Pipeline Problems

There's something in the spaces beneath the city. There has been for some time now. In fact numerous things live in these dark passages, but of late more and more of those things have gone mysteriously quiet. Missing even. So some people went down to investigate and reported back that there were undead down there. No problem, a few priests later and there was nothing to worry about. Until the undead came back. Until the priests sent to deal with them mysteriously vanished. That's when the city guard went in. Nothing was left of them but bloody smears on the ground. Not a single man walked back out alive. So that's where you come in. Because when even the town guard can't handle the situation any longer they call the adventurers in.

Munch buzzes quietly. "So... undead in the sewers, nasty enough priests and guards can't deal? Yeah, okay. You guys got any sort of map or guide to point us in the right direction? I been down there before, but is enough construction and stuff can't tell where anything might be any more."

"How horrible..." Kira has to say about the whole thing, aghast when it's all explained. She does add, "The loss, not the sewers, I mean." She hasn't been in them in a long time, and wasn't super thrilled being there, but it was worthwhile. She looks over at the buzzing. "I'm sorry I didn't ask for a map."

Astaren is walking along reading a book, "Eh? Map?" Shrugging his shoulders, "I am always lost, so this is nothing new." grinning as he flips a page, "As for undead, typical. This place has had demons, undead, invaders, and all sorts of other things. Sewers and monsters go together, almost a natural order." Flipping another page.

GAME: Astaren rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (1)+10: 11 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Munch rolls survival: (15)+11: 26
GAME: Kira rolls survival: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL)

Munch nods, and shrugs. "We know basically where to go, and the grid lines are marked clear enough for the route section, they just don't get updated very well. Maybe we'll get lucky and meet up with some of the local otyugh. They're usually pretty helpful, but can get paranoid if something nasty has been lurking."

"Oh! There are people living down here?" Kira is concerned, though it would be helpful in this case. She takes care not to step in too much ...water. Yes, it's mostly water so she'll call it that. Aside from that, she's just following the tunnels, and Munch, who seems to know better how to navigate down here. She does her best to try and just see where she's going.

In spite of the fact that some of you know absolutely nothing about where you're going, Munch happily leads the group of you in the correct direction. Namely deeper into the sewers. However as you go along you quickly realize that you are utterly alone. The only sounds are of dripping water and your own footsteps. Nothing else stirs. Not the squeak of a rat. Certainly not the sounds of an oncoming otyugh. It's unnerving really. In fact the further into the sewers you get... the cleaner they get. Water disappears, the walls become pristine in condition. It's almost pretty down here. There's suddenly no sign that anything has ever lived down here, much less that there is a whole city discarding their waste here.

Munch is over six foot and several hundred pounds of muscle and metal, subtle isn't his thing, but the metal man tries to keep quiet in the errie stillness. His magicite eyes blinking with of soft click, he inquires "How well do you two see in the dark? I'm fine for short distances, but anything over arms reach I need a glow. Right now is fine, but if something flicks off the lights... well..." The leathery 'dreadlocks' upon the golems head shift and wiggle, moving of their own accord.

Astaren has cast a light spell on his book, so he can read and walk as they head along. "Huh, another clean pristine place down here? We are not near the Rune Teleport room either are we?" tilting his head as he looks at the walls and then puts his book away, casting a light spell instead on his staff.

Kira blinks as everything goes from ..sewery to pristine. "That's not normal, is it? Did the otyughs clean it?"

GAME: Munch rolls perception: (6)+17: 23
GAME: Kira rolls perception: (20)+20: 40
GAME: Astaren rolls perception: (11)+19: 30

There's a sound ahead of you. A sound like scratching or shuffling. A very quiet ruffling noise that is sliding toward you very slowly. It sounds odd. Not like the march of many feet, but like something else altogether.

GAME: Astaren rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (18)+10: 28
GAME: Kira rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: Trained Use Only: 0

Astaren huhs a moment as he kneels down and closes his eyes to listen, "oozes, or ooze, might explain a lot." glancing to the others, "Still, dangerous creatures."

Munch hears -something-, and after the silence, it's enough to make the metal man draw his weapon; a massive greataxe, more than most humanoids could lift. The dragon head etched in to the adamantine shifts and looks around of it's own accord, but remain silent. For now.

"That sounds very odd..." Kira can hear something, but isn't sure what to make of it. She looks to Astaren. "Ooze? What can we do about ooze?"

Astaren shakes his head, "Matters on what kind of ooze. Some dissolve metal, others dissolve flesh. Typically they are weak against ice though." tapping his chin as he considers and shrugs, "Continue onwards, and be on the lookout. Try to avoid an ambush if we can."

Munch considers, and nods to Astaren. "Slimes don't leave blood splatters, but might be one in addition to the undead... or might have eaten the undead... are there undead slimes? I've never met one."

Kira nods, still carrying a smile, if a tense one. "Alright. I don't think I can help much with cold." She keeps moving and keeps her eyes up ahead. Not that she has much any idea what she's looking for, but thinks she'll probably know it when she sees it.

