It's really hard to tell, if that puddle in the darkness is still alive, or dead after Bupkis shot.
Amira, if ye can, make me shield grow bright as a fire!
"Sorry, as much as I'd like to make such flashy effects, I'm not able to." Amira tells, while lighting up the area with some dancing lights.
With some light in place Daseem and Menrozzar easily hit that slow ooze and with Ivan's shot the moving puddle is finally only a gooey puddle.
But another puddle emerges and attacks Bupkis. A periscope like appendage raises from the flat shape and lashes out at the goblin.
But the fast goblin can easily evade that.
Not wanting to get close to either of the disgusting and in Daseem's opinion dishonourable oozes, he backed up before quickly spanning his crossbow and taking another shot at the first ooze.
"Water attacks!", Bupkis cries. He backs up and shoots a bolt at the new threat.
Menrozzar drops his bow as his eyes turn gold and his pupils change into reptilian slits. His hands warp into red-scaled claws, and he steps up to the ooze and strikes at it twice.
Ivan fires off another shot into the melee.
Together the team easily dispatches the second ooze too. But Menrozzar ends up with corrosive gel on his claws.
The grate looks rusty, but besides the lower part where the ooze has corroded it close to the point of being nonexistant, it is still sturdy. In the light of the magic illumination it becomes clear why the sewer smells that badly. But that's not really a surprise for a sewer.
Menrozzar wipes the corrosive gel from his claws around the edges of the grate in an attempt to weaken it.
"Yer gonna n-need to wipe that gunk off!" remarked Daseem, keeping a safe distance between Menrozzar and his precious...
He cases a jaded eye over the sewer, wondering if there was anything of interest they'd missed in all the excitement.
After catching his breath from fighting puddles, the little goblin remembers what he was trying to do. He says, "Bupkis can't open grate — someone else tries?"
The goo sizzles as it touches the metal. But the effect is only minor on the almost an inch thick iron.
Daseem gives a quick, but thorough glance over the environs, and indeed he finds something. A golden orc tusk in the middle of the crap. Looks like someone swallowed his own tooth and lost it this way.
Menrozzar sighs as it doesn't work, and takes a few seconds to catch his breath.
Once he does, he turns to the grate and says, "Ivan, Daseem, let's work together and see if we can get this open."
Daseem points out the golden task but makes no move to retrieve it himself. Instead he nods at Menrozzar, grabs hold of the grate and starts to heave with all his might, "Hnnnngh!"
As Daseem pull on the grate to help the others, the stones come loose and the comes out of the wall.
Despite the unexpected movement both manage to catch themself and the heavy iron. They lower it and thus the way into the fort is open. Going in is an imposition for the nose. After the entrance, where the shit is ankle deep, it becomes deeper and deeper.
A 3-foot-deep pool of foul water fills this circular room, slowly draining through the 4-foot-diameter sewer tunnel (area K6) that slopes downward to the north. Ten feet above the water, a hole in the ceiling lets in some light. The cesspool is built with roughly hewn stone for walls.
A skeleton slumps awkwardly against the wall, half-submerged in the cesspool. Its twisted neck and smashed skull hint at its demise.
Bupkis declares, "Ugh, stinky!"
He holds is nose and looks into the tunnel. He's really glad that he's learned how to move himself with telekinesis, so he doesn't have to wade in the disgusting muck. He flies forward, moving slowly so he doesn't get too far ahead of his friends.
He reports, "Place to climb up ahead! Bupkis can take rope up and ties it."
Menrozzar retrieves the golden tusk, wiping it and stowing it. He then wrinkles his nose at the smell of the cesspit, wishing he had something to tie across his face. Pausing, he looks at Ivan and Amira, then back at the tunnel.
Ivan just stares at the entrance to the tunnel.
Ye lads sure ye don't want to just knock? Thinkin' that might be easier. An' less humiliatin'.
As Bupkis flows into the cesspit, voices are heard above. It is some orcs arguing with each other. . As Bupkis tensely looks up the light is blotted out by a green ass. More shit is added to the cesspit and a warm yellow rain comes down from the ceiling. Then the light comes back and the voices move further away.
Bupkis learns some orcish insults, as he listens to the those above. When the foul excretion falls down the hole, he dodges out of the way, but is splattered by a few of the yellow drops.
He flies back to his friends and explains, "Shaft is orc toilet! But orcs go away; this chance to get into fortress. Smelly, but this way in we know about!"
Daseem flattens himself against the sides of the wall as the steaming yellow descends, a look of horror as some of it splatters on his holy sword. This look is replaced by a moment of incandescent fury. Daseem glances at Bupkis and growls, "H-help me get up there. I come to bring them the gift of WAR!"
