"Glad to see y'all were okay." Blayze says looking at the two moment and noting Seph's expression with amusement.
"You know, if you wanted to come with us you could have just come with us," Karrin points out, "But this does make our job a little easier now that our group isn't spread out across two dimensions, course that means our exit isn't guarded, but now that we're all here we'll need to work on upsetting the plans of this cultists and stop the resurrection of whoever this undead demon dude is and then hope that this fortress isn't tied to his or her existence, you know, so we don't have to flee from a crumbling fortress in the middle of nothing."
"Again."
Justin shakes his head, still puttering over ingredients with Memnon.
"Last minute escapes a specialty." He tells the floating skull.
"I think it was a good thing we stayed. This is the negative energy plane right? I mean, those zombies weren't so bad on the other side of the gate, but they would have been dreadfully hard to fight on this side. And the reasoning behind staying was sound...until it became clear that this had become more than a scouting mission. I think that we did the right thing," Nari said, twisting her hair nervously, one of her many unconscious habits to try and cope with her anxiety. "And yes, now that we're here, we're ready to help however we can."
Justin sets up in an non-ghoulish-entrail decorated corner of the chamber/room and follows Memnon's instructions. Sometimes nodding in understanding, sometimes looking at the floating crystal skull with skepticism or downright disbelief on his face. But he crushes a diamond (With some help from Hamar and Arnav) and does as the skull says anyway.
As his small black pot bubbles over his small magical flame, he naps and flips through his spellbook, discussing with Memnon, and anyone else who wishes to join him, possible strategies for ending the existence of a very large Necromantic Ooze.
Memnon guides Justin through the potion process
"Yep. Take that bladderwort and toast it a bit. Crush it there. NO DON'T BURN IT! OK, now add a pinch of that diamond dust. slowly. Slowly. Slower than that! OK, oak gall next, just a dram's worth. Then the rest of the dust. OK... I'll get the chant going."
Memnon starts spinning lazily in place
"Restoratus ressurectus!
Sutcerusser sutarotser!
Resrotatsu resrusecsut!"
There's a puff of blue smoke and the fluid in the pot turns clear
"So ladies and gentlemen, do we rest or are we going to keep exploring?"
"Rest? Here? I think that we should head to a world where the dead do not hound us at every turn, perhaps use some of the wealth we have acquired to buy new prizes that will enable us to be better equipped to come back and deal with... all of this. Whatever it truly is".
"Probably not the best place to try layin' low. Blayze suggests.
"I'm able to go on if others think that they can." he says. "We can explore other areas, and then re-equip to fight the goo."
"Well I'm still good to go but we can rest up if you want" Merle
Justin salutes Memnon with the flask of fresh-brewed potion, and drinks it. He wipes his lips with the back of his hand and sighs. Then he makes a face,
Then doubles over and makes gagging sounds.
He starts to say something, stops to stifle another reflex, and glares at Memnon.
"Um, little warning about the taste next time? Please?" Justin asks the crystal skull hoarsely. He works his tongue trying to get the taste off.
"On the plus side, I do feel better. Mostly." He adds, holding his stomach gingerly. "Thanks Mem."
Walking over to the others, still holding his stomach, but otherwise looking like his old self, Justin hears the tail-end of the conversation.
"Well,... We're here NOW, and most of us are low on magics or have taken a beating. Personally, I don't relish having to wander BACK through a death-void to get to a world we know is full of wandering undead, to try and rest, just so we can come BACK through the death-void to get back here. That sounds like Class-One-Grade-A pushing-our-luck to me. And I got the impression from Karrin that we don't have time to go back to Sigil and return, as the demon-ghosts have already found this place."
"Look, We've only explored 2 chambers so far, but my impression is that things here seem more, stationary, than on Ralais. MY vote is stay here, where at least the number of creatures are limited by default size to something smaller than an entire world, and have those who are uninjured and still magically energized keep watches while the rest of us recover."
"Oh, and I'm with Arnav. Once rested, let's check out one of the OTHER directions. If that Gelatin of Evil could follow us, I think it would have done so by now."
Hamar shrugs, "I owe you all my life, if you wish to stay then stay I shall and aid you in this. This does not mean that I do not think that you are all mad for doing so..."
"Get in line big guy. You wouldn't be the first. And I doubt you'll be the last." Justin gives Hamar a lopsided smile.
