The Company 3rd Song ep06 : Dungeon World : Roll20

06/03/2015
The Company, 3rd Song

Episode Six
"Webs"

Zig notices the growing mist that crawls upon the ground, spreading while the others seem busy with their discussions.  He walks up to Chaeron to whisper a warning to his ears.  Chaeron turns to Zig throws him an annoyed expression.  Hollis proudly tells the gathered that they have the package as commanded.  Chaeron hushes Zig to be silent.  The Govenor turns to face the Iron Bride and asks her to inspect it.  Zig sees the spreading mist cover most of the room and decides to break protocol and yell at everyone that there's a trap!  Illyana walks up to Liadan and draws her sword.  "Where? A trap?" Govenor Duune, Lord of Onodol hisses in response.  Gaius moves close to Liadan as well, ready to defend her.  Hollis isn't certain what the mist is, so he calls out to the others to protect the package!  Zig quickly notices the possible ways out of the chamber.    Gaius peeks at Aeromys, checking if his pet has reacted in any way.  He finds it hiding under his armor.  "It would be prudent to take the package away," Illyanna snarls at the Duune.  Illyana tries to sense evil but senses none from Duune.  Zig clambers up a shelf to try to pry open the closest window.  Duune, of course, spits at them vile words.  He is angry at the presumption that his chosen meeting place would be subject to an attack!  Lady Cassandra wafts some of the smoke close, inhaling, and tells the gathered, "Fellows... this mist. This is incense. Rose mist, aromatic and expensive."

"Urgency... insanity.. we are at war.  Onodol might not show it, but as Lord of this place I surely am aware of it!  The Alliance claims to have a means to end the war and you were to bring it," Duune growls.  Zig tries to apologize, but Duune takes offense in the accusations.  He admits the mist was to spare him from the foul effluence the group carries with them.  Hollis tries to apologize once more for the party, admitting they had faced many dangers and are still on guard. Duune dismisses the meeting, telling them to rendezvous an hour from now.  As he leaves, the group sees past the door the women fanning mist from a glass globe suspended over fire.  The aroma of roses is stronger.

It was an abysmal first meeting.

Hollis and Zig decide to look around the city, with Chaeron opting to follow them.  Liadan and Gaius opt to speak with the Iron Bride.  

Gaius admits to Ilyanna that he does not know if he can trust her yet.  She merely tells him she has no need of his trust.  Both admit they are watching over the package.  Aegidius the Elf watches in silence, intimidated by them all.  Liadan, however, is now incensed.  She has finally realized the group sees her as this package, and Ilyanna admits she only knows she is destined for greater things.  She refuses to explain what is expected of her.  Ilyanna does, however, admit she does not feel Duune can be trusted.  She does not know either what the Red Child's role is in all this.  Gaius and Liadan are surprised to learn the Iron Bride is NOT here to protect the Red Child.

Elsewhere, Zig tries to apologize to Duune, who had stepped out and upon inhaling deeply, realizes there is still a stench in the air.  He sees Zig and scowls.  Hollis joins Zig and tries to give more apologies, but Chaeron comes up to the two and drags them away.  At an adjoining chamber, the two hear from Chaeron a reminder that not everyone is good at handling the intricacies of politics.  He admits it might be better that both stay outside in the next meeting.  Hollis sighs, sniffing himself and asking if he does smell that bad.  Chaeron admits maybe for a lord they do, given the catacombs they had plumbed.  He recommends they bathe.  Zig however has his own plans and he heads down the streets to search for information.

Hollis rejoins the others and they talk more about the package and its possible role in the war.  Hollis notes a symbol on the Iron Bride that marks her as a believer in the Old Gods.  The Iron Bridge warns them that, "The road to the Lich King is one fraught with dangers both known and unseen. One cannot tread this path lightly.  The Watch knows the value of life. But we also know that death is inevitable. And nothing waits for us beyond this world. Thus we must do our best to make the most of our time here."  Aegidius is just amused at Ilyanna being covered by so much metal.  Ilyanna shares the vision she saw when she read of the Lord through her given blessings.

"The Governor has retired to his chambers. His grotesque bulk struggles to move into his private chambers. I see a dark shadow swirling within him, bubbling from his mouth like oil. And I see his hands clawing at his chest, as if wanting to break the skin. The mist is thick. The coils are silken. Eight by eight. They come. They are near."

Gaius wonders if they are under attack and decides to bar the doors.  Liadan wonders if Zig was right.  Lady Cassandra feels they are confusing things.    The group starts to see a low hanging mist fill the room again.  This time however it does not smell of roses.

Ilyanna draws her sword once more, positioning her shield to defend Liadan.  Gaius signals Aegidius to protect Lady Cassandra, as before.  Hollis feels the mist cling to his face.  He draws a hand to pluck it away and realizes it is stick... threads... like a web.

At the Underworld District, where black market affairs happen in the city, Zig spots a thieves' guild hideout.  He casually asks for a person who can trade information, and he is directed towards a group of slavers.  There, he learns the Lord of Onodol does occasionally hire slaves for needs.  Zig admits he is fascinated with the rosy mist and learns its a very expensive air perfumer.  Zig then purchases some Tagit, five vials worth, for any emergencies they may need.  Before the man can reply, however, a thorny shard embeds into the man's throat!  He drops to the ground, blood oozing from the deep wound.  To Zig's horror, the thorn continues to dig into the man's flesh!

Zig sees the attackers, three strange men with some kind of wooden growth on their bodies.  A low mist hangs around them.  Another altered man stumbles towards Zig, sprouting gurgling words.  Zig kicks back, breaking into a run to leave.  The three chase after him!

