JesseLowe/PirateMonkeySession15

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TonyC materializes out of thin air.

Monkey says, "Ukii!"

You say, "Heya!"

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Word of caution. This computer doesn't have the Exalted book. So while I have my character sheet, you'll have to handle everything else.

Apollonian [to TonyC]: Okay. Gimme a sec to get everything in order (i.e., answer Nature and get the coffee). In the meantime, chew on this:

It took you 3 hours to get the puzzle box opened and since you haven't eaten and slept, you're at-1 penalty, and when the box is opened...

Monkey . o O ( Is it yummy.... )

Monkey finally solves the puzzle. With a soft *click* the last thread of tracery slides into place. The box smoothly parts into four triangles, which fold out, taking the box sides with them. Monkey watches as the box turns itself inside out. Disappointingly, there's nothing inside, though he can definitely feel the flow of Essence from the box. After about a minute of soft, smooth motion, the box stops moving -- a closed box once again, only now the tracery is in a completely different pattern. With a mental shrug, Monkey puts the box down and turns toward his bed -- only his bed isn't there. Neither is the cabin door, or the wall, or, well, the cabin! Instead, he's standing in a windowless room, tall and crowded with dusty shelves laden with scrolls, bric-a-brac, strange things and curiousities. It's about twice as big as his cabin, and looks like some kind of storage closet. The only door that's immediate obvious is a wooden thing, old and solidly constructed of strong oak. Glancing around, Monkey senses two things: One, he's in a Manse. Two, there's someone sleeping under a table on the far side of the room.

Monkey . o O ( Mmmm, yummy. )

The Storyteller . o O ( back )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and... )

The room is lit by lines of glowing jade in the ceiling and upper walls.

The Storyteller . o O ( So... what do you do? )

Monkey walks over to the sleeping person and looks at him/her.

Monkey squats down and pokes at her/him.

Monkey shakes the person awake.

The sleeper is an old, old man, wrapped up in a simple, worn blanket. Kinda like Ghandi, only with worse breath. He snores arythmically, and when Monkey pokes him, wakes with a start. "What - Who is it?" He turns his head around, and Monkey can see that he is blind.

Monkey says, "People call me Monkey, old man. And how about you? Who are you?"

The old man rolls out from under the table as gracefully as possible, accompanied by a small chorus of pops and cracks. Under the blanket, he's wearing the simple robes of a (very) low-level Immaculate monk. He fumbles around on the table, obviously searching for a walking stick that's on the far side, as he answers. "My name is Swooping Crane, Monkey."

Monkey says, "I think I may have been spacing out - stick's on the other side. Where is this place anyway and if you - want me to get the stick for you? - can point out the way to Celeren, I'll be on my way."

Monkey's stomach growls.

Monkey says, "On second thought, got something to eat?"

Swooping Crane says, "Eh? Oh, yes, please..." He clutches the stick to his chest when Monkey hands it to him and then starts tapping his way toward the door. "Celeren? Is that an inn? No, no, doesn't sound like an inn. A village? Could be, could be..." He reaches the doorway, at an excruciatingly slow pace, and then turns his blind eyes back toward Monkey. "Would you like something to eat, young man? My gut feeling is that it's breakfast time." He cackles at his little "joke" and hobbles out the door.

The Storyteller . o O ( what do you do with the cube? )

Monkey . o O ( The desc says I put it down where I was standing and I think that's reasonable. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Got it. Do you follow him out? )

Monkey follows the man outside and, once outside, tries to estimate time.

Monkey says, "Hmmmm, I didn't think I too _that_ long to solve that box."

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and what are you wearing at the moment? )

Monkey thinks, "Old man's obviously senile.'

Monkey . o O ( His usual outfit. Probably the exact same thing he was wearing back at the skyship. )

The Storyteller . o O ( So... pantaloons, barefoot, vest, stashed Tube... flame pieces? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Jacket, not vest. )

Monkey . o O ( Yup. )

Monkey . o O ( Although the flame pieces are probably not there. )

The Storyteller . o O ( okay )

Monkey . o O ( And at least a knife. Probably more. )

The door opens onto a long, narrow corridor running from left to right. The tapping of the old man's cane echoes down it as he heads to the left at a hobble. Monkey keeps up easily enough. The corridor is as tall as the room, about ten feet in height, with the same lighting scheme. The walls of the corridor are sculpted, with geometric patterns alternating with elaborate bas-reliefs showing dragons cavorting among clouds or above landscapes.

