Oleg gapes for a moment, then throws up his hands. He seems to know when it's best to back off rather than pressing the issue. "This place is turning into a town," he grumbles as he heads into the large building after Svetlana.
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After she spitted the water and she inspected the mug finding the paste, she got angry for a moment before realizing that was another prank.
I'll not loose my mind against these petty pranks... I do not know these wee folks and it is better to keep a good spirit than threaten them...
She forces herself to laugh then speaks loudly. "Nice prank again little ones! When we come back, perhaps you could show yourselves to us so we can eat, drink and tell stories! I bet you have wonderful tales!"
Carinna laughed at Tel's comment about the kobolds. "At least we caught them sleeping and not doing... you know..." she laughed loudly again. "That would be something that would be difficult to erase out of my mind..."
Carinna remained calm as her companions explained their reasons. "These men are proving invaluable to our cause and we vouch for them... and rest assured Kesten, for they know how they will be punished if they return to their former ways."
Despite Carinna's best attempts, whatever creatures are pranking the party do not make themselves known.
~~~~~~~~~~
At the trading post, you have the opportunity to enjoy Svetlana's promised moon radish soup. She uses a family recipe that adds a few other choice vegetables, but the radishes have a pleasant snap and tang to them that makes the soup tasty and interesting -- quite a change from hardtack, dried fruit, and wilted vegetables.
Everyone gathers at the long outdoor tables for supper, lining up to have Svetlana ladle some of the soup into their bowls, and you have a rather raucous evening. This also gives you an opportunity to get to know some of the locals here better.
The man you don't recognize, the one who was talking to Kesten and who has the thick mustache to offset his lack of head-hair, sits at one end of the table, near Valeska. "I'm Jhod Kavken," he says by way of introduction. He gives a smile and says, "Oleg's told me a bit about you folks and the charter work here. I actually came to help -- uh, not that I have a charter; but I felt that it was a sort of calling, if you will. Helping to forge a community out of the wilderness, you know."
Vance takes a seat on the other side of Jhod, and the balding man looks somewhat awed. "You're Jagger Vance! Oleg mentioned you too. Living on your own by your wits and your skills for forty years! You're like a paragon of the woodlands," Jhod says.
Vance waves off Jhod's comment with his spoon and replies, "Eh, 'taint much. Put anyone in a tough spot an' they'll do wha' they must 't survive."
Nevertheless, Jhod presses the issue, saying, "But you're a man at home in the wild, able to survive by the aim of your bow! It's a meritorious life."
Vance takes a sip of the soup and, with a throaty chuckle, says, "Ask these ladies 'bout that. Been a rough year."
Meanwhile, Kesten Garess continues to brood, but the radish soup -- and a smooth accompanying wine opened for the celebratory meal -- causes his soldiers to chatter amongst themselves eagerly.
"I tell ya," one of the soldiers says, "Restov is interested in these lands now. Whatever the change of policy, we're gonna see a new dawn here, new days, something big. An' we're here now, in it on the ground floor!" The young soldier has an eagerness to his voice.
His fellow replies, "Well, they'd need to do something about this. I mean, this place isn't really defensible if something really big shows up -- a dragon, or maybe even a tatzylwyrm or a wyvern, or just an army from Pitax. Imagine if there were a border dispute!"
The first young soldier says, "Well, this place is just a frontier fortress, but y'know, it could be turned into a keep. Maybe get some stone, build an outer curtain wall, get a gate, charge a toll along the road..."
Oleg fumes at this comment and says, "Oh, that's just what we need! Turn me into a tax collector, demanding coin from every trader coming down the road? I suppose I could get a fat fur coat and become officious and have a lot of 'yes m'lord' and 'no m'lord' when the wealthy folk come along."
Svetlana places a hand on his arm and says, "Now you know that's not what they mean. These men are right, if this area becomes pacified there'll be places for families, and farms, and they will need trade, too. But they'll also need troops and security to keep away the monsters that live in the woods." She gestures to your group and says, "After all, these ladies can only do so much! Maybe they'll break the power of the bandits, but three years down the road, five, ten? What if a dragon shows up, like that soldier said? Or giants? Or ankhegs? Sure, heroes and adventurers deal with that all the time, but you need soldiers and fortresses too."
Oleg angrily says, "I don't want to live in a fortress! Or a city. I don't want to be dealing with tariffs and nobles and guard-captains and all that nonsense. That's why we took the job to live here and stock this place!"
