The spider falls to the ground, bleeding. The rider manages to jump free of the falling beast, landing in the hallway.
Barkot double moves into the room, attempting to avoid stepping in the gore that is all that remains of the red spider.
The green rider looks at the gore and withdraws from the battle, steering his mount down the stairs and disappearing from Deric's view. Barkot can see that the tunnel appears to open into a room shortly after the stairs end. The spider rider enters that room and heads west (down on the map).
Deric
Green Rider
Green Spider
Reillana
Ulyi
Paeral
Squint
Red Rider
Barkot
As they chisel, the creatures start humming an oddly familiar tune. For some reason, it makes Paeral think that there should be seven of them.
Unfortunately, the creatures are all humming at different pitches and speeds, and the song does not increase their effort. Actually, they keep stopping to berate each other.
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Reillana advances to stand beside Deric, blade poised to lash out out at the little fey. "You've lost the fight, surrender or fall."
Facing the entire party alone, with no spider, is not what this little guy wanted to do today. He withdraws, following his friend.
Deric
Green Rider
Green Spider
Reillana
Ulyi
Paeral
Squint
Red Rider
Barkot
"Keep goin'! Let's find out what dese guys're doin' down here!"
Barkot pauses for a moment for a short prayer to Soralyon to cast Shield of Faith , then starts lumbering down the stairs after the little blue not-derro, drawing his longsword as he goes.
Deric moves 20 ft down the corridor, remaining within the light that Squint is producing.
Barkot gains a look at a long chamber with pillars running down the middle. He sees no sign of the creatures.
Deric
Green Rider
Green Spider
Reillana
Ulyi
Paeral
Squint
Red Rider
Barkot
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Shaken by the unwavering stare of the gross little cave-dweller, Ulyi misses an opportunity to lash out at him as he flees. Squint doesn't want the opportunity, however.
Once directed by the now-mounted Squint, Ulyi races off into the large pillared chamber, intent on making up for his previous inaction. The eidolon begins catching up to the fleeing mite.
Stabbing out at the fleeing creature, Squint feels some resistance to his thrust. He still draws blood, but only a trickle.
As Squint rushes around the corner, his light reveals pillars running down the center of a long hall with an alcove at chest height at either end. The eastern alcove holds a silver statuette, while the western one holds an upside down ogre’s skull.
Sitting in the skull, and rocking back and forth is another one of the creatures wearing what appears to be a metal armband on its head.
As Squint and Ulyi enter, he claps his hands and giggles.
Standing to the other side of the room, looking dejected and wiping its runny nose is the creature you first encounter on the previous level.
. The interaction is interrupted by a powerful sneeze from the creature you followed downstairs. Loudly blowing its nose into a filthy rag, it gives an apologetic look toward the king.
The king looks back at him with disdain, and says
The red rider takes the opportunity to take up a position in front of the king.
The king nods and begins to rock back and forth again.
Looking at Squint again, he waves at him to approach.
"A king?" Reillana cautiously follows Squint into the chamber, drawing up short when she sees the seated blue creature. "Well I don't know what else I expected. What's he saying, Squint?"
@Paeral You know which way they were headed (back through the main corridor, through the small tunnel), what path do you want to take to follow them?
Paeral moves to the secret door and opens it. At the limit of his darkvision, he sees a decapitated spider and Barkot moving down the stairs.
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Squint does his best to translate.
"Um....he says that we are big spider killers, and he is glad that we are bringing our arms in front of him so that we can find out what he wants us to do. He also said something about not wanting sneezing in front of him..." Squint seems a bit unsure of his interpretation. "I just learned some Undercommon at our last trip to town; I'm not very good at it!"
Squint then turns to the 'King'.
"Uhhhh...ik-kik-lik-ikka? Krik-luk-lik-likka-lik-lik. Ik-kirk. Irrka-kark-ark-ik-ik. Squint."
Squint stays on Ulyi, but lowers his lance.
The grin on the king's face evaporates and he leans forward in his ogre skull throne, stabbing his finger toward the floor. He shouts in a loud voice, spittle flying from his lips.
