As Maximus fired off his two throwing knives he was rewarded with two hit’s, the first knife into the leading creatures belly, the second straight into it’s eye. Then to further increase its problems a pool of grease appeared under its feet sending it crashing onto its belly, hopefully imbedding the knife there deeper into its body.

Having no time to look behind him to see who had cast the spell, Mage or Bard, he was still thankful for it‘s timely arrival. Hopefully it would keep the first spider incapacitated long enough to allow the big ex-gladiator time enough to deal with the second spider. Which even now leaped over the first to land in front of him.

His shield striking forward to block the spiders mandibles and perhaps cause some damage, Maximus aimed his vorpal sword to take the spider in its neck, hopefully severing it from body. If not at the very least to cause as much damage as he could before the spider attacked back......

Deep within a glacier, it dreamed. Far from any threat nor any light, it dreamed. Nothing could reach it, nothing could harm it, but neither did it live. Distantly, red heat flared, causing cracks in the icy prison, and bone chilling cold water to trickle down its walls, but still it slumbered. Suddenly, a wave of golden light flashed through the glacier, and the cracks deepened, the trickle turned to a deluge of water rushing away. It uncurled from its undeath within the ice and began to fight its way to the surface.

Kilgim cradled the broken girl's head in his lap and poured a healing draught into her mouth, closing the slack lips and massaging the throat to make her swallow. As Flynn rummaged around the neckline of the cloak to free the dragonet, the injured thief began to cough and move feebly. She moved her head slowly from side to side, murmuring, fragments of dwarven and common interspersed with the Imperial language, sounding like someone barely roused from a deep sleep. It wasn't the raspy low voice that Kilgim knew, and when blue eyes flew open and stared into his, they were devoid anything other than terror and pain.

"Ahhhhh, nonononononono!" the girl cried, and she struggled feebly to get away from both Kilgim and Flynn, batting at them uselessly while scrabbling feet tangled themselves in the cloak pooled around her. When it was apparent that she couldn't get away, she dropped her head, blonde curls obscuring her face and tried to curl up protectively, hands pulling shredded clothing closed around her. She shuddered, then a stillness came over her. Slowly she raised her head, every move controlled and tight, and dead grey eyes took them both in.

"What the hell just happened?" Dapple asked coldly, as she began to gather her feet beneath her, almost concealing a grimace of pain. "Don't ever touch me again, bard, I could have killed you just now. And Kilgim, save your prayers for someone who deserves them. I've got one of those vials, too, I'll just take that."

Kilgim grabs Dapple firmly and holds him as he finishes his prayer, "Don't give me lip 'laddie'" He says quietly and then pushes his healing power into her. Dapple is somewhat amazed once again at the strength of the dwarf and how he really cannot be moved if he doesn't want to be.

Arien sees the threads retreat and is released from his guard so he engages the spider that Maximus is facing. Arien moves to the right flank, opposite to the gladiator and attacks with his flaming sword. the creature moves fast and dodges the first blow but Arien strikes hard with a backhand follow through to the side of its face as it tried to bite him.

Flynn draws on his fiddle and play fiery angry burst of music while muttering an incantation. From the fiddle bursts forth a flaming arrow that strikes the spider that is fighting Maximus and Arien. The flames spread across the arachnid's upper body, causing it great pain.

Maximus moves to the left and dodges a swipe of the spider to hot hard with his vorpal blade. The wound is the final blow to the spider as it collapses and twitches once before dying.

Adrian moves to attack the downed spider, dismissing the greased area so not to trip himself up. He strikes a hard blow, deep into the head of the spider. The blow is not enough to kill it and the spider manages to get a bite in on the mage. The wound is a small one but the Adrian staggers and falls, frothy mucus coming out of his mouth.

Char moves with speed and grace to hit the spider with a mighty overhand blow before running and launching himself in the air off the far wall. As he does the spider attempts to bat him out of the way and manages to knock Char flying onto its back. As Char hurriedly tries to find a hold, the spider thrashes around, madly attempting to dislodge its passenger.

Dapple sizes up the situation quickly and quickly runs wide of the fallen spider and Arien to throw daggers at the spider near Adrian. All three daggers find their marks and the spider squeals pitifully before dying.

