They Met in a Tavern 31: Regarding A Further Brief Survey of the Spiders of the Badlands

We take a break from the World Cup to adventure:

• Chris: Thorn, dwarf Wizard
• Dan: Kiara, elf Ras Godai
• Roger: Drom, dwarf Desert Rider
• Seana: Zanegar, 1/2 orc Sea Wolf
• Callista: Erol, elf Priest
• Dave: Darkmist, elf Thief
• Andrea: Gabor, goblin Priest

The party awakens from a restful night around the odd metallic, humming obelisk.

Did it keep you awake, too?

Breakfast, and time to get on the road. Drom led the way. Around a few bends, he heard a barking dog. Some cautious slinking about, as PCs are wont to do. A ring of standing stones surrounding a cold fire is found, as well as a cliffside opening to a possible shrine. Zet looked at the runes, determining that they symbolized safe travel. They are cautiously greeted by a one-eyed old woman in tattered robes and her massive dog of undetermined genealogy. She introduced herself as Sesuna, a hermit meditating at the old shrine. The dog was Dawit. "He helps provide for me. We don't need much."

The party asked what or who she might have seen? Serpentfolk to hide from. Other parties, possibly seeking the cities or other treasures within the badlands. No. No odd spiders.

Sesuna showed the party a statue to the shrine's patron, Zulona, a lost god of travel and good water. Likely established long ago when caravans and other wayfarers were more common. Kiara offered some coin for a blessing. Sesuna shook her head, and pointed to her empty socket. "I need an 'eye' to see for you." Some puzzlement, and a gem was procured from one of the loot piles. Sesuna placed it in the socket, and the gem vanished. But now the party won't roll "lost" rolls for three days. Anything we can thank you with? If you come back this way, bring me the names of any lost gods you may find. They need to be named and remembered.

Off they went.

Hurried footsteps approached from behind, revealing Igra, one of the two kobold guides. They had been ambushed by the spellcasting spiders, and Rogs' luck had run out. Igra had returned to the party. Might be a better way to riches than mining, anyway. Besides, he'd always wanted to be a poet...

"Behind Me dips Eternity

Before Me Immortality

Myself the Term between

Death but the Drift of Eastern Gray,

Dissolving into Dawn away,

Before the West begin..." - kobold poetry 

Onward.  Sightseeing, with leviathan skeleton:

huuge

...and abandoned cliff dwellings:

scenic

Not to mention somehow successfully hiding from a 50+ strong serpent-folk warband. 

Night fell, and it was decided to lay an ambush for the pesky spiders. A false camp was made, with fake bedrolls and a smoldering fire. Darkmist lay in wait to watch for the spiders and alert the party. Sure enough, motion was spotted, and one of the bedrolls disturbed. Darkmist sniped it, dealing serious damage to one of the spiders, followed by Gabor laying down a Smite. The second spider was seen, and lightly wounded. Kiara managed to razor chain the first spider, as a Color Spray erupted, disabling four of the party. Said spider immediately leapt onto an unconscious Kiara, with the intent of holding her hostage. The party wasn't having any of it. The spider (dragging Kiara) retreated into a Wall of Fog, intending on dispatching the elf. Fortunately, Kiara made both of her poison saves (the 2nd at Nat 20), and cheated death. The surviving spider, fed up with all this, vanished.

Kiara harvested venom from the slain spider, and there was hope that the survivor would be warded off. Wounded party members accepted healing, and the remainder of the night passed.

The following day, the party endured a few environmental hazards, but no other encounters or points of interest. Night passed without spiders.

More standing stones with travel runes were found, and the party felt that the hermit's boon was holding up. 

A glint of metal was seen among the talus and cliffs. A large object or structure, almost 100 feet across... The dwarves couldn't suss out the metal. Although corroded and heat-damaged, it seemed to be almost like mithril, but such a volume was impossible! Mysterious runes were etched into the surface, but undecipherable.

of course it is

Regardless, it seemed to have been there for some time. Scrambling about commenced, and a rough stone shaft with a captured stream was found. Uneven steps and handholds were carved along the circumference of the shaft, covered in spray from the water. The party gingerly made their way down, illuminated by a light spell from Gabor. 

A small cavern opened up, and the party found a frog-like idol. But all of the proportions were, just, wrong. A second chamber revealed a quantity of orbs, recognized as petrified and inviable eggs of some sort. Fascinating. A pair were collected as curiosities.

Down they went, into a mass of twisting caverns. More runes were found. These had the impression of lists or counting. Something to do with the passage of time. For the PCs who know Celestial, the runes almost resembled something familiar. 

Noise, and confrontation. "What are you doing in my lair?" "Why are you bothering my studies?" The voice had the familiar susurrations of arachnid-speech. Damnit.

The party attempted to determine the location of the voice, but it kept shifting. Always behind someone, echoing from the shadows. Disconcerting.

The being introduced itself as Qissol, and that it had found the object some time ago, and had settled in to study its "trinkets." And it would very much like to be left alone. 

What was it? Oh, just something whose lineage has been around since before your types with the fingers showed up. Just one of us who have uplifted past our animal kin.

What is this place and object? Some sort of ship, perhaps - is the best way I can describe it. It has traveled a long distance.

Do you know of the city of Kimmeria? Oh, you mean Shimmara? Yes, I know its location. If we could have a map, we'd be happy to leave you in peace. FINE. Bring parchment.

A massive arthropod with disconcertingly intelligent eyes appeared. 

you guessed it.

It deftly scribbled out a map, showing passages through the cliffs that would allow the PCs to save time and access the Cold Desert. Look for the remains of streambeds beyond. That will lead you to the City.

Anything we can bring in thanks? Ah. Any trinkets that you may have no use of. I may add them to my collection. The party happily retreated, and made camp in the open, and arachnid-free, air.

DM Notes:

First of all, who knew that kobolds were such poetic beings? With all the trap-setting and sniping, we missed their other creative side...

More random feature pre-rolls, with other elements added as needed. The stealthing away from the war party was managed by two good d20 rolls (At disadvantage, even!). And speaking of good rolls - Kiara is now immune to aranea venom due to double save+Nat20. Which is good, because she has a vial with four doses. The last spider will probably not show up again. But intelligent spiders are the vengeful type.

And speaking of... I do like my phase spiders. Particularly the rare intelligent, spellcasting type (I think I pulled the original from a Swords & Wizardry Monstrosities volume). The party was wise to talk this one out. Qissol has a 3rd level spell. I mean, the survivor(s) may have gotten some cool trinkets, though... I've determined that spiders speak through their spiracles. 

I'm up to around a half-dozen names for the Lost City.

Oh! Almost forgot... Mike (The Erudite DM) thought well enough of one of my old posts to talk to me about gaming, DMing, and creating monsters: