While having spent most of his life in the desert, Albricht's dwarven ancestry kicks into high gear and leaves him with the sense that these fissures continue back and down for some great distance, with breathable air and a sense of moisture overlayed.  There is the faint sense of a musk that he can't quite identify, but seems likely to be the raiders.

The Cynidicean woman who alerted the group to the attack seems to have mentally wandered off, as her people are so often wont to do, and is cheerfully picking fungi and dropping them into a previously discarded basket.

Silverglade tries to pierce the dark with his elvish vision and hear any sounds from within the fissures.

Albricht relayed what his old dwarven instincts seemed to tellhim about the fissures. "And..." he said, ears twitching, "I believe there may be more water to be discovered!"

"Let's be about it then lads!" When Silverglade was finished gazing, the old dwarf led them forward into the right-most fissure.

Roak mutters something under his breath and follows Albricht in, his sword out.

Voran watches the woman wander, puzzled by her mental lapse, but then follows the others in, one of the last in line.

Silverglade attempts to listen, but the clamor made by his companions foul the attempt.

Albricht and Elder Voran, entering the right-most fissure, find that they are reduced to single-file travel for about 15 feet, then the fissure opens out into a very rough, natural-looking chamber, about 15' side-to-side, and 35 feet front to back.  The chamber has exits to the left and right at its other end.  Laying on the floor in the middle of the chamber is a single child's shoe.

Vsaati joins the explorers and falls into line at the fissure.

Sherborne hangs back from the group and watches the back to see if anyone is following them.

"Hrrrumph!"

Ah, that most useful and adaptive of all dwarven expressions. Entire conversations can be communicated between a twain of the stout folk in as little as one exchange.

"I was right again! Don't act surprised. Appears we've found the slipper! Let's get back to town..." Albricht shuffled over to fetch the shoe.

At the exact moment that the aged dwarf stoops to pick up the shoe, a 7 foot long spider drops form the ceiling onto his back, catching him completely by surprise and biting him.  The thing is bulky looking, and quite hairy.

07:10, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 18 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.
07:11, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 1 using 1d8.  Damage Roll.

07:14, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 4 using 1d6.  Monster's Initiative.
07:14, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 5 using 1d6.  Party's Initiative.


<Albricht, I'm going to need a Save vs. Poison from you before we enter the next combat segment. The PCs will have the initiative after that, but I need to know the result of the save before anyone acts.>

"Hrrru-uhhnnnm-thhhhhh..."

Down he went under a mass of legs, fangs, and spines. The oldster's once stout frame crumpled beneath the behemoth's weight, and his rusty old chainmail was no match for the fangs which impaled him easily.

Saving Throw vs Poison: Albricht Burghammer rolled 3

The ancient dwarf struggles from under the huge spider, and upon rising begins to shuffle his feet and wiggle his hips, in what looks like it might be a dance of some sort.  He twitches and flails, as if driven by something internal; a something that he knows to have come from the poison coursing through him.

So strange is this dance, that all who view it feel themselves assaulted by the need to join him in this spastic activity.

<Everyone else needs to make a Save vs. Spells (this is a magical effect, so if you have bonuses, use them) or suffer a -4 to Hit as you begin to dance, much like Albricht will, for the next several turns.  This will impair you, but not necessarily take you out of the fight.  It's your turn, but the result of the save will have an effect on your actions.>

Lanliss sees the dance and finds himself beginning to move in sync with Albricht, fouling his charge and attack.

07:23, Today: Lanliss rolled 3 using 1d20.  Save vs. Spell.
07:24, Today: Lanliss rolled 2 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.

Sherborne joins the funkytown.

09:50, Today: Sherborne rolled 11 using 1d20.  Save vs. Spell. needed 12.

12:36, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 17 using 1d20.  Save vs spells.

Voran blinks. "But...I don't dance. I barely walk. The only thing about me is the way I talk."

For once, his lack of rhythm saved him...


15:07, Today: Elder Voran rolled 21 using 1d20+1.  Save vs. Spells.

Roak starts dancing merrily for a moment, then starts cursing vociferously, which creates a comical scene of a halfling dancing a merry jig while red-faced and cursing...


15:13, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 6 using 1d20-1.  Save vs. Spells.

Silverglade is able to resist the urges of the dance, but he performs a little shimmy anyway as he moves up to attack the spider.

22:44, Today: Silverglade rolled 7 using 1d8+2. Damage (sword +1).
22:43, Today: Silverglade rolled 11 using 1d20+2. To hit (sword +1).
22:42, Today: Silverglade rolled 15 using 1d20. Save v spells.

Vsaati wondered if everyone loved her, now that she could dance.

The same spastic jerking took control of the burglar as she tried to fire a sling stone at the giant hairy arachnid.  She managed to get the sling whirling but the uncontrollable disjointed movements in her limbs foiled the attempt before it began, as the sling lost speed and the stone slipped out of the pocket to tumble harmlessly to the floor at her feet.


OOC:

20:46, Today: Vsaati rolled 0 using 1d20-1.  Attack spider w/sling.  Wow...I mean, wow!  Don't know as I've ever rolled a 0 before.

<Sherborne, Elboc, and Roak, although you have failed your saves, you can still attack at -4 to Hit.>

Silverglade and Vsaati's attacks go wide, one having resisted the urge to dance, and the other being firmly within the grip of the eldritch demand to move her hips.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:19, Fri 08 June 2018.

Sherborne attempts to swing but he's just to good at funk.

18:02, Today: Sherborne rolled 8 using 1d20-2.  Attack on spider (-4 +2).

Roak, the dancing-angry halfling, dances his way up to the spider and tries to hit it...

I hit AC 7 for 5 hp.
20:19, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 5 using 1d8+1.  Damage.
20:19, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 10 using 1d20-2.  Dancing attack.

Voran, who is feeling a bit more stable as a result of his lack of rhythm, flings a sling-stone at the spider...

Also hits AC 7 for 2 hp.

20:20, Today: Elder Voran rolled 2 using 1d4+1.  Damage.
20:20, Today: Elder Voran rolled 12 using 1d20+1.  Slingstone on spider.

<Elboc and Albricht, I'm still waiting for attacks from you two.>

The ancient dwarf's body had not moved like this for several centuries outside of the well-practiced and secret steps of the Burghammer Battle Lambada (BBL¹). A stupid grin split the sun-bleached whiskers, faded blue eyes overly widened pushed folds of wrinkles aside, and the popping and cracking of arthritic joints added their own rhythm to the beat to which the party gyrated.

Albricht's crossbow was on the cavern floor beneath the spider. Apparently it wasn't nearly as good of a dance partner as his magic mace which, oddly or not, he was caressing and swinging about like he had that boulder-bosomed lass all those years and years and years and years and years and years and YEARS ago!


Mace Attack: Albricht Burghammer rolled 4

¹ It's a s-e-c-r-e-t, I can't even tell you anythingabout it...

Elboc casts Magic Missile.

14:12, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 2 using 1d6+1.  Magic missile.