RQG 197 - Sounds in the Deep

## Content Warnings

Human remains, body horror, undead & zombies, physical violence. Mentions of: death, hiveminds. SFX: dripping, tinkling, electricity, explosions, metallic scraping, deep percussive sound.

## Summary

The party sneaks into Svalbard but does not get very far before Zolf alerts several shambling enemies. Once they have dispatched their foes, Azu hears an ominous sound from the depths.

## Synopsis

The party are on the front porch of the Svalbardian fortress. They enter through the front door and find themselves in a main hall with an elaborate crystal chandelier hanging about 50 feet above them. There are two small side doors on either side of them which look like they may lead to a security or customs office. There are also two larger, ajar doors on either side further into the main hall. The hall continues but is blocked by numerous corpses infested with watcher plants. The corpses look old and are predominantly dwarves with some humans and gnomes. The plants growing from them seem connected to each other and Zolf can tell that they have an extraplanar quality to them as they occasionally seem to be phasing through each other.

The party hears slight movement coming from the larger door on the left in the hall. Azu checks the first, smaller door on the right. The room looks like a custom's office that has been completely trashed and there are three corpses sprouted with watcher plants. They move on to the next door on the right hand side and find a long corridor. They enter the corridor and to their right, is a large room with stairs that seem to lead back to the custom’s office, at the end of the corridor is a shambler, aimlessly moving around, and there is another room to their left. They hear noises from the room on the left and Skraak scouts ahead to find another shambler in there.

The shamblers are different from the infected corpses they encountered in Other London. They seem more like a mobile version of the watcher plants and share the extraplanar quality of occasionally phasing. Cel wonders if they could kill a shambler before it has a chance to alert anything else but they decide to try stealth first. Azu throws one of her marbles to distract the nearest shambler and as it reacts to the sound and shambles over the investigate, the party can see that it has two flowered blooms instead of eyes.

They try to sneak past as it's distracted but Zolf makes a noise and alerts it. Cel quickly reacts and fires a salvo from their repeating crossbow, immediately killing the shambler, which explodes into a cloud of sparkling lights.

They attack the shambler in the next room but don't manage to immediately kill it. It gives a silent scream and alerts two nearby shamblers which start to converge on the party from different directions. They manage to dispatch all three shamblers with relative ease but one of them dies next to Azu and Skraak, showering them with acidic smelling fluids as it explodes, but they both manage to resist whatever unpleasant effect it might have had.

A few moments after the last shambler has fallen, Azu hears a very, very deep thud in the distance.

## Quotes

**Alex**: "You can trust me. *I'm your friend!* You're fine, I am messing with you. Please press on."
**Helen**: "Ok."
**Alex**: (*Laughs*) "Just keeping you on your toes."
**Helen**: "Audience, I just looked at my webcam very, very dubiously."
―Alex is a menace.

**Alex**: "Azu, first through the bottom of your feet, it might even be that it's just your armour that is resonating, you hear a deep, very, very, very deep thud, almost."
**Bryn**: "Drums!"
**Alex**: "Like drums-"
**Bryn**: "Drums in the deep!"
**Alex**: "-drums in the deep!"
**Helen**: "Noo, I'm Pippin!"
**Everyone**: (*Laughs*)
**Ben**: "Fool of an orc!"
**Helen**: "Nooo!"
**Alex**: "And on that, I'll end the episode."
**Helen**: "No, never be Pippin!"
―Everyone is a LotR nerd.
## Dice rolls & mechanics

* Zolf makes a Knowledge (planes) check to assess the plants: 20
* Everyone makes a Perception check: Zolf (24), Azu (26), Hamid (25), Skraak (28), Cel (25)
* Hamid and Azu make a Perception check: Hamid (17), Azu (27)
* Skraak makes a Stealth check: 44
* Everyone makes a Stealth check: Zolf (3), Azu (9), Cel (15), Skraak (29), Hamid (28)
* Everyone makes a Perception check: Zolf (22), Cel (19), Azu (27), Hamid (20), Skraak (20). Azu hears a deep thud in the deep.

## Combat Breakdown

**Ongoing effects:**

* Hamid: +4 AC from mage armor.

**Initiative:** Cel (nat 20; 24), Hamid, Azu (19), Zolf (19), Skraak, shambler 2, shambler 3, shambler 4

**Round 1**

* Cel: Shoots the shambler 3 times. 22 (4 damage + 3 electric damage), 15 (9 damage + 6 electric), 22 (6 damage + 2 electric). It explodes in a shower of light.
* Hamid: Moves next to Skraak and looks into the next room. Skraak warns him about the shambler in the next room. Hamid retreats and points it out to the rest of the party.
* Azu: Moves next to Skraak.
* Zolf: Moves next to Hamid.
* Skraak: Grabs a marble from Azu and rolls a 28 to throw it in the corner of the room farthest from the party.
* Shambler 2: Shambles over to the marble.

**Round 2**

* Cel: Moves to get line of sight on the shambler and shoots it once, 27 (3 damage + 4 electric)
* Hamid: Moves to Cel.
* Azu: Takes a double move up to shambler 2. The shambler reacts and turns around, its blooms grow broader and it gives a silent scream.
* Zolf: Moves into the room, avoiding the watchers on the floor.
* Skraak: Scampers next to Azu and attacks the shambler, 17 (2 damage).
* Shambler 2: Bites Azu for 6 damage. It sprays Azu with acidic smelling fluid but Azu makes a successful Fortitude save with a 24 and it does not affect her.
* Shambler 3: Approaches from a corridor.
* Shambler 4: Approaches from another corridor.

**Round 3**

* Cel: Fires a bolt at shambler 4. 19 (2 damage + 3 electric)
* Hamid: Casts scorching ray at shambler 3. The two rays hit with 20 (15 fire damage) and 12 (23 fire damage) and kills it. Everyone makes a Perception check: Zolf (18), Cel (23), Azu (30), Hamid (22), Skraak (25). Zolf and Azu notice other shamblers briefly glow with the light of the scorching ray.
* Azu: Attacks shambler 2, 19 (21 damage). The shambler dies and explodes, splattering Skraak and Azu with fluids. Zolf uses unity and lets them replace their Fortitude bonuses with +13. They both succeed at the Fortitude save as Azu rolls 25 and Skraak rolls 22. Azu backs off, closer to everyone else.
* Zolf: Moves closer to the final shambler. He readies an action to attack the shambler once it is within 5 feet of him.
* Skraak: Moves to an unexplored door and peeks through, sees a long, empty corridor.
* Shambler 4: Moves toward Cel and triggers an attack of opportunity from Zolf. He rolls a nat 20 and confirms the critical with a 24. He obliterates the shambler with 28 damage + 10 fire damage.