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Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
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<blockquote data-quote="shilsen" data-source="post: 2913030" data-attributes="member: 198"><p><strong>Session 33 - Prodding Sphincter and Taking Names</strong></p><p></p><p>With the strange plants dead and healing taken care off, the adventurers continue towards the courtyard they head been heading for. Six notices that Korm is still moving a little sluggishly* and jokes, “I didn’t think you could get any slower.” The big orc grunts at the equally large but much nimbler warforged. “All of us can’t be acrobats.”</p><p></p><p>Reaching the courtyard, the Angels find that it contains one of the many fountains that dot the city, this one with a stream of water descending to it from the higher terraces of the city, which then flows out again and down towards the stream at the bottom of the gorge. </p><p></p><p>Examining the fountain, which seems to have been carved in one piece out of the stone of the plateau and has examples of the often abstract Dhakaani art running around it, Six notices that beneath about two feet of water it is full of a translucent, milky-white substance. He is just about to drop a piece of rock to see what it is, when Nameless stops him. “I’m quite sure it is an ooze of some kind.”</p><p></p><p>The alienist looks around and asks the group, “As long as it’s not attacking us, can anyone think of a good reason to bother it?”</p><p></p><p>“No,” replies Trillia, who has been looking around with interest. “I suggest we check the nearby buildings and then spread out further, if we find nothing. Last time I was here - and admittedly that was years ago - we found that the aberrations that lived on the surface did so in clumps spread across the city rather than occupying all of it. And most lived below the surface.”</p><p></p><p>Everybody agrees and the group randomly picks a building and enters. Over the better part of an hour, they check four buildings. Each is uninhabited and has had most of its contents removed. Only carvings that are physically part of the structures remain, with nearly a quarter of them having been defaced. Though there is less dust that might have been expected in such a place, it does coat the various chambers, revealing that there has been no recent passage through them. </p><p></p><p>The dust in the sixth building shows the first signs of life in Yarkuun Draal besides the strange plants. There are clear signs of passage, the majority of them being halfling-sized tracks, thought there is one set that is larger than human-sized, and one non-humanoid track left by something that slithers along the ground. Most of the tracks lead inwards, though the smaller ones lead both in and out.</p><p></p><p>The Angels follow the tracks to the rearmost room, the back wall of which reveals the mouth of a large tunnel, ten feet tall and wide, leading into darkness as far as their various forms of vision can see. The tunnel is quite rough in shape, and examination reveals that it was made from the far side, rather than being made from the building.</p><p></p><p>“Something burrowed in here?” asks Six, looking into the tunnel and studying it with his head-lamp.</p><p></p><p>“Or things,” says Trillia. “There are a few aberrations that can burrow through rock and leave a tunnel behind them.”</p><p></p><p>“Delvers, for example,” adds Nameless.</p><p></p><p>“Delvers?” asks Gareth.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah. Big creatures, as wide as this tunnel. They secrete a slime that dissolves stone.” Nameless nods at Gareth's plate mail armor and Kizmet. “And metal. Even magical metal.”</p><p></p><p>“Great!” grimaces Korm, looking at his own greatsword. “I believe mine is resistant to such effects.” <em>I hope</em>.</p><p></p><p>After some more discussion and the casting of numerous protective spells, the group heads into the tunnel. Six takes point, an extensible pole in hand to check the ground ahead, with Korm right behind him. Luna’s ursine bulk fills the tunnel behind them, with the two alienists behind her, and Gareth brings up the rear. </p><p></p><p>About a hundred feet in, they encounter a 5 ft wide archway, a soft pink in color that clearly sets it aside from the stone of the tunnel before it, which runs around the tunnel and the floor. Beyond the archway, the tunnel - which has the same pink color - becomes absolutely smooth. A series of greenish-blue striations run along the tunnel walls from the archway. </p><p></p><p>Six prods the archway carefully, having no effect, and then the group moves up to study it. It is hard, but has a little more give than the stone. Six scratches at it and finds he is easily able to do so. He also digs the knife into it with some effort, penetrating an inch (the distance the archway stands out from the stone before it) before he stops. While he is doing this, he feels a very slow, soft movement, or rather a throb deep in the material. After a few seconds, it happens again and continues to do so at regular intervals. </p><p></p><p>“I think the archway has a pulse,” says Six.