A Mountainous Exploration part 2

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+7: (19)+7: 26

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+7: (10)+7: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+7: (1)+7: 8 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (12)+9: 21

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (17)+9: 26

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (2)+9: 11

GAME: Seldan rolls fortitude: (3)+16: 19

Though its losing a degree of consitency and coherence, the creature still spews more vile spit even as it lets out this horrible...cackling...sound that's a mixture of screams and other even more inhuman vocalizations. It's echoing throughout the landscape in front of the yawning opening into the mountain.

It's teeth scrape along Kore and Garak to no avail for the time being, but that spit definiteky got all over Seldan.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 19.

It is now Malik's turn! Erendriel is next!

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+7+6+2+2-2-2+1: (3)+7+6+2+2+-2+-2+1: 17

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+7+6+2+2-2-2+1: (17)+7+6+2+2+-2+-2+1: 31

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+7+6+2+2-2-2+1: (13)+7+6+2+2+-2+-2+1: 27

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+2+6+2+2-2-2+1: (7)+2+6+2+2+-2+-2+1: 16

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (8)+2+3+4+2: 19

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (7)+2+3+4+2: 18

Swishing sounds fly by as a hail of arrows fly through the air. "THUNK, THWUNK," the black shafts driving deep into the creature. From the edge of the field, a lone archer stands, already drawing new arrows to let fly, the form familiar to some there. "I see you started without me!" he calls, a bit of mirth in the strangely-accented voice.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 16.

It is now Erendriel's turn! Seldan is next!

GAME: Erendriel rolls 2d8+1: (10)+1: 11

Erendriel is no longer incorporeal, has to be in order to fly and do stuff. So she's backing off as fast as she can while reaching, grabbing a... wriggling spider? and popping it into her mouth. "Ow, ow, ahhhh, ow..."

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 12.

It is now Seldan's turn! Olek is next!

GAME: Seldan casts Divine Favor. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16

"AGH!" Seldan's cry as the spray of goo catches him full in the face, and this time he isn't able to blink it out. He turns away, blinking furiously as the spittle burns his eyes, and fumbles for the symbol around his neck, speaking a prayer. "Dreamer, guide my blade!" He holds it between his hands, letting a burst of silver-gold light flash out from it to cover his hands before vanishing.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 11.

It is now Olek's turn! Kore is next!

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (12)+9: 21

GAME: Olek rolls 1d20+17: (11)+17: 28

GAME: Olek rolls 1d10+14: (7)+14: 21

Olek has only just gotten to the top, and he complains, "You guys started without me!" He'll rush in, deflecting an incoming attack with his solid shield, and will chop with a mighty axeblow into the mass of monster. It's hard to tell if it's effective or not, the monster's just big and strange. But his axe is now covered in yuck. This seems to please him, though his grin looks more like a snarl due to the facial scar.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 11.

It is now Kore's turn! Rhar is next!

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 10.

It is now Rhar's turn! Garak is next!

"Rhar!" She was taught by a wise and high society wolf that it's always polite to introduce herself, even to foes! "Pack! Move fast! Hit! No get hit!" She sagely advises all on the best means to defeat the thing, even as she, well Gurr, bounds the two of them close to the thing. "Hit in mouth!" Should be easy! It's like, all mouth, isn't it?

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 7.

It is now Garak's turn! Munch is next!

Garak does indeed move fast, circling the monstrosity towards Munch. As soon as he's close enough, Garak taps him lightly on the shoulder. The cleric murmurs under his breath something about Serriel showing Munch 'the rage of battle' and then steps back slightly from the front.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 6.

It is now Munch's turn! Stjepan is next!

GAME: Munch rolls weapon16+2-2: (2)+18+2+-2: 20

GAME: Munch rolls weapon16+2-2-5: (11)+18+2+-2+-5: 24

GAME: Munch rolls damage16+6+6+1d6: aliased to 1D12+11+6+6+1d6: (5)+11+6+6+(4): 32

GAME: Munch rolls damage16+6+6+1d6: aliased to 1D12+11+6+6+1d6: (5)+11+6+6+(2): 30

Munch swings reaver, and massive greataxe, with more power than finess, but it's enough to connct with the gibbering abomination, splattering gore and pieces.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Five - Init 5.

It is now Stjepan's turn! Huge Mother is next!

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+14: (15)+14: 29

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (15)+9: 24

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+14: (18)+14: 32

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d10+5: (4)+5: 9

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d10+5: (1)+5: 6

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d10+5: (7)+5: 12

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+24: (15)+24: 39

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6+17: (10)+17: 27

GAME: NEW ROUND!

Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Six - Init 25.

It is now Huge Mother's turn! Malik is next!

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (8)+9: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (2)+9: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (14)+9: 23

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (20)+9: 29

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (20)+9: 29

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (11)+9: 20

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (8)+9: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+9: (10)+9: 19

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+&: (18)+&: 18

GAME: Rhar uses an AoO! 4 remaining.

GAME: Rhar uses an AoO! 3 remaining.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d8+4: (7)+4: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d8+4: (3)+4: 7

GAME: Whirlpool damaged you for 7 points. 26 HP remaining.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+16: (4)+16: 20

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+7: (10)+7: 17

GAME: Munch rolls fort: (10)+18: 28

The creature is now leaking thise horrible... /goo/ ever ywhere. Those near it are already sinking into the softened stone and snow and it's bites are lashing out. Garak and Munch bot take minor wounds ot their rame that manages to pierce their armor and, in Munch's case, hide.

Still, it doesn't look like this thing will be posing a threat much longer.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Six - Init 19.

It is now Malik's turn! Erendriel is next!

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+7+6+2+2+1-2-2+1: (10)+7+6+2+2+1+-2+-2+1: 25

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+7+6+2+2+1-2-2+1: (17)+7+6+2+2+1+-2+-2+1: 32

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+7+6+2+2+1-2-2+1: (8)+7+6+2+2+1+-2+-2+1: 23

GAME: Malik rolls 1d20+2+6+2+2+1-2-2+1: (14)+2+6+2+2+1+-2+-2+1: 24

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (3)+2+3+4+2: 14

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (6)+2+3+4+2: 17

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (3)+2+3+4+2: 14

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (2)+2+3+4+2: 13

GAME: Malik rolls 1d8+2+3+4+2: (1)+2+3+4+2: 12

GAME: Olek ends his rage.

GAME: Whirlpool removes the timestop.

The archer takes the opportunity to quickly close the distance, though not getting too close. Once again, that hail of arrows fires forth from the bow, the hand moving in a blur as he skillfully twirls arrows into place, nocking and let fly with smooth, practiced ease. First one, then three, then five arrows fly through the air, each of them puncturing the creature deeply, the archer's face a mask of stoic focus as he moves, the thing slowly starting to lose whatever animating force moves it, until it finally falls over, stopping completely.

Looking around, he asks, "Is everyone alright?"

Munch tsks mildly as maws sink into his rubbery flesh... and then fall still as Malik ends the threat. The golem's wrist starts to pulse with a white glow, and little specks of white light race up his arm to the damaged areas, which start to knit together again. "I'll be fine in a minute or two." (Ring of Regeneration)

Seldan, still clearing his eyes of the nasty green spittle that caught him full in the face, doesn't see it right away. Finally, he blinks enough away to see, hazily - as it melts into nothingness. His sword lowers, and with a quick gesture and a word, he begins to clean the stuff off of himself. It appears to be quite the job, since that wasn't the first salvo that got him, and it takes a good few minutes, but he does manage to clean it off of himself, and blinks blearily with reddened eyes at the others.

GAME: Seldan casts Prestidigitation. Caster Level: 11 DC: 15

Erendriel waits until she's dang sure it's dead before she starts creeeeeeeeeeeping back to the group on her broom. "Dear gods what was that hideous thing?"

Garak reaches into a satchel he wears at the waist. He produces a wand. "Serriel can heal our injuries. Hurry, before some other foul...thing appears." He proceeds to tap the tip of the wand against his own palm, and his wounds begin to seal up.

Olek looks around, but it turns out he got to the battle last. He grumbles sourly, looks around, and says, "Well. We are here anyhow. Now what?"

The thing's globular, disgusting corpse now begins to melt into the nsow, leaving more mess on the earth and mud that its left in its wake.

You still, of course, have an opening to go through, amongst oher things.

GAME: Malik rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (3)+6: 9

Rhar pokes it with her stick. Just in case. She sniffs at it, too. Once she's convinced it's dead, she points her stick forward. "Go pack go!" And Gurr begins to trot thattways.

Munch buzzes softly, and shrugs. "Not sure what they're called. MutteringMaw, or something like that? Seen them before, but that one was extra big." absently flexing his healing limbs, the golem peers at the abyss into the mountain. "Shall we?"

"That," Malik tells Erendriel as she rides up on the broom, "is a payday." He glances around at the others, watching as the paladin tries to remove all the goo that covers him. Malik walks to his side, just shaking his head. "How do you always manage to get covered in something disgusting," he asks with a laugh.

