Return of the Monster Masters (IC)

[Mark3000]

Trial 1: The Dungeon of Lady Chordeva

History is a long and fickle mistress. As time flows, new records are found and lost while tall-tales and rumors remain. As is the case with the aforementioned dungeons. Tales of Lady Chordeva trace as far back as 900 years ago linking her the fall of some unknown empire. Many historical records mention a powerful witch who bewitched the king's children and turn them against him. Though all records of the king's wife seem to have vanished.

Rumors of Lady Chordeva's power have spread and only be magnified over time. May local fiefdoms and even noble rulers fear what might happen should she turn her attention to them. With a bounty set for the witch's head, the stage for adventurers to enter her dungeon and put an end to Lady Chordeva.

Room 1: Dungeon Entrance

The group of five adventurers enter the dungeon through the front gate. The dungeon has obviously seen better days. The first thing you notice as you enter is a young woman leaning the right wall. She looked like an adventurer just like you, but you hadn't heard of anyone else coming into the dungeon.

Before venturing deeper into the dungeon, you must decide the formation you will take. (Who will take the Front Row, Middle Row and Back Row)

[mrblah]

The walls of the dungeon were cold and hard stones, lined up unevenly with some cracked and sticking out. In fact, so too were the ceiling and floor, all made of cold stones. The floor also had a nice red rug in the center of it, and the rest of the room looked like something of a waiting room... a somewhat rectangular waiting room. There was a wooden chair in the corner, with a table next to it and a candle. On the other side of the room, was an old painting no one alive could recognize of a beautiful golden kingdom at night. All in all, though the room seemed cold and sparsely decorated (as the mentioned decorations were the only ones, along with the few torches on the wall to light up the room), it seemed like whomever made it wanted it to look welcoming enough. It even seemed as if it had been cleaned.

The exit out of the room was blocked by a simple wooden door, just as the entrance was also a mere door in the basement of an old and supposedly cursed manor. The blonde woman leaning against the wall looked up to, her eyes brightening upon finding fellow adventurers and possible allies. "Oh, hello there! Don't be alarmed, I'm another adventurer!" She said, pushing off the wall and waving with a polite smile. She chuckled sheepishly a bit. "I uh, walked into this dungeon without knowing WHOSE it was, and when I saw the painting, I could tell from its age that I probably walked into that Lady Chordeva's dungeon."

[Urhr93]

The young adventurer quickly stepped forwards as she headed towards the gathering point of the raid she was currently signed up for, her hard as golden as the coins she loved so much flowing behind her along the wind as it passed by much like the time she had left before the meeting deadline came up and the raid began, with or without those coming late... it had happened a few time in the past for Sae to miss the deadline and with it the chance to get a good deal richer, and her mood would always be so foul afterwards...

Yet she still always ended up departing later than she planned, and today was one of those days too, leading to her current haste in rushing towards the dungeon. However, once she arrived it seemed that her concerns were unfounded, nobody of those she was supposed to meet with actually present whereas a stranger defining herself an adventurer was here to greet her... not that Sae would approach regardless of how harmless the other party appeared to be. If there was a thing she learned from her current profession it was that one was never too careful, and with someone that wasn't supposed to be there actually showing up and declaring to be a new entry without Sae herself knowing nothing about it, Sae made up her mind to keep her guard up and not trust the supposed "adventurer", instead keeping her distance and waiting for the others to come here and clarify the situation, in the meantime keeping her responses to simple and silent nods and shake of heads... after all she needed nothing more than that, her tactical position obviously being in between those sturdy fighters in front and the squishy casters behind, giving damage to the enemies from the rear while protecting the magicians, after all she knew her ace was in her techniques and speed rather than tanking hits through so why bother going to the front? Better keep in middle and take the job she'd be best at.

[Littlemankitten]

Saya entered the entrance after a brief time looking at various pieces of paintings and other artwork in the old manor. Apparently the time spent was enough time for someone else to come along in her group. She put her helmet on just before she walks into the room. Covering up her face and protecting the whole of her head, only tiny bits of silver hair where visible out of it. Quickly gazing at the two people already present. One she recognized as a ex-mercenary that was part of her group. The other person however, was completely new to her. Saya didn't trust anyone completely new right now, especially at the entrance of this place.

Saya walked to the front and, upon hearing the dungeon owner's name, stopped for a moment. That name she recognized. Someone who committed a very high form of treason and that brought the downfall of a entire empire. Her own kingdom was part of that long lost empire, and thus shared many of its values. Even though she knew that Chordeva was from another empire, she still felt as though she had betrayed her own. Mostly thanks to the similarities that the two governments shared with one another. "The one who committed high treason and brought about the destruction of an empire?" Saya's voice was quite deep, though still clearly identifiable as female. Her voice was also already laced with spite as she asked the question.

