Swamped

But apparently, it would have been better to keep your eyes on the ground in front of you. You lose your footing and slip.

As you pick yourself up, you spot a strange messy substance on the ground. Marian glances at it, and scowls.

"This is made from sea terror ooze, but it's been mixed with something I can't identify," she says. "And there's some kind of ether trigger on it."

"Ether trigger?" Arlene asks.

"Somebody's set this up so that the effect only kicks in when a wizard tells it to. Which probably means, whatever it does, there's a wizard around who can activate it. Best be careful, and don't step in any more. For all we know, it might be able to affect your mind." She glances at your feet. "Doesn't look especially sticky, fortunately. There's barely any on your shoe, shouldn't be enough to cause trouble. But there might be more of it around."

As you enter the crypt, it becomes clear that there's quite a bit more of it around. Puddles of the strange substance are everywhere. Not so thick that you can't step around them, but the passage is tight enough that it makes maneuvering even more awkward.

Drip takes the lead, as he's familiar. Marian takes up the rear. You hope that's not so she can run off and leave the rest of you to fend for yourselves.

Suddenly, Drip stops, and turns to the rest of you.

"There is a problem," he says.