"One way or another, we are prevailing - well done my friends" - Garrosh nods as another frogman is taken down.
"I wonder if that creature will let us past, if we do not attack it" - he inquires, looking at the ooze.
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"Worth a try, but I don't 'spect much."
Kilarra stoops low and tries to shift past the ooze very slowly.
Clop, clop, clop
Hanako covers her mouth as Kilarra tiptoes as effectively as a horse. With carriage.
She gives Baldhart a pat on the shoulder, signaling the fairy to stay sharp.
If the others make it past the ooze, Piotr will bring up the rear.
As Kilarra goes clipity-clop near the id ooze, it starts wobbling.
Baldy understands Hanako’s shoulder tap perfectly. She’s on the beast like rainbow sprinkles on jello!
After Baldhart disappears around the corner, Hanako calls to her, “Be careful!”
She’s very worried, and knows she can heal her fairy if something goes wrong… but she resists the urge to rush down the hall. Those capable of truly harming this beast should move first.
"I guess we are left with no other option" - Garrosh snarls, and fires a shot at the ooze.
Baldhart manages to stick her shortsword into the ooze as does Garrosh, though his arrow soon dissolves. Winter, seeing its boiling down to a fight AGAIN, casts guidance on Piotr.
The ooze slams Baldhart, the only of its aggressors in range, and grabs her, then squeezes.
Baldhart realizes that as she strikes her ooze the acid of the ooze clings onto her blade.
Winter moves up and gives Kilarra guidance.
Hanako squeezes past her friends, and tumbles to a position where she can heal Bladhart.
She heals the fairy, knowing she may get hurt in the process!
Baldhart tries to free the blade and herself!
Seeing the little one caught, Piotr charges. Or he would but there is a few people in between him and the creature for once, so instead, he gets past them as Un-rudely as he can manage then...
hacks it with his magical sword.
Ann dashes through everyone, unable to be really rude even if she wanted to.
Baldhart manages to escape its grasp as Piotr slices another gnash at it and Hanako rushes up to heal her.
Piotr gets something on his sword that looks like it could corrode it, but for now the sword still seems to be holding up.
With a grunt, Garrosh fires another shot.
Kilarra grimaces as she has to fight animated rocks again.
Garrosh puts another arrow into the jelly as Kilarra cuts the jelly apart with her greatsword.
This musty cellar contains a dozen wooden kegs, several demijohns, and dozens of empty bottles standing on shelves along the wall. There is a closed door leading North. A cursory check indicates the door is locked but not trapped.
"These things are gross" Ann says as the jelly congeals into a smelly sludge.
In the other room, Piotr wills his sister into solidness, and she tries her hand at picking the lock.
Then again
Ann does not manage to open the door but Piotr remembers the key ring he looted off the clam wearing frogman and opens the door.
This room is built around a water well, which opens to the sky above at the apex of the ceiling and descends into a shaft at the middle of the floor.
The aqueduct tunnel connects with the well shaft 40 feet under the floor of this room, filling the bottom of the well with water up to 15 feet. A bucket tied to a rope allows someone to pull up water from the courtyard well 50 feet above this chamber, but also provides a way for someone to climb from the bottom of the well into this room. The rope and bucket are currently pulled to the top of the courtyard well. The inner walls of the well are rough, and can be climbed with relative ease
Hanako is not a talented climber. She says to Baldhart, “Be a dear and carry me. You know I will repay the favor later. For now, I will carry your sword so you may sheathe Red Destiny.”
Hanako removes Baldhart’s sword from its scabbard. It shrinks until it is only a few inches long.
“So cute!” she says of the fairy-sized sword in her palm. Hanako stuffs it in her purse, then proceeds to leap into the fairy’s arms—
—in fox form!
"Do you think the frog men came from down there?" Piotr asks while looking down.
Baldhart sheathes Red Destiny just in time to catch the leaping fox! The enlarged fairy intends to fly with Hanako in her arms, rather than climb.
