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Chapter 3 - Session 8

First Steps on a Perilous Isle

Events and Actions

The session began with the players exchanging gifts. The party then recapped how weeks of storms at sea had driven the "Amada" well past any hope of turning back before they finally sighted land and made landfall on a mysterious, uncharted island, its strange tropical flora including hard, coconut-like fruit. What had first looked like fishing nets turned out to be giant spider webs, and the party had already had one encounter with a large spider.

Mani reported a strong "feeling" — sensed through his Medallion, and which he likened to the "Big Stone Oolith," a sensation he had previously experienced near the observation post atop Blackstone Peak on Totem Isle — emanating from deeper within the island and compelling the party to investigate. They recounted their initial battle with several medium-sized spiders, three of which lay dead on the ground while a very large yellow spider (nicknamed the "Yellow Bastard") had escaped. Its body alone, once its legs curled up in death, proved startlingly large, and a closer look showed mandibles like knives rather than cutlasses. One of the party wryly compared the ordeal to the "dock spiders" feared back home in the north — real spiders barely bigger than a hand, and nothing compared to the horrors found here.

A debate ensued about whether to press on immediately or return to the "Amada" for reinforcements and to report their findings. The decision was made to return to the beach, carrying all three spider carcasses as proof of the dangers despite the extra weight slowing them down. Someone wondered what Batu Batu, the ship's cook, might make of it all — spider goulash, perhaps — though the joke didn't survive contact with the idea of actually eating one; none of the party, it turned out, had ever eaten a bug in their lives. Riu had been blazing a trail using a distinctive "cracker tree," whose freshly cut wood shone bright white and made for an easy marker to follow. Noddy mentioned his supply of a particular root he chews was dwindling.

On the beach, they met sailors from the "Amada," including Salter, who were collecting fresh water from the stream Knick Nab had set up during the party's initial landing, along with coconuts — some dry and hollow, others full of a pleasant, milky liquid nobody aboard the "Amada" had ever tasted before. One of the sailors present had witnessed the party's earlier spider fight and word of it had already reached the ship, but nothing had prepared the crew for how much bigger this new carcass was; they reacted with visible shock, gripping their muskets tighter. The party reported their encounters and displayed the spider carcasses. They considered bringing Randolph the Chronicler along on a second foray, but decided against it for lack of time, judging him a "nice to have" rather than essential to the mission. Instead, they set out again accompanied by Salter and equipped with additional muskets, to follow Mani's sensed "feeling" and potentially hunt the "Yellow Bastard." Torches were fashioned by wrapping sticks with older, dried spider webbing, which caught readily, unlike fresher webbing that resisted burning.

The second expedition followed Riu's marked trail. The jungle grew denser, requiring Mani, and later Knick Nab with his scimitar, to chop a path. Along the way they passed more webs holding trapped prey — ordinary insects alongside an unusually large flying one, several times the size expected, its wings visible through the wrapping — and a snake and a marmot-like creature, long since caught and desiccated in older webs. They also encountered monkeys, and when they found one freshly trapped in an unusually sticky new web, Cosimo used his Magic Rope spell to unravel it free. It was far from an easy catch: Cosimo lent his leadership to Knick Nab's skill with animals, and between them they calmed the monkey just enough to bag it. It screeched and struggled for a while; when they later tried to placate it with a strange bright-orange fruit found deeper in the jungle — coconut trees being well behind them by then — Cosimo also tried to charm it magically, without success, before it finally wore itself out and settled down for the rest of the trek. The party was adamant they weren't leaving the island without their catch.

The party emerged into a valley of strange, tall, leafless, notched stalks — a kind of giant bamboo unlike anything they'd seen before, growing from damp, firm ground. Cosimo's eyes were exceptionally keen that afternoon: he was first to pick out a giant yellow spider, much like the "Yellow Bastard," spinning a web high in a tree on the valley's far side, sharp-eyed enough to make out that it had eight eyes. Confident it hadn't noticed them, the party held still, scouted for others nearby, and readied a synchronized volley before Mani, Werner, and Salter fired on his mark, Mani calling out reload orders drilled into him from past service alongside Marines. Several shots hit, visibly damaging its legs and causing it to squeal — a sound none of them had ever associated with a spider before. After reloading, they fired again, striking still more legs, until it finally collapsed.

Advancing into the bamboo valley, the party spotted two smaller spiders nearby that showed no aggression, but was then ambushed by an even larger, exceptionally well-camouflaged spider, resembling a colossal "daddy long legs" with limbs indistinguishable from the surrounding bamboo stalks — its actual body, they would realize, was surprisingly small compared to its enormous legs. At first the whipping strikes from its legs were mistaken for nothing more than bamboo swaying underfoot, until it became clear the "bamboo" itself was attacking. In the ensuing fight, Mani fired early while Noddy used a spell to leap back to safety; Werner and Salter also fired their muskets, and Cosimo readied his sword and shield while beginning to summon an illusory apparition of "Handsome Gulliver Gold," an avatar of the gods, though the fight ended before the lengthy working could be completed. Knick Nab and Cosimo were each struck by the creature's legs and stunned. A web-like strand shot from the spider missed Noddy. Salter landed a critical shot on the spider's body, stunning it. Noddy then grabbed the web-strand that had missed him and, using his unique abilities, followed it back into the creature itself, seizing control of its innards from within — and rather than merely choke it senseless, he chose to sever its body outright, killing it instantly.

