The group heads out once again, leaving Dolgrin and his crew to begin constructing defenses at the river crossing. After a days travel, they once again reach uncharted lands, and resume the process of mapping out the area, which continues to consist of lowland fields and swamplands.
__________
"Should we head back, then? Or find somewhere to ride it out?"
"We cen make cemp early and wait out the storm, right?" Erimriel stares dumbly at the sky.
"Agreed. Let's at least take some time to try to find a place to hole up." `
Serafina shrugs, the weather seeming fine to her. But stopping early meant less walking, which meant less aching feet, so that was fine with her. She helps the others try to find a windbreak or cave or something similar to ride out bad weather and cold temperatures.
"Sounds like a good plan, the weather can get rather nasty around here," Sasha says. "Arc can help with any heavy lifting." The half-elven teenager tries to help with finding a place to stay, and does decently well, especially given his lack of experience with the wilderness.
The group begins looking for some sort of shelter from the storm that Andrezi sleepily claims is approaching. Their efforts at first seem futile, as all they manage to find during the next day is a bit of swampland and the western edge of Lake Hooktongue.
However, as they follow the lake's edge south and west, they eventually find the Siltstrand River, and can see standing on it's southern bank what appears to be a lonely tower. It appears to have been designed in a fashion similar to that of a cross, but the eastern portion of the building has fallen away from some sort of calamity or decay.
The winds have begun to strengthen, and a few flakes of snow begin to fall.
__________
"Well, let's go to the tower. It might be inhabited, so be on your guard," Sasha suggests. He begins looking for a place to ford the river, having full knowledge of what Brevic snows are like.
As the cold wind rips through her traveling clothes, Serafina shivers, nodding agreement with Sasha. "Agreed. Whatever might be in there, inside the tower seems preferable to out, at the moment. Still....a dip in that water might be death to us all..." She looks uncertainly at the river, but just watches as Sasha looks for a ford, not knowing how else to get across.
Unfortunately, there isn't an easy crossing in close proximity to the tower. It takes almost an hour to find one upstream, but Sasha is able to point it out the moment it comes into view. The crossing is relatively easy, and after another hour of travel back downstream, the tower again is within sight.
The ruined siege castle rises out of the churned earth of the Slough. No doors or windows mar the otherwise smooth expanse of the tower's walls. The tower is quatrefoil in plan; its eastern wing has largely collapsed, exposing the interior floors to the open air. Only the topmost level seems whole, though its eastern portion hangs precariously over the mountain of rubble left by the collapse. At ground level, the rubble frames a gaping hole in the side of the building that provides access to the tower's darkened interior.
As you round the corner of the building, you are greeted with the canine growl of several wolves standing atop the debris. A couple more can be seen beyond, sniffing through the rubble in search of food.
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Her repertoire more focused on humanoids, the sorceress steps to get a clear shot, firing at the (blue?) wolf.
Rahaal feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the sounds of the wolves’ yipping and snarling.
Willing herself to bravery she doesn’t feel, she steps forward, saying in a commanding tone,
__________________
HP 12/12
Sermonic Performance 6/7
Daylight (Aasimar) 1/1
Cleric (Evangelist) Spells Remaining (CL 1st; concentration +4):
. . 1st—bless, bless [D], (unmemorized)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, enhanced diplomacy, read magic
Buffs sermonic performance: ALL ALLIES get +1 morale vs fear, charm, & +1 competence to hit, damage
Miloslav moves to the corner of the building and readies his falchion. "Come and get it pups!" he shouts at the dogs.
Andrezi, jolted awake by the sudden influx of dangerous creatures wishing he and his goat harm, moves a few feet to the left and casts a spell of slumber towards the wolves', careful he doesn't accidently engulf one of his allies in the spell's effect.
___________________________________________________
"Stand with Miroslav, Arc." Sasha says as he sidesteps behind Erimriel. The half-elven boy then begins chanting and working his hands in intricate motions, casting a spell.
