The Journey to Pandora's Treasure (Libraryman and Jasmine T) NSFW

[Libraryman]

Clouds darkened the evening sky, blocking out the normally vibrant sun so that only a few rays of light peeked out through the cracks. These irradiant beams shone down on the ruined architecture of a town, long abandoned a generation ago. It was once a beacon of progress, home to many factories that produced things needed to keep the shining cities of the world running. Not only that, but they held the abodes of the many families of the people who worked there. Apartments standing several stories tall dominated the furthest side of the town. Decades ago they might have looked magnificent, like gleaming towers reflecting the daylight's brilliance. But now, they lay broken. Disheveled. Crumbling down in disrepair as nature slowly reclaimed the land. The closest side of the city to the main road, which itself was pocketed and scarred with cracks and potholes across its worn and broken surface, was where the factory buildings lay. Smokestacks stood broken, almost like mighty oaks blown over in a freak storm. Warehouses sat with their windows shattered, walls collapsing and decrepit. Inside these buildings, the aged machines were no doubt rusted. Much too far gone to ever be of any use.

There were many legends of how this once bustling place came to be so silent. Alas, it was not a most uncommon sight. A shocking amount of little metropolises like it had fallen over the decades. Some said it was because of the magic power generated and stored there. That the natural wells of magic being tapped by the grand pieces of robust machinery attracted beasts to it, so that they would ravage and destroy all that was built there. Others said that the machines were simply ineffective. Unable to harvest the raw power emanating from the open earth, so that the excess slowly poisoned and corrupted those that lived there. Yet there were more that said it was most likely a band of greedy bandits that raided them for their riches, or even a roving hoard of bloodthirsty Orcs. Many of the Orcish tribes wanted to keep to their old and more primitive customs after all, though there were a few that decided to settle in the more civilized and beautiful cities that boasted a menagerie of races.

Here though, a few hours by powered wagon outside of the shining city of Denur, was where a story would begin. At the end of this craggy and pitted highway, inside a dilapidated building somewhere within that forsaken town, lay the first piece of a young adventurer's journey. A key piece to solving an age old mystery that had lain unsolved for centuries. And it was up to her to solve it, for better or for worse.

 

[Jasmine T]

This is the first stop of the journey, her adventure, her salvation, and her deed. Alysia pedaled towards the dilapidated buildings hidden behind the forest. Thinking back, she felt bad lying to grandma. Informing grandma that she felt sick and wouldn’t be able to work for a while. BUT!! The verification of the rumors she heard floating about, this place had articles written about, books published, and stories heard all over, if everything was true then it would provide confirmation for her efforts.

From her research, Alysia knew there was only one way in and many ways out. The same sentence repeated in her mind, ’Follow the olden concrete road off the southerly path. From there, the ruins of ages past will be seen. Use your instincts and follow the clues. Only the wisest can decipher what lies within. Sighing to herself, “Grandma has been spouting these words and now I’ve memorized them!! I need to buy her a gift when I return.”

Her cheap yet sturdy bicycle finally reached the concrete road, cracked and covered in moss. It took another 30 minutes of pedaling and the ruins of the old town could be seen. “If I remember correctly, the books said to use the smoke stacks as a marker. Walk towards that general direction and look for a fountain, head west after that … Okay fountain first!!”

The rough terrain made riding the bike incredibly difficult, before long a roadblock was ahead and there was no way she could lug her bike over the rubble. “Looks like I will need to hide this bike for now … “ There was a small burnt out shack to the side, Alysia parked her bike inside and tried her best to cover it with debris, vines, and random junk. (int r1 for effectiveness. Alysia has base int of 2)

Stepping out, she took a quick stock of herself. Inside her small bag contained her communication wand and a notebook. She was wearing a casual outfit as this area tend to be cold, a knit cap, sweater, snug blue jeans with belt, and a pair of tie-up chunky heel ankle boots. These boots gave her an extra 3 inches, which could be useful for traveling through small puddles of water and the seller told her this pair was especially sturdy. Hanging on the left and right side of her belt were a stun baton and a simple dagger.

