"Will the offer of safe passage be available if we detour to explore a little bit?" Tarysaaspeaks to Elias and Wood as they seem to be communicating with the ferryman.
Elias strokes his beard, considering Wood’s suggestion carefully. His eyes linger on the Merrenoloth, watching the fiend with quiet calculation.
"A tempting offer," he muses. "A shortcut straight to the heart of this mystery… but at what cost? Merrenoloths rarely work for free."
He shifts his gaze back to the party. "I don’t doubt that it can take us where we need to go, and I agree—swimming these waters would be an exceptionally poor choice. But stepping onto that boat means putting ourselves in its hands."
He turns toward Wood, nodding. "I say we check out the other passage first. See what choices we actually have before we tie our fate to a fiend’s mercy."
Then, glancing at the rest of the group, he raises a brow. "Unless, of course, any of you have an overwhelming desire to make a deal with a creature from the Lower Planes?" His voice is wry, but his concern is genuine.
Koran stands uncertainly, watching the others act with confidence he doesn't share. "I would love for her to be what she seems, and as such, a few flowers would be nothing to provide. But if she is one of the 10 she says are waiting . . .."
As the group moves down the hallway, towards the ferry, Koran begins to understand the threat of his ongoing thought process. "And which would be more dangerous? A fiend, or one of the lords pretending?" "A mercenary, you say? Then another question is who has purchased the fiend's loyalty. That answer could change the destination, I would imagine. On foot for now seems a wiser choice, I agree."
Elias nods at Koran’s agreement, though he doesn’t move just yet. Instead, he turns his gaze to the rest of the group, scanning their expressions.
“I agree—proceeding on foot seems the wiser course for now. But I don’t want to act without hearing from everyone.” His tone remains even, but there’s a weight behind his words. “This affects us all. If anyone feels differently, speak now.”
His eyes flick back to the Merrenoloth, its eerie silence unnerving, before looking again at his companions. “If we’re all in agreement, we press forward and see what the other passage holds.” He folds his arms, waiting for the others to weigh in.
Tethis squeals in delight and hops around, accidentally splashing some water around: "Thank you! Thank you great wizard!" and waves at the Harpells' envoy as she reaches the rest of the party.
Party who, discussing, comes to the conclusion to explore first the corridor that leads to the east, in which the water does not become deeper.
And so our heroes soon arrive at the end of the corridor: a threshold of a... room probably? The hinges, still visible, suggest that once the access was regulated by a large double door, now completely absent. And beyond the threshold the visibility is very limited, because the entire room is occupied by a thick jungle of giant spider webs (which cannot but remind the adventurers of those that were overflowing from the hole in the middle of the ruins).
Elias halts at the threshold, his keen eyes narrowing as he takes in the tangled mass of webbing before them. The remnants of the double door hinges tell him this was once an important chamber, but now it has been claimed by something else—something that weaves and waits.
He exhales slowly. "Well… I suppose we should have expected this, given what we saw above." His voice is measured, but there’s a hint of amusement in it, despite the grim reality before them.
He turns slightly toward the others. "Whatever lairs here is bound to be just as unfriendly as its kin above. We have two choices: burn and cut our way through or turn back and find another way." He gestures toward the dense webs, tilting his head. "I don’t suppose anyone is particularly fond of spiders?" His wry smile suggests he already knows the answer.
His fingers hover near his spell components, prepared to act, but he waits—hearing what the rest of the party thinks before making a move.
Webbing is usually very flammable. Ideally, if possible, we hit them with some fire from here, doing damage to any creature in the webs and driving the spiders out either to us or the other side.
Elias nods in agreement with Wood’s assessment, his sharp mind already turning over the strategic benefits of the plan.
"A wise approach," he says, eyeing the thick jungle of glistening webbing before them. "Fire is a language most creatures understand—painfully so. If we strike first, we may flush out whatever waits in the dark before it has the chance to ambush us."
He glances at Tarysaa and Ardana, knowing they both have magical means at their disposal. "Do we have the means to set it ablaze from a safe distance? A well-placed flame could clear a path and reveal what lurks beyond."
