"Spider by Milani you will leave this place."
Somer moves to the other side of Derrik and strikes with his Rapier at the spider.
Leave our halfling alone you nasty beast!
Mouse stays stuck fast, and takes another Str damage.
Derrik was unable to hit the nimble spider, but Balmir scores a solid hit.
Tamxander finds the web is difficult to cut (DR 5)
The spider bites Balmir as he tries to shove his way by, but then turns his attention back to the well-armored Derrik.
Still frustrated by the confines of fighting in a hallway Somer is reduced to launching another Ray of Frost.
"If we can pull him back a little looks to be more room to maneuver."
vs Touch
Derrik will Step back, hoping the spider will follow him. Morning Star will at the ready.
Balmir winces as the spider's bite pierces through his armor causing severe damage. But that doesn't deter him. He swings his axe at the spider's head but his injuries are too much for him to ignore. His attack completely misses. He takes a five foot step back to the other side of the spider hoping to provide flanking to Derrik.
"The web's too tough to cut! I'll have to try something else..."
Somer manages to freeze a small area on the spider, while everyone else has difficulty with the sticky strands in the area.
The spider tries to bite Derrik again, but to no avail.
Derrik keeps the spider from getting to those behind him, standing firm in front of a beast this big.
Somer moves around Mouser to get in a position to strike.
"Take your last breath, last breath, nasty spider." Balmir feels a drain on his strength but still has enough to swing his axe.
Tam hangs back and continues to ineffectively lob small bolts of acid.
(includes -4 for firing into melee and -4 for firing past cover)
Mouser eventually beats the poison coursing through his veins.
Tax and Somer miss with their attacks, but Derrik scores a hit and Balmir, as he says, causes the spider to cease breathing.
"Well that was unpleasant. Fighting in narrow hallways is difficult at best."
"Mouser, that did not look good. Are you ok?"
Balmir gasps as the spider collapses. He's barely standing but he looks pleased. "Well, that's not going to bother us anymore, anymore." He leans heavily on his axe trying to catch his breath.
Derrik will move over to Balmir, kneeling down at his side.
"You are injured allow me to tend your wounds so we can find out why this place is so interesting."
Derrik then moves to Mouser, looking over him.
"Do you want healing or are you well enough for now my friend?"
Derrik will help Mouser off the floor.
The support walls and pillars that once connected the Plague House to the huge boulder behind it have burnt and crumbled in this ruined chamber, revealing nearly the entire face of the monolithic stone as well as much of the sky above. Jagged red runes have been painted onto the rock in long, broad strokes that reach from top to bottom. A cabinet on the southeast wall and a tall bookcase against the northeastern wall are all that remain of the room’s furnishings.
An abandoned hopeknife sits in plain sight on one of the shelves in the bookcase to the northeast.
You discover a false back to the bookcase. The small cubby behind the false back holds an ornate gold coffer studded with numerous gems. The coffer is empty, but is itself worth something.
The runes spell out a name: Skreed
Pushing aside the rotted boards in the cabinet to the southeast reveals an iron flask containing an oil and another holding a potion, a beatup steel scroll case (worth 5 gp) holding two scrolls, and two vials of water.
Examining the red markings leaving the knife to others to check out.
"I guess it is a name in Orcish, Skreed. Mean anything to anyone?"
"There is a false back to this cabinet, it has this coffer inside. No coinage or anything else, No Skreed mean nothing to me, I am not local though."
Derrik continues to check around the cabinet, seeing that there is a spot behind it. He produces the items behind and lays them on a shelf in the cabinet.
"Anyone know what these are?"
Somoer, as a matter of course, casts detect magic and move to examin the items Derrik found more closely.
"You humans leave your things in the oddest of places sometimes. Lets see if we can work out whats what."
|
"Errrg..." Mouser mutters as he gingerly touches his wounded arm.
"I think I'm okay for now...but that's gonna sting for a while. I let my guard down looking at the room and didn't see that spider jump down from the ceiling. The thing's as big as a horse!"
As his companions investigate the hopeknife and the false bookcase, he says "Did we find our missing hopeknife, then? Why would it be here? Hey, let me see that potion...sometimes you can tell what they are by tasting a bit..."
"Let me take a look at those scrolls," says Tam. "Maybe I can make them out."
"Hmm. Nope. I'll need a day or so to prepare the spells that will help me to decipher these."
"Thanks Derrik for that healing." Balmir still walks with a limp but he looks a lot better than he did a few moments ago. "So this is Rodrik's hope knife. I wonder what it is doing here." He shuffles over to look at the stuff found behind the cabinet. "Hmm. Just a bunch of magic stuff it looks like. None of you know what it is?"
"I can take a close look at the scrolls as well."
"Still seems like an odd place for a tryst but to each their own. Since we are here we may as well check these other doors. I would hate to see the next lovers that come by find a spider unprepared and unarmed.."
The poison has run its course, but the Strength damage remains until healed.
Between all of you, you discover the items are as follows:
oil of magic weapon
potion of shield of faith
steel scroll case
2 scrolls of knock
scroll of summon swarm
2 vials of holy water
You also spot “R + B” carved on a support beam near the bookshelf.
"That 'R+B' could be Rodrik + Brynna, I suppose," says Tam. "Why are all these supplies here, though? You don't just leave this kind of stuff lying around. Someone else must've been here."
"I agree mouser, north is a good place to start. Balmir and Mouser, you are still bleeding a bit, would you me to go though first at least I uninjured? Spiders lay lots of eggs I understand."
Somer will move to the door and prepare to open if that is the wish of the group.
Once the others are in position Somer will open the door, enter and move to the left as soon as he can so the others are not encumbered.
"Glad to take point now and then."
Smirking at Mouser.
"I would hate to see a spider drag you back to its lair in your compromised state."
"Lets move into the room quickly, not make a choke point. Unless its a closet and not a room."
Derrik will walk behind Mouser, trying to be as quiet as possible for a doubling.
Most of this room is in shambles, and the western wall has collapsed in a heap of rubble. A staircase to the northeast leads to a wooden loft upstairs; the area beneath the loft is filled with fallen beams, jumbled bricks, and other debris.
"I am not seeing much of interest. Shall we check upstairs?"
Balmir follows the group. He is still limping but he tries to hide it. Out of the corner of his eye he spots a small hidden door. "Hey, there's a hidden door here." He points towards the northeast corner of the room.
Derrik nods to Somer, following the silent elf up the stairs, his armor jingling as he moves.
"Up or down? May as well see whats up here and then check the door."
Tam waits with bated breath.
As the group comes in to explore, two giant centipedes silently rush out to attack. The green one goes for Tamxander as the closest target, while the red one slithers by and up the stairs.
With a grin, and clearly in jest.
"No halfling for you beastie!"
Somer quickly dispatches one of the centipedes.
Balmir moves up the stairs toward the centipede. He swings his waraxe free as he moves. He is about to strike when he watches Somer kill the giant bug. Balmir turns then towards the other one and brings the sharpened blade down on the giant bug's head.