Far Isles Session #5 - The Blob

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:  
Chaff  (Vivimancer 1), with henchman/carrier Conch (Calmonari 1),
Gormus (Thief/Specialist 1), with henchman Villius Paticus (Cleric 1)
Azimer (Calmonari 1)
Vort (Dwarf 1)

The party returned to the  "Serpents Revenge" to resupply on oil, nets and a bag full of rats. They were also joined by the dwarf Vort, one of the adventurer/crew who joined the vessel on their last journey into the ring of islets. Thus prepared for further adventure, the party was deposited on the beach and headed back into the caves. There they made a right turn at the previously bypassed junction. After about 40', the sharp eyed Azimer noted a mauve coloured blob on the floor ahead, almost indistinguishable from similar mauve coloured rocks and veins in the cave walls. Vort the Dwarf picked up  rock and tossed it at the glop; the rock disappeared inside the thing with no noticeable affect. Conch pulled a bilge rat from his sack, tied it to a 10' pole, and passed it all to Chaff. The little vivimancer poked the rat at the blob, which engulfed the rodent and about a foot of the pole in the process. That pointed to killing it with fire as an advisable course of action, so a brace of oil flasks and a cantrip spark set the thing alight, leaving behind a black crust.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/

Moving past the burned blop, the part soon came to a dead end. Here they encountered a statue of a bald, androgynous looking person, dressed in straight-edged robes with alternating vertical geometric patterns. The statue's arms were wrapped around it, as if hugging itself. Also of note was the single yellow gem in one eye socket, the other staring empty and blind. Azimer and Vort searched around the statue for traps, while Gormus eyed the gem-eye greedily. While nothing untoward was found by the trap-seekers, the party decided to tip the statue over just in case. It came down with a solid crash, and Gormus now felt it safe to pry out that gem. When he did, the statues mouth opened and a gout of acid shot forth. Luckily, the statue fell in a position such that the acid spread across the floor and melted some rock rather than some adventurer flesh.

Retracing steps, the party re-entered the broken treasure chest chamber. While everyone else searched around the remains of the chest for more coins/clues to it's origin, Gormus wandered ahead. As he reached the end of the chamber, he saw a strange thing emerge from the darkness. It was a blob about 15' tall, a scintillating mass of colour that slid slowly towards the thief on a layer of ectoplasmic slime. With a gurgling cry, Gormus retreated to the safety of the party and the group prepared to meet this new threat. A battle line was formed, oil tossed and lit, crossbow bolts loosed, and Gormus blasted a hole in the blob with his pistol. But the now smouldering blob slowly continued it's advance. Rather than make a stand , the party made a fighting retreat down the tunnel towards the beach, lobbing oil and torches as they went. And still the monstrous slime advanced, tattered and burned but seemingly invincible. In addition to this primary threat, a swarm of tiny crab poured down the walls while passing the intersection to the dead end tunnel. These engulfed Azimer, who turned and ran screaming towards the beach and the ocean to wash off the biting little buggers. The calmonari was soon joined by the rest of the party, now out of oil and retreating before the blob. Which luckily did not follow them out into the sunlight and fresh sea air of the beach. Vort used his shield to aim beam of sunlight at the thing, which caused it to retreat back into the darkness.

http://chicagomag.com/images/2012/0912/C201209-C-Jason-Lazarus-Blob-Monster.jpg

Regrouping on the beach, Gormus recalled the jolly boat and went back to the "Serpents Revenge" to gather as much oil as Thorgrim could spare. Thus rearmed, the party advanced back into the caves, oil flasks in hand. They once more met the blob near the broken treasure chest chamber and unleashed a hail of oil and flame, carefully retreating before the slowly advancing blob. This time the oil seemed to do the trick, and the blob collapsed in to an ashy, slimy smear on the floor. With a sigh of relief (and a quick exploratory poke with a 10' pole), the party moved past the now defunct obstacle and entered the next chamber.  This was a vaguely round cavern, with an exit to the north-east. In the centre of the room stood a well surrounded by a low stone wall. Conch and Chaff investigated the exit, and noted a relatively fresh trail of slime coming from that direction. The rest of the party headed for the well, finding it dry to the limits of their vision. Vort obtained a rat from Conch, tied it to a rope and lowered the squirming rodent down the well.

At this point Chaff looked towards the entrance to the chamber, and cursed as another/the same giant blob entered the room! Gormus loaded his pistol, Villius fired a sling stone, and Azimer moved into position to catch the thing in  net. Chaff and Conch meanwhile headed down the new exit at top speed, looking for (hopefully) another way out so the party wouldn't be trapped and destroyed by the blob. Vort continued to lower the rat, having to add more rope until the rat bottomed out at about 105'. Villius missed with his sling, the blob dissolved Azimer's net, and Vort now saw another swarm of tiny crab skittering up the walls of the well towards him!

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Azimer took care of this new crustacean threat by using aquatic charm to befriend the swarm and guide it towards the blob. Which promptly engulfed and dissolved the little critters. Gormus and Villius looped around the blob and retreated back towards the beach,  and Azimer and Vort kept moving to dodge the advancing blob. Conch and Chaff meanwhile entered another large chamber, note a statute at the far end, then headed out another exit on the opposite wall. Azimer and Vort decided to follow the vivimancer and calmonari, as the blob was blocking the other exit. The four were able to keep easily ahead of their slow moving foe, and soon came to a four way intersection. Here they encountered a prism shaped crystal pillar, covered in a series of strange inscriptions of vertical and horizontal lines. Chaff cast  read magic to no avail, and further investigation was interrupted by the arrival of the gods-cursed blob.

Choosing the exit most likely to lead to the beach, the quartet moved off at a run once more. Just as they reached the first rays of daylight, they passed a small alcove on their left. There lay the body of a yet unencountered species of fish-man, it's lower body missing and the trunk terminating in dripping slime. Azimer poked it with his trident. When nothing bad happened, he pocketed the gold band he'd seen encircling the creatures bicep. The blob now approached, but would not come into the daylight and fresh air where the full party stood (the quartet having now been rejoined by Villius and Gormus).  After a few moments, the thing retreated back into the darkness, leaving the party to retreat back to the "Serpents Revenge| with their meager treasure. 

TOTAL XP
416

GAINS
100gp amber gem
gold bracelet (20gp)

KILLS
2 crab swarms
1 mauve glop

LOSSES
2 Bilge Rats
A lot of oil