Thyxius looks to Azaka curiously. "Ah, it must have been a close call for you! How did you manage to escape if the pterafolk got close enough to steal your mask?"
Thyxius looks to Azaka curiously. "Ah, it must have been a close call for you! How did you manage to escape if the pterafolk got close enough to steal your mask?"
Insight: 7 -.-
Azaka takes a slow breath, her eyes lingering on the broken bodies scattered at the base of Firefinger. For a moment, she seems distant, lost in a memory she rarely allows herself to revisit.
“I’ve seen this before,” she finally says, her voice quieter now. “Not here, but… close enough.”
She doesn’t look at the others as she speaks, instead keeping her gaze fixed on the jungle beyond the spire.
“A few years back, I had someone—my brother, Rakal. He was a fool sometimes, but a good one. We used to hunt together, travel together, watch each other’s backs.” A small, humorless smile flickers across her face before fading just as quickly. “He always wanted to go deeper into the jungle, always looking for something new to see. I should’ve kept him from going too far.”
She sighs, shifting her stance, the usual confidence in her posture momentarily giving way to something heavier.
“One day, he set out on his own—was supposed to meet with a trader near the river, nothing dangerous. But he never came back. I went looking, tracking his steps as best I could. Found him just like this—bones shattered, ribs broken, tossed into the dirt like he was nothing.”
For the first time, she turns back to face the group, her expression unreadable. “Rakal always carried something important—our mother’s wooden mask, carved by our grandfather. It was a jaguar’s face, painted with deep reds and blacks, meant to guide our family’s spirit in the afterlife.”
She lets the silence hang for a moment before continuing, her voice carrying a sharper edge. “Only one kind of beast takes something like that before tossing the body away. Pterafolk.”
Her fingers tighten slightly around the hilt of her yklwa, her jaw set. “I never saw them do it, but I know they took it. And if they took that, they took other things too. That’s why I’m here. That mask belongs to my family. The pterafolk collect trophies, but they don’t deserve that one.”
She exhales sharply, forcing the moment away as she straightens her stance. “I should’ve stopped him from going alone.” Her gaze hardens once more, returning to the present.
I don’t have anything like that. Maybe we should go grab our friends below. One of them would be able to conjure flames.
Taban, leaning casually on his spear, scoffs at the suggestion. "Or we could just go down there and deal with them." His grin widens, and he rolls his shoulders in anticipation. "Giant spiders don’t sound like a problem. Sounds like a fun challenge."
His confidence is unwavering, though it’s clear his impatience is growing. The longer they stand around debating, the more restless he gets. "If they’re just sitting in the dark waiting, I say we stop waiting and get to the fight."
Cleggor-spider clicks his mandibles, trying to get used to talking through this new mouth. “Fire if you have it, steel if not. Let’s go and show them. If you can gather everyone, let’s go clean them out. Now we know they are there, waiting, we can surprise them.” Cleggor turns and looks back toward the cave and motions everyone on with his spider leg.
Taban laughs heartily as he slides down into the pit, landing with a thud. The dim torchlight from Rhys flickers above, but the angle isn’t quite right, leaving much of the pit in darkness. Taban grins undeterred, his instincts guiding his strikes.
"One!" His weapon connects solidly, crushing the first spider beneath its weight.
"Two!" Another swing, another clean hit—legs twitch, then go still.
He pivots for a third strike, but this time, his aim is off. The last spider skitters away just in time, and his weapon whistles through empty air.
"Tch—missed ya!" he mutters, adjusting his stance, ready for the next move.
“You didn’t fail him," Thyxius says, his voice steady, certain. “The ones who took his life did.”He grips his sword a little tighter, glancing up at the towering spire, its shadow stretching over them like a silent challenge. “And if that mask is still up there, then we’ll see it returned."
Cleggor-spider moves toward the third spider that Taban hit, lunging forward and sinking his fangs into the spider, trying to give it some of its own medicine. He hisses as he bites, growling with anger.
Cleggor Great Wolf Spider bite : 13 to hit, for 6points of piercing damage and 7 points of poison damage.
As the final giant spider collapses, its legs curling inward in death, the cave falls into silence once more. Cleggor and Rhys lower their weapons, the last flickers of battle energy fading with the dim torchlight.
Down in the pit, standing over the defeated creatures, Taban exhales, rolling his shoulders before turning to the others with a smirk. "Steel was good."
Now, with the cavern free of hostile creatures, they can finally take a better look around. The space remains empty, devoid of anything valuable or unusual—save for one feature. Rising from within the cave, a rock chimney stretches upward, disappearing into darkness. A possible path forward.
Cleggor-spider starts to move toward the chimney, looking up. He says with the strange spider mandibles, “I can climb and have a look, I wonder if there is a way to drop a rope…once everyone has caught up I can go see what is up there…”
The rock chimney extends 90 feet upward. As you climb, you find plenty of handholds, but the twisting, uneven path makes for a tricky ascent. While manageable, it would be much easier with the aid of a rope.
Cleggor-spider says “I can climb easily, don’t even need any hand holds. Someone just needs to figure out how to fasten a rope for me and tie it off when I climb up.”
Thyxius looks to Azaka curiously. "Ah, it must have been a close call for you! How did you manage to escape if the pterafolk got close enough to steal your mask?"
Insight: 7 -.-
Azaka takes a slow breath, her eyes lingering on the broken bodies scattered at the base of Firefinger. For a moment, she seems distant, lost in a memory she rarely allows herself to revisit.
“I’ve seen this before,” she finally says, her voice quieter now. “Not here, but… close enough.”
