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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 362098" data-attributes="member: 1210">The group returns to the scene of their battle with the oozes.  The pile of crap that was the strange pillar/altar thing remains where it fell, toppled by Krunkshank’s bold leap.  It has become something of an isle of poop in the middle of the sluggishly-flowing sewage. The party searches distastefully through it until they find the dismembered body that they saw.  They decide to leave most of it behind, but take the head to show to Toufe, hoping he can identify it.  Horbin remains on guard, his holy mace drawn and ready lest the Juiblexian reappear.  He’s itching for a rematch.  But, though the party spends more than a few moments waiting around, there is no sign of the strange ooze-like evil cleric.Eventually, they go on their way.  They have other things to do down here, after all.  They start trying to find their way to the place where the sewer allegedly drains into the lower caves beneath Poppin.  The sewage seems to gradually get deeper as they head to the east, so the group heads to the north.  Horbin keeps looking around for the Juiblexian, but he doesn’t see it.  Before too long, the party does have a minor battle with four strange, disgusting humanoids that swim in the sewage, even under the surface- filthy little meazels, and easily dispatched.  When the party finally gives up after a long stinky day, they head back up, and then once again douse themselves in the ocean before seeking a bath.  They decide to try again the next day.  Before they get into some serious drinking, they take the head to the shrine of Old Grandmother.  “Be strong, lad,” says Horbin, placing a hand on Toufe’s shoulder.  “Was this your mistress?”  Krunkshank pulls the head out of a bag and the boy bursts into tears.  Well, that answers that.  Though Vito tries to persuade him to join the party in hunting down Mistress Jahn’s killer, he declares that he must tend the shrine; after all, there are no other clerics of the faith here.  He must finish his training on his own.Then they remember that it's the night of Ooluts' party, so they go out to the town square.  They find tables laden with food and drink, lots of people, and lots of political posters.  They eat and drink their fill, get to hear Ooluts talk about how important it is that someone with the money to help out is in charge, and find the whole thing rather amusing.  An informal poll of some of the local folk there seems to indicate that throwing big parties is a good way to get some votes.  Also, it seems that Ooluts has been throwing money at a lot of the local businesses, including the Drinking Dwarves.  "I like Zenvo better as a person," Longburns confides to them after the party, once they've all gone back to the Dwarves, "but I think Ooluts has my vote.""You really think he'll keep giving away all his money once he's elected?  I really think someone like Zenvo might be more in the town's interest," Vito responds, but the dwarven barkeep just shrugs.Horbin is in a foul mood, Clambake isn’t hungry, and Droidi doesn’t like the city, so things are about where they were the previous night.  Again, Clambake moves some food around his plate and stays at the Dwarves long after the rest of the group retires.  “Is he getting any sleep?” Bolfol asks as he and Vito leave, but Vito just shrugs.  Later that night, Vito goes to get his tattoo, in accordance with the deal he’s made with the Magpie Gang.  Oops, did I say that out loud?  Never mind.  Nobody needs to know about that.The next day, the old men on the porch seem to be talking about our heroes as they get ready to descend back into the sewers.  “Arr,” Captain Clambake calls to them, tipping his hat; and they hurriedly go inside their house.  He snorts a laugh, then they all try not to breathe too deeply as they move down the rotting ladder.  The stink could kill a horse, but the party’s almost used to it by now.  There’s more than a hint of the stench left on them as they start creeping along the walkway again.  Clambake initiates his spider climb ability and keeps to the ceiling.  “I cast an augury this morning,” Horbin announces, “and it leads me to believe that our best bet of finding slime boy is to go back to his nasty little shrine.”  Well, since the gods generally know what they’re talking about, the party goes back there again.  They return to the isle of poop and scan the effluvia for any signs of movement, all too aware of how easily the oozes hid before.  Nobody sees anything at first.  Then- “There!” Krunkshank cries out, mentally thanking the elements for his Third Eye Aware, and channels elemental forces.  An eerie green glow surrounds something just on the surface of the sewage.  The shapeless creature drops beneath the surface, out of sight, and Horbin calls out a prayer to Dexter.  The party feels holy power invigorating them, and Clambake casts a spell of protection from evil on himself.  Krunkshank readies a counterspell while Droidi whips out his dagger, hoping to avenge his lizard.  The adventurers keep invoking more magical protections- and, under the surface of the sewage, so does the Juiblexian... not that they can tell, of course.  And then it rises, swinging its pseudopods at Horbin.  He ducks them and responds with a searing blast of light straight out of Heaven, and the monster slips back under the surface.  Though the party remains ready for a few minutes, it soon becomes apparent that the creature has slipped away again.“Dammit!” Horbin curses.  “Ooh, I want to kill that thing!”Traveling further through the sewers, the party meets another group of meazels and again dispatches them with ease.  Then they give up for the day, return to the surface, and go through their typical sea-bath-drink routine.  Horbin heads to a local Dexterite church to pray.  While he’s there he asks the local priests if they can offer him any aid, and they assign an acolyte to his service- a young lad of 14 named Till.  “Great,” Horbin says, “thanks.”  But the acolyte is starry-eyed at the prospect of serving “such a great servant of the Light as you!”  He’s more than happy to do the cleric’s laundry and offers to be his shield bearer.  Horbin immediately starts coming up with ways to keep the boy out of trouble.  If only he knew how useful Till would prove in the coming weeks...Next time: all right, so we didn't get to the drain just yet; NEXT time, I swear!  Our heroes find out where the fungus came from and hear several differing stories about who and why.  Droidi makes new friends, and what happens when you start casting spells at politicians?  All in our next (couple of) updates...</blockquote>

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