The Second Adventure

[rredmond]

Noh continues forward into the darkness. He hopes that Carc will fly up and out of danger and to better survey what's going on. He will get his cudgel prepared and hope that the light coming forth is enough to see and attack. "I have a lantern, but Tet is right behind with his torch."

Not even sure what a raven's night vision is, but prefer Carc not to die on the first encounter

[kipper]

Since Dame Simonetta cannot hear any of the other hobbets approaching yet, she makes a blind slash with her sword where she thinks the creature is located.

Meanwhile, she keeps a running commentary so the other hobbets can hear where she is. "It's some kind of Goaty-Spider, or Spidery-Goat, whatever it is it doesn't like light so protect your light sources and be ready for attack! I managed to cut it once when it went for the lantern, I don't know where it's got to now."

[mgtremaine]

Kiplyn waits his turn to crawl through to the next chamber....Once he gets there he'll have to decide how to help.

[ehiker133]

Dougal takes a moment to open the shutter on his lantern and light it.

[mushgnome]

Dame Simonetta swings blindly. A direct hit! With a squish sound her sword cuts into the spider-goat's soft abdomen. The creature is unphased by the injury and doesn't even flinch!

Noh emerges from the tunnel and is ready to fight with his cudgel.

Kiplyn emerges from the tunnel and is ready to help however he can.

Dougal lights his lantern and sees by its light: Willie is in a defensive pose. Carc flutters down from his hiding place to his master's shoulder and greets him, carc carc! Noh and Kiplyn are trying to get their bearings.

Dame Simoneta has a bloody nose and a dazed look in her eyes. Her sword is buried to the hilt in a giant puffball!

The Spider-Goat is nowhere to be seen.

With a clatter of pots and pans, Tet worms his way out of the tight squeeze passage and rejoins his friends. "Hi! What did I miss?"

Dame Simonetta's attack: 1d20-4 = 1

[mushgnome]

This Spider-Goat really has it out for Willie's lightsources.

I don't even bother writing them down on his character sheet any more!

[kipper]

Dame Simonetta eyes her sword and the puffball carefully. "If this larger mushroom is analogous to their smaller kindred, then the motive force for the spores is provided by compression and not by any internal pressure. Still, you may want to stand back as I extract the blade," she warns the other hobbets. She then slowly begins pulling her sword from the puffball.

[ehiker133]

"The rest of you, keep an eye out! That goat focker is still around here somewhere," Dougal says quietly, eyes scanning the walls and ceiling.

[mushgnome]

Luckily for Dame Simonetta the puffball is an immature specimen. The flesh is spongy, like a dense loaf of white bread. Presumably as these puffballs eventually mature, the outer skin will become brown and leathery, the inside will darken and turn into powdery spores, and a "belly button" will appear on top.

She is able to withdraw her sword without incident.

Here is a cross-section of a firm-fleshed young puffball, in its edible stage:



And a mature specimen ejecting its spores:

[mushgnome]

Imagine a big cave packed full of sheep, except instead of sheep they're giant puffballs. The cavern stretches out of sight to the north, southwest, and northeast. The ceiling is at least 30' and out of range for the party's lantern light. Occasionally there is a drip of cold water from the ceiling high above.



Full size image: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO ... Y3Y2Mtbnp3