Dragon's Eye

[Still_Pond]

I relish in the hard strikes from my chain. If I can kill one, maybe their owner will stop this nonsense for fear of loosing the other one....or more will come and I'll have made it even harder to get Zef. I whirl my chain around, preparing for another strike. I notice the strange plates on the golum's arm. Did Kalfu make these things too? Or did he borrow the technique? Questions about this magic's origins push into my mind, but they remain distant echoes, flooded out by his battle mind.

I am so focused on the plates that it takes me a moment to realize they are about to zap me. I do my best to

Dice Reflex save:

1d20+8

(3)+8

Total = 11

duck away, which is not good enough. The ray burns and I worry a bit about it damaging my armor. I can't help Zef by dieing but I don't know what else to do but to try. I step in and pull my chain back when Grayfare blasts them. Again, the mage is putting his life on the line for this cause, for Zef this time. Pride swells in my chest at his courage and selflessness. I make eye contact with him and nod. I try to

Dice Acrobatics check to Avoid the AoO:

1d20+8

(17)+8

Total = 25

slip past the golums in their moment of distraction. Regardless, I press on toward the door. How I'm to find Zef in this place I have no idea, but I'm going to try. Already my mind is charting the likely geography of the place based on its size and the door. I curse Sam and the fact that I lost that ring. On the up side, if I do manage to find Zef, she can lead me to him (assuming he leaves the ring on). And this reminds me that I don't really know that Zef is in there, just that her ring is. I spit on the ground and swear an oath against the dead Tiamat, my she torment in the nine hells. I spit and swear again against Karnarth for even making the damned artifact in the first place. I open the door.

[Still_Pond]

Download link
http://rapidshare.com/files/451249966/Brushes.zip






Delete it link

[Gir]

Thanks man, Did you give me some patterns last time as well? or was it just brushes and stlyes?

[Still_Pond]

I don't know. Those styles should include patterns they use within them, but if not, I can send you my patterns.

[Gir]

ooc Ah..only saw brushes and styles but no patterns that i would use with the pain bucket...Sorry for the delay..really not liking the map i have for this next part and not really wanting to make a better one...So i guess well just use the one i dont like and move on..

You quickly dash to the pyramid and open the double doors. As you do you take a step forward onto some beach pebbles and then are confronted by another set of doors. You quickly close the first doors and hear the sound of combat behind them. Opening the second set of doors you are confronted by inky blackness. you probe your weapon into it and there is a space there..You step forward and are unable to see your hand infront of your face..

There is a wall infront of you and the exit behind you...you feel to the left and right and there is open space. You can hear the sound of water dripping in the distance and the sound of things moving arround..there is a slight echo though so whatever is moving may be a good ways away..On a whim you pull out your light source and are a bit dismayed that the darkness only permits the light to travel about 5 feet from it..

ooc Ok so even though this is a dungeon crawl section ill be trying things to speed stuff up as well. Some of the things will be letting you decide on an action and moving your character forward based on that action..Also after you have decided on an action just storytelling some based on that action until you reach a point where you can realistically do something. This might have you passing rooms or other things you might want to explore. In this case you will see those things on the map and are free to travel back there and explore. . . The key idea is i dont want to have a tedious room to room search for things..anyway well see how it works.. Also if there are things your looking for or are trying to do then tell me and ill try to remember your character is mostly looking for that..exsample..say you say your looking for Zef being held in a prision..well then i will assume your mostly ignoring sleeping quarters and the likes till you get to zef...

[Still_Pond]

As I'm retrieving my lantern, I pull out the mummy twine as well. I don't know how it works, but I try to focus on Zef. I tie one end to my belt and then hold the ball in my hand. I remember Zef's personality, her heritage and her in battle. I then ask the ball to find her. "Locate Zef" Then I let it go.

ooc Patterns: http://rapidshare.com/files/451398763/all_patterns.zip Another style I just made to maybe be how I sorta envision this place: http://rapidshare.com/files/451402538/Pyramid.zip Delete link Other delete link. As for forum-dungeon crawling, I think I see what you're trying to do. Part of a dungeon crawl is the room to room thing though. Would I assume Zef is in a cell? I'm not sure. I don't think Tau would assume anything. If the map and twine are not enough, and room to room is just too slow, I'd think he may try to capture a guard and ask him. Baring any of that, then ya, maybe he'd just do a quick scanning of every room, and go back later looking for secret doors if needed. He isn't exploring and treasure hunting here, he's racing to find Zef before Sam does. Also, just a reminder that I'll be traveling through the 16th of march. I expect to be able to post, but am not sure.

