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.
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
| ||||
Vel 24, Avegnum 20
ReplyDeleteThese rolls and the drinking ones in Liss have been absurd.
Avegnum sees Halvdan stop but can't see around the warrior due to the size of the gap. Whispering, "What's going on, why have you stopped?"
Angrily Halvdan replies, "I see Vel floating" as he wedges his way into the narrow opening.
ReplyDeleteRealizing he can not breath nor move, Vel begins to panic as the clear, jelly, sack-like structure around him squeezes and grinds down on him. Vel suffers seven points of damage (after damage reduction) and now knows what food feels like (sans the stomach acid).
Hopefully Vel's panic causes his acidic slime skin to ooze even further, maybe that will cause whatever has grabbed him some serious indigestion.
ReplyDeleteIf Avegnum can he will move over to where Vel is hanging, trying to quickly spy what has grabbed his companion. If he can see what it is he will attack it, if he can't he'll try and aim very close to Vel under that assumption that something invisible might be in the area.
Vel's slippery, acidic, seeping skin continues to ooze it's viscous, astringent slime. Vel can tell it is as potent as ever, with the added benefit of recently becoming slippery, but it does not seem to have any sort of effect on the clear gel-like thing that is holding and squeezing him with vigor.
ReplyDeleteWith a grudgingness Halvdan allows Avegnum to squeeze past him in to the tight passageway to assist Vel. Avegnum sees Vel floating in the air. Vel moves about slightly, though not of his own volition, and seems to hang in the air, mouth open, eyes closed, only a couple feet ahead of Avegnum. Though he is so close to his charge the mongreloid cannot manage any kind of effective attack due to the space constraints of being squeezed inside the fissure-passageway. Avegnum swears this passageway is purposefully squeezing him in ways to keep him from getting a good swing, and curses out loud, though quietly, at seeing Vel’s belt dissolve and his four wands move away from Vel’s body. The wands, however, do not appear to float away, nor do they seem to purposefully move in a particular direction. They simply separate away from Vel due to the combined effects of multiple angles of force being applied to both Vel and the four much smaller objects. It is very strange to look at, even for the seasoned veteran of many campaigns and adventures.
For a short few seconds Vel is jostled even more vigorously than the usual undulating motion. Avegnum can see that Vel is being invisibly squeezed by the flattening of his facial features, and then the small trickle of blood that escapes his mouth.
Halvdan is obviously agitated by the events. He grunts and moves side to side, angrily trying to get a better view before cursing and casting a spell. He touches the stone wall next to Avegnum and the stone peels back all around the warrior. Now instead of a ragged slit just big enough to squeeze through the passageway is a proper doorway (though missing a door) large enough to fit and fight through, though still somewhat cramped.
Avegnum is next …
Forgot to mention that Vel took another 6 points of damage from being squeezed after damage reduction.
DeleteAvegnum rushes over and tries his damnedest to cut into whatever is gripping Vel by swinging his blade as close as he can to his companion without hitting him.
ReplyDeleteAvegnum rushes over and rushes into the same thing that Vel is in. He finds it soft, and wet, firm but giving, slightly warm and giggly, and completely suffocating. The slimy, jelly-like nature of the thing he just ran into reminds him of the gelatinous cube he once fought, except this thing is completely clear, and he feels no acidic burn like last time. He does feel an increased measure of the same anesthetic tingle he felt passing through the rune carved ring portal near an hour earlier. This numbness grows quickly and engulfs his entire body as his struggles for breath and freedom spread the jelly more deeply into him (failed fort. save (7+12)). Avegnum can feel the jelly wiggling its way farther down his throat. The clear gelatinous material jostles and squeezes the two men. Vel takes 3 damage and Avegnum takes 6 damage as they are ground down and crushed. Both continue to be unable to breath or move.
