Sensing a malicious, if dim, intellect on the monster, Jemini grits her teeth: "Lamashtu's luck may have granted you a scratch - but it is meaningless! Irori protects this body, Sarenrae heals it and Iomedae's will guides my blade!"
Inspired by Jemini's bold denunciation of the beast and her majestic powers to counter its assault against her and lay it low, Verik redoubles his efforts and adds a not quite so inspiring "GAAAAHHH! Skulking spider...take that for good measure!" He feints with a jab forward of his heavy shield and swings his warhammer in a wide arc, cracking the creature's mottled carapace with a blow to its side, though it lacks the full force of an overhand swing.
Borodin, having missed the first arachnid, springs off the corpse towards the next closest Deadfall Dweller. It turns and tries to dodge but this time Borodin’s strike is true.
The blade penetrates its thick hide and is quickly followed by the release of electrical energy stored in the blade.
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Fhaght! Elsir snaps, watching as the nimble beasts leap up from the momentary distraction caused by his spell. Already holding the wand in his hand, Elsir channels a small bit of power from the yew wand, encasing him in a small opaque bubble of force that should shield him, should one of the two remaining spiders decide that he is a more preferable target.[/b]
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Despite his years of training and experience, excellent armor and decent reflexes, the creature is too fast for him and the ex-ronin receives a terrible bite to his leg. Once again the spider's poison courses through his blood and this time it is too much for Akiros' overtaxed body to take. Roaring in pain as he feels his muscles begin to seize and tighten the oracle nevertheless grits his teeth and steps in, swinging at his foe with great force, nearly severing one of the arachnid's legs as his broadsword connects. Glaring his grim satisfaction and determination, Akiros sets his shield and prepares himself for it's next strike.
Despite the fact that Jemini heals herself quickly, her wounds cause a furrow in Nikolai's brow. With sticky spittle freezing his joints and numbing his fingers, the barbarian wrenches dragonsbreath free from the spiderthing's carcas and turns to bring the blade down on another. He takes two awkward steps, focused more on connecting with the dweller than freeing himself from the frozen frigid mucus.
The unusual forces fed by Nikolai's bloodlust awaken with his rage, the limp claw spinning towards the dweller as the big man turns.
Zander notches a few more arrows to fire, but lowers his bow. Akiros and Borodin combine to turn the arachnoid creature into a smoking, bloody husk. Deep gashes in its carapace allow its organs to bellow forth in a horrid stench as its dozens of barbed legs quiver and collapse. At the same time, Jemini and Verik slash and bash the beast that they are engaged with; Nikolai slams in with his flaming sword, despite being covered in layers of frozen spittle. The blade sears through it, sending up a spray of bloody steam. It screeches and collapses, no longer a threat.
Bringing his shield down to his side, Verik winces with clear pain and checks the gash in his shoulder, moving his arm back and forth to check for damage to the plate. He then steps over to look clinically at Jemini's wound upon her own shoulder, noting it has now healed over with her own power, though some of the mithril chain links have been rent. "I can mend that in a bit, but I'll see first to the wounds. You should conserve your power for battle I'd say, favored as you are."
Settling his warhammer back into its place on his belt, Verik motions over to both Nikolai and Akiros to follow him, and then walks some distance away from the closest beast's corpse. He twice channels his raw power over pure positive energy for himself and the two warriors (carefully ensuring his power stops short of any arachnoid corpse), then draws forth a well-crafted wand and checks each of them for additional wounds.
"Hmmm...Akiros this poison the beasts had in their fangs...I don't have anything suitable to treat it for you today I'm afraid...
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The former Staglord grips the pommel of his flaming sword tightly, willing the flames to burn bright and hot. He waves the blade over each companion, thawing the chill slime expelled by the beasts.
"Half my life in these forests, and I have never seen such a thing before. I wonder where they come from? What demented wizard thought to build those bastards?"
"Truly...perhaps Elsir can shed some light in that regard. It strikes me that if these things have some capability to take captives for their mistress or maker, it would explain how a smaller group could be taken whole, what with this spittle and poison they possess."
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Elsir shrugs at the suggestion. I can't claim an expertise in northern flora and fauna. I tended to specialize in areas closer to the equator, but if I had to reason a guess, the creatures did seem somewhat intelligent and their spittle would be useful for capturing prey. Tapping the caracas of the creature with his walking cane, Elsir nudges one of the appendages before glancing down for a closer look.
