The invitation delivered last night was remarkably simple, especially given the importance of the occasion: “Start where it all began. Meet us at the Pig’s Paunch one hour before dawn.”
The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food. In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, a familiar elven man stands high upon top of a large round table.
“Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!” With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on the table before looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder. “Can you believe it? It all started here years ago—well, over four hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born!"
“But today! Today you will begin your Confirmation! Master Farabellus, Master Zey, and I all agree you each have shown your worth and dedication to the Society, so there’s no better time to see if you can handle becoming full field operatives. Allow me to introduce you to Janira Gavix,” he says as he motions for an excitable halfling woman to approach. She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist. Shaine continues, saying, “Janira here will be going with you on your Confirmation. She was one of my brightest pupils and will no doubt be an invaluable resource on your journey, for she discovered the caves you are about to explore during her own Confirmation.”
Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, “Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
Master Shaine hops to his feet. “Initiates, for your Confirmation, you will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well.” With these parting words, the Master of Scrolls jumps off the table and strolls out of the building while humming to himself.
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A chipper little red-headed gnome skips into the Pig's Paunch. A bright, enthusiastic smile takes up most of her face, and her too-big eyes are bright blue and twinkling. A bulging backpack is strapped to her back, and a well-polished crossbow peeks out from behind it.
"Hiya, Kreighton! Nice to meet ya'!" she exclaims happily, speaking quite fast. "I can't wait to get going! Ya' know this is my second adventure? Well, not my second adventure at all, but my second sanctioned adventure! Man, that training took a LIFETIME! I mean, four years? It's agony, agony, agony to be out of the discovery game for that long!"
Ayla continues to ramble on without pausing for breath.
"You know what I mean? Of course you do--you're a wise fellow, I can see that! You MUST be! You're a Venture-Captain ain't cha'? Don't think you can fool me! No, siree! Ayla Vivendor let's NOTHING pass her by! Not wind, not words, not time!"
She tosses her backpack down and hops into a chair, swinging her dangling feet back and forth.
"And Hiya to you too, Janira! You look like a clever lass, as well, don't cha'? Hey! I've got something you'll like, I know it!"
She rifles through her backpack and pulls out a newly printed book. The cover reads 'Ada Mantine and the Icy Hand of Death, An Adventure Novel by Ayla Vivindor.' "Here you go! I wrote it myself! I'm a published author, you know! Why it's my thirteenth adventure for Ada Mantine! And I--"
Suddenly her hand flies to her mouth and her eyes widen. "Oh, listen to me, rambling on! Why you didn't even get a word in edgewise! How rude of me, you want a chance to speak, don't ya'?" Without pausing to hear what Janira or Kreighton has to say Ayla continues her rapid prattling. "Of course ya' do! You're a clever pair, ain't ya'? Plenty going on it that big old head of your, eh? Plenty to know, plenty to share."
"Well, go on then! Don't be shy."
Ayla pauses her rambling to listen to the rest of Kreighton and Janira's mission briefing.
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"Gee whiz! Unexplored caves and mysterious gillmen! This sounds like great fun! It's got the makings of being a great tale too, eh? I can't WAIT to get going! Yes, siree, if anyone holds us up it ain't gonna be me! I'm ready, and I'm steady, and I'm quick as a whip on a mule's behind! You betcha'! I won't hold us up for one second! For one--"
Noticing a passing waitress, Ayla exclaims, "Hey! Can I get some service here? Yeah! A cup of warm milk, please! It's good for my bones! Yeah, thanks!"
With her big glass of milk in hand, Ayla stops speaking--for at least as long as it takes her to drink the whole cup down.
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She waves goodbye to Kreighton as he takes off. The she puts down her empty cup of milk and smiles widely. "Yeah! That's good!" a milk moustache covers her upper lip, but she doesn't seem to mind.
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One of the 'inebriates' stirs slightly before sitting up. He stretches out and pops his neck, showing a weathered face and dwarven features, beard and all. Giving a yawn and patting his slightly rotund belly, he muses out loud for a second. "That bottle of red last night must have been a little stronger than I realized. I should probably warn Uncle his cabernet's got claws this year..."
The longhaired man gives his head a shake and finally looks around the tavern. Realizing some people have already started gathering, he gives a wave and hollers over, "Hold on, don't start the mission briefing without me! I'll be right there."
