Al, seeing the spiders tries to use his mages hand to push the swarm away from the group.
Al, seeing the spiders tries to use his mages hand to push the swarm away from the group.
Fire rains down on one of the spider swarms but Valghaz is only able to catch the back edge of it as the spiders crawl quickly towards the party. Mistra moves up to engage the swarm as well her quarterstaff jabs at the ground with incredible speed and accuracy and she crushes over several dozens of these tiny spiders.
Aric steps forward swinging his great sword in a large broad arc, but the spiders are so small that the blade swings right over them. Conner rushes up to help Aric but, also finds himself swinging too high with his long sword. His flail however slams down crushing a dozen of the spiders instantly.
Aladair watches your weapons at work and he as well as the rest of can clearly see that though they damage some of the swarms, they are not fully effective against the swarms. He calls upon a spell and you watch as the spectral hand appears and begins to swat away a swath of spiders moving towards Mistra.
The swarm not deterred by your attacks ravenously jumps at Mistra and Aric. Mistra is able to escape the hundreds of tiny spider bites. Aric however is not so fortunate as spiders swarm all over the half orc.
Watching as the spiders jump and bite the half orc Marlowe takes a torch out of his pack and lights it.
Conner slides around the swarm occupying Aric, and attacks the swarm with both weapons.
Mistra steps back from the spider swarm, getting distance from their nasty bites. Seeing how effectively the quarterstaff smashes the little insects, she continues with her strategy.
Mistra is starting to get concerned; she did not expect Aric, of all the members of the party, to be so injured by such small creatures. She is starting to think that it may be an actual suicide mission to escape the caves, but does not have time to really think that through, with all the spiders around her.
ᚲᚢᚱᛖ᛫ᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏ᛫ᚹᛟᚢᚾᛞᛋ!
Valghaz had once thought himself proficient with a hammer, but this adventure was putting his clerical skills to the test. He did what he could to keep the half-orc up.
Seeing the tiny creatures swarm Aric, Penance gasps and hurls another sphere of fire, not realizing what havoc that might ensue...!
Penance hurls a sphere of fire which explodes on the swarm but unfortunately singes the half orc now covered in spiders as well. You watch as Aric fights to stand.
Valghaz is quick to rush to the half orc's aid healing him of some of the wounds. Conner quickly continues to attack the spiders on that now surround Aric. The flail pounds down again pulverizing several dozen spiders leaving swarm less than half the size it once was.
Mistra continues to show her prowess with the quarterstaff crushing more and more spiders of the second swarm.
Feeling the pain hit him, Aric lets out an unintelligible roar. Swinging his sword over his head, he brings the flat end down onto the wriggling mass of spiders around him.
Aladair, seeing that his magic hand is having no effect on the swarm, reaches into his pack and removes a torch, which he lights and waves towards the spiders.
Aladair grabs a torch and lights it ready to use it against the spiders.
Aric flies into a rage filling the cave with a feral roar. He slams the flat of the blade down while ripping away some of the spiders currently biting him. The impact of his blade is enough to disperse one of the spider swarms before it can do any further harm.
The spider swarm now partially dispersed from Mistra's amazing display of the quarterstaff once again tries to swarm her but she once again is able to use her skill to avoid from being bitten.
Penance yelps when she see her flames burn Aric. ”By the gods! Aric, are you alright?!” Without waiting for a reply she runs forward and plants her free hand on the small of the half-orc’s back. Golden fire seeps from between her fingers as she recites a short prayer, the flames licking over stings and burns and mending them within moments.
Aric grunts, barely acknowledging Penance or Valghaz. Bringing his sword up, he sweeps it down through the spiders once more.
Standing above the wriggling mass, the enraged half-orc lets out a primal roar that echoes throughout the cave.
Mistra takes a breath in relief as the swarm around Aric disperses. Dodging back and forth from the many spiders remaining in her own swarm, she tries once more to lay them all out flat. Why won't you vermin just die!?!
Aric pays no attention to his now closed wounds and he moves to the remaining spiders with a sweep of his you watch as both spiders and rubble are flung about the cave. The swing is enough to disperse the second swarm as they flee back up walls to safety.
Holding his torch in hand his lamp on the ground Marlowe looks about hopeful that the spiders are gone. Noting that Mistra is unscathed from the battle he remarks, "You must have halfling blood in those veins of yours." He sets off looking for the sacs and whistles to you when he finds them in the back of the cave.
[smaller]"Alright one more cave and it is a large. Lost a couple of people there last time. The spiders came from every where. You clear that out. I go to find Hayla. You disappear. None the wiser. Just know if you try to leave where you came in the Captain will make an example of you after she captures you."
"If you need to catch your breath I could get you an hour any longer and Hayla will get you moving."
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"Aye. That'd be good. Need to commune with the Forge Father if I'm going to be healing anyone again today."
With that Valghaz went down to his knees and placed his hammer in front of him with the shaft on the ground. He bent over so that his head rested on the hammer, and he meditated. As he did so, the hammer began to become warmer, and warmer, and hotter. The fire of the forge entered it, and through it, Valghaz. Towards the end of the hour the hammer was visibly hot, but still he knelt, motionless, until the process was over.
[dice=DC11 check]1d20+2
"I-I assure you S-Sir Marlowe, I h-have no intention of r-returning to that h-horrible woman..." She speaks softly, but the distaste behind her voice is evident. "Y-You are a g-good soul, Sir M-Marlowe. P-Please, I ask of y-you, before we d-depart, come to s-see me. I-I wish to g-give you a b-boon."
