Dragonbane: Alone in Deepfall Breach Session 7- The Not So Itsy Bitsy Spider

Time for the big fight! With no other options to get around the chasm, Aleric's going to need some luck to kill this monster before he continues on his journey.

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Aleric spends some time readjusting his pack, making sure that the antidote supplied by the Orc herbalist is within easy reach. “I really hope I don’t need that… But better safe than sorry.” After he makes his preparations he shoulders his pack and heads towards the entrance to the shaft leading into the chasm. As he arrives he finds two Orcs standing around chatting. One carries a broadsword and is decently armored. The other is obviously some kind of scout, wearing light leather armor and carrying a short bow and a full quiver of arrows. As Aleric approaches, the warrior gets the scout’s attention and points over towards him. “I suppose you’ve won the lottery to accompany me below and face this damned spider? Aleric’s the name.” The warrior steps forward, giving Aleric a confident nod. “No sir, we volunteered for this post. That thing below has captured a few of my unit. I’m hoping with your help we can defeat it and rescue those we had to leave behind. Rovug’s the name and this here is Mork. He’s one of the few that escaped our first encounter with the spider. He’ll be our eyes, hopefully we won’t be caught off guard with him around. Either way, the three of us prepared and ready, I don’t see why we couldn’t kill this thing and get you through to the other side.” Rovug flashes Aleric a confident smile before continuing. “If you’re ready, lets not sit about any longer. The entrance to the shaft leading down is just up ahead. Its not too treacherous now that we’ve got a makeshift rope ladder leading down. But all the same, best to watch your footing. It’s a long way down to the bottom from here.”

With that Aleric nods and lets the pair of Orcs lead the way. He finds them at an opening in the ground that leads down at a generously steep angle, though nothing that the fighter wouldn’t be able to handle. A tied off rope ladder leads down into the pit, making the traversal that much easier. The Orcs begin their way down, followed by Aleric in the rear. The going is not so treacherous, but it takes some time to climb down to the bottom of the chasm. About twenty minutes of climbing later, Aleric finds his foot hitting solid flat ground.

GM Note: Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets get Rovug and Mork stat’d out for the upcoming fight. I’ll use NPC statblocks but give them a few bonuses since their aid is due to an extreme yes in Aleric’s interaction with the Orc Chieftain

Rovug- is going to be a modified NPC adventurer. 15 HP; Awareness 12; Swords 14; +D4 Bonus damage; Equipped with studded leather and open helmet with 3 Armor rating  and broadsword with 2D6 damage.

Mork- is going to be a modified NPC hunter. 15 HP; Awareness 14; Bows 14; Evade 12; +D4 Bonus damage; Equipped with studded leather armor with 2 Armor rating and longbow with D12 damage.

Both of the Orcs carry a torch and an antidote on their persons as well.

Emerging from the shaft, Aleric peers into the darkness of the chasm. Mork is busy striking flint and tinder over a torch and quickly the orc holds aloft a flickering light that illuminates the group's surrounds. Silently, Mork nods towards one direction. From his vantage point, Aleric can make out the wisps of thick silky ropes that he assumes is the spider’s webbing. The group begins making their way into the depths of the spider’s den. After only a short walk the webs become more noticeable and much thicker. Occasionally Aleric thinks he spots one of the strands twinge with movement, but isn’t sure if its actually moving or just in his mind as his anxiety for the fight ahead begins to build. With Mork leading the way, the group slowly progresses.

“One moment, I think now that we’re closer to this thing I can track it down. Give me a second to catch its scent.” The two orcs look at Aleric a bit confused, but he takes a moment to sniff the air around the webbing. Catching a scent, Aleric nods. “Alright, carry on.” The orcs shrug, but continue on with Mork leading the way. 

Heroic Ability: Hunting instinct- Aleric has designated the spider as his hunted prey. He’ll be able to gain an advantage on attacks against the spider once they group faces it. WP 8/16

GM Note: The fight between the spider and the group is an inevitability at this point. The only thing that could possibly change is if the group is aware of the spider before it launches its attack. As Mork is leading the group, he’ll roll Awareness to see if he spots the ambush that the spider has laid for them. 

Roll: Awareness (Mork: 14)- 14; Success!

