xibalba ♔ sublime | like a heartbeat | in its own beat

[everyredcent]

Heartbeat - Gazelle Twin 

WHO || Christos, Risa, Gaz, Ella, Katniss, Dante  [closed] 
WHAT || The Knights explore several drow raids stemming from a series of caverns in Belize
WHERE || Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre, Belize 
WHEN || March (date TBD)
HOW || Actionspam (single thread)

[ Travel to the Mountain Nature Reserve goes smoothly, and as promised, a woman who works for the park meets them and escorts them within as 'researchers', guiding them towards the area near the cavern entrances.  She speaks very fluent English and makes it clear that she's willing to put her job at risk getting them in there if it means putting a halt to these attacks before waiting for it to get cleared through red tape with the authorities.  She stops them at the cave mouth, nodding at the entrance. ]

From here, you must swim inside of the cave, and then wade up the river within for about a kilometer before you will reach dry ground.  The caverns stretch within for another few kilometers.  Will you be alright from here?

Comments

[anthophobia]

[Katniss is more focused on being quiet than looking around, but it's dark af to her, so that makes sense (spot 15).]

[everyredcent]

[ nope, nothing to see here except a backpack!

i'm sure it's fine ]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Well, then, there's no harm in rummaging through the backpack then! (23 search) ]

[layonhands]

[ the bag rattles slightly as gaz goes to open it, metal clanking against metal inside. it looks to be filled with rather mundane spelunking equipment: hooks, a long twine of silk rope, a shorter chain, a full waterskin... but there's also a crowbar, a grappling hook, an old, but well-made leather pouch that contains numerous lockpicks, and a small pouch that rattles with coin - and a second that's full of caltrops. as she's rooting through it, however, a figure bursts forward from the dark shadows of the rocks against the sides of the cavern, previously all but invisible to all of them, now brandishing a scimitar worked with fancy arcane symbols across the blade. in a flash, she holds the blade to gaz's neck, hissing:

"Drop it."

the woman is quite a sight, dressed in black leather that seems to be made of shadows itself, a pair of small wings on her boots, a dark cloak at her back, and a strange crystalline fang that looks fused into the skin of her neck. her skin is completely black, a stark contrast to the gray of christos' even in this low light from risa's spell, but as she snarls at gaz, she can see that her canines are unusually long and sharp. her limbs and digit also seem unnaturally long, and tufts of course, black hair seem to cover her body.

most horrifying of all, however, are her eyes, which are far too large, and multifaceted, just like... a spider's. ]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz drops the bag. Despite how much she would love to reach for her swords right now, she knows that would be a Bad Idea, so she keeps still, eyes glancing from the woman to her fellow knights. ]

[buttholy]

Hey! Hey ... we don't have to fight here. [he holds his hand up like woah son. and rolls a whole ... diplomacy 18. i mean. he tried.]

[everyredcent]

[ she turns her horrible eyes towards him, blinking all of them as she studies him. christos turns on the cliff-face, a dagger in his hand that keeps low. ]

Who are you?

[ she looks past dante to him, eyeing him all the more warily for being a drow, it seems.

"We were Larala... Dumain... before... Is that not right, Mistress? Yes, we were once Larala, that is who they called us, that is who we were before we heard her, before she came to us and made us new again..."

as she descends into freakish half-mumbling to herself, she doesn't lower the blade away from gaz's neck. ]

[anthophobia]

[Meanwhile, Katniss crit fails her will save and literally has a panic attack as she sees her companion get assaulted with that blade and just...

...instinctually fires an arrow into the monstrous creature's hand holding the weapon at Gaz's throat (called shot, atk 25, dmg 15).]

