[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(...) 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. (...)

With a slightly eased smile, she watched Ventus leave - she's granting him that privacy, giving him time as she 1. understands where this desire comes from and 2. doesn't have reason to speak with or involve him into her own researches. Whenever he comes over to check on her, she doesn't do much more than giving him a welcoming glance before getting back to her stuff, answering any questions of what she's doing or looking for in case.

Chi is out of her Ball the whole time, either eating fruit, sleeping as a statue or being kept busy by Cottonee, as Shiva silently asked her dearest fluffball to be nice and friendly to that dragonfairy - she hasn't lost hope yet that these two could become friends. And that despite Luxi has traits of Shiva's archnemesis!

"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."

That was roughly the answer she wanted to hear, and in delight and relievement she looks up to the simian Librarian; even pats his huge hand if he allows to express her happiness of Atheneum bearing such safety measures. "That's good to know, thank you. I'll get back then to reading and searching things, as you said - in safety and without a worried undertone blackening my wided mind. If you happen to come up with any more hints for riddles then, let us know so that we can help, alright?"

Off she was then in the same 'flying' walk that she ran the stairs to Atheneum up and down before they've entered the place, the fact that the Scimitars were sucessfully repelled and have like zero chances now to enter Atheneum elavated her mood greatly. Same goes for the fact that the group made it to succeed on that unique chance.

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.

Yes, that was something Shiva suspected aready. Weird however was that she can't remember even the slightest hint to mythi....legendary Shaymin when having experienced the Festival herself, but that may be because
1. there were none except these large amounts of flowers
and
2. back then she hasn't even dreamt about pursuiting the grassy hedgehog here in Chreshire.

Rather satisfied with the outcome of this small researching projectand feeling the determination spraking up within her again, she packs the resources away again to their respective places, somewhat knowing that there may be updates on the scavengers hunt for Shaymin in the future. Maybe Telperion University's library can also give new or other hints or more diary entries from Annie Wicke...

She's not done yet with things she wanted to search information about here in the library, so she's not really giving the table free just yet. She does take a small break though to finish a few loose ends that remained before the riddles were discussed, storytime from Nathan and the asking of that one question to Slaking. These were:

- She wasn't yet finished at the Tome of Genealogy. Was she really rather distantly related to someone in Arrowroot Village or the nature preserve north of the village through her father?

- Has she found the Egg of Celebi in her previous search using the hints Slaking gave her upon asking? If still not, she searches again, now with the blessing of Lucky Chant hanging in the air. Upon finding, she does as sweet Celebi asked her to, and scanns the Egg with her Egg Checker on the Almanac solely out of curiosity/because that's what a Breeder naturally does.

[Spiritmon]

Spoiler

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.

"Before anything Ventus, can you take Durant with you? I would like to change for a pokemon of mine. Like Percival or Golett."

[Lord Windos]

"Before anything Ventus, can you take Durant with you? I would like to change for a pokemon of mine. Like Percival or Golett."

Ventus easily agrees with the request and sends Turiel to the PC for now, and will switch her back into his party and put away Abaddon in exchange. once the group decides to leave Antheneum for good (Final Pary: Raphael, Apsis, Michael, Malphena, Lucifer, and Turiel). The researcher believes that his blue demon deserves a long rest and leisure time after that grueling battle with Darminantan, but at the same time he knows that his ironclad insect ability to burrow through the depths of Mt. Sentry is too valuabe to pass up, so he compromised with this arrangement.

[Dragonstrike]

Calm Among the Chaos: Rumbling Thunder and Wind Sounds by Sounds for Sleeping (aaahhh...some ambient noise was exactly what I needed...so glad this fits in rather decently with the description of the Onix digging around Atheneum being similar to a thunderstorm)

Nathan and company carefully emerge from their hiding place to see if those blasted Scimitars really are gone...

...seeing that all the statues had had a chance to receive answers is simultaneously a scary thought and relieving...and also...somewhat satisfying in Kirlia's case.  If those hooligans weren't able to answer that riddle correctly, they definitely didn't deserve to get into Atheneum in his opinion!

Oh, by the way, Juliet is still out, and is once again disguised as Kirlia.  'Kirlia' is definitely curious why Kirlia was so angry at that weird group of people...

I imagine Ventus, Malphena, Valder, etc. are rather confused by the sight of there being two Kirlia near Nathan, acting completely different from each other despite looking exactly the same.  Shiva and Heart obviously already know what's going on though since they saw Juliet's Illusion trick the prior day/earlier.

"...let's hope they never do figure out how to get in..."

It's now that Nathan notices the strange dragon that Shiva has out.  He doesn't ask about it, but he's definitely surprised.

Well then, back to reading!

Next thing Nathan wants to look at is...another look at that book on imported species that mentioned a little bit about Masking.  What other rare species does that book mention?

He also makes sure to carefully review those references on Genesect again...having all the necessary info paraphrased and written down...once he's satisfied with that, he'll call for another group meeting.  The opening line for this one is, "I found something, really, really important, guys.  We need to figure out how we're going to want to deal with it before we leave."

[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.

(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!

Insight + Knowledge + Alert = 10 dice. Somewhat broad question is a good thing. Topic doesn't have much to do with kingdoms, -3. Need only 4 successes since this is academic research and not mechanics-related in any way.

