As everyone prepares to move on from this place Trell approaches Destriant. "I..uh...want to...um...thank you for saving me. I was in a pretty tough spot there. Maelis did the healing...but you got me out of the water...so...thank you. He drops his head a little feeling a bit foolish for even having to thank someone for saving him.
He then walks over to Maelis and says much of the same to him only adding thanks for the additional healing that he provided throughout the fight with that Giggles a$!&++~.
I must figure out my deficiencies...and train them away. I will not be the weak link in this group. I will not rely on the helpfulness of others to survive.
With his mind clear he checks his belongings and prepares to find Lamm.
This slippery boardwalk clings to the side of the fishery, roughly 13 feet above the waterline, held together by barnacle-encrusted pilings that have had half of their thickness worn away below the waterline.
Just ahead of you lies the derelict fishing boat that Arra assured you harbors Gaedren's means of ingress and egress to his lair below, though she could offer no other details about it. Apparently those who have gone in this way never return. Visions of the two children she mentioned skulk unbidden in your minds; your path to vengeance lies before you.
+1 for traps
Andakos doublechecks that he is ready to go. He is feeling quite spent, but he knows that if they leave to recover their strength, they may never have a chance at Lamm again. The alchemist's fire he created last week hangs reassuringly on his belt; he hopes against hope that Lamm won't use more children as human shields, but he knows better than to expect that. Lamm is a true piece of garbage and will use every advantage.
No, he's going to have to rely on his spear training for this fight. He grips the spear tightly and says to Destriant ahead of him, "Ready when you are."
Trell follows Andakos and Destriant gripping his sword tightly.
He keeps his eyes peeled for any sign of danger. Lets find this bastard. he whispers.
Maelis laughs slightly at Trell tossing the wand down, assuming he is making a joke, and bends to pick it up himself having detected it's magical aura. He tries to identify it's magical properties, hoping to learn something useful.
Maelis follows the other men, keeping a watching eye as well, this time his scroll in his hand, his mace on his belt. He wants to be ready to use the scroll if Lamm is present, "Destrient, I shall stay close to you. If we see Lamm, I want to aid your weapon with fire, so we can strike him down as quickly as possible. I may need that useful shield until we get close, as the spell lasts a short time."
While they are walking, Maelis notices the rickety nature of the boards underneath, and quickly points it out to the other men, urging caution. "Careful now, let's not stand too closely here. Look," he gestures to a few weak spots, "these boards may give way."
Looking at Trell, Destriant reveals a grim smile, almost entirely devoid of any happiness. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm unsure that I deserve much gratitude. I thought I was lifting your corpse out of the water, to lay you see rest in a more dignified manner. All of your gratitude rightfully belongs to Brother Maelis, here," he says, casting his heavy expression towards the thin man.
Destriant offers to lead the way, stepping gingerly over the boards that Maelis indicates are unstable. As he walks, he holds his shield ready, hand constantly dropping to the rapier at his hip, am almost subconscious action as he climbs into the boat.
Trell returns an uneasy smile to Destriant, Yes...well...thank you anyway.
Trell waits for Destriant to make his way across the unstable boards and into the boat and then follows behind the man as slowly as he can.
Thanks to Maelis's warning, the party reaches the boat without incident.
The rotten deck of this ancient sailing ship seems to be barely intact; its hull is worn and thick with seaweed and barnacles. The ship is held together primarily by the layers of old rope that lash it securely to the piligngs that support the fishery and the nearby boardwalk. The rickety walkway leads along the ship's starboard, a foot below its railing. A single wooden door leading into the aft cabin bears a crude painting of a red fish on its surface.
Andakos waits for those in front of him to move onto the boat, leaving a 5 foot gap between him and Trell at all times lest they break through the weakened pier, and then follows. Once everyone is on board, he checks the door for traps and listens for any activity on the other side of it.
Maelis holds his position, waiting to see what Andakos reports from up ahead. He continues to carry his scroll in his hand, knowing he is next to useless with his mace anyway.
Destriant steps aboard the ship with Andakos, looking for anything out of place as well.
As Destriant steps onto the deck of the rickety boat, the night rings with echoes of noises off the water: cries in the distance, faint laughter from some far-off tavern, the lapping of the waves against the boat... and the tell-tale creak of rotting boards.
