Into the Odd (IC)

[LurkytheDwarf]

The current OOC thread can be found here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?617715-Into-the-Odd-(OOC)).

ADVENTURE ONE - INTO THE IRON CORAL

You are deposited on the tidal flats twenty-seven miles down the western seaboard from Hopesend. After you disembark his tiny sloop, Ifner the Pearl Diver heads out to wait in deeper water—fearful of staying too close to the shore. "I wait but one day!" he calls back with a laugh.

Before you looms a growing forest of red coral which has pushed its way up through the sand and silt. Dead fish and scuttling crabs litter the ground, picked at by marine birds. Everywhere aquamarine seawater stains most surfaces and runs off in tiny waterfalls.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f9/37/75/f93775a7056761b40495d9bb8bd017e1.jpg

Together with your newfound comrades (of which you know for better or worse), you push two hundred yards further to where you spot a glint rising above the red vista. Then you stumble upon it: a huge vaguely castle-like mass of jagged, alien metal, a product of the deep.

Before you stands a definitively door-like entrance. Unlikely the flapping, wriggling, skittering life around you outside, within is only darkness and silence. Of the parties which came before, there is no sign.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash eyes the otherworldly edifice with open fear and suspicion, glancing at the receding sloop with longing. At length, he prods Rabble: Shoo, minion - go see what's inside, then report back, yea?

Rabble simply shakes it's head: Nuh-uh, no way!

With the greatest of reluctance, Rakash proceeds to creep closer. His very posture signals not just a willingness, but a desire, to run for the hills at the slightest sign of danger. He holds his longaxe as if it might bite him, but approaches the door-like orifice ... slowly.

Behind him, Rabble mutters: Don't wo-ry. I've my swored ready. I hafs yore back.

[Mangles]

Timber is eager to start. All this lolling around is not fit for a Jack. He readies his axe and nods to Stabber before pushing to the front. "If your not man enough for the front then guard the rear." He walks up to the door and hesitates only slightly at the entrance before scowling and stepping through the door.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash imitates Timber's voice sarcastically - nif nure not nan nenuff! - but is secretly grateful. There's an old goblin saying that goes if you meet an angry bear in the forest, you don't need to outrun the bear .. you just need some poor fool silly enough to stand there and try to fight it.

[JbeJ275]

Tertis moves forward as cross as ever but still determined. He will wait a good ten seconds after Timber has entered then follow behind him. Marcus follows closely behind Tertis as they move into this place.

[LarsWester]

Happy that others took the lead, Smirk readies his musket and follows through the door. Turning back to the fair-haired lithe woman behind him he says.
Hare you take up the rear. Scream if you die or something.
Hare lets out a nervous gulp and falls in line behind Smirk.
Any of you have a torch? It is dark in here. The short bearded fellow asks those in front.

[LurkytheDwarf]

A few of your expedition spark up torches as you pass through the entrance to the great coral growth. Before you is a downward sloping path of irregular walls. Waves must be crashing against the far side of the structure because their metallic echo travels with you into this alien place.

A good fifty feet brings you to a large, unfinished room—little better than a cavern. You enter from the north, your torches playing across the many deep shadows of the chamber. It contains several features: A pit yawns open in the center of the floor.
East, a crack travels up the wall. At its base is a hole just large enough to be a crawlway for most of your party save Rakash, Rabble, and Smirk (who would still need to duck). The passage drips with aquamarine water.
South, two more tunnels open up, similar to the one you have just traversed. But the eastern one is filled with chest-high sea foam.
Growing on the western wall is a large patch of the red coral that has formed the forest-like spires out on the tidal flats. Where its edge meets the iron coral, the metal loses its luster.
Still no sign of any previous party.

[LarsWester]

Smirk eyes shift around the large chamber with the lantern light playing its shadows off the surrounding extents of the area. The pit in the center of the floor draws his attention. Smirk cautiously makes his way to the edge of the pit. Getting down on his stomach he crawls forward until he can look down in the pit. He tries to discern how deep it is.
Hare come here with your light and a small stone. he calls to his companion who will simply walk over to Smirk peering down at the prone dwarf comically.

[Kaptin Keen]

As the southern passages are the farthest, Rakash points to the crack to the east: Rabble, watch that opening for any enemies trying to ambush and eat us, ok? Try to scream and whack them once with your sword - before you die, or run away. Ok?

Rabble nods solemnly: Yes boss. Swored redy. I is watchfool.

Then Rakash creeps along with Smirk, longaxe ready. If you want (your part of) piles of treasure, you must at least seem to be pulling your own weight.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Correction: You have lanterns not torches.
Smirk crawls up to the edge of the pit. Rakash follows a pace or two behind, longaxe ready to cleave whatever kills his companion. But nothing of the like happens. Smirk peers only into the darkness below.

Hare is called for and holds her lantern at arms-length. It shines feebly 20' feet down, but the pit continues farther still. She hands Smirk a stone.

Dropped into the pit, the stone falls out of sight and travels perhaps four seconds—around a third of which it is in the range of your lantern's light—before it can be heard making a hollow, metallic ping off a dry surface.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash gives a sigh, as if to say 'geez, why do I have to do all the work?!'

I think I can fix this, he mutters. He tears a rag of cloth from some part of his clothing (it's literally not important which part, since it seems to be held together mostly by dirt), dips it gingerly in his Fire Oil, wraps it tight around a rock with a bit of string also liberated from his clothes - then lights it from the lantern, and tosses it into the pit.

As the flaming rock falls, Rakash's face twists with fear of what it might reveal.

[LurkytheDwarf]

The flaming stone falls for the same four seconds, a distance you can visually measure as about sixty feet. It passes nothing but bare iron coral walls and lands with the same hollow, metallic ping as the last on the bare iron coral floor.

The burning rag's illumination is faint to your eyes from the bottom of the pit, but a patch of deep shadow hints at another passage heading off toward the east down there.

[LarsWester]

Smirk looks at the goblin dropping a burning rock. He turns to Hare. Why didn't you think of doing that? Turning away from peering into the dark 60' foot deep hole towards the Goblin Smirk says What do you think is it worth climbing down or do you think we go an easier route from the start. It might be nice if we have spare rope to leave a rope hanging here secured in case we ever get to the bottom of the hole we can then climb the rope back up. Do you know how much rope we have together? He then pushes himself away from the edge of the gaping hole and looks around for the rest of the group calling out to no one in particular Found a deep hole here, find anything?

