The Collector stood back, swiping his palms one over the other, leaning back to look over his work. He'd done well, he thought.
The sled, with its dozens of humanoid-like legs, was careening through Canis in a mad dash, scattering bones all around it as it went. The Collector really just wanted to watch the hilarity as the Gembound filtered in, found the useful items and knowledge sequestered atop the sled, and inevitably gave chase to try and retrieve their rewards.
For the slow, though--or the lazy, or those who thought themselves clever--ornate chests lay throughout the cave, as well, half-hidden against the walls and in the fortresses. These held their own challenges, but he'd let them figure that out.
A few scrolls hung, dangling on thread, high up from the stalagtites. Those who could fly or, perhaps, jump, could retrieve these easily enough.
Some loose papers, too, flitted here and there--enchanted to flee of their own accord--through the rat-infested warrens and the bone fortresses themselves; these were sure to lead Gembound on a merry chase.
None of it was weapons, or armor; nothing like that, no. But technology had sadly decayed in the years of silent sleep. The caves were derelict, and Algol rather thought it time to change that.
...Now, how to get it started?
The Collector cleared his throat, and pressed his palms together, and shouted: His voice carried throughout the caves.
"FOR ALL THE WISE, AND THE KNOWLEDGE-SEEKERS; FOR ALL THE ADVENTUROUS, AND BRAVE; FOR ALL THE IDIOTS AMONG YOU WHO WOULD ENLIGHTEN YOURSELVES--SEEK YOUR FORTUNE IN THE ROOM OF BONES."
Let the games begin, he thought--and vanished with a grin.
Characters entering Canis may roll to attempt to retrieve Mystery Prizes from the fleeing Sled With Legs, Ornate Chests, Stalagtites, or Enchanted Scrolls. Random rewards will be awarded to those who succeed, although failures may result in unforeseen consequences...
When Aran noticed the giant thing with many legs, he had to follow it. Not even for the treasures that were dropping out of it, but for his own curiosity. What was that thing? How could it run like that? Things kept being dropped and he was sure whatever that was dropping it didn't notice. There were crolls going derelict, among other things also being dropped down from the legful thing.
There was yelling, too. It only made him more curious for what was going to come. But before he went after anything else - those scrolls were interesting. He wanted to know what was on them. So run he did. The deer's long body and legs were made for that, but even if he was, only time would tell if he would be able to grab one.
So he tried.
Sorda, even after the event with the spire, was an adventurer at heart. When she found a usually derelict cave alive with noise and chaos and shouting, she just had to investigate.
And WOW! There were so many things to investigate. Through the chaos, she spotted something that REALLY intrigued her. Some kind of creature with a variety of loot and interesting things on it's back. Another gembound had already given chase, so she decided to join in. Two is better than one, right?
She took a running start, fledgling wings opened and fluttered wildly. She hadn't quite figured out flying yet, but she managed long leaps over piled of bones as she tried to keep up with the weird creature and the coyote chasing after it.
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coding by wulf for template purposes
Garnet-Epsilon
The small hybrid had snuck out of the Tunnel they knew so well- Hemlock hadn't been paying close attention to it anyway, and they needed some room to breathe. Taking on a new job, more training.. or more like actual training, and finally needing to deal with the fact that one of their... family members? Had died.
The amount of movement in Canis has their eyes wide - and ears straight up in interest.
It was absolute madness.
It was amazing.
They watch the other Gembound scramble after the sprinting thing with objects on its back-
Observe others give chase to fluttering paper, and they themselves eye the scrolls on the ceiling and the boxes partially hidden around the room.
Though they would usually choose something easier, like the small papers or the hidden chests, they want a challenge to burn the panic out of their bones.
They open their wings and take flight- cackling at the sled skitters around, cause honestly it's just so funny looking- and head up to check out the scrolls tied to the ceiling.
Thus far, most--bar Dip--seemed to be going for the scrolls. The Collector watched curiously--and flicked his wrist as the blacksmith herself went for a chest.
Whatever was in Dip's chest shimmered--visible only briefly--and vanished. In its place she would find a hammered metal kettle with tea in small woven-wool bags. Beside it is a cup of hot tea. It's delicious. Beside this would be a small pouch of seeds: enough to grow tea plants, if she managed.
The scroll retrieved by Aran, snagged as the multi-legged sled made a careening turn (and crashed off a bone fortress) was a strange diagram. It depicted a cow being milked; beneath that was a carefully-detailed drawing, in four frames, explaining a method of churning milk into cream and butter. The cream is then shown being poured into a cup; the butter, onto what looks like a plate of food.
Ischium crashed off the sled himself as it made another turn. In his mouth he'd find he'd snagged a roll of parchment showing how to cut wood, treat lumber, and build crates from the resulting planks.
Sorda would spot, should she choose to snag it, a small pair of wheels atop the sled--complete with an axle.
Garnet-Epsilon would find a rolled-up parchment with diagrams depicting how to make parchment itself, from pulping down, treating, drying and pressing wood.
Volta would find a diagram depicting two metal buckets of water. A hose, made of what looked like hollow vine, has been used for suction to drain water from one to the other. This diagram seems to be explaining the use and function of a siphon.
The Gembound present would spot other items on the sled, and hanging from the stalagmites--cups of something, scraps of leather, a small flickering light, and more. The sled, and hidden chests, still held much to find.
Other Gembound may still join this thread at any time.
@Dip @Aran @Ischium @Sorda @Garnet-Epsilon @Garnet-Delta @Volta
Aran was able to grab one of the scrolls before the sled kept going - pretty fast, actually. His dark eyes watched it rush past in what would have been a puff of smoke if he were in a cartoon. Either way, now that he had something that looked interesting, detailed drawings of things on the scroll depicting some kind of... Creature. And something made of what that creature provided.
It was strange, but the Barasingha wanted to know what it was. Just like that picture he found before. What did it all mean? He took to analyze the scroll one more time before taking it with him to keep going. Noticing a flash of light on the sled, he took after it. Whatever that was he wanted to know what it was. If he could get to it, that is.