Quests & Challenges

[font=gabriola][size=5]"We didn't mean to disrupt it. Nero just... got a little too close. I don't know exactly what this thing is, but it's not like the Avatars we've studied up until now."[right][i] - Avatar "Aura" Expedition Log[/i] [center] ~~~ [img]https://i.imgur.com/ct24RLo.png[/img] ~~~ [size=4]Welcome to Shadechase, my Pinkerlocke challenge![/size] [left] The purpose of this challenge is focused on giving me a reason to expand on my existing lore. I am really bad at actually putting stuff down on paper so this will hopefully give me more of an incentive to do that. It is also an excuse to write an active storyline with my lair rather than a passive one, and to visit lower level coli venues. I am not trying to find a load of new permies, but if some dragons from this challenge do end up sticking around, I'll be glad for it! The rules for this challenge are based on the [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/1904162/1]Pinkerlock Hub Rules[/url], adapted to fit the setting and my goals. [center] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3296837/1#post_55706074]Lore[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3296837/1#post_55706097]Rules[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3296837#post_55706111]Dragons[/url] | [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/qnc/3296837/1#post_55706314]Day 1[/url]

[url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85662441][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/856625/85662441_350.png[/img][/url] [i]Solimis, Lead Avatar Researcher[/i] [center][font=gabriola][size=5][b]Avatar Research Log Entry #146[/b][/center] [font=gabriola][size=5]Research into the Avatars continues apace - while we have still yet to discover exactly what causes these dragons to come into being, their origins appear to be tied quite heavily to the elemental magic that they wield. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85619259]Destiny[/url], for example, is born of Arcane magic - and we currently believe a dragon like her could not exist in another element. Though it does beg the question; why is [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/85408522]Death[/url] forged of Lightning magic? Surely an embodiment of death itself would originate from Plague or even Shadow magic? More investigation is required, and for that we need more subjects. [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/84761510]Dusk[/url] reported to me that she had spotted an interesting sight near the border of the Scarred Wasteland - an Auraboa that emitted a bizarre magic. Auraboa themselves are still an uncommon sight in these parts, and for Dusk to refer to their magic as "unusual" is concerning. I brought this matter directly to Abyssen and he agreed that the dragon in question could be another Avatar who we have yet to document. He decided he wished to see this dragon for himself, and thus we have organised for a small expedition to find them. Abyssen will depart for the border in search of this dragon, and NeronSeph will be joining him. I wish them luck on their journey.[/font][/size] [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83133804][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/350/831339/83133804_350.png[/img][/url] [i]Abyssen, Head of Research[/i] [center][font=gabriola][size=5][b]Avatar "Aura" Expedition Log Entry #3[/b][/center] [font=gabriola][size=5]I write this entry with haste, as we appear to have created quite the problem for ourselves. The Auraboa we sought is unlike anything I have ever encountered, and it is hostile. We didn't mean to disrupt it. Nero just... got a little too close. I don't know exactly what this thing is, but it's not like the Avatars we have studied up until now. Even ignoring the fact it is twice even NeronSeph's size, it appears highly dangerous - the spells it flung at us spread a nasty black substance wherever they landed that seemed to destroy matter itself. Our disturbance seems to have upset it; we are hiding safely for now, but the creature chased us for quite some time. We cannot risk returning to Astralkeep now if it means this thing could attack our home. We must find some way to deal with it. [center][font=gabriola][size=5][b]Avatar "Aura" Expedition Log Entry #5[/b][/center] [font=gabriola][size=5]I am beginning to believe that the creature we are dealing with is born of the Shade. It's possible that it is an Avatar after all - but one that comes from the Shade rather than from any of the elemental magics. If that is the case it should be considered highly dangerous. While we do need more subjects for our research, this "Auraboa" is not at all suitable if it means we risk becoming Shade-touched. We shall have to search elsewhere - that is, if we have the opportunity. NeronSeph and I have been fleeing the creature nearly non-stop since we first disrupted it; no matter where we hide it has tracked us down. It seems to be targeting us for some reason, as if by disturbing it we have invoked its wrath. Regardless of the exact reasoning, we will have to continue evading it if we want to have any hope of returning home. Pray wait for us, my family...