OOC:
Dapple: Fine (back to full)
Arien: Lightly Wounded
Char: lightly wounded, Ride'm cowboy
Adrian: Lightly wounded - Poisoned
Two spiders dead, only the one being ridden by Char is alive and it is seriously wounded.

Maximus deep into his fighting mentality and so concentrated on the still active spider headed his way did not see Kilgim heal Dapple to full health. His first realization of such was just after he had dodged the second spider’s attack and with help from Arien and Adrian delivered the death blow.

Then moving past him Dapple threw a pair of daggers at the wounded spider finishing it off. It was here that Maximus in turn noticed that Adrien was down, clearly having been hit by the wounded spider’s attack.

“Kilgim, Adrian’s down!!”

Moving to the Mage’s side Maximus tried to see if there was anything he could do................

(OOC: Ok Alacrity once again it seems that I have lost Maximus’s character sheet. All I can say is after the last Infection of my computer the file holding all my Inn characters is gone. Would you please be kind enough to once more send me a copy. Thanks)

Kilgim couldn't help, but to smile at Dapple's angry exclamation. He hadn't expected anything less of the lass. Even if it was hidden most of the time, the little thief had a soul more fiery inside of her than anyone else Kilgim knew. And he knew a lot of people. Yet, there was no way he would be doing what Dapple wanted and leave her be. The girl needed to be back in shape, and in no time.

So as Dapple tried to get up, Kilgim firmly and not so gently, held her down and made sure every last bit of curing elixir made its way down her throat. "Don't give me lip 'laddie", he said quietly and only removed his powerful hand from Dapple's shoulder when the vial was empty.

Dapple got up so swiftly, that it made the dwarf shake his bald head. The rogue had always had an incredible way of shaking away any pain of stiffness in her muscles that might hinder her actions. "Ye deserve me prayers better than ye care t' think, me friend.", Kilgim whispered as he watched Dapple join the fray.

If the creatures they were facing hadn't been so deadly, the cleric might have considered the view somewhat funny with Char sitting on a gigantic spider's back while hanging on to the creatures hair trying not to fall. It almost looked like that ranger was trying to tame himself a new eight-legged mount.

The dwarf's green eyes took in the battle scene and allowed himself to relax for a heartbeat. One spider was nearly cut into pieces and was smoldering where Flynn's magical arrow had struck it. Another lay equally dead on the floor looking like a pincushion with Dapple's daggers sticking out of its back.

The spider Char was riding was the only one still alive of their current enemies and no of the team seemed to be too badly hurt. Or so Kilgim thought until Maximus's yell caught his ears. "Kilgim, Adrian's down!!" How he'd missed the mage, the priest couldn't tell, but his flash of relaxation was gone as fast as it had come.

It was quite obvious the spider had bitten Adrian. His face was even paler than usual and there was froth in his mouth. There was no time to waste. Kilgim knelt beside the mage, once again oblivious to his surroundings. The invisible magical globe was still around the priest keeping both him and Adrian somewhat safe from anything that might get past their friends. The dwarf blinked at the thought. If something would be powerful enough to get past Arien, Char, Maximus, Dapple and Flynn, his spell would probably offer the two of them little protection.

Unlike with Dapple, this time a healing potion would not be enough. It would close any wounds on the mage's body and return his health, but it did not have power to destroy the complex poison running inside Adrian's veins. There were specific potions for that, but Kilgim didn't have any with him. Fortunately for the unconscious human, Clangeddin seemed to favor the dwarf these days. There was a prayer that might be strong enough to help Adrian.

---

OOC: Obviously casting Neutralize Poison next.

OOC: Alacrity's post had Kilgim use a prayer on Dapple, and so I've posted accordingly.

Dapple had begun to rise, reaching for the daggers she'd dropped when Kilgim landed one ham hand on her shoulder, holding her down without any real effort.

"Don't give me lip 'laddie", he said quietly, and spread his free hand on the thief's chest, where throat and breastbone met. Realizing that she was about to be healed, Dapple struggled to push him away, fighting the reflex that started a killing blow, but moving the dwarf was like moving a mountain. She closed her eyes, wincing in anticipation of Clandeggin's fury. She could only hope that Kilgim would be spared, innocent in his wrongdoing.

