[AO-ORP] Running the Gamut

[Olmequarius]

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THE DESERT MOAT

As the civilians assembled themselves, they moved farther forward to see what they were pitting their skills against. Directly in front of them, the white, snowy sands gave way to a darker band, a stretch of sand that was somehow murkier and thicker — almost swampy. Aquarius had warned them about obstacles — did that mean this was quicksand?

At about ten feet across, the moat was far too wide to be crossed in a leap of faith. They’d have to use a bit more brute force then that, then — but how to do it? Looking around, eventually each of them spotted a loose pile of objects sitting far off to one side. None of them looked particularly wieldy, frankly, but no one could quite imagine what other options they had, short of attempting to throw each other. Given the occasional cactus lying in wait on the far side, this idea seemed less than ideal.

They’d have to try and get across using the things that had been left lying around in the area — no matter how difficult that looked.

[PLAYERS: You must cross the sand moat — about ten feet across — without getting bogged down in sand. You may use any of the objects lying nearby, listed below — there are just enough for each of you.

Nearby objects:
* 12-foot Stone Plank: Far too heavy to ever lift and use as a weapon, but just light enough to push. You can try to shove this across to the far side and walk across it like a bridge. It’s only about four inches wide, however — so be careful you don’t slip and fall in the sand when you try to cross. You may take exactly one, dragging or pushing it with all your strength.
* Unsinkable Rocks: You don’t know what it is, but these rocks look like somehow they just wouldn’t sink in this weird sand. You could probably drop them spaced out evenly across the moat and try to walk across — but those jumps from rock to rock are going to be tricky. Too hefty and unwieldy to ever be used as a weapon. You may take up to two: after that your arms are too tired to lift any more of them, and who knows how long they actually stay unsinkable for. They — are unsinkable, right?
* Surprisingly Sturdy, Absurdly Long Vine: Where did this vine come from? And, well, where does it end? One end seems to just disappear into the ground eventually. The other end is loose, and you could take a shot at tying it into a lasso and throwing it up to hook to the top of the outer wall, then using it to swing across the moat Tarzan-style. Lassoing can’t be that hard, can it?

Feel free to try any one of these methods. Roll a 10-sided die to determine whether or not you successfully crossed the moat.

If you rolled a 4 or higher, your character has successfully crossed the moat (the higher the dice roll, the better their attempt fared). Please wait on the far side for everyone who is able to cross.

IF YOUR CHARACTER IS ADVANTAGED IN ATHLETICS, you only need to roll a 3 or higher to successfully cross the moat. Please wait on the far side for everyone who is able to cross.

If your character fails their dice roll, they are eliminated from the event. They fall into the sand moat on the near, shallow side and must clamber back to shore, caked in wet sand. Your character is fairly sure Aquarius would be upset if they tracked wet sand all over her old research documents, and so they’re forced to turn back and leave the mission in the hands of someone else. Your character returns to the Atrium with pocketfuls of sand to show for their trouble.]