Svetlana soothingly replies, "Times are changing, dear. But it's all right, we don't have to go that far. Maybe someday there will be castles and kings out here, but this old place? This is just an old outpost, and it's our old outpost. But it might be nice to have some pleasant neighbors, especially as we get a little older and more... settled." She smiles at Oleg.
Oleg ruminates on his wife's comment and seems to relent. "Of course you're right, love," he says. "Not everyone will be here forever -- but when they come or go we'll still have this place and each other." He takes her hand and gives it a squeeze and the two smile fondly.
~~~~~~~~~~
Later, after dinner, as folks are clearing dishes and cleaning up, Hatch takes out the map and scrutinizes it with the last of the setting sun. He tracks down Cassandra and bugs her to come look at it with him.
Hatch points at your woefully incomplete map and says, "I've been thinking a lot about this. The way I see it, we have two distinct areas to explore. First is the Narlmarches -- the forest." He waves a hand over the left side of the map. "Slow going, dense terrain, but... we're already a little familiar with some of it. Vance has said there are old ruins and faeries and things all over. Spooky but maybe profitable." He moves his hand to the right hand side and says, "The Kamelands are the other part -- mostly dry land. Hills in the south. Tuskwater is down here somewhere, in the southwest. If you want to find the kobolds, this is where they will be; they live in caves, so somewhere in the hills." He looks back to Cassandra intently, waiting for her appraisal of his ideas.
~~~~~~~~~~
While Carinna is seeing to the horses at the same time that Hatch is looking over the maps, Cobb stops by the stable and uncomfortably says, "Umm... I wasn't sure how to bring this up, but... are Sareah and I supposed to stay here now? Or do we go back out on the road with you? I don't know what we're supposed to do for our future. We don't really want to be on the road forever -- I mean, that's fine for you! You're a great hero and traveling adventurer! But Sareah and I don't really think... living like Vance is not really what we're suited for. We can, but I just... you know, I'd rather live on a farm, even as a field hand, than be eating grubs out in the woods every day." He looks a little embarrassed, as if this is an admission of weakness. "I mean, if the soldiers are right, and they need to make this place bigger, we could help with building houses or walls or plowing new gardens or anything. But we just... we don't want to get stuck out in the woods again." He looks pained, as if the memories of his time among the bandits have left him with a distinctly unhappy history that he wants to leave behind, somehow.
"I am a priest," Jhod replies to Korinne. "A cleric in service to Erastil. These lands have been the forested unknown for many years, and now it's time to turn these into pastures and homes. The announcement of the charter and the taming of the Stolen Lands made it clear! Erastil is extending his hand, and as his follower it falls to me to help in seeing his will here in the edges of the wild." He smiles to Korinne in an easygoing manner.
Cassandra subtly drags her hand across her neck to warn Jhod away from that line of conversation. Svetlana had diffused the earlier situation quite well but they didn't need to be reminded that many of the people at the table had tried to steal it. But he missed it and she cringed.
Cassandra gives Hatch her full attention. He deserved nothing less considering the work he was putting in to help. "I don't know what we intend to do yet. Oleg and Svetlana are being a lot more accommodating than I thought they would. Which is good. I'd like to start scouting near their outpost and expand outwards. Best way to map is to have a point of reference. We can deal with things as they come. Question is, do you want to stay here or come with us?"
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Carinna focus her attention on the soup, trying to notice the mysterious sensations that Svetlana mentioned... she felt nothing.
Hum... that was disappointing... well not that I really wanted to feel that but... perhaps it did not worked because I paid too much attention...
She watched as the young man tried to talk about their plans and more than once the felt the urge to hit him in the head, just to see if it helped him to spill it out quickly.
"And you do not have to, Cobb! Look, have you talked to Jhod? He is a priest of Erastil and I think he would need your help more than we do... In the beginning I was afraid about any hostile reaction by the side of Oleg, but it seems that Svetlana likes you!" She pauses for a moment before continuing. "The job of charting this region is ours after all."
[dice=Knowledge (religion) (DC 10)]1d20
Carinna focus her attention on the soup, trying to notice the mysterious sensations that Svetlana mentioned... she felt nothing.
