Quote:
All That Glitters Has a Purpose
You begin in the darkness of a large, cavernous room. The light, coming from a source that is impossible to place, is extremely dim, the only scent in the air that of chilled, ancient rock. The room itself seems almost designed to mute your senses, to draw you back towards a moment of thoughtful consideration. If you allow yourself to reach this point of inner clarity, you will find yourself pulled towards one of several little niches, each of which are similar in size and shape, each largely unremarkable...aside from the knowledge that one of them feels like it was meant for you.
When you entertain this inspired idea (and if would be wise of you to do so), you will slip through the slim rock passage to enter a new room, each tailored to provide its own challenge. The rooms all share one thing: a cushioned pedestal, on which rests an ornate, reverently polished piece of jewelry, a perfectly cut gem set directly in its center. A light hum and the most subtle of rumblings begins from somewhere in the room that you face, a hint of something to come, and your best option appears to be to put the jewelry on.
The item only stays with you long enough to offer insight on what it can provide. As soon as your task is complete, it returns to the cushioned pedestal, and your only exit guides you back to the cavernous room from your initial approach.
OOC Information:
At the very beginning of this course (when your character is in the cavernous room) roll a 1d6 to determine which gem setting you receive, and match with the corresponding section. If you roll a 6, you can select any of the options. Some of the mechanics differ, so be sure to pay close attention to the mechanics for the option that you rolled.
To complete the task, you will need to follow the prompt within the correct section. Don't worry about standard HP values, FEAR attacks, or natural abilities - if your student properly appreciates and understands the strength and application of their gem/the jewelry, then they should have no need for any of that.
1 - The Diamond-Set Circlet
You are not given much time to play around with the intuitive mechanic bestowed upon you by the diamond, the gem of protection. The whistle of projectiles hurling in your direction fills the air, and you might find yourself reflexively throwing your arm up to block some of the incoming attack...only to find that some sort of invisible shield is called forth by this motion.
Using this motion to save yourself from injury, you must make your way to the exit on the other side of the room.
Roll 1d20. If your roll is anything other than 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, you successfully complete the course. If your roll falls on one of these numbers, you fail to shield yourself from one of more of the projectiles. The whistling sound immediately stops, allowing you to freely walk towards the exit with the burden of your failure.
2 - The Ruby-Set Bangle
Only moments after you put the bracelet on, the floor drops out beneath you! Luckily, it was only an illusion. You stand several feet above the level that the ground now sits on some invisible layer that you can't see, but can certainly feel. Closer inspection of the new 'floor' seems to show that it now houses a sort of labirynth/obstacle course. Even if it were not impossible to reach, it's much too small for you to pass through.
With the help of the ruby, however, a small, flickering shade of vaguely humanoid proportions pops into existence at the beginning of the course. As ruby if the gem of devotion, you now have the unique opportunity of holding the control over a thing that is entirely devoted towards fulfilling your desires. Your task is to not squander this devotion, instead guiding your follower on a safe passage. This can be done with any sort of indication of direction: head nodding, pointing, hand motions, etc.
Roll 4d4 and match each number with the corresponding result.
1: Your shade continues through the course without difficulty, occasionally 'looking' back to you for direction.
2: Your shade gets caught in a trap, but manages to free itself and continue along.
3: Your shade gets caught in a trap and can't continue.
4: Your shade has some trouble passing through the course, but ultimately seems to be doing fine.
(You successfully lead your shade minion through the course as long as you avoid rolling a 3.)
3 - The Emerald-Set Necklace
You look down towards your chest as you put the necklace on, intrigued by the shine of the gem. When you glance back up, you see five smiling scarelings staring happily up at you, each offering a little wave as they run off to play in the center of the room. You find yourself unable to move or speak, and can only watch on in horror as some sort of grotesque, shadowy creatures descend upon the group. Though you can't protect them, the emerald, as the gem of health, will allow you to mend their injuries.
Roll 10d10. The first five dice correspond with each of the five scarelings, and indicate how much damage they take. The second set (dice 6-10) indicate how much you're able to heal them for via the properties of the necklace. They have to stay above 5hp each for you to succeed, causing the attacks to cease and the exit to display itself to you; if you fail, they all disappear with a longing wail, and you find yourself in an empty room with the same single exit.
The scarelings start at 10 hp each!
4 - The Sapphire-Set Brooch
The brooch clips easily to your clothing (or hair or wing or whatever else is clippable), tugging gently beneath the weight of the gem. It's heavier than it looks, you realize...just in time for the rumbling to grow louder, sending a cascade of stones from the ceiling, blocking your only exit from the room. As you approach them, you realize that they are all settled very solidly among one another. It's going to be difficult to dislodge them and advance through the exit.
When you reach to press against one, you find that it is a little easier than you anticipated. You owe this to the sapphire, the gem of strength. Removing the stones is not an effortless procedure, but you do find both an inner encouragement and a slight physical boost to nudge you towards victory.
Roll 3d100 and add up the total, then match it with its corresponding result.
0-100: You find that moving the stones is still so hard, and give in to your physical exhaustion. The instant you admit defeat, the stones disappear and the brooch returns to its padded pedestal. You exit with few injuries and the weight of your failure.
101-200: You only make it through about half of the stones before you succumb to exhaustion. You are able to slip through a small opening to exit, but not without a hefty assortment of scrapes and scratches.
201-300: You easily slip into a rhythm of rock-moving motion, and have the exit cleared in just a few short moments. You exit without incident.
5 - The Amethyst-Set Ring
The ring slips onto your finger, adjusting easily to fit the necessary size requirements. As it settles against your form, the hum grows louder, approaching an almost unbearable level. And that's when you notice that it's the heavy stampede of an oncoming cluster of faceless attackers.
Thanks to the gem of temperance, you're able to flip the effect onto the oncoming attackers instead of applying restraint to yourself. The ground itself warps into rocky strips, clasping around their feet and shackling them in place. Though they reach forward and struggle, the shackled attackers aren't able to reach you.
Roll 2d12 and add up the total result. The resulting number is the amount of attackers that you restrain. If you're able to prevent the majority of the attackers (a dice roll total of 13 or higher) from reaching your location, you are able to push past them and reach the exit. If you fail, you are overcome by the attackers, and slip through some sort of trap door...finding yourself in the initial cavernous room once more.
POINTS DISTRIBUTION
[ Horsemen Points Distribution: ]
+1 point if you succeed
+1 point if you roll a "perfect score" (no failure rolls; cannot go over 3 points/day with the inclusion of this bonus)
+1 point for the following (cannot go over 3 points/day with the inclusion of this bonus):
-Roll a perfect 20 for Diamond.
-Two or more rolls of '1' and no 'failure' rolls for Ruby.
- Leave all five scarelings with 9 or more HP for Emerald.
-Roll 250 or higher for Sapphire.
-Restrain at least 21 attackers for Amethyst.