Monkey thinks, "Hmmm, a temple. Ah, must be some small temple outside Celeren. And old man is probably been here forever he doesn't remember Celeren. Wait, let me try the old name Port and Pasture."

They've only been walking for a few minutes when Monkey hears the sound of footsteps coming up behind them. Turning, he sees a young woman -- hardly more than a girl -- dressed in a simple tunic and trousers. She catches up quickly and says, in passing, "Good morning, Swooping Crane." She seems to be in a bit of a hurry, and as she passes, she calls back over her shoulder, "Don't let the Abbot catch you today! His hemmorhoids are acting up."

Monkey says, "Where is this place? Is it somewhere around Port or Pasture? Wait, no window."

Monkey says, "Hah, an underground temple. Clever. Avoids the siege."

Monkey . o O ( You've been reading Pratchett again? )

Monkey says, "Hi, there, girl. Could you tell me where Celeren is?"

Monkey thinks, "Ah well, she's gone already. Must've been busy."

"Port?" the old man says. "Pasture?" He mumbles into his beard for a few seconds, and says, "Well, I suppose you could say we're near the port. Heheheheh... Can't smell the sea, though. Too bad. I used to go down to the port and look at the girls. And the boys. And the ships, and the gulls..." mutter mutter.

Monkey says, "Gotta be careful with the gulls. They have uncanny aim."

Finally, his hobbling seems to have led you somewhere worthwhile. For the last few minutes, you've been steadily rising, and the corridor suddenly opens into sunlight. You're on the outside of a very large building remniscent of Celeren's manse. However, you're definitely not in Celeren. The building -- the Manse -- is in the middle of a large city, though you can't see too much from where you are. You can faintly hear the sound of the surf.

The Storyteller . o O ( make an Intelligence roll )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on something and got no successes but no botches either.

Monkey thinks for a moment.

Monkey says, "Wait here. I'll be right back."

It's morning, and the rays of the sun illuminate the city. It's very orderly, but even a cursory glance shows that the order is merely on the surface. From where you are, at the head of a stair that circles around the Manse down to a courtyard below, you can see a market crowded with people selling -- by the smell -- fish.

Monkey jogs back to the room, picks up the box, and jogs back to the old man.

Monkey . o O ( Hmmm, box a bit big for pouches/pockets. )

Monkey says, "Sorry about the wait. So... where is this place again? And are we going somewhere?"

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, important point: Swooping Crane and the girl were both speaking Low Realm. Make a Per + Linguistics roll. )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on something and got 1 botch.

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmm. Not sure how a botch could affect this particular roll. )

Monkey . o O ( 1. Give some minor misleading information. Or 2. Ignore it. )

The Storyteller . o O ( I think I'll ignore it. )

Swooping Crane snorts. "It's the Library, Monkey. Tcha. Acolytes these days." He begins to hobble down the staircase. Below, in the courtyard, you can see a group of monks practicing a kata of some sort under the watchful eye of a Dragon-Blooded monk. His deep red skin indicates a Fire aspect of either age or good breeding. Around the edges of the courtyard, acolytes and servants are sweeping, running errands, sitting around, watching the monks, and performing all the other business of an abbey. Out of long habit, Monkey notes that the only visible exit to the courtyard is a small round door, large enough for a burdened man, that leads toward the fish market. A pair of acolytes laden with empty baskets walk out through it, probably off to buy food.

Monkey says, "Ah, you see, that's where you made a mistake. I'm not an acolyte. I'm... I think I'm lost. I must've been sleep-walking, except that I wasn't asleep. Did I mention I was spacing out? Anyway, when I came to, here I was. Not here, here, of course. More like there here."

Reaching a landing perhaps a story above the courtyard, you're suddenly in a position to appreciate the size of the manse. It's perhaps as large as the Celeren manse -- maybe somewhat smaller -- but it is surrounded by quite a large complex of outbuildings, a functional but not impressive wall, and of course the city. Swooping Crane pauses for breath on the landing as Monkey "explains."

Monkey says, "No, no. I'm here now. But I was in your bedroom then. Besides... wait, I need to check this first."

Monkey pinches himself. "Ow."

Monkey pinches the old man too.

After breathing heavily for a few minutes, Swooping Crane starts on down the last section of the stairs. "You comin' boy? Ow! What was that for?"

