Look out Kas! Rosetta knocks another arrow and fires. Old dead eye steady my hand and guid my arrow..
Saniana finishes her summon spell, throwing a light colored feather into the area that blossoms and grows into a fierce eagle!
It immediately sets upon the giant bee with a full attack.
It tears into the bee, wounding it badly.
She then steps forward and tries to bonk it with her club.
As Saniana advances on the bee, she signals Dax to help. The badger scurries up to attack the giant bee.
The little guy is a blur of teeth and claws.
You guys bludgeon, slash, claw and bite your way to victory against the remaining bee!
Interacting with the fang berries bushes is pretty easy, its only a move action to harvest some quickly and put them in one of your pouches.
Round 3 - Initiative - bold may go!
Saniana
Rosetta
Beorn
Kas 3 damage
?????
"Good job you guys but we should probably keep an eye out for other unfriendly creatures."
Rosetta moves over towards the closest fang berry bush and starts to collect some of the ripe berries. Popping a few in her mouth as she goes along.
"More bees of the giant kind
will soon be here to play
So fangberries we must find
and then let's run away!"
Saniana sings as she rushes forward to the nearest bush to look for the plump berries. As she moves she calls Dax and Glyph to her side so she can load herself and Dax on her mount as soon as possible.
Wincing at the sting he took but rushing forward with his glaive in one hand and keeping his crimson-feathered hat on top of his head with the other, Kas sloshes towards the fangberry bush in front of him and near to San. He puts all his focus on the bush and starts by grabbing a cluster and shaking them off into his free hand and then depositing them into his belt pouch.
With a pained grin he tries to spar with San’s words:
”Run away we’ll do as soon as we’re done
Let this nasty sting on me be the only one!
A mouthful of berries we find that taste sweet
As rest assured we won’t feast on bee meat!”
Kas chuckles and shrugs at the hasty rhyme as not being his best, but continues to pick berries for all that he's worth.
__________________________________________
Having heard the bees and knowing about how much time the group has Beorn will gather berries for two rounds and then call a general retreat for the group. My friends, we are done here. Time to leave now!
The group rushes to frantically pick berries as the impending buzzing sound grows louder and louder announcing the bee's arrival.
However you were quick enough to pick berries that you end up with more than enough and even Dax the badger has a small chunk of roots that can serve as a starter, that as your mounting your horses to gallop off the horde of angry giant bee's arrive at the far end of the clearing, there must be 20 or 30 of the giant insects.
Putting your heels to your horses, and reindeer, you guys speed off, leaving those bees in the dust.
_____________
Riding the few hours back to Bokken's Hut its a nice ride after your out of the woods.
He is outside gardening when you arrive, on his knees digging up weeds.
"Huuuullooooooo Master Bokken!" exclaims Kas exuberantly as he waves in the air from his horse Gerdie. He hums a tune pleasantly as they near the hut. "It's good that you're a lookin' after these weeds, because we may just have something better for you to plant in some firm soil! We've got both berries and a scrape of a story to boot!"
Bjorn holds up a sack nearly full of the berries the hermit was looking for. Indeed we do. More than you asked for simply because we wish to be good neighbors.
Looking up from his herbs and weeds, as you guys ride up, "Well hello there, good to see you returned!," eying the big bag of berries Beorn holds up, "Haha that looks like a good amount of berries there! Must've had no trouble with those pesky bees, then?"
He stands up, wiping his dirt-covered hands on his trousers before collecting the berries from you guys. "Well you definitely took care of your end of the bargain, like I said, these are worth a 25% discount on all my potions and wares,"
Well I won't say no trouble, but we managed it anyway. Can you remind what you have in stock today?
two potions of cure light wounds(38gold),
two potions of endure elements(38 gold),
and a potion of cure moderate wounds(108 gold)
"If you give me time and have requests I can always go about making more potions too, those Fangberries are essential for making Potions of Cure Light Wounds, so I should be able to make quite a few of those,"
Beorn looks at his companions before speaking. If no one else plans to buy them I will take 1 of the cure light wounds potions.
"It's always good to have an extra bit of divine blessing in a bottle, so I'll take one potion. Also, we brought back an uprooted fangberry bush, in case you want to start a patch closer to home. Of course, it they attract those bees, you might not want to do that. Perhaps you could build a greenhouse. I saw one of those in Sevenarches. Imagine, a house made of glass. Sounds crazy, but in the winter, it stays warm, at least as long as the sun shines on it ..."
Saniana chats on like this as long as the old man puts up with her.
He accepts the fangberry bush gingerly, "Perhaps if its just one plant it won't attract some many bees, its worth a shot, and if it does I know who I can count on to shoo them pesky bees away," he says with a smile.
