Zorza vomits a little in her mouth.
"We should talk to man in charge and tell him why we are here."
Qalifa listens to the exchange wondering What would the babies look like? What would you call them? Orcfolk? Corc?
Pardon us sir. We are here for the job posted at the inn.
Vernonia follows along listening to the interaction of the others. She has never been part of a group before so this is all new to her.
The old man finally looks up and nearly screams back at you. He never moves from his seat, his hat tilts back and out comes the words. A few people in the yard even stop moving and look back up to the porch to see what is going on, then move on realizing its the old man yelling, and they have work to finish.
"We are not trespassers, we're the ones hired to take care of the bug problem. Now please explain the extent of the problem and how much money you have towards making the problem go away. Thas responds quickly, firmly, and calmly.
Zorza thinks, "Where did we come from? Where did we go? Old man looks cotton eyed from drinking too much of his own wine."
The man leans in slightly as though he seemed hard of hearing, speaking nearly in a yelling voice yet again.
”What you say lady?
The old man quickly affirmed his own question:
”Right, Right you are here about bugging me, can’t you see I have no time for pestilence!”
This twig in his mouth shifts a bit as he talks then tips his hat to the lady Thasitalia and walks back over to his old raggedy chair; at the moment he sits down he lets out a nice loud fart that vibrates the chair.
”Excuse me, rough in the old age!”
The old man yells out a moment later:
It takes about 15 min or so and a young boy in a very nice suit opens up the large front door. His handsome appearance surely captivating, while his short tiddy cut blond hair only outshined by his blue sky-lit eyes. Words pass over his lips and immediately you can tell he has had many business meetings.
Welcome! Are you here about the bugs?
Androl waits for the response and then answers after the given yes is received.
”Good; As per the flier I had posted around town, the agreed price is 200g for the complete eradication of the bugs in the cellar.
Androl steps out on to the porch, shutting the door behind him, clearly not wanting unknown guest to enter his fairly large estate.
”I don’t recommend the use of fire in the cellar as there are multiple amounts of wine and liquor in there and you would surely blow everyone to high heavens. Right now, the cellar doors are locked shut and we are unable to acquire our goods due to a pest problem, large beetles or caterpillars are being infested. From what I have gathered, a cellar wall gave way and out poured these creatures. Here is the key to the cellar, it’s around back. I don’t recommend you steal anything as we have had a wizards eye permanently installed for our secure watch on both foreign and Local pursuits.”
Androl hands over the key to the first person who reaches out for it.
”Your reward will be here when you are finished! By the way don’t mind the old man, he is my father!”
Zorza takes the key from Androl and leads the way to the cellar doors. "Prepare for battle. Does anyone have lanterns or torches?" she says. She draws out her bow and an arrow, puts the key in the door, and waits for the others to be ready before unlocking the doors and opening them.
"I suppose I can take care of the lighting once we're down there. I fear I might not be any use against swarms of things, so hopefully there is one really big one I can beam with a spell of two." Thas offers as she prepares her crossbow.
"Right, I will go first"
Hung Dong says this while pulling out his sword.
Aerek walks over to Thasitalia. I don't know what a "cellar" is, but something tells me that I won't be able to use this effectively. Would you mind looking after it for me?
The Kellid proffers his spear.
Everyone gets ready for the time of their lives as the group nearly dives into the Cellar with a heroic response. Zorza looks back and watches the group to insure that everyone is ready as she unlocks the door. At first, you can’t see anything accept the few strays of light cast by the sunlight. There is a few steps leading to the bottom about 10 feet down. Near the bottom of the steps you don’t see anything, but the light catches the sight of a table, and what looks like a possible narrow passageway leading further on into absolute darkness.
Those who pass can hear the sound of what sounds like thousands of skittering bugs echoing across the floor as they begin to enter the cellar.
Hung slowly moves forward with his weapon drawn leading the way and due to his darkvision he is able to make out hundreds of bottles of wine, and a long hallway leading away.
Skittering across the ground in-between several of the racks of wine are what look to be some type of Tiny Centipede, there are more then you can count immediately. At first glance, they don’t appear to be attacking anyone, or moving in your direction.
Zorza stalks silently down the steps and into the cellar at the back of the party.
After leaving his spear with Thasitalia, Aerek heads down after the half-orc into the cellar. Looking around he can make out the sounds of many creatures moving about.
After catching a glimpse of the insects they would dealing with, the Kellid invokes the power of the Midnight Spirit and he does so, his tattoos begin to glow with an amber hue as chunks of rock begin to manifest around his arms. These bits of elemental matter then fuse with his arms, covering them down to his fists where they take on the appearance of spiked cesti. His lips form into an exultant grin as he revels in the use of his abilities.
Vernonia brings up the rear of the party. Not used to tight quarters she lets the others take the lead.
After hearing the sounds she draws her longsword and waits for the party to advance.
Earlier
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Thas blinks at Aerek and then at the spear, "I will gladly carry it for you and treat it like there is some spiritual significance to it."
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The Cellar
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Thas conjures up four glowing wisps that give off green, yellow, blue, and red lights before getting off into the darkness. She follows after the braver, and sturdier party members though she leaves a step or two between herself and them as she guides the lights.
Zorza stares intently at the wine bottles, hardly reacting to the danger lurking in the shadows.
"I hope someone is carrying splash weapons like alchemist fire or acid flasks, your swords and bows can't kill this many things quickly enough."
Init Order:
Hung: 12
Creatures: 11-before Aerek
Aerek: 11
Vernonia: 10
Zorza: 5
Thasitalia: 4
Qalifa: 1
The creatures aren’t attacking but they are running around under the wine racks. On a quick count you can estimate that there are about 12-14 of these House centipedes.
