Banewarrens d20 (Angelsboi's party)

[diaglo]

Fiddle tossed another candle ahead. A slightly larger chamber but still not too big. Rough carved walls and no signs of trouble. Fiddle found the drow tracks.

“Come out and we won’t harm you,” Fiddle commanded.

Darian and Alya entered the chamber.

“I hear a young woman sobbing at the back,” Darian said.

Fiddle moved in the direction Darian indicated. Alya quickly caught up. Another illusionary wall. This one too Fiddle and Alya bypassed easily. Another chamber. This one occupied. A drow woman with a cloak drawn about her face. She sobbed. Fiddle prepared for trouble. Alya sang.

Fiddle ran for the exit. Too late. A web covered the illusionary wall. A large spidery creature occupied the ceiling. An aranea. Facts flashed thru Fiddle’s brain. In its natural form, an aranea resembles a big spider, with a humpbacked body a little bigger than a human torso. It has fanged mandibles like a normal spider. Two small arms, each about 2 feet long, lie below the mandibles. Each arm has a hand with four many-jointed fingers and a double-jointed thumb. An aranea weighs about 150 pounds. The hump on its back houses its brain.

“It’s an ambush,” Fiddle screamed. He attacked the web with Lightning Strike. He was quickly entangled.

Fiddle could see the other party members on the opposite side of the illusionary wall. He hoped they could see him. He knew they heard him. Sully mumbled and waved.

Allontani

Nothing happened.

Darian stood looking at Fiddle. “This is gonna hurt,” the Lathanderite said. A flame appeared in his hand and the web burned.

Alya cried out in Elven, “La mort rapide à ceux qui m'ont fait du tort." He fired his bow into the aranea.

Calrom lowered his shoulder and charged over Fiddle bow ablazing. He fired two arrows into the drow woman.

The drow woman changed form. She too was an aranea. She advanced on the ranger.

Arendel and the bear moved into position near the illusionary wall.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

DM's comment on the upcoming battle:

Curse my generosity with hero points! Ah, but at least they are out of them now!

 

[the Jester]

Olgar, you're a dm after my own heart.

(At least for cursing your generosity- I'd've never given 'em hero points to begin with! )

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Update?

 

[JoeBlank]

diaglo, our scribe, has been on vacation in Washington (the state). In fact, he mentioned that he might be launching an assualt on WotC's offices, or at least taking some hostages until they agree to support OD&D again.

 

[diaglo]

Death keeps a tally

Scorched, reinforced with allies, and free of the web Fiddle threw Hole Punch at the aranea on the ceiling. The dagger left a long gouge in the spider creature. Fiddle smiled and prepared for the next web. Sully moved into the room. Several bolts of magic left his outstretched hand and streaked into the opposition. Darian too strode thru the illusionary wall and fired a beam of light into the face of the former drow woman. She recoiled. Unfortunately, now Darian, Calrom, Alya, Sully, and Fiddle were in close proximity.

Alya completed his oath and slew the aranea on the ceiling with 2 well placed shots. No web from that foe. The former drow woman, now aranea fled to the back of the chamber and vanished. Another illusionary wall? The party didn't observe any form of spellcasting.

Calrom gave chase.

THUMMMMPP, CLANNNNGGggG

A throaty gasp escaped the ranger's lungs from the far wall.

Arendel tried as best he could to convince the bear to join the others.

 

[diaglo]

Battle Royale

Fiddle ran to the far wall. It was another illusion. Calrom faced off against two drow males. Blood flowed freely from several wounds on the ranger's sides. He'd charged into an ambush. One drow was in front of the wall now staring down at Fiddle. The other blocked Calrom's progress further into the chamber. At least two more elf size forms were at the edge of Fiddle's light. Of the aranea there was no sign. Alya stepped up to Fiddle's right. Darian summoned a band of blue fire around himself and moved ahead of the two smaller party members and squared off with the drow. Sully moved in behind Alya and Fiddle. He mumbled a phrase and touched Alya's shoulder.

Sparisca

The party was now invisible. So too was the first drow guard. The far drow guard added insult to injury to Calrom. Like a love struck Romeo, he was in dire straits. These were his sworn enemies. He wasn't backing down. The other guard attacked Darian.

There was a call of magic from inside the new chamber. And another male figure moved into view.

