In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
The curiosity of scholars have been the cause of great improvements and major leaps in the quality of life but sometimes the opposite is quite true, the Scholars of the Clover kingdom during one of their many expeditions into the underbelly of the surface uncovered a system of caves and ruins. The further they explored the colder the air got no matter how fierce they built their fires or layered their clothing; the ruins slowly grew from unmarred rock and stone to developed corridors and streets. As if they were approaching a city hidden under the ground, the paths grew more to what would be seen in the capital but what was missing was the buzz of the public and the local citizenry and was replaced with a cold, dark empty hum that seemed to unsettle even the hardened veterans of the group. Having a feeling of being watched despite the empty corridors and silent streets, the group of scholars retreated the way they came deciding it was best to have the more qualified to search and explore this discovery. Now it is up to whoever is brave enough to explore this unknown Dungeon.
[attr="class","dungenfloor"]FLOOR #1
NUMBER OF ROOMS: 3
WORD COUNT PER ROOM: 1500
FLOOR DESCRIPTION:
The entrance to the dungeon is an unassuming and nothing spectacular Cave. Inside this cave is a large and intertwining cavern system that has caused many explorers and scholars to be lost and disoriented it is suggested to have someone good with directions or sensory with the group as to mitigate the risk of being stuck in the dungeon forever.
These ghostly remains of those who have passed float aimlessly through the streets and corridors of the dungeon, they have no interest in where they are going and seem completely content with wandering through this cursed place for all of time. Typically, are very docile till they are attacked or bothered, have an extreme agitation towards anything that produces heat seemingly being angered by the lost life they once had. Unable to take damage from non-magical means.
Seeming more corpse then human with a blue-ish tint and some form of rock-like growth spreading throughout their body, these creatures seem to be re-animated by some kind of magic in the air as they wander from place to place even attack one another from time to time they will attack with a variety of weapons from their claws, teeth and random assortment of mundane weapons. These creatures hate anything living and actively search them out as if they think taking the living’s life will free them from some sort of curse.
This creature looks simply like a giant wolf in the darkest shade of black with piercing amber eyes and fangs as long as the average males’ arm. Its claws are sharp enough to rend steel as if it were parchment, it can detect things by smell with its enhanced senses. This beast is tasked with keeping intruders out of Hel’s domain and will fight to submission or death.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #1
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
N/A
The cave system that the scholars used to discover this dungeon are located in the forsaken region almost hidden by the amount of overgrowth and foliage, but thankfully enough has to been cleared to make for an easy discovery of the path forward. As you enter the cave system the path forward will slowly get darker and darker the farther you go in unless you brought some item that produces light or magic that can make light. The farther you travel into the cave system navigating the path forward from the previously marked indicators on the wall, need at least 20 Sensory to notice the markings if you didn’t bring a light source of some sort. Once you have fully delved into the dungeon and the path turns from cave stone to streets and corridors there will be a chill permeating the air causing a debuff of -1m/s unless there is some source of heat or way to change the temperature applied.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #2
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x5 Hel-Walkers per Player
As you continue to walk down the streets the temperature seems to rise to a nice spring breeze as if you were back on the surface and the need for a heat source is no more, the area around you seems to open up into fields of growing and living foliage. The stoned street is kept maintained but off to the sides as far as the eye can see are various plant life including herbs, rare specimens never seen before and some very odd wildlife but nothing bigger than a small bird can be seen. It is a dazzling sight after going through such a silent, cold, and deserted area. Though it seems that the pleasant feeling air has attracted some of the more violent denizens of this realm. Hel-Walker can be seen shambling to and for wandering as if searching for something. Passing them stealthily or disposing of them is your choice.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #3
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x1 Garmr | x4 Shades per Player
You pass through the fields till the warm air and amazing life seems to slowly pitter out and then suddenly the cold from before seems to come back with a vengeance as if the prior air was simply a way to lull you into a false sense of security before snapping you back into reality. The cold in the air is stronger here causing a debuff of -2m/s unless there is some source of heat or way to change the temperature applied. In the distance you can see walls stretching to seem what could be forever with only one entry way going forward, as you approach you can see the distant shape of some kind of large beast. Larger than any you have ever seen and probably will ever see in the foreseeable future. It seems that the creature is some kind of guardian of the area as it allows the various Shades to pass it. It will awaken if you get to close and begin its attack. You also notice that some of the shades have started to notice the warm air around you whether from a heat source, change in temperature or your body heat. They do not look docile anymore, get ready for some fun.
[attr="class","dungenfloor"]FLOOR #2
NUMBER OF ROOMS: 3
WORD COUNT PER ROOM: 1500
FLOOR DESCRIPTION:
Describe here please. Entering this floor the area opens up greatly. Though the paths forward are many they are splintered out with no guide beyond where the Shades themselves are moving. Most are moving forward on the main path and down it is a large and massive bridge that seems able to hold any amount of individuals.
These ghostly remains of those who have passed float aimlessly through the streets and corridors of the dungeon, they have no interest in where they are going and seem completely content with wandering through this cursed place for all of time. Typically, are very docile till they are attacked or bothered, have an extreme agitation towards anything that produces heat seemingly being angered by the lost life they once had. Unable to take damage from non-magical means.
Seeming more corpse then human with a blue-ish tint and some form of rock-like growth spreading throughout their body, these creatures seem to be re-animated by some kind of magic in the air as they wander from place to place even attack one another from time to time they will attack with a variety of weapons from their claws, teeth and random assortment of mundane weapons. These creatures hate anything living and actively search them out as if they think taking the living’s life will free them from some sort of curse.
