Crypt of Osorin, part 4
Log Info
- Title: Crypt of Osorin, part four
- Emitter: Culix
- Characters: Aimarra, Glasha, Smuldur, Paenitia
- Place: Crypt of Osorin
- Time: Thursday, April 01, 2:53:02 PM
- Summary: The four amigos keep exploring the crypt, focusing on the alchemical room. It seems to contain dangerous chemicals, the kind used to create zombies. To the south in a nearby chambre is a strange silver pool, with quicksilver dripping from the ceiling. Smuldur goes to investigate, which is a bad idea. The quicksilver turns into a blob, which he rushes. A further bad idea. Paenitia and Aimarra shoot arrows, while Glasha throws acid. They don't seem to be having much effect. Paenitia leaps onto the quicksilver, after Smuldur, and lays into it with her warhammer. She and the goblin are landing blows, but it is also choking him out. When he falls unconscious, Paenitia takes his place, as grappling victim. Aimarra manages to take the blob down with her bow. After, potions are used to heal Smuldur, while Paenitia is feeling the effects of Mercury poisoning.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Appearing, in Order =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Paenitia 3'0" 34 Lb Halfling Female A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery. Glasha 5'8" 100 Lb Half-Orc Female Green-skinned, young lady with bleached hair. Smuldur 3'4" 45 Lb Goblin Male A gently used (cut, scraped, burnt, exploded) gobber. Aimarra 5'1" 128 Lb Half-Elf Female Brown hair and eyes, breastplate, leathers, pointed ears. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- As the GM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Culix 3'2" 36 Lb Goblin Female Beady-eyed goblin female in leathers and hood. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
The group have fought their way through the small army of skeletons and made it deeper into the dungeon, coming to a crossroads. After dealing with the trap in the most goblin way he could- by setting it off in his own face, Smuldur has declared the path clear. As such, they are just stepping into the alchemical laboritory. Its ancient magical light fixtures coming to life at their presence, bathing the room in an eerie glow.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the room is a large pool of mirror-reflective quicksilver at its southern end, with steps leading the way down into it. To the north, more collapsed hallways blocked off with piles of rubble. And to the east, back the way they came. There are an array of vials, still containing unidentified substances at the far, western side of the room.
"Ramires! Stay!" The little Red Knight orders her hippogryph. She has advanced into the Alchemical room, notably past a pressure plate that sets off a poison needle trap. It seems disabled, but she's unwilling to see if her heavy mount trips some other trigger.
'Ruaaah!' Ramirez argues. He must protect his Mistress.
"Ramirez. You do not have to watch me all the time. The room is small, the smart orc, she comes. You wait."
The response is a whickering, but the peacock-andalusian stays put. Paenitia cautiously explores around the room, not touching anything. The goblin is coming too, after all.
GAME: Glasha casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16 <OOC> Culix says, "Alright. It's a 60' cone emmanation, where will you be directing it" <OOC> Glasha says, "Into the alchemical laboratory." <OOC> Glasha says, "I'll get closer if I have to, beside Smuldur, not quite inside the room. Gonna hold it until I know things." GAME: Glasha rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (20)+14: 34 GAME: Glasha rolls Spellcraft: (12)+17: 29 <OOC> Glasha says, "Behold, my specialty!"
Glasha peers into the room, putting her hand out to stop Smuldur from rushing in. After a few moments, she says, "Okay, there's necromancy and something conjuration-wise in the equipment. Someone was trying to live forever. I wouldn't touch anything there, as you may end up zombifying yourself by accident."
GAME: Paenitia rolls perception: (16)+4: 20 GAME: Aimarra rolls perception: (3)+12: 15 GAME: Glasha rolls Perception: (5)+1: 6 <OOC> Glasha says, "w00t! So perceptive! :P" <OOC> Aimarra says, "Lost in the magic auras." <OOC> Glasha says, "I had Detect Magic in my eyes! Smuldur's torch is too bright! Luna stuck her tailfeathers in my face!"
