Octagon - Another Purpose - Game Thread.

"Actually we could split. Nothing enters those canals area. Each one could use his own preferred method to cross it."

Ronna observes the canal pattern in silence for a good while. Eventually she turns to the others, chewing her lower lip deep in thought.

"You know what", she says. "Now that I look at those canals, I cannot see how we could cross that area without most of us falling in once or more."

She looks to the direction of the other obstacles. "Then again, I don't really fancy facing those beasts either. Do you reckon there is any sense in trying to go through the flowers instead? What's the worst that can happen? Falling asleep?"

While speaking, Ronna wanders to Mandoric and touches his arm gently. However, she seems to be too distracted by the problem at hand, failing to focus her healing properly.

So sorry! I had somehow missed your message about the healing up until now!

"Well, I can’t advise on that... never tried it too.... I passed thru such reservoirs twice, and both times passed them by jumping. And unless you are really fumbling and falling there with all your body, falling there once just with one leg is not that bad. I mean, yes, it could neutralize your leg for hour or two, or something similar, but even if one falls completely there, the effect is…. Well not lethal… at least if there are people who can pull the person before it swim in that liquid for enough time to die.

The flowers .... They kill people. People in Yosh-Ul say that further you go inside, it's harder to keep sanity and to move on. I do not know how it works with big group of 7 like ours. But I know that it kills. Only strong-willed dare to go there. I heard that Chazai tribe, and they are all nanos there, have a ritual for youth….. to become adult youngsters must pass through field of Seporia. They pass three persons at once. They are known as strong-willed. But even their youth "fails" the ritual from time to time….. Even if they drag the sleeping ones. If someone falls asleep, dragging him will be hard task because of plants themselves, and it will slow ones who drag sleeping person a lot…. We are big group…. I guess we could handle it…. But… those plants suck energy…. They feed on the living…."

"Not that bad!" Ronna snaps at Zinobia. "Are you serious? Losing the use of your leg or maybe not dying if others manage to pull you up is 'not that bad'?"

Ronna stares at Zinobia and buries her fingers deep into her own hair, ruffling it in frustration. "So the best case scenario is that every time someone falls in, we wait for an hour or two for them to get the use of their leg back, so that they are able to make the next jump? Are you serious that these are our only options?"

OOC: Would it be possible to reach the liquid flowing in the nearest canal while standing safely on the hard ground?

FWIW: Did some number crunching. For anyone with a jumping skill, the longest route is of course trivial. For anyone else, there is less than a 30% chance of making it through without falling in at least once. Even Ronna, who is able to skip the last jump, has only 1-in-3 chance.

Look, i fallen into that stuff twice... i mean i touched it with my feet, failing to do complex jumps.... it is not that bad... we all go together.... It will slow us.... Chill bones.... but we can rest on other side.... hour or two is nothing... And nothing normally enters those canals.. Except us....


Then he dives into detailed explanation of liquid effects, feelings he experienced and effects of case when someone falls into the liquid with all his body

mechanics on effects explained by Zinobia could be found in Game Discussion thread

"Also we must not forget that sometimes the simple things save a traveller where esoteries and cyphers fail. Do any of you Ladies and Gentlemen have a rope?"

"Nothing?" Ronna asks with a heavy dose of sarcasm in her voice. "Alright. Let's see about that."

Ronna walks to the edge of the closest canal and kneels down. She reaches down to touch the liquid with the tip of her fingers and rubs them against each other.

Mandoric is quite pleased that his companions cannot agree about the best way to proceed, as it gives him more chance to catch his breath, and the use of his mental faculties to consider the different options brings back some strength to his fatigued body.

@TheMightyKobold That's right, we haven't made a decision yet - Jax and Nyom need to give us their assessment. Seriously - doesn't anyone have a rope? Or some other object which could act as an asset here - it would mean most of the jumps could be made without a roll, and the others could be done by using the asset and some effort.

Mandoric studies the liquid in the canals. He reaches out his right hand over the liquid, the hem of his sleeve coming up a little over his wrist, revealing the start of a deep-looking scar. The skin on his hand begins to alter, at first imperceptibly, and then it becomes alive, as if millions of tiny creatures were moving just beneath the skin. His blue eyepiece begins to glow as he looks down at the liquid.

You're right, we should wait for the others. The rope could be used to stop people falling too far, or at least to be able to pull them out quickly to diminish Speed damage, maybe.

Mandoric takes a cup out of his backpack. I suppose we have such basic utensils as we have been eating and drinking., and carefully dips it into the liquid, trying not to get any on his hands. He moves a safe distance away from his companions, and beneath the rise of the hill so as not to alert any beasts nearby, strikes a match, and at arms length drops the match into the cup, pulling his arm away quickly, and moving himself away like when you light a firework. If nothing happens, he sees if he can ignite it like a candle, tipping the cup and putting a match to the surface, again getting ready to drop it and move away if necessary.