A Sewer Taste

Log Info

• Title: A Sewer Taste

• GM: Riptide

• Characters: Aelwyn, Harkashan, Ous, Rune, Tlanexhuani

• Place: Sewers of Alexandria

• Summary: Aelwyn, Harkashan, Ous, Rune, and Tlanexhuani are all on every adventurer's favorite kind of job: a sewer job. A sewer worker by the name of Donovan Sully gives them the description of what's going on with the sewers: namely, there's oozes, and they're making it a bit difficult to work in the sewers. The adventuring group sets off and, by means of slip-and-slide, attracts the attention of an elven ghost who goes by 'Mimi'. After Harkashan arranges a deal with Mimi to teach her how to talk to Donovan, the focus of her (entirely unseen and unacknowledged) affections, Mimi leads them to the storage closet where the oozes are currently hiding. The group engages in a melee with them, and they prove victorious! But smelly.

The sewers of Alexandria. Every adventurer goes into them at least once, or so it's said. That's why you're currently standing in front of one of the sewer maintenance entrances with a grimy-looking human man who has dark bags under his eyes. According to the Explorer's Guild paperwork, this is a man named Donovan Sully. And... He looks like one. Somehow.

"Okay. Here's the deal," he says. "There's stuff in the sewers. I know, whatever, right? There's always stuff down there. But it's getting really hard to do your job when there's oozy things trying to gnaw on you. So... Help me out here. Please? Or there's gonna be a whole lot of crap that nobody's gonna like."

He waits a minute before he says, "And I'm not being cute, either, I mean a lot of actual crap. It's a sewer."

Listening to the oddly-fitting Donovan, Ous nods quietly. Looking at the entrance to the sewer, the ranger offers a grin from behind a thick beard that was WAY to chipper for the current job. "Aye think it sounds like a shitty job mister. But Aye gues Aye'll chalk it up tae civic duty...and a paycheck." The accent Ous spoke in was hard to place. it was Northern for sure, but spoke of a multitude of dialects instead of one in specific.

Why does it have to be the sewers? Oh yes, because Rune has yet to make any sort of name for herself within the Explorer's Guild and that means that sometimes you get stuck with the shitty jobs. Literally. The half-sil woman wastes no time in pulling her mask up over her nose, fully expecting that this will be a very unpleasant experience. It covers much of her features, but still allows her blue yes and blue-tipped black hair to be visible.

"Would you be able to define what 'stuff' is in this context?" She asks, keeping her voice down so it doesn't echo in the underground. "It would help us be a bit more prepared..." Her hands, for now, rest on a pair of twin short swords. The rogue who normally tends to serve her time as a messenger, seems to have come prepared for a fight.

Tlanexhuani listens to the worker, tail flicking as he eyes move from speaker to opening and back. Having been in Alexandria for all of a week, he is completely unfamiliar with most of it. High walls are new to him. Large structures are foreign. "Ssa... what is in cave to find?" He has no concept of a sewer, much less seen one before.

The Sewers are hardly the most... comfortable place to go into as an Adventurer. Luckily, this Sith-makar did not inherit the particular kind of sensitive nose that others of his kind have gained. Still, a black cloth is hanging on the tip of his snout to the sides of his muzzle, making him look like he's here for a mourning situation.

It's a paycheck - had been Harkashan's remark on the sewers as well towards Rune. Not the best job in the world to go in there and get this done, but someone had to do it. And luckily, his scales clean easily.

"Oozy things. As in Oozes. That may be trouble." Harkashan grumbles. After all, he doesn't exactly have any magical weaponry that are immune to the dissolving touch of some types of oozes.

He then looks to Tlanexhuani and remarks; "Is like guano-cave. Really long guano cave, with running water."

Aelwyn stands there with... a leather mask wrapped around his flat snout. Once, he had a strong sense of ginger about him - and people could have easily seen him push more of the crushed ginger through the sideways holes, sealing them in. He has given away his typical red loincloth for a more practical, leather one as well. It was still red. "This one is aware." The ruddy sith-makar looked like he knew what he was getting into and he knew it was going to be miserable; glaive poised at the ready, but a javelin was drooped down and lightly tapping at his calves. "Shit and monsters made out of shit." He breathes in deep. At least there was going to be a paycheck.

Seeing a fellow sith-makar with... nothing, he walks over and quietly offers him one of his pouches of herbs. "Close this around the nostrils, Thunder." He bows his head, ribbons tilting down off his horns.

"You sure got it right, buddy," Donovan says with a snort to Ous's observation of his job. "Actually, they pay me pretty well, but that might be because of the vaguely hazardous conditions we have to put up with."

