Spider Attacked
Tenebrae - Friday, September 14, 2018, 6:36 PM
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* H02: The Felwood *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The hills give way to trees, which grow black instead of green. The Felwood, once a part of the greater world, now stands apart from it. The trunks of its wood stand twisted in the way that trees will twist, yet somehow wrong, somehow off. Here, it's always cold, the weather just "something other" than what it should be.
Overhead, a continual storm brews. A blackened smear cuts the sky directly above the wood, a darkened rift that was never meant to be. Its creation is rumored as an unnatural thing, a crafting of the unnatural creatures that lie within these woods.
Now and then, the city sends out patrols to thin the creatures, and keep them from the main roads. However, travel here is dangerous, risky, and often painful.
Ga'Elian has arrived.
Cold rain falls from a grey-black sky without moon or stars. A raw wind blows from the east.
Munch buzzes softly in the rain, working at the edge of the Felwood, tearing up small twisted trees, and trimming the wood into somethign resembeling useable logs. Frequently, the metal man pauses to peer deeper into the woods, only to resume his activities after a few moments.
On one such occasion when the "Man of Steel" (or whatever metal) peers deep, he catches sight of Ga'Elian walking beside his griffon, the elf armed with his bow at the ready. In a moment, ranger and steed emerge near Munch. Ga'Elian says, "Is that you making all that racket?" He smirks in friendly sarcasm.
Munch watches, and raises a hand as the pair approach, buzzing softly at the question. "Probably, unless you're talking about the birds. They do a lot of squaking, even if i don't take out the trees with nests in them."
Ga'Elian curls the corner of his mouth. Says, "I see. So, are you going to build something with those logs? A cabin, perhaps?"
Astaren has arrived.
Munch works near the edge of the Fel, ripping up trees (but not the ones with nests) and trimming them into logs. "Nah, is a small village of refugees not too far from here. Wood is too warped to be much for construction, but decent firewood for the winter. Figure I get them a stockpile, they can focus on other stuff."
Astaren offers a yawn as he walks his way into the area, his note not deep into a book for once. He seems to be looking for something, and noticing Munch and and Ga'Elian, offers a wave "Hey there, doing well? Uh..." glancing around, "Where am I?"
Ga'Elian shrugs. He says, "Good deal. So are those spiders still sacrificing themselves to your metal?" Then he laughs at Astaren and says, "The Felwood. Just a little engrossed in that book, are you?"
Munch nods. "Edge of the Fel, anyway. You looking for something?" Nodding to Elian, he shrugs. "Yeah. Still no idea why. Tends to be a couple a day. Not sure what would happen if I went somewhere else, if they keep tracking long distance could make for trouble if they attack things along the way."
Astaren blinks, "Book?" glancing to his empty hands, "Nope, got lost, very very lost. So had no book out this time. Felwood? Oh dear." Looking a bit pale, "I really did wonder out far this time. Well you can get me home right? Actually if I am there, I can teleport back now. Was not sure if Iw as in range."
Ga'Elian says, "Oh, that's right. It's Verna that always has her nose in a book. I gather you tend more to have your head in the clouds?"
Munch shrugs. "Most wizardly sorts, really. But if you're lost, couldn't you just fly up and take a look around?" Munch might have a skewed idea on what wizards can and cannot easily do.
Astaren grumbles a moment, "No, that is me with a nose in a book. just not this time. Cause I got completely lost. though not as bad as the time I spent a month in the mountains trying to find my way home." Grinning at that, "but it worked out. Only had to run from half a dozen monsters. So what brings you all out here to the Felwood?"
Astaren glances to Munch, "I did, nothing but woods each way I look."
Ga'Elian shakes his head. "getting lost for a month in the forest sounds a little extreme to me, but then again, the forest is my home. I suppose a month in the woods would cut in to your... wizarding time, though. Like, you're not exactly in a library or laboratory. And those big spiders can be a terrible nuissance." He smirks at Munch.
Munch shrugs mildly. "Fly higher. All forests end eventually. Anyway, you know anything about spiders?" he inquires, nodding to Ga'Elian.
Astaren tilts his head to Ga'Elian, "Hmm? I am a cleric as well you know. But no, the mountains were not fun. Liberal use of feather fall." grinning and then looking to Munch, "Depends, are they planer spiders, or magical? I know nothing about other kinds of spider."
Ga'Elian says, "I know some little bot about spiders, maybe a little more about phase spiders, but I'm no expert on them."
Munch shrugs again. "Near as I can tell, regular spiders. Well, regular giant mutated spiders from the Felwood... so not all that regular."
Astaren shrugs his shoulders, "Fire?"
Ga'Elian nods. "Yeah. Most spiders bear no great love for flame, especially when their webs ar so susceptible to it, but trees aren't exactly enthusiastic about fire either."
Munch nods. "People get really upset when you set the woods on fire. Or grasslands... town... pretty much anywhere, really."
Astaren glances out to the Felwood thoughtfully, "Even this place, people would get upset. Though a few well placed fireballs would hurt. Though these woods are very swampy, so any fire would not spread well or sustain. As for the spiders, having problems with them?" glancing to Munch
Ga'Elian says, "I've hears some folks advocate for cleansing this forest by burning it. Personally, I think it might not be a horrible idea, except that several of the monsters here aren't affected by fire, and even if the whole place were razed, you'd still have that unsightly gash in the sky spewing forth all manner of foulness." He looks up at the planar rift that swirls above the forest canopy."
Munch nods, and shrugs. "'Problem' might be a little strong. Easy enough to kill. But they just keep- ...oh hey, here's one now." The metal man motions off into the woods. A slight distance off, a spider is scurrying towards the group, barely stepping around trees, but moving straight closer. About the size of a doberman, the grey and green pattern on it's shell, as well as the relitively short forelegs, mark it as a web spinner, despite its current ground attack.
((Spiders are something like 15 hp and AC, I think any one of us could take it out in a single round, so no need for timestops or rolls.))
Astaren holds up a finger, traces five circles and magic missiles the spider to death. Glancing to Ga'elian, 'Well the corruption runs deeper then the tree's to. So burning it would just create new problems, but not end the corruption. The lands have to be cleansed." glancing to Munch, "That is a giant spider? I was thinking bigger."
The griffon Erithamiel turns to pounce upon the spider, but the force missile get there first. The griffon sniffs at the carcase, then turns away, but then looks into the forest and runs into the trees. Ga'Elian says, "I think he took the scent and has decided to go spider-hunting." He chuckles and adds, "Maybe it'll give him some amusement for a while."
Munch shrugs. "Anything larger than hand sized gets called 'giant', I think. Most are about that size, horse sized are pretty common, those ones tend to be hunters. I've seen ones big as a house, but only a couple. The only ones that are really dangerous ((by Munch's higly skewed viewpoint)) are the little ones. Like, pea sized. They tend to gang up, tousands of them, and just swarm over whatever catches their intrest. Too small and too many for a weapon to work, and they just crawl inside whatever armor you have and start chewing. A bite is little more an annoyance, but a couple dozen and they really add up."
Munch shrugs. "Anyway, it's been a couple hours between ones throwing themselves at me, so I'm gonna take these logs to the village before another comes along. See you guys around." Gather the wood into a crude travolis, the golem heads off, dragging the load behind him.