The follower of Brigh who took you in here says, "the creature was aggressive when it first showed up, but it seems calmer now. Do You Really Think you can use it to solve our waste problem?
Rogar stares at the thing for a minute.
Well I certainly think it could get through any waste you give it. Problem is keepin' it under control. And makin' sure it don't try to eat nobody when it runs out o' this muck.
Anyone got any ideas?
"You fought one of these things before? Does it have any weaknesses? Could we trap it in a large bucket?"
"Hmmm... Logic dictates that unless it eats stone, then we should be able to lure it into a large ceramic vessel or pot,
hopefully with a lid. We can bait it with waste. Hopefully as long as we don't provoke it, it should enter on its own volition.
We may have to increase the vessel's basic strength to keep it from breaking free...maybe there is a simple alchemical or engineering
solution to that?
The priests of Brigh should be able to seal the vessel with magic until a decision is made on what to do with the creature
and if it can be of use or reasoned with.
I doubt such a creature follows logic however."
Keldor's idea sounds pretty good to me. I imagine the vessel could be surrounded by some supports to make it a bit stronger.
He turns to the priest:
At the rate it's getting through it, do you think you'll be able to supply enough waste to keep it from wandering off though?
"I think there's enough refuse here to keep it occupied. After all, we haven't been able to get rid of the garbage in over two weeks. If we do get too low, we could always bring some in from off the streets."
"Then avoiding a fight will be an ideal solution."
"Agreed Sir Ironblood."
Turning his now helmet-like head and glowing eyes in the direction of the priest of Brigh.
"Can you send a couple of acolytes to find a a heavy ceramic pot or vessel big enough to contain the creature,
plus some extra room if possible? It will need a lid of some sort of course. And I think the scraps from our
breakfast table will do for bait."
Keldor points at the creature snacking away on the filth.
"Then I can try and place the trap near the creature without provoking it if possible. Gauntlet can protect me from any damage
the creature may attempt on me for a short time at least, but you all will need to be ready to intervene if needed. Especially if the creature
has some sort of special attack or poison Gauntlet can't protect me from."
Turning back to the others Keldor sighs.
"Most important we will need to have a sealing spell or, alchemical adhesive, ready for the lid once we have it trapped. Once trapped, I think
we could just bury the vessel in the ground for safety reasons until the church of Brigh can decide what to do with it."
The clergyman leaves to find the container you asked for. It takes him a while, but eventually you hear some grunts and a steady patter. He comes in rolling a large glass container about 4ft in diameter. "I got this from our replacement stores, here in the palace. We use them as part of the sterilization process in another part of the building, but I think we can spare one."
Keldor looks over the glass container.
"The big questions is will it hold the creature securely and safely?"
Keldor knows that the container will be, at best, a temporary prison. The glass would well resist the digestive fluids coming out of the ooze, but if the creature starts to get violent, it could break through with just it's body mass given time. Someone is going to have to stay on guard with a mending spell, just in case.
Keldor shakes his head in affirmation.
"It will do for now, but we will need to keep an eye on it in case the creature tries to break free. Now go and grab some table
scraps and dump them in...dead leaves, garbage, anything organic that it might like to eat."
Oliver sits down. His bad leg would just keep him from performing the required prep-work at a decent pace so he instead. He does think of one thought though...
"Does it have any fondness of water? Perhaps we can dilute it or at least drive it into a direction if it reacts in a certain way to plain water."
Oliver holds out a hand, and starts pouring water into the container in demonstration.
Why don't we bury the vessel first? If we pack the dirt in well enough around it, it should prevent the thing breaking out. We can just lead it over to the tank and push it in then.
Ruza is listening to everyone talk.... Well that's what she planned to do anyways. If you pay close enough attention, you will notice that her breath is a steady rythem, almost like she has fallen asleep, standing up, with her eyes open. A trick she learned many years ago.
