Does anyone know anything about ships or construction? I don't be liken' the look of this ship.
In the arcane glow of Devan's longsword, Mirela examines the ship as best she can from the rickety walkway. It appears there is a bloody hand print on the door at the aft of the ship. There is no one visible on the deck of the ship at present.
Musician! There be blood on the door leading to the aft cabin. That probably be where our query went.. Mirela quietly tells him.
Then she lines up a shot at the door and readies herself to cover Devan if he opens it.
Devan nods his understanding to Mirela, hurrying off the walkway and to the aft door. Once there, he quickly examines it to make sure there are no surprises waiting for the group as the others coalesce behind him. The musician opens the door if nothing is found, lighting the space beyond to continue the search.
Devan climbs over the rail onto the deck of the Kraken's Folly. He grits his teeth in alarm as he feels how spongy the deck is below him, but moves forward cautiously to the door to the aft cabin, where he confirms a fresh bloody handprint is visible. Readying to open the door, he checks the location of the rest of the group before pulling on the handle.
Atticus follows his comrades slowly. The wood seems worse as it is, and patience is one of his virtues.
What in Abadar´s name was that?"
"I am ready!"
Aliera follows the others, making sure to stay far enough from Atticus that the walkway remains stable.
When Twilight and Nargun step atop the deck of the Kraken's Folly to be in better support positions behind Devan, both are surprised when the deck gives way completely, sending the pair tumbling into the dark hold beneath.
Miraculously, both seem to land mostly on their feet, undamaged from the fall of about 10'. The hold below is dark, dank, and smells of mildew. Several barrels, crates, and other containers lie stacked here and there. Dust and grime cover the floor, except where river water has gathered in puddles.
From somewhere in the darkness comes the unsettling sound of scuttling legs.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 1
23 Devan
20 Red Spider
20 Twilight
18 Aleira
16 Nargun
11 Blue Spider
9 Mirela
8 Atticus
As the pair of heroes fall into the dark hold of the ship, a pair of man-sized spiders crawl from behind some of the crates, looking for an easy meal.
Twilight gives a little shriek and clutches at Nargun as the deck gives way beneath them. She just barely manages to keep her footing by leaning heavily on the dwarf. She covers her head with her arms as the remaining splinters shower down around them. When the rotted wood stops falling, she looks up as the skittering sound catches her attention. Twilight carefully points the torch in the direction of the sound and sees the light reflected off a multitude of eyes.
Twilight had never been particularly scared of spiders, but she had never seen ones this big before and their sheer size was disconcerting. She edged over a little bit to the East, scrambling over the decaying boxes and barrels putting Nargun between her and the sizeable arachnids. "Mirela, there are some very large spiders down here. You're good at hunting these kinds of things, aren't you?"
Twilight holds the torch out, hoping to dissuade the spiders from coming closer as she caresses her holy symbol "Calistria, guard this dwarf from harm as he guards me from this danger."
Devan's eyes widen as he hears, then turns his head to see the bow of the ship give way beneath the unlucky dwarf and half-elf. Not taking the time or care for searching the door any longer, he throws open the door (or attempts to), leading with his longsword to help light the way and ascertain that his companions are ok.
Ahmppfff...
The dwarf falls through the rotten floor, and his body cushion the priestess own fall.
Then some big spiders come closer
Get off me, princess, these spiders thinks we are an easy meal. I'll show them their error. Dwarves are a tough lot to poison.
There is no nasty tone under Nargun words. Twilight could even think the word "princess" was meant with some rough affection. The dwarf readies is axe, eager for another fight, putting himself between the spiders and Twilight.
Hearing Twilight call out Mirela carefully moves over so she can shoot into the hole.
[i]Spiders? Really who would 'unt a spider?[. Ye can't eat em./i]
We normally step on spiders not 'unt them... she replies back as she readies to shoot anything that comes near her companions.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 1 - continued
Fearing for his companions, Devan throws open the door to the aft cabin, the illuminated blade providing all the light he needs. He hopes to see an easy path down to the hold below, where his friends are in danger, but instead he finds a room thick with cobwebs which hang from the walls and ceilings in thick ropes. Abandoned blankets and cushions litter the floor, and a stairway in the center of the room leads down to the hold below. Unfortunately, another large spider is positioned in this room, and it rushes forward to attack the bard. A bit stunned by the arachnid's presence, Devan's attack misses wildly.