Barely visible, seen out of the corner of the eye, a drop of quicksilver falls into the pool from above. Gazing up reveals a pool of quicksilver paradoxically clinging to the ceiling.
Smuldur is already reaching for shiny vials. Because shiny vials! He pauses. "Is bad?"
Aimarra trails the others into the room, and is about to crouch down by the quicksilver pool when Glasha's warning reaches her pointed ears. "Necromancy, eh? Why am I not surprised?" She straightens and steps away from the pool, shaking her head. "Best leave all of this alone, then. It might go off. Someone wasn't kidding about _good riddance_."
GAME: Glasha rolls Appraise: (8)+14: 22
"Yes, Smuldur," Glasha says. "Is very bad. Don't smash, either. You might zombify yourself with nasty stuff." She looks over the alchemy equipment. "I wish I knew if this stuff was safe to dump. This alchemy gear is likely worth something."
"Ha ha! Only if you don't want to live forever as undead meanace, my friend." The Dark Lucht chuckles, then she remembers, she is speaking to a goblin. "Is bad. No touch."
Her head turns, movement to the south! She raises her warhammer, "What is that! Silver? In the darkness?" She steps closer, "Look, the ceiling, the quicksilver falls to the pool."
As Paenitia draws attention to it, there is a pool of quicksilver- not quite as expansive as the one below, but rather more paadoxically it seems to be defying gravity by clinging to the ceiling of the room. Its surface ripples softly, occasionally culminating near the center and a single drop of the reflective, liquid metal falls from the upper pool and into the lower.
The drain looks fine, the only movement is the dripping into the pool.
Paenitia watches to the south. After a moment she decides to switch weapons. Her Warhammer is slipped back on her belt, her shield ratcheted higher where it is on her shoulder and back, accessible but not functional, and not interferring with a very fancy looking bow. She sets an arrow and draws it partially.
Down the hall, there is a plaintiff whinny, sounding oddly nasily and whistling. Beak.
"There is no fight Ramirez. This is precaution." The little Lucht calls down the hall. She covers the pit with her arrow, "The drain, looks fine. Glasha, you will tell us the things we need to know, yes? The chemicals, that shining pool, what the dangers are there?"
Adjusting her angle so she can see the other wall, the Dark Lucht says, "I do not see other movement..."
Well, rumplstiltskin! Smuldur does his best to not touch, which means alot of reaching and almost-touching. And lots and lots of looking. Like the double-shiny dripping puddles!
"Shiny!" He leans over the one on the floor to look up at the one on the ceiling.
Glasha looks at the quicksilver. "Huh," she says. "You know, I'd like to." She focuses down the hall. "Smuldur, don't keep making me talk to you like a child. Assume everything is bad until one of us with with sense or magic tell you it's safe."
As Smuldur draws near the pool, leaning over it even. The pool on the ceiling seems to react to his proximity. The ripples rapidly build in intensity and frequency until they crash together at the center, creating a long spear of quicksilver that collides with the pool below- the pool above displaces itself from the ceiling and lands in the pool with a splash of silvery liquid metal which rushes up the steps- thankfully it is dense enough that it does not splash far.
And then the combined pools begin to coalesce, some sort of bulge swelling in the center of it.
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (2)+8+1: 11 GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (1)+3: 4
"Figuring _don't touch anything unless you know for sure what it is_ is prudent," Aimarra unlimbers her bow, but does not pull an arrow or nock it. She had left it strung for easy access, for the moment. It's a good thing, too, when the ambulatory blob of reallycoolickypoo drops from the ceiling and begins to wave an extension around.
"Whoa! Gobber, get out of there!" she shouts, taken aback, and automatically pulls, nocks, and looses an arrow, almost without thinking about it. It sinks in, quivering and then stilling, but it's hard to tell whether it did anything.