Arctalan heeds Aleksandr's command and moves to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Suli warrior. He prepares to attack any wolf that comes within his reach.
_______________________________________________
Erimriel, seeing a short line forming at the base of the ruined tower, elects to swing out into a potential flank, expecting the wolves to wildly throw themselves into their ranks. She readies a front-kick to the first wolf to approach, but fails to notice that her planted foot is atop a wobbly rock.
Rahaal feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the sounds of the wolves’ yipping and snarling.
Willing herself to bravery she doesn’t feel, she steps forward, saying in a commanding tone, ”Allies, let us strike as one. Though the savage beast has cunning and strong jaws, we have reason, judgement, and the will of Abadar behind us. Civilization will prevail!”
Her repertoire more focused on humanoids, the sorceress steps to get a clear shot, firing at the nearest wolf, the bolt barely grazing it's rear leg, eliciting a pained yelp from the canine.
Miloslav moves to the corner of the building and readies his falchion. "Come and get it pups!" he shouts at the dogs.
Andrezi, jolted awake by the sudden influx of dangerous creatures wishing he and his goat harm, moves a few feet to the left and casts a spell of slumber towards the wolves', careful he doesn't accidently engulf one of his allies in the spell's effect. The two wolves in the rear of the pack immediately drop to the ground, instantly overwhelmed by the magic at play.
"Stand with Miloslav, Arc." Sasha says as he sidesteps behind Erimriel. The half-elven boy then begins chanting and working his hands in intricate motions, casting a spell.
Arctalan heeds Aleksandr's command and moves to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Suli warrior. He prepares to attack any wolf that comes within his reach.
Erimriel, seeing a short line forming at the base of the ruined tower, elects to swing out into a potential flank, expecting the wolves to wildly throw themselves into their ranks. She readies a front-kick to the first wolf to approach, but fails to notice that her planted foot is atop a wobbly rock.
As the group moves themselves into position, the wolves also move to attack. Miloslav's blade cuts one wolf in two, while the others attacks prove less rewarding. Fortunately, the frenzied attacks of the canines are nothing more than snarling snaps at the wind.
__________
With the completion of Sasha's spell Arctalan grows to a towering 13 feet tall, his bulk swelling to over 1,000 lbs. The eidolon stares down at the wolves for a moment, then clenches his fists together and brings them crashing down on one of the unfortunate canines, crushing it to the ground in a spatter of blood and crunching bones. Arc turns, seeking his next target, and the upper third of his body seems to unhinge, revealing a mouth full of large, uneven, molar-like teeth. The eidolon's body surges forward, and his jaw snaps shut, but he doesn't quite reach the next wolf.
For his part, Sasha merely readies his spear, saving his other spell for healing. He feels a sort of grim satisfaction at Arctalan's battle prowess, especially after the group's last fight went so poorly for Arc.
_____________________________________________________________________
-
-
Seeing the fight is going quite well, Serafina moves far to her left, trying to get a clear shot at the wolf fighting Erimriel. Thinking that a bit of acid might get through better than a bolt, she extends her hand, firing a glob of acid at the creature.
Miloslav pivots, stepping smoothly forward over the corpse of the wolf. He recovers his blade by turning one hundred and eighty degrees to keep up the blade's momentum and then swings it at the second canine.
Erimriel surges around the wolf, dropping her cautious stance to fly into a full on assault. As the wolf's maw shoots forward, gnashing at her abdomen, she brings her right elbow down and right knee up, catching the canine's head in between the brunt of the attack just before its teeth manage to do any worthwhile damage.
______________________________
>
>>
Rahaal exhales as she sees wolves falling to spell and blade. Her swirling kaleidoscopic eyes turn to Erimriel and she says "Erimriel, let the Master of the First Vault guide your strike!"