[Kaptin Keen]

This hole in the ground seems like the hardest way forward, and the least likely avenue for an ambush. I'd say we try one of the others. I was worried this place might flood, but with a big hole in the floor, that seems less likely. So um .. Rabble, think you can climb up and check out that crack in the wall?

Rabble, with the absolute conviction of a fanatic zealot, shakes his head.

With an overly dramatic sigh, Rakash sets to scaling the wall, to have a peek inside.


Is the crack even that high up the wall? Eh, regardless. Just making sure no monsters are lurking in there, looking to jump us when our backs are turned.

[JbeJ275]

Similiarly wary of ambush, though with most avenues for further exploration used up Tertis and Marcus shine their lanterns down the southwestern and southeastern passages respectively looking for motion or signs that movement had occurred previously

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash

At the base of the crack in the eastern iron wall is a small crawlway, but for your small goblin form, you could hunch over and walk through it. From hairline fractures, water drips from the ceiling of the small tunnel.

Shining the light of your lantern into it, you can tell it goes 20' before turning south. It also noticeable slopes downward.

Tertis

The southeastern passage is filled with chest-high seafoam. The thick salty smell stings the nostrils. The bubbles are constantly popping and dissolve before spilling into the first cavern. There must be some source down the passage replenishing them.

Shining your light over the foam you can see the passage continues south into darkness.

The southwestern passage only goes fifteen feet before opening into another large unfinished cave, larger than a single lantern can illuminate. This one however has its iron wall covered with the red coral growth, like the patch on the western wall in the first chamber with the pit.

30' into this second cavern, something small and shiny on the floor glints from the light of your lantern.

[LarsWester]

Smirk stands up after retreating from the holes edge. Anyone find anything promising? I am up to going anyway but I think the way of least resistance would be that Southwestern passage. You know the one not full of water.

[Kaptin Keen]

I've found nothing. I agree with picking the easiest way forward. Unless someone has nigh-magical tracking skills, and can tell us which way the previous teams went?

Rakash doesn't look hopeful that this should be the case.


Since this skill doesn't seem to have skills - can we roll against an ability to pick up tracks, or the like?

Should I already know this from reading the rules? oO

[LurkytheDwarf]

Basically, with the players saying they take to the time to look around, if there were tracks to find you would have found them. Between the metal floor and the several days since anyone's passed through here, there isn't anything in the way of tracks.
As the party gathers around the southwestern passage and edges forward, your light shines deeper into the second cavern. This one's walls are completely covered with the red coral, like a rash spreading across a man's skin. Your light finds the rear of the chamber; there are no other exits.

In the center of the room, the glint comes from a small open pouch spilling silver coins. However, very near the pouch is a pile of meat, fur, and bone. Staring at it, you can make out the skull of a dog. The carcass seems too fresh to be breaking down from natural decay.

[Kaptin Keen]

Does this feel like a trap to anyone? It feels like a trap to me. Loot, conveniently placed .. where .. Rakash's voice fades as he creeps closer to the irresistible lure of the spilled silver, mesmerized. He's still cautious, and holds his weapon at the ready - but he's still very clearly unable to resist the lure of precious shinies.

[LarsWester]

Smirk nods his head in agreement as his goblin companion talks about the obvious trap ahead. He then shakes his head in disbelief as Rakash moves forwards towards the very same trap. Smrik stands in the doorway checking his musket making sure it is ready to fire at whatever the Goblin sets off.

[LurkytheDwarf]

As Rakash enters the red-walled cavern, the goblin notices a change in himself. His head feels stuffy like it's filling with spring pollen. By the time he is only halfway to the dog's remains and the pouch of silver, he is feeling faint. Does he continue?

The expedition members at the entrance watch Rakash start to teeter and become incautious in his trek over to the coins.

[Kaptin Keen]

... diz-zy. Rakash shakes his head, trying to clear it. Pro .. pably something in .. the air?

He tastes the air, smells it - but he also sees the prudence in falling back a few steps, to see if it wears off.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash turns back. It takes him retreating out of the red-walled cave altogether before his head starts to clear. Even then, it takes a couple of minutes and a heavy swig of water from a canteen before the goblin feels quite himself again.

[Kaptin Keen]

Wow - that was unpleasant. So how motivated are we? Personally, I'm .. not here for the company - no offence - but for the treasure. What say we tie a rope around me, then I try again, while holding my breath? See if it's the air in there. Yes?

Oh, and .. no funny business. I fully realise that if I kick it in there, there's one less for you to share with. Rakash gives his best impression of a steely glare, only somewhat spoiled by how wretched he looks.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash, with a rope tied around his waist and holding his breath, proceeds back into the second cavern. At first, you believe this time may be different, but by the time you reach the same spot, your head feels fuzzy once again. The blurring red walls are closing in on you.

I need a Willpower save.

[LarsWester]

Hare has a concerned look come over her face as the Rakash bravely approaches the treasure again. Smirk snorts as the goblin gets out of earshot but maintains a tight grip on the rope.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Shaking his head, Rakash makes it to the pouch of silvers and grabs it. Up this close, you also notice the tendrils of red coral spreading from the walls along the iron floor connecting them to the fur, bones, and skull of the dog carcass. They form a larger patch near the coin purse; though if another body had been there, no hint of it remains. Rakash can tell the red coral seems strangely soft—pliable like potter's clay.

Another fainting spell begins to set in on you as your little goblin fingers snatch up the last of the spilled silver coins...

You have a pouch and 20 silver coins. If your next action isn't to leave the room, you will probably need to make another Willpower save.

[Kaptin Keen]

Gritting his teeth - showing way too many tiny, very very sharp teeth for comfort - Rakash turns around, and staggers away from the center of the cave, back to safety.

It's .. the coral! He all but snarls, the coral worries at your mind like a dog at a bone ... and then it eats you!

Shaking his head again, Rakash realises how absurdly deranged that sounds, and shrugs, apologetically. Least that's how it feels, when you're in there. Also, the dog didn't bring a pouch of silver in there, right? But it's master was long gone.

[LarsWester]

Hmm. Easy to test that theory. Smirk says outloud as he walks back into the first chamber and towards the red coral along the Western wall. Hare make sure you get my- I mean our- cut of that silver.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk walks up to the red coral growth along the western wall of the first chamber. As you do, there is a slight tingling that you begin to feel across your skin. It doesn't go beyond that no matter how close you get. Maybe, there's just not enough here to expose you to the effects which Rakash endured.

However, Smirk can also tell the red coral is only semi-solid, like unfired clay. Really taking the time to study the patch also gives you the impression it is growing over something, possibly a fifth passage from the pit cavern.