She looks to the others, clearly not sure whether she’s supposed to go up or down.
"Probably just goes into the courtyard where the dogs were. But checking to make sure never hurt anything." Piotr nods, happy to wait a moment or two. He spends the time cleaning the jelly off his sword.
Baldhart heads up. Once she gets to the top, she slows to a hover and peers stealthily, to see if there is any threat or creature about.
Hanako is a bit clumsy when she pokes her head up to peer (and explore if the coast is clear), but her tiny animal form might go easily unnoticed.
Flying to the top and pushing away the pail, Hanako and Baldhart find themselves in the courtyard.
The fort’s courtyard is muddy, with patches of grass and weeds sprouting from the soil along the walls and a grate for grilling food stands against a wall to the south.
Baldhart lowers the rope with the bucket…
…when the rope is lowered enough, a fox jumps out of the bucket.
Of course, it’s Hanako. “Far enough, Baldy,” she calls up.
As the big fairy flutters down the shaft, Hanako explains, “If we need to come out this way, the rope will help those too heavy to travel by fairy.
“Likely an unnecessary contingency plan, but anyway, where to now?”
"The room to the east, back where we came from." Kilarra answers. As they walk, she says "Frogs like water, so maybe they came from the sewers and climbed up the rope? I dunno."
When everyone is ready, Kilarra opens the door in D18
Hearing that (just as she completed her descent down the shaft), Baldhart moans a “mrrg,” gives the party a guilty look, and flies back up. With in second, a cracking sound can be heard above. The bucket rises out of sight.
Once Baldhart descends (again), Hanako gives the fairy an apologetic pat on the shoulder. She draws her wand in unison with the fairy’s drawing of Red Destiny.
Ann pokes her head through the door to make sure nothing is ready to stab Kilarra when she opens the door, but other then that the siblings are ready.
The door is locked but Piotr uses his key from the clam shell amulet wearing frog to open it.
This dark hallway leads to a row of three doors along the northern wall, each fitted with a small grate in the middle. A single door stands in the southern wall.There are 3 frogmen in the room and seeing the party, they attack.
"Gosh this place is full of frogmen."Winter remarks as she casts guidance on Kilarra.
"Duh" Kilarra remarks. She tries to dodge around the first frogman, but even Winter's guidance can't help her clumsy footing. She tries to strike it, despite her stance being awkward.
Piotr sorts out a laugh, as the siblings help Kilarra surround the lead frogman. Ann as a ghost rushes through in hopes she'll be solid next round.
Baldhart delays so Garrosh can get a clear shot first, then she attacks.
Garrosh steps to the side, and after a moment of concentration to study their opponents, fires a single shot at the one engaged with Kilarra.
Piotr and Kilarra make short work of the first frogman in the room.
Hanako stays close to the brave but frail fairy.
Garrosh's arrow flies over Kilarra and the frogman's head. Baldhart flies forward and stabs the frogman with her shortsword.
The frogmen being stabbed move forward to try to punish their aggressors, namely the fairy that drew first blood.
Both of the tridents strike the fairy, wounding her badly.
"Baldhart, get back!" Winter yells at the fairy as she prepares to heal her as she flies past.
With the hallway so crowded, Piotr and Ann wordless decide to let her help out. She rushes to behind one of the frogmen, while calling to Kilarra, "I'll flank this one for you" once she runs through the froggies, Piotr concentrates on making her whole again, and she stabs...
... very poorly.
Baldhart tumbles toward Winter.
Wordlessly, Kilarra takes up Ann's offer and steps towards the frogman to flank.
Winter casts cure serious wounds on Baldhart, as Ann's daggers and Kilarra's greatsword are dodged.
Hanako steps aside, placing herself between Baldhart and the enemy. She drops the wand and aims her bow.
“Nobody stabs my fairy. Die...”
She looses an arrow.
It strikes like a pin prick.
“...slowly.”