There is of course magic that can compel a creature to do ones bidding, and its possible it might have been employed, but there are simply too many factors for me to ascertain the nature of the beasts at this time. They did however seem quite suspetable to fire. Elsir nods at Nikolai's sword. So logic would indicate they are more resistant to cold and this would be an idea ecology for them. Hrm... Elsir muses glancing at the creature. Bones or Chitin? Would this be of the Arthropod Arachnida or something else? Interesting.. Glancing up at the others, Elsir shrugs. I might like to display one of the remains at the Lodge. I can't say I have seen this particular genus before. Its actually quite a find.
With the creatures all dead, Akiros finally allows himself to lower his blade. Wincing with the pain of his two big bites, he slowly follows along behind Verik. Once the cleric's healing magic washes over him though Akiros stands straight and tall once more, flexing his arms and legs |No need for regret priest, Abadar's blessings have knitted my flesh and have helped make my body strong enough to resist this poison. I feel good as new." As he does a deep squat and spreads his arms wide to demonstrate.
Standing up again he says "Let's go check out their lair. Perhaps there are still more of them, or they had young." and putting actions to words, shield and sword held before him, he starts moving slowly forward towards the nearest hole the arachnids came from.
Nodding, Verik returns back to Jemini and the others, hefting his shield once more for battle.
Pondering what lies ahead, he looks askance to Elsir and gestures with his free hand towards the ruins, saying with false certainty, "Fiannio a fong as cerathregog fino gau tirlrer riann fudiaran. Fui laram fargo allrach fason oth ar cerathrurast!"
Borodin has also been studying these creatures, using the point of his blade to move the anatomy around.
He barely stifles a laugh at Verik's poor attempt at elvish. "Verik. Will you please stop butchering Elsir's native tongue? At least practice a little more before you blurt out things in public. I almost choked to death just now."
He finishes his inspection, wipes off Augur, and stands, ready for action. He looks to the others and then the entrance of the ruins. "Shall we proceed?"
His cheeks color slightly as his head snaps to Borodin, his free hand now gesturing back over to Elsir. ”I…I was just attempting to show some empathy concerning these ancient ruins and that we…I meant no insult and thought…” Verik drops his hand lamely, his eyes sharp and cold towards Borodin.
Dutifully rechecking the buckles and straps of his greaves for no apparent reason, Verik suddenly snaps off a hurried pronouncement in an entirely different tongue, this one showing skill and inflection, though not nearly as melodious as the elvish he woefully attempted. ”Ruhz ub iy yrel qhavel lruf yril tiluntelnhz awelcy ihh icyelcy Yrel ocuqqulelt, Motwelt yu siwry cospelnl! Celfrajelc yrel zuon ub elyelncah qhacel iy hely ril Yrel act nelluhjel ol act vnosphel pelbunel!"
Zander kneels by the bodies of the spiders, using a dagger to examine them closely. His rangings have given him ample experience in post-violence necropsy of dangerous animals. Between his and Elsir's knowledge, they determine that they are magically augmented - as if the aspects of wintry cold were grafted to them via mutation. While such creatures could develop naturally in the dangerous wilds, the somewhat patchwork style of their arachnoid bodies suggest more purpose and a shorter timeline.
Zander then joins Akiros in looking at the holes from which the creatures burst. The templar of Iomedae has been unable to find anything resembling a traditional lair. He prods them a bit to make the examination, going so far as to thrust a longsword into the semi-frozen muddy depressions. As he looks at the mud, he speaks aloud. "This is not a natural development. Look at the mud. This door's been opened recently, and the mud was moved to block the door. Magic, probably. I think it is to give the impression of being abandoned. It was intentional. I'm going to hang back and protect the exit, in case whoever set up the trap tries to return. The other Wardens and I will be here until you return. Be careful."
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Turning away from the group a sound that could only be described as disgust emanates from Elsir. As he turns back around his cheeks are flushed as he holds a hand to his mouth to cover the wry smile. Verik my friend, I am afraid that more practice is in order. Shaking his head again, the elf lowers his hand and turns back to Zander. Yes, I see what your saying. This has been done on purpose. Nodding to the man, the elf checks his bag and wand before scanning the perimeter. Holding this exit so that we can retreat if necessary is a wise and prudent call. I worry however about the vision. I only hope that this is not a mistake.