HP 12/12
Sermonic Performance 5/7
Daylight (Aasimar) 1/1
Cleric (Evangelist) Spells Remaining (CL 1st; concentration +4):
. . 1st—bless, bless [D], (unmemorized)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, enhanced diplomacy, read magic
Buffs sermonic performance: ALL ALLIES get +1 morale vs fear, charm, & +1 competence to hit, damage
Seeing the wolves dropping like flies before his group's onslaught, but unsure of what may lie ahead, Andrezi moves forward towards the fray and provides additional support to their group's brawler, on top of Rahaal's inspiration. "Let Desna lend additional aid to the guidance of the Master of the First Vault!"
________________________________
Miloslav moves forward and finishes off the sleeping wolves. He chops each one's head off with a single precise blow from his heavy curved blade.
"I will pay 10 gold if any of you can cure these hides and make a cloak out of them for me," Miloslav says to the others after the fight.
"I've no skill at leathercraft, nor Arctalan," Sasha says. "You'll have plenty of time to work on it in that tower I imagine, assuming we survive whatever is inside the tower if there is anything." The young man leads his horse toward the tower, Arctalan following in his wake.
Serafina shrugs. She doesn't know much about wolf skins, or pelts, or whatever you call them. She does know she is freezing and really wants to get into the tower ahead. She implored Rahaal to mount the horse, then starts to guide it towards the gaping hole in the tower, following Sasha and the strange arcane beast.
Chilled in her bones (and feeling more out of place than before, surrounded by the corpses of wild animals) Rahaal mutters, "I know a lovely shop on Garrao Avenue in Absolom's Ivy District. They could sell you a cloak of wolfskin, tigerskin, even roc leather."
Then she gets onto Serafina's horse behind the sorceress and continues forward toward the tower.
Chilled in her bones (and feeling more out of place than before, surrounded by the corpses of wild animals) Rahaal mutters, "I know a lovely shop on Garrao Avenue in Absolom's Ivy District. They could sell you a cloak of wolfskin, tigerskin, even roc leather."
Then she gets onto Serafina's horse behind the sorceress and continues forward toward the tower.
"The skin of a beast should only be worn if it was earned in a hunt or battle," Miloslav says. "At least that's how I feel. How would we like it if giants hunted us for sport by the dozens and skinned us to make their garments."
As the group clambers over the rubble and into the open area beneath the overhang, they can see that the southern chamber is completely filled with rubble and debris, making passage impossible. The northern wing of the tower seems to have escaped the worst effects of the collapse, but rubble still litters the floor and everything is covered in a thick layer of stone dust. Thick cobwebs cloak the ceiling and hang down the walls like gossamer tapestries. A single archway stands open in the southwest wall.
"Nice place," Erimriel muses aloud. "If you don't count the crumbling walls and angry dogs, I mean. We going to take a poke inside?" She starts towards the gaping hole in the tower.
Serafina nods at Erimriel's assessment. "It leaves much to be desired...but when we start civilizing this place, it will be nice to have existing structures here already. Better to get a head start on things, I'm thinking!"
Of course, Serafina doesn't know a damned thing about architecture or building things...but she does like the sound of her own voice. She blissfully enters the building behind the stouter woman, sighing as the worst of the cold wind is blocked by the decaying walls.
Sasha looks around for a place to Wanderer's reins off, then follows Erimriel and Serafina. "It will take an artisan of great skill to repair this sort of damage, I'd wager."
The thought of a warm hearth is dispelled when Rahaal's keen eyes catch movement just as they are about to wander in.
"Hold, comrades. Did you see that? Those webs just shook." She points into the Northern chamber.
"Bah!" Miloslav spits. He strides into the webbed chamber. His dominance over the wolves has lent Milo perhaps too much confidence. He says, "Do not hide, shadow dwelling worms! Show yourself and meet my blade!"
The great success of the slaughter of the wolves indeed did get to Miloslav's head, clouding better judgement as he strides boldly into the room with his boast. It isn't until it is too late that he notices the movement above him, as a spider the size of a pony launches a thick glob of webbing down over his head, trapping the young warrior in it's sticky net-like grasp. It's mandibles chitter excitedly at the sight of the web-covered creature in its lair, and the creature's legs begin dancing along the webbing as it approaches its prey...