He then stands up, reaching a height that defies his dwarven beard. Giving a final stretch before pulling a wine red clock from off the chair, he wraps it around his shoulders. As is settles down, it gives flashes of the leather strips sewn into the plush grey lining. The man then turns to pick up his pack showing the stylized grapes in a jar that mark him as a follower of Halcamora.
He trundles over to the table on his hardened bare feet, before plopping down into a chair and taking everyone in with a twinkle in his eyes. "It's good to meet you, the name is Genryl!"
He first addresses Krieghton, "Ah, Good to see you again! How was that Soviergn Blanc I gave you last time? It wasn't too dry was it?"
He gives a slow nod to Janira as she is introduced. "Janira, that's a wonderful name! If you have time sometime we should share a bottle of wine. I'd love to hear more about your confirmation! And exploring a cave sounds interesting! I haven't been underground in a long time."
The dwarf-looking man then turns to Ayla. In a joking tone he comments, "The last gnome I knew was so caught up in his work he was almost oblivious to the dangers around him. We once had to throw him into a bush to keep him out of a fight. Please tell me we won't have to do that with you!"
He then finally looks at Uriah with an amused look on his face. "That's some pretty bright colored hair you have there friend."
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"Well, of course it is!" Ayla exclaims. "And a pleasure to meet you, too!" she smiles widely. "So do you do that to all the women you meet, or just the amazingly attractive gnomish ones? You got a thing for being dashing, or a fetish for small women? I'm just curious! I'm cool either way, but enquiring minds want to know! Ya' know?"
"Ah, listen to me! Prattling on again. You've got something to say, hey?" Without waiting for a response, Ayla starts chattering away again. "Yeah, of course you do! You've got all kinds of words waiting to spill from those lips! Nice words, probably! Or at least smooooooooth ones, hey? So what do you do, Uriah? Other than break hearts?"
"Whoah! What's that at your HIP! Is that a firearm?!?! Are you from Alkenstar or something? I hear they guard the secrets of their new-fangled devices with... well... NEW-FANGLED DEVICES! And stuff that blows up! Did you make it yourself, or did you rob some Alkenstari inventor? Is it very loud? Does it shoot fire? I hear firearms shoot fire and smoke and stuff! It sounds AMAZING!" Ayla pauses to take a deep breath...
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"Hiya Genryl! Nice to meet 'cha! Or, it would be, if you weren't generalizing my people in a mocking fashion! But, hey! I'm a nice lady. I'll look past that for now since you're clearly a drunkard. I'm Ayla! Ayla Vivindor! And trust me--cause I'm a trustworthy sort--you won't have to toss me out of a battle! In fact, I'm usually the first one INTO battles, which is a whole other ball of wax, let me tell you! Besides, you're a drunk! You probably don't even remember that mission! That's okay, it happens. It's a common side effect from being an inebriate."
Looking at Uriah she asks, "Aren't you going to kiss his hand?"
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Genryl gives the small lady a deep bow. "I'm sorry if I offended you; I meant only to give some levity! I would hope that not all gnomes are like that! Doctor Quolorum was eccentric, even among gnomes. And I will have you know I'm not a drunk, but a faithful of Halcamora! The single bottle last night was barely anything; I actually stayed the night here to be on time for the meeting this morning, as mornings are not my strong suit..."
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Uriah grins at Ayla through her rambling. When she asks if he kisses the hands of all the women he meets, he just winks at her. As the barrage of words continues, Uriah seems a little unsure how to react. He puts his hand to his pistol, about to explain it, when she gives her attention to Genryl. He welcomes the change and also turns to Genryl.
"Ah, yeah. I come by it naturally. No dyes for me!" He grins at the dwarfish man and offers him a bow. "Pleased to meet you, sir."
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Ayla laughs. "Hahaha! You're funny Genryl! I want to make up my own god, too! I'll make it... Hunkydory, god of fun! Yeah, it'll be great! Oooh! Oooh! Or Strongbonium, God of Milk! Yeah!"
Ayla has clearly never heard of Halcamora and obviously thinks you're making it up as a joke.
"You slept in a bar?" she asks. "I'm pretty sure that doesn't disprove my theory, man. Just, maybe find a bed next time, yeah? How many of me do you see?"
