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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rybaer" data-source="post: 189437" data-attributes="member: 118">Session #12.8 - Yet another stairwell Everyone was relieved that no more ogres had returned to the complex to harass them while they rested.  Or, if any had returned, they might have made a hasty retreat upon discovering the slaughtered bodies of the other ogres that littered the hallways.  With everyone fully rested and healed, they were ready to resume exploring the ruins of Kladish. Getting through the heavy stone door bearing Moradin's symbol was their next goal.  It was also their next problem.  Four iron beams, 6"x6"x10', barred the door shut.  Supporting these beams on either side were stacks of flat stone slabs, each about 4' square and 8" thick.  Both the stone slabs and the iron bars were too large and heavy for them to move.  The group discussed various options and got into some heated discussions over physics, engineering, stonework, and so on.  (Zalman had studied architecture and engineering, while Rurik was well versed in stonework.)  Literally, over an hour went by before a majority vote favored one approach to getting through the barricade: Zalman would place his staff vertically against the four iron bars and render it immobile, thereby holding them roughly in place.  Rurik would then cast Stone Shape to fashion the bottom-most stone slab on either side of the door into a wedge facing away.  Standing well out of the way, Zalman would give the command word to release his staff, which would then be quickly jerked away with the rope tied to it.  In theory, the stacks would come tumbling down away from the door and hopefully land far enough away to allow them to open it. Theory, in this case, worked out passably.  The stack collapsed with a horrible crash as Zalman's staff was pulled free.  When the dust settled, they found that there was a little over a foot of clear space in front of the door.  It would be a tough squeeze for Rurik, but otherwise all could fit.  (Two hours of game time later, they got through this one obstacle.) Bommer checked the door for traps (finding none) and then Rurik confirmed that there were enchantments upon it.  As the cleric opened the door, Zalman started chuckling.  Everyone faced the wizard, wondering what was so humorous. "You know," Zalman said.  "I could have just summoned a thoqua above the top iron bar.  It would have melted clean through all four bars in no time and left little mess in the way."  The stunned expressions on everyone's faces ranged from fury to frustration to humor. "Yeah, thanks for coming up with that clever idea NOW," Nigel said.  Everyone else took their perfunctory jabs at Zalman and then prepared for what was beyond the door that had been such an ordeal to get to. Beyond the heavy stone door was a wide stairwell leading down into darkness.  Amblin took the lead with Bommer while the others followed a short distance back.  The stairwell was well worked stone, but a number of cracks revealed the age of the place.  Some cracks were wide enough to force them to step carefully over them.  The stairwell continued downward, winding back and forth at a series of landings.  At each landing, the scout team would wait for the others to come back into sight before pressing on. About a hundred and fifty feet down, Amblin and Bommer found a rather wide crack in the middle of a flight of stairs.  It was nearly three feet across and extended through the walls and ceilings.  While they waited at the landing for the others, Bommer thought he could faintly hear something up ahead.  It sounded sort of squishy."What's the hold up?" Nigel asked when they reached Amblin and Bommer. "Big crack," Bommer said.  "You'll have to be careful." "Is it structurally sound?" Nigel asked. Rurik gave the surrounding walls a quick examination.  "Good dwarven construction," he said.  "Of course it’s sound.  It's so old that some seismic activity is understandable.  Just watch around the edge of the crack for loose rock." Amblin led the way down the stairs.  He was the first to discover the huge black pudding that was waiting for them in the crack when a long, black gelatinous tentacle reached out for him.  The monk's reflexes were good, though, and he deftly dodged the swipe.  Not one to hesitate, Amblin leapt down the stairs and over the crack.  He easily cleared the full thirty feet to the next landing and avoided yet another swipe by the pudding while he was airborne. "Is it clear down there?" Nigel called to Amblin.  The monk looked down the next flight of stairs and replied that it was empty as best he could tell.  With Bommer wrapped around his shoulders, Nigel also leapt over the pudding before it could completely bubble up out of the crack.  Rurik and Zalman, along with Amblin's dog Moltar, were stuck on the higher platform and fully separated from the others. Not knowing any better, Rurik stepped down the stairs and took a whack with Sleet at the gooey black mass that was filling the staircase.  The axe sliced cleanly through the pudding, cleaving it in two.  Much to his dismay, however, the two halves were still very much alive.  Zalman, who was dredging up what lore he had read on such creatures from the back of his mind, was amazed that Rurik's axe hadn't dissolved in the powerful acid these creatures were known to excrete.  The young wizard started shouting out factoids - such as its ability to split, its resistance to most forms of physical attack, and its highly acidic nature.  The party was now fully split so they couldn't just retreat. Rurik retreated back up the stairs, narrowly avoiding a couple swipes from the pudding.  Zalman summoned a patch of Glue on the creature to try to hold it in place (with mixed results).  He then urged Nigel to hit one of the two puddings with a couple arrows. "Won't that just make more of em?" Nigel called back as he strung his bow. "Yeah, that's the idea!" Zalman called back.  Nigel shrugged and fired a pair of arrows into one of the oozes.  Where each arrow sliced through it, the pudding parted and split into new smaller oozes.  Zalman positioned himself at a bit of an angle and then unleashed a wide lightning bolt from his wand at the smaller three oozes.  Two were burnt to cinders and the other was looking a bit crunchy even if it could still move. Nigel and Zalman repeated the process with the largest remaining ooze and two more lightning bolts later all the black puddings were destroyed.  With the threat eliminated, the group rejoined at the bottom of the stairs.  Zalman gave a more detailed explanation of black puddings and other oozes.  Rurik was a bit weak in the knees when he realized just how close he’d come to losing his brand new axe Sleet by directly attacking the creature.  Zalman complimented Nigel on how their combination of tactics had quickly and efficiently slain a dangerous monster.Back in the lead, Amblin and Bommer led the group down another couple flights of stairs until they reached a heavy stone door.  It was untrapped, unlocked, and had no detectable magical aura.  Bommer could faintly hear something beyond, but it was a pretty steady noise – likely something ambient.The door opened into a large chamber littered with the debris of ages of neglect.  Stone slabs from the high ceiling had crashed into the stone floor.  Dust lay thick everywhere.  The sound Bommer had heard was more distinct now, that of a waterfall somewhere in the distance.  Trying to maintain some semblance of stealth, they slowly walked across the room and around an L-shaped bend.  At the far end of the room was an open doorway some ten feet high and fifteen wide.  The sound of water crashing was louder here, and the way it echoed hinted at a chamber of enormous size.  Even those with good darkvision could scarcely make out the sides of the room on either side and the ceiling was lost in the shadowy heights.They slowly entered the room, careful to stick close together.  To either side were a number of doors set in regular intervals.  Many were open or broken.  A ramp led to a walkway above the doors on the “ground” floor and revealed another set of doors running the length of the room.“I think this would be the living quarters,” Rurik said.“Maybe it’s just me,” said Bommer.  “But I don’t think there’s been anyone living here for quite some time.”Next session:  Exploring the ruins and the temple of Moraein.</blockquote>

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