timing is very close to 30 mins
10+25+5+13=53 /4=13.25
The four Blackbirds could see a reflection appear in the lake. There were three sand glasses of ascending sizes. One appeared to be a minute glass. One a thirty minute glass. The final an hour glass.
Over the three glasses were numbers written in floating flame. Two, one, and zero. The minute glass filled, flipped, and the number evolved into the number three.
The Blackbirds performed the second challenge in thirty-two minutes.
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Cairee was running slower than the others, contemplating what was sure to be the hardest challenge of them all - getting back through the door. The rest of the team flew past her and burst out the door with ease, spilling into the arena. The cleric tsked at herself and sped up, running into the blinding light of the arena.
The previous day when they'd exited the challenge, the arena had been mostly empty. This time it was packed, and everyone was on their feet cheering. Cairee wanted to collapse on the dirt. Her feet were thawing and burned, her whole body ached. She needed to see the healers. She needed to use the washroom.
But instead she stood up tall, nodded to the crowd, and tried to look calm, stately, and not about to collapse.
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The intense light was dazzling and slightly unexpected. After hoping that the challenge was over after each new obstacle, Zahra had been somewhat surprised that they were finally back in the arena.
Her natural grace kept her from stumbling around blind and she blinked to help her eyes adjust.
She heard the cheering and was beaming now that they were safely back. However, she knew who the crowd was cheering for because she would have been doing the same had she been watching. Zahra grabbed Dounia's hand and lifted it up in the air while motioning for the crowd to cheer louder with her other hand.
Zahra then caught Tymythy's eye and motioned to help her to hoist Dounia up onto their shoulders. The sorceress hurt and was tired but was being re-energized by the crowd. She also wanted Dounia to get the credit that she deserved for how she'd navigated all the traps from the last challenge.
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Shading his eyes from the harsh light with a raised arm, Tymythy became aware of the chorus of voices, smelled the fresh air, touched with moisture by the presence of the ornamental lake, and slowly relaxed. They had made it. He sighed in relief, then realized Cairee and Zahra had already taking the next step and were performing for the audience, Cairee with her graceful act of a master skald accepting her due after a song, Zahra drawing attention to Dounia, the single most important reason they had survived the challenge.
Tymythy was torn. On one hand, posturing after a feat of strength was nothing unusual. On the other, he wasn't certain how much he cared for the opinion of people sitting on their gilded thrones, watching people bleed and die for their amusement. But his disapproval would change nothing, and satisfied patrons might improve their chances in the challenges to come, so he swallowed his irritation and, recalling how well his earlier performance had went down, launched his usriev high into the air, stepping forward so he could catch it with an arm behind his back, whirling it around his body for a spell before bringing himself yo a sudden stop in a high guard stance…
… and caught Zahra's eye and realized her intention in time to smoothly step over to help raise the star of the challenge on their shoulders.
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Dounia was slowing down to check the door for traps when Zahra barreled past her and through it. She had just enough warning to squint her eyes against the brightness. For a moment she was blind, but there was nothing wrong with her ears. They were back in the arena, and the crowd was cheering!
As her eyes adjusted to the bright sunshine, Dounia started to bow deep to the crowd. However, Zahra grabbed her arm, and lifted it high. Grinning Dounia shook her fists to the sky in victory.
Then Tymythy was there, spinning his spear, and grabbing her other arm. Taking advantage of her friends' willingness, Dounia used a few carefully placed footsteps to lightly climb/vault up their knees and hips to their shoulder. One foot on each of them, she stood tall, then bowed low to the crowd. Then she leapt into the air, spinning, and came down facing the other way, still on her friends' shoulders. She bowed low again, and then flipped backwards off of them, somersaulting once in the air before landing lightly on her feet.
Way to make a spectacle of yourself, she heard Cyra's dry voice chiding her lightly. You'll be the most recognizable thief in the desert.
The collapsing hallway tore apart the passage nearly up to the arena entrance before the vacumn it created sucked the brass door shut with a great slam. Free, the Blackbirds relaxed and took their accolades.
They were enjoying the break from the maelstrom they had just avoided, distracted from the four competitors approaching. The Adherents of Aureolus were walking almost directly towards them. Ignoring the Blackbird's moment, they walked past them and to the new brass door. The smaller thinner man with a rasputin beard spoke without taking his eyes off the door, "Excuse us. We are about to start our run." His accent was thick and strange.
The scruffy short-haired woman amongst them, "You should step back."
The door appeared to be the same minus one aspect - the rivets were missing.