</p><p></p><p>“What?”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah. I think it’s alive in some way.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m not really surprised,” says Trillia. “The daelkyr, and less so their followers, take great pleasure in crafting aberrant - pun unintended - forms of life.”</p><p></p><p>“Those could be veins, ” says Nameless, pointing at the striations, drawing a growl of disgust and a shake of her head from Luna.</p><p></p><p>“On the bright side,” says Six, “I don’t see any big teeth or a...”, when he is interrupted by another growl from Luna, this time a warning one. </p><p></p><p>“What is it, Luna? You smell something?” The bear shakes her head and lifts a paw to tap her ear, before waving it in the direction the group was heading.</p><p></p><p>“You hear something? Coming towards us?” Luna gives as much of a shrug as a bear can.</p><p></p><p>The discussion quickly becomes moot, with everyone hearing the click of crossbows, as half a dozen bolts come flying down the tunnel. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p>The leader of the dolgrims crouched in the dark chamber smiles as two of the people standing in the tunnel are hit by the bolts, and motions the remaining dolgrim forward. </p><p></p><p>Then all four of its eyes widen in shock as one of the humanoids gestures and pronounces some words. Two large tentacled bison appear in the tunnel and charge into the chamber, goring and trampling the shocked dolgrims. Behind them comes the humanoid that seems to be made partly of metal and wood, striking out with a long chain weapon to drop the closest dolgrim.</p><p></p><p>The humanoid that summoned the bison shouts, “Surrender and you will be ... um, just surrender.” The dolgrim leader has no time to be surprised that the humanoid actually speaks fluent daelkyr, since the call to surrender is followed by a growling bear and another humanoid wielding a sword longer than any of the dolgrims are tall. They charge into the chamber and respectively decapitate and rip in half the two dolgrim fleeing for the sphincter that makes the primary exit.</p><p></p><p>The leader screams and turns to flee, but it’s too late. The last thing it sees are the gleaming spikes on the chain that whips past its left ears and then snaps back. </p><p></p><p>***</p><p>“You know,” says Trillia, as the adventurers look around the large chamber, now littered with the bodies of dolgrims, “Next time someone asks for a surrender, maybe you should give them a chance to do so.”</p><p></p><p>“They’re dolgrims,” says Korm grimly, wiping his sword on a rag. “You wouldn’t be getting any information off them.” </p><p></p><p>Luna growls in agreement and then carefully nibbles one of the corpses. <em>Hmm, tastes like chicken</em>.</p><p></p><p>The oval-shaped chamber is about fifty feet across, its surfaces made of the same living material that lined the tunnel. The only things it contains is some crudely made furniture and a couple of wooden crates. A small opening on either side leads to a smaller chamber. The more unusual exit is in the far wall from the tunnel entrance, a ten foot wide sphincter.</p><p></p><p>Korm, having checked one of the smaller chambers, returns and says, “Great! I found their privy. And they’re storing their refuse too. And no, I don’t want to know why.” </p><p></p><p>In the other one, Six stands over six wooden tubs and notes that each is stuffed full of raw, bloody, very fatty, meat. He carefully prods it with his pole. When there is no response, he says, “Well, at least it doesn’t seem alive.” </p><p></p><p>Gareth, standing near him, says, “It isn’t evil either.”</p><p></p><p>“Good to know,” says Nameless sarcastically from the doorway behind him. “Hey, everybody, their larder isn’t evil!”</p><p></p><p>Six ignores them and takes a sample of the meat, before rejoining the others. As they gather near the sphincter, it slides open, revealing the chamber beyond, from which a foul odor emanates.