Toruk moves into the room - dropping his staff as he goes. He attempts to stomp on the spider.
Jocasta rushes in to help, then draws her rapier as she takes up a position next to her allies.
The spider dances about, realizing there are more combatants that it normally engages, then decides a display of force may drive the creatures back. It lunges at , attempting to sing it's fangs into the Toruk's leg. The beast punches through the warrior's thigh, pumping venom into his bloodstream. It then bounces back, watching the reactions of it's foes.
Success
plus roll a Save vs. Poison
Initiative Order:
First Group: The Players
Second Group: The Spider
Earth breaker in his grip Musami attacks the spider again.
Cedryk moves in and strikes at the creature with his staff.
Attack:
Damage:
Cedryk steps ahead of Toruk as the warrior applies pressure to his bite, attempting to alleviate the tingling numbness caused by the momentary exposure to the spider's venom.
The druid swings his staff overhead intending to come down hard on the creature only instead to strike a blow against the large husk hanging from the burnt rafters, jarring a partially desiccated leg to fall free.
The spider retaliates against the humanoids encroaching on it's lair, too wounded to flee, by lashing out against , biting out at Cedryk, the man destroying his latest meal.
misses
Initiative Order:
First Group: The Players
Second Group: The Spider
Trying to calm himself and take aim, Cedryk again swings at the spider.
Attack:
Damage:
As Jocasta closes in from the left, thrusting her rapier into the spider's eye Cedryk brings his staff down upon the thing's back, the pair together rupturing the last of the arachnid's integrity, the creature bursting into a pulsing pile of bits and gore.
Toruk works through some basic katas, feeling sensation returning to his limbs, and currently no lingering effects from the bite he'd received.
Jocasta wipes off her rapier and sheathes it, then says to Toruk, "Are you all right? That was a nasty bite."
After Toruk replies, she takes a quick look around the debris and rubble to see if there's been anything left behind by the spider's predations.
Checking the area over Jocasta spies the hanging body Cedryk knocked loose, hanging roughly 5' off the floor.
The stairs on the eastern wall are badly damaged and unlikely to support much more weight, covered with fallen debris and in any case only rise roughly 9' high before ending in jagged and broken supports.
A medium sized, iron bound wooden chest rests against the western wall, a rusty padlock securely set over it's hasp.
On the floor nearby is a narrow short sword, nicked but in fair condition. A few animal skulls and dry broken husks lay nearby, fallen from amongst the smaller bundles tucked high in the webbing covering much of the ceiling.
"Guys? There's an old chest here. Maybe leftover from when this place was abandoned," says Jocasta. She crouches down and gives it a thorough examination.
Fil comes in to look into the room, again, recasting detect magic and looking up and down to see if any magical items have gotten stuck in the spider's web above from any unlucky prior adventurers as well as if there are any other mundane pieces of equipment that are usable above the party or even if there are hidden compartments in the ruined walls while Jocasta takes care of the chest.
"We also have the remains of the poor fellow who maybe thought he had found a hidden treasure. Perhaps we should get him down and search his body?"
Cedryk will help to bring the body to the ground and unwrapping it.
"I don't think these stairs will support our wait," says Jocasta. "We'll need to boost someone up to cut him down."
After checking no one is ambushing them from outside, Braggi enters the place where his companions have just defeated the spider. Hearing Jocasta's comment, he answers. "Well, if these won't support our weight, I guess it wouldn't have supported anyone else's, right? I guess the girls we're looking for haven't been taken that way."
Jocasta peers upward and says, "The whole roof area's ruined. They must be somewhere else. Braggi, can you lift me up so I can cut down this poor unfortunate soul? Fil, Cedryk, be ready to catch it."
Nit being incredibly tall Musami readies to helo catch.
While Jocasta sits on the floor for two minutes staring intently at the old chest Braggi and Cedryk together manage to lower the large husk to the floor, finding a partially drained and desiccated young man of roughly 20 years age.
The pair cut the body free of the webbing and find he is garbed in patched and worn clothing, a suit of sturdy leather armor, a long green cloak, and sports an empty scabbard and sack tucked into his belt. A small pouch on his side holds 11 silver nobles. The short sword on the floor is likely his as well.
The room does not detect as magical, nor does anything seem to emanate from the chest.
Jocasta completes her examination of the chest and determines she doesn't think the device is trapped, just a bit rusty and locked.
With the examination and the corpse handled, Jocasta delicately probes the rusty lock with her tools.
"Given how he died, perhaps at least a small prayer to ensure he doesn't come back to haunt us, or is how raising the dead works?"
Fil will take and watch out the door of the tower, wary of any dangers that the party may not see coming from the courtyard. He does prepare his bow if something is far enough away.
Jocasta takes another couple of minutes fiddling and fidgeting with the padlock before finally managing to spring it open. Inside she finds a small rotting sack containing 71 copper commons and 38 silver nobles atop a small latched ivory box slightly larger than a typical spellbook.
