DF: Tavern Tales
Log Info
- Title: DF: Tavern Tales
- Emitter: Subduction
- Characters: Crik, Fidget, Jacob, Lokir, Reithak, Ulthan
- Place: The Dwarf Fortress
- Time: August 19th, 2023
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Players -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Crik 5m 5'8" 120 Lb Eaglefolk Male
A hunched over and dark feathered egalrin rogue
Fidget 2m 2'11" 29 Lb Goblin Female
A purple goblin in a layered, mismatched set of fancy clothes in myriad
Jacob 10m 6'2" 200 Lb Human Male
Tall man with serious eyes and a holy drive.
Lokir 45s 5'4" 140 Lb Wild Elf Male
Dark eyes, dark hair, and dark stubble. Pointed ears.
Reithak 4m 7'2" 132 Lb Eaglefolk Female
A light brown egalrin with red and blue accents.
Ulthan 0s 7'0" 250 Lb Human Male
Dusky, auburn-haired barn door masquerading as Dranei
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The Dwarven Fortress- called such, because despite the combined efforts of adventurers and scholars, none have discovered it's name just yet. Set into the foothills that sprawl out from the southern reaches of the Khazad Duin mountain ranges north of Alexandria, it was uncovered when a recent groundquake split the cliff face which its ancient stone doors had been buried behind for seeming centuries. The first waves of adventurers dispatched from the guild have already cleared the upper levels, and mapped a span of the central staircase, but the central spiral splits off into multiple directions some stories below ground.
Groups of adventurers have been dispatched to explore each of these winding paths, and today we follow one such group- issued a guild contract and offered transportation by coach or carriage, they find themselves met at the upper camp - less a camp, now, as it gradually metamorphoses into a bustling little village with a singular focus- supporting the ongoing archaeological and exploratory expeditions. They have a flophouse, a small smithy, a trader, even a priest of althea who has arrived to lend help with healing the wounded.
But shaking off the aches and dust of travel aside, the party have little time for pleasantries before they are assigned their mission. Handed a partial map, they are instructed to follow the directions upon it, descending countless steps, and to take the northwestern passage. It has been certified clear of traps and monsters up until that point, and lanterns have been hung for those without the Khazadi eyes for the dark, but beyond the landing nothing has yet been explored- that is where they come in.
It's been far too long since Jacob had been on an adventure... Dressed in armor and wearing his shield on his arm, the Serrielite Cleric joins this ragtag group of would-be heroes to this so-called Dwarven Fortress, his eyes search his environment. The other adventurers have cleared so much of the upper levels and did good work with some of the mappings and taking measurements of the geography of the space. "We must be very careful...there may be traps ahead, or some darkness waiting for us." He shakes his head softly, but at least he has some food on him in case they're in this place for longer than expected.
Ulthan stands tall, peering over the heads of the bustle and hustle of the support crews that all these research and expedition camps accrue. He then spots few familiar faces, faces he has seen on previous jaunts for the Explorers' Guild. He makes a brisk way towards his associates, but still mindful to not trample anyone underfoot, especially those too small to fend for themselves in the crowded space.
Crik did not mind delving into old ruins. One could say, he was quite made for it. Notebook in hand, restlessly scrawling, the hunched over corvid egalrin bopped ahead. "To be careful in a ruin invites a subtle disaster. A disaster of knowledge." He holds his beak open. That must have been a joke.
Of some sorts.
The corvid though, kept a wary eye for the traps, occasionally letting out frighteningly amused sounding croaks.
Lokir keeps his traveling cloak tight, so as to muffle any clink from his chain shirt and avoid snagging on loose rocks. From behind his cowl, sharp elven eyes peer out. In a free hand, he munches a carrot. In his other, a composite bow is held loosely. "Aye. As much as I love interesting architecture and a good history tale, a solid rule of thumb is to avoid touching traps, rotted timber, giant spiderwebs, deep wells, random bells, ancient chimes, or shaky foundations when off on an adventurous stroll."
It wasn't Reithak's first foray into the dwarven ruins, and it was uncertain just how much was left to be discovered. "Good thing Harkashan isn't here, I can hear him groaning at the thought of going down all those stairs again." The large egalrin laughs as she reads the map and listens to their directions.
"Oh, there are almost definitely traps ahead, if what I've seen passing by is anything to go by." Reithak nods. "Good thing we've got Crik here with us, but let’s not put him in too much danger, alright? Let's all be mindful of where we are and what we're stepping on as we go."