As you move forward the sound finally crests the bend of the corner at the end of the passageway ahead of your. There's a moment of tense expectation... but there's nothing there. However some unholy racket emits from the end of the hallway like a hundred voices screaming and gibbering all at once. The sound of it, particularly bouncing off these clean stone walls is agonizing.

GAME: Astaren rolls will: (12)+16: 28
GAME: Munch rolls will: (7)+10: 17
GAME: Kira rolls will: (9)+17: 26
GAME: Munch rolls 1d100: (62): 62
GAME: Munch rolls 1d8+7: (8)+7: 15

Munch buzzes angrily, his magicite eyes going wide and red in anger. "You! I kill you!!" swinging his blade, the metal man attacks! ...his own leg?! The dragon head etched into the blade rolls in confusion. <"Wait, what? We're doing what?">

GAME: Munch rolls 1d100: (51): 51
GAME: Munch rolls 1d8+7: (2)+7: 9

Munch's legs refuses to take this abuse, and knees the attaker in the chin! ...wait.... this isn't better.

GAME: Kira rolls cmb+7: (16)+18+7: 41

Kira startles as Munch gets angered and takes action, then blinks as it starts hitting itself? She knew she'd know something odd when she saw it. "Something's wrong! Pleases, stop!" Part to Astaren and part to Munch. Kira steps to Munch to grab ahold of its swinging arm, and hooking a leg around its own, so it can't kick, either.

Astaren looks like he was about to cast something, then instead shakes his head as Kira tackles him, "Careful whatever put that sound out is still around.' moving back the way they came, and looking for the source of the noise.

The scraping sound is getting closer, but the sound is almost completely lost under the awesome noise of the many voices calling out, screaming; making nonsensical noises. You're getting used to the sound of it, but not to the fact that it too is getting closer. It seems like you should be able to see whatever is making this noise, but there's nothing /there/.

GAME: Munch rolls 1d100: (37): 37

Munch strains a little, but doesn't really fight back. "Seriously though, I could really go for some spicy barbeque. Not a lot of sauce, but a fair bit, spicy hot, but also steaming, smothered over a lovely rack of ribs."

Kira keeps her grip loose when Munch doesn't struggle. She doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, even those made out of metal and wood and things. "Is there any way to remove this? Will it run its course on its own?" she asks Astaren. She's pretty sure it's some form of magic, but she's not an expert.

Astaren shakes his head slowly, "Nothing I have ready honestly. Need to wait it out, and hope he resist it next time this thing screams. Ear plugs if we have em maybe?" then snaps his finger as he pulls out a coin and tosses it forward where the sound is coming from.

The sound of screaming draws nearer still, until you can hear a weird wet burbling noise along with the scraping and screaming. It is not a quiet thing whatever this is. It sounds as though you could touch the sounds of the screams, as if they're right in front of you, a palpable force of noise that makes you want to cover your ears so that you do not hear it any longer. It was bad far away, but it's worse up close.

GAME: Astaren casts Silence. Caster Level: 14 DC: 17

Astaren was waiting for it, and blinks as he notices what it is. "That is rare." he offers and then points to the coin on the ground, and with a pass of his hand, the air there goes silent.

GAME: Munch rolls 1d100: (28): 28
GAME: Astaren rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (16)+10: 26

Munch's mouth doesn't move when he talks, it's a golem thing, but he does continue to ramble. "Now your typical owlbear steak is savory and rich, but a little on the gamey side, while undead are almost always gamey. Demons are a crapshoot, but tend towards spicy and sour. But a good dragon steak, it's hard to go wrong there. Can be a bit on the chewy side if not prepared properly, but so very worth the effort."

"Rare?! It's very-" Kira comments over the growing, grating, obnoxious noise... that suddenly stops and leaves her to shout in the relative silence, "LOUD!" Her cheeks pinken and she looks a bit self-conscious before she asks, "What is it? What should we do?"

GAME: Astaren rolls 10d6: (32): 32
GAME: Astaren casts Lightning Bolt. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20
GAME: Astaren casts Wall of Force. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
GAME: Aftershock rolls 3d6+5: (9)+5: 14
GAME: Aftershock rolls 3d6+5: (10)+5: 15

Astaren reaches into haversack and pulls out a rod. With a wave of the rod a bolt of lightning shoots out into the ooze right past Munch and Kira. Then with his other hand he chants quickly and a blue glow forms before him, and then spreads out to block the path of the ooze and keep it in the silence. Then fades into the invisibility that is a wall of force.

Suddenly and unexpectedly the thing is visible. It takes up the entirety of the hallway. The thing is black and sparkling where it is not comprised of hungry mouths. Each of them moves back and forth with hungry will, but silently so. It bangs against the wall of force and there is a hiss and bubbling noise reminiscent of acid, but the invisible wall holds against the force of the unnatural ooze which itself had been invisible up until now.

