Nesserin curses as the giant spider barrels through his shield and gets its fangs into Jak.
He swings his sword in defence of his companion
Nesserin and Gilhaut combine to kill the injured spider. Leaving the last spider in its slumbering state. Herrick moves to the spider and waits for more of you to reach it.
[dice=Con save]1d20+1
You all watch on as Jak succumbs to the deadly toxin keeling over face first into the soft underbrush.
Hawn looks on at his protege worry casting ocer the man.
Quickly rushing to him he finds Jak in some sort of catatonic state. His breath is slow but he still breathes.
You all surround the spider then begin to stab and hack at it easily killing the spider.
Jak's eyes rolled back, as he slumped to the ground. Beaten by an ogre, cursed by something evil, and poisoned by a huge spider. You think this guy is not going to make it through life with the luck that he has.
His eyes fluttered, and his body twitched as he saw the planescape burning again. The wind howled in his ears and suffocated him in the stink of ash and brimstone. He felt primal fear from the certain that Orcus had conquered the world. And, he could not move to do anything.
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Move man!, make a hole!, says Gilhaut bustling over.
He looks him over
Ahhh, he says sagely. Poison... buggered if I know what it does but he's breathing. That's the main thing.
Gilhaut does his best but he is not able to determine anything morw than Jak is alive but does not seem to be dying. With a couple hours until light you wait it out. Some find theur way back to sleep others arw on high alert.
After an hour or so you can see the violet colours of dawn approaching in the sky. Jak's condition also seems to get better but you find still unconscious.
Give him a day here to recover... the delay will be bad for his hand. Good for the poison. Either that or make a throw together litter and drag him?
The older soldier nods at the priest's suggestion. "Carrying him makes sense. I can get on that."
Herrick gets up and begins looking for strong branches to make a litter, then asks for some rope to bind them all together.
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Nesserin will help Herrick with setting up a way to comfortably carry Jak Knowing all to well the discomfort of the spider paralysis.
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Malthus will keep Jak well-fed. He can't refuse delicious stew if he's unconscious, he just makes sure it's fist-pummelled into a pulp for easy ingestion first. Not like he was a clean bard or anything.
Gilhaut supervises and makes approving sounds.
Jak's eyes occasionally fluttered, and his body randomly twitched.
Creating a litter Herrick and Nesserin place Jak in it while Malthus plays momma bird and tries to stuff pulverized food into Jak's mouth. Jawn is quick to stop this nonsense and picks up Jak's dagger.
Still you watch as every now and then Malthus gets close to Jak and nonchalantly starts to move toward his food bag each time Herrick or Jawn stop the bard but only just before the food drops in Jak's mouth.
It is about 2 hours in when Jak finally comes to. You all notice that his face down past his neck barely have show any of his normal complexion.
Ahhh, you're back youngster. Here, the blessing of Ascheillus upon you!
Now what's the best way to that ferry place we're headed to?
"The transformation seems to be progressing rapidly. Are you able to walk?" Nesserin will ask Jak.
He will take a moment to double-check the map and the surrounding landscape to see if there might be a way to hasten the group's pace towards their goal.
Herrick nods to Jak and helps him off the litter to his feet.
"Glad to see you back up and about, lad. Malthus was trying to choke you to dead with his dreadful food while you slept, but we kept you safe."
"The transformation seems to be progressing rapidly. Are you able to walk?" Nesserin will ask Jak.
He will take a moment to double-check the map and the surrounding landscape to see if there might be a way to hasten the group's pace towards their goal.
[dice=survival]1d20+3
Jak struggles to his feet with help, "thanks. I think I can walk still. Besides, I've got to guide you to town."
He flinches and hisses rubbing his arm that he pulls away from a ray of sunshine that pierces the forest canopy. "It burns. Jawn, why does the sunlight burn me? Is it the dagger, or spider poison?"
While waiting for Jawn to answer, he surveys the landscape for landmarks to orient himself and where they've traveled while he was passed out.
"Perhaps a herbal remedy might help where prayers do not?" Malthus shrugs. "I'm afraid I never were much of a doctor. Mum handled most of my wounds, though being largely confined meant, well, I was barely ever wounded at all." He stares up at the sky. "Visibly wounded, that is."
Leeches... a fresh course of leeches, that's what you need.
The mage hand picks up the blade bringing it into the light. Turning it around in the sunlight you watch as the blade seems to absorb the light, but nothing seems to happen to Jak.
The map Nesserin picks up is incomplete as it shows very little other than the region leading to the tomb. You do recall that Jak did mention that staying close to the river will eventually lead to Zelkor's Ferry.
