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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CanadienneBacon" data-source="post: 2846804" data-attributes="member: 11146">Prixo, standing his ground in O9, draws his bow and notches an arrow to the bow's string.  Looking about himself for other possible trouble, Prixo scans the market stalls, shops, and craggy stalactite-hung ceiling for foes.  Not seeing anything save Drider 1 amidst the busy bazaar, nor anything on the ceiling where the orog pointed, Prixo steadies his hand and focuses on firing a poisoned arrow at the first foe to beset the party.  The orog's offer of secure retreat seems sound enough to Prixo--money is often a sure enough security in these parts.  At Zarra's shout, however, Prixo looks up again and this time spies Drider 2 as the large creature scurries out from behind cover.Still in L10, Zarra draws her rapier and quickly puts her pack back in place.  Her shout of alarm causes several customers and merchants nearby to look up and gasp.  A young drow boy, in the middle of handing over silver coins to a merchant in exchange for a vial of oil, hastily drops the coins to the floor and footpads a hasty exit back toward Drider 1.  The crowd quickly exhibits first irritation at the fleeing boy, then gasps of surprise and shock as Drider 2 is spotted.Drider 3 scuttles from behind a particularly large calcite stalactite hanging from the ceiling and moves forward 30 feet, a wicked red shortbow in its hands.  The creature has the head and torso of a male drow but the legs and lower body of a giant mottled brown spider.  Firing from 100 feet up on the ceiling, but 10 feet south of K'yorl, Drider 3 takes aim at K'yorl from just over a combined 100 feet away.  The arrow whistles through the air but misses K'yorl, instead hitting a troglodyte merchant in the throat six feet away.  The troglodyte keels over, blood spurting from the puncture hole in its neck.Prixo, seeing the opportunity he'd been awaiting, fires his own arrow in reply at Drider 3.  Though far away up on the ceiling, Drider 3 is still within good range of his bow.  Prixo's arrow hits true, striking Drider 3 in the softer underbelly, dealing a total of 15 points of damage, 3 of which is frost and 6 of which is shock.Alex quickly determines that Drider 1 has a pair of daggers in the front two of its eight legs.  After seeing that Ardyth shows on sign of retreat, Alex readies his silver spiked chain to disarm the drider of at least one dagger.Drider 2 begins to climb down the far wall of the cavern behind a row of shop fronts.  As the large creature scuttles down on eight legs, it suddenly blinks from view.Hael, having activated his boots, flies back toward Drider 1 to engage.  From F9, Hael hurls his throwing axe from a distance of 15 feet.  Still within partial range of the weapon but wary of whether the creature has reach, Hael strikes Drider 1 squarely on the head with the throwing axe, scoring a blow that deals 6 points of dmg.  Viscous brown ichor wells from the wound.Ardyth, standing behind Alex, casts see invisibility and scans the wall where Drider 2 disappeared.@Ardyth [sblock]Drider 2 is invisible and climbing down the far cavern wall and started out in roughly W3.  By the end of its turn it is 60 feet down and getting ready to jump onto the rooftops of the shops in that area.[/sblock]Queastag, having no stomach for the rigors of battle, rudely tugs on K'yorl's sleeve to get the drowess's attention.  In a harried throaty whisper, the orog hulks forward and motions to the side alley.  "Come, Queastag guide you now, we leave.  All?"  The orog draws a short sword and looks around at the others, but makes no menacing gesture toward K'yorl.Lyssa, in a foul temper after the effects of her drink wear off and irritated at having been beset by a swarm of merchants, whips a wand into view and intones, "Kundrithly."  Directing the bead of fire at Drider 3, a fireball explodes high above on the ceiling, dealing 16 points of damage to Drider 3 and one of the mottled red spiders nearby.  Drider 3 appears to be only partially burnt by the spread of flames but the red-striped spider sizzles and falls to the bazaar floor in a smoking ball of chitine.  The crowd in the area where the red-striped spider hits scatter and shouts ring out.Enmasse, the remaining eleven red-striped spiders begin spindling down on silk thread from their perch on the ceiling.  The three spiders nearer the side wall use the rock of the cavern wall to aid their descent while four others drop on threads toward the rooftops of the row of shops.  Three other of the spiders simply spindle down on thread toward the bazaar floor, some 100 feet away.  The spiders appear to be making slow progress.K'yorl casts sanctuary on herself but, not being threated by melee, stands her ground in O10 after drawing out her wand.Blite pushes his hulking way through Zarra, Ardyth, Alex and the general throng of the marketplace back toward Drider 1, drawing his greatsword as he goes.  Blite's attempt to push forward and sidestep Hael, who had moved nearer to Drider 1, causes two entire merchant stalls on Blite's right side to collapse.  An angry cry, muffled in part by howls of pain from nearby marketgoers, ensues from that section of the bazaar.  With a roar, Blite swings at Drider 1 and scores a massive blow, dealing critical damage for a total of 43 points, slaying Drider 1 on the spot.Initiative:Prixo 23Zarra 19DriderAlex 15DriderHael 12Ardyth 9OrogLyssa 8Spiders K'yorl 6Blite 4DriderBattlemap forthcoming.  Please hang tight before posting, as you'll want to see current positions.</blockquote>

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