The massive spider collapsed, partially falling on Werner and Knick Nab, causing them minor injuries. The party debated what trophy to bring back: the head was easily over 100 lbs and the size of a table, promising interesting mandibles, eyes, and a venom sac, but would be awkward to move; a full leg ran some 20 feet long and needed three or four people to carry, but was otherwise the simpler prize. Since none of them had actually been bitten or caught in its webs during the fight, they had no safe way to harvest the venom sac either way. They settled on one giant leg, shared between four of them, along with a single fang. Mani, while hacking off the fang — surprisingly light and almost hollow, as if built more for reach than mass — got its lingering secretions on his hands despite trying to avoid them; he wiped them off on a nearby tree trunk, but spent the rest of the trek feeling foggy-headed and sluggish regardless.

With trophies in hand, Mani argued for pressing on immediately toward the source of his feeling rather than turning back. They pressed on past the first yellow spider's corpse, its half-spun web still fresh in the tree above, and pushed further inland and upward, climbing a steadily rising, thickly overgrown slope. Mani periodically attuned to his Medallion to gauge the distance, growing more convinced with each attempt that they were close, and took the lead, hacking a path and marking trees with fire as they went. As the afternoon wore on and the light began to fail, the rest of the party grew increasingly wary of spending the night in the jungle; with no one among them skilled in jungle survival, they eventually persuaded a reluctant Mani to turn back, marking their farthest point for a return the following day.

The party made their way back to the beach with the fang and the enormous spider leg, arriving as evening approached. The leg proved too long for the longboat and had to be towed alongside through the water instead, though it turned out surprisingly light for its size. Hauling it aboard the "Amada" still required a block and tackle, and the crew reacted with a mixture of alarm and fascination at its size. Randolph the Chronicler examined it alongside the smaller spider bodies already aboard, folding in extra pages to sketch it at true scale, and questioning the party closely about the jungle's flora and fauna.

They reported their expedition to Captain De Guzman and Randolph the Chronicler, describing the giant spiders and explaining that they had been heading for higher ground to get a better vantage point — mentioning a possible wall or line glimpsed through the trees, but withholding both Mani's true sense of the presence and Noddy's earlier aerial sighting through Pocket's eyes. Mani was eager to return to the island's interior immediately, but others advocated for waiting until morning. Captain De Guzman noted that, lacking salt to preserve meat, fresh water remained the expedition's most pressing need — one this bay could supply, alongside fish, oysters, and other shellfish his best swimmers were already gathering from the shallows. A discussion followed regarding contingency plans in case the "Amada" was forced to flee by the anticipated enemy pursuit; they weighed marking a hidden rendezvous point onshore before settling on a simpler arrangement — a fire lit on the beach at noon each day, and a general understanding that the "Amada" would work her way south along the coast if she had to run. Ultimately, it was decided that the "Amada" would remain anchored for the time being, and the party would continue their exploration inland the following day.

NPCs & Creatures

  • Salter: A sailor from the "Amada" who accompanied the party on their second jungle excursion, armed with a musket. Despite no one having seen him fire before, he proved an excellent shot, landing telling hits on both giant spiders the party engaged — including the blow that finally stunned the massive camouflaged ambush spider just before Noddy delivered the killing blow.
  • Captain Otto "Cut Close" De Guzman: Captain of the "Amada," received the party's report.
  • Randolph the Chronicler: The expedition's chronicler; the party considered bringing him on the second foray but left him behind for lack of time. Examined the spider trophies, folding in extra pages to sketch them at true scale, and questioned the party closely about the island's flora and fauna.
  • Batu Batu: Cook aboard the "Amada"; the party joked about what he might make of the spider meat ("spider goulash"), though none of them could stomach actually eating any.
  • Unnamed Sailors: Crew members of the "Amada" encountered on the beach and manning the longboat; one of them had witnessed the party's earlier spider fight and had already carried word of it back to the ship, though nothing had prepared the crew for how much bigger the second carcass was.
  • Giant Spiders:
    • Small and medium-sized spiders: Encountered previously, three killed; two more small ones were spotted in the bamboo valley but showed no aggression.
    • Large Yellow Spider ("Yellow Bastard"): Escaped a previous encounter; a similarly large yellow spider, with eight visible eyes, was engaged and defeated at a distance in the bamboo valley.
    • Massive Camouflaged Spider ("Daddy Long Legs" type): Ambushed the party in the bamboo valley, its long legs indistinguishable from the surrounding bamboo and its actual body far smaller than its legs suggested; killed by Noddy.
  • Pocket: Noddy's seagull familiar, present but kept safe due to the dense jungle.
  • Monkeys: Observed in the jungle; one was freed from a fresh web, captured, and kept by the party after it wore itself out struggling.
  • Various wildlife: Large insects, a snake, and a marmot-like creature were seen caught in spider webs.

