Without any other obvious threat, Finlogan will nudge open the other door.
Unsettled by your discovery of the broken magic circle, you head back to the first room and investigate the broken door. Peering through the cracks and holes, you see a blackness that neither your light nor the eyes of the elves can penetrate.
Straining your eyes, you see just enough bits of variation in the darkness to realize that you're not looking at a dark room or a barrier of magical darkness, but at one or more physical masses that are black beyond belief... and are moving slightly. Unfortunately, you can't make out much more detail than that from here.
Finlogan slowly moves everyone away from the broken door. Then, he whispers, "inside, there are one or more physical masses that are black beyond belief... and are moving slightly. Unfortunately, I can't make out much more detail than that from here."
"Can we lure it out here? If it's all dark, we will fare better out here in the light."
If fighting it - or them - is something we decide to do, then bringing the battle into the light makes sense. But are we sure that's what we want to do?
Gwen glances at Wraith with a confused look. "What else would you do against black squirmy monsters?"
Gwen holds her sword and maul out in front of her. "My only question is slashing or bludgeoning?...Probably slashing."
Wraith blinks at Gwen, then shakes her head. Attacking the unknown is rarely a good idea. Sometimes, it's the worst thing you can do - and, if you actually do attack, often the last thing you do.
"Fortune favors the bold! The best thing to do against the unknown is be prepared."
Finlogan blinks at a Teo and Gwen's reaction to creatures with physical masses that are black beyond belief. He exhales when Wraith replies with common sense.
"I agree with Wraith. Perhaps these are the creatures that were meant to be contained, because they could not be destroyed. Remember we are only down here to escape certain death by fire. Let's try to understand more of the situation before we antagonize the local wildlife."
Naia places a delicate hand on the maul's head, and another lightly touches the blade. She whispers to Gwen.
"Perhaps blunt or slashing force will divide them and thus increase their numbers."
and her eyes widen in horror before her eyes crease with a mirthful look - a smile and a wink.
The water elf looks around the room, back at the door in question, and nods.
"Our scout and our prince speak wisely. As longs as that behind closed portal stays contained and not aggressive toward us - not an immediate threat, we are obliged to let it remain so while there are other options available to us. For the first, we can wait...and rest. Have patience dear Gwen - there will be plenty of time to smite and to slice."
Gwenifer leans against a wall. "I'm here when you need me."
As you debate what to do, you hear movement from beyond the broken door. Dark shapes which almost defy description come... crawling?... through the gaps in the door and... slither?... across the floor, walls and ceiling. The creatures are blacker than black; where a crow would at least have places where the light reflects off of its black feathers to give its image a sense of contour, these creatures are so uniform in their black appearance as to resemble silhouettes despite their clearly three-dimensional movements.
The creatures are about the size of... well, about the size of Teo. They have a blob-like central mass which seems to shift and twist with ease, and appendages pop out and retract almost like someone throwing a tar-soaked rope and reeling it back in. All together, its locomotion seems almost like rolling.
Seven such creatures pour from the other room: two come directly toward you on the floor, two crawl out each side of the doorway onto the walls, and one takes to the ceiling.
You all snap to action!
These creatures are clearly not of this world. No telling what to expect.
These are definitely extraplanar creatures of some sort, but you don't know what exactly. You've never heard of anything like these before.
Finlogan sighs and says, "Well Gwen, they heard your invitation." He pulls out his longbow and shoots one of them.
In response to Finlogan, "Huh, I wonder what part of them is an ear."
"They certainly aren't of this world but aren't very frightful either. I just hope they don't pop too much when I squish them. Black isn't my color."
Gwenifer heeds Naia's warning about splitting them and elects to try her maul first. She charges into the central group to gather the attention of as many as she can and brings down the giant hammer on top of one of the blobs with a powerful overhead swing.
Finlogan puts an arrow solidly into the creature on the ceiling!
Gwen moves forward and gives a solid swat to one of the pair on the floor!
Naia's almost preternatural reactions alert her to the commotion as the sick beings glide...roll toward her and her friends...some of the creatures defying natural gravity or sticking to other planes of friction. Wanting to destory them quickly, she moves as close as she can to the two that are together. She unleashes a wave of force at them to try to disintegrate their form.
"Apologies for the noise!" Naia shouts.
Move close, cast thunderwave with 2nd level slot.
Teo hurls a tiny ball of shimmering fire at the closest enemy.
Ranged spell attack
Fire damage
Naia comes up alongside the pair on the floor, positioning herself somewhat behind them so as to be on the opposite side from Gwen, and lets out a cacophonous clap of thunder!
Both creatures are flung to one side, past Gwen and marginally closer to the back rank (Fin, Wraith, and Teo). The one Gwen had hit stops moving and sort of deflates a bit.
Then, Teo blasts the other one with magical fire, and it too collapses in a smoldering heap.