This large creature bearing two ram-like horns and rough almost scaly skin like a mixture of a snake and old leather left out in the sun for to long guards the bridge that you will need to cross in order to proceed farther into the Dungeon, it uses a destroyed section of pillar covered in various runes and markings that seem to glow from time to time as if magic was flowing through it when swung. This creature is in charge of making sure only the dead actually cross the bridge and will attack anything that isn’t actually dead.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #1
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x4 Shades per Player
Upon defeating the large beast Garmr, you easily make your way down the entryway. Various shades move past you without a second glance while the feeling of a magnitude of eyes watching your every movement can’t be felt as your proceed. The path ahead opens up into that of a massive cavern with various paths that splinter off into the dark with no real guidance if they would help you in your quest forward. Following the path directly in front of you upon entering area would lead you to a bridge made of what looks to be Ice and Frost of the deepest blue. Upon this bridge seems to be where the majority of Shades have gathered, as you proceed it seems that some Shades have noticed the fact you are alive
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #2
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x3 Shades per Player | x2 Hel-Walkers per Player
Dealing with the annoyance of being mobbed on a bridge you can spot that this bit of interaction has caused quite a stir throughout the area. The appearance of Hel-Walkers on the bridge is something that is not typically common but they seem to have followed your group from the previous floor still chasing after the only thing living in these tunnels foolishly thinking it could free them from their endless wandering
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #3
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x1 Màttugr Helson – The Gatekeeper
Finally the respite you have been waiting for after being borderline swarmed by every Shade or Hel-Walker. The masses seem to edge away from you after watching you decimate the large numbers of their brethren though most have moved on with their journey long before the fighting ended. Now it is time for you to continue your own journey and figuring out what was at the end of this bridge was the right way to go. After a short amount of walking you can see a large archway and an even larger creature, there doesn’t seem to be a door in the archway but there is a weird shimmer of colors that seems to change and move whenever a shade passes through it. Upon closer inspection it seems the creature holds what looks to be a chunk of a pillar covered in various carvings, the creature also seems to be diligently watching the shades as they pass by as if it was making sure they were really dead. This gatekeeper will attack anything that is alive.
[attr="class","dungenfloor"]FLOOR #3
NUMBER OF ROOMS: 3 (2 Normal | 1 Boss)
WORD COUNT PER ROOM: 1500 | 2000 Boss
FLOOR DESCRIPTION:
Describe here please. Making it passed the Gatekeeper takes you to the inside of a large and furnished castle, this is the same castle that you could see while on the bridge and the area is filled with various armor suits and lit torches though there seems to be no warmth coming from said torches only the light.
The accursed fallen seem to guard the inner parts of the castle being forced into servitude by some force, their attire seem to range from the disheveled bandit and vagabond to the shamed soldiers of an esteemed army. Are extremely violent towards any intruders that wander into places they are not authorized to enter like the inner castle or throne room. If not defeated within 3 turns (1) Guard Captain will join the fight.
This foe seems to be the closest to a living creature inside this dungeon, wearing the finest armor and wielding the cleanest weapons though upon closer inspection if given the chance each set of weaponry seems to be marred in some way that shows the owner’s shame and despair. These enemies tend to reside just outside the throne room and wander the halls. Only One Will join in any battle with the Armored Specter if the players are unable to defeat them within 3 turns.
The goddess of the dead, a master illusionist and someone who is said to have an eye of fire that can see any lie and secret. Hel’s appearance is not for the faint of heart; from one side she looks like a beautiful maiden in her youth full of life and vigor but split down the middle and on the opposite side her body is that of a corpse with rotting flesh and bones showing under the sagging skin. She moves with a grace that unsettles those who watch and speaks with an authority of royalty. She cares for little and even less for those who would lie and steal from her.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #1
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x4 Armored Specters
Passing through the gateway the space around you instantly turns from the open cavern of earlier and now as if you have walked into the entrance of a large castle. It is adorn with the sigil of Hel and various armor suits. The air is cold and unwelcoming as it has been since you entered this dungeon. Proceeding through the room will cause the suits to come alive and attack you.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #2
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
N/A
Moving forward through the castle, you take note of the ancient paintings that seem to depict the history of the dungeon from the creation of what seems to be its owner to their eventually placement within this dungeon. The area is quiet and empty beyond the paintings and the placed torches that seem to only light up the area and provide no warmth themselves. At the other end of the room is a massive door with no guards or protection.
[attr="class","dungenroom"]Room #3
[attr="class","dungenencounters"]ENCOUNTERS:
x1 Hel
Opening the massive door leads you into the throne room and upon that throne sits a person of great height. The person will seem to speak to you inviting you inside the throne room but the voice will sound as if it comes from all around you. Moving closer to the throne allows you to see the person in full light, with the appearance of person both in the prime of life and the advanced state of decay sits a woman spilt between the two extremes. She will introduce herself as Hel, The Goddess of Death and Ruler of Helheim. Hel has the grace and presence of one that rules and no matter what way she is spoken to she will find some offence and proceed to attack the Players
While they had met quite a few times already while taking part in missions and excursions for the sake of their respective squads, the Black Bulls and the Green Mantis, this had been the first time Griswold and Franklin had actually planned on being somewhere at the same time. The strange occurrences during the early winter months for instance had brought about a bit of an understanding between the two, making them know a bit about the other in the sense of where their abilities might best be utilized. For him, that was usually as being the blunt object used to slap something else around, rather than really counting on his own wit and what knowledge he had gathered through years of fighting. While he would obviously still apply it when he felt like it was needed, which was in quite literally any combat situation, Griswold often let the other guy do the planning.
Since he possessed a fair amount of golems that he could use to assert his will over a larger radius with magic, which was not exactly something Griswold did often due to the destructive nature of his own, him being a lone fighter made him easier to coordinate. So even if there was a difference in combat skill and power, Griswold still allowed himself to be told what to do and where to go. Believing that in times of battle, one needed to put things such as ego and arrogance aside for the sake of achieving victory, as long as he understood the reasoning behind a tactic, he would not mind following it.
That said, the reason why the both of them had been picked for this undertaking had been quite clear, at least to him. Because he had done a fair amount of adventuring on his own, which he used to write out to some extent for the sake of mission documentation, the black knight also had a good deal of missions under his belt in general, not to mention spearheaded several dungeon investigations during his years as a knight. In the case of Franklin, it was likely due to the fact that he was a scholar and a magic knight, of which there were not a whole lot that were actually what Griswold would consider as being useful. Most of them usually talked a lot, did not exactly bring a whole lot of offensive prowess to the table and seemed like they had not seen the sun all that often throughout the span of their lives.
Feeling like it was more or less a recurring theme where he did not often get along with people who had been sheltered from the outside world for too much of their lives, he preferred those that were more like him. Being out in the field, doing their thing, helping the people that needed it most rather than just sitting around collecting all of their information and “experience” from books written by others. And while he was a scholar too, at least Franklin went out into the field often enough to actually learn a thing or two from real life experiences. So when he heard that the two had been drafted to take care of a strange hole in the ground, he honestly did not think a whole lot of it. Imagining it could be anything ranging from a cavern system, a vent, the lair of a creature dwelling beneath the earth, a dwarven ruin and more, he did make an effort at coming prepared.