Instead, a feeling of warmth pushed into her, a warmth of smouldering fires deep beneath the earth. A solid strength of ageless endurance rolled through her, and trembling limbs stilled, rent muscles knit, and open gashes closed. She could scale any wall, run for miles, defeat any foe...

Enough! A lucky break, the god's power flowed without sensing the nature of what it healed, but you'd best hope that the dwarven god doesn't notice. His cleric may find himself cast out.
Dapple's stomach twisted at the thought, and she overreacted, wrenching herself out of Kilgim's grasp as he loosened his hold on her. She shook herself, much like a wild animal freed from a cage, and bound off, trying to put distance between herself and Kilgim. If her momentary weakness cost him his connection to his god...

Looking for something to punish, she spotted the spider standing over the fallen Adrian. Maximus, Arien and a downed spider were between her and her target, but a quick dash, cloak spreading like crow's wings around her, saw her clear. Clearing her mind of anything but the spider, she launched three daggers as easily as if pointing, and they flew true, biting deeply. The beast squealed in rage and pain, but collapsed.

Dapple slid to a halt, and pulled the daggers from the still twitching beast. She eyed Char and his eight legged mount, looking for her opportunity to take another monster down.

OOC: Next round will be an attack on the remaining spider, if she's convinced she won't hit Char.

There wasn't time to lament about the failed positioning as the woodsman found himself on the creature's back. Instinct was often what kept animals in the wild alive, and it had kept Char alive on many such occasions. Now it took over again. He'd been using the hair on the bucking spider's back as a method for staying mounted, but knew there was a better one as he spun the blade about in his left hand and drove it's hooked length into the spider's back. It would make a great handle and keep his right hand free to continue cutting the arachnid to bits...which is exactly what he did, striking at the ugly eyes and head as he could, growling the whole while.

OOC: Sorry for how long it took to post this short entry. Life is hectic during the holidays. This will be my last post until after xmas but since I am off during the last week of december, I hope to post then, if everyone else can manage a post.

The last of the spider dies ingloriously under the blades of Char. The Ranger rolls with the spider as it crashes to the ground, coming to a stand before the beast in the hallway.
Kilgim attends to the fallen Adrian. Although he cannot neutralize the poisons effect, he uses his divine power to slow the spread. This allows Adrian to pull himself out of the venom’s effects and move his arms and legs again. Although his tongue is numb and feels thick, he can talk once more as well. Maximus helps the fallen mage get to his feet as he regains some of his lost strength.
Dapple puts away her dagger and moves back into the darkness of the hallway. She is at the ready, not convinced that those threads that took her down so easily are not coming again.
Flynn strums a few notes on his fiddle absent-minded. Impressed by the team work of the group, he realizes that the foes ahead of them may be quite formidable.
With the spiders dead, the question of direction to go comes to a head. To the north, is a round room, used probably as a mediation room by the priests. To the east, the main body of this temple and possibly more about this strange woman’s voice haunting the hallways.

OOC:
Arien: Lightly Wounded
Char: Lightly wounded,
Adrian: Lightly wounded (will be weak for 20 minutes and then poison effects will fade)

Rolling with the spider's final lurching moments, Char dismounts by disengaging his blade and leaping to the floor at the last, squishy moment. Casting a quick eye about he slowly relaxes his defensive posturing to clean his blades on the hem of his cloak. The action was both to care for his beloved weapons and to cool his temper, for he wanted to give Da'Moon an earful for running off like that without the least bit of caution or sense of self-preservation, but some little voice inside cautioned him against it. There were reasons the girl posed as a boy...reasons she hadn't found necessary to share with him. Char looked on her similarly to a fox cub he'd found in a snare once as a boy in the forests outside one of the encampments he was following. The animal had been hurt, and was wild with fear and pain. When Char had tried to approach and cut it free, the poor creature had snarled and, frothing a bit at the mouth, had taken a chunk of flesh from his hand. He glanced down at his gloved hand where the scars were still white and vivid to this day. That fox had never become domesticated despite the care and nurturing the young boy had given it. It couldn't trust that someone was going to do anything but hurt it, so it was too dangerous to keep close. Char had released it into the wild as soon as it was capable of taking care of itself again for fear it would take a bite out of some less forgiving sort. Da'Moon had likely been hurt in the past, or had her trust betrayed...At least that's what the ranger told himself. She didn't need to have a wedge driven deeper between her and her trust of those who were her friends by being raked over the coals for something she was likely already berating herself for.

