As Relic stepped inside, there was a quiet, distinct click. An instant later the poor cub would feel a single sharp sting at one shoulder: a poison dart had shot out from a hole in the wall opposite, and struck her.

Luckily, the poison was ancient, and partly decayed: it wouldn't really be dangerous. Instead, she--and anyone else who had not successfully foreseen the danger--would find her emotions greatly intensified. Trepidation would become terror; interest would become elation; contentment would become overwhelming joy.

The rest would see the runed tiles in time to not step on them (or to deliberately step on them, and get hit by darts, if for some reason they decided to stomp the tiles)--or in Labradorite's case, perhaps note that there were places even the life here didn't tread.

And they would see, too, what lay ahead.

The tunnel curved deeper down into the darkness, with hanging tangles of ivy, shallow pools of stagnant water, and--as Labradorite would see--the curled forms of snakes of many sizes within. Fleasnakes and Lurkers lay waiting in the water, and here and there a leech-like Drinker glimmered in the dim light.

Those choosing to forge ahead, deeper into the darkness, would need to avoid these dangers--and maybe bring a light or two.

---

Any Gembound who has rolled successfully can avoid the poison darts, unless they choose to step on the runed trap tiles. Those struck--like Relic--will find their emotions intensified for the rest of the thread. All who failed to roll this round will also be struck as they enter, having failed to see the danger in time.

Gembound should now roll to avoid the venomous creatures in the shallow water ahead, by any means they choose! Failure will result in a venomous strike by a Lurker, or infestation by leech-like Fleasnakes or Drinkers.

@Opie @Catalyst @Tsetse @Bayo @Aethril @Jinyi @Madhukar (Khavur, Kaimana) @Obieth (Nidhogg) @Relic

The raptor was quick to overtake them as they walked, and soon they were surrounded by the rest of this motley crew. Had it gotten bigger again? It was hard to tell. The warm bodies that clustered together at the entrance provided a sense of security, like a meat shield. Or a blood clot, as the cub eyed the geography of the cave. They’d all probably fit, it was a sizeable tunnel, but she didn’t know these people. This kid didn’t easily trust. Even so, the promise of a bigger mystery egged them on, regardless of what vague warnings the bone shaman brought. They’d be careful, they thought, and that would be enough.

They were wrong, of course.

They had scrunched their little eyes as tight as they could, but no sound came, not even a single beat. Just the constant dripping of water and the steps of others as they passed her. Even so, they took a single step forward, eyes still tightly shut, and the ground sunk, just a smidge. The click was loud but before they could react, they felt a sting. “Bayoooooooo!” She whined, upset and taken by surprise. More upset than she would’ve been, but she didn’t know that. “Somethin’ bit me.” Or perhaps, someone. Their upset was replaced with annoyance, bordering on an indignant rage. ”If one’f youse BIT me… I’ll…um… bite you!” she threatened, huffing as she followed the rest, glaring with great suspicion all the while. If they didn’t bite them, then something in this cave did, and they were ready to give the a piece of their mind.

Like those writhing things on the floor, clumped together, long and winding and tangled like a pile of guts. This kid wouldn’t spook, not now, not ever. She’d show these bozos not to mess with her! She charged along, quite unwisely, relying on her little legs to carry her across the creatures before they could bite. She definitely stepped on a few on the way there, though.

Nidhogg turned, scrambling for the cave wall. He didn't know what this was all about, but the darts were worrying, and after a brief glance at Relic (was she dead yet? dying? -maybe) he decided to forge on ahead.

Maybe, if he did really well, he could make an impression on Aethril. Maybe she'd let him eat Vargas-!

...That'd be cool.

Nidhogg's mind cast into a daydream: one in which the Hand was granting him great power before the Black Spire, giving him dominion over everyone in the Forge. Nidhogg's first act was to swallow Vargas whole, because for some reason, in this daydream, the Master was very small.

This distraction cost him. A split second later he was losing his grip and slipping down the damp wall. He hissed, scrabbling frantically at the stone--and then fell, with a heavy splash, into the pool below.

A shriek escaped him as he thrashed, his serpentine body flailing and then launching from the pool. A huge, camouflage-scaled Lurker had lunged up in self-defense, and was striking along Nidhogg's flank; a number of glowing Drinkers and tiny Fleasnakes had immediately latched on.

Nidhogg vanished off into the darkness just ahead, hissing and throwing himself this way and that as he frantically (and mostly fruitlessly) tried to dislodge them.

Obieth stared off after Nidhogg, nonplussed.

