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Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Try convincing the woman to leave with you, back the way you came. <

---

The ear-wrenching squeals of your foes engulfed the air, both in their battle cries and their death throes. As the space available for you and the woman to stand in continued to shrink around you though, you felt your back press against hers. Before you could look over your shoulder, your attention was reclaimed by the large spider in front of you, lifting its two front legs and lunging them toward you. A quick duck to the side avoided the brunt of the attack, and your ally behind you broke away to hack through another wave of smaller foes before her. As the spider in front of you stumbled from its miss with a low thud, you turned to fit in a quick cut on its front limb. It pulled the leg back, hissing at you as you threw a glance over your shoulder.

"We need to get out of here," you urged your new companion. "There's too many of them!" She met your eyes with hers for a moment, opening her mouth to respond but quickly being distracted by an attacker of her own. She sliced through the foe with a resounding "Hyahh!" before replying to you. "We're fine! I'm not afraid of these-" she tried to justify, at least until one of the larger spiders planted itself right in front of her. Her attention turned to it, her free hand glowing with energy once again. She ran her hand over her sword, and the glowing white-blue magic focused onto the blade, which began to jitter and spark in front of her. "Get outta my way!" she yelled, lunging forward and slashing clean though the giant spider with a flash of lightning. As quickly as her spell crashed through her foe, the spark faded and her sword returned to an inert state. Her posture staggered for a moment, her breath catching up to her.

Two down, and two remained among the massive eight-legged foes. A seemingly endless swarm of their offspring began to fill in the space your partner cleared, and you rushed to her side to avoid getting left behind. "That-" you began, turning to lift your dagger against the smaller spiders that relentlessly jumped at you. "Unless you've got more of that, I still think we need to get to safety," you suggested. You could slash away at these things for only so long, and the look on her face was reluctant to agree but without any real argument against it. She looked past you and you followed her gaze, to the army that was pushing you into the corner near the staircase. The two remaining giant spiders were rapidly approaching, and even the walls were darkened by movement. As the glow of her floating orb began to dwindle, you turned back to her in time to see her nod at you. "Fine," she grunted in frustration. It took another moment of carving to make your way to the stairs, but luckily the opening was far too small for the more threatening monsters to reach inside.

The climb back up towards the entrance of the temple was much more hasty than then descent, and in the cramped corners of the stairwell there wasn't space for much more than stomping or kicking away the spiderlings that nipped at your boots. Atop the stairwell though, the sprint through the trapped hallway and into the foyer once again seemed too far for the hive to follow, the stragglers that tagged along this far were easily dispatched without the entire swarm backing them up.

Finally, you leaned against the wall and drew in a long breath as the sounds of scuttling faded into the depths below, and the woman you found along the way seemed equally tense as she sheathed her sword into the scabbard at her side. The moonlight and frigid breeze from outside once again found you both, not truly illuminating the room but giving enough light for you to see her silhouette against it as she paced with pent up frustration in front of you.

"Gods- Gods damnit!" She threw her hands down at her side. "This whole damn trip was a waste!"

---

• "Are you Aika?"

• "What do you mean 'a waste'? Why did you come here?"

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Aika Lennone

Face

Race
Humanoid - Human (Gelish)
Age
Aika looks to be in her early adulthood.
Appearance
With long flowing silvery hair draped over a long dark blue cape, Aika stands somewhere between five and five-and-a-half feet tall. Dressed like an adventurer, she sports studded leather armor, complete with lightly plated gloves and boots over simple slacks and a tunic. Her lithe form and short stature make her look unassuming at a glance, but her bright blue eyes shine with a determination of something greater.

Skills and Abilities
Swordplay
Aika seems to know her way around a sword, capable enough to fend off a gang of thugs in blade-to-blade combat.
Magic
Aika has shown the ability to cast arcane magic, so far manipulating light and electricity for purposes of utility and combat.

Personality
Aika is a vibrant and airy voice in any room. Daring and full of wanderlust, she is as likely to leap headlong into danger as she is to grab her best friend's wrists on the way down. She seems well-learned in matters of arcane study, and her curiosity and ingenuity have been boons in unlocking the secret of the Temple of Zorkuth.
Biography
Aika claims to be the student of a wizard, learning magic from him and performing more physical errands on his behalf. She was tasked with performing some kind of research within the Temple of Zorkuth, claiming that she needs the dragon's heart.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Approach her and give her one of your healing potions. <

---

As if her call for help wasn't enough, the sounds of danger rapidly approaching put some urgency in your movements as you tried to rush toward her side. Quickly drawing one of the vials from your bandolier, you knelt down and held the small potion out to her, which she took and promptly shot down. The magic of the healing potion took its effects nearly instantly, the woman's chest heaved a strong and purging breath, a gasp for air finally satisfied as she rolled forward enough to dislodge her left arm and push herself up. She reached for her sword, lifting it into her left hand before springing into a full stand, and looked to you with a smirk. "Thanks" she nodded, lifting her blade forward towards the noise. "I thought I was gunna rot away down here." With a bit of a wince, you pushed with your legs to rise and meet her posture as the light from your torch illuminated the first of your foes.

