Anyway....
Subject16:
Flavor: 3 - stop them from waking up by trapping them in nightmares? Seems legit.
Design: 2.5 - I'm not totally sold on this being endless, but nightmares are generally related to mill or discard, so sure.
Development: 1.5 - at , I feel like I would expect more from this.
Luck: 5 (1+3)
Bonus: +1 - a long history of sneaking
Total: 13
Outcomes and Challenges:
With a burst of growth, the vines grapple Goreteg, pinning him in place. They seem to be very sturdy, making it difficult to escape, even for a minotaur. The trap doesn't appear to be immediately lethal - rather, it seems designed to lock an intruder in place. It's not clear what the exact intent of that trap is after that has been accomplished - in the wild, this type of plant would generally just trap its victim until it dies of starvation, at which point it would use that adventurer's corpse as nourishment. However, given that these ruins are inhabited, it seems more likely that it was set up as a way to capture intruders for interrogation. Either way, Goreteg struggles a bit, but is unable to free himself.
Fortunately, Goreteg isn't alone in this - Illenen is available to assist. With a careful hand, Illenen first makes sure that Goreteg is safe, then begins to cut him free. A few moments later, the plant is successfully dismantled, and Goreteg is freed. With that done, Illenen investigates the trap more thoroughly - it appears that Goreteg wasn't the first victim, as some worn bones can be found scattered around it, along with two ripe pieces of fruit.
Artifact - Food (R)
, , eat Blood Fruit: you gain 2d6 temporary hit points. (temporary hit points last until they are lost)
---need more sacrifices. Ayli says we------ose to completing the rit------ut it feels like mor------ are being fe-----every day. I believ------oal is worthy, but I do------at merfolk she bro------ill, if our go------y are returning, it is on------er for us t-------re a feast.
With the trap dealt with, Goreteg and Illenen take a moment to look around the room. The most notable feature are several alcoves cut into the sides of the walls - there are elaborate carvings in those alcoves, surrounded by candles. It appears like they may be religious in nature - many of the carvings feature angels with halos shrouding their eyes and a masked knight wielding a scythe. Other than that, there are two other obvious exits to the room. One is a sturdy-looking door covered in more elaborate carvings, while the other exit is a simpler door that appears to be locked.
Challenge: continue exploring!
Restriction: none, although if you make too much noise, guards may be alerted.
Bonus: +1 point if you can identify the carvings.
(note: you are in location 19)
Somewhat worn out from their battles (both physical and mental), Ivan and Sky make their way back through the workshop and the mural room towards the entrance, followed by Lurgyan (assuming you decide to follow). The way back seems to be significantly faster now that all the traps and barriers have been dealt with (assuming the group doesn't stop to investigate any of the rooms further).
In contrast, as soon as they reach the fork immediately in front of the entrance, the cause of the earlier crash becomes clear. It appears that there was a cave-in in the other fork, likely triggered by a trap. That route appears to be partially blocked by stone and rubble - it may still be possible to squeeze through, but the passageway appears to be rather dark and treacherous. Additionally, it would be very difficult to navigate quickly if, for example, one needed to flee suddenly. (not that these ruins are going to collapse when some sort of self-destruct sequence is set off, of course. that would be silly)
There appear to be two possibilities for the pair to continue onwards: they could traverse the rubble-filled hallway, or they could attempt to bypass the remaining door in the laboratory.
Challenge: continue exploring
Restriction: none, although guards may show up if you're too loud.
Bonus: +1 if you can make use of prior experience with the route you choose (traversing rubble or opening the locked door)
Gumuz thinks dark thoughts, and the kor responds by curling up and whimpering in their sleep, which appears to have become rather distressing. Still, it doesn't seem like they will be able to wake up on their own any time soon. With that situation resolved, Gumuz feels like he can act a bit more freely without needing to worry about the sleeper. It's still possible that someone will show up to check in at some point, but that probably won't happen for a while.
Challenge: continue investigating
Restriction: none, although it's still possible a guard may come by if you're too loud.
Bonus: +1 if you can make use of the (now very distressed) sleeping kor
I moved to a new apartment recently, which has helped immensely with my sleep schedule... but also means that I'm no longer always up when I used to be doing updates for this. Will try to get these updates done earlier in the day, I suppose.
Anyway, next update tentatively planned for 11/16.