Round 4, Init 23
Seeing the monstrous thing rapidly circling around them, Tynan doubts the group can make it to the stairs before it reaches them. Taking advantage of the unexpected cover of the sisters, Tynan hurls a dagger at the beast's bulbous, ever searching eye.
(+1 studied target, -2 range increment)
(+1 studied target, -2 range increment)
Tynan heads toward the stairs, where he sees Ascaria standing alone.
AC:16(F:12, T:14); HP:6/10; Saves:F2,R6,W1
Significantly disgusted by his recent beetle infestation, Mort continues hauling his massive frame toward the exit.
Round 4, Init 15
With a shriek the halfling spies the mass of beetles as they swarm over her. Stung again and again, acid burning through her leathers and deeply into her skin, she's no longer able to run and only barely stumbles to the other side of the sarcophagus, retching along the way.
Round: 4, Initiative: 16
Weapon Equipped = Sling (unloaded)
Cold Iron Bullets (10/10), Silver Bullets (10/10)
Conditions = None
Channel Energy (1d6+1) (0/5)
Sling Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic
Zero (14): Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (15): (1/4) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command
Ascaria, now at the stairs and going before Pillette, moves up them as quickly as he can (double move - 40’) oblivious to what is about to befall his party member.
Round 5, Init 24
Heeding her sister's advice, Sol runs. And when she runs, she runs despite the bulky armor, she soars and gusts and glides, ending up 80' down the way.
Round whatever it is, Init whereever I landed
Rae doesn't even make time for a sigh of relief when she sees her sister take off for safety. She moves to follow and sees the little servant caught in distress. With a growl, she moves to grab her.
"Pull it together, Pill, We've gotta get out of here!"Does no one have a brain in this place?!?!?!
Solrisa takes to the stairs as if a devil were on her heels. Tynan tries to discourage the six-legged creature from thinking any of them are easy prey, striking it squarely in the corner of the creature's eye. Mortimer follows close by the others in his retreat, the bites still stinging his calves. Ascaria, forecasting nothing but pain should the party remain in the chamber, hits the stairs and beyond. Pillette drags herself out of the swarm, retching from the acidic fumes. Raella moves in an arc, switching positions with the halfling, with the full knowledge of the path on which she's set herself.
The spider, dagger still buried in its side, makes a study of Tynan itself, clearing the distance, and throwing one of its spindly legs, dagger-like, at Tynan. It utters something unintelligible, from some unseen orifice.
The swarm makes its way, inevitably, to the feet of Raella, where it tries to wear her down with its sheer numbers.
Raella stands, bitten and burnt, but retains control of her stomach.
Round: 5, Initiative: 16
Weapon Equipped = Sling (cold iron)
Cold Iron Bullets (9/10), Silver Bullets (10/10)
Conditions = None
Channel Energy (1d6+1) (0/5)
Sling Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic
Zero (14): Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (15): (1/4) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command
Ascaria waits at the top of the stairs (maybe a move action?) and shouts encouragement to the others as he loads his sling (move), just in case.
”Come on, we’re almost free! Hurry, hurry!”
Round 5, Init 23
Tynan dodges the bladed leg of the insect, sure that if he hadn't, he would have been no more.
Holy crap... that was way too close...
Seeing his opportunity, he runs toward the stairway, glancing back on occasion to assure he avoids the insect's next attack. He rapidly draws another throwing dagger, should it be needed.
AC:16(F:12, T:14); HP:6/10; Saves:F2,R6,W1
"Pillette, over here -- hurry!"
Mort hopes Pillette will double move to him so that he can carry her (encumbered) up the stairs an additional 20 feet, leaving Rae free to run (hopefully much like her sister Sol did).
Round 5, Init 15
Gasping a breath of cleaner air, Pillette's stomach stops its somersault as she moves forward as fast as her halfling legs will carry her. Upon hearing Mortimer's words, a flash of surprise crosses her face. A human waiting for a slip? Either he knows how to protect a potential asset, or perhaps he's a bit foolhardy. Maybe a bit of both? Either way, a good one to know.