Some subtle boos sounded from the audience from under the applause.
Cairee stepped aside and bowed to The Adherents of Aureolus as they barged past. "May Saiph be with you." She turned towards her team, then paused. She remembered with the dwarven team had said the previous day, remembered their devastation over the loss of Lugh. She turned back, and addressed the scruffy short-haired woman.
"Remember, whatever you saw of our path through the challenge, it will have changed for you. Take nothing for granted." She bowed again, and joined her team in their celebrations. She kept an eye out for the healers tent.
"Be our guest," Dounia said, bowing low with one arm outstretched, making way for them. "Good luck!"
She turned her back, trying to appear uninterested in how they made out with their door. And for the moment, she actually didn't care much. She wanted to sit down, watch the show, and eat.
To the others, she said, "Let's catch up with our handlers, and then find a place to sit!" She began to move towards Prem and Yoy'ya.
The scruffy short-haired woman amongst them, "You should step back."
Tymythy nodded in silent assent and made way for the next group to brave the challenge.
To the others, she said, "Let's catch up with our handlers, and then find a place to sit!" She began to move towards Prem and Yoy'ya.
”With pleasure,” Tymythy sighed, feeling entitled a bit of decadent pleasure of good food and drink, and a moment of rest, after their eventful half an hour of running the gauntlet. ”I wonder how the other teams are doing,” he mused as they walked towards the pair of friendly faces, his gaze straying towards the magical viewing pool, as he assumed most of the teams first to the challenges would still be busy winning – and surviving.
A closer look at 'The Adherents' showed four humans, though one of the men may have some elvish blood. They were clean and smelled of a combination of strong smells, some identifiable (soap and inscense), and others completely foreign. They all wore long cassocks with little differences, red piping, and some understated boarder details that clearly meant wealth. Three of the team were primarily in black. The leader wore the reverse, red with black details.
The Adherent in front was a small man with thin but long black beard and mustache, some grey creapt in. He had an air about him of being in constant analysis.
Next was the only woman of the team. Her hair was short and looked like she had it cut quickly with a razor. Her face read efficiency.
The third was a stocky man who seemed more solid than well-fed. His hair was nearly white and his expression seemed impatient.
The leader was tall and fit and clearly a man of great temperance. He seemed in complete control of the team, though he didn't speak.
"Remember, whatever you saw of our path through the challenge, it will have changed for you. Take nothing for granted."
The two Adherents in front looked and nodded briefly. The third spoke and his voice was deep but soft, "Child, we didn't watch your run." The leader didn't respond at all and showed no sigh of having noticed them.
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+1
The Adherents didn't seem all that interested in The Blackbirds, though Cairee could tell they didn't like her offer of Saiph's blessing. They were not a team that invited friendship, and the cleric left them to their task.
She did take another look at their cassocks, noting how they were all dressed similarly, with the leader in another colour. Were they representatives of a religion or order? If it was a strict one that may explain their distaste of another goddesses blessing.
”I wonder how the other teams are doing.”
"Child, we didn't watch your run."
As they walked towards the tents, Cairee mulled over the Adherent's comment. It may have been meant as a slight, but was it also an unintentional piece of advice?
"I wonder if it's better to watch the other teams and glean some knowledge of what to prepare for, or to go in blind without any preconceived idea of what to expect? What do you think?" she asked the others.
Prem met The Blackbirds halfway to the southern stair, "I was on the edge of my seat. I really was worried for you all. The manticore seemed like it was no problem for you but there were a few moment, despite Dounia's brilliance, that it seemed it could be your finish. Dounia where did you learn to understand menacing devices like that?"
They passed by Perdition's Cavaliers who were being seen to by the elven judges. The prince nodded to The Blackbirds as you went by, a friendly competitor's gesture and sign of recognition. An elven judge left them and started heading towards you.
The Warriors of Dun Leummor were also finished their challenge before The Blackbirds. They looked horribly hurt and one of their team was unconscious but being attended by a priest of Deneb. Those that were conscious were smiling and talking to each other about how it went.
The Hazard Guard were gearing up to start the challenge of the portcullis and head to the fight arena. They waited nervously for the dwarves to be tended to and clear.
The group of gnomes Cairee and Dounia had spoken to were waiting on the southern stairs and looked like they were patiently trying to find a moment to speak with you.
Yoy'ya was at the Scoreboard and she seemed very excited. Money was changing hands amongst others.
