The Wellgabber Deep (Inactive)

Game Master Matt, Garnished Game Designer

Prelude

The Deep-Marshall finishes writing the last of the six new Charters. He hands one to each of you.

"Now don't lose these. You come back out of there without this paper, we ain't lettin' you town-side. We've had shapeshifters and undead try this stunt before."

He gives each of you a cursory look.

"You all did fine on the training course but remember, this isn't straw dummies and targets. We have a good enough idea of what's in the top levels but deeper down it's anyone's guess."

"Now you all know, the Great Lift goes down... but through dimensions keyed to your group. So every time you go down, you'll always be going through untouched and unexplored regions. It's weird, I know, but that's how the Deep works and that's why we're so persistent on finding new recruits."

"Now the Great Lift can only come up every so often so be mindful. Learn to take rests down below, scavenge for food and be self-sufficient. When you find enough treasures and salvage, bring them up and we'll buy them all off of you."

He checks the lift and sees the light turn green.

"Alright then, your ride is charged. Make sure you have all your gear and good luck. The Wellgabber isn't a pleasure cruise."

"Marshall, anything you could tell us about what we're likely to face down there would be much appreciated, and would of course increase the odds that we'll retrieve the sorts of things you find valuable."

"As I said son, the Wellgabber Deep is different for every group. Whenever the lift goes down, whoever is on it goes to the same place. Weird thing is, if I were to go down with you, I'd end up elsewhere, probably back where I first landed. It's an odd place."

"On the other hand, we have a high tendency to run into constructs, undead, oozes and vermin in the upper levels. As you go down, you'll probably run into the Incudeus. We don't see them too often thankfully."

"Those Incudeus are humans who have been changed somehow. We don't know how, why or when this happened but it did. You probably won't see too many in the Upper Levels."

"A heads up on them though... they know the Wellgabber like the back of their hands. If you meet one, be careful."

"Well then, perhaps we should start with the uppermost level. Does everyone agree?"

The Deep-Marshall has a quick laugh.

"You probably don't have a choice either way son. You get in the Great Lift and that's where you're headed. Mind you, it'll be somewhere completely new... but it'll be in the Upper Levels."

The Wellgabber Deep is divided into a series of major regions in descending order: Upper Levels, The Mesh, The Lower Levels, The Maw, The Subterra, The Ley-Chasm and finally The Edge.

So far explorers have gone down to the Subterra, with only quick forays into the Ley-Chasm level. The Edge is the theoretical level existing even beyond the Ley-Chasm. The pattern seems to be that between each Major Level is a bridging level. The Mesh connects the Upper and Lower Levels, The Maw connects the Lower Levels and the Subterra so it stands to reason that the Ley-Chasm bridges the Subterra to another region.

It appears we will arrive in some random place, so we should be ready for almost anything...

Hefting across his shoulder a large black powder musket that is longer than he is tall, a slightly-built gnome grins at the others around him.

"Into the breach," he chatters excitedly, running his other hand through an unruly shock of spiked blue hair, "something new for us to see!"

Nevertheless, despite his excited demeanor and impatient stance, the gnome appears to be listening to the words from the Deep-Marshall.

(Stands behind largest, most armored person in the immediate vicinity) "Well then, let's see what we can see."

"I am officially excited, you guys," Kieran says, proudly stuffing her charter into her pack. "I've been dreaming about doing this for ages! I mean, some of those could probably count as nightmares, but... y'know..." She shrugs. "Anyway, thanks for the head's-up, Mr. Deep-Marshall, sir. I'm gettin' antsy."

I'm going to assume I created my first Weird Science machine to use for this trip in advance. Let me know if I'm off base with that, O Spiciest of Dragons! Presenting: The Magic Missile Launcher KK-012A, which can cast Magic Missile twice before I need to start making DC 21 UMD check to squeeze more out of it. It looks like a little hand-held vaccuum cleaner, for what it's worth.

Antheia was completely silent as she listened to the others speak. She was currently however reading a modest blue book that read "The God of Magic" on the side. The text inside of it was smaller than it needed to be, but she flipped the pages at about one every twelve seconds, clearly grasping whatever she was reading about.