Round 5, Init 14
Rae takes off after the others, nearly flying past the spider as she rushes for stairs.
Round 5, Init 24
Heeding her sister's advice, Sol runs. And when she runs, she runs despite the bulky armor, she soars and gusts and glides, ending up 80' down the way.
Solrisa continues to put distance between her and the bugs, both little and large. Tynan withdraws as he draws a dagger. Ascaria remains close by, waiting at the top of the stairs to rally the others in their retreat. Pillette wisely avoids the spider to close the distance between her and Mort. Mort delays for Pillette, picking the halfling up, and moving further up the stairs. Raella ignores the potent pain of the beetles and the potential pain of the spider, whisking by as effortlessly as her sister ran away.
The swarm falls behind, its steady rate of advance no match for the movement of the search party. The spider, on the other hand, clicks up the stairs, pacing the retreat while keeping the distance close enough for its designs. It takes advantage of the slower party members, targetting the injured acrobat, Raella, in the bottleneck of the hallway.
Round 6, Init 24
"Rae, look! The entrance and outside!" Sol says cheerily.
Solrisa looks behind her to make sure the others are coming. When it is clear the others are moving as well, Sol runs again.
Sol runs like the wind a-gustin'.
Round 6, Init 14
"I see, Sol, I see!"
See Sol Soar. Soar, Sol, Soar.
Round 6, Init 22
Mort yells, "RUN!" as he draws his warhammer and steps up to SpiderEye and tries to smack it back down the stairs into Happy Beetlejuice of the Acid Kin variety.
for
"Swarm Comes -- Run!" he yells, with the foremost intention of retreating after the swing.
Round 6, Init 23
Tynan sighs as he sees the insect easily keeping up with the group. We'll never be able to outrun it... especially not Ascaria.
"We can't outrun it. Rae, grab Ascaria and go. I'll try to buy you all some time."
Tynan dodges back between Rae and Mort, then whirls, throwing a dagger at the creature.
Tynan yells at the creature. "Back here you one-eyed freak! Come and get me!"
Tynan swiftly pulls out his short sword, and readies himself for the inevitable.
Round: 6, Initiative: 16
Weapon Equipped = Sling (cold iron bullet)
Cold Iron Bullets (9/10), Silver Bullets (10/10)
Conditions = None
Channel Energy (1d6+1) (0/5)
Sling Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic
Zero (14): Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (15): (1/4) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command
Ascaria moves away for sure, but he hesitates, turns, and fires his still loaded sling - hoping to help drop the creature before it kills.
(melee)
"Run Pillette!"
Solrisa almost clears the entrance, the sound of heavy rainfall coming from without. Tynan circles the spidery oddity, just missing it as it sizes up Raella for another stab. Mortimer steps up to crack the eye like a melon, causing its rear legs to seize up and stab downwards, preventing it from toppling over. Ascaria sees his opening, and encourages the spider to finish what it started, cracking its underside with a slingstone that flies past Raella's hip, laying the creature low. The legs twitch, but cease to do so much longer than a handful of seconds. The spider is well and truly unconscious, and bleeding like a cracked egg sac.
The sound of hungry yips can be heard coming from the alcove to the east of this chamber.
Oh no... that's the last thing we need...
Tynan walks over to the twitching beast, and gives it a quick stab with his short sword... just to make sure. He then collects his thrown daggers, and heads toward the exit.
"We need to get back to town and heal up... whatever else is below will have to wait until we return."
Mort goes to play croquet.
Walking up to the corpse of the spider, he uses his Warhammer as the mallet to punt the dead thing back down the stairs. He's not terrifically worried about accuracy.
He hopes the SpiderEye body will slow the beetles down even further.
After this, he pauses to consider the noises he hears.
They deserve an easier passing at least...
"CR-aP!" Rae stops mid stride, her head swinging towards the eastern alcove.
"Go on, I'll catch up." I should not be doing this, I should not be... and yet, she is, quickly picking her way towards the alcove.
As he hears Rae do a 180 he says: "Need any help carrying?"
That's right... reward the one who runs away with 'pupsies'. I think I'm gonna be ill.