Monkey says, "Okay, I'm not dreaming. And neither was you. Just checking."

Swooping Crane says, "Of course I'm not dreaming! If I were, you'd be... well, different! And I could see you!" He shakes his cane in entirely the wrong direction, coming perilously close to losing his balance.

Monkey says, "Well, when you start talking about here and there, it sounded like one of those dreams I sometimes get after eating too much apples. The kind that made me wake up with a headache the next morning. So I figure I better check."

Monkey says, "Anyway, lead on, old man. And where are we going anyway? Some place with good food, I hope."

You reach the courtyard, which is paved in a pale, coarse stone, joined with mortar. The monks begin repeating their kata. By the look of it, they're novices -- some are no older than ten and none are adults. The Dragon-blooded is wandering among them, adjusting stances, giving encouragement, and administering thwacks with a thin reed to poor students. Swooping Crane says, as he leads you toward the courtyard gate, "We're goin' to get some breakfast, boy. Heheheh."

Monkey says, "Excellent" as he follows the old man.

Monkey says, "You know, it always make me wonder why I wake up with a headache after a too-much-apples dream. You'd think it'd be a stomachache, but noooo.... Do you get weird dreams when you eat too much apples?"

Walking through the gate, you're transported from the relative peace of the Library into the bustle of a busy port town, like many you've been in before. In fact, some of the people passing you in the street look familiar -- not their faces, but the way they walk, they way dress. They remind you of traders and fisherfolk you met in your childhood in the West. Swooping Crane leads you on to a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant where the woman behind the counter places bowls of hot chowder in front of each of you. "That'll be one koku."

The Storyteller . o O ( One koku is very very small. On the order of 1/8th of an obol. It's also Realm paper scrip, of which you have none. )

Monkey fishes for some silver and jade bits. "Errr, which you'd rather have?"

The woman plucks out a jade bit from Monkey's hand. "That'll do." Swooping Crane doesn't even look up from his chowder. He slurps it noisily, and you realize that he's got no teeth worth speaking of.

Monkey decides that eating chowder can't be properly done with one hand holding the box. So he takes off his jacket and puts the box within, and by twisting and folding the jacket, makes a makeshift pack and slings it on his shoulder. Then he settles down for chow.

The Storyteller . o O ( Make a Perception roll. )

Monkey . o O ( No ability? Say, awareness? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sure, awareness probably works. It's an eavesdropping roll. )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on per + awa and got 3 successes.

The Storyteller . o O ( Nice. )

Monkey . o O ( Ah, crap, you probably want to count just 2 successes. Forgot the -1 penalty for fatigue. )

Monkey takes his pouch, looks inside, and gets a small bit of jade. Placing it in front of the vendor, he orders, "More. And some water too, please."

Eating the chowder -- which is okay, but not great -- and looking over the restaurant crowd, Monkey learns a few things from overheard conversations and various subtle -- and not so subtle -- clues on clothing and such. First, this is definitely a Realm city. Second, it's in the western part of the Blessed Isle, as some of the folk here are Westerners and they aren't drawing attention. Third, it's ruled, or at least governed, by someone named Orchid Sand, who has an unpopular mother named Orchid Coral. The restaurant itself is a solidly blue-collar establishment, and most of the patrons look like day laborers. There's a trio of soldierly-looking types in one corner, eating quietly, who have important-looking crests on their jackets. They're probably noble House guards or something.

Monkey . o O ( Ah, well, in that case, barechested pantalooned barefooted westerner Monkey should fit in. :) )

The Storyteller . o O ( True, though it is a bit nippy. OTOH, not any nippier than it is in Celeren. )

Monkey . o O ( Considering Monkey and Kaizoku probably have gone through several cold wet storms, a few hours of nippy weather should be fine. )

The woman takes the bit and pockets it, then pours more chowder into Monkey's bowl. The old man is cleaning out his with a crust of bread.

The Storyteller . o O ( What do you do after you finish eating? )

Monkey thinks, "Okay, what did Captain tell me about situations like these. Right 1. Establish the facts. I know for sure that I'm not dreaming. And this is not Celeren. Mmmm, this chowder hits just the spot. Wait! Must concentrate! Okay, right, not Celeren, but where?"

Monkey says, "So, Swooping Crane, which city is this? I'm not from around here, so I'm kinda lost."