Tymythy didn’t hide his scrutiny as he glanced over the other team in passing. A competent group, it would seem, wearing a uniform strange to his eyes but nothing in that came as a surprise. At least they seemed to display a proper air of sportsmanship, focusing their attention to the challenge at hand and sparing little enmity on their party…
… at least, until his eyes met those of the group’s apparent leader.
”The one in the red ,” Tymythy murmured once they were safely out of earshot and the Adherents were focusing on the puzzle door ahead of them. ”He seems a man of unassailable conviction – the kind that would not hesitate to see the world burn to achieve what he deems important.” He hid an involuntary shudder by shifting his usriev on his other shoulder.
Zahra quickly stepped out of the way as the Adherents bore down on them as they approached the door. As they moved past, she admired their clothing.
To Zahra the team just looked focused and there wasn't much left to say that the others hadn't already voiced. She gave them an encouraging smile and said, "You'll do great. You all look like you know what you're doing."
Zahra was beginning to realize that she hurt all over and was tired and hungry. How was it that only thirty minutes had elapsed? She felt like she had been in a twelve hour gauntlet.
However, regardless of how she felt, her smile never left her face. When Prem met them near the stairs her smile grew a bit as she was happy to see a friendly face. "If I had been sitting I would have also been on the edge. That was both exciting and terrifying. If it hadn't been for Dounia, it would have been just terrifying."
As they walked past the Perdition's Cavaliers, Zahra answered the prince's nod with a friendly wave and a warm smile. She wondered if she would have some new friends after all of this was over or if the competition would prevent that from happening. Every team was a collection of interesting stories and she hoped that she would hear some of them before going back home.
Her eyes widened in concern as she saw the state of the dwarves. Seeing one of them unconscious, she rushed over to them hoping that they hadn't experienced another damaging loss. Seeing their smiles helped her to relax a bit but her eyes glanced over at the unconscious dwarf, "Is everyone going to be okay?"
Dounia was eager to go see the Scoreboard - she had spent some time studying it before, and wanted to see how they had done. Did they complete both secret challenges? She hoped figuring out the tiles hadn't been one of them.
At Tymythy's assessment of the cassocked group, Dounia shrugged. "If their performance at their first door is anything to go by, we don't need to worry much about them. Speaking of, I wonder how the sisters are making out in there." She looked to the lake, to see if she could see what was happening behind the escutcheoned door.
Once the healer was done with the dwarves, Dounia waved them over. "Hey! Can you help Cairee?"
”The one in the red,” Tymythy murmured once they were safely out of earshot and the Adherents were focusing on the puzzle door ahead of them. [/b]”He seems a man of unassailable conviction – the kind that would not hesitate to see the world burn to achieve what he deems important.”[/b]
Cairee nodded at Tymythy's assessment. "I believe they are from Eotengaerde, the war-torn continent north of Aerde. They're members of the Orthodox Church of Leila, an oppressive order that values colonization. Did you notice the symbols on their robes? They suggest their power is more alchemical and arcane, rather than divine." No wonder they balked at Saiph's blessing. They were a team to avoid. Her hand unconsciously went to her throat, feeling her winged pendant for comfort.
"I was on the edge of my seat. I really was worried for you all. The manticore seemed like it was no problem for you but there were a few moment, despite Dounia's brilliance, that it seemed it could be your finish. Dounia where did you learn to understand menacing devices like that?"
It was a relief to see such a friendly face, and Cairee gave him a brief hug. As he talked with Dounia, Cairee considered his words. Had he stressed worried for you all? Was he hiding something, perhaps more worried for one over the others?
Once the healer was done with the dwarves, Dounia waved them over. "Hey! Can you help Cairee?"
Cairee waved them off. While her injuries needed tending, they could wait. Being seen to in the arena felt so exposed, and may make the Blackbirds look weak, getting treated for cuts and bruises while another competitor was unconcious. "I'll go to the healers tent later."
As they moved through the arena, Cairee nodded to Perdition's Cavaliers and waved at the gnomes. She noticed the judge approaching, and altered her path to meet them. "It looks like a judge would like to speak to us. Then we can meet with Yoy'ya and see the scoreboard."
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Her eyes widened in concern as she saw the state of the dwarves. Seeing one of them unconscious, she rushed over to them hoping that they hadn't experienced another damaging loss. Seeing their smiles helped her to relax a bit but her eyes glanced over at the unconscious dwarf, "Is everyone going to be okay?"
Guthan, "Don't be over-worried sweet child. Caydren will be fine. Not the first time he went under but he always does good work before he goes down, our Caydren Actreo."