The party makes an effort to clean up the gory mess of the ghoul's dinner table. They toss the bloody bits into the hallway that leads to the ooze, and discover that the pieces vanish when they enter the circular opening. Afterwards, they take shifts and those that need to rest do so
They manage to get enough that those who need new spells have them. Strangely, none of the wounds received seem to feel any better
During the break, Arnav pulled out some wood and a small knife and some files. The wood already had some cuts in it, and by the end of the night it's a little more recognizable as a hunting hound, curled up in sleep. Even as he works with his small blade, his large one is ready at hand in case something comes through.
When everybody is awake again, he puts everything away. "So, shall we try and figure out how to save the living from the dead?"
Ekuur awakes, feeling only slightly better rested. And still unnaturally cold ... he spends time in quiet meditation, holding his symbol of the Sacred Flame. As he does so, the warmth slowly fills him (more slowly than normal, though) and he feels his divine energy replenished.
Being his typical, chatty self, Ekuur answers Arnav. "Yes."
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Also, as soon as Hamar awakes, Ekuur will approach him. "I would like to inspect your wounds from the ghouls again, if I may. I did not like the looks of them, and I know ghouls on some worlds can carry disease in their talons."
Assuming he allows, Ekuur will check the wounds again. If they look like they may be carrying disease, he will cast remove disease from one his scrolls.
heal
Hamar awakes feeling feverish. When Ekuur checks him his wounds look inflamed
Justin awakes feeling mentally refreshed, but physically still tired. He shivers slightly as he fully wakes and stretches. He doesn't believe it is from the physical cold. He feels strangely comforted by the small dark stone orbiting his head. At the same time realizing just how fragile that vital protection is.
Justin sits near Ekuur as the priest meditates, engaged in his own morning ritual of study. His brow furrows in concentration as he reviews spells from his spellbook. He quietly asks Memnon's opinion on a spell, and receives a snarky comment in return from the crystal skull.
Apparently Memnon thinks that Justin's spellbook choices are a bit too single-focused for a hopeful archmage. Justin cheerfully returns the snark, but does not argue the point, having had the same thought himself a few times this trip.
Justin also makes notes in his battered journal about the lack of natural healing on the negative plane. Seems that their Ioun stones can only do so much against an entire plane.
Thoughtful, Justin asks Memnon what he thinks the possibility is of using one of their spare Ioun stones to cut off the necromantic goop from the Plane's negative energy, hopefully weakening the Necro-Ooze enough to kill. Or at least make it easier to kill. Of course,... someone would have to get close enough to the goop and it's animated skeleton structure to use the Ioun Stone and activate it,...
Hamar stretches his muscles after Ekuur's healing hands inspect his wounds. "Thank you Cleric. Certainly your abilities are a warrior's best friend. Tell me, have you dreamed of a way to destroy this new foe we have discovered? Does not fire purify all?"
Fortitude
"Yes, that is the theory." Justin jumps in as he joins Hamar and Ekuur.
"But that pile of goop is going to take a #@!! of a lot of fire. Pun intended. Fire is usually a good answer, and one of my favorites, but there may be a better one to this problem."
"However!" Justin adds hastily, holding up a warding hand at the narrowing of Ekuur's eyes. "Whatever it takes to finish it, you can bet I'm planning on fireballing the remains into crispy ash! Just to be safe!"
"I've got a thought I'm working on that might weaken the necro-ooze-skeleton combo, but I like your suggestion Hamar. I think you were right, that we should explore other areas of the fortress and return to deal with the necro-ooze later. After we've figured out it's weakness."
"It's GOT to have a weakness." Justin mutters to no one in particular. "Nothing that freakin' powerful can be resistant to everything!"
"Is it not weak towards positive energy? I'm sorry if it's a silly question, but I haven't even seen this ooze yet. I don't know exactly what went on," Nari said diffidently.
"Let's avoid the ooze for now, so long as it's not in convenient transportable form I'm thinking that cultists aren't going to be able to use it either. If it turns out we need to destroy it we'll get cheesy and blast it from afar. It's unfair, it's cheap, but it's how fights are won. Plus it ain't easy bein cheesy."
Justin blinks at Karrin.
Then he turns to Nari.
