"We should also check on the two that the church sent with Anzath, to see if their remains can be taken out." Before they are corrupted he adds silently.
"Aurora, I believe that one of our trap finders should bear that ring."
Anzath would know that her paladin and cleric died relatively close to the entrance to the dungeon--if you want to go there first, it is not far out of your way to Yaza's.
Anzath agrees to lead the group to the bodies of her former comrades, although she gripes about their self righteousness. I mean, the cleric was ok, but that paladin...
Bedlam rubs some dirt on his hands.
Ready!
Nodding once to Talathel's suggestion, Aurora offers the ring to Brand. Surely he's not going to turn down even higher odds of coming back out alive to return to his bride, right? Assuming the halfling dons it, Aurora will carry on to casting Shield Other on him.
As you all come around the corner, Anzath points out a few things she's seen before. Here's an empty room. Here, a secret door. Here, a hall. Here... here it is.
The room's ceiling has come down in a partial collapse. An ooze of green slime is falling from above. The smell of death is still apparent--but if the slime got to the bodies, there's likely not much left of them.
You see a door partially buried in slimy stone.
Don't be letting da slime touch ye. Be devour anything...or anyone.
Talathel pauses a moment, and then begins quoting a treatise he once read on dungeon perils.
"Green slime devours flesh and organic materials on contact and is even capable of dissolving metal. Cold or fire damage, sunlight, or a remove disease spell destroys a patch of green slime."
Returning beneath the earth, Anzath's demeanor seems to shift. The shortness and dourness she exhibited on the trip to Riddleport and back seems to lift, if only slightly. One could say she's returned to her element.
Anzath recalls the scolding she got from the high priests as she inspects the collapsed ceiling, rubble, and slime from a safe distance. "Hmm... Bodiez kan be rekovered, or vhat?"
"Recovering them doesn't seem wise at this point. Perhaps if we can summon an elemental of some sort to risk the slime... But alas, I do not have such a spell in my grimoire."
It's tough to tell if the bodies could be intact from the outside. On the one hand, the Sarenrae temple mentioned seeing bodies. On the other, green slime seems to be actively seeping into the room from the ceiling. If the bodies are down there, you'd have to remove the slime and the stone.
Anzath's face twitches as she considers Talathel and Tragershen's advice. She digs through her pack and removes a flask, which she then lobs at the green slime, getting as close as she can without being in danger.
Anzath's fire burns up a good chunk of green slime. The collective anguish of the single-celled slime creatures means the whole collective recedes somewhat, pulling away from the door and the rubble of the collapse.
The ignition of the alchemist's fire and the recoil of the slime causes several stones to wiggle loose and roll into the room. A few drops of slime fall from the ceiling, but not onto Anzath.
"Tch."
Well, it looked cool! but didn't burn off quite as much slime as she'd like.
"Dat iz all I have," Anzath informs the others, looking specifically at the spell casters.
"I feel... remarkably unsafe standing here. I have little in the way of clearing it myself, but for the scroll—which I do not believe to be prudent to use for such a task..."
Aurora peers up to the ceiling where the slime seems to be oozing from, brow furrowing.
The dwarf takes out an Extract (Heightened Awareness: 40 minutes). Bedlam then paces back to front of their area; listening for trouble.
Bedlam's magic, good fortune, and Dwarven heritage combine to give him a clear sense that the area of the collapse is at risk of further disintegration.
Aurora sees occasional drips of goop leaking down and splashing in the room. A splatter could be dangerous. If you can't solve this with magic, maybe you'll need to circle back and try again later.
Bedlam leaves the area. The dwarf waves the group over.
Dis be a carn soon. We be looking fer another live target, yes?
"It would be dangerous to stay here longer with no solid method of eliminating the rest of the slime. It may be prudent to carry on."
"I agree with Aurora. This is a structurally unsound area. We should leave immediately."
"Tch..." Anzath begrudgingly leaves the cave in site. The paladin and cleric can rot under all that rubble for all she cares, but the high priests won't be pleased... and she used up her alchemist's fire.