"Let's just get out of here before that swarm catches up with us again."
Tynan heads toward the exit.
Round: 7, Initiative: 16
Weapon Equipped = Sling (cold iron bullet)
Cold Iron Bullets (8/10), Silver Bullets (10/10)
Conditions = None
Channel Energy (1d6+1) (0/5)
Sling Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic
Zero (14): Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (15): (1/4) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command
Ascaria, hearing the skittling of the beetles more than anything else of note, makes haste toward the exit. Then he see’s Rae go down a side shaft and he sighs inwardly.
He slows and stops short, again, and loads his sling.
Round 6, Init 15
Pillette skitters down the hall, trying to put as much room between herself and the beatles as possible.
Hearing commotion from the back and seeing Ascarius pull up, she moves down the hall and then stops.
Round 7?, Init 15
She puts the bow into both of her hands and loads it while looking back for the others.
Round 7, Init 24
"Oh! Are we going back in? That sounds like fun," Sol says with a knowing smile, used to her sister's changes of mood and spins on her heels. She moves back in 40'.
Pillette puts significant distance between herself and the crawling doom. Raella watches the spider upend, and gathers herself enough to detect something of interest to the east. She disappears past two stacks of rubble, serving as a makeshift doorway.
The smell of animal urine and spoor grows strongly as you pass by the rubble. Your torchlight illuminates the alcove, revealing a sad array. Here are the wolf pups. All five of them. Yet, only three are able to cry. Two appear dead, two appear to be huddled together, scrawny the both of them. One, much healthier in appearance, is nestled across from the two. There is also a backpack, resting in the corner, along the same side as the two weakling pups.
...
Solrisa spirits back to join the retreating line. Tynan retrieves his daggers, jumping aside in time for Mortimer to have a clean mallet strike. The dead spider rolls a little ways, but its legs quickly prevent it from rolling very far. Ascaria hesitates respectfully, loading his sling for beetle. Pillette reloads her crossbow, and stands ready.
As Raella remains beyond the rubble, the beetle swarm gains the top stair, and begins to advance, except that it appears to be two swarms now.
The beetle swarm has feathered out, likely attempting to better its chances of finding prey. The damage the weaker arms might do is probably less than the full swarm en masse.
The beetle swarm has feathered out, likely attempting to better its chances of finding prey. The damage the weaker arms might do is probably less than the full swarm en masse. The swarm also has the means of communicating with its fractions, signaling success, which means it has the ability to reform once more.
Round 8, Init 23
"Rae! Get out of there, now! There are two beetle swarms heading our way!"
Tynan moves back down the hall, away from the swarms.
AC:16(F:12, T:14); HP:6/10; Saves:F2,R6,W1
Round 8, Init 22
Dang. I thought we were closer to the stairs. Good thing we're not...
"Rae, hurry! Two swarms come!"
He starts to retreat in a tiptoe as rushed as he can muster for someone his size.
Round 8, Init 24
"Oh hey, Ascaria and Tynan!" Sol says cheerily as she passes the pair going out of the complex as if they hadn't seen each other in a while. "Did you guys see where my sister went? I thought she wanted to leave, but she went somewhere." Sol asks conversationally, looking around.
Round 8, Init 15
There are more of them? And the others aren't running? Crap! She looks down at the one remaining wolf corpse.
"Maybe they will eat this, instead of one of us!" She drops her crossbow, takes a breath, and squats down to seize the wolf corpse.
She staggers a bit back up the corridor under the burden, half carrying/half dragging the corpse.
Round: 8, Initiative: 16
Weapon Equipped = Sling (cold iron bullet), Pillette’s crossbow
Cold Iron Bullets (8/10), Silver Bullets (10/10)
Conditions = None
Channel Energy (1d6+1) (0/5)
Sling Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic
Zero (14): Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (15): (1/4) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command
Ascaria peers into the dimness of the cave and tries to see what’s going on. Hearing there are two swarms now, he moves 20’ farther away and up to Pillette where he picks up her crossbow. ”You might need this later.”