ReplyDeleteHalvdan, agitated with anger and becoming shorter of breath, cautiously decides it would not be such a good idea to rush in, as he would prefer, seeing his two companions listlessly hanging in the air less than ten feet away. He squints to get a better view of the thing that is holding his two new friends, then yells “Aha!”. He then casts a spell which results in a shimmery bastard sword appearing next to the clear cubic creature that is trying to digest Vel and Avegnum.
The blade made of pure force swings and slices into the cube. The cube begins to flee. Though flee is a relative term since the cube is slower than Halvdan in his full plate and extremely winded as he is. Five more times the Bone Knight’s magical blade strikes the clear cube as if flees down the hall. By the time the cube has traveled about 100 feet the force blade strikes a final time causing the clear cube to dissolve and release the two paralyzed and suffocating pieces of lunch … or are they dinner. Vel regains his ability to move immediately. Avegnum takes another half minute before he stirs. Both men are covered in clear slime not of their own making. Vel’s wands lay in disarray around them. Halvdan barely stands, shaking with rage and panting heavily as if he had just run a great distance.
Everything around the group is quiet again as the General finally catches his breath and quiets his rage, when the three men all hear a familiar voice in their heads, “Ha ha, that was kind of funny to watch – though thrilling at the same time. How you rushed in and were captured by the see-through beast and unable to move … sent chills down my back, and up into my, uh …. I mean, I almost had to help you, or at least try to, but your boney friend came to the rescue. Good thing he is with you. Perhaps you won’t rush in next time” Thelafel tells the three as they sit on the stone in the quiet dark illuminated by Halvdan’s fiery sword.
Present state is reflected in chart above.
Avegnum gets 225 XP, Vel and Helvdan get 167 XP. How far are Vel and Aveg from leveling up?
DeleteI just looked back and see that Vel and Avegnum just went up in level, so they would be pretty far away from going up again.
DeleteYeah, that seems about right.
Delete"Up into her butt probably," Avegnum mutters as he hacks up the jelly beasts innards.
ReplyDeleteVel meanwhile collects the scattered wands, cleaning them as best as he can on the side of his pants and then uses the WandoCLW to heal himself and Avegnum a bit.
(Vel healed 18, Avegnum healed 11 - 5 charges used)
"Thanks, Halvdan, seems like that thing would have killed us if it hadn't been for you. I think we may want to cut down on the separation between us in case we run into more trouble like that," Vel says uncertainly. "Though of course that means we'll probably run into something that could get us all in one go..."
Unless Halvdan has something to add they set off again with only a 20ft split in the group as they struggle to also deal with the feeling the tunnels some to be causing in them.
"20 feet or 40 feet, it's all the same to me. But for slow Avegnum, 30 feet is probably the most we should separate. How about I take up the rear, say 15 feet behind Avegnum, and he follows you at 15 feet? Then he can get to you quickly, even if he has to stumble his way there." Halvdan replies.
ReplyDeleteThe group makes its way down the natural passageways. They switch back and forth several times and wind their way through some twisting passageways and narrow cracks. A total of about another hour passes before they come across anything interesting. Coming to another unadorned doorway with no door, Vel can see into the roughly square room ahead that a hatch sits in the floor. The room is about 20' across, but only about 7' high, and even though it looks square it also looks like a natural cavern. At the far end of the cavern, the northwest end, sits a stone hatch in the floor. From here it looks pretty plain, and it's at this time that Vel realizes that even though the walls look like they somehow naturally developed into a square shape, the ceiling and floor are both completely flat, and look as if they had been carved many eons ago.
Avegnum and Halvdan both stop in their positions 10’ behind the preceding person waiting for Vel.
Vel studies the room with Detect Magic though his experiences earlier have left him fairly certain he would fail to find anything even if it was obvious but he tries anyway. Meanwhile, Avegnum scoops dirt or loose stones from the floor, if there are any, and flings them throughout the room in an attempt to see if any of them reveal another nearly invisible ooze buddy.
