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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Seravin" data-source="post: 1063520" data-attributes="member: 6783">The Depths BelowDeep below the lands of men and elves lie passages and caverns; most of which have never been cataloged by mortal language.  Some were formed as Tasa shaped the world – deliberately included as part of her grand scheme.  Others were formed over millennia as water and magma followed their courses and laid bare the softer rock.Still other passages and caverns were formed by various cataclysms that rent the earth as gods, their abominations, and their servants made their wars against each other.  The Takeel Wars some two millennia ago was only the latest terror which had left its scars literally miles deep.Finally there were those passages and caves that were formed by mortal sentience and direction.  There are of course the dwarves, which have been delving deep since their own creation and mandate.  Dwarven cities and mines are well described in the records and books of lore, and are known to go deep into the earth.The passageways that passed just a few hundred feet beneath Haranshire however, were formed at the direction of older creatures; darker creatures.  Using alien magics, giant worms, and slime covered crawlers, these passages were carved along ancient river ways – almost within touching distance of the surface.  These underground tunnels ran from the depths of the Thornwood northwards to the Blanryde hills; and westwards from the Hardlow Woods to just past Milbourne.The creation of these passageways was impressive; no doubt.  Unfathomable tons of rock were displaced or consumed, opening up caverns that had never been seen before.  More impressive however, and more chilling, is that these passageways were created more than two centuries ago in preparation for a plan that had yet to see fruition.“How long do you think these tunnels go?”  Asked Panther, looking about the tunnel in some anticipation.  The passageway they were in was almost twenty feet wide and nearly as tall.  The floor of the passage was worn smooth, perhaps by some river, though littered with rocks and boulders here and there.  The flickering light from Kestral’s and Jallarzi’s flickering crystal pendants threw dancing shadows before them.Kellron shrugged.  “I don’t know.”  He answered.  And that was the only answer they really had.  Their captured prisoner had revealed nothing but a blatant hostility.  Kestral and Panther could sense that there was something not right with the man, but he answered inquiries with vile epitaths and swears.  In the end they chained the man in the cells beneath the keep.  They would return to him in the morning.Earlier this morning Kestral had exited the secret passage that led from the secret door in the basement of Broken Spire Keep.  It had been quiet – with the notable exception of a small band of goblins that had been sneaking through the tunnels.  Fortunately the young courier heard the goblins and managed to hide herself as the goblins approached.  The goblins had nearly walked right over her hiding spot, but before that happened they veered off behind another mound of rocks and disappeared.  Investigation had revealed a smaller, hidden side-tunnel which only a child or a goblin would have easily crawled through.Of orcs though there had been no sign.  So now the group wandered through the long passage, alert for any sign of movement.It was because of this alertness that Ashimar stopped and raised his hand.  “Do you hear that?”  He hissed.  A sound not unlike a heavy sack being dragged across stone had graced his hearing; a very large sack.Everyone stopped and cocked their ears down the hallway.  There was life in these tunnels beneath the earth.  Besides the occasional patches of fungus, a few spiders nearly a hand span across had skittered out their light.  Drips of water and the occasional falling rock had also garnered their attention.<Shhrrrrrrruuppppp>The sound was louder now and they all heard it.  They had heard it before in the darkness, but never so near.<Shhrrrrrrruuppppp>Kellron and Ashimar drew their blades and stepped forward slightly.  Kestral pulled out her crossbow and Panther his bow.  Jallarzi stepped back a bit and went through her list of spells.  A faint chemical smell hung on the air.<SHHRRRRRRUUUUUUPPP>“Goddess.”  Muttered Jallarzi.  “What is that thing?”  Her elven sight had picked out the creature in the dim light.lPanther just shook his head, seeing the same thing as the sorceress.“What is it!”  Demanded Kellron, his blade now held high.  Just beyond his vision he thought he could make out the shadow of a wall or something.<SHHRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUPPP>The very air seemed to deform as something rushed towards Kellron and Ashimar.  It was easily ten feet wide and almost as high, and impossibly it moved across the stone floor, nearly tumbling over itself as it moved; looking for all the world like a wall of algae-stricken water.  Kellron stepped to the side as the thing bore down on them.  Ashimar held his ground and slashed out with his rapier as it closed with him.  Most creatures would have recoiled at the pain of the wound he inflicted.  This thing wasn’t most creatures.  Instead it bore down on the young rouge and folded itself over him, engulfing the man.  Ashimar had the presence of mind to hold his breath but that was about it.  Paralytic acids began to enter his body through his exposed skin but Ashimar was able to shrug the effects off.As Ashimar struggled in the bag of goo that held him, Kellron raised his sword and hacked at the creature.  Simultaneously Kestral and Panther let loose with their readied missiles and Jallarzi let off a pair of magic missiles.  The goo formed a psuedopod from its mass which lunged out and struck Kellron.  Kellron grunted, but deflected the mass of it with his shield and struck back.  Inside the goo, Ashimar found out that his rapier was useless and fumbled for his dagger.  He nearly had it before the poisons finally overloaded his nervous systems and rendered him helpless.  The digestive acids of the creature were already working on his skin and clothes.Frantically Kestral and Panther fired another pair of missiles into the creature, aiming high so as to miss their friend.  Jallarzi fired off another pair of magic missiles and the creature, driven by instincts, began to retreat with its food.Kellron took a final swing at the creature, using all his strength, and laid open a gash across the entire length of the creature.  Already bleeding from numerous cuts, the integrity of the creature finally gave way and it gushed its interior fluids and Ashimar across the floor of the cave.  Ashimar was able to reflexively take a huge gasp of air as he was freed, but it was several minutes before his muscles allowed him to move.Kellron saw to Ashimar’s burns, invoking Sarath’s aid.  Ashimar nodded his thanks to the paladin and looked around.  “What the HELL’S is that?”  He asked to no one in particular.“I think it’s called a ‘Gelatinous Cube’.”  Answered Panther.  “A magical creation of some sort.”  The young half-elf looked at the remains that were already being absorbed by the limestone floor.  “They’re usually set to guard dungeons and what not.  They don’t normally run free.”Ashimar grunted his response.  Warily, the group decided to press onwards.<edited a pronoun or two.></blockquote>

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