A second bag of coins appears in Abernard Rpyst's palm as he smiles and, somewhat covetously, takes the horn from you, "A fine treasure...maybe there is more to be found?".
"May I?", taking the glass cylinder from Yasmin, Royst turns it over in his hand... Taking a jewellers' eye piece from a nearby desk, he peers at it murmuring under his breath... "Ahhhh! A fine thing....this is pure Azlanti technology, it's a teleport device...I am guessing it is made of the same material as the Spire? I'm not sure how it is triggered though? I wonder....would you leave it with me? Give me a little more time to unlock it's secrets?"
Pertreeko's eyes widen in interest at the mention of teleport technology.
Yasmin wonders if Royst is up to something. . But she really can't tell.
"I already realized that it teleports," says Yasmin dismissively. "But where do you suspect it teleports to? I'd hate to see you and the crystal disappear in a poof if you accidentally trigger it, never to return." Or if you decide to run away with it, thinks Yasmin suspiciously.
"You have a good eye for the arcane then...but where does it go? Well, as far as I can see, it doesn't have a fixed location...there's something here...a way of manipulating the destination...but, it'll take more time for me to work out how", it is quite clear that Abernard is a little flustered that you are still here...and that he wants to spend time tinkering with the Horn that you have sold him and, if you are leaving it, the Glass Cylinder...
Pertreeko has enough money for a single cure light wounds potion. Though he can also cast it himself, he finds it useful to have it readily available for emergencies. Apart from that one purchase, he's good to go!
Gray has the following shopping to do:
-grappling hook (1 gp) (I want to get in that ceiling shaft we left behind!)
-Masterwork Heavy Steel Shield (170 gp)
-Masterwork Chain Shirt (250 gp)
Total: 421 gp
Want to sell back my Chain Shirt and Heavy Wooden Shield.
"Okay, we'll leave you to it then. We should be back in a few days with a new map!"
Ea will prepare the burial of Gorloth's remains with the local priest
She will buy a few things in the Fort: an holy water vial, two sunrods,2 vials of alchemic fire.
Rallos heads to the armorer and purchases a light mace.
Grayface, Rillin the armourer is pleased to see you and offers to buy the chainmail and shield from you at 50GP - there is no levy to pay on this. While you are fitted for the new chain shirt, she asks one of her apprentices to fashion you a grappling hook...it's not a bad attempt and Rillin offers it to you for free...
Yasmin, Abernard Royst barely acknowledges you leaving, his attention being entirely in the treasures you have found...
Ea, your business with Gorloth is carried out in silence...his bones finally laid to rest after centuries of undeath. Father Faldindor sits quietly with you for a while afterwards and then, acknowledging that your fate awaits you, bids you farewell.
Gathering at the north gate, you make your final preparations to head out into the snow once more... With a cursory nod, the Hellknights open the gates...the countryside, snow blanketed, is quiet and still. Your journey back to the Spire is becoming familiar to you now, a particular tree here, a bush there...the woods are deathly quiet, the occasional crow flies overhead but beyond that, there are no signs of life...
…After five or so hours you arrive and, there before you, sitting centrally within the large clearing, the ruins stand empty and desolate.
we should try to explore the next level, don't you think? We don't know what kind of challenges awaits us. Fate will tell.
Aye...there is a little part we didn't finish on the second level...Gray, are you ready for that part?
Yasmin takes in a long breath as if to taste the air. "Ahhhhh, home sweet home. Let's see if we can avoid getting impaled, poisoned, or sliced this time around. Pertreeko, ready to explore this place? I agree with Rallos that we might as well finish off the second level. It'll give our new friend a chance to look around."
Returning to the unexplored shaft just south of the crypt, you find the spider still impaled against the ceiling...it's body, still fresh, is not yet starting to decay. Grayface tosses his grappling hook high into the shaft and, when he is satisfied that it has good purchase, starts to climb...
The shaft ascends for about 5 feet above the ceiling of the corridor, then turns horizontal as a 5-foot-diameter tunnel that runs about 10 feet and ends. It’s carved from solid rock and contains three long dead skeletons, four leather waterskins, four small wooden coffers of salted food (two with fish fillets, two with slabs of roast boar; this preserved food is far too salty to eat without being soaked or scrubbed), and 50 feet of stout rope knotted to a triple-hook steel grapnel.
The druid glances at Yasmin al Akbar. "I am ready, miss Akbar. What happened to this spider? Was it your doing?"
After Grayface does his grappling thing, Pertreeko looks up the rope that Grayface climbed. "All clear?" he calls up to him. He'll stand at the bottom, ready to catch any loot that Grayface found and wants to share with the party.
Rallos grabs the hook and rope.
Better two than one...always good to have a backup. We could use this food later....save our rations...might also cut down on our trips back to the fort. Gray, let's get these down and set them somewhere that we can get to them easily.
Let's go deeper in the Spire, if we can.
"That spider was the handiwork of Grayface, here," replies Yasmin to Pertreeko. "As you can see, he's not someone to be trifled with."
She takes a look at the loot haul. "Strange that there's only three skeletons but there are four waterskins. I wonder where the fourth one went?" Yasmin detects magic just in case. Otherwise, she's ready to go to the web covered pit.
Yes, deeper we shall go. And hopefully, no more spiders.
And no more pits.Keep your eyes open, Rallos.
Pertreeko glances up at the speared spider again when Yasmin informs him of how it happened. "Ah, I see," is all he says, glancing sidelong at Grayface.
When they reach the pit, Pertreeko gazes down it, standing over the ladder. "I don't like the look of those webs," he comments.
Moving back to the large room with the central pit, you peer into the crisscrossing, whitish-gray spider webs that fill the gaping hole before you...
