Adrian Tchaikovsky: Spiderlight

1: Mirkwood Blues

A group of humans infiltrates the webbed lair of Mother, a gigantic spider, and her brood. They lay fiery waste to many until a parley with Mother is accepted. Her son, Nth, is ready to die for her, but the leader, Dion, tells her they can stop this now in exchange for a fang and safe passage. They are here to fulfill the prophecy to stop the Dark Lord, Darvezian.

Mother reluctantly agrees and appoints Nth as a guide for the group. He is worried, but his will to help Mother is too strong to deny. We meet Lief, Harathes, Cyrene, and Penthos as they battle the Ghantishmen, who represent the dark to the group's light. Penthos, a magician, says he will grant Nth the power and knowledge to pass as human as he joins their quest. The group gathers around as a human emerges from his spell.

2: Fear and Loathing in Shoggs Ford

The group stares at the almost-human Nth. The transformation isn't perfect; he has too many eyes, no eyelids, and just looks... off. Walking is difficult, but they trudge on.

We get Nth's perspective as he learns to use his body. The others mock him and are cruel until he can take it no more and speaks up for himself. They all agree some clothes will help sell the illusion.

Eventually, they cover Nth up and take him out for drinks with comical results, until an orc-like character demands to know where the Priestess of Armes is.

3: The Third Rule of Arachnophobics

Nth wastes no time, viciously ripping at the slayer's throat and taking his weapon.

Penthos decides to imbue some rules upon Nth: No hitting their crew. No killing unless in self-defense or told to do so by one of them. He must do as commanded. Finally, he must tell them the path, now. They teach Nth what a map is, and he plots out a path through treacherous territory. They have faith in the prophecy.

They add a new member, Lothern, as a sort of redundancy or fact-checker for Nth. They get drunk, tempers flare, and Cyrene ends up threatening to kill Nth.

4: The Light Stuff

They travel to Armesion, a dark-infested city, and advise laying low and keeping Nth out of sight. It's a rough city, and they don't want trouble. At the gates, they meet the Potentate, who calls Dion to him. As the light in the darkness, they recognize her immediately as a savior.

They meet in his chambers, where a sense of hypocrisy hangs in the air. He informs Dion that she is the prophesied one who will bring light to the darkness.

The others request a blessing from the church, which is granted during a tension-filled tête-à-tête.

Over drinks, they discuss Nth being their monster. Nth responds that he is no monster.

While tensions fall and the group appears to bond, a group of guards led by a man named Abnasio approaches. They are there to take Nth for a sacrifice. A skirmish ensues.

5: Dueling Dogmas

Lief sneaks in to free Nth and is surprised by how little trouble it takes. He finds Nth shackled with light-magic-bonded cuffs that he cannot remove. Nth whimpers in pain.

They decide to make a run for it but are discovered by some monks claiming Nth has corrupted Lief. Before they can sacrifice Nth, Dion barges in to interrupt. A battle breaks out with our crew taking the fight to the monks, but in the chaos, Lief is stabbed in the stomach. Nth escapes his shackles.

6: Old-Fashioned Hospitality

The battle goes on, with Dion and Nth slipping away to try and escape. They get information about an inn on the outskirts that should have little foot traffic. That becomes their new destination.

They skulk about the forest, trying not to be spotted.

Harathes worries he'll be held responsible for their escape.

At the inn, they stumble upon a Doomsayer who immediately recognizes Cyrene. It approaches Nth and questions him. It offers him a chance, lights a candle, and says if Cyrene is taken out of the picture, he'll be free; he can come with the Doomsayer of his own free will. The innkeeper throws a knife into the table. Nth grabs it.

7: Border Crossing

The Potentate decrees Dion will be banished to kill the Dark Lord Darvezian. Dion begins to protest—that was her mission anyway—but the Potentate won't hear it.

Lief thanks Dion for saving him, wondering what he owes her. Not that he'll pay it back, but he likes knowing the score.

Nth lashes out, striking the Doomsayer with the blade. As the candle flickers out, Cyrene wonders if she's next, but Nth just stares.

Cyrene owes Nth, not only for sparing her but for saving her. She promises that if what he wants is to go back, she will make Penthos revert him, and she will take him back to the forest herself.