Locations

  • Unnamed Island: A large, tropical island where the session took place.
    • Beach: The landing site, featuring a freshwater stream whose collection point Knick Nab had set up during the party's initial landing. Sailors were gathering water and coconuts here.
    • Jungle/Forest: Dense, with unusual flora. Contained numerous giant spider webs. A "cracker tree" was used by Riu for blazing a trail.
    • Bamboo Valley: An open, wetter depression in the jungle filled with tall, leafless, notched stalks unlike any plant the party had seen before — a kind of giant bamboo — where the party encountered two of the largest spiders.
    • Rising Slope: Beyond the bamboo valley, the jungle climbed a steep, thickly overgrown slope toward higher ground; the party pressed partway up before turning back for the night, marking the spot to resume the climb.
  • The "Amada": The party's ship, anchored offshore in a shallow, sheltered bay. Salter judged from his repeated trips to shore that the ship could edge a little closer in but not by much, given the mid-tide conditions and nearby shoals. They returned here at the end of the session.

Conflicts

  • Recounted Spider Battle: The party had previously fought and killed three medium-sized spiders.
  • Engagement with Distant Large Yellow Spider: The party fired upon and defeated a large yellow spider in the bamboo valley from a distance.
  • Ambush by Massive Camouflaged Spider:
    • The party was attacked by a very large, camouflaged spider.
    • Knick Nab: Struck by a spider leg, taking 19 hit points and being stunned. Later, took 7 hit points when the spider's body fell on him.
    • Cosimo: Struck by a spider leg and stunned.
    • Werner De Rendal: The collapsing spider landed on him, grappling him and causing minor injury.
    • Mani: After hacking off a spider fang, he suffered from poison, feeling foggy and slowed.
    • The massive spider was ultimately killed by Noddy.

Learnings and Discussions

  • The island is extremely hostile, populated by giant spiders of varying and enormous sizes: small and medium ones, the very large yellow "Yellow Bastard" type, and now a wholly new, colossal, bamboo-camouflaged variety larger than any previously seen.
  • Mani can sense a powerful energy or presence on the island through his Medallion, similar to a sensation he previously experienced near Blackstone Peak on Totem Isle (which the party jokingly calls the "Big Stone Oolith").
  • Effective trail-blazing methods were developed using "cracker trees."
  • Aged, dried spider webs burn well and can be wrapped around sticks to make functional torches, while fresher webbing resists burning and is far stickier.
  • Coconuts found on the island are a source of food and drink; some are dry and hollow, others full of a pleasant, milky liquid nobody aboard the "Amada" had ever tasted before.
  • The island is home to monkeys.
  • The giant spiders bleed a green ichor, have eight eyes, and can squeal when injured.
  • One type of giant spider is exceptionally well-camouflaged among bamboo-like vegetation, its body much smaller than its long legs would suggest, and its leg-strikes can be mistaken for harmless swaying bamboo until it's too late.
  • The fangs of the giant spiders can be coated in or contain poison; a freshly hacked-off fang proved surprisingly light and almost hollow.
  • None of the party has ever eaten a bug before, and despite some joking about it, none of them could bring themselves to actually try the spider meat.
  • None of the party has any skill in jungle survival, a gap that forced them to turn back short of their goal rather than risk a night in the jungle.
  • The party told Captain De Guzman and Randolph the Chronicler only that they were seeking higher ground for a better vantage, withholding both Mani's sensed presence and Noddy's earlier aerial sighting through Pocket's eyes.
  • Captain De Guzman explained that, lacking salt to preserve meat, fresh water is the expedition's most pressing supply need — one this bay can meet, along with fish, oysters, and other shellfish his best swimmers were already gathering from the shallows.
  • The party discussed and established contingency plans with Captain De Guzman should the "Amada" be forced to flee due to enemy naval presence: a daily fire signal on the beach at noon, and a general plan to head south along the coast to find a rendezvous point, rather than trying to mark a hidden meeting place onshore.

Items Gained

  • Coconuts: Gathered by the "Amada's" crew and also found by the party.
  • Giant Spider Leg: A very large leg from the massive camouflaged spider, towed back to the "Amada" as a trophy and proof; too long for the longboat, but surprisingly light for its size. The party considered the head and venom sac too, but had no safe way to harvest the venom sac since none of them had been bitten or webbed during the fight.
  • Giant Spider Fang: Taken by Mani from the massive camouflaged spider; it proved to be poisonous.
  • Spider Web Material: Used to make torches.
  • Monkey: Freed from a fresh spider web using Cosimo's Magic Rope spell, captured, and kept by the party after it settled down.
  • Strange Orange Fruit: An unfamiliar, mango-like fruit found deep in the jungle, away from the coconut trees; used in an attempt to placate the captured monkey.

Items Lost

  • Musket Ammunition: Expended during the fights with the spiders.
  • Werner's Javelin: Thrown during combat and became lodged in bamboo.
  • Noddy's "Root": His personal supply is dwindling.