and injecting a shaped charge into the gap with another. This minimizes most possible collateral effects, although standing about 10 feet away from the charge is highly advised."

[LordoftheNoobs]

Grimwald stands well back away in preparation for the charge.

[Flipz]

"Right, then...behind me, everyone. My shield should protect us from any stray shrapnel." Arthur stands back, placing himself in front of the others and bracing for impact.

[The_Customizer]

Erdathcath joins suit, standing behind Arthur waiting for the fuse to blow. "Are you sure this is safe?"

[Endgame]

"STATEMENT: The blast is designed specifically for blasting out the sides of shrapnel, causing the cave-in to collapse inwards. STATISTIC: There is a 98.64% chance you will be perfectly fine, with only a 0.01% chance of fatal injury. I will now begin the procedure."

The Minoid trudges up the left cave-in and drills a hole into it with one arm. He inserts his other hand into the tiny gap created, and releases a small explosive from his wrist. He takes three large steps back, seemingly counting down the number of hisses the explosion was making. Before long, it goes off with a muted bang, causing the sides of the cave-in to collapse inward and exposing the path onwards.

"OBSERVATION: The view is clear. We may progress."

And progress the party does, stepping into a breakroom.

Three miners stand in the breakroom.

"So ol' Cobb finally sent help."

[The_Customizer]

"Well,that went well!" Erdathcath approaches the miners, and greets them" Hi, I'm Erdathcath, and we are here to save you, and the rest of the mine. Any questions?"

[Flipz]

"We're Heroes of Heroica," Arthur added. "The name's Arthur. Any chance you were able to see what caused the cave-in?"

Edited April 25, 2014 by Flipz

[Endgame]

"Well,that went well!" Erdathcath approaches the miners, and greets them" Hi, I'm Erdathcath, and we are here to save you, and the rest of the mine. Any questions?"

"The Minoid is top of the line, eh? And no, no questions. I'm just desperate to get a gulp of fresh air... We've been under there for 2 days. We had rations, and we just finished the last pudding cup an hour before you arrived."

"We're Heroes of Heroica," Arthur added. "The name's Arthur. Any chance you were able to see what caused the cave-in?"

"Smoke played some nasty tricks on my vision, but from what I could see, it was huge. Heavy, too, by the way it coordinated itself. Seemed to be stomping aorund like a troll one moment, zipping around like a dragon the next! I don't know why it isn't making footprints."

"I saw the weapon it was using!"

Edited April 25, 2014 by Endgame

[Flipz]

"The Minoid is top of the line, eh? And no, no questions. I'm just desperate to get a gulp of fresh air... We've been under there for 2 days. We had rations, and we just finished the last pudding cup an hour before you arrived."

"Smoke played some nasty tricks on my vision, but from what I could see, it was huge. Heavy, too, by the way it coordinated itself. Seemed to be stomping aorund like a troll one moment, zipping around like a dragon the next! I don't know why it isn't making footprints."

"I saw the weapon it was using!"

"Odd--it did seem to leave one, though, the one it used to crush the Minoid, where we found him. Does this look familiar?" Arthur shows the bearded miner the sketch of the footprint.

"A weapon? Can you describe it? Or better yet, can you draw a sketch?" He pulls out a blank paper and pen and hands it to the bald miner.

[Endgame]

"Can't say I recognize it."

"I'll draw the part I could see... Erm, I;m not a great artist... At all."

The bald miner presents a comically crude sketch.

"Basically, it resembled a spear with some sort of weird, blade thingy at the end. At least as tall as the Giant is, since I guess its a spear and all. Really noisy, too."