His grip tightens on his staff, his body coiled with anticipation. He has no great love for spiders—and certainly not for the monstrous kind. If fire was their best option, then he had no objections.
Tarysaa confesses she does not have any overwhelming fire spells such as fireball or burning hands at this time. Instead she has a cantrip of minor effect, however, it IS fire. And being a cantrip, she can keep sending motes of fire into the area all day if necessary.
Elias smiles at Tarysaa’s honesty, giving her an approving nod.
"A flicker of fire is still fire." He gestures toward the thick webbing ahead. "Even a small flame, given time, can turn into an inferno. And since we are in no rush, we may as well take the patient approach."
He turns back to the others. "If we’re all in agreement, let’s take a few steps back and allow Tarysaa to work. No need to stand too close when the spiders start scurrying."
His grip tightens on his staff, his body poised and ready. "Whenever you’re ready, Tarysaa—let’s see if these webs burn."
Elias watches as the firebolts disappear into the dense webs, the flickering light swallowed by the thick tangle of silk. The faint smell of burning fibers begins to creep into the musty air, but the process is slow.
At Tarysaa’s words, he nods in understanding, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"So it would seem," he muses, tapping his fingers idly against his staff. He glances toward Wood and Koran. "Burning our way through is still our best option, but we may need a bit more firepower if we want to do this quickly."
He tilts his head toward the others. "Does anyone have torches, oil, or anything else that might help speed this along? Otherwise, we settle in and let Tarysaa keep at it."
His eyes flicker back to the shifting shadows beyond the webbed mass, his instincts keeping him wary. "Of course, we should remain alert. Whatever made these webs may not wait patiently while we burn down its home."
Indeed, after the first motes of fire fired by the Harpells' envoy, the imposing figure of a large spider makes its way easily through the cobwebs and comes out with a roar. Behind him comes a humanoid with a monstrous bloated body and spider-like features as well.
The two are already running towards the party, probably to explain what they think of adventurers who go around burning cobwebs...
The Fiendish Ferryman, in the meantime, realizing that a battle is raging, pushes his boat just a little further back and peers, attentive and interested, as if he wanted to evaluate the tactics and skill of the contenders.
Elias takes a sharp breath as the massive spider emerges, its monstrous form tearing through the burning webs with a guttural roar of fury. His eyes narrow further as a second figure follows close behind—a grotesque, bloated humanoid with spider-like features, its unnatural body twitching as it surges forward.
"Ah, well, I suppose introductions were inevitable," Elias mutters dryly, gripping his staff as he instinctively takes a step back, assessing the situation.
His gaze briefly flickers toward the Fiendish Ferryman, who drifts further away, watching the battle unfold like a spectator at a duel. Of course. The Merrenoloth was in no hurry to intervene—no doubt more interested in evaluating whether the party would survive long enough to become potential customers.
But there were more pressing concerns.
Elias glances quickly at his allies. "Focus the big one first! If the spider gets close, we risk getting tangled in webs. Bring it down before we lose mobility!"
With a swift motion, he raises his hand, gathering arcane energy as he begins to weave a spell.
Elias steps forward just enough to have a clear line of sight on the monstrous spider, his blue eyes flashing with sharp, arcane intent. He raises a hand, his voice laced with the cutting edge of enchantment as he calls out:
"Oh, what a terrifying creature you are! Eight eyes and yet still foolish enough to charge into an open flame? Truly, you must be the shame of your entire wretched brood!"
As he speaks, his words take on a weight beyond mere insult, sinking into the beast's mind like venom, twisting reality with his bardic magic.
((Elias will cast vicious mockery on his turn - wisdom save DC 14))
"Will the offer of safe passage be available if we detour to explore a little bit?" Tarysaa speaks to Elias and Wood as they seem to be communicating with the ferryman.
Koran stands uncertainly, watching the others act with confidence he doesn't share. "I would love for her to be what she seems, and as such, a few flowers would be nothing to provide. But if she is one of the 10 she says are waiting . . .."