With his new weapon strapped to his belt and his trusty old sword strapped onto his back with a harness, he imagined that whatever they might face down there would not be too much trouble for him. For the time being, Griswold just awaited Franklin’s arrival as he met up with the other scholars that had gathered and decided to retreat from the depths. While they tried to talk to him about what had happened and what they had seen, he had told them to keep it to themselves for the time being until they were both here as it would save them the time and him the hassle of having to hear the same story twice.
Post by Franklin Stein on Jan 12, 2022 12:01:18 GMT -5
[attr="class","frankiestats"]
POWER 048
DURABILITY 059
SENSORY 001
STAMINA 025
CONTROL 060
MANA SKIN Senior
HEALTH Senior
MANA POOL 105/105
MANA REGEN 25 ic | 20 ooc
SPEED 05 m/s
STRENGTH 1/2 Junior
[attr="class","frankieimage"]❝Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done!❞
[attr="class","frankiescroll"] When Franklin had heard the news that he was being assigned to explore a newly discovered dungeon he was ecstatic! He wondered if the Captain had finally read a single one of the requests he kept slipping under the other's door every day. He had figured they all were getting destroyed or thrown out. Dungeons were only his greatest passion and out of all things he studied and researched it was by far the topic he spent the most amount of time on. To understand where they came from, how the core fed mana throughout the construct, and how it could give birth to the denizens that often served as its guardians were only just a few of the topics that he obsessed over. Frankie truly believed that once the secrets of the dungeons were unlocked civilization as a whole would jumpstart to new heights. Without serious destructive force it was already proven that some dungeons could just continue on for eons, their mana core running along like an engine with infinite power. If one could simply figure out a way to tap into that dungeon core and redirect the mana it produced they could potentially fuel whole cities. Magical engineers had dreamed up all sorts of ideas, but they were always hindered by the requirement of mana. Even powerful ancient relics required mana to activate and even then in some cases they could only be utilized for a short time. If they could find a way to feed these with infinite mana, well then there was no end to what could be dreamed up.
So, to say that Frankie was excited that there were reports of ancient ruins and a possible never before discovered dungeon would be the understatement of the century. Couple that with word that he would be coordinating with Griswold from the Black Bulls again and he was rather delighted. The pair had gotten a chance to work together a few times now and from what Frankie gathered they held some similar views where the Forsaken Region was concerned. There were other areas where the two differed, but Frankie still respected Griswold's opinion and he liked to think the other man did the same. More importantly, the two had worked well together. Griswold was clearly the stronger of the pair, but he never looked down on Frankie or ignored his opinions or advise. Given that the other man could probably solve most problems with brute force the mad mage appreciated it. Sometimes issues required finesse and wit so having someone who was willing to at least test those waters before bringing the pain was a relief. He also served as a wonderful specimen for study and Frankie hoped that he would get more opportunities in this new endeavor to study the man's use of Solar magic. It was an Element that Frankie had little data on and Frankie was curious on the potential applications for the Element.
So, not wasting any time Frankie had set out from the Green Mantis headquarters the second he had gotten the mission debriefing. Thankfully the Outer Lands wasn't terribly far from the Forsaken Region so it hadn't taken very long to get there. The trip had only been slowed down by the amount of things he had brought with him, strapped to his overly large backpack. Papers and charcoal for etchings, torches to light the way, food stuffs, rope, basically Frankie had brought anything that might be needed when delving into unknown dungeons. There was no telling how many floors these ruins might hold and how long they might have to travel to see it through. Many places could be completed in a day at most, but with so little data to work from it would be foolhardy to assume that would be the case in this instance as well. If there was even a chance they could be stuck in this place for weeks on end then he would need to be prepared. If the load proved too cumbersome for him he could always just create a golem to carry it as they travelled together. If the choice was draining a portion of his mana to maintain a spell or being slowed down by his pack and potentially falling victim to some trap or enemy Frankie knew which was the wiser choice.
Eventually though Frankie found his way to the cavern system that the scholars had provided for as the entrance to the ruins themselves. Not far within were said scholars who seemed to be trying to chat up Griswold. The more experienced mage either didn't seem inclined to hear them out or was waiting on Frankie. "My apologies for running a tad late. I wanted to make sure I had anything I could need within and the pack likely slowed me down a bit. However, if you are ready to start venturing inside I don't need any rest and we can proceed." As Frankie spoke he went through his bag and produced a torch with some flint and steel. He struck the fire starter a few times until it rewarded him with a spark that quickly lit the torch and produced a soft light in comparison to the darkness of the cavern system. Holding the torch up he nodded his head and readied to move forward with Griswold. "Do we have any information on what to expect in the ruins? Any idea on the culture or time period any of the architecture might be from? Curious if we are dealing with an ancient race or some fallen replica of Clover."
Combat Summary
[attr="class","frankiescroll2"]
Notes Frankie is excited to work with Griswold again and explore a yet to be investigated dungeon. Brings torches and other equipment. Meets up with Griswold at the entrance and asks a few questions as he prepares to enter.
Rank & Element: Junior Class & Type: Accessory Magic Specializations: N/A Appearance & Lore: The Magic Knight Mantle is an Item in which Magic Knights wear to show the Squad that are in. Each Squad has a different color Mantle along with their own squad logo as well. When these items were built they were made out of a special material that allows them to be unbreakable from any sort of attack, but does not block the wearer from any attacks. Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom has worn these Mantles for hundreds of years. Abilities:
You naturally learn 5 + 1 per floor in a dungeon, additional stat and spell points once they clear a dungeon, these points cannot be doubled with other perks.
Naming the architecture that had been found down there and how it was nothing like they had seen up until now, Griswold was not in a position where he could explain it to him. After all, even the people they were working with right now had no idea what they were dealing with, and they were scholars that had been studying and training to know these kinds of things. So the chance of them figuring it out once they got down there was quite big, but given how they had to retreat when they met some sort of resistance meant that Griswold and Franklin were going to have to act as the first wave. So the reality of the situation was that the amount of knowledge that would be brought about was going to be limited to them, as they first needed to get rid of any threats before the scholars could dig up what they needed to answer such questions.
So without really having the faintest clue as to what they were going to be encountering or any hint as to what they might expect, the time for them had come to start descending into the hole. Not really caring that Franklin had arrived late as he himself was not working on a schedule, he was just glad to not have to be the one that had to drag in all of the equipment like some kind of overqualified pack mule. And since he wasn’t going to drag Nuck into a deep hole in the ground where they’d need to do much climbing and scaling just to get to what could be considered “ground level”, he was going to have to deal with it himself.
