Demons What P 13

WHen last we left our brave, noble heroes?

They were confronted with a terrible sight. Worse than all the things that had come before. Worse than the Gorgon, worse than the army of demoins.

>..You have stumbled into the lair of kobolds.

More specifically, you're seeing that you're being observed by kobolds from the nooks and carrnies of these tunnels you're no in, from this cave network.

And it is indeed a broader network you've now entered. They sskiter for cover immediately.

Lucy stares. "Kobolds. I can't believe it. I was expecting Gnomes, but these are..." she glances back, as if remembering. "But these tunnels were -made- by Gnomes. And the village outside. What are Kobolds doing...in..." Lucy's expression changes, coming to as close as it ever does to a glare of hatred.

Felicia says, "They prolly stowed away on something, or worse. Either way, we need to convince them to leave. Unless they can understand us and know demons are coming.""

Serraphine looks about to the Kobolds and frowns, a scratch of her chin and then a reach for a cooki-... blast, she's been out of cookies. So instead it turns to a sigh and she looks toward Felicia, then out to the Kobolds, "Yes. Or perhaps they were cursed to look like Kobolds. Or who knows what other thing could've happened. Point is, let's try to warn them."

Lucy wrinkles her brow. "That's a good idea - if I know Kobolds, they probably have a quick way to escape. More than one." She looks about and then calls out a greeting first in Goblin-Speak and then Sylvan.

There's no response to the calling out. Only the branching tunnels ahead of you that spiral off into the darkness.

Felicia says, "mmmmf. Wouldn't draconic work better?"

Lucy repeats her words of greeting Khazdul, then finally tries Gnomish. She shrugs at Felicia. "Maybe. But I don't know how to speak that it. Do you?" She glances around. "Or does anyone else want to try?"

Felicia says, "newp. Wish I did. Now that is. Linguistics wasn't part of the training ANMT"

Still nothing.

But you /do/ feel a tremor briefly.

"Not my languages." Serraphine responds as well, though she gives it a shot in a rather guttural language that sounded none too nice and more like Infernal. Soon after, a look to the rest and she draws her sword, "Let's just stay on guard and move through then."

Felicia says, "Yeah. Let's..." then she feels the tremor. "....get our asses moving. Like now.""

Lucy looks between the passages. "Which way?" she points at one and then the other. "They all look the same to me." She sighs. "At this point I just hope we're still headed away from Skald." Finally she sets her shoulders and points at a passage. "How about that way?"

Felicia says, "better than the idea I had, Lucy...""

"We don't have time to care about the damned kobolds," Celeste declares, "Let them stay or go, as long as they don't get in our way, it doesn't matter. We don't have time to wait." She makes sure her shield is properly secured to her arm before starting forwards, marking a swift (but not unmatchable) pace, continuing in the same direction the party had been going to begin with. Going back would certainly seem awkward.

GAME: Celeste rolls survival: (10)+9: 19

GAME: Lucy rolls survival: (18)+2: 20

GAME: Serraphine rolls survival: (18)+1: 19

The big armored Ork taps the quiver on his hip twice and mutters under his breath. A massive black and steel composite bow seemingly springs to existance in his grip as well as a bevy of feather tipped shafts sticking from the quiver's end. Giving an experimental pull Baz's muscles strain under the effort, the bow groaning like a ship's mast being bent in a storm.

GAME: Felicia rolls survival: (18)+3: 21

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls survival: (17)+9: 26

WEll, the good news is that these are kobold tunnels. Maybe gnome carved, but kobold tunnels. Wait, that's the good news? It means there are probably death traps everywhere!

IF the demoins are following you, though, that means THEY need to come through the kobold death tunnels too! So maybe it really IS good news!

...if you survive to the other end. At least you have as ense of direction, anyway, and no which way you're going to get through the mountains. Before long, you feel like yoiu're making good, if cautious, progress.