As the group moves down the hallway, towards the ferry, Koran begins to understand the threat of his ongoing thought process. "And which would be more dangerous? A fiend, or one of the lords pretending?" "A mercenary, you say? Then another question is who has purchased the fiend's loyalty. That answer could change the destination, I would imagine. On foot for now seems a wiser choice, I agree."
Elias nods at Koran’s agreement, though he doesn’t move just yet. Instead, he turns his gaze to the rest of the group, scanning their expressions.
“I agree—proceeding on foot seems the wiser course for now. But I don’t want to act without hearing from everyone.” His tone remains even, but there’s a weight behind his words. “This affects us all. If anyone feels differently, speak now.”
His eyes flick back to the Merrenoloth, its eerie silence unnerving, before looking again at his companions. “If we’re all in agreement, we press forward and see what the other passage holds.” He folds his arms, waiting for the others to weigh in.
Tethis squeals in delight and hops around, accidentally splashing some water around: "Thank you! Thank you great wizard!" and waves at the Harpells' envoy as she reaches the rest of the party.
Party who, discussing, comes to the conclusion to explore first the corridor that leads to the east, in which the water does not become deeper.
And so our heroes soon arrive at the end of the corridor: a threshold of a... room probably? The hinges, still visible, suggest that once the access was regulated by a large double door, now completely absent. And beyond the threshold the visibility is very limited, because the entire room is occupied by a thick jungle of giant spider webs (which cannot but remind the adventurers of those that were overflowing from the hole in the middle of the ruins).
Elias halts at the threshold, his keen eyes narrowing as he takes in the tangled mass of webbing before them. The remnants of the double door hinges tell him this was once an important chamber, but now it has been claimed by something else—something that weaves and waits.
He exhales slowly. "Well… I suppose we should have expected this, given what we saw above." His voice is measured, but there’s a hint of amusement in it, despite the grim reality before them.
He turns slightly toward the others. "Whatever lairs here is bound to be just as unfriendly as its kin above. We have two choices: burn and cut our way through or turn back and find another way." He gestures toward the dense webs, tilting his head. "I don’t suppose anyone is particularly fond of spiders?" His wry smile suggests he already knows the answer.
His fingers hover near his spell components, prepared to act, but he waits—hearing what the rest of the party thinks before making a move.
Webbing is usually very flammable. Ideally, if possible, we hit them with some fire from here, doing damage to any creature in the webs and driving the spiders out either to us or the other side.
Elias nods in agreement with Wood’s assessment, his sharp mind already turning over the strategic benefits of the plan.
"A wise approach," he says, eyeing the thick jungle of glistening webbing before them. "Fire is a language most creatures understand—painfully so. If we strike first, we may flush out whatever waits in the dark before it has the chance to ambush us."
He glances at Tarysaa and Ardana, knowing they both have magical means at their disposal. "Do we have the means to set it ablaze from a safe distance? A well-placed flame could clear a path and reveal what lurks beyond."
His grip tightens on his staff, his body coiled with anticipation. He has no great love for spiders—and certainly not for the monstrous kind. If fire was their best option, then he had no objections.
Tarysaa confesses she does not have any overwhelming fire spells such as fireball or burning hands at this time. Instead she has a cantrip of minor effect, however, it IS fire. And being a cantrip, she can keep sending motes of fire into the area all day if necessary.
Fire Bolt
Elias smiles at Tarysaa’s honesty, giving her an approving nod.
"A flicker of fire is still fire." He gestures toward the thick webbing ahead. "Even a small flame, given time, can turn into an inferno. And since we are in no rush, we may as well take the patient approach."
He turns back to the others. "If we’re all in agreement, let’s take a few steps back and allow Tarysaa to work. No need to stand too close when the spiders start scurrying."
His grip tightens on his staff, his body poised and ready. "Whenever you’re ready, Tarysaa—let’s see if these webs burn."
Tarysaa moves backward to the main corridor; sets herself and begins.
Fire Bolt
{game log} To Hit: (Nat20+6) 26 Dmg: 13 fire (of course)
The mote of fire speeds forward into the amorphous cloud of webs; soon out of sight as it burned deeper into the mass.
