Scene #9026: Gig Jobs: The Tomb Of Horrors

Owner	Pose
Aidan Proudpick	"Alright, so, the pamphlet says that you are allowed to keep anything within the area, as well as anything from the previous explorers. And it's ethical because all the previous owners were evil! I got us some supplies they had in the shop." He's set up a little basecamp, even if only for himself and those willing to spend a night here with a chatty squirrel, with a small canvas tent, a fire, and the equipment for the spelunking. Three ten foot poles, a couple pieces of chalk, two 50 ft lengths of rope, soap, crowbars and grapple hooks, as well as his own no-battery flashlight and a clipboard with graph paper and a pencil. The basecamp has a secondhand cooler with beers and vegan snacks. "So, enough people have come and tried it that we know there are two false entrances, and the real entrance is filled with pits that are filled with poison spikes. Everyone tends to just quit after that?" Aidan is cautious in the face of armies, but this is a DUNGEON. Heroes go into evil tombs all the time. Before them is a low, flat topped hill, about 200 yards wide and 300 yards long. Only ugly weeds, thorns, and briars grow upon the steep sides and bald lop of the 60' high mound. There are black rocks upon the top of the hill, and if these are viewed from a height of about 200' or so above the mound, it will be seen that the whole is shaped like a human skull, with the piles of rock appearing as eye holes, nose hole, and the jagged teeth of a grinning deaths head. A thorough inspection and search of the entire area will reveal only that the north side of the hill has a crumbling cliff of sand and gravel about 20' high in about the middle of the whole. A low stone ledge overhangs this eroded area, and shrubs and bushes obscure if from observation at a distance. https://imgur.com/t8Gc3Sm
Sarracenia	Sarra got to see that skull shape (which looked to her more like a creepy candy face) since she flew in using the Dyna. The wooden VTOL is now sitting a short distance away from the camp sight. She is sitting on a canvas lawn chair she brought along. She is not wearing her usual royal gown since they are going spelunking. Instead, she has on a red jump suit with cute bob-omb print. She has had it tailored to include a skirt of about knee length, and even has boots on that are proper heavy duty climbing boots. Naturally with her favorite Bullet Bill shark face design on the toe. She still has on her crown, her metal lotus hair barrette, and her metallic burgundy gloves. She even has a pith helmet with her crown set into the top of it. "Gave up? Just because of a few poison spike pits? I suppose it is good to know one's limits, but that is hardly a challenge for elite level personnel." she says as she gathers up the supplied supplies and slips them into her purse of infinite holding. She smirks confidently after. "Between you and me, this will be a piece of cake!" she says.
Aidan Proudpick	"Exactly!" Aidan is in a more casual attire, but a thick tunic, sturdy jeans, a backpack, and a tailtip still dyed green from Everhood are all he needs. Popping on the flashlight, he presses in. "So," he shows off the graph paper. "We know there's a poison spike pit every five feet in this sort of pattern." Even a bit of daylight entering through a crawl space or a torch will reveal that this is an unusual tunnel. Bright, brilliant colors are to be seen everywhere, the stones and pigments undimmed by the passage of decades. The floor of the corridor is a colorful mosaic of stone in seemingly random alignment, with a distinct, winding path of red tiles about 2' wide easily visible to the onlooker. No stonework can be seen on the walls or the ceiling 20' above, for some sort of cement or plaster has been smoothed over all of these surfaces and then illustrated. The scenes painted show fields with kine grazing, a copse with several wolves in the background, slaves (human, orc, elven, and strange human-animal mixture - pig-human, ape-human, and dog-human) going about various tasks. Certain of the frescoes show rooms of some building - a library filled with many books and scrolls, a torture chamber entrance showing a thick imposing iron door, a wizards work room with bubbling potions, two jackal headed men holding a chest that protudes from the wall. There are chairs, windows, boxes, bales, doors, chests, birds, bats, spiders and all manner of things shown on the walls. "The red line is a trick." There are chalk markings all over the floor that show where the pits ACTUALLY are. They seem to fall equally in and out of the red line. Aidan picks up his ten foot pole and PUSHES down on a bit of the floor, making it open up to a spike pit, skeletons impaled on poison tipped spikes. The path curves to the right towards a mist filled doorway, with three key stones that grow a bright yellow, green, and blue. Hallway: https://imgur.com/K1tJQqW Jackals: https://imgur.com/GePA6EK Doorway: https://imgur.com/laHoqZN "So, how's princessing going? You've been doing great on missions, how's it going at home?"
Sarracenia	Sarra listens semi-intently as Aidan explains the layout of the pits. "This place is nearly as colorful as you!" she says at some point. She looks at the murals in curiosity. "A trick, huh? I suppose that would catch the first few adventurers unaware." She watches as Aidan pokes at the ground to show a pit, then hmms. "Should we just fly? It seems rather tedious and unnecessary to go along finding every pit that seems to have been already found. Sarra pulls out her phone to take pictures of the murals. They could be important information! Then she pulls out a few cloud power ups so they can just fly over the traps. At the question about princessing, she mmphs softly. "It is the same as always. Mother and father disapprove of my leaving on adventures and even moreso when I come back with injuries. Especially if they risk scarring. I suppose my subjects are neutral toward me, but that is only a slight improvement."