Swooping Crane says, "It's Eagle's Launch." He looks at you -- so to speak -- sideways. "Where are you from, boy, that you don't know where you are?"

Monkey says, "Lapping Water, way way in the West. But most recently I was in Celeren, which is somewhere in Threshold."

Monkey says, "Wait! I've heard stories like this before! Someone got knocked in the head, and when he wakes up, he forgets things! That must be it! Quick! What's the date today?"

Monkey rubs his head looking for a sore spot.

Monkey says, "Hmmm, this spot a bit tenderer than the other...."

Swooping Crane says, "Threshold? Aye, you're far from home then. Well, thankee for the breakfast." He pushes off of his stool and hobbles off. The woman behind the counter watches him with a bit of a smile on her face. She says, "Old coot. Never misses a day." She looks at Monkey, then. "Date? Today's the twenty-fourth of Wood, Descending."

Monkey looks crestfallen. It was the right date. But then he brightens again. "Wait! How about a year? Maybe I forgot a whole year!"

Monkey says, "What year is it now?"

The woman looks a bit confused, now. "It is the 768th year of the Realm. Are you all right?"

Monkey froze in mid-gesture. "Uh, not anymore. Captain's gonna go ape!"

Monkey . o O ( Is it the right year too? )

Her face clears up. "Ah! Got drunk and missed your ship, did you?"

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes. )

Monkey answers the woman, "Kinda, but worse. Look, it's really complicated, but I gotta go!"

Monkey jumps up and runs out sprinting.

A minute later, Monkey comes back, and still jogging in place, asks, "Hey, old man, which way's Celeren?"

The Storyteller . o O ( Heheheh. )

Hobbling along the street, Swooping Crane says, "I don't know, boy. Never heard of it."

Monkey freezes mid-jog for a second. Then he relaxes. Talking to himself, he says, "Okay, no problem. We go to step 2. Establish goal. Goal would be, mmmm..., no, not more chowder, although that's a good idea. Go back to Celeren, preferably before Captain finds out I'm missing. Good."

Monkey says, "Say, old man, there doesn't happen to be a secret super shortcut in that room where you were sleeping, was there?"

Swooping Crane says, "Shortcut? Why, no -- at least, not so's I've noticed."

Monkey says, "Nevertheless, there must be one! Because I was in Celeren fifteen minutes ago. So let's go back there and help me find the secret shortcut."

Swooping Crane says, "But I've got to do me sweeping!"

Monkey says, "Don't be silly. You can sweep in Celeren too."

Monkey says, "Here, there, Creation's big, and you can sweep anywhere there. Well, maybe not on water. You'll just get wet. But on the dry parts you could."

Swooping Crane says, "But I don't want to sweep in Celeren! The Abbot would shout at me!" By this time, you've dragged him halfway through the courtyard.

Monkey says, "What does that have to do with anything? If the Abbot wants to shout, he can shout anytime and anywhere. He can come to Celeren too if he wants."

Unfortunately, your discussion has attracted the attention of the Dragon-blooded teacher, who looks up irritably from his charges. He says, "Hold that stance for twenty breaths, then practice the Silent Dragon stance," and walks your way.

Looking sternly at the two of you, the Dragon-blooded monk says, "Swooping Crane, have you been neglecting your duties? Again?"

Swooping Crane says, "Oh! Brother Rafara! No, I was, uh, just going to sweep the Anathema section."

Brother Rafara looks stern and a bit irritable, "You should have swept that last night. And who is this? Your new assistant?"

Monkey stops, turns around, and says, "And I'm, uh, making sure he doesn't get lost in his way."

Brother Rafara raises an eyebrow. "I see. May the Dragons favor your tasks." He walks back to the students, who have been holding Silent Dragon stance patiently.

Swooping Crane puts on a surprising turn of speed for a senile, blind, octogenarian, and Monkey has no choice but to follow him if he's to escape more notice. The old man climbs the stairs, but instead of continuing past the first landing, he opens a door and goes in to the Manse.

Monkey looks at Swooping Crane. "Ah-ha! Last night, eh. And you were so tired after that that you went to sleep on the clean floor."

The corridor he leads Monkey down is similar to the other one, but broader and better lit. It's also shorter, and ends in a wide, circular room lined with bookshelves. In the center of the room are five tables set up for studying. At one stands a woman in simple white garments. She looks up as the two of you enter, but returns to reading the very large folio open on the table before her when Swooping Crane pulls a broom out of a hidden corner and begins sweeping.