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon1: (15)+8: 23 GAME: Paenitia rolls damage1: aliased to 1d6+1: (5)+1: 6
Paenitia was ready, her bow at hand, an arrow knocked and half drawn.
As the silvery blob rises up she pulls and looses. Her masterwork composite bow creaks as she pulls it back. The arrow fles true, strikeing and sinking deep inside.
"The arrow, she hurts it a little. The hammer, this may be his fight."
GAME: Glasha rolls Ranged: (17)+3: 20 GAME: Glasha rolls 1d3: (1): 1 <OOC> Glasha says, "Yup. Definitely worth a turn." <OOC> Culix says, "Its surface bubbles where the acid lands. Pose it."
Glasha holds out her hand, acid forming in it. She hucks said loogie at the quicksilver. It splashes on the surface, sizzling. "Stay away from it!" she calls out. "That smoke can't be good for your lungs!"
GAME: Smuldur RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 6 temporary HP GAME: Smuldur rolls melee+2+1: (16)+6+2+1: 25 GAME: Smuldur rolls 1d3+strength+2+1 fire: (3)+2+2+1 fire: 8 GAME: Smuldur rolls fort: (15)+6: 21
"Ah!...RAAGH!" First is surprise, second is an intimidation display. Or angry surprise. Smuldur raises Torchie on high and sloshes into what's left of the puddle to swing at the part that isn't in the puddle.
- >THURP<
That's the sound a torch makes hitting heavy metal.
<OOC> Culix says, "Quicksilver is going to attack Smuldur." GAME: Culix rolls 7: (16)+7: 23 GAME: Culix rolls 2d4+4: (7)+4: 11 GAME: Smuldur rolls fort: (14)+6: 20 GAME: Culix rolls 10: (8)+10: 18
As the arrows slowly sink into it's heavy metal form, the glob of ambulatory metal sprouts a long tentacle-like appendage which flicks about for a moment, before lashing out at Smuldur. It wraps around th goblins throat, and lifts him bodily out of the pool of quicksilver- slowly tightening about his windpipe.
<OOC> Aimarra says, "Move to 3,30 and fire again." GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (10)+8+1: 19 GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (1)+3: 4
"Not sure my sword will be any better! Gobber needs a hand!" So saying, Aimarra races to change her angle on the creature for a better line of sight, and looses another arrow, with much the sam effect as the last one.
<OOC> Paenitia says, "I guess I'll be 3,33" GAME: Paenitia rolls fortitude: (9)+6: 15 GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon7: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL)
"The Mad Dogs had more weapons." Paenitia says, tossing down her bow and drawing her warhammer. She advances down the other side of the corridor. The side without steps apparently, and falls into the pool.
She lands on her feet. It's as if she's walking on pillows, making her footing is poor. The weapon flails about as wildly as Smuldur's torch.
"Smuld...AAAH! I am not helping."
Glasha says, "Okay, so...I'm not getting anywhere near that thing, and at this point, acid fumes will hurt my friends."
She means Luna.
The Orc Wizard steps back.
<OOC> Culix says, "Alright. You will be at a penalty as you're grappled. And not in control of the grapple." <OOC> Culix says, "-4 dex (which may also affect to hit if you're using finesse) and -2 to hit." GAME: Smuldur rolls melee+2+1-2: (17)+6+2+1+-2: 24 GAME: Smuldur rolls 1d2+strength+2+1 fire: (2)+2+2+1 fire: 7
"You g-rrk got me... but who got you?!" Smuldur has it right where it wants him! Torchie is still free to act and *THWORPS* into it again. It has to burn sometime! All liquids do!
<OOC> Culix says, "Living Quicksilver will try to maintain control of the grapple, with a +5 bonus as Smuldur did not attempt to break free, and will Constrict." GAME: Culix rolls 10: (15)+10: 25 (Maintains control) GAME: Culix rolls 2d4+4: (5)+4: 9
The amorphous glob's tendril is remarkably coherent, and shows no signs of loosening its grip on the Goblin's neck- in fact, it only grows tighter and tighter as it suspends his feet above the sirling silvery surface, pressing down hard on windpipe and the veins of his neck to squeeze the life out of him. It's form undulates and ripples with each blow- and globs of quicksilver are beginning to leak from the wounds left by the arrows. They are hurting it, it's just that whatever membrane keeps its form together is almost imperceptable against its silvery mass.
