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Ah, finally finished! Woo! Seems the wicked shaman of the west has planted invisible poppies in the village though...
Turn 25
Group 1: Flat, Astor, Gaweir, Abronychus, Zak
Flat: I will search for some survivors, or something. Especially that leatherworker! If possible, I'll store some small stones in my pouch while searching.
Astor: I look West from the HQ and note anything that sticks out. Afterwords, I will find a quiet spot in HQ and take a breather. Heck, I might even practice a little magic(Something along the lines of energy flowing through the body, not any fancy electric balls).
Gaweir: I shirk off everything again, in sort of an annoyed manner. I use my Focus Spell again, and attempt to reconnect with my mind to find out what that vision meant. Or perhaps encounter a different such vision. Either way, I'm resting while I do so, and perhaps while I rest, I'll come upon information that I can USE. Rather then vivid visions with sketchy information.
Abronychus: I continue sleeping, I guess.
Zak: I decide to sleep for now, letting my body regenerate faster. I ask the villager that is nearby to massage my leg every now and then.
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Although the strange purple explosion puzzled the entire group, it seemed that such events were now commonplace, and everyone continued about their usual tasks. Astor climbed up to the top of the HQ, bringing along a mat, and rested, staring to the West. It seemed relatively peaceful, at least as far as normal was concerned. Great black storm clouds continued to rage above the volcano, branching streaks of lightning cascading across the sky. But that was as it always seemed to be, nothing more, nothing new. Looking up, Astor saw that above them were a few, small stray white clouds, however other than these it was a beautiful, clear day. There was even a slight breeze, which was fairly relaxing. Zak decided to rest as well, dozing off on a stool by the wall while the villager helped to keep his leg alive. Abronychus continued his sleep as well, however he had no visions, and simply slept peacefully.

Gaweir once again began to focus, interested by the vision, but at the same time quite annoyed at its seeming uselessness. Resting on the wall as Zak did, he focused, trying to determine what his vision had meant, where it had come from, or to try and get an entirely different vision altogether. But something seemed off... his original annoyed feeling slowly dissipated, and he felt more content, unable to keep his concentration. He also seemed unable to find even the slightest vision or connection outside of his own mind, nor in it. He shrugged off his focus and went outside to see if he could determine why he could not get a vision, as if some outside source prevented it. But he saw nothing.

Flat left the HQ and looked around outside, also feeling quite content with the current weather. He started to strut around the village, looking for any sign of life, slightly afraid that none had survived. But there wasn't a soul. Wait... there wasn't anything. Flat realized all the bodies had vanished, and the burning hut to the north west had ceased burning, and had, in an unusually quick amount of time, become a pile of ash, only slightly smoldering. Regardless, he went to each hut, looking inside, but finding no life. Well, aside from the old man, who he saw was also curiously staring around, standing by the burnt down hut, sifting through its remains. Flat went over to the large hut and ate a number of small stones from the ruins of the obelisk, and proceeded to put them into his pouch.

Still feeling very relaxed, Astor sat up somewhat lazily. Deciding he should not simply rest the entire time, no matter how inviting it was, he thought he should try using energy to help his body. Deciding first to attempt to alter his reflexes, as that was what had first come to mind, he flexed his arm upward, as though about to strike downward with a blade. Creating a light surge of energy in his arm, he then brought it down as quickly as he could, and found he swung much faster than usual. He decided to ask Xix, assuming they found her, later for the reason behind why it worked, but until then continued using the energy magic to increase the speed of his movements. A single movement was easy enough, but what about chains of movements?

Astor got off the roof onto the ground, and ran from the HQ to the large hut, timing how long it took him. He than ran from the large hut to the HQ, but this time trying to energize every movement he made as he ran. It was very difficult to make each one at the precise moment, and he found his movement jagged and somewhat distorted, but nevertheless his time was nearly halved! However the constant springing of his joints made him sore, and he decided to rest atop the HQ once again. It seemed so quiet, and peaceful. Unusually quiet...

