Bleeding in the Eye of a Brainstorm

Deep inside an old man's psyche, trapped in a symbolic maze of memories, an erotic propagandist and playwright reaches into his trousers and produces a boxed god.

It occurs to him to wonder how he manages to fit a wooden box of such size -- 12"x12"x4" -- into his pants without discomfort, or an untoward bulge.

And then he dismisses the question. Yatigan Fracas is not one to waste time thinking.

But how shall he resolve this curious dilemma?

Being a Dragonborn of little brain, more than average faith, and monstrously winning personality, Sir Yatagan Fracas approaches a section of wall where the memory-painting is missing, not wanting to do undo damage to some cherished moment of Hidimba's, holding the box god ahead of him as if it were a holy icon of itself.

Yatagan touches the box to the wall of memory labyrinth while politely asking the god inside to sweep aside the barrier that traps them in a batshit rebus constructed from the Tiefling's past.

OOC: use Astral Speech, Diplomacy on the box-god: 36

The member 'Mallus' has done the following action : Dice Roller

'd20' : 18

A mosiac slowly forms on the wall, tiles rising out of the blank stone as though they were floating to the surface of a pond. The detail is incredible; a trompe l'oeil of a wooden door so lifelike that it appears real.

Certainly, under the circumstances, no one is surprised when it swings open and reveals a long, perfectly straight hallway receding into the distance.

"The way is open! Follow me" cries Yatagan as he walks through the newly-minted door, happy that once again faith has triumphed over the more treacherous and complicated powers of the mind. "All praise to the god in my... hands".

Odanais pauses just long enough to be certain that Yats doesn't bounce off the doorway, then happily hops through after him.

"Now he's got me all wrapped up in his delusions. Oh well, I better go along for the ride..."

Artichoke watches carefully, not just because of his interest in getting himself and the group out of here alive, but because he is still reserving judgment about the powers - and divinity - of the Crotch-God and Treasure. When the door appears and opens, he waits till Yatagan, Odanais and Lizzy head through before looking at Sir Lien. "You know," he says dryly, "They're going to go off and get killed before you."

Once the other four pass through, Artichoke follows close behind with Christabel and Oothoon.

gridley wrote:

Odanais pauses just long enough to be certain that Yats doesn't bounce off the doorway, then happily hops through after him.

OOC: Why does Odanais sometimes sound suspiciously like his weasel?

shilsen wrote:

OOC: Why does Odanais sometimes sound suspiciously like his weasel?

Odanais sometimes believes Zappa to be a manifestation of his own psyche. Zappa, however, maintains that it is Odanais who is but a manifestation of hers.

The walls here are all blank, although images seem visible upon them when they're not being looked at directly. Out of the corner of the eye, bright colors and images can be glimpsed, but never clearly. There's a distrubing feel to them, though...a wrongness. They don't quite fit with the mosaics seen elsewhere in this maze, even if it's impossible to say exactly why that is.

The corridor, after some miles, ends with another mosaic of a door. The distant sound of hammering can be dimly heard.

The Boxed God, Yatigan abruptly realizes, feels much heavier than it normally does. It's become something of an effort to even carry it.

Rolzup wrote:

The corridor, after some miles, ends with another mosaic of a door. The distant sound of hammering can be dimly heard.

Without hesitation, or should I say 'caution', Yatagan opens the door and attempts to step through.

Quote :

The Boxed God, Yatigan abruptly realizes, feels much heavier than it normally does. It's become something of an effort to even carry it.

If necessary, Yatagan will transform his armor into a terrycloth robe, thus reducing his encumbrance (and AC, unfortunately).

Quote :

The corridor, after some miles, ends with another mosaic of a door. The distant sound of hammering can be dimly heard.

Mallus wrote:

Without hesitation, or should I say 'caution', Yatagan opens the door and attempts to step through.

"Maybe you should put the god away, Yatagan," suggests Artichoke, drawing his sword. "If there's anything like those spiders on the other side, you're going to need both axe and shield."

shilsen wrote:

"You know," he says dryly, "They're going to go off and get killed before you."

Lien sighs wistfully. "Of course they are. I can't die. Not really. I can only suffer excruciating agony then get reborn." He almost smiles when he mentions the agony. Almost.