Because as things were right now, Griswold was going to be the first to make his way down, figuring down a path and scaling it to make sure no one would end up falling to their deaths. But since a bunch of scholars had managed to do it, he figured he shouldn’t be having any problems with it either. So as he began descending into the darkness, he pondered on how good it was that his senses were as well developed as they were. Though it would not let him see in pitch black darkness, there were still things he could see in dimly lit places, as well as sense through his other extrasensory means. The lower he went, the more he felt a strange cold seeping into his body, which was not exactly normal. What was normal was venturing into the earth and finding slightly higher temperatures, yet this cold felt almost like a wind blowing beneath the earth.
Not being the biggest fan of the cold, his cloak and fur lining made him fairly resilient to it, though he still felt it. By the time he could go no further down, what remained was a system of caverns that seemed like it could be going on forever. And while he could feel the cold coming from a specific direction, and that following it might lead outside, outside was not exactly where he wanted to be. So instead, he began looking around for anything that might guide him on. In the attempt, he managed to find something along the walls, a sort of markers that pointed in a specific direction. Not believing these had been placed to disorient people as the cavern itself was more than capable of that on its own, he began following them.
Floor 1, Room 1
Moving throughout the caverns and doing his best to find a way forward, the fact that there were things growing down here was odd to him. If this place had been uncovered recently, that meant that whatever had uncovered this place might have broken into some kind of closed ecosystem that sustained itself. This in turn meant that there was a possibility that being connected to the outside world might change this place for better or for worse, but that was something for the scholars to determine. Looking around to find the way forward as the place could in one word be described as being somewhat disorienting, the markings on the wall allowed him to navigate the both of them through the cavern and to a place that was not exactly something he had expected to find down here. Though still a cave, this portion of the place had been paved.
Turning his attention towards Franklin for a moment to see if he was in fact seeing what he was seeing, he began venturing down the path to see where it would be taking them. And for a long time, it seemed to just be that, a long paved road heading through a dark cavern heading further and further into the distance as if it wasn’t leading them anywhere at all. When eventually the cavern itself began to turn into what seemed to look a lot more like corridors with the pavement being like that of a street, there was really no way around the fact that there must have been some sort of a civilization down here. Though he had never heard of this place or picked up any mentions of any such places below the ground, the first thing Griswold pondered on were the things closer to his heart.
Knowing that the dwarves of the past had built their strongholds in the earth and into the sides of mountains, the first thing he pondered on was that it might be one of those places that they had stumbled upon. However, the stonework and masonry did not resemble anything he had ever seen from dwarves, while no dwarf wished to live in such darkness without any kind of bonfires or large statues in their own honor around. After that, he pondered on how some elven ruins had been found beneath the earth, and how some human settlements had in fact been built over them, almost as if they wanted to hide the fact that the elves had been there first. But the same could unfortunately be said for the same reason as had been the case with the dwarves, because it was just too different. But strangely enough, he had a feeling he knew what this was.
Though it couldn’t possibly be the case as they had come from another continent or island, the architecture here resembled some of the armor and weapon motifs he had seen when a large invading force of foreign raiders had come to attack along the entire shoreline before moving on the town of Aries Garse. While he could not possibly know whether or not the two could be affiliated, it made sense to believe that the raiders had been to Clover before as they managed to move around the magic knights’ watchful eyes under the cover of a cold blanket of magical mist. Raising the dead civilians and their own warriors that perished to fight again, they were a cruel and dangerous people, so part of him hoped they would not end up fighting more like them. Knowing the kind of damage that whole ordeal had left in his own head, he wondered what it would do to that of Franklin.
“Keep your wits about you, I’ve got a rather bad feeling about this place. This cold isn’t natural, and I can’t feel any mana coming off of it, so this is something else entirely.”
Post by Franklin Stein on Jan 16, 2022 19:23:37 GMT -5
[attr="class","frankiestats"]
POWER 048
DURABILITY 059
SENSORY 001
STAMINA 025
CONTROL 060
MANA SKIN Senior
HEALTH Senior
MANA POOL 105/105
MANA REGEN 25 ic | 20 ooc
SPEED 05 m/s
STRENGTH 1/2 Junior
[attr="class","frankieimage"]❝Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done!❞
[attr="class","frankiescroll"] Frankie had been hoping for some sort of information on the ruins, perhaps something that might have been noted and seen, but based on Griswold's silence and some brief exchanges with the researchers who had been chased out it appeared that no one had been able to stay long enough to note anything of true significance. The mad mage had hoped that they had seen enough that they could at least narrow it down to a specific culture or time period, but either they had not found enough examples before departing or their fear of the place had gotten the better of them. He supposed it wasn't their fault. If they were unsuited for combat then it was just as likely that they wouldn't do well with anything that would put fear in them. Any situation that would have them on nerves could easily leave them in such a state that any information they might have collected would be easily lost in the confusion or anxiety. It was part of the reason that Frankie had resolved himself in developing his magic and growing stronger. It wasn't merely to test the limits of his abilities, but also make sure he had enough of those abilities to properly defend himself when venturing into dangerous, but fascinating places like these ruins.
Floor 1 Room 1:
There was enough leftover evidence of foliage that Franklin had honestly been surprised that the researchers had managed to stumble upon this place in any capacity. Now that enough of it had been cleared by the first explorers Frankie could find his way through the passage into the cavern system beyond easy enough, but without all that brush having already been cut away he could have easily moved right along past it even if he knew there was an entrance roughly in the area. It had been cleverly disguised by the passage of time and the elements. Frankie even wondered if they had found this entrance on purpose if it had been entirely by accident. Perhaps a hiker who had supported his weight in the wrong place and fell through, or something of the sort. However it had been found Frankie was glad for it. Their discovery could lead to who knows what within and Frankie was looking forward to experiencing whatever it was firsthand. This might actually be the first time he would be a trailblazer. Up until now he had investigated or researched places or things that had already been treaded previously. Read numerous books on magics that had been done in the past or explored dungeons previously dealt with by others. As all of his loftiest of goals involved breaking new ground or finding brand new discoveries this was exactly the path he wished to head in his life. It was why he loved magic! He would take full advantage of every moment of this experience.