Off to the northwest, Alysia saw the red and gray smoke stack, “Okay … that direction I go!”

(see event r1)

 

[Libraryman]

4 rolled on encounter table

Along Alysia's path towards her destination lay a large industrial building, the metal walls rusted and discolored. It's windows were at least ten feet up from the broken ground, though they were now just filled with broken and shattered glass. The best way to the girl's ultimate goal was through, and luckily there was a broken side door leading inside, hanging off of decayed hinges. And across the threshold lay the dead body of what could be assumed to be one of the employees of this place.

At first glance, it looked like a skeleton dressed in a faded jumpsuit. Upon further examination, it wasn't just the boney remains of a person, but it had a rough leathery skin worn taught across its body. Almost like it was mummified.

Past the body, inside the building was just as corroded as the outside, though the center of the massive warehouse like room stood a gigantic generator. It to was worn and aged, but it was unmistakably one of the machines built to harvest magical energy from the earth. Around it lay more of these mummified corpses, most in jumpsuits that signified that they did manual labor while others wore the tattered remains of more delicate clothing. Thick, heavy cables ran from the contraption, and into a sturdy wall along the north side. Another door lay set into this wall, however this door was solidly built from steel and was locked tight. In bold letters embossed into the door read "ADMIN ONLY". Inside most likely held something of value, but it would be a challenge to get inside.

 

[Jasmine T]

The path was rough and potholed, she wondered if the people living here made it out alive and what could cause this to happen. She knew of the natural energy in this place but had no idea why the humans of that time couldn’t handle it.

Staring up at the wall, it was almost twice her height and even if she wanted to scale the wall, the sharp glass discouraged her. Walking along the building, weeds and concrete rubble riddled the path, each step was uneven and challenging.

Seeing a slightly ajar door, Alysia made her way towards it. Inside was somewhat lit by the light sources coming in from the busted windows. The bodies didn’t bother Alysia too much but she still felt sad for the lives that were lost here. Taking a moment to observe the room, the number of corpses was heart wrenching.

Stepping inside, Alysia was careful with her steps not wanting to step or kick over the corpses. The shards of glass cracked under her boots, rubble slightly shifted under her weight. Looking around, she observed the corpses, she read that dead bodies might have important loot on them but definitely not the poorer looking ones. There were a few that had garments fit for a supervisor or person in charge. Whispering to herself, she muttered "Rest in silent peace everyone."

Following the cables, it led to a second story, the stairs were rusted and gone but it was not impossible to go up there. The cable looked dirty, probably soaking up dust, rain, and other stuff over the many years it had sat here. Alysia then stared down at her white sweater, “There’s no way I’m climbing up there … I gotta hug and climb. No way!! I’ll remember it though, maybe when I come back with an outfit I don’t care too much about!!”

Alysia knew she would need to get past this building in order to reach the smoke stacks so she continued walking straight, navigating the rubble, the dust, and the tight corridors. She hoped to find a map, a sign, or just luck.

Okay to roll next event!!

 

[Libraryman]

Rolled a 15 on encounter die. Roll to see clothing damage.

Alas, for the young adventurer it seemed like the only way forward and out of this building was a break in the wall. It would be a tight fit to get through. There was much rubble to crawl through, jagged pieces of concrete sticking out at odd angles ready to catch any that tried. Even lengths of metal rebar broke through some of the larger chunks. If one was not careful, they could easily shift the wrong rock and become impaled.

Even so, it would have to be done. With the sun getting low in the horizon, casting beautiful hues of pink and purple through the clouds, there wasn't much time left to double back and look for a new way to enter the town. And it would not be good to be caught in the dark without proper shelter. Who knew what kind of trouble one could get in after nightfall, especially without a safe place to stay. There were always stories about those that inhabited the ruins of cities like this. None of them good. Whether the thing that caught you was a terrifying monster, a dreadful bandit, or a loathsome beast, none of them would be good to run into in any capacity. So sadly, forwards and through the crumbled section of stone and steel was the only way to go.

 

[Jasmine T]

Rolled 2 on Clothing Damage table.

