You wake to find yourself lying on the cold stone floor of a small windowless dungeon cell, with all your gear still with you.  You have no recollection of being brought here.  Beyond the closely spaced iron bars of your cell is a dark narrow hallway dimly lit by a single glowing crystal that's built into the masonry of the wall.  The lock on your cell door clanks and the door squeaks open.

"Hello," a woman's voice coming from the direction of the ceiling just outside your cell says, "Welcome to the Planar Academy Enrichment Center.  We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one.  Your background has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper.  Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all Enrichment Center activities, serious injuries may occur."

There's another metallic clank at the far end of the hall, and a heavy wooden door swings open to a brighter room beyond.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:42, Sun 28 Sept 2008.

(OOC: LAWLZ!)

Timothius gets up and starts walking. His equipment is with him? This is bizarre to say the least. He wonders what is going on and whether he is the only one here, but staying in the first room certainly will not answer those questions.

  Initial thoughts on the reunion with consciousness went along the lines of ‘I could have sworn I won that drinking contest.’  So, was the moral of the story ‘nobody wins a drinking contest’?

  And why was it more worrying to him that doors were conveniently opening and he had all his goodies than if he had to break out, steal a kitchen knife, etc etc?  Maybe he was a paranoid sober?

  This senseless self narrative could probably have taken quite some time if it wasn’t for that whole ‘speed of thought’ thing combined with Joe’s capacity to walk and inner monologue at the same time.

  One peek out the door later, and Joe learned fun facts about things like light fixtures, the likely exit being open, and thanking fashion designers for the details that let him know the guy with the great big (one would hope so with a Greatsword though?) sword further down the hall than him was likely of the ‘save innocents by decapitating the not so innocent’ Paladin variety.  Maybe.  They could possibly just like the outfit.  And Joe could possibly be over thinking things again.

  After a quick look at the lock that was nice enough to have opened all by itself on his ex-cell, Joe called down the hall “Considering we’ve just found out we’re not alone, maybe we should check the rest of the cells to see how far that goes?”

  OOC Style: '23:28, Today: Joe Darkthorne rolled 11 using 1d20+8. Guess Cell Lock Difficulty.'   Yup, a roll of 3.  The hatred between me and dice is clearly mutual ;D

Gale picks herself up off the floor and peeks outside her cell to find Joe not far off and Timothius at the end of the hall.  Given Joe's posture, she assumes the question was directed at the armored bird-cat down the hall and remains silent.  Wait, WHAT?!  Armored bird-cat?!  Never even read of such a thing much less seen.  "I'm not a villain" fashion sense or not, she's not ready to believe he's not a monster just yet.  She freezes in place hoping the low light is enough to hide her from the other two...  but cats are supposed to have good night vision.  Nuts.

(( 01:00, Today: Gale rolled 10 using 1d20+1. Stealth Check.  Fails to avoid Joe's or Timothius' notice. ))
This message was last edited by the player at 05:02, Mon 29 Sept 2008.

Success!  Joe discerns that the lock is a basic mechanical dungeon door lock with no apparent magical enchantments.  He'd have a fairly good chance of picking the lock in 6 seconds.  In fact, with his lockpick set and 10 minutes of time, he'd be guaranteed to succeed.

( Heroic tier lock DC 20 difficulty.  With a thievery skill of 8 and a +2 from the lockpick set, Joe could "take 10" (PHB pg 179) and succeed.)

Timothius turns around to see Joe and seems slightly startled (Joe IS a rogue, you know). "Uh... hi there. My name is Timothius. And checking the other cells for allies sounds like a good idea. Though even if we get them, I suspect this is someone's idea of a game and that everything we do is planned or planned for."

It's then he notices Gale who failed at hiding in the shadows. And now that he has turned around, Timothius can see her. "Hello there? Are you friend or foe?" he asks, with his eyes clearly fixed on Gale so Joe will also notice what Timothius is looking at.

It should be noted he hasn't drawn his sword. Yet.

  Yes, Joe is so stealthy he’s more sneaky when trying to attract attention than when others are trying to hide.  Of course considering the short list examples to work with in the room...