[Gir]

You hold the twine focus on Zef. You feel a warmth from within it as it falls from your hand. You reach down to grab the spool and it rolls quickly away leaving a trail of silvery thread behind it. You use your lantern and quickly follow it. Sounds pass by and you are sure there are things in this maze that you would rather no meet up with. Still the twine leads you true through the maze. At one point you hear a yell and an explosion echoing arround through the maze..Sam you think..

You arrive at a set of doors, the thread passes through them as if they are not even there. You look at them and open them up. For a moment you wonder why they are unlocked and then you figure that only the right people probably ever make it through the maze alive!

Oppeining the doors you enter a hallway. The hallway is long and parts of it apear to still be unfinished. You see the thread running down it and to the left..you run quickly after it. A door opens as you run and you rush by a creature like the ones above..hit hisses at you and shreaks before closing the door again..you shake your head and run down the hall..past statues..and turn a cornor..a guard walks here but you rush and push him off the the side..he falls down..an alarm sounds from somewhere in the pyramid..you curse..and run..up the stairs and to the next level..

You see the thread moving infront of you and you rush quickly forward. You rush forward following the twine and come to three wooden doors, each one has a handle and a plate of dark metal where you think a key would go. The alarm pulses through the pyramid and your sure the guards will be here in a moment.

ooc Your on the second level, Zef is behind the door according to the twine..You feel that sam is behind someplace..alarms are going.. not showing you the first level at the moment as you just rushed by it and its a pretty big map section..

[Still_Pond]

OOC Wondering why that last part is OOC. Also wondering why you didn't have me just open the door. Trap maybe? Hmm... Will post later, but I can tell you I'll check for traps (if I can) and then open the door.

[Still_Pond]

I grumble a bit at the way the string works but soon admit to myself that it is actually pretty good. I would have never made it through that maze without it. Thanks evil undead mummy in the plane shifting tower of terror. As I move through the halls, I am careful to mark marks on the wall with my chalk, so I can find my way back out. I wish I had time to map it, but I just can't afford to be that meticulous. This is not an academic visit as distracting as it may be.

I rush past guards, wondering if that was wise. They'll just gather and come at me from all sides now. Bah, let them com. I run up a set of stairs and past statues. I expect them to animate and attack, but they don't, so I run past, ignoring my desire to study them. After just updating my humble keep, the wealth of this place is not lost on me. I reach the door where the twine says Zef is.

I am about to just open it when I remember some tips the Junior Royal Explorers taught me. Boy am I glad they are not here, the thought of being their mother hen in this place gives me a shudder.

Dice Perception check to find traps:

1d20+10

(19)+10

Total = 29

I study the door, looking for any signs that it may be trapped. I wonder how anyone can spot things hidden so. If I find any that look like they'd be rather harmful, I'll

Dice Disable Divice:

1d20+10

(14)+10

Total = 24

try to disarm them them.

As I'm doing this, I'll shout at the door, "You in there Zef?"

[Gir]

You run up to the door and are about to open it when you remember the Junior explorers. quickly you get your kit out and try to remember how they taught you to move to inspect things. Your eyes scan the plate and the handel, there is a warmth to them, a vibration if you will. You use a tool to seperate the plate some from the door and see there is something attatched, with another tool you work a small shiv under the plate and between plate and the attachment point, you then push the plate back down and turn the handle..a large crackle sound and the smell of burning wood tells you the trap is activated..you however dont have to worry about it and just open the door.

Inside is darkness. Inky darkness with no end, your thread moves in and is lost a few feet later. On faith you step in and find yourself suspended in mid air above a feild of stars..in a feild of stars..its hard to get your baring..you know theres a floor beneith you but you cant help feeling like your falling..there is no sound..no air..you gasp..your in the void..you rush forward on a breath and see zef, naked, huddling in space..rocking back and forth..you grab her, embrace her body in yours and fold your wings arround her. You look arround and grab the ball of twine..it seems smaller somehow., you see the open door miles away..you rush and rush..then you stop..this place is an illusion for sure..you constantly feel as if your out of breath but you know theres air..this room cannot be so large..you close your eyes and slowly walk forward..you find the wall..then the door..and step out..zef screams are agony to you but you know shes safe now.

She stops screaming and looks up at you, 'Tau?' she says confused..'how, long' she tries to ask..the room was an ordeal on her..you know the month she has been there must have felt like forever..you only wonder how jack is handeling his ordeal.'The others' she says looking arround, 'Topaz, Elisa, and barron'

You look at the other doors and grumble..Setting her down for a moment you rush into the other doors..guarding your mind from the effects you find a man, the dog and a woman. Of the three the woman was found sitting in lotus position as if she was waiting for something..

you look down the hallway, guards rush arround the cornor from the north and down the stairs..it confuses you for a moment..apparently your prison break has gone unoticed for now..

