What Time Remembered (formerly Generic Text Adventure)

[Durryn]

try to clean off the goo
_________________
If there's anything around here more important than my ego, I want it caught and shot now! - Zaphod Beeblebrox

[raekuul]

The gooey material refuses to be removed with just elbow grease.

One of two spells will remove the gooey material, though only one of them would really make sense given the names that they have.

Spellbook:
Summon Fey (5 MP)
Mana Arrow (1 MP)
Obscuring Mists (3 MP)
Freezing Mists (7 MP)
Burninate (8 MP)
Paralytic Flare (5 MP)
Light Bolt (2 MP)
Light Shower (5 MP)
Star Cure (Ritual)

[itisally]

oh sure make is sound obvious

cast light shower.. no wait, you mean light like a flash light, not like rain...

Freezing Mists... I could try freezing it then chiping it off.

Burninate... Could try burning it, but I have no idea what its properties are and don't want to risk damaging the device.


hmmm any help out there?
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

Let me rephrase. Two of your spells will without a doubt work, but only one of them could logically be chosen based on its name and what you've observed so far. Other spells may work depending on how well you can rationalize it working.

Light Shower - think laser beams.
Freezing Mists - a possible solution, if you can reach it to chip it away with
Burninate - maybe you should ask if the device is heat resistant?

[itisally]

Mam, is this machine heat resistant?
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

She thinks for a moment. "It should be; no electrical components that I was told about."

[itisally]

Great!

attempt to Burniate the goo!
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

You burninate the goo. The goo is burned to ash, and the mechanical parts of the device appear to be unharmed.

8 MP

[itisally]

Add mana to the glass ball
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

You add mana to the glass ball. The machine starts working again.

The doors open!

[itisally*]

Proceede to the room that should have the key.

[raekuul]

You enter the room. There is a key here, identical to one of the keys you already have.

[itisally]

scoop it up and head to the vault room for these keys. Unlock the door and go in.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

You pick up the key. It touches its copy, but nothing comes of it.

You return to the vault. Pluto is still playing around with the cards.

You unlock the door. You feel magic surging around. Pluto stands up, and the cards are caught in the flow.

You enter the vault. There is a table here, with a single green scroll. Pluto follows you in.

[itisally]

Pick up the green scroll and read it.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

You read the green scroll. Powerful words and spells take form within your mind.

You learn how to cast Thunderstrike!

You learn how to cast Lightning Fang!

The green scroll glows with a strange light... the green scroll has changed!

[itisally]

oooh! In what way did it change?
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

Looking over the scroll, you see that it has changed to become the very scroll that brought you to this time to begin with.

[itisally*]

take it to Pluto

[raekuul]

You give the scroll to Pluto.

She nods. "I'll make sure that Astra gets this. Ready to go?"

[itisally]

I guess I am.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

She pockets the scroll and leads you into the main hallway. She covers your eyes with a towel, and leads you by the hand.. You hear a strange sound, as though stone were grinding against stone. "This has been a strange journey, hasn't it? You don't even remember what it was that drew you into the desert to begin with, and yet now you understand more of the past than almost all others you have met." You can feel the world changing around you. "But your mission is to bring to light what treasures would have otherwise been lost."

She removes the towel. You are standing in the Central Chamber. The southern wall has gone. As you turn around, you see a doorway standing freely. Before you can react to it, Pluto touches it with her staff, and it descends into the ground with the same sound as before.

End of Chapter.

[raekuul]

You take a moment to collect your thoughts. As you search your pack, you find more food than you had before, and a message from Astra.

"Pluto - not the junior Pluto, but the senior one - came back and told me to put these in your pack while you slept. The food should last you long enough to complete your errand, and I've left something special for you in the Deepest Vault should you choose to seek it.

"If you must deal with the Zodiac again, keep your wits about you. Pluto would not tell me about the Zodiac members of your time. If nothing else, remember that the Zodiac will stand divided before the Eclipse."

You obtain your copy of the History of the Five Kingdoms, and enough food for ten days and a spare waterskin.

50 HP
25 MP

Inventory:
Food (10)
Waterskin 1 (Full)
Waterskin 2 (Empty)
Tribal Spear
Sword
Hammer
Tauropedia
History of the Five Kingdoms
Green Key A
Green Key B

Spellbook:
Summon Fey (5 MP)
Mana Arrow (1 MP)
Obscuring Mists (3 MP)
Freezing Mists (7 MP)
Burninate (8 MP)
Paralytic Flare (5 MP)
Light Bolt (2 MP)
Light Shower (5 MP)
Thunderstrike (10 MP)
Lightning Fang (11 MP)
Star Cure (Ritual)

[itisally]

Hmmmm, I wonder which vault is the deepest? I suppose I could start there.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

Pluto yawns. "The Deepest Vault is the one under the Throne Room, down in the basement."

With the sound of stone scraping against stone, another door appears. Out of the door steps a tall woman with dark green hair, wearing the same outfit as Pluto.

"There you are!" She says. "I was starting to think you had to go somewhere else before I could catch up to you."

Pluto sighs. "Sam, this is the Elder Pluto and my mentor. Setsuna, this is Sam Rizlams."

[itisally]

Pleased to meet you.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

Setsuna bows. "I apologize if Himeko has given you a hard time about this, but leaving you to your own devices in that time period would have prevented a number of critical meetings... oh, never mind. The long and short of it is that you would never have been born had we left you there."