" I'll gladly take one of your potions if endure elements. pulling out her gold and setting it on the counter of Bokken's hut.
Bidding adieu to Bokken you guys head out continue exploring the two hexes near the farm, it takes a couple of days to fully map it out. As you guys are exploring, you come across a weird plane that seems to have some weird features too it, besides a giant rocky outcropping it seems to have a few shrubs here and there but is mostly dryland. There are odd looking humps.
What a strange place. Beorn begins. Hey! Those humps are trapdoors for trapdoor spiders. We should try to take them out, but maybe one at a time if possible. He readies his sword.
We could see if Oleg has some anti-venom before we try to clear these out. Otherwise, we can ready some ranged attacks and Dax could burrow toward one of the hidey-holes. The spider would feel the vibrations and try to ambush him but Dax would be safely under ground. That would give us all a few shots at them before they can close to attack us.
Also noticing the trapdoor spiders Rosetta draws her long bow and pulls an arrow out of her quiver, "Saniana, I agree ranged attacks would probably be our best option right now."
"Some flasks of alchemist's fire would be nice to lob at them as they approach, as long as this grass is not too dry. I can prepare an orison to create water to help control for brush fires. Maybe our new herbalist friend Bokken can sell us some tanglefoot bags as well as some flasks of acid or alchemist's fire. Maybe we could get some ... oh! oh! I have it! I'll prepare the same spell I used on the bandits to make the underbrush entangle them. Then they get a taste of their own medicine, or poison, as the case may be."
That's sense Santana. These things are a dangerous threat and need to be cleared. But we should be prepared when we do it. Beorn marks the spot on the map for future action. We can warn those we know to stay away from this place. I'll even put up a sign on the closest trail or road warning travelers.
Marking the spot on the map, you guys head back to Oleg's trading post to rest and see if he has any anti-venom or alchemist fire. Spending the night in some nice comfortable beds as compared to the hard tough bedrolls.
overgrown temple of Erastil guarded by a huge, angry bear. You feel like this dream seems to be guiding you to recover this lost temple from the forest and to somehow cleanse it of this evil-lookin' bear's presence.
Svetlana greets you with a hearty breakfast of eggs and grits, with Oleg joining you, "Aye, I've a couple doses of anti-toxin for you to buy, chargin' 25 gold a vial, mighty powerful stuff, what you be needin' it for?"
Bjorn rises early, as is his custom, and is just finishing his observances when breakfast is called. At the meal he offers thanks to both the cook and Erastil before eating a generous helping. As he eats he will mention I had the strangest dream last night, and I think it came from Old Deadeye himself. If so it seems I must hunt a bear.
Later when asked about the antivenin Beorn mentions the trap door spiders and their plan to eliminate the threat from the lands. Its a good price you offer Oleg. I'll be taking one.
Saniana prepares Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, and Flare as orisons, and Entangle and Flare Burst as her 1st level spells.
"I'd like two vials of antitoxin if you have them. One for me and one for Dax. Dax will be moving about near the trap door spiders burrows to lure them out. He's quick but in case he can't burrow out of the way in time, he might get bitten. If you don't have any alchemist's fire, perhaps Bokken can brew us up some."
Lookin' to the two of you, he'll fetch his vial of antitoxins, "Sad to say, I've only two of 'em available, sorry,"
"Bjorn, a dream from Old Dead Eye? What a coincidence, for I too had a rather strange dream about a temple and a bear. Maybe he is sending us a hint as to our next stop." Rosetta looks over the map while she eats her breakfast.
"Mr. Oleg, do you happen to know of any old overgrown temples in the area, or rumors of one?"
Bjorn smiles up at Rosetta Then it seems we will hunt together. I am pleases that I will have a skilled bowwoman at my side. The bow is after all the holy symbol of Erastil. But I do not know where to seek this old temple. All I know to do is to keep exploring. Shall we kill spiders today?
[ooc]Are we getting at all close to leveling?[/b]
Oleg scratches his head, "Ya know, just yesterday while you guys were out an older man, traveler, stopped by asking the same thing, I've heard from rangers of an old abandoned temple deep within the forest, I told the old man the same thing," he marks a spot on your map where he last heard the temple being.
Let us gather what supplies we will need, and then deal with the spiders on the way to catch this man. He will need our help, of that I am sure.
You guys head to Bokken's Hut, but are saddened to hear that it would take him at least a week to make any new alchemist fires.
"The temple sounds like fun exploring, especially since it's in the forest, but let's clear the area of the spiders in case some potential settlers roam over that part of the plain. It might be a prime spot to have a farm, being close to the road and to Oleg's. We can try to catch up with that priest and find out who he is and what he wants in the area. He might not be wanting to find the temple to restore it. He might want to loot it."
"I'm ready for either, I think we should clear out those pesky spiders so they don't hurt anyone else that happens by. I think even if we clear them out we can still get to the temple before or at the same time as the priest..." trailing off Rosetta turns towards Kas, "and you Kas what do you think?"
On the morning the group plans to set out to clear out the spider nests, Saniana prepares Entangle and Flare Burst with the plan to send Dax into the area where the nests are with instructions to burrow down after moving to keep out of reach of the spiders (assuming a medium size spider is not going to try to squeeze into a small size hole to go after the badger). When the spiders emerge to attack, Saniana will entangle the area to slow and maybe stop them from advancing, allowing everyone at the edge of the entangle to make ranged attacks. She will try to dazzle them with Flare Burst and Flare once they are in range. She will stay on her reindeer during the attack so she can retreat if the spiders get too close (assuming they haven't webbed her).
As the group approaches the spider den area Beorn will ready his longbow.
As you guys sneak up on the spiders dens, they burst from their burrows to engage you, Saniana throws out her prepared Entangle spell.
The grasses and vines whip up and attempt to wrap the spiders up.
Only one them is wrapped up and entangled by the web!
Beorn fires off an arrow at the nearest one!
But his arrows bounces harmlessly off the tough outer carapace of the spider, it clacks it mandibles angrily.
Round 1 - Bold may post Current Map
Beorn
Rosetta
Spiders
Kas
Saniana
Discarding his bow Beorn charges the closest spider hoping to bring it down with a power attack.
"Shouldn't we wait fer Mistress San's plan to...well he's off again!" Kas sighs and shakes his head in resignation of the younger warrior of Erastil charging off to overly large spiders by the outcropping, though in truth he doesn't seem too perturbed or worried about him getting into too much trouble, for the entangling grasses seem everywhere and worked mightily well back against the bandit encampment some days' prior.
Kasimyr has been almost downright brooding for unclear reasons since he got stung by the bees guarding the fangberries, seemingly reticent to deal with Bokken's alchemy and deferring to his fellows on their choices of wares. While his foremost desire has been to venture to the mite lair and hopefully reclaim Svetlana's wedding ring that was taken by bandits and subsequently stolen by the mites, Kas agrees that the lurking spiders need to be dealt with before hapless non-bandits stumble across them.
Even so, the older amateur storytelling peddler - who so happens to be a devoted priest of Shelyn as they now know him to be - is torn at not guiding the efforts of the former bandits now working on a new life for Oleg's trading post. Yet Kas can't let Beorn, Rosetta and Saniana go off to dangers in the wilderness without him in good conscience either, making him somewhat surly and conflicted as of late.
"Bees and now spiders...shall it be flies and stirges next for us over the next rise?" He is off Gerdie before the ruckus begins, his favored glaive uncovered and at the ready in one hand, his other hand fingering the polished rose symbol handing openly at his chest before his crimson scarf.
Seeing the spiders Rosetta will draw her longbow and knock an arrow and firing it at the spider about 30 feet in front of her.
Just before closing to the site, Saniana gave Dax her vial of antitoxin with instructions to burrow his way to a flanking position once the spiders got close. Dax grunted in approval and sniffed the air and the ground, ready to move. Her plan had been to have Dax advance toward them to lure them out and then burrow to avoid webs and bites.
"Spread out so the first one can't get us all in a web," she advises as the group approaches.
Beorn rushes forward, cutting deeply into one of the massive spiders while Rosetta fires an arrow over his shoulder but it bounces off the tough exoskeleton of the spider.
Beorn's opponent spider tries to crunch down on the tasty paladin.
The others wade through the entangled area and try to avoid becoming entangled again. One manages to break free of the entangled area avoiding the risk of being held fast. The other two aren't so lucky!
Round 1 - Bold may post Current Map
Beorn
Rosetta
Spider 1: 11 damage | Spider 2 & 3
Kas
Saniana
Kas nods in the direction of Saniana and hefts his glaive with both hands, trying to do as instructed and at least draw the attention of a second spider that could descend upon the rest of them. He hopes the Lady's Grace is with him as he tries to skewer the foul vermin that creeps out from dark places...yet Kas is not an accomplished soldier and aims his thrust too poorly to achieve more than a threatening jab at the spider from distance.
__________________________________________
"Dax! Flank that one!" Saniana barks out [literally] to her companion, pointing at the one emerging from the plant tangle nearest Kas. Then she guides her reindeer to within 25' of the other two and calls out "Golau Llachar." A bright flare of light erupts from a point between the two spiders but just far enough from Beorn that he is not affected.