Munch goes still a few moment, his eyes shifting from red to purple back to their usual blue-green. "Okay, I'm back. For the moment, at least. Anyway, what now? Not much i can do without letting it loose. But I think it's sorta dumb? If you've got a wall of fire or something, pretty sure would just try to eat it."

Kira releases Munch, now that Munch is back Munch said so! That just leaves her to STARE at the thing on the other side of the invisible wall. "What IS that? We don't want to just leave it down here, do we? What can we do?"

GAME: Astaren rolls 3d6: (8): 8
GAME: Astaren rolls 2d6: (10): 10
GAME: Astaren casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 14 DC: 17
GAME: Astaren casts Ice Storm. Caster Level: 14 DC: 21
GAME: Astaren rolls 1d20+7+5: (8)+7+5: 20
GAME: Cesran has connected.
GAME: Astaren rolls 1d8+4: (8)+4: 12

Astaren glances to the others, "I do not apologize for the wall, though if you want I can drop it. If you want to attack it head on, or I can whittle it down some more." glancing back to the creature. With a wave of his rod a star knife appears behind the creature and stabs it where the butt would be on any other creature. Chanting quickly blue crescent moons from around him, with a pass of his hand the shoot up into the ceiling. Then suddenly a ice storm comes crashing down on the creature.

Trapped behind the wall of force the thing thuds again and again at the invisible surface. A white mist begins to form on the inside where the thing is. Oddly... Something happens when the weapon attacks it. The thing gets BIGGER. Big enough to envelop the magical weapon and suck it in. It gets bigger again when the ice storm hits it, its mass so large now that you can no longer see beyond the wall of force at all. Just one big blackness.

Munch buzzes unhappily... "That's.... not normal. I mean, the whole thing is weird, but is it eating the magic? That's all sorts of bad. The wall seems to have it trapped for the moment, but that's not a long term solution. I was going to prep up some spells to fight better... but... with that... I don't know."

GAME: Astaren rolls knowledge/arcana: (16)+23: 39

Kira blinks. "I don't think you should use magic on it like that anymore..." Munch said something like that, but Kira's good at sharing the obvious. "Do either of you have any suggestions?"

Astaren steps back and frowns, "It is absorbing the energy, though not at a one to one ratio. Could try conventional weapons on if if you want. Otherwise, we retreat, study, and formalize a way of taking it out." glancing to the others and shrugging. "As such, I think I am not much more help here."

Without the party's intervention the ooze continues to bang away at the inside of the wall of force. Eventually it'll get through. You know this. It seems doggedly determined to destroy it.

Munch locks gaze with the eye etched on his weapon for a moment, and nods. the head moves and shifts, the adamantine flowing like water, thickening and swelling into a massive club, then growing still more. But the metal man swells up right along with it, towering some 12 feet high. Murmuring softly, the golems tiny scales sparkle a moment, and start to molt, in mass, falling towards the floor, only to be caught in an unseen force, gathering into a thin protective wall between Munch and the monster. "I can take out the roof, and slow it down, or we can try and take it out directly. I've a little more prep I can do. Can't say will help, but it might."

GAME: Munch attempts to cast Shield but fails due to ASF.

The floating scales shimmer a moment... then collapse in a pile. "...well damn."

Kira still isn't sure what the thing is, other than very unnatural. That much seems pretty obvious. "Alright. I don't think we want to feed it any more. Do you think we could lure it somewhere else? Out of the sewers and the city, maybe?"

Astaren motions to his spiritual weapon, ordering it to fly back and away from the ooze, seeing if the creature follows it. "Not sure, can find out. I will let Munch have a try here, otherwise, I am going to wisk us all out of here and we can regroup."

The ooze does chase after the spiritual dagger. Literally splitting itself in half in order to move toward it sluggishly and swallow the weapon back up again. Meanwhile the other half bangs against the barrier and more white steam pours forth from the wall of force.

Munch murmurs quietly to himself again, and his magicite eyes flash, and glow with a golden light. "I am ready. No idea how this will go, but it could slither away anywhere while we're gone."

GAME: Munch casts True Strike. Caster Level: 6 DC: 13

Kira watches the thing split up (literally!) to go two different ways. That could makes things a wee bit more complicated. She studies it through the wall and her lips purse. "So this thing is ..like an animal? It's just hunting for food? She gains confidence in her earlier suggestion, if not much on what it is. She readies herself. "We'll lead it away, so it won't feed on anyone else."

GAME: Astaren casts Wall of Iron. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22

Astaren sighs softly as he watches the creature split, "Feeds on magic, but non on in-organic material. Means going to need something solid to keep it in place. Have just the spell!" Snapping his fingers as he traces his fingers through the air, dragin out a block and making some adjustments. Once he has it like he wants, he snaps his fingers and a wall of Iron forms itself around the second new ooze that went after the spiritual weapon. Then with a snap of his fingers dismiss the spiritual weapon, and the wall of force. "Lets stop feeding them, and start pounding them."

-TBC-