Fidget had tried to learn history from a book, and it had been insufferably dull for the goblin gifted of short attention span, so it's time to do something more practical and exciting and likely to explode.
So, when she'd heard about the plan to explore some ancient Dwarven ruins, no doubt haunted by the ghosts of ancient evil dwarves or something, she jumped at the chance.
Literally. The notice was posted at tall people height. And now it's posted at Fidget height with only a little damage from the relocation. Fixed!
"The darkness is probably a given. It is underground. Very little chance of getting a tan down here" Fidget remarks, trailing slightly behind and she looks at *all the things*, but her voice carries well in the echoing stairwells.
The large and blocky human snorts. "As long as Brother Hark doesn't end up riding a rope sling again, I don't think he would complain too much..." Although sounding jovial, Ulthan still makes sure he isn't the first one to step on any stones, nor pushes his head into anything hanging from the ceiling.
The central spire itself seems to have been carved into the bare stone- sandstone in the upper reaches, which gives way to granite bedrock. The steps are broad, but the ceilings fairly low- it is, after all, built to the requirements of the stocky folk. The spiral stairs seem to go on for age, much to the protest of strained calf muscles, but finally it does level out onto a landing. Their instructions are to explore the northwestern passage- and indeed, this landing sprawls out in each of the intercardinal directions.
The walls and floor carved out of the stone have been smoothed with meticulous precision- only marred by the occasional crack and fissure caused by the slow creaking of the earth over centuries. The northwestern passage is marked by an archway, with runes and depictions of events from forgotten history carved into them by artisan engravers long dead. The lanterns end here- no one living know what lays beyond.
GAME: Lokir rolls 1d20+1: (20)+1: 21 GAME: Ulthan rolls 1d20+2: (6)+2: 8 GAME: Jacob rolls Linguistics: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Reithak rolls linguistics: (6)+3: 9
Ulthan squints, half-hunched and with his face almost in the carvings, and then sighs. "I know I haven't been reading as much as I should... I make one word here, that's the same as modern, but I have no idea if it's significant to the rest of the wording here. This rune... " Po9inting with his sausage of a finger at one, "... this rune heree, is still used as mark for the word 'tavern', or rtaher, its Khazad equivalent."
"Agreed-" Jacob tells Reithak. "Though I must refrain from lacking caution. Knowledge is a grand gift, but...what's the common saying? 'Fuck around and find out?" Jacob flashes a toothy grin towards Crik. "But yes, the least danger we put Crik in the better."
He chuckles though as he hears reference of Harkashan. "My old friend /would not/ like these stairs at all. I pray he's well."
And so, they walk. The armor is heavy but like the others, Jacob is well-versed in long travel. The stairs go on for an age and they finally hit a platform. "Serriel be praised, those stairs go for forever." They arrive at the carvings and Jacob's eyes squint. "My Khazad is rather elementary, but... This one is 'Heroes'. Tgis one is 'Drink'...and as Ulthan had spoken...Tavern. Could have been a common meeting place, but like I said.. Nowhere near fluent enough to garner a clear meaning for me."
Lokir eyes the ruins and a small smile touches his lips. "I know this story. The panels here tell a story of The Great Underwar. An ancient war between fhe Khazad-Ur and Khazas-Aul, a war borne of grudge and strife whose consequences reverberated through the ages. The panel to the left depicts the fabled Kinskinning of Kurthric, an act of barbarism so vile that its veracity is still debated as to whether it was meant as allegory or truth. Then comes the Battle of Brothers, a clash that was rumored to set off minor earthquakes from its ferocity. The tales of both cultures speak of great loss and ultimately a hard-won victory--though no peace was ever signed..."
Crik stares at the runes and then he realizes, that he forgot his dwarven notebook. He opens up his cloak, then the second robe, then thumbs over the stringed together collection of notebooks - and lets out a surprised yelp. "Oh no, it must have fallen..." There's an immensely sad sound and droop of his head, as the corvid lets his head down. It lasts for a moment. "But everyone is looking after my feathers." He says with his beak open - it was something for a change to not get one's feathers pulled.
GAME: Fidget casts Comprehend Languages. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
It was one of those times where Reithak was very happy to have semi-hollow bones. "Oh, I'm sure he's well, but, trust me, he wasn't a big fan of these stairs last time." She chuckles to Jacob and Fidget. "I know I'm joking a bit, but, don't take that for me not being careful working here. Just something to keep the spirits up, you know? Kind of like that place there. Figures a Tavern would be one of the words most unchanged in khazad dialect."