Grêle

Large balls of ice fell on the party and the two drow guards. Calrom went down. Fiddle, Darian, Sully, and Alya also felt the pounding. Arendel was just out of range of the ice. He touched the bear. It grew. It now almost completely occupied the previous chamber.


Fiddle attacked in full on the drow warrior. The warrior collapsed. Fiddle was now visible. Alya began to sing words of courage. Darian cast a spell. It had no effect on the drow wizard. He was visible. Sully detonated a ball of lightning in the chamber. He was now visible.

Lampo

The remaining guard moved into a blocking formation at the entrance. He was near Darian and Fiddle. He attacked Fiddle and scored a slash with his blade on the hin's arm. The drow wizard answered with a bolt of lightning of his own.

Foudre

Sully went down.

 

[the Jester]

Lookin' good for Olgar!

Uh, I mean, oh no!!

 

[diaglo]

Arendel and the bear moved closer. They would be in the thick of battle soon. Calrom his chest still rose and fell. He was alive. But he bled. Lucky for him the Lightning strikes were not in line with his body.

Fiddle attacked the last guard with a fury. The drow collapsed in a heap. Alya sang a soothing tune. He touched Sully. The gnome was awake with a start. Darian charged the drow wizard. He swung his mace. The wizard's flesh was tough. The mace rang out like it struck stone. The light of Darian's forehead lit the room. A priestess, the wizard, and the aranea were inside. Sully tried to help Darian. He tossed a handful of magical bolts at the wizard. Some hit, some fizzled out.

The drow focused on Darian. The priestess levelled a wand. A stream of darkness struck the Lathanderite. She cackled.

"Oh no you didn't," Darian cried out in anger.

The aranea shot a web around Darian. The band around the priest melted the webbing away. The wizard stepped out of Darian's reach and levelled another lightning strike.

Foudre

Fiddle jumped clear. Alya collapsed.

Arendel and the Bear entered the battle chamber. The Bear occupied a lot of room. He covered Calrom in a protective stance. The druid reached out to the forces of nature. A tower of flame engulfed the priestess. The combination of wounds from Sully's lightning ball and the flame tower charred the flesh from the drowess. She was ash before the spell completed.

The Bear had even better luck. He reached out and grabbed the wizard. Again the flesh of the wizard withstood some of the blow. But the Enlarged, enraged, bear would not be deter. He crushed the life from the wizard.

Fiddle dropped Hole Punch and pulled a potion from his ready belt. He poured the contents down Alya's throat. The bleeding stopped and the bard regained consciousness. Alya sang again. Darian used a wand on himself. Sully spied several vials on the hips of the dead guards. He retrieved them and began a quick analysis.

In a last ditch effort to escape, the aranea attacked the Bear. It was the last thing the spider creature ever did. The Bear splatted the bug on the ceiling. Arendel healed Sully.

Fiddle scurried under the Bear to Calrom's aid. He had plenty of head clearance. Was the ranger alive or dead? Fiddle didn't waste time to check. He poured another potion into the ranger's mouth.

 

[diaglo]

Sully's hunch paid off. The first vial was a healing potion. He quickly drank it. No telling what trouble would come at them next and when. Calrom stirred in Fiddle's arms.

"Are you okay?" Fiddle asked the obvious.

"Perhaps," Arendel leaned in close. "You could use some Elven healing? Eh, Calrom."

"Not from the likes of you," Calrom was awake. "You and them," he indicated the dead drow, "are too closely related. Besides I can take care of myself." Calrom pulled a wand out of his gear.

"I could, Arendel," Fiddle broke up the squabble. Fiddle's bumps and bruises tho not life threatening like Calrom, Sully, Alya, or even Darian's still made him less than capable if trouble arose.

"Okay Fiddle," Arendel smiled. "At least you are man enough to admit when you need help." He healed the hin some. Fiddle downed his last potion.

Alya and Darian also used what spells and resources they had left. The group searched the remains of the battle, the three chambers, and the bodies. Fiddle took some trophies as evidence...a few scalps, ears, fuzzy mandibles...

They recovered an interesting assortment of items. Among them was a clasp with a Drow house insignia. Alya translated... House Morcane.

"I think we should return to Randal Morn with the evidence we found," Fiddle remarked. "We are in no condition to penetrate further into the Underdark."

Everyone agreed.