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls intimidate: (3)+7: 10

The big Ork pauses for a moment, sniffing the air then he rolls back his head and barks out in Goblin town. "OY! I CAN SMELLS YOU." His free right hand raises up over his head, bathed in light as he casts the simple spell. "KOR GUIDES ME HANDS. I am passing through these tunnels on me way ta eerlraaagh." Baz pauses, thumping his chest. "Fhack'n mushrooms. Right so tay outta our..Feerrgaaah." Leaning against at stone wall the Ork turns and vomits all over the floor and wall before him. "Fkhak, nevah mind, let'em come I could use the meat ta settle me stomach."

Lucy has been creeping along down the tunnels. She glances back at Baz incredulously. "I don't think they can understand us," she tries to put a positive spin kn it

GAME: Felicia rolls perception: (8)+3: 11

GAME: Malorn rolls perception: (18)+13: 31

GAME: Celeste rolls perception: (7)+7: 14

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls perception: (20)+3: 23

GAME: Serraphine rolls Perception: (5)+4: 9

GAME: Lucy rolls perception: (2)+12: 14

SO far so good, actually.

With sharp eyes from Baz (of all people) and Malorn, you're able to avoid the pit traps, the punji pits, the deadfalls, the falling rocks, the scythes swinging from ropes, the spears jumping out of the walls, the tripwires, the nets, the acid spray, pit traps, more pit traps, and a few more pit traps.

Did we mention pit traps?

With all the traps you're bypassing so far, you're a little surprised they haven't attacked you yet. Maybe they're just waiting.

Either way, it would appear evident that the gnomes and the kobolds had a bit of a trap war going.

Felicia blinks a bit. "Sheesh. I'd rather get through this more than the demons chasing us...."

Serraphine lets out an annoyed sigh as she looks at the traps, "Can't we run into more mushrooms or demon bulls? I'm getting a bit hungry and steak sounds amazing." She looks at another put trap. Just like one she would make if she were trying to catch wild game out in the wilderness.

Mmm Venison.

"We should have chased the Gorgon," Celeste grumbles, as if it wasn't *her* decision to *not* chase it. "I could definitely handle eating gorgon steaks, right now." She keeps her sword drawn and ready, and seems perfectly content to let other people tell her where to not put her feet, to make sure she doesn't come to some sort of icky, unfortunate end. Or fall in a pit trap.

Lucy murmurs softly every time they pass a trap. Nothing serious, just little snippets like "Those little devils," or "Hah, we'd never tie it that way," or even "Ahh now I see how those work." Despite her earlier reaction towards Kobolds, she seems to look at the deadly traps with almos...fondness?

The armored Ork is getting more and more aggrivated with each trap he discovers, mostly by simply smashing his shield into it and stomping on the device until it'll never work again or tearing a chunk of wall loose and hurling it into a pit. "Go on an air ship, have a stupid stick, bring the stick back. Now on I only take jobs that say kill and only are in walk'n distance." Bouncing a vicious scythe trap off his shield he grabs and yanks the mechanism free, spits in the hole then spits on the mechanism and throws it down on the floor. "Moah squig shite cowardice!"

Felicia blinks a couple of times. "And I was aggrevated like that. Oookay I think I'll stop doing that."

Malorn hmms as he spots the traps and he points them out along with Baz. "Yah it's been a pretty long mission. I hope we get paid double time for all this." He hmms, "No wonder the demons didn't come down here. I hope we are at an end of here."

GAME: Felicia rolls perception: (18)+3: 21

GAME: Malorn rolls perception: (9)+13: 22

GAME: Serraphine rolls perception: (11)+4: 15

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls Perception: (4)+3: 7

GAME: Lucy rolls perception: (5)+12: 17

...it was only a matter of time, of cour se, before it happened.

Sooner or later, you were BOUND to hit a trap.

And they were waiting, of course. This time, you appear to have reached a spot where the floor is not quite as much floor as you tohught. Rather, the tunnel gives way and you find yourselves briefly falling until you land in some kind of netting...