  Joe did wait until they were a good way out of stabbing distance before commenting for a reason.  Had nothing to do with the fact the winged guy was already heading for the exit by the time Joe left his cell, really.

  “I’d figure ‘similarly hassled’ would be the general situation so far.  I mean we hardly know each other enough to have made a good pick for pals or seething hatred yet.”  That logic never stopped any wandering monsters with a craving for human/elven/dwarven/misc flesh though, now has it?

  “Although given the way things tend to go, I doubt we’ll be lucky enough to not come across anything that would really like to see us dead, or possibly just brutally maimed.” Proof that ownership of ‘Sun Rods’ doesn’t necessarily mean a ray of sunshine is in the cards?

With a smirk, Gale thumbs at Joe in response to Timothius' question.

"Similarly hassled nails it on the head," she answers softly, "You both make good points.  I would like to get to know you two a little better.  My name is Gale.  What are your names?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:58, Wed 01 Oct 2008.

A deep voice can be heard from the back of the cell after Gale speaks up in response to Joe’s comments, “I was given the name Elric,” as a large humanoid that looks as if someone has animated a suit of chain armor seems to be trying to do a scarecrow impression as the being walks towards the cell door carrying long weapon that resembles a longspear, but with a broader head and stronger haft, being propped up behind the humanoid’s neck with its arms out to its sides folding over and around the weapon at the being's elbows.

Which causes Elric to stop suddenly at the door to the cell when the weapon gets ‘stuck’ due to being longer than the door is wide. Elric then glances from side to side and chuckles softly, “Oops,” before backing up and repositioning the weapon in its hands so that he can pass through the door without it getting in the way.

Then Elric glances at the others and speaks up, “Okay, now this is a good prank… Now who pulled it on us? And who can teach me how to pull it on others?”

  “Well considering everyone else that’s made themselves known has given their name, I’m Joe.  As for who pulled thus on us, no idea yet.  Though they would seem the most likely to be able to fill you in on how.”  Though he wondered exactly what it was the Planar Academy Enrichment center was just supposed to enrich.

  “I’m also just short of check each individual cell personally so we can be sure the introductions are actually out of the way now.”

Timothius looks in the direction of Elric and ponders his statement "I was given the name Elric". Granted, most people are given their names. But most people don't say it quite that way. Upon hearing this is a "prank", Timothius gives Elric a weird look. "Prank?" he starts. "Somehow, I doubt it's a prank..."

Timothius decides to tell his name again just in case Elric didn't hear it (Or Mittens for that matter). "I was given the... my name is Timothius." he says, blushing from the slip. He looks onward and starts peeking in any other cells... if there are more. "And while our chances of running into enemies may be high, I think Elric has a point. This may be more of an obstacle course, given the introduction to this place that I was given..."

Gale covers her mouth to stifle a giggle when she sees Elric's silly entrance.

"Nice to meet you, everyone," she says with a slight curtsey, "Seeking more allies sounds like a good idea, but should we encounter enemies it would be helpful to know each other's tactics so we can work together as a team.  I'm a wizard.  When faced with one or two opponents, I prefer to attack from a distance with small spells.  When hoards attack, I close in to blast them with a large spell."

(OOC: Apologies for the delay, I was confused and didn't realize it was my turn to pose.)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:52, Sun 05 Oct 2008.

Elric glances at the other three and quickly realizes the wisdom in Gale's words since if they are going to have to work together it would be difficult for them to succeed if they do not know what the others are capable of.

Elric then seems to grin, or as much as a Warforged's face can, as he points to the holy symbol at his waist while saying, “I am a Cleric of Pelor, and when in combat, I have no fear of using my spear,” as Elric regrips his great spear slightly to emphasize the point as the Warforged's eyes seem to glow ever so slightly for a brief moment as Elric takes great pride in his devotion to Pelor as he continues, “I will show kindness, mercy, and compassion to those that need it. But I will not tolerate those who would prey on the good will of others to further their own dark desires. Or worse, any evil that actively tries to exploit the suffering of others.”