She didn't really spare Relic a glance, but instead shrugged and began to make her way forward. She paused delicately at the edge of one stagnant pool, her thirst already tugging at her, and crouched before it; feline tongue lapped at the water until she'd sated herself. Then she stood upright, primly, staring down.

Blackness roiled outward from her touch, a sinister oily hue thickening and taking over the water at her feet. It spread through the water like stormclouds, her intention clear: to poison everything in her path that might otherwise do her harm.

Then she made her way forward, eyes on the darkness ahead, her cat's eyes and innate corrupted darkness allowing her to see clearly the idiot thrashing some distance off.

"This pool should be safe, Mistress," she said back to Aethril as she carried on.

While Relic and Nidhogg became unfortunately struck (and infested, in the serpent's case) with parasites, along with anyone trailing behind, the tunnel ahead stretched into darkness.

The group would need to travel quite some distance through the damp black. In places, water dripped from old bricks; stalactites had even formed here and there, tightening the tunnel into claustrophobic narrowness. It kept curving downward, until all of them could hear the quiet rush of Fornax's seas just beyond the walls. Yet now and then they'd find a swatch of pale fur, the faint whiff of something animal that had passed this way just before them.

Finally, they hit a strange wall just ahead. It seemed half-broken--it had closed the tunnel off from above, yet had stopped a foot or so above the tunnel floor. By leaning down and peering ahead with some form of light or dark-vision, Gembounds could see that the tunnel from here on out was smoother, more rounded, heading almost straight down.

Up above the wall was a large, ornate statue of a twisted monster, its open mouth a hole ringed by massive rocky fangs. In its talons it held a grid of nine stone blocks: three by three. These tiles held, placed seemingly at random, one of three sigils: a little flame, a leaf, or a drop of water.

It seemed to be some sort of puzzle, or perhaps a test; what it meant was anybody's guess.

---

Gembounds may attempt in any way they choose to solve this puzzle; they do not need to roll to find the correct solution, but may roll for other interactions/perception if they so choose (please GM tag for them)!

Anyone joining late may still follow the group down the tunnel, for now; those who have not yet rolled will be struck by the emotion-intensifying darts and latched onto by Drinker leeches. Yuck.

@Opie @Catalyst @Tsetse @Bayo @Aethril @Jinyi @Madhukar (Khavur, Kaimana) @Obieth (Nidhogg) @Relic

The cub freaked as they felt the things squirming underneath each step, panicked when they felt teeth nipping at their heels, and when they felt some of those teeth sink home, they screamed. The one thing they didn’t do is stop running, which is probably what saved them from becoming an empty blood bag. They stumbled around as they reached the end of the pool, attempting to rip off the squirming bodies as they continued their terrified sprint. Maybe Bayo had told them about leeches, but nothing could’ve prepared them for the writhing slugs that clung to them now. Yelping with each step, it was hard to say who had won this encounter.

They payed no mind to the splash and subsequent shriek behind them. They did not want to look back at that pond, not for any reason. The heavy, frantic footsteps were harder to ignore, forcing the cub out of their disgust just quickly enough to dodge the black and green whirlwind that hissed and stomped its way down the cave. The shock was enough to distract them from their initial panick, before continuing in a brisk trot, pulling glowing leeches from their skin as they went.

The process was long, painful, and oh so very gross, but it was good distraction from the cave walls closing in as the pathway became more narrow. As they ripped off the last drinker from their flank, they realised it was very, very dark. They were about to toss the last wriggling, glowing creature in their teeth like they had done so many others when- hey, they could kinda see where they were going! Not well mind you, but the glow dimly illuminated a wide enough radius they could at least see where they stepped. They wondered if they bit harder it would coax some more light out. Instead, the light sputtered as they squeezed, and they muffled a quick, frantic “sorry!”. Whatever happened down here, this leech’s chances of survival were grim. That made them very sad for some reason. Poor bugger.

The cub came to a stop at the wall, almost hitting it if it weren’t for Rabbit’s blue glow (she had named the leech, a strange decision borne out of a even stranger ailment). She then quickly realised that she might be able to wriggle under it. The space was only a bit smaller than her, she reckoned, and maybe with her trusty leech friend she could beat the bigger ones to the other side.
Yes! A great plan! She began her shimmy towards the gap, fearless and foolish.

A great plan, until they got stuck. Nails scratched in a desperate attempt to push them a little further. They were almost there, they thought, not even halfway through the gap. No biggie, they’d just wriggle out and find another way, but they soon found that they couldn’t. Even though their front paws found purchase in the ground, their little baby limbs simply couldn’t provide enough force to set them free. They found it appropriate to say a word, something they had only heard a little earlier, but seemed to fit the context of this situation. “Shit.” They were SO going to die, whatever that meant.

