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Hazō digested that. It was true that he had always regarded his combat dogs as disposable trap-clearing assets but, in fairness, they couldn't actually be hurt or killed here. As to Candoru...
"Oh." Rats. There went Hazō's disposable trap detector.

Eh, he could always make a contract with some other dog.
I feel like sometimes we have a hard time empathizing with people in-world. Like, how many times have we made Kei sad by not thinking?

"Huh." Candoru seemed flummoxed. "That's decent of you."
But the Hazōpilot is a really nice guy.

Orochimaru's dossier had described a 'pool', which any normal person would imagine as something small, perhaps two or three yards across. The water that filled the grotto at the bottom of the cave system was more of a pond or even a small lake—at least eighty or ninety feet wide, perhaps more. It wasn't regularly shaped; the walls wiggled in and out like worms having seizures, creating many side caverns and leaving it unclear what the exact extent of the water might be. There were narrow shelfs of rock here and there around the perimeter of the lake, including where the tunnel Team Uplift had arrived through debouched into the grotto. The walls and ceiling were clothed in drapes of moss while here and there the long palmate leaves or reed-like stalks of plants rose from a ledge, or even from under the surface of the glass-smooth waters.

The walls and ceiling were thickly dotted with crystals, some of them the size of a thumb and some of them massive conglomerates as large as a person that dangled like expensive chandeliers. The crystals glowed in a haze of shifting colors, each individual crystal pulsing slowly, its color cycling from hue to hue around the rainbow. The crystals covered the walls of the cavern all the way to the distant (?) floor, their light causing the water to glow and sparkle. The waters were warm, bath temperature, and where they intersected with the cold September air one could see traces of vapor rising and twisting lazily. Taken together, the scene was straight from a fairy story.
I love this writing! Thanks for the description, @eaglejarl. It sounds cool!

"Well, that's definitely going to kill us," Kagome-sensei said calmly.
Of course it is.
 
I will note that this was a Hazoupilot decision, not a player decision

No need to pin this on us :V
In fact, we specifically did not ask him about it. We ruled out everyone's Summons except Kagome's and asked him and only him.

We could use more Summons as suicide bombers. Kill them with nature chakra. Kagome, any Arachnids that would agree to this? It's extremely unpleasant for the Summon. We need low-cost, physically small Summons that follow orders. Rules out most of our Clans
 
I'd prefer to only spend, like, a day poking at the pool and figuring out what we can quickly determine, rather than jumping a week, since time is our most valuable resource right now. And, you know, I wouldn't hate putting a force dome around here if we're staying for any length of time (and therefore doing it (and T175, and all the things we don't have time for (irony noted))). But, my flight is in two hours, and I can't keep up for the next cycle, so:

[X] Inferno Vulpix
[X] faflec
[X] MMKII

I am in your hands.
 
@eaglejarl @Velorien @Paperclipped

Just wanted to check on the status of a few questions before voting closes. Any chance we'll get these answered before then?

@eaglejarl @Paperclipped

Any update on [the status of Mari and Yuno]? Noburi has had time to examine them since this.

Pinging also @Velorien @Paperclipped

Just checking, the chakravores are walled off and the team thinks they're neutralized? Noburi confirmed they were captured with the VD?

Did we kill them after they were baited?

Hazou seemed very sure that we should kill them here.

@eaglejarl @Velorien @Paperclipped is it possible for Noburi to help Hazou with more than 1 prep day in a single calendar day? The plan calls for Hazou to multitrack the 4 prep days Noburi is supposed to help with, it's not clear to me what role, if any, Noburi would play in this, so I want to make sure he can help all of the clones.

I could imagine a process where Noburi's role is fairly limited, just figuring out what the rune is supposed to do in terms of medical chakra, and Hazou figuring out how to operationalize it with PS takes most of the time.

Or it could be something more involved, where Noburi has to be involved in every step of the process. In he first, it seems that Noburi could help with all 4 prep days at once, the second he might struggle to help with a single one.
 
You can cast it before your turn without being attacked (i.e., you can cast it at any initiative), though obviously any tags generated as a result will expire when your turn starts and you get a new slate of (Effect) tags.
Pinging also @Velorien, @Paperclipped

Why is this different from CATEARS? (also a Reflexive Supplemental to activate).

