What Lies Beneath
There's a crowd of people gathered in front of the Adventurers Guild. Namely you. All of you have gathered in the main hall of the Adventurer's Guild because there has been an all-call for adventures. You don't know much yet, all you know is that this plan... whatever it is involves ending the plague and for most of you that's enough of a draw. For the rest... well you have your reasons. There's an uneasy silence as the person who's plan this is steps up to talk. To lay the plan out for you. It's a relatively new face to Alexandria, namely: Elleandra's.
Elleandra isn't used to having so many eyes on her at once. Her voice sounds steady to her, but flat and odd to those who know her. "Thank you for coming!" she calls out loudly. "I imagine all of you are here because the plague has afflicted you or those you love. It is a thing outside nature, and it needs to be cleansed. We have learned that the source of many of our troubles is an ooze, and that it is found in the cisterns of Alexandria. In the very water that many of us have drank."
Elleandra fidgets for a moment, finding that she's not good at being the center of focus. "Today, we will clean our water. Not with magic, which I will warn you our enemy feasts upon, and is often strengthened by, but with cleansing fire and, quite frankly, brutal bludgeoning, if needed." A deep breath, "The plan is simple. We have prepared a place between the city cisterns and have prepared it for a great fire. With the help of Murder and other brave friends, we have gathered the materials we need to sustain this fire. I will take advantage of the complete magical craving of the enemies and draw them into our trap where, if all goes well, we will incinerate them all."
More uncomfortable pausing as Elleandra looks around. She cannot hide the darkness in her eyes. "This is dangerous. We have no idea how many of these oozes there are, nor can we be certain we know all that they can do. I do not guarantee anyone's safety. I hope all who go with me will come out alive, but I do not expect it."
Merek is about while listening. Not a lot he can do but assist. He has on white-black attire and waits about.
Jasper finds himself wrestling with even measures of excitement and dread. This, his first gig with the Guild, is perhaps a little more...grand in scope than he had imagined. He stands a little off to one side, leaning against the wall of the building with what he hopes appears to be easy confidence. Still, there's little doubt given the parlor of his skin and the slight tremble in his fingers as he reaches up to tuck back a strand of dark hair that confidence is eluding him. News of the danger from Elleandra makes him swallow thickly, and his blue eyes leave her face to scan those gathered.
“Seldan, you need to participate. This one _knows_ how you are feeling. You must be active, not think. Focus on the task. It... will not reverse what has been done, but this is a another step towards defeating Her." Cryosanthia's arguments were direct and appealing to logic. She wasn't really positioned to lecture the paladin about anything, but was at least supported by his mate. Her overall goal was getting him out and mind off the recent tragedy, so the white-scaled sith-makar insisted, and now leads the Silverguard up to the meeting.
The sith wears layered wizard robes, a brilliant white that matches her own, with pale blue highlights. Some at the adventurer's guild would have seen her before, the tall, elegant sith with glacial eyes. She moves carefully with restrained power, and while the immediate area around her seems chill, the expressive gestures she makes with her hands somewhat makes up for it.
She makes a small curtsey to the woman of the hour, "Elleandra, Peace on your nest. I heard. We've come. I have some advice regarding ooze I'd strongly like to give."
The sword on Darius's back pipes up as he listens, "I SAY! If I could break this curse, I could return to my form of a great ancient Welsh red dragon and one puff of breath would turn this ooze into cinders!" Darius sighs and then says, "Shut up Ddraig... this is serious... do not make me leave you behind!"
Toha got word down in the shelter set aside and... well, she wouldn't be dissuaded. One the upside, she really only adds one eye to the stares the speaker needs to endure. If she bristles at the 'outside of nature' thing, she does it mentally. The brief respite was nice, but she endures the renewal of symptoms, if only for the chance to do something decisive about this mess. There might have to be a talk about the 'nature' thing, sometime, but, an armored hand raises, closes into a fist and pivots a thumb's up.
The Gobbo announces her presence with a large gout of flame that she directs skywards. She pats out a few fires that dribble from the corners of her mouth. "Right! We're going to cleanse the sewers of these oozes. We've got a few things in place. Dry timber, mostly. A few avenues of escape are blocked off, keep that mind if things go sour. Don't go running down dead ends... they'll take on the literal meaning if you're not careful!"
Murder holds up a small vial. "I have several vials of alchemist's fire! I will distribute these to those of you who join us. You will use it to start the conflagration. Do not drop these! Do not miss your throws. Do not try to drink it!"
Pelka stirs. He's taken up a place at the rear of the gathering. "This sounds like a great plan!" he remarks. "I can't wait to get started." At the sight of alchemist fire he holds out a taloned hand. "I'll take a few of those!" He looks at Elleandra for a moment. "So ah, since we are still making plans and gathering information...what exactly do these cisterns look like? Does anyone have a map?"
Halani is unusually quiet, though her attention remains upon Elleandra as the elf woman lays out the summary of the plan. While she does this she slowly wraps her hands and wrists in cloth wraps and tightens the bindings around her legs.
Elleandra smiles at the sight of Cryosanthia and Seldan. For a moment, she almost forgets what she's proposing. Still, it's her idea, and it's her duty to take the risk. "If you could, Cryo, I would appreciate it greatly. You have considerable experience with these things."
She looks to Pelka and forces herself to smile, "The cisterns are large stores of water, like underground reservoirs. With luck, all the oozes will be coming to you in reasonable waves. If we do approach the cisterns as a group, we'll be sticking together. All the exits will be pointed out as we arrive."
Merek nods a bit, waiting to take a few of that alchemist fire.
"Underground," Pelka repeats knowingly. There's a hint of sadness as he says the word.
The man following the white-scaled sith-makar is a study in blue and silver. Unlike many for this, Seldan has opted for full armor, a moonlit affair that is quiescent in the sunlight of a fair day, a robe over it of blue with silver stitching that would appear to better suit a wizard than the warrior the man so clearly is. His complexion, alabaster-fair with a silver headband pinning his hair from his face, is even paler than usual, and he surveys the crowd. Elleandra does not get his usual smile in return, only a nod of acknowledgement.
"If you would permit me, mistress," he addresses Elleandra. "You mean to set open flames within the sewers below, surrounding the cisterns, is that so?"
While Seldan and Elleandra converse, Cryosanthia looks out at the group assembled, attempting to meet each of their eyes. "I forget how many Explorer's Guild records I have read. They all have a similar pattern. An ooze appears, someone casts a magic spell on it, someone else cuts it in half, disaster continues from there. So many Egg-smashing ssshhsss shows. This is what you need to know."
"The ooze is formed of Universal Magic. It is attracted to magic. It will destroy magic, in contact with something long enough it will make that magic. Its mindless and will go towards the nearest magical stimulus, which might be items you are carrying. I'm a huge magnet apparently. Now, Magic makes it grow. DO. NOT. CAST. on it. Almost every spell has been tried. Desiccation works, a Wall of Iron or Stone, works. Nothing else, magic fire, dispel, detect, works. Those spells make it worse. They can be diluted with water, soapy water, beer, salt can be effective. Weapon wise, use a blunt item, if you don't have one, we have a basket of clubs. I suggest grabbing one."
The white-scale stares intently, "DO. NOT. CAST. That said, if one of you is incredibly skilled with understanding magic and willing to watch one with a detect magic, that would be useful. Warn us, or do it as part of the effort to draw it towards the trap."
She exhales, "Finally, the ooze will ignore anyone infected, and this will be taking us directly to the ooze. There is a strong possibility you will be infected if you come along. Those already infected, you're well suited to this task, thank you for attending. Make the most of our handicaps, right?"
At the news that blunt items will be most effective, Jasper gives a sardonice glance to all the pointy weapons he has on his person. With a little shove of his shoulder against the side of the building he straightens himself and walks quickly over the offered clubs, examining a few before selecting one for himself.
Toha listens to the plan, nodding in thanks as she adds the ampoule to her inventory, a thumbs up coming up from her other hand. She hates the sound of her own voice like this and is keeping it to a minimum. She turns her head some, as if to examine the hilt poking over her shoulder, then nods, facing forward again and she ringingly slams a fist into the palm of her other hand.
Merek will take one of the weapons if offered any, and will nod a bit, "I will do what I'm able," he says.
Murder nods at what Cryosanthia says. "That said, if things start to go badly, get out. The path we take in today is the path we will take out, remember it, flee if you must. I have a number of fire spells available to myself. If things start to go very badly, grab who you can and get out. I will call them all to me by using fire spells. I will set fire to everything." She pauses to breath another great gout of fire into the air for emphasis. "Again. If things go badly.. GET. OUT. I will give you a distraction, make the most of it."
Elleandra speaks to Seldan softly, drawing out a copy of the waterworks that lay under the city. "We have cut off the escape routes here, here, and here," she begins, "Leaving this 'T' between the two cisterns. Kindling is set along the path. I will use magic to draw their attention from both directions and lead them towards our group. We have made a few adjustments to ensure that the air will blow towards the cisterns from our backs, lighting all the fires and hopefully burning up the oozes that follow me. It will work like a firestorm in a dry wood, and send searing air towards both cisterns. There should be enough open spaces in the blocked exits for the pressure to be relieved." At least that is what was requested. Nobody has exactly done this kind of thing before.
"I've been infected before," Halani says when done wrapping her limbs. "So... fire. I suppose the streets will smell a bit funny for a while after this is over."
Toha's voice is a slightly discordant and gurgling wheeze, sounding like she were half underwater already as she asks for clarity's sake, "Ignore...infected....with....magic... equipment....?" and a tiny list of her head.