"Hey, it's alright Crik, we're getting paid well for this work, you can get some new books in town later, right?" The large egalrin consoles, patting Crik on the head, before stopping to listen to the explanation. "Khazad-ur were the ones who lived here, or at least, they had the vaults in the lower levels, here." The inquisitor considers. "Maybe we'll learn more here? They can't both be victors, after all, and this place has been uninhabited for a long time now, I reckon."
"Oh, it's history stuff?" Fidget sighs, "It had to be more words..." she says and begins weaving a spell that draws a circle in purple glowing lines in the air in front of her face and then fades, "Ghosts would have been more fun. Or traps. Though maybe this is a trap, a trap that makes you read old stuff." she takes a moment to skim over the runes.
She mumbles aloud as she reads, going over the things Lokir mentioned, "We vow to guard The Pass...like, a specific place called that", then "Heroes one and all, that sounds like us for sure! Come drink - well, we'll see if there's any left, I guess.", then "Oh, and it's called the Deep Vigil's Tavern." she finishes, "Sounds like probably no stabby traps, but who knows how seriously they took their oath to guard the place. Maybe we'll find some ghosts after all?"
Lokir nods and finishes his carrot. Out of his pack floats a potato...wearing a small battle helm. "Aye...ghosts, or perhaps a battlefield from ages long past. Or some fossilized ale...whatever it is, I'm sure it will make for a worthwhile story."
Past the archway, the carved and smoothed stone gives way to tile and brick. The floor is covered in deep blue slate- its glaze long since faded to dust, but its whirling marbled pattern still clear as day. The walls are hewn from blocks of marble, each as large as Fidget and many times as heavy, cladding the hewn rock beyond.
The passageway continues to the north for a ways, some forty feet, before the remains of a door separate the passage from what lays beyond. The remains, because the wood and iron of it has long since worn away, and all that remains is a rusty stain in the stone frame.
GAME: Fidget rolls perception: (3)+6: 9 GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (15)+13: 28 GAME: Crik rolls perception: (19)+11: 30 GAME: Lokir rolls perception: (5)+7: 12 GAME: Ulthan rolls perception: (14)+6: 20
Ulthan peers towards the former doorway. "I think it's been a long while since they had maintenance here... See the walls? Rusty remains of fixtures. They probably held lanterns up, since not all the visitors probably saw in the dark like cats..."
GAME: Jacob rolls Perception: (12)+6: 18
"But this one liked the cover." Crik tells Reithak with a completely innocuous look - then the cloaked egalrin is already moving up ahead, notebook in hand. He takes several pauses, eyeing up the walls and the ground, as they sketch the layout into their notebook - especially pausing to look at the holes in the walls.
"Interesting." Crik finally says, and then turns to look towards the rest of the group, expectantly. "Where are the cobwebs?" Tail bob.
"Could be for the visitors, could be for themselves, but you're right. Takes a long time for iron to just rust away into nothing, or someone got rid of what remained, at one point." The large egalrin considers. "But yeah, dwarves are real proud of their drink, you know? Might just have had the light so they could appreciate the color, or something like that. Just because people can live in complete darkness, doesn't mean they want to. A little demoralizing after a time, you know? Don't want that in a place designed to raise morals."
"Let's make sure this spot is clear of traps before we continue on if we can. Don't want the people coming after us getting caught off guard, after all."
GAME: Crik rolls perception+2: (5)+11+2: 18 GAME: Lokir casts Dancing Lights. Caster Level: 2 DC: 13 GAME: Fidget casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15
Lokir nods at the references to the lack of torches. Ahead of the party, four balls of light emerge and coalesce into a short, stocky...vaguely dwarf shaped glowing humanoid. It drifts ahead of the party a bit. "Our guide lights the way."
Progress down the passageway is slow, eyes peeled for shifting flagstones or hidden tripwires- it is almost a disappointment when there is no snick snick of hidden spikes or clatter of falling stones, but the group are able to creep their way to the end of the passage, where the doorway lays open absent its door.
Beyond is a great hall- three stories tall, its vaulted ceiling supported by pillars running either side of the center of the room. The center is taken up by a pool of ancient, fetid water- and there are spouts carved out of marble on the ceiling above, stained and dry. A fountain, perhaps? Or something like it. Whatever mechanism drove it is clearly no longer functioning.
On pedestals rising up from the dank pool are statues, in various states of disrepair, some of them fallen into the water below.