[LarsWester]

Smirk steps back 20 feet and fires his musket at the red coral near where he suspects a hidden passage.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Kra-KOW! Smirk's shot rings over the echo of the crashing waves outside. It results in a musket ball-sized hole in the patch of red coral growing across the iron wall in the first chamber. The build up is only a few inches thick, and beyond is a lightless space.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash very nearly jumps out of his skin at the unexpected racket - but when he recovers, comments: You know, I have infinite chops in this axe. Did you bring infinite musket balls? He experimentally pokes his long axe at the coral around the hole left by the shot.

[LarsWester]

Smirk tries to caution his new companion against using his metal weapon to clear away the coral which seems to be growing and eating away the sheen from the metal wall but he isn't quick enough. And ends up just muttering under his breath Do you have even more than one axe?

[Kaptin Keen]

The point comes slowly to Rakash.

More than one? Why would I need ... ooohh - you think the red coral is eating the iron? That's why it's red - it's rust coral! Brilliant - maybe you have some goblin blood in you ..?!

He looks at his axe blade with some concern, and meticulously wipes off the red coral, then starts poking the coral with the wooden haft instead.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash only gets a few axe strokes into his work before you stop. Dusted clean of the red coral particles, the head does not yet seem any worse for wear. Still, being mindful of Smirk's warning, you set in with the wooden haft digging out the furrows left by the axe.

In time, Rakash has dug out a hole over a foot wide. With the little light leaking in now from the lanterns in the first chamber, you can see a small length of a tunnel before it ends in collapsed dull iron. The walls, ceiling, and rubble are covered in red coral. Ghostly thin strands of reddish hue hang from floor to ceiling.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash peers through the hole, not liking what he sees one bit. Slowly, his gaze shifts backwards to settle on Rabble. Rabble takes a moment to notice, then does a double-take: .. who, me?!

Their eyes lock, and there is a contest of wills, which


Will check, Rakash: [roll0] vs 12
Will check, Rabble: [roll1] vs 5


ends without a clear winner. Rabble sighs, and resigns to poking a lantern through the hole, at least.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash's companion Rabble moves up to the new hole in the red coral and thrusts forward the lantern so everyone might get a better look inside. In the brief seconds you have, nothing new comes into sight.

The ribbon-like tendrils sway from Rabble's presence, then all at once several thrust out the hole as far as they can (about 2'). Their edges are revealed to be razor-sharp as they slash into the goblin child.

Rabble takes [roll0] damage, starting with hit points with the leftover being subtracted from Rabble's Strength score. Should the latter happen, a saving throw against the new modified Strength score is necessary to avoid taking Critical Damage. This can all be found on Page 7 of the rulebook under Attack/Damage/Critical Damage.

[Kaptin Keen]

Poor Rabble, lacerated almost beyond recognition, screams briefly before dropping back on the stone, spraying blood everywhere. Rakash, in reply, shrieks in terror, and lashes at the tendrils with his longaxe.

REEE! DIE, MONSTROUS .. THING!! He flails with more enthusiasm than skill.


Rabble, Strength save: [roll0] vs 12
Rakash, Damage: [roll1]

Is this done correctly?! oO

[LurkytheDwarf]

Assumably keeping his distance with the longaxe, Rakash slices through one of the tendrils and it falls to the ground in the pit chamber; the rest of the appendage retreating back and up into the collapsed tunnel. The remaining strands lash out at Rakash but due to the range cannot reach. They don't seem strong enough to grasp the axe from you but start making tiny cuts along the wooden haft with their razor-sharp edges.

Yep you're doing it right.

There are still many tendrils slashing outward from the hole in the wall, but only about two feet. You can keep out of their range as you hack at them. Your longaxe is not yet seriously damaged by their attacks.

[LarsWester]

Smirk reloads his musket. By the gods what have you uncovered here Rakash? When ready he will fire his musket again.

[roll0] Damage for musket when ready.

[Kaptin Keen]

It's unclear whether Rakash is responding to Smirk, or just shrieking whatever comes first into his mind:

Gaahh! It's everywhere. Red, evil rust coral eating the metal, and us, and everything.

Despite his apparent panic, he adopts a reasonable tactic. It's basic pike training, something he's seen before - step forward, slash, step back out of reach. Step, slash, step - step, slash, step.


Rakash, damage: [roll0]

Obviously trying to keep my axe alive here =)

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash hacks away at more of the tendrils and another severed one falls to the iron floor. You dodge and duck back and forth to preserve your weapon. On one such pullback, Smirk's musket cracks off again blowing a chuck out of the writhing mass.

This is enough to see all of the tendrils retreat back into the collapsed tunnel beyond the red coral patch. From what little light shines into that dark hole, Rakash at least can see all the hanging strands wave about and shudder then roll up to the ceiling out of sight.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rabble! Rakash rushes to the rescue of the fallen goblin child.


I have no idea if Rakash can help, but he's certainly going to try .. poor little Rabble.

[LarsWester]

Smirk shakes his fist at the disappearing tentacles. More of that ifin' you come back again. He shouts at the retreating monster. Then concerned that one of their own was attacked he turns to the two goblins. Is the little one going to make it?

[Kaptin Keen]

Breathe, Rabble, breathe - stay with me, little guy!

Rabble gasps, filling it's lungs with air, then smiles weakly and waves it's sword vaguely: I is alives - little weak though, but my swored is redy.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash and Smirk tend to Rabble's wounds, dressing them as best they can with makeshift bandages. You collectively take a moment to take a breather with a short rest. Rabble, looking a bit like a mummy and a little worse for wear, is up on their feet when it's time to move out again.

During this downtime, the first chamber is calm but for the crashing of the waves outside echoing through the metallic halls of the vast structure.

With taking a short rest, Rabble has regained their hit point(s), as would any of you should you've needed it. But it will take a full week of rest to recover the damage to Rabble's Strength Score.

[Kaptin Keen]

With the danger past for now, and poor Rabble back on it's feet, Rakash ponders:

By all the terrible powers of the darkness below, what was that hideous thing? Do you think it's .. actually the coral, or something that .. lives in it? Off it?

[LarsWester]

That creature be a mystery of the deep best not to investigate or ponder it too deeply. Doubtful it has anything of worth. With this strange creature barring this way should we make our way West through the smaller passage?
Smirk says eyeing the passage with the tentacles warily before switching focus across the room.

[Kaptin Keen]

Like all those who have little else of value in their lives - Rakash has a store of knowledge gleened from fairy tales and legends. He knows better:

We're here for treasure and fame, no? Well everyone knows - if you want the treasure, sooner or later you'll have to fight the monster.