  Joe considered the preferred methods commented on.  Magical smiting, irate metal (and other components) smiting with a big spear and a side of Divine Wrath and aid.  And if his guess was correct regarding Timothius, Great sword smiting with a side of more divine you-get-the-idea.

 "Well, I like to avoid a painful death if I can.  But when it looks like the solution to that problem is to kill someone else first I either stab them with short sharp objects or fling rocks at them"

  Yes, clearly Joe's methods are the most elaborate and impressive here.  And a short sword you picked up from a gutter years back because the previous owner was no longer capable of using it just screamed quality.

Timothius answers Gale distractedly as he starts leading the way. "I'm a paladin, championing the cause of Bahamut." he says as he makes sure there are no more cells to check inside before he heads to the bright room at end of the hall. Technically, the Cleric counts as a leader class, but that doesn't mean the paladin can't lead the way so that the others don't get hurt. Besides... a leader is someone who leads and Timothius has yet to see if the living construct is a natural leader or not... if he can be called "natural" by any sense of the term.

Timothius isn't sure himself whether to count a Warforged as sentient since they are granted their "gift" from magic rather than the gods. But in this case, he's relatively sure Elric is sentient since the guy worships Pelor and is given powers from him. And a god of opposing evil and showing kindness, mercy and compassion? Timothius already has respect for Elric. After all, it's one thing to worship Pelor and another to earn his divine favor.

This is all common knowledge, but stuff most people don't usually think about. Timothius, being a fellow servant of the divine, thinks on these things to figure what kind of ally he has. And he at least knows from his chain of thoughts that he can count on Elric to not stab anyone in the back. Joe and Gale? Not so sure.

Thanks to his chain of thoughts, Timothius glances behind himself to the others. "And who do you two worship, Gale and Joe?" he asks, "In the end, we all have someone to thank for the blessings in our lives..." while a true statement, it still opens itself up for any deity. Even the evil ones.

"Now there's a shocker," Gale thinks to herself, "'Who do you worship?'  How ever could a question like that crop up with a cleric and a paladin in the room?"

Gale rubs her chin as if carefully considering how to answer the question.  She's been scolded on many an occasion for her views by even the most mediocre of worshipers.  "You mustn't even speak that name!" some would say when she'd joke about the itsy-bitsy spider Lolth.  "How disrespectful!" she'd be told when joking that anvils probably don't much like Moradin for telling his worshipers to strike them with hammers.

She puts her hands together prayerfully then holds them forward, separating them.  An illusion of a massive ancient book appears between her hands and opens to the center.  Standing on the pages is a miniature of Gale, wind in her hair, smile on her face, and broken shackles on the ground behind her.  The sounds of chirping birds and the sweet smell of spring emerges from the pages.

"Well I have Avandra to thank for my freedom..." she begins.

The pages flip and the image of Gale enters a library filled with books.  The smell of oil lamps and old books fills the air.

"I have Ioun and Corellon to thank for my education..." she continues.

The pages flip and the image shows Gale being lifted into the air in the paw of a massive dragon with the rising sun in the background.  A warm, fresh summer breeze flows from the book.

"Pelor and Bahamut to thank for two of my newest friends..." she continues with a soft smile and a glance to Timothius and Elric.

The pages flip and flip and flip with the symbols of the other gods, both good and evil, rising and falling above them until the book reaches a blank title page.  Golden words begin to inscribe themselves upon the page to the sound of a pen scratching on paper.  "The History of Everything," the title reads in large impressive script, "From Beginning to End."  With a chilly crisp winter breeze the words "Written by," appear.  The book closes to the sound of distant thunder.

"And a mysterious god known as 'Ao' to thank for kicking it all off," she finishes with a whimsical smile.

An image of an orc climbs out from behind the book.

"Me worship Grummish!" it says, "Me like breeding!  Orc women hot!"

Gale vaporizes it with an arc of lightning between her hands then grins, hoping for a chuckle.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:37, Mon 06 Oct 2008.