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Group 2: Xix, Jalthas, Strife
Xix: I try to find out what happened and where it came from, then I give advice on the best method for strife to get through those bars.
Jalthas: If it looks like the ceiling is going to fall on our heads, I will be trying to dodge any potential nasty falling bits.  If that isn't an issue, then I'll be trying to finish off that last bar in the way, using the other bars if necessary, though trying to avoid attracting too much attention.  If I get out, I'll take a look at the other cells in an attempt to see about opening them up, particularly Xix's cell.  Assuming all this happens, I'll try smashing the locks or weaker bars of the cell with his recently liberated weapons. Any sort of action which would involve using my hands, I would be taking care not to injure myself further. I'll also follow Strife's example and try to displace the final bar with a kick..  Making it a point to be careful.
Strife: I suppose that I have to be a copycat and try to break the bars at well. If I still have my boots I'll go for kicking instead if punching though.
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"What was that?"
"Doubt it's anything good. We really should get out of here..."
"Looks like Jalthas hurt himself pretty well punching, if you aren't as strong as him I wouldn't suggest trying. Your bars aren't as rusted. But that was an odd event..."
"Yeah. Hey Jalthas, if you hurt your hand, why don't you try kicking the bars?"
"That would hurt less..."

Jalthas faced the final bar, standing sideways, and gave the bar a mighty kick. It bent partially, but did not break, and Jalthas yelped in pain, holding his foot. Somewhat frustrated, he moved to the back of the cell, ran towards the bar, and jumped at it, kicking with his other foot. It broke that time, and flew away, clanging noisily.

"Agh... should have jumped the first time."

While Jalthas took a moment to sit in the hall rubbing his foot, with no other beings in sight in either direction, Xix took a curious look and closed her eyes.

"Uhh, Xix, what are you doing?"
"If that was a seismic shock, it should have been more even throughout, and would have been longer. Likewise, if it was something collapsing, it wouldn't have lasted that long, nor been as strong at the end. Thus, I assume it's magical. And if that's so, there should be a bit of residual energy hanging around..."

Xix concentrated, trying to remember how the enchanted rings she had worn before had felt different from non-magical ones, and seeing if such a feeling was in the air. After a few moments, she realized such energy was present.

"Yep, it was definitely something magical. My guess would be the shaman is up to no good, once again. With the way he was speaking, he is probably doing something to help him determine how his story can work out. If that's true, he's obviously lying. He shouldn't have to force his story to work if it is true."
"That feels a little better. If I were you Strife, I'd try jump kicking too. Far less painful, especially if you break it on the first try."
"With the way you yelped? You're insane... but I'll try it anyway.
"Judging by the way the rust is aligned, you'd better aim above the major rust line. I know you probably think you should hit right at the rustiest part, but that won't work as well. Make sure you keep your foot sideways, don't kick straight forward."

Going to the back of his cell, Strife mentally prepared himself, rubbing his hands together and convincing himself he could accomplish this feat. With one last breath, he ran full speed at the bar, jumped up, and kicked...

"I don't think you kicked hard enough..."
"You think?! See if I ever try that again..."

Strife was laying on the ground holding his foot. He hadn't broken it as far as he could tell, but it was badly bruised, at the least.

"Should probably leave the kicking to Jalthas. Although, with his current condition, perhaps it's best if you go and try to find some keys? Then we would be alone, though, hmm..."

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Group 3: Casimir, Dux
Casimir: I stand up and look at what the gnome is looking at. I first ask what he just did. Then what we needed to be rescued from and what we did to deserve being rescued. I'll check my belongings too, and orient myself with my compass.
Dux: I question the gnome about what is going on here and use telepathy to make sure he isn't lying. I also try to identify the magic force released from the stone.
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"So much for third time's the charm..."
"Er, what did you just do?!"
"What's it look like I'm trying to do? I'm trying to get the hell outta here! I'm sick and tired of being stuck on this god forsaken island with these god forsaken black creatures!"
"You look to be a decent mage. Couldn't you teleport or something?"
"Oh, believe me, I've tried! But there's this gigantic dome of magical energy covering the entire island, and it's completely impenetrable! This is the third blast I've fired at it, but still no luck in shattering it."
"So, you want to escape. Why did you rescue us, then? Couldn't you have escaped on your own?"
"Oh, you sure sound grateful. Being alone is torturous! I could use a few people next to me, and what better than a fellow spellcaster and a... well you look intelligent at least."
"What did you rescue us from in the first place?"
"Well, you see, I was in the jungle looking for a few things when I found you two on the beach! Shipwrecked, no doubt. Anyways, I assumed you were in the same boat as me, metaphorically speaking, so I was about to help you when a group of those disgusting warrior types came and dragged you off to the southern castle, no doubt to imprison you as they had to that wolf guy and shady looking one. But anyways, I quickly blasted them to pieces and brought you here!"