Grownya supported Roshynduv and the dark haired dwarf stood up on a crutch built to take weight.
Roshynduv to Dounia, "Is that a Priovacrios? Where did you get it?"
Guthan to Zahra, "It's ok. When Guthan was lost to the game we knew we had to show our young ward what perseverance looked like. Now that we've done that it's time to show Duil what wisdom looks like. We came here for her. This was her invitation. We aren't so stubborn as to all be carried home in jars. This was our last challenge."
Grownya, "We're gratified to see you all came through well. We only saw your escape from the final passage but we'll be looking for the story of it later."
Guthan to Zahra, "Be careful of the portcullis door. There are four gates. You can pick which opens first. After that, if you don't make a choice in time, a second gate will open on its' own at random. Wether you've defeated your first foe or not. If you find where the secret is you'll have a choice of things to pick. Perhaps a sword, a scarf, a helm. When you pick one the other choices will 'go away'. When we did the challenge, the items were embedded in soft stone. When the orcs did it, the items were in glass on a raised stage. My wise money is on Perdition's Cavaliers (no matter how menacing The Adherents seem), but my heart's money is on you lot. Stay safe."
-
The dwarves looked across the arena. Through a grand display of arcane magic one of The Adherents was freezing the metal plate of the brass door as a second, with a great gesture, shattered it. The first approached the shield mechanism and seemed horrified. He called back to the leader and then marched to near the edge of the lake and shouted up at Hallwyn.
He went back to his team as they discussed what to do next.
-
Guthan, "Yep, that team strikes me as a nasty bit of work."
At Tymythy's assessment of the cassocked group, Dounia shrugged. "If their performance at their first door is anything to go by, we don't need to worry much about them. Speaking of, I wonder how the sisters are making out in there." She looked to the lake, to see if she could see what was happening behind the escutcheoned door.
Dounia looked at the lake. She could see a moving image of the orcish team fighting off a swarm of stone ants; the Stealheart Twins were in a low ceiling vaulted catacombs ... and they were moving in slow motion???; the Hazard Guard were shown as they are, waiting to begin their run; the Adherents were shown in a huddle before the brass door, now opened; the there was an inky blackness ... The Sisters?.
The judge, one of the elven priests of the god Deneb, came up to the team. It was Umay (whom the team had already met) and he stopped a comfortable distance from the team. "You did very well. Are any of you in need of care?"
-
As the team, on the way to Yoy'ya, passed the gnomes the woman spoke up to Cairee, "You did well, but not as well as I thought you would. Why did you repair the paintings?"
-
Dounia noticed on the scoreboard that The Blackbirds were marked low dispite her remarkable performance. They did very well in flare, grit and ingenuity; moderately well in teamwork and subtlety; but it seemed the repair of the paintings cost the team both in the time ranking and in efficiency points.
As Prem talked with Dounia, Cairee considered his words. Had he stressed worried for you all? Was he hiding something, perhaps more worried for one over the others?
It seemed their friend wasn't favouring any of the Blackbirds, though she noticed his stately ears redden a little when addressing Zahra.
"You did very well. Are any of you in need of care?"
As it was being offered, Cairee nodded gratefully. It felt strange to be on the receiving end of such care. The power that Umay harnessed wasn't Saiph, but it felt similar in warmth and comfort. It moved through her, stitching her broken skin and bruised bones. She sighed in relief and thanked the healer.
As the team, on the way to Yoy'ya, passed the gnomes the woman spoke up to Cairee, [b]"You did well, but not as well as I thought you would. Why did you repair the paintings?"
Cairee was happy to stop and chat with the gnomes - a kindly group who seemed to have taken a liking to her and the Blackbirds. The decision to mend the paintings had not been Cairee's. She had assumed that they, like everything else in the challenges, would automatically reset for the next team. But she understood the desire to fix them, and stood by Zahra's choice. "In our attempts to win this game, we must not forget the humanity of those we compete against. They were the images of those who had fallen. Destroying them, while necessary to survive that room, felted deeply disrespectful. They deserved to be mended, to have their dignity restored. If such an act costs us some points, so be it."
"In our attempts to win this game, we must not forget the humanity of those we compete against. They were the images of those who had fallen. Destroying them, while necessary to survive that room, felted deeply disrespectful. They deserved to be mended, to have their dignity restored. If such an act costs us some points, so be it."
