The Birth Of A New Species: IC.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Marius lobs the flask at the ground just in front of the cube.

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(1d20+2)[7]

[Korney]

"We are sorry Ogodei, we apreciate any help anyone can give us in that situations, It's just that we have been working alone for some time and we have developed some kind of teamwork." sais Flowdy to Ogodei.
"Feel free to express your point of view at any time."

Flowdy rolls his eyes at Seric's suggestion "You just want to see it explode." then he considers it for a second himself.

"Maybe... if we let him eat some flasks or even a barrel, with a long fuse... no, no, it's too risky. It could provoke a collapse."

"Ogodei, could it you possibly summon some aid behind him so he doesn't escape again while we poke it with our sticks try to set him on fire?" Flowdy thinks he could really use a fire spell right now. He will be sure to visit the closest magic shop next time and load with them.

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OOC: If Ogodei summons something at the other side, we could attack with our torches. Or maybe sprinkle it with oil and then set it on fire.

[ReaderAt2046]

FWOOM!! The oil jar explodes, again splahing the monster in burning oil and driving it back. Unfortunately, it returns not long after the flames die down again.

(2d6)[4]

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How many flasks of oil do you have?

[Korney]

OOC:

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I had just one, used. Then we went back to were the laterns and mine supplies were to take more. So you tell us!

[ReaderAt2046]

I'd say they left out a dozen flasks, so that's the most you could have (and that only if you find a way to carry that many.)

[ReaderAt2046]

After several tense minutes, and four more improvised Molotovs, the cube finally collapses into a wash of translucent goo which coats the corridor. Several items can be seen sparkling in the light of your lanterns. There is a small golden ring with some kind of enameled design on it, a pair of shiny yellow plastic glasses with lenses shaped like suns, another ring apearntly made of iron and silver twined together in a vauguely Celtic pattern, and two polished rocks.


(OOC)

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The Ooze remains and the items are still coated in Gelatinous Cube slime. Anyone who touches the goo or the items with their bare skin (just walking through it won't count, since I'm pretty sure everyone is wearing shoes) must make a DC 15 Fortitude save. I'll describe what happens if you fail the save. The Ooze goo covers a stretch of floor about 30' long

[hoverfrog]

Seric, who knows nothing of the harm that the cubes remains might cause her, walks into the mess and picks up the items to examine. "Two rings, some kind of mask and some some stones of some kind. I assume that the creature devours prey somehow and these were immune for some reason. Flowdy?"

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Fortitude Save (1d20+4)[24]

EDIT w00t! Natural 20

[ReaderAt2046]

Seric feels a tingle in her fingers and a feeling of warmth spread out, but she pushes the feeling down through force of will.

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(1d20+1)[20]

From this closer examination, she recognizes the signs of magical infusion on these items. One or more of them has been enchanted.

[hoverfrog]

"Hey, this ooze stuff is making my fingers go numb. Does anyone have a flask? We might be able to use some as a weapon." She walks out of the mess and washes the items with some water from her waterskin. Once they are dried she tries the glasses on to see what things look like through them. She then try the rings one at a time to see it they cause any obvious change like a feeling of weightlessness or strength. Finally she holds one stone out in front of her, palm upwards, and concentrates on it moving. Then she repeats the same process with the other stone.

Once done Seric announces her findings to the others and if nothing is determined hands everything to Flowdy for later identification.

[ReaderAt2046]

As soon as Seric dons the glasses, the darkness gives way and she can see down the tunnel to a bend a ways beyond the torchlight. None of the other items have any obvious effect.

[hoverfrog]

"Interesting," she says as she removes the glasses, "Elf sight or low light vision or whatever it is that they call it. This is probably most use for scouting ahead." She looks at the armour of Marius and herself and then at the feeble old man, Flowdy, and hands the glasses to Ogodei. "These are a loan for now. I've no doubt that Flowdy will want them to try to reproduce them at some point."

[ReaderAt2046]

[OOC] The glasses grant darkvision, not low-light vision. She'd be able to see beyond the shadowy illumination [/OOC]

[DualShadow]

It is with a grin the Ogodei watches the Ooze get dispatched with tactical ease. Standing about learning what he can from the group's tactics the Easterner stands without any obvious usefulness but stand about with a scimitar and a wooden shield.

As he receives the glasses from the stern Seric and nods to her words "I would not dare try to take anything from you, you have nothing to worry about Lady." He places the glasses at the ready on his head then adds "Sorry, I have no empty flask or container on me."

[ReaderAt2046]

[OOC] Do you want to keep moving down the corridor? [/OOC]

[hoverfrog]

"You'd better lead then," Seric indicates the corridor and lets the stranger go first into danger, "You're the one who can see, after all." She keeps a corridor length away from Ogodei as we explore the mines.

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To clarify what I mean a corridor length is the distance to the first turning that we can see. So if Ogodei rounds a corner we all head up to the corner and wait but if it's a long, straight corridor he goes as far ahead as our torch or lantern light can stretch.

[ReaderAt2046]

After a considerable amount of walking, and several startled bats, you notice torchlight a long way up ahead. You can faintly see black shapes moving against it.

Ogodei

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With your darkvision goggles, you can make out that some of the moving shapes are skeletons.

[Korney]

Flowdy takes the items with interest for later investigation, maybe they belong to someone important in this case.