He gestures to the walls of the sewer entrance that the group of adventurers and himself are more or less right on the cusp of. "I mean. This is a slippery place. Lots of moisture. Slimy stuff. You can slip and fall if you're not careful. And there's parts of the sewers that people say're haunted, but I've never met so much of a 'boo', let alone a full-blown appari.. Appuh... Apper..."

Donovan struggles for a moment. "Fancy word for ghost," he admits in defeat. "Anyway. What I have met are these creatures that are just... ooze. Some gardeners use them to catch rats and other stuff in their gardens, then they'll catch the oozes and dump them into the sewers because, y'know, people just think this is where their crap goes, so their other crap can go here, too. It's great! I love it here." The sarcasm in his voice can be cut with a knife and spread on bread.

GAME: Rune rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (9)+8: 17
GAME: Aelwyn rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (5)+5: 10
GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (20)+3: 23
GAME: Ous rolls Knowledge/dungeoneering: (1)+5: 6 (EPIC FAIL)

Listening to Donovan, Ous continues to smile. "I think Th' word ye're looking for is 'Apparatus.' Pretty sure it is anyways." Listening to the rest of the explanation, the tall ranger cants his head to the side. "People put slimey things in the sewer...Sounds right tae me."

"Delightful." Harkashan answers with a bit of annoyance at Donavan's revelation in regards to oozes, and the wonderful world of Alexandrian sewage. He'd crinkle his nose, but that isn't really something he can do. So instead, he blows his nose in a long winded breath, followed by pale fog bursting out from all sides of the dark protective cloth.

"Apparitions?" The Sith-makar then offers, where Ous suggests Apparatus.

Rune turns her gaze from the sewer worker to the others, taking in the familiar form of the looming blue-scale. She had met him in Mictlan. Some measure of surprise shows in the lift of her eyebrows. Perhaps she had thought him far more experienced than this sort of mission. The human and the smaller Makari are less familiar. "I'm Rune, by the way." She offers with a faint nod of her head to the other two.

Then, she turns back to Donovan, listening closely to his description of what they might encounter. "I hope we don't have to punch the ghosts this time." A statement that likely makes little sense to anyone who was at the Drunken Armadillo, having to deal with a particulalry interesting haunting. Oozes, on the other hand, she nods with some measure of knowledge aobut. "I've heard of something like that. They're blind which is to our advantage, but they also tend to attack with acid so... that could be problematic."

Tlanexhuani tilts his head in confusion at Harkashan, but accepts the gift from the other. "This one thanks." He fumbles with the cloth a moment before recognizing at least one of the softskins from passing, before and makes an open-claw gesture of greeting. "Ssa. Little sssizzle sslimesss." He seems a bit familiar, though by a different name. "Not touch, not big danger."

Aelwyn bows his head once more. "Breathe evenly. Do not taste the surroundings." Yes, do not lick the walls. Taking in a deep breath, he glances back towards Donovan. "... this time the dwellers beneath will not be involved?" He asks, followed by a quiet exhale. His eyes keep darting over Harkashan though, having eyed the larger sith-makar for some time. Eventually, he cannot resist and walks over - to lightly touch those fiery scales. "Lava will not start evaporating the... 'water', this one hopes?" He tilts his head and looks up - it was hard to say if he was being serious or just being amused.

Though the lava-like patterns on Harkashan's scales glisten and seem to shift against the light while they're standing outside, it seems that Aelywn is in fact safe.

As he touches against those fiery scales peeking out between some of the armor, the tall draconic looking one slowly tilts his head and looks down at the shorter Makari. He feels incredibly warm to the touch. Certainly higher in body-temperature than a human. "I do not believe I am quite that... 'hot', that water will turn to steam." Harkashan promises. Though it's clear that any snowfall is practically directly melting on his armor and scales.

"Three Sith-makar, a half-sil and a human enter a Sewer..." He then mumbles. As if this were the start to some cosmic joke.

Donovan wipes a hand on his grimy overalls. "Yeah, I know, real delightful wonderland we got, but it pays my wages and puts food on my table--and it's gonna do the same for you. Anyway, uhh, just walk in, take a right, take a right, walk a little more, and take a left, and that's where you'll see the storage room for this part of the sewers. Last I saw, they were hanging out in there and getting real cozy-like with the boxes and junk."

He throws a hand up and gives a sort of tired wave. "Anyway. I'm gonna get outta here and go stuff a sandwich down my gullet. Just report back to the Guild when you're done."

