The Life and Death of a Scorpion
A long time ago, the Scorpion moved through the woods of Sceya and Salantano, hunting wicked children, eating the hearts of honest men and luring innocent women into her lair. All of these are purely lies however, as the Scorpion fought valiantly against the minions of the Spidermother. Now the Scorpion has retired into anonymity in Ælmesleóht, where she hopes to spend the rest of her twilight years with her sisters. The Spidermother never forgets and Ruqayya will finally get what she deserves. Unless the party can save her.
... or perhaps the Spidermother's disciples want to be stopped.
... or perhaps the Spidermother's disciples want to be stopped.
Relations
Allies
Nadir
Nadir vil redde søsteren sin. Ganske rett-fram, og ho vil nesten døy for å få det til. She feels guilty for being an idiot.
Nadir vil redde søsteren sin. Ganske rett-fram, og ho vil nesten døy for å få det til. She feels guilty for being an idiot.
Adversaries
Chelicerata
Chelicerata is an old enemy of Ruqayya's, a shadar-kai (shadow elf) who fell into the clutches of the Spidermother. They accepted a deal with the Spidermother and attained functional immortality, along with the ability to shapeshfit into a gigantic spider. They have made their lair within a segment of Ælmesleóht's Shadowfell counterpart, a place of cobwebs and sinister implications. In their elven form their skin is pale white, with their extremities being covered in thick black fur. They wear an elegant wood elven suit, completely black with dark grey stripes. They wear a blood-red tie and grey shirt under the suit, and their long black hair is kept loose. Their eyes are covered by opaque red spectacles, and their fingers end in long wicked claws. They have a cruel and cold smile.
In their semi-changed form the spectacles change into their eyes and they grow six more eyes, while their mouth changes form, growing long and wicked teeth. Their claws begin dripping green venom, as do their teeth.
In their fully changed form they become a giant spider with black fur with gray stripes and white armoured plating. Their eyes shine red in the darkness.
They have several manifestations they can send into shadowed places of the world. These wear their skin, but are actually filled with thousands of tiny spiders.
Captain of the Spider Court
Drow House Captain with the following modifications:
Soldier of the Spider Court
Drow Elite Warrior with the following modifications:
Mage of the Spider Court
Drow Mage with the following modifications:
Chelicerata is an old enemy of Ruqayya's, a shadar-kai (shadow elf) who fell into the clutches of the Spidermother. They accepted a deal with the Spidermother and attained functional immortality, along with the ability to shapeshfit into a gigantic spider. They have made their lair within a segment of Ælmesleóht's Shadowfell counterpart, a place of cobwebs and sinister implications. In their elven form their skin is pale white, with their extremities being covered in thick black fur. They wear an elegant wood elven suit, completely black with dark grey stripes. They wear a blood-red tie and grey shirt under the suit, and their long black hair is kept loose. Their eyes are covered by opaque red spectacles, and their fingers end in long wicked claws. They have a cruel and cold smile.
In their semi-changed form the spectacles change into their eyes and they grow six more eyes, while their mouth changes form, growing long and wicked teeth. Their claws begin dripping green venom, as do their teeth.
In their fully changed form they become a giant spider with black fur with gray stripes and white armoured plating. Their eyes shine red in the darkness.
They have several manifestations they can send into shadowed places of the world. These wear their skin, but are actually filled with thousands of tiny spiders.
Captain of the Spider Court
Drow House Captain with the following modifications:
- Innate Spellcasting ability is Wisdom ( +6 to hit with spell attacks, spell save DC 14) and they can use the following spells once per long rest: Entangle, Pass Without Trace, Blink, Greater Invisibility
- Can move up and down webs freely.
- No Whip attack
- No Sunlight Sensitivity
Soldier of the Spider Court
Drow Elite Warrior with the following modifications:
- Innate Spellcasting ability is Wisdom ( +5 to hit with spell attacks, spell save DC 13) and they can use the following spells once per long rest: Faerie Fire, Pass Without Trace, Blink. One of them have used Pass Without Trace before the combat begins to give them all +10 to their stealth.
- Can move up and down webs freely.
- No Sunlight Sensitivity
Mage of the Spider Court
Drow Mage with the following modifications:
- Innate Spellcasting ability is Wisdom ( +5 to hit with spell attacks, spell save DC 13) and they can use the following spells once per long rest: Faerie Fire, Pass Without Trace, Blink, . One of them have used Pass Without Trace before the combat begins to give them all +10 to their stealth.
- Can move up and down webs freely.
- No Sunlight Sensitivity
- Bytter alter self med synaptic static
Backdrops
Locations
The Arena of Webs
Chelicerata has spun an arena of webs within the shadowfell mirror of Ælmesleóht. The Owls enter a small, dark corridor with the shadow-way behind them, and must move forward into the arena. As the arena opens up before them, they can see that the walls are covered in cobwebs with thousands of tiny spiders and several much, much larger ones moving throughout the system of webs. The arena's walls are 40 ft. tall, and there are four 20 ft. tall columns near the middle. The radius of the arena is 60 ft., or something like that. And its an octagon. Ceren notices that many of the webs that must be central to manipulating the web seem to be leading out of the arena and somewhere on the other side of the wall. When they enter the door closes behind them as the web is stretched taut.
Any given web here has an AC of 15 and 20 HP. They're vulnerable to slashing and fire damage.