Satisfied, she releases another 'bolt' -
(game log) To Hit: 16 Dmg: 1 :-(
Tarysaa frowns at that last effort. She gathers herself and attempts one more...
(game log) To Hit: 26 Dmg: 7
Nodding to herself, she looks over at Elias and company, "You can see, this could take a while..."
Elias watches as the firebolts disappear into the dense webs, the flickering light swallowed by the thick tangle of silk. The faint smell of burning fibers begins to creep into the musty air, but the process is slow.
At Tarysaa’s words, he nods in understanding, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"So it would seem," he muses, tapping his fingers idly against his staff. He glances toward Wood and Koran. "Burning our way through is still our best option, but we may need a bit more firepower if we want to do this quickly."
He tilts his head toward the others. "Does anyone have torches, oil, or anything else that might help speed this along? Otherwise, we settle in and let Tarysaa keep at it."
His eyes flicker back to the shifting shadows beyond the webbed mass, his instincts keeping him wary. "Of course, we should remain alert. Whatever made these webs may not wait patiently while we burn down its home."
Indeed, after the first motes of fire fired by the Harpells' envoy, the imposing figure of a large spider makes its way easily through the cobwebs and comes out with a roar. Behind him comes a humanoid with a monstrous bloated body and spider-like features as well.
The two are already running towards the party, probably to explain what they think of adventurers who go around burning cobwebs...
The Fiendish Ferryman, in the meantime, realizing that a battle is raging, pushes his boat just a little further back and peers, attentive and interested, as if he wanted to evaluate the tactics and skill of the contenders.
Let's roll for Initiative!
Elias takes a sharp breath as the massive spider emerges, its monstrous form tearing through the burning webs with a guttural roar of fury. His eyes narrow further as a second figure follows close behind—a grotesque, bloated humanoid with spider-like features, its unnatural body twitching as it surges forward.
"Ah, well, I suppose introductions were inevitable," Elias mutters dryly, gripping his staff as he instinctively takes a step back, assessing the situation.
His gaze briefly flickers toward the Fiendish Ferryman, who drifts further away, watching the battle unfold like a spectator at a duel. Of course. The Merrenoloth was in no hurry to intervene—no doubt more interested in evaluating whether the party would survive long enough to become potential customers.
But there were more pressing concerns.
Elias glances quickly at his allies. "Focus the big one first! If the spider gets close, we risk getting tangled in webs. Bring it down before we lose mobility!"
With a swift motion, he raises his hand, gathering arcane energy as he begins to weave a spell.
((Initiative - a pitiful 2))
Koran initiative: 14
{game log} Initiative: 10
Tarysaa was about to send another mote of fire into the webs when the Large Spider and the abomination emerged.
She has to reconsider her next action as Elias directs the group.
(OOC have been super busy but am back now, Ardana could have Divine Sense on the ferryman, but lets go...)
Initiative: 18+1=19
Elias steps forward just enough to have a clear line of sight on the monstrous spider, his blue eyes flashing with sharp, arcane intent. He raises a hand, his voice laced with the cutting edge of enchantment as he calls out:
"Oh, what a terrifying creature you are! Eight eyes and yet still foolish enough to charge into an open flame? Truly, you must be the shame of your entire wretched brood!"
As he speaks, his words take on a weight beyond mere insult, sinking into the beast's mind like venom, twisting reality with his bardic magic.
((Elias will cast vicious mockery on his turn - wisdom save DC 14))
Wood initiative roll 6, though prepared for the spider, the other creature stuns him back to his days in the Underdark, kolsen'shea orbb!
Tarysaa fights fire with ice... Ice Knife to be specific. She takes aim and hurls the shard of ice at the Giant Spider...
{game log} To Hit: 7 (Nat1+6) <insert sophisticated elven cursing here> Dmg: 5 piercing
+++++
The target and each creature within 5 feet of it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 cold damage. <<< Cold Dmg Roll: 7
(( insert this failed attempt in the INIT order while I go bang my head on a tabletop... ))