Adventures in the lands of Syrael (IC)

[Cerubus_666]

“I mean no disrespect, me Lord,” Speaks the Dwarven warrior as he bows deeply in his blue dragon armor. Lifting his gaze back to the Elven Lord he says firmly, “But I cannot accept such things when others are in much need of it.” Heclar pauses for only a second. Shifting his gaze to a near by Elven worker who is busying herself by digging wholes and planting wooden beams in hopes of protecting her family against the evil that plagues their homeland. Looking back to the Elven leader, he bows again and says, “You honor me with your generous hospitality when you have so little to do so, and that is reward enough.”

As the group disburses throughout the camp, the burly dwarf makes his way over to the metal worker where he exchanges a small amount gold for an equal small amount of oil and a sharpening stone. Next he moves to a remote location where he then performs his unique ritual of removing his armor. Storing his gear within his magical backpack he then moves to the nearest work force and helps the encampment with their fortifications.

Alexcia gives the dwarf a funny look, for both his comment on slavery and his refusal of funds. She snatches the extra gem from the elf leader as the dwarf leaves earshot saying, "He was just kidding, milord. We'll make good use of your reward to help you defend your people." Moving quickly away while dropping the 2 gems into her Bag of Safety, she follows Rhun into the weapon shop. She takes stock quickly, looking for items specifically effective against the undead.



OOC: If I'm taking too much liberty by 'ninja looting' the gem, just say so.

 

[Al the Absentminded]

The quick claim doesn't go unnoticed, at least by Luhal. But his opinion of Heclar's judgement is perhaps not so high at the moment. Still . . .

"She holds three shares with two stones. Best follow her, be sure she doesn't spend it all," he comments to the others as he claims a stone for himself. "Be back with change, if enchanter has what I wish." Then he goes to the enchanter.

"Wood shelter, Stone support, Water slake," Luhal greets as he enters the enchanter's building, speaking to the individual he sees (if he sees one). "Know you of the magics of the Green?"

-Albert

 

[Priest_Sidran]

The elf smiles. "So what can I get you?" He has an excelent selection of masterwork bows, right up to one of the +5 strength variety. The elf speaks like a seasoned merchant. "These bows are standard prices, 450 for the lowest quality masterwork, 1000 for my strongest bow, here. I would recomend not to use that one unless you have the strength for it; 'tis a mighty weapon. To get any stronger than that and you'd need to talk to Elleath'ril, the enchanter.

"At this time while I am interested in such things I must pass due to monetary troubles" Iandon says in Elven.

Feeling as though his bow his appropriate for the tasks at hand Iandon walks out of the shop and rejoins the rest of his companions. Eagerly awaiting the adventures to come.



OOC: I also went searching earlier for a bowyer...Just don't have the money (unless the sapphires came into play) which I would not ask for, as Iandon sees that as group funds for important expenses. Also Penance did you get my emails

 

[Lot]

Ostu takes the the saphire and examines it.

"Nice...very nice. Listen, a bow might be a good idea. I've not much of an archer, but I've played around with a few. Maybe I'll pick one up."

Ostu walks across the clearing to the bowyer.

"Hello, sir. A pleasure and all that. Anyway, I need a bow. You're an elf and a bowyer and I'm a human. I'm sure you'll be capable of telling me of all the spiritual, mystical qualities of the wood to make the bow you think the whispering trees think I should have. I think you could convince me, too. I'm not all that bright and I'm impulsive and emotional like all the humans you've known in your long, wisdom-inducing life. Here's the thing. The better the bow I can get for my money, the better I think I can help your people. So please, please hand me a bow that I can use to take advantage of the limited strength the gods have graced me with."

Ostu will also try to acquire a masterwork shortsword for his off-hand.

"Sir, I've been examining your blades and they're amazing. Look at what I've been using." Ostu shows the blade to the smith. "I would love to have one of your fine swords, but I'm a bit cash-poor, especially after the gouging your pal gave me on the bow. Think you can help me? I'll even give you my old sword to show your apprentices what not to do."

 

[penance]

The bowyer smiles at Ostu's words and points at a +2 composite. "This one is probably the strongest bow that you could use. Cost is only 550, take it or leave it. For that gem, however, I will have to give you something extra... perhaps I could intrest you in this blade. It is well made (read masterwork) and the bow and the short sword would be a fair trade. Do we have a deal?" Ostu tilted back his head and laughed. "Two normal weapons, for a gem like this? How about the two weapons, and three hundred gold peices. You do have gold, here, right?" The bowyer grimaced, but then held up the gem and looked at it. "I could give you two hundred back. That is as good as it gets." Ostu nodded, "Then we have a deal."