Dux attempted to look into the gnome's mind, however it seemed something was partially preventing him. However, what little he could see was honest.

"Alright, so you're saying that everyone here is trapped? How did we get here in the first place?"
"Well I don't know everything, but I'd say this magical... err... force field of sorts seems to be one way. Now, with how I've met these creatures, especially the shamanistic types, they are not one to not think something through. Everything they do, and I mean everything, has a reason. Either they aren't powerful enough to keep intruders out, only keep prisoners in, or-"
"Or they want us to come here. If that's true, then us being here must be helping them. And if that's true, escaping will not only help ourselves, it will help everyone. So, you say you've tried three times to break that barrier down, yes? How are you trying to do so?"
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, everything has its opposite. With fire magic, there is ice. Earth magic to air. Energy to... well you get my point. The thing is, arcane magic has no opposite, or rather it is its own opposite. Fight fire with fire, hmm? So, after a bit of studying, I now know that this barrier is definitely made through arcane means. Thus, I'm trying to send a powerful blast of arcane energy right at that barrier! As I'm sure you know, arcane magic varies in color from a hot pink to a dark purple, and all I have to use as reference to the shield's color is the stars and moon at night. So this is pretty much a guessing game. However, I've never had that ripple effect occur before, thus either I'm getting close, or I hit the correct color and I'm just not using enough power! It's just so exciting!"

The gnome seemed to be getting more and more spastic, moving about anxiously, speaking quicker, using more and more hand motions, and achieving a slightly higher tone of voice. He definitely acted far more energetic than his age suggested. While he was speaking, Casimir checked through his belongings as Dux had, to make sure he wasn't missing anything. To his relief, he wasn't, so he then pulled out his compass, and upon looking at it for a moment, saw that the castle out the window, and thus the window, faced south. The volcano he had seen faced west, and the ocean was to the east. He didn't know what was north, however.

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Status:

Flat:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: Found Rock Chunks (6) (+damage, --accuracy)
 - Skills: Observation skill increased slightly
                Flat's Observation skill is now at level 2!

Astor:
 - Wounds: bruised back effects=tired
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Concentration skill increased slightly. Casting skill increased slightly. Energy skill increased moderately. Alteration skill increased moderately
                Astor's Energy skill is now at level 2!

Xix:
 - Wounds: cracked skull status=slightly treated effects=faster tiring, very thirsty
                bruised back effects=none
                bruised stomach effects=none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Observation skill increased slightly. Mathematics skill increased slightly

Gaweir:
 - Wounds: scratches effects=tired, difficulty focusing (--focus spell)
                bruised right arm effects=none
                bruised hip effects=none
                bruised chest effects=none
                bruised head effects=none
                badly bruised left shoulder effects=light pain, -actions using left arm
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Abronychus:
 - Wounds: pierced stomach status=mostly treated effects=light bleeding, extreme pain (---actions), extremely fast tiring, very tired (--actions), faint (-actions, faster tiring)
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Resistance skill increased moderately

Zak:
 - Wounds: broken left leg status=splinted, moderately treated effects=slight pain, --movement, frozen (slowly dying leg), faster tiring
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Jalthas:
 - Wounds: badly bruised right hand effects=[glow=yellow]-actions using right hand[/glow], slight pain
                badly bruised right foot effects=slight pain, -movement
 - Inventory: Found Large Iron Bar
 - Skills: Kicking skill increased slightly

Strife:
 - Wounds: chipped right heel bone status=untreated effects=pain (-actions), -movement
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Kicking skill increased slightly

Casimir:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Dux:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Hehe, sorry 'bout that. The turn is near completion, it will be done by tonight. And I have my own lil' SEKRIT PROJEKT that I'm working on too, perhaps for lack of other things to say I'll comment on it sometimes

And I'm fully recovered now, no more sickness. Woo! Although I might get sick again very soon after seeing Webadict's drawing... I mean aren't there rules against posting such vivid horrific images? Strife's is good though.