After a bit of wandering, Alysia finally saw the glimmer of light!! Cautiously making her way over, she found a rough crack in the wall. It looked jagged, rough, and unstable, who knows how long this has stayed in this position?!

Exhaling a sigh, Alysia determined it was best to slid out sideways. The ground looked a bit too nasty for her to be crawling around. Placing her bag outside first, she found a gap that felt like it would fit her. Squatting down, she crab-walked between the gap, carefully avoiding the jagged pieces!!! But it was all in vain as it was too tight!! A piece of rebar had caught onto her sweater!! "Oh shoot!!" With each tug, she could feel the fabric stretch and hear the strands tearing at the seams.

Sensing the only way to escape is by removing her sweater, she does just that. Removing her sweater was quite simple, since it was already kinked on the rebar, she just had to squirm her way out. With her top fully off, anyone in the vicinity could see her A-Cup chest covered by a simple red bra. Standing up, Alysia tugged on her sweater!! She knew that traveling semi naked is a bad idea!!!

With another forceful tug, she fell backwards onto the ground successfully removing her top along with a giant piece of it still stuck on the rebar. "Oh no ... this is all I have!! i knew I should've brought extra clothes!!" With no other choice, she slid the sweater back on her body. Across her waist, a large piece of fabric was torn off, revealing her cute belly button and slim midriff. Alysia frowned as the gentle breeze licked her belly. "This sucks!!" Angrily picking up her bag, she looked at the sky, it was getting dark and she had two options, explore while there is still sunlight or find a place to camp.

The choice was obvious, continue on ... !!

Okay to roll for event!!

 

[Libraryman]

A 6 was rolled on the encounter table, adding time till the next encounter which rolled a 19

Hours had passed since the incident with her shirt. The heavy clouds had still not broken open, plunging the land into darkness. The only light that was available was from the dim glow of the moon which did little to keep the clouded night sky alight. Even before the sun had set the city seemed to be a nightmare to navigate. Almost as if it was a maze. A maze that had broken and crumbled into an unnavigatable mess. There was so much rubble to clime over or navigate around. Some of it was easier than others, but some were flat out too dangerous to even consider.

Eventually though, as darkness fell, Alyssa finally found the marker she was looking for. A grand fountain of marble sat in the center of an open square. Well, it used to be grand at least. Now it had crumbled and cracked, a shell of its former self. A murky pool of still water sat in its bowl, a small trickle leaking out of a crack on the edge. And sure enough, when she looked west from there, another clue was set on a short building's wall. It was crude, an old painting that looked more like graffiti than anything. The pictures was of the smokestacks angled away from each other, similar to a V or an arrow pointing down. Upon closer inspection, below the rough mural lay some flagstones that looked like they were at odd angles. As if someone had shifted and moved them at one point. However, that was a long time ago and the heavy concrete slabs were now settled into their new spot. It would take a lot of strength, or the use of tools to pry them up.

Can attempt a DC 20 Str check to try pry it up, or will need to go find a tool that can dig or apply leverage.

 

[Jasmine T]

Alysia felt she might have made a mistake as her inexperience as an adventurer forced her to explore in the darkness. The path was rough, with sunlight walking was simple now she had to take small steps and tried to rush. Slipping on the rubble, Alysia felt calm yet cautious of her situation, the noise she was making was sure to attract creatures or other bandits to her location, negative thoughts ran through her mind setting unease through her maze-like exploration of this ruin.

Those thoughts dissipated as she found her first landmark, the white marble fountain!! With only the dimly lit moonlight to work with, she tried to decipher the distressed painting on the wall. Inspecting the mural or painting, Alysia kicked one of the slabs and it completely stopped her boot! A soft yawn escaped her lips, “I found the fountain. I might as well try to sleep and work on this in the morning … “ Looking around, she was unfamiliar with the area. Picking a dilapidated nearby building, Alysia slowly found a way to the roof of the building.

Leaning against a short wall, she planned silently “Okay. Smokestacks and slabs must mean something!! I know I read something about it but I just can’t remember right now!! I should rest and continue in the morning."

Using her small bag as a makeshift pillow, Alysia curled up on the roof and tried to fall asleep hoping this roof was safe enough.