But sure, we can go west first. Before we do, though ....

Rakash kneels down, and examines the rust coral. Tries touching it, to feel if it burns the skin. Then tries lighting it on fire, see if it will burn. He tries exposing it to water, crushing it with rocks - anything he can think of. Well, short of tasting it.

[LurkytheDwarf]

So far you've explored the two western passages. If you reference LarsWester's map (North is at the top of the map). You'll see the "room with silver" was a dead-end completely covered in red coral. The red coral patch on the western wall covered what is now a collapsed tunnel with the tendrils lurking up in the ceiling. So the red coral definitely has a bigger presence on the western side of the map. That leaves the other south passage filled with foam, the downward sloping crawlway through the crack in the east wall, and the eastern passage at the bottom of the pit.
Rakash collects up some of the red coral chips. They do make your hands tingle and the tips of your fingers go numb. There is the memory of the fainting-feeling from the room with the silver coins and dissolving dog, but nowhere near as strong. Touched with fire it does burn, giving off an acrid black smoke, turning into a tar-like lump on the iron floor. Dousing it in water does nothing. Smashing it with a rock is easy as it naturally crumbles into a fine red powder. One wonders what a chemist could do with this material... or a back-alley drug peddler.

[LarsWester]

Smirk scratches his head as he observe Rakash's testing of the coral. Then he face looks a little sheepish. Er uh- I mean should we head East through the small tunnel. Can't believe I lost my sense of direction already. Hare you better start making a map.

[Kaptin Keen]

Sooo ... it burns! Rakash cackles while hugging his fire bombs. We should propably me ware of inhaling the smoke, if it comes to that. For now, we can try another route. Should we perhaps confirm that the foamy one is a dead end?

[Kaptin Keen]

When no one else seems willing to move, Rakash nudges Rabble towards the foaming tunnel. He seems reluctant and very slightly ashamed to put the recently injured goblin child in front - again - but does so regardless.

However, Rabble isn't having any of that. It shakes it's little head emphatically, and nudges Rakash instead. With a sigh of resignation, Rakash once again creeps forward, all nerves, longaxe held at the ready.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash tests the foam with the head of his long axe, clearing out a section. You bring it back and watch the tiny bubbles harmlessly dissolve until nothing but a whispy salt stain remains. The foam is clearly spilling into the room from the hallway but the bubbles, so far from their source, are dissolving too quickly to fill up the pit cavern.

Still, only a few feet into the tunnel the foam is already piled up high as a man's chest. Hare could see over it, but Smirk and the two goblins could not (at least not without one standing on another's shoulders).

If this is the course forward, then you may just have to plunge ahead with great sweeps of your long axe to create a little valley path through the white, salty blur...

[Kaptin Keen]

Is it ... high tide, or low? Does anyone know stuff like that? I'm about as nautical as a rocking chair.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash remembers Ifner the Pearl Diver mentioning it as being low-tide when he was ferrying the party to the Iron Coral. He wasn't sure how much of the tidal flats with the red coral forest would be submerged at high-tide. And he preferred to drop you off as far from the Iron Coral structure as possible. "A little hike never killed nobody!" Ifner had said.

[LarsWester]

Considering his options Smirk scratches his beard. I'd rather had stone above my head than foam. Let's head down that crack yer little one found. I bet the elf can squeeze.

[Kaptin Keen]

Considering his options Smirk scratches his beard. I'd rather had stone above my head than foam. Let's head down that crack yer little one found. I bet the elf can squeeze.

Rakash drops into a defensive crouch, longaxe ready, eyes alert: Elf? What elf? Elves are evil, wicked creatures - if there are elves here, I say we turn back while there is still time!

[Awful]

Sitting, staring miserably into the fire, the sound of gunfire coming from inside the Coral caused Cruel's ears to prick up. She exchanged a view with Bragg. Perhaps someone else inside was doing better than they had, and it was worth a look.

If nothing else, perhaps they could pick over their corpses for goods.

She cast a look at the other pair sharing the fire.
"Well, Captain," she began dryly. After all, neither of them had their rank anymore. "I'd say those gunshots are worth looking into. Strength in numbers, eh?"

[LarsWester]

Rakash drops into a defensive crouch, longaxe ready, eyes alert: Elf? What elf? Elves are evil, wicked creatures - if there are elves here, I say we turn back while there is still time!

Hare shrinks back a bit at Rakash's outburst. Smirk laughs at the goblin. Elves be no more dangerous than goblins my friend. You can't believe the stories you read. Hare here is an elf and she hasn't kilt you yet. Through she is just tall enough to make that crack a challenge.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash whirls on Hare like he only just noticed her for the first time. Maybe it's the hair? Or the hat? Is she even wearing a hat? Rakash promptly - and propably accurately - reasons that the foul, wicked elf has used unnatural sorcery to conceal her true identity up until this point. He pales, turning - some might say - the color of vomit.

The axe wobbles in his hand, and he mutters, barely coherent: We .. we're surrounded! Elves everywhere! Rabble, we must fight back-to-back!

Rabble, being of somewhat sounder mind, merely shakes it's head, and puts a calming hand on Rakash's.

It are just un elfs. She are prop'ly only slightly evils.

Rakash turns on Rabble - wild-eyed - disbelieving. But then realisation dawns on him. Yes. We must be cleverer than the elves. We must pretend to believe their lies. The elves are haughty and arrogant - they believe their beauty makes everyone fall for their murderous plots.

Yes - yes, you are right, Rabble, he babbles. Yes, the elves are our friends. I .. I worry too much. Just stories, is all.

[LarsWester]

Thank you Rabble. Hare says softly and then to Rakash Don't worry I won't use any of my "dark powers" on you. She actually makes air quotes with her hands. I will save them for our enemies.
Smirk grins at his friends playing with the goblins lack of sensibilities. Right to the crack then and see where it leads Hare why don't you stick in the rear and let us know if it gets too tight for you to follow.
Smirk walks towards the crack in the eastern wall.
Rakash I think you should lead with your mighty axe. For two reasons I have the musket and more room between you and the elf.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Allison Cruel

You and Bragg march up the Iron Coral's crude steps to its yawning entrance once again. As before, it echoes with the waves beating on the metallic surface. It nearly drowns out all sound, but carried with it now just barely audible are voices from down the long, sloping passage to the first cavern. Their words are indistinct but the accents and inflections are those of the Common Trade Tongue, the one so frequently heard in Hopesend. The tone seems to be one of debate—a sure sign of calm and rational thought!

Rakash and Smirk

The crawlway at the base of the crack in the eastern wall looms ahead. Only three feet in height at its most spacious, aquamarine water drips from the hairline fractures in its roof.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash doesn't argue, but proceeds to step into the crawlspace - but now clearly more focused on what's behind (definitely an elf) than what might be in front (possibly man-eating rust coral).

[Awful]

Cruel and Bragg came up to the door cautiously. They exchanged wary glances, before Bragg opened the door and hammered on it.
"Hey!" Cruel called. "If there's anyone with wits, we're coming down!"

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash's lantern shines the way forward into the crawlway. It goes 20' before turning south. It also noticeable slopes downward.

You make it to this bend and see that the crawlway actually almost completely makes a U-turn back towards the west, continuing to descend deeper. Again, with the light of your lantern you make out another turn back toward the south further along the tunnel—if it keeps this up, the crawlway could take you a great distance deeper into the structure with very little horizontal movement, probably depositing the party a little ways southeast of the first chamber.

Either way, with Rakash's goblin ears still tuned to what's behind, you along with Rabble, Smirk, and Hare hear the words shouted of the metallic echoing of the waves from up the ramp back towards the front entrance of the iron coral, "Hey! If there's anyone with wits, we're coming down!" spoken in the Common Trade Tongue of Hopesend.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash is frozen with indecision. They could be elves! But then they could be goblins! But then, although Rakash has convinced himself that goblins are the 'good guys' - throughout his life, they've proven to be rather untrustworthy. Whoever they are, they could make a nice addition to the group - more bodies between Rakash and terribly, bloody demise. On the other hand, they'd be wanting part of the loot!

Rabble, for it's part, just perks up it's pointy ears, and cries out Hulloo!

[LurkytheDwarf]

"Hulloo!" echoes up from the darkness to reach Allison Cruel and Bragg's ears. Which seems friendly enough. Taking the long, sloping passage down into the Iron Coral you emerge in the first chamber you remember from previously. Though the foam-filled passageway is the same, but this time the patch of red coral along the western wall has been broken into... blood stains and chunks of tentacles lay about the debris at the base of the hole.

Rakash, Smirk, and company stare across the pit from the crack in the eastern wall to see a stocky, androgynous figure and a blond-haired woman appear. Both wear slightly frayed military uniforms devoid of rank or insignia.

Allison Cruel and Bragg come face-to-face with a short, wild-bearded maybe-dwarf with a long musket, a slender blond half-elf woman, and a greater and lesser goblin; the latter of which is heavily wrapped in stained bandages.

[Awful]

Oh, goblins. How delightful. Nonetheless Cruel raised a hand in greeting.
"Explorers. Me and a few others tried exploring here earlier, got turned back or perished by a monster. But if you're exploring, perhaps you'd prefer another pair of blades?"

She smiled and tapped a hand to her chest.
"I am Corporal Cruel, and this is my assistant and friend, Private Bragg. You are?"

[LarsWester]

The shorter bearded fellow offered a wave an introduction Smirk at your service. That there be Hare. And those two shorter greener ones be Rakash and Rabble. Rabble is the one a little worse for the wear right now. We were just about to explore this here crack a bit when we heard your call. Smirk is smiling a warm greeting to these new comers.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash, already shaken, looks ready to simply run and take his chances with the hostile ... 'things' in the cave, when he sees yet another elf. Instead, he pulls Rabble close, and whispers something heard by no one else. Rabble whispers back, a short reply. Maybe someone picks up the word swored.

[LarsWester]

Ignoring the goblins side conversation Smirk turns to the newly arrived pair of adventurers. You say you were here earlier with some others. They wouldn't have happened to be eaten by the corral? Or did the tentacles get 'em? How far in did you manage before being turned back? We were just about to explore this crack which seems to descend and wind a bit. Do you know where it leads Corporal?

[Awful]

"Snail, actually," Cruel replied ruefully. "We didn't even gt past he first room before some kind of snail with a lantern on its back incinerated the great lot of us."

[Kaptin Keen]

Rabble is explaining to Rakash that it's not actually an elfs, it's just an humans with blond hairs - but Rakash's attention has already shifted from one terror to the next:

A .. a giant, firebreathing snail? A snail dragon of some sort? Oh, Darkness preserve us.

Resigned to the fact that horrible (likely flaming) death awaits, he turns to press on deeper into the crack in the wall.

[LurkytheDwarf]

As the group finishes their introductions and banter, Rakash and Rabble take the lead into the narrow crawlway at the base of the crack in the eastern wall of the first chamber. The two follow the downward-sloping path. It crisscrosses not just twice but four times before a length of more level floor. The whole while the weight of the iron coral above you becomes more noticeable. The drips of aquamarine water more frequent from the hairline fractures all around you.

A rough guess would put the goblins 60' feet deeper and roughly southeast from the original pit chamber.

The crawlway eventually opens up into another metallic chamber, one with sharp right angles and roughly square—clearly more a finished room than the cruder caves before. A few distinct things immediately catch your eye: glowing alien runes in the center of the south wall; a ventilation grate 10' up in the north wall, from which a pale blue light glows; several boxes of the iron coral metal which have had their locks pried apart; and a larger, glossy, ceramic box set apart from the rest and untampered with.

[LarsWester]

Upon entering the more finished room Smirk runs forward towards the one of the boxes of iron coral metal. He checks inside the box to insure that its contents were taken as he suspects. As he does this he calls out to Hare. Can you read that script with your magical elvish eyes? he then snorts a quick laugh.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk enters the room and throws open the nearest of the metal boxes. Its contents have been thoroughly rifled through but a few items still remain, namely strips of some strange anemone? jerky. A few pieces bare probably human bite marks.

When Hare approaches the south wall, the alien runes glow faintly brighter. She cannot read them.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash is aghast at this display of incaution. He stalks carefully forward, and pokes the ceramic box with his longaxe like he expects it to explode. He also eyes the size of the vent, then looks at Rabble, appraisingly.

[LarsWester]

Smirk holds up the "jerky" Don't intend to be around long enough that this starts looking appetizing. Hare what did you find?
Hare shrugs her shoulders Not much. Can't read it but it glows when I get close. Probably not safe to get too close.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash pokes the glossy ceramic box with his longaxe. There is a hollow thud from the impact of the butt of the weapon and perhaps the faintest tinkling from within like glass clanking against glass. Either way, you are surprised to find just how heavy the container is overall. There doesn't appear to be a lock or handle, just a heavy lid with a lip one could grab to lift it up and off the box.

Rabble guesses that the vent 10' up in the north wall would fit both goblins on hands and knees but the larger folk would have to crawl or shimmy along their belly—a much tighter squeeze than the crawlway they just exited. As the goblin youth studies the vent though, Rabble sees that the soft blue glow emanating from beyond it is not constant. It ripples from time to time a little brighter and a little dimmer.

[Kaptin Keen]

Shrugging their shoulders at each other, Rakash and Rabble form the worlds smallest goblin pyramid - not tall enough to reach the vent 10' off the ground. With a mix of desperate scrabbling, amateur acrobatics and sheer luck, Rabble manages to get his dirty little claws on the edge, and shimmy into the vent. He edges forward, curious and cautions in even measure*, through the vent.

For his part, once Rabble moves out of sight, Rakash returns to the ceramic box. Ceramics are brittle, so it should be possible to get this open, even if the lock isn't proving cooperative. He fiddles with the box first though, trying to shake it to determine what might be inside, and also looking for a way to open it. Particularly, of course, he's cautious of traps.

If no other way to open it presents itself, he will try to pick the lock (without any tools to do so, that may not be possible). If that fails, he'll attempt to break it.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash

The glossy ceramic box has no latch or hinges. Attempting to shake it is surprisingly difficult as it is exceedingly heavy. If you didn't know any better you would think the ceramic was just a glaze over the top of a stone chest. Still, from inside there is the same clinking of glass on glass.

After a thorough examination, Rakash just attempts to lift the lid off like the top of a sarcophagus. And while heavy, you do raise a corner—enough for light to peer inside revealing six large glass jars which completely fill the box. Each jar is loaded to the top with a couple of dozen shiny green marbles (or maybe strange pearls?)

Rabble

Once inside the vent, Rabble can see at the end of the long length of ductwork another vent from which the blue glow originates. As Rabble crawls closer, the blue glow periodically waxes and wanes.

At this new vent, Rabble looks out over a new square chamber. The top half is made of the same metallic walls but the bottom is perfectly transparent. It looks out over the ocean water beneath the iron coral structure. The sunlight shining through the seawater is what is generating the blue glow. Dead fish float in the sea and weird eyeless worms are suckered on to the outside of the see-through walls.

There is a sliding metal door in the east wall and stairs leading up to a tunnel in the west wall.

One more thing: a pale, wrinkled and wretched humanoid lies prone in the room. It does not move and it does not seem to be breathing.

[Awful]

"Jars, hmm? Lift the lid up a bit more and Bragg can lift one of the jars out."

[Kaptin Keen]

Thin arms straining and shaking, Rakash shoots Cruel a murderous glance: How about ... you help ... and then your pet human ... can grab a glass.

Despite the evidence, Rakash still isn't convinced Cruel isn't an elf.

[LarsWester]

Smirk walks over to the box and helps Rakash lift the cover. Smirk not wanting to press the Goblin's intellectual power says nodding On the count of two. One. Two. and begins lifting one corner.

[Awful]

Cruel, for her part, merely gave an amused smile and gestured, and Bragg reached past Rakash and Smirk to carefully and quickly retrieve the jars, carefully avoiding touching any of the 'pearls'. Bragg simply placed the jars down on the floor for now rather than trying to pocket anything.

With that done, Cruel kneeled down by them to inspect them more closely.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk and Rakash lift off the lid and Bragg retrieves the first of six jars. In so doing the former private does notice that the foot-tall containers are very heavy.

Once out in the open, Allison Cruel begins her inspection. Just the movement of being carried out of the ceramic-glazed box has caused some of the green marbles to roll about in the glass jar but not how you would think. They merely, casually spin in place like they produce no friction against one another.

For all in the party, the green marbles' worth is hard to determine. But a silver apiece wouldn't seem an outrageous price. And there are more than two-dozen in each one of the six jars.

[LarsWester]

Smirk opens a jar and removes one of the green marbles. He rubs it between to fingers trying to get an idea of its physical properties. Its weight, texture, and if it is just as slippery to his fingers as they appear to each other.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rabble - braver than it's fragile frame perhaps warrants - investigates the prone figure.

Psst, it hisses, is you alives?

If this doesn't result in any response, Rabble will jump down - provided there's a way to get back up, or some other way out.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk picks up one of the green marbles. It is suprisingly heavy, perhaps 1 lb. At first it seems very smooth yet not at all oily, but that's not the whole truth. As you roll it around in your hand and eventually just let it rest in your palm, it doesn't stop moving. You can take it between thumb and forefinger and with your other hand set it to spin and it will not stop, or at least not for the length of time you have been inspecting it.

The green marble seems to possess virtually no friction with any surface you bring it into contact with...

Rabble

Rabble whisper-shouts to the white, horrid thing prone on the floor. It does not move, and remains still as death.

The drop down to the transparent floor is further than the previous room, perhaps twelve or thirteen feet. Without the boost from an ally or leaving a length of rope dangling, it is unlikely the young goblin could get back up into the vent again.

There is the metal door in the eastern wall and the stairs up to the corridor in the western wall.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash peers with nigh-infinite suspicion at the marbles: That can only be some sort of sorcery. Highly unnatural - propably elven. Pretty sure it's useful, though. Just not sure for what, exactly.

... why would you need so many of them? And why keep them here?

-----

Up in the vent, Rabble gives a mournful at the ghastly thing, the drop, and the exits going unexplored. He whispers sorries dead guy - I is has to go back. Then he returns to the others, scrabbling awkwardly backwards, since there is no space to turn.

[LurkytheDwarf]

With an unceremonious plop, Rabble exits the vent and reunites with the rest of the party. The greater part of which seems to be in deep study of a large glass jar filled with green beads.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rabble reports in it's tiny voice there's an creature .. it are deads. Also doors. Um. And you can sees the seas through the floors.

[LarsWester]

Hearing about the dead creature Smirk looks at the jerky with a bite mark in it and drops it to the floor. Nope! Not even when starving. Rabble you mention doors ahead let's see where they lead. How many of these curious balls do you think we should take? They are pretty heavy but I think they might be useful.

[Kaptin Keen]

But is an dead ends. And I thinks not everyone can goes. Vent are smalls.

[Awful]

Cruel picked up one of the jars and grinned.
"Useful... and more importantly, valuable! I came to this gods-forsaken reef for things of value, and at least we haven't wasted all our time. I imagine machinists would rather like these for bearings. Hells-teeth, even as jewellery."
She looked up at the vent and frowned.
"I should fit through there, but it wouldn't be easy. Fine for a scrawny little goblin - no offence - but I'm a bit larger than you. I wouldn't want to get stuck in a place like this. Do you have a rope or something like that?"