In a stage whisper, Swooping Crane says, "Keep your mouth shut, boy. You don't want Brother Rafara looking at you -- his eyes are too good." There's a note of bitterness in his voice when he says "eyes."

Monkey whispers, "Psst, look, I'll help you sweep, but you got to help me out too. Because I think I have three hours before people starts wondering where I am.

Monkey goes to that same corner and looks for a broom.

Somehow, Swooping Crane produces a second broom out of thin air. Maybe he's mastered Sweeping Dragon Style. He shoves it in Monkey's general direction and continues sweeping. Not, it must be said, very effectively.

Whispering in Low Realm, Swooping Crane says, "So what do you need, Monkey?"

Monkey, on the other hand, sweeps like a sailor. That is, he holds the broom in front of him, and starts running back and forth along the hall, like a cabin girl mopping a deck. Needless to say, it wasn't very effective either. Monkey thinks about it for a moment.

Monkey says, "I need either a way to get back to Celeren within the next three hours, or a very very good excuse that won't make the Captain go nuts."

Swooping Crane hmmms for a minute. "How about the runs? Sometimes I tell the Abbot that I had to spend a few hours on the privy and that works."

Monkey says, "Frankly, I don't think the second is possible, but the first one must be possible, since I got here from there."

Monkey says, "Nah. Tried that one before already."

Monkey says, "He'd turn me over to the surgeon, and then the surgeon would make me drink all sorts of icky stuffs, and then I'd really get the runs."

Meanwhile, the woman is looking more and more irritated by the dust kicked up by your "sweeping." She closes the folio -- carefully -- and makes to leave, but as she exits, she bumps into another woman, a blonde dressed in silk robes of green and yellow. They seem to recognize each other and begin talking in High Realm. Monkey can't really understand it, of course, but one thing immediately catches his ear -- the first woman says "V'neef Barada" a couple of times over the course of the conversation.

Monkey continues sweeping.

Monkey whispers to Swooping Crane, "who are those women?"

The first woman points at the folio she was looking at, and then the two walk over to it. The blonde opens it, and reads silently for a moment or two while the other talks. Then she says something, and pulls a book from the shelf after a few minutes of searching.

Monkey . o O ( Speaking about languages, do you know that per the standard rules, there is no way a person can learn all the languages? )

Swooping Crane whispers, "Patricians, by the sound of it. Lessee... one is named Neri, and the other is named Karelia. They've been here for a week or so, looking for something in the library."

The Storyteller . o O ( True dat. Ah, well. I figure buying specialties in other languages should help, though. )

Monkey nods, "and what are they talking about?"

The Storyteller . o O ( I'd consider adding some house rules, but it hasn't come up yet. )

Monkey . o O ( Or take the easy approach. There's a Terrestrial instant translation spell. Just give the scroll/parchment/book to CK and watch him immediately find an excuse to learn it. )

Monkey . o O ( Especially since as far as I can tell while look at it, it has an indefinite duration. )

Monkey . o O ( Not infinite. Indefinite. Spell description doesn't say how long it lasts, or maybe I missed it. )

Monkey whispers, "and looking for what, exactly?"

Swooping Crane slows his sweeping to listen as best he can. "Ummm... Neri is looking for an old story. Karelia says she's looking in the wrong place, should be reading the Diaries of Golden Princes." As you whisper in the corner, the two look over the book the blonde -- presumably Karelia -- has just pulled from the shelf. It's an old one, bound in brass and leather, with Old Realm script on the cover. The first woman, Neri, reads for a few minutes, then closes the book with a snap. She drops it on one of the tables as they exit, talking excitedly.

The Storyteller . o O ( what's the name of the spell? )

Monkey . o O ( Don't remember for sure. S&S though. Possibly Golden Mask, as the spell's SFX is a golden mask. )

Monkey shrugs and comments about the two women, "Not my type."

Monkey says, "But I caught V'neef Barada being said several times. What does that have to do with Golden Princes? Is he one?"

The Storyteller . o O ( Maybe you're thinking of The Eye and the Mouth -- Bo3C, creates an eye that reads text and a mouth that translates it. )

Swooping Crane says, "V'neef Barada is their patron, I think. That's what I've heard."