"Well that part seemed clear enough. Remind me to look into linguistic spells once this is all over," Reillana glances around to see if the throne's creature's yelling had drawn any more potential enemies.
Deric, Barkot, and Paeral all heard some loud, angry yelling in a foreign language.
Nothing else seems to have noticed.
Barkot huffs and puffs as he catches up to the group, just in time to hear Reillana's last comment and the king's incomprehensible outburst.
"Linguistic spells? Ya mean like dis one?"
Barkot pulls his scroll case out of his pack and shows Reillana a scroll with two castings of comprehend languages written onto it.
"You c'n go ahead if ya wanna cast it on yerself, Rei - I'll save da udder one in case I need it later."
Deric makes his way into the room.
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"Oh, no need to use the spell, Barkot," Squint says, slipping off of Ulyi's back. "He demanded that we show him respect."
Squint looks a bit unsure of himself, but stands in front of Ulyi and then bows.
"Ikkle-ik-kirk. Kriik-urk-erki-kiri-ki."
Squint whispers. "I think he said that we should kneel. Should we?"
Squint squints worriedly at the seated creature.
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"He wants us to kneel? I have no problem with that. Being a serpent running actor and thinking this guy is nothing but cute, I can play the part." Deric moves to with a few feet of the cute little bugger. He raises his visor, rests the head of his greataxe on the ground, drops to his left knee and says "Your Cuteness, where might one find a quick release shield in these parts? Is that a buckler upon your head? Translator....Your majesty, your summon is an honor. Apologies for the spiders. If they were better trained and less aggressive, they might still be with us. What is it your majesty requests? "
"Nah, save 'em Barkot. I think we're in good hands?" Amusement is clear in the elf's voice despite her mask.
She doesn't kneel though. A warden of the Mordant Spire doesn't kneel to...blue goblins, or not-derro, or whatever these things are.
Barkot grunts in surprise when Deric kneels, then looks from Squint to Reillana for social cues.
"I dunno 'bout dis, Deric. Ain't like we're his subjects, right?"
He bows deeply in the direction of the blue not-derro, but remains on his feet.
"Right B'kot, we are not. Kneeling is in the mind of those that bend. This means nothing to me. I humor him. Yet, there are those that I would fight to the death before kneeling, denying them the bent knee with the ultimate price if need be."
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As Deric kneels, Squint looks at his companions. At Deric's words, Squint cracks a smile and a choked-off laugh that he masks by kneeling to the King. He then 'translates' for Deric.
"Ik-kikkle-kurk-rikki-ik. Krikki-kirk-irriki-kiriki-ki-ki-ki. Irrik-riki-irk-ri-ri-kirri. Krik-kirk-irri-ririri?"
The king gives an odd look toward Reillana while tapping his head.
He rocks back in his throne again and smiles, motioning for everyone to stand, then continues.
I want you to go find Clicky-legs. Bring him and the crown back. As reward, I will give you a diamond as big as my head. This is a good quest, yes?"
At the motion to stand, Deric does so. He looks to Rei and smiles. "That did not hurt one bit." He turns to his translator and says "What's going on here, Squint?"
The king grins and nods, holding his hands forth as if he were holding something roughly the size of his head.
Reillana looks speculatively at the others, wondering which of them is the maid.
"Sticky-legs sounds like another spider. So we're being offered a rescue mission in exchange for his head and/or diamond?" The elf sighs a long-suffering sigh. "I suppose it beats fighting them. Would you ask him what dangers keep his people from finding Sticky-legs themselves?"
Rei sure is takin' this better'n I'da expected. Woulda thought bein' called a maid would piss 'er off. Mebbe it's fer da best dat she din't use my scroll.
"Yeah, great, let's go save the spider." Barkot makes a face. "I mean, in da innarest of mutual frien'ship an stuff. Also, we could prolly use a diamond."
He pauses for a moment.
"Sure hope he's offerin' us a diamond. I dunno what we'd do wit' his head."
"Why does he not just get it himself. What danger is he aware of? What does the spider like to eat? May we have some of that? Is it bridled? If not we need one. Squint...."