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (20)+8+1: 29 (THREAT) GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (4)+8+1: 13 (irrelevant, cannot crit) GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (4)+3: 7
"It's got nothing to hit, and it doesn't have any brains either!" Aimarra calls. "We'll just have to hack it apart." So saying, she unleashes another arrow, this time sinking it a little deeper. She seems to be doing ... something? She thinks?
Smuldur says, "Get 'im. I almost have it beat!"
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon7: (10)+5: 15 GAME: Paenitia rolls damage7: aliased to 1d6+1: (5)+1: 6
Her feet slip, the quicksilver seeps between her toes, under her nails, up into the hair of her fetlocks. It drags on her legs, but gives some stability. Paenitia rotates her shoulder, shrugging her shield into position and grappling it.
A step. A swing. A spray of fine silver droplets as the hammer connects. Sprayed into the dark.
"I come, my friend! Do you need help?"
"Orc! See if there something to fight it in the mixes." A futile request perhaps, but who knows what's on the shelf.
<OOC> Smuldur will up the ante and use Elemental Strikes: Swift action to make Torchie deal additional 1d6 fire damage for the round. <OOC> Smuldur says, "And, of course, hit the quicksilver with it." GAME: Smuldur rolls melee+2+1-2: (10)+6+2+1+-2: 17 GAME: Smuldur rolls 1d3+strength+2+1d6 fire: (1)+2+2+(1 fire): 6
Smuldur gets squeezed. Not only does this hurt, but it also causes ... gasses to leak from the gobber. Flammable ones! He lowers Torchie to 'catch' some of these, and the Enflagurating one bursts brightly into more flame. As if exposed to pure oxygen (it just doesn't smell like pure oxygen). Embrightened and emboldened, Smuldur smacks the semi-sentient silver strangler soundly and searingly...
...and subsequently slumps into a state of slack stupefication.
<OOC> Culix says, "It will try to maintain grapple once more, and then constrict if successful." GAME: Culix rolls 10: (8)+10: 18 (Maintains grapple.) GAME: Culix rolls 2d4+4: (8)+4: 12
Despite the beating it is receiving from all angles, the beast does not seem willing to relinquish its grip on the beleaguered goblin's throat. It continues squeezing his windpipe until it collapses with a sickening crunch. Only once the goblin stops its struggling does the appendage release it and retract back into the body, leaving Smuldur to float in the dense liquid- thankfully face up, though it's not clear whether he is breathing or not regardless.
<OOC> Aimarra says, "It is still up?" <OOC> Culix says, "It is, yes. But Smuldur is not." GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (2)+8+1: 11 GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (2)+3: 5
"Damn it." Aimarra shakes her head as the gobber goes limp. "He didn't even try to get out of there." Another arrow sinks in, her aim not the best but still tagging a corner, and it jerks once again.
<OOC> Paenitia says, "best way to save Smuldur is probably kill this and pull him out" GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon7: (19)+5: 24 GAME: Paenitia rolls damage7: aliased to 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5
Smuldur's warrior soul whispers to her: 'Use the gobber as a weapon to keep him in the fight!'
Alas, he is too big.
"Ware! Friend goblin is down!" Paenitia shouts, spreading the alert. She digs in with her toes on the silvery pool, bobbing forward, she uses her shield as a counterbalance. She swings.
Smash! Hammer down! Another splatter. The blob is hurt. Leaking. Leaking a lot. Looking worse for ware.
"My friends, we must finish fast."
Distantly, Ramirez calls, 'Ruaaaah!'