After what feels like an eternity to Aleric, Mork begins to slow his pace allowing the others to catch up to him. “No sudden movements. That bastard is directly above us now. Get ready to unsheathe those swords, it’s going to attack us soon. On my signal, draw and ready yourselves for battle.” Mork nods, a grave seriousness in his eyes as he resumes his walk ahead of Aleric and Rovug. Only moments later, the scout throws his torch to the ground and pulls his bow from his back in a fluid motion. “NOW!!!”  He yells. The others quickly pull their swords, Aleric also gripping his shield tight in his off hand, as a massive eight legged creature descends from above, falling behind the group and cutting off their escape. With the warning from Mork, Aleric and Rovug are ready for battle, charging towards the beast before it realizes its surprise is lost!

COMBAT

GM Note: This is going to be the first monster Aleric has to face in this campaign. There are a few differences in fighting a monster versus a normal humanoid NPC. Monsters are able to act multiple times in one turn. The spider will have 2 actions each round. A monster attack can be dodged, but not parried unless otherwise stated in the monster’s stats. Monster attacks always automatically hit and their attacks are randomly chosen from a list by rolling a D6. The spider will be able to dodge at a skill of 15, but won’t be able to parry since it does not carry a weapon. The spider has 36 HP but no armor. This fight could be quick, but it could be very deadly as Aleric and Rovug do not have a strong evade skill. Finally, Aleric is not fighting alone here. His army of one Heroic ability will not be active, so he’ll only draw 1 initiative each turn. Lets see how this plays out!

Round 1
Initiative
Aleric (HP17/17)-5
Rovug(HP 15/15)-10
Mork(HP 15/15)-7
Giant Spider (HP 36/36)-2/1

Even though the group has warded off the spider’s ambush, it charges into the fight faster than any of them are prepared for! 
Spider attack (5): Web Attack- The spider quickly shoots a web at Mork in the rear. Mork gets a free evade roll to defend against the attack
Roll: Mork- Evade (14): 16; Failure! 
The sticky web catches Mork unprepared and sticks the orc in place! He won’t be moving for the duration of this fight. 

The spider then turns its attention to the two fighters in front of it. 
Spider attack (1): Mandibles; Target (High Aleric/ Low Rovug): 5; Aleric!
The spider moves in and chomps down on the wolfkin before Aleric is able to bring his sword around to attack!
Damage (2d8): 8 Reduced to 4 with Aleric’s Armor (HP 13/17)

Aleric feels the spider’s pincers dig deep into his skin, though it does not seem like any poison is injected into the wound. He quickly steps back, bringing his longsword around to slash back at the spider
Roll: Aleric- Swords(15):  15; Success
Damage (2D8+D6): 11 damage to the spider (HP 25/36)

As Aleric brings his longsword down on the beast, Mork draws and arrow and releases it towards the hulking spider’s form
Roll: Mork- Bows(14):  7; Success
Damage (D12+D4): 8 damage to the spider (HP 17/36)

The arrow sinks deep into one of the spider’s many eyes. It reels back from the combination of blows. Rovug takes the opportunity to stab his broadsword into the spider’s underbelly
Roll: Rovug- Swords (14): 19; Miss! 

Rovug is overtaken by fear of the creature as his broadsword swings wide of the creature. 

Round 2
Initiative
Aleric (HP13/17)-3
Rovug(HP 15/15)-10
Mork(HP 15/15)-9
Giant Spider (HP 17/36)-4/6

Aleric is quicker to recover from his attack than the spider. He brings his longsword down on the creature with a hefty overhead strike
Roll: Aleric- Swords (15; Spend WP for boon WP 7/16): 7; Success
Damage (2D8+D6): 19! 

Roll: Spider- Evade (15): 20; Critical failure!

Aleric catches the spider as it tries to step back and reassess the battle. He steps forward, chasing the creature down. At his sudden movements, the spider rears up to attack Aleric. He takes the opportunity to drive his longsword deep into the spider’s abdomen. The spider lets out a guttural screech that turns to a burbling choking sound as the sword punctures its lungs. Aleric twists the blade and pulls it out with full force. The spider slumps to the ground, struggling to stand yet finding its strength quickly leaving its body. Rovug takes the opportunity to drive his broadsword into the creature's skull. Mork releases another arrow into one of the spider’s eyes. After a tense moment, the spider ceases to move.

