lifeaftr | Exploration Event: Gorilla Warfare

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Exploration Event: Gorilla Warfare

EXPLORATION EVENT: GORILLA WARFARE

Who: Lup, Taako, Muffet, Wade, Shepard, Roy, Edward, Guzma, Ardyn, Laurent + any others, with permission
What: Well done, survivors, on pushing forward with your explorations! Your explorations will now push back.
When: Sep 22
Where: Ensō D8
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Part I: You Had Me at Hell-ow
Islanders may have noticed it, by now, whispering a bassline within their dreams, or in the periphery of their hearing among the waking world: drums. Great, booming drums, deep like rumbling thunder in a thick haze of sun-heat. South of the island, where the air tastes thin of salt, where the surf hisses and breaks against the cliffs, drowned out by an ungodly rhythm of objects beating against logs, against bone, against anything that produces a sound unpleasant enough to the ear.

The three adventurers who had the misfortune of uncovering the source of this sound had been wise, indeed, to turn back for reinforcements. Perhaps you're one of them. Stand together, intrepid explorers... for when you push through the thick ferns, it would take quite the wild mind to anticipate what awaits you in the wide clearing that opens up.

The clearing itself, easily the size of a soccer field, sits in a blaze of sunlight and wide strokes of rippling jungle grass. Fallen logs and pools of glimmering water stretch forward across the landscape. On all sides of the clearing, a line of thick, green trees form vast ramparts of foliage, walling in the area with almost militaristic efficiency. And in the distance, past the pools and logs and trees, rises an enormous structure carved from pointed stone and glossed with beautiful, blue-green ivy, shimmering like gray fog in the heat-haze.

Yet the mysterious structure isn't the only of its kind to be found here. From the boughs of trees hang nests, fashioned from branches and leaves and tightly packed mud; no bigger than shacks, with vines trailing from the mouth of each one to the jungle floor. These nests are small and seemingly precarious, but appear to offer sturdy shelter against the elements.

Were these the only discoveries to be made. Unfortunately, they didn't build themselves -- and their architects very quickly show.

They start in ones, and then twos, and then threes: from the opening of each nest, every branch wider than an inch, crawling from the wide knots of fallen trees, the monkeys begin to emerge. Primitive weaponry of spears and stone axes, walnuts jammed between their large, yellow teeth as they shove grapes into blowdart guns and load rocks into their fibrous slings. The biggest and surliest apes crouch with stern looks and what appear to be wooden firearms perched in their grasp.

Dear, brave explorers, it would seem that you are intruding, and that these irate simians have every intention of shooting you should you dare to tread closer.

And it’s gonna hurt.

Part II: An Apeeling Aftermath
Should your adventuring party manage to drive the apes off into the forest, the abandoned battlefield plunges into an immediate hush.

Now would be the time to lick your wounds. Investigate, if you are inclined to such things.

There is nothing of particular interest outside what had been immediately observable -- save one detail. On the far side of the clearing, a massive door formed from gnarled roots stands between the impenetrable underbrush and the mysterious structure beyond. Scrawled on the thickest root is a message -- well, more like a hieroglyphic of sorts, depicting a great number of humanoids bent in worship at the foot of an enormous, squiggly triangle. Presumably, this sad polygon represents the temple rising high above the treetops.

Unfortunately, this is where the exploration must end; the door is impenetrable by definition, and no amount of prodding, prying, or even fire will prove effective. At this time, it would appear that the door is simply not meant to be opened, and the temple beyond not yet meant to be discovered.

Thankfully, there is always the prospect of loot to occupy one's interest.

Should characters turn their attention to the ravaged battlefield, they will find a great haul of resources for their efforts. Granted, perhaps only a fraction of it is usable -- broken coconuts and smashed bananas aren't likely appealing to anyone -- but those who are brave enough to climb into the abandoned nests can find an assortment of primitive weaponry made from stone and sticks, to include spears, slings, and blow dart guns. Perhaps even a coconut gun or two has escaped the battle in working order.

Certainly enough of the weaponry is salvageable, at least, for the explorers to take home one item each -- if they so choose.

Other than weapons, the nests are stacked mostly with straw bedding, reserves of fruit, and jars of clay, all of which may be carried out as prizes. Strange, isn't it, how the place almost resembles a military post? In any case, there is nothing else to be done here.

Surely nothing of import will come of this.

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION
( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I am, but I can't be everywhere at once. I can hold back any of the ones out in the open, but there's too many off lurking in the trees where I can't see them...

[As for unarmored people, why do you think she's trying to stay behind you? Like most monsters, Muffet's ultimately a long-range fighter, she'd rather not take any hits she doesn't have to.]

[Which is exactly why she's on Roy's list of people to protect. And indeed, more than a few of the projectiles coming their way strike him, and his armor may protect from many of them, but not all.]

[This doesn't seem to discomfit him in the slightest. In fact he doesn't even seem to notice.]

Can you disable them without harming them? Because I am willing to consider that as an option right now!

[Even so, she does still keep using her threads to deflect anything she notices aimed at his head- one coconut to the skull may not have bothered him, but she'd still rather not risk him eventually ending up with a concussion due to lack of helmet.]

I've been tying them to various trees and other conveniently heavy objects, but that still runs into the problem with line of sight and what I can and can't see coming. Between the two of us, we could probably get ourselves out of here fast enough to avoid further trouble, but I don't think we can also make sure everyone else in our group comes along- and I'm not inclined to leave anybody.

