[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Dragonstrike]

At this point, I'm not sure the group actually has a leader, officially or unofficially.  I don't think anyone should just go around claiming that role, IC nor OOC.

Nathan's nervous this entire time, but he oh so hopes that if they do get to the Ralts riddle, they get that one wrong.  Wildly wrong.  He's not paralyzed by the fear, either.  He's just trying really hard to come up with a backup plan if things don't work out as expected.

"...no, don't leave the Genesect references in easy reach, Slaking. If they get in and want that info, I'd rather they have to work for it."

...the best plan he can come up with in the heat of the moment is he and Kirlia are going to hide with Juliet in the library, just in case the Scimitars do somehow get in.  And if any of the Scimitars come close to discovering them in that hiding spot, they'll attempt to foil that discovery with a Hypnosis Ambush so they can sneak off and find a new spot to hide/get away.  They'll most likely use some of that furniture to hide.

All they can otherwise do is hope and pray that the Scimitars don't get in...

[Spiritmon]

Heart nod his head in agreement. Everyone have his own way to deal in the current situation. He did notice Shiva didn't like the determination or smile he make but he decided to not say anything. Everyone is fearing the possibility about fighting against a army of those guys. Heart will avoid as much possible against those fiends, but if they corner him or his friends...he will show them that Collector have some will.

[Lord Windos]

"

Spoiler

It's a big Library. I'll show you some good hiding places."

There are chests big enough to hold a person, piles of books in gigantic heaps, and lots of furniture big enough to hide under or behind. Plus there's the ropeworks in the ceiling.

The chants fill the air as the eldest Scimitars, in the robes of the deepest blue, pop in to face the Guardians.

*roll1*

One pops out again, carrying a tuft of orange hair in his gauntlet and wearing a grim expression of victory. An Apricorn pops open and he snags the Klefki rudely. He waits.

All your riddles are indeed things that will trouble the Scimitar's psychology. Good job on those. The one about Espeon and Umbreon will apply a -1 dice penalty, the one about Ralts a -3 penalty, and the rest a -2 penalty. Smallest penalties will roll out first.

*roll2*

When the second Scimitar reappears, her Guardian just slides down out of sight. No Klefki is forthcoming.

*roll3*

The third Scimitar also fails.

Spoiler

By no means is Shiva good at climbing and all the adrenaline will likely not help her keeping herself in the ropework, so unless Ventus insists on hiding up there, she'll drag him behind a massive pile of books because if they need to defend themselves, Shiva's Psychic Types can utilize them as projectiles (via Psyshock, Telekinesis and a Double Team-Kinesis-Combo) to use the moment to either fight back or escape.

(…)

Ventus couldn't help but frown in distinct displeasure that a Scimitar was able to pass the Combat trail with seeming ease compared to his own arduous struggles, but the failure of the others brought  him some measure of comfort. 'They need only fail one more before they are barred from Antheneum, so prove your own unworthiness and moronic, rotten brained nature Scimitars .'

Seeing as the researcher was by no means an acrobat or extremely flexible/strong, he allowed himself to be dragged over with Shiva to her hiding spot...


....but not before he went over to the Time Capscle and put up ALL his Pokémon but Malphena and Suphlatus, who he released and polite yet sternly commanded to become intangible and phase through the floor and hide in wait to support him/the group, if the need arises. Having Ghost types that can phase through matter and become practically undectectable in the process is a great boon to have in almost any scenario, especially when trying to secret away oneself AND have a back up defenses/distractions in place!

He was also swift to motion over the Slaking in private on his way back to his hiding spot and quietly/quickly whisper to him: "If its not forbidden or impossible, have the Slaking and other attendents of the library ready destroy all texts that you and Nathan has found on Genesect if the Scimitars manage to solve the last riddles. Such desicration of old, venerable texts is fiendish, but its better than letting those HOOLIGANS get their vile hands on the information and use it to dire ends and possibly DOOM Cheshire as whole....."

[Iron]

"Destroying the texts would be far, far worse than letting Scimitars read them. I'm just worried they'll undo all my hard work at organizing this place. Set me back another few centuries."

So we have preparations from the Pokemon of Ventus, Heart, and Nathan (yes, plenty of time to cast your buffs).

Guardian #4:

*rolls*

She comes out grinning and obtains a Klefki. She looks a little worried to see two more Scimitars still fading into existence.

*rolls*

Luckily for the Scims, another Klefki is obtained. But the final riddle is most tricksy to Scimitar psychology: seeing a weak Pokemon as a friend and not a resource to be exploited. They need to ace their roll...

