"Least I can do, Lucy.  Not like it's my map or anything."  But this trip does now fall under Tark's Maps qualifications.

  At the monastery finally comes into view, he asks "So if you normally make the trip on foot, how do you tend to get up there?  And is it large enough for Giants to not be too big to fit through?"

Trevor answers Tark's question by pointing to what appears to be a small protrusion on one of the mountains surrounding the valley, "That is where the cave system exits into the valley and there is a platform there where a flying ferry takes those who pass the Sphinx's test to the monastery. Don't bother trying to just fly to the monastery, the Sphinx would intercept us up here."

Jack lights up.  "Ooh!  A sphinx riddle!  I've only heard about such things!  So looking forward to this!"

Lucy is a little nervous about meeting a real sphynx. On one hand, meeting what she thought was just legend or myth. On the other hand, the sphynx is likely dangerous. Though there is the sort-of reassurance of the thing being passed off as more a benevolent guardian?

Lucy asks, "Anyone know what the test is? And what happens if you fail?"

Trevor laughs at Jack, "Alas, I fear you'll be saddened to know this Sphinx is a bit of an oddball... instead of you solving a riddle to pass... you must present a riddle or question that the Sphinx cannot answer. But once you do, you are free to pass as often as you like, but while I've passed, those I'm escorting have not so they would have to face the challenge. At least your group and the group I'm leading can work as groups instead of everyone with their own attempt."

Trevor then frowns as he faces Lucy, "I do know what happens if you fail, the Sphinx drains a bit of an individuals mind or soul... one drain per failed attempt."

  Well, if an proper Sphinx is involved then this place certainly put more effort in than the average fly by night scam cult... Oh this is probably a real mystic monastery then, huh.

  "There are so many ways to interpret that last bit.  In some cases it's a temporary inconvenience with a melodramatic claim, and others it's more permanent harm."  Still, this is certainly one of those times where the team's habit of spending ten minutes lurking outside the door of their latest problem is a sound plan.

While Gearbox remains silent, Garret Levistusson speaks up, "Better to assume the drain is permanent until the Sphinx is killed or otherwise its 'curse' is somehow lifted. So any suggestions on how to ask it a riddle or question it can't answer?"

Markus sighs as he says, “This must be the creature the giants wanted to question... ask where the Ring of Winter is, and when they are given an answer force a prisoner they brought along to pay the 'fee' for failing to stump the sphinx. So an alternative would be to just kill the Sphinx if it is compelled to answer any question asked of it if that could be abused by the giants to bring about the end of the world as we know it. Hopefully, it won't come to that, but the situation has to be mentioned.”

"Even better!

"'You remember that time I asked a Sphinx a riddle it couldn't solve?'

"What fun!"

He looks concerned for Garret.  "Hmm.  You could try your riddles out on us."

Jack skews his lips at the conversation about giants and side-stepping the consequences.  "Nothing says we can't mention to the Sphinx that we defeated the giants that were coming to take advantage of her.  Then ask her the details of the consequences for failing her challenge.  And if she even could answer the giants at all."

Lucy doesn't like the idea of killing a being just for existing in a way that is inconvenient. "The sphynx may not have a choice. But we will have to remember to phrase questions in the form of statements so it doesn't take life force from us just for having a conversation."

Zerry chimes in, "We could write up our desires ahead of time and present it to the sphynx, including the fact some giants plan to use a work around in order to get the sphynx to answer questions for free."

Varis speaks up, “And then depending on the response we get from the Sphinx, will decide if we take the challenge or kill the sphinx, although if we do fight I suggest the land the airship and at least let our guests off the airship and presumably try to fight off the airship since while I doubt the sphinx could destroy our ship, would prefer to avoid the damage... that and it wouldn't hurt us if we kept the option of the weapons on the airship being utilized against the sphinx by our constructed guards and unseen crew.”

  "Honestly, we probably shouldn't bother fighting it unless it's about to go on a rampage or is part of some scam where after a certain amount of soul bits worse problems happen.  This world is lousy with prophecy and artifacts, so I'd bet five whole coppers the giants going after the Sphinx is only because it was the most convenient one at the time."

  ...It's going to be a not so secret asshole sphinx isn't it?  Thus dashing daydreams of 1/2 horse girls hanging out with 3/4 Lion girls sharing fashion tips... Man, he's been hanging out with Jack a lot.

Jack nods.  "Yeah.  Standard minimum morality bar of 'would you kill someone just for being there?' will most certainly be applied.  Besides.  This world is much more fun with sphinxes guarding monasteries than without.  So if she gets hostile for perceived rudeness, I'm willing to let that slide.  Unless she attacks one of you all.  Then it's on.  She will discover the riddle of how a large creature can be swallowed by a bard."

Markus turns to Tark and says, “Who knows, it might also be possible to reason with the sphinx and provide it with something other than a riddle or question to get past it without paying part of a soul or something. Until we encounter and question the sphinx we can only guess.”

Lucy and Zerry write up a statement ahead of time that explains the situation with the giants and why the team is here.