</p><p></p><p>The chamber is at least as large as the previous one, illuminated by green light emanating from three large crystals embedded into the ceiling. The veins/striations along the walls and ceiling are much thicker here. There is another large sphincter on the far wall and a slightly smaller one on the left wall. But what draws the group’s attention are the three circular pools in the room. Each is over a dozen feet in diameter, filled with a dark fluid that is constantly bubbling, though there is no appreciable change in temperature here. The liquid also flows from each pool to the other through one of three channels that link them in a triangular shape. Another channel carries fluid into each pool from a hole near the ceiling. Each pool contains something - or things, since there appear to be a number of them - that is floating on the surface, but from the entrance it is unclear what they are. </p><p></p><p>After a moment’s hesitation, the adventurers enter. As soon as they do, a number of them feel a sense of deep, abiding depression overcome them. Trillia turns and asks, “Do any of you feel really, really crappy?”</p><p></p><p>Six, for whom this is a very new emotion, shakes his head and says, “I don’t feel good. I feel like this is ... futile. Why is that?”</p><p></p><p>Gareth, having been unaffected, asks, “What’s going on?”</p><p></p><p>Korm rubs his temple and says, “Probably a trap of some sort. And yes, I feel lousy.”</p><p></p><p>Nameless casts a <em>detect magic</em> and scans the area. Looking at the crystals, he says, “They’re giving off transmutation, divination and enchantment auras.” And a second later, he adds, “And just created a spell effect. Each of them. Enchantment.”</p><p></p><p>Luna, previously unaffected, is now affected and growls her irritation. After some experimentation, including backing up and letting the sphincter close and waiting till the effect passes (which takes five minutes), the adventurers quickly work out that the crystals each emanate some effect every few seconds, which creates the depressing emotion. With three such effects occurring regularly, everyone is affected sooner or later. </p><p></p><p>Nameless’ experience is a little different to the others. A few seconds after as he is affected, he has a distinct feeling of something going “click” in the back of his head. There is no recurrence to the effect for him.</p><p></p><p>Resigning themselves to the feeling, the Angels move into the chamber, experiencing the strange amalgam of depression, curiosity and apprehension at the same time. As they reach and gaze into the pools, Luna growls what can only be an ursine version of “Oh, yuck!”, summing up the group’s general response.</p><p></p><p>The pools each contain two or three roughly humanoid figures, ranging in size from about goblin-sized to slightly larger than a human. It is difficult to say if they are really humanoid, since none has four complete limbs, and they keep (slowly, but certainly) changing in form, though retaining a basic humanoid template. Parts of their bodies literally wash away in the bubbling fluid and then reform. As the Angels watch, they see skin and muscle dissolve, revealing throbbing organs, oozing brains, and squirming intestines. </p><p></p><p>The only two constants about all the creatures are their eyes, which are completely clear and bulging out of their sockets, and their gaping mouths, which have a thick glutinous film covering them. Each creature also has at least one individual feature that is unchanging, which is linked somehow to the other inhabitants of the pools. Each pool also holds a number of much smaller creatures, which resemble nothing so much as small jellyfish. Most are simply floating back and forth in the bubbling water, but some are attached to parts of the larger creatures. Whichever part they attach to never seems to change, and also seem to be the most aberrant parts of the larger creatures. One has a pair of mandibles, like those on a giant ant, attached to its chin, while another has insect-like feet growing out of its chest, while a third has either a muscular tail or tentacle attached to its back.</p><p></p><p>Trillia, kneeling to take a lower look but carefully staying some distance away, says, “It’s some kind of a transformative process.” Her voice holds much more fascination than disgust.</p><p></p><p>“Is this common with aberrations?” asks Six.</p><p></p><p>Nameless replies. “The daelkyr treat the crafting of living creatures ... or rather, living intelligent creatures ... in new shapes and ways as an art form. Some aberrations also practice it. The processes have never been really worked out, though some mages have found ways to mimic them. Somewhat.”