Unable to make the area more defensible, Finlogan stands vigil over the resting companions with his longbow ready.
You stop to rest, hoping that the creatures which ran away don't return with friends any time soon. Luckily, your hopes come true, and you are able to recuperate a bit.
Gwen and Naia can't help curiously examining their bizarrely deformed weapons as they sit and rest. Idly turning the items over in their hands for an hour, they come to a surprising conclusion: the weapons have absorbed a bit of magic.
"Is there anywhere else we haven't explored yet? We still need to find the source of the oncoming pox and stop it as soon as we can."
Finlogan replies to Teo, "I think the only path we haven't explored yet is through that broken door; the same place those creatures came from and retreated back to. So, that's where we going when we're ready."
Perhaps we should draw them out here, rather than trying to fight them as we attempt to clear the doorway. She is studying the collapsed doorway as she speaks.
Wraith moves up to the broken door and examines it, determining that it would be a simple matter to break down what's left of it and gain entrance to the next room. More than that, she notices that there are no creatures visible in the next room.
The room beyond the broken door is a large, octagon-shaped chamber. One of the eight walls contains this doorway, while each of the other seven bears a large circle full of runes and sigils engraved in the stone. Much like the rest of this underground complex, large structural cracks stretch across the chamber, splitting most of the walls, ceiling and floor. Very nearly every inch of stone surface in the entire room has been "cubed", as well. However, there is one wall-circle that has not been disrupted by cracks, and the area within it is suspiciously free of "cubic-ness".
"Anyone else suspect the normal area is where we need to go? I'd avoid those cube creatures at all costs if I were down here. I bet everyone else would as well."
Finlogan examines the room and nods at Teo's observation, "Well, I think the creatures are using that normal area as a portal. Everywhere they touch changes the surface, leaving one area where the blobs don't actually touch. If we go through that portal, we need to prepare to face more blobs. Besides, there doesn't appear to be any other way out of here."
Examining the unbroken portal more closely, you see that the surface of the stone seems to shimmer like ripples on a pond when you get close to it.
All of these circles definitely have to do with teleportation, though you can't really tell more than that due to how archaic and foreign the markings are.
Arcana
"I'm pretty sure this is a teleportation circle. If we enter it, there's no telling where we might end up. Or perhaps it works in reverse and something might be teleported to us. Very interesting."
"Hmm. I have no magical ability so I can't offer much insight here. But I can hazard a guess that if those oozes came through the portal, there's a chance that it works both ways. That should be some solace if we wind up somewhere we don't want to be."
Finlogan nods at Teo's confirmation, "Do we want to check on the above fire of certain death, before we go through a magic portal to the home of black blobs? Or are the blobs the cure to the blight?"
Teo casts a vote for pressing on and trying the teleportation circle.
Naia shakes her head, then stares at the wall, and juts her chin toward it by way of indicating it.
"Let us not go through that fell portal. Here we fought a number, and it costs us blood. Go to their plane? Their reality, and their...geometry? Where they may exist in multitude? [here shakes head again] I fear we will unleash something unto our world that has so far been, at least somewhat, in check."
After a bit of discussion, you decide that following your quarry is the best route to achieving your original objective, and push against the portion of the wall within the circle. The wall yields with almost no resistance, and you step through.
You find yourself then stepping out of a wall, onto another stone floor in a large chamber. Judging from the structural cracks revealing dirt overhead, you would guess that you are still ("again"?) underground. The scenery is much the same as it was on the first side of the portal: stone surfaces, largely affected by the cubism to which you're rapidly becoming accustomed.
This chamber probably used to be rather large. It's very wide, nearly 40 feet from left to right (with the portal in the center of the wall). You can only guess how deep it used to extend, however, as a massive cave-in has resulted in a wall of rubble and earth only about 15ft ahead of you, spanning the entire width of the room, sloping up and away toward the ceiling, some 20ft high.
Near the far-left portion of the room, a trail of cubic stone leads up the rubble slope, and a hole can be seen in the ceiling. The hole is lined with cubic stone, much resembling the tunnel by which you first entered the underground chambers on the other side of the portal.
Interestingly, the creatures which retreated from your battle an hour ago are nowhere to be found.
Finlogan offers, "only one way out. Shall we assume our previous travel formation with Wraith and me out front?"
"So far so good. The portal didn't send us into burning hellfire or anything. Finlogan's formation suggestion is fine with me."
Gwenifer tests the portal we came out of with a piece of rubble to see if it activates from this side.
Teo nods silently. She was ready to see what else there was to encounter down there.
Gwen tosses a pebble toward the portal, and sure enough, it vanishes into the surface of the wall, sending out circular ripples like a disturbed pond.
