CLOSED | treehaus.

[poleaxed]

WHO: Jone, James Holden, Beth Greene, Gabranth, Margaery Tyrell, Adrasteia, Edgard
WHAT: Haunted hedge maze.
WHEN: Mid-Ferventis
WHERE: Orlais!
NOTES: A way less sexy Labyrinth.

WHAT'S GOING ON: To review, Jone has been asked to sort out a hedge maze on the Gaume estate. It seems to be haunted-- spirits have taken the form of various plants and trees within the huge hedge maze out back. While traveling through the maze, the walls will shift; your characters will be split up into groups, re-split, etc.

While it's possible to beat the shit out of some enchanted plantlife, for whatever reason, you can't hack your way through the walls of the maze. More shrubbery grows in its place no matter what you do. Otherwise, this would be over very quickly. Don't question it. This is a video game, and we should probably just all relax.

HOW DO THE MECHANICS WORK: This is a plot with rolling!

The main focus of the plot will be overcoming riddles and puzzles to reach the end, but you can get clues with rolls. Unlike in Murderhaus, rolls function to investigate the situation, not determine the outcome of actions (IE, I'll give you clues). When you want to roll, put ROLL in the subject of your comment, and bold what your character is investigating. I will reply with a clue, the helpfulness of which will be determined by behind-the-scenes rolls. Likewise, since there is a plant NPC for each scenario, do the same to ask them a question; their helpfulness will be determined by rolls as well.

For example: Bob studies at the strange pattern of pebbles on the ground, etc. Alice asks the enchanted tree, "what the fuck?" and so on.

If you think you've come up with the answer to the riddle, put ANSWER in the subject line, so I know to pop in and NPC spirits' reactions, etc.

(I've purposefully given you guys puzzles and riddles that have multiple potential answers! Likewise, if you come up with something I wasn't expecting but still works, I'll count it as a success. I'm not here to make anyone squirm. Have fun, and if you get bored of a puzzle, do the following...)

If your characters are out of ideas and just want to move on to the next action, put NO ANSWER in your subject line, and feel free to wreck the shit out of some enchanted shrubbery. While your characters can't beat up the walls, decimating any spirit-enchanted topiary NPCs will get them through the conundrum. I won't need to NPC this, because the spirits won't put up much of a fight. Please imagine some sad little Henson-esque 'wahh oh noooo' noises, though.

If you have any questions, hit me up!

After characters have solved a certain amount of puzzles / riddles, I'll open up a new toplevel and link you to it for endgame. Instructions on how that will work will be revealed there.

WHAT DOES MY CHARACTER SEE:

Upon coming up to the maze, the entrance is blocked by a network of vines, all entangled in one central knot. A spectral voice emanates from the maze:

O! Challenger, come forward now,
to give us peace in your solemn vow:
untie this knot and enter as our true friend.

Jone studies the knot before rolling her eyes and slicing it through with her poleaxe. There is a screeching scream from somewhere far off, twisted and inhuman. The cut vines turn vengeful, and quickly pull Jone inside the maze before here is time to react.

Entering the maze, there is no sign of Jone or where she may be. The hedge walls quickly begin to shift, separating the group.

Comments

ROLL

[molineux]

"What good faithless stalling does you," Margaery repeats, more to herself as she considers the chasm, and the snake. "I think you're right," she says with a glance to Beth. "We're clearly not meant to gain anything from being hasty, so perhaps we're meant to see what waiting will bring us."

She glances around, wondering if there's some hidden mechanism that's meant to show itself at the appropriate time now that the snake has awoken - or perhaps lurking danger, as a reward for their faithless stalling.

[poleaxed]

If Margaery concentrates, she'll see the snake's eyes are focused on the chasm, watching it, not them. There is a shimmer in the air above the chasm, as if a thin film was laid upon it.

ROLL

[molineux]

Her contemplative gaze goes from chasm to snake to her companions, before she promptly picks up a branch and proceeds to try and throw it where the shimmer can be seen.

[poleaxed]

The topiary snake hisses, and catches the branch before it can land anywhere near the chasm. The branch becomes the snake's flicking tongue, and it speaks again:

So fear rules over strength of will,
where faith would rule in better stead?
How frail, where we had thought you'd be courageous.

ROLL

[muckspout]

Edgard mimics the snake hissing back at it and sticks out his tongue.

"I'm not afraid." He says to it defiantly. He walks over to the chasm and keeping one foot firmly on the ground tries to kick at the shimmer.

[poleaxed]

Edgard kicks, and it's as though his foot goes straight through the air.

The snake hisses, faithless.

ROLL

[littlemissfutility]

It's a puzzle--that's all it is. A puzzle where magic might be the answer, because as much as people in Thedas seem afraid of magic, they're surrounded by it pretty much all the time. And the whole hedge maze feels like it came out of Wonderland, full of the upside-down logic that might lead to a mad hatter and a spring hare having tea in the center of it.