As Rhun and Alexcia enter the weapon shop, the elf looks up from his meal. "Hullo, there. What can I help you with?" He is a big person, especially for the usually frail elves. "Hail, friend," Silverdrake says, "My friend and I seek something that will help in combat against foul undead. Have you any items here?" The smith nods, "Aye, many people ask me that these days. My best recomendation is not to get a weapon specifcally to fight the undead; while usually mindless, they are a varied subtype." He reaches into a pack and root around until he finds a small pouch. From it, he withdraws two small, silver rings. "These are lesser rings of Accuracy." [sblock=knoweldge]+1 to hit, +1 to damage[/sblock] "Well, those might be of some use, how much would you want? said Silverdrake."For two of these handy little items, it would be the sum of..." The elf replies after he does math in his head, pointing at some mental number. "Eh, twenty five hundred of your gold." Alexcia let out a laugh and says, "Wow, that is a good deal. How about I give you one of these rare gems and call it even?" The elf takes a gem and examines it closely. "Well.... I don't know. How 'bout this? Two gems for two magic rings. Does that sound like a deal?" Alexcia and Silverdrake glance at each other for a second, and then turn to the smith. "Deal."

As Luhal steps into the enchanteer's house, a beautiful female elf looks up. She has pearly white skin and brown eyes. However, there is a hard look to her face, like she has seen the rigors of combat. She nods, and speaks in elven, "Greetings to my humble house. Of what aid could I give you?" Luhal nods, and courtesly asks if she has a magic item capable of extending his Shillelagh spell by several days. She laughs "Well, I don't ahve anything to the level of several days, but I do have a perminatly enchanted Staff of Shillelagh that runs about two and a half thousands of gold. If you arn't interested in that, I could rummage around, I'm pretty sure I have a charm for shellelagh...." Her eyes dart about the room until she spots a small, silvery talisman with a cord attached to the top. "Here, attach this to the top of your staff. If you were to cast the spell into the tailisman, it will affect the staff, and last for much longer." (i.e. 2 hours per caster level) "The charm is effective, but not expensive. Perhaps... a thousands' worth of gold?" Luhal thought for a moment. and then pulled his gem out of his pocket. "For a hundred gold and the tailisman, I gift you with this." She nods, and pulls out her purse.

Heclar stands, glancing around the area and criticising the elves on their protections. A younger elf approaches him, and speaks. "Hai, dwarf! What brings one such as you to this forest? He shrugs, "Well, you look as one who could defend yourself. Perhaps you would wish to attempt some friendly sparring?" [sblock=sense motive]You detect no malace, bloodweaver, only curiosity as to your powers.[/sblock] The elf grins and draws his weapon, an embossed scimitar. Then, after Helcar pulls his weapon they began a small duel. It wasn't a vicious affair, more like a testing of each others ability.
At this time, the rest of the part has their items and is meeting nearby and watching. Suddenly, Heclar trips the elf and has his sword above the elves' chest; smiling he steps back and gives the young elf a hand up. With that, the party gathers and waits outside the tent of Forathius Laerius.

 

[Bloodweaver1]

Heclar Kal'lack

He gives the young elven warrior a respectful bow before walking off towards his gear. After taking a long pull from one his water skins, he dawns his gear and heads back to his companions. As he walks past the young warrior, he gives him a reassuring look and states, “If fight with your heart and not your arm, it will be your enemies lying on their backs instead of you.” With that he tosses his half full water skin to the elf and walks away. Calling over his shoulder he shouts, “Rest up! For we practice again when I return.”

 

[penance]

The party waited into the afternoon. Some talked about strategy to fight the undead, others waited. Alexcia did some more carving on her wooden figure. Then the tent door opened, and Draethan and Forathius exited. Forathius spoke, "Now we are prepared, and I am sure you wish to be on your way." He smiled, "You strike me as the type of people that do not like to linger. Draethan will take you along the Skylit Path, to our forward base. From there it is a short march to the orc encampment. Be warned! My scouts have been reporting some strange happenings along the Path, and you would do well to stay on your guard." He bowed, and returned to his tent. Draethan now walks in front of the party; he has a different look on his face. His clothes are still dusty, but his flagging composure has dissapeared. "Well. I daresay that we should be off! Step lightly, now."

And so the party left the elven camp. They walked through the forest along small, well-worn game trails, leaving almost no trace. After a few hours, Draethan stopped. "Hai, there. Something is not right," he said quietly. He pointed up at the trees, and the party noticed that every couple trees was infested with spiders, their webs practicaly consuming the entire tree. "The last time I was here, it was not like this." He looks slightly unsettled."Keep a hand on your sword hilts, my friends."

With that, the party ventured deeper into a forest devoid of life; no wildlife moved. The only thing prospering in this area of the forest was the webs. After about half an hours walk, the evening sky was invisible, blocked by a maze of web the created a canopy. Alexcia pulled a glow rod from her pack, and Draethan lit a torch so that the adventurers could see. "The front encampment is a hour from here. Be wary."

After another twenty-five minutes of walking, Draethan froze. "Did you hear that?" He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, right before the huge spider dropped from the canopy. It was a terrifying monster, the size of three men. As it landed, it made a screeching noise that peirced through the forest. Draethan let fly an arrow into the thing's side, and as a response, the spider flung a spray of web into the party, catching Draethan and the front two party members.

Defend yourselves!

 

[penance]

The party is caught in a vicious struggle between the huge spider.

