Holborne Besieged

All through the woods there were signs of spiders. With E's interest in animals, the household has learned a lot about spiders. Rather than the stock single-layer net-like webs we imagine from Tolkien, I envisioned huge funnel webs with their thickets of trip-lines trailing into darkness.

My memory is shaky, but I believe they must have encountered at least a few more spiders on the way to Holborne. They arrived to find the gates shut, and had to talk their way in. There they encountered a nervous mayor who told them they expected a spider attack that night, and offered them a princely reward (fifty gold pieces, if I recall correctly) to aid in the defense. (It appeared that the mayor and the whey-faced town guard were hoping this sum would suffice for Tyron and Fredegar to conduct the defense by themselves, but they were persuaded otherwise).

Night came, and torches were lit along the stockades.

The promised attack was not long in coming, and the defense was fierce. Many spiders lost their legs (Fredegar could be heard howling "C'mere, dinner!" from somewhere away along the wall).

At one point Tyron found himself directly behind the gate. He had learned that paladins had a few spell-like abilities, and decided to use Detect Evil (through the gate). He learned that, though spiders are generally not evil per se, being essentially bestial, there was indeed a considerable evil lurking just behind the gate.

Tyron immediately swung up on the wall and was going to jump down outside the gate to confront the evil when I suggested this might lead to troubles, what with the main body of the spider troop boiling about down there. He grudgingly conceded it might be better to stay on the wall.

After some more fierce fighting the spiders were beaten back. The townspeople repaired to inn and hearth to bind their wounds. In the morning, panic ensued when it was learned that Tyron and Fredegar intended to continue to Owlsnest. In short order the mayor opened the town bank, dispensed the reward, and promised Fredegar extra to stay behind. Tyron and Fredegar conferred, and determined that Tyron felt safe enough going the last leg to Owlsnest alone.

It did not seem to Tyron, as he pushed back the gate, that the evil that had lurked behind it the night before was entirely done with ...