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (11)+3: 14

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (6)+3: 9

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (6)+3: 9

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (13)+3: 16

Erendriel tilts her head. "Should we... actually take some time to rest? WE've had to work pretty hard just outside."

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (6)+3: 9

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (13)+3: 16

GAME: Garak used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds.

GAME: Garak rolls 2d8+3: (11)+3: 14

Seldan doesn't even look up until he's mostly cleaned off. "It is a hazard of closing with the enemy," he tells Malik mildly, with a half-smile. "I shall endeavor to save you some, the next time it occurs." He looks back down, into the waiting abyss, then says to Erendriel, "I have no wish to rest or sleep, out here in this weather. Let us venture inside, and learn a bit more, ere we rest."

Olek hasn't had to work very hard. Plummetting from an airship, climbing up a cliff face, hacking at a giant yuck monster. "Pfah," he says about resting. "That's not working hard. Let's press on and see what we're here for, at least." He will, putting words into action, move on.

Garak crouches and studies the snow where the monster emerged. "Our magic feathers were dispelled. Could that abomination have been...waiting for us?" He glances at Erendriel. "Did you notice anything before it attacked us?"

Malik listens to the suggestions, nodding along with those who suggest pressing forward. "It's more dangerous to wait out here in the open," he agrees. "At least inside might offer some form of shelter from the elements. It's going to get very cold, very fast." And then, as an afterthought, he adds, "And no. Large fires won't help that much. Sudden water would be just as bad."

"Cave better no cave." Rhar assures everyone. Gurr... did he just shake his head slowly? "Come! Go!" Rhar urges everyone on again, as, with what could be a large lupine sigh, the two of them continue forward. Pointy end of the stick!

Erendriel gestures to Seldan. "Someone dispelled it, he said, and I'm pretty sure he's right.. Which means it was either... a trap. Or someone watched us fall. Which means... I want to check this entrance for traps before we proceed."

GAME: Erendriel takes ten on perception+10+1: (10)+19+10+1: 40

So, first things first.

You've searched to make sure there are no more problems laying in wait just outside the entryway. IT doeshn't appear there are and so in you go. Moving inside, you can immediately feel it. It's like a buzzing thatr scrapes along your skin as you pass through the threshhold. It's distinctly uncomfortable, but it's less something to be concerned with and more an ambient sort of static energy that you've passed through. Once you're inside, it's definitely gone. As the last of you moves inside, you're suddenly plunged into immediate darkness -- mostly because the entryway seems to've vanished entirely behind you.

GAME: Erendriel casts Dancing Lights. Caster Level: 10 DC: 16

Munch buzzes softly, magicite eyes gleaming in even the faintest of lights. His leathery 'dreadlocks' writhe and winggle on their own, rising to form a sort of halo around the golems head, sensitive skins detecting microvibrations in the air. In short, the dark doesn't seem to bother him at all.

GAME: Seldan casts Light. Caster Level: 11 DC: 15

Being plunged into darkness isn't a great problem for Seldan, although he does quickly whirl in the direction where the maw was. Searching in his belt pouch, he fishes from it a coin, on which he casts a spell with a single word and a gesture. He has to try twice to get it right, but tt begins to glow with a golden-white light, and he casts it to the ground at the party's feet, to get a better look around.

From the darkness, a small fire springs into existence, burning white as it circles the head of the archer in a slow, lazy orbit. "Interesting," he muses, glancing back at the door with a curious look. "Are all the doors in Alexandros fixed to elaborately vanish once passed through? Because I seem to be noticing a theme. A downright impractical one, in my opinion."

Olek looks back as the area plunges into darkness and sees the entry has gone. Not that darkness slows a dwarf much. He will proceed on warily regardless, grumbling as the lights come up from various sources. "Well, now they'll see us coming," he complains. "Though they almost certainly already know, given that our descent was dispelled. And that fight at the entrance wasn't particularly stealthy."

Erendriel like some others does cast some magic to make some light. She can see in low light, but darkness isn't low light. "If that was a trap, it was a very, very well hidden one. Did you all feel that? I really do think something's watching us. Somebody. Somebody here. Someone who already tried to crash us onto the mountain."

GAME: Erendriel rolls perception: (11)+19: 30

"Find someone. Crash -them- into mountain first!" Rhar continues her tactical wisdom.

GAME: Rhar rolls perception: (17)+20: 37

GAME: Olek rolls perception: (7)+15: 22

Garak muses, "The reports described something like this. The party that was sent before us experienced similar phenomena." He frowns. "Perhaps when they returned to warn others what they found, it gave whoever is behind this, time to prepare for the next group of adventurers. For us."

