Session 32 - The Ochre Jelly

Blaze shared what she knew about the connection between Orcus and Rappan Athuk. Then the party fights an ochre jelly on the way out of the dungeon, spends the night at Castle Calaelan and then returns to continue their explorations of the second level.

This write up is from Kay's notes from our June 12, 2024 session. Since our group is scattered around the country, we used Discord for our voice communication and Roll20 for our virtual tabletop. Thanks to JoJo for the screen shots.

Continued from: A Giant Spider, a Fountain of Pestilence and Jossel's Room

Date: May 20, 3517

The Mouth of Doom, Level 3.

1:10 PM
We were in Jossel’s bedroom and used the Greater Restoration scroll on Beneddar to get him back up to normal before getting out of the dungeon.

While we waited for the scroll to take effect, Blaze shared what she learned from her stays at the hermitage about Orcus. She said it was a Greater Chaotic Evil god, and the leering face on the wall in the refectory, that seems to be a teleportal of some kind, is his appearance.

She said, “An Avatar of Orcus has a physical presence in a demi-plane that is connected to both Rappan Athuk and the Abyss itself.”

“If there is any chance at all in defeating him and ridding this world of his influence one must destroy all three shrines that he draws power from. They are distributed across the main levels of Rappan Athuk. Even with the shrines destroyed, he will still be immensely powerful.”

“The tools and experience needed to defeat Orcus are not all in the main levels of Rappan Athuk.”

Blaze said she thought that meant some of them may be here in the Mouth of Doom, and suggested keeping items or artifacts we find instead of selling them off for cash; and going back to the area with the hand on the wall where the healers may have some items we need. The group agreed with the general ideas, and took a vote to go back to Level 2 and finish clearing it. We started to divvy up the artifacts to carry out, and spread them out among the party members. Parahelia got the jeweled holy symbol of Solanus and one of the three scrolls of Lesser Restoration; Breena and Blaze each got one of the remaining two scrolls.

The party started back to the stairs out of the dungeon, and planned to stop by the food storeroom to pick up the copper pieces, when Blaze got even with the eastern alcove and couldn’t see the floor in front of her. This was due to the cockroaches covering the entire surface; they were alive and crawling on the walls and floor. Blaze fired up her flaming sphere which caused the roaches to run away, slipping into cracks in the floor and walls. The way now clear, Elron retrieved the copper pieces. Blaze continued moving the flaming sphere ahead of us until, turning the corner to the south; we noticed an ochre jelly in the hallway at the intersection with the side hallway to the refectory.

Breena cast frostbite on it which seemed to affect it only slightly. Elron hit it with his sling. Blaze moved her sphere into it; the flame bounced off, scorching it. The ochre jelly moved down the side passage to the refectory, away from the flaming sphere.

Breena moved forward, saw it in the side passage and cast lightning lure. The spell pulled the jelly within striking distance and seemed to make it stronger.

Elron’s sling shot damaged it. Blaze moved her sphere into it, caramelizing it with a black crust forming on it. It extruded a pseudopod to slap Breena, causing both bludgeoning and acid damage. Breena then cast sleep on it to no effect.

Elron moved back and used his sling. Sinis cast acid splash to no effect. Blaze moved back, and moved the sphere into it; the fire bounced off the top of it, but caused some damage.

Artie cast fire bolt, burning it further. The ochre jelly moved south out of the flame and hit Breena for more bludgeoning and acid damage, and she fell to the ground.

Lark moved north into the hallway past the double doors. Artie shot an arrow and hit it. Breena was dying on the floor. Elron used his sling again, delivering enough damage to kill it.

Blaze ended her flaming sphere and ran to Breena with her healing kit, stopping her demise and reviving her. Elron searched through the burned pile of pus and found 19 silver pieces in the remains of what had been a bag.

We got out of the dungeon with no more encounters.

5:30 PM
Back at the castle safely, we began long rests and divvying up the cash. Lark and Artie decided to go into town for the night.

Elron gave 100 gp to each of us now and will take care of the rest later, so Lark and Artie could have some spending cash when they left for Zelcor’s Ferry.

8:30 PM
Artie and Lark got back to the town with no encounters.

There were two guards at the city gates; one of them - surprise, surprise - is Gelver, now a city guard.

They went to the inn for dinner and a bed for free. Lark talked with the owner at the bar.

May 21, 3517
Everyone was back at the castle for breakfast.

Lark and Artie heard a new rumor at the inn. Remington Bristleback, known as “Mad Remy,” has a farm west of town (we’ve passed by it several times). He doesn’t like most people, especially strangers. He’s Odo’s cousin, but they don’t get along.

We headed back to the Mouth of Doom after leaving our valuables at the castle. This time Breena took Rocky.

Sinis and Beneddar both remained behind at the castle.

The party decided to continue clearing out Level 2.  Soon we were back at the dead giant ants’ room. The door on the SE wall led to a long room with three doors in the south wall; this is where the dart trap hit Beneddar. The doors were all iron-banded with windows in them. Artie got to work; the first one was locked but not trapped; looking into the window and shining a light, we saw a 10 x 10 ft room, empty except for straw. Artie unlocked it but it’s stuck; Elron used his strength to open it. As we could see through the window, it was empty with straw on the floor.

The second door was also locked and not trapped.  The window showed an empty room. Blaze opened the door and it was much like the first room.

The third door was locked and trapped. There was a dart trap mounted at head level on the back wall, set to go off when the door opened.

These all appeared to be prison cells.

While Artie worked on the third lock, he managed to jam it instead; and advised people not to look through the window. Artie finally succeeded on his third try.

11:20 AM
Elron opened the door, after putting his shield between himself and the dart trap and standing off to one side on the west side of the door. The dart hit the shield, dripping poison. Elron removed the dart from the shield with his dagger. The room was empty with straw like the others. Breena and Elron started looking for secret doors.

Elron found one of the flagstones loose in the third cell, pried it up with his dagger, and found a compartment under it. There was a small box with 200gp, a holy symbol of Solanus, a vial of holy water, and a small ornate mirror with gold frame.

Breena checked the barrel in the adjacent room, it had stale water in it. Across the hallway on the north side, was another locked door. Artie checked it, it’s locked and stuck; he unlocked it, still stuck. Elron tried his strength on the double doors, no effect. Blaze tried twice, no effect. Artie tried and it opened easily.

12:00 PM
Rocky went into the room. He saw a round room with a statue on a dais in the middle of the room, wearing armor and a helmet with ram’s horns. While standing in the hallway, Parahelia heard a sound coming from the hallway to the east. Sounded like several people shuffling down the hallway, like zombies.

Continued in Session 33: Zombies, a Gargoyle and Blaze is Shrunk