❧ Turquoise (Game 23)

[dramatispersonae]

You find yourselves in an ornate garden maze, hedges towering high above your head. If you continue to look up, you’ll see a dark sky, glittering with bright stars in unrecognizable constellations. The moon is full and bright. The leaves of the hedges are dense and dark green, riddled with bunches of tiny white flowers and the occasional cluster of red berries.

There are four exits around in the hedge around you, and a gazebo hung heavily with blossoming vines in the center of the small clearing. The air is hushed and quiet; your voices are clear, but other sounds are muffled, as if unwilling to break the silence.

Comments

❧ start

[dramatispersonae]

If you move closer to the gazebo, you will find an intricate compass pattern set into the aging stones. There are a set of six chests here. Each has a word emblazoned on it in ornate gold lettering. The six words are:

strength ❧ foresight ❧ ingenuity ❧ caution ❧ ruthlessness ❧ reasonThey are all locked. You do, however, have two keys.

Re: ❧ start

[iwantyour]

Roll call!

Re: ❧ start

[unrecumbent]

[amused finger waggle]

Re: ❧ start

[iwantyour]

Hi boss!

Re: ❧ start

[sharksong]

Roll call?

Re: ❧ start

[iwantyour]

One cute girl.

Re: ❧ start

[skywards]

You should introduce yourself first.

Re: ❧ start

[iwantyour]

I'm Souya.

❧ which two chests do you open?

[dramatispersonae]

Re: ❧ which two chests do you open?

[skywards]

[Strength and Foresight!]

❧ foresight

[dramatispersonae]

You have received: a map! It is . . . stunningly vague, because really, you’re in a maze, but it’s better than no map at all! The ink on it also seems to be moving, shifting, always changing, filling in new little details and erasing others. It shows:

The North has a lot of trees, and a picture of a dragon.
The South seems to be the least complex path, but there are a lot of ominous swirlies.
The West has a drawing of a tower, and squiggles that might be water.
The East has a bright sun that moves around in circles.

❧ strength

[dramatispersonae]

You have received: a pair of short swords, embedded with turquoise gems on the hilts.

Re: ❧ strength

[sharksong]

Oh, it's tools!

[taking the map :U] This is better than I expected.

❧ which direction do you move in?

[dramatispersonae]

[All exits appear the same, unless you have Reason or Foresight.]

Re: ❧ which direction do you move in?

[skywards]

[heading North!]

❧ NORTH

[dramatispersonae]

You head into the maze to the North. Immediately after entering the hedged path, there is a click; a black iron gate shoots up behind you, blocking the way back into the clearing.

Re: ❧ NORTH

[sharksong]

[totally jumps a little]

—Ah. I guess we can't change our minds.

Re: ❧ NORTH

[iwantyour]

[flanking the Turquoise kids like a good knight :|]

❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[dramatispersonae]

[You cross from FEAR into an extremely mountainous path, going almost straight upwards. It looks like you'll have to climb.]

[Or . . . fly. Like you do.]

Re: ❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[unrecumbent]

Do you want to carry them up, Souya?

Re: ❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[iwantyour]

Yeah, I got them.

Re: ❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[sharksong]

. . .

Re: ❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[iwantyour]

One by one so I can dodge if something happens.

Re: ❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[skywards]

. . . haaah.

Re: ❧ onwards, Turquoise!

[iwantyour]

Climb on my back, I'll take you up then come back down.