Instead, Char watched the wobbly Adrian being helped to his feet, while cleaning his blades, watching for any further threat, and trying to ignore his own minor injuries. Turning his thoughts from the party's physical well-being (that was, after all, Kilgim's domain) he considered their options.

There was the circular room ahead, or the remainder of the temple to investigate. They had no real recourse against those deadly ribbons and Char would be damned to the Abyss if he supported rushing haphazardly after them anyway. In his mind, they had to do some reconnoitering--find out who was in control of these threads and determine how to bring them down without allowing the culprit to use them against the party anymore. That meant caution and a more learned approach. To the surly ranger, that meant slow-moving progress, and a thorough consideration of what everyone in the party had to offer. But, he wasn't the head honcho here, and he'd allow Arian the right to his position's responsibilities only offering up his opinion if it turned out to be pertinent. They'd all seen which route the tendrils had retreated, and they'd all seen the tendril's capabilities (some a bit closer than others), so for the time being he remained watchful and alert, and waited on his friend, the knight's, command.

Dapple trembled with the combined after-effects of battle and healing, but did her best to quell the tiny motions. She used the moments of Adrian's recovery to calm her breathing, still her limbs and push Sapphrine's ghost back down into the ice. She didn't need the sobbing to distract her, nor would she let herself get caught again.

Checking that her weapons were clean of spider ichors, she seated them properly in their sheaths and waited with a semblance of calm for Arien to speak. While she waited her eyes sought out Sunset, stretching out one arm as a landing spot for the dragonet's ackward flight.

"Where do you think we should go, little one?" she asked quietly.

As Maximus quickly cleaned his vorpal recovered his two throwing knives then helped Adrian to his feet after the ministrations of Kilgrim. They both watched as Char, tired of his new stead, finished off the last of the three large spiders.

With battle for the moment at an end, Arien, Adrian, Char lightly wounded and the boy Dapple back to a semblance of full health, the large ex-gladiator found that he was one of the parties unwounded once more. Waving off Kilgrim he moved to Arien’s side.

“So Sir Knight where do we investigate next, North or East?”

(Ok Al just another reminder that I need a new character sheet for Maximus as you have not sent me one as yet.)

Adrenaline was coursing through thousands of blood vessels, a body torn between giving itself to arcane arts and physical prowess. It was no secret that he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever, at least not naturally. The arcane secrets took a great toll on the body. He was young now, and able to keep up, but soon he would have to give in. Adrian was not blessed with the body of Char or Arien, and surely not with the hulking figure of Maximus. He made do with what he had, and augmented abilities with arcane secrets as he discovered them.

The day would come, perhaps sooner rather than later, that Adrian would have to give himself over to mana entirely and let it take the toll on his body it always does. Either that or step into the realm of biomancy and augment himself permanently. It wasn't that far off actually, he could already turn himself into stone, grow wings, or alter his size or appearance. He could temporarily give himself the strength of Maximus and the speed of Char... but for how long?

The glassteel bastard sword lay at his side, covered in all sorts of material he wouldn't be able to identify without a laboratory and library. He was dying, or at least his body was trying to. Whatever spell Kilgim had cast was synergizing with Adrian's natural defenses and slowly putting an end to the toxic effects.

After what seemed like an eternity, Valentine was able to move. A bit. Slowly. All the spiders were dead, and recovery was mixed with discussion on where to go next.

"I don't care where we go... just no more spiders... Not yet..."
He looked obviously drained, and obviously fighting off the last effects of the venom.

Arien looks over the carnage and checks on the members of the party. His wounds can wait as far as he is concern as long as everyone else can be seen. Kilgim has Adrian up and moving and the others seem to be no worse for wear except minor injuries. “Let us move north,” The knight says, “Rather not have any surprises come from behind as we move further.”

