It was easy enough, just time-consuming, for the Gembounds to coordinate navigation. Most would find dead-ends, and circle back to encounter others in the group; eventually, most would find their way to a ramp that led downward.
Except for Vestyge.
Vestyge turned a corner and found a web of vines underfoot that had no actual stone beneath; one misstep and suddenly he was
plummeting, betrayed by the very cave that he perceived as flirting with him. Maybe it was playing hard-to-get. Either way, he fell, and fell, and
fell, through open air, down into-
SPLASH.
...A huge cavern, filled with the sound of roaring sea and a lagoon deep enough to stop someone from dying when they fell in through a hole in the ceiling. Everyone else could
walk in, down a carved path that circled the side of the room.
Bones littered this place. The surf crashed in, hissing, not dangerous but
loud; seafoam churned below. Vestyge would need to pull himself up and out, but ahead--the way out was blocked. An exit, bright and visible, lay at the end of their carved path. But before that? The bones. Skeletons and broken weapons, shattered armor. And beyond
that? Between the dead and the open gap in the wall?
Treasure.
A nest, with two ENORMOUS speckled grey eggs. Gold--in piles--and gemstones, as if something had decided that anything shiny was a great nesting material. Armor and weapons had been pried from the dead and lined the nest's edges.
It was only after everyone had entered--not that they'd necessarily rushed toward the giant nest and eggs, but still--that the
creature turned up.
A Squallfang's head emerged from the surf. At first it didn't notice them, instead swimming with surprising agility and speed--given that it was
basically t-rex with anglerfish fins and lights--toward the nest. It paused as it reached a shallow point, pulling itself to a completely abnormal height of almost twenty-five feet, and shook itself like a dog before freezing.
It stared at the gathering of would-be adventurers--and then it
roared.
Boss Fight!
A Giant Squallfang is about to attack! Gembounds may take whatever action they desire, and must roll to do so.
Any characters who didn't post last round should double-post to catch up; failures from last round will be hit a glancing blow by the stone bricks, or take a more serious injury (but nothing fatal) on a critical fail.
Catch-Up Loot:
Soh-Ling does not find any treasure--but it found a gemstone that had once
belonged to someone of this element. Its Oilstone was jagged, huge, and still seethed with corruptive energy: enough that any non-Corrupted beast that held it would become twisted, just that little bit. This gemstone would no doubt be easily revivable.
The next post will take place on
July 5th in the afternoon/evening GMT.