Right. If the magic drained away from samples of water taken from the pool, the source of the magic couldn't be the water itself. Perhaps it came from an enchantment on the pool, or it was runoff from the statues or the ward itself.
Speaking of the ward (Tainesh is quite comfortable to ignore the dead body, for that is entirely too creepy and is being attended to by Sparks and Umros) which way does it face? Tainesh sweeps her eyes over the carved walls, looking for any telltale sign of the ward's function. Did it protect this sanctum from the world outside? Or did it protect the world outside from the things that lurk in the darkness?
Who was she kidding? If that inscription outside was any indication, the party had waded waist-deep into Yalbachev's Urn.
"Here," she says as she casts Light onto Cath's lucky arrow and hands it to Langblade. "Fire this down the tunnel. Let's see how far it goes."
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The group waits for Langblade to take the arrow from Tainesh, but after an uncomfortable wait, Cath stows his current arrow and takes the lit one, firing it down the hallway.
The arrow sails down the tunnel, a sphere of light travels with it. You gauge that the missile makes about one hundred meters before glancing off the right hand wall and clattering to the floor. The arrow is out of sight, though the glow from it's spell still shines merrily.
"The King's Dick!" Langblade shouts as the arrow wizzes over her shoulder. Spinning around angrily she spots Cath with bow still upraised. Pointing her longsword at the half-elf she spits, "Watch it, bub! Or the next one I'll shove where no light shines!" The fighter can be heard grumbling to herself as she continues down the tunnel, some ten yards from its entrance.
"What, it's not like I was trying to hit you," Cath objects. He turns back to the others and mutters, "No reward is worth this..."
The fighter nocks another arrow and continues down the walkway.
Sparks rolls her eyes at the raven haired fighter's continued bad temperament.
"You think we will find something worthy of a reward down long unused tunnels?" she asks Cath before following after the glowing arrow.
"Well maybe if you'd respond when I offer you something," Tainesh mutters in Langblade's direction. "Or at least show signs of life."
Truth be told, she'd rather have the fighter between her and the egg sculptures, but if worst came to worst, the party was almost lined up perfectly for a retreat. Tainesh could fall behind Sparks and let the elf's dark-adapted eyes find the path for her. Cath could scoop up Umros like a sack of potatoes and leave the Gnome's backpack for Tainesh, who would otherwise stay in the middle of the column to provide fire support and suggest changes in strategy. Langblade, so boldy strolling ahead into the tunnel, would bring up the rear. And if she tried to move out of her rightful position, Tainesh would trip her up.
Fair is fair.
"I'm not so sure this tunnel is disused. That corpse looked fresh, and I know of several housekeeping spells that could be reversed to make a well-used home look abandoned."
"And treasure? There's got to be something down here."
Umros ignores the prickly exchange between the warriors. He has no remark on the prospect of treasure, though he could not deny the appeal of the idea. It would be nice to finally afford proper lab equipment, instead of boiling infusions in my shallow buckler! Umros’ mind turns to the lost boy James and this ancient Cave of the Stars he finds himself exploring, as he too continues deeper into its depths. A whimsical song escapes his lips as he keeps a sharp eye out.
“Secret tunnellll, secret tunnellll,
Through the mountain,
Secret secret secret secret tunnellll!”
"Fresh?" Sparks asks Tainesh, a little taken aback. Instead of replying further she just shakes her head and continues walking. It isn't long, however, before she finds herself humming out loud along in tune with Umros' song.
"My parents used to have a painting hanging in their room that depicted Oma and Shu's first meeting," Sparks tells the Gnome. The elven maiden can't help it as her smile fades to a small whimpered sigh. She moves away, but a few steps later she beginnings humming again, this time to herself.
"...even if you're lost you can't lose the love because it's in your heart..."
Behind the central statue the tunnel continues, once more descending. The cold, damp air seems to cling to your clothes and you notice the air forming wisps of cloud in front of your mouth with every breath. On occasion paths seem to split off to the right or left of the central tunnel. But these, when explored, only prove to be a meter or two in length. Whether cut off by loose rock, collapsed wooden supports, or simply just ending in a way that makes little sense to rational minds, none that you find lead to anything of consequence.
The further you go the more apparent it becomes that the tunnel is gently curving to the left. The angle increases over time until you can no longer see even five meters ahead due to the curve cutting off sightlines.
You’re pretty certain that by this point the underground tunnel is pointing back towards the South-West. Or in other words, towards Sharlstown…
Finally, after what seems like hours, the tunnel seems to straighten out. Both from it’s downward plunge and the curve to the left. Another half hour of this plumb-line straight tunnel and it opens up into a large cavernous space. Larger than the mural room the group passed through earlier in the day. It is circular in shape, with a cathedral-esque domed ceiling, and there is little and less light in the room. The party’s own sources of illumination do little to brighten the dreary place up as they reach thin tendrils of light out into the inky blackness.