Peering back at you from the edge of darkness were eight beady eyes, glossy and reflective of your torch's flickering dance as a grotesques arachnoid visage came into view. From the size head of this spider alone, hovering at eye-level with you, the stature of it hidden beyond the edge of light seemed daunting. Your new ally looked fearless, a renewed zeal to survive in her eye as she rose her blade and shouted to taunt the beast. "Come back for more, huh? Well- you couldn't take me when I was down, now you've definitely got no chance!" Her free hand rose before her as well, and she murmured to herself in a language you didn't recognize. As her palm turned to face upward, a gleaming white light formed between her fingers, flooding the chamber with much more light than your torch could provide. The clear colorless glow of her spell flushed away the orange tinge of flame, revealing her cape to be a deeper midnight blue rather than the black it previously appeared to be. As she finished her incantation, the orb floated further upward, posturing itself several feet into the air and revealing the swarm of spiders in all directions. Needless to say, the torch was no longer needed, a thankful notion as your hands would serve better reaching for your weapon.

Beyond the mess of creepy crawlies, the rest of the room appeared to be a large auditorium of some kind. The closer wall to your right ended in a stairwell that sat in the corner with the far right wall opposite where you had entered from, not unlike the stairs you descended. To the left, the room extended much further, culminating in a stage or platform of some kind against the far left wall, raised enough to warrant steps to reach. Beyond it, a mural that spanned the entire far wall all the way up to the ceiling, where you could see the slit where the hallway you traversed through sat, directly above where you found the woman. At the base of the mural, as well as along the other walls, several doors and archways led out of sight into what you presumed to be more rooms and halls, all except for the far right wall which contained a cave-in the mouth of which was coated in webbing. Near this web, you saw the body of a fourth, larger spider, laying limp by the mouth with what seemed to be a sizable hole burned into its abdomen.

If the light was bright enough to make your dark-adjusted eyes squint, you could only imagine how annoying it must have been for the spiders that live here. Squealing and hissing was their response, and as the larger ones- of which you could now count at three- bared their fangs and rose their front limbs, the smaller ones began their march towards you two.

Their onslaught was met with the swinging and stabbing of blades, as they drew too close too quickly to fire at them with your bow. You and your ally fended them off as best as you could with her sword and a dagger you carried with you for close-quarters just like this. Unfortunately, the larger spiders would not simply wait for you to kill off all of their children, and the stomping of their movements meant you and her had to act fast.

---

• Try convincing the woman to leave with you, back the way you came.

• Stand your ground and fend off the large spiders.

• Stand your ground and focus on clearing out the smaller spiders.

• Try a different tactic.
[Write in: briefly describe an action to take]

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Make your way down the hallway. <

---

With a long breath of determination, you set forth into the darkness before you. In only a few short steps, the moonlight pouring behind you into the foyer of the temple was swallowed by the shroud of black that encroached on your meager torch, leaving you all alone in this cramped and narrowing passage. The echoes of your footsteps and the sifting of your cloths and leathers were the only stimuli to distract you from your thoughts, as you pondered where this could lead, where your target was, and if she was all right. Your inquiry about the first of these things would come to light- the light of your torch, that is- after not too long. The mountaintop upon which the temple rested within didn't seem terribly wide at this altitude, somewhat restricting a possible internal floorplan within. As you then expected, the hall came to an end, as a small circular stairwell sat snug against it. The ceiling, walls and floors of this place were starting to look more and more like they were chiseled from the mountain itself, with barely enough room to squeeze by as you followed the uneven and crudely carved steps down.

Soon, the frigid and flowing winter air of the outside world was replaced by a stagnant, stuffy, and uncomfortably warm stillness. The spiraling descent seemed to have no end, no landings or doors broke up the repetitive and cyclical journey down, until you came to the very bottom of the flight.

An opening that barely passed as a doorway without a door led you into a chamber wide enough to once again separate the walls from your torch's allowance. To both your left and right, the walls and floor extended beyond your view, though the right angle at which they met by this stairwell gave away that you were at least in some kind of corner. Looking up yielded little, the ceiling far above your light was instead replaced by a formless black. However, it was when you case your gaze forward that you finally noticed something of merit, not by sight, but a sound most critical.

"H-hello? Who's there?" A feminine voice called out from the darkness, shackled and gritty with fatigue and pain. You rushed, fighting the sting of your own legs as you briskly followed the groans until your torch illuminated a body on the floor before you. Laying partially on her left side was a woman whose appearance matched the description your client gave you. Clad in adventuring gear not dissimilar from your own, her lighter studded leather, full-slacks and front-plated boots were adorned with a long and dark-colored cape that covered much of her torso and back, contrasted by the almost-as-long silvery hair that flowed from her head. It was hard to tell how tall she was exactly as she was slightly curled in her posture, but she seemed on the shorter side for a human. Bright blue eyes stared up at you from a pale and lithe face, blemished by dirt, scratches and bruising. Just behind her but beyond her reach, near the edge of your bubble of orange light, a sword laid flat on the floor.

