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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1840244" data-attributes="member: 1210">Down to the Wire Against the Wolf-Spider!The cave- really just a hole in the ground- is covered by a trap door of mixed stones, sticks, webbing and bones.  Our heroes rush to it, knowing that the seconds are ticking away.  Timothy is dying!  They have to rescue him- they have to at least try...!With a gulp of fear, the group pulls the trap door open.  A dim tunnel, wide enough for two halflings abreast to have fighting room, descends at a steep angle into darkness.  Boddynock casts dancing lights into the gloom and Boddynock and Lita hesitantly, carefully enter.*The passage, full of loose earth and rocks, leads the two intrepid heroes to a chamber where they can see the wolf-spider wrapping their friend in webbing.  He’s sure to be a meal soon!  But the two are sneaking carefully, and it is distracted.Lita hurls another dart with devastating accuracy.  It flies true, ending deep in the wolf head’s ear, and the monster howls in agony.  It fires a web at Lita and sticks her to the ground.  She gives a yell of dismay.“I’m coming!” shouts Boddynock, almost out of spells, and moves up to try to help Lita throw off the web.  But the two halflings, even working together, cannot get the psion free quickly enough.  The wolf-spider drops Timothy’s half-cocooned body and starts scuttling forward at Lita, barking savagely.  She pulls out her crossbow and starts to load it-Too slow!  The wolf-spider bites her, sinking spider-fangs from a wolf’s head into the poor hapless Lita.  She gives a strangled cry and collapses, as the monster’s poison does its deadly work.“Oh crap,” groans Boddynock.The wolf-spider scuttles forward towards him.  He fires his last spell- a color spray- but the wolf-spider keeps coming.  Shaking with fear, Boddynock pulls out his tiny, gnome-sized dagger.  He trembles as the monster skitters closer; this is it.  They’re all going to die, now.  Surely he can’t defeat this thing on his own, with just his dagger!  Boddynock groans.  The thing springs at him, and Boddynock ducks under its slavering, venomous jaws and thrusts with his dagger.  The blade sinks to the hilt in the creature’s forebody, and it gives another loud yelp and staggers away a pace.  Still growling, the creature barks madly at the gnome, then advances again.  It attacks!Boddynock screams as the venom sears him.  The thing is ripping him apart!  Its jaws latch on to his chest- gods, it’s going to bite him in half!- and tighten.  Then, suddenly, it releases him!  With a cry, he drops to the floor.It staggers for an instant, lets out a plaintive whine, and collapses, bleeding and dying.Boddynock, unable to believe it, shaking and bloody and weakened from the poison, stares at it.  He slowly regains his feet.  He’s clutching his dagger in his sweaty fist so tightly that it will leave an impression for hours, and his hand will be sore for days.But it doesn’t get back up. Slowly, Boddynock approaches it.  He walks gingerly towards its head.  Takes a deep breath- and slits the wolf-spider’s throat.  It never responds.  It was too badly wounded after his stab; the act of attacking him was such a strain that it defeated itself.**Boddynock hurries to Lita.  She’s breathing, her eyes are even open, but she seems paralyzed.  She can’t move.  It must be the poison, thinks Boddynock.  Then, mournfully, he moves to Timothy’s wrapped up body and cuts it free.Wait... he’s alive!  Breathing shallowly, yes, but still alive!  Boddynock grins.  This isn’t so bad after all!  The he looks around and reconsiders.  Though it doesn’t look like there is anywhere else for more wolf-spiders to lurk, this is a very grim place to have to rest.  “Well, we need to hole up, but this is ridiculous,” he quips.  Then he grins.  There’s no choice, really; he certainly can’t carry his friends out of here.  ***8/14/368 O.L.G., the wolf-spider’s caveTwo days of resting and recuperating are sufficient for the group to make a search of the wolf-spider’s nest.  Among the gruesome, desiccated remains they find about 200 gold pieces and a scroll with the spells command, shield other and lesser vigor on it.  Then they head outside to find a better resting place.  None of them is fully healed; they are all, in fact, still barely alive, and weak from the poison.  Though recovering, they are far from recovered.  A little sunlight and fresh air helps a lot.  ***8/19/368 O.L.G., 9 a.m. near the wolf-spider’s caveAt last they move on.  They are looking for the homestead where a recent murder occurred.  “I hope it wasn’t one of the inmates,” comments Boddynock.Timothy says nothing.  ***11 a.m.When the little homestead comes into view, our heroes feel an instant of hesitation.  Indeed they should.  Within the shack in front of them is victim #663 for a madman named Manson.Next Time: The scene of a terrible, terrible crime!  The return of the Sheriff!  *They were the only conscious- though battered- pcs present.**Yep, Boddynock’s stab had reduced it to 0 hp!</blockquote>

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