ReplyDelete"Presumably Thelaful wants us to open that thing," Vel says absentmindedly while he focuses on studying the room for any other interesting features.
Vel picks up two magical auras: one strong aura that he doesn't identify, and one moderate aura that is of the conjuration school. Both auras radiate from the hatch in the floor.
ReplyDeleteAvegnum throws some small stones into the room. Some of them hit the hatch, while most don't, but nothing seems to happen in response to the lithic assault.
Vel picks up a third aura that is strong, coming from the hatch. This one he can tell is transmutation.
DeleteI did the rolls wrong initially. I have corrected it and the results are:
DeleteSummary of three auras radiating from hatch:
Strong Evocation
Moderate Conjuration
Strong Transmutation
"Hmm, as far as I can tell the hatch could explode and/or summon minions and/or do something completely ridiculous," Vel says uncertainly. Halfheartedly he calls out to the air, "Hey Thelaful, is there a safe way to open this hatch?"
ReplyDeleteAvegnum scowls at having to deal with magic, the force that has screwed him over and yet allowed him to live a surprising number of times. "Why don't just try opening it and kill whatever's on the other side. That's seemed to work out... a couple of times, without severe repercussions. Any input general? Maybe you have a skeleton in your pocket that can open the hatch for us?"
"I need some bones in order to make a skeleton. Guess I should have saved my steed for a boneless day. Didn't realize I'd be fighting so much spineless masses of jelly." Halvdan grumbles, obviously pissed.
ReplyDeleteAfter a short pause, the group can 'hear' in their heads, "Ha ha, well, actually, no. You need to be quite a bit closer for me to see. I'm not sure what could be in store, though, you are the first group I have been able to track at all down there - must be something to do with the goodness or power you embody. Something is helping. What does the hatch look like magically, maybe I can guess, maybe not ..."
"D-did she say tra-track or trick?" Avegnum stutters as the nervous sensations wracking his body set in with force despite his efforts to contain them.
ReplyDeleteTaking a deep breath Vel edges towards the hatch until he is about five feet away and relates the auras he is able to detect to Thelaful. From this vantage is he able to make out any way of opening the hatch, such as a lever or handle?
Vel inches forward, warily ... At about 15' from the hatch he can see a brass lever set in the stone hatch. The hatch itself is circular and most of five feet across, with a two foot handle set in one side. The group then again mentally hears, "Trick? I did no such thing! I could have easily put you back where I found you. It's not like you are pieces on a game board. And after all I gave you and what I will give you when you finish saving my father ... I've never been so insulted 'Vegnum ... If you want out just go back to where you teleported underground and I'll send you back to the giants city ... Maybe if I can find that elf she will be more amenable... "
ReplyDelete"N-n-no insult intended, Thela-ful. Just didn't hear you," Avegnum apologizes through his stutters. He then moves closer to Vel and also studies the hatch. "Alright, V-Vel. You get the lever and we'll pull it open. If anything happens I-I'll try to end it with Ironheart Surge if I can. L-let's do this!"
ReplyDeleteGiving a shrug Vel moves forward to comply.
Halvdan grumbles and follows Avegnum into the chamber to assist with the door, "That bitch is awfully testy these days. She should be happy enough we agreed to help her and didn't just tell her to fick off!"
ReplyDeleteWhen Vel touches the brass handle set in the large, stone hatch the three men find themselves falling the short distance to the ceiling and landing on their back sides looking up at the floor and the hatch a good seven feet above them. They also realize a large bright orange object has been added to the room - also on the ceiling. Then they realize the object is actually a creature of some oozy nature as it rears up (or would that be down) in their direction like a thick, slimy, carpet-like, crested ocean wave of steaming, variegated, orange vomit.
“More ficking, gods-damned oozes!” Yells the Karrnathi General.
Roll Initiatives!
Wow, Avegnum gets 8 and Vel gets 9.
ReplyDeleteVel would also like to make a K.Dungeoneering check to learn more of the ooze foe.