We saw in Ch 664 that Hazou can only activate CATEARS after being attacked. Yet the action cost is the same.
 
[x] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?
Words: <299
  • Dispel
  • Secure the pool, close off any deeper tunnels with MEW, and set up a trap perimeter in the grotto
    • Noburi, see if there's anything in the water
  • Avoid using ES to study the grotto lest we trigger something
    • Examine the crystals -- are they functional PS substrate?
      • Use chakrascope and MS8, any similarity to the crystal in Honey?
    • Grab samples -- ideally broken off already, to test ES on later.
    • Test if chakra adhesion/repulsion is working on the grotto walls/pool
  • The research team (Noburi, Hazou, Kagome) using Vampiric Dew, chakrascope and MS8...
    • Examine everyone's chakra system and chakra regeneration, before/during/after they step into the pool. Have unaffected people make SCs and test the effects on them
      • Summon a 7th Pathian or two and test the effect of the pool on them. Same monitoring protocol.
        • Noburi, can you tell the difference between human and nature chakra here?
      • Noburi goes last, attempt to discern first if the pool would be bad for your non-standard chakra system
    • Does resting in the pool affect chakra regeneration?
    • Test if using the pool water in Noburi's barrel has any effect.
    • Does Noburi think he could replicate the effects of the pool with his bloodline/medical ninjutsu?
    • If the water is determined to be non-chakra containing, put some in a storage seal to determine if it works outside the cave.
  • Have party members look for any fungi and plants with medical properties. Orochimaru's dossier should have descriptions
    • Bring them to Noburi for confirmation
  • Grab the Otter statue and take it outside the cave, use ES to see if there's anything interesting about it.
  • Make camp nearby and spend a day mutithreading prep days on runes to replicate the pool's effects.
[X] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?

Could I suggest explicitly saying "If Noburi thinks it's safe" before testing if using the pool water in Noburi's barrel does anything? It sounds like the kind of thing that might not be safe, and probably good for team cohesion if we bring this up explicitly instead of risking sounding like we haven't thought about Noburi's safety. (Not a huge risk since we explicitly consider it above, but if you can spare the word count IMO good to include.)
 
[X] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?

Could I suggest explicitly saying "If Noburi thinks it's safe" before testing if using the pool water in Noburi's barrel does anything? It sounds like the kind of thing that might not be safe, and probably good for team cohesion if we bring this up explicitly instead of risking sounding like we haven't thought about Noburi's safety. (Not a huge risk since we explicitly consider it above, but if you can spare the word count IMO good to include.)
I already have WC trimming to do. If I end up with extra I'll consider it. I don't consider this a true priority, because as you say, we already explicitly consider his bloodline.
 
It looked like it had exploded from the ground, narrower at the base and spreading wider in long, clean lines until about chest height, where the straight shards ended in pointed hexagonal segments. Some of the longest shards were taller than Hazō's head.

Initially, he'd thought of money. He'd absorbed a bit about gemstones from Mari over the years. He could see the clean blue and green colors of the crystal, occasionally streaked through with purple and hints of red. The crystal was incredibly clear – no shard showed any inclusion or warping. The crystals clearly held a hexagonal shape well, and of course, there were thousands of pounds of it.
Then, he'd noticed something and asked everyone to extinguish their Daybright seals again. The walls still had faint blue streaks, but that light was almost completely drowned out by a brilliant light from within the crystal. It too had a gentle wax and wane to it that mirrored the streaks on the wall, but when they broke off a chunk of crystal (Hazō never cared much for money in its own right, but holding a ten-pound crystal-clear gemstone easily worth ten million ryo alone gave him a strange rush), the separated chunk continued to glow of its own power. The fluctuations of its light sped up initially, but eventually stabilized into a calm, even blue shine.
The walls and ceiling were thickly dotted with crystals, some of them the size of a thumb and some of them massive conglomerates as large as a person that dangled like expensive chandeliers. The crystals glowed in a haze of shifting colors, each individual crystal pulsing slowly, its color cycling from hue to hue around the rainbow. The crystals covered the walls of the cavern all the way to the distant (?) floor, their light causing the water to glow and sparkle
@eaglejarl @Velorien @Paperclipped

How do the crystals in this grotto compare in appearance to those from the Caverns of Mild Peril? Similar? Very similar?
 