*rolls*

The sixth Guardian returns to reality. Suddenly, EVERY ONE of the dozens of Scimitars is sucked away into a collapsing staircase of black stone. You hear a momentary, but vast, grinding of stone from the outside world. Then the stone closes again, and you'd be hard pressed to prove the Scimitars had ever been there.


"Ah, now this is the time to read!" says Slaking. "It's like reading during a thunderstorm while you're safe and cozy indoors. You can come out now, everyone! Whatever the Scimitars knew of the route here, it will soon be completely recombobulated after those Onix arrive in a few minutes. No hooligans today!!"

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

"Destroying the texts would be far, far worse than letting Scimitars read them. I'm just worried they'll undo all my hard work at organizing this place. Set me back another few centuries."

So we have preparations from the Pokemon of Ventus, Heart, and Nathan (yes, plenty of time to cast your buffs).

Guardian #4:

*rolls*

She comes out grinning and obtains a Klefki. She looks a little worried to see two more Scimitars still fading into existence.

*rolls*

Luckily for the Scims, another Klefki is obtained. But the final riddle is most tricksy to Scimitar psychology: seeing a weak Pokemon as a friend and not a resource to be exploited. They need to ace their roll...

*rolls*

The sixth Guardian returns to reality. Suddenly, EVERY ONE of the dozens of Scimitars is sucked away into a collapsing staircase of black stone. You hear a momentary, but vast, grinding of stone from the outside world. Then the stone closes again, and you'd be hard pressed to prove the Scimitars had ever been there.


"Ah, now this is the time to read!" says Slaking. "It's like reading during a thunderstorm while you're safe and cozy indoors. You can come out now, everyone! Whatever the Scimitars knew of the route here, it will soon be completely recombobulated after those Onix arrive in a few minutes. No hooligans today!!"

Heart let out a huge sight of relief. "Bless be Arceus and the Creation Trio! Eat stone dust Scimitars! Wohoo!" Heart was indeed relieve after so much tense situation. "Uh, I sorry Slowking, I just glady those Scimits will not cause harm to anyone. Thanks Arceus those Scimitars is pretty dumb in the last question."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Oh the relievement....
The satisfaction....
The dying away of the tension and the adrenaline....
It was all so real, and it brought a long and content sigh from the side of the fae enthusiast that she didn't even cared to make impercible before a wide and dear smile formed on her expression. Things were safe...for now.

In that joy, she couldn't help but to outright pull Ventus into a fond hug, enjoying the moment of success over the Scimitars... Before her eyes widened and she rather swiftly lt go of him in a somewhat startled manner, looking away from him rather meekly. "Eh... I'm sorry for that, Ven. Must have been...dragged away... Hehe.... I'll leave you alone again if you wish, a-alright? Will get back to research some things, if you....allow....."

Back to the table she formerly occupied she goes then, Cottonee and Luxi come back out of their Balls to accompany her during further research, Shiva does take a little to pack all the things she formerly wiped from the table in a swift movement back out to make herself a home again.

Before she goes back to finding additional info about the Spring Festival that might be relevant to add to her Shaymin-notebook, she does approach Slaking once more: "It's a glory day now with the knowledge that they didn't enter... But, allow me to ask you something, wise Slaking: Will they be able to come here and try again? Or is there some mechanic that prevents one from attempting to enter Atheneum as often as one desires? Eh... We likely have to think of another batch of riddles now, do we...?"

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

(…)

*rolls*

The sixth Guardian returns to reality. Suddenly, EVERY ONE of the dozens of Scimitars is sucked away into a collapsing staircase of black stone. You hear a momentary, but vast, grinding of stone from the outside world. Then the stone closes again, and you'd be hard pressed to prove the Scimitars had ever been there.


"Ah, now this is the time to read!" says Slaking. "It's like reading during a thunderstorm while you're safe and cozy indoors. You can come out now, everyone! Whatever the Scimitars knew of the route here, it will soon be completely recombobulated after those Onix arrive in a few minutes. No hooligans today!!"

"......By the magnificently white and glorious being that is Reshirim, thank god that is the Truth, " Ventus semi-murmurs, as he exits his hiding spot with/without Shiva, giving her a weak smile and beckoning her to come along with him now that it was safe (if she wants to, that is!). Both Malphena and Suphlatus were also swift to rise out of the ground and surround their master protectively/attentively, to which he let out a wispy chuckle a waved them off with that same smile, saying to them: "Its alright, my siblings. The Scimitar has passed, and hopefully they'll not soon rediscover this.....venerable place, if ever so , so becalm yourselves and be at ease...."