[Still_Pond]

"Too long, Zef. I'm so sorry." Some protector I am. I hold her tight, probably too tight. I remember the girl I found in the fire. I can't help it as a tear rolls over my scarred cheek.

My heart sinks as she mentions others. After I find them so close and relatively easily, I thank Bahamut. Now we just have to get out. As I free them I say, "I'm Tau. We are not free yet. Is that Barron?"

I look at Zef, and feel embarrassed at her nudity. "Is Gwen here too?" I remove my Vest and hand it to her, along with Keryvain. I also look at her hand to see if the ring is still on it. "Can you fight?"

I look to the others. "What about you? Any idea where your stuff is? We need to equip if we are to fight our way out. I wasn't subtle in getting in and I doubt we can just leave the way I came." I offer the others my buckler, Kukri, old spiked chain, and my bow and arrows.

ooc Forgot to say nice map. Odd that the style didn't work the same, unless you tweaked it. Not that it looks bad, just not the same. Did you turn off the bevel maybe? Make the walls narrower? I don't care, just trying to understand because I'd figure shared styles would work the same way for you as they do me.

[Gir]

The next few moments go by quickly as you meet the large gruf man named topaz and the thin elf like girl elsa. It seems that gwen is off helping someone else and left zef with the task of trying to retrieve the dragon eye item from this pyramid. It seems that many years ago this drow fellow found the item buried in the jungle. He took it and started with the help of the shifter people to unlock its mysteries. They constructed this pyramid and the guardians as well as other things. They also tried to get gwen to find their homeland for them. You ask if she did and zef shakes her head, no..she was not sure their intent and so has not done that as of yet.

she pauses and puts on the vest while hefting the mighty Keryvain, she smiles for a moment. we snuck into this place with the help of a shifter named ker, hes still around im sure as well as elantro. You ask who he is and she simply says our escape plan, although i would guess hes left by now. she looks down and sees her nakedness, 'The throne rooms on the bottom floor along with some rooms and a temple, guard rooms are up here with an aviary and the prisons..she pauses..The artifact is at the top i would imagine..

she stands there looking at you and then give you a big hug reminding you of the child she once was, thanks for coming and getting me..i never gave up hope she kisses your cheek and smiles, now then, its a bit breezy and by that alarm im guessing we don't have alot of time..

indeed you think as you look behind you and take up whatever the others have not as of yet. you ask about their equipment and the shrug, You also see that zef does not have the ring on.

Topaz takes up your old chain and smiles when he holds it, 'its a good chain tau' the man knows his weapons and you can see the respect he has for this one. Elsa takes up the bow and kirki. You lead the way down the hallway pausing only to hide when troops run down the stairs or up the stairs to the north. At one point you see what can only be described as a golem jaguar following a guard,

You get to the main hall way without incident, Zef says to the south is the aviary and the north is the guards rooms..down the stairs you hear battle, spells going off, and screams..

ooc Not thinking you really need a map update at the moment. You either go north, south, or down the stairs..if the guards are north theres a chance of getting these guys outfitted, at the same time going south might offer a time for you guys to hide. The commotion and distraction down stairs you guess is Sam. You figure hes still fighting twoards the ring or found it and is realizing that zef is not attatched to it and is searching for her. Your not sure where grayfare and larken are. Thanks for the map complement. Its was rather quick and im not really sure what im doing pray tell or how i would set it up better. Essentially i have two layers, one is for the floor and one is for the walls. The floor is set up with a pattern overlay effect and the walls are set up with an effect on the stroke command. To add sections i use the marquee tool, draw out what i want then stroke it on the wall section and fill it in on the floor section. I assume there is a way to combine them to both layers but an not really sure as of yet.

[Still_Pond]

ooc The beauty of the styles I sent you is that they do it all on one layer. Paint a simple dungeon layout with your paintbrush. Apply the layer effect and *Bam* instant dungeon.

[Gir]

ill have to go back and look at the tutorial you made for me a few years back or one of the maps you made for the cursed raiders game..maybe then i can do some cooler things :P

[Still_Pond]

ooc - Well, that tutorial is still good, but outdated. I've simplified things by using those styles I sent you. The first several, (the ones that look like walls around the floor on the little style pictures) are made to be applied to the "floor" layer. Try it. Paint a blob, apply one of those dungeon styles and you'll see. It textures the floor and adds the walls and even a little lighting, all just like that. It makes dungeon making quite quick and easy.