Some game information:
Chelicerata has spun an arena of webs within the shadowfell mirror of Ælmesleóht. The Owls enter a small, dark corridor with the shadow-way behind them, and must move forward into the arena. As the arena opens up before them, they can see that the walls are covered in cobwebs with thousands of tiny spiders and several much, much larger ones moving throughout the system of webs. The arena's walls are 40 ft. tall, and there are four 20 ft. tall columns near the middle. The radius of the arena is 60 ft., or something like that. And its an octagon. Ceren notices that many of the webs that must be central to manipulating the web seem to be leading out of the arena and somewhere on the other side of the wall. When they enter the door closes behind them as the web is stretched taut.
Any given web here has an AC of 15 and 20 HP. They're vulnerable to slashing and fire damage.
Some game information:
- The web on the ground makes it difficult terrain, unless it is burned or cut away. It has an AC of 15 and 20 HP, vulnerability to fire damage and immunity to bludgeoning, poison and psychic damage.
- There are a few holes in the arena that lead down into the corresponding Shadowfell domain to the undercity. Down here be all manner of horrible skeleton fish. These are covered in web so one can move over them, but if the web is burned away while someone stands on it they must make a DC 10 acrobatics check or begin tumbling into the water.
- There are a few egg-sacs along the walls and the pillars in the middle of the room. These have an AC of 15 and 20 HP, vulnerability to fire damage and immunity to poison and psychic damage. If destroyed 1d4 Swarms of Spiders are expelled from them in adjacent spaces. When the final battle takes place these are all destroyed.
Encounters
The Birthday
Ruqayya is celebrating her birthday, and plenty of NPCs are in attendance:
At some point, Nadir will want Ruqayya to open her gifts. She goes through them and likes them a lot and makes some fun comments. Until she comes to the Elixir of Youth, which Nadir gives a speech about saying how she and Sarab would miss her too much for her to leave just yet, and that this will give her a few more years of being their mother. Ruqayya says thank you, and drinks it. At which point she begins choking and wheezing. Chalicerata, who has been hiding as a tiny spider for the entire party, manifests in the corner and sits down in a chair.
The Battle in the Arena
The mage has use one 5th level spellslot to make themselves and the three Warriors invisible, and one of the warriors has used Pass Without Trace on themselves and the two other warriors. The Spider Court's strategies are as follows:
The warriors got the following stealth scores:
Ruqayya is celebrating her birthday, and plenty of NPCs are in attendance:
- Song
- Dharr
- Dust
- Nadir
- a temporary projection of Gwen
- Daegseg, Nadir's date
At some point, Nadir will want Ruqayya to open her gifts. She goes through them and likes them a lot and makes some fun comments. Until she comes to the Elixir of Youth, which Nadir gives a speech about saying how she and Sarab would miss her too much for her to leave just yet, and that this will give her a few more years of being their mother. Ruqayya says thank you, and drinks it. At which point she begins choking and wheezing. Chalicerata, who has been hiding as a tiny spider for the entire party, manifests in the corner and sits down in a chair.
The Battle in the Arena
The mage has use one 5th level spellslot to make themselves and the three Warriors invisible, and one of the warriors has used Pass Without Trace on themselves and the two other warriors. The Spider Court's strategies are as follows:
- The Warriors will fire their crossbows from invisibility on their first turn and will first enter melee to "replace" dead Giant Spiders. The Giant Spiders will spend every chance they get to web down an enemy. One of the warriors will cast Faerie Fire instead.
- The Captain and the Giant Spiders will move into close quarters to fight, supported by the Mage and the Warriors. The Captain will also cast Greater Invisibility on herself as the combat begins.
- The Mage will begin by firing witchbolts and magic missiles at opportune targets, and when most of the Giant Spiders are dead the Warriors and Captain will retreat to let the Mage use some big damage spells, beginning with Cloudkill. Once Cloudkill has been used to its best ability the Mage will use Fly and Lightning Bolt to cause damage.
- Chelicerata will watch in interest and amusement at the ensuing chaos.
The warriors got the following stealth scores:
- Warrior 1: Dolk: 24, Everyone else: 37
- Warrior 2: Dolk: 27, Everyone else: 33
- Warrior 3: Dolk: 22, Everyone else: 38
Past Events
A long time ago, Ruqayya fought against the Spidermother in the forrests of Sceya and Salantano. She protected the innocents of those lands from the machinations of that Fey Princess. During one ritual in the bosques oscuros of Salantano, Chelicerata almost succeeded in summoning the Spidermother into reality for her to claim a huge swathe of forrest and the Feywild for herself, but Ruqayya and her friends stopped them. Ruqayya fought stinger-to-talon with Chelicerata, her in her scorpion form and them in their spider form. The Spidermother almost came through the thin veil in reality from the dreamrealm, but Ruqayya clipped her thread and one of her talons off, which sent her back to her Fey Court in pain. After defeating Chelicerata, who returned to the Spidermother in pain, Ruqayya took the talon and made it into a knife, as its poison would be potent enough to kill even the most powerful of spirits.
Chelicerata has spent a long time since then trying to make amends for their lady. Not too long ago they became aligned with the Laughing Wolf, as he and the Spidermother have similar designs in the Grand Game, and they have heard of his plan of claiming the anathame from the Lady of Sin. They have been working in the shadows to aid in this plan, crafting a tiny shadow-way into the Thundertower that has gone unnoticed by even the most astute of wizards. Too small for any humanoid to move through, too small to notice for any big people. But just big enough for one single spider.
Chelicerata has spent a long time since then trying to make amends for their lady. Not too long ago they became aligned with the Laughing Wolf, as he and the Spidermother have similar designs in the Grand Game, and they have heard of his plan of claiming the anathame from the Lady of Sin. They have been working in the shadows to aid in this plan, crafting a tiny shadow-way into the Thundertower that has gone unnoticed by even the most astute of wizards. Too small for any humanoid to move through, too small to notice for any big people. But just big enough for one single spider.
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Related Locations
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