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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jeremy" data-source="post: 9748732" data-attributes="member: 4036"><h3>2/19/22</h3>The goblins claim to serve the great mother, they are the ones that shattered the pots and that made all the mist.  They claim the great mother birthed all goblins.  As the mist doesn't seem to be doing anything, Gribitz feeds and talks with the goblins for a while.  Grath searches a bookshelf and examines the remains of the pots.  The pots and mist all give off Conjuration auras.  Grath finds and takes an unbroken pot.  He also finds a scroll of magic missile amidst the mostly eaten and crumbling books, the books look gnawed on as if the starving goblins were trying to eat them.There are some other hallways and crystals and even a statue that radiates magic of school Grath doesn't recognize.  Written in draconic at its base is: “Those who come near may come with open arms, those who go away may not trust their backs.”  Grath approaches with arms wide and gives it a hug before shuffling out without turning his back.  Gribitz repeats, Veldra and Rho only give it a pat on the shoulder.  Kith hugs it enthusiastically.  The party passes the statue without incident with Grath confident it is because of his precautions and the others wondering if someone is playing them for fools.In one of the rooms are a nest of stirges that are stirred to activity when their door opens, Gribitz immediately slams the door and runs away, having no desire to be a juice box.  Several of the giant mosquitos slam into the door but are unable to get it open again.  The party heads another other way and closes another door between them and the bloodsuckers.  Gribitz finds and climbs into a wine cask that is half full.  He manages to drink a good deal of it before Grath realizes what is happening and drags the goblin out.  There is a locked door that Gribitz is too drunk and Kith is too distracted to open.In a box, Gribitz finds dust and a small rust monster he scrambles back from.  Grath, thinking quickly scoops up the box and places it before the locked metal door.  The door is big enough that by the time the little guy dusts enough of it to fall,  it is already stuffed and curls up to nap.  As the party continues to explore a discussion about how the goblins get past the stirges comes to no convincing conclusions.  Especially since the party exhausts their directions that don't go through stirge territory.  When Grath heads back to the door there are several stirge stuck in it by their proboscis.  He counts nine left in the chamber beyond as he peeks through a crack in the door.  With the tolling of a dolorous bell Grath rots one of them away one by one with his necromantic power as Rho makes sure the door opens not an inch past what the priest needs to see.When there are only a few left Rho barbecues all but the last one which flees at top speed.  Gribitz enjoys the crunchy fried morsels, gnawing on a leg and sucking the hot grease off his fingers.  Seeing the gusto with which the goblin enjoys the snack, Rho suggests bringing some additional charred shells as tribute to the goblin broodmother.  He piles some into his bag of holding carefully avoiding the ones rotted by Grath's necromancy.Gribitz checks one hall but it takes him a while to mark all the traps.  Grath wanders away to explore while the goblin works only to stumble into a coven of grell, though he does notice them just before they can ambush him.  He defensively summons up his spirit guardians and braces for their assault.  They wrap their tentacles around him, poisoning and paralyzing him.  The grell swarm over him, trying to peel him out of his armor when Rho charges into the room and slams into them.  Veldra runs in right behind, her echo manifesting ahead of them both and slashing tentacles from the paralyzed priest.  Gribitz also comes running but his short little legs barely bring him to the edge of combat in time to see Grath shake off his poison.Rho and Veldra successfully cut Grath free only to be wrapped up themselves as the horrid brain creatures try to feed on the nearest warm bodies.  The poison works its way into Rho’s system, paralyzing him.  Ratty bursts from the earth to try to leap on the one eating Rho to eat it.  Grath shakes free of the remaining dead tentacles entangling him and hurriedly casts spell after spell trying to save Rho in turn who had just saved him.Grath is distraught to find all of that his side tunnel only lead back to where the party had already been. Gribitz catches a whiff of weakness and taunts the priest mercilessly before running away down another tunnel when he reaches the limits of the priest's patience.  Through a secret passage the party finds tool chests full of levers, gears, spikes, and trap making supplies.  There is a note saying “Alexander will never find this place, he has gone mad.  I hope he doesn’t find the others.”  As Grath muses over the name, Laz chimes in about it.  Grath for once actually takes up a conversation with the transformed wizard.  The intelligent spellbook normally talks so far above the party's comprehension that they had fallen into a habit of shouting "Shut up Laz!" nearly everytime the disembodied voice began speaking up.  This time however, Laz feels like he’s met or known of Alexander at some point.  The confusion of the book and his vulnerability in not knowing something combined with lamenting being constantly banished to the Bag of Holding pulls at Grath's conscience, so he offers to keep him out and in his own backpack if he can avoid drawing attention to the party.Gribitz finds a room with rotten bags of dirt that potatoes are growing out of.  There is also a acidic smelling pool of at the back that lashes out with a pseudopod at Gribitz.  Gribitz is hopping mad at filth that fights back and repeatedly throws fire bolt after fire bolt after fire bolt while scrambling out of reach until the dark mass bubbles and collapses in on itself. Checking around further there is another insane and confused gazer, some torturer implements, and barrels of horrible moving, living flesh that screams when it is set it on fire by the goblin who declares this is the mad work of books.The disturbed party continues onward and finds a spiked cage imprisoning another mound of flesh that Gribitz similarly sets aflame but this one forms into a screaming mass of mouths and eyes and starts rolling towards and through its bars.  Rho and Veldra begin slashing at it the horrid mass but its gibbering madness overcomes Rho’s mind.  Thankfully Kith kills it before Rho can do much more than stare dazedly off into space as dark whispers of destruction argue with nonsensical chaos inside his stunned mind.There are more doors and chests and even more seemingly abandoned goblins to free and feed.  There is some discussion about what is to be gained by talking to the gobin broodmother with the concession that she probably at least knows about her domain.  The party begins following a goblin who calls himself Grok that promises to make a fine offering of the party. In return they are shown the way around more traps (and treasures), doing their best to survive the mad world they have been trapped in for so long now.  Gribitz is hopeful the goblin mother will have some answers though the others have reservations that will soon prove wise.</blockquote>

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