The Red Widow

It has been brought to my attention that a band of visitors ventured west and encountered a giant red widow spider. I would be curious to know more about this encounter. If you were present for the battle, please explain it for me. I shall be leaving Romorstein in a fortnight to inspect other villages under my control. I should like to have more information on this before then.

~Baron Ilbert Vocke

As the groups tactician I believe it would be best that I recount the story. First I will tell you that the spiders cave was found off to the west about 2 hours walk from your town. Upon entering the cave we noticed normal cave like interior, only there where no stalactites and the walls were smooth all around showing that something lived here and probably climbed the walls. Also the walls were covered in gigantic spools of webbing. In the center of one such mass was a chest, which was why I went on the foolish venture in the first place. As we worked our way towards the chest we heard something behind us. Upon turning around we found we were face to face with a 30 ft Arachnid who had already began to close us in with her thick webbing. My rash companions immediately began to attack this foe head on, striking at the legs, whilst the elementalist worked on burning down the entrance. As I watched them battle I assessed the situation (unfortunately I was going to need their assistance in recovering the chest so this foe would have to be defeated) and saw that the spider's legs were thick and plated like armor, and none of my groups weapons could do much damage.

However under further analysis I realized that it had a weak spot, its back. Unfortunately this was 30ft high. I knew what had to be done and I was the only one whom could do it, and I wasn't goin to like it. I yelled to my nearest team mate and told her what was to be done so that she could relay it to the others. Then pulling out my daggers I began to climb up one of the rocky cave walls. Down below my companions got the beast as close to me as possible, then the nasty part came. I prayed to Zyhust and switched into my Hybrid form, in my shape shifted form my bat-like wings grew thick and I launched myself off of the wall before my blood lust could begin its work and focused on the spider. After gliding down I landed on its back and before it could realize it was there I began to attack with my daggers. Now knowing I was there but with no other way to get me off it began to climb up its web. I will admit I am not the strongest so I could not hold on after a point. I let myself fall and I glided down to the others. The spider was greatly weakened but not dead. We fought this way two more times and finally the spider fell.....with me under it, but combining our strength we were able to get it off of me. After I was healed we killed the spider for good and took a closer look at its corpse. Using one of my emptied vials I took some of its blood for study and a friend of mine claimed its hide.

Finally after claiming the chest for our own we returned to the village. Is there anything else you would like to know about the venture?

If it interests you to know this, she was not poisonous, though the male of her species is...
Where there is a female, there may be a male, so I would warn other travelers to be wary.

May it be noted, going after the spider was enitrely my idea. It took a great amount of cajoling and persuading to convince my comrades that going after the beast was more than a foolish venture. And no matter how much V may protest to it, she can't argue with the fact that none of us died and we did claim a bit of treasure for our efforts. Though I would warn any future groups you may decide to send after these spiders that they have a rather annoying tendency to block off the cave with a quick burst of web, and this web burns rather slowly.

And I am to ask that were someone to die, by the spider or accidental friendly blade slices to the back, was that area far enough off of the town that someone would not be charged for such?

I do not intend to harm someone in my company who would aid me. It is simply a random question of sorts.... in case we were to find an unfriendly companion had joined our brigade in the future. I wish to be able to defend myself...

Shadow and Maturin,

Daring as your adventure seems, I should point out that your boasts make you seem like young boys clamoring to be your father's favorite. At any rate, thank you for your information. I had heard the creatures had moved south out of the Juhn'Gar Jungles. I was unaware of just how close they were, however. I will issue a public bounty for more Red Widows to be hunted, but I should warn you that you would do well to take a Spiritualist with you if you attempt to take on a nest where male Red Widows are present. Without a means of curing the poison they inflict, I do not like your chances of survival.

V

So long as your hypothetical acts of overzealous self-defense, or what have you, are not committed inside the town limits I see no reason to press charges against you. I would, however, urge anyone to ensure that their actions are defensive in nature. My laws are just. The law of reciprocity, however, is not. Murder unpunished yields acts of vigilantism, you understand.

~Baron Ilbert Vocke

Of course, all is in hypothetical.
I like to be prepared for many cases, should they occur. It never hurts to double-check.

Dear Baron you misjudge my personality. Surely you don't think I care enough to be cocky and self centered. That takes to much energy. Though yes usually i am in it for my self and for the money but I do not lack honor and to say I sound like a child inflicts damage to this honor. I only recall the incident from my point of view. It is not as if I out-right said "we all would have been slaughtered if not for my awesomeness" no, for I do not care by who's hand I receive my coin, as long as I receive my coin, and I usually don't play the heroic one, but it was necessary......((you see the last line is scribbled a bit more lets say nervously))

You know I just thought of something, though it may not be possible. If we could find a way to get rid of the females without confronting the males they would not be able to reproduce and the males would eventually die off. The aren't sentient enough to take revenge or anything if we did so.

It was not my intention to bruise your ego. I would have thought it to have been more resilient, given the companion your group has had these past few months. Or does the criminal with whom you escaped choose only to insult those who have the means and authority to end him?

Regardless, you raise a sound point. If the females can be destroyed, they will not be able to spawn more of their brood in my lands. It is, however, odd that you should have found a female without consorts. Based on the size you mentioned, I imagine she was a much older spider - possibly forced out of her lair to the north by a younger, more able-bodied female. If the one you slew was past the age of breeding, it stands to reason she was not more heavily guarded by her kin.