[True to her word, an ape who'd been charging in from the side is now struggling futilely against the purple strands securing him firmly to the trunk of a nearby oak. His expression is amusingly petulant for a giant aggressive ape-creature.]

[Muffet is really underestimating his ability to take punishment. Roy makes a note to have a discussion with her later about just how much he can endure proportionate to others present, but -- later.]

[But as for her simple effectiveness -- well, Roy really, really appreciates that, and adds a second mental note to express that more effectively later. For now...]

You're a delight to work with, I should tell you that. I don't suppose you have the ability to just make an AOE web to block off pursuit and force them to go around?

[Almost certainly, yes- she's aware that humans are physically stronger than monsters, but the gap between 'ordinary human' and 'high-level fighter' isn't something she's seen in action.]

[She smiles at the compliment.]

Why thank you- you're a very helpful person to know, yourself.

I can make something larger, yes, although I would still need something sufficiently sturdy to anchor it to- magical binding thread is still thread, after all. Trying to block off the area directly in front of us seems unfortunately likely to also cut off the easiest escape route for any of our group who've wound up further ahead, it would probably be best to wait on that until we know everyone else is with us.

However, if you can buy me a couple moments to take a look at the area, I can probably string a web up in the trees above our heads, to keep them from dropping down onto us directly.

Right.

[Roy draws his sword and swings it in one smooth motion. The starmetal blade lops through a nearby tree about a foot and a half wide as if it were nothing. Wrapping an arm around the trunk, Roy plants his feet and turns, transforming its slow fall into a swift hurl lengthwise back into their pursuers.]

[It crashes well short of the apes, but it brings them up short as well -- between the fit of strength and the solid glare of Roy's Intimidate check, they find themselves assessing their numbers and capabilities for a moment. Hopefully it's enough.]

[Muffet is impressed, but she doesn't waste time staring. She looks upward, eyes scanning the canopy to see the shape of it and all the points where their opponents could take advantage. She moves her hands quickly in a complicated, twisting gesture- her magic doesn't strictly require hand motions, but they make it far easier to direct it accurately- and a wider, thicker net of gleaming purple strands anchors itself below the branches, cutting off their enemies' ability to attack from above.]

[She takes a deep breath, dropping her hands and looking around cautiously.]

Not perfect, but it cuts off at least one angle. They'll find a way around it soon enough, I suspect.

[While certainly not adverse to impressing Muffet, Roy thinks nothing of it at the moment. They have far bigger concerns.]

Question -- can you vary the elasticity and adhesive properties of those strands? [That is within the boundaries of normal spiders, but frankly, his Knowledge(arcana) skill is off crying in a corner in dismay after watching this display.]

To a degree, yes. What exactly did you have in mind?

Depends -- what are your limits on production? [He shoots her a sidelong glance -- not that he THINKS she'll play any tricks like telling him a limit which is in fact based on her dropping dead from exhaustion, but nevertheless.]

[Muffet makes an uncertain expression.]

That's a bit like asking what your limit is on walking- I can't keep going forever, I'd eventually tire myself to the point of passing out if I tried, but I can keep at it for quite a while before I actually get tired, and I can push past that point if I need to.

That's enough. [Roy nods, satisfied. What the limits of a spider-woman are, he doesn't know, but he's confident he'll be able to tell when she reaches them.] Suppose you give me leverage on two trees and I bent them down -- could you put webbing enough to basically function as a chokepoint?

[Muffet nods, looking thoughtful.]

Yes, that should be doable. Have you got a particular pair in mind?

[Roy points to a pair of trees arching over the makeshift path they've taken, even as he swings his sword back over into its straps on his back. A coconut bonks off his armor, which he doesn't particularly acknowledge.]

[Muffet acknowledges his choice with a wordless nod, raising her hands to loop two large, thick lines of magic around the trunks of the trees.]

[Roy grabs the two strands, wraps them once around his wrists, then pulls.]

[Honestly, the fact that he barely seems to be putting in effort to make the trees bend is the most impressive part. More exertion goes into his legs as he digs his heels into the ground for leverage than it does into making the thick trunks bend down to arch over the path.

[Muffet is impressed- and quietly curious about his lmits, the same way he wondered about hers- but she's not wasting time. She webs up the trees as asked, shining threads of purple weaving in and around them.]

[This is Roy's natural state, not an augmentation requiring energy (or rather, it is buffed by his belt, but that's always-on), so he can keep on being strong as long as he has life left in his body.]

[He releases tension from the thick webs he holds slowly, letting the webbing absorb the increased tension from him.]

Nice! Really well done.

[But how strong is his natural state, is the question...]

[She smiles at him, relaxing slightly now that she's not in the middle of weaving something.]

Likewise, dearie. This will hold until I dismiss it, now, so I can focus on other things if need be.

[Technically, it will also dissolve back into nothing if she dies, but if that happens they've honestly got bigger problems to worry about.]

[Higher than normal human maximum, but he's got a few levels under his belt after all.]

Perfect. I'll guard the passage and knock out any apes, if you can watch the surroundings for flanking?

Of course.

[She takes up a position just behind him, carefully watching for any further threats.]

[Roy raises his sword, preparing for whatever might come for their ready-made chokepoint. If nothing else, they'll make sure anyone who comes their way is safe.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Exploration Event: Gorilla Warfare

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This is probably getting to a wrapping point, unless you want to play it all the way to the retreat?

Nope, we're good!