The group of Rangers accompanying Ohanzee soon congregate at the entrance of the second largest hole, it's around 24 metres in diameter and at least 45 metres deep, and pitch black. Torches are being carried and Sun Hawk magic would be truly appreciated by all.

Flickering light illuminates the coarse grey rock walls, picking out the streaks of pinkish rock that runs through it. There's a fair bit of vegetation here, bushes and trees, the foliage rustling from animals disturbed by the sudden arrival of a group of rowdy nomads.   Pushing their way through, the braves find themselves standing about a foul smelling pool, it's surface covered by algae and water plants.

Salen soon joins them, a placid Impala across his shoulders and Mordy the dog at his heels.

Henal looks about. "So are we getting a light charm here Voras. Otherwise it is as murky as that water?"

Ohanzee wrinkles his nose at the smell and look of the water. "Right, let's just remember that this is not a hunting trip, not unless it turns out that that's the only option!" He looks at all but perhaps a little longer at Greeshar

He ties the rope about his waist and tells the others "Take this and pull me out if I get into trouble. Voras, light on me would be useful so that you might be able to see me under water if that's where I end up!"

"Right Salen let's tie the Impala by the pool side, everyone else keep an eye open in case it tries to make a meal of us as we do so!." and he proceeds to help Salen hobble it and place it at the pools edge.

Then, sure that the thing cannot struggle he nicks its flesh with his bone knife so that it starts bleeding into the water, though not so much as to be instantly fatal. Now he takes a seat just behind the Impala so that it is between him and the water and picks up his drum which he holds inverted like a bowl and pours some pebbles.

The young brave begins swirling and tipping the drum to emulate the sound he imagines of a snake slithering across the ground.

Hena helps tie the rope round Ohanzee then takes up station holding it though he looks to the larger braves to join him in this.

It's not long before the blood in the water gets the attention of something. Out in the middle of the lake the surface vegetation begins to move as something moves just below it.

Then ever so slowly whatever it is begins to follow the blood to it's source.

As the creature approaches below the surface Ohanzee adds song to the sound of the grit in the drum alternating between the speech of spirits and the speech of the Earth.

Come serpent
Swim over here
Fresh meat
Awaits you here.

Serpent come
Swim to here
Prey to kill
Over here.

Are you tied to the water
Can you escape
Must you stay here
Is that your fate?

Are you trapped in this pool
Can you not roam
Must you remain here
This forever your home?

Are you a creature of Water
Are you a creature of Earth
Have you been in this place
Since the time of your birth?

Are you a serpent of Water
Or a serpent of Earth
Have you always been here
In this pool in the Earth?

Come serpent
Swim over here
Let us exchange stories
Serpent chosen and serpent beast.

Serpent come
Swim to me
Tales to exchange
Serpent and River King.

This message was last edited by the player at 21:51, Tue 23 Feb 2016.

And just on the exact moment that Ohanzee's song comes to an end the huge gorp bursts out of the shallows, engulfs the poor goat before it can even bleat and then begins to retreat back into the water....

Soaked in pool water Ohanzee, Henal, Voras and the other Rangers feel it begin to burn exposed skin, the chaos creature having suffused the pool with it's acid. Thankfully it's diluted and only causes discomfort....For now.

Voras quickly reaches for a small stone on near the rim of the hole and casts a spell upon it before tossing it into the pit.

"It's hard to fight what you cannot see."

"SHIT!" Ohanzee exclaims dropping the drum and crawling backwards quickly like an inverted crab telling the Sun Hawk as he goes "Do that again but throw the stone into it!"

"Fire and magic kills the burners!" and he releases disruptions after the retreating abomination using the light from the stone to see the Impala since the gorp itself is near invisible in the water.

The stone bounced and with the luck of Sun Hawk landed right in the centre of the retreating gorp, which now lit up from inside.

"Has anyone got a matrix of disruption?" Henal asks, frustrated by his lack of spells to hurt the chaos horror.

Once the other Rangers have gathered their wits there is a smattering of destructive spells joining Ohanzee's, but from what they can tell none appear to harm the creature.



Henal's query is met by a load of negatives and a roar from Greeshar who leaps into the water after the beast, hacking at it with his charmed shortsword, the magic of the blade slicing into the acidic blob.

"Going to hack you to pieces!"

Henal casts spells of protection on himself and sharpness on his sword before advancing into the water to hack at the Gorp. "An end to Chaos here" he yells. "For the Green".

Greeshar and Henal's attacks are beginning to tell on the amorphous blob of gelatinous chaos, but it also causes the creature to stop and advance on them both, causing both braves to stumble backwards. Greeshar finds that his left leg has become trapped within the creature's body, whilst Henal just manages to escape a similar fate.

Ohanzee came with no armour on, not wanting to be dragged into the water wearing lead, but he has Amara's axe though no enchantments to improve it. His spells are useless though and whilst he has no love loss for Greeshar the brave is Amara's brother, is a Wandering Ranger and above all the gorp is Chaos!

Taking the axe in a two handed grip so that he can manage the extra weight over the hatchet he is used to he dives in swinging it to try to hack away the slime engulfing Greeshar's leg. As he does so he calls for help "Someone enhance my blade!" "For the Green!"

Henal concentrates his attacks on the slime to free Greeshar's leg.

"Hold the axe still and I can enchant it" he yells to Ohanzee.

Ohanzee pauses in his hacking long enough for Henal to cast his spell.

Voras pauses for a moment, long enough to cast a spell on his own axe and armor himself, before charging into the fray, attempting to hack Greeshar free.

It would be comical if it was not so dangerous as the following battle became filled with falls, weapons dropped and missed opportunities, saved only by the sudden flaring of a flame, which engulfing Voras' axe quickly ends the large chaos blob's existence.

Akala splashed into the shallows to pull the fallen Greeshar out from the Gorp's acidic grasp, his leg a mess of badly burned and melted flesh. From below the knee hardly anything is left but a smooth femur, the foot already melted beyond repair...

By their side Henal and Ohanzee bright swords flashing, become entangled, with the Raven's blade luckily failing to penetrate Henal's armour as his swing connects with his friend's back. Both braves totter backwards onto the shore, swearing and fighting to break free.

In to the gap strides Voras, his features lit by the gorp's inner illumination and the roaring flame that burns where his axehead should be....Once, twice, thrice his fireblade drops, slashing and searing the Gorp in a spray of steam and evaporating acid. Finally, once the cloud of choking smoke dissipates all see the Gorp is gone, the water bubbling as it vanishes away to nothing. That's when Greeshar faints from both pain and shock, having registered what just happened to his limb. By his side Sand Fox begins to howl, his own legs badly burned from where the gorp had trapped him just before it's death.

Ohanzee eventually untangles himself from Henal "Sorry about that he says..." he begins in an embarrassed voice but trails off after seeing the state of Sand Fox and even worse, Greeshar! "Quick, let's get them both to the priestesses. They must be able to help, especially after we tell them what has been destroyed here!"

Leaper relights rush torches, as those carried earlier had been put out when sailing the Gorp, and now that Voras' light charm had finished the hole was dark once more.

Eager hands help pick up the two injured braves and off they run towards the temple...