I though that level 20 was the level cap...

Nah, its 27. Same with the max dungeon level. Same with the max skill level. Hmm... 27 appears a bunch of times... although strength, intelligence, and dexterity go to 72, so 27 reversed. Close enough.

And wax walls take a decent sized fire spell to melt them. A fireball won't do it, because its damage is spread out over 9 tiles. Firebolt works though.


Working on a human fighter right now, doing better than I usually do with humans. I somehow got insane luck with the RNG and got a large number of weapon enchanting scrolls, so I have a +8, +6 Great Sword. It is win. I wonder if they can be enchanted any higher than 8, I used another weapon enchant I when it was at 8 but nothing appeared to happen.

Beginning to feel better now, and thanks to Strife and Vlynndar. Not too much time to write tonight, what with all that I missed while I was sick, but I should get a bit more done.

Also, perhaps it's because the other two pictures look like more epic people, but webadict, your image of Flat makes me laugh

Still sick, worse than before actually. Took the day off today because of that. With nothing to do but rest, I'll probably get some work done on the turn, if not finish it by tonight.

Sickness, bah. Tea sounds like a good idea, thanks! Added a small little bonus (in the form of an image) to make up for it. Didn't really work on the image much, but the picture is far easier to draw than describe.

Turn 24
Group 1: Flat, Astor, Gaweir, Abronychus, Zak
Flat: I clean my feathers, picking out some for Abronychus. It'll make him feel better! Afterwards, I will try to keep Abronychus company and help heal him. After this, I will search for my armor!
Astor: Knowing the might of this foe, Astor wisely decides to back off and run back to the village. If ambushed, he will sprint a good distance and hide to do his own ambush. If given the chance, he will shank all in his way and get back to the village. Also, if he sees any mushrooms that look familiar, he will try to nab them.
Gaweir: I need to use my focus ability. After a few moments of warding off my pains, I'll try to enter a trance and seek the aide of outside forces. The trance shouldn't take an entire turn if it turns out well. After Astor returns with the news of the Rahn Inya conquest to the north, I will try and use the information I get from my trance, in my plan of action against the Rahn Inya.
Abronychus: If Gawier or anyone else runs in screaming frantically about the amulet, I'll take it off. If no one alerts me to the nature of the amulet, I'll drift off into unconsciousness and weird hallucination-filled sleep. Alternately, if I make a miraculous recovery, I'll crush the amulet like a walnut, stand up, say something cool, and stand there in total shock for a few minutes.
Zak: I continue to treat my leg, trying to heal it as fast as possible. I ask the old man where the two people who came with me are and if he could get them.
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With the majority of the group resting, or hanging around nearby, the entire group started to relax, nerves finally untensing from the constant threats. Flat began to clean himself, ruffling through his feathers, a few falling out, which he placed onto Abronychus. He lazily twiddled one around. Zak also relaxed, still rubbing his leg, keeping the blood flowing as much as possible, while keeping the leg splinted. He had remarkable success as well, as his leg not only staved off its slow decay, but even seemed to improve from the chill it had received. Gaweir appeared to be relaxing, but was actually focusing yet again, attempting to seek outside forces in the area, as far as his mind could reach. He closed his eyes and assumed a meditative position. Although everything around him began to slow down, he had little luck. All he could hear, or notice, was the quiet noises everyone made, either breathing, ruffling, massaging. However, he soon met another tone, unlike one he had heard before. It almost seemed to be a feeling, as if he could hear textures...

