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Bedlam thanks the cleric by bringing her his best made stew prior to bedding down.
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Before everyone tucks in, Aurora goes ahead and jolts off her last remaining channel. She politely sets aside Bedlam's soup and doesn't touch it.
When she prepares her spell loadout it is much the same as the prior day's, but she prepares both standard third level slots with remove disease and fills her third level domain slot with dispel magic. Two second level slots are left open.
She frowns. "No cuddling the one I just cured, lovebird."
And, finally, to top everyone's HP up just a bit more before the road...
Anzath keeps an eye on the eleven year old boy. Knowing her, she probably sets him up with a dagger or two out of the Riddleport Patrol's stash. She can't find a helmet to fit him until she tries the sheriff's (it's kinda small). He's traumatized, but then, he already was. This layer of armed bravado is doing wonders for his confidence. She teaches him how to ride the longsuffering Molotov.
Everyone eats and drinks--the six party members, Valrah the dove, the five refugees, the three infantrymen, Gelver and Ippolit, the three warhorses, the mule, and Molotov the donkey. Yes, the party now includes six PCs, seven NPCs, three "monsters," a pet, and five purchasable animals. I don't think I'm forgetting anyone. 22 HP pools to drain.
You get on the road after breakfast. An hour passes. Anzath takes the point, scanning the forest with her keen eyes.
Tal feels no worse.
As you wander down the forest path, the caravan approaches danger.
Talathel looks amused at Aurora's comment.
"I shall refrain from grappling, especially friendlies. I will cover the rear."
He keeps eyes open for ambush from behind.
Anzath refuses a horse, hitches molotov to the wagon, and leads the caravan through the forest of bunnies and rainbows.
I should add, Anzath has her new crossbow out, locked and loaded.
Bedlam prepares much the same Extracts as normal; drinking Heightened Awareness and Barkskin and also leaving some open slots. He brews a new Mutagen, which he promptly downs once they begin traveling.
The dwarf sits up front with Anzath.
Despite having claimed dibs on taking a horse, Aurora is confronted with the fact that she has never in her life taken even a single riding lesson. Instead, she opts to guide WomanKnight's horse by the lead — prior to leaving camp, she offered to saddle up the horse and let the young boy sit in it instead of walking.
In her free hand is her everbeloved quarterstaff.
The dwarf sits up front with Anzath.
Anzath is on foot.
Anzath and Bedlam plod through the forest, the dwarf helping to keep the half-drow focused on the situation. Together, they keep an eye on the path ahead. They spot six enormous (well, Large) spiders in the woods. The beasts seem to have set themselves up to intercept travelers--they are lurking on either side of the path. How an enormous arachnid learns to hunt in packs, nobody knows. What now?
Anzath draws up her hand to signal the caravan to a stop. She signals, Spiders up ahead. Let's take them out.
She studies the nearest spider down the barrel of her crossbow. When her comrades are readied, she pulls the trigger.
Bedlam gives the seat in the wagon a wishful look, before joining Anzath on foot.
Be big 'uns! Stew tonight!
As Bedlam and Anzath stop, peering into the middle distance, the rest of the caravan slows. The rattle of wheels falls silent, and the whispering of the woods fills the gap--leaves rustle. Birds sing in the distance.
You all know that the vanguard wouldn't call a halt without a reason. React as you will.
The caravan has stopped. But no yelling. It is therefore likely that there is a threat up ahead but stealth would be useful.
Before hand signals pass back in a chain, Talathel is already sneaking forward, around the right hand side of the wagon, spear in hand.
Once he realises what the foe is, his aim becomes to get within charge range of a giant spider before the game is up.
Lost in his thoughts, Tragershen barely notices when the scouts stop. He takes a few strides forward, but stops well short of Anzath and Bedlam. Glancing back, he marks the position of all of his allies.
Talathel signs quickly to those whom can see his hands.
I will charge *that* one <points> and then position myself to start pinning down as many as I can.
Talathel positions himself to charge at the nearest giant spider.
And when the time comes, his spear point is not found wanting.
Bedlam looks at the distance from the Spiders position and his. The dwarf licks a dirty finger, holding it high, and nodding his bearded head negatively.
He then notices the others attempting to be stealthy. The heavily saddened dwarf glances down at his steel-shod boots and grins.
The dwarf steadily advances 20'. He stops. He looks at the Spiders reactions, if any.
If none, the dwarf steadily advances another 20'.
With Anzath's crossbow bolt for a starting pistol, Talathel sprints forward into the midst of the spiders, aiming to follow up her well-placed shot with a stab to the heart. His sudden action precipitates combat. The spiders are not taken entirely by surprise, and quickly react.
But not as quickly as Tragershen. The wizard is ready.
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With so many bystanders to ward, Tragershen grants his allies again with exceptional speed to engage the spiders and protect their little caravan.
As magic crackles in the background, Talathel pulls his branched spear from his foe. The spider turns its eight eyes upon the Lore Warden and rears up, towering over the elf, still balanced on four of its eight legs. It lurches forward, its chelicerae extending their dripping fangs...
5ft step and:
...Talathel feels venom in his veins, and then there's that all-too-familiar sense of having his lifeblood sapped. His limbs feel heavy. His mind is sluggish.