With one arm pinned under her side, the other struggled to lift her hand up toward you. "I fell," she explained succinctly. Her voice was desperate, willing to put her trust in whoever you were. "Can't move much. Help me- please..."

Unfortunately, before you could react, another sound began to fill both your ears and hers. A skittering, chattering-like series of taps and clicks, followed by a raspy hissing that sought to close in around you. You were familiar with these sounds, and the dangers that the swarm of giant spiders making them posed.

---

• "Are you Aika Lenonne?"

• Approach her and give her one of your healing potions.
[Spend 1 of 3 health potions: return the woman to a healthy condition]

• Run back to the entrance of the temple.

• Drop the torch and draw your bow.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

I'm sorry, things turned out quite different than I thought they would today. I will write the post tomorrow (Monday) instead. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by Kassarock>

I'll break the tie and vote for this!

@The Muse

Well that makes things easier. I'll write something up today for sure. Just taking care of other irl errands first.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Oh boy, a tie? Hmm what do you all think we should do? Do I get to pick? Should I roll randomly?

Admittedly, I wish the engagement was a bit more than just 2~4 people per week, would certainly help avoid situations where votes are very quickly decided, or just a tie.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Write in: Check for Traps, Secret Doors/Passages, or any other secrets. <

---

Carelessness was the usher of untimely demise, and in a place as timeless and mysterious as this, the treacherousness of every corner needed respect if you were to survive this spelunking adventure. Surely, you wouldn't find Aika if you died along the way. Your eyes scanned the immediate area, looking for the tell-tale signs of any hidden traps or secrets.

First, the walls to either side of the desk were constructed of stone blocks, large but still varied in size enough to take note of the seams they formed. The blocks were lined well- none of them jutting out of or depressed back into the wall, and light tapping of your fingers against some of the smaller blocks revealed no give in their position.

Second, you crouched down to get a good look under the table. Gently lowering yourself to ease the burden on your injured legs, you peeked at the underside of the wooden table. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything of merit- no lever, no hole or panel. Unfortunately, the strain of kneeling quickly became too great to stay down here longer than a few moments. With a huff, you pulled yourself up with the help of the table, regaining your footing and shaking off the radial soreness through your lower limbs.

Third, the torch resting above the table fell under your scrutiny. The wooden handle of the torch itself seemed in too good of a condition to have sat upon this sconce for the many years preceding tonight's search-and-rescue. As if the torch being alight wasn't already enough of a giveaway combined with the opened book. Someone was here very recently, within the lifespan of a brand new torch at most. This could also only mean that the torch likely wasn't attached to the sconce in any way. It would be safe to remove.

Fourth, your turned your attention to the bookcase. It was clear as day that four empty spots on the shelf lined up with the three remaining books on the table, plus the one you put in your bag. Confident that pulling the torch off the wall wouldn't trigger some trap, you use it to get a closer look into the empty spaces of the shelf. Sure enough, you saw tiny rises of wood in each gap, small enough to slide back into a flush position if pushed.

Lastly, the darkened hallway. With the torch raised overhead, you carefully made your way to its entrance and peered within. Unfortunately, you couldn't see much further, but you could tell that the walls of the hall were oddly smooth, comprised of a flat stone surface rather than blocks. Looking up, the ceiling didn't seem alarming in any way, no large axes or anything absurd waiting to swing down on you. However, when you looked to your own feet, you saw the trap you were looking for. Nestled into the corners of the archway between the entry room and the hall only a few inches off the floor on either side sat a small pinhole. Strung into each pinhole was a thin silvery string, nearly unnoticeable if you weren't directly looking for it and starting straight at it. Something about it seemed off though... It was already broken! Snapped in two , the string sat limp on the floor, hanging out of the pinholes. Your eyes followed forward, as far as you could see, you could see that the floor was two long and narrow slabs trailing off into the dark.

---

• Make your way down the hallway.

• Return the books to the bookshelf.

• Pull on the broken string.

The Glynwood Institute For Thaumaturgical Studies

---

Apollo tuned in to Iris's story about the beds, supposing quietly to himself that it makes sense now, why she'd be so flustered to sleep in one herself at Pebblebrook. But as the conversation moved along, and the newest face of the group took the lead, his attention pivoted accordingly.

"Oliver," he filed the name away with the rest. "Well met indeed." He gave the slightly troubled looking lad a comforting smile and nod, though his composure faltered into a small laugh as Iris clarified the namesake of her town. "Well that's certainly interesting! As for me, I'm originally from Tythrae but... Well, my family had to 'pick up our roots' I guess when the war started. We've stayed with a friend in Pontaion since then."

@Hero@Ignorancebliss@Crowvette

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Sorry the reply for this week took so long. Father's Day was quite busy!!!