Chasing after the escaping elemental, Luther, Dezco and Conner wade into the tunnel… up ahead, the vortex slices into the billowing fog and appears to be veering towards the north of the room…
Having taken a beating from the water elemental, and not being able to harm it, Symon hangs back with Dru as the others splash after the creature.
"Damn," Dru mutters under her breath. Heaving a sigh, she positions herself where she can see the creature and unleashes another blast of searing heat.
(fire)
Aiming above Dezco, Conner and Luther as they chase the elemental, Dru directs another torrent of flame at the vortex… this time, her aim is deadly accurate and, with a sudden crash of falling water, the water spout collapses… for a second or two, all is quiet apart from the dripping of water from the ceiling…
…and then, with an outlandish barking sound, a dog-sized crab emerges from the bank of fog, swimming through the waist deep water before literally pouncing at Dezco…
Luther sighs as the protective aura ceases, leaving Dezco still shrouded in the skin of a tree.
Seeing the group still injured, Luther holds his horn and shield and channels healing energy after touching his symbol of Abadar.
"Dez, he's trying to get you."
Unable to move forward, Symon can only ready his blade for the time he can get to the enemy.
"It never ends!" Dru shouts in frustration. She uses her remaining scorching ray on the crab.
Luther heals his friends as Dezco attempts to fend off the creature – the dwarf, perhaps taken aback by the ferocity of the charge, slashes too wildly at his opponent…
…meanwhile, unsighted by everyone crowding in the tunnel, Drusellia misses with her jet of flame…
At the exit from the tunnel, Dezco endures a vicious assault from the crustacean…
Luther reaches out to heal Dezco as the bottleneck is still keeping them one wide.
"Dodge him Dezco. Don't let him hit you."
Most of the dwarf's wounds heal over as the healing energy infuses Dezco's body.
With things suddenly looking quite hazardous for the group as the creature blocks the exit to the tunnel, Dezco reaches into his inner reserves and finds a killer blow…slicing his blade downwards, he cleaves the crustacean in two… fragments of shell shower down as the ruined carcass of the crab strangely transforms into thousands of motes of light that quickly fade…
From the eastern most of the southern alcoves in the room, there is a sudden splashing….
Well if it Symon's turn, he will try and see what is making the splashing and keep his rapier ready incase it is hostile (like its not going to be lol)
Perception:
Luther nods: "Let's keep four abreast in front of Dru and try to find this enemy."
Luther uses his power to heal everyone, then to move freely, and advances twenty feet.
Dru does indeed have a magic missle brought to mind.
Symon waits for the others to come abreast, them moves forward to where he heard the slashing, keeping his sword at the ready.
The large room that you are entering is as flooded as the others that you have explored on this level of the Spire - the water level standing at waist height...only now, you appear to have discovered the reason for the flooding: every minute or so, fresh water gushes through a strange shimmering vertical 'pool' on the wall...
Around the room, various wooden tables - sturdy despite being semi-submerged in water - are stacked with crates and also laid out with bedding.
Through the dissipating cloud, you can see two alcoves in the south of the room (one being where the splashing was coming from)... and through the crystal-clear water, you can plainly see metal hatches in the floor. The eastern most hatch is open...
Luther advances with the others cautiously, moving into the alcove.
Cautiously moving through the cloud and towards the alcove, Luther notices ripples in the water echoing the presence of someone or something having been hidden there... The raised hatch in the floor gives access to a ladder that leads downwards and underwater...
If there was someone hiding in the alive before, it seems likely that they have fled down the ladder...
Luther nods at Symon's suggestion, and they try to close the hatch and look for something to put on top that is heavy.
Dragging two of the tables through the water into the alcoves and placing them over the hatches, Luther and Conner secure the room – looking through the grilles in the hatches it is possible to see shafts descending around ten feet to a floor below (the floor being beneath approximately twelve feet of water).
An examination of the crates stacked high on the tables reveals two snorkel type devices (that may be useful for swimming underwater), a crystal vial of a blue liquid (with a slowly oscillating transmutation aura for those who are able to see it) and four loose leaf journals filled with a foreign text, strange diagrams that may be maps and row upon row of numbers recorded against dates.
