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"I can do it about 5 times per day, but if the room on the other side is dark, I won't be able to see anything without a light. Also, there's some scaly humanoids wrapped up in webs in this room. I vote we clear out this area since I'd hate to leave a big spider at our backs as we continue exploring." replies Mez as he pears around trying to find the giant spider that has set up house in this room.
Norine casts her spells and the party advances slowly. As Mez steps forward, his light shines to the far wall of the room. The group, ever alert for danger moves with caution. And with good reason! As Mez and Ebon advance side by side they reach the center of the room. Ebon notices some movement in the far corner of the room.
"There's the beast! Get ready!"
A huge spider darts out from the corner of the room and prepares to attack Ebon.
Initiative:
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"Ebon, let's circle it and strike in unison!" calls Mez as he takes a step forward, readying his rapier to strike. Ebon nods, flexing his muscles and calling out to his ancestors has he steps to the side before unleashing a mighty blow. Like hammer and anvil, Ebon tries to drive the beast down onto the upward thrust from Mez.
Targost's missile strike the spider, causing it to screech in pain. Ebon and Mez circle the beast and strike as one. Ebon's blow crushes the spider's head, and the life flees from its body. Mez's strike pierces its side, causing its already lifeless carcass to bleed out.
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Calanthe is so shocked by the appearance of the giant spider that she seems to be stuck in the one spot until the moment is over. She blinks and shakes her head, before joining Norine in investigating the creatures wrapped up in webs. She'll look at them closely, trying to determine if they still show signs of life .
The bodies in the room are indeed kobolds. Though some have recently perished, they are all beyond your aid. No other living creatures are in the room.
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Norine whispers, "I suggest we backtrack to the door we passed. I didn't hear anything in my quick listen, but can't be sure. After the dungeon is cleared, we can cut these kobolds out of the webs to search them, and then clear away the rest with fire. But, since there are or were kobolds here, we must be vigilant about traps and ambushes."
"Perhaps, though, we should take some sort of vote as to whether we explore first more to the east or more to the west."
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"Poor things," Calanthe whispers, saying a silent prayer for their safe passage to the next life. She has a quick look around the webbing, trying to see if any of the kobolds' possessions (or the spiders' other victims) remained there too.
With the talk of where to go next, Calanthe waits until everyone is quiet before piping up with: "Why don't we start with this door just here...?"
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"Either door is fine with me." answers Mez, "Want me to peek through them and see what's there? Targost, if I motion with my hand, slip the lit end of the arrow through one of the cracks in the door." Assuming others agree to the plan, Mez places both hands on the door and focuses intently. In mere moments, to his eyes, the door doesn't exist, and he looks through into the next room. Should the other room be dark, he motions to Targost and continues looking.
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Mez smiles at Dracothis’ praise. Maintaining his focus, he responds, ”It’s a gift of Cayden Cailean given to a select few. You could bind your soul to him and hope it is part of the gifts he grants you. By the sound of it, Desna may also be able to grant the gift as well, for probably the same price, but if Norine did not know of this gift, it may be even rarer among the star’s children.”
Calanthe ntoices a small purse stuck in the thick webs. She retrieves it and takes a look inside.
Targost hand his arrows to Mez, who finds a small crack in the heavily worn door. As he slips the arrow through, Mez can see to the far end of the room, where he notices part of a scroll shelf in a small alcove. The shelf runs from floor to ceiling, and there are a number of scrolls lying on the floor - some damaged, some with the wax seals still intact.
There is nothing especially noteworthy about the coins. They are all of a contemporary design, commonly found throughout Absalom and the Inner Sea region.
Calanthe gazes carefully at a pearl in her hand.
Mez tries the door, and though it is worn, it does not budge. He does not find a lock on the door.
The door bursts open and Mez and Ebon advance into the room. The party's light illuminates the area, revealing three alcoves filled with scroll shelves. To the right (East) Mez notices the opening to what appears to be a scribing room, complete with old tables, broken bottles, and the like. He peers only far enough to get a glance through the doorway, but sees nothing especially noteworthy.
The party files into the room behind, anxious to search the area.
Dracothis looks closely at a number of the scrolls. He is able to identify about a dozen that look safe enough to touch. He opens one and sees flowing Kelish script inside. The exact nature and contents are unclear, but he is able to make out the signature of Satrap Taliq Asad.
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"Lets wait to collect everything before you use a spell on it though. Would hate to have you use a spell now, only to have us find something else in the next room."
Looking around the room, Mez checks to make sure there is nothing else of interest before heading back out, "Well, looks like there's only one way to go from here."
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"I have a scroll tube, but yes let's wait until we have cleared the dungeon. That way we are not fighting with fragile documents, and we can be sure we have the time to do things carefully."
"When we are done, we can search every room more thoroughly, and I will take a rubbing of the Kelish engraving so that we may comprehend languages all at once."
"Well, Mez, either ahead from this room, or continuing our explorations east or west. I have no preference."
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Calanthe holds out the pearl to Norine. "This is a pearl of power... you can use it as a focus to recall a spell you've cast earlier in the day. Odd that a kobold should have it, though..."
As the others are investigating what looks to be the requested trade documents, Calanthe has a look inside the scribing room to the east. Assuming there's no danger popping out, she continues inside, looking for anything of particular note.
As Calanthe enters the scribing room, she glances into the corner. Amid a particularly thick patch of fungus in the southeast sits a pale and crusty froglike humanoid. It trembles and twitches as it stands and lurches forward. His skin is patchy and dry, like a squid left out in the sun and sand. His bulbous eyes open, and light stabs
out from them.
Calanthe and Mez, please roll a Fortitude Save!
As the light stabs out from the creature's eye, Calanthe quickly snaps her eyes shut. Squinting hard, she re-opens them and sees the creature faintly behind the blinding light.
Mez was not so lucky. He was unable to avert his gaze quickly enough, and was blinded.
Initiative: