[AO-ORP] Running the Gamut

[Olmequarius]

It was interesting, though probably coincidental, that only men found themselves struggling with the riddle, as it was that only women were unable to cross the moat. Had Sailor Aquarius been there, she would have been fascinated by the results of the first two challenges, launching into a long discussion of gender roles. Instead, those who made it onto the stairs had only the dull sound of stone grinding against stone to occupy their minds as the stairs sank, settling with a thud before any real destination had been reached. There were only more stairs, joining neatly with the ones they rode, with no end in sight.

THE SOUL’S DOOR

The stairway ended far below-ground, opening up into a larger chamber than the previous one. They didn’t see any more stairs ahead, which was a relief; they couldn’t be sure how far underground they were by now.

Nonetheless, somehow the room they were in wasn’t dark as they’d expected: beams of light sifted in through a few small, fist-sized holes carved high up in the ceiling; then bounced off of several small, lacquered pieces of gold metal carefully placed around the room, creating a peculiarly beautiful lattice of bright angles that filled the space. This light was just enough to illuminate what lay ahead — a door with no handles, and seams too precisely fitted to pry open. This was the next obstacle, then.

The room above, the whispery riddle room, had been bare, quiet and contemplative. This one was considerably more ornate. The door that stood in their way was curved, concave and then convex, and covered in a hand-painted mosaic of colorful tiles depicting various scenes that looked like Aquarians of old at study, or performing experiments, or showing their work. Here and there, the mosaic was incomplete — several tiles of oblong shapes clearly missing.

One of the pale beams of light in the room was angled directly toward the mosaic door, exactly illuminating one of the gaps where a tile seemed to be missing.

There was a stack of dusty, unused tiles piled in one corner on the floor, and next to them, a pile of small brushes, a few stoppered jars, and some thin blue sticks of chalk. The jars had probably held paint at one time, but those who opened them discovered that, after so many long years of disuse, everything had dried out into uselessly solid, colorful clots at the bottom of each pot. The chalk, while slightly dusty, seemed to be in working order; and although it looked more like it was used by builders in marking the backs of each tile, that was better than nothing...

[PLAYERS: You must paint a tile depicting Aquarian life (as best your character can guess at it) and add it to the mosaic to advance, or the door will not open. Using the art program of your choice, and the blank tile image provided above, decorate a tile you think fits in with the Soul’s Door mosaic and post it along with your post. Roll a 10-sided die to determine whether or not your tile fits snugly into one of the empty spaces on the door.

If you’ve correctly completed a tile, and your diceroll is successful, the mosaic door will swing open just long enough for you to sneak through to the other side, then slam shut again. The force of the door slamming shut will knock your makeshift tile loose, where it falls to the ground and breaks, and therefore cannot be used again by anyone else. If your mosaic tile does not open the door, then no tile you make will force it to open — the door found your sense of artistry to be wanting. You must turn back.

If you rolled a 6 or higher, your character has successfully opened the door (the higher the dice roll, the better their attempt fared). In the event that the dice favor low numbers, one or more characters may be able to sneak through with someone else- Olmequarius will roll for this, if it is necessary.

IF YOUR CHARACTER IS ADVANTAGED IN CREATIVITY, you only need to roll a 5 or higher to successfully open the door.]

Participants:
Alice Bela Kiss (LP): Creativity - eliminated at the Moat
Menthe Sylvia (Iris_virus): Intelligence - eliminated at the Moat
Keren Della-Blue (Silverah): Athleticism - 5
Callum Quince (zippedsiren): Intelligence - 9
Eliza Satchlyn (Kaori_luv): Athleticism - eliminated at the Moat
Marienrode de Virolai Sierra-Preto (shibrogane): Intelligence - 10
Felix Blanc (Syusaki): Intelligence - eliminated at the Steps of Knowledge
Kestrel Button (Remove): Athleticism - eliminated at the Moat
Mary "Arga" Tunith (the_scowling_cat): Creativity - 3
Joshua Brandon Harvey (Zero Dream): Intelligence - 6
Tanvir Gill (and be blue): Intelligence - eliminated at the Steps of Knowledge
Ricky Cunningham (Silent Spy): Athleticism - eliminated at the Steps of Knowledge
Flannery Spicer (Pyry): Creativity - 8
 

[Olmequarius]

The moat and the steps were challenges with simple, straightforward solutions. Getting from point A to point B, or answering a riddle, were simple enough, even if they weren't easy. The Soul's Door was less objective, but just as merciless as the others, not afraid to bar someone from passing if it found them lacking. Of the thirteen who started the journey, only four passed through the door, to the next- and final- test.

THE GAUNTLET RUN

Beyond the door lay a large chamber, broader and more expansive than any of the others they had been in. Most of it lay beyond a gate that stretched to the ceiling, but those who had come this far could see that what lay beyond the metal bars suggested a series of rooms.

In front of the gate, there was a large, carved sandstone head, with eyes of bright blue crystal, mysteriously glowing. As they approached, the rock of which the monolith was composed began to shift — the mouth moving to form words.

As before, they heard no sound, not aloud — but in their heads, they heard a voice nonetheless:

Before you stands the Gate of the Gauntlet Run.

To prove your worth, you must pass three tests: the Echoes of Home, the All-Seeing Eye, and the Enlightened Path. Time is short, however — you will have three minutes to show your mettle, acuity, and fecundity. If you cannot do this, you have no place here.

First, the Echoes of Home. To reach the future, we build upon the efforts of those who have gone before us. Lest you forget your history, you must speak its glory aloud: compose a poem of no less than eight lines about our lost kingdom, Aquarius.

Second, the All-Seeing Eye. In order to advance, we must know where we stand. Find the truth hidden in the carved writing on the floor.

Finally, the Enlightened Path. Innovation can never happen if we cannot move beyond ourselves. Summon the strength to rise above your own limitations to discover the knowledge that lies beyond.

One by one, the remaining civilians approached the gate. With a creaky groan, the gate lowered itself into the floor, just long enough for one person to pass through — then it snapped back up to the ceiling again with a resounding crack. Silence descended, as those still waiting their turn stood by, wondering what was happening beyond where they could see.

Three minutes passed incredibly slowly.

When they had ended, the carved stone head said, simply, It is done, and lowered its gate for the next person to pass through. They could not see whether any of those who had preceded them had made it through the Gauntlet or not.

[PLAYERS: You must run the gauntlet quickly — you have a total of 180 seconds to complete the run, or all doors ahead of you will close, and you will only be able to turn back. There are three sections to the Gauntlet: The Echoes of Home, the All-Seeing Eye, and the Enlightened Path. You should make a separate post for each section. Your dicerolls in each section will determine how quickly you complete the task in that section. Your score represents the number of seconds it took you to complete a particular task.

The Echoes of Home: Compose an eight-line rhyming poem extolling the virtues of the lost homeworld of Aquarius! (Your character must speak it aloud.) If your character is Advantaged in Creativity, generate a random number from 20 to 80. Otherwise, generate a random number from 30 to 90.

The All-Seeing Eye: Complete this word search! Circle or strike out your answers (your character may do this with their hands, as the letters respond to touch) and include the completed search with your post. If your character is Advantaged in Intelligence, generate a random number from 20 to 80. Otherwise, generate a random number from 30 to 90.

The Enlightened Path: Reach that high door way up there! Stack six objects found in the room so that your character can climb them to reach the door high above. Describe your character’s beautiful ladder from bottom to top (i.e. tell us what objects your character made use of). If your character is Advantaged in Athletics, generate a random number from 20 to 80. Otherwise, generate a random number from 30 to 90.

If the sum of all three dicerolls is less than or equal to 180, your character has successfully completed the Gauntlet and gained access to Aquarius’s storage complex. If not, the only available exit is a small, unlit side passage that winds for several minutes before returning to the gate.]

Participants:
Alice Bela Kiss (LP): Creativity - eliminated at the Moat
Menthe Sylvia (Iris_virus): Intelligence - eliminated at the Moat
Keren Della-Blue (Silverah): Athleticism - eliminated at the Soul's Door
Callum Quince (zippedsiren): Intelligence - SUCCESS! (-24 seconds)
Eliza Satchlyn (Kaori_luv): Athleticism - eliminated at the Moat
Marienrode de Virolai Sierra-Preto (shibrogane): Intelligence
Felix Blanc (Syusaki): Intelligence - eliminated at the Steps of Knowledge
Kestrel Button (Remove): Athleticism - eliminated at the Moat
Mary "Arga" Tunith (the_scowling_cat): Creativity - eliminated at the Soul's Door
Joshua Brandon Harvey (Zero Dream): Intelligence
Tanvir Gill (and be blue): Intelligence - eliminated at the Steps of Knowledge
Ricky Cunningham (Silent Spy): Athleticism - eliminated at the Steps of Knowledge
Flannery Spicer (Pyry): Creativity