Of curious note is the fact there is almost no furniture to speak of in the room ahead- in the dim at the far end, there is a low wall, and a long stone table. But not even dusty scraps of wooden or even metal furniture remains- no benches, no chairs, no sconces or barrels or mugs. It is as though the place has been scoured of anything not made of natural earth. And yet, the dust lays thick and undisturbed on every surface.
Patches of the stone glisten with wetness, like as not from whatever vestiges of machinery once drove the fountain in the center of the room. It is not difficult to imagine its majesty when this was a bustling center of social life for the fortress. But it is even easier to imagine the long-gone ghosts of those that once made merry in these halls.
GAME: Reithak rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Lokir rolls 1d20+1: (17)+1: 18 GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (20)+9: 29 GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/history: (6)+9: 15 GAME: Reithak casts Light. Caster Level: 4 DC: 12
Reithak continues creeping behind Crik and the others, stopping after a moment to tap the gauntlet on their right hand, causing it to glow with a gentle, but bright light. The large egalrin does stop to look around, their brow lowering slightly. "This is odd though, isn't it? Even if they were there, there'd be remnants, right? Bits of powdered rust or shards of metal, wood would have a few splinters that the decomposing crawlies didn't eat completely. We've been through, and it doesn't look like there were any signs of looting, at least to my knowledge. The vaults were almost completely untouched even, save for all the lava in them."
"I'm not exactly sure how old this place is...but I don't think this could all be completely destroyed, even on the timescale a place like this must have been here. But some monsters eat stuff like this. Oozes mostly?" Fidget says, "So if you see something wobbling, it's probably not dessert." Fidget says suspiciously, eyeing around the room for anything that might not be part of the walls.
GAME: Lokir rolls perception: (6)+7: 13 GAME: Fidget rolls perception: (3)+6: 9 GAME: Crik rolls perception: (3)+11: 14
Ulthan , not being of the more inquiring mindset, focuses more of his attention to anywhere that a threat could come from, letting the curious ones puzzle through, although even he finds the lack of any remains unnerving. And it makes him reach for the pair of vials he has strapped onto a hoops on his broad leather cross belt.
GAME: Ulthan rolls perception: (7)+6: 13 GAME: Jacob rolls Perception: (4)+6: 10
They walk....and Jacob doesn't notice any traps.
Probably to his detriment. But he had heard Lokir's story about the Great Underwar, nodding sadly when the story reached its conclusion. "A great shame." He remarks to himself. Otherwise, he's quiet. He's trying to keep his eyes peeled as he keeps advancing forward. No doubt a darkness remains. But he keeps his eyes on his surroundings. "Wobbling...got it."
"It is strange." Crik agrees with a nod of his head. "Nothing to surprise in the dark." He affirms after looking around with his black eyes. He spent most of his looking staring at the notebook though - he knew his way around ruins, surely! "Oozes would be reasonable assumption."
The corvid peers at his notebook - then realizes the paper was upside down. "Or lava. Lava - burning down the house." Beak opens.
GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (8)+13: 21
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ATTENTION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Subduction has dropped a TIMESTOP! Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for Subduction to instruct you further. You may earn RPP by logging a scene for a GM. For in-combat commands, type: +thelp. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
GAME: Jacob refreshes spells. GAME: Reithak rolls knowledge/dungeoneering+2: (11)+6+2: 19 GAME: Lokir rolls knowledge/ dungeoneering: (14)+5: 19 GAME: Reithak casts Bless. Caster Level: 4 DC: 13 GAME: Reithak rolls will: (1)+6: 7 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Subduction rolls 6: (5)+6: 11
Reithak pauses and raises their illuminated gauntlet up in front of them, squinting just a bit. "Liquid pools don't look like a normal shape, do they?" The egalrin considers, before turning and blinking at Fidget. She looks back to the pools of liquid. "Hey, Jacob, don't go stepping any further, that's a grey ooze!" They shout over to them. "Why the stones still here, can't dissolve it, but they'll eat through pretty much anything else, might even be psychically active!"
The egalrin reaches for the phoenix shaped necklace under their vest. "Inspire us to the heights you know we can reach, and we need only realize." the inquisitor almost whistles, filling the group with a modicum of divine strength. <Auran>
Though barely sentient, the puddle of greyish slime on the ground seems to at least recognize that its rudimentary ambush has failed- or at least, been sprung earlier than planned- if such a creature is capable of planning- when Reithak reacts to its presence. A sudden, wild wave of chaotic sensation and unfocused nonsensical thought washes over Reithak- their vision becomes a disorienting swirl of flashing colors, and the room spins as they struggle to form coherent thoughts let alone put them into action.