"Yes, I'm fairly certain it IS weak towards positive energy. Ekuur here has it double whammied in that department, he packs both positive energy, AND fire! But he's only one guy, (No offense Blayze, but I suspect that you can't do that holy-shot thing too often?) and you haven't seen it Nari. This thing is big. Like HUGE. At least it is when animating the ginormous pile of bones it's sitting on now. We can only hope that the cultists DO try to use it, and it pounds on them too. That might make the rest of this place a lot more habitable."
Hamar nods at Karrin's sage words, "Indeed, one must spend months making cheese, though some can be made in about a month. I am surprised any of you who dwell in a city would have known such a thing.
Speaking of cheese, we should break our fast, one cannot fight effectively on an empty stomach".
Hamar sits and opens his pack to munch on the rations that he has so carefully, well rationed out since being imprisoned on the nightmare planet of undead.
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Karrin nods at the mention of food and eating. She begins digging into her bag of everlasting rations as if testing to see if she has a case of false advertising against the shop who sold it to her.
It is akin to watching an anaconda swallow a gazelle whole and then, after being amazed at the feat, watching that same anaconda slither back to the buffet and pop a capybara and a half dozen emu eggs on her plate, and then, after she returns to her table, and she happily cleans her plate, having it painfully obvious that she's not eating more because she's now aware that you're watching her. I mean you could say it's no big deal, you've seen others eat as much, but you haven't and it is freakish to behold, you're not sure you could tell her that lie, so instead you try to pretend that it was something behind her that had caught your interest, caused those wide eyed stares of shock and amazement, she glances behind her to pretend, for both of you really, that that was what it was. That it was something behind her. However you both know that it wasn't and that awkwardness shall always remain. You stop going to that buffet afterwards for fear of seeing her again.
Watching Karrin eat is like that.
Hamar looks up from his carefully-rationed hard cheese and biscuit to see Karrin scooping large handfuls of ... something ... from a bag into her mouth in a conveyer-belt-like fashion
Awakening a bit earlier than the others, Blayze silently prays to her goddess, glad that even here in this desolate demesne of undeath, she could feel her power. Sitting and quietly checking and cleaning her weapon as the banter begins, her jaw drops at the .......fascinating (and a little bit horrifying) sight of Karen eating.
"Mwhat?" Karrin says as she notices Blayze staring, crumbs spraying everywhere.
Awakening a bit earlier than the others, Blayze silently prays to her goddess, glad that even here in this desolate demesne of undeath, she could feel her power. Sitting and quietly checking and cleaning her weapon as the banter begins, her jaw drops at the .......fascinating (and a little bit horrifying) sight of Karen eating.
Justin eats ('enjoys' may too strong a word for iron rations) his emergency long-life adventuring rations, nibbling on the crunchy bits (after seasoning it up to something resembling food with liberal applications of the prestidigitation cantrip) and tries not to glower at Karrin and her endless ration bag.
"Oh yes. When we get back, Bottomless Backpacks for EVERYONE." He can be heard to mumble in between bites. At least his drooling at the sight of Karrin's food makes his rations a little more palatable.
That's his story, and he's sticking too it.
He distracts himself by continuing to flip through his spell book. He considers and discards a few possible strategies while crunching his rations.
"....................." Merle sits munching on her rations watching Karrin eat while continuing to develop her small portable hole for a stomach theory
Arnav seems content to keep whittling while the others eat. He's not particularly paying attention at first. Though the silence as people watch Karrin makes him look. He then deliberately goes back to whittling. Perhaps with a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth.
Hamar is not amazed by much but the sight of Karrin eating gives him an idea.
"Wizard, can we summon a creature to eat this ectoplasmic goop that our foe us made of? I have heard of creatures that eat the earth itself to bore through it..."
Justin looks at Hamar in surprise, glances at Memnon, then back to Hamar. He considers the question in wide-eyed wonderment.
"That's thinking outside the box Hamar!" Justin says at length.
"But creatures of earth aren't that hard to find. I don't know of anything off-hand that eats Oozes for breakfast. Much less Necromatically-empowered Oozes. It would have to be,..."
Justin turns to Memnon. "Hey Memnon, I don't suppose you know of any positive-plane creatures that eat Oozes? Or at least absorb or cancel Necromantic/negative energy? Maybe a positive-energy Ooze?" He asks hopefully.
Nari meditates while the others eat, since she doesn't need to. She is actually watching Arnav whittle, fascinated at this new craft, but she looks away every time he might glance towards her. She is still feeling very shy around the newcomers.
