(My figuring is that it's not really all that supernatural, just a general being "keyed in" to the creature's body language and stuff, developed through time spent together. The ability to actually send commands is clearly a cut above anything we could ever learn in real life, even if we had Tiny-sized spiders to practice on - and I think they do in fact get that big in South America and such - but in terms of perceiving her condition, I think it's more observational than telepathic.)spiderwrangler wrote:(The empathic link's range is line of sight... so yes, he'd need to be much closer for it to come on line. Frantic mental scrambling at this point. I think you'd been treating it as LOS needed, but not necessarily making eye contact for it to work, such that as long as they have a clear shot, communication was still possible if one or both have their back turned.)
Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
- willpell
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
My long-neglected blog.Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Seeing that the wood elf is distressed, Quinton flies with Kast, just in case.
Condition could be sent through empathic link. Like "pain/hurt" or "anger."
Condition could be sent through empathic link. Like "pain/hurt" or "anger."
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Zaks floats along behind/beside Kast as he treads quickly toward the forest in obvious distress. Zaks personally didn't care much for the oversized spider, though perhaps it was due to the way that the spider looked at him now and then, as if he were some small delicacy that it couldn't wait to try. He shivered involuntarily at the thought of becoming a spider snack. Secretly Zaks hoped that the spider was gone and Kast could finally learn to love a safer animal, like a pony. As his mind went through the list of acceptable mounts, he shuddered at the thought of the elf riding a horse. Zaks realized that perhaps the spider wasn't so bad, as there was nothing more ungodly than a horse, useful only to eat for food.
Zaks eyed the ghost suspiciously as it too tagged along behind Kast. Zaks made a mental note to keep an eye on the spectral person.
Zaks eyed the ghost suspiciously as it too tagged along behind Kast. Zaks made a mental note to keep an eye on the spectral person.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Eileen studies the situation, "I find this quite angering...But who in the hell wants a giant spider? Someone have any ability to track these...arachnoid bandits?"
She also takes the hat back from Cassian while saying this.
She also takes the hat back from Cassian while saying this.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
"Probably not keep, they would probably think of it as a monster and have her...end up like me."
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It takes little time for Kast to arrive at where Kzri is perched among the tree branches, about ten feet off the ground; she's unharmed, but seems intent upon something. In little time, it becomes apparent why - there is another spider of comparable size some 60 feet away, and is displaying in a fashion calculated to capture her interest. It appears to be a courtship. Which might not bother you if you were back home, in an area of Transylvaine where these creatures are fairly commonplace - but you'd stake what little reputation you still have on the fact that there wasn't another "monstrous" spider in these woods when you arrived. Danger, for the moment, seems nonexistant, but a mystery remains - neither spider would have broken the undergrowth when making their way among the treetops, which means that someone else probably arrived with the male spider.
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You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
My long-neglected blog.Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
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(The conditions are mostly as you say - the trees are sturdy enough to support the weight of a couple of Large spiders, but still on the small side since they're so close to a cultivated area. If you are indeed casting that spell, let me know. Also, Spider, I'm assuming that you got to the area first - were you Moving Silently the whole way, or did you sacrifice stealth for speed? I don't need rolls, just a general statement of intent.)
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
My long-neglected blog.Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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(Since the spider is 10 feet in the trees, I must rule that your Search check fails to detect anyone who might be on the ground, even if they are somewhere vaguely nearby.)
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
My long-neglected blog.Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
The effort of keeping up with Kast while fighting off the effects of inebriation cause Stormcrow to take a knee while he recovers his co-ordination, but he still remains vigilant should anyone emerge.
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This does not make any sense. Searching includes looking at the ground. (Hell with my floating a bit higher I may see him/her easier)willpell wrote:(Since the spider is 10 feet in the trees, I must rule that your Search check fails to detect anyone who might be on the ground, even if they are somewhere vaguely nearby.)
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Speed over stealth, (not that he's all that good at moving silently). Kast would also be wanting to get a sense of Kzri's current state, through link or body language.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Cautious but curious, Zaks floats upwards toward Kzri, though a good distance away, in order to see if she is in any way hurt or wounded.
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In the least, if all he found was spooked animals, he would be able to set Kast off in a more reliable direction to save time. Tracking was certainly more the elf's forte than his.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Zaks confirms that Kzri is undamaged. Kast confirms this as well, and verifies that she is definitely considering mating with the male (after all, it's been a while since she's encountered another of her kind). Reproduction is a "need" that arthropods understand quite well, prioritized either slightly below or slightly above feeding; they attach no ritual to the process, beyond what nature has ingrained in them - the male must prove he is not a grossly inferior specimen before he'll be permitted to fertilize her, but in the absence of any competition to choose among, he doesn't face an especially tough standard (beyond that of trying to deliver the spermatophore and then get away, without becoming a post-coital snack).
In the first few moments, all you can confirm is that thought exists in the area before you. Eventually, you begin to make out distinct signals, the vast majority of them coming from small animals which are hiding from the spiders (or are so small that they don't identify the spiders as predators, since they wouldn't bother with such negligible prey - mice and chipmunks and stuff wouldn't even be worth the effort of trying to get your mandibles on them, but rabbits and on up are definitely in a state of panic, and either hiding or fleeing), but you do manage to get a fix on one person of mildly above-average intelligence. You have no idea where he is, beyond "within a 60-foot cone ahead".
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You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
My long-neglected blog.Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
(Going to go ahead and continue this so that others can act fully. Though what int, since I'm meant to get the number?)
Picking up on a sapient individual, Cassien's brows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed as he tried to focus in on the area he'd noticed them. Were they responsible for the appearance of this new spider? They were close enough that it was possible, and the number of animals still fleeing hinted that the second spider hadn't been here for very long. Their thoughts would tell him more. For now, he couldn't discern anything else, though he let his free hand rise to point in the best direction he could judge.
Picking up on a sapient individual, Cassien's brows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed as he tried to focus in on the area he'd noticed them. Were they responsible for the appearance of this new spider? They were close enough that it was possible, and the number of animals still fleeing hinted that the second spider hadn't been here for very long. Their thoughts would tell him more. For now, he couldn't discern anything else, though he let his free hand rise to point in the best direction he could judge.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Kast stalks forward in the direction Cassien indicates.
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Re: Where Dragons Fear To Tread - Prologue
Cassien determines that the detected mind is of noticeably, though not greatly, above-average intelligence (unless he's a Sun Elf, in which case he'd be flat-out ordinary by their standards). Does he plan on communicating any of the information he's obtained to the others?
(Haven't heard from Quarg in quite a while; everyone still here?)
(Haven't heard from Quarg in quite a while; everyone still here?)
You either die Chaotic, or you live long enough to see yourself become Lawful.
My long-neglected blog.Glemp wrote:To some extent, you need to be arrogant - without it, you are vulnerable being made someone's tool...for Herbert's sake, have the stubbornness not to submit to what you see instantly, because you can only see some facts at a time.
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