The shimmering portal on the northern wall, some five feet in diameter, shines a cold silvery light across the room... Periodically a small torrent of water, with the occasional small specimen of sea-life, pours from the inter-dimensional door - beyond the fact that the water that comes through is close to freezing, there is little clue as to where the portal comes from / leads to. An examination of the portal determines that it has been open for a long time, channels in the wall have been carved out by the passage of water over time.
Dru will carefully pack away the texts in her backpack, wishing that it were more waterproof. She will take 10 with Spellcraft (18) to ID the potion (already suspecting it's nature).
Drusellia - the vial contains a Potion of Water Breathing.
"As I expected, this vial will allow one to breathe water for a short time."
"Shall we rest and replenish on the stairs where we came down? We should be able to keep dry. I used my magic to breathe water and converted it to much needed healing. Conner used all his fire jets on the crabs. We could really use a quiet night before going underwater."
If no objections, they will be camping on the steps. Better than sleeping in water. Unpacking his sleeping roll, Luther can't help but notice it is a little damp.
Retreating to a position of relative safety…and dry land…the group set up camp on the stairs somewhere between the waterlogged dungeon and the ‘Godhome’ of the troglodytes. Establishing a watch, the night (if it is indeed the night-time) passes without disturbance…
Fully rested and with spells learnt and prayers said, the group prepare to descend back towards the flooded rooms… but, before they have travelled very far, there is a sudden noise…screeching and scrabbling – getting much closer – no more than a few seconds after they first hear it, a mass of bats – moving upwards – fills the staircase…
Taken by surprise, no-one reacts quickly to the sudden appearance of the flying vermin... and the swarm flies through and around the leading members of the group.
Luther actually realizes his healing can be more effectively used later, so he retreats out of the swarm.
"Burn it Conner."
Conner
As the only one to control masses of creatures, Conner waits for a clear shot, and when everyone is free, unloads a gout of flame from his hands.
Dru also does her best to clear the swarm.
Symon scoots out of the way so Conner can burn the bats!
The group duck and cover as Conner lets loose with a torrent of flames... scores of tiny burnt corpses flop from the sky yet the swarm isn't significantly reduced in intensity... for a moment things look precarious, the bats continuing to swirl around the group, biting and feeding, but almost as quickly as they arrived... the swarm dissipates, flying up the stairs to wherever the bats roost...
Luther stops the bleeding with some healing.
With Conner and Dru a little injured, they say in the rearguard while Symon, Dez, and Luther take the front.
They head back to the level to explore the half submerged level before going underwater. They head to the eastern end, hoping to find aquatic wonders rather than adversaries.
Expended burning hands Conner -- Channel Luther
Following the corridor to the eastern end, following the direction in which the water mephit fled, you descend a second set of steps in the water – the water level at the bottom of this second set of steps is now nearly at shoulder height. Turning south, the corridor suddenly slopes downwards and within ten feet of the corner, the water level is above head height… As far as you can see, through the reasonably clear water, the corridor heads directly south for a while…
The water is clear enough to see, once light is shone on the right direction, that the corridor opens up into a fully submerged room to your south.
As you stand in the corridor, debating how to proceed, you become aware that the water – which had been very clear – is starting to cloud with suspended dirt and mud.
Luther makes sure he casts at Dezco, and the skin of bark appears to protect him.
Turning toward the mud, he hopes for the best.
Dru follows the others, still not sure about the whole thing, but they must pass this level to go on.
If Luther has time, he readies his protection ability to keep them safe against anything threatening.
As Dezco moves further into the water, holding his breath and using touch more than sight to guide himself, there is a sudden bow-wave of detritus towards him... In seconds he is engulfed by a rolling mass of mud - that, taking a semi-humanoid shape, slams at him with fists of sludge...
With a slam, the mud creature grabs at Dezco... Digits of filth enveloping the stricken dwarf.
Note that anything south of Dezco is submerged, everything north of him is approximately shoulder deep in water...