Giantslayer: Battle of Bloodmarch Hill [IC]

[lostsole31]

As Aasgar moves into the chamber and around he sees something that very easily could have been real trouble if he weren't paying attention. It would have surely have been nearly impossible to see if he hadn't noticed the floating, armored skeleton and bits of various detritus held in place in the middle of what seems to be a large, cubical shape of transparent gelatin.

Begin Round One ...

R1T21: Abenor must've caught the corner of some distortion from a sliver of light from Ileor, but apparently that is all he needed to recognize the potential for danger, or at least heightened awareness as he rushes past Aasgar, taking out Kyadrimme (his wakizashi) as he goes. In doing so, he uses both blades to create a sort of protective circle around him. He then creates a dizzying defensive spin where he stands and calls out, "It's a 10' cube of some type of gelatin. I don't know if it is an animate protoplasm or some sort of trap!"

R1T25: Imrijka moves in and to the southwestern corner, looking north. "That looks like depictions I've seen of gelatinous cubes. I know it's an 'animate protoplasm' as you called it. Destroy it quickly, and don't let it touch you!"

She sends out what looks like a terrible shot, but the thing in question is so big and so slow that the arrow hits it, tearing into it for 10, and even showing the "path" the arrow takes before it stops inside the thing.

Spoiler: OOC

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Not that Aasgar would have experience, but for your visualization, think of shows where they use ballistic gel?

R1T21: Aasgar, what do you do?

[BuckGodot]

"Hmmm... It's been a long time but..."says Aasgar as he draws his short bow and fires while adjusting his footing.

Spoiler: Technical Information

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Enter Valiant Keeper's Stance

MA: Draw bow

Attack: Risky Strike (1d20+4)[15]

Damage: (1d6+4)[8]

[lostsole31]

R1T21: "Hmmm... It's been a long time but..."says Aasgar as he draws his short bow, drops his greataxe with a heavy clang, and fires while adjusting his footing. He isn't skilled at shooting into a combat situation and Abenor's head is in the way, but this thing he is shooting is the broadside of a squishy barn and the arrow still hits for 8.

R1T14: Cici casts a spell on herself for protection and then moves forward. "Wut."

R1T5: The thing glurbles forward slowly, and Abenor deftly manages to shimmy past it. It continues on to the end of the chamber as Imrijka and Cici allow themselves to be moved back rather than be engulfed by the mass. It continues farther, and threatens to engulf Aasgar.

Aasgar, roll a Ref save!

[lostsole31]

Aasgar deftly takes a page out of the others' books and rolls past it just as it tries to engulf him, finding himself on the other side.

No that Aasgar is on the other side, he sees that his axe is engulfed.

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T27: Abenor moves right up to the cube, and then strikes (17) while teleporting back farther up the chamber from whence he came.

R2T25: Imrijka casts a spell on herself, and then steps back.

R2T21: Aasgar, you see your greataxe engulfed, but it doesn't appear to be ruined or anything ... just inside the thing. What do you do?

Cici on deck, gelatinous cube in the hole ...

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar goes full defense and tries to tumble north away from the creature.

Spoiler: Technical Information

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MA: Use Acrobatics to attempt to escape to the north moving 3 squares.

[lostsole31]

R2T21: Aasgar goes full defense and tries to tumble north away from the creature, but he's not particularly good at doing that. The gelatinous cube jiggles into Aasgar (Delayed 4 mod + 1 acid).

R2T14: Cici casts a spell, and a wave of flame rolls over the cube for 5 fire. She then backs up into the corner with the door.

R2T5: The Cube now begins moving back towards the mass of critters to the north. It trundles foward to possibly catch Aasgar.

Aasgar, roll a Ref save. If successful, do you wish to be pushed back into the empty square, or shimmy to the other side of it?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar attempts to squeeze past to the other side.

Spoiler: Reflex Save

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(1d20+8)[20]

[lostsole31]

R2T5: Aasgar handily darts past to the other side of the gelatinous cube.

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T27: "Cici, open the door!" calls Abenor as he drops his wakizashi, then draws and power tosses a dagger into the thing for 11.

R3T25: Imrijka, now having Pharasma's favor, asks the Gray Lady to give her the power to destroy those who oppose her. She then takes deadly aim and shoots a volley at the cube, and the two arrows - powered by a goddess of death - shriek into the cube, discorporating it as it bursts gelatinous (and now non-acidic, harmless) goo everywhere in the room and onto everyone. Cici takes the least of it around the doorway alcove as she was.

Combat Ends ...

Aasgar feels the pain from the wounded that was delayed. As Aasgar recovers his axe (and Abenor his dagger and wakizashi), Cici takes out a wand and touches it to Aasgar for 6 healing, and then again for 4 healing. She puts the wand away, and while that happens, Imrijka's short-duration buff is expending.