"Undead," she corrects Bedlam, "Ve already killed Yaza once. Ve have to do it again."
Bedlam smiles at Anzath. The dwarf carries on.
"If we want to try and recover the remains later, that is fine. The slime may finish consuming them by then. It appears the slime is dripping from where the ceiling collapsed. If we bring down more of the ceiling, it may accelerate the consumption of their remains. Then there wouldn't be anything left to be raised by this terrible place. Otherwise, let us move on."
Talathel begins to move away.
"I not do believe that we should expend resources on hastening a collapse."
The GM sighs and ceases shaking two handfuls of dice.
Does the party proceed to Yaza's room, now? Or do you poke around this unexplored section of the first floor of the Mouth of Doom?
"Let us hunt Yaza first. As much as I would like to ensure that all areas behind us are clear, we should not tarry."
"Mmhmm."
Anzath quickly leads the way back to Yaza's study.
Tragershen looks down the directions they have not explored yet, but nods in agreement. "We should see to her demise. She may be warning others of our coming and movements."
All is silent as you descend into the depths. Soon you reach Yaza Mongro's observatory.
Brand throws up a hand and says something about how 'old on, there's summat not roight 'ere.
Unfortunately, the halfling is showered with acid as he attempts to disarm the trap that Yaza left for you.
Fortunately, you have a lot of healing power with you, so I'm sure someone will patch him right up.
Now you're in Yaza's room and Brand is satisfied that there are no more traps. The papers are all gone, as are most of the telescopes.
Starting at the very spot she left Yaza’s dead and scalped body, Anzath searches for indications of where the cleric of Orcus made off to.
She seems to be a bit flustered over her own carelessness on this job.
After some thought, she turns to Aurora, “You kan tell if she vaz ressurekted or raised as someding elze? Perhapz minionz brought her to big stone head.”
Aurora winces as the acid showers down on Brand and similar wounds form on her own flesh.
She looks to Anzath, "Without seeing her, such a thing would be difficult for me to accomplish. Although powerful spells can leave behind residual energy, such things fade away over time, and still require one to be in the same location as the spell, so if she was not raised in this very room..." the cleric shrugs.
Bedlam is about to point at the false wire, but Brand snipped it.
Happens. Acid be a foul trap!
Bedlam--carefully--pats the rogues shoulder.
Mayhaps, me be always assisting ya disabling dem traps.
Talathel seeks tracks or other clues.
It appears that whatever happened to Yaza's body, it was moved some time ago, perhaps not long after Yaza died. The trail is cold.
Will you now explore the Demon's Gullet? If so, check out the map and select an area to visit.
Brand (auto assist, plus one for traps)
You don't see any traps on the door. It opens without incident.
The round room contains a statue at the center, mounted on a dais three steps high. The statue depicts a man in full plate armor, the armor chiseled with evil-looking runes and the helmet decorated with curling ram’s horns.
Aurora will cast Detect Magic and spend a few rounds concentrating before even stepping foot into the room. Better safe than sorry when you're dealing with rooms that have statues covered in runes.
Bedlam peers into the circular room. The dwarf nods at the statue and steps back.
Don't be s'posing anyone got adamantine?
The statue does not ping as magic, nor does anything else in the room.
Anzath scratches her head and tries to decipher the runes.
If the others give the all clear, Tragershen will take a closer look at the statue.
Does he recognize the figure depicted? Knowledge (nobility or local), .
If the runes aren't a language he knows then he'll take a few minutes to puzzle on it. Linguistics .
The runes on the statue identify it as a depiction of Orcus himself. It appears to be completely mundane, although very old.
If that was the northernmost room (still covered by a block on the map), it looks like there is a door directly across from it. We'll go there next.
Brand (auto assist, plus one for traps)
While the party does not see any traps on this door, they hear snarling, barking voices inside. They speak in a tongue that none of you have yet mastered.
Talathel's spear is ready.
Quietly, he says:
"A plan for opening this door is in order. I can hold near the door, covering whomever opens it."
Bedlam rubs his hands together.
Be hoping fer sum good meat!
Before they open the door, Trag casts See Invisible on himself.