They could barely see the tunnel ahead of them, a steep descent to somewhere. All thanks to Rabbit. Wait, Rabbit! One of them would have to make it out ok, and it wasn’t looking good for the cub. “Goodbye buddy, and good luck.” They whispered solemnly, muffled by the invertebrate firmly stuck in their mouth. They threw the leech, as far as they could, and it tumbled and spun down the slope limply. It’d get out of here, the cub felt it in their gut, and their instinct was infallible, surely. They resigned to this cruel fate, lying limply on the cave floor, ready to let whatever the hell grew down here reclaim them. A good death.

(From the perspective of the rest of the group, imagine a little furball immediately wriggling into a small gap, furiously try to scratch their way out for a good thirty seconds, then give up entirely)

Kaimana had noticed the danger but couldn't seem to avoid it. He felt the dart hit him and would later discover the blobs of darkness that did not match the texture of his dark rosettes, attempting to make walking carrion out of him. Kaimana's emotions were not exactly drastic to begin with; there was no panic to be amplified by any poison, but there was a surprisingly large lump of disappointment growing in his throat. The split reaction feeling of That's bizarre, he felt snowballed into total bewilderment. The intensity of the emotions was such that it could actually make its way into Kaimana's expression.

Fortunately for him, and possibly for everyone else venturing down, there was a puzzle up ahead. More than being shocked, bewildered, disappointed or anything, Kaimana loved puzzles. She smiled terrifyingly wide, feeling a certain brain tingle grow and expand way beyond its natural capacity. She could already portend that this would consume her and cause the rest to not matter, and, against her better judgement, she was fine with that. She didn't want to be fine with that something had unlocked her lizard brain and she didn't know when she'd be able to listen to the voice of reason again. So, you know, when in Rome... solve a puzzle.

My roll is labeled "Solve puzzle?" but I'm really having Kaimana looking for like a hint / clue or an idea for How To Solve Puzzle.

Khavur similarly realized the danger of the tunnels but found itself rather incapable of maneuvering out of the way of darts of leeches. It would not even feel them pierce its hide, and honestly wondered how much of an effect either could have. It had enough blood to spare, to overfill any hungry leech, so it did not worry quite so much. Instead it worried — with startling intensity — for its sibling, who it realized was here. "Tread carefully," it would tell the Labradorite, wandering perhaps too close, posturing its wing perhaps too defensively around the form of its seabound sibling. This may not actually be helpful to either of them, but a Khavur with heightened emotions was a dangerous Khavur to be in the presence of.

The darkness crept up, but Khavur forged on without a second thought. Its eyes were built for seeing in the dark, its whiskers and heat sensing abilities offering some support. With a combination of each sense it could grasp its situation enough to recognize the puzzle. Khavur might have dawdled with the mental test had its mind not held the singular track of the beast supposedly within this construct. Instead of offering any aid, it would seek potential evidence of the unseen lifeform. A dark room equipped with a distraction could be a decent spot for an ambush, after all.

'Tread Carefully.'
It heard this as it realized the significance of the life-barren tiles, and as it heard puffs of air signaling darts being fired. Being much too large to really have any change at dodging a dart, it'd slither forward, arcing onto it's tiptoes in the hopes that the darts were aimed at creatures close to normal sizes. While it looked rather ridiculous- like a lovecraftian halloween decoration- it managed to escape unscathed from any darts. And CAVES know it couldn't handle any heightened emotions- now or ever.

It wasn't so lucky in maneuvering around the infested waters. A foot splashed heavily into the water, and it could feel the tiny hungry teeth of a multitude of drinkers. It accepted this fate with a dull sigh- It wasn't threatening by any means, just an annoyance that could be dealt with when convenient.

Khavur's protectiveness- the closeness, that encroaching wing- was met with a sharp intake of breath and a subtle hunching of it's form. As the room opened up, it'd mutter a quiet, "We should spread out. Investigate." and then slink over to the far side of the room, peering at the statue and the puzzle and the darkness and basically anything but Khavur.

It'd reach for the spell it'd cast previously, probing into the darkness as it let the others deal with... whatever that puzzle was.

Nidhogg was useless, for the most part, still plucking at Drinkers as the rest settled themselves in. He hissed and gibbered, any actual words garbled, as he turned the little shits into carrion and flung them to the floor.

This left his oily hide patchworked with tiny holes that bled profuse black, and he hissed at this, too, before at last turning his attention to the puzzle.

Like a dog smelling something interesting, he leaned up on his hind legs, stepping all over the strange tiles as he sniffed uselessly at the puzzle.

Maybe he'd get lucky, or maybe he would not.