Ilvermorny

Ondine looked to the east, and felt the breeze on her face. Equipped with a backpack, some gadgets and sammiches inside, lighting up the passage with her wand, she boldly stepped into the unknown, not looking back.

The Maze is a confusing... well, maze of tunnels. There are some who've disappeared inside and returned who've said that even if you leave a trail of string behind you and walk straight in as far as you can go, following the string out you'll still turn several corners. It is not a place for the faint of heart or those lacking courage.

Of course, teenagers rarely fall into either of those categories.

The tunnels nearest the Grotto are damp to the touch, almost a bit slimy like they've been recently submerged in water for some time. The slightest odour of salt drifts on the cool breeze blowing out of the Maze. Other than Ondine's footsteps and the occasional echoing drip of water, it is as silent as the grave down here.

OOC Mechanics: Roll Cunning + Survival at a Hard difficulty to navigate the Maze and keep track of your progress; or you can return to the Grotto on a Cunning + Survival roll at a Trivial difficulty.

Alas, while Ondine was used to open spaces, her bravado into disregard the evident perils of spelunking didn't really translate into aptitude in subterranean navigation. She quickly got lost, and likely dangerously so...

E2. Amazing. Survival.: 1eP+2eA+3eD 0 successes, 2 threat

Very quickly, Ondine is turned around and not entirely sure of directions. She came in facing west - or was it south? - and turned once... twice... three times? Still, returning to the Grotto shouldn't be too hard... right?

OOC Mechanics: To continue on into the Maze, roll Cunning + Survival at a Hard difficulty to navigate the next section and keep track of your progress; or you can attempt to return to the Grotto on a Cunning + Survival roll with a Trivial Difficulty upgraded twice.

More aware of the confounding surroundings, she stopped for a moment with a unhappy grunt to eat a sammich, trying to not let the dripping water douse the bread, then recommenced her cave trek. Surprisingly or not, with exactly the same result.

E2. Amazing... Lost! Survival.: 1eP+2eA+3eD 0 successes, 2 threat


[Oh, Orokos.]

By the time Ondine comes to the shaded doorway, she's already been turned around so much that she's not exactly sure which way the Grotto is anymore. Ahead, though, the door at the end of the passage leads into a small chamber - it's difficult to tell very many details from outside it, but it's gotten cold. Where the rest of the Maze, so far, has been relatively warm, here frost fills in gaps between misshapen bricks and every breath sends a puff of steam into the air.

OOC Mechanics: Ondine may attempt to enter the room but will require a Willpower + Discipline roll with a Hard difficulty. Alternatively, she may return to the Maze and continue navigating around with Cunning + Survival at a Daunting difficulty. She may attempt to return to the Grotto on a Cunning + Survival roll with an Average Difficulty upgraded twice.

Self-disciplined was something Ondine was not, but neither was she faint-hearted nor would she allow chill to stand in the way of her drive to explore. Smearing the frost from the wall between her fingertips, she pushed toward the door right before trying to reach preternaturally to whatever lay beyond them...

E2. Stone Cold Crazy Yeah! Non-existent Discipline!: 3eA+3eD 1 success, 2 threat


[And Divination?]

Ondine steels herself, but it's still difficult to step into the room.

The room beyond the doorway has a high ceiling, disappearing into darkness above even beyond the reach of lumos' spill of light. No, not quite the entire ceiling - only the center seems to rise away, formed from carefully masoned stone where Ondine is able to see, in a nearly perfect circle. The cold is worse here than out in the Maze proper and a light white powder floats in the air.

OOC Mechanics: Ondine suffers 2 Strain.

"What kind of chimney is this?" She shuddered, still walking in despite the bites of cold. It's not like she hadn't pranced lightly dressed in winter before. Looking up and at the floor in the middle she tried to figure out the nature of the place.

In a traditional Thunderbird fashion, Ondine found or realised something, though not exactly what she might have been seeking...

E2. Amazing. Divination. Natural Reroll.: 1eP+2eA+2eD 0 successes, 1 Triumph

A brief glimpse of small, dark room washes over Ondine's vision - a form stumbles around the dark with the slightest bit of light filtering from behind.

The form mumbles something under their breath. It's difficult to tell what their doing.

Then, a voice, louder: "Lumos!"

The vision fades away. Ondine feels much colder now.

A small, dark room...

Ondine, letting her teeth play an Ottoman March, started investigating around for some less-than-natural entry to somewhere.

E2. Amazing. Perception.: 1eP+2eA 4 successes, 1 advantage

The search is actually calming, slowing Ondine's beating heart just a bit.

Searching around the dark chamber is hard. There appears to be doorways disappearing off into what appears to be the rest of the maze in two other directions than the way she comes in but no other way in - or out - of the chamber visible from this level.

But, during this search, she notices something... weird. The white powder in the air is snow - and it's slowly drifting up into the pit in the middle of the ceiling, into the darkness of whatever lies above.

OOC Mechanics: Ondine recovers 1 Strain.

She started thinking about turning into a kingfisher and just flying way up...

Making her decision, she began to transform, letting the wand merge into her.

The Room plunges into darkness as the wand - and the spell it was helping to maintain - vanishes, leaving the Ondine bird fluttering in complete darkness.

Blinded, she still kept flying up the chimney...

Undaunted by ice caves! Cunning/Perception +Story Point: 2eP+1eA+1eC+3eD 1 failure, 2 threat

Kingfisher Ondine sped upwards into the darkness - completely unable to see when the roof-pit ended right before her. The little bird hits into the stone ceiling, padded only by an inch or two of soft, fluffy snow that had settled on the ceiling. Stunned from the impact, Kingfisher Ondine falls back to the floor below.

OOC Mechanics: Ondine takes 10 damage and 10 strain; she can attempt to reduce falling damage with an Athletics (Brawn) or Coordination (Agility) check at Average difficulty. Each success on the final total decreases the damage taken by 1 and each Advantage on the final total reduces the strain taken by 1. If a Triumph is rolled, she manages to regain control and both damage and strain is avoided.

Kingfisher Ondine was about to be mangled by the fall...

Ouch.: 2eA+2eD 0 successes, 1 advantage


Down to 2 wounds and 4 strain...

The impact hurts; it's almost enough to drive Ondine unconscious. She struggles to stay awake, vaguely aware that such a fall might have been much worse had she not been in the form of such a small animal designed to be held aloft.

Still in the shape of the kingfisher, Ondine is able to feel a clump of snow fall around her in the darkness.

Weakly, she tried to flap and peck herself out of the growing mound, her wings aching and her head dizzy from dull pain.