You now have a better view of the entire room. The walls of this chamber are pocked with skull-sized cubbyholes, each containing a single brass or clay urn—some long since shattered or dented, others still intact. A lightly colored stone statue depicting a burning chariot wheel occupies the northwest corner of the room. Two iron doors on the eastern wall allow egress from the room.

"The statue is that of Jingh, one of Iomedae's celestial emissaries," informs Imrijka.

In addition to Aasgar's greataxe, the discorporation of the gelatinous cube gave forth a skeleton and its possessions:

• Masterwork Chain Shirt
• Falchion
• Star rose quartz amulet (valued at 40 gp)
• Coins (the pouch was dissolved) of a total denomination of 10 gold, 48 silver, and 72 copper
• Steel scroll case (value 25 gp) with a spell of hold portal inside

Cici and Abenor look at the skeleton, verifying that it was a half-orc, not a human.

Aasgar, do you a ask for a quick search or a thorough search of this room?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar encourages a thorough search.

[lostsole31]

The party searches for ~35 minutes. There is a secret door behind the statue of Jingh.

What do you do?

[BuckGodot]

Looking at the door, and nodding to the others, Aasgar checks it as best he can and tries to open it.

Spoiler: Update.

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Aasgar will stow the bow and resume ops with his axe.

[lostsole31]

It is a 20' long, 5'-wide hallway that ends at the north. No visible ingress/egress besides this door.

[BuckGodot]

"Let's check this carefully..."says Aasgar as he begins a thorough search of the hall.

[lostsole31]

Cici stays on guard on the outside, not entering the tunnel .... just in case the secret door closed or something like that. (She's seen too many illusionist's tales, obviously.)

At the northern end of the hallway, on the eastern wall, is another secret door. Aasgar looks at the stone's false barrier carefully, assuring himself there is no danger, and he opens it. An old cast-iron furnace and a pile of coal occupy the northwestern corners of this cramped chamber. Ash and fallen rubble clutter the area around the furnace where the chimney above has collapsed. There is a door on the south wall to the east.

Aasgar sees a boy that has been tied up in the dark. Though a tarp was thrown partially on him, even here he is shivering from a cold draft coming from the far door (and the huge hole in that one room you found the dead half-orc leads up to freezing weather and winds.

The boy peers around in the dark, and seeing a bit of blue light from Abenor's blade peeking in, but not on him, he gasps and shivers more, not sure what is to come.

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar looks back at the group and waits to make eye contact with Abenor. Making a shhh gesture with his index finger to his lips, he waits for acknowledgment before turning back and quietly entering the room making the same gesture to the boy. He looks around the room to ensure he is alone before untying the boy and leading him back to the hall.

[lostsole31]

"Hello? P-please, can I have more light? It has been so dark."

Aasgar unties him, but he doesn't move.

[BuckGodot]

"We're going to take you down this hall if you'll come. There is more light there." and he tries again to lead the boy to the opening.

[lostsole31]

Eventually, Aasgar's honest compassion sways the very young man (older teen?) to go with him.

Where do you lead him?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar Leads him back down the secret hall, closing the secret doors behind him.

[lostsole31]

Okay, now what?

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar asks the group”Does anyone have a blanket or something we can give him to warm up?” Then turning to the lad, he asks, “Can you tell us how you came to be down here?”

[lostsole31]

Cici will unstrap her bedroll to wrap it heavily around the young man.

"I was hangin' round the Plague House sev'ral nights ago, when someone jumped me. I di'n't get a good look-a him, 'cause it was dark. He clobbered me and laid me out and next thing I know I was in darkness. I could o'erhear snippets of their patter from me cell, but they was strange words I never heard. It wadn't Orc, but somethin' else."

[BuckGodot]

Aasgar looks at the others and then back at the boy...

"Is there any chance you could try to repeat the sounds you heard? At least maybe a phrase or word? Or do you recall any other sounds you may have heard? How long have they been gone, if you could guess?"

[lostsole31]

He shakes his head, and shrugs apologetically. "I heard noises past the door the last time I was awake."

[BuckGodot]

"What kind of noises? Can you describe them?" Aasgar asks.

[lostsole31]

"People talking in a language I don't know," he says. If he is asked in a different/ variant way to describe the language, he won't know what/ how to do that, or even remember it well because, in not understanding the language, he has no real frame of reference.

[BuckGodot]

"Okay. Thank you. I'm Aasgar. What's your name?"asks Aasgar.

[lostsole31]

"Othdan," he replies.

[BuckGodot]

”Okay Othdan. Give us a minute?”and he turns back to the others.

“Obviously we can’t bring him with us. But I don’t want to stop our progress thus far. I’m loath to split the party up. Suggestions?”

[lostsole31]

"He already has my bedroll," says Cici. "I can watch him in here, but I can't remember a door we haven't opened yet. So I think it's just the stairs to the south?"