Siolad cringes and casts an extended stoneskin spell on himself.
"C'mon," mutters the dwarf, "we gotta at least check it out."
Jessamy grimaces at the mass of insects.
Ew! Remember, heroes aren't creepy out by icky bugs. Just let Pirknok go first and he'll probably squish them all.
She gestures for the dwarf to precede her into the cave.
The dwarf nods in understanding of the Jessture and quickly checks to be sure the others are prepared before turning to lead the way inside.
Leading the way inside Pirknok quickly finds that the cavern is much larger/deeper than its mouth would suggest and could easily lead further under Jorgenfist. Before the party can explore more, three stocky, partially decayed spiders the size of horses emerge from the cavern's darkest corners.
Moving with unnatural quickness, the huge arachnids close on the party and attack.
Emerging from the giant spider's rotted carapace are thousands of lesser vermin which pour over the party even as their hosts attack.
Pirknok shudders as the tiny spiders try to crawl into his nose and mouth. Closing both, he backs up a bit and tries to regain his composure.
Slapping at spiders, Krojun's voice begins to boom forth! "Spiders! As the hero Kragnok stood against the hordes of orcs riding giant spiders, did he despair? No! Kragnok hefted his earthbreaker and called down righteous thunder against the orcs! Let us do the same, brothers! Let us stand against the horde!" He raises his axe and calls to the thunder! , 10' radius burst trying to hit as many giant spiders as I can! Fort DC 19 for half damage and avoid stunning for 1 round!
Jessamy gags a little as the creatures crawl over her.
Krojun's got this.
She backs up, following Pirknok as she frantically swipes spiders and other creepy crawlies off of her.
Siolad gives a frustrated sigh as he sees the spiders converge on the party. I REALLY wish I had better spells for this...
He aims behind the spider facing Pirknok, uttering an incantation and throwing a fireball behind it. No sense in burning the dwarf as well.
Ensu holds his holy symbol with his off hand and touching each of his companions in turn, he entones his spell command.
Siolad's skillfully placed fireball catches one of the giant rotting vermin offguard but the other skitters away from the bulk of the blast. The swarms pouring off of both are burned to obliterated by the flames and Krojun's localized clap of thunder.
Despite the impressive magics brought against them the giant spiders continue their attack.
Still nauseated by the thought of all the bugs crawling over her -- and now in pain from the bite -- Jessamy retreats back up the cave.
"This is gross! Someone else deal with them!" she gags.
The hardy dwarf raises his katana and slashes with a vengeance at the creature before him.
HP: 105/140
Bardic Performance left: 25/27 rounds
Krojun grits his teeth as the giant undead spider bites into his thigh. The pain makes the moment clear: the spirits have called and he answers with thunder!
"Let the call of our blows be as the thunder across the plains! Let the wind from our swings be as the gales that blow forth the fire storm!" He thunders and another crack of thunder rains down on the spiders!
Siolad calls upon one of his most basic of protective magics as Krojun's thunderclap makes his ears ring again.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GODS ABOVE THAT'S LOUD!
The combined force of Krojun's thunder and Pirknok's mighty sword are enough to bring down the first undead spider. As the rotting corpse hits the ground the remaining tiny vermin swarming from its husk lose the will to attack and flee from the party harmlessly. The dwarf's blade followup attacks are less effective, bouncing harmlessly off of surprisingly sturdy hide.
Ensu holds his holy symbol and you feel a wave of energy pass over you, but you don't feel the normal healing power.
Both undead monstrosities reel from Ensu's blast of divine power but it's not enough to keep one of them from lunging at Jess when she tries to spring into a better position.
With a mindless hunger they continue to attack.
"Die!" exclaims the dwarf angrily.
Ensu holds his symbol again and another wave of energy flows over you, this time you feel the healing power course through your body.
HP 89/140
Bardic performance left 24/27 rounds
Krojun lets loose a bellow as the spider attacks! Reacting he shouts another call to the heavens and thunder follows! damage!
Jessamy edges a little closer to the spider and flings a dagger at it.
Pirknok slices one of the giant undead spiders apart and Krojun's thunder blasts the other into harmless if still disgusting pieces.
What vermin remain flee into the natural cracks within the cavern floor and walls.
Krojun breathes deeply as the spiders finally fall. He brushes off a couple dead spiders still clinging to him before moving to his comrades. "Does anyone bear injury? May I help?"
"Ow. Please."
Despite her lack of success in the battle, Jessamy bears some serious wounds.
Krojun nods and murmurs a tale of the Shoanti hero Herrick the Stalwart, who stood against a herd of land sharks, his wounds miraculously healing as he stood his ground.
Pirknok rubs the spider bite as it closes, nodding slowly at the parts of the Thundercaller's tale that he remembers from his childhood. "Where now?" he asks, looking around the cave.
Jessamy, her wounds healed, joins Pirknok in looking around. She occasionally kicks the gross spider-corpses as she passes them.
Siolad doesn't say a word, instead keeping his hands over his ears and staying close to the party.
Owwww... I hope I'm not going deaf...
A careful search of the web-choked cavern uncovers assorted treasures along with remains of the undead vermin’s meals but no passages leading further under Jorgenfist.
HP 122/140
BP left: 24/27 rounds
Krojun hefts the staff, testing its balance. "Good wood. Can anyone tell what is magical about it?" He goes back to the entrance after handing off the staff and crouches there, looking out onto the valley.
Krojun's cursory search doesn't uncover anything Jessamy hasn't already spotted.
Siolad picks up the staff and analyzes it with detect magic.
Siolad's keen magical senses allow him to recognize the staff as a spellstaff currently loaded with a rusting grasp spell.
"Huh. This staff functions like Pirknok's sword--except it's loaded with a spell that causes iron to rust." Siolad looks at the rest of the party.
Jessamy gives Siolad and the staff a strange look.
"Looks awfully blunt to cut like Pirky's sword."
Realizing no one was amused by her joke, Jessamy looks a touch flustered.
"Well, maybe the other cave? We can come back here if we need to rest, though, I suppose."
She gestures to the exit.
A quick climb later the party finds themselves at the mouth of the foul-smelling cavern.
Ensu's nose wrinkles again.
"We are coming to stinky cave for what reason?" he asks as he sneezes.
"The other one didn't have a way into the fortress, and there's an army in the way of the main entrance," Jessamy replies, holding a hand over her nose.
"Nothing we can do about it, I guess. Let's go in."