Fully ignoring the foolishness of Verik's mangled attempts at elvish, Akiros concentrates on what he and Zander have found. The oracle of Iomedae looks to his ranger friend, considering for a moment. For while having the skilled and deadly archer by their side in confronting the hag and her minions would certainly be of great benefit, so too will be knowing their their exit or retreat if necessary will be covered. Nodding his acceptance he speaks matter of factly "If that is your choice Zander, then so be it." Turning back slightly to the others he continues "However let us press on without further delay. It is most likely the that hag is aware by now of our presence here. The longer we delay the more time she will have to prepare her defences. I mean to see that creature dead this day, so let's go."
With the tools of the Wardens set upon the packed mud, the group quickly scrapes away the barrier to entry within the hour. Nikolai and Akiros prepare to use their strength together to force open the door, but it swings open effortlessly when Elsir pulls the handle. The hinges do not make a sound - either another testament to elven engineering or a sign that the fortress is better cared for than it seems. The entryway is dimly lit from the shimmering windows, and the colors swirl languidly on the floor. The entryway is quite large, going back at least twenty yards or more in a slightly downward slope. A half-dozen statues flank the main passageway; these elven figures look as if they are standing guard over the area. Grass grows from the ground, which may have been its original state (an elven link to nature) or overgrowth from the centuries. Ivy wraps itself around the legs of the statues. At the end of the entry hall is a wooden door that surely leads to the fortress proper.
In his eagerness to destroy the wretched hag Akiros can waits impatiently for the wardens to finish clearing the entrance. If he feels any surprise at the easiness of the door opening he doesn't show it, merely grunting softly and steadily moving forward towards the wooden door.
His eagerness does not make him foolish however, and he is of course aware of the limitations of his eyesight, so, first mumbling a prayer to Iomeade for , he steps carefully, doing his best to scan for traps or other dangers. He also keeps an eye on, and a distance from, the ivy growing around the statues.
Perception:
Jemini stands before the precipice and cautiously looks beyond. A little softly, but audible to the party, she asks: "So... the question is whether we're expected now, or whether all this has been business as usual for the place?" She adjusts her shield and sword.
Akiros's vision may be cursed with partial blindness, but he sees what the Inheritor wishes for him to see. He notices a subtle pulsation of the ivy at the base of the elven statues; a quick glance at the statues reveals an unnatural sway of a statue's hand on its elven curve blade. He steps back and brings his blade up, shouting a warning to the others before they can step further into the room. Elsir is already moving, having foresight of the warning and the attack. Borodin's quick reflexes get him moving quickly - faster even than Akiros - as soon as he hears the start of the warning. Nikolai is always ready for violence, of course. Of the half-dozen statues, the three on the right side of the room begin to move; the ivy unfurls at the base of the three actual statues on the left side, revealing itself to be a slithering, mobile vine.
The former Staglord hefts his flaming blade, spinning the pommel around his hand so that the flames roar upright. As the barbarian grips the pommel in both hands, he strides forward in quick measured steps. He looks left to the crawling vine and right to the statues, choosing his target and position. Dragonsbreath flares bright with Nikolai's intentions as the sword comes down on the thickest part of the vines he can see.
Borodin draws his blade and starts moving towards the ivy but pauses once he sees the columns start to move. With a few quick incantations, the right side of the room erupts in a tangle of white sticky webs, obscuring the columns for the moment. He turns his attention back to the ivy and moves to flank the first one, wary of the flaming blade wielded by his new companion.
Elsir reaches forward into time with his magic, pulling motes of possibility around him and his allies. He sees the combat splayed out before them, watches the possibilities of occurrence that may come to be. He pulls the time into a bubble of sorts, wrapping it around himself and each of his allies while leaving the others out of it. The net effect makes reality seem to slow down for them, giving them long moments with which to make their decisions.
As the one who spotted the ambush, Akiros is already moving when Elsir's magic touches him. He leaps forward, sword and hand, and sweeps his blade deftly across the vines. Green liquid sprays out of the vines as he cuts into them. Nikolai closes a moment later and slams his sword on the first of the vines, finishing what Akiros began.