Monkey . o O ( Nah, S&S. Definitely. Creates a golden mask over caster face. And verbal only. )

Monkey looks left at right before crossing over to the reading desks and opening the folio and where he thinks it was opened.

Monkey . o O ( left _and_ right )

Monkey . o O ( Back in a few minutes. Needs tea. )

Monkey . o O ( back. tea needs steeping for a few minutes. )

The folio is quite large, with pages about two feet wide by four feet tall, and written in Old Realm. It is also annotated in High Realm, in a variety of hands. The left-hand pages are large illustrations, one to a page, usually of Dragon-blooded heroes fighting Anathema and evil spirits -- not always successfully. The page Monkey turns to shows a pair of DBs facing off against some sort of human-fish thing on the deck of a ship.

Monkey thinks about stealing the whole folio and letting Captain Kaizoku figure out the (fish) heads and tails of it (ha ha), but decides that it's too big and unwieldy after all.

The Storyteller . o O ( Two books on the table: Folio and the second one that the blonde pulled off the shelf )

Monkey . o O ( How big is the book compared to the box? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Found the spell: The Sacred Tongue. Allows the caster to speak and understand any language by speaking a magical language. )

The Storyteller . o O ( The book is about the size of a standard college textbook: about a foot high and wide. It won't fit in the box. )

The book, on the other hand, is much more manageable. Guess what Monkey do then? Exactly. Hopefully he won't run around into anyone who'll wonder what this strange young man doing carrying a book and a broom around.

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, so you're "borrowing" the book. Meanwhile, Swooping Crane is still sweeping. BRB. )

Monkey says, "Anyway, Swooping Crane, I think we're done here. Let's go back to the room where you were sleeping."

Swooping Crane says, "What? But I'm not done sweeping..." as he follows you out the door.

Monkey says, "Ah, but you see, I helped you, so we got done much faster."

Swooping Crane says, "Oh... If you say so, boy." It's only mid-morning now, as you head up the stairs.

The Storyteller . o O ( What's your plan? )

Monkey . o O ( Plan 1. Search the whole room for this secret super shortcut. This plan will fail. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Plan 2? )

Monkey . o O ( Plan 2. Recreate the whole situation and then backtrack step by step until Monkey is back to Celeren. This plan might work. :) )

The Storyteller . o O ( Got it. Rather methodical. )

Monkey and Swooping Crane arrive at the storage room without incident, finding it in much the same condition as they left it.

Monkey says, "Alright, Swooping Crane. You search this side and I'll search that side. And if we don't find anything, we switch. That way if one of us missed something, the other might catch it. Sounds good?"

Swooping Crane says, "All right... I suppose..." He begins poking and prodding with his staff among the shelves on his side of the room.

Monkey . o O ( Very methodical indeed. It's all thanks to Captain Kaizoku and his educamational programs. ;) )

You rolled 1 dice on Swooping Crane search pool and got 1 success.

The Storyteller . o O ( Heheheh. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Search pool and got 1 success.

Monkey . o O ( Oooo, found a banana! )

Well, it's a very searched room. Unfortunately -- although there are some interesting things in the bric-a-brac -- there are no secret doors to be found.

Monkey . o O ( What's this faberge eggs doing here? Ooo, look, a red ribbon. Hey, that's a pretty neat orange color on that mop. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Pretty much. This particular room is the Manse's equivalent of a junk drawer... )

A while later, Monkey gives up. "Okay, maybe there isn't a secret super short cut after all."

Monkey says, "Any ideas?"

Monkey thinks.

You can practically hear the gears turning in Monkey's head.

Swooping Crane makes his way to his table and sits down underneath it. "I'm going to take a nap," he announces to the world at large, and lays down.

Monkey thinks, "Alright, Captain Kaizoku covered this before. Let's see, when you get lost, stay where you are. Mom and Dad will find you. No, wait, that's not Captain Kaizoku, that's Mom and Dad. Right... ask for help? Nah, Swooping Crane tries, but he has no ideas either. And forget about that sensei. So... that leaves...

Monkey says, "Right, we're going to use brute force and backtrack everything. Swooping Crane, you go - oh, you're sleeping already. And in the same position too."

Monkey whispers to himself softly, "So I was here, poking him. Hmmm, I can probably skip the backward poking. Yeah, let's. Before that, I was over there...." And Monkey stands up, and slowly, looking back every so often, walks backward.

