Inverted Madness (04)

Halvdan reacts the most quicklyest of the four combatants. He stands, takes a 5' step and swings his electrical sword at the creature. His swing crackles and is true and so strong that the creature is split into two pieces. At first it looks dead, but then it’s oozy nature reveals itself as the two individual pieces spread out to contain areas equal to the original creature. One slides 5’ ‘north’ and the other slips 5’ ‘west’. Both creatures strike out at Halvdan with bright orange pseudopods. Both creatures impact the Karrnathis General. Vel and Avegnum can see steam rising off the general’s body as they hear the familiar sizzle of an acid augmented slimy attack. Both ooze creatures manage to wrap pseudopods around the general as they attempt to eat him from differing directions.

Vel and Aveg are up. Vel knows, from his knowledge of subterranean critters, that these are some kind of Ochre Jelly. They are different in some way that he is unsure of but given their basic nature he knows they are mindless, don’t need to see, are immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, critical hits flanking, gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight, and all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). He also knows they cause acidic damage when they attack, and has just had his suspicion that they split when struck with slashing weapons confirmed. He knows they like to entangle their prey and acidicly digest them slowly, though they do not paralyze like the gelatinous cube would.

Room is about a 25' square with about a 7 foot ceiling/floor. The hatch is now above the characters, who all start off prone.

	<+>	INI	XY	Name	Health	AC	Saves	Notes
		13		Halvdan	20%	22 (FF22, T10)	F+14/R+3/W+7	Grappled (OJ3), Staggered
		11	C1	Orange Jelly 1	6%	4 (FF4, T4)	UNK
		11	A3	Orange Jelly 2	5%	4 (FF4, T4)	UNK
		11	B3	Orange Jelly 3	1%	4 (FF4, T4)	UNK
		11	C2	Orange Jelly 4	13%	4 (FF4, T4)	UNK
	<+>	9		Vel	48	20 (FF16, T14)	F+6/R+8/W+7
	<+>	8		Avegnum	119	20 (FF17, T14)	F+12/R+7/W+4

Tunnels of Madness (09)

Vel steps through the circular, rune-carved portal. He feels a tingly, numbness as he passes through, almost like passing through some anesthetic spider web. The feeling quickly passes and is replaced with the small but growing sense of anticipating dread in the pit of his stomach.

He is followed by Halvdan about 40' behind, just barely able to see Vel at the edge of his ever burning sword, following is Avegnum another ten feet behind. The three men slowly, cautiously walk down the natural looking passageway only hearing themselves and the faint sounds of dripping-running water. The tunnel is cool, and moist. The sounds they make echo several times before fully diminishing in the rock-walled emptiness.

Farther and farther they proceed, always heading down, though at no steep angle it is great enough for the surface dwellers to notice. The cavern passageway curves back and forth, side to side, seemingly at random. The tunnel only goes one way, though it widens and narrows around them. Sometimes they have to squeeze through, scraping their armor against wet rock walls, and other times they cannot see both walls at the same time.

For the best part of an hour, as far as they can tell, the three wander deeper and deeper, then after Vel squeezes through a particularly tight spot something grabs him, engulfs him and jostles him around. Though he can feel pressure against him, he feels no pain. The thing holding him avoided his fiendish vision, but it feels like he's inside a giant wet sack full of jelly. It tosses him around a bit, and he finds himself unable to move. While he is able to breath, he feels like he is underwater, and therefore cannot take a breath.

Halvdan and Avegnum simply see Vel struggling to quietly get through a very tight spot, a hole about a couple feet wide and maybe four feet tall, before he disappears through the opening. They continue walking forward until they get to the hole. Halvdan looks through before trying to squeeze his way through, and sees Vel floating in the air in front of him only a couple feet away.

	<>	Initiative	XY	Name	Health	AC	Saves	Notes
	<>	24		Vel	30	20 (FF16, T14)	F+6/R+8/W+7
		12		Halvdan	111	23 (FF22, T11)	F+14/R+3/W+7
		11		Avegnum	91	20 (FF17, T14)	F+12/R+7/W+4
		5		Clear Cube	0%	? (FF?, T?)	F+?/R+?/W+?	Dead

Sudden Massive Blackness

Avegnum and Halvdan find themselves both laying on a stone-like cold floor in pitch black darkness after the eruption of the lava elemental then the magical bubble that followed. The sudden change from thin, humid, hot air to full, cool, dry air shocks the two worse than the explosion and sudden change in surroundings. They find each other through touch and sound, Halvdan makes quite a bit of sound in his bone armor. Neither notices the presence of Vel, his weird construct groupy, or Halvdan's faithful skeletal mount. The General can, though, sense his empathic link with his undead minion, and knows he's within a mile of the mount.

Even though Fritz is somewhat intelligent, Fritz does come from a mindless undead origin, so his emotions are quite restrained. Given the nature of the battle Halvdan was just in he is able to figure out that Fritz is no longer in immediate combat, but is probably still burning, as are Halvdan and Avegnum themselves.

Neither warrior can sense anything else immediately …

Fiery Rocky Magma Enemy (05)

	Initiative	XY	Name	Health	AC	Saves	Notes
	14		Vel	46	18 (FF16, T12)	F+4/R+4/W+7	EE
<*>	12		Halvdan	61	23 (FF22, T11)	F+14/R+3/W+7	EE, Fatigued, Burning, missing
<*>	12		Halvdan's Steed	21%	22(FF20, T11)	F+10/R+4/W+7	Burning,
	9		Avegnum	33	13 (FF11, T13)	F+12/R+6/W+4	EE, Fatigued, Burning, missing

North end red = Magma flow.
West end rock is the bridge.
EE = Endure elements

As the party investigates the area they think Kaellanna and Tara had their last stand, a 30' tall creature rises out of the magma river. Fully equal parts solid rock, magma, and fire the creature lets out a mournful moan just after Vel notices it and makes the rest of the party aware. Anything is possible, including mortal combat to the end ...