”It seemed prudent to check if the canvases hid secrets, but once that proved not to be the case, it was only proper to correct our mistakes, since that was within out power” he added, looking absolutely serious, giving Zahra a grateful nod. ”To dishonour the memory of past challengers would have meant losing, just as surely as failing to complete the challenge. Not every victory is worth its price, after all.”
Not that she expected them to answer considering how focused they were but giving compliments came easily to Zahra. "Your garments are beautiful and wonderfully made."
Something Haseena had told her once made her wonder...clothes that expensive could be magicked. So when they were focused on the door and no longer paying them any mind, the sorceress quietly spoke words to allow her to see magical auras. She wasn't surprised to see that all their robes radiated magic.
Relief showed plainly on Zahra's face when Guthan told her that Caydren would be okay. "I'm glad. You all have been through a lot already."
When Guthan continued, she nodded in agreement, "You have definitely demonstrated perseverance." Her face fell when he said that this was their last challenge. "It's completely understandable but you will be missed. It was nice having honourable competitors such as yourselves."
She leaned in as Guthan's voice got quieter. She listened intently as he told her about what they had experienced in their portcullis challenge. "Thank you, Guthan."
At the mention that his heart's money was on them, Zahra lifted her right hand to rest on her heart and she smiled. "You are very kind. I hope we will meet again. Your ward is in very good hands."
She looked over at the yelling coming from the Adherents' door and shuddered, "Their hands, however, I wouldn't want to be in."
----
"You did very well. Are any of you in need of care?"
Zahra nodded and raised her hand, "I could use some healing. That fall I took knocked more than the wind out of me."
----
There wasn't much to add that Cairee and Tymythy hadn't already said to the gnomes so she simply said, "It was definitely the right thing to do to honour the memory of past competitors. We need to build each other up, not tear them down - even if it is a portrait."
The priest and judge of Deneb stood in front of Cairee. He took her hands, bowed his head, and began making a deep-throated breathing noise halfway between a croak and a chant.
"Oooooohhhhhhhhaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhooooohhhhheeeeeeerrrrrrrrraaaahh - thebodyisaproductofthemindcontrolsthewelfareofthebody isaproductofthemindcontrolsthewelfareofthebodyisaproductofthemindcontrolsth ewelfareofthebody - Oooooohhhhhhhhaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhooooohhhhheeeeeeerrrrrrrrraaaahh"
It felt like encouragement. Cairee found she could focus on herself, envision her body, see it healing. As she did her hurt decreased.
He performed the same focused healing on Zahra.
"In our attempts to win this game, we must not forget the humanity of those we compete against ... If such an act costs us some points, so be it."
”It seemed prudent to check if the canvases hid secrets ... To dishonour the memory of past challengers would have meant losing, just as surely as failing to complete the challenge. Not every victory is worth its price, after all.”
"It was definitely the right thing to do ...
The two gnomes looked to each other and seemed to be in agreement about something, satisfied. They nodded to The Blackbirds and, unceremoniously, left to talk to some other gnomish attendants.
Yoy'ya was watching the board carefully. Priests of Deneb, judges, came by and removed markings on the slate with the sleeves of their robes, but did so carefully, with some little ceremony. Then they replaced rankings, writing with little chunks of white gypsum.
Yoy'ya, "You did much better this time. The crowd really loved you. I must say if competitors have a challenge that takes a full day it was fortunate you did that challenge first. No where else to go but up. You did lose time on those paintings ...", she glanced over at Tymythy and Zahra, "and it cost you in 'efficiency' points. Dounia took care of a lot and that meant a lower 'teamwork' rank. But you marked high in flare and grit and ingenuity. Still, your time was excellent."
"More importantly perhaps, we raised some good donations."
Roshynduv to Dounia, "Is that a Priovacrios? Where did you get it?"
Dounia glanced at the strange belt that she'd slung over one shoulder...she'd forgotten she was carrying it. "Is that what it's called? We found it in the room. Could you tell me about it? None of us have seen one before."
Startled, Dounia tried to see what they were shouting about. How had the puzzle been changed such that they were shouting about smut?
Dounia wasn't as badly hurt as Cairee, thanks to the healer herself, but she welcomed the cleric gladly. The spell felt different to the touch of Saiph, but Dounia was grateful.
Yoy'ya's comment about losing teamwork points took some of the air from Dounia's kite. "I thought we worked together really well. I hardly did anything that first challenge."
She watched the judges working, and bounced on her toes a little. "Can we go see the scores now?"
"Is that what it's called? We found it in the room. Could you tell me about it? None of us have seen one before."