While eating, Telmarni is finding the situation agreeable. Having a priest of Erastil here will help if anyone is injured. And will also help people's spirits. Yes, it will be like listening to a music box. Just a lov- Wait. She has found herself feeling a bit funny, and her wings have drooped while she was in thought. Not to mention the slight redness in her face. She finishes the soup and stands, maybe a bit to quickly. And nearly looses her balance, though she regains herself. She bows a bit. "Um, exuse me. Imma not feeling... Balanced?" She turns and begins walking towards the bunkhouse.
But after a few steps, she stumbles over one of her wings and falls, landing on her rear. "Um... Hehe. I'm... I've fallen on my rear."
Valeska giggles as Telmarni falls over. Tzerny ruffles up, though. "Oh Pharasma, that's just wrong," he mutters.
She gets up, perhaps wobbles a little, and helps Telmarni up. "I'll have a little something whipped up for you in the morning," she advises. "It looks like you'll need it."
Skipping back towards the main group as dinner finishes, under the low firelight, she sits back down. She ties her hair back with a wide Varisian scarf that emphasizes the points on her ears. She pulls out a deck of cards from the folds in her dress. "Would anyone like a reading?" she offers.
Tzerny tilts his head to look at Valeska and hops off her shoulder to poke at the remains of the radish stew.
Valeska takes a moment to breathe in, holds it, and shuts her eyes. Summoning something deep within her, she smirks, exhales through her nose, and opens her eyes. A transformation comes across her character. Her eyes appear unfocused, mercurial. Her irises seem bigger, somehow, as if she were some odd combination of faerie-elf and pale Varisian.
"Welcome, child," she speaks in a higher register. "Tell me, why do you seek your fortune? Is it for love? Adventure? Health? Come, shuffle the cards with me, we will see what your future holds."
Tzerny hops on Korinne's shoulder. "We even had an act where she did the reading blindfolded."
Cassandra reaches out after Telmarni but brings the hand back to cover her mouth and stifle the laugh the bubbled up. And once it started, she found it hard to stop. She continued to laugh until all that came out was a wheeze. Wow, this is some strong stuff, as she topples off the bench. The giggle fit continues on the ground for some time before she can get it together. "We need more radishes," she says once she calms down some.
Once they have a moment alone Cassandra approaches Carinna, seeing as the others are busy or very out of it. "Since Svetlana has helped smooth over things with our new arrivals. I think we can finally start scouting the area. Sweep around Oleg's outpost in greater arcs."
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"Let us see where you come from, what forces are bringing you to this point in your life. For no one comes from nothing."
She turns over the first card. A cold beauty holds up the severed head of a suitor, reaching out to kiss it. "Oh! The Betrayal. Something was coveted, someone destroyed another's trust. Yet in this position, it is a driving force. This betrayal, it ended up in your benefit. You would not have what you have today, had not someone lost to another's guile. Oh, do not fret, child, we are all born into a world of good and evil. We cannot choose where we begin. And the story is not yet told."
She turns over the second card. A man, bound and masked, is teased and goaded by goblins. "The Idiot. This is what you come from. Folly, blackmail, someone who does not understand where they go. Well, we all start out knowing so little, we don't always know why we are taken advantage of. Sometimes, we don't know that we're being taken advantage of, at all. Your loss was someone's gain. But your story is not yet told."
She turns over the third card. A giant ant, reclining on cushions, wore a crown on her head. "The Queen Mother. This is what was in your way. She brought you great knowledge, great wisdom. She always loves the downtrodden, those who serve. But her lessons came with a price. A price you're likely still paying. Cards, tell me! What was her price? What must she do? What story is not yet told?"
She turns over the fourth card. A dragon clutches an egg tightly in his claws. The egg bleeds. "The Tyrant. Your chance. Your opportunity comes to you in the hands of a leader. There is abundance, value, plenty of support. But beware his rule, for he can suck the lifeblood from his subjects."
At this point, Tzerny makes a loud, squelched caw. Almost as if he were clearing his throat. Valeska looks at her raven, a flash of concern crossing her face. Hastily, she adds, "The dominion of the wilds are abundant and harsh in equal measure. But your story is not yet told."
She turns over a fifth card, the central one in her spread. A puppet show depicts a knight slaying a dragon. "The Theater. You are playing your role, not only as an actor to your patron, but to powers unseen, perhaps the gods themselves! There is something to prove, something your actions will show the world. You may have relied on The Idiot and The Queen Mother in the past, but powers beyond this world are crafting you now. What is the obstacle to one following in the step of deities, cards? Tell me..."
