As the road narrows, the trees seem to get closer and closer, reaching out for you as the shadows descend. It's enough to make you feel a bit on edge, a feeling that is confirmed when two dark shapes detach from the trees above and launch themselves downward! As they fire webs, you can see eight legs and dripping pincers: giant spiders!
Init:
Ranged Touch: vs Kers
Ranged Touch: vs Israfel
If you're hit, it's an Escape Artist check DC 12 or Strength check DC 16.
Initiatives, please!
[ooc]Fleur's init[/dice]
Israfel curses as the spiders webbing entraps hers, the sticky strands adhering to both her and the wagon.
Init:
Fleur 17
Kers 11
Xochtli 9
Spiders 5
Israfel 4
Fleur whips out her wakizashi and attempts to slash at one of the spiders with the short curved blade. She wishes now she had taken time to change her clothes already, these were adequate but not optimal for fighting.
Xochtli yanks a dagger from one of her sheaths and throws it into the nearest spider.
And misses... apparently.
Kers grins in grim way, and with ax in hand moves to the nearest spider.
It is like chopping wood. he observes.
As the spiders descend, the band of heroes leap into action. Fleur slashes at the spider above her, but it pulls back, keeping the blade at bay. Xochtli's dagger flies, but is let go a moment too soon and disappears into the wood. Ker's axe, on the other hand, chops its way into a spider, eliciting a loud chitter from the thing as it feels the steel attack its innards.
The spiders launch themselves at the heroes, one attacking Kers and the other attacking the entangled Israfel.
Attack vs Kers:
Damage:
Attack vs Israfel:
Damage:
Fleur strikes at the spider attacking the helpless Israfel.
She maneuvers slightly.
Fleur actually moves more than slightly, tumbling beyond the spider so that perhaps Xochtli can move up and get a flank attack on the creature.
Kers avoids the spiders wicked mouth, but only by virtue of his armor. He seeks to send the one in front of him to the next life.
Reeling from the monsterous spiders bite and hampered by the beasts webbing, Israfel rolls from the wagon. Scambling backwards, whe manages to slip out of her robe, leaving it and the spiders webbing behind.
Xochtli pulls out her short sword, thrusting it into the spider near her.
Round 1: Continued
Israfel manages to pull herself free of the web tethering her to the spider and stagger a few feet back.
Round 2:
Init:
Fleur 17
Kers 11
Xochtli 9
Spiders 5
Israfel 4
Fleur slashes at the spider menacing Israfel and manages to score a gash across its abdomen. She then executes a perfect acrobatic tumble to avoid spidery retribution and come up on the other side of the beast, allowing Xochtli to stab it in a sensitive area. Xochtli's short blade stabs at the eyes of the thing, causing one of them to pop with a spray of greenish ichor. It squeals and dances, trying to get away.
Kers' swing is nearly perfect, until the spider jerks suddenly, trying to avoid the blade. The spider drops to the ground and lunges at Kers! Attack for damage.
Israfel straightens to her full height a sudden look of consentration on her face as she reaches within herself and calls forth an ally.
"Kabli, אני זקו "
Striding forth from a sudden shimmer in the air, a white mastiff answers Irsfel's call, launching itself at the nearest spider.
While failing to inflict any significant damage upon the spider, the hound remains interposed between Israfel and his opponent.
Xochtli slashes again at the fleeing spider.
Round 3:
Xochtli follows after the spider slashing again at it with her blade.
Unless Fleur kills it before that happens, then she will just turn and attack the remaining spider.
Fleur attempts to hit the spider with her blade again,
Her opponent gone she moves in to flank with Kers and attacks the other spider.
Kers, looks at Israfel. What did she just do? He is startled, wonderous, and then with some shame he admits scared. What if someone saw? He manages to keep his defenses up, and completely looses his rhythm, and does not attack this round.
Xochtlu and Fleur both strike at the spider as it tries to skitter to safetly, killing it between them.
Round 3:
Fleur moves to help Kers, her blade biting deep into the remaining spider.
Xochtli moves as well, but a stray stone on the ground catches her ankle and twists it painfully, causing her to miss the remaining spider.
As Kers stares in fascination at the sudden appearance of the glowing dog, the spider attempts to flee.
Fleur strikes at the spider again as it tries to flee.
Kers manages to snap out of it. He swings his ax with gusto.
Hnng, Xochtli apparently can't hit the broad side of a barn.
With a solid SPLOOSH and eruption of goo, the spider goes down under the combined blades of Fleur and Kers! The wood is suddenly once more blessedly silent.
After hauling the spider carcasses out of the road, you notice the half-mummified body of a humanoid hanging in a thick web just above head height.
Blushing at her panicked reaction to the monstrous spiders, Israfel silently dismisses her the hound Kabli, I thank you for the help friend
Fleur attempts to climb a tree and cut down the body without getting caught in the webs herself.
Kers considers questioning Israfel, and then looks to the tree and bound victim. He reaches his arms up to catch the body and ease it to the ground once it is cut away.
With grace, Fleur shimmies up the tree and cuts down the spider's victim, which falls to the ground with a hollow thud. The body is clearly that of an orc, but it's so dessicated that it hardly weighs much at all. Its clothes are ruined, but it does have a well-made longsword and a pouch with 35 gold in it. After a bit of searching, you also discover a small vial filled with a clear liquid that smells sweet. You remember the old Legate using a potion like this on John Haversham the time he was mauled by a wolf; it must be a potion of healing.
After searching the body and clearing the road, you head deeper into the forest. After another hour, you come into a small clearing, where a single standing stone sits just off the road. A natural hole is bored through the top of the stone, which is around seven feet tall, and a raven sits perched in the hole, tilting his head to watch you warily.
Fleur speaks softly to the others. "This looks like the place we are supposed to wait." She turns and examines the bird, tilting her head to one side just like the bird is doing. "Hello there. You here to meet us, too?" While she means it mostly in jest, there is a nagging feeling that perhaps the bird is wiser than it appears.
On the way there, Kers continues to walk, but asks Israfel in a level voice, "What other tricks do you know? If you were seen we would all be dead." he adds unneccesarily.
Israfel pauses for a moment, "I panicked, I have never been comfortable with spiders"
"As for my tricks, Jarvis was not lying, there are other relics of the time before Izrador. I found one in the hills above Red Grove. Or rather, he found me."
Xochtli leans against the stone, quietly waiting for whomever they are suppose to meet. She wasn't going to question the girl on it so long as she was careful who saw, it was a useful thing to have.
The raven tilts his head at you, gives a loud "CAW!" and flies off into the woods. At the same time you hear something far off, coming from the direction of Fellhallow Town.
You all hear the sound of voices and horses heading toward you.
Israfel gestures in the direction of the approaching horses, "Should we await our guests here or move towards a more discrete position just in case?"
Fleur shrugs and whispers, "Sounds like an orcish patrol. We've nothing to hide, at least that they know of. If we hide, it just gives them a reason to suspect us of something. We are just escorting a shipment of bread to Fellhallow." She does seem tense and takes a deep breath releasing some of the tension as she lets it out. "I'm not one for direct confrontation, but I think trying to hide here might give them cause to search our load."
Xochtli nods in agreement, "Let's just make like we are taking a break from the trip then, everyone relax, take a drink from your waterskins... let's talk about something interesting eh?"
Xochtli tried hard to hide the concern in her voice, she was a half-elf on a road through the forest, the orcs would easily take her on suspicion if she attempting hiding in any way or form no matter what story she had.