</p><p></p><p>Trillia adds, “I’ve never seen a process like this.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you know what that fluid is?” asks Six. At her reply of "No," he fishes out the piece of meat recovered from the previous room and drops it in. It bobs on the surface, a couple of the small jellyfish-like creatures floating up to nuzzle at it and then moving away.</p><p></p><p>“Stop throwing things in there,” says Gareth. “Whatever the creature that’s doing this, I think it’s safe to say that it’s evil. These are probably innocent creatures being tortured.”</p><p></p><p>Six doesn’t respond, pulling his bow off his back and putting an arrow into one of the jellyfish-things. It explodes under the impact, leaving only tiny specks that are lost in the churning water.</p><p></p><p>Korm, who has been kneeling near another pool with an expression of increasing distaste and anger, stands up and says grimly. “Gareth is right. If you listen carefully, you can hear them screaming through that stuff on their mouths. We need to put them out of their misery.”</p><p></p><p>Luna gives another growl and lifts a paw to point at the meat Six threw in. The meat has a soft pink covering over it. Gareth peers at it and then says, “By the Flame, it’s actually growing skin!” He looks again and adds, “And so is your arrow!”</p><p></p><p>“That does it!” says Korm. “Six - if you will?”</p><p></p><p>Six nods and carefully takes aim at one of the larger creatures, before putting an arrow neatly through its right eye. The arrow sinks deep, punching through its skull. The creature doesn’t make a sound, but after a second its other eye closes, followed shortly by its mouth. Six proceeds to do the same to the others in the pool and then move to the next one. Behind him, there is the sound of a weapon chopping into flesh as Korm uses his sword on the ones near him.</p><p></p><p>After the distasteful task is over, Trillia takes a sample of the liquid from a pool, as does Nameless. After doing so, she says, “Interesting. The liquid’s flowing out of the pools and not in.” She points at the streams and adds, “And <em>up</em> the walls.”</p><p></p><p>“Whatever’s doing this must have very powerful magic to hand,” says Gareth.</p><p></p><p>“Actually,” corrects Nameless, “Aberrations don’t necessarily use magic - or at least not the kind we use - in their shaping of other creatures. Much of what they use replicates magic and can be detected or identified using spells, but is not magic per se. That liquid gives off a number of magical auras, but it’s some sort of a biological mix, I’m sure, not magical.”</p><p></p><p>Six interrupts, having had something else pointed out to him by Luna. “Umm - guys? Remember that meat I threw in?”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p></p><p>“I think it’s started growing hair now. I don’t know about you, but I’m leaving before it climbs out and bites me.”</p><p></p><p>Nobody disagrees, and the group moves on to the sphincter in the left wall. Six moves up to it, and when this one does not open, pokes it with his pole**. At which point the sphincter opens slightly and fires a cloud of green gas that envelops Six and Korm (who was standing next to him).</p><p></p><p>After a second of shock, Luna gives what sounds as close to a laugh as a bear can, while Gareth turns to Nameless and says, “Did the door just <em>fart</em> on him?”</p><p></p><p>Korm quickly backs out of the mist, which now fills a ten foot wide space, and snorts, “Gah! That’s a <em>stinking cloud</em>.”</p><p></p><p>Gareth smirks and taps the <em>ring of adaptation</em> that they found on the island. “Good thing I can’t be bothered by things like that.”</p><p></p><p>Six, who has followed Korm, says, “Then why don’t you try getting it open?” </p><p></p><p>“Okay.” Gareth unsheathes Kizmet and walks into the mist, the thin shell of constant fresh air around him keeping the vapors at bay. Setting his feet, he hits the sphincter once. </p><p></p><p>As soon as he does so, a horizontal gap opens in the sphincter. A flat, muscular appendage over two feet in length shoots out of the gap and promptly smacks Gareth across the face. Though his helm prevents serious damage, its wet surface touches his flesh and he feels an acidic burn.</p><p></p><p>From outside the mist, Korm asks, “What’s going on?” </p><p></p><p>“Aargh - the door <em>licked</em> me! ”</p><p></p><p>“What?!”</p><p></p><p>Gareth hacks at the appendage and shouts, “Stop asking questions and get in here!”</p><p></p><p>Korm steps into the mist, holding his breath. After a momentary pause at seeing Gareth engaged with what does really look like a huge tongue, Korm joins him and the two quickly slice it into pieces. The tattered appendage retracts and after a couple of blows, the sphincter slides open, even as the <em>stinking cloud</em> fades away, revealing the chamber beyond.</p><p></p><p></p><p>* Korm was down to 8 Dex for the entire session, from his normally staggering height of 10 Dex.</p><p>** First session I've ever run where a player got to say, “I prod the sphincter with my pole.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="shilsen, post: 2913030, member: 198"] [B]Session 33 - Prodding Sphincter and Taking Names[/B] With the strange plants dead and healing taken care off, the adventurers continue towards the courtyard they head been heading for. Six notices that Korm is still moving a little sluggishly* and jokes, “I didn’t think you could get any slower.” The big orc grunts at the equally large but much nimbler warforged. “All of us can’t be acrobats.” Reaching the courtyard, the Angels find that it contains one of the many fountains that dot the city, this one with a stream of water descending to it from the higher terraces of the city, which then flows out again and down towards the stream at the bottom of the gorge. Examining the fountain, which seems to have been carved in one piece out of the stone of the plateau and has examples of the often abstract Dhakaani art running around it, Six notices that beneath about two feet of water it is full of a translucent, milky-white substance. He is just about to drop a piece of rock to see what it is, when Nameless stops him. “I’m quite sure it is an ooze of some kind.” The alienist looks around and asks the group, “As long as it’s not attacking us, can anyone think of a good reason to bother it?” “No,” replies Trillia, who has been looking around with interest. “I suggest we check the nearby buildings and then spread out further, if we find nothing. Last time I was here - and admittedly that was years ago - we found that the aberrations that lived on the surface did so in clumps spread across the city rather than occupying all of it. And most lived below the surface.” Everybody agrees and the group randomly picks a building and enters. Over the better part of an hour, they check four buildings. Each is uninhabited and has had most of its contents removed. Only carvings that are physically part of the structures remain, with nearly a quarter of them having been defaced. Though there is less dust that might have been expected in such a place, it does coat the various chambers, revealing that there has been no recent passage through them. The dust in the sixth building shows the first signs of life in Yarkuun Draal besides the strange plants. There are clear signs of passage, the majority of them being halfling-sized tracks, thought there is one set that is larger than human-sized, and one non-humanoid track left by something that slithers along the ground. Most of the tracks lead inwards, though the smaller ones lead both in and out. The Angels follow the tracks to the rearmost room, the back wall of which reveals the mouth of a large tunnel, ten feet tall and wide, leading into darkness as far as their various forms of vision can see. The tunnel is quite rough in shape, and examination reveals that it was made from the far side, rather than being made from the building. “Something burrowed in here?” asks Six, looking into the tunnel and studying it with his head-lamp. “Or things,” says Trillia. “There are a few aberrations that can burrow through rock and leave a tunnel behind them.” “Delvers, for example,” adds Nameless. “Delvers?” asks Gareth. “Yeah. Big creatures, as wide as this tunnel. They secrete a slime that dissolves stone.” Nameless nods at Gareth's plate mail armor and Kizmet. “And metal. Even magical metal.” “Great!” grimaces Korm, looking at his own greatsword. “I believe mine is resistant to such effects.” [I]I hope[/I]. After some more discussion and the casting of numerous protective spells, the group heads into the tunnel. Six takes point, an extensible pole in hand to check the ground ahead, with Korm right behind him. Luna’s ursine bulk fills the tunnel behind them, with the two alienists behind her, and Gareth brings up the rear. About a hundred feet in, they encounter a 5 ft wide archway, a soft pink in color that clearly sets it aside from the stone of the tunnel before it, which