Without waiting for an answer, she exclaims, "Oh! I forgot! Here!" she rifles through her backpack again, producing two more published adventure novels titled, 'Ada Mantine and the Icy Hand of Death, An Adventure Novel by Ayla Vivindor'. She passes one to Genryl and one to Uriah. "Read that! You'll love it, I swear! Everyone becomes a fan of Ada's! Her adventures are based off of my adventures, you know! Why this one time..."
Ayla suddenly stops her constant chattering.
"Whatcha' waiting for Uriah? I wanna hear about your firearm!"
Janira watches the exchange among yourselves with a wry smile. Once everyone has made introductions, Janira clears her throat, then asks. "Does anyone have any questions before I go on?"
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Genryl gives a smile at Ayla's words. "Interesting idea, making your own God. But Halcamora definitely exits, just ask Janira, she's probably heard of her. Also my sleeping here doesn't prove it, either. A bed typically costs money, something pilgrims aren't supposed to have much of, and the bar sleeping is a habit I haven't gotten rid of yet. There's only one of you. A single bottle would not be enough to blur my vision much less give me a hangover. I'll be sure to read your book though."
He then takes a look at Janira when she asks her question. "There's nothing I can think of, unless there's something you suggest we do or get to prepare."
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As the group get down to business with Janira, the door opens to admit a powerfully built Man dressed in the thick furs of a Mammoth Lords warrior.Dark red Tribal tattoos spiral around his face and down his neck, visibly on his bare forearms as well. His skin is exotic and his hair a deep crimson, an oddity given it is his natural shade for the people of that harsh lands. He carries a large two-handed sword that has several protrusions from it and wears a necklace with large dinosaur fangs around his neck.
Pausing for a moment at the open door, Kargath listens carefully, his head not moving as if looking round the bar. He wears a Crimson blindfold with intricate runes sewn into it and it isn't hard to notice that the man is blind. Hearing all the commotion deeper in the bar, Kargath follows the noise, managing to avoid banging into tables, chairs and drunk patrons with practice.
Stopping before reaching Janira, he holds up his hand in greeting and gives a warm smile, at odds with his severe look.
"Greetings, Salutations and Warm welcomes." he says, his voice soft and silken. "I am Kargath of the Night-Hunt Following, though they no longer recognise me as kin. I apologise for my tardiness, I was called to attend the Tavern 'where it all began' and received some poor directions.
Janira smiles and pulls out a large leather-bound journal and opens it on the table. “Before we set out, we should all get to know each other and review our plan."
She looks up and smiles. "After all, the most important factors that determine whether an expedition will be a success are cooperation and preparation! I’ll go first!”
Glancing up at the ceiling, she thinks for moment, then begins. "I am the oldest of seven children and grew up in Eastgate here in Absalom. I joined the Society four years ago, right after I turned twenty summers old. Despite my family being here, the Society feels like my family!"
Janira stops talking and allows everyone to relate a little about themselves. Once done. “On to the details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin.
“After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there."
“The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too.”
She pauses and gives everyone an appraising glance to see how much is sinking in and allow for any questions.
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Uriah grins at Ayla and chuckles under his breath a little. "When I use my firearm, there is both fire and smoke. Perhaps you'll see a demonstration on our little adventure here."
"Pfft!" Ayla exclaims. "Sure, sure. You'd better not let me down, Uriah! I hate a man who can't perform under pressure!"
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Genryl gives a smile at Ayla's words. "Interesting idea, making your own God. But Halcamora definitely exits, just ask Janira, she's probably heard of her. Also my sleeping here doesn't prove it, either. A bed typically costs money, something pilgrims aren't supposed to have much of, and the bar sleeping is a habit I haven't gotten rid of yet. There's only one of you. A single bottle would not be enough to blur my vision much less give me a hangover. I'll be sure to read your book though."
"Yeeeeah! Of coooooourse!" Ayla replies, clearly winking at Genryl as if they're sharing an inside joke together. Her wink is not subtle, and everyone sees it plainly.
Poor guy's in denial! Still, they say admitting you have a problem is the first step, but what good's admitting it if you might get fired? Ahhh, let the old drunk have this last mission! I can always slip him some contacts for help after we're done!
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"Hiya, Kargath! How's it going? WHOAH! Are you BLIND? Or are you in the middle of some intense dare? Cause if so: I want IN!"