Borodin summons a sticky web around the moving statues to the right, engulfing them in its mass. Two of the three press forward, inexorably snapping strands of the web with their implacable strength. One of them, however, gets caught in the web quickly and is unable to break free quickly. The other two may yet get caught in the web's embrace, as several feet of the sticky mess separates them from their attackers.
The grass seems to explode as it graps at the feet of the party members. Between Akiros's warning and Elsir's magic, they all react quickly enough to avoid entanglement by the vines. The first of the large vines that stirs launches itself upwards, slamming against Nikolai's chest. It seems wholly undisturbed by his fiery blade. Its impact rattles his bones, but he pushes back and keeps the vine from wrapping around his chest like a great snake.
The other remaining vine snaps to attention, leaping forward like a cobra. It cracks into Akiros with its thorny edge, leaving a trail of blood down his face. It tries to wind its way around the warrior oracle's neck, but he gets a hand in the way and flings it aside while bringing his own sword up for another stroke.
Verik reacts in stamping his armored boots on the wriggling grasses beneath his feet for a long moment as he takes in the dreaded scene of slithering vines and animated constructs, once again having to spur himself to action in some manner that doesn't add to the chaos. Seeing Borodin's attempt to waylay the stone guardians, he makes the decision to move into the chamber towards that direction, hoping his armor will prove hardy enough to hold their attention if they escape his summoned webs. First, however, he does what he can to give Akiros an ally in his fight against the massive vine that struck him.
"Master of the First, First above All, I implore for thee to aid thy servant a crafted weapon to smash these vines to oblivion!" Almost instantly with an audible pop a golden crossbow appears in front of the vine next to Akiros, bobbing in the air with a series of clicks as it loads a golden bolt into place and fires at near point-blank range, impacting part of the vine with the shuddering force of a hammer blow.
Verik advances forward into the chamber towards the nearest stone construct that seems to be moving towards them, drawing his hammer as he does so and giving his shield a ringing clang as he yells out at the thing. "Hiyah! Here to me you heap of slag! Here!"
Mock seriously Jemini advises Verik to "Don't hesitate! They can smell fear!" She moves toward the closest animated column, buoyed by the powerful magic that seems to slow everything around her except for herself and her allies. Her sword lashes out in a blur, almost an extension of herself, and leaves a visible crack to scar the column creature.
Jemini's sword smashes against the caryatid column, reverberating as it strikes against the hard marble. Fortunately, the magic of her sword keeps its structure intact. The shock of the impact runs through her hand and up her sword arm.
The first of the columns slashes at Jemini with an elven longsword of its own. She steps out of the way deftly, maintaining excellent footwork that she could never match outside the dance of combat. She brandishes her blade, ready for a counterattack.
The second moving statue moves towards Verik, only to find its legs caught in Borodin's web. It stops and tugs its legs forward, wrenching until free. The webs tear free as the column moves inexorably out of the spell's radius. Still, Borodin smirks as he notices that his spell slowed the column long enough to prevent its longsword attack against the cleric.
The final column reaches down and tears away the webs that hold it with a great strength. It looks up and settles its gaze upon the spellcaster who summoned the web. It steps out of the webbing, gaining speed as it gets clear.
Borodin ignores the approaching statue and focuses his attention on the creeping vines. He swings at the vegetation, and in two quick motions, severs the vine into three quivering sections.
Following on the heels of his successful first attack, Akiros spins and lays his broadsword into the final Assassin Vine. This time however the angle of his blade is slightly off and his strike fails to penetrate the vine's thick skin.
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Careful! Elsir shouts pointing towards the Colum's. The statues are know as Caryatid's and are magically hardened. My spells will have no effect on them and striking one with a weapon has to the potential to break it. Im... i'm not sure about the vine's however. Some sort of plant I suppose so fire should be effective against them!
Turning words into deeds the elven wizard riffles through his brown satchel and withdraws a vellum parchment. Unrolling it, the wizard begins to speak in a clear and commanding tone, summoning into existence a rolling ball of liquid flame and hissing embers atop the nearest vine.
As the ball takes shape, Elsir studies it intensely, frowning in confusion. The.. the flames do nothing. Elsir manages to croak out in disbelief. But its a plant! Thats not logical?!
