Spoiler: Randomizing Dungeon Seed 4,4,25,2,8,2,2,1,3,6,0,1358534509153,4,1,1358534509153,0,1,A,CL,0,0,0,3,0,0 Spoiler: Randomized Plot Hooks - You meet the chancellor/advisor to the local lord, who gives you your mission. - You have to resolve the desecration of a local temple or cemetery. - They've determined it is the work of a nobleman of questionable character, and it's up to you to stop it. - You must travel to the family tombs of rich noblemen to find a nobleman of questionable character. - End the threat in exchange for local land and property grants. Ponified Plot: You meet with the Mayor of Hollow Shades, who gives you your mission. Basically, the orb of firelight has been stolen away by the corrupt tax collection of Hollow Shades. He has galloped off into an old abandoned crypt, and has not been heard of for the last two weeks. The mayor tasks you with entering the crypt and through whatever means nessecary, retrieve the orb of firelight. As a reward, you may keep any unclaimed goods you wish that you find, get free repair on anything you take with you, and are rewarded with some light armor. After traveling to the crypt, (which is a spooky journey through the dark forest,) you find the crypt still sealed up. A short hunt around the nearby area reveals a trap door that's been uncovered nearby, which opens up into a short stairway downwards. At the bottom of the stairs is a doorway that has fine silk covering the room beyond from view. The scent of jasmine is faintly smelled coming from beyond the curtains.
The Dark grey pegasus sniffed at the air a tad, the distinctive scent of Jasmine confusing him slightly but reassured him slightly they were headed the right way. He black and white mane was long just like his tail, as he blowed it out of his vision so he could make his way towards the very... Different to expected location. He was expecting skeletons, ruins, and basically everything nasty. Not the scent of jasmine, curtains and such. He was beginning to think that he was somehow tricked into a teaparty. Wouldn't surprise him seeing this. He shrugged before looking to his adventure partner. "So... Uhh... What you hoping we get out of this little quest or whatever its called?"
Stormy looked down the stairs, then at his newfound 'partner.' "I came on this trip to pay a favor for the town, not for material reward. If the mayor wishes to pay me, so be it." He looked back down the crypt and scrunched his nose. What's with the smell? Stormy began his descent into the trapdoor. Nothing would get done if they just stood up here. As he got closer to the curtains, he slowed himself until he came to a hesitant pause two thirds the way down. Why the smell...?
Dark followed his associate, keeping a good 2 or 3 steps behind then stopping 1 or 2 steps behind. He quietened his voice to one more... Quiet... "What is it?" He asked, the usualy curious tone in his voice.
Stormy shook his head. "Nothing... it's nothing." He continued his way down the rest of the steps and peered through the silk to check for anything hostile on the other side.
Dark followed after, keeping himself as attuned to the area around him, more than he was listening to his partner, keeping an eye, ear, nose and anything else open for danger. Coming from the Everfree, one becomes like that... Less social, more survival. He didn't care though. He looked to Stormy, noticing out of the corner of his glance what he was looking at. He remained silent and waited behind him to say if the coast was clear or not.
This first room is decorated with hanging silk draped over two other doors. One of them appears well-placed, while the other one has been torn down, and that door left slightly ajar. There is also a bed taking up one corner of the chamber, and a desk sits opposite of it. The sheets of the bed are rather messed up, and two incense candles still burn at the end of the bed, filling the room with the scent of jasmine. However, half-way between the door and the bed is the corpse of a well-dressed pony. His throat is missing, and the room around him is in disarray. A bucket nearby has been knocked over, with a few bits scattered across the floor, and a barrel lays half-crooked against the desk, fruits scattering from the open lid and laying across the cold flagstone floor.
Stormy walked into the room with a sad sort of disgust. He glanced at the body and thought no more of it than part of the gruesome scenery. Wonder what his story was, he thought. Stormy walked to the end of the room and to the torn doorway. "I'll bet our target is this way. What do you think?"
Dark took one glance of the corpse, deciding to not make it more of a glance. He looked around the room, his eyes looking to the bucket and the bits. He proceeded over to the bucket, weighing it in his hooves, ignoring the bits completley. "If our target did this, we are going to want to be better equipped right? See if we can find anything we could use perhaps..." He shrugged, keeping the bucket with him. It wasn't much, but it was better than fighting with hooves.
Stormy shrugged. "I suppose weapons would be nice." He walked to where Dark was and pocketed the bits on the floor in case he would need them later. He bent over the corpse and examined it for various reasons.
The bucket Dark found is made of wood, and would likely break after a few impacts. In fact, the solid hooves at the end of his legs might even be more painful to kick with. Stormy ends up gathering 56 bits before examining the body. A frilly-shirt wearing pony who matches the description of the tax collecting offical, the one who stole the orb. It appears he met an unfortunate end. Examining the corpse, Stormy also notices, behind another set of hanging silk surtains, a metal portcullis with a wooden crank beside it.
Dark sighed. Couldv'e been a better bucket but it was there. Besides, any weapon was a weapon. If needed he could always just throw it and run away hehehe... He looked to Stormy, waiting for his partner who seemed to be investigating something or other.
Stormy took no further interest in the body. "I believe we have found our culprit. Didn't get very far with the orb, now did he?" He stuck out a hoof and nudged the body. "He doesn't have the orb with him either. Guess whomever killed him wanted it more." His eyes perked up at the portcullis that they seemed to have missed on the way into the room. "What's this then?" He whispered as he wandered over to it. Placing his hooves on the crank, he nearly pulled on it before freezing. "This crank could do anything... I'm not even sure if it opens the portcullis..." Letting go, he turned to Dark. "Which way?"
Dark shrugged. "Not the slightest idea... But we need to get this orb... Perhaps flip a bit?" He was never good at decisions... As you can probably tell by the bucket.
Stormy looked between the lever and the door that was slightly open. "If anything, the struggle went into that room over there. If it's a dead end, we'll come back this way." He trotted to the door with the ripped curtains and opened it up to look inside.
Broken glass from jars competes with stony debris and small rusted tools to cover the floor of this room. A broken workbench takes up part of the far wall, shattered simply in half by large rocks. However, the most noticible thing is the skeletal pony, still somehow moving, as it scratches bone against stone, apparently attempting to dig at the debris on the worktable. There is another door leading from this room. It appears thicker than the one that Stormy's looking through, and is also as ajar as the one he originally found. Now that he's a little further from the incense, he can easily smell the scent of decay.
Stormy's working iris shrunk, and he pulled back. "I... you should probably see this." He leaned in again. "I doubt that thing's friendly."
The creature made an un-earthly hiss as it gouged the rubble from part of the workbench, revealing a dim glint of shiny golden metal in the flicker of the only torch in the room, which was neatly affixed to the wall opposite of the other door.
Stormy let his natural want for shiny objects get the best of him. He walked into the room and stood his ground against the skeleton. Raising a hoof in a taunting manner, he said "Let's dance, beautiful."
It turned and looked at Stormy, but only for a moment before howling ferociously. Its eyes and hooves burning with dark purple fires. Spoiler: The dice are rolled! Stormy = 9, 2 = 17 Dark = 11, 9 = 28 Skeleton = 6, 10 = 20 Dark, being all scouty-scouty, is able to do something first. Otherwise, the skeleton's gonna attack first.