And even as Reithak's warning rings in Jacob's ears, the puddle comes up to meet his foot- a pseudopod extending from the amorphous blob attempts to latch onto his leg and pull him in, but he is already stepping away from it and the creature is too slow to catch him.
GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 22. It is now Lokir's turn! Reithak is next! GAME: Lokir refreshes special ability pools. GAME: Lokir spends ONE use of BARDIC PERFORMANCE. GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 18. It is now Reithak's turn! Crik is next! GAME: Reithak rolls 1d100: (64): 64 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d8+3: (3)+3: 6 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 18. It is now Crik's turn! Jacob is next!
Lokir spies the grey ooze. "Steady, comrades. These grey oozes are things we can handle, but they eat metal weapons like candy. Just strike from afar or with the arcane, if we can. Or--perhaps they might fancy some sleep?"
Reithak was suddenly looking very unsteady on their feet, but that didn't stop them from springing into action. The large egalrin takes a big swing at the ooze in front of them, only to end up smashing themself in the side of the beak. "As if my head wasn't hurting enough already." The egalrin grumbles.
GAME: Crik rolls weapon2+1+2: (8)+7+1+2: 18 GAME: Crik rolls damage2+1: aliased to 1d4+0+1: (2)+0+1: 3 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 16. It is now Jacob's turn! Ooze 2 is next!
Crik was too occupied to see all that strange happening besides him - but when he raises his beak he lets out a distinctly not-friendly sounding 'caw' and quickly spins away, small crossbow in hand. A bolt flies out and melts into the ooze - leaving nothing but memories of spent copper.
GAME: Subduction rolls 6: (4)+6: 10 GAME: Jacob casts Inflict Moderate Wounds. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15 GAME: Jacob rolls Weapon0+3: (19)+5+3: 27 GAME: Jacob rolls 2d8+5: (6)+5: 11 GAME: Jacob rolls Reflex: (9)+6: 15 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (5): 5 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 13. It is now Ooze 2's turn! Fidget is next! GAME: Crik rolls will: (9)+3: 12 GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (17)+9: 26
The ooze further back slowly undulates towards the group, its mucousy form slipping up over the lip of the fountain which it overhang and plopping wetly onto the flagstones. Another wave of raw psychic energy pulses forth from it, this bombarding Crik's mind with the random, barely formed thoughts of its rudimentary psyche.
Jacob's eyes immediately widen as Reithak calls out the warning. His body immediately tenses and he steps back immediately away from the ooze. As it tries to reach up to meet his foot, he manages to avoid the contact, moving away from what no doubt was acidic in nature. Though as soon as that happens, his hand stretches forward, touching the ooze in a grazing contact as necrotic energy floods through the ooze to harm it!
Though the contact burns his hand as he steps away with a wince. "Magic seems to work fine! Though the acid is a well-warning against magic that relies on touch."
GAME: Fidget casts Deep Slumber. Caster Level: 5 DC: 18 GAME: Subduction rolls -4: (12)++-4: 8 GAME: Subduction rolls -4: (8)++-4: 4 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 9. It is now Fidget's turn! Ooze 1 is next! GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 6. It is now Ooze 1's turn! Ulthan is next! GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round One - Init 5. It is now Ulthan's turn! Lokir is next!
"Ah!" Fidget exclaims in surprise as the puddles suddenly start moving, she'd assumed they were too small and too flat to be the ooze threat, and had been watching the fountains instead. She backpedals a couple of steps, and then a grin spreads over her face as she realizes that this is an opportunity to use the new thing she just learned. Big open room, things that need to get set on fire, seemingly nothing valuable around... oh wait.
She's remembering something from one of those books that were boring. She complains out loud, "Damnit! Oozes don't care about fire, or acid, or cold, they don't really have soft spots, either. But these ones... they're doing some kind of mind-magic? This might work..." she says, uncertainly, and swirls her finger in the air, mumbles some arcane words and snaps her fingers with the one clear word, "Sleep!"
Fidget is actually a little surprised, and delighted, that it worked. On both of them, even! "Yeah! Go Fidget!" she says and then adds, "They're sleeping, we can take them out carefully now. One at a time."