And with that, he departs... Leaving the adventuring group to walk in. Donovan wasn't kidding. It's a bit dark, but not dark enough to be entirely without sight thanks to the occasional sconce on the walls. Also, it smells, and there's occasionally some chalk-made scrawlings on the wall by amorous teenagers declaring their love to each other, and scrawlings making fun of said scrawlings from other younglings.

The ground's a bit slippery, though!

GAME: Aelwyn rolls reflex: (8)+4: 12
GAME: Ous rolls reflex: (17)+6: 23
GAME: Rune rolls reflex: (20)+7: 27 (CRITICAL SUCCESS)
GAME: Harkashan rolls Reflex: (2)+2: 4

Giving Harkashan a deadpan look, Ous Nods. "Aye. Apparition, s'what I said." Nodding to Rune as she introduces herself, he smiles wider. "Ous." Pronounced Us with a hard O sound, it might be hard to discern weather he is introducing himself, or grunting. "Wait. Ye punched a ghost? Aye thought Aye did that once. Turns out it wasnae a ghost, it was an albino...Still, he was tryaing tae kill me at th' time so it worked out in th' wash."

Aelwyn gets a strange look for a moment. "Dinnae taste the surroundings...ok" And then they were descending into the sewers. A scarf quickly tied around the ranger's face as he begins to descend into the sewers.

Aelwyn tilts his head back, wriggling his fingers as if he had just touching scalding. "Tch, could have fooled this one." He gives the taller sith-makar's calves a playful tap with his tail. "Perhaps it is not the water that will turn to steam." Banter aside, the shortest sith-makar takes a deep breath, roll his shoulders. "Yes, do not even taste the air." The draconian confirms - and moves to step into the sewers.

A moment later he has slipped, slid into the darkness, followed by a quiet set of makari curses. "... hate this shit..."

Harkashan seems oblivious to Aelwyn's second meaning on things turning to steam, so he answers him with as much of a 'smile' as a draconic sort such as him can manage. He does at least swat his tail back towards Aelwyn's though. A lively kind of thing.

And on they go.

When someone says it's slippery inside, there's a certain amount of slipperiness that is actually expected. This was more slippery than the Sith-makar expected. Wrappings around his feet quickly start getting wet as they enter into the place. His strong scales preventing any things like sharp twigs and the like from entering his foot. An advantage that the Sith-makar had oft leveraged against the Charn, who generally needed things like boots to keep themselves safe.

His claws dig into the ground from time to time as they make it along the inside edge of the sewer, only to suddenly...

He feels his foot try to step, and it steps into something... squishy. He doesn't look down immediately, as much as he looks up, as he feels his entire body just... go. His arms go back, and his tail tries to move to help leverage him, but before he knows it, he's on his ass and a bit dazed, the breath knocked out of him a bit.

Aelwyn's curses in draconic is spoken in stereo - as Harkashan joins in, before trying to get back up with some difficulty. Luckily, being Sith-makar, he isn't too concerned about what he may or may not have just stepped into.

"I'm not entirely sure they were ghosts, or some sort of weird magical enchantment." Rune explains, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. "I don't rightly understand most magic, but it felt like punching any normal bar drunk at the time. He just happened to vanish into nothing afterwards." She leaves it at that as they step into the sewers.

Even wearing the mask, the smell still hits hard and Rune makes a coughing sound, reaching up to cover one hand over her nose and mouth. Her eyes spot the scrawlings on the wall, half expecting them to be some kind of markings the caretaker uses for navigation but, no... "Who thinks that it's romantic to scrawl the name of someone they fancy... in the sewer?" Her dark brows furrow as the Half-sil shakes her head.

The ground may be slippery, but Rune seems to have a feel for how to navigate such things. She seems to instinctually find dry patches or raised bits of stone which are not nearly as slick. The sound of Harkashan's armor hitting the ground has her looking back over her shoulder. "You okay back there, big guy?" She asks. Though her amusement isn't visible through the mask, there's a quirk of her eyebrow that shows some hint of it.

"I don't know," a female voice from behind the group says, "I think it's pretty romantic to me."

The voice belongs to a pale, pale woman of elven heritage, white hair hanging down on top of her tattered rags. Her feet... appear to not be feet, only a fine mist, and her hair and rags both appear to not be obeying reality, moving like there's wind in the sewers when there isn't.

"Can you tell Donovan to stop ignoring me?" she asks politely. "After you clear the oozes out, that is. I don't like them in my living room."

"Don't you be giving me that look." The Sith-makar presses with Rune in a mock-indignant tone as she helps him up and he manages to keep going. Only to turn when he picks up on a new voice. Turning, he spots the elfin woman in those tattered rags. Some kind of bum? But no, the way her feet are instead a fine mist, he imagines it must be some kind of... spirit? He's not sure.