Seldan is quiet as he listens to the explanation given, and studies the map closely, expression impassive, but when she is done speaking, he straightens. "No, Elleandra. Do you light that kindling, half the city will be no more, and that is if good fortune favors us." His tone is even, level, but there is a note of coldness hiding in it that Elleandra will not have heard before. "Your searing air will boil away not only the water within the cisterns, but the water within the sewers as well, and reveal that which lies below. Does that happen, the sewers will explode. Enough have been slain in the past day. Do not do this."
Jasper has apparently found his club of choice, and he gives it a few wooshing practice swings as he makes his way back to his spot near the wall. As he goes, however, his footsteps slow and then stop altogether at Seldan's words. A dark eyebrow arches as his turns to regard the man and then the eleven woman to who he speaks.
Elleandra looks at Seldan evenly, "The fire and the risk are something that I would have to direct you to the Goblins to discuss. We have no interest in destroying large areas of the city, I assure you." She pauses, considering her words with care, "And I must point out, that if there is no better plan that has been thought of in the considerable amount of time that we've been aware of this danger, perhaps there simply isn't a better one to be found. If we wait still longer, what risks does that pose? My hope is that the enemy is reeling from recent events and we can take advantage of that to address the oozes now, without other interference."
"I think they will still be attracted to the magic items," Cryosanthia answers the woman-shaped war-golem, "I can't advice. I need to divest myself as well, this will be embarrassing, a moment."
The white-sith makes to move inside the guild, then pauses to speak to Seldan and Elleandra, "Isn't the city-water and its cisterns separate from the Sewers? There should be no shared air unless a wall comes down. The tunnels should resist fire well enough. Perhaps, some resist elements cast on the area around where the fire is placed will attract the oozes and protect the area? I'll be back in a moment."
She adjusts the straps on her pack and slips into the Explorer's Guild.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls knowledge/engineering: (6)+2: 8
The Gobbo snorts at Halani. "The streets already smell funny, there won't really be much of a noticeable difference." She peers at Seldan a moment, and moves to stand before him, her arms crossing. "There are always risks in anything we do against this pugnacious enemy. Enough salt will ruin the groundwater. Using physical weapons risks splattering the plague right into your nose or mouth. Fire can be dangerous, yes. But as long as the air is clear of gas, and it is because we've been improving the airflow down there." She fusses with the rings in one of her ears, methodically turning them about. "A bigger danger is that the ooze might escape down a place we've not blocked off, or get up into the areas we've opened for airflow."
The Gobbo gestures with a hand. "We have to accept the risks of this plan, because there is little else to be done against a concentration of them. If we do it piecemeal, we are all at risk of getting the plague. As are the citizens of Alexandria."
GAME: Toha rolls knowledge/engineering: (2)+9: 11 GAME: Murder rolls craft/trapmaking: (9)+9: 18 GAME: Pelka rolls knowledge/engineering: (4)+11: 15 GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/engineering+5: (10)+8+5: 23
"Those are closed containers rather than cisterns," Merek offers, placing a hand upon the design, "Accessed by sewers. They supply the city with water, although usually used in emergencies."
"Have either of you spoken with Alexandria's engineers on the matter? Are they aware of what it is that you propose?" Seldan looks between Murder, Cryosanthia, and Elleandra. "I would see this done, but be sure that She knows what it is that you plan." He directs a -look- at the white-scaled sith-makar, one that holds not anger, but warning. "The city's planners may know things that you do not, and may be able to aid you." A quick shake of the head. "I will not aid you, not until the city's planners have been consulted and we may be assured that you will not raze the city unintentionally." He takes a step back, then another. "I will seek them out."
Halani purses her lips, then chews on the upper one as she listens to the main plan... and then the paladin's concerns, and the plans to address them. "The Silverguard is right, I think, yeah?" Halani finally speaks up. "For something like this... it's better safe than sorry. And we don't want the cure being worse than the ailment."
As the minutes of debate continue to spin themselves out, Jasper grows more fidgety. He resumes moving, this time to pace along the length of the wall, the club swooshing back and forth in the air as he goes.
A gentleman wearing... well he's wearing worker's clothes steps forward and smiles. He scratches his head and looks around, clearly uncomfortable with the size of the gathering. "You're quite right Silverguard. If there were deposits of methane in the system this project would have to be scrapped immediately... that beings said the sewers have been.... cleaned. We're not sure what's doing it, but something has been cleaning the place out. So we don't have to worry about pockets of methane caused by waste." He tips his hat to the man and looks at Ellandra. "I can't say about the rest of the plan, it sounds mighty dangerous to me, but I can say that nothing /should/ explode unless you all mean to blow something up.”
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls knowledge/local: (7)+2: 9
"No Seldan, you and Merek were going to do that. Weeks ago. Right after I went away" Cryosanthia gazes calmly back at the Silverguard. It all feels decades old to her, "and yesterday I'm assured a fountain is clean moments before the biggest ooze I've ever seen jumps out and grabs me. I've only heard of this plan today, but at this point I'm willing to let them know what is going to happen instead of waiting."
As someone in a uniform walks up, the sith immediately latches onto him. "Here! This one sounds like an expert. Please go over the plan with them, I have to change."
GAME: Merek rolls knowledge/local: (4)+8: 12
The Gobbo stands with her balance shifted to one hip, her foot tapping, and her arms crossed. "Time's a wasting. I've kind of done this before. And the city didn't burn down." She eyes the sanitation engineer and nods. "The ooze is likely cleaning it all up. I think that is what it... ate..." Murder makes a displeased face. "Before it became the plague ooze."
Elleandra nods to the workman, "We certainly do not mean to blow anything up." She turns her attention back to the others, "While I can't say that this idea is entirely my own, I do take responsibility for it. I'll be plain: if there was another way to do this, I'd love to do it. I don't wish to put my life at risk, nor any of yours." The druid sighs and scratches the back of her neck as she goes on, "Every battle with this enemy goes worse than we expect. I do not believe this will be any different. I am more concerned about the power of the enemy than the power of our fire. I believe that as long as these oozes remain here, the enemy will grow more powerful. I can offer no assurances for safety. These are deadly times."
Pelka paces slowly back and forth. "Otyugh," he remarks absently when the topic comes up of what's keeping the sewers clean. "My money's on the Otyugh."
Toha cants her head a little. Hmmm. Methan -is- a combustive, under proper refinement it could prove useful. Critters make the stuff that makes the methane. Maybe there's something barterable, there somewhere. Something for further consideration, but she looks between the debating adventurers, drawing up behind Seldan, who she's worked with before, off to his left side, though anything she means to add to the argument is instead diverted to the MC as other threats are mentioned, "Enemy.... what can he.... throw at us...?"
Seldan crosses his arms, but nods at Pelka's words. "That seems likely. I am certain that you intend no ill, and yet did I live in Goblintown for a time, long enough to disregard a claim that no explosions will occur, when a gobber has fire in their hand." He wears no trace of smile, although he, too, turns his attention to the official-looking man. "What make you of these plans, master? Think you that the city is safe, if this is done? The oozes are another matter, for I shall aid in throwing them down without question."
Jasper seems to have walked off most of his nervous energy. The Half-Sil stops the incessant pacing and leans against the side of the wall once more, nodding to Eleandra's words.
The man scratches his head again and rolls his shoulders. "I'm a simple worker. All I can tell you is that the methane won't be an issue, and that there's been a lot of odd going-ons in the sewers lately. Honestly we haven't been able to have a man go down there and check out things manually in months because nobody comes back out. So I can't even tell you for sure that everything's the way it was when we last checked on it. But if it is, then you're good."
"So..." Pelka reasons. "If this is all the same ooze we're talking about - and I really hope so because if there's more than one kind of ooze down there the city's /really/ got problems...if it's that same ooze, it was smuggled into the city. In barrels, by some merchant, and that's how it got into the water. It was out in the wilderness too, maybe by the merchant, or maybe the same person who was behind that merchant's actions." He shakes his head. "It's all a little confusing but anyway, now it's in the worst places it could possible be, and we have to do something about it. And this really /does/ sound like the best plan I've heard yet to deal with it. I've spent a lot of time around the artificers and arcanists of the city, so that's saying something." He looks at Toha. "Oh, uh...I guess what I can add about it, beyond what the others have already said is, it can mutate animals and vegetation. /Alter/ them. And it can, well, it can extend itself like tentacles." He holds up one hand high, fingers wiggling, almost as if that hand is flapping wings. And then other hand, starting lower, but rising and moving until it wraps up the first. "So flying doesn't help much," he finishes darkly.
"This sounds like a thing where no one could possibly know for sure either way, yeah? Only best guesses?" Halani frowns, looking at her wrapped hands, palms up. Then she rubs at her shoulder, frown turning into a scowl. "This one... this would be quite the mistake to have to live with." Then she shrugs her shoulders. "But I have no better plan to offer."
Cryosanthia has taken the moment to slip inside the Explorer's Guild, lock away her magic things and return. She's wearing her old armour, and it shows. While it's been a couple weeks for the armour it has been a lot longer for her. She's taller, stronger, different in frame and it shows in how the armour fits, or more specifically, doesn't fit right. She's squeezed into the kilted leather, which already had many rough repairs. These repairs are stretched to the seams, and it's as if the sith tried to fit herself back into a shed-skin. All of it tight, creased and bulging. It's open across the back and she's wearing the cape around her waist as a half back-skirt. Her breathing is shallow and she has a formal stiffness from trying to retain her dignity in this.
She overhears the last bit of the discussion, "Oh, that reminds me, the Oythughs may have mutated if they ate it. It has transformed housecats into dire panthers and bears into things with tentacles."
Cryo looks between the workman and Seldan, then Murder and Elly, "I'm fine with checking it out first, make sure the coast is clear. No surprises."