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OOC: How do you identify items? I have seen DM's making spellcraft checks, others demand a use of Identify per item, others reveal what they do once you wear it... so, how do we do it?

Following Ogodei and the others deeper into the mine Flowdy finally can see some light apart from their laterns. He stops and crouch trying to get some information from sound.

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Listen (1d20)[15]

[ReaderAt2046]

You hear the distinct "whok! Whok!" of picks stricking rocks, and a lot of clicking and clacking noises as rocks strike rocks, or... some of the noises sound an awful lot like rattling bones.

[Korney]

Flowdy whispers to the others "I know it sounds weird, but I think there is indeed a necromancer here. It sounds like he is using skeleton miners."
"We should get ready to attack."

[ReaderAt2046]

All of a sudden, Flowdy feels the stone he'd been fiddling with grow warm, and there is a shimmer on the floor in front of them. When the flash clears, there are a dozen piping-hot, individually wrapped bluebery scones sitting there.

[DualShadow]

Ogodei slowly backtrack to the group trying to make as less noise as he can.

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Roll Move Silently: (1d20+2)[2](4)

[ReaderAt2046]

Ogodei steps on one of the scones... and slips! His scimitar hits the floor with a loud CRASH! and there are shouts up ahead.

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Initiative rolls:

Marius: (1d20+1)[20]
Seric: (1d20+0)[10]
Ogodei: (1d20+6)[23]
Flowdy: (1d20+0)[19]
Enemy Group 1:(1d20+5)[8]
Enemy Group 2: (1d20+1)[14]
Enemy Group 3:(1d20-1)[13]

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You are at a bend in the path. Ahead it goes on for about a hundred feet before broadening out into the lit area where you can see things moving.

[hoverfrog]

"This is no time to stop for a picnic, Flowdy," Seric despairs at the old man's sense of timing. Just as she says this Ogodei slides round the corner and clatters to a stop on the ground. "I thought you would be the stealthy one."

After hearing the druid's hurried explanation, no doubt he had fled from the undead in a panic and that's what caused him to fall, she remarked interestingly, "You say there are undead? Wonderful."

"Ready for battle?" Once everyone is standing again Seric marches round the corner, crossbow at the ready. At the first sight of an enemy she shoots, choosing living "handlers" over unliving servants.

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Light crossbow (1d20)[16] 19-20\x2
Damage (1d8)[7]
Confirm critical (1d20)[13] obviously only for living enemies
Damage (1d8)[4]

If the undead hoards are actually closer than 60 feet she won't shoot but rebukes them instead.
Rebuke Undead Check (1d20+1)[9]
Rebuke Damage (2d6+2)[11]
Sadly unless the skeletons are half hit dice she won't be able to control them.

[DualShadow]

"We shall discuss this floor 'decoration' after the problem is dealt with." the druid says, with no real damage to his self esteem, as he collects his weapon from the ground. With a bang of his scimitar on his shield he moves forward the skeletons stopping some few steps in front of Seric, aside enough to let her do whatever it is enthousiastic clerics does when faced with the undead.

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Collect weapon and move 10 feet in front Seric, between her and the undead and a 5 feet from the wall she just turned around to shoot or turn so to leave her a field of view.

[Korney]

Flowdy lets Seric's comments slide as he strafes towards the corner and shoots at the creatures.

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attack (1d20)[3] What a failure.
damage (1d8)[4]
If I can see an alive enemy I shoot it before the undead ones.

[ReaderAt2046]

[OOC] I'll post the reactions to all this as soon as Marius declares [/OOC]

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Marius moves up to join Ogodei on the front lines, drawing his warhammer as he does so. "Save me one of those scones; fighting always leaves me hungry, and blueberry is my favorite."

[ReaderAt2046]

Marius and Ogodei quickly fall into place, shielding the spellcasters admirably. Flowdy's arrow, shot between them, is a bit of target and skips harmlessly off one of the stone walls further down. Ahead, the torchlight turns ruddier and there is a crimson flash ahead of them. At the same time there is a brilliant coruscation of blue light around the party, and dozens of penguins appear out of nowhere, covering the floor for a good ten feet in either direction.

Seric, trained in the temples of Hextor to ignore distractions in combat, sidetracks the mysterious penguins that have appeared out of nowhere and concentrates on the figures ahead. First she notes the distinctive sihlouette now staggering down the tunnel towards them and recognizes it.

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It's a dretch, a low-grade demon often used as foot soldiers in underworld wars. Not very smart, but it has DR 5/cold iron or good.

Given that information, she elects instead to target one of the zombies she can see filling the corridor behind the dretch.

The bolt tears through it, ripping away a big chunk of flesh, but not dropping it. The creature is clearly weakened, but it's not destroyed.

Behind the zombies, you can still hear the whock-whock-whock of the skeleton miners at work.

[OOC]The first monster is 70 ft from the front-line party members, the zombies are right behind it. It's Marius's turn again.[/OOC]

[hoverfrog]

"That shambling mess in the shape of a man is a dretch. It is resistant to normal weapons. If you have anything of cold iron then use it, I wouldn't bother shooting it. I'll deal with the zombies."

[ReaderAt2046]

[OOC]Almost forgot, the floor from ten feet in front of you to ten feet behind you (including the spaces you're standing in) count as difficult terrain due to being full of penguins.)