Jak takes back the magic dagger from Jawn's mage hand and resheathes it.
While waiting for Jawn to answer, he surveys the landscape for landmarks to orient himself and where they've traveled while he was passed out.
Then, he starting leading them toward Zelkor's Ferry again.
Given Jak's condition he leads you a little deeper into the woods where the foliage of the trees is denser hoping to block out as much of the sun as possible.
Travel takes you through the door and you find the woods to be unsettling almost too quiet. Still nothing comes of it and you find yourself a good campsite as the sun sets for the third night.
The fourth day of travel is a repeat of the third day but you do find that the sounds of the forest slowly return. You occasionally pass by a series of tracks that lead deeper into the woods but Jak keeps you firmly to following the river. By evening you find an abandoned campsite likely used almost a week ago.
On this night the taste of your dried rations almost has you clamoring for Malthus stew which is a combination of root vegetables and very little rabbit meat. Still the thought of Malthus' famous ogre stew is difficult to remove from your immediate thoughts.
It is once again during near dawn when Jak awakes you all. You are being watched...
Herrick grabs his sword and shield as he rushes over to Jak. "Who's watching us, Bub?"
Nesserin awakes making sure his shield and sword are nearby in case the team is roused once more by danger.
The war priest takes up Shield and sword. He scans the surrounding area,
"Who goes there?" Malthus calls, drawing his rapier. "I have the eeriest feeling that something lurks, yet I cannot put my finger on it. Come out and show yourself!"
As the party awakens you hear snarls at the edge of your camp and then watch as two wolves...wait five wolves...No. More than a dozen wolves move slowly encircle the group some 20 to 25 feet away. A silence falls upon the pack. They stand there not one wolf can be heard but every eye watches you as though you should not he here.
Ohhh crap... Anyone happen to have anything big and scary to scare them off?
Nesserin accepts the dagger from Jawn careful to no make any threatening or sudden movements considering the teams precarious situation. He winces as Malthus makes some bold display and declaration. "This is a sight most curious" he awakens his Divine senses to scan the area of otherworldly presences.
He motions the others to stay close together and moves forward testing how the wolves react. he tries to convey he is not a threat to the pack.
With everyone awake and ready, Jak would feel better if they weren't outnumbered five to one. Going with it's-not-the-strangest-idea that he's thought of, Jak tries to talk to the wolves, "Um. Hello there, wolves. We're just passing through on our way to town. An evil bastard of yours attacked us a couple nights back. His black pelt is over there. With the numbers that you have, you'll probably kill us, but we'll probably take a bunch of you with us. Any way that we can avoid this fight?"
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"I am not a friend of the furred ones," Malthus shrugs. "But I may try anyway." He steps in front of Nesserin and gets down on all fours, putting on his best wolf impression. Awooooooooooo.
The wolves as a tandem make a low growl warning off Nesserin from moving any closer. Things only seem to get worse as Jak attempts to speak to them and you watch as they step closer the growls growing louder more aggressive.
The growls come to a halt as you watch Malthus get down on his hands and knees trying to communicate with the wolves. One large wolf strides forward and as it does you watch the other wolves part ways. The wolf howls and as it does you watch before you as it transforms into a human female with a athletic build. Her hair is a tangled mess with old detritus and twigs cast about in her graying hair and two stripes of red have been drawn down from her brow down to her cheekbones. A necklace of wolf teeth hangs loosely about her neck.
She stands with the authority of a lord. Gripped tightly in her hand is a simple spiked club. She fans it towards the group finally stopping at Malthus.
With a stern voice she speaks directly to Malthus, "Get up you fool. Whatever pantomime you play at it is a mockery to my noble friends. I should have one of them rip your throat out just to end this facade. This land is my domain and I would know who you are and why you enter uninvited?"
Malthus stops mid-howl, and jumps to his feet. "Apologies, m'lady, I was only trying to fit in. We're looking for Zelkor's Ferry. I believe I will let my friends here fill you in, now that I have, how do you say... greased the wheels." He turns swiftly, his head held high.
Herrick's eyes grow wide as the wolf transforms into a women, but keeps his stance in front of the squishier party members. He leaves the talking to others but lowers his sword so as not to piss of anyone, especially the wolves.
Jak's eyes widen and mouth hangs open. When he recovers, he introduces himself, "I'm Jak. Jak Field. We were just following the river to Zelkor's Ferry. I've been cursed by their previous employer and think there's a cure in town." He waves his black hand. "It's not contagious, because they haven't been infected."
"I'm sorry to be trespassing. We didn't see any signs." He sounds genuinely sorry.