Gula Underside Log

[cancrymods]

GULA DUNGEON LOG

As you make the now familiar descent, the screeches and chatterings of the Underside's inhabitants swim up to meet you alongside a suffocating wall of heat. The Gula Underside unfolds itself before you in jewel colours and sweltering heat. In stark contrast to the Rusted City stripped bare and the sterile Undercity, the Gluttony Underside is bursting with life - and danger. This densely packed rainforest spills out in all directions like a natural maze and you're going to have to pull out all the stops to find Gerda before something else does - or before it finds you.

THE UNDERSIDE

♪♫ Floating -Liquidly- – Sakuzyo The jungle is thickly clustered with huge palm trees rising to form an almost impassable canopy that only opens out occasionally when branches shift or when the wind blows, revealing the dim green light of the Underside's sickly looking sky. As you look up, you occasionally see the shadows of Revenants (or at least you HOPE they're Revenants) darting around high above your head. The ground is blanketed in luscious undergrowth that feels soft underfoot - loamy moss, tangled patches of grass, leaves. Occasionally, the uneven ground gives way to puddles of water or patches of loose, sloppy mud that you're forced to wade your way through if you want to proceed. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the jungle is so dense that you're never not within reaching distance of a sturdy tree or rock you can use to steady yourself. Somewhere in this place is Gerda and your way further down into Purgatory. Let's hope you can make your way through unscathed. AREAS OF INTEREST Due to the sheer scale of this Underside, explorations will proceed slightly differently. The Executors will be split into three teams – two to explore the Underside itself and the third being the team assigned to this layer's Boss Combat. Please see below for your role assignments. ⚝ NORTHBOUND: The Executors exploring the north are Medic, Etoile, Lion, Chiron and Veil. ⚝ SOUTHBOUND: The Executors exploring the south are Rei, Genius, Mona, Achilles, Ariel and Phoenix. ⚝ THE WATERING HOLE: Boss Combat volunteers, report! HAZARDS ⚝ Dense Wood: The overgrowth of the jungle and the tightly packed trees mean there are very few wide open spaces as you make your way through. For those of you who rely on your eyeballs, this means visibility is hampered - and that Revenants could ambush you if you're not on high alert! Uneven Footing: Given how wild the terrain here is, you might find that it's a bit hard to get stable footing when you're running to and fro here. Some of this is varied elevation but a lot of it is varied textures too. Stumble too close to anywhere with running water and you'll be slipping and sliding all up and down the Underside! ⚝ Revenant Types Present: Charles, Minturno

Comments

[ourtomorrow]

[ Prehnite shakes his head. ] Not this distance. But I can fly.

[ So he can close distances quickly, if needed later. ]

[emberserker]

Well, if all goes poorly...

[She puts out a hand; a magic circle draws itself on the ground between them and the mystery girl, then vanishes after a moment.]

Do try not to step there.

[swordofajerk]

Understood. Both of you, get ready.

[And so Sword takes a few steps forward (and around the fireball trap) as he calls out:]

Gerda?

[cancrymods]

The girl does not respond. In fact, she doesn't even acknowledge that Sword has spoken up at all, not even to turn and look in the direction of his voice.

[emberserker]

Oh, don't you ignore us!

[Wolfsbane walks around it the other way, raising her voice and stopping just before the water.]

You can't possibly not hear!

[ourtomorrow]

[ They're getting riled up. Prehnite summons his Executor weapon - a halberd - and shifts to the side. He doesn't like this. ]

I'll flank her.

[ Just going to carefully sidestep the water... ]

[swordofajerk]

[What if she's deaf, Wolfsbane? Goddess.

But Sword has to agree, so while he won't get in the water, he will call out again:]

Hey! Girl in the water!

[cancrymods]

Still no response.

A ripple passes over the otherwise glass still surface of the water, as if something had shifted and disturbed it, but there's nothing you can see to cause such a disturbance.

Approach?

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane scowls and fires an ice shard into the water behind the girl.]

Oh, don't you do this!

[ourtomorrow]

Watch out!

[ Prehnite doesn't like the way the water moved. Wings popping out of his Executor uniform, he lifts off, hoping to get a different vantage point on the girl. ]

[swordofajerk]

[Sword steps several steps back from the water, sword out.]

Wolfsbane! What the hell!?

[emberserker]

I didn't aim at her, there's something there! Didn't you see it?

[cancrymods]

As Wolfsbanes' shard splashes into the water, an eruption of activity follows. The water around it froths and splashes furiously and if you look carefully, you can just barely see the dark, sleek hump of some enormous creature briefly rise above the water before slipping back under.

The lake returns to placid stillness just a moment later.

[ourtomorrow]

It's a trap, isn't it.

[ He looks from Sword to Wolfsbane and back again. Wolfsbane has useful ranged attacks....So a multi-pronged assault? Though, if it's sticking to the water, attacking from the air might be... ]

I can spring it if needed.

[swordofajerk]

It's obviously a trap.

[Goddess.]

I have thunder magic, Prehnite can fly, Wolfsbane has those ice shards...should I cast first to see what happens, or do we let Prehnite spring this?

[emberserker]

Very well. Let's see what you can do, Prehnite, shall we?

[ourtomorrow]

[ He nods. ] Right.

[ He's tempted to chuck his spear javelin-style, but that might not be sufficient bait to make whatever this is surface. He'll use himself, but be ready to respond.

Further up he goes, and then, flying out towards the center of the pool - he thrusts his weapon at the water. ]

[cancrymods]

From Sword and Wolfsbanes' perspectives, the water immediately begins frothing and seething again.

What Prehnite feels, however, is something snapping up and wrapping itself around his weapon, struggling with him to wrench it out of his hands.

Does he hold on or let go?

[ourtomorrow]

[ He can't tell what they're dealing with yet, so he holds on! ]

[swordofajerk]

Idiot--let go of that spear!

[cancrymods]

Too late.

With one final enormous tug, whatever is laying in wait under the water yanks Prehnite down. He and his weapon both disappear under the frantic surface of the water, which almost immediately stills once more.

[emberserker]

Oh, no, you don't!

[She swings her halberd down, aiming a group of firewalls at the girl, the lure -- the one they can see.]

[ourtomorrow]

[ Prehnite gasps for air at the last second, and then all he can see is darkness and bubbles and mud. He squints, blinking, determined to make this risk count...and a shape starts to take form amid the muck.

It's coiled, and much, much larger than he'd thought... ]

[swordofajerk]

Dammit.

[Sword can't do anything with Prehnite in the water. All he has that's ranged is his magic, and that would likely kill Prehnite before it killed the Revenant. All he can really do is jab his sword in the water and yank it out just as quickly, hoping to find something not Prehnite to stab.]

[cancrymods]

He strikes something. It feels firm and yielding and pliant all at once. It feels like... flesh.

The water comes alive with motion once again and with the manner of a bottle being tossed out a car window, Prehnite comes flying out of the water, having been lobbed by whatever was lurking in the lake. The surface continues to froth and surge and then something huge and dark begins to slowly rise out of the water...

Prepare yourselves.