She turns over the sixth card. A hooded figure, crouched in front of a closed door, pulls a large collection of keys from within his cloak. "The Locksmith. Tools, but also complexity. There are many small pieces to your destiny, child. Only an intricate coaxing of each part will give you access to the whole. You must feel overwhelmed by the scope of the challenge, dear. But even now, your story is not yet told."
She pauses momentarily as her lily-white, youthful and slender elfin hand hovers over the final three cards. "You have seen your past and your present, but these last three promise to be your future. Mark them well. Your destiny lies within."
She turns over the seventh card. A stout halfling woman bears a healing light in one hand, and a questionable newborn in her other. The Midwife. Very auspicious in this position. It is a card of birth, creation, arrivals from afar. More people will come in the future, and their arrival will herald a new world. And where do you fit in this new world?"
She turns over the eighth card. An old woman, bedeviled by flies and sores, dice in one hand, onions in the other, pleads silently to you for relief. Valeska scowls. "The Sickness. There will be pestilence. Perhaps corruption. Your payment will come due. Be careful, child, for your payment will be great. But still, there is one more card. Something stands in the way, one way or another."
She turns over the final card. A serpentine lamia grins menacingly, presenting a bouquet of shriveled flowers. "Ah, yes. The Liar. A defintie source of sickness. Unrequited love. Star-crossed lovers. Obsession. Something is coming to steal your heart. Guard it well to stave off the sickness. Something from your past coming home to roost, perhaps?"
She runs her fingertips over the cards. "This is one of the darker readings, I'm afraid, but there is plenty of hope to be had. Creation is coming. You have the strength of powerful forces behind you. Most of the darkness is behind you. Although..."
Valeska's wistful child-nature breaks through with a giggle. "Maybe it's the radishes talking, but the last time someone had The Midwife and The Sickness in her future, she got pregnant!"
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"I agree with you... not sure if you heard it but Cobb was asking me if it was all right for him and his sister to stay here in the outpost. With they safely here, we can for sure stay longer out there, since they were our weak spot. I assume Vance and Hatch will still come along, right?"
After talking to Cassandra, she moved back to the table, overhearing the very final part of the harrowing.
"Are you pregnant Kor? That's wonderful! Can I be the baby's godmother, please?"
The evening proceeds in a generally jolly and upbeat fashion. Folks are quite relaxed, even Kesten seems less moody and for the most part people swap interesting stories or share an easygoing camaraderie.
Jhod Kavken explains, "To be frank, I felt a... calling, I suppose you could say... to come to these parts. This is in Erastil's purview: The settlement of hardy communities in the rural countryside. Fresh air and hay bales!" He chuckles as the bucolic imagery. "As a priest of Erastil it's also my duty to listen carefully for messages from him, to interpret his will and carry it out. I had a dream not long ago in which I saw an ancient temple of Erastil, now overgrown and ruined in the forest, with a great black bear that watched over its massive doors. I don't know if this was a symbol or a vision or just a dream, but it's my role to listen for such things, and so I wonder if Erastil is showing me the way to something important, something once lost in these lands when civilization retreated."
Kesten and his soldiers are unusually garrulous, chatting with the ladies about their trip, even cautiously getting to know Jagger Vance and Hatch. Your positive example seems to have created some goodwill, and the folk of Oleg's trading post are willing to extend some courtesy to the ex-bandits on your word.
Oleg and Svetlana clean up but go to bed early, holding hands, and Svetlana seems to be beaming with happiness.
~~~~~~~~~~
In the morning, Oleg is quite a bit less gruff. He even spares a pleasant "Hello and good morning" for Kesten, who nods and goes back to supervising some morning training of his soldiers. "Remember," Kesten says gruffly, "on the borderlands, savage humanoids account for the majority of attacks. If these adventurers deal with the bandit problem, it will still be upon us to deal with orcs, goblins, kobolds, and similar creatures -- and they overwhelmingly prefer to attack in darkness. So push that sleep out of your eyes! You might have to be out of bed at a moment's notice and ready with a sword in your hand."
Jhod is doing his morning prayers at the time that you are starting to stir, and he finishes up before you are ready to leave. "I'll be here," he says, "Helping the soldiers, ministering to the folk, and generally bringing the grace of Erastil on this frontier. If you need my help, or you find something that you think needs my knowledge, please come back!"