runs around the tunnel and the floor. Beyond the archway, the tunnel - which has the same pink color - becomes absolutely smooth. A series of greenish-blue striations run along the tunnel walls from the archway. Six prods the archway carefully, having no effect, and then the group moves up to study it. It is hard, but has a little more give than the stone. Six scratches at it and finds he is easily able to do so. He also digs the knife into it with some effort, penetrating an inch (the distance the archway stands out from the stone before it) before he stops. While he is doing this, he feels a very slow, soft movement, or rather a throb deep in the material. After a few seconds, it happens again and continues to do so at regular intervals. “I think the archway has a pulse,” says Six. “What?” “Yeah. I think it’s alive in some way.” “I’m not really surprised,” says Trillia. “The daelkyr, and less so their followers, take great pleasure in crafting aberrant - pun unintended - forms of life.” “Those could be veins, ” says Nameless, pointing at the striations, drawing a growl of disgust and a shake of her head from Luna. “On the bright side,” says Six, “I don’t see any big teeth or a...”, when he is interrupted by another growl from Luna, this time a warning one. “What is it, Luna? You smell something?” The bear shakes her head and lifts a paw to tap her ear, before waving it in the direction the group was heading. “You hear something? Coming towards us?” Luna gives as much of a shrug as a bear can. The discussion quickly becomes moot, with everyone hearing the click of crossbows, as half a dozen bolts come flying down the tunnel. *** The leader of the dolgrims crouched in the dark chamber smiles as two of the people standing in the tunnel are hit by the bolts, and motions the remaining dolgrim forward. Then all four of its eyes widen in shock as one of the humanoids gestures and pronounces some words. Two large tentacled bison appear in the tunnel and charge into the chamber, goring and trampling the shocked dolgrims. Behind them comes the humanoid that seems to be made partly of metal and wood, striking out with a long chain weapon to drop the closest dolgrim. The humanoid that summoned the bison shouts, “Surrender and you will be ... um, just surrender.” The dolgrim leader has no time to be surprised that the humanoid actually speaks fluent daelkyr, since the call to surrender is followed by a growling bear and another humanoid wielding a sword longer than any of the dolgrims are tall. They charge into the chamber and respectively decapitate and rip in half the two dolgrim fleeing for the sphincter that makes the primary exit. The leader screams and turns to flee, but it’s too late. The last thing it sees are the gleaming spikes on the chain that whips past its left ears and then snaps back. *** “You know,” says Trillia, as the adventurers look around the large chamber, now littered with the bodies of dolgrims, “Next time someone asks for a surrender, maybe you should give them a chance to do so.” “They’re dolgrims,” says Korm grimly, wiping his sword on a rag. “You wouldn’t be getting any information off them.” Luna growls in agreement and then carefully nibbles one of the corpses. [I]Hmm, tastes like chicken[/I]. The oval-shaped chamber is about fifty feet across, its surfaces made of the same living material that lined the tunnel. The only things it contains is some crudely made furniture and a couple of wooden crates. A small opening on either side leads to a smaller chamber. The more unusual exit is in the far wall from the tunnel entrance, a ten foot wide sphincter. Korm, having checked one of the smaller chambers, returns and says, “Great! I found their privy. And they’re storing their refuse too. And no, I don’t want to know why.” In the other one, Six stands over six wooden tubs and notes that each is stuffed full of raw, bloody, very fatty, meat. He carefully prods it with his pole. When there is no response, he says, “Well, at least it doesn’t seem alive.” Gareth, standing near him, says, “It isn’t evil either.” “Good to know,” says Nameless sarcastically from the doorway behind him. “Hey, everybody, their larder isn’t evil!” Six ignores them and takes a sample of the meat, before rejoining the others. As they gather near the sphincter, it slides open, revealing the chamber beyond, from which a foul odor emanates. The chamber is at least as large as the previous one, illuminated by green light emanating from three large crystals embedded into the ceiling. The veins/striations along the walls and ceiling are much