[X] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?

Could I suggest explicitly saying "If Noburi thinks it's safe" before testing if using the pool water in Noburi's barrel does anything? It sounds like the kind of thing that might not be safe, and probably good for team cohesion if we bring this up explicitly instead of risking sounding like we haven't thought about Noburi's safety. (Not a huge risk since we explicitly consider it above, but if you can spare the word count IMO good to include.)
Implemented
[x] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?
Word Count: 299
  • Dispel
  • Secure the pool, close off any deeper tunnels with MEW, and set up a trap perimeter
    • Noburi, see if there's anything in the water -- be thorough, take your time.
  • Avoid using ES to study the grotto lest we trigger something golem-like.
    • Examine the crystals -- are they functional PS substrate?
      • Use chakrascope and MS8, any similarity to the crystal in Honey?
    • Grab samples -- ideally broken off, to test ES on later.
    • Test chakra adhesion/repulsion, any difficulty?
  • The research team (Noburi, Hazou, Kagome) using Vampiric Dew, chakrascope and MS8...
    • Examine everyone's chakra system and chakra regeneration, before/during/after they step into the pool. Have unaffected people make SCs and test the effects on them
      • Summon someone and test the effect of the pool on Summons. Same monitoring protocol.
        • Noburi, can you tell the difference between human and nature chakra here?
      • Noburi goes in last, attempt to have him first discern if the pool would have a deleterious on his chakra system
    • Test if using the pool water in Noburi's barrel has any effect, be careful and consider bloodline interactions first.
    • Does Noburi think he could replicate the effects of the pool with his bloodline/medical ninjutsu?
    • If the water is determined to be non-chakra containing, store some and determine if it works outside the cave.
  • Have party members look for any fungi and plants with medical properties. Consult Orochimaru's dossier
    • Bring them to Noburi for confirmation
  • Bring the Otter statue outside the cave, use ES to see if there's anything interesting there.
  • Make camp nearby and spend a day mutithreading prep days on runes to replicate the pool's effects.
We are coming in at 299 words now, so softlock on further content. Still open to minor edits before I go to bed.
 
[x] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?

@Sir Stompy This is a version of your plan that adds "Sanity-check with the team" and reduces word count to match.
[x] Action Plan: Another Golem's Den?
Word Count: 299
  • Sanity-check with the team.
  • Dispel
  • Secure the pool, close off deeper tunnels with MEW, and set up a trap perimeter
    • Noburi, see if there's anything in the water -- be thorough, take your time.
  • Avoid using ES to study the grotto lest we trigger something golem-like.
    • Examine the crystals -- are they functional PS substrate?
      • Use chakrascope and MS8, any similarity to the Honey crystals?
    • Test chakra adhesion/repulsion, any difficulty?
    • Grab samples -- ideally broken off already, to test ES on later.
  • The research team (Noburi, Hazou, Kagome) using Vampiric Dew, chakrascope and MS8...
    • Examine everyone's chakra system and chakra regeneration, before/during/after they enter the pool. Have unaffected people make SCs and test the effects on them
      • Summon someone and test the effect of the pool on Summons. Same monitoring protocol.
        • Noburi, can you tell the difference between human and nature chakra here?
      • Noburi goes in last, he should first discern if the pool would have a deleterious effect on his chakra system
    • Test if using the pool water in Noburi's barrel has any effect, be careful and consider bloodline interactions first.
    • Does Noburi think he could replicate the effects of the pool with his bloodline/medical ninjutsu?
    • If the water is determined to be non-chakra containing, store some and determine if it works outside the cave.
  • Have party members look for fungi and plants with medical properties. Consult Orochimaru's dossier
    • Bring them to Noburi for confirmation
  • Bring the Otter statue outside the cave, use ES to see if there's anything interesting there.
  • Make camp nearby and spend a day mutithreading prep days on runes to replicate the pool's effects.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by eaglejarl on Aug 11, 2024 at 7:10 PM, finished with 73 posts and 11 votes.

Just checking, the chakravores are walled off and the team thinks they're neutralized? Noburi confirmed they were captured with the VD?
They weren't there. You didn't run into anything on the way down aside from a few normal bugs.

About how far down is this? (How many aerial Zones long is the tunnel down?)
About 100 yards. Probably 3 Zones of sprint.
 
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