Red Spider aggressively leaps to attack the nearest person, which in this case is Nargun. Using his axe, the dwarf is able to push the spider away before its mandibles can get close enough for a bite.
Twilight steps behind the burly dwarf as she sees the spiders move to attack. Torch still in hand, she wards off the bugs as much as she can, while beseeching her patron for divine protection for Nargun in this fight.
Using his body to shield the priestess from harm, Nargun lashes back out at the nearest vermin, penetrating its thick carapace with his axe. A gooey green ichor drips slowly from the wound, but the spider continues to act aggressively.
Aleira gasps as the dwarf and the half-elf disappear from view as the ship's deck gives way. Nevertheless, scared that the walkway might also collapse, she remains rooted to the spot.
Aleira gasps as the dwarf and the half-elf disappear from view as the ship's deck gives way. Nevertheless, scared that the walkway might also collapse, she remains rooted to the spot.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 1 - continued
As Aleira waits on Atticus to make an action, the spiders in the hold begin to attack the rest of the party.
Purple Spider fires strands of sticky webbing at Devan, hoping to ensnare the live prey but the deftly-moving bard is able to avoid the coils rope-like webbing.
Blue Spider advances on the other side of Nargun, trying to sink its venomous fangs into the dwarf, but the fire and light from Twilight's torch, keep it at bay for now.
With the spiders illuminated by the torchlight below, Mirela is able to get a good shot from above, but her arrow misses the scrabbling arachnid.
Atticus moves forward next to the bard and helps his defence.
Unable to move forward, or to see what's going on, Aleira remains where she is, though she does prepare to act should any opportunity present itself.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 1 - concluded
Atticus clambers aboard the ship, wary of the spongy but holding, deck. He moves behind Devan, trying to offer support, but anable to be of much help from his present position.
Aleira, frustrated by her location and the unsafe footing, stays put for now, readying to hex any foes that come within sight.
End of Round 1
In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you're in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent's next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.
You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character's skill check.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 2
Turns out there are three spiders, not two. Nargun injures one.
23 Devan
20 Red Spider (6hp dmg)
20 Twilight
16 Nargun
15 Purple Spider
11 Blue Spider
9 Mirela
8 Atticus
18 Aleira (readying Evil Eye)
Nargun's axe cuts a spider deeply, sending blood and ichor everywhere
I won't waste anymore time with you, spiders. My wrath is for Lamm, but if you stand in the way, you'll pay the price for it.
Devan's heart races as the sticky filaments come flying at him, his body's natural response system taking over while his mind processed the presence of the spider. There were many folksy Varisian tales his mother had told him with spiders as the villain as a young child, and so he had developed a healthy respect for arachnids.
Hearing Nargun's exasperated statement, Devan decides that the situation belowdecks is probably manageable. The musician hastily decides to consolidate the battlefield, moving out of the room and shutting the cabin door. He was pretty sure spiders couldn't open doors.
"I'm starting to have doubts that Yargin came this way unless... Do you suppose that these are trained spiders guarding Lamm's lair?"
Seeing Nargun menaced by two spiders, Twilight renews her protective ward on him.
Twilight smiles a bit with amusement as Nargun tries to get the spiders to back off with verbal threats.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 2 - continued
Not interested in going toe-to-toe with an arachnid, Devan quickly shuts the aft cabin door, and moves away from it.
Below decks, Red Spider moves to encircle the dwarven warrior, especially since Twilight is waving her torch the other direction. Leaping to attack, Red cannot get her mandibles on Nargun enough to inject him with an venom.
Still calling out to Calistria, Twilight continues to try to protect her protector by granting Nargun continued divine warding.
Barking his battle-cry, Nargun let's loose with a terrific swing of his axe, which catches the attacking Red Spider in mid-lunge. The axe splits her abdomen open, and she dies with an audible scree that chills the nerves.
Just as one spider dies, another comes scrabbling down the stairs and launches it's sticky webs at the brave dwarf. Despite Calistria's wards, the binding webs wrap around Nargun, entangling him.
Blue Spider thinks to attack the bound Dwarf, but the burning torch keeps it at bay enough that no real attack is forthcoming.