"I helped clear out a massive ... mutation? Infestation.. fire is the only way to effectively cleanse the area.", Murder says, arms still crossed. She glances to Cryosanthia. "The city guy just cleared us to go. But honestly, do you really want to risk your life, and others, spending time wandering around the sewers when we've got it set up and ready to go. Just add fire and poof, done." The Gobbo shrugs.
"I am more than willing to see workmen safely into the sewers, to ensure that all will behave as expected." Seldan does not move, his arms still crossed, but when Murder speaks, his eyes flash with anger. For those who know him, he is not his usual even-keeled and gracious self. "Protecting the lives of innocent people is not _wasting time_, as you put it, gobber. I think you correct that _poof_ and it will be done, but what will be done is Alexandria herself." He snaps off his words, as if cutting himself off.
He turns to the workman again. "I will take those who wish to go, and see a work crew safely into the sewers, and I will take any who wish to go with me. If you are infected, come to me, and I may be able to aid you, but I do not wish to take chances with this."
"Infor...mayshun.... weeks out of... date." the wheezy golem reluctantly forces herself to intone, then looks to the white sith again, "Mutants... also... no magic?" She reaches up and curls her hand over the paladin's shoulder, "I go, too."
Merek nods a bit, waiting to follow.
Elleandra smiles at Halani sadly, "Everything involving these creatures is at best an educated guess. But then, isn't every step you've taken in your entire life the same?" The druid steps aways from the group, focusing on getting herself ready. She checks her pack carefully. Her scimitar she leaves behind, but her quarterstaff she will take. For some reason, her pack is bulging with berries. This readied, she turns back to speak. "I would rather we not wander, nor take any action that might draw oozes in other directions. My hope is I'm the first whiff of magic they've had for some time. But regardless, since we have the very same destination, let us get started."
"I've read many of your records, I know better than to question you." Cryosanthia answers Murder. She shrugs, looking at Elleandra, Seldan, the others, "This one is here to help. I've no interest in dying or being re-infected. I've no interest in wandering into problems, my stupid luck is a very harsh Teacher. Direct me. Direct them. Convince him and him it's fine or wait till they're done with your plan."
She steps back, raising her hands, "This one is ignorant here, please advise."
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls knowledge/engineering: (8)+2: 10
There is a shift in the air, a renewed sense of purpose, and though Jasper seems unclear on which plan is being executed, it seems that there is finally a direction. He pushes himself from his lean on the wall once more, readies his club and steps closer to the group, indicating his readiness to depart.
Murder huffs and glares at the Paladin. "Did you clear it with the city before starting your various brawls with the vampire? Did any of you clear it with the city to fight oozes, or control mobs of scared and angry people?" She waves her hand at the man and huffs. "Fine, you go look around. I'm going down there now to set the fires." The Gobbo turns and makes her way towards the underground.
GAME: Pelka rolls knowledge/engineering: (9)+11: 20
Halani stops at the door to grab the staff she left resting beside it, then pauses further to look over at Murder. "I think there's a difference between reacting to an attack, defending against it, and this, yeah? There is more choice here. Any damage will end up happening because we chose it. So, not the same."
GAME: Toha rolls knowledge/engineering: (7)+9: 16
All of you together head down into the sewers. It's not the unpleasant journey that you expect. It doesn't smell, it isn't very wet. It is however, cold, damp, and dark. Still you have maps to lead you forward and you make your way unerringly toward your destination. There's been obvious setup here. Logs doused with accelerants to make it easier for them to burn. The cisterns loom down the corridor waiting. You can hear the echo of your groups footsteps and breathing hovering all around you. It's a pyre waiting and ready to burn, set in the middle of the underground.
Elleandra has spent most of the walk fidgeting and not looking at pretty much anyone. She keeps playing with a gold band on her left ring finger. Once the unpleasant darkness of the sewer replaces the light of day, she is focused once more. "Once we are satisfied enough to begin and truly ready, I will begin using spells on myself." She already is spilling out large numbers of berries around the very heart of the trap. For those familiar with the magic, they are goodberries.
Cryosanthia follows. She is not comfortable, her armour is too tight and this area was clearly built for human scale. She has to keep ducking to avoid scraping her horns at several points. Cold, dark, and damp are fine. Her eyes adjust, her pupils wider as her darkvision and low-light kick in. She listens carefully, examines the set-up, which looks very explosive.
"You know... I would like to check ahead, a little bit, just incase everyone abducted it tied to the roof of the cistern or something. Can anyone tell how solid this place is, is it going to come down? Don't cast, but anyone got Walls of Force, that kind of stuff?"
The cold, damp, and dark does not seem to bother Seldan in the least, and while he looks after the gobber, saying, "It is as she says. You have chosen to take an act that may cost lives, not acting in response to a threat. If the city is damaged or lives are lost, I will see you charged with the crime," his words, cold, does not stop him.
"I have learned to create walls made of ice. It will last but minutes, but may buy us time," he answers Cryosanthia. "I hope only that we need not use it."
Toha sweeps her eye about the area, noting moist logs by their luster, expecting them to have been doused in oils or high purity spirits. She reaches up and raps a knuckle against Seldan's pauldron, "Fresh...." she wheezes, pointing to a man sized hole in the wall.
GAME: Toha rolls perception: (17)+13: 30
Murder shrugs at Cryosanthia's request. "Sure, do whatever you want. Obviously, you can't trust anyone, so you have to make sure. None of us have your expertise in this." The Gobbo pauses, her ears alert. "What's that sound?" She waves a hand, "Oh, just one more person dying from the plague." She keeps walking, moving towards the cisterns.
GAME: Murder rolls perception: (2)+15: 17 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls perception: (3)+5: 8
Pelka follows along with the others. He tucks in his wings as close as he can to his body and even ducks down his head slightly, trying to avoid making contact with the walls or any part of the ceiling. He studies the walls as they approach the cistern and he also notices some of the holes. "These were not on the map," he adds. "I wonder if that's how the ooze got into the water to begin with." He closes his beak and then adds in a much softer voice. "And how it's getting out into the city."
GAME: Halani rolls perception: (19)+22: 41 GAME: Jasper rolls perception: (3)+8: 11
Jasper remains silent for the most part, his feet barely making sound as he follows the rest of the party through the sewers. If he finds them unpleasant, his face doesn't reveal it, though his eyes actively scan their surroundings in anticipation of an ambush. He adjusts his grip on the haft of the club anxiously.
The Gobbo is confident enough to walk up to the cisterns. She places an ear to one of them, and listens. Hissing and gesturing for people to shut up, she moves to the hatch, and lifts it, quickly peeking inside and ducking back. Blinking, Murder looks inside again. "FUCK!" She lets the hatch slam shut. "It's only got water in it!", she says angrily.
Toha turns her head slightly at the off color joke, burbling, "Not.. funny..." in a reproachful tone, then, pointing out the little holes as she notes them, she says, "Door looks... intact." But she does draw up a fair distance away. She's got a lot of integrated magic going on and she doesn't want to provoke things prematurely. That's leaving off half of her external weaponry. Instead she turns her attention to those tunnels, just in case.
When she arrives at the underground bonfire location with everyone else, Halani steps.. well, as much to the side as she can. As Elleandra makes her preparations, Halani joins the efforts of trying to see if anything is amiss. At least compared to the descriptions they were given on what they *should* be seeing. She examines what she can see if the cisterns without straying too far, then cocks her head slightly. With too many people present to properly 'shhh', she lifts one hand to an ear and presents the other towards the deeper parts of the underground. "We... I don't think we're alone." She moves a little further along, away from the group, then closes her eyes to try and focus on the sound. "Something is scraping on the stone.. and the smell." She wrinkles her nose. "It's been a time since this... since I was in the sewers. Is that normal? Smells like.. Decay."
Halani adds, "And moving water. I don't think this is normal?"
Pelka looks at Halani. "That doesn't sound normal to me." He reaches over a shoulder for where his deathray is strapped across his back. Then he hesitates and instead pulls out a thunderbelcher with a long, spyglass-like scope. It's a little tricky getting it unslung due to his anatomy but he manages. He spreads his wings briefly and then pulls them back to fold against his body again. Shifting his rifle to hold it in one hand, he produces a bit of artifice and holds it ready in his other hand.
Seldan pauses at the tap on his pauldron, peers at the fresh holes, and nods, frowning. "Something or someone has been here. May yet be here." He looks over at Murder. "Were these holes here when you laid your pyres?" The question is even. Too even. "Did anyone who laid these ... see any of this?"
Elleandra remains where she was, waiting for the others to hopefully complete their inspection without drawing down the oozes prematurely. She busies herself getting ready to be the magical pinata. Or just bait, if she's fortunate. "Don't linger there too long!" she calls out. From where she stands, she hasn't any clue what they have seen, nor what they might be saying.
Cryosanthia gives the goblin a long, quiet stare. She just about throws her club down at her feet. Instead she holds onto it and moves over beside Seldan. Her eyes have gone fully black again, perhaps the darkness. "Whenever you're ready to go. I'm here for you."
"Well.", the Gobbo says, when she spies the holes in the walls. "Yes, they were. I think I shoved a bit of kindling into one... ah, this one here." She rubs at a cheek. "Though. Did you not fight a giant ooze yesterday? I mean, that's what is being said all over the place. Might that not be a reason why the place is ... empty now?"
Jasper continue to listen to the conversation for the time being, his eyes still scanning the tunnel. Every now and then he cocks his head, bird-like in an attempt to catch the sounds that have been picked up by the others. A trickle of sweat, having nothing to do with the temperature here below ground, slides from his temple down the side of his lean face.
