battleshipex. Tunnel, Board 1 (Reply)

As you discuss whether to turn back or press forward, a short, stocky person with a long gray beard pops out of a nearby tunnel opening and says, "Hello there! We haven't had adventurers down here in quite some time. What brings you here?"

By the time you've explained the whole story, other dwarves have emerged from the various tunnels. They gather around you, examining you curiously. They all seem very, very old, and speak of things that happened hundreds of years ago as though it was yesterday.

"We can guide you to the volcanic tunnels," one says, "though we never go there because those lava goblins are so nasty."

"They're the worst!" another says. "One time they came in here and dug holes in a perfectly good cavern, and then stole all our lore books and dropped them in!"

You've been around the block a few times, so it's with no surprise at all that you see hope dawn on the face of the community leader, an elder so ancient that they ride in a mole-drawn chariot. "Before you go," the elder says in a tremulous voice, "do you think you could help get our books back?"

You look at your teammates. They're exhausted yet unbowed, each holding a steely gaze of determination. You know there is little other choice to be made than to help the dwarves. The tunnels would be too treacherous for you alone.

The pitted cavern looks treacherous. "You must be careful," says the elder dwarf, "for some of these holes contain more dangerous things."

"You wouldn't happen to know which ones..." You don't finish; the dwarves are already shaking their heads. "Never mind," you say, "we'll help."

"Thank you," says the elder dwarf. Their companions smile, and you can't help but feel a tug of affection toward them.

With one last look at your comrades, you set to work.

Grid and list of goals

Tunnel collection | Requests | Prompts | AFIRB search

Thanks to karanguni for the Automagic App and notearchiver for the AFIRB search sheet!

Each square on the 10 x 10 grid hides something. It might be treasure, or it might be a trap. Here is what the traps look like:

The traps are:

Gas vent: plus sign, 5

Spike pit: square, 4

Quicksand: line, 3

Giant worm: diagonal line, 3

Bottomless crevasse: L shape, 3

Distracting pyrite: line, 2

Each trap shape appears once. Traps may be rotated 90, 180, or 270 degrees from how they're displayed here.

Each square is assigned a goal. The list of goals is displayed below the grid. A goal consists of a number and two tags, such as "16, Enemies to Lovers, IN SPACE." Meet the goal by posting works that claim one (or both) of those tags. Each work must fulfill one of this year's requests in the main collection or prompt collection.

In addition, there are board-wide goals for six AO3 labels, such as "Major Character Death" or "F/F Works." You must collectively achieve these goals to complete the board.

Claim relevant tags in your author's note—the mods will only count tags claimed this way. Fic and podfic may claim 1 tag per 100 words. Art may claim all tags that are clearly present in the work. Work labels such as ship type will be claimed automatically.

Team Tunnel members (and only Team Tunnel members) should post works to the Tunnel collection. Each team member is capped at 7 works per board.

The collection is moderated, and works will be approved as the mods count them. Once enough works have been approved to clear a square, it will be marked "pending." Call the shot in the Tunnel Shots channel in Discord to unlock the chest and find out what's inside—trap or treasure!

Treasure squares have a value between 400 and 1000 gold, and will be applied to bribing the boss who lurks just outside the cavern. The collective value of all treasure squares on the board will not equal more than half the boss's hit points.

When all the squares of a trap have been found, the mods will announce that the trap has been deactivated. Once all the traps have been cleared and the board goals have been met, the team will collectively decide whether to keep hunting for treasure or proceed through the cavern and fight the boss. When you've decided, announce in Tunnel Shots that you're ready to begin the boss battle.

If you're on the Tunnel team and haven't already joined the Discord or claimed your Discord role, now's the time! Your team members there will share the team coordination sheet and cheer you on.

Good luck! Don't let the worm get you!