Rules are subject to change as the pinkerlocke progresses, but this post will always remain up-to-date.

Pinkerlocke Rules:
- Any death in the Coliseum means a death in actuality. The dragon must be exalted or retired from the Pinkerlocke entirely.
- Loot that isn't a Pinkerton drop is not relevant to the Pinkerlocke. You may dress your dragons in anything you like.
- Coliseum matches do not have to be consecutive.
- Begin with two adult dragons - These are being taken from my existing permie pool and thus start at level 3.
- A dragon successfully escapes the Pinkerlocke upon reaching level 20, or being in the same party as a dragon who reaches level 20.

Drop table:

Food: The basics: enter the Coliseum! According to the table below, go through the amount of matches listed; it does not have to be all in a row!
Plants: 10-20 matches
Insects: 20-30 matches
Seafood: 30-40 matches
Meat: 40-50 matches

Choose which dragons join the team via RNG. Choose a venue manually.

You can flee any time to regen health, but must take the hunger penalty - no refreshing! This is to discourage resetting for good starting packs.

If a dragon falls during a coli run, the run immediately ends as the team retreats from the area.

Materials: A day for writing. While you can write for any portion of this, what are your dragons doing in their downtime? What's their latest battles, any hardships they might've faced, any newcomers to the group? If there's nothing new, how about some character introspection? Do any of them not have a biography?

Writing does not have to be specifically about the pinkerlocke dragons - it can also focus on dragons back home waiting for their companions to return.

Trinkets: Draw some art, whatever medium you want to use; even a simple doodle is good! What do your dragons look like? Their home? A battle? Any trinkets they have?

Again, drawing does not have to be specifically of the pinkerlocke dragons.

Familiars: Buy a dragon in the AH of a specific breed, gems or treasure. Use a random number generator to determine which breed to get.

1. Fae 2. Guardian 3. Mirror 4. Pearlcatcher 5. Ridgeback 6. Tundra

7. Spiral 8. Imperial 9. Snapper 10. Wildclaw 11. Nocturne 12. Coatl

13. Skydancer 14. Bogsneak 15. Obelisk 16. Gaoler 17. Banescale 18. Veilspun

19. Aberration 20. Undertide 21. Aether 22. Sandsurge 23. Auraboa

The search can be narrowed by gender only - This is an aesthetic choice to allow me to choose which pose I prefer. Pick from the first page of adult dragons for each currency.

Apparel: Since this group of dragons is on the move constantly, they have no time to nest. Flip a coin; if heads, a dragon from the lair sets out in search of the expedition party. Pick an eligible permie via RNG to join the Pinkerlocke. If tails, roll for a new dragon from AH as with Familiars.

Battle Items: Chance for an encounter with the Shade. Flip a coin; if heads, a death streak happens, and if tails, nothing happens.

- Death streak: Three dragons must be chosen through a random generator and go through a Coliseum area corresponding to the highest level in the party. 10 rounds must be completed consecutively; if a dragon dies, the death streak is over and no more rounds are required.

[center][u][b]Dragons:[/b][/u][/center] [columns][center]Abyssen [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83133804][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/831339/83133804.png[/img][/url] [nextcol][center]NeronSeph [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87586223][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/875863/87586223.png[/img][/url] [nextcol][center]Seafoam [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/90988144][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/909882/90988144.png[/img][/url] [nextcol][center]Trebuchet [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/91613358][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/916134/91613358.png[/img][/url] [nextcol][center]Thassus [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/34673504][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/346736/34673504.png[/img][/url] [/columns] [center][b][u]The Shade-claimed[/u][/b][/center] [columns][center]??? [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/89875441][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/898755/89875441.png[/img][/url] [nextcol][center]Aspen [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83281025][img]https://www1.flightrising.com/rendern/avatars/832811/83281025.png[/img][/url] [/columns] [center][u][b]Graveyard[/b][/u][/center]