He turns to step away from the spot, but too late--with a resounding crash, he plummets out of sight into the hold of the ship.
He manages to roll with the drop and land more or less in a crouch, coughing from the small cloud of dust and debris from his fall. At least he managed to keep hold of his rapier.
Darkness blankets the hold, with only the faintest dim light trickling in from the cloudy night overhead. Somewhere in the darkness, something moves...
Andakos is checking the door when he hears the crash, and turns just in time to see Destriant fall through the deck. "Destriant!" he whisper-yells, and rushes to the edge of the hole. He peers over the edge, being careful not to fall in himself.
Thanks to his darkvision, Andakos creeps close to the edge, trying not to further break the already compromised floorboards. He can see shapes skitter across the floor and walls of the hold, and quickly realizes with horror that they are spiders. Not just spiders, but spiders the size of housecats. They have not attacked yet, but they are clearly agitated by the sudden intrusion into their nest and will strike at the effectively blind Destriant at any moment.
"Shit. Destriant, you have company. Spiders. Don't let them bite you; they'll sap your strength! Hold on, I'm coming."
Andakos is not particularly nimble, and he knows it. He briefly considers tossing his alchemist's fire among the spiders; it would probably achieve his goal of killing them, but it would have the unfortunate side effect of burning the boat around them (with any luck, it would kill Lamm too). Sighing to himself, he says, "Maelis, Destriant needs some light down here," and tries to jump down without killing himself.
Destriant starts to brush himself off when he hears something move nearby. Instantly his hand moves to his rapier, cautiously holding the grip. The sliver of light from above dims as Andakos leans over the break. Ugh, spiders, Destriant grimaces. The situation could be worse, there is yet time for worse to develop, however. Destriant draws his rapier, and spins in place, hoping to catch any sight of the hideous vermin in the weak light as Andakos hops down into the hold.
Trell was about to take another step to continue following closely to Destriant when the floor gives way. Trell throws out a hand to grab the now falling Destriant but is unable to grab a hold of him. "Destriant" He whisper-yells.
Trell joins Andakos as he relays the information of what is down there to the team. Spiders...great... he thinks.
At the mention of needing light down there, Trell says, "I've got it. and casts Light on the hilt of his sword. Trell then jumps down the hole...hoping he lands without breaking anything.
Maelis freezes, his mouth twisting with disgust. filthy creatures, ugh. He casts light on a small piece of the splintered deck and kicks it below, hoping the added light will increase their chances against the vermin.
Trell's lithe elf form makes the jump below look so easy. Maelis shifts, somewhat uncomfortable in the unfamiliar studded leather, and attempts it himself, hoping he can match the man's grace.
This ship's hold reeks of mildew. Several barrels, crates, and other containers lie stacked here and there. Dust and grime cover the floor, except where river water has collected in puddles. A stairwell near the middle of the hold leads up.
With the rapid influx of strangers into their nest, the already-agitated drain spiders hiss at the sudden light and leap at the party.
Initiative:
[color=green]
Spider 3 (0 dmg)
Spider 1 (0 dmg)
Spider 4 (1 dmg, half speed)
Spider 2 (0 dmg)
Trell (4 dmg)
Destriant (0 dmg)
Maelis (1 dmg)
Andakos (1 dmg)
[/color=green]
Fiercely territorial and aggravated by the heavy warm bodies plopping into their home, the spiders lunge at the party. Despite being the size of housecats, their long legs give them surprising reach against their enemies.
One of the spiders, perched on a box, hisses and bites at Trell, puncturing his flesh. A creeping weakness begins to seep through his forearm where it bit him.
The next spider crawls onto Andakos's leg and bites at him, but can't quite puncture his armor.
Another, cornered by three dangerous-looking big things, lunges at one at random.
The spider lunges at Maelis, who instinctively kicks out with his foot, the spider tumbles back into place and somehow manages to land on its own mandible, biting itself. One of its eight legs is hobbled.
The final spider crawls up to Maelis on his other side and lashes out at his foot, biting his ankle and sending venom into the wound.
Andakos ignores the spider that is right up on him and stabs at the spider to the west of him with his spear.