"I can certainly request he speak with you. What kind of request would you like to be conveyed?" Harkashan speaks with clarity - lacking the usual hisses and lisps of a Sith-makar. Well trained in trying to adjust his speech patterns to mimic those of the Softskins.

Of course, his mind is somewhat reeling at the idea of someone considering a place like this their living room.

Tlanexhuani has some experience in caves, but they were not so... wet. Or squishy. Or smelled like this. "Why iss..." He is very confused. Stink. Scrawling. Slimes. Now ... He looks to the white softskin with ... foggy feet? "You ... live in thiss?"

Aelwyn might have been a sith-makar, but he was definitely not immune to being covered... in slimy goop. Growling under his breath, he was trying to scrape it off his scales with a dull blade. "These sewers." The draconian mutters by himself. "Never a straight job." Wiping off the blade on a nearby wall, he straightens and rolls his shoulders back, looking at the rest of the group. "It is not only the kind that are seeing her, yes?" He asks, tilting his head warily. "And there is not simply something in the air."

Nodding as Rune speaks about punching people into nothingness, Ous stands next to the wall and picks his way down as the Sith makar take the express route. Looking down the slope, the ranger calls out. "It is horrible and terrifying down there!?"

Making his way down with somewhat more aplomb, Ous takes in his surroundings before the elven...apparatus? speaks. Pivoting on a foot, the tall Aesir born man's eyes go wide. "Jumpin' Bugbears! Ye scared the hells outta me! an' where are yer feet lady!?" As an aside to Aelwyn, he adds. "Nae. I see...some of her as well."

After helping Harkashan to his feet, Rune seems about to turn to continue following the caretaker's directions, but the new voice has her attention first. She looks up, looking through the shadowy darkness of the halls to take in the pale figure. Her eyes go from top to bottom, surprise showing evident in them when she realizes that the woman's feet are little more than mist. "Well..." There is a beat where she seems to consider her words, but then she offers, "I guess romance looks different to everyone."

She casts a look to the ranger, adding in a hushed tone, "This is very different than the last 'ghosts' we encountered." Her good sense also tells her that punching this one would be a bad idea.

After a nod of confirmation that Aelwyn is not seeing things, Rune speaks up at normal volume, "You know Donovan? He... He didn't mention you." In fact, he had said he had never seen any 'ghosts' down here.

"Oh, you don't want to know what happened to my feet," the woman says in a way that is far, far too chipper. "It was a long time ago, anyway."

She offers Harkashan a curtsy. "You can call me Mimi," she says. "It's a nickname. I only plan on telling my real name to my true love, whenever they find me. Speaking of which--Donovan really hasn't noticed me?"

Mimi pouts tremendously. "I can't think of anything I can do to get his attention! I've done everything! I've made all sorts of noises! I tried to make the room he's in super cold so he has to look around and find out what's making it so cold!"

She sighs and crosses her arms. "Look. I'll cut you a deal. I'll tell you exactly what room the oozes are in if you tell Donovan that there really is someone here and I'm trying to talk to him!"

Harkashan touches his chest and curtsies back. "I am Harkashan, of the Death Singers." He answers. The little piece of lavarock hanging between his horns jingles a bit upon its chains, before he erects his posture again. "I believe your approach may be too... obscure and invisible to a man such as Donovan. A more direct and visible approach may be necessary."

He touches the little lavarock for a moment, setting it Alight. A gulf of glow coming over him, making those scales that Aelwyn has been so obsessed with that much more golden and looking like they carry a true lava-flow. It's as if to punctuate making things more visible.

"I accept your proposal. And if you assist us with the Oozes, I may even be able to assist you by teaching you a few things about how to better communicate."

GAME: Harkashan rolls Diplomacy: (20)+9: 29

Nodding at Mimi's response Ous grins once more. "Fair enough. Was told one time tha' a lady cannae tell all of her secrets. Aye guess this falls under that area." Listening to the deal, the ranger adds. "Nae problem. But why do ye want tae talk tae Donovan?"

GAME: Harkashan casts Light. Caster Level: 3 DC: 13

Aelwyn takes in a deep breath and leans against his glaive. "This one hopes their heart will either shimmer ever bright thereafter, or die not knowing forlorn when he passes." He lets the others take care of the diplomacy, instead he wanders a bit further out to peek into the sewers to make sure no oozes or other undead are trying to sneak up on them.

Granted - the lava show completely distracts him from that task and he wanders back to stand next to Tlanexhuani. "Do Thunder's scales shimmer like that?" He quietly asks, moving to touch his - now slime - covered chest momentarily.