Back at the Grand Archive, Gaius yells to ask Ilyanna if her visions were literal.  She admits seeing Duune clawing at his own chest.  Aegidius is engulfed by the mist.  Lady Cassandra screams and tries to pull him free, but he screams he cannot move.  Hollis ducks under the misshapen things that erupt from the ceiling, throwing the cloth at the things to distract them.  Giant spiders emerge, each one the size of a horse.  Ilyanna maneuvers to try to draw the larger one at her. The spider ignores the elf, moving towards the massive woman.  Gaius charges forward, swinging his flail wide to catch many of them in one strike.  The struck spiders burst like watermelons, splattering purple blood in all directions.  They shriek giving a sound like children stabbed with a hot iron poker.  Liadan begins to intone while Lady Cassandra watches her back.  Hollis stands between Liadan and the window and tries to find an escape through the window.   Instead, he sees more coming and shoves a bookshelf to barricade it closed.  Ilyana narrowly dodges the swipe from the spider as she lunges forward, thrusting her sword into the beast.  The blade rakes against the massive spider, but unlike the smaller ones, this one takes the strike and pulls back... still alive!

The three smaller ones close in on Gaius' flank.  One leaps into range and launches a spinning wad of web at him.  Rather than wait, Gaius charges at it like an ox, hoping to get closer to Ilyanna at the same time.  He ducks his head, shield leading, bursting his way through the spiders as he crashes through them like an avalanche of ridged, spiked steel.  The things scamper away in fear.

Outside, the three men with root-like arms take chase.  One swings a wooden arm at Zig, which unfurls like an opening flower!  Zig tumbles out its reach.  People in the streets watch in shock, uncertain what is going on.  Feeling the weight of the vials, Zig slips them out of his pack and considers dropping them away. But that is when, out of the blue, a familiar face drops from the sky in front of him.  The Snow Witch!  She intones, "Gala Mutkg Svanto!" and the three figures begin to shake as if they were having convulsions.  Zig stops, turns to watch, and sees the three scream as the wooden extensions crack and falls off with bloody spasms.  Dropping from each of them were writhing worms.  Zig goes back, blade ready, and asks her why she had helped him.

Malar, the Snow Witch, replied she is here to find the Heretic.  Zig assumes she means Liadan.  Zig demands Malar clarify if she's here as a friend, and Malar admits the Old Gods understand and demand for her now.  At the corner of his eye, a blue bolt zaps into view.  Zig instinctively dodges it and it hits Malar, who hits the ground in pain.  Zig turns to see Brother Fabio! He teases his "Knock of Knowledge has found its target," and offers to tie Malar up. Fabio informs Zig that a massive mist surrounds the Grand Archive.  Onodol is under siege and how there are things closing in on the City Walls.  Zig feels divided on where to go - he senses his friends are in trouble, but he knows he alone can inform them of what is happening at the wall.

The group back at the Archive fights against the Spiders.  Hollis stabs his palm with his dagger and the symbol of Soma appears in his eyes.  He sees the symbol mark the staircase across the room.  "Up!  We must go up!"  Ilyanna grits her teeth as one of the spiders gets a bite at her, injecting her with some greenish poison.  But Ilyanna slams the thing back in time for the poison to ooze out of the wound, rather than get deeper into her system.  Gaius challenges at the largest spider, declaring it Exterminatus, and charges to kill the beast!

The shower of blood and ichor explodes from the massive SpiderLord. Hollis reaches to Aegidius and begins pulling him from the webs. Liadan stays close, keeping her hand ready to cast a Blue Bolt of power at any creatures too near. But as Hollis pulls on Aegidius, he discovers something odd: the young elf is NOT held down by the webs. The webs slide easily from the elf's skin. Aegidius quickly apologizes, admitting he was never trapped.  Gaius sees Aegidius' eyes and sees the regret in them. The young boy has done something... wrong. Hollis looks up a the symbol, still above the stairs. He leads the group to it, knowing Soma has chosen a safe path...But then... the scream.

All turn to see Lady Cassandra wrapped in a massive cocoon by the spiders. The things carry her to the window, holding her hostage and lifting her outside. Liadan turns to Hollis, screaming at him that she thought HE was watching her.  Lady Cassandra yells at them to not surrender the package, even as the spider carries her away. 

Gaius charges to chase after Lady Cassandra, but Ilyanna grabs his arm to stop him.  She reminds him of their oath to watch over Liadan.  He tells the others to go, get Liadan to safety, and he hurries to chase after Lady Cassandra.  Aeigidius mumbles an apology but it falls on deaf ears. Gaius leaps for the window. Aegidius leaps after him.  Hollis, the Iron Bride, and Liadan hurry to the top of the stairs.

At the far wall, Zig climbs to the top with Brother Fabio. They find Chaeron there, already bloodied and armed. He too must have been attacked. The streets are now empty, and people have fled to their homes to hide. Chaeron tells Zig he was right and the enemy storms the walls.  "They are here for the Package.  I have no doubt about it."

At the top of the Grand Archive, Hollis and the Iron Bride shove open the massive door to reach the balcony above. Liadan closes the door behind them. The three can hear the war drums in the distance. They move to the edge to see what has come to Onodol. They stare at a sight that brings terror.

The forces of the Old Gods stand at the walls. The massive monstrosities of nature rise from the ground. The Old Elves have lied. They have not befriended them. They have come to claim the Package for themselves. 

And somewhere in the city, Gaius stands on the rooftop, sees the trails of web and blood. Lady Cassandra is somewhere out there. And he knows he will find her. Again.

Chaeron calmly speaks, "We cannot outrun Nature. We will fight."