Oily Lake Exploration

Image

Encounter Conditions

By using metallic oil

Initial Text

You rub the silvery oil over yourself and feel a pull towards the lake. Dipping a toe in, you find the water's surface supporting your weight with the slightest tremor.

Nobody will ever believe you if you tell them… in fact, that oil might be a hallucinogen, but you've got the whole lake to explore!

Summary of Choices

1. Go for a swim - Strength XP (first use of the day only)
2. Force yourself under - (subsequent uses on the same day) fight a kraken
3. Dance on the waves - Reflexes XP (5?) (first use of the day only)
4. Retrace your dance - (subsequent uses on the same day) Learn Dance of Silver (x2 or x3)
5. Contemplate the lake - Will XP (6-7?) (first use of the day only)
6. Contemplate the oil - (subsequent uses on the same day) 20 energy of Silver Flow
7. Watch the horizon - Perception XP (first use of the day only)
8. Head out fishing - (subsequent uses on the same day, only if equipped for fishing) Gain 0-3 silver darters and normal fishing results

Text

Go for a swim

You dive in to the strangely inviting lake and begin swimming. The silvery oil smeared on your skin pushes you up, making it
easy to zip over the water.

Eventually, the oil rubs off and you begin to lose your strange buoyancy. You make it back to the docks just in time.

You've earned X XP in Strength

Force yourself under

You plunge into the depths, fighting hard against the strange buoyancy of that silvery oil. As you push further down, you see a dark shape moving near the floor of the lake.

It darts up after you, but the oil shoots you up to the surface even faster. The breeze and calm water almost convince you it stopped its chase.

A moment later, a tentacle wraps itself around your ankle and a massive creature pushes itself out of the water to look down at you. It reminds you of a squid, but there's no way anything that large could live unnoticed in the lake, even this far from shore.

Your thoughts are interrupted as the massive beast pulls you towards its beaked maw.

(Fight a kraken)

Dance on the waves

You feel lighter than the water. Testing this, you dance out into the lake, skipping between jagged waves.

Eventually your strange buoyancy begins to fade, but you make your way back to shore before it gives way entirely.

You've earned X XP in Reflexes (same result with and without fae sight active; Fae Step skill as well)

Retrace your dance

You retrace your steps across the waves. It feels natural, as though you've been doing it your whole life.

Even without the oil you should be able to replicate the dance on dry land, which might come in handy.

You've learned a new Technique: Dance of Silver (2-3)

Contemplate the lake

You take advantage of your newfound lightness to walk among the waves and gaze into the lake's depths. At first, you watch the fascinating civilization waiting beneath the waves.

But slowly, your view expands, taking in the fish and plants, even the tiny ripples driven off your feet by the waves. You're not sure how long you've been standing here, but the mysterious buoyancy starts to give way. You carefully make your way back to shore.

You've earned X XP in Will

Contemplate the oil

Although the waves are surely interesting, you decide to spend some time investigating the silvery substance holding you above them. After performing several minutes of testing your various hypotheses, all you can say for certain is that the oil holds you at the surface of the water as though you're standing on spongy ground.

You could pretend it has something to do with surface tension, but you're fairly sure that'd be nothing more than a rationalization. Having accepted it doesn't make any sense, you feel a little better heading back to the shore.

Somewhere in the distance, you can hear a strange chord of music you hadn't dared listen to before.

Gain 20 energy of Silver Flow

Watch the horizon

You use your newfound lightness to head out among the waves, exploring the distant corners of the lake. The desolation seems endless. Patches uncovered by toxic waste are perfectly clear because little can grow in the water.

You manage to reach an edge, though, as your strange buoyancy begins to ebb. The water is murkier, with a few strands of seaweed growing up through it. You can even see schools of fish darting beneath the surface.

You've earned X XP in Perception

Head out fishing

You cast your line into the water to see if you can snag a few of the silver fish darting among the rocks and wrecked boats.

You found: 0-3 silver darters plus normal Tainted Shoreline fishing results

Note: If you have High Test active, it will override this and give only what you'd get from normal fishing with High Test

Notes

I suspect the stat gains are determined by your own stats.