Hank thinks to himself Well looks like talkin's gettin' us where we needs to be. Hope Bucktooth ain't the one we mercy kilt a room back.
Out loud he whispers, "Learn whatnot we might. Ask 'bout a sheep huntin' monster for me and my sheeple, I'm a-worryin' we're in a goblin cave and not a black fang monster cave."
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What can you tell me about this 'webby cave'? Which way is it? And what is so important about a toy that you would risk your brethren for its return?
Sofia approaches King Fatmouth directly, one hand hovering near her longsword King Fatmouth, is there a darker force in this cavern? Speak freely, but most of all ,speak truly.
"Yes, webby cave home to webmaker." He points to the southeast. "It that way. And these idiots keep fighting unless they have toy."
Phedran thinks back to his years as a student and recalls his professor warning the students about spider venom, and remembers seeing how they can creep through webs with ease and barely a sound.
Belliken follows along, both glad that the encounter did not come to blows, but disappointed that they could not loot the goblins. He readies his cross bow and takes to the back of the party, watching the door.
Hank is ready to advance. Behind the big guys, of course. "Passage looks a lil tight for Cammy, might have to leave him back here. But if we run into trouble we can't handle we oughta come back to the fountain room and Cammy'l help us out. You'll be alright, though, Cammy my camel friend. Just holler if you need me."
Hank's going to be keeping an eye on things.
As Phedran pushes open the stone door, he sees a room that, unlike the rest of the cave which seems naturally formed, has straight, even walls made of stone bricks, illuminated by a red light. The source of this light appears to be a red gem on an altar on the other side of the room. This altar is flanked by a statue on either side. As you enter, you hear a voice ring out, seemingly from the statues: "Approach with humility and live!" In addition, you see another stone door on the southern side of the chamber.
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Phedran looks curiously at the gem and the statues, then back towards his compatriots.
"I must say, I'm not quite fond of taking orders from inanimate objects."
He chuckles to himself, then realizes the party doesn't find it funny.
"Well, I'd say it's a trap, but I don't see any corpses of little greenskins about. I'm thinking a gem like that would be far too tempting for them to pass up. "
Phedran doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
"I reck I'm a humble guy. I know I ain't nothin' but some druidry dabbed on a halfwit halfling. So I don' mind bein' extra humble in the face of magic. Gonna get ready first though."
Hank casts Guidance and Virtue on himself, then approaches the altar on his knees, hands spread, eyes on the floor.
As Hank humbly approaches the altar, nothing happens- until he gets within a few feet. In the last five feet of his crawl, he hears a fwoosh sound. Looking up, he sees a wave of flame gushing from the statues , only a few feet above the ground. However, due to being on his hands and knees, Hank is below the flames and passes unharmed.
"Whew, Good thinking there Hank" Belliken says as he wipes some sweat from his brow. The wave of heat had just blown past him. And good thing he went first, that thing would have fried me if I ran up there. No way I was grovelling for some statue.
Straightening his robes Belliken continues into the next room, clear of anywhere the fire can reach. He readies himself for the next doorway while the others talk. "Quite a prize, I wonder what we can fetch for it in town?".
As Hank takes the gem off of the altar, assuming he or someone else does, the gem feels quite warm to the touch. When you take it, the red light vanishes.
You have no idea what it's worth. It looks pretty valuable, since it is pretty big and seems to be of high quality.
"Uhh, I don' know about this, folks. I'm a simple guy what wouldn't normally take such a thing from an altar but mayhaps I could buy my Ma a farm and hire some hands so she can stop workin' at the bar. Course I'm glad to split what cash it fetches with y'all."
As the party prepares to enter the next room Belliken listens to see if he can discern anything about the other side of the door.
You can see webs, ranging from insubstantial cobwebs to strands nearly as thick as rope . Dozens of tiny spiders crawl about on the webs.
As Belliken looks around, he can see a mummified goblin corpse on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, you look up to see a large black spider, about 5 feet long, hiding in the webbing near the ceiling. It doesn't seem to have noticed that you are aware of it yet, but it is watching the four of you intently.
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Sofia whispers I'd like to think he's friendly and misunderstood but the mummified goblin tells me otherwise.
Sofia begins to chant and casts
"Maybe webs burn and we should smoke it out" Belliken whispers to the party.
Hank knows that he's basically useless in a fight without Cammy. He is holding his breath and waiting to see what comes next.
As Phedran glances around the corner, he sees a long hallway. There's not much light, but there appears to be a pillar of some sort at the end of it.
"Before continuing we should get rid of this spider. It might creep up and get us from behind. If you move over Sofia I can spray it with fire from where you're standin'. Maybe get some of the webbin' too. "
Belliken returns the crossbow to his back and makes sure his dagger is ready in his sheath.
Belliken moves in to where sofia was standing and let's spray a torrent of flames at the spider and into his webs.
Belliken steps forth and shoots a cone of flame that incinerate some of the webs. The spider skitters out of the way, but its carapace is somewhat singed.
With a furious hiss, the spider crawls forward and takes a bite out of Belliken.
As the beast's mandibles sink in, Belliken starts to feel a little woozy.
Luckily, though, the sorcerer resists the effects of its venom.
Now I reck it's time for a lil' healin'. Get behind me if ya can, Belli! I ain't been scratched yet.
Hank casts Cure Light Wounds on Belliken.
Sofia scores a gash in the spider's exoskeleton.
Seeing that he has been healed Belliken side steps to the east and goes to take a shot with his crossbow.
Belliken fires at the spider, but it skitters to the side and the bolt lands with a faint whump in the webs along the back wall.
The spider hisses in pain as Sofia's blade wounds it, and it attempts to retaliate.
However, the paladin's armour is more than sufficient to deflect the attack.
Despite his companions' positioning, Phedran's arrow flies straight into one of the spider's eyes in a spray of hemolymph.
"Is it dead? Is it dead?" yells Hank, while casting "Virtue" himself and then 5ft-stepping forward, brandishing his scythe in an attempt to distract the bug... if it is still living.
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