Oleg approaches Carinna as you're getting ready to sally forth again and offers his thick, callused hand. "I wanted to thank you," he says. "I've been a grouch lately, that's the truth of it, and it's because everything's been changing around me. But I need to be ready to face changes and deal with the world that's coming, because tomorrow is always different from today. So thank you, for making my home safe, for helping with all the problems here, for pushing me into a little progress, even if it's kicking and screaming. I owe you for that, so I thank you, and my wife thanks you."
"Don't forget," Svetlana pipes up, "Tamric should be back in a couple of days! He might have news or something interesting."
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Carinna nods and smiles to Oleg. "Changing is never easy, even more when it is put in motion not by our own desires... we know that you moved to the frontier to avoid the civilization and yet I came back, crawling at you!"
Carinna gives a more comforting smile before continuing. "It is our job to make things around here safer, a job that we do with pleasure, for we know we are helping good and honest people and we need to thank you for supporting us more than you are thanking us."
She steps back and bows. "Thank you Oleg and Svetlana, for everything."
Back at the dinner table, Cassandra listened to Jhod and thought his speech was a little too parochial as some followers of Erastil tended to be. A farmstead on the edge of civilization wasn't the only "purview". Any life that respected the wild and lived off the land could be considered the way of Erastil. But Cassandra disliked arguing so she remained quiet. Still, it would be nice to have a healer here at Oleg's in case of emergency.
Everything north of the road is still in explored territory, so you set out to make good maps of the lands south of Oleg's trading post.
Sareah and Cobb stay behind at the outpost. Svetlana indicates that she has cleared some sleeping space for them in one of the storage rooms, and she has lots of little tasks for them to do. "This place is getting so busy, I can use the extra hands!" she says cheerfully.
With Hatch and Vance in tow, you head south .
This area is dry plains. With irrigation it might be moderately passable farmland. It's mostly open, broken occasionally by small rocks and with softly rolling low hills from time to time.
Some distance to the south you come across a grisly scene. Bones of all kinds are strewn about near one of the gently-rising hills. In a circle a good two hundred feet in diameter are the remains of a great many animals -- the survivalists among you are quick to recognize them as bear, deer, elk, rabbit, and such. This grisly scene gives you pause, and you recall when you first started exploring this area that while you were near the forest edge you were, from a rise, able to see enormous spiders in the distance. There are no webs, though, which doesn't seem to fit with that theory.
With getting help from Valeska from when she fell, Telmarni nods to her. "Thank yee. Imma goin ta go ta sleep. Night-night." She continues on her way to the bunkhouse and once she gets inside, she goes straight to bed and just drops onto it. Fast asleep.
Telmarni wakes up later than normal, after everyone else. She looks around the room with squinted, bleary eyes. "Ohh... Head still feels weird. But better." She gets up and gets her gear and spells in order.
When she finally walks out into the fort proper, she covers her eyes with a hand. Oh... Too bright. Damn it. She thinks. Looking around, she sighs and decides lift a wing over her head to cast herself in shadow. "That is slightly better."
She goes about, helping with getting things ready for today's exploration. Once all that is done, she mounts up on Zypher and ready to head on out.
1st - Shield, Keep Watch
Cantrips - Arcane Mark, Detect Magic, Read Magic.
With their exploration started, Telmarni has relaxed and starts to feel better, getting used to the daylight again. But as they continue their exploration, Telmarni sees the grove with bones strewn about. "Um, remember those giant spiders? Were this the place where we saw them?" She dismounts and pulls out her scimitar and walks over to the edge of the clearing. "Hm, If you want, I can fly over it to see if there is anything moving within."
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At the mention of spiders, it is clear to everyone that Carinna is not fond of them.
"I...I think it is not necessary, right? They are just bones... sorted in a creepy way... nothing to worry about."
Are they completely insane? Which person in sane reason would 'check' to see if there are giant spiders around?
"No, they're right," Cassandra says to Carinna. "If we don't see to this it might harm someone else. Plus, that is a lot of game lost," she says, indicating the bones scattered about. She moves to the closest corpse and inspects it and the surrounding terrain, trying to find signs of what happened. She also puts her hood up yet again to prevent notice as she changes. This time her mouth and nose elongate slightly and her canines become long and pointed like a wolf. Extra hair, think like fur, sprouts underneath her cloak to give extra protection.
Valeska, who has remained quiet for most of the morning, looks over the grisly scene. "We really need to understand this, spiders or no..." she comments.
Cassandra advances carefully to the edge of the field of bones.