When one usually talks about 'brushes with death', they don't tend to mean punching drunk bar patrons in some memory of the past, or speaking to pale, elven ghosts in the sewers. Thankfully, this sort of encounter doesn't seem to cause the same reaction from her as when more dire topics come to the forefront. Though it does raise quite a few questions.

"We can certainly talk to Donovan..." She starts, but then Harkashan has a far more persuasive proposal. Leave it to the Death Singer to know how to deal with the dead. So, instead, Rune sits back, leaning slightly against the wall as he makes deals with the dead. The rogue squints at the addition of the extra light in the chamber, and then turns her attention back in the direction they were going. It seems a good idea to keep an eye out for trouble while the others do the talking.

"No...?" Tlanexhuani answer Aelwyn, confusion spilling into his answer. "Iss... spirit?" he asks Aelwyn quietly, attempting to following the conversation with Mimi. If so, the Death-singer is the one to share words with it. "Iss normal in ssooh-her?"

Mimi looks very, very happy as Harkashan sweetens the deal. She even bounces a little in place--which is weird since her feet are mist, but she does. "Okay! I really can't do much except lead you there. And make the room colder. And... Pick things up and put them down. I can't even throw them. I think that's why I've had such a hard time talking to Donovan."

She sighs. "He's so dreamy! With those stains on his overalls and the way he doesn't even care about all of the other things in the sewers! It's like he doesn't even care about them! Or anything! You have to imagine what he's like when he does care about something... or someone!"

And then she blinks a couple of times, realizing that these adventurers have better things to be doing at the moment than listen to her wax poetic about men in sewers, and she just agreed to help them. "Oh. Right. The oozes! Follow me, follow me!" She hums merrily as... she floats ahead of the group.

And she takes you past the storage closet that Donovan gave you the instructions for to... another storage closet. She points at the door. "Okay! They're in there. Just past the door. You should be able to get prepared and then barge right on in. I've seen adventurers work down here before."

GAME: Ous rolls sense motive: (18)+3: 21
GAME: Harkashan rolls Sense Motive: (14)+9: 23
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (19)+13: 32
GAME: Aelwyn rolls sense motive: (11)+1: 12

"Nothing is normal down in this cursed place, Thunder." Aelwyn responds sadly to the towering sith-makar, looking up at him. "What is normal is..." He looks down, then moves to stuff his mask with more ginger as the group begins to head down towards their destination. He starts to buckle up the leather straps across his chest, making sure the javelins that are pointed mostly upward are secured and... that was mostly it.

Glancing the way of the ghost and then back towards Harkashan, he asks, "What will happen to the spirits in this place?"

following the group, Ous slips the bow from his back and takes a moment to string it. "Ye know. This wasnae th' door we were sent to. Just a thought." Watching Mimi, the ranger offer a polite smile from behind his thick beard. "These Jelly things. Do they get easier tae deal with when they're cold?"

There's a respectful slow nod from Harkashan as Mimi expresses why she seems to favor Donovan. There's something risky of course, in that she may not like what she sees when she gets to know the 'real Donovan'. But having a spirit favor Donovan, who works within these sewers, may improve Donovan's ability to do his work here. "He may very well appreciate your help, picking things up and putting them down. But I cannot make any promises on how he will respond. Remember, much of this will still be in your own hands." Harkashan makes sure to set expectations with her.

"Now please, if you would." Motioning his hand aside.

He then looks to Rune for a moment, and then begins to move towards the storage closet. And then past it to another. Soon coming to the door, he touches to a different lavastone on him. He's about to cast something, when Aelwyn asks him something.

The 'glowing' Sith-makar turns towards the runt and smiles. "It depends on the spirit..." A pause. "What is your name?" He then inquires, realizing he doesn't know their name.

After that, he begins to cast some spells on himself. Drawing out a blessing upon the group at large, followed by him taking out his Khopesh, and a sudden 'flame' of light seems to overcome his scales, as he draws further magic over himself.

"I trust that Mini is not misdirecting us." He notes to Ous, smiling to the spirit warmly.

GAME: Harkashan casts Bless. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14
GAME: Harkashan casts Divine Favor. Caster Level: 3 DC: 14

It's likely a good thing that much of Rune's expression is blocked off by the mask she's wearing, because the half-sil certainly is making a peculiar one. Clearly, gruff men in stained overalls who spend their days in the sewer are not high on her list of those she finds 'attractive'. Thankfully, she also knows better than to say anything on that point out loud.