__________
"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Miloslav roars, entering an adrenaline-fueled rage at the sight of the spider. He struggles mightily against the webbing, trying to burst its bonds. His muscles bulge, and a moment later the webbing snaps like so much twine. The raging barbarian dashes further into the room, putting his back to the wall. "COME FRIENDS, TO BATTLE!" he screams.
Hearing Miloslav's roar of anger and possible fear, she sees the large man break free of some strange webbing and head deeper into the room. The sorceress, against her better judgment, enters behind him, hugging the southern doorway to avoid attacks from the now-seen arachnid. She gets to a somewhat safe distance, then lobs an orb of acid at the 8-legged horror.
Rahaal enters and interposes herself between Serafina and the spider. As she does she again exhorts her comrades: "Yea, though I walk into a room with a really big spider I shall not fear, for the Judge of the Gods supports those who bring civilization to the untamed wilds!"
HP 12/12
Sermonic Performance 4/7
Daylight (Aasimar) 1/1
Cleric (Evangelist) Spells Remaining (CL 1st; concentration +4):
. . 1st—bless, bless [D], (unmemorized)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, enhanced diplomacy, read magic
Buffs sermonic performance: ALL ALLIES get +1 morale vs fear, charm, & +1 competence to hit, damage
Erimriel rushes into the room before her brain has time to process what might be happening. She skids to a halt beside Rahaal, and follows everyone's eyes to where the spider hangs menacingly. "Eck! I don't know if they make a boot big enough to smesh one of those."
Sasha and Arctalan enter the room, but are unable to affect the spider from the ground, Sasha stays close to the eidolon, unsure if any other arachnids are in the room.
Arctalan is ready to strike anything that comes into reach.
"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Miloslav roars, entering an adrenaline-fueled rage at the sight of the spider. He struggles mightily against the webbing, trying to burst its bonds. His muscles bulge, and a moment later the webbing snaps like so much twine. The raging barbarian dashes further into the room, putting his back to the wall. "COME FRIENDS, TO BATTLE!" he screams.
Hearing Miloslav's roar of anger and possible fear, Serafina sees the large man break free of some strange webbing and head deeper into the room. The sorceress, against her better judgment, enters behind him, hugging the southern doorway to avoid attacks from the now-seen arachnid. She gets to a somewhat safe distance, then lobs an orb of acid at the 8-legged horror.
Rahaal enters and interposes herself between Serafina and the spider. As she does she again exhorts her comrades: "Yea, though I walk into a room with a really big spider I shall not fear, for the Judge of the Gods supports those who bring civilization to the untamed wilds!"
Erimriel rushes into the room before her brain has time to process what might be happening. She skids to a halt beside Rahaal, and follows everyone's eyes to where the spider hangs menacingly. "Eck! I don't know if they make a boot big enough to smesh one of those."
Sasha and Arctalan enter the room, but are unable to affect the spider from the ground, Sasha stays close to the eidolon, unsure if any other arachnids are in the room.
Arctalan is ready to strike anything that comes into reach.
The spiders eyes frantically dart from one form to the next, before settling finally on Serafina. It sends a glob of webbing her direction, but she manages to duck out of the way, the thick, sticky strands landing against the stone wall behind her as the spider slowly picks its way across the ceiling in her direction.
__________
Serafina shudders as she twists aside, "Ewww, ewww, ewww, what the f+&! was that?" She loads her crossbow, then sends a bolt flying at the eight-legged freak. She smirks as the bolt strikes the beast squarely in its bulbous abdomen.
Frustrated at not being able to reach the arachnid, Miloslav flings his sword aside, and pulls out his sling. He whirls it around his head a few times until it is a rapid blur and then releases one thong to send a metal bullet flying towards the spider.