Though the ruin, for that is certainly what it appears to be, isn’t entirely without charms. In fact there seem to be large sweeping white drapes hung all over the place! Drapes, made out of sheer, clingy silk…
Umros slows to a stop when he looks up, his silver eyes wide. Oh...
His shortbow finds itself in his hand, but he holds it at his side, hoping that he does not need to use it. "Now, don't panic..." Umros whispers to his companions, "But we have ourselves a spider-friend over there... and he is quite big..."
"Not one. Two," Sparks replies softly. "I think it best we return to the tunnel and plan," she whispers.
The elf does not move for the tunnel, however. Instead she slowly retrieves her longbow from across her back and orients herself towards the spiders, seeming more protective of the others than fearful for her own safety.
There are silk drapes all over the place. It reminded Tainesh of a house abandoned after the death of the family, after the neighbors have come and draped sheets over the furniture to keep off the dust.
No, that was too depressing. Instead, the silk hung like the regal banners and tapestries in a grand cathedral... far underground, far from any gods of light and goodwill. And instead of snow-white banners and warm sunlight and walls of polished marble, those banners were the color of bleached bones. It was too dark to see what the walls were made of.
She snaps to attention when Umros whispers the word 'spider'. Those drapes weren't cloth, or rather, they were, but they were the nastiest sort of cloth that Mother Nature could make. She was looking at acres of cobwebs, which meant that they were dealing with a small number of enormous spiders or millions upon millions of normal-sized ones.
'We need fire.'
"How big is 'big'?" Tainesh asks, which seems like a reasonable question. To some people, a spider the size of a thumbnail is 'quite big', and to a person of Umros's stature, that same spider might qualify as 'terrifyingly enormous'.
"Bigger than me..." he answers uneasily, "...bigger than you..."
”Yeah, think… horses. But with eight legs…”
The fighter readies his bow and tries to keep his equipment quiet.
"Ho-ho." Langblade mutters as she drops the torch on the stone floor. "Always wanted to try this..." She's smiling but there's a hint of fear in her eyes as she follows Umros indication.
A dampened skittering sound calls from the web-covered ceiling. One of the bestial behemoths starts moving towards the group, but the other seems headed directly for Langblade where she stands ahead of the others!
"Get back in the tunnel!" Sparks urges the others even as she hurries further into the room.
"Bigger than horses," Tainesh whispers.
This situation called for fire. All of the fire. Were she the learned and powerful and supremely prepared wizard she aspired to be, she'd open up a few portals to the heart of the elemental plane of fire as a delaying tactic to give herself time to summon phoenixes and pull out scrolls of Fireball. Sadly, she is not yet that wizard, and the outlines of a Fireball spell lay uncompleted in her spellbook until she can get the hang of a yield limiter.
However, the others didn't even have so much as a scroll of Burning Hands with which to vanquish the spiders, and they were holding their ground. They must know something Tainesh doesn't.
"Bronjá!" she shouts, one hand awkwardly dipping into her component pouch as the other makes a quick gesture. Plates of orange light wink into existence over her body.
”I’ve always liked that trick,” Cath whispers when Tainesh’s spell activates. The fighter draws out his one dose of antitoxin and looks at the spiders, then to the vial, then back to the spiders again. ”Big spiders, big poison…” he states matter-of-factly before downing the whole bottle. ”…or so I’d guess.”
Even if the starlight of the Song of Spheres would never reach this dark place, Umros still felt the blessing of Lady Luck with his purpose. He grins with resolve when Tainesh’s form shimmers with energy, and he reaches up on his tiptoes to touch Cath’s elbow, on the arm that holds the bow.
“Aim steady,” encourages the little gnome wanderer.
The grotesque vermin scuttle across the web-coated ceiling. One of them approached the fighter Cath and squirts sticky fluid at him, attempting to ensnare him from the ceiling!
The half-elf combatant is entangled!
The other scurried as quickly as it can, ending up above Langblade as she holds her sword at the ready.
Sparks takes a small step back as she tracks the spiders closer and closer. In a way, it is almost fascinating to watch as the first ensnares Cath. It's like being able to truly see a spider's way of life for the first time... But, like them or not, her companions are thinking creatures, not flies, not animals, and certainly not spider food!
She looses an arrow towards the one preparing Cath...
for
...then, with decades of practice ingrained in her hands and motions, she swiftly readies a second arrow and takes aim at the spider near the unhappy human fighter.
for
”Oh, hell no!” Cath growls as he strains against the sticky webbing locking him to the floor. ”Little help here?”
"Here!" the little helper answers Cath. Umros reaches down, pulling back stretchy strings of web, trying to snap enough strands to free the warrior's feet.