The Storyteller . o O ( make an Intelligence + Awareness roll )

Monkey whispers, "I was turning around and going to bed, except the bed wasn't there." And Monkey slowly turns around to face the wall. "And I was putting the box down because I solved it and it didn't do anything....

Monkey . o O ( In the interest of not risking having Monkey get stuck here and David without in-game help next week... spend 1 wp for autosuccess. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on plus autosuccess and got 1 success.

Monkey . o O ( so that's 2 successes. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay -- Monkey figures that maybe, just maybe, the box did in fact do something. Also, he's managed to recreate his original position pretty accurately. )

Monkey whispers, "Wait, the box was down." Monkey puts the book down, takes the box out, and wears his jacket again.

Monkey whispers, "now I remember, the box was doing something with essence."

The Storyteller . o O ( Try to solve the box again? )

Monkey . o O ( Possibly. Could you possibly cut and paste the very first paragraph? The one you told me to chew on while you get coffee? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sure. )

Monkey finally solves the puzzle. With a soft *click* the last thread of tracery slides into place. The box smoothly parts into four triangles, which fold out, taking the box sides with them. Monkey watches as the box turns itself inside out. Disappointingly, there's nothing inside, though he can definitely feel the flow of Essence from the box. After about a minute of soft, smooth motion, the box stops moving -- a closed box once again, only now the tracery is in a completely different pattern. With a mental shrug, Monkey puts the box down and turns toward his bed -- only his bed isn't there. Neither is the cabin door, or the wall, or, well, the cabin! Instead, he's standing in a windowless room, tall and crowded with dusty shelves laden with scrolls, bric-a-brac, strange things and curiousities. It's about twice as big as his cabin, and looks like some kind of storage closet. The only door that's immediate obvious is a wooden thing, old and solidly constructed of strong oak. Glancing around, Monkey senses two things: One, he's in a Manse. Two, there's someone sleeping under a table on the far side of the room.

Monkey puts the box down (because it was down), and then slowly picks it up again (because he's retracing his steps), and waits. After about a minute of nothing, Monkey thwacks himself, "D'oh. There's some essence flowing from the box, and I got to reverse that!" And then he quickly puts his hands on the box and tries to channel essence into the box. To the best of his ability, he tries to simulate the reverse flow of essence.

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmmm. )

Monkey . o O ( Hah, how's Monkey's logic? )

The Storyteller . o O ( A bit skewed, but logical. Make an Int + Lore check and spend one mote per success. )

Monkey . o O ( Quick question. What's the Int+Lore check for? I'm trying to decide whether to spend willpower. )

The Storyteller . o O ( to see if jury-rigging the box works. )

Monkey . o O ( Ah hell, got lots of willpower. Let's spend one. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int+lore-fatigue and got 2 successes.

The tracery on the box glows as Monkey channels Essence through it and it shifts oddly... but aside from that, little enough happens. (Roll Perception + Occult)

Monkey . o O ( You know, now that I think about it, I argue that that scene qualifies for stunt bonus. <don't really care either way though> )

The Storyteller . o O ( Good point. Roll another 2 dice. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on stunt and got 1 success.

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, 4 successes. Roll that Per + Occult. )

Monkey . o O ( Does the stunt bonus apply too ala multiple-action? Either way, spending willpower again. )

The Storyteller . o O ( yes. )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on Per + Occ - fatigue + stunt and got 3 successes.

Monkey . o O ( So far so good. )

Monkey . o O ( 4 successes again. )

Hmm. Looking at the box and feeling the Essence flowing through it, you can see that the way the patterns have changed feels like the way they changed when you were working on it earlier -- only this time it happened much faster.

The Storyteller . o O ( In other words, channeling Essence into it lets you solve the puzzle box faster. A lot faster. )

Monkey thinks, "Oh, in that case..." and channels more essence, letting the flow guide the shifting pattern and letting the pattern guide the flow. His fingers moves without effort and the box makes a staccato tick tick sound as each piece falls into place followed by another.

The Storyteller . o O ( Keep making Int + Lore rolls. You need 15 total successes. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got 2 successes.

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got no successes but no botches either.

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got 1 success.

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got no successes but no botches either.

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got 1 botch.

Monkey . o O ( Ah, what happens then? )

The Storyteller . o O ( keep going. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got 1 success.

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got 2 successes.

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Int + Lore - fatigue and got 1 botch.

The Storyteller . o O ( it just subtracts from successes. )