GAME: Ulthan rolls damage7: aliased to 1d6+3: (1)+3: 4 GAME: Ulthan rolls reflex: (2)+2: 4 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: NEW ROUND! Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 22. It is now Lokir's turn! Reithak is next! GAME: Subduction rolls 6: (19)+6: 25 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d8+2: (8)+2: 10
Moving slowly, after everyone has dispersed around him, Ulthan steps forward to slash the closest, sleeping ooze with his handaxe. The hit is easy, since the ooze is immobile, but as the acid splashes and the ooze stirs again, the big dranei mutters something about 'Acid always being bad for his equipment maintenance bill.'
GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 18. It is now Reithak's turn! Crik is next! GAME: Reithak rolls 1d20+7+1+3: (18)+7+1+3: 29 GAME: Reithak rolls 1d10+3: (10)+3: 13 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 18. It is now Crik's turn! Jacob is next!
Lokir takes careful aim from his...well-considered vantage point at the rear of the party. The arrow is loosed...THWAK! "Splash one! Keep up the pressure, comrades!"
GAME: Crik rolls weapon2+2+1: (11)+7+2+1: 21 GAME: Crik rolls damage2+1: aliased to 1d4+0+1: (3)+0+1: 4 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 16. It is now Jacob's turn! Ooze 2 is next!
Crik, in the meanwhile, does Crik-Things. Or in this case, let out another bolt from his hand crossbow and attempts to meld into the background, as one does when faced with bundle of metal eating amoebas.
The large egalrin reaches for their rapier, only to stop and grumble some more at the way they seem to burn away everything that touches them. "Immune to fire as well? Gets more complicated, doesn't it." Reithak huffs as she pulls out her crossbow instead, this time sending a large bolt through one of the slimes, only for it to to vanish without a trace. Better that than their sword, at least.
GAME: Jacob casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15 GAME: Subduction rolls 6: (13)+6: 19 GAME: Jacob rolls weapon2: (16)+5: 21 GAME: Jacob rolls 1d8+3: (2)+3: 5 GAME: Jacob rolls reflex: (14)+6: 20 GAME: Jacob rolls BAB+Wisdom: (11)+3+3: 17 GAME: Jacob rolls 1d8+2: (5)+2: 7 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 13. It is now Ooze 2's turn! Fidget is next! GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 9. It is now Fidget's turn! Ooze 1 is next! GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Two - Init 5. It is now Ulthan's turn! Lokir is next!
"Immune to fire..." Jacob's eyes narrow. "Well, that changes things..." Perhaps he had initially planned to use a fire-based spell, but alas it was not to be. Instead, while Jacob duels with this monstrous ooze, he draws his lance and holds it tight to his side as his other hand opens softly as radiant light forms into a weapon. The spiritual weapon and Jacob strike in tandem, plunging both weapons into the core of the beast, though Jacob is quick to withdraw his last before the acid could deteriorate it or worse - the acid struck back against him. The ooze melts into nothingness as it's destroyed and Jacob turns his head elsewhere, as if trying to see who needs help!
GAME: Ulthan rolls damage7+1: aliased to 1d6+3+1: (6)+3+1: 10 GAME: Ulthan rolls reflex: (7)+2: 9 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: NEW ROUND! Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 22. It is now Lokir's turn! Reithak is next! GAME: Fidget rolls 3d4+3: (7)+3: 10 GAME: Fidget casts Magic Missile. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16
Ulthan sees the ooze he hit before losing its shape, so he steps back and with a short run, slashes at the other one with a mighty hew, hitting solidly. But his axe is getting the worse of the wear, again.
"One down" Fidget cheers, and winds up another spell, squeezing the air with her fingertips into a tiny glowing point, then with a twist of the fingertips, the single point splits into three. She waits a second for Ulthan to get in position and take a swing at the dozing monster, then flicks her wrist and sends the darts streaking through the air after the blow, blasting tiny holes through the gelatinous mass as it wobbles from the axe-strike. The ooze looks to be sagging a little after the barrage.
GAME: Subduction rolls 6+2: (3)+6+2: 11 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d8+2: (3)+2: 5 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 18. It is now Reithak's turn! Crik is next! GAME: Reithak rolls 1d20+7+1+3: (13)+7+1+3: 24 GAME: Reithak rolls 1d10+1+2: (10)+1+2: 13 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 18. It is now Crik's turn! Jacob is next! GAME: Crik rolls weapon2+3: (8)+7+3: 18 GAME: Crik rolls damage2+1: aliased to 1d4+0+1: (3)+0+1: 4 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 16. It is now Jacob's turn! Ooze 2 is next!
Crik sneaks around the wall and after seeing the ooze being battered by arrows, blades alike, joins into the fray - with yet another bolt off his tiny crossbow.