...wait.

That's not netting.

OH HEY IS THAT FRIEND SPIDER? No, wait. Not hairy enough. Indeed, you appear to have landed in the web of a rtather hungry looking predator at the bottom of a fifteen foot drop into some kind of narrow ravine which you were over. Crumbled ground makes already sticky and diffucult to navigate webbing evne more so. And there's the /horrible spider monster/ with dozens m,ore horrible spider monsters clinging to its back. Up above, you hear squeals.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  ATTENTION  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

       Whirlpool has dropped a TIMESTOP!

       Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for Whirlpool to instruct you further.

       For in-combat commands, type: +thelp.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

LUNCH.

That is what the gleam in the massive eyes of the predators say. They imemdiately begin hopping off thier momma's back. NOM NON NOM.

GAME: Celeste rolls reflex: (18)+4: 22

GAME: Celeste RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 8 temporary HP

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (19)+11: 30

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (10)+11: 21

GAME: Celeste rolls 2d10+18: (12)+18: 30

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (6)+3: 9

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (14)+3: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (11)+3: 14

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (12)+3: 15

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (14)+3: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (9)+3: 12

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (1)+3: 4 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (11)+3: 14

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (15)+3: 18

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (1)+3: 4 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (17)+3: 20

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (2)+3: 5

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (2): 2

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (1): 1

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (2): 2

Immediately, the kobolds that've been trying to listen in on your movements are at the edge of hte pit. Stones are being hurled at you from tiny slings!

Celese finds herself in a heap, in a spiderweb, at the bottom of a ravine. First, she just shakes her head, to clear the proverbial cobwebs; then she stands, to talk stock of the situation. Big spider. Little spider. Nasty kobolds. WELL.

If Celeste could rip her shirt off, she would; but she's wearing armor instead of a shirt, and it won't rip. Instead, she just loses her temper, and thoroughly so; eyes practically blazing as she bashes her shield menacingly. "SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!" She roars, charging across open ground towards the big mommy spider. "RWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGGH!!!" The battle yell carries her straight into it, and her sword is driven home to deliver a terrifying blow to body and brain; not paying any attention to kobold stones bouncing off of her, she twists her blade before pulling it out, leaving the spider to bleed like a stuck... well... spider.

GAME: Malorn rolls reflex: (9)+7: 16

GAME: Malorn spends ONE point of KI POOL.

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (19)+8: 27

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (9)+8: 17

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (17)+8: 25

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d8+3: (2)+3: 5

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d8+3: (4)+3: 7

GAME: Serraphine rolls reflex: (17)+4: 21

Malorn launches himself at the momma spider with a flying kick. He avoids all the tangly webs as his flying kick lands. He swings at the spider, but his punch glances off. He spins around to kick it hard.

GAME: Serraphine rolls weapon1-2: (3)+8+-2: 9

Serraphine kicks free of the webbing that's holding her in place, finding her footing as she starts in toward the little ones. She grabs the sword in two hands, sweeping her blade low.... and missing entirely as it arcs up and away having left one of the little bitey-land-crabs completely unscathed. "We shall dine well tonight on crab!"

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (9)+10: 19

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d8+7: (11)+7: 18

GAME: Celeste rolls fort: (13)+6: 19

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 1d20+5: (16)+5: 21

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 1d8+4: (8)+4: 12

GAME: Felicia rolls 2d6: (12): 12

While she's a little slow to react, Felicia calls upon her goddess to mend her allies wounds. They're going to need all the help they can get.