Filnefillan thought he might have seen a shadow move beyond one of the arrow slits within the moat house, but isn't certain. It was a glimpse of lighter darkness against the deeper black, but then again maybe it was just a trick of shadow caused by the slow moving clouds overhead.
Almost as if on cue, a flash of light strikes briefly above the clouds, followed a short period later by a roil of thunder, off in the distance.
Jocasta carefully extracts the coins and the ivory box. She checks the box as well (cursory check this time, take 10 = Perception 17 to find traps) before looking inside.
The ivory box is locked but Jocasta does not notice anything unusual about the hasp or inlaid cover. The lock is built into the piece, similar to a basic pin latch mechanism.
Nothing sounds rattling around within the box, it is likely empty from the weight of it.
After seeing Jocasta extracting coin and the ivory box, Fil says "I believe that it is possible, just possible, the far side of the keep is inhabited. It may be a trick of shadows, but it best to be on our guard. Shall we proceed across the courtyard?"
"Yes, we should be cautious and check everything here. If we find nothing, this hideout can at least be discarded."
Braggi proceeds then to check for any signs of people having been around not long ago, even in places they have checked already.
Crossing the courtyard you find the area is cluttered with debris from the battle which occurred here nearly a decade ago. Small links broken from armor, straps of leather, and splinters of weapons are intermixed with crumbles of charred wood, broken plaster, and jagged chunks of stone from the ruined structure itself. Weeds and dirt have slowly reclaimed much of the yard, growing in tough knots and clumps amidst the wreckage. While not looking too closely you spy the odd bit of bleached bone here and there, indicating not everyone survived that final day, or were ever claimed by anyone who cared. The sobering thought mixes with the gloom overhead, the silence of the still place, and the oppressive feeling of the pending rains to give you all a passing chill.
You reach the stone stairs leading up into the moat house, the wide doorways open, though not remotely inviting. Every step to this point you have felt yourselves under watch, as if the eyes of the living and the dead are keenly aware of your approach, waiting to pounce with but a moment's pause, but the attacks never come.
You stand before the entry, darkness beyond. The air is stale, all these years later still tinged with the burnt fumes of the fire which consumed the upper levels, mixed now with a taint of mold, mildew, and aging rot.
Musami peers into the darkness beyond the door. He stands back 10 feet from the door as he does this.
Gazing into the open great hall beyond the courtyard you pause to get your bearings. In the dim light from the entry you can see the room is roughly 30' deep by 50' wide, your position angled along the south west to southern corner of the room. Along the western wall to your left a hallway disappears back west, a similar passage heading south just off to your right. A small alcove is shrouded in shadows on the western edge of the northern wall. The eastern edge holds a thick banded door opening to the north beyond, partly charred but showing signs of having been repaired since the fall of the manor.
The interior floor is covered in wind blown leaves and the ruins of the halls former furnishings. Much is hacked apart and battered, strewn together here from the adjacent areas. A fire was once set amongst the rubble but it appears it did not catch as strongly as did the flames above.
A faint reek of excrement and offal can be smelt wafting from the western hallway. A close look to the floor shows a build up of traces of rats and other vermin, the boot prints of men, and possibly other creatures, though the crisscrossed nature makes tracking difficult.
Jocasta wrinkles her nose at the smell, then draws a dagger. She points at the banded door and whispers, "Interesting - it's been recently repaired."
"Does anyone have light?" Braggi asks, peeping inside. He grabs his sword tight, a gesture to reaffirm his mettle.
Noticing the boot prints, he calls Cedryk and helps him discern anything useful.
Briefly examining the tracks Braggi nods to Jocasta, The boot prints seem to come and go from that door.
"I can help with that, Braggi. Do you mind if I cast it on your sword?"
Fil will cast Light on Braggi's sword if okay, otherwise it will be cast on the arrow he currently has knocked.
Musami will draw his earth breaker and approach the alcove in the northern wall.
Toruk will use his lighted walking stick to look down both the western and southern halls.
Giving everyone a few moments as you break out into groups searching the area.
Fil, Jocasta and Cedryk (with Hedgewyk standing on his shoulders, watching over his head) stand inside the room near the stairs outside. They are allowing their eyes to adjust as Musami moves north towards the alcove, Toruk west to look at the first hallway, and Braggi to listen at the banded door in the far eastern corner.
Braggi and Toruk have light sources equal to torches illuminating the west and northeast.
Toruk reports back to the others. ”The western hall is clear.”
He moves to check the southern hall.
I should have also mentioned the western hallway passed two closed doors on the southern wall, and one closed half-door, it's top section missing on the northern wall. That hallway also ends passing through an archway into a western room 20' deep, width undetermined.
Cedryk moves down the hallway with the others, holding his still-enchanted staff and ready if anything might suddenly occur.
Fil hangs back to allow the others to have a 5' step back if needed, arrow still knocked, he doesn't trust this place.
Musami follows along with the group. His earth breaker still in his hands. I don't want a repeat of that spider sneaking up on me again
"Well let's check out one of these doors..."
Musami moves back to the alcove and looks within it.