After his attack, he takes a small step to the east to get away from the spider and provide a flanking opporuntity for Destriant.
With a slight spin, Destriant turns from the spider between himself, and Andakos. Seeing Maelis surrounded by the creatures, barely fending off one with a kick while another attacks him from behind, Destriant knows he must do something. Trying to teach the spiders eye with the glittering of the new light along his rapier blade, Destriant arcs an upward cut to the spider's outside love before rotating his wrist in a second intention thrust. Brother Maelis surely deserves what protection I can offer, since he's given so freely of his own abilities, Destriant things, as his arm begins moving, and his stance shifts.
Trells shudders a bit at the sigth of the spiders but quickly steels himself. He turns towards Destriant, hoping to repay the favor of saving his life. He raises his longsword up and as he does a shimmering light travels from his hands and up the blade instantly sharpening the edge of the weapon. In his other hand, the same greenish looking arrow takes form and floats inches about his outstretched hand
Maelis feels a small trickle of blood down his leg and a slight warm throbbing, and with a shaky hand draws his mace from his side, moving the scroll to his other hand for the moment.
He attempts to smash the creature, bringing the spiked head down hard and hoping it lands true.
[color=green]
Spider 3 (0 dmg)
Spider 1 (0 dmg)
Spider 4 (7 dmg, dying)
Spider 2 (0 dmg)
Trell (4 dmg)
Destriant (1 dmg, 1 Str dmg)
Maelis (2 dmg, 1 Str dmg)
Andakos (2 dmg)
[/color=green]
The spider on the box next to Trell lunges out again but fails to connect.
The spider next to Andakos and Destriant lashes out at...
... Destriant, sinking its fangs into his leg and delivering a weakening dose of its venom.
Destriant's leg shakes slightly as the venom begins to run its course.
The spider next to Maelis lunges at him again, once more sinking its fangs in to deliver another dose of venom.
The cleric's luck runs out and he begins to feel weakness creeping into his limbs from the potent venom.
From the shadows, another spider lunges at Andakos, who tries to bring his spear up to block it but is caught off-guard and moves too slowly. He feels the fangs bite into his arm as the creature clings to the wall next to him.
He barely manages to shake off the creature before it can inject enough venom to cause a problem.
Andakos cries out in frustration at how annoyingly quick and elusive these spiders are. Noticing that Maelis is struggling, he takes another step to the east and stabs at the spider harrying Maelis.
As the paralytic begins coarsing through Destriant's veins, his grip tightens, and his muscles begin to jerk with slight spasms making his control much worse. He rolls his shoulders to try to eat the stiffness with no luck, so he just thrusts at the spider next to him.
"Bastard! Maelis cries out in pain as the spiders venom begins to work through him, though he doesn't yet feel any difference in his abilities.
He once more attempts to strike at the filthy creature, before he takes a step away.
Trell, with the anger and embarrassment of his fighting abilities thus far, reaches within himself and tries to refocus his attacks at the same spider.
Do spiders have arteries? If they do, Trell found it when he bifurcated a large chunk off the side of the spider with his longsword, complete with three legs still attached and twitching.
Seeing his opponent down, he turns and lobs his acid splash at...
... the spider nearest Andakos. He puts all his fury and frustration in to the concentration of the spell, and launches a particularly caustic orb directly onto the spider. Not only does it drop to the floor, legs-up, but the acid continues to eat through its flesh at an alarming rate.
[color=green]
Spider 3 (dead)
Spider 1 (0 dmg)
Spider 4 (8 dmg, dying)
Spider 2 (0 dmg)
Spider 5 (8 dmg, dying, "bleeding")
Trell (4 dmg)
Destriant (2 dmg, 2 Str dmg, poisoned)
Maelis (3 dmg, 1 Str dmg, no longer poisoned)
Andakos (2 dmg)
[/color=green]
The spider that Trell bifurcated gouts one massive spray of yellowish, pus-like fluid right in Trell's face before ceasing to move.
The spider next to Destriant, too stupid to realize the tables have turned, continues aggressively defending its nest and lunges at the vigilante, its fangs finding purchase once more.
The spider Maelis stepped away from comes skittering up with a hiss and lunges at him. It slips on the blood of its cousin and faceplants so hard, Maelis can hear a tiny *crunch*.
