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Fallout: Beyond Equestria, 97: Origin Story (Part 14)

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  1. [2014-08-13 13:01:28] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Up ahead, Shatara stops, staring at a sudden change in the flooring. The hall ahead has a multitude of holes in the floor. The wall decorations likewise change, a mossy green in color with reliefs of red-eyed monsters with curved fangs.
  2. [2014-08-13 13:01:38] <Mare-Do-Well> 3CopyCat approaches with a fanfare of /whup/ /whup/ /whup/ sounds as arrows fire from holes in the walls and bounce off her shield.
  3. [2014-08-13 13:01:45] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Shatara sighs and facetalons.
  4. [2014-08-13 13:01:51] <Mare-Do-Well> 3CopyCat smiles and claps her hooves together. She was good at this.
  5. [2014-08-13 13:01:58] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Goldy sighs. "Sharara, could y' fly me over this here minefield?"
  6. [2014-08-13 13:02:10] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright frowns. "Well, this is inconvenient!"
  7. [2014-08-13 13:02:14] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Shatara collects Goldy onto his back and attempts to convey her across the trapped area.
  8. [2014-08-13 13:02:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright suggests, "See if there's a way to turn these off. I can't believe the zebras would make a room like this with no way to turn off the traps."
  9. [2014-08-13 13:02:53] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Fallout: Beyond Equestria, Session Ninety-Seven: Origin Story (Part Fourteen) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSUQxGjZZ4
  10. [2014-08-13 13:03:01] <Mare-Do-Well> 3--- Session Begins ---
  11. [2014-08-13 13:06:51] * Noble_Heart taps her chin. "They might if they did not intend anyone to get inside. Or if there were another path not so obvious."
  12. [2014-08-13 13:07:51] * Bookwright "Do you think they allowed for pegasi?"
  13. [2014-08-13 13:08:45] <CopyCat> "What about talking hamster balls?" CopyCat calls from her bubble.
  14. [2014-08-13 13:10:02] * Bookwright "Eh, I'm not sure your shield could take a beating from every single trap in here..."
  15. [2014-08-13 13:10:19] * Golden_Dream lowers her eyelids a little. "If it were important that nopony get inside, you'd think that they'd just bury it in a bunch of concrete or somethin'."
  16. [2014-08-13 13:10:44] * Shatara ponders. "burried in concrete, it'
  17. [2014-08-13 13:11:11] <Shatara> ...'d just take longer to dig out. With an open inviting path filled with deadly traps, the intruder doesn't live to see it..."
  18. [2014-08-13 13:11:21] * Get_Lost taps her chin "well... this technology is a little... obsolete, to be detected with what i have here..."
  19. [2014-08-13 13:12:46] * Noble_Heart tilts her head to one side. "Maybe the particular shape of the building is itself important to its function? We have heard that the zebras utilized much in the way of geomancy in some of their creations, though We have never had a chance to study it."
  20. [2014-08-13 13:13:22] * CopyCat manages to activate a whole line of arrow traps. "Bingo!"
  21. [2014-08-13 13:14:23] * Bookwright "Maybe there's just a certain path you're supposed to take through this room? Everypony and griffin look around, see if anything stands out."
  22. [2014-08-13 13:14:50] * Get_Lost mutters "probably, some zebras are just too traditional to use miniguns...."
  23. [2014-08-13 13:15:28] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Shatara easily carries Get_Lost across the hall of floor-holes and through the doorway at the end to the room on the other side... which seems safe. The room beyond has two other doorways, multiple passages leading off.
  24. [2014-08-13 13:16:41] * Mare-Do-Well 3notes to Bookwright, "Well, at least from the outside, it does look like someone tried to bury a lot of it in molten lava."
  25. [2014-08-13 13:16:48] * Get_Lost notices just now that she is being carried around. "hey, thanks!"
  26. [2014-08-13 13:17:19] * Bookwright "I'm pretty sure the lava thing was an afterthought. Why would they install all these traps if they were just going to seal this thing in a lava flow?"
  27. [2014-08-13 13:17:30] * Noble_Heart steps up near to Bookwright and extends her shield. "We shall assist you." And she would at that, CopyCat helping Golden Dream and Shatara helping Get Lost, that just left her and Bookwright needing a way across.
  28. [2014-08-13 13:18:08] * Mare-Do-Well 3shakes her ghostly head. "Didn't the last Daring Do report say something about lava traps?"
  29. [2014-08-13 13:19:22] * Get_Lost "one thing is absolutely undeniable: lava traps are the worst to clean after they trigger"
  30. [2014-08-13 13:19:25] * Bookwright frowns. "I still think that this place was meant to be accessible. I mean, we walked right inside, remember?"
  31. [2014-08-13 13:19:53] * Shatara balks. "...lava traps...?"
  32. [2014-08-13 13:20:31] * Get_Lost "maybe there was a part where verypony, or zebra, could go... you know, some sort of worshipping place... but the most of the temple was off limit"
  33. [2014-08-13 13:20:52] * Bookwright "Remember how the outside of this place looked like it was smothered in mud, but was instead stone? Yeah. Lava trap.
  34. [2014-08-13 13:22:06] * Noble_Heart frowns. "Perhaps someone else attempted to raid this place in the past and simply weren't good enough to avoid setting off the trap?" She moves down the hallway with Bookwright.
  35. [2014-08-13 13:22:51] * Bookwright "That seems likely. But it also seems likely that the lava trap was single use, so I think we'll be okay."
  36. [2014-08-13 13:23:20] * Golden_Dream rolls her eyes. "So boobytrap the area around th' concrete." It was simple to her, why wouldn't it be simple to ancient zebras? She proceeded down the hall. "Why would they trap somethin' they'd want to go back to to th' point of blowin' it up this bad?"
  37. [2014-08-13 13:23:26] <Shatara> "...or maybe they thought they were badass enough to tank or dodge all the traps..."
  38. [2014-08-13 13:24:13] * Golden_Dream looks at Shatara. And then looks at Copycat. Oh fuck. That is literally what we are doing.
  39. [2014-08-13 13:24:43] * CopyCat ear flicks at Shatara. "I'm... a tank?"
