Session 14

Ooze in Charge Around Here?
16 Flamerule(afternoon) - 23 Flamerule(evening)

In which the DM tries to remember what happened six eight weeks ago and wishes he wrote this summary right after the session like he normally does.

The party (still with Skriss) leaves the drow outpost behind, entering what appears to be much older tunnels. The floor has a couple of inches of water covering it but the water is rising, slowly but steadily. With no way back they must find a way out going forward before they drown. A short way in the natural caves give way to smooth worked stone. Carving and bas-relief on the walls are faded with age but depict smooth, swirling forms, perhaps tentacles or waves.

It is not long before the group runs into trouble--a black pudding that seeps in through the ceiling. They soon find out that the ceiling and floors hide a number of dangerous oozes, but by and large they deal with them with little problem beyond wrecking some non-magical equipment (Kaia’s rapier and Ralkor’s armour, if I recall correctly).

The party also stumbles across an ooze that is both intelligent and friendly, a gelatinous cube that calls themselves Glabbagool. Glabbagool is enthusiastic and seems excited to meet new people. As best the party can figure Glabbagool became sentient recently, for reasons it doesn’t understand, and has never been outside of the complex. Glabbagool eagerly joins the group in trying to find a way out, saying that he feels like he should be going somewhere.

The party fully explores the ancient temple, finding some minor bits of treasure but no exit. The source of the water entering the temple is found, water pouring through cracks in the ceiling--cracks presumably caused by whatever explosion rocked the drow outpost. The party examines the faded carvings and even backtracks to the drow outpost to confirm there is no apparent exit. Even there the water is beginning to fill the parts of the outpost they can still reach.

Ralkor (I think) suggests that the room where the water is entering may provide a way out if they can widen the cracks. Others are less keen on the idea, pointing out that they may just drown quicker. Ultimately it seems to be the only idea anybody has so Ralkor casts his tiny hut and party members climb on top to smash the ceiling. The flow of water is greatly increased and suddenly turns black--a huge black pudding pours into the small room, attacking the party. The group takes refuge back in the tiny hut and watches as the room fills with water and the giant pudding flows back into the hole in the ceiling.

Glabbagool agrees to see what is through the hole in the ceiling and return to the group, which it does in short order. Glabbagool reports that the water opens up in a large tunnel about 30 feet above them but that the pudding is still nearby. The group decides they need to swim for it anyway. The pudding attacks them in passing and follows them to the surface, which turns out to be a river flowing through a large tunnel. The party is able to destroy the huge pudding after which they make their way to Skriss’ camp.

Glabbagool informs the party that he feels an urge to go in a particular direction and indicates towards Blingdenstone. He is pleased to discover that the group is headed that way anyway. Skriss tells the party that he must go and report what they have discovered to the Society of Brilliance and that the society is in their debt. Skriss also warns the party to be wary, given all the demon activity they have seen he suspects the hand of Juiblex at work in Glabbagool and the Oozing Temple.

After a night's rest the party moves on. Glabbagool heads in the same general direction, starting earlier and catching up to their camp at the end of the day due to his slow pace. Between Jimjar’s knowledge of the area and Kaia’s understanding of the Underdark the group has no problems making their way without further troubles. About a day out of Blingdenstone Kaia, scouting ahead, sees a lone deep gnome sitting on a boulder in a mid-sized cavern dotted with boulders. She doubles back, warning the party, and the Young Adventurers approach the gnome. He appears to have been expecting them as gnomish scouts or a guard post had spotted the group. The gnome identifies himself as Dasco Pickshine and inquires about the party’s business. After satisfying himself that they are not up to no good Dasco invites them to stay for a rest, saying they can accompany one of his ore shipments to Blingdenstone afterwards. Glabbagool is not welcome, but seems happy enough to move on towards the pull he feels.

The party agrees and is given rooms at the mine and eat dinner with the workers. We leave our party there, awaiting some far off day when Jeff is no longer in Montreal.

DM’s note: we actually very briefly continued on to Blingdenstone, but it was just a brief narrative “then you go to Blingdenstone and see the gates” and I’m going to roll that back, we’ll pick up the night before at Pickshine Mines.