 

[Libraryman]

6 rolled for night time danger

With her journey now stalled, the first step within reach but yet so far, the young woman bunkered down for her sleep. It was by no means a safe space to do so, as it had little to no shelter from the elements. Not only that, but she was wide open for any dangerous beings on the prowl, and in her most venerable state. Sadly, it being as late as it was, she had no other choice. There was no time to search for anything more comfortable.

Thankfully for her, Alysia was unnacosted during the night. No creatures, civilized or otherwise had discovered her in the night. The one downside to sleeping on the roof of a building was that one was not protected by weather though. A few drops of clear water fell upon her face as the day broke. It was more cloudy and overcast than before, the only light now a faint glow beyond the clouds. The little sparse droplets quickly grew in size and frequency however. Soon, a healthy shower had begun to pour from the sky, wetting whatever wasn't inside a building somewhere safe.

 

[Jasmine T]

Not sleeping in a bed or even a makeshift bed was a terrible idea, Alysia tossed and tumbled in the night. The cold morning air was unforgiving as a light mist woke up her. Yawning and stretching, she felt the light rain turned heavy rain douse her in the ice cold torrent. Her long black hair stuck to her face and sweater while her cloth sweater soaked up the rain, clinging tightly around her body. The tight jeans suffered the same fate as it wrapped against her slim legs.

Grasping her wet bag, she bolts downstairs seeking shelter from the rain using the building she was sleeping on. The rough concrete barely held against the torrent as small cracks dripped water from above, splashing her head. Taking a small breather, Alysia leaned against the wall and cursed at the sky, "You stupid weather, you weren't suppose to rain till next week!!! You can't ever trust those smart elves and their weather predicting practices. Living for so long only to get the weather wrong!!"

With nothing else to do, Alysia decided to wait out the rain. "Next time, I'm bring an umbrella or an actual coat!!" When and if the skies have cleared, she would need to investigate the mural wall again, and maybe see what tools are nearby.

 

[Libraryman]

A 17 was rolled on the encounter table, followed by a 4 for the group size.

As Alysia hid inside, she moved just before the glow from a couple of lanterns came into view in the streets. Four hooded figures rounded the corner, their faces cast in shadow by the lamps. They wore heavy grey cloaks, the same shade as most of the concrete that belonged to the city they were squatting in. Almost as if they were made to aid in hiding. The slimmest of the bunch crouched down, a dull yellow furred hand emerging from the cloak to observe the ground.

"Tracks are washing away." Their masculine voice hissed in annoyance to the rest of his group. "I cannot track the scent in this weather either."

Another figure, this one larger and more imposing than any of the others, growled in annoyance, a deep guttural sound emanating from his throat. The other two figures of a more average size also let their frustration be known. One releasing a heavy sigh, and the other kicking a loose rock angrily across the ground.

"When you said that you found a girl's tracks leading away from that bike, I thought that we'd be having fun by now, not freezing our asses of in rain!" The large fellow said, his voice deep and resonating.

"Easy, Gauthak, she's won't get far in the rain." Said another of the figures, this one sounding gruff and grizzled. "We'll find shelter and search after the storm. The mud left over will help with tracks.
"That place at the end of the street looks sound enough to take shelter in. Hunter, I want you taking first watch on the roof. The rest of us will rest inside and ill take over next watch." He added, pointing to the building with the mural on its wall.

The quartet quickly made their way forwards, eager to get out of the rain. As they neared, the lean figure took one of the lanterns and dashed to the wall. With an almost unnatural grace and agility, they used an adjoining wall to run up and propell himself higher, furred hands extending claws that latched on to the roof's edge. As the figure hauled himself up and onto the roof, the only sound he made was a slight clatter from the lamp on his hip.

Meanwhile, the others stepped inside through the door one by one. One after the other, they shed their cloaks and shook them off, revealing the bandits beneath. Two of them were human, and the third and largest one was shown to be a Goliath. Each wore leather armor, weapons strapped to belts at their hips. Luckily for Alysia, they hadn't noticed her in the other room yet. However, they did stand between her and the exit now.