"Arrrrr." tHuMp ClAnG. Goes the massive Ork as he falls into the pit. Pulling himself to his feet with a snarl his eyes blood shot in anger he snaps up his bow from the earth. Peering upwards there's not a flich as sling shots bounce harmlessly from his armored hide. "YOU FAFING COWARDS! I AM GONNA KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Raising the giant black bow he pulls back on it with all of his strength. The wood and metal groaning in protest like a storm lashed pier. Then with a thunderous snap the bow string is loosed and the strangely pink fletched arrow sails upwards and skewers a Kobold through his taunting dog and lizard mixed muzzle. Punching through the nostril, exploding an eye from the right socket and emerging out the back of it's skull causing the small creature to pitch foward and drop lifelessly into the pit. "EVERY... LAST.... ONE.. OF YOU ALL!"

GAME: Lucy rolls weapon3: (9)+12: 21

GAME: Lucy rolls 1d4+12: (3)+12: 15

Lucy steps up next to Serraphine and then lunges, skewering one of the small spiderlings neatly through the thorax. She strains slightly to lift her blade with the spider still spitted on it, then whips her sword to one side to flick the creature off. "You're always thinking about eating!" she remarks to the paladin.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (1)+2: 3 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (15)+2: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (17)+2: 19

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (1)+2: 3 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (20)+2: 22

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (16)+2: 18

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (10)+2: 12

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 2d6: (6): 6

GAME: Celeste rolls fort: (11)+6: 17

GAME: Celeste rolls fort: (12)+6: 18

Spiders spread out across the web, leaping for each of you. Celeste has two on her, biting through her armor, but the rest of you are able to thus far avvoid the wost of their chelicera.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (2)+3: 5

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (13)+3: 16

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (10)+3: 13

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (14)+3: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (19)+3: 22

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (7)+3: 10

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (5)+3: 8

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (8)+3: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (7)+3: 10

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (3)+3: 6

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (12)+3: 15

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (2): 2

A fullisade of sling stones continues to drop down on you from above as they try to stay in cover. One of them being dead is of no apparent concern to them at the moment. It's just something that happens to kobodls, probably.

GAME: Serraphine rolls weapon1-2: (20)+8+-2: 26 (THREAT)

GAME: Serraphine rolls weapon1-2: (12)+8+-2: 18

GAME: Serraphine rolls 2d10+12: (11)+12: 23

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (2)+8: 10

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (12)+8: 20

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (7)+8: 15

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d8+3: (8)+3: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+10: (4)+10: 14

The giant spider turns its attention towards Malorn, mandibles dripping with venom, ichor leaking out of its chitin due to the cracks and wounds that FCEleste and Malorn have inflicted on it. Still, it doesn't bacvk down. For such a predator, there's only victory of, you know, not.

Malorn unleashes a flurry of blows but he missses twice and hits once hard. He ducks as the spider goes to bite at him.

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (1)+11: 12 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (16)+11: 27

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+6: (4)+6: 10

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d4+9: (4)+9: 13

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 1d20+5: (4)+5: 9

GAME: Felicia rolls 2d6: (9): 9

Felicia keeps her hands together as they fight, to keep mending the wounds of her allies....

Celeste has a really big spider in front of her, and a couple of small spiders busy chewing on her, and there are kobolds throwing rocks at her to boot. She just growls, "YOU DIE NOW!!" she howls, swinging her sword in a wide, powerful, and... really, really clumsy arc in front of her. Did that even nick the spider? Even a little bit? Well, at least she manages to tenderize it right in the mandibles with her spikey shield afterwards, still snarling and drooling as she presses the assault. ...she manages to miss getting her teeth clamped down on it, though; probably... probably for the best, actually.

Once more the giant black bow is raised. This time the Ork aims at ground level towards the embattled spider. He bends his arms to the task of dealing with the near maximum draw of the bow. His back and shoulders straining he lines up the shot when a single Kobold sling shot flicks past his face a few centimeters from his eye. "Ack!" He flinches, the bow thwangs into his forearm. "Raar!" The arrow careens off into the distance. "Naaah!"