"No! Stay my Love! I bring the fight." The Red Knight laughs madly.
GAME: Culix rolls 6: (16)+6: 22 (Smuldur Stabilizes) <OOC> Culix says, "Quicksilver will swing for Pae, now." GAME: Culix rolls 7: (7)+7: 14
The appendage retracts allmost all of the way back into the central mass, before lunging out towards Paenitia- colliding with her shield, it splatters against it, before it begins to slowly coalesce once more and withdraw for another strike.
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (7)+8+1: 16 GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (4)+3: 7
Another shot from Aimarra, who seems to have pulled it together after earlier repeated misses, and now buries another one with a big spray of quicksilver splattering the edge of the pool. "Keep going! We're almost there!"
GAME: Paenitia rolls weapon7: (5)+5: 10 GAME: Paenitia rolls damage7: aliased to 1d6+1: (6)+1: 7
Proving her words and her worth, the Red Knight swings again. A small, red, steel-clad pinwheel of destruction, her hammer swings in a wide arc and pounds into the fluid monstrostity.
>SPLASH< Slurrrk. Another spray of silvery droplets.
A comrade lies expiring at her feet, she must save him.
<OOC> Culix says, "It will attempt to grapple Paenitia, this time, instead of slamming." GAME: Culix rolls 10: (12)+10: 22 (Paenitia is grappled.)
With the failure of a single large apendage to penetrate Paenitia's guard, the tip of the amorphous blobs sinuous pseudopod splits, and a tangle of more slender appendages lash out- overwhelming her guard to grasp her by wrists and ankles and begin drawing her in towards it for a very toxic embrace.
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon1+1: (8)+8+1: 17 GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d6+3: (4)+3: 7
Even as Paenitia gets grabbed, Aimarra doesn't budge, loosing yet another arrow. This time, though, it sinks in - and one last spray of quicksilver goes up. "Get you both out of there!" she shouts.
That last arrow sends a ripple through the creatures entire silvery body, which bounces back, stronger, and bounces again, growing in amplitude and turbulance with each shudder running through its form. Eventually the creatures entire form is quivering and shuddering violently, before it looses cohesion alltogether and bursts into a splatter of quicksilver that sends a wave through the pool, sloshing against the steps at either end of it, gradually dieing down to a standing wave bouncing back and forth through the liquid metal.
"Gurk!" Paenitia says, as the blobby appendage washes over her, sweeping her up. Her grip on her shield and hammer tighten as her feet slide on the quicksilver.
And then it breaks! The grip is gone, the form splashing apart.
The Red Knight wastes no time. Her hammer is thrown to the steps. Smulder is grabbed. With a loud grunt that belies her ever smiling mask, she hauls the stricken goblin free.
Out. Out of the pool, into the lab. She turns him on his side to free his airwaves. "Friend Aimarra, make secure. I will see to him."
"You got it." Aimarra makes no attempt to retrieve any of the arrows sunk into the thing, as she has done before. but instead shoulders the bow and sets about doing as Paenitia asked.
Even when they're down, gobbers still float! Even in quicksilver! Especially in quicksilver? Smuldur is no exception. He is also rather sturdy; down, but not out, and still breathing. More wheezing, but air is still moving! One might not even need to be close to note there's still breath.
GAME: Aimarra rolls perception: (10)+12: 22
Paenitia runs down the hallway, leaving little mercury beads. She hesitates, then dashes across the pressure plate.
Hopefully it hasn't reset. Hopefully.
She grabs her Healer's kit off her saddle, pets her Peacock Andalusian on the neck and nuzzles, mask to beat. "Wait my love, do not risk it."
She's back across, down the hallway and kneeling beside Smuldur. Opening the pack, she is pulling out supplies. She hugs around the goblin's middle and gives him a squeeze while tilting him, to drain out any quicksilver he's swallowed. "Do you find something?"