  40. [2014-08-13 13:25:16] * Bookwright looks at CopyCat. "You seem to lack treads. And steel plating."
  41. [2014-08-13 13:25:17] * Shatara pats CopyCat. "Yes. Now be something sneakier before the enemy starts deploying anti-tank weaponry."
  42. [2014-08-13 13:25:35] * Noble_Heart contemplates a little. "Perhaps the place was of significance then, but whatever set off the traps that would destroy the building would make that significance not be significant any more?" She frowned slightly. "Zebra spirit-bindings require focal points, so perhaps it was set up to bury someone who would steal the focus in lava. The building would not be useful if they
  43. [2014-08-13 13:25:36] * Noble_Heart escaped with it, after all."
  44. [2014-08-13 13:25:45] * Bookwright "Also, I'm pretty sure that tanks weigh more than you do CopyCat."
  45. [2014-08-13 13:26:09] * Mare-Do-Well 3floats up to the wall and waves a hoof through one of the monkey-mask reliefs. "For all we know, this monkey-think is the ancient zebra god of traps."
  46. [2014-08-13 13:26:46] * Bookwright "Or a trickster spirit. Like Discord was."
  47. [2014-08-13 13:27:20] * CopyCat stares off into the middle distance... And then starts to make tank noises.
  48. [2014-08-13 13:27:23] * Mare-Do-Well 3droops in the air. "Like Discord. Yeah, that makes sense."
  49. [2014-08-13 13:27:34] * Shatara facetalons.
  50. [2014-08-13 13:28:24] * Get_Lost shrugs "i like discord... well, sort of... you know, he had the spirit of the innovator... always thinking out of the box..."
  51. [2014-08-13 13:29:56] * Mare-Do-Well 3stares at Get_Lost. "/Pinkie/ thought outside the box. /Discord/ thought the box should be transformed into rabid badgers."
  52. [2014-08-13 13:30:50] * Bookwright raises an eyebrow. "I think that's probably unfair."
  53. [2014-08-13 13:31:58] * Mare-Do-Well 3stares. "Yeah, you're right. Rabid, flying piranha-badgers."
  54. [2014-08-13 13:32:03] * Get_Lost nods "exactly: take them by surprise, there's nothing like a controlled environment if you really want to make some braktrough"
  55. [2014-08-13 13:32:39] * Get_Lost "testing never took anypony on the moon."
  56. [2014-08-13 13:32:52] * Shatara tilts head at Get_Lost. "I don't think 'controlled environment' means what you think it means..."
  57. [2014-08-13 13:33:32] * Noble_Heart sighs and shakes her head as she moves across the trapped ground and towards the inner room.
  58. [2014-08-13 13:33:33] * Mare-Do-Well 3asks, "Why would anypony /want/ to be banished to the moon?"
  59. [2014-08-13 13:33:35] * Golden_Dream is disturbed that they were talking about Discord while Copycat ran around making motor sounds with her mouth. Yeah, it just struck her now that things might be getting a little surreal.
  60. [2014-08-13 13:33:53] * Bookwright "I think it would be cool to visit the moon for a while."
  61. [2014-08-13 13:34:09] <Mare-Do-Well> 3>>KA-CHUNK!<<
  62. [2014-08-13 13:34:48] * Get_Lost "not be banished to the moon... FLY to the moon! you see- ah... did you hear that?"
  63. [2014-08-13 13:35:38] * CopyCat trundles. "Hey, do you think you could pick up chicks in a tank~whatwasthatnoise?"
  64. [2014-08-13 13:35:46] * Bookwright "Hey Noble Heart? Could you fly me to the moon? Take me out there, among the stars?"
  65. [2014-08-13 13:39:33] <Mare-Do-Well> 3A spike the size of a pony springs up out of the floor under Noble_Heart's hooves, spearing into her shield with enough force to lift it (and her) up off the ground.
  66. [2014-08-13 13:40:25] * Noble_Heart blinks at Bookwright's question, "We do not think-" She was cut off as her shield bubble was suddenly lifted towards the top of the tunnel, briefly held aloft on the spike before rolling forwards back down to the ground with a resounding 'whump'.
  67. [2014-08-13 13:40:50] * Bookwright "Ah, that looks unsafe."
  68. [2014-08-13 13:42:49] * Get_Lost "wow... prehistoric but effective... you know, this place has some vintage charm...."
  69. [2014-08-13 13:43:01] * Get_Lost "ah... noble, are you hurt?"
  70. [2014-08-13 13:43:05] * CopyCat frowns. "I don't think that's a very good way of getting to the moon."
  71. [2014-08-13 13:43:06] * Golden_Dream 's mouth is a little agape. "Yeah. Yeah, I reckon you're right, Bookie."
  72. [2014-08-13 13:44:41] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The slam of Noble_Heart's shield back down on the hallway floor is responded to almost immediately by another >>KA-CHUNK!<<
  73. [2014-08-13 13:46:55] * Noble_Heart wobbles her hooves a touch helplessly as the hallway proves just a bit too small for her to respond in time. Swiftly lifted again and continuing down the hall in the same fashion. This was going to be annoying. And likely bruising.
  74. [2014-08-13 13:49:55] * Golden_Dream creeps up to Noble Heart cautiously. "You doing alright?"
  75. [2014-08-13 13:53:02] <Mare-Do-Well> 3By the third >>KA-CHUNK!<<, Noble_Heart has caught on to the tiny delay between touching the floor and the response of the trap. The third spike spears into her shield behind her. With a gallop, she is able to cross the rest of the floor safely, leaving a path of floor-spikes behind her.
  76. [2014-08-13 13:54:45] * CopyCat claps. "Well done Noble_Heart!"
  77. [2014-08-13 13:55:03] * Noble_Heart makes the dash for the far end of the room and breathes a sigh of relief. "We should be fine. Our defenses are not so permeable as this place would like."
  78. [2014-08-13 13:55:09] * Bookwright "I would like to /not/ cross the room that way."