Dragonsbreath rises and falls, as Nikolai pivots past one hacked vine to stand opposite the third from Akiros. As the vine coils away from the blind oracle, the big man swings up to cut through several branches at once.
A spray of pulp and splinters fires up from the vine, still unseared by the flaming greatsword. The big man turns to face the statues threatening Jemini.
The vines lay in pieces, smashed by the combined (and magically-quickened) assault of the fortress's attackers.
Jemini marvels at the precision of the craftsmanship on the animated statues. She perceives the impassive faces move in slight slow-motion - enough time to attack twice over.
While he hears Elsir’s warning about the guardian statues and sees Jemini’s teeth clench at every blow she delivers to it, Verik’s mind cannot think of any better solution to the problem. He hopes the bludgeoning force of his warhammer will have a different outcome than what he sees with Jemini. Upon striking it upon its sculpted shoulder however, he discovers that is far from the case.
”Ennnfff! Feeling the shock up his arm as he smashes off the tiniest chip of stone from the construct, he grunts and decides against a backswing against the statue a second time. Instead, he looks to his summoned golden crossbow and wills it to aid him in his assault, now that the vine in front of Akiros has been destroyed. Obediently, the crossbow flies over to the column as another golden bolt clicks into place and fires with predictable reliability. The bolt strikes true only to dissipate harmlessly across the guardian's body, the force magic ineffective against the defenses instilled into the column.
With the threat of the vines gone, Akiros spins to watch his companions' nearly futile effort against the columns. Thinking quickly, his trained warrior's mind tries to come up with any possible solution.
Latching onto the only thing he can think of at the moment he calls out urgently "Wait! Let's us not break our weapons uselessly against these constructs! They cannot be that intelligent, perhaps we can lead them out of here and mire them in the mud, or the spiders' den, or even have the wardens lead them on a merry chase!"
Jemini and Verik surround the moving statue and attack it with their weapons. Weapons normally pierce skin and cut through flesh, but the columns are solid stone. Jemini's sword smashes against it twice, reverberating in her hand but otherwise unharmed. Verik smashes his warhammer, causing a small crack in the column and nearly dropping his hammer. He looks at its head, noting that he only succeeded in smashing it open himself. He has other weapons with which to use, but he will have to mend it with his magic.
Entangled by webs and beset by enemies, the caryatid columns swing their swords at their enemies. Jemini blocks the stone sword with her own holy sword, parrying its downward angle above her head. Verik trusts in the strength of his armor, smiling as the sword slams against the metal shell that protects his torso without so much as discomfort on his part. Borodin dodges the slash entirely, using Elsir's magic to amplify his reflexes and speed.
Heeding Elsir’s warning, Borodin retreats from the columns, not wanting to destroy his sword. Desperately, he looks around the chamber for something that might be effective against them. He takes the time to sheathe his sword and ready his Longbow incase nothing presents itself.
The barbarian hears only the rush of blood as his friends react to the threat posed by the statues. He shakes the inert vines from his feet and steps quickly to the closest column. The roar of flames matches the roar of combat and Nikolai sneers at the elven constructs.
After two quick strikes to the legs, the column topples like a felled tree. Its torso crumbles under its own stony weight while the big man roars his furor.
Nikolai's sword smashes through the column, severing its leg and making it tumble to the floor. His second attack - wholly unnecessary to destroy the construct - smashes it beyond recognition. He draws his sword back, noting that the stone did not crack or damage it in any way.
Verik sees the sheer power of Nikolai's fiery blow against the statue on his shield-side, knowing now that the constructs can eventually be overcome. Knowing that both Nikolai and Jemini have blades which have been imbued with special powers of enchantment, he quickly discards his own paltry warhammer and draws forth the handaxe from his war belt. Verik knows it would fare little better than his warhammer, but smashing up another weapon is not his aim.
"Hey! Here on me!" He whips his left hand out to almost tap the constructed column twice upon its side, as if knocking on a door. The shift of the guardian to his facing is brief, but enough to give Jemini a better edge in her own attack or defense.
Jemini frowns in slight astonishment. The statue reacts lifelike, like a human, to verik's distraction - was that the creature or the creator at work? Still... enough time to attack!
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