Instead, the rogue falls into step, following the others towards the second storage closet. Before anyone moves to open it, however, Rune holds up a hand. It's a quiet signal to let her do her job. Her hand taps a few places, leaning closer check the hinges. After all of that, she stands back up, clapping her hands off before stating, "Yep, that's a door. We should be good."

The concerns that this isn't where they were instructed to go, is met with a slight tilt of her head, "We can always double back and check that room, too." It seems the easiest answer. For now, though, she pulls out her weapons, stepping back to allow someone else to handle opening the door.

The small-est sith-makar bows his head slowly. "Aelwyn, a Dragoon. Peace of... next nest." He slowly slides off one of his javelins off him and gives it a testing roll in his hand - and pauses. "Hmmh, now someone is just showing off." The shit stained draconian rumbles with a little bit of a snort, standing next to the far taller and now shinier sith-makar with glowing scales and holy light. "This one is pretty sure that simmering glow is not necessary." He adds with a flick of his tail and amused whip of his tail, before the glaive wielding fighter begins to head towards the door, glancing out behind him to the group folding in.

Harkashan slowly turns his head to look back down at Aelwyn. "Well met, Aelwyn. And I do not believe you are complaining, now are you?" He asks as he sees that whip of that tail. He then glances to Rune for a moment, trying to get her opinion on all of this. "Shall we then?" Though he does wish to hear the answer to the question Ous has asked. After all, it may be a rather handy thing if reducing the temperature would lead to some success for them.

The closet room is... It's filled with what Donovan said the sewer's filled with. Crap. But not that kind of crap. There's all sorts of things. Boxes. Crates. Random party supplies. Candelabras. Even... A bed? Yeah. There's a bed in there. Maybe Donovan or other sewer workers get naps in on occasion.

Oh, there's also three small oozing creatures, too. They wiggle a little on the floor in a slow, slow way.

"Ssa. Ready." Tlanexhuani assures, tapping the butt of his spear on the ground with a *split-split*. "Remember. Slime touch burnss."

GAME: Rune rolls stealth: (7)+10: 17

Stepping into the room, Rune surveys what really is a lot of miscellaneous crap. Why do they even need a bed in the sewer? Now is not the time to question such things, however. Tightening her grip on her swords, Rune crouches, looking left and right, spotting various wiggling forms of the oozes. One is more obvious, the others seem more difficult to get to behind the junk.

So, she gives a motion of her head to where she is going, and then makes her way forward, trying to remain quiet. She knew that these creatures were blind, but that didn't mean that making noise wouldn't draw attention. She takes up a position behind one of the nearest boxes, blades at the ready, seemingly waiting to see where the creatures move.

GAME: Ous rolls weapon10: (8)+5+1: 14
GAME: Ous rolls damage10: aliased to 1d8+0: (6)+0: 6

Stepping into the closet with the rest of the group, Ous draws the string back as he acquires target and begins moving forward. Loosing the knocked arrow as he moves on quiet feet, the Ranger begins reaching for another one as he steps out of the way of his team mates.

GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+3: (20)+3: 23
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+3: (6)+3: 9
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d4: (1): 1
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d8: (3): 3

Unfortunately for Ous, the ooze that, unbeknownst to him, is right around the corner... senses that he's right around the corner. It is surprisingly quick as it turns the corner and lashes out. That STINGS.

GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11+1: (16)+8+1: 25
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11: aliased to 1d10+3: (1)+3: 4

Aelwyn lifts up his tail a bit more at Harkashan's comment. "There could be far better places and reasons to be showing off, Lava." The small sith-makar responds before he follows on after everyone else.

Not spending much time wondering about the softskin ways under the ground, he rushes in and swipes at the ooze attacking Ous. The ooze wobbles like a jelly. Aelwyn makes some draconic curses.

"Ah, like the dancing rituals?" The Sith-makar inquires with Aelwyn. "Or at a meeting where one's voice must be heard?" He still is not getting what Aelwyn is getting at, it almost seems. That, or he's diplomatically sidestepping it. Hard to tell with the subtle smile on his face. He could just be being friendly.

GAME: Harkashan casts Spiritual Weapon. Caster Level: 3 DC: 15
GAME: Harkashan rolls 1d20+BAB+Wis: (15)+2+Wis: 17
GAME: Harkashan rolls 1d8+1: (2)+1: 3

Harkashan steps into the chambers, taking in the environment. He's taking his time, remaining a bit further in the back lines. Being a cleric, it may seem like it makes sense for him to stay this far back...

Yet, after a bit, he begins to move forward. Taking note of where Rune is moving to, to try and help draw the ooze into position for her. "Come here, you filthy little thing." He calls out at the second ooze, before throwing his hand out near where Ous is fighting. "Let me know if the fighting is getting to be too much." He calls out to the human. "I can heal you if needed." Followed by the sudden display of a flaming Khopesh actualizing in from the ceiling and coming in for a searing strike into the slime's body, before digging itself out of the ground and floating menacingly!

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls weapon3+1: (7)+4+1: 12
GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls weapon3+1: (19)+4+1: 24 (reroll)
GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls damage3: aliased to 1d8+3: (3)+3: 6

Tlanexhuani sees some go one way and some go another. Like Ous, who goes one way, shoots another, and gets a slimy friend. "Danger!" he warns, even as the thing hugs the softskin. He moves up to stand beside the man, hammer unlatched from his belt on the way. He then swings it down to smash at the squishy thing.

GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11+1: (12)+8+1: 21
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11: aliased to 1d10+3: (6)+3: 9
GAME: Riptide rolls 1d20+3: (11)+3: 14
GAME: Rune rolls 1d20+bab+dexterity+1+1+1: (9)+2+4+1+1+1: 18
GAME: Rune rolls 1d6+2d6: (2)+(10): 12

The ooze in the back that hasn't joined the melee slinks forward. While it lurches at Aelwyn, and the dragoon lurches forward with his glaive and scores a solid hit, the ooze seems undeterred--but it misses the dragoon entirely.

From behind the box, Rune looks over to spot Harkashan moving into position. It's likely not the first time that the Makari has been used as bait. He is the more sturdy of the two. She waits, hearing the wibbling sound of the approaching ooze. Then, just at the last moment when it might get close enough to Harkashan to manage an attack, the rogue strikes.

The flash of swords quick, slashing through the ooze. For a moment, it seems to remain in one piece, as if the weapons had simply slid through the gelatin, but then the pieces slip off in different directions, sliding to the ground with an unsettling series of splat sounds.

GAME: Rune rolls 1d20+bab+dexterity+1+1+1+2: (7)+2+4+1+1+1+2: 18
GAME: Rune rolls 1d6+2d6: (5)+(3): 8

As soon as the first ooze is down, Rune lets out a quick breath. Her eyes move to Harkashan, and then to the others before making a quick decision. Seeing that there is another ooze close at hand, she rolls back behind the crate and then comes up on the other side, moving around it to flank the monster on the opposite side. "I've got you. Take this thing out!" Followed by another sweep of one of her short swords, sliding through with the unsettling sound of jello wiggling.

GAME: Ous rolls weapon1-1: (19)+7+-1: 25
GAME: Ous rolls weapon2-1: (16)+6+-1: 21
GAME: Ous rolls damage1: aliased to 1d8+4: (5)+4: 9
GAME: Ous rolls damage2: aliased to 1d6+4: (3)+4: 7

Stepping around the corner, Ous was about to draw another bead on his target when he felt the burning around his feet. Despite the man's usual goofy demeanor, the ranger doesn't even hesitate. Hands and body moving with the ease that speaks of repeated practice, the ranger lets go of his bow, the weapon swinging from his shoulder as he slips a pair of axes from his belt. the movement was smooth, it was swift, and it was precise a both axes splatter the Ooze in front of him.

GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11+2+1: (5)+8+2+1: 16
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11: aliased to 1d10+3: (6)+3: 9

Aelwyn likes to be in the center - and seeing the slimes being demolished by his party, he turns his attention towards the one he was engaged in a dance with. Flicking his blade about - he slides the glaive into the last ooze. It is neatly sliced into more goop that no longer moves. "Hngh. This one does not find this very satisfying." He says as he spends his time adjusting his mask in place, stuffing it with more ginger.

GAME: Harkashan rolls Perception: (13)+3: 16

Harkashan seems to 'take his time' on everything he does. There's a kind of almost feline languidness to him. His head slowly shifting, taking in the battlefield. Listening to the world around him. Tlanex and Aelwyn would recognize this more as the kind of approach elders might take during a battle. Approaching with patience, rather than the more brash kind of approach commonly seen with the younger Warrior caste of their kin.

When the ooze gets close to him, there's a subtle motion of his tail. A trigger Rune knows about. The way he moves - subtle communication - suggesting that these two have traveled a great deal together already. There's a sense of confidence about the fact that she'll take care of the ooze, as it splatters.

He watches as the rest of the team annihilates the remaining Oozes, and then begins to step through the room, scanning it. Touching some boxes with his tail to move them, making sure there is nothing remaining, while also getting an idea of how they even got in here. Is the door torn enough or have a gap enough to get through?