  79. [2014-08-13 13:57:04] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright's comment is interrupted by a loud rumble. There is a tremor in the room as the spikes begin to lower into the floor. At the same time, a heave stone slab begins to drop in the doorway at the far end of the hall, threatening to cut the rest of the party off from the room that Shatara, Golden_Dream and Noble_Heart are in.
  80. [2014-08-13 13:58:23] * Bookwright "Oh. Crap. Copycat, can you teleport us all to the rest of the group now, please?"
  81. [2014-08-13 14:00:47] * CopyCat stares at Bookwright. "Um, I c-can't I don't know how to do that... ahhh!" CopyCat grabs the nearest pony to her, Get_Lost, and runs for the closing door. "But I can do this. Quick, run!"
  82. [2014-08-13 14:01:27] * Get_Lost is grabbed and dragged, like a flag on a pole
  83. [2014-08-13 14:01:33] * Bookwright sighs. Teleports to the the rest of the group.
  84. [2014-08-13 14:01:53] * Golden_Dream frowns, panicking a bit. Oh fuck. Oh fuck! Oh fuck! I- Oh. Teleport. Her stomach kicked a little bit.
  85. [2014-08-13 14:05:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The heavy stone slab slams down, sealing the known way out.
  86. [2014-08-13 14:05:54] * Mare-Do-Well 3flies through the slab to join everyone. "That. Was. Cool!"
  87. [2014-08-13 14:05:58] * Get_Lost not having very much to do, does the only thing she can do in this situation "weeeeeeee!"
  88. [2014-08-13 14:06:22] * Get_Lost also, hooves up
  89. [2014-08-13 14:06:56] * Noble_Heart looks around the room where they had arrived. "That was uncomfortable."
  90. [2014-08-13 14:07:42] * CopyCat breathes a sigh of relief at having made it past the door and sets Get_Lost back down on the ground. "Sorry about that. I just... got scared and needed to hold onto something friendly."
  91. [2014-08-13 14:07:46] * Golden_Dream checks the wall. Shit. Shit! "What's our way out? What's our way out?" She started trying to control her breathing, she'd been panicking for a brief moment.
  92. [2014-08-13 14:08:22] * Get_Lost "ah.... o problem... i like being held..." takes a look around "so... let me guess... we're in the snake pit?"
  93. [2014-08-13 14:08:30] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The room is less adorned than the hallway, with three stone arches. The archway behind is sealed, but there are two on the opposite wall, one leading to steps going up, the other to steps going down.
  94. [2014-08-13 14:11:07] * Mare-Do-Well 3says, having read the Daring Do books enough to have an encyclopedic knowledge of them, "Well... maybe? The book that this temple didn't really describe things once Daring got to this room. Just, 'and then, a whole bunch more traps'." She looks at the doorways. "It also didn't mention two ways to go."
  95. [2014-08-13 14:11:31] <Mare-Do-Well> 3(that this temple was from)
  96. [2014-08-13 14:11:52] * Golden_Dream rubs her temples. Crap. Crap. Shit. Fuck. Fuck! "Okay, okay. We, um. We could go up. Or we could go down. I say we go up, up means-" Ahools sound mighty rabid right now. "Down. Down, I say we go down."
  97. [2014-08-13 14:13:40] * Mare-Do-Well 3is inclined to follow Golden_Dream because she's wearing Daring Do's hat.
  98. [2014-08-13 14:13:41] * Bookwright "If I were designing a temple, I would put the important things in the top, and the dangerous and powerful things in the bottom."
  99. [2014-08-13 14:14:20] * Noble_Heart frowns and looks around at the surroundings briefly. "It is unlikely that going up -or- down will lead to an exit. The lava flows covered the exterior thoroughly it seemed. Though it may be possible to teleport out of the temple, if it comes to that."
  100. [2014-08-13 14:14:35] -->| Julia ([email protected]) has joined #FalloutEquestriaPnP
  101. [2014-08-13 14:15:41] * Golden_Dream frowns. "If I were designing a temple, I'd want to avoid having a shit ton of bat monkeys around trying t' eat yer bits in case we do find a way out. They'd probably put the hard stuff down underground because that's where it's safest!"
  102. [2014-08-13 14:15:55] * Get_Lost "i'm no expert in this field, but... sholdn't we at least try to find a way to identify the traps?"
  103. [2014-08-13 14:17:24] * Bookwright shrugs. "They're almost entirely mechanical. I'm sure I could identify magically triggered or magical components of traps, maybe even ones made with shamanistic components. But regular mechanical traps? Not a clue. Just watch your step."
  104. [2014-08-13 14:17:30] * Mare-Do-Well 3remembers. "Oh yeah. Daring Do set off a lava trap in the book. She escaped out the hole in the top of the temple... but that way out will be solid rock now."
  105. [2014-08-13 14:18:47] * CopyCat smiles. "Then let's get down!"
  106. [2014-08-13 14:19:23] * Golden_Dream frowns. "No way out from th' top, and anything o' worth up there woulda been taken by Daring Do anyways." She rubs her neck. "Vote goes fer' down."
  107. [2014-08-13 14:20:02] * Bookwright "Down it is then."
  108. [2014-08-13 14:20:46] * Shatara shrugs. "There's always the mark-1 eyeball."
  109. [2014-08-13 14:21:10] * Get_Lost ponders "mechanicals, you say... you can do gears and levers with rock and woos.... so, probably no mtale detection will be possible... if well built, there won't be large empty spaces..."
  110. [2014-08-13 14:21:44] * Get_Lost turns towards shatara when he mention using eyes. her visor not really expressive "i hope it works..."
  111. [2014-08-13 14:21:51] * Bookwright "Uh, I think Get Lost technically has a 'Mark Two" eyeball."
  112. [2014-08-13 14:23:52] * Get_Lost "anyway, if they were smart, we are in trouble, so... who's leading?"
  113. [2014-08-13 14:25:38] * Noble_Heart sighs quietly and moves forward. "We shall brave the unknown." She heads towards the route down.
  114. [2014-08-13 14:26:36] * Get_Lost takes a look around
  115. [2014-08-13 14:26:58] * Golden_Dream follows behind Noble. Seeing her like this reminded her of the Baobab tree. And that just kinda twisted her up inside. "Noble, can I have a word with y' when this is done?"