thicker here. There is another large sphincter on the far wall and a slightly smaller one on the left wall. But what draws the group’s attention are the three circular pools in the room. Each is over a dozen feet in diameter, filled with a dark fluid that is constantly bubbling, though there is no appreciable change in temperature here. The liquid also flows from each pool to the other through one of three channels that link them in a triangular shape. Another channel carries fluid into each pool from a hole near the ceiling. Each pool contains something - or things, since there appear to be a number of them - that is floating on the surface, but from the entrance it is unclear what they are. After a moment’s hesitation, the adventurers enter. As soon as they do, a number of them feel a sense of deep, abiding depression overcome them. Trillia turns and asks, “Do any of you feel really, really crappy?” Six, for whom this is a very new emotion, shakes his head and says, “I don’t feel good. I feel like this is ... futile. Why is that?” Gareth, having been unaffected, asks, “What’s going on?” Korm rubs his temple and says, “Probably a trap of some sort. And yes, I feel lousy.” Nameless casts a [I]detect magic[/I] and scans the area. Looking at the crystals, he says, “They’re giving off transmutation, divination and enchantment auras.” And a second later, he adds, “And just created a spell effect. Each of them. Enchantment.” Luna, previously unaffected, is now affected and growls her irritation. After some experimentation, including backing up and letting the sphincter close and waiting till the effect passes (which takes five minutes), the adventurers quickly work out that the crystals each emanate some effect every few seconds, which creates the depressing emotion. With three such effects occurring regularly, everyone is affected sooner or later. Nameless’ experience is a little different to the others. A few seconds after as he is affected, he has a distinct feeling of something going “click” in the back of his head. There is no recurrence to the effect for him. Resigning themselves to the feeling, the Angels move into the chamber, experiencing the strange amalgam of depression, curiosity and apprehension at the same time. As they reach and gaze into the pools, Luna growls what can only be an ursine version of “Oh, yuck!”, summing up the group’s general response. The pools each contain two or three roughly humanoid figures, ranging in size from about goblin-sized to slightly larger than a human. It is difficult to say if they are really humanoid, since none has four complete limbs, and they keep (slowly, but certainly) changing in form, though retaining a basic humanoid template. Parts of their bodies literally wash away in the bubbling fluid and then reform. As the Angels watch, they see skin and muscle dissolve, revealing throbbing organs, oozing brains, and squirming intestines. The only two constants about all the creatures are their eyes, which are completely clear and bulging out of their sockets, and their gaping mouths, which have a thick glutinous film covering them. Each creature also has at least one individual feature that is unchanging, which is linked somehow to the other inhabitants of the pools. Each pool also holds a number of much smaller creatures, which resemble nothing so much as small jellyfish. Most are simply floating back and forth in the bubbling water, but some are attached to parts of the larger creatures. Whichever part they attach to never seems to change, and also seem to be the most aberrant parts of the larger creatures. One has a pair of mandibles, like those on a giant ant, attached to its chin, while another has insect-like feet growing out of its chest, while a third has either a muscular tail or tentacle attached to its back. Trillia, kneeling to take a lower look but carefully staying some distance away, says, “It’s some kind of a transformative process.” Her voice holds much more fascination than disgust. “Is this common with aberrations?” asks Six. Nameless replies. “The daelkyr treat the crafting of living creatures ... or rather, living intelligent creatures ... in new shapes and ways as an art form. Some aberrations also practice it. The processes have never been really worked out, though some mages have found ways to mimic them. Somewhat.” Trillia adds, “I’ve never seen a process like this.” “Do you know what that fluid is?” asks Six. At her reply of "No," he fishes out the piece of meat recovered from the previous room and drops it in. It bobs on the surface, a couple of the