Lucy nods to Jack. "I will not tolerate any attempts to kill the innocent or kill heroes. I will also not tolerate attempts to permanently maim any of you. But as Markus said, we won't really know till we meet the sphinx."

Zerry then says, "If it comes down to riddles, we can use personal riddles where it involves something like how many giants we've killed. Either way, I'm ready."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:40, Sun 11 Aug 2019.

  "This does sound hopefully more annoying at worst, rather than immediately hostile, yeah.  Though they may demand it be something we know the answer too, in which case 'We've lost count isn't much of a clarification for giant slaying.  Otherwise you'd be getting a lot of people getting inside by asking obscure metaphysical questions."

Varis shrugs and says, “There is always an alternative, such as logic paradoxes. Like what happens when you have a Genie that grants wishes and you 'wish for this wish to not be granted,' But then again depending on if Tark is right such a question may be invalid.”

Jack smiles and thumbs-ups to Lucy's backing him up.

"I love paradoxes.  'All statements are false.  Including this one.'  Hah!  I'll be curious to see what sorts of clever answers the sphinx has.  Annoying or no."

As the airship draws closer the monastery and the floating island it is on becomes clear. Floating hundreds of feet in the air at the center of the valley is a large island of rock. Enormous chimney engines extend from the bottom of this island, burning with fitful, deep-red fires that appear to keep the island aloft. A series of odd structures rise from the rock,
appearing almost like metallic crystals.

Farther down the cliff-side ledge is a flat metal dock, on which reclines a feline monstrosity with a female humanoid head—a regal gynosphinx. A matching dock is thrust out from the floating rock island across from this dock, but there is no obvious way to cross the hundreds
of feet of open space between them. The gynosphinx notices the airship and flies up to intercept it to ensure that those on the airship can't reach the monastery without passing her test.

The gynosphinx appears to have suffered ancient injuries to its head, which have healed and been replaced by mechanical components. Both the creature’s eyes are now glowing blue lenses, and its head is orbited by a number of spinning metallic devices.
“While it is clever to use an airship to try to fly to the monastery, you still must pass my test. So entreat with me,” the sphinx says, “if you wish to cross to the monastery. You do not appear entirely ignorant, and I look forward to adding whatever small knowledge you might possess to my collection.”

Lucy says, "Greetings. We have a statement prepared for you; please hear us out."

She reads the statement. And then adds, "Although this does not mean we wish to bypass tradition or dodge answering your questions, we do hope you will take our words to heart. Personally, I am flattered beyond words that you would consider what little I know to be worth adding to your knowledge."

The Sphinx looks over the paper and chuckles as she's dealt with adventurers in the past and some were even more paranoid than this bunch... but in this case, there is a legitimate cause for concern. "Hmm the Giants are getting all uppity after... what has occurred which has upended the rules and hierarchy that the Giants have lived by for centuries. But I see the dilemma of what would happen if they asked me where the Ring of Winter, or as they call it the Ice that never melts is located. And yes I do know and could tell them. And yes they could force someone among their group to pay the price if that person was willing... so a prisoner or slave wouldn't work. Then again the giants might be willing to make the sacrifice themselves in that case. But no I'm not like a twisted genie that will try to twist anything that could be a question into an attempt to gain access to the monastery so I can claim they have failed and thus demand the penalty."

  Tark is so used to dealing with wildly unreasonable people unless they also happen to be merchant opportunities, that he can't decide if he should be surprised or not a legendary beast with a taste for nibbling on souls is one of the more reasonable things he's run into.

  "Well, that certainly lines up with people being willing to come back to this place.  Rumors of horrible things don't seem to need any survivors to spread."

"Fantastic!  So glad to hear you're not going to make talking with you difficult.  So to be clear: the challenge is to pose to you a riddle.  If you solve it, one among the group must surrender a part of their mind or soul to you that they can never get back.  But if you cannot solve it, you allow passage to the Monestary.  Or answer a question to the best of your knowledge.  Is that correct?"

He smiles at Lucy and adds, "And I'm flattered beyond words that you would consider me worthy of your radiant smile, your warm company, your kind friendship, and so many more things I've had the privilege to enjoy from you."

Lucy is dumbstruck by Jack, her cheeks turning red and she stares at the ground. "Thanks..."

Zerry says, "So with the immediate worry aside, we step aside and discuss the riddle we will present to the sphynx! I'm so excited!"

The Sphinx looks to Jack and says, "That is partially correct in that the challenge is to ask me a question I do not have an answer to. Be successful and you can enter the monastery, fail and pay the consequence. Where you are wrong is that I do not answer a question for free or need them to pass the challenge first. Those seeking such knowledge just ask the question to which they want the answer and when I answer it, they pay the price for failing to ask a question I cannot answer and then go on their way. It isn't often that someone does that, but it has come up from time to time. I believe the Giants you said you faced would have done just that. Unfortunately for some when posed as a challenge question I am compelled to answer truthfully so if the Frost Giants did ask where that artifact was, I would be bound to tell them and they would then pay the price....regardless of whether I would want them to be able to find that ring or not."

The Sphinx doesn't really care what the party discusses so long as they don't try to sneak past her or take a hostile action.