Arahen led the small group northward, her expression stern but seemingly determined. None of them spoke as they rode cautiously but without incident past the monsters and orc-kind that peppered their route. The animals' footfalls quieted by the ocher sand-like soil and the cessation of conversation helped them pass through silently. The wind, in their favour, blew their scent away from the danger. Even the excitable Hoggstari was somber as it was hard to be jovial in such a foreboding place.
The Elf guide, with her exceptional hearing and long sight, guided the small group safely around the dusty place of tall hills, mountains sides, rotting green pools, massive spiders and drooling wargs. They arrived near a larger pool where Arahan stopped her horse. "I go no further here friends," she said, "but through that small pass at the north side of this pool, follow the wall to the right and you'll find the cave, or as I know it, Torech-i-Bogbereth. I wish you all good luck!" Hoggstari then offered Arahen a pouch of coins, but the Lady refused, waving farewell as she rode back the way they had come. "We go onward on foot, aye?" questioned Dwimmer with a nod toward Rahjawyn. "We go in on foot, aye, friend but before we do, I have something I need to tell you old friend," replied Hoggstari sporting a crooked grin.
"I need to tell you what lives in that cave, but no running off now we have come this far!" Hoggs said firmly, "tis a lair with giant spiders and a queen, or so I have been told." Knowing Dwimmer's intense loathing of spiders, his friend reacted much like he expected him to react. He wasn't the least bit happy about the spiders or the secret Hoggstari had kept from him about them, but Dwimmer would never let his old friend, Hoggstari, enter that cave without watching his back. Checking her swords, Rahjawyn indicated that she was ready for whatever they found ahead.
Before they reached the mouth of the cave, they encountered at least a dozen of spiders as large as ponies. Rahjawyn deftly sliced the spiders in two while Hoggstari cleaved them in half. Dwimmer, using ancient secret dwarven physics-altering powers, set the giant hairy creatures on fire. "About time you told us what treasure we should expect to find in this cave!" demanded Dwimmer. "That would be unclear my friend, but one thing is certain, there is no dearth of silk!" ending his statement in roaring laughter.
Without hesitation, Hoggstari barreled straight into the mouth of the cave, his two companions right on his heels! The cave was thick with webs and cocoons lined the walls. Rahjawyn used her blades effectively, gracefully, while Hoggstari's axe dissected the larger one, never giving the spiders that swarmed chance to get close to any of the three. Fire, at the command of Dwimmer stopped, the multitude of young hatchlings before they could make it to the soles of their boots.
Ripping into the cocoons, they found nothing but ooze and bones. Eventually Hoggstari found an old rusted dagger with some of those bones, but so far, nothing one would term treasure short of the spider silk. The silk was valuable, but not the cache of precious metals or gems that Hoggstari sought. The trio of treasure hunters pressed deeper into the cave until they came to what appeared to be the largest of chambers, several stories high and wide as a castle but it was a dead end. On the other side of the chamber, however, nearly hidden behind a wall of webbing, Hoggstari saw the outline of something that appeared to be a rectangle. Rectangles do not appear naturally so the dwarf concluded it must be the treasure he travelled all this way to find!
Pointing toward the web-covered object he shouted excitedly, "There! Do you see it?" Just as Hoggs was about to race toward the hidden shape, from the darkness above them, dropped the queen of the lair! The enormous spider knocked Hoggstari to the ground when one of her eight hideous legs nearly crushed him as she dropped. Dwimmer and Rahjawyn leaped aside, commencing with attacking the horrible creature! The mute woman instantly removed a good portion of one of the hair covered legs as Dwimmer set fire to it's underbelly. Hoggstari rolled to the hind section of the monstrosity and with a great swing, hewed a notch.
They battled the mammoth arachnid, for what seemed like an eternity until nearly out of breath, it finally fell. The sickening muck and mire from inside it's body covering each of them and the cavern floor. "Spiders... damnable spiders no less! bellowed Dwimmer while shaking his fist at his friend, Hoggs. After the tension of the battle, and all three had regained some strength and regular breathing, Hoggstari got his chance to investigate the rectangle in the webs!
With Rahjawyn and Dwimmer helping, the three cut their way through the thick panel of spider web, uncovering a chest! "Hah! There is a treasure chest here!" said Hoggstari with elation. There was no lock on the tarnished metal chest but there was a deep layer of dust and debris resting atop. "Looks like it has not been opened in a good long while," commented Dwimmer. Lifting the top slowly, the hinges squeaking, Hoggstari looked inside. He reached in and pulled out two large emeralds then set them beside him. Presently, he reached inside again and removed a small wood box, about the width, length and depth of a dwarf's hand.
Hoggstari turned toward the other two treasure seekers then slowly opened the box, holding his breath in anticipation. The box, though clearly having been inside the chest a long while, showed no signs of wear and was of a wood type Hoggs was not familiar. Giving one last glance to his companions, he opened it. "Bloody talc and daisies! It's empty!" letting out an obscenity likely only another dwarf would understand! Tipping it bottom end up, Hoggs shook the box and groaned. Chuckling, Dwimmer said, "It is a nice box at least and you did find two emeralds!"
"Ah well, we did find something else besides those green gems and this empty box, aye Dwimmer?" giving Rahjawyn a wide smile, "We found us a new friend, right?" They all nodded in agreement, heartily nodded in fact. "We should get out of here, I've had enough of spiders, what do you say?" Rahjawyn signed to the dwarves. It didn't take but a moment for them to agree and tear out of that cave as quickly as they could.
Once back by the pond outside the cave, Hoggstari passed the box to Dwimmer and then to Rahjawyn, asking if either had ever seen such a wood before. The grain was so fine it looked like polished metal but when tapping the surface, it was clear it was wood, nearly paper thin but not metal. The woman suggested maybe it had some kind of hidden compartment inside, but upon careful examination, it was clear each side was the same thickness and that thickness was nearly the depth of a parchment. Hoggstari placed the box in his pack along with the silk he collected, gave each of his friends one of the emeralds. "Our adventure over, what say you we find a tavern in a more auspicious place and lift a tankard, no make that many tankards, to our success!"
And that they did...