The container should be deep enough to hold the creature if a lid is put on it. The clergyman goes out to find something suitable. The opening is wide.
The creature doesn't react to the water Oliver put into the container.
Keldor turns to Rogar.
"I don't think burying it will help now Sir Hammersmith. That much weight and pressure of dirt could crack or break the glass before we even use it. A ceramic vessel would have been a better choice in that case."
Keldor now watches the creature snacking away, as the happy creature is oblivious to the watchers. He then looks at the water placed in the glass vessel by Oliver.
"Like the normal variants of this creature, regular non-moving slime molds and fungi, it probably likes moisture, and dark to semi-dark areas likes caves. However, I don't think it cares much about water in the end one way or the other. This is a water works right? It must have gotten in from the lake or a water pipe somewhere."
Keldor sighs, and settles in to wait for a potential lid and the needed bait.
"If the current tool won't fix the problem, then we'll need one that can."
Oliver turns to the clergyman.
"For such a a potential boon to current problems, is there a way we can get a container more suited for containing the creature?"
"You're in a temple of inventor priests. Given time, we can make a suitable container for it. The problem is holding it until then."
A pair of low ranking initiates of the temple enter the room with a slab of slate and a container of adhesive. "As long as the creature isn't resting on the lid, it's bodily acids shouldn't be an issue," one of them says.
"Excellent! Once the bait is installed...Sir Hammersmith? and I will carry the vessel over as close to the creature as possible.
I will be on the closer side of the vessel, since I have at least some protection in case it attacks suddenly."
Keldor looks around at everybody, his glowing red eyes an eerie counterpoint to his speech.
"Be prepared. There is no telling what this thing can or will do, especially once it is trapped. Are we ready to try?"
After Rogar and Keldor lay down the trap, it doesn't take long for the ooze creature to climb into the sideways container. The summoner and fighter pull it up right and the two adepts seal the lid over top. The creature doesn'the struggle, content to enjoy the food inside the glass for the time being.
"Well, that solves it. An ingenious solution, Keldor. Well done."
Keldor releases his Eidolon as he speaks, his voice changing in mid-sentence as the metal
creature seems to evaporate into mist revealing him as he was before.
"I did nothing special...I just got lucky with a couple of quick ideas in a tense situation."
Turning to the trapped creature with a wistful express, Keldor gestures in its direction.
"I regret not having the time to study the creature further, but we have other plans do we not my friends?"
Aye. I'm sure yeh can have a look once we've found Mr Baine. Shall we get on wi't?
It'a about noon when you finally get back to Crowfeather Lake. The smell of the toxic water is as bad as ever, and catches the newcomers off guard. Luckily, no one vomits this time around. Before casting waterbreathing, Jorma Byte says that it will only last 4 hours this time, due to the larger number of people. He casts the spell and you all go below the surface.
You take the underwater tunnel and emerge in the caves you had partially explored yesterday. Do you want to follow your path from before or explore the cavern filled with the sharp stalactites that you skipped before.
"I'm of the 'Leave no stone un-turned' mindset, but what do you all think?"
"That's not a bad idea. Though I mostly say that because my leg might slow us down anyway, so a shorter trek is more agreeable with me."
Rogar's hammer is still glowing like a torch from the beetle juice he covered it with, and it serves as a guide for those who cannot see in the dark. You follow your route from yesterday to where you fought the fire beetles and manage the short climb up the ledge to where the three stalactites are.
It turns out the entire cavern is full of the sharp rocks coming out of the ground and hanging from the ceiling, making it difficult to move in this part of the caves. Just as you're about to leave through the other side, the person in the lead trips. Looking down, you find the corpse of a rather attractive female half orc dressed in ratty leather armor. She has thick rope woven around her hand like a boxing wrap. After some examination, you find wounds in her back that look like they came from a short blade. Nothing you've fought down here so far could deal wounds like that.
Ach, forgot to clean tha' off. Oh well, s'pose it's comin' in somethin' useful now.