He looks a little ridiculous with a crossbow in one hand and sling in the other, but there he stands.
"She's somewhere back there... I warned her that there are two beetle swarms now, but I don't know if she listened." He looks at Solrisa, hoping she'll somehow understand.
"We have to leave now. One swarm almost killed us, we can't stand up against two."
"Why, she's right behind me, aren't you Rae?!"
He hastens his pace a little.
"Yeah, I'll be right there! Sol, Wait outside!"
Rae grabs one of the scrawny pups and stuffs it in the backpack.
Round 8
Perception - hear Rae
Sol moves 30' more back into the cave, seeking her sister.
"What did you say, Rae? Speak up so I can find you!" Sol says with a smile; she just loves playing Hide and Seek!
Lowering yourself to examine the backpack, you find it awkward to handle the leather straps, while still handling the torch, but you manage. The backpack is well-made, as is the object it contains- an Indigo Lantern, the twin of every Lantern in the sarcophagus chamber.
The backpack appears to have just enough space within to contain one of the scrawny pups, no more. You are successful in transitioning the malnourished creature, as it offers no resistance, only a weak howl as you separate it from its packmate.
Round 8
Rae grabs up the second scrawny puppy and tries to encourage the healthy one to follow as she juggles backpack, torch, and cuddles.
"I'm right behind you! Go on!"
Perception
"What?!" Sol replies, ready to edge back to her sister. "Don't worry, I'm coming back to you!"
Tynan puts his head down, and continues moving down the hallway. Mortimer calls to one of the sisters, backing away from the beetles with gentler footsteps. Ascaria reminds everyone that chivalry is not dead, by picking up the halfling's crossbow, and waiting. Pillette exchanges wooden crossbow for dead wolf, managing to drag it northward to act as speedbump. Raella measures the weight of a backpack, and moves back to the hallway. Solrisa almost fully returns to seek out her sister, calling out for a response.
As you exit the den, the healthier wolf wobbles to its paws, then starts to respectably snarl at you, backing up against the east wall.
The beetle swarms make their way, slowly, into the larger room, searching.
Round 9, Init 23
Tynan continues walking to the entrance.
"Ascaria, Pilette. Let's get to the entrance. With two of those quick moving swarms in there, I don't want to risk either of them catching up with you two."
He looks at Pilette with the wolf, and gives her a smile. "You've carried that far enough. It will make a fine distraction right there."
"The others are far quicker than you, and as you saw before, the sisters aren't opposed to leaving you both behind. Shall we?"
Round 9, Init 14
Upon Tynan's urging, Pillette will drop the wolf corpse and grab the crossbow from Ascaria, before heading back towards the exit.
"The sisters aren't opposed to leaving you both behind."
She looks a little puzzled for a moment. Why wouldn't they leave a slip behind? It' not like I'm their property to protect.
"You've got a point. Let's go."
Round 9, Init 22
Tynan -- good man. Rare, that. Would make for a good dad, I imagine.
Attempting to minimize casualty he turns to Sol and says quietly:
"Rae is coming. Wait with me here a second or two -- depending on what she picked up, it might take both of us. Either way, I think we can meet her halfway -- then assist."
Round: 9, Initiative: 16
Weapon Equipped = Sling (cold iron bullet)
Cold Iron Bullets (8/10), Silver Bullets (10/10)
Conditions = None
Channel Energy (1d6+1) (0/5)
Sling Attack: BAB +0, Dex +1 Damage: +0
Spells (Caster Level 1, Concentration +5)
Once per Day: Arcane Mark, Comprehend Languages, Message, Read Magic
Zero (14): Create Water, Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (15): (1/4) Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Liberating Command
Ascaria, largely unaware of what’s going on behind him, finds himself again in front with the equally slow Pillette as his companions muck about tempting fate with the swarms. He moves to the entrance and stops (double move).
Round 9, Init 24
"Oh hey, Mort!" Sol says cheerily as she listens to Mort. "Are you sure?" Sol asks considering...."Oh that's a good idea! Let's do that! Besides, Finders Hiders is fun with more people anyway."