The map provided by Ulisha leads you from the outskirts of Daggermark into the Shroudwood to the city’s southeast. As you approach your quarry, signs of obvious spider habitation increase, and especially large cobwebs link some of the higher branches. However, by their dingy gray hues and the debris held within them, it is evident that none of these are fresh enough to harvest adhesive.
You then come upon a clearing where the webs are thicker than they have been thus far, appearing newer and white. These webs crisscross the canopy above, most strands meeting near the center to support a large globe of webbing the size of a large pumpkin.
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Shenendril is quite curious about this place and the arachnid inhabitants. She is pleased when they find fresher webs, though, suggesting that they will soon find what they need and be able to depart. The forest is quite creepy, after all.
She starts to approach the patch of webbing and sends Belthelgior up for a closer look.
Belthelgior reluctantly leaves Shenendril's hair and flies up toward the webbing to pull it down, though he mutters in Auran the whole way. As is usual with the tiny air elemental, he is on high alert for anything that is bigger than him (which seems like everything) and wants to hurt him (which seems like everything to him, too.)
The druid and his companion look around, but the webs are disorienting.
However, Blooming Flower and Shenendril each spot two spiders hiding in the webs of the canopy above, one considerably larger than the other.
Believing it has spotted a meal, the larger spider scuttles across the webbing that joins the treetops within the canopy.
Combat Surprise Round
Spider (red)
Blooming Flower
Imjah
Kenji
Spider (blue)
Shenendril
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Shenendril sees the spiders creeping through the trees. She doesn't have her bow ready and the only spell that she has handy is one that requires that she touch something with her hand.
So, instead, she calls on an entity from beyond the veil, reaching out through her connection with other planes established by Belthelgior to summon forth an assistant.
The divine eagle from a realm of beauty and perfection is immediately aware of its target and came ready to fight. It lashes out with talons and beak.
As the kitsune sings, the summoned bird of prey swoops down at the spider but, even with the bolster of the bard's song, it fails to do any more than scratch the spider's exoskeleton with a talon.
The smaller spider heads toward the sylph.
The larger spider spits a line of webbing at the eagle in an effort to bring the bothersome creature to the ground.
Combat First Full Round
Spider (red)
Blooming Flower
Imjah
Kenji
Shenendril
Spider (blue)
After a dismal failure in attacking, the eagle finds itself snared like a fly. Or a gnat, given the relative sizes of itself and the spider.
It deftly manages to stay airborne, however and attacks again.
Despite his fear, Belthelgior manages an attack. He darts forward, close enough to fling a vial of acid at the blue tinged spider before retreating even further than he was before.
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Her cousin, who is not the bravest entity in the planes and the eagle she summoned, who doesn't even really have a reason to fight, other than she has asked him to help her, are both showing their courage. Shenendril can do nothing but follow their lead.
She draws her bow, knocks an arrow and sends it flying behind Belthelgior's vial of acid at the smaller, bluish spider only because she knows she has a better chance of hitting it than the larger red one with the eagle fluttering around it.
The eagle manages to strike the larger spider with a talon.
Inspired the kitsune's song, the elemental lands a vial of acid on thesmaller spider [ooc[(blue)[/ooc], even though it is more nimble than its larger counterpart. It is then struck by the sylph's arrow.
Imjah commands his animal companion to prepare to grapple the spider if it approaches. He then prepares to hit it with his staff.
The smaller spider then descends down its web towards its prey. Prepared, the frog strikes.
The tongue latches on, but the spider remains within its web.
It then tries to break free of the frog's sticky tongue.
The larger spider attempts to sink its fangs into the eagle.
Kenji's bolt imbeds itself within some webbing.
Combat Second Round Cont'd
Spider (red) -4 HP
Blooming Flower
Imjah[/b]
Kenji
Shenendril
Spider (blue) -11 HP
Combat Second Round Cont'd
Spider (red) -4 HP
Blooming Flower
Imjah
Kenji
Shenendril
Spider (blue) -11 HP
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Shenendril continues her assault, drawing another arrow from her quiver and firing it at the smaller spider. She does not bother trying to convince Belthelgior to fight again. He's done more than can be expected of him.
She's pleased that the eagle is still in the battle, though and will leave it to face the other spider alone, for the moment.
The eagle nimbly avoids the bite of the excessively large spider. He counters with his own attacks, continuing to unleash his avian fury on the arachnid.
Engaged, the entangled eagle eeks out an effective strike with a talon, but otherwise cannot manage to end the arachnid.
The sylph's bolt now dangles from a web.