"Hey, Old Man, you recall the two people who had come with me through the obelisk, and survived?"
"Hmm... yes, I do remember."
"Have any idea where they've gone off to? At one point they came in here, but since then I've not seen them."
"Nor have I. I doubt it has anything to do with the Rahn inya, however I also doubt its the last we've seen of them. They probably ran off into the jungle, running away from the new scenery. Must be quite a shock to them, to be pulled out of their dimension, hmm?"

...From those textures surrounding Gaweir, he suddenly met another. But this time, it was an emotion. One of peacefulness, and tranquility. It was near impossible to explain it, it felt as though he were hearing a texture, and that texture was an emotion. He opened his eyes, however he did not see the hut, nor anyone he knew. He found himself in a magnificent room. It looked like the front entrance to a mansion. There was a large central staircase, made of white marble, with a red carpet. The base of it was a large circle, which slowly climbed in smaller circles until it became a staircase. The entire room was of white marble, with pedestals placed evenly about, adorned with perfectly crafted statues of jade. There were four pedestals on each side of the room, each with a statue, and between each pedestal was a large marble column. Looking behind himself, Gaweir saw no door, but below him was a large raised circular platform, 6 meters in diameter, made of white marble as well. On it was a bronze-colored symbol, resembling a "Y," and each of the three lines were evenly spaced, the ends of the lines curved outward, and between each pair of lines was a bronze colored circle...
A figure in white began to descend down the staircase toward Gaweir, but before he could discern the figure, the image faded, and he found himself back at the HQ.

Abronychus fell asleep while Gaweir had his vision, hoping to see something out of the ordinary, something to give him a clue, if not at least entertain him. Drifting off into slumber, he had a very fuzzy dream, where all vision was blurred, impossible to see anything clearly unless it went right up to your face. What he could tell was that he was in a dimly-lit room, made entirely of obsidian, smooth and shiny. Lights were place upon the walls, which curved to make the entire room circular, however there were many, evenly spaced distended areas on the wall, making it seem as though it were a curved wall with many half-columns attached, and all the columns touching one-another. In the center of the room, where Abronychus stood, was a circular platform, 6 meters in diameter, with a gray, iron-colored symbol, resembling a "Y"...

Astor, realizing the threat in the village was far too great for him alone, began to sprint back to the village. He, once again, had an uneventful journey, with no Rahn inya sighted. While running, he looked around in the brush for anything he knew was useful, especially more mushrooms, however he had no luck. After the same ten minute trip, he made it back to the village to find Flat scrounging around through the leatherworker's store, however Flat looked different. For one, he seemed better groomed, however he also had on a helmet, perfectly fitted for him! Flat seemd quite annoyed however, as he searched through a pile of armors. But he had no luck, and then remembered that the workers requested two days, not one, and reasoned that only the helmet had been finished.

Astor continued to run back to the HQ, nearly inside, before he was interrupted by a sound. It sounded as though something was building, as though a spell were slowly gaining power. It sounded from the west. Looking in that direction, Astor then heard a powerful blast as a large purple ball, with a tail trailing behind it, soared into the sky, as though a beacon. However, as it went higher than the volcano, it exploded, and a strange purple shockwave rippled through the sky, as if the sky itself were hit by the blast...

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Group 2: Xix, Jalthas, Strife
Xix: Actually considers what the shaman says thoughtfully and logically, planing out exactly what to ask him next time he comes to be able to know the situation as well as possibly and for giving him a chance to prove his statements.
Jalthas: I will examine the door for any weak points, particularly where the rust might let me smash through it, discussing what the shaman said with the others.  If I can find a weak point, I'll likely try to break through the door.
Strife: I will be polite to the shaman. "Well, I'm unfamiliar with the situation, so I'd be happy to discuss it with you. Provided that I can be convinced that what you say is true, I'll be happy to devote my not insignificant prowess to your cause. Although my first priority would be getting my stuff back; it's heavily enchanted and has the power to upset the power of balance, you know." I don't trust the shaman any further than I could throw him. Especially considering that me losing my stuff THEN appearing in a prison has never happened before. I will attempt to feel out my opposition and get out of the cell if possible. If it looks bad, I will kick ass and take names. Grabbing whatever weapon is handy.
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"Before you go, you should know I'd be happy to discuss this situation with you. And, if what you say is true and that these villagers with their well are in fact a danger, I'd willingly devote myself to your cause. First though, I really could use my coat. Its power really could help us out, especially you..."