  116. [2014-08-13 14:27:35] * Bookwright "Well, I'm pretty good at spotting details. I guess I could lead and look for traps at the same time."
  117. [2014-08-13 14:29:31] * Noble_Heart blinks in some confusion at Golden Dream's request, looking back towards the smaller pony. "Is there something you do not wish to discuss here?"
  118. [2014-08-13 14:31:19] <Mare-Do-Well> 3There is a >klunk< from somewhere above. A moment later, a scything blade drops and swings, aimed at Noble_Heart!
  119. [2014-08-13 14:34:35] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Noble_Heart's shield takes the blow.
  120. [2014-08-13 14:34:41] * Noble_Heart looks up just in time for her to see the swinging scythe ram into her shield and get caught in mid air. She blinks a moment and breathes a sigh of relief. "We are glad it is Us who is going first."
  121. [2014-08-13 14:35:27] * Get_Lost looks for the trap's trigger
  122. [2014-08-13 14:35:28] * Mare-Do-Well 3cringes. "For once, I'm glad I'm dead." She thinks. "Hey, maybe /I/ should scout ahead?"
  123. [2014-08-13 14:36:04] * Bookwright "How good are you at spotting traps?"
  124. [2014-08-13 14:36:12] * CopyCat frowns at Mare-Do-Well. "That sounds far too sensible."
  125. [2014-08-13 14:40:52] * Noble_Heart spreads her wings part way in a bit of a shrug. "It might be for the best."
  126. [2014-08-13 14:42:29] * Bookwright steps forward. "How about I go first? I've got the sharpest eyes here." He begins to walk forward slowly, searching for traps.
  127. [2014-08-13 14:42:46] * Shatara follows close.
  128. [2014-08-13 14:47:04] * Mare-Do-Well 3zips ahead, vanishing into the darkness.
  129. [2014-08-13 14:51:09] * Golden_Dream winces when the scythe comes down, frowning deeply afterwards. "Yeah. Yeah, there is." She began to grind her teeth. What if she's wrong in asking what she has to ask? She's been burned once before, it's hard to believe she'd have any desire to go back to what hurt her so bad. "I- Mean, if you want."
  130. [2014-08-13 14:51:49] * Mare-Do-Well 3returns a few moments later. "Spotted another scythe trap up ahead. And then there's a thing."
  131. [2014-08-13 14:52:11] <Shatara> "A thing? Is it at the place?"
  132. [2014-08-13 14:52:50] * Mare-Do-Well 3nods affirmatively.
  133. [2014-08-13 14:53:40] * Bookwright "Describe this 'thing', please. Use adjectives."
  134. [2014-08-13 14:53:57] * Mare-Do-Well 3guides the group to the next trap. Along the way, you pass some empty military crates and an abandoned, empty lantern.
  135. [2014-08-13 14:54:15] * Golden_Dream brought her lower lip up in a pout. "Yeah, it's..." She looks at the lantern. "Is this it?"
  136. [2014-08-13 14:54:38] * Mare-Do-Well 3offers "About this big" as she stretches out her hooves. "And ugly."
  137. [2014-08-13 14:55:10] * Mare-Do-Well 3shakes her head. "Here's the trap," she points.
  138. [2014-08-13 14:56:04] * Get_Lost oh i know! it's a beholder! has an anti magic field in his front eye and from eight to twlve other small eyes on her head. every eye does a different thing, none of them are nice things. also, it's a floating ball with no legs and a looooot of teeths
  139. [2014-08-13 14:56:37] * Shatara sighs. "Just what we need. Big-mouthed floaty thingys."
  140. [2014-08-13 14:57:18] * Noble_Heart frowns and looks down the hallway further. "What's a thing in this context? There are a great many things in this temple it seems."
  141. [2014-08-13 14:57:59] * Golden_Dream frowns. Ugly things tended not to be very friendly things. Even Herald, sweet thing that he was, seemed to be rather distant. She checked the crates and avoided the trap. Maybe there was some sort of hint in them.
  142. [2014-08-13 15:00:39] * Bookwright "Okay... 'big' and 'ugly' are kind of generic..."
  143. [2014-08-13 15:02:30] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Golden_Dream searches in and around the empty crates. She finds a small device that resembles the recorders from Luna's school, only more compact, with a single module that uses rotating disks.
  144. [2014-08-13 15:05:53] * Get_Lost starts working her mojo on the stone traps. is not the reason she wanyted to become a mechanical mare but hey, it's still her job
  145. [2014-08-13 15:06:43] * Shatara watches Get_Lost disarm the trap, and most definitely not her hindquarters.
  146. [2014-08-13 15:06:44] * Golden_Dream swiftly picks it up. It's a better recorder. Some sort of disk assembly? "Noble, or Shatara, come over here and tell me what th' heck this thing is before I break it tryin' t' get it t' work." Hey, she was honest with her flaws. She knew she was trash around this fancy technological stuff.
  147. [2014-08-13 15:06:47] * Mare-Do-Well 3frowns, trying to find a way to describe it. Finally, "There was this one time that Pinkie did this weird thing with her mane that let her dig through the ground. It's like that."
  148. [2014-08-13 15:07:39] * Get_Lost "a moletank? a carrion worm? a bulette?"
  149. [2014-08-13 15:07:57] <Shatara> "mane-diggy thing? At least its not a big mouth floatythingy..."
  150. [2014-08-13 15:08:09] * Golden_Dream ponders that. "So, like, it has a mane that it drills stuff with." She starts loading Dragon's Breath rounds. "I'm guessin' if it got a mane, it burns well."
  151. [2014-08-13 15:09:06] * Golden_Dream looks uncomfortable. She figured she should give them some warning. "Hey, y' might wanna cover up ya'lls noses. Burnt hair smells nasty."
  152. [2014-08-13 15:09:08] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Zebras were renowned for being a hoof up on ponies, technology-wise. The little single-module recorder seems to speak truth to that.
  153. [2014-08-13 15:09:43] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Get_Lost expertly disarms the scythe trap so everyone can go forward and see the "thing" in person. Yay?