Stein's excitement only grew tenfold as the cavern floor eventually transformed into what clearly looked like a paved street. The walls and ceiling were still very much a cavern, they held none of the cut stone look that would have been apparent if they had been altered at all by another being. However, there was no mistaking that the floor had been changed. Cut and shifted so as to provide a gentle slope that led them further and further into the cavern system. Had Frankie not brought a torch with him and lit it prior to entering he would not have been able to see any of this fascinating roadwork. With every step they took deeper into this place the world around them grew increasingly darker. The analytical mind of the scientist contributed the growing darkness to the distance they had put to the entrance of the cavern. Light having to travel further and further to reach them, creating the atmosphere that it all grew darker and darker the further they travelled. However, there was something more to all of this. The darkness held a weight to it, almost felt tangible in the way it crowded Frankie and pressed more and more against him the deeper he went.
Despite the oppressive nature of the darkness the look he shared with Griswold when the other man turned to regard him was still bright with fervor, a twinkle alight in his eyes. The paving work was nothing like he had seen in various diagrams he had read on the number of cultures that were more commonly studied within Clover Kingdom. Nothing he could recognize from the Dwarves, Elves, or early Clover Kingdom. There was also a curious lack of anything to hold a flame or light. The roads clearly indicated they were meant for travel and were even wide enough that Franklin figured a cart or two could easily travel upon it. However, that would imply there should be things in place to light their way as they travelled. Sconces, braziers, or at least the remnants of calcified torches should have been left along the road to help illuminate the path for any would be travelers. However, Frankie could see no sign of any of these things. So either any ancient travelers on this road all carried their own personal torches much like Frankie was doing or they didn't need it? Were they dealing with some new subterranean culture capable of seeing in the dark? Would they have seen in infravision? Perhaps something akin to echolocation? It was all too early to jump to any conclusions, but the lack of placements for lights did raise many questions.
"Understood, I shall do my best to stay aware of my surroundings." Frankie had been doing his best up to this point to try and ignore the cold that was chilling his bones a little, but at the mention of it by Griswold it brought the temperature fully to the forefront of his attention. The chill seemed to cut directly to the bone and bypassed the layers he had worn. The over prepared mad mage had some extra layers packed in his large sack in case he had run into such things, but based on Griswold's comments he wondered if it would do him any good to bother. As the cold wasn't bad enough to threaten him with hypothermia or frostbite he would opt to go without for now, he could always change later. However, compounding on his earlier theory on the possibility of a subterranean culture he wondered about the ability to see in the heat spectrum. If they worried about dealing with others with similar abilities wouldn't the cold help in hiding their presence? It would lower the ambient temperature in the area and potentially make it difficult to see anyone based on body heat? Again, all random theory, but worth pondering. "Did you notice the lack of sconces or anything else for light? The road implies it is meant for travelers, but the lack of light would make that difficult without always bringing their own. I wonder if they never had any to begin with or if something occurred that made them remove them all. A desire to hide what they created perhaps?" Frankie was curious what Griswold made of all this and asked. Even if the other man wasn't entirely sure it could at least kill some time. With luck they'd stumble onto something soon that would give more context on the mystery of this place.
Combat Summary
[attr="class","frankiescroll2"]
Notes Frankie journeys into the cave with Griswold crafting all sorts of theories based on what he sees. He responds to Griswold's recommendation to stay on his toes and asks what Griswold might think of the paved road and lack of light sources. WC finish for Room 1, but did not enter Room 2.
Rank & Element: Junior Class & Type: Accessory Magic Specializations: N/A Appearance & Lore: The Magic Knight Mantle is an Item in which Magic Knights wear to show the Squad that are in. Each Squad has a different color Mantle along with their own squad logo as well. When these items were built they were made out of a special material that allows them to be unbreakable from any sort of attack, but does not block the wearer from any attacks. Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom has worn these Mantles for hundreds of years. Abilities:
You naturally learn 5 + 1 per floor in a dungeon, additional stat and spell points once they clear a dungeon, these points cannot be doubled with other perks.
“I wish I knew, perhaps they never had any up at all because whoever dwelled down here did not need the light to see. Based on what I can tell, this masonry isn’t dwarven or elven, looking a little like the motif used by another people I have met but once in my life. But they very much needed light in the same way we do.”
Doing his best to provide a short yet useful answer to the questions posed by Franklin, there was really no telling what the point was behind there being just about no light sources out here. A sconce, a bonfire, a brazier, just about anything that might give the inhabitants something to work with, though there was none of it whatsoever. And when he looked the walls over, he did not see or feel any remnants of where there might have once been any, leading him to believe they had never been installed. Given the strange species he had uncovered up until now, it made him wonder if maybe this place had been built by and for vampires, as they were humanoid like they were but needed no light. Not wanting to rile Franklin up with the possibility for vampires, knowing how he responded to them last time, for the time being, he would just keep moving forward.
Floor 1, Room 2
As they pressed on further into the place, the space itself appeared to be wider, as well as opening up the place for a lot more flora and fauna, many of which he had never seen before to this day. Which meant that this was very much as he had assumed before, what with this being an enclosed biome that was taking care of itself and required no connection to the outside world. With the flora here likely producing breathable air and needing none to come in from beyond the cavern, it stood to reason that all of these plants were of species that thrived down here and most likely did not exist in the outside world. Or rather, this specific species did not exist, likely being an offshoot of ones that could be found within the land of Clover and beyond. And if there was something he knew a thing or two about, it would be flora and fauna.
“It would seem that you’d get to put that absurdly large pack of yours to use. From what I gather, most of the flora and fauna here would appear to be rather unique, likely being the result of living in an enclosed biome and either being bred or evolving to thrive in a place like this.”
Figuring the man would want some time to take a few cuts and some saplings to bring back with him into the world beyond the cavern for whatever scientific research he wanted to perform. Not knowing whether he was a botanist or not, Griswold’s own knowledge in the field extended to what he had learned from his father and uncle when he was still living in the Fringe, though he had stopped furthering those studies once he was roughly fourteen years old and focused more on combat and anatomical knowledge of animals for the sake of effective killing. So if it were to come down to it, he would not mind aiding the guy when trying to get these plants to live elsewhere. For now though, his focus was drawn to a sound coming from a small distance away, a sound that did not seem to originate from any animal.
The first thing he heard was a shambling movement of something that was bipedal, sounding a lot like the movement made by the zombies produced for the sake of a game held during the spirit festival back in autumn. For the time being, he would walk away from Franklin for a bit so he could go about collecting the flowers and plants he might want, knowing the act could take a while and required precision so as to not destroy the roots or cause any kind of damage that would just cause the plant to die upon being uprooted. So as he moved a bit further away, what he encountered was not entirely unlike anything he had ever seen before, even expecting it to some extent based alone on the noise they made in the dark. So when they finally made their way into his line of sight, it was clear enough that these “people” were very much undead in every sense of the word.
Reaching for his sword as he watched them for a bit, it did not take them long to figure him out as well. Where they had at first just been roaming around the place, almost as if they were looking for something down here too, the moment they laid their eyes on Griswold, their state changed entirely. Reaching for old and rusted weapons they carried on their person, they went in to start attacking Griswold, emanating a sort of hate that they would find returned in kind. Hating the undead with a passion, not for what they were but what they represented, his mind flashed back to the time where he had been forced to fight a number of wraiths that had been returned to life due to a cursed object that had been stolen from their crypt. Managing to break that curse eventually, the things they had done to other people was not something he could ever hope to fix.
And then there was the time when a bunch of would-be cultists brought about a pack of ghouls, raising them to fight for them, only to be ripped to shreds before Griswold could arrive to put them all down. And finally, and probably also the worst encounter he had had with the undead up until this point was when a necromancer belonging to the same group of people he had been unwillingly looking to attribute this entire place to had ordered the deaths of men, women and children, only to be raised into undeath and act as weapons in their raids. So while he did not directly hate the undead themselves, he had come to look at the whole state of being as something that was to both be pitied and taken out as soon as it was discovered. And so, as the first of them came at him, Griswold ran the black blade of Feardèanamh through its head, causing it to slide off to the side and drop to the ground.
Not wasting a single moment, he evaded a blow coming at him from an old axe, severing the hands holding it before smashing his fist into the face of the undead and crushing the nose, teeth and part of the frontal bone. Due to the rotten flesh not being that able to withstand damage, it keeled over as the brain matter had been scrambled inside of its skull. Reaching down and tossing his skinning knife into the head of an archer, keeping it from nocking an arrow properly, he swept his foot low to trip one of the shamblers that was coming at him before driving the blade of his sword into its eye. Placing his free hand on the handle below the other, Griswold swept the blade up from the eye socket, completing a full arc swing as the dark edge completely bifurcated another zombie from head to crotch, dropping in two almost identical halves.
Proving just how easy it was to take these things out and that their feelings of anger, hate and resentment towards Griswold and Franklin did not matter to him at all, the first of them to come at him quickly met their end. Given the way he thought, it was clear to any would-be observers that he was not trying to inflict any pain on them when it could be avoided, if these things were even capable of feeling such a thing as pain anymore. All he wanted was to put them out of their misery, and to put them out of his misery so they could continue moving onward without having to worry about any undead making a move against them. Witnessing the slaughter of the first attackers and backing up a moment, groaning in a language he did not understand, now was his chance to press the attack and force them on the defensive. Setting off from his position, he ran along the body of one of the dead.
Reaching low and snatch the skinning knife out of the eye socket of the archer, he used the moment of the snatch and grab to flick it into the shoulder of one of the undead. Causing their arm to malfunction and drop the shield they were about to raise, the black knight beheaded it to keep it from becoming a problem again as he just kept on moving. Like a rabid and malnourished wolf chasing down prey, his blade would rend flesh and send heads flying left and right, going on all the way until there was not a single one left standing. With his blade stained with the blood and bile of the dead, the blackened goo could barely be called blood anymore, the living blood having broken down a long time ago when they had first dead. Sighing deeply, he would have said a prayer for them if he knew any or had been the religious type. But being far from it, he just began piling up the bodies.
Using the clothing of one of the dead to clean the mess off of his sword, Griswold placed it back into its scabbard before returning to the task at hand, which was significantly more difficult if he had to keep holding on to a dirty sword with one hand and lug bodies around with the other. Being quite the ordeal as they were still fairly heavy due to the clothing they wore, at least they hadn’t eaten in a very long time, which at the very least worked in his favor a little. Completing the pile a good few minutes later, he would trace back to see how Franklin was doing with the unique and somewhat exotic flora. Deciding that he’d burn the bodies once they were ready to press on so they could not be raised again, he’d at least give Franklin a moment to check up on the bodies and see if maybe he could find out anything useful. Maybe he’d even be able to get some useful information off of or out of the bodies, depending on just how far his scientific knowledge stretched.
“Once you’re done here, I’ve got something else you might enjoy looking into for a bit.”
Post by Franklin Stein on Jan 20, 2022 17:34:46 GMT -5
[attr="class","frankiestats"]
POWER 048
DURABILITY 059
SENSORY 001
STAMINA 025
CONTROL 060
MANA SKIN Senior
HEALTH Senior
MANA POOL 100/105
MANA REGEN 25 ic | 20 ooc
SPEED 05 m/s
STRENGTH 1/2 Junior
[attr="class","frankieimage"]❝Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done!❞
[attr="class","frankiescroll"]
Floor 1 Room 2:
"Finally! One of my favorite parts of exploration, sample gathering!" Franklin shouted in glee, his tone completely serious in its joviality. Frankie had been a little disappointed that Griswold too was just as perplexed by the architecture of this place. However, his frustrated mood was quickly turned around at the opportunity to collecting some of growing vegetation from this area. True to Griswold's words none of it looked native to anywhere he had been previously. Subterranean foliage was always more unique, but perhaps due to the shifting temperature here it had created a pocket of singularly unique life here. After all, the cold bitter weather from the previous room seemed to dissipate here and that shift likely had caused odd reactions in the growth here.
Franklin had already begun humming a happy tune as he collected various small pieces of vegetation when the first undead creature shambled into sight. The mad mage was now torn between continuing his work and inspecting the equally fascinating undead. Thankfully, Griswold had made his choice easy for him by electing to dispatch all the creatures on the pair's behalf. Frankie continued his work snipping small leaves or weeds here and there. Some he pressed in various books to dry out while others were made copies of using his Carbon Matter. In some cases he made perfect fossilized versions of the samples he took. He would have loved to take some of the local wildlife too, but he doubted they would survive the journey or do well in the surface. For those he settled for just taking copies of their various tracks. By the time Griswold was done clearing the last of the undead Frankie had taken specimens from just about everything he could find.
With the plant and animal life done he wasted no time inspecting the undead that Griswold had made permanently dead. Thankfully, the damage was varied enough that between all the various corpses he could get a complete picture of what one fully intact undead must function like. "This is all truly fascinating. Former residents of this civilization perhaps? Or perhaps previous adventurers who were far less lucky down here. I wonder what is animating them? If this place is acting like a dungeon we could be dealing with a necromancer guardian or simply the nature of this place. Curious, hopefully more data will be presented as we venture on." Frankie spoke both to himself and Griswold as he finished his quandaries and then rose so they could press on.
Floor 1 Room 3:
No sooner had they left the fields that the weather turned back to the frigid thing he was sadly growing accustomed too. The cold chilled his bones and made him worry that his precious samples might be damaged by the cold before they got a chance to leave this place. He would have to rely on the packing within his bag to keep them safe and secured. The walls on either side of them seemed to stretch on for some distance, the uniform nature of it making it all seem like something from a carnival providing the illusion of it being endless. However, eventually in all that walking there was a break in the uniformity in the distance. Barring what must be the way to the next room was large wolf like beast. This particular species was much larger than anything Frankie had ever seen before, perhaps even larger than the Chort the pair had tracked in their first meeting. As Frankie moved closer to get a better view of the creature its nostrils flared, taking in the scent of the new intruders. Amber eyes opened to regard them both and it slowly stood to all fours. The massive predator viewed both Griswold and Frankie with malicious intent. It didn't make a move towards them just yet, but it was clear that it would do so if they kept moving forward. Movement from below the creature would draw Frankie's attention next and he would lower his gaze to take in the shadow like beings that milled about the lupine's feet. Frankie would have thought them some sort of shadow construct, but given their recent run in with the undead he was leaning more towards a ghost or something akin to that.
"Another wolf? Not that I mind Griswold, but statistically I run into more wolves with you then I do with anyone else." Frankie smirked to himself as he attempted to bring brevity to the situation with some humor. Humor which was bolstered by both fact and mathematics, which was the best kind of joke! Both the ghosts and the giant wolf were completely indifferent to each other, either groups barely recognizing the existence of the other. However, a number of the shades did seem to react as the pair had entered the hallway. Four of the shades twitched and moved as if picking up something in the air or perhaps noticing something with senses that Frankie could not notice. In any case they turned to regard the two wizards. The shades sway back and forth, as if vibrating in anticipation, and then they charge down the hallway heading right for Griswold and Frankie. Frankie had been hoping to watch the beings for a little longer first, but it appeared that the initiative had been taken from them. Unsure of the nature of these shades and what might happen to them if they were touched by the seemingly incorporeal creatures Frankie opted not to let them get too close.
Frankie kept his distance, but spoke aloud, "Servants of Creation!" As the words passed through his lips Carbon Matter filled the space in front of him, creating five apes out of the Element. The constructs pounded their chest and formed a defensive line between Frankie and the still oncoming ghosts. However, the cold air seemed to be effecting them in much the same way it had been with Frankie and they moved more sluggishly then they usually did. Understanding already that there would likely be a grave difference between the shades and his own creations Frankie followed up the spell with a second. "Earthen Raptor!" Frankie spoke the new command phrase and this time four eagles were fashioned out of the Carbon Matter. The avian creatures flapped wings as they stretched the bodies wide and with a mental nudge followed shortly after the apes into the fray. It was a good thing they had too because the apes did not last long once they were in close combat with the shades. The shadowy figures were stronger and hardier then the apes. They also seemed unperturbed by the cold and moved just seconds faster than the simians.
Hands moved through the space that the apes occupied, seemingly moving through the monkeys as if the shadows were ethereal. However, as they pulled their limbs free the apes simply fell apart, seemingly internally damaged by whatever contact they had suffered with the shades. Only a single ape had escaped the exchange and only because the initial numbers meant the apes had outnumbered the shades. Thankfully, its own fists seemed to make easy enough contact with the shadow it targeted, though it was clear it did not do anywhere near enough damage to permanently destroy it. Although the apes had been largely ineffective they had still served a purpose. They had provided a much needed buffer between Frankie and these creatures and they had allowed the eagles a chance to attack shades without a chance of rebuke. Claws and beaks tore into the shadows who had still been busy finishing off the apes they had destroyed. Although ultimately his eagles were unable to finish any of the shades off it was clear that they had left the creatures barely able to sustain themselves. Although their bodies were consisted of shadows or something close to that there were obvious tatters in that form now and pieces of their body would fall off to disappear into smoke even as they continued to threaten the area around them. They wouldn't last much longer though. "I can take care of the rest of them here if you don't mind dealing with the shades and whatever that large wolf is. I will come and join you as soon as these are destroyed." Frankie kept his focus on the shadows he was fighting even as he spoke to Griswold. He knew the other ghost like creatures would attack eventually, attracted by whatever had driven this batch. There was also no telling when that giant wolf would join the fray either. Griswold should be able to handle them though and with him dealing with those threats Frankie could focus on finishing off those he had left wounded. Unless something unexpected happened they would be continuing on to explore deeper shortly enough. The mad mage was beginning to wonder if undeath was a theme to this place.
Combat Summary
[attr="class","frankiescroll2"]
Notes Frankie takes various samples while Griswold fights the undead. Wonders about who the undead might be before pressing on to the next room. Makes a comments about wolves and Griswold before fighting 4 of the shades. 1/5 Apes remain and 4/4 of his eagles remain. 4/8 Shades are wounded. 3/4 have Int Health remaining while 1/4 has only Jr. Asked Griswold to take care of the still healthy Shades and the Garmr.
Name of Spell: Servants of Creation Spell Element: Carbon Matter Spell Rank: Junior Mana Cost: 10|5 Type of Golem: Balanced Applicable Perks: Ease of Creation Description: To activate this spell Frankie will merely call out the name of the spell. Upon doing so Carbon will pour out of his grimoire. The Carbon Matter will gather until a 3m in size ape has been crafted. Per the Golem rules additional Golems can be created when using this spell based on Frankie's Control to the maximum based on rank of the spell, 5 being the max at Junior. These Apes will often serve as guardians to Frankie, putting their own body in the path of attacks if necessary. As well as the frontal assault bringing their size to bear on any target indicated by Frankie. Each Golem can serve as transportation if necessary, but are limited to a single passenger each and can only move at 5 m/s while serving as such.
Name of Spell: Earthen Raptor Spell Element: Carbon Matter Spell Rank: Intermediate Mana Cost: 20|10 Type of Golem: Balanced Applicable Perks: Ease of Creation Description: To activate this spell Frankie will merely call out the name of the spell. Upon doing so Carbon will pour out of his grimoire. The Carbon Matter will gather until a 6m in size eagle has been crafted. Per the Golem rules additional Golems can be created when using this spell based on Frankie's Control to the maximum based on rank of the spell, 4 being the max at Intermediate. These eagles will often serve as a way to keep Frankie airborne and away from ground based enemies. As well as serve as dangerous predators that will swoop in to assault with claw and beak. Each Golem can serve as transportation if necessary, but are limited to 2 passengers each and can only move at 10 m/s while serving as such.
Rank & Element: Junior Class & Type: Accessory Magic Specializations: N/A Appearance & Lore: The Magic Knight Mantle is an Item in which Magic Knights wear to show the Squad that are in. Each Squad has a different color Mantle along with their own squad logo as well. When these items were built they were made out of a special material that allows them to be unbreakable from any sort of attack, but does not block the wearer from any attacks. Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom has worn these Mantles for hundreds of years. Abilities:
You naturally learn 5 + 1 per floor in a dungeon, additional stat and spell points once they clear a dungeon, these points cannot be doubled with other perks.
Letting Franklin’s words sink in for a bit, almost in the same way as the chill in the room did once they got as far as they did, there was absolutely a pattern when it came to him and the presence of wolves. Whether they were actual wolves, wargs or werewolves, he had run into so many of them that it was hard to think them out of his life at this point. At least not out of his professional life. Spotting the massive wolf, which was massive even compared to some of the other wolves he had seen that were a lot bigger than others. For instance, the alpha warg they had met when the two of them had travelled through the Fringe in search of missing cattle, stumbling upon the creature and finding that it had been altered by one of the nearby magic regions to the point where it could now breathe fire.
Not really responding to it in words, other than by merely groaning at the fact that Franklin was right, what bothered him more than the oversized wolf were the amount of shades that were roaming around the area. When they had first come into this part of the dungeon, they had seemingly just been doing exactly that, roaming. Roaming without any sense of purpose or direction other than just being, which seemed like the ultimate practice in mindfulness. However, it seemed clear that their headspace had been disturbed the moment their lair was invaded by the living, which seemed to be the same kind of case as with the zombies from before. Not enjoying shamblers much at all for obvious reasons, these shades seemed like they were going to be that much more of a hassle to deal with, especially if they were anything like the wraiths he had dealt with in the past.
If they were half as powerful as those elven lords that had been disturbed by graverobbers, they were going to be in for quite the encounter, especially since the wolf seemed to be on their side. Completely unbothered by the shades as it seemed to be able to just walk right through them like someone would through a bank of fog, it stood to reason that these things were not affected by anything that wasn’t magical in nature. While that would not be much of an issue for his sword, which had been imbued by actual dark magic, he could imagine it having been hard for whomever had ventured down here and died, adding to the number of shamblers wandering around in these darkened halls. So when Franklin attacked with what was more or less his signature move, summoning his avian and simian golems, the battle was on once more.
With the vast majority of the shades distracted by the golems, even the wolf got roused by them, beginning to rush towards the nearest one it could get to and biting its head off. Though the sacrifice of that golem granted Griswold the opening he had been needing to take the wolf down. Channelling his reinforcement spell and centering it in his fist, he used his already great speed to outmaneuver the golems and shades that were doing battle so that he could get close to the wolf’s head. Releasing the pent up solar power in one blow as his fist connected with its jaw, a loud boom could be heard as a burst of light radiated across the room. What followed was the wolf being flung around the dark hall and coming to a halt several meters away, its tongue laying limp outside of its open maw. Being just about as unconscious as they’d get, he no longer had any use for his magical enhancement as it had only served one purpose.
To take the wolf out without killing it, which was not a reservation he held in his heart towards even a single one of these shades.
With the same hand in which he had held an amount of solar magic that could have easily killed the wolf on the spot if it had been handled with less care, Griswold now drew his sword. Aiming to get into the fight against the shades as Franklin’s golems did their best to keep them at bay and lash out as much as they could, it seemed that what made these shades so difficult to take down was the fact that they could take quite a bit of a beating. Likely attributed to the fact that they seemed to only be tangible to some degree, they’d require greater levels of punishment than the zombies did, that much seemed certain. Letting his Ki traverse the space real quick to more or less map things out in his mind, he leaped towards the furthest ones and began lashing out at them. Finding that they had initially believed the sword would just pass through them, once the first was felled by the dark blade, the others became a lot wearier in their counter attack.
Seemingly possessing no magical abilities that allowed them to fight using spells, taking them down with the black blade was relatively simple as he was faster than they were. Letting the blade do the talking, severing two of the shades in a single wide arc, he began moving towards the ones that had already been taking hits from the golem squad sent out by Franklin. Aiming to motivate the guy towards putting out more damage so he could preserve a bit of his own energy, which they were undoubtedly going to be needing if this place was home to any more creatures like the ones they were facing right now, he figured the guy might want to take more samples from whatever remained.
“Just a little more and you’ll be able to see if there are any magical properties to their ectoplasmic remains. And while the big pup is still asleep, you might be able to get some blood samples…”
TLDR: Waited for the wolf to engage your golems, falcon punched the shit out of it and then killed four of the Shades while pushing Franklin to try harder by picking at his urge to get samples.
Name of Spell: Celestial Body: Globular Elemental Type: Solar Rank & Spell Type: Senior | Physical Reinforcement & Attack Creation Range & Speed: Self (contact) | 50 m/s Mana Cost: 30 mp | 15 mp sustain Stats Effected: Physical strength increase Applicable Perks: Overpowered, Battle Knight, Quick Shot Description: Flexing his muscles before making his body glow, thus announcing and visually showing a buildup of mana, solar flares will appear, covering his feet up to just below his knees and his arms from his elbows up to his hands in solar mana. Allowing Griswold to greatly increase his striking force with both hands and feet by a Senior amount, it allows his strikes to reverberate instantly when he hits a solid or magical surface. While doing nothing when hitting something solid, this allows Griswold to strike spells. If Celestial Body: Globular manages to beat the spell it strikes in a Power vs Power or Power vs Durability clash (depending on the main stat of the spell it clashes with), he can deal damage to it or even destroy it according to the clashing rules. During the day, the flames takes on an orange hue, taking on a silver blue hue after dark.