Approaching the hole in the ceiling, you walk-climb up the slope of rubble, eventually crouching beneath the ceiling as you draw near. Much like the hole by which you first went underground, this hole is only wide enough to travel single-file, and rises at an angle for a while before beginning to twist and turn.
Naia looks at the cubic-reconfigured hole and chews her lip.
"Were I fully healed, I would go first. If someone could provide such aid, I am happy to scout ahead."
You begin the awkward scramble up the mostly-vertical tunnel, with Finlogan in the lead, followed by Wraith, Gwenifer, Teo and Naia. Teo sends magical light ahead to assist the climb, and you spend a few minutes slowly working your way up through the cubed earth.
Much like the previous tunnel, this one twists and turns, making your vertical progress much slower than your actual travel pace. Eventually, the tunnel finally terminates, opening horizontally into what seems to be a natural cavern.
The ceiling is low (a hair under five feet), but rises slightly as it moves away from you, eventually reaching a height of about eight feet at its peak, about 40ft ahead of you, at the edge of your light. An underground pond of some sort sits stagnant in the cavern, fed by water dripping from overhead, with its near edge about 25ft ahead of you. Fin's darkvision can barely make out the far bank, meaning it's likely about 60ft ahead. Beyond that, the cavern extends unseen into the darkness.
From left to right, the cavern is about 45ft wide, and the pond's surface makes contact with the stone at either side of the chamber. Also, nearly every inch of the stone surfaces in this cavern are marred with the cubic deformation.
Just as Finlogan has climbed out of the tunnel, he and Wraith see a disturbance in the water, suggesting the movement of a creature underneath, moving toward you!
Unsure what might be about to emerge from the cavern pool, Fin moves clear of the tunnel and takes a defensive posture.
The brackish water of the pool splashes violently as a massive, black blob emerges! Unlike the ones you fought before, this one is roughly ten feet across, and it roll-slithers toward Finlogan before launching slimy tendrils out of its mass at him!
Despite his attempt at evasion, Fin is struck by the black tendrils, which burn his flesh. Even so, he manages to wriggle free as they try to wrap around him.
Disregarding danger to self, Naia's instincts drive her to defend clan, and Fin, Wraith, Gwen and Teo have proven themselves that. She leaps to the attack, her blob-forged scimitar to the fore...
Naia scrambles past her companions to exit the tunnel and engages the massive blob!
Wraith emerges from the tunnel, moves the opposite direction from the melee, and fires an arrow at the creature!
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She lands a solid hit!
Suddenly, four more blobs—the smaller versions like you fought before—emerge from the water and approach, lashing out their small tendrils at the foremost combatants!
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Finlogan is struck by one attack, but narrowly dodges the next!
Naia is also struck, but somehow fends off three more attacks!
Wraith too suffers a single attack!
Teo follows Wraith, double moving toward her direction.
Teo will use her magic and cast Axid Splash to see if that has an effect.
Ranged attack
Dexterity save or take damage if hits
Gwenifer wades through the water and swings her greatsword at the nearest opponent.
"It was only a matter of time before we found more of these things. Let's splat them!"
Teo's spell manages to burn the blobs slightly!
Gwen steps out and tries to help Wraith, but fails to land a hit on the little blob!
Finlogan unleashes against the smaller blob attacking him, nearly obliterating it! His shortsword is splattered in black ooze and begins to shift, until it comes to rest in a geometric-looking shape, much like Naia's scimitar and Gwenifer's maul.
The giant blob then once again slings a group of tendrils at Fin!
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Fin evades the attack!
Naia screams in frustration - she knows this may be her end - she slices at the largest blob, hoping to obliterate it...
[+2 Prof., +3 Dex, +1 enhancement]
[+3 Dex, + 1 enhancement]
Finlogan unleashes against the smaller blob attacking him.
Naia slashes into the big blob, but it holds together!
The small blobs continue to lash out at Fin and Naia!
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Finlogan takes a couple of hits, and Naia is put to the ground!
Fin then retaliates, ending his smaller attacker with his first strike and further wounding the big one with the second!
Gwenifer continues to attack the same blob.
"Stay away from them! Over here, snot balls!"
Gwen tears into the huge blob, further injuring it!
Teo fires another Acid Splash at the big blob, hoping she can at least help drive it off.
Dexterity save or take damage.
Teo mildly irritates the bigger blob!
The big blob then turns its attention to the woman who just put a greatsword through it!
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The caustic tendrils strike at Gwen painfully, but she manages to pull away before they can grab hold of her!
The remaining smaller blob then lashes out at Finlogan!
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Fin takes two hits, the second of which tears into his leg. The flesh by the wound begins to ripple and twist as though it's trying to shape itself into cubes, wracking Finlogan with pain and impeding his use of his leg.