  154. [2014-08-13 15:11:07] * Bookwright "I like things. But I sure wish you could describe it better..."
  155. [2014-08-13 15:11:16] * Get_Lost is a stranger pony in a stranger land. this means she's a tourist. tourists always stick their noses where they shouldn't. trotsat the ugly thing show hoping that there's no additional fee to ride the thing
  156. [2014-08-13 15:14:01] <Get_Lost> *trots towards the ugly...
  157. [2014-08-13 15:17:01] * CopyCat bounces along.
  158. [2014-08-13 15:17:18] * Bookwright does not bounce. He walks.
  159. [2014-08-13 15:17:29] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Ahead is a doorway. The huge stone slab that had come down and sealed the doorway was in rubble. The room beyond had apparently been subject to the lava trap, and had been largely filled with stone. Most of the stone was broken apart, excavated to the hallway on the far end of the room.
  160. [2014-08-13 15:18:43] * Get_Lost "good news is: the trap in this place probably isn't set on auto reload"
  161. [2014-08-13 15:19:08] * Noble_Heart blinks and looks at the strange excavation.
  162. [2014-08-13 15:19:28] * Shatara ulps at the tunnel.
  163. [2014-08-13 15:19:43] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Amongst the piles of stone in that hallway is the broken form of a zebra quarry golem -- the size of an alicorn, roughly pony-shaped, with two extra limbs and a head with a rock-burrowing drill for a mane. This golem seems to have wrecked itself with the effort of the excavation.
  164. [2014-08-13 15:20:39] * Bookwright "That is indeed a 'thing', Rainbow Dash. I wonder why it's broken down though? Surely they didn't just let the thing run automatically?"
  165. [2014-08-13 15:20:40] <Mare-Do-Well> 3A keen eye can spot where the gems were removed from their settings to be used to forge another golem.
  166. [2014-08-13 15:21:23] * Get_Lost "hey, shatara, do you think we could attach a giant drill under the wagon? i mean, leaving a moletank here would be a waste...."
  167. [2014-08-13 15:21:57] * Mare-Do-Well 3nods. See? Her description was perfect!
  168. [2014-08-13 15:22:01] * Get_Lost "oh wait it's not a moletank..."
  169. [2014-08-13 15:22:35] * Shatara hmms. "Well, there's not much to drill through in the sky, but I don't see how it could hurt..."
  170. [2014-08-13 15:22:47] * Bookwright "It's some kind of excavation device, surely. Basalt isn't that tough a stone though. Perhaps it broke down from misuse?"
  171. [2014-08-13 15:23:18] * Golden_Dream realizes that there's going to be no help on the disk right now. She puts it away for safe keeping. She arrives at the golems and is significantly creeped out by them. She didn't know why, but she blamed a porcelain doll that her mother used to own.
  172. [2014-08-13 15:23:19] * Get_Lost "maybe next time we will need to dig.... is this stone drill recoverable? what do you think?"
  173. [2014-08-13 15:24:02] * CopyCat thrusts one hoof high in the air. "It'll be the drill that will pierce the heavens!"
  174. [2014-08-13 15:24:27] * Noble_Heart blinks and looks at the remains of the golem, then to the excavation. "It seems strange. They must have been in a great hurry over-taxing their equipment."
  175. [2014-08-13 15:24:55] * Golden_Dream seemed worried about Copycat. "How th' heck are we supposed t' drill th' sky?"
  176. [2014-08-13 15:25:25] * Bookwright "I can understand running your machinery to destruction because you're in a great hurry, and I can understand recycling the gems. But what interrupted them coming back? The end of the war do you suppose?
  177. [2014-08-13 15:25:56] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The drill seems to have taken the worst damage, having worn down and eventually cracked. The golem seems to have been stripped and abandoned once it could no longer drill.
  178. [2014-08-13 15:26:00] * Noble_Heart taps her chin. "That would seem likely. Daring Do's records seem to indicate it must have been very late in the war when all this was happening."
  179. [2014-08-13 15:27:30] * Bookwright "I wonder if there was any late war zebra research on personal powered armor...? Maybe not as small as the stuff the Steel Rangers are using, but why not wearable robotic suits? They certainly had experience building equine-shaped machines."
  180. [2014-08-13 15:27:40] * CopyCat shrugs at Golden_Dream. "Then we can use it to fight the power. Whichever comes first."
  181. [2014-08-13 15:28:23] * Get_Lost would like some really bad taste sunglasses now....
  182. [2014-08-13 15:28:49] * Golden_Dream gives Copycat the blankest of looks. "You know, y' say stuff like this, and then I'm not sure I wanna go where your mind goes sometimes."
  183. [2014-08-13 15:29:15] * Shatara nods. "Fighting the power is good."
  184. [2014-08-13 15:29:35] * Get_Lost "you see, goldie? you are still interested in the wrong end of ponies..." sigs and patpats copy on the cutiemark
  185. [2014-08-13 15:30:56] * Noble_Heart tilts her head to one side and contemplates that. "Perhaps they could not get the interface to work right? The nature of their animation technologies may not have leant itself easily to the creation of such armor, either. They deal heavily with spirits, perhaps part of the secret of how these machines were animated was to bind a self-willed spirit to a task to create an
  186. [2014-08-13 15:30:57] * Noble_Heart artificial weapon." She shook her head. "We can only speculate."
  187. [2014-08-13 15:36:07] * Golden_Dream churns that thought around in her mouth. "Sorry, Copycat." She moved onto Noble's thing and then looks at the suits. "They look weird." She looks around and then perks up. "Noble. Try t' figure out how this thing works!" She said, pulling out the odd disc device.
  188. [2014-08-13 15:36:39] * Get_Lost "i think this thing is as technologiac as a rock farm can be... probably they did some zebra mumbo jumbo, stuck some more stones into the thing and gave it orders"
  189. [2014-08-13 15:36:52] * CopyCat whinnies at the unexpected touch, and then mutters something about doing the impossible.
  190. [2014-08-13 15:37:04] * Get_Lost "a little like you would with a zombie, or a very simple robot"
  191. [2014-08-13 15:40:55] * Bookwright "Or a zobot? Rombie? Hmm, suddenly I crave backed snacks in the shape of bones."
