2: First visit to Pike's Bay Report
General Summary
The Champions decide to do some shopping and grab a job while they are in Pike's Bay. Uguz gets a replacement great axe and Amnur buys a heavy crossbow. Heading to the Adventurers Guild, they hear of an urgent request from the city guard to help find some missing workers in the dockside sewers. Deciding an urgent job might get them higher pay, they accept.
Upon arriving at the sewer entrance, they are informed of the situation. The day before, two workers entered a sewer to clear a clog in an overhead drain. They didn't return at the expected time, so two more workers went in to help them out. They didn't return either, so the town guard was involved the next morning. The guards decided to request the help of the Adventurers Guild. The party is given directions to the area the workers should have been in and they depart.
15 minutes of walking leads them to their destination, where they see a large group of regular and giant rats. Attempting to pass by, Iris casts speak with animals. The rats are preoccupied with their search for food, and while Iris communes with the smaller rats, a giant one gets too close to Garrisund for comfort. Amnur defeats it with a crossbow bolt, causing the remainder of the giant rats to flee deeper into the sewer. The smaller rats are unfortunately not intelligent enough to report on anything unusual, but Uguz discovers a flow room with a build up of black goo in the drain. By messing with the goo he learns it is acidic, while the rest of the party investigates a larger flow room with a door at the back. Garrisund finds the door is locked and too sturdy to kick open. At the same time, Amnur sees a large blob of the goo slowly sliding down an overhead drain. He fires a bolt into it, dislodging it. It is found to be alive when it reaches out to engulf Amnur, and the group springs into action. Garrisund strikes with his sword, and discovers three things: that his sword does nothing against it, the goo starts to burn his sword, and contact with the goo burns the skin. Iris uses her thorns to pierce and tear at the goo pile while Amnur pounds it with his magic mace, and Uguz arrives to help. Hefting his great axe above his head, a mighty blow divides the creature. This backfires, as both halves continue to function individually and attack the group. Garrisund decides to go all in, pounding the jelly with his fists despite the burns it causes. A hard fight results in the Champions emerging victorious, but tired and hurt. Returning to the entrance to take a rest and gather some lye to dissolve the goo, the group then heads back in.
Finding a bend just past their last destination results in the discovery of an injured Half-Orc named Lusz. She explains that the first two workers were captured by a foul-smelling man surrounded by the same goop. The man attempted to capture her and her partner, but she managed to escape with just a burn on her leg. Amnur discovers an infection is beginning to take hold, so Iris uses her magic to help fight it. Lusz thanks the group and gives them the key to the door leading deeper into the sewers. The group coats their gear in lye and moves through the door.
Making it to the central flow room, the Champions find it to be full of fetid water and more black goo. Attempting to enter the room causes a mass of goo to fall from the main drain, and from it emerges the aforementioned stinky guy. He declares himself to be the King of Sludge, and explains his intentions of filling the city of Pike's Bay with his "good good goop". Amnur decides this man is dangerously crazy, and pierces him with a lye coated bolt. This burns through his goop, angering him and causing him to throw a fireball into the entrance. The group is devastated by the powerful spell, and must decide whether to fight or flee. Being the least hurt, Uguz bravely charges to distract the man while the group quickly recovers and moves to support him. Mid-fight, Iris uses a powerful gust of wind to dislodge him from his slime pillar, making him more vulnerable to the two barbarians waiting below. Uguz is blasted with some goo and is bloodied, and Garrisund takes the opportunity to loose two hatchets at the wizard. The King of Sludge attempts to slip into a drain, but both hatchets hit him in the head, one lodging itself deep into his skull. With the man defeated, the goo loses form and dissolves, freeing the workers trapped in the side room. Garrisund cleans the filthy man and finds a magic ring boosting his resistance to acid, and they carry him out of the sewers. The guards are convinced to give extra pay for defeating the King of Sludge, and after some needed baths the friends celebrate their victory with a restaurant-style meal.
Rewards Granted
700 gp, Ring of Acid Resistance (Garrisund)
Missions/Quests Completed
'Secrets in the Sewers' completed
Character(s) interacted with
King of Sludge
Notes
Uguz found new use for lye against specific creatures, Amnur expressed interest in learning about nature from Iris.
Amnur Balderk
Uguz Hellgrip
Garrisund
Report Date
05 Feb 2023
Related Characters
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