The Blood Apple

Explorers have reported a strange sighting off in Norforva. A mysterious, gargantuan apple tree has materialized over night with little to no warning. Scattered about the base of the tree rest the corpses several blood-cursed wolves. They appear to have died from massive amounts of blunt trauma or perhaps falling damage if one carefully analyses the blood splatters and is skilled enough in forensics. As for how this happened... it's a bit of a mystery. The area also seems to be drenched in a heavy blanket of magic, smothering any attempts to cast with due to a hellishly persistent dampening effect.

That aside, this hulking plant easily breaches one-hundred meters in height and shadows over a large swath of corrupted land. What's most strange about this occurrence however is the tree's ability to thrive in such a desolate and tainted area. Although the tree itself remains intact, there are obvious signs of dark influences upon it. Giant purple mushrooms that let out a nauseating miasma plague and fester within the bark all along the structure's length. Various parasites and other unsightly creatures can be seen making their dens within these fungal extensions along the length of the wood as well.

What caught the eye of the explorers' primarily however was that the tree seemed to bear no fruit. Despite the seemingly endless swath of canopy when standing at the base, not a single edible apple could be seen. Upon closer inspection with a spyglass however, there seems to be something resembling a fruit near the apex of the tree. A small fruit like orb dangles gingerly from the highest branch which twists and winds more so like muscle tissue than actual floral cells. The orb itself near the top pulsates and wriggles disturbingly, almost as if with a heart beat. Thin, wood-like veins spider across the fruit's surface, dilating with each contraction. As for what this object is? Well, there's only one way to tell...

​

Hidden: The Miasma Path

Requires Adept in one of the following: Alchemy, Muse, Illumancy, Naturamancy
Though the path is treacherous and full of unknown perils, one thing is for sure. The miasma barring your path is thick and caustic to one's health. After the first few steps forward, it becomes painfully clear that without some way to purify the malefic mists, progress will be neigh impossible.

With the proper protective measures, one can make slowly navigate through the jumping puzzle towards the top while bounding from one mushroom to the next. The creatures who have made their dens among the fungal growth seem disinterested in making foes with those unaffected by the miasma.

Hidden: The Alternative: Not for the weak of heart...

Though the miasma serves as a strong deterrent, those more stubborn in mind and healthy in body can still attempt to advance. Strange and horrific looking insectoid creatures leap out from every corner, assailing you as you slowly progress up the tree while making your advance that much more treacherous. It's a race against time as players need to properly navigate the labyrinth before their health bars are leeched away by the purple mists.

1. Roll d100 in your post. If you have a tank mastery (Geomancy, Hydromancy, Guard, Shield), you may roll twice and take the higher result.
2. A roll of 85 or higher is needed to successful brute force your way through the obstacle without proper protection against the miasma. If the first roll results in a fail, players may choose 1 of 2 options:

• Exit the thread permanently and return to safety unharmed (edit your post with a few words about leaving).
  
• Proceed anyway and post a second time (no words required) with your roll(s). Failure on the second attempt results in character death.

Code:

[dice]d100[/dice]

The Blood Apple : Only after arriving at the tree's apex can one get a closer look at the rumored "Blood Apple." To any normal person's dismay, the orb isn't actually a fruit but rather a large, but shriveled, very much so alive and pulsating heart. There appears to be a small magical seal (or curse) placed on the organ for whatever reason. The organ itself appears dry and desiccated, as if thirsting for something...


Note: This is an event for people who have yet to open a treasure chest this month (timer reset's on the first of the month). Last reset - 7/01/17.

List of Ineligible Participants:
N/A

Briefly tell a story about what were you doing up until this point, then describe how you would retrieve this "chest". (300 words minimum, 500 words maximum)

0/1 Reward Claimed​

 

Rumors were going to be the death of him, and Roland knew it. Since he had begun hunting for treasure, he would seek out more and more ridiculous locations in search of it. The newest tidbit he had was regarding the newer area of Norforva. It was a place he was actively trying to avoid after hearing it had been afflicted with a blood curse long ago. Still, his lust for treasure in all its glittery splendor forced him to ignore all the warning signs and death flags, and he set off to his likely doom. The gigantic tree was not hard to find, given the barren landscape of Norfva, it could probably be seen from miles away. It was rather easy if it a bit creepy to get near the tree. Roland just needed to carefully tiptoe between the various corpses of blood wolves, and bat down any giant insect creatures with his sword. The real challenge came when he began to near the trunk of the massive plant. There seemed to be a variety of poisonous mushroom growing out of its bark, each of which excreted a pungent poisonous miasma into the air during every gust of wind. Even several feet away from it Roland was forced to cover his mouth, lest he begun ill from its effects.

To make matters worse, it seemed his prize lay almost a hundred meters in the air, where the only clear passage was climbing and jumping from branch to branch, and occasional poisonous mushroom. If Roland would have stopped to think he likely could have convinced himself not to do it. However, the thought never even crossed his mind as he tied a scarf around his mouth guarding him slightly against the poison and began to climb the tree.

The poison was worse than he had expected, his vision blurred as he moved from limb to limb, and he saw his life-bar slowly ticking downward. The slow progression of the poison effect renewed him with confidence at first, but as the path became more and more maze like he quickly realized he was incredibly short on time. He swung from branch to branch, jumping and climbing as fast as he could until he reached the top.

The prize in front of him beat softly in rest like some disgusting heartbeat. His hopes of some wonder fruit were somewhat dashed, but he figured that the thing likely had some value to someone. He, however, knew there was likely some trick to retrieve it, and took out his blade slicing the inner most section of his palm. It was a heart in a land of blood magic it made sense, at least it seemed to in his diminished state. Rushing forward Roland thrust his hand at the heart trying to pull it free from its home using his bloodied hand, cutting it down if he had too. That was if his stamina would even last...

Thrown die:

93

 

@Roland Rutledge

Upon reaching out to the heart with a bloodied palm, the organ begins to voraciously drain at the offering and begins beating with an even heavier pace. Slowly but surely, the tissue and veins surrounding the "blood apple" become engorged and full as the object in question enlarges and brims with a sense of satiety. A small notification appears as the system notifies Roland of the trial's completion.

Without warning, a strong magical force blankets over the treasure seeker, teleporting him back to the base of the towering tree. A reward already resides inside his inventory...

Loot

Golden Mystery Egg - This egg is quite heavy, and a shiny gold colour, as if almost real gold. Unfortunately, someone has already tried to sell it full price- It’s still just a mystery egg. (Obtained via treasure chest. Gives 1 of 5 possible pets. Soul Bound)