  192. [2014-08-13 15:41:01] * Noble_Heart tilts her head and looks down at the disk, taking a few moments to try and decide how it functioned before she would attempt to interact with it directly.
  193. [2014-08-13 15:43:25] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The device is fairly simple, and with the right hoof-tap or telekinetic push to the right switch, the voice of a zebra mare starts talking from a speaker in the back of the device. Her words are fluent zebra.
  194. [2014-08-13 15:44:44] * Bookwright suddenly imagines CopyCat playing Connect Four.
  195. [2014-08-13 15:46:30] * CopyCat suddenly looks for board games.
  196. [2014-08-13 15:46:56] * Noble_Heart frowns. "Does anyone speak zebra?"
  197. [2014-08-13 15:47:04] * Bookwright points at Get_Lost's robot.
  198. [2014-08-13 15:47:29] * Golden_Dream scruffs her mane. "I can prolly make you some chicken bones candies when we get back." She considers. "Although, you gotta show me where I can get nougat."
  199. [2014-08-13 15:47:39] * Get_Lost there's a hole of the shape of a robot at the moment
  200. [2014-08-13 15:49:03] * Get_Lost "uhm... do you remember when i sent parlay outside to check the signals? i think she's still there and now there's some very heavy stone slab between me and her..."
  201. [2014-08-13 15:50:01] * Golden_Dream frowns, then bites her lip. Galdurn it! "Well, fuck. Now we might as well be listening t' moonspeak." She looks around for any tunnel or way out that wasn't back where they came from.
  202. [2014-08-13 15:50:31] * Bookwright "Well, we can play it again later. Assuming we don't lose it or something."
  203. [2014-08-13 15:52:35] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The hallyway beyond, while full of stone rubble, can be navigated. It looks like it goes downward, deeper into the temple.
  204. [2014-08-13 15:53:18] * Bookwright steps into the hallway beyond, picking his way carefully through the rubble and keeping an eye out for traps.
  205. [2014-08-13 15:54:05] * Shatara moves with Bookwright.
  206. [2014-08-13 15:54:11] * Noble_Heart follows along behind.
  207. [2014-08-13 15:56:16] * Golden_Dream continues to listen to the voice of the zebra. This must be what it's like to not see ghosts, she thought.
  208. [2014-08-13 15:57:52] * Get_Lost follows shatara, keeping an eye for any possible trap
  209. [2014-08-13 16:08:49] <Mare-Do-Well> 3There are two side rooms that open off of the hallway beyond. And then a room at the far end. Again, the room at the far end had a slab sealing it which has been drilled and broken apart.
  210. [2014-08-13 16:09:59] * Golden_Dream opens the closest side room door and then immediately hides behind the wall.
  211. [2014-08-13 16:10:28] * Bookwright peers into the room, wondering why Golden_Dream is hiding.
  212. [2014-08-13 16:14:31] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The first side room is covered in even more zebra glyphs, and has a stone table... or possibly an alter... and a number of ancient zebra tools.
  213. [2014-08-13 16:15:29] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright spots the trap build into the doorway easily.
  214. [2014-08-13 16:16:37] <Mare-Do-Well> 3A guillotine built into the frame... lovely
  215. [2014-08-13 16:16:52] * Bookwright "Oh, that's... kind of clever. And evil."
  216. [2014-08-13 16:17:28] * Noble_Heart looks up at the top of the frame. "Only the penetent mare may pass."
  217. [2014-08-13 16:18:13] * Bookwright attempts to disable the trap from outside the doorway.
  218. [2014-08-13 16:19:12] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright is successful.
  219. [2014-08-13 16:19:41] * Bookwright steps into the room, checking carefully for more traps and hoping there aren't any.
  220. [2014-08-13 16:21:12] * CopyCat bows her head in penitence.
  221. [2014-08-13 16:21:24] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright finds no additional traps.
  222. [2014-08-13 16:22:13] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The tools are of archeological and historical interest, the glyphs are indecipherable, and nothing else in the room seems dangerous or noteworthy.
  223. [2014-08-13 16:22:33] * Bookwright "All this stuff belongs in a museum."
  224. [2014-08-13 16:22:35] * Golden_Dream will eventually slide her face out and into the frame, looking up. "See? This is why I'm cautious."
  225. [2014-08-13 16:24:51] * Bookwright "Man, I wish I had enough space to take all these tools with me. And I wish I could decipher these glyphs."
  226. [2014-08-13 16:26:38] * Golden_Dream moves to the other side room and, with moment of steeling spent in a deep breath, quickly swung open the door.
  227. [2014-08-13 16:26:54] * Golden_Dream then hides behind the frame again.
  228. [2014-08-13 16:27:54] * Bookwright gets out some tough paper and charcoal to make rubbings of some of the more interesting glyphs.
  229. [2014-08-13 16:29:42] * Golden_Dream , upon realizing that it didn't explode, took a step back and looked inside the room from a safe distance.
  230. [2014-08-13 16:33:16] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The next room is full of huge gears and levers made from petrified wood.
  231. [2014-08-13 16:33:40] * CopyCat steps up behind Golden_Dream and also peers inside. "Ooo, geary."
  232. [2014-08-13 16:34:51] * Bookwright imagines CopyCat as a bowl of ice cream.
  233. [2014-08-13 16:35:43] * Golden_Dream let a deep sigh out, then began moving towards the far room. Right. One more time. Quick open, then duck away behind the frame, then back off, peek, then go back and look.
  234. [2014-08-13 16:36:56] * CopyCat looks at Bookwright strangely. "I don't think that's where you're supposed to put the chocolate flake..."
  235. [2014-08-13 16:37:31] * Bookwright further imagines CopyCat-icecream being drizzled in chocolate syrup.
  236. [2014-08-13 16:39:17] * Shatara blinkblinkwats
  237. [2014-08-13 16:40:56] * Bookwright imagines Shatara eating this bowl of CopyCat ice cream.