'and then I'd burn the ashes again and dump them into the portals and maybe bind them to the plane so that they can't ever escape and then I'd do something about that infernal drumming noise that's going to shake this cavern to bits if it doesn't stop right now oh wait that's my heartbeat I should do something about that Cath got sprayed is that acid or poison or poison acid or wait that's just webbing and Umros is taking care of that but Cath doesn't look like he can break free and Langblade is Langblading when she needs a Langbow come to think of it a heartbeat that could cause cave ins would be awesome but it'd have to be two stories tall and then they'd have to wrap ropes around it to keep it beating it's better off as a metaphor wow Sparks is good with that longbow I that's the fletching sticking out of the thing's abdomen but I can't see anything else and maybe I should be attacking too but I'm thinking too fast and I did this the last time I was in combat and I need to calm down calm down calm...'
"Come down! Viorec!" Tainesh shrieks as inspiration shatters introspection and survival instincts wake up. The roof under the spider's legs suddenly glistens in the torchlight as a thick coating of grease appears.
With honed precision Sparks arrows fly true, the first striking the furthest creature causing it to recoil in pain and fury. The second hits like a bag of builders bricks not only opening an angry wound in the nearer spider, but actually causing it to lose it's grip on the web-covered stalactites of the rooms ceiling. It falls to the ground with a disturbingly wet slap.
The beast lands with it's legs splayed out around it, a small pool of ichor forming under it's abdomen. But anyone looking at it can see it's still got fight left in it as it rises to it's feet and snaps it's dirty mandibles at Langblade!
+ BAD WOL- STUFF
Meanwhile both Ringor and Whippoorwill strain against the silk binding the fighters legs together. They tear away chunks of the foul fluid but it seems like it's almost mending itself as quickly as they work!
The sound of arcane forces filling the massive room cuts through the din of combat noises as the young wizard makes her mastery known. The shimmering coating of grease at first seems to have little affect, but each time the wounded creature adjusts it's position it slips a little bit until finally it too loses it's grip on the ceiling. Falling, it lands on it's back, but is quick to scurry around to have it's legs underneath it! Seeing it's first target still ensnared it quickly takes aim at a second prospective meal!
The sickening white silk sails the distance to splatter it's clinging tendrils all over Tainesh!
Eyes narrowed and stance resting on the balls of her feet, Langblade sees opportunity as Sparks arrow brings down the creature nearest to her. As the beast falls, Langblades sword swings to meet it.
The upward slash cuts a wicked chunk from the spiders face. As it rises to it's feet before her, she quickly hacks at one of it's myriad legs.
But the foul arachnid is too quick for the swordswoman and pulls it's leg out of danger well in advance of her strike. Retaliating in kind, the beast snaps at her, it's mandibles piercing her side just under her armor!
The fighter starts to blanch a little, but quickly swallows her gorge and spins on her heel. Langblade is nothing if not a consummate warrior, she uses the momentum to slash viciously again! This time at the monsters other side.
The strike is flawless in execution as it follows directly where Sparks arrow first hit. The longsword splits the arrow in two lengthwise and cuts deeply into the large wound already in the spiders chitinous exoskeleton! The light fades from it's eyes as the mammoth spider collapses in a heap on the floor, blood and ichor now forming a large slick mess on the stone surface.
Sparks takes aim at the nearer spider only to watch it be cut down by Langblade's impressive martial skill. Slightly taken aback, the elf shrugs off the fighter's skill, for the moment, and shifts her aim to the second spider.
for
Not waiting to see whether her first arrow strikes true, Sparks quickly readies and fires off a second.
for
Though she is far from home and close to peril, Sparks reaches for her next arrow with a sense of thrill she has never really felt before.
Though the first arrow flies smoothly from her bow, it's turned away at the last minute by the creatures armored hide. The second, however, nearly cuts one of the beasts legs out from under it! The limb hangs limp from where the arrow struck, hard.
Tainesh is thrilled by the sound of the spider hitting the floor, and is taking aim at its terrible face when the web splatters across her torso and throws off her aim.
'Spider silk has a variable tensile strength depending on structure and composition. Structural lines can have a tensile strength on par with steel, but capture lines are much more f-OH GODS IT'S ON ME!'
The bolt from Tainesh's crossbow flies off somewhere into the dark and gets entrapped by a web.
A sudden thought interrupts his rush to help Tainesh disentangle herself. I bet this webbing could be repurposed! His mind goes over alchemical details as he reaches forward to help the young wizard break free.
Distracted as he is, Umros merely succeeds in getting his own little hands momentarily stuck to her knee before quickly pulling them away with a snap of webbing. "Did that help?"
Well, this is just great.
Cath resigns himself to being webbed for the moment and decides it best to attack while he can. He raises his bow and lets another arrow fly at the beast in front of him.
The crature visibly staged a under the force from Ringors arrow, but it's feet stay under it...