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash gives a heartbreaking sigh of resignation, and walks over to touch the glowing rune. If he survives this act of utter recklessness, and it doesn't simply open the door, he will fool around with it some, trying to make it work.

[LurkytheDwarf]

The rune glows brighter as Rakash approaches and brighter still as he raises his hand to touch the alien script. There is a hiss when he does so. The wall groans and expands, the iron coral splitting in an unpleasant flesh-like way.

The south wall opens to reveal a new, larger chamber. Still roughly square, its metallic walls are lumpy and mishappen, beaten by some unknown force and smeared with blood. Meaty chunks litter the floor, cold and gray. They remind Rabble of the dead thing he saw in the room with the transparent floor beyond the vent, only much worse off.

There is a metal door in this new room's south wall and a corridor leading off to the east.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash - who had honestly expected to be instantly exploded into a bajillion tiny shreds of ex-goblin - heaves a sigh of relief, then cringes in abject horror at the sight of the blood and gore. He tries to gingerly step around the worst of it, making his way to open the door, but casting a cautious glance down the corridor in case anything awful is lurking there.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash gingerly steps between the bodies and crosses the room. Some of the chunks of pale meat actually resemble body parts, one specifically is that of the head of a very old man with rubbery, mollusk skin. It may once have been human.

Down the eastern corridor is only darkness. There is no knowing for how long it goes.

Rakash makes it to the metal door. Opening, it reveals the largest chamber yet of iron coral with perfectly squared corners. The ceiling and far side are still cloaked in darkness. But you can see another metal door in the west wall near where you are standing in the doorway in the north wall of this new room between it and the beaten gore-filled previous one.

Just at the edge of the dimmest portion of your lantern's light, probably near the center of this chamber, there is another yawning pit.

[LarsWester]

Pleasantly surprised at the lack of unpleasant outcomes of the goblin's boldness Smirk follows Rakash into the new chamber and beyond. Hare follows but gives the goblin a wide berth.

[Kaptin Keen]

Obviously, darkness is a great comfort to Rakash. You can hide in the dark, and if you're good at hiding in the dark, other things in the darkness need to be more afraid of you, than vice versa. Showing unusual confidence, Rakash stalks off into the dark chamber - quiet as a mouse, melding easily into the shadows. He walks the circumference of the room, before approaching the pit. Surely something awful lurks down there (past experience none-withstanding), but he's a goblin in the dark. He can peek in undetected, surely.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Rakash slips into the shadows and makes his way around the walls of the room. There are no other doors than the one in the north wall (where the rest of the party is currently waiting) and the closed metal door in the west. However, a huge patch of red coral grows across the entirety of the southern wall, looming ominously.

Then you make your way to the pit, and while goblins and darkness go hand-in-hand, sometimes there are things which have never even known the light of day—things from the deep places of the world.

One such thing springs from the pit as Rakash nears. It's a blur of movement, but at first glance, it seems to be a scaled man... just with no feet, or eyes, or head. But Rakask can see it splits open down the middle of the torso and each limb and is hollow inside save long wicked needles dripping vile fluids. It is much bigger than Rakash, but despite this, it still tries to attach itself to you, the needles plunging into goblin flesh.

Rakash takes [roll0] damage to HP, any extra carries over to Strength Score. Should that happen, a save will need to be made against the new strength score. If this is failed, in addition to taking Critical Damage, Rakash will take [roll1] Dexterity damage from this thing's poison.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash barely has time to scream in panic before the thing plunges it's needles into him, pumping in poison and likely at the same time pumping out blood. Rakash's life flashes disappointingly before his eyes - a lackluster parade of failings, poverty and desperation. He manages to lash out with his longaxe, trying to free himself and scrabble backwards, hopefully out of reach of the thing.


Rakash has 3 HP, and suffers 4 damage, so he loses 1 strength.

Also, he attacks with his axe, doing [roll0] damage.

[LarsWester]

Smirk recoils in horror at the monstrosity that attempts to engulf Rakash. Get back! he shouts as a warning while firing his musket at the bisected needled nightmare.
Musket Damage [roll0]
Doesn't Rakash need to make a strength save since he took a point of Strength damage.

[LurkytheDwarf]

The animated carapace probes Rakash with its needles like it's trying to wrap around him as some sort of gruesome biological suit of armor, but the goblin's small body cannot properly fit the hollow space inside it. If you had to guess, someone far taller and lithe would need to fit inside.

The monster bounces back from Rakash, sealing its seams as it does so, teetering on the cuffs of arms and legs. The gaping, needle-filled collar where its head should be spins and takes in the figures standing in the northern doorway: dwarf, goblin, half-elf...

It takes off, bounding like a hellhound, and hops clean over Rakash's desperate axe swing taking not a scratch. As it does so, though, Smirk's musket ball glances off some nodal cluster on the creature's back. The thing collapses sprawling across the metallic floor, stunned and twitching.

[LarsWester]

Hare lets out a scream as this faceless needle thing locks on to her and charges towards her. Slightly relieved that an errant shot from Smirk seem to incapacitate the horror momentarily. Hare rushes forward to strike the twitching metallic menace with her sword.
Thor's Beard as his shot just barely connected with the enemy. He quickly reloads his musket and fires again.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash erupts in an incandescent display of fury, fuelled equally by fear and panic, and rushes the thing with a blood curdling scream:

DIIIiiiIIIEEEeeeEEE!!! his voice cracks from the strain, and his eyes flare dangerously close to madness.

For it's part, Rabble also charges in, it's battlecry somewhat more timid: Swored! it's tiny voice pipes.


Sword attack, Rabble: [roll0]
Longaxe attack, Rakash: [roll1]

Not sure if I'm getting the rounds right here, but I think we're all up again? Right?

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk is still reloading his musket when the goblins descend on the prone creature, hacking it into a pile of chitinous plates and a growing puddle of blue-black ichor. By the time Hare walks over, she merely gives one of the larger chunks a half-hearted stab; there is little else to do.

Otherwise, the party is alone again in the large square room with a metal door in the west wall, the northern door they came through, and what Rakash can report is a sprawling red coral growth across the south wall.

The pit in the center of the room stretches deep beyond lantern-light. Any repeating Rakash's flaming bit of cloth trick watch as the faint light from it drops to become but a tiny mote in the darkness a hundred-feet down then the light goes blurry before being suddenly extinguished.