GAME: Jacob casts Cure Light Wounds. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14 GAME: Jacob rolls 1d8+5: (1)+5: 6 GAME: Jacob rolls BAB+Wisdom: (20)+3+3: 26
"Alright, just one more! Keep it up, everyone!" The egalrin shouts as the first ooze seems to break apart. The large egalrin racks their crossbow and loads it again with the attached mechanism, firing off another shot that pierces through the ooze.
GAME: Jacob rolls 1d8+2: (3)+2: 5 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 13. It is now Ooze 2's turn! Fidget is next! GAME: Subduction rolls 6: (9)+6: 15
After being put to sleep and then rudely awakened by being slashed and shot and blasted and chopped, the remaining Ooze wobbles blearily for a moment before it begins to slowly slither past Ulthan- towards the source of its unwelcome sleep. A spindly pseudopod, dripping acid, lunges out towards Ulthan in passing, but falls wide of the mark.
GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 9. It is now Fidget's turn! Ulthan is next! GAME: Fidget used a Pearl of Power (1st). GAME: Fidget rolls 3d4+3: (6)+3: 9 GAME: Subduction advances the initiative order. Round Three - Init 5. It is now Ulthan's turn! Lokir is next! GAME: Ulthan rolls attack7+1+1: (12)+attack7+1+1: 14
Lokir fires another arrow at the globby grey interlopers. It sails through the air straight and true, burying itself into the ooze and dissolving, its deed done. "Keep it up. No retreat!"
GAME: Ulthan rolls damage7+1: aliased to 1d6+3+1: (2)+3+1: 6 GAME: Ulthan rolls reflex: (4)+2: 6 GAME: Subduction rolls 1d6: (1): 1
Fidget notices the ooze sliding slightly closer to her, but doesn't worry about it for now, it's still way too far away to be a problem, instead she reaches into her pocket to find the small pearl that she can draw power from, and once again summons the points of light and darts them through the side of the creature, sending acidic splatter sizzling onto the floor behind it. "Hehe!" she cackles to herself as the creature wavers, and starts winding up her next spell
Ulthan smashes at the blob of ooze with dogged persistence of someone not used to backing up. With a strong slash, his handax slices the gummy shape of the ooze, and hitting the floor through, the axhead chips away badly but at least the ooze is done for, huzzah.
GAME: Subduction removes the timestop.
The last globs of the ooze quiver once more and then loose cohesion alltogether, becoming a slowly spreading patch of acidic, translucent slime on the stones underfoot. There is a tense moment, as adrenaline of battle runs high and the party prepare for more enemies- but none more come, at least for now.
Ulthan eyes his handax, and shrugs. It's a tool, it did its work, and more. But darn it, time to start carrying some disposable quarterstaff with him, it seems.
"Hey thanks, appreciate it!" The egalrin laughs as the healing runs it's course, and before they can load up another bolt, the second ooze falls, at least, fairly certainly. "Everyone holding up okay? Only reason I was hurt is myself, but those things burn you up something fierce. Careful moving farther ahead though, if there are any traps left with stone tiles, they might still be functional, hard to say, but rather safe than sorry, you know?" Reithak notes, pulling out the wooden case of remaining bolts, and replacing it with a fresh one from their jacket.
From behind one of the pillars, comes a familiar voice, "I am fine!" Crik calls out, then pulls out another notebook of his, making rapid sketches and notes.
Lokir glances at Ulthan's broken axe and hums a mournful tunr. "It gave itself so the party could live. But rest assured the smithy above can return it to your rightful side soon enough..."
With its slimy denizens dispatched, further exploring the tavern proves uneventful for the party- On the left side of the room is another long eaten door, that leads into what seems to be a latrine. Unremarkable but for one thing- the room is noticably warmer than the main chamber, and there is a scent of sulfur emanating from the commodes.
"I can fix that later if you come by my shop, Ulthan. Should be easy enough. And I have a club if you're desperate, but..." she looks up and down the tall, very tall, unreasonably tall human, "...it might be kind of like a toothpick if you hold it." and she laughs. "Unless you're good with a dragonspitter. That's not you-sized, but it's normal human sized."
GAME: Fidget rolls knowledge/nature: (4)+9: 13 GAME: Reithak rolls knowledge/nature: (19)+6: 25 GAME: Lokir rolls 1d20+1: (20)+1: 21
Ulthan shrugs as he stows his ax, carefully, in its loop on his belt, checking his dagger and then taking better grip on his big flail. "Oh, the ax is a tool, but I was worried about this Bear-breaker here... It's not as easy to repair or replace as a simple hatchet would be."