Lien will follow behind Yatagan, lost in thought. "If we are, in fact, inside someone's mind, in their psyche, then it stands to reason that what appears to be matter here is just the memory of matter. It's the attachment of the mind to the crude material prison it inhabits. But since it is mind, not matter, then that attachment is only imaginary - In the mind, as it were - so a person living in their own memory palace could escape from the flesh and live within their spirit..."

Lien is on the verge of having an epiphany, when, lost in thought, he walks straight into Yatagan with a clang, as Yatagan stops to put away the boxgod.

Atlatl wrote:

Lien is on the verge of having an epiphany, when, lost in thought, he walks straight into Yatagan with a clang, as Yatagan stops to put away the boxgod.

As the god box gives an involuntary and painful benediction to Yatagan's pelvic arch, the Dragonborn's tail reflexively curls upward to increase his balance, which, in this case, has the unintended effect of giving the immortal behind him something of a reptilian reach-around.

"I do not like you, sir" says Yatagan stiffly, as the skin beneath his facial scales flushes slightly.

With that, the Dragonborn adjusts the god in his codpiece and barrels through the door.

The Box seems to be not precisely heavier, but in possession of more than the usual inertia. It takes an effort to pull it along, and it resists being moved in any way. Restoring it to its place within Yatigan's trousers seems largely to alleviate this, happily.

The image of a door swings open as Yatigan reaches for it, revealing a short hallway that opens into a truly enormous room with a ceiling supported by a number of columns. The mosaics here are incredible intricate; so detailed that it's impossible to make out details without prolonged study. At first sight, they are nothing more than a riot of colors.

Directly opposite this door, on the far side of the room is a large set of bronze double doors, upon which a number of things are busily pounding.

The one that's most obvious stands about 12 feet tall. It look as though somone took various statues of Hidimba, at different ages and in different styles of dress, smashed them with a sledghammer, and then took pieces from the various scluptures and assembled them into a rather chaotic whole. It appears to made of white marble, much like the walls of this maze, but there are colors dimly visible beneath the surface of the stone whenever it moves.

Near it are three smaller versions, each subtly different, striking at the bronze door with stony fists.

Additionally, there are three other creatures that look like dessicated corpses, studded with bits and pieces of white stone. From where you stand you can see one of these things prying pieces of a mosaic off a wall and stuffing them into its mouth. This same creature turns at the sound of your entrance and lets out a horrible high-pitched screech.

The things stop hitting the door, and the large one turns to regard the intruders with a scowl. "Begone, damn you! I was here first! I claim this as mine! Once we pry it open, at least." It speaks in a rougher, louder, version of Hidimba's voice.

"Attend!" shouts Yatagan. "We are duly appointed officers of the owner of this immortal soul! Cease your vandalism and reveal your names!"

OOC: Intimidate: 29

The big creature sneers. And, looking Yatigan directly in the eye as it does so, reaches behind itself and bangs, just once, upon the doors. It sounds like someone using a charging rhinoceros to sound a gong.

"Knights of Treasure, prepare to unleash... therapy!"

OOC: time for initiate, yes?

"If at all possible," Artichoke says quietly while Yatagan and the large creature are exchanging unpleasantries, "Take down the smaller ones first so that we can focus on the large one without trouble."

Rolzup wrote:

OOC: Initiative indeed. However, postings are likely to be a little erratic for the next few days -- I'm going in for minor, and wholly elective, surgery tomorrow morning, and I don't know how bad I'll be feeling afterwards.

Best of luck.

May I recommend just having all the baddies go on one initiative and telling us what it is? That way, if we roll initiative and beat it then we can take our actions rather than wasting time waiting to find out who goes when.

And everyone, remember you get +2 to Initiative since Artichoke is around.

Initiative: 22

shilsen wrote:

May I recommend the baddies go on one initiative and telling us what it is? That way, if we roll initiative and beat it then we can take our actions rather than wasting time waiting to find out who goes when.

Excellent thought. Averaging their rolls, they go on 19.

And thank you all -- should be pretty minor, all things considered.

Best of luck w/the medical stuff.

Init: 8 -- yep, Sleestak-slow...

Yes, good luck!

Initiative: 17