Pluto laughs. "I think this is the first time I've heard you actually make something easier to understand through censoring yourself, Setsuna."

Setsuna glares at Pluto. "While that may or may not be the case, I would rather not have to explain every last political machination that occurred over the past twenty-five thousand years and why each one was crucial to Sam's very birth."

Pluto raises an eyebrow. "Even that whole debacle with Sparta?"

A moment's pause. "Except the Sparta thing."

[itisally*]

Well gosh, sparta sounds like the interesting part then.

But I suppose it is none of my business. Don't suppose you want to tell me about the Current Zodiac? Or how I should bring light to the lost treasures, whatever that means.

I do want to take the time to go to the deepest vault as well.

[raekuul]

Pluto clears her throat. "The current Zodiac, as assembled, is much different from the one you met before. That much should be obvious, seeing as only Sagittarius proved resistant to the passage of time. He has been loyal to the Zodiac, given the lack of an extant heir to the Star Orb. Depending on what year this is, either the Zodiac is waiting for the return of the Star Princess, preparing to assassinate the Star Princess, or else no longer requires to do either."

Setsuna continues. "If it is the former, you may have an easier time of things. As you have seen, the Zodiac is not a cohesive, homogeneous unit. Rather, they are a collection of thirteen distinct personalities, each with their own motivations and goals. Take, for example, Sagittarius. A Healer first and foremost, an Odyssean second, and a Zodiac member third. Assuming the correct year, however, you have Scorpio as the immediately preceding Ascendant One. Scorpio is..."

Pluto picks up where Setsuna left off. "Assuming we're not too many years off of our guess, the current Scorpio and my friend's eventual predecessor is power-hungry and is obsessed with obtaining more of a dominion. She uses information as her primary weapon, resorting to the poisons inherent to the position of Scorpio only when she deems it necessary to control the flow of information."

Setsuna picks up the thread again. "Indeed, though you would have almost as easy a time should we be a few years later than we think. If that is the case, you would have to deal with a largely united - but wholly Loyalist - Zodiac."

[raekuul]

I didn't intend for this to become infodump central, but it's nice to be able to finally sew everything together. I've decided to make one change from the original plan I had for this leg of the journey, and it's a significant change, so for some encounters I will very much be winging this.

[itisally*]

Good chapters start with some new info to give direction.

Sounds like it will be interesting. Do they know that I am here, or do I have some time? And maybe more importantly, what is my goal? If we are dealing in information, Scorpio's hunger for power could be to my advantage. I would think that a united Zodiac would be benificial so that may be something to work towards. It sounds like Scorpio would not be excited to have a clear heir to the Star Orb.

[raekuul]

Setsuna frowns. "Sagittarius will know, certainly, if you breach the defenses here. And do not be fooled; a united Zodiac is more dangerous to you than a divided one, should they deem you to be a threat. The Star Princess will not have had her would-be killers executed, only stripped of their rank and station."

Pluto nods. "Again, this depends on what year this is. We won't know until we leave - there's too much Destiny in the air for our Possibility Sight to function properly - and we do have other times and places to be." She sits down. "Though it is nice to be able to sit and talk without any world-ending catastrophes on the horizon."

Setsuna scowls. "There are always-"

Pluto cuts her off. "There are always threats imminent against people, but I don't think any of them will act today. Like you once told me, it's too nice of a day for evil to be active. Besides, Sagittarius won't know so long as we stay on this top floor."

"But then how will Sam reach the Deepest Vault if he stays up here?" Setsuna asked.

"He won't; he'll have to pass through the defenses at some point. For now, we have all the time in the world... short of some emergency popping up, anyway."

[itisally]

It sounds omonous. What kinds of defences will I have to face to get to the deep vault?
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

"We don't really know." Setsuna says. "We can make some guesses based on what defenses were around the Astral Library, but guesses are all they would be."

Pluto focuses, and pulls out a list. "Since the Zodiac has all but forgotten about this place - they would use it as headquarters if they remembered it - it's probable that the defenses will be aligned primarily to the elements rather than being attuned and rotated based on who is the Ascendant One. Fire, Water, Wood, Metal... no, wait, wrong elemental cycle. Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, with three components to each element. One component for each member of the Zodiac."

[itisally]

IT seems like it is time for me to go then.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

Pluto shrugs. "If you say so. Where next, Setsuna?"

Setsuna looks skyward for a moment. "So far as I'm aware, there aren't any more time knots that need our assistance in resolving, so one of us can be on duty at the Gate of Time, while the other can live life for a little bit. The next major crisis isn't for a couple of years in your time, Himeko, and the Princess will already be ready for it without our intervention. Though she may ask us to help anyway."

Pluto laughs. "Well, at least she's willing to ask for help when she needs it, unlike some people I know."

[itisally*]

not even sure how someone would contact you to ask for help. You see almost incoporial.

[raekuul]

Setsuna pulls something out of her pocket. It looks like a bracelet. "Our Princess has a... device... that she can use to contact each of her warriors using our... bracelets. The Star Princess also has... or is it "will have"? Anyway, from our perspective she has a bracelet due to the circumstances of her magical awakening."

[itisally]

Interesting. I am sure that such a communication device can be handy.

I think I may have gotten lost, I think this should be the room that Astra showed me the trap door in... is that correct.
_________________
I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[raekuul]

Pluto nods. "It is."