END COMBAT

Aleric breathes a sharp gasp in as his adrenaline recedes and the pain of the mandible bite sets in. Mork continues to struggle against the webbing as Rovug rushes over to Aleric. He quickly retrieves a bandage from his pack and thrusts it into the bleeding wound on Alerics chest. “Does it sting any more than a blade might? Any poison in the wound?” Rovug doesn’t wait for his response, digging in his pack for his antidote. Aleric quickly waves him off. “No! No poison! Just… Damns that hurts! Ahhhh.”  Aleric sighs heavily as Rovug smiles. “Well then alls well in the end!” He chuckles to himself before the sounds of Mork struggling interrupts the pair. “Ay! A little help! I’d rather not die of starvation stuck here while you two make nice!” Shaking his head, Rovug heads over to Mork, pulling out his dagger to begin cutting the scout free. With Mork free, the trio take a moment to size up the beast they defeated. “I can see why this thing was such a danger. If it had surprised us, I imagine that would’ve gone much worse for us. Well with the spider dead, I can continue on and you two can return to your tribe.” Aleric adjusts his gear, nodding to the Orcs. Mork shakes his head no. “Not just yet my friend. If it isn’t any trouble, we’d like to accompany you at least to the stairs leading out the other side of this chasm. We were hoping to find some friends of ours after all. May be that they’re still alive just trapped down deeper in the spider’s lair.” Aleric nods, remembering the two mentioning such previously. “Aye, that makes sense. We can spend some time looking for your friends and then once I’ve reached the stairs out of here. But then you both make double time back. I promised your chieftain I’d return you in one piece. Looks like I’ll at least be able to hold up that bargain.” The two orcs nods in agreement before they all make their way deeper into the chasm, looking for both the stairs leading up the other side of the chasm and anything that might be an Orc body stuck in the webbing. 

How many orcs has the spider captured? (D4) 2 orcs were caught by the spider. 
Are any of them alive?: 1; Extreme no 

The trio continues deeper into the chasm. After a short while, the group comes upon a massive webbing that blocks their way. With the spider dead, this poses no challenge to their journey, but as they begin cutting their way through Mork spots two large cocoon like figures hanging from the webbing. With Aleric and Rovug’s help, Mork is able to cut the bundles down. After a moment of hesitation, they cut the bundles open. Inside they find the drained corpses of the two missing orcs. They have been so thoroughly devoured that even their gear has been rendered useless and destroyed. Mork places a hand over his mouth before retreating from the bundles. While the scout dry heaves in the corner, Aleric and Rovug attempt to sort through the remains. They give up in frustration as the webbing and corpses turn into a mush of sticky dead orc. They share a knowing look before turning back to where Mork has sat himself. “I’m sorry Mork… There’s nothing to be done. Can’t even transfer their bodies in this state. Best we can do is lay them to rest here with the knowledge that their deaths have been avenged.” Aleric places a reassuring hand on the scouts shoulder. Mork looks up to him, tears streaming down his face. He simply nods in response. The trio continue on for a short hike until they come to the starts of long stairwell build into the opposite side of the chasm. 

“Well, I suppose this is where I leave you all. Get back safe to your tribe. Once Gorum is healthy enough, I’m sure he’ll be ready to return to you all. I hope that he is able to safely with the problem of this cult done and dealt with.” With his parting words, Aleric begins the ascent from the chasm. The two orcs make their way back to the plunging shaft to reconnect with the Orcs as they leave the magically warded bridge behind. 

Aleric makes it up to the other side of the chasm. His wound has stopped bleeding, but the pain still shoots through his chest as he surveys the top of the chasm. The cultist stronghold lay some hundred yards away, so he takes his chance running from the edge of the chasm towards what appears to be an opening in the cavern wall. After a short sprint, he finds himself in front of another cavern opening and a heavily trodden path leading deeper into the breach.

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Well that fight could have gone a lot worse! Luckily Aleric's survived with just a small scratch. Ahead, Aleric will have the Cultist stronghold to infiltrate!

Dragonbane Session List