The exploratory party continues downward a ways, to a point where the stone passageway levels out, but it also gets tighter. Mistral can tell it opens back up somewhat, farther on, but it might be tricky for Dixie to make it past the construction.

Erhard stays behind with Heidi and the mouselings, watching out for anything that might enter the cave as he sits under the feathered cape for warmth, slightly distracted by thoughts of the owl, he thinks back to watching it tear flesh from the shrike, consuming it, and he wonders about the cape the creature allowed him to carry away.

Dexterity (Acrobatic): 15

Blackbur stays with Heidi for now. 

The Chwingas reluctantly release the feathered capelet, as Erhard pulls it about himself for warmth.

Meanwhile, Dixie becomes stuck as she tries to navigate the constriction, but is able to work her way loose with some assistance. The tight squeeze passage extends for only a few body lengths, before opening back up a bit. As they continue along, they notice a few very small openings to their left; too small to explore, but they appear to continue deeper into, or under the rock. Mistral and Hurdrak sense movement from a creature, like to their own size, a short distance ahead in the main passage.

As the passage narrows, Mistral glances back and sees Hurdrak following close behind and - is that Dixie too? He shakes his head. Nowt but fur betwixt the ears that one, he thinks to himself. It is a narrow squeeze, and although it causes the bat and the spider little trouble, it appears that Dixie is stuck! Mistral is unable to help in the narrow tunnel - it is up to Hurdrak to pull the plucky, foolish rabbit through.

Erhard hands the capelet back to the Chwingas
(OOC: Missed the line about them taking it, my bad)

Hurdrak stalks through the darkness carefully.  Such a place wouldn't make a bad den, a little web here and there... but he had no intention of settling down just yet.  He casts a glance back at Dixie and sees her squeezing through.  Then looks back to the direction they are moving and swears he sees movement.

Insight 15

Hurdrak does detect movement ahead of them, but it is something behind them that catches his attention. As soon as Dixie squeezes out into the wider passage, Hurdrak’s chemoreceptors pick up something unexpected, almost familiar, wafting in from behind her... 

At first, he thinks he might find someone to huddle with after all, but no- it’s a trick, a trap- the pheromones are a lie. It is a spider, but not like him. A predator, and not a small one. And... a mother! And they are between her and her spiderlings.

Back at the entrance to the shelter, the spider knows it has intruders. Soundlessly it enters, and before the resting patrol is roused, it rears up and sinks its horrid circle of fangs into the sleeping shrike near the front. The bird lets out a muffled shriek from beneath its wing, before it goes limp. A mass of spiderlings drop down from their mother’s back and begin to fan out. 

Erhard looks to Blackbur, "I think we need to go get to the others. and quickly."  His voice uneasy as he moves himself in front of the others, pushing them backwards away from the oncoming spiders as he grabs him hook, his hands shaking, he braces himself, preparing to hold off anything that tries to get to those behind him.

Hurdrak rushes forth with a sword raised in two arms.  "Rouse yourselves, hungry spiderlings about."  He would then swing his sword hoping to end the threat in on go and get back to the others.

initiative 6

Attack: 26 Damage: 18

“Heidi, get up! Get the children inside, now!” Blackbur puts himself between the spiders and his charges. “And get the feather cape! We aren’t leaving anything that might protect against the cold behind.” 

Blackbur draws his sword and gets his shield up (dodge)

(Mistral initiative: 16)

(Action pending on what he can see - if he can see lots of spiderlings in melee range he's minded to cast faerie fire)

Erhard’s voice seemingly comes from nowhere, until he starts to move, and what appeared as a rock on the floor blurrily resolves into the tenderpaw. Reaching around, the young mouse quickly realizes the feathered capelet is about his neck, with no sign of the ties ever having been severed!

Sirithal is roused from his rest prematurely, but feels his brief reprieve was sufficient to his needs. Heidi gets her little ones behind the guardsmice, and draws a sickle herself. Nirvel pulls out his souvenir thorn and brandishes it wildly at the charging horde.

There are at least twenty spiderlings streaming towards the now fully awakened group. The mother Spider rears up to her full height, towering over them. Casting the limp shrike aside, she prepares to pounce.

Meanwhile, squeezing back past Mistral and Dixie, Hurdrak launches his way back through the constricted tunnel, to face the arachnoid threat. His quick senses serve him well, and he actually arrives on the scene just as the others are preparing to fend off the spider attack. 

Striking first, Hurdrak lands a mighty blow with his blade, knowing just where to strike, piercing one of its book lungs from beneath. A sickly coppery odor fills the air as blue blood drips down to the small cavern’s floor. A piercing shriek echoes, as the grievously wounded spider draws its legs back in to better protect itself. It has underestimated its prey, not prey at all?! “Interlopers!! Begone!!”

Following Hurdrak up the tunnel apace, Mistral calls forth magic to bathe the arachnid horde with a shimmering violet glow ((faerie fire, Dex DC 13)).

It's so dark and damp down there that Dixie feels claustrophobic. She hears some screeching sound, followed by a war cry from Hurdrak, swooshing sound of blades and finally shrieking sound resulting from excruciating pain. She refrains from going through the tunnel since that may obstruct the movement of her companions. Instead of aiming blindly for enemies, she whispers to the baby spiders in Undercommon, 

"Nanshin earwtcid nevtenikaa?"

Wisdom (Insight): 17

“We are afraid. But we are hungry. Come to us,” the tiny voices respond in unison, accompanied by a disturbing chittering of many feet.

The spiders in the shelter entrance hall try to dodge clear of the fey fire that bursts forth from the bat’s splayed paws... 13

Perception or Insight check please, for Dixie.

A swarm of scared and hungry spiderlings! Unable to count their actual quantity, Dixie concentrates on her Leporine senses consisting of smell and sound. Then she moves towards the opening of the tunnel while for quick retreat from grave danger if it arises.

"Lugri (fear)?"

Wisdom (Insight): 12

Dixie has enough sense to realize the spiderlings won’t be interested in her rabbit rations, and the only thing she has to offer is herself- an option she is able to swiftly discard!

There is something else though, fear in the air, from somewhere ahead. And not from the spiderlings! Something distinctively mammalian. Once her senses are piqued, she thinks she can hear muffled noises from the creature as well.

The chittering continues from the same area ahead, but comes no closer, as of yet.

Dixie manages to reach the 'Eureka!' moment when she suddenly feels the weight of the tinderboxes and torches. Then within a minute she lights up one of these gears, to her a minute feels like a lifetime. She feels the crawling movements really close to her, as if they were under her skin.

Wisdom (Perception): 4