That's when he spots a crate. "Hey Rune, can you get a look at this?" He notes, touching the lid with his tail and opening it. It's got all kinds of slimy residue in it. "Looks like either the oozes enjoyed this crate, or it was used to transport them."

He then turns to the door and calls out beyond it; "Hey Mimi, could you come in here for a moment? The Oozes are gone." This is her Living Room after all, so she may know more about what should and should not be here.

GAME: Rune rolls perception: (2)+13: 15
GAME: Rune rolls perception: (13)+13: 26

When it seems all the oozes are oozing no more, Tlanexhuani looks to Ous. "Are injured?" It may be a partly rhetorical question as he did seem him get glomped upon by a caustic creature.

With the last remaining oozes splattered into little more than residue, Rune shakes off her weapons, casting a look around for any more potential threats. Then, she reaches into one of the bags at her side and pulls out a cloth, cleaning off any residue from the weapons before sheathing both short swords.

It's at that point that her Half-sil ears perk slightly at the mention of her name, "What did you find?" The question comes along the gentle sound of footfalls as she approaches, crouching down to inspect the crate while balancing her weight on her toes. Her fingers run up along one side, drawing attention to a visible crack in the wood. Brows furrowed, Rune looks around to the others.

"There's a crack running along the side here, that's probably how they got out. My guess? Someone dropped it on accident, looks like it hit right here and damaged the wood." Her fingers tap on the side of the crate. "Which means someone likely brought it in here in the first place, fucked up and damaged it, and then ran away to leave the problem to other people."

Flicking the axes to get the excess Slime off of them, Ous replaces them on his belt. Bow slipped from his shoulder once more, the big ranger slips another arrow from the quiver on his back and knocks it loosely on the bow.

Hearing Tlan, Ous looks down at his feet and frowns. "Th' Bastard burnt my feet. aye'll live, but me boots. me socks, an' my toenails are toast."

Mimi floats in at Harkashan's request, and she wrinkles her nose at the crate as Rune explains. "That's pretty new," she says. "The workers down here get equipment shipments sometimes in crates like that--so they might have thought it was an equipment shipment when it was someone trying to just dump off their oozes."

She frowns. "I'm just glad poor Donovan didn't get hurt."

Aelwyn reaches down into his belt and grabs his knife once more. Slowly, he slides it along the blade of his glaive, slowly making his way over Harkashan and Rune as he watches the rest of the party go and pull themselves together after the fight. "A dancing ritual? Much more preferred than this." He tells the other sith-makar with a flick of his tail. "Just the one crate? Tch, time to make sure TarRaCe baths are properly closed for the day."

The smallest of the sith-makar rolls his stained arm and slimy body as he makes over the others to see if they need any help.

Harkashan nods as Mimi talks about the equipment shipment and how it got in here. "That makes sense. Let's make sure Donovan and his workers pay special care to that in the future. Perhaps implement a Marking system on their chests to prevent these kinds of issues in the future." He proposes with a thoughtful look on his face. Then, he motions for Mimi.

"We're going to check the other store room first, and then I will make good on my promise." He notes to the spirit.

"Maybe Donovan will have an idea of who it was that handled this crate." Rune offers up, giving one more glance towards the ghost. "If nothing else, we need to keep our end of the bargain and speak to him on your behalf." The Half-sil inclines her head, and then starts making her way out. "Hopefully those are the only oozes down here. I just want to get some fresh air, a shower, and a clean set of clothes."

Mimi accompanies the group to check out the other store room Donovan had pointed out, which is, thankfully, empty of oozes, but filled with junk. There's a mannequin, practically-ruined lute hanging out in the corner, and... a sofa? Yeah. That's a sofa.

"That's where I sleep sometimes," Mimi points out at the sofa. Then she leans in close to Harkashan and says, "Please, please! Tell me how to talk to Donovan!"

The first lesson will probably be... not leaning in like that, because that's cold. Even to a lava-scaled sith.

Thankfully, the fresh air, shower, and clean set of clothes that Rune's wanting aren't too far once the group emerges from the sewer. So ends another adventuring group's sojourn into the Sewers of Alexandria.

OOC

<OOC> Riptide says, "Map! https://www.mipui.net/app/index.html?mid=m74lln2tzba"

<OOC> Riptide says, "Every square is 5 ft. The oozes are technically small creatures (and should therefore occupy like, a quarter of the squares) but I like being able to see, so, y'know."

<OOC> Riptide says, "Axe = Ous, Hammer = Tlanexhuani, Dragon = Aelwyn, Dagger = Rune, Ankh = Harkashan."