Roshynduv, "We'll i'm not sure if that's what it is ... mmmm." She shifted on the crutch a little. "What weapons do you have on you? Some daggers? Good. Put the daggers in the loops ... now, draw one and throw it into the sand over there. Don't worry. It should be fine."
-
Yoy'ya's comment about losing teamwork points took some of the air from Dounia's kite. "I thought we worked together really well. I hardly did anything that first challenge."
Yoy'ya, "Yes, I'm sorry, I mean your mark could have been better. You worked well together in the tiles room also. After the first challenge, you accomplished so much. It only paled in relation to your style and grit scores."
Zahra's eyes lit up at the mention of donations. "For next time, it may be good to get some healing elixirs to take the strain off Cairee. Saiph has been most gracious to us through Cairee but it would be nice to have some help."
"How do we arrange purchases? And as our patron, and as a spectator, do you have any other suggestions of what may be useful to have?"
Not nearly enough time had passed for Zahra to be extremely hungry but she desperately wanted to relax and maybe watch some of the other teams. But there was still some business to attend to. She asked Yoy'ya, "Do you know who we can talk to about getting something identified?"
She then pulled out the new key piece from her bag and handed it to Dounia, "I assume this fits the other pieces somehow?"
"What weapons do you have on you? Some daggers? Good. Put the daggers in the loops ... now, draw one and throw it into the sand over there. Don't worry. It should be fine."
Cairee watched with interest. She had been able to tell there was magic on the belt and was curious to see how it worked.
"For next time, it may be good to get some healing elixirs to take the strain off Cairee. Saiph has been most gracious to us through Cairee but it would be nice to have some help."
Cairee nodded seriously. She had never had to call upon Saiph for so much aid so quickly. It had been terrifying to know they were only part way through such a dangerous challenge with her healing capabilities almost completely tapped. "We should consider other elixirs as well. To slow poison, perhaps. And to understand languages." She thought back to the unreadable tiles - what were their purpose? She looked around at the Blackbirds. What else could they use? The challenges were only going to get harder. "Something to make us stronger? Or faster?"
”We should consider the challenges that still remain,” Tymythy chimed in. ”One door of riddles… not sure if any items would help us there. One arena of battle challenges… plenty of options there where magic might win the day,” he said, but with a frown – to win with one’s innate talents was so much more honorable than to prevail only by lending someone else’s strength. ”A door of visions… perhaps of meeting past tragedies, or clever illusions? And then the escutcheoned door, and whatever it hides behind. No clue what we would need to prepare for either of those.”
Yoy'ya, "Do you know what challenge you want to do next? Somehow the Sisters of the Silken Scroll picked the stone door lock but the lake isn't showing anything, as Tymythy suggested. The riddle challenge has a series of doors. Guess the riddle wrong and you have to face some incarnation of the answer, so, healing items or weapons or armour. The portcullis is a straight-up fight against four monsters, or four groups of monsters. From what we've been able to lace together, these are foes of Hallwyn's. creature who've tried to harm him and that have been imprisoned. The mirror challenge ... we've seen people go in, look into the mirrors and go mad. Some people close their eyes and make it through. Some find they have to look. Maybe you need some kind of mental fortitude enhancer, or something to restore your focus."
-
"What do you need identified?"
Zahra held out the small pouch.
Yoy'ya, "The writting looks to be old Valatudh."
Prem, "I can read that. One drawstring reads 'Blessing upon they who wander far'. The other reads, 'Leave one coin to honour Isisgiri who watches over the lost.'" Prem looked deep in thought. "Whatever you do, don't remove the last coin from the purse. The magic of the purse may depend upon it."
Yoy'ya, "Do you know what challenge you want to do next? Somehow the Sisters of the Silken Scroll picked the stone door lock but the lake isn't showing anything, as Tymythy suggested. The riddle challenge has a series of doors. Guess the riddle wrong and you have to face some incarnation of the answer, so, healing items or weapons or armour. The portcullis is a straight-up fight against four monsters, or four groups of monsters. From what we've been able to lace together, these are foes of Hallwyn's. creature who've tried to harm him and that have been imprisoned. The mirror challenge ... we've seen people go in, look into the mirrors and go mad. Some people close their eyes and make it through. Some find they have to look. Maybe you need some kind of mental fortitude enhancer, or something to restore your focus."
”The challenges kept getting harder, yes? In that case, I’d leave the riddles for last – their difficulty is subjective more than not, what is easy for one will be impossible for another. And the visions and mysteries, I can’t say… but the combat arena could certainly get harder in a fashion we simply cannot overcome, so I think it would be good to get that one over with soon.”
