In the center of the indoor forest is a circular pool of water.  The pool is fed by a stream which wanders through the forest.  In the middle of the pool is a fountain.  The fountain is shaped liked three interlinked gargoyles which are spraying water from their mouths.  Embedded at the base of the trio of statues, you see the lid of a metal chest, which is padlocked.

OOC:
Please note that the path continues to the northwest, from an exit point at the north of the circular path around the pool.  I'll fix this in my next map posting.


This message was last edited by the GM at 19:59, Fri 23 Dec 2022.

OOC:

"In the middle of the poos is a fountain"

I take it that should read pool, otherwise we're going to be getting dirty.

Elboc's mouth begins salivating at the sight of the chest.

"Ten to one those gargoyles come alive when the chest is played with, but it would be rude to leave it unplundered. Roak, are you able to see any traps on it."

"Agreed. Perhaps if Roak would be so kind, we can cover the gargoyles whilst he does so?"

With what exactly Lanliss was not sure, but he would have something ready.

Intrigued, Hamburg approached the fountain and began to look the gargoyles over for anything special such as writing or levers. He peered into the pool to see if perhaps there were anything cast therein. Finally, he looked to see if perhaps there were any cracks or marks that might indicate moving parts which could be isolated.

Hamburg looks into the pool and finds that, while the water on the surface is clear, there is a layer of mud and leaves in the bottom, and the glint of hundreds of coins.  He carefully surveys the gargoyles and the chest, but can find nothing that would indicate writing, nor any parts  that might move, aside from the padlock and the chest's hinge.

Hamburg tossed a handful of gold pieces into the pool... (-13gp)

The water in the pool erupts, throwing mud and sodden leaves everywhere, as a creature which is as gigantic as it is amorphous rises up, thrashing and flailing about.  Its reach is incredible, and its movements deadly.

Elboc will suggest that the party retreats, while leading the way in doing so.

Roak very rapidly and deliberately retreats to a safe distance.

"So, I don't suppose we could sit here and fireball it until it evaporates?" he says hopefully, eyeing the coins.

OOC:
Hamburg?  Do you have a reply?  This thing will be able to reach you, at the very least, but I was going to give you the opportunity to act before it.

Hamburg raised his arms as if he were about to unleash the unholy fires of the demon realm upon the foe which had erupted from the fountain...

... and then he lifted the hem of his robes and ran down the path toward the west! He moved so quickly that the skeletal hand hiding beneath the cheap cloth was momentarily exposed. It spun in surprise and chased after the odd wizard at full skitter!

Having been born and raised in the underground realm, Hamburg was familiar with amorphous entities such as this and the danger they posed!

Hamburg scuttles away far enough to be out of the thing's reach, and the party watch the amorphous creature thrash about for several long moments before it calms down and re-enters the pool, submerging itself and disappearing.

Roak looks at the others. "So, what are our options? Hamburg, Lanliss, Elboc, this seems like a job for magic--do you guys have anything we could use to hurt that thing?"

The odd wizard shuddered beneath his mask and costume. "No, well... maybe, but probably no. I think we might consider finding a way to shut off the source of water and let the sun do the work for us... the fountain must be fed from some source, probably that canal which passed under the bridge. If we could locate the source, we could plug it or shut it off in someway and then come back when the water's evaporated!"

Hamburg certainly understood certain concepts, but having lived his entire life below ground where the sun was nothing but a myth and faerie story, his comprehension of how those concepts actually took place was skewed.

"I have nothing which would affect the creature, and I am in no hurry to risk my life for a handful of gold. Unless someone has a better idea, I would suggest moving on."

Hamburg wasn't finished with ideas. He snapped his gloved fingers - a rather squishy sound.

"Salt. Why don't one of you stroll back to that kitchen we were in, and get several pounds of salt, as much as there is. We'll use that to kill this creature like a huge slug..."

OOC:
Map update.

Roak smirks. "I say we ALL stride back to the kitchen and grab salt. Safer in numbers. Anyone disagree?"

"Yes, I disagree. I would rather simply move on, if we can, and avoid this fountain. But I shall go with the majority."

Hamburg shuddered. "Uh... no, that's... that's probably not necessary. Perhaps we'll just find some salt along the way. Or something else."

It was clear he didn't wish to return to the kitchen with its ghostly staff. Whatever had happened to the odd wizard, earlier in their adventure in this strange place, apparently was still affecting him.

The disembodied skeletal hand hovered fearfully at the hem of his cheap robes.

He gestured weakly toward the continuation of the path.

Voran clears his throat. "Moving on would be prudent," he offers.

Roak snorts, but then leads the party further down the path.

The party pass along, past the fountain and the partially-known contents of its waters, to the north of the circle and the path which continues toward the northwest.

The trees on both sides of the path past this point, where it curves to the north, are mainly oaks.  Several amber-colored squirrels are darting about in their branches, collecting acorns.  When a squirrel touches an acorn, the acorn appears to turn into gold.  The squirrel then gathers up the golden acorn and carries it to a nearby hole in the trunk of a large, gnarled tree.

At this, Roak stops and gapes.

"Uh, did you all see that? I wonder what happens if the squirrels touch us...or something else..."

He checks his bag to see if he had anything that he could have a squirrel interested in. He has an idea...

"Yes, I saw it, and I understand your concerns. On the other hand, there must be a squirrel nest of golden nuts in there somewhere..."

Lanliss waits to see if Roak has further ideas.