The shaman looks across his shoulder at Strife, who gives the most convincing look he could. However, the shaman merely smirks.

"We'll see, we'll see..."

Strife looked down the hallway as he left, clenching his hands on the metal bars with held-in anger. Xix, meanwhile, rested on the floor, thinking about what the shaman had said. She tried to see how his reasoning could be true. If the villagers were hiding a secret in that well, they most likely would have made sure nobody went near it. And Abronychus had slept in it, and nothing odd occurred. But there had been a grate, hadn't there? Unless the village had underwater beasts in their well, which seemed quite a strange idea, there was no reason to bar up that cave. And perhaps the villagers knew that they would not dare to enter it. But then, the Rahn inya never seemed to concentrate on reaching the well either. It was always the obelisk they desired. So, as far as Xix could tell, the shaman's tale seemed to be a constructed lie.

While Xix pondered and Strife tried his best to outwit the shaman for his coat, Jalthas examined his prison door. Every bar had rust on it, however some had much more, and he wanted to see if some areas were rusted enough to break through. Examining them thoroughly, he noticed a few bars were, across the top, very slightly dented, and had excessive rust. He imagined he was not the first to create the plan, and some other prisoner had, over time, used the water from the damp walls to coat the bars. But that prisoner may not have been as strong as he was. Taking a deep breath, once the shaman had left, he punched the bar with as much force as he could muster. To everyone's surprise, especially since none were paying much attention, he made it through the bar! Grinning, he took the bar out of the floor socket and let the top piece fall out on its own. To be able to fit through, however, he would need to break through two more. He aimed at the second one, and gave it yet another massive hit. He held his hand in pain, however the second bar had come out. The third one was less rusted, and would take more force, but Jalthas worried he would break his hand if he tried to break the next one. He did, however, grab the two larger iron bar pieces, as their size made them suitable for weapons.

"Either that bar was extremely rusted, which is unlikely as rust creates a protective coating over the rest of the unrusted metal, preventing further damage, or you're stronger than you look. And that's saying quite a bit."
"He, yes, thank you. Surprised I broke through it my...self?"

Jalthas slowed his speech and then stopped as the entire dungeon began to rumble. The rumbling grew greater and greater in force, until a sudden, powerful force shook the entire area, and sent everyone to the ground...

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Group 3: Casimir, Dux
Casimir: I'll ask Dux what, then, is going on here. If it seems safe, I'll glance out of the window and take a good luck at what's on the desk. I'm still quite cautious, so I'll try not to, say, sniff the substances in the vials.
Dux: I first decide to see if all my belongings are still with him and then search the room, paying special attention to the things on the table. Then I use my skill in telepathy to read the mind of the other man to find out his intentions. I also look out through the window to determine the fall height and where we are. If after reading his mind I decide that the man is not a threat I answer his questions as well as I can.
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"Sure, you didn't put me up here. I'll bet you had someone else do it for you. So, then, what's going on?"

Dux ignored him somewhat, patting his robe and other objects to be sure they were all present and undamaged. Surprisingly, they were.

"Sure, just ignore me..."

Casimir turned around and went over to the window, looking out. Outside, he saw vast jungles surrounding the tower they were in. It seemed to be a lone tower, as no other structures were nearby. He did see in the distance what looked to be a ruined castle, however, and even farther away more wooden structures. To the right, he saw a large volcano, and to the left was a beach by water, and lots of it.

While Casimir looked out, Dux went over to the desk, to see what was on it. Noticing this, Casimir went over to the desk as well.

"Ah, I see. Deciding what instrument of torture to use, eh?"

Dux counted everything that was present. There were five scrolls, a strangely colored pen and inkwell, which he recognized as a specially enchanted scribing quill, used to create scrolls. There was also a single wooden rack with six vials, all empty. There was also a tome, colored burgundy, with a triangle indented on the front hard cover, and a red tassel/bookmark in the binding. There were two rounded stones, one with what looked to be an infinity symbol etched on it in red, and another, unshaped. He recognized a special chisel, which was identical to the quill and inkwell, aside from what it was used on: stones, not scrolls.