Combat Second Round Cont'd
Spider (red) -8 HP
Blooming Flower
Imjah
Kenji
Shenendril
Spider (blue) -11 HP
Imjah commands his animal companion to eat the spider and the giant frog attempts to comply.
The spider proves difficult to swallow, so Imjah beats it with his staff.
But the staff whacks against a tree.
The smaller spider then tries to break free of the frog's sticky tongue.
It then cautiously scurries back.
The larger spider again attempts to sink its fangs into the eagle.
Combat Third Round Cont'd
Spider (red) -8 HP
Blooming Flower
Imjah
Kenji
Shenendril
- summoned eagle -2 HP (Need Fort save)
Spider (blue) -11 HP
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"Keep it up! We're wearing them down!" Shenendril declares, loosing another arrow at the smaller spider.
"Your skill and courage is greatly appreciated my celestial, avian friend!" she calls out to the eagle, hoping it can continue to keep the larger spider occupied until they can finish the smaller off and focus on it, though she winces as it takes a hit.
The eagle squawks in pain, the pride it felt over having the upper hand over this far larger beast disappearing in a moment.
It's unnatural stamina serves it well, shrugging off the poison and it launches another flurry of attacks.
The kitsune's crossbow bolt ends the life of the smaller spider .
The sylph's arrow pierces the abdomen of the larger spider .
The summoned bird of prey scratches the remaining spider deep with one of its talons.
Combat Third Round Cont'd
Spider (red) -13 HP
Blooming Flower
Imjah
Kenji
Shenendril
- summoned eagle -2 HP (entangled)
Spider (blue) -17 HP
The strike from "Roy" finishes off the remaining spider.
The central orb of web is a newly laid egg sack. The eggs would be worthless in Daggermark, but the webbing holding the sack is covered in fresh adhesive.
Kenji manages to retrieve the silk gland from one of the spiders.
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While Kenji dissects one of the ins...arachnids, Shenendril keeps her bow out, though she does not draw another arrow. She is about to send the eagle back to its home with her abundant thanks when her lips purse in thought and she gazes up at that web ball.
"You have served us far better than could have been expected or asked, noble avian, but before you return home, can you perform one more service for us? Can you cut that down?" she says.
The eagle releases a mingled cry of pride and annoyance. Pride at his success and the praise. Annoyance at being asked to do yet one more thing for this material plane creature who has brought him from his wondrous home into this dismal place.
The party manages to harvest spider glands from each of the arachnids as well as the adhesive from the egg sack.
With the spider glands and fresh adhesive in hand, the party is free to approach Vox, the buyer referenced in Ulisha's journal or, should they choose, find a different one.
With the information provided in Ulisha's journal, the shop of Johannes Vox is not hard to find. Once it becomes evident to the owner why you have approached him, he ushers you to a back room to conduct business.
"You all are from out-of-town, ain't ya?" Vox remarks. The man gives a devilish smirk, then directs you to place your "catch" on a small table as he pulls out a pair of spectacles with which to better examine it, "It appears that you've done some hunting on your way to our fair village."
"By my reckoning," he says as he examines the party's freshly acquired offerings, "these came out of some of the crawlies in the Shroudwood. Fairly typical specimens of their kind. I can offer you two hundred gold pieces in coin and throw in a couple of flasks of alchemist’s fire and a trio of potions of cure light wounds. Them could be useful to ya, especially if you plan to stay in town for a while."
You get the impression that Vox must think that there are more nests and believes that the market for spider adhesive hasn’t completely dried up. You suspect that if you could convince him that you wiped out all of the available nests in the area, that you may be able to get him to somehow sweeten the deal. You suspect that his pride makes him hard to intimidate.
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Kenji can sense the man’s feelings and approaches him.
”You surely believe that we are a mature is! But that is not the case. We are experts and we can assure you that we have eradicated all the spiders that could produce the wares that we are offering you! So please reconsider your offering ... the price is too low for our taste!“ Kenji says with a raised eyebrow.
"Too low?" Vox responds. "Given the number of creepy nests in those woods, [b]"that's likely the best price you're going to get."
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Shenendril scoffs. "Maybe there are more nests out in those woods, but like you just said, they're creepy. Where are you going to find some people to head out there to get some more? And how long will it take them? How long is the market going to support inflated rates? A gland in the hand is worth two in the woods, you know."
"Them woods are crawlin' with spiders." Vox replies. "Me friend, Willums says he saw just a dozen nests hanging in a single clearin' not three weeks ago!"
"Now, I think the price I offered is quite a good one, given the current market." he notes. "Do you want to take it, or leave it?