Aidan Proudpick	"I like being colorful. So many people just wear casual clothing without much color." He shrugs his shoulders, "I try to be a little... extra? I think the word is." The clouds putter over the pit trap towards the mist door. The frescos are plentiful, depicting several scenes from some bygone time. Perhaps a world of servitude? The owner has been listed as some kind of evil wizard. "That's not fair. I figured they just didn't like you not being in one of those bureauwhatsits jobs. But, you have to look perfect too? That's terrible! I mean, I try really hard to make sure I don't get scars, but that's because I'm vain, not because someone told me to. I never realized how hard being a princess IS. You have to deal with all that on top all the work too?" The clouds putter slowly over to the mist door, the seemingly only way out of this initial area. The gems on the wall glow a brilliant color of yellow, blue, and green.
Sarracenia	Sarra smiles and giggles. "Right? Colorful is much better! I could wear some boring pastel pink or yellow, but I wear vibrant red!" she says, then pauses and mmphs softly. "...which my parents also do not like. They think I should be wearing green or..blech...brown! Just because those are the colors they wear!" Aidan goes on to talk about how hard it is to be a princess and Sarra just nods solemnly in agreement. "Most people think being royalty is just an easy life where you can do whatever you want." she says, then pauses again and sighs. "Admittedly...even I thought that for a while. Then I found out that things I did had consequences across the kingdom and the world." she says. She looks at the glowing gems and ponders as she continues, "It is not as though I want a lot of scars, but scars are a heroic badge of honor. I almost wish I had gotten one from the fight against Ceri. I could have even gotten a cool eye patch like one of those edgy heroes. I did not consider it at the time, though. But, yes. They expect quite a bit of perfection, and that includes perfect presentation. If a princess were to have scars then she would be less valuable as a bargaining chip for things like arranged marriages. Even standard negotiations might suffer because the person across the bargaining table could be put off by such a scar." She looks at the gems some more. "I could just smash through most likely, but if they put gems here with colors then it stands to reason that we should solve the puzzle lest we risk more traps. I am not sure offhand what the colors might mean, though. It could perhaps be linked to certain kinds of magic. That would be a standard lock for such a dungeon. Yellow might be lightning, blue ice, and green earth or wind."
Aidan Proudpick	"Maybe it's a combination lock? He'd have to get back in somehow. Well, it's a TOMB, so maybe he doesn't have to get back in." Aidan is trying not to figure out the logic of it, it just seems reasonable. His cloud putters over, Aidan flicking his tail as he slowly pans his eyes around it. His fingers brush over the stone itself, feeling out the archway. "I figured it was always some sort of test of brains and heroism, you know?" As he is fondling the rock for secret catches, he glances back. "I'm not sure you WANT an eyepatch, Sarra," he grins, "That usually involves losing an eye. You could just wear one of you want." He taps at the stone a few times before continuing. "I am a little afraid of looking bad though? When an animal gets a scar, the fur doesn't always grow back right, it really stands out. What if he doesn't like that I have scars? Does he like scars, does he not like scars, should I work out more." A sighing breath. "I guess... is that the kingdom you want to run one day? I'm not judging if you do! It seems to work." Aidan finally brushes one of the stones. The light winks out. "Oh, hey." He presses another. And another. They then all light back up. And nothing happens. "Okay, but what if I..." He presses them in a different order. This happens about 8 more times until the mist finally clears and the door opens into a hallway full of doors. There are seven doors in total, each exactly the same, a thick oak door with a studded handle with a standard door knocker. But, any pull at the door knocker keeps the door from opening. There are no keyholes, the doors do not appear locked.
Sarracenia	Sarra giggles and shrugs lightly. "While losing an eye might be bad, having a legitimate reason to wear a stylish eyepatch would balance it out. Wearing one when not actually blinded would be...well...rather 'lame' I believe." Aidan discovers you just have to touch them. Sarra looks tense a moment, but...no traps or anything are sprung when he inputs the wrong combination. "Well...it seems he was not -that- concerned about people getting in. No 'wrong answer' traps?" She tsks. "This evil wizard obviously did not put much thought into it." Sarra heads into the next room, still on her cloud just in case. "Seven doors." She goes to test each one and finds them locked, then ponders. "I had not considered the difference in having fur when dealing with scars. I figured all but the most severe of scars would be covered. But, I suppose it would be quite noticeable if some fur did not grow back..." She smiles lightly at Aidan. "But, I suppose if your partner's love is true then a scar will not stop them. If it does, then perhaps they are not worthy of your love." After finding the doors locked she looks around for any clues, then just...goes to start using the door knockers one at a time, waiting to see if anyone answers or anything happens.