"That may well be." Seldan nods to Cryosanthia, although he, too, is glaring at the gobber. "If you would see people cured of the plague, you would do well to ensure that they survive long enough that a cure reaches them. One wrong move, and they will not, as those in the Soldier's Defense did yesterday." Those words are, as before, even. Dangerous, even, and fraught with something else. "Do not test me, gobber. Things are not as you expect, and the ooze may yet be hiding in the water, for it is dissolved within and may be summoned by magic."
He is about to raise a hand, but he raises his voice instead, letting it echo down the stone walls. "Elleandra, do not light the pyres. Something is amiss."
Merek looks about, while he assists a bit as well.
Elleandra sighs as Seldan calls out. "Matters are head of us again?" She looks over the timbers and says flatly, "Get out then. Everyone get out now!" She makes no move, though. Her voice rises in a roar, "Don't wait for explanations! GET OUT! We can talk outside!"
"I have been working to ensure that they live long enough for a cure to reach them!", the Gobbo snaps. "You act as if you're the only one who knows the magnitude of the situation, and I am saying now that you are not. I may be flippant, but do not conflate that to being ignorant of the situation. You've dragged your feet. If you want me to trust YOU to do what you do, why don't you trust ME to do what I do. If I was going to go off and set the city ablaze, do you think I would have come down here days ahead of time, set up this trap, and then wait do bring everyone down here? To go of half-cocked?"
She puts her hands on her hips, and shakes her head. "Don't threaten me, either. And since people have specifically been told to not use magic... who's going to use magic to summon them?" She lets out an exasperated breath, and begins to walk away, back down the path they'd so recently come. "Do what you want."
You all can hear it now. The gentle scrape of /something/ sliding on stone. It's so gentle that with all your talking you didn't hear it before. None of you but Halani in any case. It's coming from all directions. Sliding closer. You can hear something else now. Something... quiet. Almost instinctively you strain to hear it and then it's /echoing/ off the sewer walls. It's gibbering. Voices. Echoing. They're saying something but it's incomprehensible and it skitters inside your mind like oil on water. It's coming closer. It's HERE. The shadows are moving down the main corridors, shifting like flames. There's light there in whatever is coming closer. But it's voice is claws inside your skull digging to get out.
GAME: Merek rolls will: (13)+18: 31 GAME: Murder rolls will: (8)+4: 12 GAME: Jasper rolls will: (19)+2: 21 GAME: Toha rolls will: (3)+4: 7 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls will+3: (11)+4+3: 18 GAME: Seldan rolls will: (3)+23: 26 GAME: Halani rolls will: (20)+13: 33 (CRITICAL SUCCESS) GAME: Elleandra rolls will: (10)+9: 19 GAME: Pelka rolls will: (20)+6: 26 (CRITICAL SUCCESS) GAME: Toha rolls will: (1)+4: 5 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Darius rolls will: (18)+1: 19 GAME: Elleandra casts Spider Climb. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Toha rolls perception: (6)+13: 19 GAME: Murder rolls perception: (6)+15: 21 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls perception: (2)+5: 7 GAME: Pelka rolls perception: (11)+18: 29 GAME: Halani rolls perception: (12)+22: 34
Surrounded and with retreat cut off, at least seemingly, Elleandra goes ahead with part of the plan. She wanted the ooze after her, and maybe this thing will bite on magic as well. She weaves the magic of spider climbing about herself, and takes her first steps up the wall. "If you guys can get out, move! The exit looks like it's blocked!"
GAME: Darius rolls perception: (17)+10: 27
"Another scales-rotted Sssshs show." Cryosanthia growls dropping into a defensive crouch, and skipping about. She marks a rock, a brick on the wall, another brick, a splotch. Can't see and no idea what's coming but if it gets too close she's going to wack it.
Darius moves up to cover the cistern and calls out, "There's something in the water! Get ready, I'll try to take care of it while we retreat.”
The Gobbo shrieks and slaps her hands to her ears. "Make it stop!", she yells. "MAKE IT STOP!" She screams and suddenly bolts towards where Elleandra stands.
GAME: Toha rolls 1d100: (90): 90
"The water moves within the cistern!" Seldan suddenly calls, pulling his mace from his belt and backing away towards that gentle light by a few feet, though he does not stray far from Cryosanthia. "We may well be surrounded, ware! Back away!"
GAME: Toha rolls melee: (1)+12: 13 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Toha rolls melee: (15)+12: 27
Toha is reluctant to raise her voice, but something catching her ear makes her twist some to look back toward the cistern door, "Something....heh..." The golem's head cants and, while her features don't change, and her voice hasn't improved, a sort of manic laughter starts to gurgle up from within her as she pivots, in a half disjointed backfist, "FAAAAAAACEEE HAAAHAAAAHAAAAAHAA!" followed by a haymaker, both missing, but the whistle of air suggests significant force behind them.
Pelka hefts his thunderbelcher to hold it higher, his artifice contraption still clutched in his other hand. All this is done as he leans forward and begins running down the corridor. "He's right!" he calls out. His tone of voice is high to the point of approaching a shriek. But then his voice is always a bit high-pitched. "The water's moving - like a wave forming!" When he reaches Elleandra and Murder he pants, "This is where we were going to cast spells from, right?" He really wishes he'd paid closer attention when she explained the Plan.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (20)+16: 36
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (3)+16: 19
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (5)+16: 21
GAME: {*} Cryosanthia rolls 1d6+3: (4)+3: 7
From the wall, Elleandra explains, "Actually, no. I was supposed to cast spells by the water while everyone was safely back here. We're going to have to improvise. Try not to light the accidentally light the fires."
GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (9): 9 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (2): 2
Cryosanthia leaps in at the thing approaching Seldan, giving it a whack.
The things, whatever they are slowly reveal themselves by coming into view. They smell abomidable. Like a thousand corpses left to rot in the midday sun. They seem made up of a jumble of corpses. All trying to speak at once. All of them screaming and skittering as they come closer. Only the bodies are... melted together. Limbs fused together so that they slide along the ground more like something semi-liquid than something that was ever made out of something with bone. They glow from their eyes and mouths and from various bulbus spots a distant blue echo half-covered by flesh. One of them slaps a tendril of almost-flesh at Seldan, but its whacked away by Crysanthia. The other... /Engulfs/ Pelka. Swallows him whole into its sickening body. You can see his feathers poking out as he's completely enveloped. It bites and chews on him, and burns his flesh with the sting of acid that sends soft plumes of smoke into the air.
GAME: Pelka rolls fort: (18)+10: 28 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-4: (15)+13+6+2+-4: 32 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-4: (2)+13+6+2+-4: 19 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-4: (11)+13+6+2+-4: 28 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-5-4: (17)+13+6+2+-5+-4: 29 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-10-4: (2)+13+6+2+-10+-4: 9 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (6)+2+2+8: 18 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (7)+2+2+8: 19 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (12)+2+2+8: 24 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (7)+2+2+8: 19 GAME: Halani spends ONE use of STUNNING FIST. GAME: Halani spends ONE point of KI POOL.
Inside the cistern the water is stirring, rising up lazily like a sleeping leviathan. Waves crest its surface and it seems to be... thicker than you expect water to be.
Jasper's eyes widen with horror as the creatures emerge from the darkness, though the look of shock is almost immediately replaced by one of nausea at the stench. It is this reaction that makes him turn toward the cistern...in time to see the water rising. As panic crashes into him again, he leaps for the lid of the cistern, slamming it down!
Halani turns away from the corridor she was going to defend against... to allow for the others to retreat, or hold it off while the others dealt with the... other... threats. But when she sees the avian artificer get enveloped inside the gelatin collection of bones and corpse, she changes her mind. She pivots, runs, then leaps and snaps her foot into the creature, snapping off a backhanded punch as she lands, and then three more in rapid succession. The attacks are fast.. perhaps too fast, for the damage those very strikes do to the Egalrin inside doesn't register on the islander until she draws back.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls cmb: (3)+8: 11
With nothing yet in range, Elleandra begins yet another spell, calling upon her powers to shield her against acid. She takes another small step, and is now fully upside down, standing on the ceiling.
"Oh, of course, the soap golems. It makes perfect sense." Cryosanthia says, sounding stunned.
Immediately she leaps and attempts to free Pelka. After Halani's barrage, the elgarin is in poor shape. Unfortunately, she can't grab him or get him out. The white-scale warns, "Don't attack people inside, they're getting hurt!"
Merek looks like he is about to talk to the people arguing, then he sees the creatures coming. The man nods a bit, while his beltcape begins to shift about the waist. He lifts up both hands to begin to work the hatch back along while his attire changes to yellow-black.
GAME: Elleandra casts Resist Energy. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Darius rolls weapon11+2: (16)+14+2: 32 GAME: Darius rolls 1d6+10+2: (2)+10+2: 14
Seeing that the cistern has been shut, Darius turns to charge the creature near Merek, covering him and yells, "DIE!" and smashes it with his sheathed sword.
GAME: Murder casts Spider Climb. Caster Level: 9 DC: 15
The Gobbo suddenly stands straight up, chattering noisily in Goblin-talk. Her hands weave intricate patterns momentarily, and then she begins to climb the wall, scuttling up it on her hands and knees. She peers down at the ... thing quietly chewing on Pelka, and swears at length in its general direction.
GAME: Seldan rolls mace+pa: aliased to weapon2-3: (2)+16+-3: 15 GAME: Seldan rolls mace+pa-5: aliased to weapon2-3-5: (12)+16+-3+-5: 20 GAME: Seldan rolls mace+pa-10: aliased to weapon2-3-10: (11)+16+-3+-10: 14 GAME: Seldan rolls macedmg+padmg: aliased to 1d8+4+6: (7)+4+6: 17 GAME: Toha rolls 1d100: (61): 61 GAME: Toha rolls 1d8: (5): 5 GAME: Toha rolls 1d8: (5): 5
Seldan knows this dance, all too well. He shies from the suddenly crazed wargolem, but she doesn't seem to be doing much more than flailing, and the corpse-ooze is far and away the bigger threat. "Do not attack those trapped in an ooze, you need but pull them free!" he echoes Cryosanthia, but his focus is not what it usually is even as he sets about demonstrating the proper destruction of an ooze-thing, laying into it with swings that could be better placed, but one connects, and hard. "Simple is best!" he adds as a shout.
Toha staggers drunkenly as Seldan evades her punches, and takes a moment to gently caress the wall with both hands, looking it over in momentary fascination, "And you... shall be my... bride." her gurgly voice particularly discordant. Then, with a sudden shake of her head, she slams her fists, "No!" one after the other against the sides of her head, "He's MINE!" <yrch-speak>
GAME: Pelka activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Str GAME: Pelka rolls melee: (5)+9: 14 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (17)+16: 33 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (16)+16: 32
"What?!" Pelka squawks at Elleandra. "I'm so confused! /Can/ I or /can't/ I caaaAAAH--!" the rest of his question is cut off as he's enveloped by what has to be the most disgusting thing he's encountered in Alexandria's sewers yet. Which is saying something. It's only when Halani starts punching that his voice is heard again, faint and muffled this time: "awwk! squaawk! owwww!" Followed a few moments later by more, louder and somehow clearer: "THAT'S NOT HELPING!!" A faint thrummm as artifice on his breastplate engages and then a weaponized wrench that somehow appears from Pelka's hand - one of the few parts of him still visible - and tries to awkwardly swat at the thing that has him engulfed.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (7): 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (7): 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (6): 6
Quite quickly Seldan and Merek both find themselves engulfed by the corpse-monsters also, burning acid and mouths hungrily devouring their flesh. It's disgusting, and it's only liable to get worse. Worse, in fact seems to come from the dull thud you hear against the hatch that was just closed, a promise that /something/ is happening inside the cisterns that you can't see.
GAME: Seldan rolls fortitude: (7)+20: 27 GAME: Pelka rolls fort: (10)+10: 20 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+19+2: (8)+19+2: 29 GAME: Halani spends ONE point of KI POOL. GAME: Jasper rolls melee: (4)+1: 5
"Scud!" swears Halani, bouncing back a half step.. enough room for Cryosanthia to attempt to haul Pelka out of the bone and ooze nightmare. Halani follows the Sith's example, punching her hands into the body of the creature to grab on the closest piece of Pelka she can find. Finger close, muscles tense, feet plant... and then the small islander woman is hauling the armoured eagle man out, back into relative safety. Sort of. "Healing!" she cries out then. "He needs healing!"
Jasper gives the hatch of the cistern a dubious look, then hefts his club and advances on the...thing...that is attacking Seldan. His 'attack', if that is what it is seems unfocused, more about getting the creature's attention that doing any damage to it. Unfortunately, it seems rather resolutely focused on its target.
GAME: Merek rolls cmb: (5)+9: 14 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls wisdom: (9)+0: 9
Elleandra has nothing in range, she's loaded up with magic. So what's a girl to do? One moment she's there, the next her body is transforming and she's been replaced by the rather nightmare form of a deinonychus.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls heal: (11)+0: 11
Merek begins finishing with the hatch, then he nods. The man knew he would be putting himself right into the path of the creature. Then he's pulled into it, "Don't worry about me, run you guys, get everyone away, then you fire it!"
GAME: Elleandra rolls strength: (19)+2: 21 GAME: Elleandra rolls fort: (9)+7: 16 GAME: Darius rolls cmb: (14)+12: 26
Cryosanthia is really confused. The war-machine over there is beating its head against the wall and asking itself out. People keep vanishing into the ooze. Pelka! Pelka is pulled free. She immediately grabs him and passes him up to the dinosaur running on the ceiling. Sure. That makes perfect sense. "Bite him Gently!"
The gobbo must have turned into the dino. Which way is the exit! "There's something wrong with the flesh golem. I forget. It's soap, or it's phosphorus, or I don't know. If it's absorbed ooze it might explode when you kill it, especially if it goes in a straight line!"
For good measure, she wacks Toha on the back, "You'll be ok."
Darius seeing that Merek got eaten anyway turns and grabs onto his armor and tries to yank him out, straining with all his muscles to try and get him free but it's not quite enough.
GAME: Murder rolls 1d100: (63): 63 GAME: Murder rolls 1d10+3: (8)+3: 11
The chattering Gobbo on the ceiling stops chattering long enough to swat herself with her sword, drawing blood. "Why're you hitting yourself why're you hitting yourself..."
GAME: Seldan rolls mace+pa: aliased to weapon2-3: (15)+16+-3: 28 GAME: Seldan rolls mace+pa-5: aliased to weapon2-3-5: (11)+16+-3+-5: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls mace+pa-10: aliased to weapon2-3-10: (2)+16+-3+-10: 5 GAME: Seldan rolls fortitude: (10)+20: 30 GAME: Seldan rolls macedmg+padmg: aliased to 1d8+4+6: (1)+4+6: 11 GAME: Seldan rolls macedmg+padmg: aliased to 1d8+4+6: (2)+4+6: 12 GAME: Toha rolls 1d100: (98): 98 GAME: Toha rolls melee: (18)+12: 30
Rather than fight his way free, Seldan closes his nose and mouth, trying not to breathe in the horrific-smelling thing that surrounds him. Sometimes, one finds that the best defense is a good offense, and so he lays into the ooze surrounding him, hoping to kill it before he has to breathe.
GAME: Toha rolls melee: (20)+12: 32 (THREAT) GAME: Toha rolls 1d8+3: (4)+3: 7 GAME: Toha rolls 2d8+6: (4)+6: 10 GAME: Toha rolls melee: (7)+12: 19
Toha's managed to dent her faceplate to a fair degree, with a small dribble of liquid silver leaking from the right side of her nutcracker like mouthseam before she rocks her head side to side in an almost serpentine fashion and swings around to the next target of her mania, which probably would be the pretty scaley lady that just slapped her on the back... but NnnnoOO! The hideous, glistening mass of fused flesh and cleaning agents draws her attention and, sobbing inconsolably, she raises both fists and slams them into the blob, right about where the paladin is.
GAME: Pelka casts Cure Moderate Wounds. Caster Level: 6 DC: 16 GAME: Pelka rolls 2d8+6: (6)+6: 12 GAME: Pelka rolls reflex: (16)+10: 26 GAME: Pelka rolls fort: (17)+10: 27 GAME: Merek rolls fort: (20)+12: 32 (CRITICAL SUCCESS) GAME: Elleandra rolls fort: (7)+7: 14 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (16)+16: 32 GAME: Cryosanthia spends ONE point of PANACHE. GAME: Cryosanthia rolls melee: (13)+8: 21 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (9): 9 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (7): 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (8): 8
Hungry mouths worry away at flesh and bone, acid sizzles and pops as Cryosanthia is drawn in just as Seldan and Merek already are. It's looking grimmer by the moment. Worse somehow... it's gone deathly silent inside the cistern... Until suddenly there's a loud /crack/ from the one that Seldan and Toha are closest to. Not from the door but from... up? You have no way of knowing what's happening within.
Pelka isn't quite sure how he ended up...hanging from the ceiling from the mouth of what his people like to call 'velociraptor' but he's been assured since moving in Alexandria by many druids and Sith that is only the Egalrin's own term for them. Pelka always believes it because he knows how his people tend to stick 'raptor' and 'hawk' on the ends of other words whenever they're trying to name something. He shakes his head. Time to get back to business! The business of dealing with the oozehawks. And then dealing with the plagueraptors. Ahem. Pelka produces a small syringe-like device which he immediately touches to his own thigh before thumping the plunger. Next he spreads his wings and slips free of Elleandra's jaws, gliding away from Cryosantha and touching down in a position roughly between the two groups of adventurers.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls fortitude+3: (19)+4+3: 26 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (7)+16: 23 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-1-4: (8)+13+6+2+-1+-4: 24 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-1-4: (18)+13+6+2+-1+-4: 34 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-1-4: (18)+13+6+2+-1+-4: 34 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-1-4-5: (7)+13+6+2+-1+-4+-5: 18 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6+2-1-4-10: (14)+13+6+2+-1+-4+-10: 20 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (7)+2+2+8: 19 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (9)+2+2+8: 21 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (11)+2+2+8: 23 GAME: Halani rolls 2d6+2+2+8: (3)+2+2+8: 15
"Scud!" Halani says again. "Scudding freakish.." the words tumble out as Halani watches the death ooze thing swallow another one, this time the giant sith'makar. She twitches as if to grab after Cryosanthia... when with another 'Scud' she whirls away. She ducks around its attempt to grab her as she runs by, then launches herself at the one currently ingesting Seldan. Her heel cracks down and hits something solid (probably Seldan), and before she hits the ground she's landed another trio of solid, bonecrushing jabs.
AND THEN THE WORLD ENDED.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 5d6: (17): 17 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (14)+16: 30 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6: (2): 2
Jasper is intent on harrying the monstrosity that is consuming Seldan, but then it just...explodes. Shutting his eyes and mouth against the splatter, he turns his body and then just starts to RUN. His passage carries him buy another of the beasts and he feels the sting of acid, but it is nothing to his fear. That fear burns like fuel in an engine, churning his legs, his thoughts focused only on reaching the exit of this hellhole.
Amidst all of the chaos, Merek motions Darius as well as anyone else away from the ooze if they notice.
GAME: Elleandra rolls cmb: (16)+5: 21 GAME: Halani spends ONE point of KI POOL. GAME: Cryosanthia spends ONE point of PANACHE. GAME: Cryosanthia rolls 1d6: (3): 3 GAME: Cryosanthia rolls escape artist+3: (18)+9+3: 30
Elleandra hears.. an explosion? Since when does that happen? She tries to help Cryo escape, but cannot free her from the grip of the ooze.
Cryosanthia is in a fighting crouch, ready to dodge, struggling to remember a detail about this ooze. She's sure it's something. Not on the tip of her tongue, that could get her infected, but some important detail. She weaves back and forth, attempting to avoid it.
Bloop
She didn't avoid it. The sensation of being engulfed by water resumes, which is pleasant. That it's actually acid, sizzling her scaled, clothes and sensitive things that acid should not be on, becomes immediately present. She squeezes her eyes shut. Something Explodes! No... that wasn't the fact she was trying to remember, but it's interesting. Feeling a push of the goo near her she opens her eyes enough to see Elleandraptor reaching for her. She misses the little lizard hand, but whips her tail hard and bursts free, landing and skittering to safety. She shakes immediately as hard as she can, looking like a dog, feeling like a dog. Willing her beaten armour to hold together.
Darius, seeing that this situation is going from bad, to worse, to untenable, decides to try and take the lesser of two evils (or so he thinks). Eyes opening wide as he sees what Merek is going to do, he gacks, and quickly throws the cistern open and dives in, figuring if he's going to be engulfed in flames, whether or not there's something down there that can kill him, at least there's water down there... maybe?
GAME: Murder rolls 1d100: (46): 46 GAME: Seldan spends ONE use of LAY ON HANDS. GAME: Seldan rolls 5d6: (11): 11
"Hey baby, where'd you get the shoes? What, right next to the chicken wings? I didn't even know they sold shoes made of faces." The Gobbo settles on her behind.. on the ceiling, and chatters to the creature below. <goblin-talk>
GAME: Seldan rolls cmb: (10)+15: 25 GAME: Toha rolls 1d100: (3): 3 GAME: Merek used a Alchemist's Fire. GAME: Merek used a Thunderstone.
Bruised, beaten, acid- and fire-burnt, Seldan lays a land on his shoulder, silvery light forming under it for just a second. "You have my thanks, Halani." Then - he spots the fire creeping towards the pyre, and his eyes go wide. "RUN! This way!" He grabs Toha by what on a human would be the scruff of the neck, just getting purchase on the metal, and drags both of them through the hole made by the human-shaped figure, wildly gesturing for everyone to follow.
Things explode. Sizzling and wafting smoke as she is doused in caustic skunge, Toha gets another fit of the giggles, that almost sounds like one of those bird call water-whistle things. Suddenly, she shakes her head, her whiplike braids writhing and she's suddenly grabbed, "What-!?" and guessing by the position and angle of the tension he's putting on her arm, she follows him to... wherever, "What.... happened?"
GAME: Merek rolls 1d6: (5): 5 GAME: Merek rolls 1d100: (8): 8 GAME: Aftershock rolls 5d6: (18): 18
The situation would mean Merek waited for folk to maneuver from range. Then he nods a bit, while he begins to lean back into the ooze. Covered in searing ooze that smokes upon skin, then he takes his main hand, lifting that up while he holds the thunderstone, his feet finding the floor. He then swings the alchemist vial into it, while there is a loud noise, like there was a cannon that went off.
What people can see is there is Merek, on fire, shouting through it while he tries to keep his bearing, his arm flying right off, people will see it land next to him in ooze as well.
GAME: Pelka rolls knowledge/arcana: (15)+11: 26 GAME: Pelka rolls cmb: (18)+9: 27 GAME: Pelka casts Cure Moderate Wounds. Caster Level: 6 DC: 16 GAME: Pelka rolls 2d8+6: (5)+6: 11 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+16: (12)+16: 28 GAME: Darius rolls fort: (11)+10: 21
Pelka swivels his head in avian jerks to look at Cryosanthia who extricated herself from one ooze. Whew! Takes in Jasper who somehow made it past to the exit. Wow good for him. Winces as another explosion sounds from behind him. That's probably good, right? Catches sight of Seldan escaping through one of the tunnels - with Toha. Oh wait, that's the new Plan? He jabs himself with another curative and then looks around at Merek on fire, Elleandra crawing around on the ceiling and finally Murder also crawling. "The ooze drove her crazy!" he shrieks as he runs over and grabs her. "We can't leave her behind." Merek was already crazy, he thinks to himself.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls fortitude+3: (10)+4+3: 17
The nasty ooze clammors up Cryosanthia's legs once more, not catching on that she wants nothing to do with it. It, being mindless... really doesn't care.
Meanwhile Darius finds himself in water that is... thicker than he expects, and swimming is somewhat more difficult than he expected. In the pure darkness of the cistern though, it's hard to make heads or tails of where he is however.
Likewise, there's no one but Merek - who is burning quite merrily - to notice that something black and foulsome is bubbling out of the cistern beside him...
GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+19+2: (18)+19+2: 39 GAME: Aftershock rolls 2d6+3: (12)+3: 15
Jasper continues to have a singular objective...though, in fairness, he does pause to see Cryosanthia yanked free of the gibbering thing that is trying to consume her. Seeing that accomplished, however, he kicks his legs once more and continues to bolt for the exit.
"Really?" Halani asks of no one in particular. Maybe it's a half-hearted plea to those upstairs. Having just finished patting out the worst of the small fires on her body, she looks just in time to see Cryosanthia enveloped once more by the last ooze. She tears her eyes away, looking at Merek, burning... but then notes the position of the ooze and how close it is to the fire. And the pyre. Then she growls, and once more thrusts her hands into the body of the creature, hands exploring... there, they find a handhold, and once more bracing herself, Halani hauls a couple hundred pounds of reptilian out of the ooze. "Go!" she gasps once Cryosanthia is free. "The Silverguard has led the others into one of the holes!"
GAME: Merek casts Create Water. Caster Level: 10 DC: 14
Merek lifts up a hand, which is... Well, the one he still keeps, then he begins to speak the spell. Then water comes upon him while it begins to take away the flame. The man stands about, while he tries to walk, though all that can be seen is seared up material he wears, a cheek seared while smoke comes from him, and noticeably the whole fact of him not having an arm.
"This one is trying to!" Cryosanthia sputters, rescued again. Staggering and attempting to get away from the thing that will not leave her alone. Damn tight armour. Yes, that's it. It's the armours fault. Stupid lizard girl armour. Stupid lizard, just get out.
"Oh Silver Empress, Merek! Your arm! Get out! It's going to explode!"
Elly is nearby, covering for her. That's great! The sith scurries away from the ooze towards the exit.
Darius takes a deep breath and then dives further under the water, trying to get the current to take him far away from the explosions and fire and flames that are about to happen.
Elleandra keeps up, keeping herself between Cryosanthia and the ooze. She can't really determine what is going to happen next. She expects one heck of a rush of heat and air, though!
GAME: Murder used a Potion of Haste. GAME: Murder rolls strength: (11)+2: 13 GAME: Seldan casts Wall of Ice. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20
The Gobbo suddenly thrashes about in Pelka's arms, and wiggles herself free. "Merek is still in there!", she yells. Murder pulls a little vial from her belt pouch, pops the wee cork, and guzzles it down. In a flash, she zips back down the tunnel, reaching Merek. She makes a bit of a face at his state, and attempts to pull him from the cavern. Still a mite heavy, for her.
Once the two of them are safely into the side passage, with an ooze and an imminent explosion between them and the designated exit ... there is but one choice. Raising a blistered hand, his mace in the other, Seldan chants a spell, drawing several complex sigils in a careful balance in space, then speaks a last word. All of the symbols spring to life, frozen in space, until he points at the tunnel exit. All the sigils vanish, and shoot like icicle arrows towards the indicated spot, where they form a wall of hardened ice.
Only then does he turn to Toha. "We find another way out."
Toha starts to reach back out toward the exit of their tunnels, "Others....?" she protests, even as she is still staggering back under Seldan's guidance. Then the ice wall goes up and she turns on him a moment, the angle of her head hinting a glower, though her voice, hesitating only long enough to consider the tactical options she lacks and mournfully replies, "Yessss...."
GAME: Darius rolls fort: (4)+10: 14
Pelka's beak drops open as Murder wriggles out of his grip and dashes back towards...well...towards what looks like certain death. Pelka hesitates for a moment, looking between the burning figure, the other parts of the room that are aflame, and the exit tunnel. And he makes his choice, running for the exit.
GAME: Cryosanthia rolls fortitude: (13)+4: 17 GAME: Aftershock rolls 5d6: (21): 21
There's an explosion, a massive explosion, and suddenly, there's fire everywhere. Burning heat trapping the last two remaining individuals who did not manage to escape. Murder and Merek... Are now surrounded on all sides by fire and stone.
Darius dives down and realizes quite abruptly that he's not finding what he's looking for. He's swimming, but he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere.
Halani stumbles back from the explosion of fire and debris, her hands and arms snapping up to cover her face at least. "Wizard!" she yells, trying to be heard over the explosion. "Can you get yourself and the gobber out of here?"
GAME: Darius rolls cmb: (1)+12: 13 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Merek casts Breath of Life. Caster Level: 10 DC: 19 GAME: Merek rolls 5d8+10: (16)+10: 26 GAME: Aftershock rolls 3d6: (14): 14
"The only way is through that fire," Merek mentions, while he begins to write a few sigils up with the only hand which he keeps. Then he speaks a word, while the searing wounds begin to mend. With that, he nods to what looks like the safest exit, making that way!