[Nobudi]

Ariana didn't like the place. It was a little too similar to home, this manor. There was a characteristic faux warmth to it, almost as if the manor was trying to pretend that it was not as dead or cold as the stone that build it. As she entered, her armored high heels daintily moved through the hall, only the solid ringing of metal meeting stone the sole betrayal that her gait was not as unstable as it would appear. Although the air had been much warmer outside, the environment seemed to leech the heat from the air. The cold stung, but Ariana's exposed skin did not even raise a goose pimple. She was born to a cold land, and was raised to be hearty in the cold.

Although there was a high probability of danger, she did not wear her helmet, which was a simple yet elegant construction that would protect the back and top of her skull, the visor being a triangular faceplate that would cover everything vital to her wellbeing and survival. Instead, it was being held in her gauntleted right hand, the unprotected arm carrying her kite shield. The inverted tear shape stood almost as tall as the ground to her eyes, and was a thin but solid construction. She tightened her the center grip of her kite shield and descended down into the basement, where the rumored dungeon laid.

When she made her way down, she noticed she was not alone. Two others she recognized from the local inn as recruits who were also going to dive down into the dungeon with her. The other was an unknown. She noted that the two that she knew was keeping their distance from the unknown one. Making her way to a corner of the room, she propped her massive kite shield against the wall. After placing down her helmet, she unbuckled her blade and laid it on the table, and took a seat. The others would be arriving soon, but there was something she needed to be clear on. "You three," she said with a sharp, yet soft tone. "Which positions will you be fulfilling?"

[thealchemist]

It had been a grueling five years, but it was finally time for Chiyuki to begin the hunt once more. Her current target was the infamous witch Lady Chordeva. As she stepped into what appeared to be a waiting room, Chiyuki felt a slight shudder go throughout her body in nervous anticipation. Her hand rested upon the familiar pommel of her sword in order to calm herself as she gazed upon the waiting room and her would-be companions.

The painting in particular took her gaze, golden kingdoms were nothing but fairy tales in Astela and so were paintings of this skill. Her admiration of the art came to an end as the shield woman asked the other adventurers of their battle positions. Straight to the point isn't she? Chiyuki thought, Good, it has been far too long. "If possible I would prefer to be in the front."

[mrblah]

The woman perked up after her failed attempt at conversing with the first adventurer, delighted to see more. Her gaze fell on all of them, blatantly appraising them and mentally determining how they'd work as a team. Something experience and training had taught her to do; know thy ally. "Well, if you believe in the tales, then yeah." She responded to the helmeted knight's question, also blatantly looking her over without comment. It occurred to her that she didn't know the knight's name, or anyone else's. Nor did they know hers. She turned to the other knight. "If you guys would let me join you, then I'm pretty good with my bow, so I can take back." She lifted said bow with a confident smirk, clearly assured in her abilities. "Speaking of, we should all introduce ourselves! I'll start; my name is Celeste, I'm a sniper."

[VintageBass]

And now we got an angel.

Piai pokes herself around, taking a gander of what this whole dungeon is like and pretty much just behaves like her normal self in this. This is largely due to being ignored by the rest of the group, but it's good in that she can quietly study things around her and listen in on what's happening with the rest of the group. A good portion of this is she's playing things a lot more safe after the first dungeon she went into, and the memories of that place got a cold shiver running down her spine. How could anyone still be adventuring after an experience like that is beyond anyone. Whatever is the case, Piai is here now and she's looking for a better experience than... that.

Plus the angel isn't being antisocial about matters. There is also the fact that's she's basically naked. Breasts and vagina exposed to the world, with only belts and loose cloth to carry her various equipment and to show what faith she's devoted to. She made be the definition of a sexual deviant, but she hold herself to other morals and works hard to keep good faith with everyone around her. Of course the lack of any sort of protection, clothing or armor, makes her extremely open to whatever dangers lurks inside of the dungeon. So long as it doesn't involve anything crawling inside of her by the hundreds, she can handle things just fine. Of course there is the matter of her dealing things in a sexual matter while the rest of her team is dealing with things, but hopefully they'll figure things out before such a matter crops up.

Speaking of, there seems to be a bit of an introduction going on and talks about positions between the others. Now is any to make herself known and see how things play out. "Hello!" she stated very bubbly. "I'm Piai, I'm your designated healer for this... and I'm sure you girls will be needing it. A full group of brawlers and no one to help out getting you back into shape after possibly getting beaten to a pulp? Welp, I'm here to service ya!" While stating that, she strikes a pose, acting all cutesy. "For what I do, I'm gonna stick to the back, or in the middle. Whatever works better to get your healing done and keep me from getting into any trouble. Traps are... not my thing."

