1. Journals

Standard Spider Size... like a person

July 8, 2021

Irdien starts interrogating the nearly drowned drow asking about his patrol and the number of spiders in the attack. He says they were five of them plus his commander and that he saw five spiders, but there could be more.
After realising that nobody has moved to help the poor man Jak pulls out a blanket and drapes it over the Drows shoulders. Then he offers him a bottle of alcohol and sings a beautiful song that sends a powerful feeling of vigour into all who listens. Once Irdien translates what the drow has said, however, Jak gets a bit nervous, realising that they are about to go into a fight, and he has already used up two of his more powerful spells that will not have the time to regenerate before the battle. He swears and does a backflip into the pool and starts swimming towards the centre, which is easy since the whirlpool is dragging him towards it. Irdien pulls the drow to his feet, telling him he needs to come with them to lead the way. He is unhappy about it but understands and agrees. The two drows jump into the cold water, but Irdien finds a log that she uses to navigate the currents like a surfboard.
Panicking slightly at the pace people are jumping in, Sirona asks if Capper will stay behind. The boy gladly says that he will. Next, she asks L if she thinks they should swim in full armour, While Adrian asks if L knows how to swim. Labrat says that they are about to find out and jumps in using her shield to avoid rocks and other dangerous debris. Adrian jumps after her, using his staff to push himself away from the sharp rocks. Sirona, remembering how cold the water was to the touch, begrudgingly steps in, gasps and starts praying for strength and endurance from Morena. Her grandmother seems to take pity on her.
The swim takes a while, and at one point, Jak feels like his lungs are about to burst. Then, in a desperate attempt not to inhale water, he wisps and feels for the first time that he doesn't have to worry about turning into a green goat or getting sober for 24h. The spell works as intended and reliably. He does a little victory lap around Sironas head before they all meet up on the beach at the other side of the Star pool.
The cave is completely dark save for the soft glow of the pound. Sirona takes out a torch and lits it. Jak asks if that's a good idea, and Irdien says that it can go both ways. Some creatures like the heat, while some don't. Jak takes out a torch too, and the group starts following the drow that introduces himself as Mirahel Ricon. He doesn't want to be there and falls more and more behind the group while Irdien still tries to ask him where they're from and what they're doing down here. Adrian, who doesn't trust him at all (prejudiced scoundrel), is ready to stab him at first sight of betrayal. Irdien keeps translating what the drow says, and once she describes the spiders and notices Sironas discomfort, she lies and says that the spider at least won't be more giant than a human, which Sirona takes as strangely comforting.
When they start hearing the sound of an underground river, Ricon stops walking and screams after then that he wishes them Good Luck. Irdien takes this as a hostile action and tells Adrian to get him. Adrian immediately prepares his bow, but as he can't see that well in the dark cave, he uses the magical blood leaching power of the bow to make his aim better. However, the drow still manages barely to dodge the arrow. Adrian starts running back to the drow with the intent to restrain him and knock him out before he can do anything dumb. Irdien also runs back and throws one of her daggers at him.
Further up in the tunnel, L moves up to Sirona's side so that she will be able to defend her. Jak also follows L, but presumably more for protection than to protect. Hearing the other two fight in the dark distance, Sirona chooses to bless L, Jak and herself to make their attacks more powerful. Then she plants the torch in the ground beside her, summons her protecting shimmering halo and turns away from the fight and starts walking further into the tunnel, hammer ready for anything that might jump her.
The drow asks what's going on as Adrian and Irdien tries to subdue him. Finally, Irdien tells him to be quiet and not shout before informing Adrian that the drow has had enough punishment. She turns and starts running back to the others. As Adrian turns to see what's going on, the firelight of Jaks torch shows that the group further ahead has found the spiders, and he starts running back to help.
A spider the size of a person bits L, but she shakes it off her. Sirona invokes one of her orbs of life and death before sending a holy javelin in the spider's face, hurting it badly. Behind it are humanoid-shaped cocoons of spiderweb that appears to be moving slightly. The spider makes a sound of pain, alerting its companions and more spiders starts crawling into view. One of them attacks Jak and, with a ferociously agile movement, manages to pin Labrat in a way that makes her attacks and defences less effective. Even so, the Dragonborn lunges at the spider facing Sirona. Unfortunately, her sword hits a stone, and she gets stuck. Instinctively she puts her shield up before Sirona to protect her. Behind them, Irdien comes running. Seeing Jak bleeding from the bite, she toches her earpiece and whispers his name. The bard is immediately restored at the sound of her voice. Irdien pulls out a knife and throws it at the spider, but it ducks out of the way.
Moving around to the back of the spider, Jak stabs it with his sword. As he does, he makes an inspiring gesture that brings vigour to L in their dier situation.
The first spider moves around in an attempt to flank Sirona, but L manages to slice into it with her sword. It screams but still attacks Sirona, who, thanks to her halo and L's shield, escapes its fangs as it rears franticly.
Out of the shadows on a higher level of the cave, colossal spider legs are suddenly visible in the torch light as something large is moving towards them. It sprays out a stick web that completely engulfs Labrat and Sirona, almost knocking them over by the impact. As the two are still right next to each other, Sirona reaches out to touch L's shoulder and casts a heal that encompasses both of them. Then she turns back to the newly arrived giant spider and sends a javelin flying at it. It hits, but it may have only made it mad. The two people-sized spiders before her leap to try and take her down, but Sirona manages to avoid them even while covered in the web. Despite that, she still feels the coarse hairs on their legs tear into her.

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