  238. [2014-08-13 16:40:59] * CopyCat grabs Shatara. "Help! Rubbing those glyphs is making Bookwright go strange. Now he's imagining me being covered in chocolate syrup!"
  239. [2014-08-13 16:41:14] * Bookwright giggles to himself.
  240. [2014-08-13 16:41:25] * Shatara is now imagining CopyCat covered in tasty, tasty chocolate syrup...
  241. [2014-08-13 16:42:03] * CopyCat gasps. "You too?! It's spreading, ahhh!"
  242. [2014-08-13 16:43:59] * Noble_Heart peers at Bookwright and CopyCat in some confusion, before sighing and moving after Golden Dream.
  243. [2014-08-13 16:45:34] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The far room appears to open into a rather major chamber. The door leads to a stone balcony, overlooking what appears to have been a large ritual or worship theater below. The room below the balcony was filled with lava, but has been crudely excavated. Another ruined zebra quarry golem lies amongst the rubble.
  244. [2014-08-13 16:46:15] <Mare-Do-Well> 3On the far end of the chamber is a circular tunnel opening.
  245. [2014-08-13 16:47:42] * Bookwright finishes rubbing things and peers into this second room with the others.
  246. [2014-08-13 16:48:15] * CopyCat ruffles her feathers. "I feel all sticky..."
  247. [2014-08-13 16:48:34] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Shatara stares at the gears and levers for a while (from the safety of the hall)... and determins that this room actually controls a lot of the traps and doors. The heavy gears are parts of the mechanisms used to reset the floor trap above, and control the doors.
  248. [2014-08-13 16:49:14] * Bookwright playfully imagines the floor is lava, before remembering that the floor is literally lava. Solid, but still.
  249. [2014-08-13 16:49:49] <Mare-Do-Well> 3In the far room, the excavated area holds the remains of a small zebra encampment -- a few straw mats, more crates, and a terminal.
  250. [2014-08-13 16:50:03] * Shatara oohs. "I think this room controls the traps...should we try to disable them? Do you think anything nasty was following us in...?"
  251. [2014-08-13 16:51:12] * Bookwright steps carefully into the room.
  252. [2014-08-13 16:52:31] * Noble_Heart taps her chin. "They may be keeping the Ahools out..."
  253. [2014-08-13 16:52:44] * Golden_Dream points out the terminal to Noble_Heart. "Hey, I betcha you could do somethin' with that."
  254. [2014-08-13 16:53:15] * Golden_Dream calls back to Shatara. "Go fer it, I think that th' airship's been following us."
  255. [2014-08-13 16:53:40] * Shatara blinks. "So uh...is that a yes or a no" 6_9
  256. [2014-08-13 16:53:42] * Noble_Heart heads up after Golden Dream. "We can try, at least."
  257. [2014-08-13 16:57:14] * CopyCat starts to preen. "Do any of those things control a shower?"
  258. [2014-08-13 16:57:44] * Shatara turns to CopyCat. "Maybe an acid shower. Or lava."
  259. [2014-08-13 16:58:20] * Golden_Dream exhales. "Reset the traps, Shatara. Worst comes t' worst, we can go back t' th' room and unset them."
  260. [2014-08-13 17:02:08] * Bookwright imagines CopyCat as sparkly ultraclean.
  261. [2014-08-13 17:08:17] * Bookwright realizes he has a lot of power in his hooves over CopyCat. Reaffirms himself that he will never use it for evil.
  262. [2014-08-13 17:08:20] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright notices the trap build into the doorframe of the gear room. The tiny holes look like they might shoot poison needles or something similar. The only clear way to disarm it is to cover all the little holes. (For on the top, four on the left, four on the right.)
  263. [2014-08-13 17:08:38] * Shatara gets to work making sure the traps, at least the ones behind, have reset. He hopes they won't have to go back that way in too much of a hurry...
  264. [2014-08-13 17:08:46] * CopyCat arranges wings and mane immaculately, before settling down.
  265. [2014-08-13 17:09:51] <Mare-Do-Well> 3However, when Shatara crosses through the door, there is a limp /pfwp/ and nothing happens.
  266. [2014-08-13 17:10:32] * Bookwright frowns. "This trap will be more difficult to disable. Although it seems it might not need to be. Shatara? Did anything hit you as you crossed that threshold just now?
  267. [2014-08-13 17:11:00] * Bookwright "I suppose it would be ineffectual, if there were zebras camped out in here."
  268. [2014-08-13 17:11:26] <Shatara> "I...don't think?"
  269. [2014-08-13 17:14:10] <Mare-Do-Well> 3From inside the room, Shatara can see the trap mechanism built into the wall. It was an alchemical or poison spray trap, but it looks like the liquid it was supposed to spray dried up... probably millennia ago.
  270. [2014-08-13 17:14:45] <Shatara> "...Found the shower!"
  271. [2014-08-13 17:16:49] * Bookwright imagines CopyCat as the most perfectly nice mint green alicorn ever. In other words... Herself."
  272. [2014-08-13 17:17:10] * Bookwright ew. That's gross. Hanging quotation marks. He plucks it up and throws it away.
  273. [2014-08-13 17:18:00] * CopyCat tilts her head. The shower seemed to be broken. "Thank you, Shatara. It's the thought that counts."
  274. [2014-08-13 17:27:36] <Mare-Do-Well> 3As far as Golden_Dream can tell, the excavation effort ended here. It doesn't look like there is anything amazing left to scavenge. But that terminal might hold secrets.
  275. [2014-08-13 17:28:15] * Golden_Dream frowns, and then peeks under Noble_Heart's legs to see the terminal.
  276. [2014-08-13 17:28:25] * Noble_Heart has continued her interest in the terminal, attempting to break into it.
  277. [2014-08-13 17:28:27] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Noble_Heart hacks into the terminal. It's not a Stable-Tec terminal, showing signs of degradation, and is relying on an external power source -- an array of chemical batteries in one of the crates -- that is nearly depleted. But she is able to bring up a fair amount of uncorrupted information.
  278. [2014-08-13 17:31:01] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The terminal has several available commands, although most are corrupted. And of the available commands, two indicate that the subsystems they are supposed to operate "cannot be found"... one is the security subsystem and the other was a subsystem for controlling the golems.