[Mark3000]

Perception Roll (d20+Skill, Must beat 19):

Sae: 33
Saya: 25

Putting a bit of distance between you and the mysterious adventurer, as Sae and Saya both notice something strange about her. The symbol on her bow matches the crest found in the painting of the golden kingdom. More then that, you both could feel a strange energy radiating from Celeste.

Positions (So far)

Front Row: Chiyuki
Middle Row: Sae
Back Row: Plai

[thealchemist]

Oh right, introductions Chiyuki gave a small smile of embarrassment, turning towards Celeste. "Sorry, my name is Chi-... I... Uh.." Her train of thought was completely ruined as Chiyuki noticed one of the other adventurers that she had somehow not noticed before. In all of her experience, Chiyuki has never seen someone enter a dungeon, so brazen before. It took her a bit to recollect herself, before Chiyuki could manage to respond. Her eyes are up there. Focus! "I'm Chiyuki, nice to meet you all."

[Littlemankitten]

"I'll be in the front considering I look to be the among the most armored of us. Also should we really trust this girl? Seems a bit weird that she's just here in the dungeon we're supposed to explore and raid. Not only that but she wears the symbol of the old Golden Kingdom." Despite her complaints Saya makes no move to really do anything about her but keep a eye on her. Not only was the situation of her presence off but she just felt off to be around. Like her simply being here was a bad omen or a sign of something bad to come, perhaps she was just being paranoid. Looking at her party she did get a sinking feeling though. With this weird Celeste girl and a practically naked "healer" who she wasn't sure wanted to be "healed" by, it all seemed to be very unorthodox compared to what she was used to. In fact the only one she had a good first impression on would have to be the other knight and the one that looks like a good fighter. Perhaps she'll learn to enjoy the other's company however. Except the healer, she really needs to put some clothes on.

[Urhr93]

As more and more people came in Sae noticed a few faces she had seen before... as well as people she heard about. Yep, it was the first time for her to witness the "legendary" streaker so talked about in her new career circles, and it wasn't a particularly moral impression she got from this first meeting. After all... the girl was naked. How obscene. Not that Sae was a girl that would mind much about such particular, more interested in the money she'll gain during this raid... how obscene nonetheless.

<Sae. I'm in the middle> she'd introduce herself and state her position to the others with only a few words, too impatient to get this started and rake in the gold... as well as unwilling to lose time in chatters, especially with that archer among them. Sae was already a cautious person on her own, so how could she not be wary of a stranger appearing to join their raid unannounced? Not to mention she was blatantly wearing this dungeon's crest on her equipment, and the weird aura she gave out appeared even more prominent when compared to the newcomers... Sae was practically ready to attack the girl the moment she did something even remotely hostile, though she'd not attack first and let those knights choose how to deal with the possible enemy as they were the vanguard after all.

[mrblah]

Celeste would have responded to the distrust she was being showed, but she was too distracted by the naked healer, her expression that of bewilderment complete with a noticeable blush. "I-I uh..." She tried to stammer out her reply anyway, eventually clearing her throat and turning her attention away after a moment. She gave a strained smile to the knight, attempting to show that she's taking the accusations in stride. "... Ahem, well like I said, I sort of just stumbled upon this place. This probably might sound odd; but I actually got this bow from my mother as a birthday gift. I didn't even know that the emblem on it is the same for this uh, Golden Kingdom. And I assure you that I only wish to help out... and maybe get a piece of the treasure. I'm really good with a bow, and you guys look like you could use that, since you don't seem to have any ranged fighters." She tried to appeal to their sense of logic, still hoping to maybe join them on their adventure.

[Littlemankitten]

Saya pondered for a moment, staring at this supposed 'friendly and helpful ally.' After a while she finally let out a deep exhale. "I will give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you for now." Suddenly though she brought her sword up and pointed it at her. "However if you make a wrong move I will not hesitate to eviscerate you and let your drown in your own blood and organs, do you understand?" She spoke with the most intimidating tone and fashion she could muster. Even though she had a deeper than average voice, a full set of plate mail, and status of a knight, results may vary in how successful she is at that. She then lowered her sword and looked at the rest of the group. "I would advise the rest of you to have the same attitude." She pondered for a moment more. "My name is Saya by the way"

[VintageBass]

This is going to be a rather interesting group. Of course there is Piai being her usual naked self, but the fact that there's the one adventurer threatening up the strange woman and the others, and also that there's three melee units and a ranged unit. The fact she's here is more of a sign that they're going to need someone to help them if they end up in a pinch. Although with how one of them is threatening the others to keep to an order, her service might be coming up quicker than expected. "Well don't expect them to be staying down for too long," Piai muttered under breath. Regardless of what Saya has going on, it's not like Piai's going to leave her to die in this place... which goes for anyone else as well. It'll be in bad behavior for her to leave anyone to die in a dungeon, regardless of attitude or the like.

