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Sack peered into the hole. The tentacles had receded out of sight, but sounds of battle from below showed that Sigred had not succumbed to the monster. The walls of the chasm were rough and jagged; easy. He swung down into the pit and began to climb. Kobort, casting Fly, soared down after him, but was unable to spot him, hidden in the shadows and wearing his chaemelon ring. Overshooting, the sorcerer shot down the hole and emerged into the area below. He discovered a vast, bell-shaped cavern, apparently entirely filled by a heaving, glistening mound of vile-looking flesh, which appeared to be all one creature. Sinewey tentacles writhed upwards from all over it, and right in the centre was a huge, beaked mouth, larger than a horse and surrounded by turreted eyes. Above, Hildraft cast an Air Walk on himself and Surya, and the pair raced down the invisible stairs they found placed for their convenience. Arriving at the end of the shaft, Sack took in the situation below at a glance. Invoking the Sunburst, he dropped onto the monster below. Cursing from above showed that Kobort hadn't managed to close his eyes in time, and was now completely dazzled; he clung to the wall, rubbing his eyes and waiting for the effect to pass. Surya and Hildraft passed him, leaping down to the attack. Stinking black blood splattered in all directions as the two slashed and hacked at the monster. Unable to see them, its' tentacles waved and thrashed frantically. Sack traced the tentacle holding Sigred - now unconscious - and launched a determined attack on the base of it. A few seconds later and it was severed, dropping the priest's inert body into the spreading pool of blood with a loud splat! and narrowly missing Surya. Hildraft grabbed the prone form, paused to retrieve his mace, and headed back towards the surface. While Hildraft tended to the fallen man, the two warriors resumed hacking at the vast creature. The dazzling effects of the Blade of the Sun having worn off, Kobort was able to see again, and started directing Fireballs and Magic Missiles off down the cave to strike the monster well away from the others. Of course, the creature could see now, too, and it lost no time in grabbing at the heroes with its' tentacles. All were wounded, though not seriously, and Surya responded by flying into a red rage, attacking headlong with little regard for his own safety. Sack, unwilling to stand too close, worked his way around the mouth, systematically skewering the eyes with his blazing blade. As he did this, he spotted a bulge within the cavity that held the mouth. Could that be something vulnerable? Choosing his moment, he stabbed precisiely. Grey brains fountained upwards as the bright blade bit deep, and the vile monster twitched and died. Oblivious and snarling, Surya continued to slash and tear at it for a minute or so, until Hildraft flicked a small pebble at his helmet to bring him around. Drenched in sweat, he stood and gasped, recovering his breath. Sack explored the foul chamber in a bit more detail, and discovered that over the centuries the victims of the monster had dropped various possessions which had ended up in the edges of the cave. [For details click here!]. Wounds were magically eased, but the spellcasters were getting low on readied magic, so the group camped in the cavern, noisome as it was, and rested the night. The smell was dreadful, and no-one got much sleep. |
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Next morning, they pressed on. The stairs down from the level they were on proved to be blocked, so they headed up into the first rise of the Great Spire instead. As they walked, they could hear the orc inhabitants moving around, sometimes close, sometimes distant; presumably looking for them. Once onto the first rise, however, the sounds ceased, replaced by an eerie quiet. Once through the shattered doors, they came to the maze. The architects of Gadhuvras seemed to have used labyrinths as a defensive measure on every level; this one was intact though. And not uninhabited. From the first, it was lined and behung with grey cobwebs. Rustling noises permeated the air, and occasionally they could see fist-sized bodies scuttling through the webs. Finally, they emerged into the centre of the maze, discovering a larger chamber, sectioned into smaller ones by the webs. In the centre, a vast, indistinct shadow lurked. The now-familiar dry, inflectionless spider voice spoke from the dimness. The spider lord questioned them as to who they were and what they were doing in Gadûhvrás, and seemed unconvinced by their portrayal of themselves as "simple adventurers and treasure hunters" - especially when they let slip the fact that they'd slain the Lurker Below. Sack nudged Surya, and suggested by signs that he might gain them quick passage here by drawing Tormentor, as he had in the Tainted Forest; but the Tellaran was unwilling. He felt the spiders here might have some connection to the Fae Mhor, and to reveal themselves early would alert the dark elves. The Spider Lord indicated he was bored, and wished a gift in trade for allowing them to leave. They fell to negotiating with the spider for their passage through his realm. Oddly, the monster revealed a desire for rubies, and wrought items made with jewels. For a moment, Surya was tempted to hand over one of the rubies from his Necklace of Fireballs; but then Sack dug into his Bag of Holding and produced some of the loot from the Lurker's cave, much of it begemmed with rubies. During the conversation it became apparent that these spiders were expecting great things in the near future. Something - it wasn't clear what - was to change drastically, and they and their kin would have much greater freedom and hunting grounds. A small (by comparison) spider was deputised to show them the way out. He led them to the lip of the area marked on Mazahir's map as a shaft to the first sink of the Pits, which turned out to be a ruined supply lift, its' winch and trapdoor rotted, leaving a shaft disappearing down into darkness. |