[center][u][b]Day 1[/b][/u] Pinkerton pull: [item=Steelhound Core] Material [u]Writing: Details for NeronSeph's bio[/u] NeronSeph are part of the [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/drs/3174965/1#post_3174965]Abby Alley lineage[/url] and their lore reflects that. [/center] Nero and Seph have never agreed on how to handle themselves. Their ancestry has always had a strong focus on achieving balance; and while both heads do believe quite strongly in this philosophy, their individual desires clash and get in the way of truly finding their balance. Nero is a focused and deliberate dragon who believes himself a natural leader - and thus maintains that he should be the Prime head. On the other hand, Seph is a blunt and reactive dragon who refuses to be seen as "less" than his brother, and struggles to accept being the Support head. The two argue over this constantly as Seph fights for his dignity while Nero defends his status. Unfortunately, neither are willing to back down. Their body is mostly controlled by Nero; Seph is allowed to take control very infrequently. This often leads to careless mistakes as Seph notices threats that Nero fails to acknowledge. When Nero is asleep, Seph sometimes takes the opportunity to act individually while he can, even if it means tiring out their body. The one thing that Nero and Seph agree on is their interest in the pursuit of magic. Nero believes in perfecting the arts of combat magic in order to gain more strength, in true Aberration fashion. Seph is more interested in the study of theory and the idea of becoming more knowledgable than their peers. This singular agreement led them to leave their home behind; bidding farewell to their siblings [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/87586222]GamesetnMatch[/url] and their fathers [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/86282877]HappynLucky[/url] to eventually make their way to Astralkeep.

[center][u][b]Day 2[/b][/u] Pinkerton pull: [item=Berserker] Battle Coin flip result: Tails The expedition crew manage to avoid an encounter with the Shade creature.

[center][u][b]Day 3[/b][/u] Pinkerton pull: [item=Spool of Silk] Material [u]Writing[/u][/center] [font=gabriola][size=5][b]Avatar "Aura" Expedition Log Entry #1[/b] This entry marks the beginning of a new endeavour in our continued research into the Avatar phenomenon. The clan received a report of an unusual Auraboa residing near the border of the Scarred Wasteland - the description of whom matched what we have observed with certain Avatars in the past. They seemed to have a powerful aura, for lack of a better word; this was described as "an empty feeling that grew stronger as I approached it." We are aware of similar auras following the other Avatars in our study - Death's presence is always accompanied by a feeling of dread, meanwhile Corruption emanates a sickness that settles in one's stomach as she approaches. We believe this unknown Auraboa may also be an Avatar of some sort, and thus have set off in hopes of meeting them; this venture has been dubbed the Avatar "Aura" Expedition. NeronSeph and I have departed from Astralkeep and journey eastward towards the location where this Auraboa was last seen. We do not make this trip lightly - it is infrequent for me to leave the lair on such journeys, as doing so means that our research team is without its lead. Solimis has kindly offered to take charge of our other endeavours in the meantime, and Cloudsail will of course continue to oversee much of our workings. I pray that it is a fruitful expedition - our Avatar research cannot continue for much longer without more subjects, and unless we confirm Starlight's theory of Relative Association Levels we cannot truly know the breadth of this field of research. However regardless of the outcome I am hopeful this will be an enlightening experience.