Prem, "I can read that. One drawstring reads 'Blessing upon they who wander far'. The other reads, 'Leave one coin to honour Isisgiri who watches over the lost.'" Prem looked deep in thought. "Whatever you do, don't remove the last coin from the purse. The magic of the purse may depend upon it."
Zahra looked impressed, "You can read old Valatudh? We should have had you in the room with all the words in different languages." She listened as he interpreted the writings and then she looked inside the bag. "I'll make sure to keep that copper coin in the bag. But I wonder what happens when you put coins into the bag." Her face fell, "Sadly, I have nothing to put inside to find out."
With the discussion of which challenge to do next, Zahra tended to agree with Tymythy. "It may be wise to choose the Portcullis door before the monsters get too hard for us. But we definitely need healing elixirs before we do."
Zahra looked impressed, "You can read old Valatudh? We should have had you in the room with all the words in different languages."
Prem smiled, "We couldn't see much of the tile symbols. Some were Valatudh? Do you remember what the valatudh looked like?"
-
”… but the combat arena could certainly get harder in a fashion we simply cannot overcome, so I think it would be good to get that one over with soon.”
Yoy'ya, "I agree. With Tymythy and Zahra. My guess is the creatures in the arena are old enemies of Hallwyn. They've wronged him in the past only to be captured, sentenced to live in his personal prison. If they win they get released. They're getting stronger, more vile, and more desperate to win.
"The competitors with the highest standing pick their next challenge first. There's a good chance you'll have your pick ... Perdition's Cavaliers have completed the Mirror challenge and the Riddle challenge. If they don't pick the arena then it may be yours. We just have to wait on the final scores for the day. You've already surpassed the Dwarven team."
Yoy'ya looked Cairee over, "If you're going into the arena next, perhaps Ms Featherfriend should get some level of protection. That weave of cloth is stiff ...", Yoy'ya reached out and felt Cairee's sleeve, "but it's not going to hold up against what will be trying to kill you all. Some of these creatures are very cunning. They'll go after your blessed-one."
Dounia put the belt on properly, snugging it around her waist. Then she took one of her daggers Ew! Need to clean that properly! and dropped it into one of the loops. Then she drew it and flung it at piece of wooden debris lying in the sand.
Disappointingly, she missed, and the dagger sank into the sand beside the wood. Sighing, Dounia stepped forward to retrieve her knife, when it suddenly vanished from its landing place!
"What?!" she started to exclaim, then she felt the belt suddenly get a bit heavier. She looked down, and her knife had returned to its loop. "Yes!" she cried with glee. Dropping her other two daggers into the loops, she drew them one after another, throwing them at the wood, and cackling when they reappeared at her waist, ready to be thrown again. "Amazing!"
***
Dounia scrutinized the scores, glancing back at the images above the lake, then back at the scores. "Dammit. We shouldn't have stopped to mend the paintings." Though she didn't say that too loud, as the others seemed united in their belief it was the right thing to do.
***
As the discussed what door to do next, Dounia shivered. She didn't like the sound of the portcullis door. "I don't want to do that one at all, but I guess next is better than later. I'll want better armour, though. The problem is most anything that's better than what I have will also slow me down. Unless it's really well-made, but that'll be expensive, especially here."
Dounia accepted the key part from Zahra, and tucked it away. As much as she wanted to piece them together now, she thought it prudent to wait until they were privately in their room.
Zahra's brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to recall the characters she had tried to remember.
Zahra thought that the valatudh word maybe sort of looked like an Aerthane capitol letter B somehow. That was all she could remember.
Zahra shook her head, "Sorry, that's the only specifics I remember. But I could tell you what we generally pieced together because we couldn't make sense of it. Maybe you can."
She went through what they had figured out. "'Of a time or when'. Then there was a 'snake or dragon'. Something meaning 'to take'. Then that Valatudh word, something in Sciolingua, something in Goblin, something that may mean to 'take again', something in Gnomish, and 'to have or possess weakness'. It was quite the puzzle."
... "'Of a time or when'. Then there was a 'snake or dragon'. Something meaning 'to take'. Then that Valatudh word, something in Sciolingua, something in Goblin, something that may mean to 'take again', something in Gnomish, and 'to have or possess weakness'. It was quite the puzzle." ...
As Zahra spoke Prem seemed to be listening more and more intently. He didn't seem to understand the valatudh word she was describing.