"I hope you aren't going to simply pummel me to death with one of those rocks..."

Dux turned to face Casimir, squinting his eyes slightly, as though concentrating. Casimir raised an eyebrow and backed slightly, a bit worried the robed man was psychotic. Searching through Casimir's mind, however, Dux found he was genuinely inquiring about the entire capturing bit.

"My name's Dux, nice to meet you. Really, is this how you greet everyone?"
"Only when I find myself in a room I've never seen before with someone who looks as if they were recently dug up from a grave. Casimir. Alright, so you didn't put me up here. What's going on, any idea?"
"I don't have any ideas, aside from the obvious 'we were taken here by someone who wants us to be their prisoners' bit. Still, we are armed, and there's a plethora of useful things here. Thus, I doubt, if someone made us prisoners, they planned on keeping us here, or us staying here for long."

Suddenly, the hatch door swung open and a small character stepped up. He was very short, probably a bit less than a meter tall, or around three feet, and had a thinning white hairline, making the top of his head bald. However, the sides of his head had fairly long hair, sticking straight out. He also had a thick beard spreading across his entire chin, sides, and upper lip, however it seemed well kept, and was pointed at the bottom. He wore a green robe with blue embroidery, with white gloves and shoes. He was then recognized to be a gnome.

"Are you the one who brought us up here?"
"Ha, more like saved you! You might want to lay down though!"

The two looked a bit puzzled, but did as they were told and went on the ground. After, the gnome went over to his desk and picked up the red infinity-symbol rock, and seemed to concentrate with it. Suddenly, the entire room seemed to slowly shade purple. The two clutched onto the ground as the entire tower shook with tremendous force, before a massive shockwave went forth, and the purple shade went away. The gnome quickly ran to the window and looked up. A second, but almost unnoticeable tremor came, and the gnome suddenly looked a bit excited, but then quickly looked defeated.

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Status:

Flat:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Observation skill increased slightly

Astor:
 - Wounds: bruised back effects=very tired (--actions)
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Fast Movement skill increased greatly. Precision Movement skill increased moderately. Observation skill increased slightly

Xix:
 - Wounds: cracked skull status=slightly treated effects=faster tiring, thirsty
                bruised back effects=none
                bruised stomach effects=none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Gaweir:
 - Wounds: scratches effects=tired (-actions)
                bruised right arm effects=none
                bruised hip effects=none
                bruised chest effects=none
                bruised head effects=none
                badly bruised left shoulder effects=light pain, -actions using left arm
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Gaweir's Focus skill is now Potent Focus!

Abronychus:
 - Wounds: pierced stomach status=mostly treated effects=light bleeding, extreme pain (---actions), extremely fast tiring, very tired (--actions), faint (-actions, faster tiring)
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Resistance skill increased moderately

Zak:
 - Wounds: broken left leg status=splinted, slightly treated effects=slight pain, --movement, frozen (slowly dying leg), faster tiring
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Healing skill increased slightly

Jalthas:
 - Wounds: badly bruised right hand effects=[glow=yellow]-actions using right hand[/glow], slight pain
 - Inventory: Found Large Iron Bar (2)
 - Skills: Unarmed Combat skill increased slightly

Strife:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Casimir:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: Observation skill increased slightly

Dux:
 - Wounds: none
 - Inventory: none
 - Skills: none

Guess the update is coming tomorrow. Had no idea a company dinner would last over 6 hours.

Hmm, reminds me of 99 Bricks. Without having spent much time with either game, can someone compare and contrast them?

99 bricks is far more Tetris like. The blocks constantly move down, you control with arrow keys. Brick yard uses mouse and keys, and the bricks can be placed anymore - above, below, etc (although below is usually a bad idea). Brick Yard has five play modes, 99 has just one. Brick Yard has physics, and a "fun" button.

Brick Yard in my opinion is far better, unless you don't want physics.

Oh and also...
I didn't expect the last piece to stay. The entire thing was slowly shifting right, non-stop, so I quickly placed it to get as high as I could.

749 woo!