[LarsWester]

Smirk with his musket reloaded looks sad when there isn't anything to fire it at. That's a long way down. He exclaims examining the hole in the middle of the room. Smirk will approach the metal door in the west wall and inspect if there is anyway to open it. If not he will use his portable ram to try and break through the door.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash peers suspiciously into the hole.

A long drop, then .. at the bottom, a pool covered in mist? Why would this .. thing be hiding in this hole, though?

He will proceed to examine the rim of the pit - for handholds, or anything else that would explain what the creature was doing here.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Smirk examines the western metal door which at first appears to be the same as the one in the north wall. It has the same groove in the side to slide it out of the way. But before you do so, you detect an uncommon warmth in what is otherwise the cold, damp atmosphere of the Iron Coral. The western door feels hot to the touch.

Rakash examines the pit's rim more thoroughly and comes upon a series of shallow scratches (little more than white discolorations) in the gray metallic coral. Checking a chunk of the monster's corpse—a piece which was once a lower arm—there is clear blunting and wearing down around what would have been the "cuff" of the hollow limb. The thing wasn't meant to climb like this but somehow managed.

Going a step further and lowering a lantern on a length of rope, you examine the walls of the shaft slower and in more detail (as far as you can from all the way at the top). Still, it doesn't take long for you to discover strange hooks protruding from the wall of the pit. They are spaced and sized such that the scaled, headless monster could have suspended from them. It vaguely reminds everyone of the racks for displaying suits of armor. There are two sets of hooks on this one pit wall, and walking around the pit with the lantern there are two more on each of the three other sides. All now hang empty.

Just asking to clarify: Are you guys taking a short rest, eating food, drinking water, and bandaging wounds so that Rakash is back at full HP? (Though, of course not Strength, that only comes back with a full week's rest.)

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash's brow furrows.

Living suits of armor - for whomever built this accursed place? And they stored them here, for use when they went down this pit? Propably it needed to connect to it's host regularly, to stay alive. It would have been starving .. maybe for hundreds of years.

He shudders.

Yech! Vile, unnatural thing.

We should rest, though - and I should try to patch up these wounds before the life spills all out of me.

[LarsWester]

Hare approaches Rakash "Would you like me to look at your wounds Sir?" She asks in a mild voice. As the party rest Smirk walks over. That there door is warm to the touch.
Was gonna open it but thinking better to not now. Thoughts? Are you hurt much friend?

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash - who had his mind on the pit, and the horrible suit of armor - did not notice Hare sneaking up, and is startled enough to almost drop backwards into it when she speaks. His mental struggles are plainly visible on his face: He's badly hurt, but being defenceless in the hands of a wicked elf might actually be worse than mere death.

You're not just saying that so you can poison me, are you?

In the end, Rakash surrenders to the terrible lure of healing.

[LurkytheDwarf]

The party rests and refreshes themselves as best they can while Rakash receives Hare's ministrations. Being the older goblin and far more wily, Rakash requires far fewer bandages than Rabble.

The majority of this time goes on without much but the distant drip of water echoing through the cavernous Iron Coral. But eventually, there is another hiss and a grinding sound, and through the northern door back into the battered-walled room filled with rubbery chunks of dismembered humanoids, there comes the faint glow of a rune through the darkness of that chamber. The rune is the same as the one from the room of boxes and green beads. The strange wall-door between the two must've shut on its own.

All-in-all, not too alarming... but there comes another sound, likely echoing down the unexplored eastern tunnel running from the carnage-filled room: it reminds you first of a butcher slapping meat on his counter, again and again. There is a sloppy, wheezing-groan. It seems to be receding from you for the moment.

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash curls up in a ball. Why are we even here? he gibbers, I could have been back home in my favourite garbage heap, rooting for scraps. Oh, it wasn't much, I know, but it was a life. He sobs - just a single, inconsolable mewling shudder.

Then he picks up his longaxe in one hand, a firebomb in the other, and moves back the way they came.

Come on. Whatever that is, I'd rather not have it at our backs until I know it's dead.

[LurkytheDwarf]

Passing back through the grisly contents of the battered-walled chamber, the party proceeds down the unexplored eastern corridor. The fleshy smacking sounds grows steadily louder, as does the periodic gurgling wheeze. Eventually, the smacking stops altogether.

After a minute's worth of walking, your lantern light spots another metal door in the northern wall of the hallway. A trail of puddled seawater leads from it, continuing down the eastern tunnel. On the other side, you can hear the crashing of waves upon the Iron Coral—a sound you have not heard since leaving the very first cavern. Another gurgle comes from the darkness down the corridor...

Another minute's worth of walking and you come upon a prone form of pale and rubbery flesh like a partially melted human made of muted cephalopod skin. It struggles to pull itself along the floor but seems to have no more strength left in its limbs. Rabble knows that this is very much similar to the dead thing he saw in the glass-floored room beyond the vent. And also very much similar to the chunks of mutilated flesh which litter the previous chamber.

It cranes its head and turns its horrid face, and ghostly white eyes glance the party's way; though whether it could see anything beyond the impression of your lights is hard to tell. Still, something is familiar about the wrinkled visage. All at once, it dawns that you have seen it before, though decidedly more human: this is, or was, Webin Huckle, one of the treasure-seekers from Hopesend who entered the Iron Coral a few weeks ago.

[Kaptin Keen]

Putting his longaxe between himself and the mutated human, Rakash creeps closer. Torn between the need for knowledge and the desire to stay as far away from the possibly contagious unfortunate, he gives a harsh whisper:

Webin - is that you? Can you tell us what happened to you here?

Is there anything we can do to help?

[LurkytheDwarf]

The warped thing that was Webin Huckle perks up at the mention of its name. Its mouth opens in a long gurgle which is reminiscent of a wail of terrible understanding.

Webin turns only Rakash with renewed vigor or purpose. But it is slow to move, pulling itself with the suckered pads which are now its hands, boneless legs dragging along behind it. Webin hunts with blind eyes, but its intention is clear: it seeks to kill or, perhaps, be killed.

Though through the sickly sounds it makes there are pained words drawn out in gasping breathes, "Sssspheeeres... beeewwware..."

[Kaptin Keen]

Rakash backs slowly away. Spheres?

Spheres, Webin? What spheres - those ones? He points to the odd, frictionless balls sitting in their jar. What did you do with them? Did you .. eat them?

Would you like another?

Rakash hasn't touched the balls, and he's not about to. Instead, he carefully uses a small knife to tip one out onto the floor in front of Webin. Then backs further away.