The foul abomination scuttles forward, gore and ichor oozing from where the arrows pierced it's carapace. It moves it's mandibles together in a loud, if unsettlingly strange, clacking pattern before it lunges at Cath!
But the pincers bounce off the fighters armor leaving little more than a scratch on the hard metal surface.
“Ugh, two more…”
Cath drops his bow and pulls his blade.
Caths swing, though powerful, merely scrapes across the spiders armored back. But it does take a thick tuft of greasy hair with it.
By the time Sparks has her next arrow readied the dimly lit forms of Cath and the final spider have already merged. The shot really is not all that difficult, but the risks of hitting the wrong target cause her to hesitate all the same. She lowers her bow slightly, unsure of what to do, and it is fortunate that she does as Cath's warning comes just a moment later.
"Where?" Sparks asks, turning in a counterclockwise circle until she spots the two new creatures.
"Somebody... I'm going to need some assistance over here," she calls to the group, her voice audibly shaking. The conflicting emotions of courage and fear fight a brief battle inside the Elven maiden with courage winning, for the moment. Determined to make every shot count, Sparks takes a single graceful step towards the nearer of the two spiders and lets loose her next two arrows.
for
for
Keeping his brilliant idea in the back pocket for calmer times, Umros feels quite useless to in his attempts to help Cath and Tainesh.
At Sparks’ askance, he enthusiastically whirls and springs forward. The two spiders are not lost to his sharp eyes, and the wanderer’s muscle memory brings fletching to string. The bow creaks and the arrow sings.
"MORE?! Tainesh shouts as she struggles to tear free of the webbing.
She sees nothing. She frees nothing.
"Hold still!" Langblade growls as she steps to Caths side. Reaching down she grabs a handful of the spider silk and yanks with all her might.
With the web already weakened by her companions efforts it snaps easily in her fighters grip. The sticky rope adhears to her hand as she pulls away, despite her waving quickly back and forth in an attempt to dislodge it.
Seeing double swords before it and already being so wounded, the spider nearest Cath starts to retreat, backing up as quickly as it's injured limbs allow. The myriad eyes of the beast track Langblade as she tears the silk from Caths leg. As she waves her hand to rid herself of the webbing, the spider sends another streak of the sticky stuff right at her!
But the raven haired woman sees it coming and bats the webbing away with her sword.
Meanwhile on the other side of the battle, Spark's arrows sail through the darkened chamber and pierce the side of the creature climbing down from the walls. It chatters and clacks it's mandibles in pain before quickly scuttling off behind some ancient looking crates. It dissapears from view in the shadows as Umros arrow flies high.
The other of the spider reinforcements makes a beeline across the floor towards the Elven archer, coming up on her side quickly! It's a mere foot away when she releases her second arrow!
Umros sees a spider approach the elven huntress, and catches the teamwork to the right in the corner of his eye. With so many legs and eyes, so many, all around them, his Gnomish mind decides that this is a perfect time for a song. The titterings and clackings of the creeping foes offer him a frantic rhythm, and his tenor lets loose:
“Old fat spiders, spinning in a cave!
Old fat spiders, not one brave!
Attercop! Attercop!
Won’t you stop,
Stop your spinning you base-born knaves!
Old Tomfinny, too fat not skinny,
Old Tomfinny the gorging slaves!
Attercop! Attercop!
Down you drop!
Your icky dark nest will be your grave!”
Inspiration begets inspiration, and Umros has another idea. He reaches back with his throwing arm into a side pouch on his pack and digs out a small clay container. He remembered when he brewed this concoction -on the road to Dutos one month ago. He hoped his constant movement kept it properly agitated. The old alchemist gives a calm warning to the archer. “Sparks, mind the blast. Incoming...”
Sparks tracks her target behind the obscured obstruction as she readies her next arrow, only to hear an unexpected sound very close to her right. Not waiting to be bitten or clawed or whatever it is an oddly massive spider might inflict, she flinches away and takes aim. Sure enough, a spider is right where she expected it to be, and at this range she can hardly miss!
for
"Blast?" Sparks asks as she readies her next arrow. She gives the Gnome a quick glance and the object in his hand, similar to the one he'd thrown at one of the attacking bears, causes her forget about her next shot...
...and miss the fourth spider hidden in the room's elevated shadows.
”Thanks!” Cath says to Amber as the webbing tears away. The fighter re-grips his sword and swings at the retreating spider.
As Umros’s bizarre, but catchy, song fills the air, Cath smiles and charges after the spider that had webbed him. His feet pound the floor of the cave to the beat of the music as he charges full-speed.
"Gah. Stupid..." Tainesh mutters as she tears at the webbing. It stays put, gluing her right arm to her chest.
"Enough!" she shouts as she draws a small wooden disk from her component pouch. "Mark one!"
Amber spins around looking for another target, sword held across her chest at the ready.