GAME: Garak rolls perception: (15)+19: 34

GAME: Munch rolls perception: (10)+20: 30

GAME: Seldan rolls perception: (19)+5: 24

Seldan takes a moment, in the circle of light so created, to extract a small stone from his haversack. This he sets into motion around his head, a similar effect to Malik's, and picks up the coin. He dismisses the spell with an arcane gesture, but the ioun torch is adequate to the task, and the lighting changes little for the exchange. "Something knows that we are here, and watches us," he says with certainty. "Who, or what, I cannot say."

GAME: Malik rolls Perception: (11)+17: 28

Munch buzzes adn shrugs. "Pretty sure 'here' isn't where we saw outside the mountain. Not good, but not sure was a trap or just how the whole mess is set up. A displaced part of... wherever this is... set into the mountain."

Now that you have some light, again, you can see that you're in a rather large cavern. This is definitely not what the entrance looked like a short time ago.

There are tunnels splitting off in all directions, looking like they were burroued out of the mountain by... /something/. They are ridged and ringed. You're in the back of one ovular shaped recess at the moment.

Malik, for once, doesn't immediately walk out ahead, looking at the tunnels from exactly where he stands, as if searching his memory for any indication of where they might be, or what might have created the tunnels they're seeing. "Well," he tells the others, "if someone is watching us, I think there's very little that we can do about that, ultimately. Let's hope that we provide an entertaining show."

Rhar and Gurr sniff about the starts of the tunnels. Gurr's is bigger, Rhar's is cuter. She has to lie atop his head to get hers close enough to the ground to help, but it's something they've trained for before. Teamwork! Maybe they can find one path that's fresher than another?

Olek will stand around, then, while the others track down clues and such. He was looking, too, but despite his darkvision, he hasn't found anything worth following up on. So he will standy by warily in case of emergency.

Garak tilts his head back to look at the top of the tunnel, then turns it to the side to look at the walls. "What could have created these? Some other monster?" He tugs off a glove and the lays his now-bare palm against a wall. The he examines his fingers and rubs the tips together. "We should stay in formation," he remarks, turning to follow Rhar.

Munch considers a few moments, and draws his massive adamantine axe, carving a notch into the stone wall. "...whichevr direction we go, make sure the way is marked in case we double back, or come across someplace almost identical."

"If I had to guess, I would say that the mountain's mouth closed." Seldan slips the coin back into his belt pouch and slings his haversack back over his back. Turning, he stares at the myriad of tunnels facing him. "I feel as though I have seen this before," he murmurs, with a sidelong glance at Olek.

Garak turns to look at Seldan speculatively. "Yes," he nods. "That could be it." He looks from one tunnel to another. "Then this could be the mountains...veins? Or it's throat?" He shakes his head slightly. Glancing at the rest of the group now, he tries to position himself in the middle of the party. "Remember: formation."

Olek nods to Seldan, though he says, "This isn't some Dwarven mine, and that was no earth elemental we faced at the cave entrance. You don't have an eye for tunnels if you do not see the differences between that mine and this place."

"Bold of you to assume that's the opening of the mountain that you managed to find," Malik tells the others, something sly in his voice, though he waits to see what the others want to do.

"Yes, of course." Seldan's remark, and his bearing, take on a level of reserve as he acknowledges Olek's comments. "Very well, I will guard our backs." So saying, he re-draws the sword he'd sheathed to hunt in his pack, and allows the others to go first down the chosen tunnel.

"Ennie, meanie- that one. Bored now. Let's go." Munch picks a tunnel and starts out, not good at standing around and wating for choices to be made. To Impulsive.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d5: (4): 4

Good news, everyone! You're going down a passage!

The bad news is that you're definitely not going up. Up would at lease4 be better, in the sense that you know you'd come out SOMEWHERE towards the peak, but instead, it's slanted downwards.

Worse still, the tunnel is getting... slippery.

There's definitely some ooze beneath your feet that is gradually spreading the further slanted dowanrds you go until the whole tunnel is dripping in it and you're having to walk very carefully.

And then you start to hear /sounds/ coming from down the tunnel. It sounds like... some sort of clicking nad chittering sound. More tunnels start to split off from this one, honeycombed being the best description possible at this point.

And then you find about half the tunnel's width encompassing a pit in front of you, in which rest many, many, many thousands of squirming, amorphous... things.

Insects of some kind, but definitely not of the earthly variety. And they're looking up at you.