Shiva's sudden hug caused him to tense right back up and stiffen in shock and......other feelings, and BARELY restrain a sigh/shudder of relief when she just as rapidly disengaged and apologized for it. '".....You are forgiven. Yes......I still wish for privacy and seclusion...…but I will be sure to check on you...… Until then...…" he said with clear torn and uneasy expression, until he sharply pivoted around and marched away from his girlfriend. No matter how much he still loves her, he isn't....ready for such intimacy or socializing with her just yet, and definitely not while still in the location responsible for....for...… 

…...Moving on.

The screaming banshee looked somewhat reluctant to follow that request, as those DANGEROUS and bad archmages (Which Ven gave her a quite thorough and biased vetting about them) being on the prowl irk and discomforted her to no end, but eventually she settled down with a heavy *Sigh/Hmpt* . If those fiends come back again and threaten her brother again, she'll extra ready to curse their souls for all eternity! The unliving husk, however, hardly reacted to the news besides a very slight tilt of its body in acknowledgement, before they either affixed themselves to their master's side or wandered off to explore this place. They feel close to Ventus, yes, but they also are not completely on board or invested in them yet, so their reactions are naturely going to be muted and undecided.

After confirming that indeed the Scimitars were good and GONE, the researcher guarded tenseness collapsed entirely as he sagged in relief. No having to play a potentially deadily game of Hide and Seek with those wretched mages, or worry about his, the group's, and the region's final fate as a whole....terrific. Once he recovered from that moment of vunerability/weakness (which was with characteristic quickness), Ven went over to The Time Capscle and arranged his party in the following order: Raphael, Apsis, Michael, Malphena, and Suphlatus. When it came time to leave Antheneum, he'd switch Suph. out and Lucifer in. Right now he wants to get to know his latest ghostly sibling a little better, and see how they interacted with Malphena, the group, and their surroundings at large. That, and little was known about Shedinja and their behavior/habits, so any opportunity to study/research it was to be taken! Especially now, as the 'storm' that was The Scimitars has passed!

Ven clearly wants to exit Antheneum sooner rather than later now the Scims had been successfully repelled, but he's willing to wait until everyone else is done exploring/enjoying the place. He'll be hanging around Valder as always, but he'll be sure to check in on Shiva every now and again to make sure she's alright.

[Iron]

Before she goes back to finding additional info about the Spring Festival that might be relevant to add to her Shaymin-notebook, she does approach Slaking once more: "It's a glory day now with the knowledge that they didn't enter... But, allow me to ask you something, wise Slaking: Will they be able to come here and try again? Or is there some mechanic that prevents one from attempting to enter Atheneum as often as one desires? Eh... We likely have to think of another batch of riddles now, do we...?"

"That may be wise. The important thing is, I now have time to try to figure out what sorts of riddles will stop them. And there are still 3 riddles they didn't figure out. The Relic Stone will seek to hide itself, so it will be in an entirely different part of Mt. Sentry soon if it isn't already. Not just the maze of paths changing, but the chamber itself. It's all part of the same defensive mechanism set up long ago. They could dig for a hundred years and never find it...only to encounter a new set of riddles when they do arrive."



As for the Spring Festival, other passages within your same book lead  you to theorize that it may have eventually evolved into Ginger Town's festival. The only important feature that never changes is that it always involves large amounts of flowers.

[Iron]

I only count five in Ven's party?

The ghostly bug is very very slow to react to anything, but eventually it'll always react to a clear stimulus in some way. Most often, it displays curiosity by drifting closer to the object in question. You're just not sure what it intends to discover, 'cause it always floats away again without much change in expression.

[Lord Windos]

I only count five in Ven's party?

The ghostly bug is very very slow to react to anything, but eventually it'll always react to a clear stimulus in some way. Most often, it displays curiosity by drifting closer to the object in question. You're just not sure what it intends to discover, 'cause it always floats away again without much change in expression.

(Opps, forgot to add Abaddon back in! My bad!)

'Intriguing...….its mostly reactive and ponderous in its gestures, but their is a clear drive that motivates it. Hard to say what it is, given how unexpressive it is physically and emotionally, but in time I'll be able to decipher more, as I grow closer still to my new sibling. Hmm.....I wonder...…'

As Ventus thought about his unliving husk's behavior (and any interactions it has with Malphena/the others!), his mind drifts to a possible and tantalizing question: was their texts in Antheneum that already have in depth Knowledge on Shedinja, or any of his other Pokémon that he wasn't already aware of? He couldn't go ask Slaking about it, since he'd already used his One Question, but nothing is stopping him from searching the library himself while everyone is finishing up their business their, right? With that fancy firmly in niggling at in mind, the sociologist set out to try and find that information if it exist, or at least give an honest effort doing so!