After seeing a bathtub-sized chunk of stone carved from the walls with the same ease which he'd use to scoop up a handful of clay, Devis moves first. He backpedals carefully, and then turns the corner. Most of the group hasn't seen the monster yet, but they do see Devis maneuvering around the bear and his friends. Still singing a song - "Lord, how the thousands are arrayed against me" - he skids to a stop a safe distance back. He tries to load his crossbow, but the careful move took too much time.
Vadania's flute-like voice reverberates like wind through an old oak, and her skin toughens and hardens. Scimitar in hand, heart beating like mad, she waits around the corner from the beast. She can feel the stone beneath her feet shaking as it lumbers forward. Perea waits beside her, poised.
Hennet begins to cast, prickles of energy appearing between his fingers, Midway through the spell he catches a glimpse of the creature's eyes. They're odd... mesmerizing, two and four and two and four, like a spider but different, and different sizes.... He feels the spell slipping from his mind. With a shock, he musters his will and tries to contain it, and it's only Devis' song that gives him the strength to refocus his mind and finish the spell. Two globes of energy sizzle from his fingers, crackling into the large monster's chest. Having finished the spell, Hennet takes Devis' lead and moves quickly north.
A prayer to Pelor ripples through the dark cavern like sunlight reflecting off of water. Despite Jozan's insistent and somewhat tenor voice, the prayer inspires and motivates almost everyone who can hear it. As the last syllable is uttered, Jozan is on the move, moving northeast.
Then the monster clears the corner of the tunnel. Its mandibles snap in anticipation of fresh meat, and its two handlers are whipping it forward. The blinders around its eyes are open, allowing it to look straight ahead, and it swings its head back and forth as if seeking the best target. It ignores Perea, perhaps not seeing her, and its gaze s fix on Regdar. "Klishtak! Nathag'gu!" urge the two riders in goblinoid, and the monster bears down on Regdar as it he were the only target in the cave. As it runs past, both Vadania and Perea launch a free attack at its flank. Perea misses, claws scraping across a bony plate, but Vadania slams her scimitar home. It almost lodges there, which would have ripped an entire plate of armor free, but instead the scimitar slides out at the last second. Greenish blood dribbles down the monsters flank.
Seeing this, one of the two riders levels his long spear at Vadania. It thumps her in the chest just above the heart, but her leather armor deflects it, and she is unharmed. Likewise, the other rider's long spear is leveled at Regdar, who casually knocks it away with a flick of his greatsword. The beast's claw is a lot harder to deflect, though, and a massive claw punctures his armor over by his arm. His half-plate armor immediately begins to drip with blood.
Lidda shifts her position slightly and fires. The bolt shatters on the monster's forehead. Nebin does likewise, the bolt sticking into the leather saddle an inch from a goblinoid's knee. Alhandra's arrow has a little bit more luck, poking through a chitinous plate and drawing blood. At the far end of the cavern, Mialee sees her opportunity, and two magic missiles streak through the air and burrow into the creature's shell. Almost simultaneously, Krusk lets loose a massive arrow, but the goblinoid's saddle is well designed; the arrow pierces the saddle instead of the rider, although it looks like he got lucky.
Ma'Varkith looks at Regdar. "Ready?" she asks, and the two of them move in to attack. Its claw swings at her as she moves in, but she barely ducks it, throwing off her swing completely. Using Ma'Varkith's attack as a distraction, Regdar is able to get in close. He doesn't have to look at the face and the eyes; he has a perfectly serviceable belly right in front of him, and his greatsword finds a weak spot in the chitin. Wrenching his wrist around, he digs the sword in deeply, and foul fluids spout out onto his arm. He one hit he does easily as much damage as every other attack combined, and the monster screams with pain.
Regdar seems to have gotten its attention.
That makes life easier for Kerwyn. He sprints around to its far side, closing in tightly so that he will flank with Ma'Varkith as soon as he moves a bit farther. He feels something on his brain... calling, cajoling, whispering. Looking up, he sees the blind goblinoid staring at him with empty eyes, promising him empty rewards and a friendship that could only end in betrayal.
Regdar takes 10 points of damage, but inflicted 26! No one else hurt, as my dice betrayed me. Ma'Varkith still has up aid, and everyone is both blessed and competent. Devis at L19, Vadania and Perea unmoved, Hennet at J19, Jozan at L18, Lidda at Q13, Nebin at H18, Alhandra at L20, Krusk at L21, Mialee unchanged, Ma'Varkith at O19, Regdar at Q19, Kerwyn at R22, monster at P19-Q20.
I was biocurrenting this beasty's riders.