Aidan Proudpick	If your partner's love is true. Aidan smiles, then shakes his head. "I'd like to think it could happen that way, Sarra. Maybe save him, maybe be saved, look each other in the eyes and both of you just know it's right, the way it is supposed to be." He's staying on his cloud because it's just fun to putter around on it. He grabs at one of the handles, tugging on it firmly. Nothing. The door rattles as if it SHOULD open, they aren't stuck tight, but they aren't swinging open. Taking Sarra's idea, he lets go of the handle and starts using a knock. First two knocks. Then a slow knock. Then a loud knock. He goes through various types of knocking, rhythms and sequences. "I don't know if it really works out that way. I don't know anyone in the multiverse it worked out that way for. Except maybe Cinder and Petra, and maybe that would be true love if Petra were more...normal." Aidan is now on trying to knock 'Funky Town' on the third door.
Sarracenia	'Except maybe Cinder and Petra...' This brings Sarra way down. She had been mostly smiling and somewhat thinking. Now she is frowning. "The same is true for Lilian. How did -she- end up with someone like Tamamo? Those two have happy relationships while -my- boyfriends keep disappearing!" She practically shouts that last word, then huffs for a few breaths before slowly coming back down from boiling. It helps that Aidan does a Funky Town knock. That gets a giggle from Sarra. Then, she pulls out a bob-omb. "Well, they are not opening. Shall I just blast them?" If Aidan does not object she just tosses a bob-omb at each door in turn.
Aidan Proudpick	"Come on. It's not like Tamano fell out of the sky onto Lilian. They probably developed it. Look, sometimes someone has stuff that's wrong with them, but you just see all the things that are right with them. They are rough on the outside, but they have a kind warm side that you can see. Lilian DOES have things about her that are good. It's just that the bad things are the loudest. Same with- other people. We are all broken in some way." Aidan leans over to brace his arms against the cloud, tail flicking. "I think Cinder is good for Petra. And I think Tamano is good for Lilian." He starts to tug the door handle this way and that. Finally, the door starts to slide INTO the wall. "Sarra, don't take this the wrong way, but weren't they pretty awful guys? You got plenty of time, you'll find the right pe-" BOMB!! Tail sticking straight up, all his fur frizzed out, Aidan watches, "O-oh. That works, I guess." A single doorway leads out into a grand hallway. This area is similar to the fresco hall, for the floor is of inlaid tiles and the walls and ceiling are painted with figures of animals, strange signs and glyphs, and humans and human-like creatures with circles of different colors. Gold, Orange, Purple, Bronze, Gray, Bright Blue, White, Turquoise, Scarlet, Pale Green, Pale Blue, Silver, Green, Yellow, Pink, Black, Pale Violet, Red, Buff, Indigo. A similar fogged arched doorway stands at the end of the hallway, this one with different colored stones than before. https://imgur.com/RsSvk9N Reused Door Asset: https://imgur.com/laHoqZN
Sarracenia	"That they developed it just makes it worse! Look, I know I said that someone who loves you should overlook scars. But, someone who loves you should -not- overlook terrible and borderline murderous behavior! That is called enabling and it is bad!" Sarra says, almost ranting. And obviously not realizing (or ignoring) the similarities between her own behavior and Lilian's. 'Sarra, don't take this the wrong way, but weren't they pretty awful guys? You got plenty of time, you'll find the right pe-' "Only the first one was awful! And he was not even that awful! I mean...sure he was a womanizer and a polygamist and somewhat of a minor villain, but he treated me well! And the second one was an honorable blacksmith turned warrior commander who was in high standing in the old Union! We were getting quite serious before his world disappeared back into the aether! Then, there was the honorable swordsman! He was a hero of a war and while quite crude he doted on me!" Sarra is very huffy by this point. So she hardly even looks at the walls this time before reaching the new door. "Another of the same style of door?" The princess takes a turn this time doing random combinations in the hope the door might open. And grumbling about people just assuming her boyfriends have all been terrible.
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan lifts his hands, "Sorry, sorry. I just heard about the first one. Look. Honestly. Love and support is important. I think if you really can help someone's good side, show them love, show them kindess, support them, the bad stuff can drift away." He rubs at his face, "I'm not good at relationships myself." Chin propped on his hand he looks at the circles, trying to divine some sort of code within the rainbow of colors, squinting at them. He pokes at the pink one, scraping one of his claws through it. "I am still hoping for that lock of the eyes, a shock of lightning. A realization it was meant to be." Sarra figures out the right combination! VWOOP The two of them suddenly appear in the original fresco room, though, now, they are both down to their small clothes, Aidan's bag of supplies gone. Aidan quickly pulls his tail around his front with an awkward squack. "Okay, I hate this place. I vote we just go and have ice cream or something."
Sarracenia	Sarra gets the combination right! "Haha!" she exclaims, then hees. "The lock eyes thing can definitely happen! It is quite rare though. It is more likely that-" VWOOP They appear in their underclothes. Sarra's words catch in her throat, her eyes widen, the color drains from her face... The scream that follows can likely be heard in the nearest town.