"Eeeayah! Something moves! Take that!" Pertreeko jumps in surprise and immediately points his pointer finger into the pit. A bolt of lightning springs to existence at the end of his finger and arcs downward.
Pertreeko's flash of lightning lights the room up with electric blue light for a fraction of a second...the air smells of ozone, burnt flesh and smoke...
...and then a scuttling noise fills the air...
"Not again..."
There is a wild flurry of movement within the webbing and then, with webs flapping wildly around them, two dog-sized spiders charge Grayface and Pertreeko...
Ea takes a few seconds to assess the threat
Grayface, stand your ground! If I remember well, there's another door leading to this room, I'll attack the spiders from the other side.Rallos, help Pertreeko. Yasmin, with me, or help the others!
She rushes to the west, disappearing around a corner
Yasmin is surprised and rather pleased to find Ea so animated. "Good thinking, Ea!" She follows along, and readies a ball of acid should one of the spiders approach.
;
Rallos bolsters Petreeko's defense.
"I can feel the ley-lines pulsing.." Pertreeko's eyes roll back in his head and his eyelids close over them. He raises both hands high over his head, and the ley-lines that were formerly invisible, running beneath the ground and through the very ruins they were in, begin to glow.
Letting Rallos take the lead, he falls back, his attention focused on the magical energy present.
"Yes! There is great magical energy here!" the druid's eyes fly open and fire manifests in both of his palms, bright as a torch. The flames are tinged with greenish bolts of color. The flames growing brighter as he prepares to throw them.
Duration: 4 minutes
"Curious." It was the only remark he could muster upon seeing the skeletons of the four found up inside the carved passage. Grayface stows the new grappling hook and rope for later use, doubling up on his current rope and grapnel.
Continuing on toward the room that descended further into the unknown, Grayface scowled at the web covered shaft. Even the lightning bolt that flew from Pertreeko's finger wasn't enough to spur him to action, though in truth the hardened warrior was thoroughly unsurprised by the spider attack. Better to meet them now instead of while climbing down, he thought to himself. Then he was suddenly face-to-face with two giant spiders the size of sheep-dogs, one of which dug its long nasty fangs deep into leg.
Ignoring the poison and shaking the cobwebs out of his head, he was ready for a counter attack. He raised his new blade--the blade previous wielded by the undead menace Gorloth--and brought it down in a heavy chop toward the spider who just bit him. If not for the door threshold, the attack would have been more accurate.
Finally, the warrior takes a step or two backwards in an attempt to lure the vermin in through the door to deny them the shielding cover it provided.
Grayface, there is nothing to indicate who the people within the tunnel were - if anything, the skeletons seem slightly small to be full grown humans.
Grayface's attack slams into the doorframe and then bounces down into the torso of the spider...airborne splinters from the frame mixing with the veritable fountain of blood spraying from the grievously wounded spider.
Mortally wounded, the spider instinctively starts spraying gouts of semi-opaque mist within the room...almost immediately it becomes nigh on impossible to see beyond five feet away.
...and then, with a horrible sense of deja vu, Rallos is attacked by a spider.
Pertreeko lifts one of the flames high in the air on his palm. He lets it rest for a moment before dropping the hand, letting the flame hover in midair. "Heeee-YAH!" he shouts, doing a jumping spin kick to kick the flames at the spiders!
Good idea, Gray. We should fall back so they don't get an advantage. Pertreeko, fall back behind Gray.
Gray's confidence was high after his recent blow against the spider who had taken a bite of him. Even with the cover of the stone doorway he managed to slice the creature with all of his might. As the second spider scuttled into the room, he raised his blade, ready to put this one down. Suddenly the air was filled with a foggy vapor and Grayface's accuracy was misguided due to the effect.
Ea rushes to the room on her right... only to find herself surrounded by nearly blinding mist!
She takes a few seconds to find her way through the room and towards the spiders, waiting for Yasmin to come along
Yasmin, put your hand on my shoulder and follow me. I'll navigate this mist. May Fate guide us.
Once again, the Pharasman seems to be guided by the hand of her goddess herself, as she walks to the nearest spider with utmost confidence and delivers, despite the mist, a massive blow that could end the creature's life.
Judging by the sound of that splat, I think Ea has joined the fray.
Moving through the mist, Ea smashes her mace through the torso of the spider...there is a cracking of chitin, a thud of metal on flesh and, most notably, a wet splat as she obliterates the oversized insect.
Yasmin follows close to Ea and listens for the spider. When she hears the spider squeal in pain, she launches a ball of acid at it! .
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With one of the pair of spiders slain, the second insect scuttles backwards into the mist... moments later, Ea finds herself coated in stick gossamer webbing flung from some distance to her left...
Not knowing how else to be useful, the kelish woman aids the nearby priest. "Let me get these spider webs off you!" Yasmin tries to help Ea escape her webbing.
Ea did her best to get out of the web, but even with Yasmin's help, couldn't get rid of the sticky substance
Pertreeko decides he can just get rid of the spider once and for all. Lifting another fireball high in the air and letting it hover there, he "spikes" it like a volleyball, launching it straight at the spider!
Rallos wades through the webs, ready to plunge his rapier into the beast.
Following his friend into the room, Grayface maneuvers deftly through the webbing, positioning himself adjacent to Rallos and the spider. He swung his weapon in anger, harnessing hate instead of focus.
As Grayface, preceded by Rallos, step into the mist and fruitlessly swing at shadows they leave themselves hopelessly exposed to attacks... Grayface is the first to be attacked, arachnid legs clawing and climbing over his shield as the spider finds exposed flesh...