AurianaValoria1 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 It did not take them long to locate the old spider lair. They left town and headed northwards into the forest for a few miles, eventually having to abandon their horses due to the thickness of the brush and the winding roots of ancient trees. Continuing on foot, the group finally came across a few giant spiderwebs lacing the tall oaks - the outskirts of the lair. In the distance, Rhaine could see a misty clearing where thicker webs stretched across the ground and wrapped around the trunks like netting. It was deathly quiet...not even the woodland animals dared come this close to the banshee's residence. The Doomguide motioned for everyone to stop, gesturing for them to put in their earplugs and stay down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ithildin Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Echo and Mahira obediently crouched as low to the ground as possible and stopped their ears with wax. Those are the biggest cobwebs I've ever seen, thought the halfling. Hope the banshee killed all the spiders! Mahira noticed her friend's trepidation, shook her head and put a finger to her lips. Echo rolled her eyes and nodded vigorously, as if to indicate she wasn't born yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokyobiohazard Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Arva crouched as low to the ground as his lanky form would allow, his ears stuffed with wax, his pale clothing and features causing him to feel as if he could be a ghost himself in all this mist and fog. He tried to hide himself partially behind a large and gnarled root, feeling he probably stood out much more than he should have. Crawling on her belly behind him, her sword drawn and clothing dampening as she rested so close to the ground, was Reona. Ianthe's brow was furrowed as she anxiously looked back at Alphonse. She wasn't worried about William, who was writing furiously behind an enormous fallen log, as she knew he could fend for himself, but Alphonse was inexperienced and not even confident enough to fight properly. As a way to silently tell him to stay behind, she pulled Boota, her miniature giant space hamster, out of her pocket and handed him to Alphonse, who turned red and gave a nearly imperceptible smile at the corners of his mouth. Ianthe couldn't figure out what sort of response that was, and only hoped that he understood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Rhaine moved forward alone, trusting her companions to know when to follow and when to stay down. She hoped that she could draw the banshee's attention to herself and give the others a better opportunity to use their own unique skills to their advantage. As she slowly crept into the clearing, she realized it was much larger than she had at first anticipated. The fog was so thick that she could barely see three feet in front of her face. Blankets of cobwebs clung to her boots with every stride, and as she looked down, she realized she was walking on a graveyard. Beneath the thick sheets of silvery spiderwebs were corpses...hundreds of corpses. Some of them still retained the armor they wore in life. Others were no more than bleached skeletons, their jaws hanging open loosely in silent screams. With every glance she saw a holy symbol: some of Lathander, others of Tyr, Torm, Ilmater, and Sune. How many paladins and clerics had lost their lives here? The Doomguide gestured for her companions to fan out. The clearing was getting larger, and it looked as though they were approaching the maw of a cave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naktis Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Nawen stayed in the back, watching her friends backs as they all crouched to the cave. She rummaged through her pockets looking for her enchanted earplugs but couldn't find them. "What in the Hells?" She cursed under her breath looking furiously for the earplugs. She couldn't lose them. It's impossible! She had them earlier. As she stood there wondering what to do she heard what at first was a quiet wail but later it turned into a terrified call for help. At first she tried to ignore it, convincing herself it was the banshee tricking her but the voice was so real and few moments later she was rushing towards the foggy woods. My friends will understand. She thought as she kept running hoping to find whoever was calling for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ithildin Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Echo saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head to watch Nawen run off into the woods. Her jaw dropped, and she looked around, wondering whether Mahira had noticed. For her part, however, the Calishite had heeded Rhaine's gestures and put some distance between herself and the others, so she was no longer near enough for Echo to reach out and tap her on the shoulder. Fortunately, the bewildered halfling remained where she was and made no sound. I hope Lady Nawen is all right, she thought, and a worry line creased her forehead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Rhaine continued on, moving closer to the cave entrance. It was black as the void inside, with a distinct lack of spiderwebs. The Doomguide made a few hand signals for the others to come closer and watch their backs as she cast a simple light spell. A small ball of white energy manifested above her head, and she drew