He notices that Nari's not eating either. He gives her a little smile and goes back to his work when she looks away.
Justin looks at Hamar in surprise, glances at Memnon, then back to Hamar. He considers the question in wide-eyed wonderment.
"That's thinking outside the box Hamar!" Justin says at length.
"But creatures of earth aren't that hard to find. I don't know of anything off-hand that eats Oozes for breakfast. Much less Necromatically-empowered Oozes. It would have to be,..."
Justin turns to Memnon. "Hey Memnon, I don't suppose you know of any positive-plane creatures that eat Oozes? Or at least absorb or cancel Necromantic/negative energy? Maybe a positive-energy Ooze?" He asks hopefully.
d20+18
Memnon spins a bit in place. Justin is starting to know him well enough to know this means he's thinking
"Well Boss, There's the Xag-Ya. It's an energy creature from the Positive Material Plane. It can shoot positive energy beams that can harm undead. It's kinda like an ooze, but more like a glowing ball of energy with tentacles"
GM link:
"Huh. Sounds like maybe something we could use in our corner. Wonder if I could call it with a standard summoning conjuration? Or better yet, call several of them?" Justin muses, scratching at his now scruffy looking goatee. It has been too long since his visit to the barber.
"At the very least, something like a Zaag-Ya should give that monstrosity something else to worry about besides us while we deal with it."
"But as said, we should probably come back to that,... thing, later. From the outside there were still plenty of other chambers, rooms?... to explore. And there's no telling if the demon-ghosts are already here or not."
"I think a summoning of the Fifth Circle would work. You might need a sympathetic item, perhaps a curative potion instead of the normal bag and candle. I can start working up a proper summoning chant. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so"
"That sounds great. A lot easier than drawing up a full conjuration summoning circle and defensive ward just to make sure that we dial in the right Plane. Can you work on the chant on the go? I can carry you while we explore."
Justin looks at Memnon thoughtfully. "Although, if you're going to be traveling with me, we should really find a better way for you to travel. Some way to protect you and make you easier to transport when you don't want to be out and about and easily noticed. Maybe a nice travel case of some sort?" He muses.
During the break, Arnav pulled out some wood and a small knife and some files. The wood already had some cuts in it, and by the end of the night it's a little more recognizable as a hunting hound, curled up in sleep. Even as he works with his small blade, his large one is ready at hand in case something comes through.
When everybody is awake again, he puts everything away. "So, shall we try and figure out how to save the living from the dead?"
Beginning to grow a bit restless now that everyone has eaten and prepared spells for the day, Ekuur remarks, "I think we are now ready to do as you suggested when we first awoke, Arnav. Let us go send some more souls to their eternal reward. Or punishment, as the case may be."
"That sounds great. A lot easier than drawing up a full conjuration summoning circle and defensive ward just to make sure that we dial in the right Plane. Can you work on the chant on the go? I can carry you while we explore."
Justin looks at Memnon thoughtfully. "Although, if you're going to be traveling with me, we should really find a better way for you to travel. Some way to protect you and make you easier to transport when you don't want to be out and about and easily noticed. Maybe a nice travel case of some sort?" He muses.
"I don't know boss. I'm pretty quick on my feet ... so to speak"
"Alright then." Justin says to Memnon as he makes his final choice for spells and makes certain he has a tricky bit on the last one committed to memory. He snaps his battered traveling spell book closed with a snap and returns it to his backpack.
"Ready." Justin nods to Karrin as he shoulders his backpack and settles it comfortably. He needs to be able to run if needed after all.
"Lets go explore a Dead/erased Powers Citadel in the middle of the Negative Plane. Sounds like fun. What could possibly go wrong?" Justin says to Memnon with a smirk.
"Oh, everyone done eating already?" Karrin asks as she finishes with great reluctance, "Okay then, we're in a kind of maze here and we know where on of those paths leads, so let's try a different one. So why don't we try . . ."
" . . . That one," Karrin says as she points to a different portal for no apparent rhyme or reason, "And I've been marking our path back. If we need to flee for our lives, you know, with some horrible undead monstrosity at our heels, or one step ahead of some big explosion or something, look for the scratches beside the doorways. Oh, and don't look back, it's always cooler when the hero doesn't look back in these sorts of situations."