Dolgrym and Tam return with the boy to the Longhouse, the militia barracks, where he runs excitedly in to speak to the Trunau town guard.
Crom diligently searches the furnace, and finds two platinum pieces on the ground. They are exquisitely made, and have a logo of mountain with a red substance pouring out of the mountain. The red substance, and part of the outline, seem to be done in red gold. The minting is obviously dwarven work. You consider searching the left most part of the basement or returning to town with Tam and Dolgrym.
"Crom, I think we should check in with the rest of the men. What say you?"
Crom marvels at the coins for a second and then puts them in his pocket. "Aye Glorik, let's follow the others."
Glorik nods, and follows Crom out the door.
The dwarves have a debate about to return or finish poking around in the old Plague House.
Meanwhile, back in town, Trunau seems to be rousing as they follow the boy as he screams as if on fire as he heads to the center of the town watch. Omast Frum seems to have left his painting detail to come and see the boy.
Crom will help Belir complete the search before returning to town.
Glorik, still unconvinced, nevertheless follows Belir.
"I hope we're not missing anything. That child..."
He shakes his head.
"I hope we can figure this out."
init
Glorik
Crom
Belir
OOze
Glorik, Crom and Belir open the door to the room to the west.
Glorik keeps the group from walking into a six foot massive creature of slimy muck with many pseudopods. The creature is over a ton in mass, but seems quite slow. Glorik seems to be unable to react in time as it moves forward, though Crom and Belir are quick to see the danger.
Order
Belir
Crom
OOze
Back in town the boy, who you learn is a young dirt-farmer and goat-herder of a very poor family, tells a story:
"This large half man half orc captured me whan I was looking around the Plague House. He locked me up in a dark room for days. He met with a smelly monster, this creature was massive in size. I couldn't see him, but I smelt and heard him."
Crom grips his war axe and brings it down in an over-head smash on top of the ooze.
Dolgrym looks at the boy as he speaks, "Can you describe the half orc and did you hear what they were talking about?"
Glorik swings his maces, and tries to pummel the mass of living gelatin.
"I don't know wha' this thing is, so be careful boyos!"
As the boy describes his encounter: "I was locked in a furnace for four days, but I found this bag of treasure. It was dark, and the half orc who abducted me didn't let me get a good look at his face. I guess that is why I am still alive."
The guard is amazed as the boy counts out 47 platinum pieces. They are minted with a detailed logo of a mountain with red gold covering the mountain and surrounding the logo.
Belir hits the creature, and cuts deeply. Crom does too. Glorik's attack is slow as his reflexes are behind the other, having noticed the creature and shouting a warning having taken too much out of him. The ooze simply moves over the dwarves attempting to engulf them. The choice, attempting to avoid being engulfed or retailiating.
REF SAVE DC 12 OR AoO from Crom, Belir, and Glorik
Glorik hops back from the creature, but his ankle catches on an exposed rock. It's all he can do not to fall down.
He doesn't get away in time.
"Waiiiittt..." says Tam hesitantly. "Where are those kinds of coins minted? Was this unknown half-orc being paid by an enemy of Trunau?"
Crom will stand his ground and will take the attack of opportunity.
Crom hits the creature with a mighty blow, standing his ground and Glorik attempts to dodge, but is not fast enough. Belir jumps back and cuts the creature.
The ooze continues to advance, trying to collect the last dwarf, Belir inside his 'belly'.
Glorik and Crom feel the acid trying to sap their strength and attack their nerves as they hold their breath inside a mass of amorphous but thick jelly. It is difficult to move!!
Meanwhile, back in town, the boy mentions that there is massive room with iron doors that the half orc used to house the 'cleaner'. The Plague house served as a meeting place for the half orc at night away from the meddling townies of Trunau.
Although no further information is available about the coins, it is obvious they are quite old and made by a quality dwarven smith.
Glorik is paralyzed, and his eyes are wide inside the monster.
Crom will attempt to free himself.
Unable to free himself, Crom finds himself the only dwarf that attempts to struggle in the middle of the massive cube of gelatinous ooze.
Crom finds himself resisting the paralyzing digestive juices in the ooze as Glorik and Belir are paralyzed.
Order
Crom [pinned]
Rock is called to the Longhouse, and he recognizes the coin as that belonging to his Mountainblood Clan. "Platinum coins minted in the heart of the mountain. The giants stole my clans gold and may be paying for more evil with dwarven gold. It makes my blood burn!!"
With a mighty heave, Crom pushes thru the gelatinous cube in an attempt to free himself.
"These were stolen by giants and the boy heard something big down there. There are giants afoot I think. Let's get back and see warn the others, before they run into a giant."
Crom escapes from the oozy cube.
Crom then wisely moves out of its range and reach (20'move). Unable to reasonably pursue Crom, the ooze moves back within the confines of his lair content with two dwarves in his 'belly'.
Order
Crom
Map updated
"These were stolen by giants and the boy heard something big down there. There are giants afoot I think. Let's get back and see warn the others, before they run into a giant."
"Agreed! I don't know how a giant could get into Trunau without being spotted, but let's not take any more chances!"
"The boy said they met at night and the Plague House isn't in Trunau."
Glorik floats inside the monster, paralyzed and afraid.
Crom turns, once safely out of range of the gelatinous cube, and throws his war hammer as hard as he can at the ooze.
The large hammer barely connects with the cube and destroys it, the impact rocking its nerves and internal structure enough to kill it. The massive cube literally implodes upon itself from the blow.
Crom extracts the digested dwarves. They have suffered from digestive acids
Combat Over - stabilization rolls or healing needed
Crom finds the dwarves unresponsive and burned with acid.
Meanwhile, Tam and Dolgrym are trying to race back to their comrades...
It's outside the city walls. Not far mind you, but also not inside the walls.
Look at H, on the bottom of that Trunau map.
Crom picks up Belir and Glorik and drags them back to Trunau the best he can.
Crim returns with two incapacitated dwarves. Healing is considered, as they are in bad shape.
Crom will bring Belir and Glorik back to the temple and will request healing.
Glorik will remain motionless, his tongue dried out.
The temple charges 100gp to restore the dwarves to full health.
When paid, the high priestess heals the dwarves.
You make preparations for a full night of rest.
Glorik is going to take the night off. Nearly dying really took it out of him.
"We really need to make friends with a healer. I guess if we keep doing this maybe the temple will give us a discounted rate," muses Tam.
"So what's next, my friends? After a round of stout, of course. Back to the plague house? Or shall we chat with the guard captain about what he learned from the boy we discovered?"
"Let's go talk to the captain. I can tag along for that, but...I may need a day or two before we go back into that blasted Plague House!"
"All right, so it's booze, captain, booze, rest, Plague House!" Tam says as he ticks off his fingers merrily.