small jellyfish-like creatures floating up to nuzzle at it and then moving away. “Stop throwing things in there,” says Gareth. “Whatever the creature that’s doing this, I think it’s safe to say that it’s evil. These are probably innocent creatures being tortured.” Six doesn’t respond, pulling his bow off his back and putting an arrow into one of the jellyfish-things. It explodes under the impact, leaving only tiny specks that are lost in the churning water. Korm, who has been kneeling near another pool with an expression of increasing distaste and anger, stands up and says grimly. “Gareth is right. If you listen carefully, you can hear them screaming through that stuff on their mouths. We need to put them out of their misery.” Luna gives another growl and lifts a paw to point at the meat Six threw in. The meat has a soft pink covering over it. Gareth peers at it and then says, “By the Flame, it’s actually growing skin!” He looks again and adds, “And so is your arrow!” “That does it!” says Korm. “Six - if you will?” Six nods and carefully takes aim at one of the larger creatures, before putting an arrow neatly through its right eye. The arrow sinks deep, punching through its skull. The creature doesn’t make a sound, but after a second its other eye closes, followed shortly by its mouth. Six proceeds to do the same to the others in the pool and then move to the next one. Behind him, there is the sound of a weapon chopping into flesh as Korm uses his sword on the ones near him. After the distasteful task is over, Trillia takes a sample of the liquid from a pool, as does Nameless. After doing so, she says, “Interesting. The liquid’s flowing out of the pools and not in.” She points at the streams and adds, “And [I]up[/I] the walls.” “Whatever’s doing this must have very powerful magic to hand,” says Gareth. “Actually,” corrects Nameless, “Aberrations don’t necessarily use magic - or at least not the kind we use - in their shaping of other creatures. Much of what they use replicates magic and can be detected or identified using spells, but is not magic per se. That liquid gives off a number of magical auras, but it’s some sort of a biological mix, I’m sure, not magical.” Six interrupts, having had something else pointed out to him by Luna. “Umm - guys? Remember that meat I threw in?” “Yeah?” “I think it’s started growing hair now. I don’t know about you, but I’m leaving before it climbs out and bites me.” Nobody disagrees, and the group moves on to the sphincter in the left wall. Six moves up to it, and when this one does not open, pokes it with his pole**. At which point the sphincter opens slightly and fires a cloud of green gas that envelops Six and Korm (who was standing next to him). After a second of shock, Luna gives what sounds as close to a laugh as a bear can, while Gareth turns to Nameless and says, “Did the door just [I]fart[/I] on him?” Korm quickly backs out of the mist, which now fills a ten foot wide space, and snorts, “Gah! That’s a [I]stinking cloud[/I].” Gareth smirks and taps the [I]ring of adaptation[/I] that they found on the island. “Good thing I can’t be bothered by things like that.” Six, who has followed Korm, says, “Then why don’t you try getting it open?” “Okay.” Gareth unsheathes Kizmet and walks into the mist, the thin shell of constant fresh air around him keeping the vapors at bay. Setting his feet, he hits the sphincter once. As soon as he does so, a horizontal gap opens in the sphincter. A flat, muscular appendage over two feet in length shoots out of the gap and promptly smacks Gareth across the face. Though his helm prevents serious damage, its wet surface touches his flesh and he feels an acidic burn. From outside the mist, Korm asks, “What’s going on?” “Aargh - the door [I]licked[/I] me! ” “What?!” Gareth hacks at the appendage and shouts, “Stop asking questions and get in here!” Korm steps into the mist, holding his breath. After a momentary pause at seeing Gareth engaged with what does really look like a huge tongue, Korm joins him and the two quickly slice it into pieces. The tattered appendage retracts and after a couple of blows, the sphincter slides open, even as the [I]stinking cloud[/I] fades away, revealing the chamber beyond. * Korm was down to 8 Dex for the entire session, from his normally staggering height of 10 Dex. ** First session I've ever run where a player got to say, “I prod the sphincter with my pole.” [/QUOTE]
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Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
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