Thasitalia recognizes that these are fairly harmless for damage, although there poisonous and can be cause you to be dazed.
NO fire it will set the wine ablaze
Zorza reconsiders her choice of weapon. She put her bow and arrow away and draws her sword.
"House centipedes, one of nature's best spider and inspect controls. Too bad they look like demons and devils had a hand in their appearance. Their bites are mostly harmless although a dozen of them at once might be as pleasant as a sword to the face. Watch out for their venom too, it'll slow you down."
"What do they fear?"
"Cats!" says Zorza. She does not know if this is true, but she suspects that it soon will be.
"Well we have a job to do so let's get started."
Vernonia moves up to the closest one and stabs it with her longsword.
Eww! I hope no one steps in that.
Zorza follows Vernonia's example and strikes at a centipede.
Round 1
Init Order:
Qalifa: 12
Hung: 12
Creatures: 11-before Aerek
Aerek: 11
Vernonia: 10
Zorza: 5
Thasitalia: 4
At the start, everyone is trying to gather their thoughts getting ready to dive into an unknown source of bugs, typically known as House centipedes. These things are very large for your typical Centipedes but thankfully, they are only considered Tiny in perspective to humanoids. There appears to be gaps under the wine rack as they skitter about sometimes even passing between, through your legs, and under another wine rack.
Qalifa takes the time to study these unsually sized Centipedes and with further knowledge understands that they are practically everywhere and are typically easy to kill, although knowing there bites are fairly weak, a mass amount of them can really lead to problems, even dazing people in and out of combat.
Hung is looking around downstairs and while he is able to hear them he doesn’t quite notice them yet, until the light reaches downstairs and lights up the surrounding area giving Hung a moment to adjust from darkvision and into the light, now able to see the creatures stirring about.
The creatures completely oblivious to the groups’ presence at the current time they only seem interesting and skittering around.
Aerek makes his way down stairs and finds the creatures, in this he finds the urge to gather power for his internal abilities.
Vernonia doesn’t take the time to wait and launches forward with her longsword; although these things are tiny her blade caught it by surprised and sliced it in half, as it dead carcass squirms from the pulsating life draining from its existence letting out a long squeal to its death.
Zorza wasn’t sure if it was the tight spaces or the creatures skittering about that caused her blade to fall short slicing the tip off a wine bottle as the centipede darts under the wine rack. Fortunately only the cork was damaged and not the bottle.
Thasitalia moves slowly downstairs with her willow wisp floating about creating a rainbow of colors, gaining the same knowledge Qalifa did about the bugs.
Although they have yet to act, after hearing the squeal of their fallen centipede it is guaranteed that they are to return the favor as any colony of bugs would.
Round 2
Thasitalia continues to guide the floating wisps of light and casts shield to protect herself. She makes sure to leave the others plenty of room to kill the bugs.
"I am a paladin of Irori and I shall smite ye insects with Perfection."
Madam Zorza takes one step to avoid a centipede, then another. She soon finds herself dancing to avoid them. Then her dancing becomes an attack.
Stepping forward, the Kellid confronts one of the troublesome creatures and and brings down both hands in an attempt to smash it out of existence.
Qalifa stays close to the stairs thrusting at the nearest centipede. stay close to each other don't get surrounded
"I agree. Stick together. We need to work from one end to the other and don't let any get round us."
Round 2
Init Order:
Qalifa: 12
Hung: 12
Creatures: 11-before Aerek
Aerek: 11
Vernonia: 10
Zorza: 5
Thasitalia: 4
Round 3
Qalifa finally gets in there and strikes a mighty Centipede with his spear thrusting it deep into the poor creatures as it shrivels up and dies on the end of his spear, catching that thing flatfooted. Meanwhile Hung holding the front line is working his tail off trying to hit these creatures as they dart by.
Finally, the creatures realizing what is going on and that their nest is being invaded turn and begin to show themselves, while still moving fairly fast for 100 leg critters, having the ability to fill 2 to a square and 1 to a square where the wine racks rest. There is only enough room for one person to pass down the hall without bumping wine racks over. Several of them manage to go under the wine racks and attack next in line.
Two swarm in front of Hung, while 2 pull up on each side of him.
Damage: 1 point
Damage: 1 point
Damage: 1 point
Damage: 1 point
Two more creatures are able to get around Aerek on both sides flanking him, and also two on Vernonia flanking her as well.
Damage: 1 point
Damage: 1 point
Damage: 1 point
Damage: 1 point
Aerek summons some type of element and drives his fist to the floor, although the ground trembles a little from the impact he lifts his hand to discover that missed the fast Centipede. Although, it slipped past Aerek, Zorza didn’t miss it with her cat like grace and diced it hard, although it skitters off into the distance under the wine racks. Thasitalia maintains the orb in the sky and appears to be watching her comrades’ onslaught.
No more bugs are able to advance yet, but there still seems to be plenty of them around.
Round 3
Next…
Thasitalia takes extra care not to get hurt, drawing her quarterstaff and defending.
Qalifa stabs at the next closest bug
Zorza warns her comrades, "I hear rumbling coming from further in, like massive swarm, or even larger bugs."
She takes a feeble stab at any centipede that comes her way.
Aerek realizes that brute force wouldn't help him here against these wriggling creatures, so he tries a different approach...
Again calling upon the Midnight Spirit, the fragments of elemental matter settle around just his fists, making them like unto things of stone. This has the side effect of making the Kellid's arms lighter.
Faster.
He aims two rapid punches at one of the centipedes that are flanking him.
"Ah blasted bugs bit me."
Hung Dong continues to slash and hack at the bugs.
"Huh take that foul vermin."