Draethan took a vicious bite to the shoulder, and then tried to free himself, but the web was a hard one to sever; Silverdrake only managed to lose his footing. His curses echoed throughout the forest. Only Draethan was able to escape easily. Alexcia stood back and cast a defensive spell while Heclar and Luhal charged forward into the fray. The spider attacked multiple times when the attacking adventurers let down their guard, but was not as effective on it's defense as it was on the offense. That must be what the traps were for; when Weel and Alexcia tried to flank the monster, they got tangled up in fine, clear threads of sticky spider silk that were set in between the road and the tree webs. The movements of the two party members struggling through the trap signaled a horde of small, hand-sized spiders to creep from the tree-nests. However, even with this reinforcement, the fight was going well against the monster; it was near death. After taking several glaive and sword hits, the thing reared up and sprayed ichor over the party members; at the same time, it out a screeching howl.

An answering reply came from the trees behind the party. Draethan yelled " 'Ware the flanks!" From behind the party, another monster spider dropped from the trees.

Things weren't looking good for group.


[sblock=ooc]ok, the new battle sheet is in the battle thread.[/sblock]

 

[penance]

Somehow, the light arounrd the adventurers lessened, and a cold wind sprang up through the mass of tree and web around the road. As Heclar and Carper attacked the spider, Silverdrake managed to stand, now free of the web. While his friends kept the attention of the first spider, Luhal shaped glowing runes of magic in his hands, forming a powerful Entangle spell. Once the runes were formed, all that was needed was the muttered trigger words to unleash the fulry of nature back against the monsters that had warped the area; the plants, trees, and roots ripped abart the anceint road, wrapping around the second spider. Heclar glanced away from the combat, startled from the noise. His enemy tried to take advantage of this, but instead one of it's legs collapsed. With lighting-quick reflexes, Heclar propped his glavie against the ground and impaled the spider using it's own mass. With an ear-grating screech, the thing died.

The adventurers were unprepared for the attack from the flank; hundreds of hand-sized spiders poured from the webbed area and attacked Alexcia, Weel, and Silverdrake. Their attacks scythed through the area, killed many little spiders, but the efforts of the party were not stemming the flow.

Toward their flanks, the party prepared to bombard the trapped spider; it's struggles just made it harder for the monster to escape. Luhal seemed confident that the spell would hold, as he turned and faced the second creature. He pulled his sling and called to the other party members to shoot with ranged weapons. However, the reach of it's vicious jaws was not to be underestimated, and it landed a painful bite on the wolf Carper. Ostu, Iando, and heclar all pulled their bows out and prepared a salvo, accompanied by Draethan. However, at this point the weather took a turn for the worse; the crack of thunder could be heard through the insulating canopy above. A large gust of wind blew along the road, making it difficult for the arrows of the party to hit the spider.

It was a moment that foreshadowed the battles to come.

 

[penance]

Seeing their troubles, the party redoubled their efforts. Weel and Alexcia hacked and chopped at the waves of tiny spiders that were heading for their compatriots, while thier allies tried their best to defeat the reinforcing spider that was pinned by the entangle spell. Silverdrake picked his way around the spider traps and carefully approached the spider with the intent to kill it, while Ostu, Heclar, Draethan, Iando, and Luhal readied a ranged salvo. As luck would have it, a gust of wind swept through thearea right as they let lose with their weapons, and so the first attack caused little damage. The spider, however, replied with a vicous bite to Carper, putting a large gash around the wolf's shoulder.

Alexcia and weel were becoming overwhelmed by the little beasts, and so Luhal turned from the large spider and went to exact his revenge on the small spawn. This, combined with an intellegent water spell by Weel, pushed the little creatures back. Among the three, they killed half the swarm, nearly one hundred.

The second ranged salvo from the party at the huge spider was much more accurate; the monster's ichor pulsed out of its body from it's wounds with each struggle. It became more and more weak. However, it wasn't to be underestimated, and with a burst of speed landed a vicious bite on Silverdrake before it was finally subdued.

The party all had cuts, wounds, and gashes; large rends caused by the fangs of the huge spiders on some, while Alexcia and Weel had many small bites all along their exposed flesh. Even their armor showed signs of damage. They settled down in between the corpses of their unnatural foes and rested for a bit as the healing was dispensed.

[sblock=ooc] how do you guys want to heal, using what spells/items? post it in OOC and ill add that here[/sblock]

Silverdrake, while wounded, stood and watched the group and the area around them. I wonder why these behemoths are here in the lowlands instead of the mountain caves they usually inhabit? He thought to himself. He said aloud, "I wonder where these creatures' lair is; it can't have been far."
[sblock=ooc]party spot check. Also, if you want me to change silverdrakes dialouge, just let me know, Rhun.[/sblock]

At this, the party raised their heads and looked around. Alexcia and Silverdrake both saw it at the same time; a break in the web about 50 feet ahead of the party that looked as though it was well used. From the outside, it looked like a tunnel, leading into the darkness. In actuality, it was a tube of web, carefully constructed by the now dead creatures. The group now had a choice to make; Delve into the spider-consructed pit or continue on their quest.