As the door is now closed Atticus moves toward Devan. But Twilight is in the way. He whispers.[b]"If we can change places I will aid Devan.
Nargun tries to free himself from the sticky bonds, his axe ready to strike if the spider come too close, with a savage grin on his face
Come on, spider, i'm no longer a threat to you.. try your luck and come in for the kill..
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Devan feels guilt creep in as he looks below and sees his dwarven companion engulfed in webbing, likely from the very spider that had been trying to make a meal of the bard. Steeling himself for a brief moment as he sheathes his sword, he swings his legs over the newly-created hole in the deck and lowers himself down to the full length of his arms, dropping only a couple of feet to Nargun's side.
Landing in what remains of the spider the dwarf had just sent screeching off to whatever hell existed for the eight-legged freaks, Devan grimaced before offering a grim smile to Nargun and Twilight. "Help has arrived. Really I just needed to get out of the professor's way, and Mirela was blocking the walkway." The musician quipped as he looked nervously at the two spiders close by. This was probably ill-advised.
It's called covering my companions. Not blocking the way! Mirela exclaims as she launches another arrow at the blue spider threading the group down below.
As the professor moves onto the boat Aleria steps forward into the place he has vacated, now reasonably certain that the boards will support her weight.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 2 - concluded
Firing into the hold from above again, Mirela is chagrined to see her shot carom off the hardened outer carapace of the Blue Spider to no effect.
Atticus readies to help Devan in case the bard enters melee combat or in case he needs a spotter as he prepares to drop to the deck below.
Aleira is still motionless, worried about the decrepit condition of the deck and the walkway. She has a curse prepared if any spider shows it's many-eyed face.
End of Round 2
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 3
Nargun finishes off Red Spider, but gets webbed up in the process.
23 Devan
20 Twilight
16 Nargun (entangled)
15 Purple Spider
11 Blue Spider
9 Mirela
8 Atticus
18 Aleira (readying Evil Eye)
Trying to help out, Devan sheathes his weapon and lowers himself from the broken decking above, dangling until he drops gently on the hold floor beside Nargun. The bard has a moment of concern as the deck splinters that he puts all his weight on seem to shimmy and bend under his hands. Before the decking snaps off completely, he drops safely to the floor.
Twilight shields her face and grimaces in disgust as the spider spews web over Nargun. She briefly considers burning the webs off of Nargun with the torch but then thinks better of it and just helps him with her divine power for now.
Twilight calls out to the people above "Other than burning them, does anyone know a quick way to get rid of spider webs?"
And then renews Nargun's protection:
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 3 - continued
Thinking better of setting the sticky webs coating Nargun on fire, Twilight instead maintains her divine warding of the entangled dwarf.
Thrashing about, Nargun can feel the webs giving a bit, but cannot generate enough leverage to break free.
Hissing audibly as Devan drops into the hold, Purple Spider glowers at him with hungry malevolence than spews another wad of webbing which wrap around the poor bard, holding him fast.
From the side, Blue Spider still tries to avoid the burning torch and as such it's bite is never really a threat.
Burn that webs, princess. I can take a few burns, if it's the price to pay to hunt Lamm again.
There is some madness in the dwarf eyes..or is it despair?
Atticus moves behind Nargun and tries to cut open the spider webs.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Make that definitely ill-advised, the bard mused as the spider launched another cluster of webbing at him, this time the light-footed musician not being able to duck in time to avoid it. The young man felt his courage flag as the spider seems to stare at him with hungry malevolence. It was one thing to feel righteous fury and anger at another human being, it was quite different to feel like a hungry arachnid's next meal.
As the dwarf implores the Calistrian to burn the webbing from him, damn the consequences, the bard takes a different approach. Any time he felt anxious, or afraid, or upset, he always had his music to comfort him. He fumbles through the webbing around him, drawing out his lute and then starts to play, fingers stumbling a bit as his fingers stick at odd intervals, but still managing to play an inspiring tune intended to make his companions' blood churn and his own bravery to swell.
In a rather sing-songy voice, Devan turns to the equally-stuck Nargun. "Nargun, do me a favor and kindly splatter these spiders. I think that one in particular is eyeing you with malice." The bard is of course talking about the infamous Purple Spider.
