”Well.” Khaz patted his ooze-slaying axe. ”Time to get to work, eh?”
Gloop? Edlethron thinks hoping his ooze friend survived the fall and found his way here.
He'll leave negotiating to the captain and others.
The wererats glance at you, then the sphere, then back at you. "Its just going to keep stammering on like that. What do you think? Sounds like they're planning an attack, doesn't it? And look..." he points about 60 ft down to the southwest "...those double doors lead right back to Blingdenstone. The enemy is literally at Diggermattock's doors!"
"We're here for his majesty the Pudding King. Where might he be?" Edlethron announces to the cave.
Then, he whispers to the group, "Anyone see him?"
Oh, I see it. Are we going to do this?
He draws his crystal rapier.
Cade looks at Vic. "We are really out numbered." He points everywhere.
At the mention of the Faceless Lord, Froog has flashbacks of escaping the drow cell and plunging into the darkness. "We're not food!" he yells before remembering where he is. "We're not... You won't eat any more of our friends!" Froog looks determined to stop this but still a bit hesitant to start it now.
At Ed's question, the sphere undulates "I am here, do you know where you are??" Cade has a point, this does not seem to be a battle capable of winning without strategy and aid...an army would be useful, perhaps. Black puddings, ocre jellies, gray oozes and gelatinous cubes number in the hundreds congregating around this strange sphere lazily...the walls themselves are covered with some kind of green slime that does not look friendly.
Cade looks at the various pudding and pudding adjacent foes and then at the Goldwhiskers wondering if their damage immunities would protect them from the strange creatures.
Edlethron pulls out his gnollbow, nocks an arrow, and shoots it toward the sphere in one graceful fluid motion.
The arrow pierces a thin layer of ooze on the sphere before a metallic *twang* resounds through the cavern. Immediately the hundreds of oozes all turn and advance upon you, as if seeing you for the first time...
One of the wererats tsks with his mouth "Well...I wish you would've told me you were going to do that!" and draws his sword.
A futile battle ensues, and the party manages to hold them off for a respectable time...but it is simply no use. Surrounded by a seemingly unlimited number of foes, its only a matter of time before every last one of you drops, enveloped by the acidic ooze...
***********
You awaken naked and inverted, tied at the wrists and ankles in some kind of holding cell. It's hard to tell how many days have passed since the incident at the sphere, but you are definitely starving and in emergency need of water. There is no door, but you do see some kind of dirty mirror on the southern wall. Badly burned, but at least you are somehow still alive...
Greeeeeat...here we go again...
Naked and inverted, Khaz strained against his manacles...it went about as well as expected.
As the horde of slime surrounded and overwhelmed them, Gilavar Ithildae thought that this would be a good death. He might finally join his lost family. Perhaps, they did some good by saving some gnomes.
Slowly waking inverted and in pain, the wood elf realizes that he did not make the Happy Hunting grounds. He twists around to survey the room and account for his companions.
Cade wakes his eyes wide he begins to uselessly shake at his bonds growling and wordlessly making noises trying to get free. Finally tears in his eyes he cries, "NO no no no not again no."
Waking up, Froog realizes his flashback seems to have become reality. He struggles against his bindings in a panic for a moment before giving up.
Hanging there, Froog just sort of shuts down waiting to see what happens next.
Froog, by some stroke of luck, you feel a strand pop at your wrist...perhaps the acid weakened it.
After hanging for a little while Froog realized that his wrist wasn't bound as tightly as it was before. He begins to wiggle to try to get the rest of his hand and arm free.
Froog, with a little more effort you're able to wriggle yourself free as a bird, but without holy symbol and gear you start to wonder how much you can accomplish. Still, freeing the others is definitely doable at this point...it just takes time and determination.
Froog looks around suprised that he's the only one free. He casts guidance on Khaz first then gets to work on freeing Ed.
Feeling the holy light of Lathander infuse him, Khaz struggled against his bonds once again.
Khaz' bare chest erupts forth from a tangle of ropes.
The walls of the chamber are a rough stone, extremely pock mocked as if recently drained of some fluid. The only real item of note is a mirror mounted on the wall, dirty or tarnished to the point of being a dull and only slightly reflective brown.
After struggling to near exhaustion Cade calms and works himself free with help. "Anyone else famished."