She had her leather armor on, her clerical vestments safely stowed in her backpack. The armor itself seemed to be tailored to her, and was quite fitting. Given her size meant she was only taller than the Gnome, normal armors would've needed to be tailored anyways. Her hair was not quite to her waist, but close, and it was a bright, pale blonde.

Strapped to her back was a large metal hammer almost as big as her, and it seemed to have markings inscribed on it in Dwarven language. She also had what could only be called a Holy Symbol.

When Strangways finished his comment, Antheia looked up at him, having stopped her reading. Assuming he made eye contact in return, he'd easily note Antheia's very obvious heterochromia; right eye yellow, left eye blue.

"We'll see diseased, slimy, built, death awaiting us, guarding something that may or may not have value of any kind..."

Her voice was monotone, and her facial expression had no change whatsoever, giving no obvious clues as to her tone or intent behind the comment. She turned back to her book and continued reading as she finished her piece however.

"...it is most clear that you have been listening to the Deep-Marshall."

Having heard Antheia's description, Strangways keeps his crossbow at the ready.

That's all five! I assume you all have your gear set up so away we go.

"Well, you all look just about ready. I'm going to ask you to step into the Great Lift and once you're all in... yes, like that, come on now don't be shy... It's time to send you off."

And with that he activates a massive lever built into the side of the lift.

The great machinery lurches into life, lights begin to flicker and a large droning, rumbling sound shakes the room.

Then, the Great Lift shakes for a second... before plunging straight down into a spinning vortex of colors.

Moments later, everything stops... the Great Lift has passed through the extraplanar portal and you now find yourselves in the Upper Levels of the Wellgabber Deep... though what area is hard to tell.

===

Exiting the Great Lift you find yourself in a small cramped room. The walls seem to be made of rusting metal. Leaky pipes run the ceiling, dripping viscous greenish fluids onto the rock floor.

The room is barely big enough to hold all of you (15x15 ft. approximately).

A faint but unpleasant smell of mold and metal fills the air.

A single door lies directly in front of you, made of stout wood. The hinges and all seem quite rusty.

On the way down...

Kieran can barely contain her excitement as the Great Lift starts moving. "Oh, man, this is the best," she says, hefting her crossbow into her arms.

And upon arriving somewhere in the Upper Levels of the Wellgabber Deep...

"Wow." Kieran steps off the lift and begins examining the chamber. "Not exactly well-kept, is it?" She takes a look at some of the green fluid. "What's this stuff, and why is it running through the pipes...?"

What manner of Knowledge check might help in identifying this stuff?I may only have ranks in Dungeoneering and Engineering, but thanks to Jack of All Trades I can attempt any of 'em untrained.

While silent on the way down, at the bottom, Antheia immediately took note of the green fluid...

Knowledge: Dungeoneering (to identify if this substance is related to a slime of some kind): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

...and responded to Kieran.

"Everyone here seems to be more familiar with this sort of thing than I am. But I suppose an extra set of eyes can't hurt."

Strangways studies the room, falling back on his knowledge of Dungeoneering to see if he can recognize anything.

Knowledge:Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Hmmm....
I look carefully around the room, and then examine the door, checking for traps and locks...

Perception (the room): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Perception (the door): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

The green sludge appears to be harmless. It's certainly not acidic but it certainly doesn't appear healthy to ingest. As to the exact nature of the slime, that remains a mystery.

The room itself seems to serve no purpose, except for the Great Lift receptacle of course.

The door is unlocked but the holdings means it's quite stuck. A good shove should make it give way.

Approaching the door you notice an odor not unlike rotting fish. Wonderful.

"As to which of us should open the door, I suggest the person with the least sensitive sense of smell."

I put my shoulder to the door and give it a push...
Strength: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Some of you, come over here and give me some help...

"Well now I wish I had brought my staff so I could push on that door without having to actually touch it. I should warn you that feats of strength are not my strong suit but I'll give it a try."

I help Anevia push on the door.

Strength: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (13) + 0 = 13

"My help would serve no purpose. My level of assisting skills does not extend to shoving doors down like a barbarian. However, should you wound yourselves trying to shove it, I'll patch what I can."