Silence suddenly envelops Andakos. What the hell? He shakes his head once, twice, to no avail. Great. Hopefully Maelis can help me when this is over. Seeking to keep Maelis alive long enough to heal him, he attacks the spider next to the cleric again.
Trell moves 5 feet to stand next to Destriant. With the adrenaline coursing through his veins he attacks the spider that has been harassing Destriant.
Full of new confidence, Trell strides forward and with a final swipe, lops the last spider in half.
The party stops to survey the carnage about them. Who knew spiders had so much goo in them to spread around?
Unfortunately, one of your number still has a dangerous amount of venom still pumping through his veins.
Now that the haze of battle has settled, the party takes stock of their surroundings. Despite Arra's assurances this is Gaedren's primary ingress and egress, no doors are immediately visible in the hold.
+1 for traps
Something isn't right here. Arra said this is where Lamm goes. There must be a way out of this room.
Confident with the knowledge that Lamm doesn't come into this boat and disappear, Andakos deduces that there must be an exit that isn't immediately obvious. He looks in the places where it would make sense for a secret door to be, and sure enough, he finds it. "Look here. This is the way out. Lamm must be on the other side of this door."
Pressing a hidden latch, the door swings out.
A narrow space exists under the fishery, with about three feet of room between the floor of the eastern side of the building and the languid, foamy river water below. Wooden pilings support the building, and thick mats of moss and cobwebs hang from ropes and rusted chains between them. A wooden walkway floats on the river's surface, winding along the inner wall of pilings that supports the building's frame above. The walkway leads from the sodden ship to the east all the way west to a small two-and-a-half-foot-square door that leads into an understructure below the fishery's land-bound half. The pilings below this understructure are densely arrayed, leaving only narrow gaps into the water below that area.
Destriant feels weak, sleepy. His muscles barely move like there supposed to. He does what he can to follow Maelis's instructions, but his ears feel packed with linen, his tongue slightly numb.
Andakos is able to come up, and render assistance as well, for which Destriant mumbles a somewhat clumsy gratitude. Destriant stoops over to look into the hidden crawlspace, noting that it at least looks more structurally sound than anything else relating to this blasted ship. The way looks perfectly clear to Destriant.
Maelis gives a small kick to the corpse of the spider lying nearby, then goes over to inspect Destrient's wounds.
He notices Andakos speaking somewhat louder than usual, and goes over to him, "Can you hear all right?" He grabs his head unceremoniously and takes a look at the man's ears, hoping to help in some way, but seeing nothing simply lets go, shrugs and presses a finger to his lips in a shushing motion.
"Don't worry about my ears, Maelis. We'll figure it out later. I think we could all use a heal before we meet Lamm if you have any left, though."
"Great, there are sharks down here. Keep your eyes open."
Maelis channels positive energy in a burst, affecting all his comrades, and offers a prayer to Calistria for healing of Andakos' deafness despite his protests.
Destriant, feeling invited by Maelis's prayer, steps forward to lead the way, rotella cautiously held forth in front of him as he steps cautiously across the walkway.
Trell feels the cool sensation of healing and gives Maelis an appreciative nod. He then begins following his companions.
Thanks to the compromising position and the slippery, muck-caked boards, traversing the underpier is no simple task. As the party moves forward, Andakos's foot slips. He tilts...
... slides...
... but he somehow catches the roof of the underpier with his spear and manages to keep himself from going in the drink.
Maelis is not so lucky. Within moments, his leather greave catches on one of the boards and he does a rather convincing impression of a spider wearing roller skates in a grease spell before toppling off the boards into the water. Immediately the shark fin veers toward him.
Initiative:
[color=green]
Jigsaw Shark (0 dmg)
Maelis (0 dmg)
Destriant (0 dmg)
Trell (0 dmg)
Andakos (0 dmg)
[/color=green]
The shark rushes at Maelis and sticks its snout between the pilings but can't quite get at Maelis.
Andakos barely has a moment to catch his breath from his near tumble into the water before he notices that Maelis has fallen in behind him. Seeing the shark fin heading toward his friend, he shouts to Trell, "Trell! Move back and help me pull Maelis up!"