[Nobudi]

It seemed most of the faces that she did recognize were finally here, but the nude woman was an unexpected show. Ariana betrayed no expressions on her face, except for the blush that tinted her cheeks ever so slightly. 'How scandalous,' she though in fascination at the unashamed woman. Of course, she couldn't call out the woman, due to the lack of upper underwear beneath her backless armor dress. She had personally commissioned this armor with the rationale that since she was going to be fighting at the front, she didn't not need a back to protect herself and since armor was expensive, she wouldn't need to spend precious metal to make a back for her.

Of course, that was a lie. She shuffled quietly, gathering her supplies and equipping her long sword and kite shield. Perhaps if they happened upon a bath together, there'd be an opportunity. Otherwise, she had to get her head together. Saya, the other knight, had tried to put on a display of bravado that almost made her want to quirk her lips. How foolish. "Whether or not they are an enemy combatant," she said firmly but not unkindly, "We are going to need as many hands as we can to get down to the bottom of the Dungeon. Once someone attempts to turn tail, then we will deal with it when it comes."

She drew her blade and held the naked steel in hand when she announce, "I am Ariana Ludwig, I will be a front line combatant. Shall we begin?"

[mrblah]

Celeste gulped, showing her nervousness while she moved her hands up in the universal sign of surrender, once the sword was pointed at her. She was thankful when it was moved away, almost sighing in relief. As a sniper, she was more used to being far back and shooting people, rather than near a deadly weapon. "Completely." She answered the knight's question. She then gave a nod to the other knight for what she saw as the closest thing to a show of support, though she doubted that happened to be her intentions. "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

[Mark3000]

Formation:

Front Row: Chiyuki, Saya, Ariana
Middle Row: Sae
Back Row: Plai, Celeste

With your formation set, you make your way to the next room.

Trap Activates: Shock Knob by Ariana
Activation Roll (d100, 60% chance to succeed): 18
Skill: Keep Calm (d100, 55% Chance to disarm): 40

As Ariana approaches the first door, she hears a sort of crackling, as if lighting was shooting through the knob. As if on instinct, you avoid the knob and kick the door open leading into the next room.

Trap Activates: Poison Pressure Plate by Ariana
Activation Roll (d100, 70% chance to succeed): 54
Skill: Keep Calm (d100, 55% Chance to disarm): 96

As Ariana enters the next room, the space is suddenly filled with a noxious poison.

Poison Roll (d100, 70% Chance to activate):

Chiyuki: 59
Saya: 96
Ariana: 34
Sae: 83
Plai: 28
Celeste: 23

Chiyuki, Ariana, Plai and Celeste fall to their knees coughing as the poison begins to fill their lungs (-2 HP for the next three turns). Say and Sae on the other hand avoid the bulk of the poison spray before it disperses. Once the poison mist is gone, two doors are revealed to you, One to the left and one to the right.

[VintageBass]

Once the party is set with their current positions, they begin to move and start exploring this dungeon. Piai makes sure that every thing on her person is strapped down, occasionally looking up to make sure she's not bumping into anyone or anything while they make their move. This would be helpful when she starts smelling poison gas. She stops, takes a moment to breathe and the gas quickly gets to work making her feel sick. This goes for three others in her group while two others avoided the gas all together. This is just fantastic. This is likely showing just how unlucky she is in the dungeon, getting herself poisoned right from the get-go. No matter, she can cast her magic and get everyone back up into tip-top shape... but casting now will be a waste. If only she had something to help purge the poison out of not only her but those affected by the poison, that'll be fantastic. For now, she'll be on guard and cough while the gas messes her up.

[thealchemist]

At last they were finally underway, with a dynamic entry no less. Chiyuki raised an eyebrow at Ariana's rather extreme method of opening the door, however she probably had a reason for it. Perhaps its just a case of nerves. Although she seemed very confident earli-, a violent cough interrupted Chiyuki's thoughts as she inhaled some of the poison gas that briefly filled the room. Her first dungeon in five long years and she gets poisoned right at the beginning? Chiyuki glanced over at the party, waiting to see which door they choose, hopefully with less traps.