Over the course of the hour, Penance sits and watches as the golden flame slowly melts its perch away, and carefully transfers it to a new candle once it begins to sputter. Then, at the very end of the hour, she warms the melted wax and shapes the drippings into a design upon the cave floor; a small eye with a long line coming from its corner. Once it is finished, she mumbles another prayer and stands. "L-Let us be o-on our way..."
[dice=DC 11 check]1d20+1
"Dunno about an hour, I feel fine," Aric grunts, cleaning spider guts off his sword. "If the boss is ready to go, I'm ready to go."
Mistra nods her head at Aric's words. I'm good here, too. Let's get this last cave clear and be on the lookout for any movement!
The tunnel opens into what seems to be a very large cave that is covered in thick spider filament. So thick is the filament that it obscures your vision of the complete cave. Looking carefully you can see two tunnels created out of the webbing one heading to your left and the other to your right.
"This...is new." is all that comes out of Marlowe's mouth. His words truly concerned at what he sees, "Your choice is as good as mine."
Conner speaks up from the back row.
Go left then, and let's be on with it.
Al carries on with the others, his bow at the ready to fire on anything looking like a spider.
With Aric in the lead the group travels down the left tunnel. Careful to stay towards the middle of the tunnel the height of the tunnel is just high enough to fit Aric's height. The passage opens into a another chamber with one passage exiting it. Aric see in the back of the room several egg sacs stuck to the wall. Also in the room a large white tipped spider tending to them it turns to stare at Aric with its many eyes.
Mistra is ready to be done with this cave, these spiders, the constant darkness and flickering torches, all of it. She channels her frustration into her attacks and charges towards the spider.
Al fires at the spider as he moves into the room, giving the others space to attack as well.
Attack:
Damage:
Sneak:
Mistra continues to show that her skill with the quarterstaff is nothing to be scoffed at. Hopeful to escape this sticky nightmare she moves and lays a series of strikes against the spider.
Aladair find his way into the room as well and launches an arrow but the arrow goes too high hitting the back of the wall.
Left with no where to go the spider retaliates against Mistra, it's fangs sink into Mistra ripping past her leather tunic. She seems to scream but no words can be heard...
"This one looks like a mother defending it's territory," Aric says, moving up behind Mistra. "Maybe if we don't bother her, she'll leave us alone."
”If it was up to me I’d just burn the entire bloody place down.”
Penance gives Valghaz a significant glance as she rushes forward to tend to Mistra, sheltering her candle as she runs.
Mistra drops in a catatonic state. Her eyes and her mouth wide open but you see she is not moving at all. Aric grabs and drags her to the waiting Penance who casts a healing spell on her. While her wound stops bleeding you see that she is still in this catatonic state.
Meanwhile the dwarf rightfully disgusted with these tunnels and their inhabitants calls down a column of fire on the spider. The flame strikes the spider's abdomen. You watch as it spins about frantically it's eyes set on its next target.
Conner moves in and brings both weapons to bear on the spider.
Conner swings both of his weapons but the spider blocks the long sword with one of its legs and then hops back to avoid the flail.
Al tries to send another arrow towards the spider.
Attack:
Damage:
Sneak:
The arrow pierces the spider right through one of it's central eye and it drops to the ground dead.
Marlowe makes his way to the front stopping first at Mistra. "She's been paralyzed we'll need to wait for the poison to wear off. Usually takes about one bell from others I've seen this happen to. It's going to cut things close. Hayla and the others will be working in the second chamber and since some of the sacs were already hatched it won't take as long." When he sees the dead spider in the chamber he curses, "Well I guess it had to be done...eventually. Captain won't like this at all." He moves past the dead spider and examines the eggs sacs nodding his head.
I do not know that we will be waiting for an hour. I can carry, Mistra.
"Don't give a flying fook about what the captain wants. Conner, I'll grab the lass. Can still call down flame while holding her, and yer more useful in the front. Let's get a move on, the more we dawdle here the more the chance of the bandits murdering us."
Conner turns over the limp form of Mistra.he checks hos weapons and armor, and adds,
I am with you, Valghaz. Let's move.
Not wanting to waste anymore time Valghaz hoists the paralyzed body of Mistra over his shoulder and the party continues into the web tunnels. Moving into the next chamber you find it is almost like two chamber combined into one.
Marlowe finds some old egg sacs in one area of the room but no spiders can be found. As you are about move down the next tunnel Aric sees a spider up ahead disappears around a corner.
Left with little choice you keep moving on ahead after the spider. The tunnel turns north and then back south. Aric signals to stop as he sees the continuing west and an opening to the north. Any sign of the spider he cannot see.
Aric grunts when he see's the spider. Seeing the tunnel diverge, he turns to his right to check the space that might be there.
Al continues with the others, keeping his sharp elven senses alert for any movement in the webs as they pass.
Aric leads the group through the opening that breaks into two smaller chambers. On the ground you can see various humanoid and and animal bones littered about the first chamber.
There in the second chamber Aric, with the aid of his darkvision, sees suspended from the ceiling two large cocoons. Moving below the cocoons Aric also notices two hunting spiders that for the moment have yet to notice your entrance.
"Make sure these two don't get out of this room," Aric grunts as he runs forward and smacks the closest spider with the flat of his blade.
Aric wastes no time and charges into room with the unsuspecting spiders. His sword comes down and he knocks the spider senseless before it can even react. It hits the wall and lays there curled up in a ball.
Marlowe moves into the room not wanting to block anyone at the opening.