GAME: Halani rolls reflex: (12)+17: 29 GAME: Halani spends TWO points of KI POOL. GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6: (4)+13+6: 23 GAME: Halani rolls 1d100: (17): 17 GAME: Halani rolls fort: (16)+12: 28
"Wizard!" Halani yells again, but then shakes her head, not waiting further for a response. "Okay. Okay. You can do this," she mutters to herself, then takes one, two breaths... on the third, she holds it, then runs at the fire. Right before she hits it she... blinks out. An imperceptible amount of time later, she is suddenly displacing a human's worth of water inside the cistern. She can't see anything, but starts flailing an arm about trying to find Darius.
GAME: Murder used a Potion of Cure Serious Wounds. GAME: Murder rolls 3d6+5: (14)+5: 19 GAME: Aftershock rolls 3d6: (8): 8 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6+3: (3)+3: 6
The Gobbo squints at Merek, and watches him totter off down into one of the side passages. She gulps down another potion, and then runs up the wall to the ceiling, and disappears into the tunnel formerly protected by the ice wall. "Seldan?", comes her call as she skitters along the ceiling of the tunnel.
GAME: Halani rolls fort: (7)+12: 19 GAME: Darius rolls fort: (16)+10: 26 GAME: Darius rolls cmb: (6)+12: 18 GAME: Merek rolls 10+4: (16)+10+4: 30 GAME: Merek casts Create Water. Caster Level: 10 DC: 14
Darius is drowning and glubs but can't seem to pull away, as bubbles from his abused lungs appear.
GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6: (8)+13+6: 27 GAME: Halani rolls 1d100: (2): 2
"Thank you!" Merek then offers to Murder while he maneuvers through the fire, "Will someone make sure that guy will be safe?" he asks, then it's fire. He then begins to use a spell for bringing water on him, then begins to walk along through the sewer system.
GAME: Halani rolls fort: (3)+12: 15
Halani keeps her lips sealed, falling back on old, some might say abusive training... keeping herself calm while she sweeps her arms through the water near her, moving slowly, in an attempt to locate Darius. So far, no success.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6: (4): 4 GAME: Darius rolls cmb: (2)+12: 14 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+13+6: (14)+13+6: 33 GAME: Halani rolls 1d100: (97): 97 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d6: (1): 1 GAME: Darius rolls fort: (4)+10: 14
Calm, calm. It's like a mantra in Halani's mind as she continues searching blindly... and then her patience is rewarded. A finger brushes something. Quick reflexes have her snap her hand towards it, and she grabs and pulls. Well, it's a body. She trusts that it's Darius's. And without letting her think about it, she uses her other hand to quickly locate his face. And without going into too much detail that might come across as inappropriate, she shares some of her breath with him.
GAME: Darius rolls cmb: (7)+12: 19 GAME: Halani rolls 1d20+19+2: (19)+19+2: 40
Halani doesn't let go, despite what might seem as struggling.. but is probably just Darius trying not to drown. She keeps a solid grip on him, or what she hopes is him, then kicks hard off of the bottom of the cistern, struggling to break free of the water's grip on the two of them. And then... blessed air as they break through the surface.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d100: (1): 1 GAME: Darius rolls fort: (1)+10: 11 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Darius rolls cmb: (15)+12: 27
He is pulled away, given breath by what feels like a woman's lips and then surfaces... only to be dragged under again by an ooze that gets into his mouth and down it. He coughs but manages to use the disgusting sensation to get the strength to break free
GAME: Halani spends ONE point of KI POOL. GAME: Aftershock rolls 5d6: (18): 18 GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (9)+13: 22
"Ow! Ow! Scud! Hot!" And various words along the same theme as Halani all but drags Darius through the fire. The two of them probably just qualified for a half dozen trials of passage for various things. Drowning, burning. And thus it is that when she catches up to those who took the main exit that she all but collapses, smouldering and steaming from the less than graceful exit. Burned robes, burned handwraps.. a good deal of hair burned away. But... alive.
GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (8)+13: 21 GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (12)+13: 25 GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (4)+13: 17 GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (15)+13: 28 GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (11)+13: 24 GAME: Seldan casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 19 GAME: Seldan rolls 1d20+13: (11)+13: 24 GAME: Seldan rolls 2d8+3: (5)+3: 8 GAME: Seldan rolls 2d8+3: (8)+3: 11 GAME: Seldan used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds. GAME: Seldan used a Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds. GAME: Seldan rolls 5d6: (10): 10 GAME: Seldan rolls 5d6: (22): 22 GAME: Seldan rolls 5d6: (14): 14 GAME: Seldan rolls 5d6: (19): 19
You all escape from the tunnels. Thankfully you had the foresight to check the map and largely... you will eventually figure it out. So beaten, weary, burned, you make your way to the surface. The last to arrive are Seldan, Murder, and Toha. They look like they've faired physically at least better than some. As you gather beside the adventurer's guild, you don't have time to take stock of your wounds before you realize that something is horribly, terribly wrong.
There's a dark mass in the sky. A wobbling... black... mass. People are fleeing... screaming away from the temple district. With horror growing in your stomach you realize that one of the cisterns must have /broken/ from /beneath/ the city... and now one of the oozes is loose in Alexandria.
Cryosanthia stares. She shakes off her arms. She's been wiping herself clean with her old cape, and it is now eaten through with acid burns. Her old leather, likewise, has just about had it. So it seems, has the sith. That stinging, it didn't go away once she was clean. She knows she's infected as well. The giant ooze on the other side of the city completely devours her will.
"Well. That looks like something the City Fathers and the Waterworks Engineers should be consulted about. I think this plague victim is going to go off and die. This one apologizes, I hoped my presence would help, clearly, it has not. Seldan, sorry for dragging you into this. Your home seems to be in that direction."
Halani is almost dead on her feet... but when she sees the ooze, she manages to gather herself. Straighten. Her fists clench around the burned-half-away wrist wrappings. She starts walking in the temple square's direction.
Merek manages to make his way to the party, covered in seared attire, while he has like, no main arm. He does look between folk, then to the place that the ooze is at. He takes from the pack of his with a hand what looks like a nice cigar, taking the time to light that. He nods a bit to Cryosanthia, he doesn't mention what he thought of the plan, what might change.
Seldan, on emerging and seeing what lies in the Temple District, goes positively ashen, and takes off at a run, mace in hand. "Come! We must rescue the temples!"
Toha simply stares up at the monolithic glob engulfing a significant part of the city, the darkness of her eyeslit broken for just a moment by a single ruby glint, "Magic bag.... Salt... I walk in... Empty bag."
The white-scale sith-makar looks over at the war-golem. She stares, "I know where salt is. And it's where my cihuaa might be. If you've got the bag of holding, then let's try that. Elly, it's not your fault." She starts walking towards the temple district.
Halani keeps pace with Seldan, slowing so that she can hurry abreast of him. "It's a bit early to say, Silverguard, but I think this.. I think I've been infected again." And she's not looking so swell. "There will probably be defenders when we get there. They're going to need information."
GAME: Merek rolls 3d6: (9): 9 GAME: Merek rolls 3d6: (10): 10 GAME: Merek rolls 3d6: (12): 12 GAME: Merek rolls 3d6: (7): 7 GAME: Merek rolls 3d6: (7): 7
Toha shakes her head, "Idea... don't... have bag." she returns to the sith, canting her head once more, "... Head wrong.... before... I... sorry..." she adds, turning her banged up face toward Seldan. That said, the machine turns to step closer to the palescale.
"Then I'll just hold the bins and it will take me in. I can't go within a block of those things. We'll be fine." Cryosanthia says.
When she saw the state of Halani and Darius, Elleandra felt sick. Merek's arm, she can't look at. Turning away, and into the commotion, she sees the depth of this threat, and as she takes on human form once more, her arms fall to her sides. But she hears the screaming. Moreover, the screaming of a small child. She shakes her head, and light flashes back into her eyes. She turns to Merek, "Can you help me stop this panic? I've seen you talk down this kind of thing before. I need them to listen to me and not hurt themselves running."
Elleandra doesn't wait, though, going out to do what she can. Her first goal, find the lost child, who has become separated from her mother in the rush of this. She doesn't know what that ooze will do next. She can only hope someone can stop it.
Seldan shakes his head at both Halani and Toha. "I shall find you both and do what I may for you, in the coming days," he pants as he runs. "I know its cure." More pauses to run towards the district. "I am - distracted, forgive me."
Merek looks around to the party, while he lifts up his divine focus. Then he begins to bring positive energy into the people, healing them, including himself while he begins to clean up the ooze he creates. Then he nods to Elleandra, "I will do what I'm able," he says, then he maneuvers to where the people are, "Everyone, listen up! We adventurers are about to manage this situation, you all know that we will assure that Alexandria will keep fighting!"
Pelka spreads his wings, stretches them, allows the air to touch the feathers. He emits what might be a sigh of relief. Then he flaps them once, lifting him into the air higher than he could ever jump. A few beats take him even higher, as he's leaning forward. Finally he settles into a steady flapping, streaking across the sky towards the temple district. Only as he makes his final approach does he slow and begin circling. He spirals closer in a carefully calculated pattern attempting to see how close he can get before being attacked.
GAME: Merek rolls diplomacy: (19)+25: 44
The closer you get to the source of the chaos, the calmer things become. Elleandra finds and sends the child on its way. There's fewer people this close, and then suddenly there are. Groups of guardsmen stoically battling the edge of the ooze. They fight bravely, but its clear that they're outmatched. The thing reaches out and grabs them and sucks them in one at a time. Drowning them in inky blackness that sparkles in the failing light. They turn at the sound of Merek's voice, and seem to recognize a group of adventures when they see one.
"We've got continents of clerics and guardsmen fighting it back, but the thing... it won't /die/. We keep chopping off bits and they run away down the streets fleeing us to chase after civilians." Most of them obviously are armed with swords. The men look hollow-eyed and as weary as you do. Their commander clasps his hand to his heart. "There are other continents of adventures too, but everyone is split off by this thing. We welcome your support."
