Chapter #6First adventure First Growth by: Redstreak   Grunstut hears that their is a problem in Quarrek near Dursig and wanders that way. The spiders stay in a glove that he looted. Grunstut sets off there and they all get to know each other along the way.
A militiawomen greets Grunstut "Your the hero of Hawklor, praise the all father, we need your help, we've seen death barb spiders in hill above the village. They've already killed several cattle and its only matter of time until they kill a person. There's dozen of them, we can handle and goblin or wolf or two on our own but this more then we can fight. We've called the army but we're worried they won't be here in time."
Grunstut then goes village council to learn more. He soon learns exactly were they were last seen and where their nest probably is.
"Will you be able to talk to them, get them to move away to more wild area, or figure out some sort of treaty," asked Grunstut.
"I'll try" said Crusidell "although they might not respond to my dance depending on what instructions they have been given. They are soldiers after all, they are very dumb and have no free will of their own if their instruction say to always attack."
"Let me just check here, the giant spiders are non sapient beings will no free will. It is the small ones that are actually people," checked Grunstut.
"Of course" said Alborous as if it was obvious "if you big on can't hide nearly as well, that dangerous. Also adventurers are always fighting the big spiders. We don't put sapient beings in danger, you wouldn't do something like that would you. "
You explained that all the humans are sapient every single one of them. The spiders are apologetic. They explained that they natural assumed that all human soldiers were without free will, after all if they had free will why would they fight and possibly get killed, that would be really really dumb. They such assumed that those given orders in castles the towers, where they were safe were the only real people.
"We're going to have to tell the people spiders that control these soldiers spiders about this. People they do something they'll regret, or even possibly more things that they will regret. Once we find the big one they have a trail that leads back to the people spiders," explained Crusidell.
Soon they same across a group of giant spiders. Following their instructions to attack anything that might be threat they save Grunstut weapon and determined he was. They moved forward preparing to attack.
"Throw aside your weapon, if they they don't think your a soldier they probably won't attack you," yelled out Alborous.
Grunstut naturally hesitated. "You have to trust me on this, its safer this way," begged Alborous.
Using divination Grunstut determined Alborous was telling the turther as it knew it. He decided to trust and threw aside his weapon (the goblindoom).
The spiders stopped advancing. They looked around alert. Paying special attention to the weapon.
"I'll dance to them" said Crusidell. He then swung other to the nearest ones plaps and began to dance.
They the spider froze, completely. Not even its eyes moved. Even its hairs became stiff. The other spiders quickly followed suit.
"Is it dead" asked Grunstut
"No, its just in wait mode, it won't do anything until someone dances more instructions for it. Not under any conditions. You could chop it up and it wouldn't even flinch," explained Crusidell.
"I've found the trail to the people spiders" called out Ellidive, "I'll guide you too it, bring these spiders to them and they can give them new instructions to leave humans alone."
Gurnstut used some rope, which as an adventurer he always had large supplies of, to tied the spiders together. After some advice he flipped the spiders on their backs so they could be easier to move, they slid across the ground and didn't get their legs stuck in anything.
Soon they reached the edge of the forest. They went into it. Fortunately the forest was well managed, for pollarding largely so their was little undergrowth to get stuck on. They reached a ordinary seeming tree, they then stopped, they were there. Then the tree began to move
"You'll not take anymore of my branches" warned the tree, which was clearly a dhormu or dhormuk but hopefully the former, as it branches moved into a deadly position. The tree then saw the frozen spiders and shifted to a less hostile posture.
"To have put all those soldier spiders into wait mode you must be friends to spiders, most curious, I shall let you live, you even get to keep all your limbs, put only because you have so few of them as it is," deescalated the tree.
"Do have people spiders within you" asked Ellidive.
"Yes they are in here," said the tree pointing to a hollow within itself.
"We'll talk to them and explained what we have learned" says the Crusidell as the spiders swing off into the hollow.
Whilst they wait Grunstut explained how he became friends with these spiders.
The spiders, plus one more, come out. The extra spider dances in front of the frozen spiders. They get up and wanderer off.
"He's instructed them to round up the other soldier spiders," explained Crusidell "they need new instruction to leave humans alone.
"They spiders in there want to talk to you, grunstut. There not leaving the hollow, there are birds out there. So your have to shrink, they've put a one hour shrink spell on this berry. Eat it, shrink and we'll take you inside.
Grunstut eats the berry and shrinks. Riding on Crusidell he is carried inside the hollow. Looking around the all the sides and even the ceiling of the hollow are filled with shells of leaves suck together with spider silk. There is much art, sculpture and books around. Every thing is painted garish colours.
The oldest and greyish spider come forth.
"We have both done awful things to each other that we never could have suspected. It just end now. We will make a peace between spiders and humans. You are hear now so we'll sort out the first terms with you," proclaims the spider elder.
Making quite clear that his words have no authority grunstut makes some suggests. Obviously the soldier spiders should be instructed to leave humans alone. Next compensation for lost livestock, 5 red deer per cattle is agreed on. News should be spread of each others sapience as quickly as possible. All past crimes will be forgotten to stop grudges being held. If they hurt each other from now one there must be some way to seek justice.
The spiders then talk amongst themselves for a bit.
The elder then speaks "We end people spiders to talk to the humans to make this dead, it will be easier without size differences therefore your companions will be give the ability to sizeshift."
A potion is made for each of the 12 spiders then drink then similar briefly.
"So I can be big now," said Ellidive excitedly.
"Yes but get out of this hollow first," warned Crusidell
"You better keep me safe out their," cajoled Arboreous.
They got out the spider grew to their humanish sizes. Crusidell was the biggest at 5 feet tall. Then grunstut grew back to a normal size.
"Tell the meet the humans" said Ellidive
"We have to make a plan first, if a bunch of giant spiders walk in there think were attacking monsters and fight us" warned Alborous.
Grunstut agreed and they made a plan.
Note: this scenario is inspire by sryth: http://www.sryth.com/
It is currently running a Kickstarter until 26/2/2020 : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sry...  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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