Not hearing any other ideas, Rumble and Aaron set out to do some examinatin of the black ooze at the bottom of the shaft. Aaron gose up to the labratory and finds one of the heavy shackles. Casting light on it, he throws it down the shaft listening for how long it takes to hit and noticing if the ooze is effected in any way. The light should give them a better picture of what is at the bottom of the shaft.
When Aaron tosses the shackles into the pit, it sits on top of the black goo for just a moment, and then sinks in and disappears. It only takes a second for the light to go, too.
Ax notices that the walls of the pit are covered in small holes, about an inch in diameter.
"Well, it is more than just on the surface and it seems to be pretty thick. Let's see if we can get a sample." With that, Aaron and Rumble go about gatherig up a few items fro the above lab. They attach a weighted schackle to a rope and add a container to it. Casting light on the container, they lower it down the shaft. They wait until the light disapears and then begin pulling it back up.
Finally having regained some sort of control over his stomach Amarandlon, now notable paler, walks down to the others at the pool. "What have you found?" he asks. Then he notices what Aaron is doing an continues: "Do you have any idea what that is?"
When Aaron pulls the rope back up, there's nothing attached. The rope looks almost burnt or corroded where it touched the goo.
As Ax examines the holes, it looks like they are just that: holes.
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"That is a strong acid down there. This stench and the acid make me think there is something malevolent going on here. Amarandlon, while you checked the lab, Did you find any writing?, a book?, anything of that sort?" Ax rubs his temples as he ponders what could be at play. Ax takes a close look at the splotches on the wall of the humid, snd now stinking, room.
The splotches are too old to be identified as anything more than just blood.
"Acid you say, could it be natural? I did not find any such objects during my search. I do not believe there is more to find in this room and as such I suggest we move on."
Jackson approaches, finally catching up with the rest. "Well, that was a waste o' time. There wasn' much back there, 'cept a trapdoor in the ceilin'. What've you fou-- What in the Nine Hells is that stench?! Smells like Urgathoa's undergarments!"
Jackson retreats back to the other room to retch. Mumbling some incantation, the stench is counteracted by the faint scent of spring flowers. Coming back into the room, Jackson mumbles another incantation, and the spilled contents of the collective party's partially-digested breakfast fade into nothingness.
"Well one more experiment before we leave," Aaron says. "Might want to stand back with this one." He waits until it the room is cleared and backs up to the above room. He given Rumble his struck around it sunrod. He raps some cloth around it and makes sure it is on fire. "Well buddy," Aaron says to Rumble "Let's see if it is flamable. If I don't see you till tomorrow, sorry.
"very Funny," Rumble says as he picks up the makeshift torch "Be right back" Rumble proceeds to the shaft and throws the fire down the shaft. He listens for hit to hit the slie at the bottom and then peers over to watch it.
The black goo lurches up when the fire hits it. It begins to slosh back and forth and rise up the walls. However, when it does, you hear a sharp sucking sound, and the puddle falls back down. The fire eventually gets sucked down into the muck and dies out.
Peering over the edge, Jack wrinkles his nose and raises an eyebrow. "What in the Abyss is that? Some kinda' experiment gone wrong?"
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"It might be methane or other gas produced by decomposing bodies"Ax tells the group. "There does not seem to be anything more of interest. I´ll makes some notes for the map." Ax takes out his pen and paper and makes a quick sketch of the gully and its two rooms, and adds to all "Let´s get going, we are running out of food and need to walk back to town".
"Best let it lay then. I agree, we should head back."