Cyrene and Nth regroup with the rest and head out on horseback. They meet a woman, Estellan the Fair, who warns them of the surrounding lands, where both friend and foe abound. She begrudgingly lets them pass but cares not if they live or die.

Harathes and Cyrene share drinks before venturing out. Harathes proposes they sleep together, as it might be their last chance. Cyrene bluntly refuses. Nth tries to fit in; there appears to be some bonding going on.

At the door to her room is Penthos, making the same, albeit classier, offer. Cyrene turns him down as well, saying she has vows, but when this is over, who knows? She sees the hope in his eyes and hates herself for feeding his fantasy.

Cyrene wakes next to an odd form. Nth! Did they sleep together?

8: Unnatural Relations

Harathes barges in, sees the scene before him, and attacks Nth. Cyrene tries to stop him, but the commotion rouses the others. Dion calls a meeting to discuss what just happened.

The meeting gets nowhere, descending into fighting and arguing. Dion calls for order and says she will hear all sides.

Cyrene admits not only to what happened but says that if anyone is to blame, it's her; she took advantage of Nth's naiveté. She just wanted something uncomplicated, without weight or bearing on future interactions.

Cyrene releases Nth from his captivity and apologizes. He is grateful she didn't eat him afterward. She can't contain her laughter; she hadn't even thought of that. That's what spiders do.

Nth tells himself that when this is over, he'll return to his family, to his old form. Won't he? He doesn't care for these people. Does he? Before he can think much longer, he halts the group; a taut, invisible thread crosses their path.

He can't communicate with the spiders in his human form, so, temporarily, Penthos reverts him back to spider form.

9: Trailblazers

In spider form, Nth barters for their safe passage in exchange for no bloodshed. The spiders seem to agree, and the party begins to pass. Nth senses a trap but is unable to communicate, so he hisses and presents a scary facade. The humans think he has betrayed them. The spiders attack, but Nth comes to his humans' aid. They end up killing the mother and most, if not all, of the colony. Nth says it's okay—he tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen. Some in the group think now is the time to dispose of Nth.

10: Gates of the Dark Tower

The group encroaches upon the dark tower, seeing how destitute the Ghants live. Any sense of pity or understanding is shattered when they spy a Doomsayer.

They dispatch the Doomsayer, overwhelming it, and turn their attention to the Ghants, who are cowering. They're just waitstaff. An argument breaks out over what to do with them. While the group bickers, Harathes mows them down. The time for debate is when the Dark Lord is dead. As they progress, they trigger a mystical trap, summoning forth a demon. It looks at Nth, assumes they're with the Dark Lord, and scuttles away.

They come upon two Doomsayers and quickly subdue them for questioning. They reveal Darvezian resides at the base of the tower. The group has a quick laugh, ties them up, and heads back down. Nth murders the Doomsayers—why should they live? His people didn't get mercy.

They eventually meet Darvezian, who seems mildly amused at their trials. He rises, serpent-like, from his throne, ready to dispatch the small beings who challenge him.

11: Putting Out the Lights

They stab Darvezian with the spider fang, which elicits... respect? He's surprised they were able to acquire it so quickly. But no prophecy is fulfilled, because he created the prophecy to weed out would-be challengers. All the prior Dark Lords were just him. He is eternal. He will take Harathes's form, kill the others, and the cycle will continue. He reveals his true face: Armes, the one they worship, was the Dark Lord all along.

He attacks with merely a word. Armes tells them his story: he tried to bring good, but nothing mattered. Humans always brought forth evil, so he stopped trying. He now merely has fun with it. Nth would like to kill him.

Penthos steps up and actually hurts the Dark Lord with magic, but ultimately fails and is killed.

Nth would like to kill him.

One by one, they attack but get nowhere, until someone gives Nth permission. The anger welling inside him is unleashed as he balances being ripped from his home, watching his kind killed, and being turned into a human. Nth lunges at Armes and rips his throat out, killing him. Afterward, the group decides no one needs to know that Armes was Darvezian. Dion and the rest will try to fulfill the prophecy and help humankind be better.

They will tell everyone what Nth did. Maybe one day, humanity will accept him.

And if not, Lief knows a place where he'll blend in, together.