The door to the northern chamber is open and it is standard size for men, so the spider could not have come from the chamber – more evidence that it was summoned forth to deal with you by the unseen lady with the threads. Dapple moves forward to checks the door and consults with Sunset on direction. Images pour not only into Dapple’s mind, but all the party that flittering in shape and meaning. The mental images are drawn from your own mind and experiences so everyone see and feels something different but the meaning can be found. Sunset can’t feel danger or intelligence to north, but feels a presence to the east – a childlike but deeply evil mind. Whatever it is – it is scared of you, like it has never felt before.

The door is not trapped or locked, and swings open to reveal a large chamber, semi-circular in design. There are mats and pillows on the floor, and the walls are decorated with frescos of flowers and sunny landscapes. In the centre of the room is a open entrance to a circular stairwell going up to another level. There is another room to the north east, with a closed doorway on either side.

There is no sign of life in this room, no sounds from above, or the room to the side.

With the instruction from their fearless leader Char immediately takes up his usual position at the front. His Khukri blades at ready, the mountainman approached the door and paused about ten feet off to allow Da'Moon access. When the image of a calm grove that was a location he'd discovered as a child came to mind, Char was taken back years to the day of discovery.

He was barely eight summers, a ragged boy dressed in oversized cast-offs with strips of cloth wrapped about his dirt-covered feet. His hair was long even then and the practice of allowing it to hang into his face was already well established. It was spring, and the camp of Eildirn Forcasl was stirring in preparation for a long march--the mercenaries having been hired to establish a stronger hold along the northern edge of the forest against encroaching hill giants. Everyone was excited, and the young Char was just as infected by the buzz as everyone else.

So caught up was he that he'd stumbled head-long into the grip of Hantel Booras, a man who was more an ogre than any of the beasts Char had heard about. Hantel was the type that gave hired swords a bad name, and Char was among those whose life he liked to make miserable. This time, however, Char accidentally stumbled on a clandestine meeting betwee Hantel and some shady fellows he didn't recognize, and Hantel had sprung after him like a wolf after a lame deer.

The ensuing chase had kept Char ahead of the man by mere paces, and it wasn't until the young boy had slipped beneath a rotting log and fell down a rather steep incline that Hantel had been forced to find another route buying Char some time. The grove had been a place that the future ranger had happened on shortly after by breaking through a thick hedge, and it had proven and ideal place to hide. He'd felt safe there; watched over by unseen beings. He'd slept there and ended up spending a couple of days within the peaceful harmony of the sanctuary the whole while worried about the hateful man discovering him and wringing his neck.

Giving his shaggy mane a slight shake, the ranger was brought back to the present just as Da'Moon swung the door to the chamber open. Slipping past the little rogue, Char darted to the right with his swords ready. His icy eyes took in the pattern of the decoration, the stairwell, and the door quickly (OOC: Whatever passes for a Spot check please). Making certain that they weren't going to be attacked by something the little dragon had missed, Char quickly moved to the foot of the stairs, cautiously moving up them to a point where he could crane his neck and see further up the stairs without putting himself out of sight of his friends. (OOC: Move Silently).

“So Sir Knight where do we investigate next, North or East?”
"I don't care where we go... just no more spiders... Not yet..." Answered Adrian in a low cracking voice from behind Gladiator and Knight. After a moments thought Arien did speak

“Let us move North, Rather not have any surprises come from behind as we move further.”
As Char followed by Dapple once more took the lead Maximus moved to his normal place to the groups rear, the best place for the semi-giant. With the door to the north already opened and images pouring into Maximus’s mind, clearly being sent from the lad’s small dragon, the party slowly moved through the door. The mental images drawn from his own mind told him that though Sunset could not feel danger or intelligence to the north, clearly it was felt by the small dragon to the east. This ‘thing’ whatever it was possessed a childlike but deeply evil mind. This mind whatever it belonged to was scared of the group like it has never felt before.

Maximus upon seeing this could not help but smile in a cruel way. Be scared creature, be very scared, we come to end you. pausing to allow the rest of the party to spread out he followed and stood blocking the door, looking behind him to the south to prevent the possibility of a rear attack.

Once the all clear was given and they moved forward once more, so to would he...............