Wraith pulls her bow and follows Finlogan's example, shooting the creature on the ceiling.
Wraith fires, but misses!
The injured creature on the ceiling moves forward, then drops to the ground by Finlogan and retaliates, flailing its tendrils at him!
,
,
But he dodges out of the way!
The four on the walls dismount and advance, a pair engaging each of Naia and Gwen!
,
,
,
,
Much threatening, but no hitting.
Round 2
Gwen smacks the one threatening her over it's "head".
"These things are just sad balloons."
Wraith fires another arrow at her target:
Wraith sheathes his longbow and draws his shortswords. He attempts to stick the pointy ends into the wounded one.
Teo shoots forth a small glob of acid, trying to sound the closest creature.
Spell attack
If failed Dex save, take acid damage.
Naia grunts in frustration as she is surrounded by both allies and enemies and is thus prevented from using her magic as she would wish...
The physical way then..
She swings her scimitar...but the swing is unruly...
[+2 Prof. +3 Dex]
[+3 Dex]
Gwen misses her target, but Fin and Wraith manage to take down the one in front of Fin!
Teo's spell is evaded, and Naia's swing goes wide!
The remaining creatures continue their attack!
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Gwen takes two hits, and Naia takes three!
Naia screams in pain as the dark tendrils rip at her flesh. She reacts viscerally, seeming without thinking - her form wobbles and distorts, stretches and shakes. Where there was a wounded water elf, now stands the canine seen earlier.
Baring its fangs, the animal leaps at the nearest creature, buoyed by proximity to Naia's allies. Its teeth gnash as it flies toward the strange orbs of darkness...
Wild shape into a Wolf.
*
**
Finlogan steps up beside the Naia wolf and attempts to stick the pointy ends into another one. This time the black blob dodges out of the way.
Round 3
Gwen attacks the one attacking her again.
Teo moves forward to the closest enemy and uses her dagger, trying to spear the monster.
Attack
Damage
Wraith switches her targeting to one of the creatures harassing Gwen:
Naia bites one of her opponents!
Fin and Gwen both struggle to hit anything!
Teo and Wraith both impale their target!
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Naia gets knocked back into elf form, but Gwen manages to fend off most of her the attacks!
Finlogan presses his attack beside Naia the elf and attempts to stick the pointy ends into the wounded one attacking her.
Gwenifer keeps swinging. "Okay, now they are starting to hurt. Time to get serious."
Gwenifer also uses Second Wind to recover slightly.
Wraith looses another arrow at one of the creatures assaulting Gwen.
Finlogan manages to put a blade into one of Gwen's opponents, then Gwenifer smashes it brutally with her maul, covering the weapon in something black and runny.
As Gwen shakes the goo off of her maul, she sees its head shift and twist, the metal taking on a shape of mixed cubes in the same manner as what you've seen in the stone around here.
With Gwen down one opponent, Wraith fires at the injured target near Naia, putting an arrow solidly into it.
Teo keeps attacking the closest enemy to her. Attack
Damage
The wolf yelps in pain, and Naia reappears, even more wounded than before. She lashes out with her scimitar again...targeting the wounded creature - her eyes widening as the strange black blob hit by Gwen betrays the odd and unnerving geometry seen in the tunnels...
Attack wounded geometryblob...
[+2 Prof. +3 Dex]
[+3 Dex]
her eyes widening as the strange black blob hit by Gwen betrays the odd and unnerving geometry seen in the tunnels...
Teo misses, but Naia strikes a powerful blow and finishes off one of her attackers! And much like Gwen's maul, the metal of Naia's blade warps for a couple of seconds until it settles on a shape with no curved lines whatsoever.
The remaining two creatures retreat back to the room they came from!
Finlogan catches his breath. "How is everyone? What were those things?" He looks over the leftover blobs.
"If they are retreating, they aren't mindless. Interesting. But look at my maul's head. It got all cubic like the walls. Perhaps these creatures have caused the formations in the tunnels."
"I'm slightly wounded, but can probably get by."
"How did they do that to your weapon? I've never heard tales of a creature that could do that to a weapon, let alone to the tunnels they lived in "
Naia stares at her weapon, similarly re-arranged. She waves it experimentally, and checks its edge. Then she seems to feel the pain of her many wounds, some grievous. The water elf collapses against a wall, and closes her eyes.
"I...am hurt." she says hoarsely.
Finlogan replies, "alright. Let's establish a perimeter and rest a bit. " He takes out his longbow to stand watch.
The immediate threat past, you take a moment to breathe. A brief examination of the deformed weapons suggests that they should still be perfectly usable, just strange-looking.
Finlogan examines the stone doors where the blobs emerged. Gwen said that she had pitons, which could wedge shut the doors. Can the other door be wedged shut or is it broken?