With some investigation you realize that the field of bones is roughly circular, strewn about 200' across.
Cassandra kneels down next to one of the desiccated skeletons and scans the earth. In one soft section of exposed earth she catches sight of an irregular indentation. Nearby was another, parallel to the first, but the positions were odd. They indicated sideways motion rather than forward. She had seen motion like that before. Spider. And, as if conjured by the word, the acrid, alien scent of a spider floated to her.
Instinct kicked in and told her to become smaller and harder to see. She hunkered down, almost prone, as all her senses went on high alert. She stretches her perception to the limit as she slowly draws the axe from her back. Her armor wasn't all that thick and a surprise attack could be deadly.
She makes some sign behind her back but she is sure her body language is enough to tell them danger close.
Unsurprisingly, the scent seems to come from somewhere in the middle of the rough circle area -- along the base of the hillside where the bones are strewn about.
"...This isn't faerie glamour, either. It's real," Valeska whispers timidly as she backs up.
Tzerny ruffles his feathers.
Cassandra makes it back to the others but maintains a tense posture, and keeps her back to the others, careful of the hood. Over her shoulder she says, "Its definitely there. In the center. Smelled it,. Didn't see eat. Telmarni, can you fly over and see if you can find it? I have an idea." After calming down Cassandra goes back to the carcass, eyes towards the center, axe in hand. She grabs the skull or the biggest bone she can find and scurries back. She temporarily shifts back as she works. She opens her pack and retrieves some rope and ties it to bone. She turns and smiles, "Going to go Spidering. Got anymore rope?"
Telmarni turns her head and looks around the perimeter of the field of bones. When Cassandra returns and suggest an idea, she nods in agreement. "Right.... Um." She turns to Cassandra. "Other than just a giant spider, what am I looking for?" She flexes her wings a couple times, ready to leap into the air to look for the spider.
She looks over to Zypher when Cassandra asks for rope. "Zypher has a bundle on it. You can use it."
"Middle. Base of the hill. Be ready to shoot," Cassandra says. So focused on her idea, she almost approaches the horses. A nervous whinny alerts her to her mistake. She can't approach them. Or more accurately, they won't go near her. "Um, can one of you..." she says nervously, pointing at the restless horses. She hated drawing attention to that particular trait of hers. Once she has more rope she ties together about 100ft. She then walks around the right side of the bone yard to the other side and tosses the bone as far in as she can get. Then she circles back around to the others along the outer edge, letting the rope play all the way out. As she circles back, the skull bounces along the ground within the ring of bones.
The group gathers as close as they dare and waits while Telmarni makes a scouting pass overhead.
When the strix takes to the air, it creates a strange pair of sensations. On the one hand is the obvious joy that she takes in the freedom of flight. Unconstrained by having to walk the earth like her companions, Telmarni makes a spinning circle as she gains altitude, then swoops down to cross the earth at speed, just a few handspans over the ground. Her liberated movements are graceful and fast -- it's like watching aerial dancing, even when she isn't trying. On the other hand, her sudden dive and then twist to a flat swoop causes a reflex to duck, to hide, to find cover. Though the strix are rare, the stories about them are common across Varisia, and the impulse to cower from the winged devils is a strong one that springs from ages of childrens' tales.
Cassandra flings the bone-and-rope so that the large bone lands somewhere near the curve where hill meets plain. She pulls the bone back, then throws it once more. It makes a dry clattering sound as it bounces off of other pieces of debris with each cast.
As Telmarni passes over the scattered bones on the hillside, a loose chunk of dirt and bone flips up and an enormous, hairy, hungry-looking spider leaps out of a concealed hole...
...and bites at Telmarni as she soars overhead...
...but its mandibles snap at air as it misses and then it lands back in the hole and flips the trapdoor closed behind it!
With a narrowly missed bite from the spider, Telmarni flies a bit higher and watches the trapdoor carefully before flying back to the rest of the group. "Anyone happen to know exactly what that was? It is a spider for sure, but such a big thing leaped out at me when flying!" She looks back towards where the spider's lair is. "We're going to have to lure it out. And I prefer not to be used as bait." Okay, going to have to destroy it, that is for sure! Telmarni thought. She grips her scimitar and twirls it a couple times and begins walking towards the spider's lair.
"GAH! That's a spider?! I'll, um... I'll be in the trees... Over there. Behind the trunk. Look! A squirrel!"