Menrozzar sighs and says, "Amira, I will carry you through the tunnel. I suspect the waste may be too high for you. Ivan, you may wish to protect your beard."
Once Anita is ready, he will carry Amira through the tunnel, trying to keep her head above the waste. Once through, he nods to Bupkis to tie a rope so they could climb up.
Bupkis concentrated, levitating up to the hole above. He listened carefully, before peeking his head up to look around the room. He took out his silk rope, and looked for a place to secure it.
While levitating up, Bupkis notices a faded and worn leather boot wedged into a crack in the wall. Once out he sees that alternating tiles of pale blue and white, several of which are cracked or missing, cover the walls and floor of this circular chamber. The open hole gapes directly in the center of the floor. Only a rusty door handle offers itself for tying the rope to.
"Thank you for your kindness." Amira replies to Menrozzar's offer. She is easy to lift an carry, with only about 30 lbs.
Once the rope is lowered she grabs it, and tries to climb up. First to free Menrozzar, so he can climb too, and second to have him still stand there to catch her, should she fail.
After several tries and finally failing she asks "Can you pull me up with the rope?"
Bupkis examines the door handle, to make sure it's strong enough to support the weight of his larger friends.
Then he secures the rope, and drops the other end down the hole.
Ivan ties his beard up into a braid and stuffs it into his helmet as best he can. and then carries his shield and weapon over his head.
He scowls at the group, clearly blaming them for his misfortune.
Ye lads are daft in the 'ead I swear ta' the stones. he whispers as he wades through the chest high filth.
Ivan manages to clunkily clamber his way up the rope after the others. A terrifying aura emanating from him after hi manages to ascend to "fresh" air.
Unluckily for Amira, Menrozzar and the others are occupied otherwise and notice her unintended descent by the splash of shit, spreading through the room. But she doesn't give up and tries again and again, until she manages to finally get up.
Once there, she immediately casts prestidigitation to clean herself from that disgusting mess. Once clean, she takes a deep breath. "That's disgusting!" She continues to clean Ivan.
Menrozzar climbs the rope to the top.
Once everyone had climbed up, Bupkis told them, "Bupkis sees leather boot in crack below!"
He flew down and tried to get the boot free from the crack in the wall.
Bupkis wins an old, hard, brittle leather boot. It probably belongs to the skeleton beneath.
The goblin returns to his comrades and has a closer look at the boot. "Wonder who skeleton was — bad place to spend eternity!"
After examining the boot, he goes to the door and listens for orcs.
Bupis whispers to his friends, "Bupkis hears grumpy voice — can't understand language. Ready open door?"
He waits for his companions to make any preparations they want, before opening the door.
Not willing to take his armour off, Daseem had to scramble up the rope the hard way. Perhaps he was so keen to be out of the midden that he scurried up after Menrozzar and it was only afterwards he wondered how the heck he'd managed to do it!
"Bupkis hears grumpy voice — can't understand language. Ready open door?"
Daseem held up a hand, then dug a rag out of his pack and wiped off his armour and the scabbard of his sword and once the worse of the filth was removed he dropped the now ruined rag and nodded to say that he was ready. The thought of going into holy battle smelling of dung was terrifying, where would the glory be in that?!
Menrozzar, leaving his hammer stowed, took up a position next to the door so he could try to drag the grumbling person inside the room, then whispered to Bupkis, "I'll try to pull him into the room. Close the door behind him if I succeed."
Amira keeps cleaning everyone that comes up the rope.
As Bupkis opens the door a corridor is seen, but no grumbling person. There is a normal sized door to the left and a large double door to the right. The grumbling comes from the right.
Bupkis move down the corridor to the right, motioning for the others to follow him. He waits until everyone has moved up, and then opens the door.
This large, open chamber has been thoroughly gutted. Where smaller rooms once divided this hall, only the remnants of former walls remain, leaving exposed joists jutting from the stone walls like branches.
And the elefant in the room are two hill giants, who adapted this room built for humans to their own needs. But the ceiling is too low for them and nothing can be done about that.
Menrozzar embraces the inner flame, his hands warping into claws, his eyes turning gold with reptilian slits, and a faint patter of red scales showing on his skin, he rushes towards the nearest Hill Giant, drawing his hammer as he goes.
Ivan charges forward, hoping to draw the Giants Attacks away from Menrozzar. He plants himself right between both giants, and swings his Hammer at the closest one in a powerful swing towards its groin.
After being almost killed with one blow, the giant seems to have a dislike for dwarves just like Ivan has one for Giants. He swings his treelike club at Ivan.
The giant is disappointed that even though he smasches the dwarf really hard two times, he mostly manages to dent the metal can the dwarf is contained in.