[center][u][b]Day 4[/b][/u] Pinkerton Pull: [item=Translucent Fins] Material (where the food at I wanna coli) [u]Writing[/u][/center] The sparkling trees of the Starwood Strand shone dimly out here. They were close to the border now, near where Dusk had indicated the strange Auraboa was to be found. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun’s rays made a dappled pattern on the ground as they scattered through the leaves above them. Through the trees, the shape of the contaminated peaks that marked the border between their territories rose in the distance. It was quiet now since Seph had nodded off, and his brother continued pushing through the enchanted woods while the leader of their research team followed closely behind them. They trudged forward with no real sense of destination, searching. “Hold on.” Nero stopped suddenly as Abyssen called out from behind him. He looked back over the head of his sleeping brother to see the Fae had taken flight, and was focused on something to their left. “What is that?” They turned and approached the mark that Abyssen spotted. It was a strange black stain - one accompanied by a dragging mark in the dirt, smearing it across the ground. The stain shimmered like oil, and focusing on it Nero could swear he saw it squirm. It made his fur stand on end. “This must be from our Auraboa friend - the trail matches the ones that they leave when they travel by ground.” Abyssen noted. “Yes, they must have been here.” “What about this… black stuff?” Nero hesitantly dragged one talon through the dark substance; it was thick and clung to his claw like half-dried glue. “I… don’t know what that is.” Abyssen admitted. “Perhaps it’s tied to whatever magic this Auraboa wields. They could quite easily be a Plague dragon. Or Shadow, perhaps.” Nero was silent for a spell, dragging his claw along the ground to remove the sticky substance. “Could be. Though I don’t think I’ve seen Plague magic like this before.” “We’ll just have to find out, I suppose.” Abyssen moved forward, looking at the trail in the dirt. It was subtle, but visible enough to follow. “Shall we see where our friend has gone?”

[center][u][b]Day 5[/b][/u] Pinkerton Pull: [item=Reeds] Material (what are the chances of a material pull does anyone know) [u]Writing: Meanwhile in Astralkeep[/u] [/center] “They did say it should only be a few days, didn’t they?” [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83273837]Nightshade[/url] paced around the room, the concerned look on her face only half hidden by her mask. “Three to five days was the estimate, yes.” [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83813591]Shimmer[/url] consulted the log that detailed the plan for the “Aura” Expedition. She glanced up at her mother pacing, then turned back to her documents, keeping herself focused. Nightshade held back a grumble. “It’s been over a week, they should be back by now.” “Mom,” [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83813592]Smoke[/url]’s voice came from the darker corner of the room, “Stop worrying so much. It was an estimate, they’re probably just taking some extra time with it.” Nightshade sighed. She knew that these endeavours never went as planned, but she couldn’t help worrying. It was unusual for her partner to leave the lair for more than a day, much less for an entire week. She wondered what had prompted Abyssen to lead this expedition himself instead of delegating the task. He was certainly capable of defending himself if the worst came to pass, and yet… “They’ll be fine.” Smoke approached her mother. “Look, we’re all worried, but there’s nothing we can do about it. He’ll come back soon.” Smoke glanced at her sisters; Shimmer, who was clearly trying not to think about it as she buried herself in records; and [url=https://www1.flightrising.com/dragon/83813593]Starlight[/url] who had been quietly working away at some experiment or other this whole time. The fact that all of them hid their mutual concern from each other frustrated her. “Mm… No, you’re right. I’m sure they’re ok.” Nightshade let out another small sigh and gave a slight nod. [i]I just have a bad feeling[/i], she thought, but it went unsaid. She couldn’t very well let her worries get the better of her in front of their daughters. But she did say a prayer for her mate. [i] Please come home soon, my dear… [/i]

[center][u][b]Day 6[/b][/u] Pinkerton Pull: [item=Clouddancer Hide] Material NotN Bonus: [item=Leporidae Guise] Trinket [u]Combo writing/drawing - Quick NotN Bonus[/u][/center] Pitch blackness. Chaotic freedom. [i]Elation.[/i] This was all it knew. All it had ever known. It awoke to see nothing but darkness, to hear nothing but whispers, and to feel nothing but exhilaration. Its creator spoke to it. “Spread this feeling. Spread it to every corner of the land, that all of this world might know of our greatness.” It obeyed. [img]https://i.imgur.com/UpJkkDN.jpg[/img]