Arcane Pillar, Part 2
10 Flamerule, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Misty Forest, The Sword Coast
Jon Skaylebane woke to the sound of his father calling for help.
Up on a tree where Jon found thick branches where he could sleep last night, Jon looked down and saw his father, Arik, standing next to the strange pillar they both found yesterday afternoon while hunting at the edge of the Misty Forest.
Jon saw a creature resembling a large darkly colored snake-like creature attacking his father. The creature had a beak ringed by four barbed tentacles, which seemed to be its main weapons.
The fight against the creature didn't last long thanks despite Arik being raked twice by the creature's barbed tentacles. Fortunately, a well-placed shot by Jon pierced the creature's thick rubbery hide killing the thing before it could attack Arik again.
Jon climbed down to see how his father was doing. Arik said he was fine and asked Jon to see if he could try his luck deciphering the arcane words on the stone pillar. Arik said he tried reading it again. He couldn't make out what the words meant and that he had once again triggered the trap that kept summoning seemingly random creatures.
Arik said if Jon couldn't figure out it may be best if they traveled to Daggerford and sought the help of a wizard who should be able to make sense of the pillar's arcane writing.
Jon tried reading the words...and triggered the trap!
Two giant spiders suddenly appeared next to Jon and Arik.
Arik fought off the giant spider next to him while Jon did what he could to kill the one in front of him. Even though Jon had injured the spiders with his shortswords, the spider he was fighting wouldn't die so easily. It bit him once, its fangs delivering a deadly poison that coursed through the ranger's body.
Jon dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Arik quickly killed the spider he was fighting then turned his attention to where his son lay unconscious. The other spider was carefully crawling over Jon's body ready to wrap it in a silken cocoon.
Arik leaped to his fallen son's side and fought the spider, killing it after it nearly bit him. Arik checked Jon and was relieved to discover he was still alive. The poison had rendered him unconscious but had not killed him.
Thanking the goddess Mielikki, he gathered his son's two shortswords. He then picked up Jon and carried him all the way back to Golden Acres.
His priority was to make sure Jon was safe. He promised himself that he and Jon would then find a wizard in Daggerford who may be able to help them figure out how to solve the mystery of the arcane pillar.
Protagonists
Arik Skaylebane
Jon Skaylebane
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