She stood and watched the ones who decided to push the door with great care.

"Okay, well, as a word of warning, I'm not known for my feats of unbelievable strength, but..." Kieran squeamishly prepares to throw her weight against the door.

Strength: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19 Well, then.

"...But sometimes I surprise myself...!"

"You certainly surprised me, Kieran."

From the back of the room, Bramble giggles to himself softly.

"Oh, there'll be allll kinds of surprises, I'm sure..."

He looks around at his compatriots with a wide smile before pulling the musket resting on his shoulder into a more readied grip. Cogs briefly whir from the weapon's firing mechanism and click into place.

The door gives way as Kieran gives it a solid shove.

In fact, the door moves clean off its hinges to land with a loud thud.

The corridor ahead of you is dark and damp. The pipes lead off from your current room into the next, still dripping green ooze.

The hallway is long but not wide, leading off into the darkness.

Kieran grins proudly at her uncharacteristic show of strength. She chalks it up to excitement and hefts her crossbow. "So," she says, "who wants to lead the way? Can anybody see in the dark?"

Kieran's enthusiasm will place her directly behind whoever's in front, unless nobody volunteers- in that case, she'll take point, for better or worse.

"Ordinarily I'd suggest the one with the biggest sword go first but it appears we're all members of the ranged weapons fan club. I'm not sure who should go first but it definitely shouldn't be me. I'm a delicate flower, relatively speaking. I can see better than most in low light but not in total darkness so I assume someone has brought a torch or other source of illumination."

I light a torch, and hold it aloft with my off hand, and unsheath my short sword with the other hand. I'll lead...just cover me!

I start slowly, carefully walking down the hallway...
Perception: Keeping a sharp eye out for hazards. 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

"I admit torches can be useful, but I've never much liked the smell of them, or the smoke."

I'll follow Anevia, covering her with my crossbow at the ready.

"Yup-yup, I've got you covered, 'Nevia. I can call you that, right?" Kieran secretly hopes that she can. She wonders if that Antheia would mind a nickname- she seems a bit prickly, that one...

Whistling softly, Bramble follows behind the others, his musket at the ready.

Antheia stayed to the rear, placing her book in a small slot for it at her side (thanks to belts and all). She however, did not pull out her weapon, unlike the others, although, she clearly did have the largest weapon by far, her earth breaker almost as big as she was. She seemed to have little trouble carrying it though. "Proceed with caution...the presence of this slime-like substance is a sign of sure danger..."

Sorry for the delay, I misread the recruitment post and did not notice we were starting. I guess Orvan was hiding in the back, and steps forward.

"I can go first if you would like."

Orvan opens the hood on his lantern, and hooks it to his armor. He casts a spell of spark to ignite it. From his back he pulls a massive hammer (earthbreaker) and steps through the door.

I say "I'd like that very much" as I move into position behind Orvan.

"All right!" Kieran says. "Big man with giant hammer in the front, tiny girl with giant hammer in the back. We're like a giant hammer sandwich!" Kieran lets out a terribly dorky laugh, cutting herself off when she realizes how terrible she sounds. "Erp. Sorry. Let's carry on down the hallway, then."

Welcome, Mr. Tusk! Glad we've got a bruiser along after all!

"We're hammered, then," Bramble mumbles, before beginning to whistle once again, taking up a ready postition in front of the hammer girl.

Antheia was cold and steely; Kieran's joke essentially having no real effect on her. In fact, she took it literally.

"I don't see any bread to make us a sandwich..."

She did however take this opportunity to cast a small Guidance spell on everyone. As a basic elementary spell for a lot of studies (especially in Divine fields), she could readily cast it freely with enough memorization. She did not hide its Divine nature yet. No need for that among fellow adventurers.

Each of you has Guidance cast upon you at Caster Level 1.

As the torches are lit (and I apologize for my delay on updates) you see that the floor ahead of you is mired in the green sludge.

At a slight incline, the hallway beyond has a good three feet of the sludge.

What appears to be a humanoid corpse of some kind seems mired in the molasses-thick substance.

