Barrowmaze: Territorial Gains.

[Monsieur Rose]

Sir Dewey

"We can't leave him in there. Quickly, there may still be hope!"

Knowing that the pudding starts flowing when the lid is opened, the Knight makes sure everyone knows to run as soon as it's open.

"Get torches ready! Isvand, I fear I am not up to the quickness required. Can you do it? We will throw you a rope to help your exit."

[tanker405th]

Gideon

-1 first aid kit. That's exactly what I would've done.

Overwhelmed with grief from seeing the results of Orgoth tossing me out of the room, Gideon will volunteer to check the coffer unless directly ordered to continue attending to the miners.

"Toss me that rope, and by Ygg be ready to haul with all your might. Someone toss me a spear or pole to dislodge the lid.

Casting Sanctuary on myself as I prepare to determine Orgoth's fate. Dropping pack and unnecessary gear, still clad in armor with shield and mace.

[ateno]

"I will be on the rope Gideon, 3 of you help me,"

Cosmo

[redwarrior]

Isvand Draws his bow, and watches the hall in the other direction. Secretly glad for Gideon's nobility!

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven steps back towards the doorway, helping if he can, but not standing right at the edge of the coffin when its opened, just in case he's right about Orgoth turning into a puddingoid inside.

"Do it! Open it! We have to try to save him!"

[tanker405th]

"I will be on the rope Gideon, 3 of you help me,"

Cosmo

Gideon

As Gideon is stopped by Cosmo while preparing, he will finish his prayer and ask Ygg to bless Cosmo with the effects of sanctuary instead. Taking hold of the rope, "May Ygg grant us his favor, and see fit to save our friend." His stony visage beginning to crack.

[sastaz]

Gerdal, shocked as anyone else, snaps out of her stupor.

"Hold on for just a second! If the ooze is Inside the coffin, I fear we have already lost him. What I believe, and hope, is that the coffin itself actually absorbed the ooze. Possibly initiating some magic property, like making the coffin indestructible, transporting its contents elsewhere, what do I know. But that probably means that if we open the lid, the ooze will come for us and Orgoth again."

She clears her throat.

"What I'm saying is I don't think we should be prepared to burn anything, we should prepare to haul him out together as fast as possible, before the ooze attacks again. Get him, get out."

Being the weakest one in the gang, she stays back, near the exit.

[Spearmint]

The De Ogilvy's Chamber:


The proof is in the pudding. An unfortunate expression. The group hope against hope that Orgoth is not in the Pudding or even worse, has become the Pudding.

Spells and prayers are said and measures made to avoid any more acid burns. You are trying to get solve the mystery not get dissolved. Puns aside, the horror is discovered.

Gideon casts a warding Sanctuary and ties himself on a rope, trusting others to haul him out should the Black Pudding manifest. I think Cosmo's intent is to hold the rope for Gideon not replace him in the chamber as coffer lid remover.

Whoever goes manages to push up the heavy lid with a creak. Expecting a sizzling body or amorphous blob, you actually see the coffer contains murky, brackish and diluted blood red water. No Black Pudding which as Gerdal implied, may have just be absorbed into the coffer structure. However there is no Orgoth. You can put hands into the water to try and pull out any submerged body but you find none; not a bone, not an undissolved boot heel or button, no remains of cloth, armour or shield, no weapon remnants, glass vial or coin.

Amos backing up Gideon is at a loss as much as his closer friends.

Actions please.

[tanker405th]

Gideon casts a warding Sanctuary and ties himself on a rope, trusting others to haul him out should the Black Pudding manifest. I think Cosmo's intent is to hold the rope for Gideon not replace him in the chamber as coffer lid remover.

Amos backing up Gideon is at a loss as much as his closer friends.

Gideon

Seeing what was feared most, Gideon solemnly shakes his head at the awaiting group. Trying to speak, yet finding words inutterable, he signals for help pulling him out of the room as he begins staggering towards the exit.

[sastaz]

Gerdal

"Hold on, something is tricky here. Why would there only be water left of him? He had armor and everything, there's no way that would have dissolved in this short time. Not even bone! Not with the ooze gone? When I tried this on a badger, only parts of it would liquify and.... she pauses, realizing she overshared.