Prem, "That's strange. Your code is different from the others. The other teams had very random words but yours really seems to have meaning." He thought for a moment and his eyes darted around to see who was listening. He moved in close to Zahra but spoke in a whisper the other Blackbirds could hear, "Maybe keep this to yourself for now. When we watched you in the lake we couldn't see the 'code' and we could only catch part of the tiles. The other team's codes were easier to see. I have a good understanding of sciolingua. Do you remember anything about that word? Did you notice anything strange about the first challenge? Have you had any feeling like someone is ... reaching out to you?"
Prem thought for a little longer. "I think the scentence you have so far is more like, 'When a dragon takes something something, something takes something weakness. Do any of you remember any other details of 'the code'?"
Prem huffed at himself, "Bhaaa ... listen to me. I like words and puzzles and I look for riddles everywhere. I'm stirring a tempest in a teacup."
Yoy'ya, "No. Something isn't right. I can't put my finger on it.
"Be careful. If someone is trying to give you hints for the challenges you could be disqualified for cheating. Best to keep it quiet for now."
Prem thought for a little longer. "I think the scentence you have so far is more like, 'When a dragon takes something something, something takes something weakness. Do any of you remember any other details of 'the code'?"
”We do know of one ‘dragon’, and have some idea what he might want to ‘take’,” Tymythy murmured, giving Zahra a glance as he recalled a certain Warlock’s interest in the scale of Zahra’s blood-ancestor. ”Although if that has any bearing on the matter… I could not say. Still, I wouldn’t put it past out host to give us some information hidden as part of a challenge, assuming we were smart enough to piece things together. He might find it amusing, and if it would allow him to slap the wrist of a rival...”
The arena was a thrum of activity.
The lake showed a close-up of The Adherents in heated discussion but their voices were lowered, controlled, inaudible. The three black-robes spoke to each other with their bodies turned three-quarter towards the Don (or re-robe leader). It was easy to tell they were animated but not out of control. They still hadn't re-approached the door mechanism.
-
There was a second image in the lake showing the orcs finishing a fight with some giant stone ants. The team all looked badly wounded but their leader, the massive Batbayar, could barely stand. The group walk with mutual support to a set of double doors. The doors were a dusty rose sandstone with a deep relief sculpture of a sphinx on each door. The sphinx turn their heads towards the team and begin to speak in turns. Their voices were dusty and deep and seemed to be issuing from the lake itself.
The right sphinx, "I never was ..."
The left sphinx, "I always will ..."
The right sphinx, "No effort can achieve me ..."
The left sphinx, "No gold can buy me ..."
The right sphinx, "Everyone relies on me ..."
The left sphinx, "Though I give them nothing."
The orcs stopped to rest and bandage themselves as they thought the riddle over.
-
A third facet of the lake was as black as an unlit corridor.
-
A fourth facet showed the Steelheart Twins in a stone cavern or catacomb. The walls were layered dark grey brick that came to a repeating vaulted ceiling. Mar was kneeling and examining the floor and Arnie stood over her watchfully, but they were moving remarkably slowly.
Tymythy saw the magical display switch to the orcish team and stopped to watch – he felt a certain kinship with the straightforward warriors, and he had been wondering how they were faring in the challenge of riddles. And, considering their apparent wounds and exhaustion, the answer was, not very well.
”So… fail to answer the riddle and be punished?” he wondered aloud. ”I wonder how many of the challenges they answered with steel rather than words?”
The Blackbirds continued to go through the scoreboard and speak with Yoy'ya about tomorrow's choice. A priest of Deneb came back to the board and started tallying up scores for The Bonds of Gruumsh as people waited for that team to try the next door of their challenge.
People around the scoreboard raised bets with each other, watched the lake, and turned to the scoreboard alike they were watching an invisible tennis match with a three sided net.
A thick south desert accent, "They won't get the final riddle"
A gruff male voice, "They will. The eldest will get it! She got the riddle the night-elf spoke. She'll get this one."
"A thousand gold they won't!
"I take your bet and a thousand more it will be the elder!"
"I take your bet!"
An elderly woman, "I will take the bet also, but I think the youngest will solve the final riddle."
The south desert voice, "They will do what they did with most of the doors, try to force it and then guess at random."
-
A droll voice, "What is that Mar doing. Does she suppose she's tracking. Five thousand says she'll come through horribly scarred."
A young man's voice, "That's Mar! Those are the Steelheart Twins! They defeated an army of skeletons when they were children! Ummmn, I have five thousand. Just let me go get it."