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The Ecology of the Giant Water Spider (unpublished AD&D 2E version)
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 2324068" data-attributes="member: 508"><p>I am awakened by movement. My eyes are blurry and filled with sleep; my brain is fuzzy and unable to think - what is going on? It has grown lighter: the sun must be up. I see shapes darting by the outside of the web. The female spider has gone out of the web in order to confront the attackers - what are they, fish? It was her movement that woke me.</p><p></p><p>I hear voices. It takes me a moment to understand the significance of that simple fact.</p><p></p><p>Voices!</p><p></p><p>I cannot make out what is being said, but I cry out for help. At the top of my lungs, I cry out "Help me! Please, help me!" in Elven, then again in the common tongue of the region.</p><p></p><p>A figure enters my field of vision. At first, I believe him to be an elf, for his ears are as pointed as my own. Tears fill my eyes, and his form blurs before I get a really good look at him, but I see that he holds a dagger in his hand.</p><p></p><p>"You're an elf!" he says to me, using the common tongue. "I thought you were a human."</p><p></p><p>"Does it matter?" I ask, blinking to see through my tears.</p><p></p><p>"Well, yes. A human would fall under my <em>charm</em> quite easily; you, on the other hand, won't be so easy."</p><p></p><p>I can see now that this is no elf before me; his skin is a soft shade of green, and the hand holding the dagger is webbed. I have met my first nixie.</p><p></p><p>I need little time for thought. "Release me, and no <em>charm</em> spell will be necessary," I tell him, "for I will willingly serve you for a year." I have heard tales of how nixies used captured humans to do their heavy labor, and such a fate is infinitely preferable to the one in store for me if I stay with the spiders. Besides, what is a year in the life span of an elf?</p><p></p><p>"Your word?" he asks.</p><p></p><p>"My word, freely given."</p><p></p><p>It is enough. The dagger slices through the webbing that has kept me prisoner for the past several days. I am weak from immobility, and stumble. The nixie must help me out of the spider's dwelling, for I cannot do it alone.</p><p></p><p>At a touch, the nixie imbues me with the ability to breathe water. I see the nixie warriors have tangled the spider in a net; otherwise, it surely would have killed a few of them, for they do not seem to swim as fast as the male spider did when he brought me to the female.</p><p></p><p>Surprisingly, the nixies depart without killing the spider. "She has her uses," replies my rescuer. "We occasionally trade with giant water spiders, giving them fish or shiny objects in return for silk.<strong>[12]</strong> This one is particularly bad-tempered, though, so we don't usually engage in trade with her, although sometimes, like now, we rescue her victims. They don't get eaten, and we get bond-servants. Everybody's happy."</p><p></p><p>I certainly am, as I look back at the giant water spider, hopefully for the last time. She has escaped from the net, and is returning to her air-filled web.</p><p></p><p>I watch her go, then turn to accompany my new nixie companions. My curiosity is already overwhelming me with questions.</p><p></p><p>It should be an interesting year.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 2324068, member: 508"] I am awakened by movement. My eyes are blurry and filled with sleep; my brain is fuzzy and unable to think - what is going on? It has grown lighter: the sun must be up. I see shapes darting by the outside of the web. The female spider has gone out of the web in order to confront the attackers - what are they, fish? It was her movement that woke me. I hear voices. It takes me a moment to understand the significance of that simple fact. Voices! I cannot make out what is being said, but I cry out for help. At the top of my lungs, I cry out "Help me! Please, help me!" in Elven, then again in the common tongue of the region. A figure enters my field of vision. At first, I believe him to be an elf, for his ears are as pointed as my own. Tears fill my eyes, and his form blurs before I get a really good look at him, but I see that he holds a dagger in his hand. "You're an elf!" he says to me, using the common tongue. "I thought you were a human." "Does it matter?" I ask, blinking to see through my tears. "Well, yes. A human would fall under my [i]charm[/i] quite easily; you, on the other hand, won't be so easy." I can see now that this is no elf before me; his skin is a soft shade of green, and the hand holding the dagger is webbed. I have met my first nixie. I need little time for thought. "Release me, and no [i]charm[/i] spell will be necessary," I tell him, "for I will willingly serve you for a year." I have heard tales of how nixies used captured humans to do their heavy labor, and such a fate is infinitely preferable to the one in store for me if I stay with the spiders. Besides, what is a year in the life span of an elf? "Your word?" he asks. "My word, freely given." It is enough. The dagger slices through the webbing that has kept me prisoner for the past several days. I am weak from immobility, and stumble. The nixie must help me out of the spider's dwelling, for I cannot do it alone. At a touch, the nixie imbues me with the ability to breathe water. I see the nixie warriors have tangled the spider in a net; otherwise, it surely would have killed a few of them, for they do not seem to swim as fast as the male spider did when he brought me to the female. Surprisingly, the nixies depart without killing the spider. "She has her uses," replies my rescuer. "We occasionally trade with giant water spiders, giving them fish or shiny objects in return for silk.[b][12][/b] This one is particularly bad-tempered, though, so we don't usually engage in trade with her, although sometimes, like now, we rescue her victims. They don't get eaten, and we get bond-servants. Everybody's happy." I certainly am, as I look back at the giant water spider, hopefully for the last time. She has escaped from the net, and is returning to her air-filled web. I watch her go, then turn to accompany my new nixie companions. My curiosity is already overwhelming me with questions. It should be an interesting year. [/QUOTE]
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