Tsin Tao's unnatural perception and years of training allow him to detect a complex and ellaborated trap in the room he has just entered - even though he cannot fathom its full effects, it is clear there are dozens of pressure plates on the chamber floor, and there is a single 'safe' path through the chamber, which
involves skirting the circumference west and then cutting a path east after passing the obelisk and looping back south to the eastern exit.
The immediate consequence of stepping on the pressure plates is not evident, but from the dynamo like apparatus Tsin can spy through the fissures surounding the pressure plates, most likely some sort of electrical discharge is involved.
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I wipe my brow with relief and offer a quick prayer
Thanks for watching over me Tsukiyo and showing me the way through the home of my enemies.
Then I whisper to into the spell
Guys, this room is heavily booby trapped. Don't come in. If you don't need me I'll keep going to check the exit.
I keep going carefully (slow and stealthy) along the safe path until I get some reply.
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Saktar whispers back immediately
What? Haven't you been hearing me? The alarm is on, we need to regroup! F#$# it, we're going to Lokeemon, give me a whisper if you get into any trouble but we can't be running around like fools
Then he turns to Duncan
Screw him, we better get to where the action is... or will soon be
Then he moves towards Lokeemon
The whole process takes about one minute of careful walking and stepping, until you reach the exit - from here you can see there is another corridor which turns north about 10' (3 meters) from the room.
You hear nothing but the howling winds coming from the tunnel.
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As for the rest of the group, time continues ebbing away, at least one minute for now. What are you going to do?
The trio moves along, leaving the ninja to do his own thing back in the trapped room. Within moments they are back in the main entrance to the underground complex.
When Lokeemon was here initially, the sounds came from the East - everything seems silent now though...
There is no answer from Tsin Tao.
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I send a message to Saktar
I don't like to be here waiting in the open.
At least I'll cover the corridor.
I move as stealthily as I can until AC-56.
Then I look to the corridor on the other side (towards O-57)
Then I focus my senses on whatever may be on the corridor I just approached
And finally, I ready an action to attack whatever may come running out of the corridor.
I'll probably not attack Kibbo if he's the first to come
You continue along, reaching the turn in the corridor. Peering into the darkness beyond, you realize the tunnel runs north as far as you can see.
You all eventually meet up halfway, in the intersection.
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Ok. By the way, the obelisk room has a trap. We need to take a specific path through the room not to trigger it.
I got to a long north bound tunnel when I decided to turn back.
Ok so now we find the little traitor Kibbo. Which corridor did the sound come from Lokeemon?
Once I know this I move in that direction. Otherwise I go back to the entrance room and take the West tunnel.
Always moving stealthily but no trap finding until I'm in that tunnel.
After the information provided by Lokeemon, Tsi Tao courageously plods forward alone through yet another tunnel - this is a short one however, and just a few feet ahead he finds a door ajar.
Beyond it, he spies a large stone chamber - at its center, a pit filled with molten slag and some sizzling red liquid casts a hellish red gleam on the walls all around. From inside wafts an oppressively hot and thick ashen air.
Close by the entrance you notice also an obvious if faint blood trail leading into the room.
From where you stand, you don't see anything else in the room, besides the pit.
Tell me where you want to move (coordinates) or should I move you?
The red liquid is inside the pit, forming a sludge with the abovementioned slag. As if a huge cup yes.
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If the room seems empty I whisper to Saktar that everything's cool but don't move yet. I'll call them.
You move forward unimpeded, until you can see the whole room - when you reach the entrance, it seems obvious indeed the oppressive smell and dense air seem to come from the basin like structure, but something else catches your attention...
The blood trail turns right after the entrance, but then continues up the wall!!
Your eyes follow it almost involuntarily, until you come upon a grisly sight - Kibbo, apparently dead or unconscious, is being pulled up by a pallid, slimy, worm-like creature about the size of a human, its mouth a sickening tangle of tentacles and hooked jaws which clamp tight around the kobold's neck, dragging it along as the creature 'slimes' up the wall.
Tsin Tao unleashes a shot at the monstrosity - his aim is right, but the damage seems somewhat underwhelming, as the arrow simply grazes the creature, which turns to face its interloper.
Tsin fires yet another shot at the creature, but this one is even less effective than the last, not even scratching the hard skin.
The monster seems to have taken notice of the attack however, and drops Kibbo into some sort of high up (10') vent or crevice, crawling down at an astonishing speed (for a climb), and moving after the tiefling.
Duncan and Lokeemon rush forward, but see nothing in the room, apart from the reddish, bubbling sludge, and the blood trail.
Saktar casts a spell and similarly moves forward after his companions.
As Tsin Tao moves away, and in spite of his efforts, he lets his guard down momentarily, and the monster tries to gain advantage from the opportunity.
The bite is poorly aimed however, and misses the ninja, who proceeds in placing a very well aimed shot into the creature's body. The damage is still far from spectacular, as the arrow apparently does not fully puncture the hard skin.
The monster proceeds in closing the gap, and mindlessly trying to bite Tsin Tao again.
But also again the attack is poorly placed, and misses its mark.
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The remaining companions rush into the room, and finally witness the terrible scenario.
Tsin Tao again uses his agility to move away from the creature, this time successfully as the monster is unable to react fast enough to attack him. However, once more and in spite of hitting, the arrow does not seem to be enough to actually harm the creature.
Mindlessly, the monstrositty follows the ninja, and tries to bite him again.
But misses miserably.
At this point, the remaining companions burst into the room, and without a second thought Saktar sends multiple arcane bolts through the air, which fly unerringly to strike at their foe, leaving not one, nor two or three, but four holes in its 'torso' from which oozes some sort of greenish/red liquid.
The creature quivers, and falls to the ground unmoving.
The origins of the grick are not known. Even though the grick has a rudimentary intelligence, it does not have any society to speak of, and most are encountered alone. Capable predators, gricks also have a strangely weapon-resistant hide that makes them especially dangerous. Many novice adventurers have fallen to grick attacks merely because they were unable to damage the creature with their nonmagical weapons. Those that are familiar with gricks (especially dwarves, morlocks, and troglodytes) know the best strategy for dealing with them is to fall back and wait for more powerful or magical reinforcements.
Some important notes:
- Highly Perceptive and Stealthy
- DR 10/magic
- Attacks with bite and tentacles