If there are others in the area, however, I can almost assure you they will be protected by male specimens eager to prove their worth to breed by keeping her safe and bringing her offerings.

Be cautious.

~Baron Ilbert Vocke

Clamoring? I think not, good sir. Simply making sure that what is related is as true as possible. Though I will admit with no care of reprisal. It was a good kill. As for Azoth being our companion ... though it may not be the most popular of stances, I choose to mark him neutral to me though an enemy of the state until such time as he has proven himself more or less than this.

Azoth has never insulted me to date, and if Kage has I didn't pay the insult any mind due to his lack of sanity. I will claim him as a companion and I do respect him when he is sane as the leader of the Black Suns, but of-course it is not in my best interests to defend him at the moment until it is that he has been made innocent or at least been dealt with accordingly. For of-course I have come to respect you as well.

As for the spiders, I will get with my group to plan a pest control strategy. Although I don't think we can take on the lot of them without a good spiritualist. We were only able to take on the one female with my crazy stunt, and I doubt it will work well if at all with so many. Not to mention the fact that next time I might not be able to control the blood-lust and will get easily confused with so many opponents....

Azoth will be dealt with when he shows himself. Until then, speculation on him is a bit of a waste. The spiders are a bit more pressing problem to the village and its people. Azoth is guilty of slander at worst. The spiders are likely to actually result in casualties. Perhaps we should ask around the village to see if there are any warriors willing to join us for a clearing-out of their caves. We might even luck out and find a spiritualist among Romerstein's citizens. Baron Ilbert Vocke, have you any suggestions where we might find such folk?

As reluctant as I am to say, I do know a spiritualist. She was supposed to marry one of my brothers before his soul was destroyed by those vile Liches.
I do not know if I will be able to get in contact with her or not, but I shall try to do so.

Be warned, some of you may find her... well... you shall find out.

Treacherous? Seductive? Insane? As long as she can aid us, I'm fairly certain we can deal with just about anything. As long as she doesn't try to kill us in our sleep (or while we're awake) and she doesn't run away in the midst of combat, then I can tolerate her if nothing else.

She has some odd... habits...
To put it plainly, just stay on her good side and placate her because if I have to do what I think I will have to do to get her here and keep her coming to aide us when needed, you all will owe me that much.

Placate and do not offend. As you wish, Milady. May we know her name, though? So as to offer a proper greeting when she arrives?

V,

Come to the keep tomorrow at midnight. I have been trained in the arcane arts, as some of you may recall. I can send word to her. The only other spiritualists in Romorstein are under my employ for the local guard; and our Shrinekeeper, Mitzi Offschany. She has duties here, however, and would be unable to accompany you. If this contact of yours is as unstable as you say, V, I would suggest using her as a temporary solution until a more permanent fixture can be added to the local community.

As for the matter of spiders and this Kage/Azoth character:

Yes, the spiders shall be dealt with. I have put the village guard on alerted guard status. It costs me more arcyns to pay their wages for the extra hours, but safety is paramount.

This Kage/Azoth person, however, is a criminal - and that is one thing I do not abide. Yes, his crimes thus far have been slander and insolence, but I have gone to what some would call "severe" measures to stamp out the embers of crime in my dominion. If I do not come down upon this miscreant with the full force of my station and authority, tolerance will give rise to potentially more severe acts. If people learn that Romorstein is no longer void of crime, I can only imagine the undesirable sorts that would pour in through our borders. That is not something I am prepared to accept. Are you?

~Baron Ilbert Vocke

I by no means mean to suggest that you turn a blind eye to this miscreant, Sir. Only that at the moment, other matters might be listed as more urgent. Should Azoth show himself, then by all means the laws should be enforced. But until such time, perhaps the danger that presents a direct threat to the lives of your citizens be prioritized a mite higher than a loon with delusions of power.

Baron,

It is not so much as she is unstable, persay, just odd.
Odd is a good word. If no one offends her, we should all be fine. She would not attack anyone if offended, just may not choose to help that individual if they require such: she may just heal them from the brink of death and tell someone to fix him or her the rest of the way... She did this to a companion of mine and I was able to finish bandaging his wounds with ease. She wouldn't leave anyone behind, just is more... offering of her abilities to those who are kind to her.
I hope this make sense to all reading this.

Well that should be just fine, then. As long as she wouldn't take offense to Obrien's insistence that she's poisoned his ale, all should be well.

I do not believe she would. If I am able to speak with her, I plan to mention a few things about everyone so she will be prepared for when and if she meets you all.

O'Brien's paranoia will be on that list, as will Shadow's bloodlust. Maybe she will be able to help with such a thing. I know not at the moment.

Given what we stand to face if we do find the lair of these spiders, I feel comfortable saying that any and all help would be welcome.

Depending on how far she has progressed in her training, helpful shall she be.

Can she help keep us from crossing over into Zhy'ust's domain, or at least delay it?

I would imagine she could help delay your journey to my Master in some form or another.
As I said, I need to speak with her in some manner and the Baron seems able to help with this.
I know not her skills at this point. For all I know, she may have stopped her training and reverted back a bit in her abilities. Although I sent letters to her from time to time, I have not asked her of her spiritual prowess in quite some time.

When I know, you all will.