After a moment she amends, "Nope, definitely blind! Well, let me help you out! My name's Ayla! I'm an incredibly attractive gnomish woman and a famous author! Get used to my voice, pal! You're going to hear it a lot!"
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"That... sounds... AMAZING!" Ayla exclaims, jumping out of her chair. "Come on, let's go!"
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Hearing Ayla's voice spring up from his midriff, Kargath tilts his head down and smiles at the young Gnome and holds out a powerful hand for her to shake. "Well Met Ayla, it is good to know I shall be travelling with someone attractive for a change!" he laughs softly and easily, "Yes I am indeed blind, a fierce snow storm in my youth began the ruination of my vision; finished by a poorly chosen hunt and a fight with a Sabre-Tooth Tiger I should have avoided. Though I have my life and that is more than can be said for the beast."
As Janira says a little about herself, he nods and smiles in the direction of her voice, giving their mission leader a sweeping bow. "I am Kargath, named Curse-Blood by my peoples due to my exotic heritage, they say my Father had liasons with a trader from some far away land and one day I was simply given to him to love his life rather than a wanderers. With my strange ancestry and my inability to hunt in the harsh wastelands of the Mammoth Lord realms I have been cast out." he reaches out to find the lip of a table to sit down upon, signallig for a beer whilst they talk. "I aim to prove my Clan wrong and return as a Hunter. I follow Vildeis, the Cardinal Martyr as she blinded herself in reaction to the Evil in the world."
Once everyone has made introduction, Janira says,.“Now, before we head out, if there aren’t any more questions, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out.”
She then begins to go peer at everyone's gear, making suggestions and giving advice. "Sunrods can be handy.....alchemical flasks are great for swarms....rope is always good to have...."
Once done, she says. "Ok, looks pretty good. We'll leave about two hours before dawn. You have until then to make any last minute purchases and preparations. Sound good?!"
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Genryl turns to look at Janira, giving a short eye roll over Ayla's over the top 'of course.' If she didn't believe him, then nothing but his actions could show her other wise. He listens intently to Janira's introduction, and when everyone starts introducing themselves, he listens intently to them in turn as well, before taking a moment to figure out where to start his own story. "Well, my story's not all that interesting. My mother was the youngest of a costal vinery and joined the Pathfinders. There she met my father, a dwarf from the Five Kings Mountains, in case you're wondering about the beard."
"When I first drank enough wine to get tipsy, the next morning I woke up with some moss in my beard." With this, Genryl adjusts his beard a bit to show some definite green patches. He explains, "I tend to brush them out regularly, but I didn't have a chance this morning... I decided that it was a sign from the goddess of wine, Halcamora, and decided to devote myself to her. I decided to become a travelling pilgrim, visiting various wineries and places that Halcamora is worshiped. Not much to say beyond that."
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"I don't have need for a sunrod, and I have some rope, but getting an alchemist's fire or two would not be a bad idea." He starts to dig around in his pack to make sure everything else is in place. Then with a small exclamation he pulls out a small cloth bundle. "Oh, I forgot something. I brought my mother's harrow deck, seeing as we have time, if anyone's interested, I could do a harrowing for you. In addition to that, Halcamora has blessed me with the ability to spread her bounty to my traveling companions, but I'd have to perform a small ceremony with you first."
2 flasks of Alchemist's fire 50
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From a shadowed shelf in the back corner of the bar, a small quiet voice rings out as the meeting has progressed towards the planning stages.
"I have not been to these mountains before, I am Mae, from the Mwganii. I wanted to travel, bring back knowledge of outside jungle for my Tribe. Here I am." From the sounds of her quiet and disjointed speech, the Common tongue is not her most familiar language.
Mae is the smallest of the group, even smaller than Ayla. A grippli. Smooth skin, mottled in a range of green, brown and yellow. Her torso protected by a thin jerkin of leather, with a bow the length of her body across her back.
She points a long, thin finger towards a tiny leather pack in the same corner "I have supplies for living outside in the wilds, as my people do. But I have no rope or these 'fires'. We grippli can climb, have no use for ropes." You can also see a well loaded quiver at her side and a club.
After she finishes speaking, her tongue lashes out and licks each one of her eyes and her demeanor relaxes as bit. "The air is dry in here, and smells of unwashed men. Can we leave soon?"