(5)(2)(6)(6)(1)(5)(6) = 5 successes



You find out that Sarimanok had a fleet of them to accompany his tax collectors. 
His Shiny Nincada was somehow forced to shed its skin three times, but only the first resultant Shedinja was Shiny.

[Spiritmon]

In that moment Heart in the Time Capsule deciding who to pick. "Hmm...who I should take? Netune, Percival, Golett or Caesar? Decisions, decisions..."

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

I imagine Ventus, Malphena, Valder, etc. are rather confused by the sight of there being two Kirlia near Nathan, acting completely different from each other despite looking exactly the same.  Shiva and Heart obviously already know what's going on though since they saw Juliet's Illusion trick the prior day/earlier.

"...let's hope they never do figure out how to get in..."

It's now that Nathan notices the strange dragon that Shiva has out.  He doesn't ask about it, but he's definitely surprised.

Well then, back to reading!

Next thing Nathan wants to look at is...another look at that book on imported species that mentioned a little bit about Masking.  What other rare species does that book mention?

He also makes sure to carefully review those references on Genesect again...having all the necessary info paraphrased and written down...once he's satisfied with that, he'll call for another group meeting.  The opening line for this one is, "I found something, really, really important, guys.  We need to figure out how we're going to want to deal with it before we leave."

Ven is not too confused by the double Kirlias, since he automatically assume the one that is acting strange is Ditto being impersonating them for some odd reason or another, and regardless doesn't really pay it that much mind at all. In Antheneum, anything was possible, so two psychic dancers twirling around the place was not beyond his expectations....

To his credit, the researcher was one of the first ones to head Nathan's summons, still reserved but much less aloof after the near Scimitar raid upon the library, as he actually quietly/subduedly SPOKE to them instead of merely being silent. "Tell us quickly then, Nathan. If it a vital as you feel it to be, then its imperative we deal the matter promptly."

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

He also makes sure to carefully review those references on Genesect again...having all the necessary info paraphrased and written down...once he's satisfied with that, he'll call for another group meeting. The opening line for this one is, "I found something, really, really important, guys.  We need to figure out how we're going to want to deal with it before we leave."

It's rather obvious from the blank expression and deadpane stare the usually soft fae enthusiast grants Nathan upon being asked to interrupt her personal research AGAIN that she's rather displeased by that. She already dislikes having to pause something she was working on with eager naturally, but the fact this came twice in a relatively short amount of time from the very same person was, please excuse her, testing her patience for the n-th time. If things continue like that, she'll never be able to finish her things, but she'll refuse to leave Atheneum until she has done so.

At first, it looked like if she was about to say something like 'regardless how important the information is - I have things to do. You're stalling me, I'm sorry. Hold that meeting without me - Ven will fill me up later.' - having set the words in her mind already, she....

...lets out a rather tired and long sigh and simply surrenders. Even more if it seems important. Not that she enjoys that action - but she is well aware that arguing with that boy by simply refusing to join will only frustrate them more than she may gain from it and she KNOWS that. 'The wiser head gives in', a smart person once said - that was exactly the course Shiva was following now.

Doesn't mean that she will really enjoy the meeting, for the most part she will only listen with a painfully neutral expression and pool of emotions, keep her thoughts and opinion for herself unless it's reasoned not to and only ask questions if she feels it's necessary.


(This time, I definitely wish to continue my research and actions within Atheneum simultaneous in a flashforward. Alright, @Iron? )

[Spiritmon]

Heart then takes Lairon. He embrace the big guy then decided to talk with Nathan. "Nathan, do you still have that Rock-smash with you? Lairon would might be make good use with thing."

[Iron]

The Tome of Genealogy stops at an ancestor who didn't live in Arrowroot, but who lived in Creshire when the first of the King's race moved in. Back then, the Mamo spread from coast to coast, and this guy lived in a swamp not far from Cress City. His name is Puawi.

Shiva finds a shelf of books all made from bamboo slats, mostly on topics about meditation. They're quite similar to some of the lectures Ventus has given. Behind this shelf is a big pile of extra bamboo slats, plus a huge tangled coil of the bamboo-fiber string necessary to bind them together.

She flings aside the slats, a feeling of excitement slowly intensifying within her, until she finally uncovers an unassuming green-and-white Egg. It's smaller than most Pokemon Eggs, which tend to be about the same size regardless of their contents.

As she reaches out, her hand tingles, a feeling similar to touching the Gauntlet. When Shiva kisses the Egg and strokes it, she and all her Pokemon are suddenly filled with chipper happiness, and she senses the Egg will stay happy for a long time too. The scanner doesn't even recognize this as an Egg.

And when Shiva rotates the Egg...it feels like Time itself flips with it! Everyone in the Library feels the sudden shift across some fourth dimension, like being on a rollercoaster while blindfolded. The Time Capsule sparks and throws up an error reading, prompting Slowking to sigh and fiddle with it. Your surroundings flash briefly, and you get a momentary crosseyed headache until a millisecond later when Time has returned to normal.

Slaking doesn't even act like he notices, but the Vigoroth and Slowking are a little discomfited. The Egg emanates a feeling even more cheerful than before, and then a sleepy little aura like the developing Pokemon inside is winding down for a nap. Then the Egg Teleports away to a new hiding place for a few more centuries.