The Unseen Servant forums

Newton

"If their honey is any good, I wonder if they could be tamed somehow, through charm magic or herb, or breeding with calmer ordinary bees. Not that I know how bees breed"

Feargus
“I get what you’re saying Newton...but I have literally no desire to become a keeper and breeder of giant bees. Smash them, take their honey and I think we will all be happy.”

Newton laughs

"You're right, as money making scheme go, it'd be more trouble than it's worth, and pretty tedious"

Telemachus

The mage makes inquiries into all of the smoke pots the party had planned to acquire.

“I would get our equipment and be prepared to get back in the field the next day, once I’ve recovered my Sleep spell.”

Newton

"If the bees are more subdued later in the day, we should consider waiting until this evening"

Thirdmonth, Twelfthday
Junction

While the rest of the adventurers set about collecting the smudge pots they had rented Telemachus visits the temple of Sarnis. A tall, saturnine priest awaits him. "I am Muelrid, the right hand of Sarnis. I understand you have questions that you hope the river can answer. You may ask me three questions, and they must be phrased to be answered 'yes' or 'no'."

sulldawga wrote:Is the creature in the lake to the west of the river hostile?
Is our party strong enough to defeat the creature in the lake in a fair battle, more often than not?
Is there great treasure behind the door we found across the river?

Thirdmonth, Twelfthday
Junction

Telemachus asks his questions. Muelrid nods, mouthing the questions back to himself. He turns abruptly from Telemachus, walking towards the river, shedding his robes as he goes. By the time he reaches the edge he is nude, and doesn't even slow down as he enters the water, walking forward until his head disappears and nothing can be seen of him.

A long time passes. Minutes, at least ten, before Muelrid's head breaches the surface and he emergest from the water. He exits the river, dresses, then turns and bows to the river, then returns to Telemachus. "I have asked and Sarnis has answered, as follows: No, yes, and yes."

Thirdmonth, Twelfthday
Hex 73.47

After communing with the priest, and handing over the promised 500 gold, the adventurers return to their explorations. They manage to last the smudge pots to various horses, and set out across the river. The day passes without incident. The only thing of note is that subhexes 0604 and 0704 are thick coniferous forest, instead of the lighter deciduous forests they have gotten so used to. Dried pine needles coat the ground, and the trees are towering firs, larches, and white pines. It's a weird change; the needles are silent, almost slippery, to walk upon, and the forest is old enough so that there is virtually no undergrowth; the trees have all grown straight and tall, with few lower branches, so it is almost like walking under a canopy of dark green.

Eventually, the party reaches the bees' nest. Like the previous day, a few bees can be seen wandering around outside the hole. They do not appear to be agitated or disturbed by yesterday's massacre.

Aldus looks nervously at the bees guarding the hole. "Okay, so, what is our game plan? We deploy the smoke, which, hopefully, sends the bees into their hive. Then we... do what, exactly? Telemachus' sleep spell should be helpful, but I'm guessing archers less so. Perhaps we arm our archers with the smudge pots and ask them to follow along, to keep the bees torpid?"

Newton

"How about I cast a spell on myself so the bees can't see me and go and sneak a look at the hole to see if we'll fit down there"

For now he'll order his mercs to back off to medium bow range, with infantry interspersed with bowmen for defence.

Feargus
"Sounds good, Newton. A little reconnaissance to see what we're up against. After that, we deploy the smoke and I think it will just keep them calm...as we smash them."

shaidar wrote:Newton

"How about I cast a spell on myself so the bees can't see me and go and sneak a look at the hole to see if we'll fit down there"

For now he'll order his mercs to back off to medium bow range, with infantry interspersed with bowmen for defence.

Thirdmonth, Twelfthday
Hex 73.47
Subhex 0503

Newton casts a spell that renders him invisible to animals and crawls into the opening. The passageways are narrow -- about three feet wide, once the wider entrance is reached -- and the almost inaudible thrumming of wings becomes much louder once inside. There are several forks, and twists and turns. On more than one occasion he has to press himself to the side of a tunnel to avoid a bee scurrying down a corridor. The tunnel turns enough that by the time he is 30 feet in it is almost completely dark.

It definitely seems like it would be possible to investigate the whole of the hive.

Newton

Is there any indication, by the humming, or tracks, that would indicate the most heavily travelled route or the main concentration of bees?

shaidar wrote:Newton

Is there any indication, by the humming, or tracks, that would indicate the most heavily travelled route or the main concentration of bees?

It sounds like straight down the main corridor.

Newton

Not wanting to blunder into a bee in the dark he returns to the surface and reports his findings.

Telemachus

"Perhaps an experiment is in order. Let's attempt to kill these bees outside the hive, from a distance with bows, and see if there's any response. If it's just a few, we keep killing them. If it's a lot, we retreat and try something else."

sulldawga wrote:Telemachus

"Perhaps an experiment is in order. Let's attempt to kill these bees outside the hive, from a distance with bows, and see if there's any response. If it's just a few, we keep killing them. If it's a lot, we retreat and try something else."

Feargus

"Alright. I definitely agree that we kill as many outside as possible. After that, I'm willing to lead the way inside if somebody follows with a torch."

Feargus will adjust his load a bit before going in; in case it gets too narrow for the mace he will also have his dagger on hand.

Newton

"I think going in without quieting them with the smoke first is a mistake. They're aggressive, once they realise you're there they'll probably swarm you" he shudders.