Over 'ere. Looks like this filthy orc got what was comin' to 'er. Still. Keep an eye out for whoever, or whatever, did this.
"Is she a local? Does anybody recognize her from anywhere? Looks like she was attacked without warning and did not have the chance to fight back."
She appears to be a local and wears clothing like that of the town gang, the Ropefists. One of you remembers hearing something about a female half orc named Parda Garr. She was a kind hearted girl that just happened to fall in with the wrong crowd. Some say it's because she was seduced by Garmen Ulreth, others think her orc half got the better of her in the end. Either way, most thought that the Ropefists would be the death of the girl, and weren't surprised that she didn't make it back. Still, there are those who grieve for her and would like for her body to be returned.
After finding out the girl's sad past, Keldor will do a quick search of the Half-Orc's body for anything useful/more clues to her death.
Ruza's face is clearly showing how sad and upset she is by this Half-Orc's body. "To kill someone a person... down right disgraceful."
she also looks at the body, trying to locate anything that might help them find her killer.
The water breathing spell has pretty much just started. Keldor has plenty of time to get to the surface and back.
Ruza doesn't find anything on her body, other than the now useless armor. It looks like she either came down here with no gear, not even weapons, or was all ready scavenged of her stuff.
"Well that was unpleasant."
Oliver was still drenched from their brief swim, or in his case it was more a light flailing of the limbs. The heavy scale mail did not help his situation and he needed assistance to rise back onto the shore.
The discovery of the corpse saddened him. Life was precious. He said a quiet prayer for her before turning to the group.
"Shall we press on?"
His voice subdued even more than normal by his Eidolon, Keldor agrees.
"Yes, let's move forward. I feel we may already be too late for Khonnir."
You exit the cramped cavern of sharp rocks and return to the rock beach where the original party fought the frog creature yesterday. The corpse is still laying on the grey stone, slowly bloating from the underground river. The nest still contains the 42gp and the Silver Unholy Symbol of Zyphus that you left here. The tunnel to the Southwest is still open.
I'll grab the gold and holy symbol, as party treasure to be divided later of course, and keep going to the Southwest if everybody agrees.
Myst's hand goes to the stake tucked in his belt as he remember his lucky scrape with the frog creature...
"let's keep moving," he mutters.
As you enter the debris filled cavern with the strange cave paintings where you first turned back, Mystiel and Irgot notice a figure on the far side. The creature appears to be humanoid with skin the color of stone. It stands hunched and mostly camouflaged against the rock. The only major give aways are the loincloth around its waist and the longbow aimed in your direction.
Everyone but Irgot can take a turn.
"We come in peace! Take us to your leader!" Myst calls out.
Keldor will look for who Mystiel is speaking at, hopefully seeing the creature this time. Since the creature seems to be hostile,
he moves to make sure he is in range and begins casting an Acid Splash spell.
"Be safe."
Oliver moves in, but he does so in a non-hostile manner. He hasn't even drawn his weapon.
Ruza stares at one of the gray men and then casts daze
The creature lowers its bow a bit when Mystic makes his peace offering, but quickly raises it again when the ball of green energy flies past. "Liar," it hisses in a raspy voice. "You do not come in peace." It ignores Oliver and moves to run in the opposite tunnel, but staggers and kneels as Ruza's magic takes effect.
"Keldor!" Myst exclaims when the summoner abruptly attacks. "We do not need to kill every last thing down here! All of you, stand down!"
Seizing the opportunity afforded by Ruza's spell, Myst runs up to the grey creature and tries to help him to his feet. "Sorry about that, we really do come in peace. Well, most of us, but with the dangers down we've encountered down here some of us are a little on edge. No one else will attack you whilst I am with you."
Rogar will slowly approach behind Myst, his hammer still slung over his shoulder.
"Aye. The good doctor's right. We won't hurt yeh unless yeh give us reason.
He stands still and takes a good look at the creature.