The following morning before dawn, everyone meets at the city gates and heads out of the city. The first day of the journey is across the Cairnlands and is uneventful with Janira pointing out various landmarks such as siege towers, distant mountains, or distinct flora and fauna along the way. After a full day's travel, the party stops and makes camp for the evening. The passes pleasantly around the campfire with stories and tall tales being traded until late into the night.
Rising before the dawn the following morning, the party starts off again, and soon finds yourselves entering a forested region. As the party progresses deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser. Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
Most of the trees in this section of the forest have trunks that are too big for any creatures to share their space. Sporadic patches of light undergrowth provide areas for creatures to hide while restricting movement for those passing through. A large rock outcropping to the east rises nearly 20 feet above the forest floor, and a small sinkhole to the northwest drops off sharply, descending to the ground 10 feet below.
Around noon, Janira stops the party to take a bearing. While she peers at the wayfinder, the party begins here to soft rustle that gradually gets louder. Looking up, you see two swarms of spiders coming your way!
Seeing the swarm, Uriah darts forward and spews a fan of flame from his hands! The spiders spread in all directions avoiding much of the fire before quickly coalescing into a single mass again!
Janira begins singing a rousing ballad about courageous knights fighting a dragon!
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They sure do have many spiders here. So many, all together. I don't think I could eat that many at once...
Lady Mae hops into action! She moves up next to a large tree, drawing her bow and an arrow as she goes, letting it fly once she's got a clear shot at the spiders that were just roasted. "Why does lunch attack us here? Help me gather them for eating."
Lady Mae fires an arrow at the spiders, but finds the weapon too big to do much damage.
Janira calls out, "Weapons are ineffective against so small of creatures! Use alchemical flasks or spells!"
Ayla tosses a flask of acid at the western swarm, landing it almost dead center! The swarm writhes as many of the spiders are burnt to nothing!
The western swarm continues to crawl closer, while the northern swarm overtakes Uriah, crawling over him and biting!
Janira continues to inspire the party!
Ayla flings another flask at the western swarm, hitting it directly once again! The swarm takes enough casualties, it disperses!
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Hearing the sounds of skittering insects and the cries from Janira, Kargath pans their head around trying to find the source of the spiders. Which he finds easy due to their closeness and the cries of Uriah caught amongst them.
"I have Acid should you need it, I can hear the spiders, just tell me when It is clear for me to throw!" the blind warrior calls out to his allies, fumbling for a flask of acid on his bandolier, his fingers running over an upraised section to reveal its contents.
When he is given the signal, Kargath hurls the acid flask at the swarm.
for
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Genryl pulls out one of the vials from his pack and hefts it to try getting an idea how heavy it is. I hate to use the thing I just bought, seems like a waste of money. He takes a step closer, while talking to the people nearby. "Uriah can you get back? It'd be great if we could target the spiders without catching you as well! Kargath, try aiming for where Uriah's footsteps start from, I'll tell you when he should be clear of the blast radius!"
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As Uriah clears away from the spiders, Genryl launches his alchemist's fire at the dang bugs.
Lady Mar removes herself from the fray and climbs a tree!
Kargath tosses a flask, but it misses!
The bottle of acid flies long, breaking open and merely splashing a bit on the spiders!
Genryl grabs a flask of his own, and cocks back his arm, ready to toss it once his companion is clear of the swarm!
Uriah finds the crawling arachnids too much for him, and gets a sickening pit in his stomach as he runs out of the swarm!
Once Uriah is clear of the swarm, Genryl tosses a flask at the knot of arachnids! Once again, the toss is off target and only splashes the seething mass of spiders!
The swarm of spiders continues crawling south, overrunning Kargath, crawling up his legs and biting him!
Lady Mae decides her companions may need some help and scurries down the tree and heads toward Janira!
Janira continues to inspire the party while she reaches into her pack and hold a flask of alchemist's fire out to Lady Mae!
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Covered by the horde of spiders, Kargath is able to fend them off and avoid the worse of their biting and scratchings. Hearing Lady Mae call out, the blind swordsman moves back and towards the shouting grippli, drawing one of their acid vials and holding it out for their companion to take.
"Here, I have spare. You may have a better eye than me." he calls, smiling at his unintentional joke.