HUNTING
-
or - So many critters, so little time...
Spider
Caverns - armor set # 3
1 - Entrance to the Spider Caverns.
2 - Secret Rooms (The
creatures of the caverns cannot enter these rooms, which allows you a place
of refuge when wounded or fatigued.)
From the Vetallun
Road marker (Vet mark) walk to the Vetallun Crossroads. Along the way watch
for "The north bank of a wide river with a big boulder" to your north.
This boulder marks the western-most edge of the Bandit Woods. If you reach
a point where there are woods or forest north of you, you have gone too
far. Once you reach the boulder and stop I recommend marking the
spot. Once marked you can walk to the boulder from the Vet
mark from hereon.
Once you have located the
Big Boulder walk north seventeen (17) times to "a grassland with
some big boulders". From this area you can go down into point #1
on the map above. (Walk to vet; walk to cross - stop at north bank of
a wide river with a big boulder - walk north - stop after seventeen paces
at a grassland with some big boulders - go down)
One advantage the spider caverns offer a hunter are
the secret rooms scattered here and there around the caverns. These places
allow you refuge when wounded or fatigued (or faced with a creature too
tough for you). Creatures will not enter these rooms. You can hide here
until healed, rested or the big nasty bugger goes away.
One of the more interesting
aspects of the spider caverns is it's diverse population. Ranging in general
toughness from rabbits to massive subterrainian serpents, it presents quite
a challenge. Hardly anyone can enter the caverns without risking facing
one creature or another that is simply too tough for them. Old Vino has
mastered the art of fleeing from those serpents.
On the other hand this particular
hunting ground can offer quite a return for the risk you take in hunting
it. If you are tough enough to handle both the rats and the spiders (and
at least quick enough to avoid the serpents) you can spend a day in the
caverns and return to the city with a pouch nearly full of gems.
Rabbits
pelts
Easily the weakest creature
in all of Iridine, the rabbit is good for little else than getting in your
way. You can hunt them for thier pelts, if you wish, or thier meat if you
are an outdoorsman with cooking skills. Other than that there isn't much
use for them that I can gather. If you do take a hankerin' to hunting one
you'll usually kill them with one blow, no matter how light a blow. If
no big critters seem to want to come out you can go into practice mode
and use it for a practice dummy, if you like. Don't wear yourself out,
though, in case one of those Snakes chooses to come along.
Plump Brown Rats
pelts and heads, stomach gems (rare as usual, though)
Sickly Yellow Rats
pelts and heads, stomach gems (rare as usual, though)
Gaunt Grey Rats
pelts and heads, stomach gems (rare as usual, though)
Pale White Rats with
Crimson Splotches pelts and
heads, stomach gems (rare as usual, though)
The
rats of the caverns are the same as those you'll find in the dumps. The
same chance of finding a gem in thier stomachs exists, though there is
much less chance that they will gang up on you, as the caverns are more
spacious by far than the dumps.
Large
Striped Spider
stomach gems (spiders have two stomachs, so make sure to skin them both)
Monstrous
Arachnid
stomach gems (spiders have two stomachs, so make sure to skin them both)
Gigantic
Spider
stomach gems (spiders have two stomachs, so make sure to skin them both)
Spiders
are tenacious buggers and likely harder to kill even than pale white rats.
If you have armor set #2 or #3 you won't have to worry much about thier
normal attacks. Thier web-spewing ability is of some concern, however.
This attack doesn't hit very often but when it does it has much the same
effect, mechanically, as the bandit's impale attack. It automatically throws
you to the ground, tangled tightly in spider webbing. I have noticed, however,
that it tends to hit much more often when my weapon is not wielded so I
assume the web attack is automatically blocked. For that reason I recommend
developing your simple block before entering the spider caverns.
When
this attack hits you, don't panic. The spider may get in an attack or two
before you can recover but, if you are armored, you probably won't have
to worry about getting any serious wounds. The way to get out of this webbing
is simple. First make some motion (standing up, wielding,
getting an item/weapon or any other kind of action that requires
motion), this will automatically free you from the webbing. Then just stand
back up and get back to hackin'!
Remember
to skin stomach from the spider/arachnid twice when it finally
dies. Each and every spider/arachnid will have two stomachs and each stomach
will always have a gem inside.
Massive
Subterrainian Serpents
scales (?)
The
only advice I can offer concerning these horrendous beasts is simple: run!
These buggers have killed Vino twice already because he didn't run away
fast enough. This creature is the main reason more my advice to bring a
spare luck! point with you if you choose to hunt in the Spider Caverns.
I
do not believe that these serpents are poisonous (at least I have been
bitten several times by them without any ill effect, other than dying)
but they pack a stunningly effective bite. If you aren't tougher than Vino
then you would be best served to high-tail it in the opposite direction
as soon as you sight one of these.
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