  279. [2014-08-13 17:32:50] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Noble_Heart is able to bring up a fragment of the last log, and discovers links to other terminals on a local dedicated network. One of those terminals, apparently, was the one in the missile truck. There are half a dozen others that are reading as still active.
  280. [2014-08-13 17:33:41] * Noble_Heart frowns slightly. "It would seem that there are quite a few terminals still working in this valley..."
  281. [2014-08-13 17:34:03] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The log is, of course, in zebra. As is everything else, although Noble_Heart's familiarity with terminals allows her to get the general idea of functionality.
  282. [2014-08-13 17:36:52] * Golden_Dream rolls her eyes and attempts to get the message onto her pipbuck. Maybe she can put it on there for later.
  283. [2014-08-13 17:46:14] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Golden_Dream can download the message, but will likely need Parlay to translate it.
  284. [2014-08-13 17:48:11] * Shatara grabs a copy too because why not
  285. [2014-08-13 17:48:15] <Golden_Dream> ACTION takes off her helmet and runs her hoof through her mane. Fuck. They were stuck. She wondered if she could go back to up the stairs or fix one of the golems or investigate them somehow. Of course, she didn't know how to make anything out of them. She was just some dusty pony that wouldn't know how to be a civilized pony if her life depended on it. She blinked that bit of self-doubt out of her head. "Right, fuck, right. I think
  286. [2014-08-13 17:49:55] <Mare-Do-Well> 3With the gear room under his control, Shatara can reset the traps... or disable them. He can raise the slab that's trapped them, allowing everyone to go out the way they came in... this time, without traps. There doesn't seem to be much more to find in the temple, although Golden_Dream has spotted a small, circular tunnel that could be investigated.
  287. [2014-08-13 17:50:47] * Golden_Dream blinks. She noticed that tunnel. "I'm... Gonna check this tunnel out. There's prolly nothin' there."
  288. [2014-08-13 17:51:08] * Bookwright falls in behind Golden_Dream.
  289. [2014-08-13 17:51:17] * Golden_Dream girds herself, then squeezes into the small tunnel.
  290. [2014-08-13 17:51:47] * Shatara doubts could fit in the tunnel, so flops by CopyCat while the others figure out what next.
  291. [2014-08-13 17:52:18] * CopyCat shakes her head. "I do not think I'll be able to fit either."
  292. [2014-08-13 17:53:10] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The tunnel is barely large enough for Golden_Dream, and she could easily get herself good and trapped in here. But the tunnel is free of booby-traps... and anything else. Just smoothly-polished stone. After a little bit, she reaches a "Y" junction.
  293. [2014-08-13 17:55:36] * Golden_Dream grabs the stone and tries to crawl backwards. "Hey, I found somethin'. Gimme a moment, there's a fork in th' tunnel and I think it'd be best if I could tie some rope to my leg so that I could get pulled out if I needed it."
  294. [2014-08-13 17:59:12] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Bookwright's couatl curls about him and watches.
  295. [2014-08-13 18:00:02] * Bookwright "Hey, Scales? I bet you would fit in that smooth stone tunnel."
  296. [2014-08-13 18:00:41] <Mare-Do-Well> 3The coutl nods. With much room to spare.
  297. [2014-08-13 18:00:51] * Shatara idly preens a wing. Possibly even his own.
  298. [2014-08-13 18:01:23] * Noble_Heart blinks and frowns, "We are uncertain if it would be a good idea to go so deep that you might get stuck. Pulling you out might prove harmful, or impossible..."
  299. [2014-08-13 18:03:39] * Golden_Dream becomes rather close to Scales while attempting to get out of the tunnel. "Ah, don't worry 'bout me. I'm used t' crawlin' in tiny spaces like this. Momma'd always have me look behind washin' machines or in wells down in th' places we'd loot."
  300. [2014-08-13 18:04:00] * Golden_Dream takes a good look at the polished stone. "Hey, wuzzis?"
  301. [2014-08-13 18:05:27] * Noble_Heart looks down at the stone curiously.
  302. [2014-08-13 18:05:49] * Bookwright "I suppose if you wanted to go in there and see what's what I couldn't stop you. Um. I have a telepathy spell. If it's alright with you Scales, I'll cast it on you and we can share the experience of exploring these stone tunnels."
  303. [2014-08-13 18:06:12] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Scales looks at Bookwright curiously.
  304. [2014-08-13 18:06:48] * Bookwright "This is hard to explain with words. Um. I'm going to do something, and then we'll be able to communicate with each other with our minds."
  305. [2014-08-13 18:07:34] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Noble_Heart remembers a passage from Daring Do's latest log:
  306. [2014-08-13 18:08:39] <Mare-Do-Well> 3> Interesting note: there’s a whole network of tunnels under the Tenochtitlan Basin that run up to the volcanic mountains of the dragons to the southeast. Whoever created these temples were engineering marvels, and used those tunnels to create heated bathing pools, steam-powered stone elevators and the occasional lava-traps.
  307. [2014-08-13 18:08:48] <Mare-Do-Well> 3> Also worth noting, the folk who built these places had a fetish for traps. Seriously. They’re not quite as over-the-top as in my books – artistic license – but they were still nuts.
  308. [2014-08-13 18:10:07] * Noble_Heart taps her chin. "This must be where the lava that filled this temple flowed in from. IT is likely that those tunnels go a very long distance and would be impossible to follow safely."
  309. [2014-08-13 18:11:36] * Bookwright frowns. "Oh. Okay." He focuses his magic for a moment, and then releases a spell.
  310. [2014-08-13 18:11:58] * Golden_Dream taps the polished smooth stone. "That still don't answer what this here thing is."
  311. [2014-08-13 18:12:10] * Bookwright <Hullo, Scales. This is what I was talking about."
  312. [2014-08-13 18:12:31] <Bookwright> >
  313. [2014-08-13 18:13:35] <Mare-Do-Well> 3Scales thinks: { Fascinating. }
  314. [2014-08-13 18:14:11] <Mare-Do-Well> 3--- End of Session ---
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