Beyond the sludge you spy another tough wood door.

"Poke the sludge with a stick, perhaps? I suspect that unfortunate fellow on the ground ahead of us would recommend against trying to just step over it."

"Let's see what we have here."

Orvan will cast detect magic on the corpse.

If there are magic items or auras spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

I look over the sludge, the body, and the door, trying to see if there is a hazard present...

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Knowledge (dungeoneering): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
uhg...

"Anevia looks a bit . . . distracted. I'll have a look as well."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Knowledge:Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

"Ugh. When I examined the slime before, it didn't seem to be acidic, but..." Kieran glances over the corpse, lifting up her goggles and squinting at it. "...with some kinda corpse stuck in it... not exactly in a big rush to have this stuff squishing in my lucky boots..."

I'll attempt a Heal check to see if it looks like the body's wounds were caused by acid. Feel free to impose any negatives thanks to me doing this from as far away as possible.

Heal: 1d20 ⇒ 7 That probably tells me nothing.

"...of course, I could've been wrong about this stuff before..."

"Did I mention I once watched two professors debate whether to call this sort of thing 'slime' or 'ooze?' It wasn't pretty. The debate, that is."

Antheia looks over the slime carefully to see if the substance is currently showing signs of moving.

Perception Check to identify if the slime is moving or not.: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

Pretty sure a 4 fails, so I'll reply as such.

Seeing nothing moving (for now), and, hearing Strangways' comment, Antheia immediately considered replying to him (for the benefit of the entire party, if not for her own personal put down of another and the amusement it creates)...

[dice=Knowledge: Dungeoneering to spew off her excessive knowledge of the difference between "slime" as a substance and the monster composed of it that is called an "ooze".]1d20 + 7[/dice]

I'll assume a 22 passes...but I'll spoiler her reply anyways just in case.

Antheia then refreshes the Guidance effect on anyone whom it has expired on, making sure she keeps herself ready to cast spells should the real need arise.

For everyone's reference, Guidance lasts for 1 minute, and can be expended to add a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. Remember though, you must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it will apply. She can cast it as often as she likes, so go ahead and use it for different skill checks, and she can refresh it when she notices the magic expire (in character, she is alerted by a flaring pain in her yellow eye as it glows).

The slime is non acidic. The stick comes out unburned, but, well... sticky.

The corpse does have magic on him though but your spellcraft is unable to determine what.

There seems to be no hazard present except the pool of slime, which as proven is non acidic.

The man has no visible injuries but his position indicates he may have collapsed into the slime... and perhaps drowned in it?

The slime is also non moving, but more drips occasionally from the ceiling, drop by drop.

And this is slime, it's definitely not an ooze. Luckily for you.

Who wants to go fondle the corpse?

Warning, I'm taking this campaign much more lightheartedly than most.

"Well if Orvan can't recognize anything perhaps I should take a look."

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

"And I'm definitely not touching any of that slime."

Note I get a +2 racial on the Spellcraft roll in addition to the number above if I'm identifying an item

Nooo! Not a lighthearted campaign! But my character is so serious!

"Oh, man... did nobody bring a ten-foot pole? Because I don't want to wade into that crap to grab our dead guy. I mean... it wouldn't be the most disgusting thing I've ever done, but it'd rank up there. Like number three or four, at least. But, I mean, I'll do it if none of you will. 'Fortune favors the brave,' and what-all."

I totally will, too. Let's just make sure there's nothing else in the muck before I do!

Antheia walks over to the slime, and reaches into it to see about searching the man for goods.

Brave little soul.

"You are all lacking in courage.", she stated as she waded in unfazed. Searching the body, she sees if anything could possibly be looted.

Taking 10 on the associated Perception Check, and applying her Guidance bonus. She's devoted here. So her roll would total 14 for the purposes of identifying what is on the man's person that could be looted after all her modifiers are added in.

Hmmph! It's just...slimy goo!
I wade forward through the slime until I am adjacent to the next door, and examine it for locks and traps. I also listen to see if I hear anything on the other side.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 Even in torchlight my eyes deceive me! Can I take 10, which would result in a 15?