Smiling as she takes aim Mirela let's herself sink into the music.
Only a musician would think to play at a time like this...
But she cuts that thought short as she hears the dwarf talk about burning.
So she knocks another arrow from her slowly dwindling supply and take aim at the spider.
But the boards shift under her as she releases and the shot goes wild.
Darkness take it all!!! Focus! she berates herself.
As Atticus moves forward, Aleira clambers onto the boat and moves to the edge of the gaping hole. Focussing on the purple spider she mutters and spits on its direction.
Atticus moves behind Nargun and tries to cut open the spider webs.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 3 - concluded
Biting her lip in frustration, Mirela nocks and fires another arrow, only to see it miss any target as well.
Atticus follows Devan's example and lowers himself into the hold, dropping gently near the webbed bard and stepping back, rapier in hand to a position behind the others.
Aleira makes it on the deck and peers down, seeing the unfortunate scene in the hold. Determined she delivers the Evil Eye to the spider nearest Nargun (the only one she can see) causing it to be less effective in attacks for some time.
End of Round 3
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 4
23 Devan (entangled)
20 Twilight
16 Nargun (entangled, +2 to AC)
15 Purple Spider
11 Blue Spider (-2 to attacks, 7 rounds)
9 Mirela
8 Atticus
18 Aleira
Wiggling inside his sticky bonds, Devan is able to get to his lute and begin playing an inspiring song, trying to urge his allies on to greater prowess.
"Well, Sir Nargun" Twilight says, smiling a bit and running with the princess title "Far be it for me to set flame to aught but your passions, I don't intend to be the one to singe my defender's fine beard. Set your mind to slaying the spider and let Atticus and I tend to the webs."
Twilight then carefully steps back from the blue spider and alters her prayer "Let this dwarf strike true against these obstacles between him and his vengeance."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Between the music and Calistria's magic, Nargun recovers his confidence. Instead of striking more or less blindly, he lets the spider come closer, playing the helpless prey.
But no helpless prey is armed with a big sharp axe.
No helpless prey is fueled by the everburning desire to kill Lamm.
No web can restrain the fury of his blow.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 4 - continued
Unwilling to immolate the dwarf, even at his request, Twilight insteads stirs him to greater feats of arms with a blessing from The Sacred Sting. She then steps back, leaving him room to do his work.
Still caught up in the webs, Nargun proves he is no victim. When the spider comes close, he makes an impeded swing, but with the inspiration and blessing aiding him, he is able to connect and deal Blue Spider a powerful, but not fatal, blow.
Staying clear of the blade of the webbed prey, Purple Spider changes its focus and moves toward Devan, perceived to be an easier snack. Skittering along the wall, it drops in front of the bard and attacks. With Devan bound, he can't easily avoid the venomous jaws of the great spider, which stings him squarely in the neck. The bite is quite painful but the real threat is the poison injected into his system. The bard reels as he tries to fight it off.
Blue Spider is infuriated by the wound it took and leaps on Nargun biting him as well for the first time, despite the hex from the witch. Again, the bite is painful enough but the poison is the real concern. Nargun already feels the weakening effect in his extremities as he tries to endure.
Devan screams in pain as the spider bites into him, the burning sensation of the poison coursing through his blood stream quickly as his heart pumps furiously. There was nothing to joke about now.
As the spider lets go for a moment, presumably to see if he falls over before it has to bite again, the musician continues his rapid-paced melody for another moment before self-preservation kicks in and he grabs the longsword at his belt, the weapon's continued glowing almost startling the young man before he whips the blade across with as much force as his atrophied muscles can manage.
Moving around Atticus attacks the blue spider.
Aleira moves leans down to bring the purple spider into view and shifts her concentration to it, hoping to prevent more of her companions being entangled in its webs.
Kraken's Folly Hold - Round 4 - continued
Moving between Twilight and Nargun, Atticus stabs his rapier into the bulbous abdomen of Blue Spider. This wound combined with the grievous harm done by Nargun are too much for the arachnid which collapses to the floor with a eerie screech.
Cat mews disdainfully as Aleira bends over the splintered edge of the ship's deck to give the Evil Eye to Purple Spider. The young witch can tell the enormous spider is able to resist most of the effect.