It takes Aimarra a few minutes of hunting, but eventually she opens what looks to be a case of vials, sniffs one by one. Most appear to be unutterably foul, and she by varying turns grimaces, turns away, or looks like she's going to be violently ill. Only a few attract her interest, and when she stands, she grimaces, but she has three vials in her hand. These three only she brings back to where the unconscious Smuldur lays. "Minor healing potions. Most of those should be consigned to the fire, if the smoke wouldn't kill us all."
GAME: Culix rolls 2d8+2: (7)+2: 9
The Dark Lucht looks up as Aimarra comes over with the three vials. She reaches out for them, setting her mundane supplies aside for the moment. Moving into a kneeling position, she opens the first. Cradling Smuldur's head into her lap, she tilts both the flask and his mouth towards each other. She pours carefully.
"Two, maybe all the three. Ramirez need the heal but he can learn patience of watching the fight." Leaning over, her dark curls draping around her shoulders, Paenitia says encouragingly, "Wake up friend Smuldur. There is more to burn."
GAME: Culix rolls 1d8+1: (4)+1: 5
Two potions aren't enough. Paenitia goes for the third, carefully tilting it up to Smuldur's mouth, stroking his throat so he swallows. The liquid drains in.
He switches from silvery to a more healthy green, "He rouses."
Smuldur coughs a couple times, but doesn't spit up what he already swallowed. Then he sits up, looks around. "I got it!?
GAME: Paenitia takes ten on heal+2+2: (10)+8+2+2: 22 GAME: Paenitia used a Healer's Kit. GAME: Paenitia used a Healer's Kit. GAME: You used up your Healer's Kit. <OOC> Culix says, "Smuldur is healed for 3HP"
As Paenitia treats Smuldur's hurts, and the time passes, she starts to develop a bit of a headache. A headache that gradually grows worse as time wears on. Once or twice she catches her fingers trembling a bit as well.
"Yes, it eat you and die." Paenitia says, teasing her words. Her masculine mask hides all expression. "Lie still. I must lay on hands on you."
So said, the Red Knight takes of her gauntlets and commences bandaging up the goblin. This takes some time, and supplies.
GAME: Paenitia rolls heal: (5)+8: 13 GAME: Paenitia rolls heal+2: (13)+8+2: 23 GAME: Aimarra rolls heal: (9)+6: 15
Smuldur seems fine, aside from the obvious injuries. Not clear why the Dark Lucht is getting a headache, it may just be fatigue from the fighting.
Meanwhile, Aimarra has secured the area as best she can, and had settled down to watch as the Lucht finished her work. "You two might want to find a way to was that metal junk off of you," she warns. Whatever it is, I doubt it's the water of life."
"That word does not mean what you think it means," Paenitia says, looking at her clothing. She brushes the dark curls on her legs, shaking more beads of mercury from them. Not enough. She isn't a felt hat but she's absorbing them. It's up to at least her waist, and wherever it grabbed her...
She'll have to take everything off, clean everything. Her mask remains smiling, something in her voice suggests she is not, "A Knight of the Pillar cannot disrobe amongst allies. I will... need to... go... somewhere."
And come up with a better excuse.
Having retreated from the toxic laboritory and to the exit side of the trap for now, to treat their wounds, the adventurers are left with a bit of a conundrum. While Paenitia, Glasha and Aimarra are for the most part intact, Ramirez is now doing too well, and Smuldur is both badly wounded and fatigued from his exertions. To top it off, Paenitia, is beginning to feel quite unwell as the time wears on.
It's beginning to seem that finding somewhere safe to rest and lick their wounds might be the most prudent option, but they are a ways from civilzation and having cracked the seal on the tomb, who knows what might wander in or out if they move away from it.
They will have some tricky decisions to make, deciding how to proceed.
Map
https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=mxjgyy3sepb
===================== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 =====================
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes--------------------------------------------
>> 17 Aimarra 1 <<
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Paenitia 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 Glasha 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds remaining)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 Smuldur 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 Living Quicksil
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================