GAME: Lucy rolls weapon3: (18)+12: 30 (THREAT)

GAME: Lucy rolls weapon3: (3)+12: 15

GAME: Lucy rolls 1d4+12: (1)+12: 13

Lucy flinches as sling stones rain down seemingly all around her. She turns away from the smaller spiders to the large one. She eyes it for a bit and then lunges in a blurring motion that ends with her outstretched blade stuck through one of the spider's eyes. "If we kill this thing, maybe those wretched kobolds will think twice about fighting with us!"

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (11)+2: 13

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (15)+2: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (2)+4: 6

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (2)+4: 6

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (11)+4: 15

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (13)+4: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (12)+4: 16

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (7)+4: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (12)+4: 16

LEt's be honest, though their numbers have been cut by a few, there's still a whole lot of baby spiderws and now they're trying to to pull you down, surrounding you as best they can. Fortunately, armor is great protection versus mandibles.

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (6)+11: 17

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+11: (14)+11: 25

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d20+6: (15)+6: 21

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d4+9: (4)+9: 13

GAME: Celeste rolls 1d4+7: (4)+7: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (2)+2: 4

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (10)+2: 12

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+2: (8)+2: 10

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (9)+3: 12

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (15)+3: 18

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (15)+3: 18

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (17)+3: 20

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (18)+3: 21

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (8)+3: 11

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (4)+3: 7

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (20)+3: 23

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+3: (14)+3: 17

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (2): 2

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (2): 2

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (1): 1

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d2: (1): 1

Celeste is about finished with this. The half-orc gladiatrix leaps up on top of the badly wounded spider, ramming her sword into it as hard as she can and managing to find the one spot where the chitin is thickest, so it doesn't actually penetrate. A good, hard bash with her shield to the noggin, however, causes the arachnid's legs to just... give out beneath it, sending the whole works crashing down in a heap. Moments later, Celeste rises up, a good chunk of spider... meat... whatever you call it, dangling from her mouth that she tucks right in there and chews up for a good swallow. "WHO'S NEXT THEN?!" she screams.

More sling stones bounce off your armor and ding you on occasion, here or thre. Celeste, Serraphine and Felicia are all a litle bruised up by them, but with the giant spider dead, they're backing off.

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (4)+8: 12

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (6)+8: 14

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d20+8: (8)+8: 16

GAME: Malorn rolls 1d8+3: (3)+3: 6

Malorn changes his target to one of the baby spiders, but their small size makes them tough to hit with punches. His first two miss wide, but he kicks one hard.

GAME: Serraphine rolls weapon1-2: (1)+8+-2: 7 (EPIC FAIL)

Serraphine drove her sword right through one. Literally, she skewered one of them. It was a very good shot and it stuck to the end of the blade. Which made for a very upsetting view to some, not Serraphine though. No, she just swung again.

Unfortunately, Serraphine had a spider stuck on the end of her blade and that made her next swing miss wildly.

GAME: Baz da Ork rolls 1d20+5: (6)+5: 11

As the small spiders swarm all around Baz attempts to line up another shot, drawing back the bow once more he sights and arrow and fires and the nimble little creatures dance out of the way. Lashing out against his armored legs as the arrow plinks off the ground and zips off into the nothingness.

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (5)+4: 9

GAME: Whirlpool rolls 1d20+4: (17)+4: 21

GAME: Lucy rolls weapon3: (17)+12: 29 (THREAT)

GAME: Lucy rolls weapon3: (8)+12: 20

GAME: Lucy rolls 1d4+12: (4)+12: 16

GAME: Lucy rolls 2d4+19: (5)+19: 24

Lucy moves a few feet forward and then suddenly lunges, stabbing another little spiderling through and then yanking her rapier back and swinging it in a flourish to clear it of ichor. She keeps glancing upwards at the top of the pit. "Hah! I knew it!"

The spiders can maneuver on the webs more easily than you.

And they're getting the hell out of there. But you're left with a problem: you're still down here in all the webbing.

The kobolds have retreated...

... all except one, whichas has dropped a flaming tinder down towards the webbing.

WHOOSH.