"Blunt weapons, Commander," Seldan tells the man when he arrives, in a weary tone that is thick with his Myrrish accent. "Swords will but split it. Blunt weapons, alchemical fire. Do not use magic, for this feeds from it." He does not spend too long explaining, turning to look at the massive thing. "I would have you break off in shifts and fetch maces and clubs, those will avail you better."
"Blades are ineffective, tell your men to use blunt weapons." Cryosanthia says, barely stopping to address the man, not looking at him. She coldly walks by, focused on the temples. "No magic, like he said."
Halani slows to a stop with Seldan, though she leaves the discussion with the guards to him. Instead she takes a few steps to try and get a clear look at the monster Ooze. "Flaming arrows," she does add, though, to Seldan's list. "The arrows might not hurt it.. but the fire should."
Toha reaches out for the siths's shoulder, "... Not you... we..." her voice has gotten even worse after what happened before, but she nods and follows Cryosanthia to where the salt is.
While the others go to aid the guards, Elleandra focuses on guiding those in flight. "Go to the south, across the river," she urges. "Hurry, but do not run!" Anyone alone and able-bodied is directed to knock on doors and ensure everyone gets out. She looks back only to ensure that everyone is moving ahead and that nobody is left behind, whether old or young or injured.
Merek looks around a bit, then nods, "People that aren't important to the fight, please find yourself away, anyone that will fight... Well, water, fire, and no magic, you need to use what they mention."
Pelka begins testing his luck flying over the ooze. And also testing another theory. Traveling nearly 60 feet above the ground he flies over the ooze and begins looking for a place he can drop his alchemical fire - the space between temples would be his preference, to form a barrier of fire in the space the ooze would otherwise be able to go.
GAME: Toha used a Thunderstone.
The guardsmen nod to you, and the order quickly is set out for blunt weapons. You're not... quite on the front lines, there's a line of clerics and guardsmen between you and the ooze which is black and can not be seen through. The commander orders his men to rotate... which really is more of a process of those who aren't already fighting gathering blunt weapons while the front line is... devoured. Access to the temples themselves is blocked off by the mass of the ooze. Pelka can easily find a place to set off his attack.
GAME: Pelka used a Alchemist's Fire.
Cryosanthia is held back by her shoulder. She turns an looks at the person doing it. _Nothing_ is in her eyes. When something does show, it is anger, and she's being very careful not to show anything. Her little dragon is beating all of it into the iceberg, and it's growing very black. There is a slight loosening of her eye-ridges. She's not actually upset with the interesting looking feminine war-golem. She is however, out of patience with herself and this situation. A coldness radiates off her, and she moves with efficient stiffness and has no warmth when she speaks.
She addresses the clerics, "Don't cast on it. Water, alcohol, soapy water, will dilute it. If you can cast create water nearby, somewhere that it will run down after the magic aura has dissipated, that will work. Don't cast magical rain on it, that hasn't. Use a Wall of Ice, Stone or Iron, to block it. We're going to get salt."
As she moves towards the Temple stores, and the location of the salt she yells, "And someone REALLY SKILLED, WATCH IT with DETECT MAGIC to FIGURE OUT THE MECHANISM! It will Hunt you. Good LUCK."
GAME: Merek rolls fort: (3)+12: 15
"I'll look to see what I find," Merek mentions, with a nod for Cryo, and a look to Elle, "We will need you and folk to assist with the guard." With that, he does speak to the sith-makar, "Alright, watching with magic." He then activates the goggles while he seems about to speak, then he makes a noise while he's driven back into the floor.
Elleandra has satisfied herself with the retreat of the people. She's got to get back to the front to help. She pauses to get a bit of an update on what's going on, so she is at least aware of Cryo and Toha's work with the salt. She jumps up and waves to Pelka. Maybe she'll be seen. She's the little spec to the right. "PELKA!!!" Looking around, she calls out to Halani, "Alcohol might help!" She doesn't mean for her. She knows that would help! "Can you get to the temple stores? Maybe get a few of these men to help? We need to start lobbing in barrels of it, if we can." Turning for a moment at the terror of the monster towering above them all, Elleandra takes it in. "Seldan?" she calls out. "Can you help them stay alive out there?" A pause and she looks at the guards waiting, "Do you have grappling hooks? I don't know how long they'll last, but maybe you can throw them into that thing and pull your men out before they are lost."
Pelka returns to the group, setting down. "More Alchemical fire," he says, slightly winded. "I can get around it, drop it in a...I don't know, a line. A barrier, to keep it from spreading too far in other directions." He turns towards the west and points. "Maybe we can direct it towards the bridge...and over, into the river."
"Not the river," says Elleandra urgently. "We have to stop it if we can. If it gets in the river, it could be everywhere." She pulls out her vial of alchemical fire. "Maybe.. if you drop them all as one huge attack? Everything we have left."
Toha doesn't take obvious exception to the look she gets. It's probably not quite in her right now to gauge the emotion behind it. The golem decides, while Cryosanthia is managing the clerics, to call,"Soldiers... move!" and waves them back before throwing one of her thunderstones at the ground near the blob to test if it may present an additional resource on hand and... it does seem to quiver a bit. She takes out two more and hands them to guards, "Ground near." then moves after the sith once more.
"As you will." Seldan, too, pulls his vial of alchemist's fire and hands it to Elleandra, then turns with mace in hand and strides towards the guards, taking off at a run. "To me!" he shouts to the guard contingent. "It is stoppable, but your blades and arrows will not avail you. Clubs and maces fare better!"
Halani takes her first step towards the giant ooze, then twitches when Elleandra yells. At first she doesn't understand what the elf woman is saying... then her eyes narrow, looking towards Tarien's temple. But then she looks back a the ooze and the guards swimming inside. She makes up her mind. Once again she takes a few steps forward, picking up speed.. and then she blinks the distance to the ooze's perimeter, close to as many swallowed guards as she can see. She doesn't make the grab right away, though, exercising caution. And well she did. A portion of the ooze lashes out at her and she manages to half dodge, half knock the tendril aside, then continues her spin and strikes it with a followup kick.
The ooze moves ponderously, slowly. slipping forward an inch at a time to simply roll over guardsmen who aren't quick enough to escape it. But there is so /much/ of it. The soldiers rally around Seldan, fairing better now with the paladin to offer them his courage and his might. Above you the sky darkens slightly, as if the stars are winking out one by one.
Cryosanthia returns, dragging one of the salt bins, at least 200 lbs of it. The darkening sky draws her attention, the stars vanishing, one by one. She mutters under her breath, "Oh Mistress, are you coming with the Tower. That will be a sight."
It's not shared. How would the warning help. Perhaps it will land and crush the ooze. She drags the salt bin closer. She looks at the war-golem following, "You wouldn't be a catapult, would you?"
Pelka accepts the new batch of alchemical fire. He turns briefly to watch what progress the other efforts are making. Then he spreads his wings and lifts off again, this time flying directly over the central mass of the ooze. He drops the newest batch of alchemical fire there, one after another.
GAME: Pelka used a Alchemist's Fire. GAME: Pelka used a Alchemist's Fire.
Toha brings her own bin of fun, though her eyeslit makes gauging her point of focus chancy at best, the sith probably gets that 'stared at' feeling. It only lasts a couple of seconds, then, "Laughs.... later." and she starts to bring the party toward the slime, uttering the only word of prayer she's ever needed, "Annnnnngorrrronnnn...."
Focussing her ki into her senses, her spatial awareness, and her ability to react to incoming attacks, Halani starts doing what she can to grab guardsmen and pull them out out, sending them back behind lines. Though judging from the size of the thing... well, it's not good to have doubts. Do, or do not.
Elleandra has done what she can. She ensures the next round of warriors that runs up are secured with ropes, just long enough to get in range of the nightmare blob ahead. There are men braced and ready to yank them out, once they are engulfed. It's not perfect, but it's the best plan she has at the moment.
Cryosanthia sets her bin down and grabs two scattering scoops and starts digging and flinging, sending wide arcs of sand high across the ooze in front of her. She keeps the bin between her and it, because if she's going in again the bin is coming with her. She's infected though, so it's ignoring her. All her magic gear is in the Guild. Angry and reckless she moves closer and closer and shovels the winter salt onto it.
Seldan glances up only briefly at the stars winking out one by one overhead, and murmurs a prayer under his breath before raising his voice, shouting words of instructions and encouragement. He focuses only on rallying and organizing the guardsmen, keeping them moving, and of course laying into it himself for everything he's worth, whenever he gets the chance.
Toha nods back to the Sith, "Braveryyyy.... good." she burbles, then drags the bin in a more determined pace to the blob that reaches out to engulf the war golem.... and her salty cargo. Her only defensive action is to crouch down and hug the bin to make sure it comes in with her.
Your efforts show clear results. The ooze is being beaten back. The salt makes it withdraw slowly and flinch away. The attacks slowly whittle away at it. The fire... well it's far away and it's hard to tell exactly what its doing to the ooze, but it's surely doing /something/. You can literally feel the tide changing. You know in your hearts it's because you're here. Above you the sky turns black, and suddenly you feel it. The pitter-patter of something soft and sweet on your skin. The first drop of rain. Then another. Then... it's showering. Drenching all of you.
It's as if the gods above heard your softly (and not so softly) whispered prayers and opened the heavens up. The ooze wobbles under the deluge and then suddenly /explodes/ in a rush of water that shoves everyone away from its form. The force nearly knocks you over (does knock some of you over) and then the water is rushing back into the temple district and down the sewers. Back underground where it came from. The warm rain embraces you. Eases your aches and pains, and when you look up, the moon is standing proudly in the sky amid a sea of clouds.
-End