With the area looking already clear, Reithak continues on with the rest of the group. "Well, get it fixed regardless, it's cheaper than a new one, and seems like having spare gear is worth it anyways, if we run into more of those things." They consider. "Glad you're okay Crik, keep up.
The large egalrin stops, and pinches the bridge of their beak. "Well, I thought there might still be people here using the latrines somehow, but no, that's sulphur, not any animal or humanoid byproducts." Reithak notes. "Seems they hooked these up to one of the magma channels in the earth here, pretty smart if you ask me.
Crik tilts his head sideways, ignorant of the smell. Then he tilts it the other way. Finally, back to the other way, once mroe. "They are using lava for power. Plenty of uses for lava." After a moment, he adds, "Except when it begins to ooze."
The black egalrin's beak opens, before he moves along to explore the main room, sketching along.
Lokir nods. "Aye. There's an odor in the air of fire, heat, and liquid rock. We should watch out step--lest we topple a retaining wall that leads to a river of death.". Lokir pauses, glancing around the chamber. "Perhaps we sketch a map of our progress so far...even incremental knowledge is progress."
"Oh, so there's lava in here?" Fidget asks and walks over in that direction, making sure to avoid stepping in the sizzling pools of acid that were once foes. She peers into the room and looks around before stepping in just in case there's any unnoticed traps, or as Lokir suggested, crumbling floors, before trying to figure out if you can see the lava anywhere.
GAME: Fidget rolls perception: (14)+6: 20
"Its sacrifice will not be in vain." Jacob pats Ulthan softly on the shoulder while his eyes shift to look upon Lokir. "Are any of you injured?" He reaches to touch Reithak on the shoulder as healing magic floods into his being. "Saw you got a little bit hurt earlier, figure this might help." His Spiritual Weapon still floats solemnly in the air, waiting for its next order.
The other rooms, to the right, look to have been a kitchen and... something else. A pantry, maybe? Very little of either is left, save for stone counters and a long granite basin in the kitchen. Anything edible, as well as most things not generally considered edible, like cutlery, has long since been consumed by the oozes that squatted in this place. A shame for the archaeological team, to be certain- but there is still those carvings at the entryway, and the architecture itself- but very little in the way of artifacts remains.
"Yeah, that's okay though, only smacked myself around, and if I can't take a hit from myself, I've got a lot bigger problems." Reithak chuckles. "But thanks, better to be ready for anything else coming than not. I think this place is remarkably well maintained for the most part, but magma, well, it's magma. Nature is going to mess things up sooner or later without any maintenance, so we better be careful, I don't want my goose getting cooked, or any of yours."
Crik's notebook is filled with sketches by the time he is done scouring the place; plenty of copies of the most interesting looking engravings and architectural decisions. One must always know where to place the bomb. "Nothing interesting left... shape - a tavern?" The corvid offers, before jotting down a question mark. The notebook with its many folded papers disappears in an instant. "Any more pools that need stabbing?"
Fidget, with her head right over the toilet/hole, announces in an echoing voice, "Coooool. It goes way down there." And she fumbles around in her pocket and tosses a copper coin down, just to see how far down she can see the glimmer of metal go. "The repair would be free, by the way, since it only takes a couple minutes and it's a cantrip. Just lemme know a day in advance since I don't usually study that spell. Also, it gets you in the door, so you can see all the things you could buy, and you'll be swayed by that to spend much more money than on the repair." She laughs again, all still spoken into the shitter, giving her voice and laugh a booming quality.
"Looks to be some kind of eatery..." Jacob notes as he looks to the other rooms, a kitchen...a pantry...plenty of edibles rendered like dust from the passing of time and overgrown with mold most like. Though Reithak makes him chuckle. "Anytime. Least we know now. And thanks, we'll do the same for you my friend." He removes his hand from Reithak's shoulder and he hums softly. "Maybe the Tavern bit was literal..." He tells Crik with a slight shrug. "None that I can see, at the moment."
He turns to Fidget. "Fidget, could you perhaps not toss a copper coin down, we don't know what we might wake up that's sleeping down here!" He doesn't actually seem too worried about that. But he does keep his eyes ahead. "Good work everyone."
And with the tavern thoroughly explored, and no way forward discovered- aside from the exceedingly foolhardy option of climbing down an ancient latrine pit into lava- the group begin their return journey to report on their findings. And soon realize that as uncomfortable as the slog down the stairs was, they are going to need to climb back up again now.