That makes total sense. Your lads will follow orders until they stop making sense, but Gelver is a wild card, as always.
Uttering a prayer off a scrap of parchment fetched from her component pouch and tracing a hand over herself, Aurora casts shield of faith. As is typical for her, the divine energy flares out around her to provide an additional boon.
Now somewhat less likely to die a horrible arachnidian doom, Aurora moves forth forty feet with her quarterstaff at the ready. "Perhaps a good time to mention I can only delay venoms and try to treat the damage, but not purge them."
The next spider, not interested in fighting its sibling for the stringy scrap of meat currently dancing around in front of her, waits for a better opportunity.
Bedlam begins to whistle. A strangely buoyant tune that grants the feeling of excitement.
The dwarf skips 20' closer to the Spiders facing Tal. The Alchemist tosses a Tanglefoot Bomb at the center Spider, splashing the other two.
The bomb detonates on the spider munching on Talathel. Chunks of leg and carapace go flying, and the remainder is covered with thick goo. But it's still fighting, even if it's looking pretty stuck to the ground.
The spider that had delayed rushes forward on the dwarf:
As it rumbles past, Talathel stabs at it, the branched spear leaving a wound in the arachnid.
And Bedlam twists away from its fangs!
The next spider waits for its own personal prey to venture a leetle closer. It delays.
Bedlam continues to whistle joyfully.
Spider legs fried with cilantro butter.
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My first post in this thread was March 5, 2018! I meant to celebrate our anniversary, but instead it'll have to be "a year and a day." Which is fantasy appropriate, fantastically!
Special thanks to Aurora and Tragershen who've been here since the beginning. Players come and go, and I know it comes with the genre, but I really appreciate you sticking it out.
The rest of you, thanks for joining us on our impossible mission. Let's let the years roll by while time crawls.
It's been a heck of a year. It's been a heck of a month and a half in-game.
Smiling at the taste in her mouth again. Traveling with mages is always interesting and this one seems to be able to hold his own which is wonderful, not as squishy as others.
Feeling her grin turn a little more feral. The fact that she almost slipped back into the grave again early today after returning so recently doing nothing to curb the thrill of a fight. "But it would be rude to waste Tragershen's magic."
Talathel thinks *hard* about how much he wants to stab these arachnids until they are no longer a problem. Luckily, he has elven battle tactics to draw upon to help him in this very goal.
Talathel brings down the spider that has brought him so close to death's door! It collapses in a heap, unconscious and dying.
Spiders don't think like humans. They don't think, "Oh heck, my sister just got murdered by the waspman she was trying to eat. I better give it a shot, and get revenge!" Instead it's more like, "Heeeyyy, I get to eat the lil guy after all!! Why's sissy so still? But even that is a little bit too human. More like, "Well, she looks like she won't notice if I snag her snack..." But even that's not quite it.
Whatever the arachnid psychology, one lumbers forward and tries to bite Talathel.
The branched spear flashes and draws ichor!
Talathel is nearly driven to his knees by a massive bite, but the new spider's venom spills harmlessly from its fangs (they've gone clear through his forearm). He is still in fighting shape, but how much longer can he resist their onslaught?
Using the magical adrenaline that rushes though her veins and running towards the massive spider that is looming over Talathel.
“Sh!t!” seeing Talathel nearly fallen, Anzath drops her crossbow and uses her extra fleetedness to maneuver herself next to the elven fighter and defend his life.
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If a half-drow and a tiefling stab a spider in the woods, does anybody see how awesome they look?
We do. We. Do.
Vael darts to the right. Anzath to the left. Both rip magical scimitars through their foe, who is now teetering, although it remains up and angry.
Both of them earn a spider for their troubles. Each new spider rumbles in and take advantage of flanking. The flankers become the flank-ed!
Vael twirls out of the reach of the spider's maw, but Anzath, perhaps too focused on saving her Talathel, takes two fangs to the body. They punch through her armor like paper and pump her full of a dose of venom.
Gelver can't stand to see his friends in such dire straits. He rushes in to help Bedlam:
He takes a chunk out of the monster, yelling his battle cry!
"DEAD MEAT!!"
The last spider, who had delayed, gallops forward to devour the madman:
At some point, Gelver has donned the full plate of the ManKnight. The fangs smash through his tower shield, but the late nobleman's fine-wrought steel resists the pressure of the enormous monster. Gelver is not being quiet.
Tragershen casts a quick spell, and sends three shards of arcane force into the melee.
Casting magic missile. He gets three missiles at his level.
First missile damage
Second missile damage
Third missile damage
The spider facing Tal goes down under Tragershen's missiles, and the wizard has one left over to flick at Bedlam's dance partner.
Aurora closes the distance between her and Talathel; coming up behind him, she converts one spell into another and pokes him with a handful of positive energy. Be healed.
"Dying is bad for your health. Please stop trying to die."
New life fills Talathel.
Looking pass his Spider to see the others dealing with Tal's situation, the dwarf takes out his heavy pick and he takes a mighty swing.
Talathel continues to falter as his half-pint of poison makes the rounds.
Bedlam's spider proves less competent than some.