The first adventure part three.

The soldiers (still shrunk to the size of small insects) are attempting to make it from the stable door, to the fountain. They realize it will take several days. Quick scouting on the Gryphon riders part reveals that cutting through the rose bushes would shave at least three days from the journey. So that is what they choose to do.

As they approach the bushes, they see that humanoid skulls have been placed on posts in a pattern around their path. Clear warning to stay away. Once they navigate through the tangles, they emerge into a beautiful forest like grove, where the bushes have created a canopy that stretches above as far as the eye can see, and the thin lichen  patina on the ground is soft and lovely.

It doesn't take long to discover that this ground cover is riddles with trap door spiders, the relative size of gypsy wagons. The golem and the Michaelite are both attacked. The Michaelite narrowly avoids getting snatched, while the golem is dragged down into the trap door spider lair in the blink of an eye,   after a few seconds, the inedible walking stonework is spat back out by a confused arachnoid.

As the group looks out over the rose forest floor, they realize there are dozens of these spiders, making the entire place a minefield. After a short discussion they climb into the branches of the rose bushes themselves.

The Golem realizes that the he does not climb well, nor is he altogether sure the vines would support him, and decides to walk below, with the Gryphon rider flitting between to keep the soldiers aware of each other. Once in a while, the Golem deals with yet another trap door spider, but it seems that attacks are less frequent. perhaps they can see each other?


Once in the branches, the rest soon begin making good progress, but are attacked by random arrows, shot from hiding. After several such attacks, the Michaelite casts a spell, "reverse missiles" and successfully strikes the one who fired the arrow.

Soon after that, The Jaegermonster concentrates, ignoring the arrows flying by him, trusting his amazing healing powers, and suddenly LEAPS across a huge gap onto a vine where the arrows are coming through, crashing through a screen of leaves, and surprises the Fauns who are shooting at them.

The Fauns are shocked by this, and run, using ropes they had prepared, they tarzan away, making it impossible to follow. The Golem, still on the canopy floor, watches as five of these satyrs escape, clearing hundreds of yards, and taking their ropes with them.

No further incidents occur, and the soldiers make it through the rose bushes, onto the edge of the gravel path.

It is here they set up camp, preparing to cross the open miles of loose boulders in the morning.