"What I'm saying is, I'm certain Orgoth was transported from the chest."

She will cast detect magic looking on the outside and inside of the coffin, also have the sneaky guys and demihumans help her examine the bottom. Could there be a trapdoor in the bottom of the coffin?

Watching out for any ooze slithering out from any cavities...

Rando rolls: [1d20]=18, [4d6]=12

[OGRE MAGE]

Sven finally builds up enough courage to look into the coffin himself, seeing the black water has turned blood red. Ever curious, he pulls out an empty glass jar and takes a sample of the water to study later.

He relaxes a little after Gerdals theory, but doesn’t seem fully convinced.

“That blood red water is not exactly encouraging.”

He awaits the results of the badger melting witches magical detections before extrapolating further.

[Spearmint]

The coffer has already detected as evil and has a magic necromantic / alteration arcane property.

Explaining that and looking at the swirling, murky blood red water; did Orgoth liquify?

The coffer has a solid bottom and the Black Pudding is not seeping back out of the coffer it was absorbed into or yet flowing from the black pudding walls.

Amos, takes a look at the water,

Amos: wisdom check vs 15 [4d6]=17

He cannot fathom the depths of the mystery of Orgoth's fate.

A vial could be collected and given to the gnomes Gnim & Trey and under a litmus test the artisan connoisseurs conclude the water is not acidic. Indeed folk have already put hands into it and Orgoth didn't cry out when he leapt inside, so he was not melting then but then the lid got shut after him and the BP seeped into the coffer structure. Did he melt, get absorbed, liquify then?
The water is not holy or unholy water. The results of the detect evil & magic radiate their auras as 'a whole', so coffer and water together but the water taken out to study does not radiate as evil or magical. Just murky, diluted blood coloured water.

Anybody want to do a taste test?

actions and thoughts please.

[ateno]

After untying Gideon Cosmo in the spirit on investigation will cast:

Detect Illusion vs. 16 [4d6+2]=20+2=22

starting inside at the sarcophagus, the overhead, walls and walking around the room and ending outside on the walls and hallway.

Lasts 9 rounds and 1"wide and 2" deep

Cosmo

[Spearmint]

There is no illusion aspect to the coffer, the water, the scale shield held by Amos, the Black Pudding walls or anything physical or visual in the chamber.

[OGRE MAGE]

"Good idea!"

Sven encourages Cosmo to check the other secret room with his enhanced vision as well.

"I believe there is only one way to test Gerdals theory. I will climb into the coffin and be closed inside to see if anything happens to me."

[ateno]

There is no illusion aspect to the coffer, the water, the scale shield held by Amos, the Black Pudding walls or anything physical or visual in the chamber.

Out to the room as Sven asked.

Cosmo

[Spearmint]

No illusion in or out the current Barrowmaze area.

[ateno]

No illusion in or out the current Barrowmaze area.

Report same.

"Sven, its Alteration Magic! It can change you to anything, even I know that. The pudding came from the wall, it was a protector of sorts I think. Try other things first. Empty the water, place in a quart of water and test with that, see what happens, experiment before you go off a making grieving decisions with your brain assessing risk like a faulty safety on a crossbow.

Cosmo will sniff the red water trying for any sense of difference.

Cosmo

[Spearmint]

"I believe there is only one way to test Gerdals theory. I will climb into the coffin and be closed inside to see if anything happens to me."

Sven takes his life in his hands, eschewing a Water Breathing spell just in case this goes wrong or even more horribly wrong and he shows that as far as Orgoth is concerned, their blood is thicker than water.

...

Sven steps into the sarcophagus, holding his nose and immerses himself under the scummy, murky surface.


...
....
....

He doesn't resurface ... a cloud of fresh blood swirls in the unholy baptistry as a new convert meets his fate ...

Nearby Smokie howls once, then disappears.

[Spearmint]

Empty the water, place in a quart of water and test with that, see what happens, experiment before you go off a making grieving decisions with your brain assessing risk like a faulty safety on a crossbow.

the water just appears as murky water whatever test is made.