She doesn’t look at the others as she speaks, instead keeping her gaze fixed on the jungle beyond the spire.
“A few years back, I had someone—my brother, Rakal. He was a fool sometimes, but a good one. We used to hunt together, travel together, watch each other’s backs.” A small, humorless smile flickers across her face before fading just as quickly. “He always wanted to go deeper into the jungle, always looking for something new to see. I should’ve kept him from going too far.”
She sighs, shifting her stance, the usual confidence in her posture momentarily giving way to something heavier.
“One day, he set out on his own—was supposed to meet with a trader near the river, nothing dangerous. But he never came back. I went looking, tracking his steps as best I could. Found him just like this—bones shattered, ribs broken, tossed into the dirt like he was nothing.”
For the first time, she turns back to face the group, her expression unreadable. “Rakal always carried something important—our mother’s wooden mask, carved by our grandfather. It was a jaguar’s face, painted with deep reds and blacks, meant to guide our family’s spirit in the afterlife.”
She lets the silence hang for a moment before continuing, her voice carrying a sharper edge. “Only one kind of beast takes something like that before tossing the body away. Pterafolk.”
Her fingers tighten slightly around the hilt of her yklwa, her jaw set. “I never saw them do it, but I know they took it. And if they took that, they took other things too. That’s why I’m here. That mask belongs to my family. The pterafolk collect trophies, but they don’t deserve that one.”
She exhales sharply, forcing the moment away as she straightens her stance. “I should’ve stopped him from going alone.” Her gaze hardens once more, returning to the present.
Taban, leaning casually on his spear, scoffs at the suggestion. "Or we could just go down there and deal with them." His grin widens, and he rolls his shoulders in anticipation. "Giant spiders don’t sound like a problem. Sounds like a fun challenge."
His confidence is unwavering, though it’s clear his impatience is growing. The longer they stand around debating, the more restless he gets. "If they’re just sitting in the dark waiting, I say we stop waiting and get to the fight."
The choice remains—fire, or steel?
Cleggor-spider clicks his mandibles, trying to get used to talking through this new mouth. “Fire if you have it, steel if not. Let’s go and show them. If you can gather everyone, let’s go clean them out. Now we know they are there, waiting, we can surprise them.” Cleggor turns and looks back toward the cave and motions everyone on with his spider leg.
Rhys draws his longbow. “Let’s rain hell down on them.”
Taban laughs heartily as he slides down into the pit, landing with a thud. The dim torchlight from Rhys flickers above, but the angle isn’t quite right, leaving much of the pit in darkness. Taban grins undeterred, his instincts guiding his strikes.
"One!" His weapon connects solidly, crushing the first spider beneath its weight.
"Two!" Another swing, another clean hit—legs twitch, then go still.
He pivots for a third strike, but this time, his aim is off. The last spider skitters away just in time, and his weapon whistles through empty air.
"Tch—missed ya!" he mutters, adjusting his stance, ready for the next move.
((Cleggor is next, then Rhys))
“You didn’t fail him," Thyxius says, his voice steady, certain. “The ones who took his life did.” He grips his sword a little tighter, glancing up at the towering spire, its shadow stretching over them like a silent challenge. “And if that mask is still up there, then we’ll see it returned."
Cleggor-spider moves toward the third spider that Taban hit, lunging forward and sinking his fangs into the spider, trying to give it some of its own medicine. He hisses as he bites, growling with anger.
Cleggor Great Wolf Spider bite : 13 to hit, for 6 points of piercing damage and 7 points of poison damage.
Rhys draws his longbow and fires at the remaining spider. Dirty 20 to hit, 11 dmg.
As the final giant spider collapses, its legs curling inward in death, the cave falls into silence once more. Cleggor and Rhys lower their weapons, the last flickers of battle energy fading with the dim torchlight.
Down in the pit, standing over the defeated creatures, Taban exhales, rolling his shoulders before turning to the others with a smirk. "Steel was good."
Now, with the cavern free of hostile creatures, they can finally take a better look around. The space remains empty, devoid of anything valuable or unusual—save for one feature. Rising from within the cave, a rock chimney stretches upward, disappearing into darkness. A possible path forward.
Rhys will go back to the cave entrance and attempt to signal the others to climb up (what do we do with Stompy!?).
(I assume Stompy will just be eating leaves nearby until we come back lol)
Seeing Rhys' signal, Thyxius will hurry up to rejoin the others.
Pterafolk occasionally fly by overhead. A group stealth check is required for the rest of the party to climb the first ladder unnoticed.
Thyxius Stealth w disadvantage: 17!
Cleggor-spider starts to move toward the chimney, looking up. He says with the strange spider mandibles, “I can climb and have a look, I wonder if there is a way to drop a rope…once everyone has caught up I can go see what is up there…”
The rock chimney extends 90 feet upward. As you climb, you find plenty of handholds, but the twisting, uneven path makes for a tricky ascent. While manageable, it would be much easier with the aid of a rope.
“I’ve got plenty of rope but I’m not the strongest of us to make this climb. Does someone want to go first and tie off a rope?”
(guidance on the person climbing)
(Thyx has +4 athletics if that's what we'd roll for climbing.)
Cleggor-spider says “I can climb easily, don’t even need any hand holds. Someone just needs to figure out how to fasten a rope for me and tie it off when I climb up.”
Rhys pulls out one of his grappling hooks and 2 lengths of rope. Attaching one rope to the hook and then tying the ropes together. (100ft)
”If you can securely attach the hook at the top, the rope will fall down and be long enough to help us climb up the entirety of the shaft.”