She thinks over the words in her head, the actual lines a jumble, but the meaning somewhat clear. Haste won't work. But faith does. Courage does. And the creepy snake--it doesn't matter that it's made of leaves and flowers, there's a threat inside its branches--won't let them try to test whatever's floating in the air. It wants you to have faith.

Beth glances at Margaery and Edgard, and then at the deep, unnatural gash in the earth. They're both pretty nice, good company all the way down from Kirkwall to Orlais. She doesn't want them to get hurt. And she doesn't want them to stop her. So, without a word of warning, she takes the step or two forward to the edge of the chasm and starts to take another step out from it, praying her foot will land on the shimmering air and find something solid.

[poleaxed]

Her feet do find something solid. They land on solid ground, as though her footsteps clear the shimmer away, proving it and the chasm an illusion. Only her footsteps, however, wear this illusion away.

ROLL

[molineux]

Margaery releases the breath she'd been holding - only to breathe deeply some more. Faith is so overrated.

"I suppose it's easy to figure out what we need to do from this point on." she says to both Beth and Edgard, looking very much like someone readying herself to swallow a lemon.

She looks forward at the snake when she takes her first step into the chasm, choosing to focus on the reminder of the answer to their riddle rather than the extremely effective illusion.

[poleaxed]

Margaery's steps have the same effect, rubbing away bits of the illusion. Though as she walks, the sound of something rather like crumbling earth can be faintly heard near her feet.

ROLL

[muckspout]

Edgard hears the rumble and puffs his cheeks out in worry.

He races toward the edge of a chasm at a full run and takes a bunny hop out into the middle following the others.

As he's running and leaping he mutters, "Please work, please work, please work!"

[poleaxed]

The sound of crumbling earth continues, growing louder and closer beneath them, but Edgard will make it to the other side if he keeps up his quick pace.

ROLL

[littlemissfutility]

Beth starts walking across as soon as she knows it's solid ground under her feet. I didn't die. I didn't die. Oh, my God, I didn't die. Everyone else will follow, she figures. If she turns back, or she looks at her feet, she might not keep going, and she has to keep going.

When she's on the other side, the grass beneath her feet matching what she feels--and once Margaery and Edgard are safely across, too--she gives the snake a wary look, trying to figure out if it's going to keep hissing at them or leave them be.

[poleaxed]

Everyone makes it across, and the spell over the ground dissipates, revealing the chasm to be nothing more than improperly laid brick. However, it is crumbling into a sinkhole underneath. Good they're back on solid ground.

Oh, and, uh, the snake explodes into a cloud of flower petals. You're now free to travel farther into the maze.

[molineux]

Margaery takes a moment to breathe, looking at the improperly laid brick as if they've individually caused her great harm - which, if anyone would ask her, would probably be exactly how she sees it. Only for a moment though, as the frantic beats of her heart quiet themselves.

She moves to pick up a petal before nodding at Edgard and Beth. "Shall we?"

[muckspout]

Edgard quickly yelps as Margaery grabs at a petal.

"If a pit is not a pit, who knows what a petal is!" Edgard slaps a hand to his cheek.

"Guess petal was a snake" Thoughtful pause. "or snake is a petal?"

He shakes his head. This is extremely confusing.

"Let's go, but be careful."

[poleaxed]

Making your way through the maze, you come upon a huge brass door, intricately carved. It is shut tight, blocking your path.

A topiary fox and a topiary chicken sit next to each other to the side of the door.

The chicken says:

Before you, a difficulty, but fear not! I will aid in this endeavor.

The fox says:

She lies, she lies! Trust me, your true ally.

ROLL

[littlemissfutility]

"We were careful," she says to Edgard, as they continue. And they go a little further--until they can't.

Beth glances at the fox, and then at the chicken, and does her best not to groan. "Lemme guess. One of you always lies, and one of you always tells the truth."

That's how the brain teaser goes, right? Too bad she doesn't remember how to solve it.

[poleaxed]

The fox says, I always tell the truth.

The chicken cocks its floral head to the side. What is the nature of a perfect truth?

ROLL

[molineux]

Margaery hums. Addressing them both, "How do you plan to help us?"

[poleaxed]

Both of them answer in unison:

By answering questions!

ROLL

[muckspout]

Edgard looks from one animal to the other.

"Usually," He says turning to the others. "Wouldn't trust a fox, but I've not really met many trustworthy chickens either."

He turns back to the animals and asks them both, "How do you suggest we get through the door?"

[poleaxed]

The fox says: Politeness!

The chicken says: Cleverness!

ROLL

[littlemissfutility]

Politeness is easy enough, right? Beth turns to the fox. "Could we go through the door, please?"

[poleaxed]

They both say in unison: I should hope so!