her blade as she crept into the cavern. The light illuminated the smooth and damp walls in a soft glow, and Rhaine could see that this cave was very small. In fact, it only appeared to be a tiny pocket in the earth, which meant... Out of the corner of her eye, she saw it...Maraiel, the banshee. The elven spectre flashed in front of her with a short teleportation spell, almost like a blink dog, her mouth unhinging in an impossibly wide scream as she unleashed her first wail. Even with the earplugs, the wail turned Rhaine's stomach and caused her to reel in dizziness. She tried to maintain her balance and slashed at Maraiel with Touch of Death, only to swipe at empty air. Great. She teleports everywhere. That's just what we needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mythicdawnmaster Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Xallistine uncloaked from the camouflage spell he had cast earlier on, Crawling in his rigid robes was physically an impossibility, so he relied on the arcane to back him up where his body could not. He followed Rhaine, looking around with his pale white eyes, just to notice the shadow of Nawen disappear into the woods. His brow furrowed, and he truly hoped the girl would be alright. But his attention was drawn to the small cave as the spectre opened it's wide mouth to scream, the effect dizzied him slightly, but his lack of ears meant he could block out the sounds of her wail, so it did not harm him. Still, it would be useful to hear it, if only slightly, so that he could pinpoint her location. As she vanished once again he readied his wand in anticipation. The banshee would surely be rather irritated that her wail had not claimed the groups lives. Then he saw it again, this time behind him, as the banshee materialized for another attack. There was a brilliant flash of light. Red. Blue. Green. White. And the Banshee reeled back disappearing once more from the blow it had just received. As the light died, and the mist settled on the slender form before them, a mass of mahogany hair, arranged elegantly atop an elven head appeared. Aricia's high heeled form stepped forth, and her stone mask broke into a welcoming smile, the flail in her hand dripping with the magicks it inflicted. She regarded the group silently, her own ears clogged with some form of plug. She looked around the area, scanning it for any sign of the Banshee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naktis Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Nawen reached the small clearing from where the cries were coming from. The clearing was empty. "Should have known better." The drow said as she looked around. Thick cobwebs were stretched from branch to branch with huge trees looming threateningly in front of her. A shroud of thick fog concealed everything outside the clearing. As keen as her senses were Nawen could not see anything through the fog. As she ran here, the drow paid so little attention to her surroundings that she could not remember where the banshee's cave was nor from which direction she came. For the first time in her life, Nawen was lost. At first she tried to remember the path which later turned into guesses. No matter which direction she went Nawen always came back to the same empty clearing. She tried to escape the foggy woods for what it seemed like hours but it was merely minutes. The maddening laugh of someone or rather something followed her around. It didn't take long for Nawen to finally give up. She felt exhausted and scared. "It was a mistake coming here." She thought as she sat down on the ground with her back against one of the trees. She should have known better but the cries were so real that she simply could not ignore them. The drow felt guilty for leaving her friends to deal with the banshee alone. She had plenty of opportunities to see how skilled each and every one of her friends were and she had no doubts that both Echo and Mahira were just as able but still... what if they get lost? She was the scout of the party... "a scout that got lost in woods." She reminded herself. If something happened to any of them she would never forgive herself for leaving, even if she was sure that somebody was in dire need of help. Just like she was... "Somebody, help..." She tried to scream but only a whisper escaped her lips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Aricia? Rhaine was doubly surprised to see the celestial elf at their side again, but she was grateful for the assistance. Maraiel, on the other hand, was not so happy. She rematerialized in the midst of them, her ethereal face contorted in rage. Sparks flew from her fingertips, and Rhaine suddenly recalled that she had been a powerful sorceress in life...if she maintained only a fraction of her former power, her wail was the least of their worries. The Doomguide recognized the banshee's hand movements as a complicated evocation spell...one that they had no protection against. Hoping to interrupt her concentration, Rhaine took a vial from her belt and threw it as hard as she could, following up with a Flame Strike just as the vial reached the enraged spirit. The fire engulfed both banshee and vial, causing the latter to explode and send holy water all over Maraiel's ghostly form. The banshee vanished again, but her second wail followed, echoing throughout the clearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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