"Boy, you are right. I'm quite hungry as well! I wonder how long we've been tied up here... How are we even alive still?! All those oozes, it was terrible." An audible grumble emanates from Froog as the realization is made. He begins examining the holes in the walls, his curiosity getting the better of caution once again.
As you investigate around contemplating your next move a *tap tap tap* comes knocking from behind the wall-mounted tarnished mirror...like the sound of a pickaxe probing for sapphires.
Edlethron moves to mirror and investigates whether it can be moved.
Vic moves to the mirror with his cousin, but looks up, as well as at the walls, to determine a way out.
Could it be some of our new gnome friends are trying to dig us out?
Froog says some small prayers to cause some tremors and to raise the volume of his voice. "We're in here!"
Ed, it appears to be bolted to the wall. However, as you pass your hand over the tarnished surface, it quivers and undulates like petting a sleeping dog. The mirror starts to melt into a yellow puddle on the floor, leaving a gaping hole behind. You see a colorfully dressed gnome with a bloody pickaxe poking its tip into the freshly removed skull of some animal, as your sister observes...a look of slight disgust on her face. The chamber beyond the mirror is glowing a bright green from some kind of slime covering the walls, with very healthy glowing fungus poking here and there. Finally, another black mass slithers about the room just beyond the gnome and the elf. The gnome turns slowly in your direction, looking at you and grinning an evil grin wide shouting "Callooh! Callay! Now you can join the party!" he cackles.
It takes Edlethron a half second to recognize his sister. "Lia! I've finally found you! Come into this room, and tell us what's going on." His maddening smile contorts with concern with strange chamber beyond the mirror.
Kriv comes around slowly, his memory hazy with patchs int it.
"Huh, wha, Were am I, what happened......why the hell are we tied up again?"
As Lia turns to look at you she reveals the gaping hole where her right eye used to be, some black slime oozing out of the socket grossly.
The gnome croaks delightfully "Oh, you've already met Princess Ebonmire?? You're staying for tea, yes?"
As kriv turns to look at the speakers, he rears back in surprsise.
"SWEET MERCIFULLY BAHAMUT WHY IS THEIR SLIME OOZING OUT OF HER EYE?!?!?!?!"
"LIA! NO!" Edlethron freezes between the revelation of finding his long lost sister and wondering if his sister still occupies the familiar body in front of him.
Careful, Ed, this may be a trick.
Cade looks on in subtle shock. "I hate the underdark."
Jadger the Ghost pops his head out from the ceiling "Oh there you are, thought I might find you down here. Looks like you're in quite the pickle...tell you what, since you helped me before I'll distract them while you run in and grab your gear, how does that sound? Or you could take tea with him...but I wouldn't recommend it. No spoilers, but its not tea..."
"I think we figured it wasn't team."
Frog beams with joy that Ed finally found his sister. That joy turns to horror as the truth is revealed. "Thank Lathander you're here to help Mr Jadger! As soon as I get my holy symbol we'll be back in action!"
Seeing Jadger the friendly ghost seems to have hardened Froog's resolve.
The mad gnome shouts "Whhat what whaaat? Who's speaking without peeking? No no no! I've only set the table for 10, 11 is one too many!!"
Jadger holds up a finger to his mouth, the universal symbol of 'quiet', as he smiles and vanishes within the wall again. You get the feeling something dramatic is about to happen...
As your stomachs growl and your psyches are on their last embers, you start to hallucinate grand armies of ghosts and wererats, elementals and celestials coming to your rescue. Instead, something quite different occurs...
A raven, translucent and obviously pure spirit, materializes through the wall hopping its odd hop-walk up atop the skull of the mad gnome's prize, with the voice of an avian-influenced Jadger "*cacaw* Oh Pudding King, sorry I'm late, the invitation was of the wrong color. Perhaps I could buy a seat for a riddle?"
The Pudding King chews his response a moment, looking back and forth between his disgusting, blood and ooze covered pickaxe and the tiny ghost bird. "No!" is his immediate response "Entertainings are for after the taking of the tea, not before! We must keep order, stupid bird!" he pauses "...though, perhaps...if it were one I've not heard before...exceptions are allowed, but be quick!"
The ghost raven hops delightfully and random walks in a way that puts the King's back to you...now might be your chance.
Edlethron steels his nerves and leads the troop to collect their gear.
Vic follows right on Ed's heels.