The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom (Game Thread III)

[JadedDM]

It takes Babushka an hour to reach the village, another hour to do her shopping, and a third hour to return.

By this point, the first watch has ended. Shay's lantern had run out of oil, as well, leaving the men in the dark but Locky could still see. She and Shay sat awake while Jerrard got some rest, even though the thief couldn't see anything anyway.

Babushka wasn't able to find any fresh tracks outside the cave, save a few small animals that had passed through, and maybe a deer.

Stepping inside the cave, she sets her wineskin in the water and watches it tumble down the falls. As she squats there eagerly, her ranger senses kick in and she instinctively realizes she is not alone. Whirling around, she finds that a spider about six feet in diameter has has followed her into the tunnel, apparently looking for a light snack!

=====================

Huge Spider tries to surprise (1d10): 10, fails. Babushka is not surprised.

Babushka's Initiative (1d10): 3
Spider's Initiative (1d10): 5

Babushka wins!

.o._._._._._._._._.w.
.o._._._.S._._.B._.w.

w – Waterfall
o - Cave opening
B – Babushka
S – Huge Spider

(OOC: Locky, Jerrard, and Shay are not aware of this going on yet.)

[Breila]

Babushka gets Locky's dagger and Shay's knife out of their sheaths. With a battle cry that will hopefully be heard over the waterfall, she attack the spider, trying to drive it further away from the waterfall.
dagger (1d20, 1d4=[15], [3])
knife (1d20=6, 1d3=2)


(ooc: and I had been thinking how strange it was that I was the only one of the party not havin geen seriously hurt yet!)

[JadedDM]

The gnome closes distance with the spider and strikes out, stabbing her dagger into one of the creature's many eyes. The wounded eye oozes out ichor and the spider hisses in pain. Her knife then darts forward, but the spider is prepared this time and evades.

The massive arachnid retaliates quickly by biting the gnome in her left arm. Immediately after, Babushka can feel the burning poison slowly spreading through her veins. She realizes quickly that even if she slays this spider quickly, the poison may finish her off if she is not treated soon.

While she is preoccupied with her wound, the spider leaps at her, knocking her down and biting into her neck like some kind of vampire. The gnome shoves the spider off of her and quickly gets back to her feet, but she is in bad shape.

Meanwhile, her wineskin drops into the lake with a splash. Shay stands up suddenly, looking around in the dark. "Locky! Did you hear that? It sounded like Babushka," he says, stumbling around.

============================

Babushka attacks with her dagger (15) and does 3 damage, then attacks with her knife (6) and misses.
Huge Spider attacks (1d20): 12, hits for (1d6): 5 damage
Babushka saves against poison (1d20+1): 8, fails, Babushka has been poisoned.

Babushka's Initiative (1d10): 6
Spider's Initiative (1d10): 3

Huge Spider wins!

Huge Spider attacks (1d20): 19, hits for (1d6): 5 damage

Shay detects noise (1d100): 19, hears Babushka's battle cry.

Party's turn!

.o._._._._._._._._.w.
.o._._._._.S.B._._.w.

w – Waterfall
o - Cave opening
B – Babushka
S – Huge Spider

(OOC: Shay can't do much, but I'll let Locky act in this round, if she chooses.)

[Jenara]

(OOC: Sorry, got sidetracked the last little bit)

"Oh!" Locky shouts, drawing her Hoopak, "Wake Jerrard!" She jumps up using her Infravision she scans around searching for the Gnome. If she sees her she will climb the plant ladder and ready her weapon.

(Assume she learnt the same spells this time, to help Jerrard)

[JadedDM]

Locky does spot movement in the upper cavern. She climbs up the root ladder to find a badly wounded Babushka fighting off an equally badly wounded spider bigger than most wolves Locky has seen.

"Jerrard, wake up!" Shay says, stumbling around camp looking for the mage. He stubs his toe on something an swears profusely.

(OOC: It has only been three hours, which means neither Locky nor Jerrard have rested long enough yet to re-memorize any spells.)

[Breila]

Desperate, Babushka strikes at the spider again.
dagger (1d20, 1d4=[17], [3])
knife (1d20, 1d3=[2], [3])

[Jenara]

Locky raises her hoopak letting two stones fly at the creature.

1d20=19, 1d6+2=4, 1d20=5, 1d6+2=4

Hit AC -1, 4 damage
Miss.

[JadedDM]

Babushka goes for the weak spot again, jabbing her dagger into another segmented eye. The spider decides this meal is not worth the effort. Severely wounded, it turns and attempts to flee back out the tunnel, leaving its backside exposed.

Before it can escape, though, Locky finishes her climb up the root ladder, loads a stone into her hoopak and slings it toward the spider. The stone hits the creature with such force, it cracks open its carapace. The spider collapses as its life fluids ooze out in a pool around it.

============================

Babushka attacks with her dagger (17) and hits for 3 damage, then with her knife (2) and misses.
Huge Spider makes a morale check (2d10): 19, fails. The spider attempts to flee.
Locky attacks with her hoopak (19) for 4 damage, killing the huge spider.

Combat ends.

[Jerrard]

Jerrard rises to his feet slowly, his wounds still troubling him, he opens his palm, producing a small flame, his eyes barely adjust to the scene.

"What is it?" he asks Shay, hand on his weapon.

[JadedDM]

Shay covers his eyes, as even the weak light of Jerrard's cantrip seems too bright after having sat in the darkness for so long. "It's Babushka. I heard her yell. Locky has all ready gone up to check," he says, pointing up the fungus ladder.

[Jerrard]

The Mage nods, "I will check, hopefully they are ok."checking his weapon he goes to climb the ladder, he does not speak, instead he throws the little light up the ladder, the minor flame resting at the top.

He then proceeds to climb the ladder slowly.

[JadedDM]

"Okay, then," Shay says. "I'll just stay here and...keep...watch," he finishes lamely, as he is left alone in the dark. "Branchala bite me," he mutters to himself softly.

Meanwhile, Jerrard climbs up the fungus ladder to find Locky and Babushka. A few feet away is a dead spider almost big enough for little Babs to ride upon, had she a proper saddle. Babushka herself is in bad shape. She is bleeding from a nasty spider bite on her left arm and another on her neck. The first wound is slowly turning purple, indicating some kind of poison.

[Jerrard]

(ooc: Oh for feather fall)

Jerrard leans over Bab, he picks her up gently and places the Gnome softly over his shoulder.
"Locky, its quite possible she has been poisoned. Take her bag please, we need to light the lantern." Glancing at the Spider he turns and heads down the ladder, gently, holding Bab as carefully as he can.

"You have been poisoned my dear, such things are beyond me, although I may know plants I doubt there is anything here that can help. Can you think? Do you have anything that would help?" His mind goes back to the Potion... Was it worth risking it?

[Jenara]

"Oh!" Locky exclaims, as she sees the wound, "My spells have gone, could try.." She grabs the heavy bag and drags it over, looking at the poor spider as she does so. Yet another body they had left behind.

When she gets to the ladder the thought dawns on her that she'll never get the bag down, instead she chooses a vial of oil and brings it to Shay.

[JadedDM]

Once Shay has the oil, he fumbles around with his lantern, filling it. Then using his flint and steel, he lights the lantern, illuminating the cavern. "Ah, that's better. Yikes, what happened to her?" he asks when he sees Jerrard carrying the gnome.