[sorceresslite]

[ ella acts on the same instinct, honestly, throwing her hand out and casting magic missile. four streaks of greenish white energy shoot from her fingertips toward the bag of cats, striking unerringly. (force dmg 15) ]

[everyredcent]

[ the arrow lands directly in the creature's hand, which she pulls away from gaz's throat, but with an incredible show of resolve, she doesn't drop the weapon, although she lets out a horrific - and loud - screech. ella's magic slams into her and she draws the scimitar back, bringing it down towards the back of gaz' neck in a deep, devastating cut (atk 30 (crit), dmg 18).

christos wastes no time jumping into action either, leaping forward to try to distract her from the woman (atk
35, dmg 10) ]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss only seems to panic further at the sight of the creature drawing blood, and she sends a flurry of arrows at it. The first two are well aimed, while the last goes wide (rapid shot atk 28/nat 20/18, damage 12/27).]

Get away from her!

[She might sound slightly hysterical, oops.]

[buttholy]

[well this ... was not what dante wanted to happen, but he is right there with everyone trying to protect gaz from spider-gollum over here. (atk ... 14 ... well he was just trying to distract her ok. 9 dmg if that hits somehow)]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Well ouch. But better the back of her neck than the front of it. Now that the spider bitch is distracted, Gaz draws her swords and tries to get around behind her for a flank. Then she lashes out with her main hand. (atk 27, dmg 9) ]

[sorceresslite]

EVERYONE GET BACK! [ violently blue electricity crackles across her fingertips because ella is about to cast lightning bolt, but she wants everyone out of the way first. so readying action to cast once no one on the team is in the line. ]

[everyredcent]

[ the lightning bolt may not be necessary after all. katniss' two arrows hit, one of which strikes the creature right in the center of the chest, causing her to jerk backwards, and distracting her enough that gaz gets in a good chop at her hand, actually severing it. with a cry, she falls to the ground, her weapon clattering beside her, and ceases to move.

/init ] ... Search her.

[sorceresslite]

[ jk no lightning, but ella leaps to loot because she's that person and she has no magic or potions to help gaz, only ones that will hurt her more. so search 22!! ]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ Gaz is just gonna step back and kick that weapon further away, pressing a hand to the cut on her neck because OW. ]

[buttholy]

[at gaz:] Do you need healing or anything? [they do have a cleric yo...]

[anthophobia]

[Katniss takes a bit too long finally lowering her weapon with a heavy drop of her hand, as if she's afraid the woman is going to suddenly attack them again.

Audible breath leaves her lungs as her fingers ball into fists, her body shaking in the aftermath of her adrenaline-fueled mini panic attack. She turns away from the group briefly, trying to catch her breath, her eyes blinking rapidly.

Nothing to see here. It's fine.]

[layonhands]

[ risa doesn't wait for gaz to say yes or no, simply puts her hand on the woman's shoulder and floods her with healing energies (32 hp) ] That was a rather nasty cut...

[ the creature wears that strange leather armor (+1 shadow silent moves studded leather), has a +1 keen scimitar, winged boots, a ring of protection +1, cloak of resistance +1, and a wand on her as well ]

[sorceresslite]

[ spellcraft 37 for that wand? and all the other stuff too, i guess. but she wants the wand, tbh, so she's going to pocket it no matter what, straightening up to move back as she also grabs the ring. ]

This armor's gonna be dead useful, if anyone wants it. Cloak as well, same as this one. [ she indicates her own looted from the first encounter. ]

[farmgirlfighter]

[ About to just say "I'm fine," Gaz instead gets healed back to full. ] Thanks.

[ Ignoring the loot for now, she goes to check on Katniss. ]

You okay, kid?

[anthophobia]

[She stiffens, looking briefly up at Gaz before she nods curtly.]

I'm fine. [Her face is hard as she turns back around.] We should keep moving. [Her eyes look toward the fallen creature, her voice hollow.] Is it dead?

[buttholy]

[he steps near the creature but then sort of pauses because how would you check for a pulse on this spider monstrosity??? if she doesn't have a pulse, is she dead or is her pulse somewhere else completely??? you just don't fuckin' know, son. so he looks down and says in all his wisdom:] Looks dead to me ...

[everyredcent]

We need proceed more cautiously than before. [ he indicates the necklace that is grafted into her skin, staring at it grimly. ] Lolth is watching us now.

This one was one of her Chosen. A keeper of a fang scarab, which slowly transforms its wearer into a creature much more... arachnid in nature.