Rocko made his way groggily through the streets, the rain heavy on his un-cloaked head. The path was muddy and damp and he simply wished to make it to the tavern on the other side of town. One of the few times he actually cursed his blood, his short legs trudged through the mud at a slow pace. Finally seeing the tavern in the distance was all that could lift his spirits. It was dim inside but enough light for anyone to know it was still open. He opened the door and sighed.<br/><br/>This was not the tavern he was hoping for. Spider guts and tendrils litered the ground and a few bodies lie unmoving. Among the gore a large half-orc was obvious enough, shouting in his gutteral language, though the name Hextor was clear. It would be wise to remain cautious around one of that gods ilk, but he knew at least he could trust his word, to a point. Judging from the sheer amount of gore upon his body, he hoped words were as far as they would go in their future interactions.<br/><br/>A gnome and strange looking human were there as well, but what caught Rocko's attention was a continued sound coming from the kitchen even as the battle here was ended. Skirting around the excitement, he made his way into the room and what he saw there excited him greatly. A giant specimen similur to those outside but much larger sat there gnawing at a body below his girth. A woman sat nearby wailing away, but he paid her no mind. Though he couldn't be clear from the gore outside, this live specimen was clearly a spider of special attributes. It's darker color gave reason to believe it was related to Drow legends of old, the beasts being used as mounts of war. Rocko raised his quarterstaff and clutched a silver idol around his neck softly, speaking some ancient words.<br/><br/>Being a creature of the underdark, his weakness was obvious enough. With the final syllable of the spell over, his quarterstaff shown like a bright torch, and the spider froze in place, blinded. Loosely holding the staff in front of him, Rocko approached the beast without fear. A hand grazed the rough surface of its carapace, and for a full five minutes he inspected it closely until writing was found on its underbelly. The language was unknown to him, but something so meager was a simple matter to deal with. A few more words, and his hand touching to the writing, the meaning became clear as day.<span style="font-style: italic">Hidden beneath all normal thoughts are magic commanding both of mortal flesh and of the soul. To take control one must only be stronger of mind then weakest creature. Hidden within this beast is my seal, command by name: Fortar'arkrish'nor</span>Eyes widening in delight, he stepped back four paces to give himself time to react in case the writing was incorrect, and covered his quarterstaff behind his back to darken the room once more. The spider blinked, and hissed angrily, but was given no time to react.<br/><br/>"Fortar'arkrish'nor." He said quietly, but harshly. Instantly Rocko felt a probing presense batter against his own mind, but it was weak and infantile. It was a simple enough matter to push back and crush it beneath his own. The massive spider quailed, and backed down in submission.<br/><br/>It was a troubling matter to contain his own excitement. As the new bond became clearer, he became wholly aware of the spiders simple thoughts, but more than that, of its own brood. It was obviously the largest of them, but the sheer size of this nest was unlike anything Rocko had expected. hundreds of thousands of spiders skittered about, brief sense of their goings on flitting through his mind as they worked and toiled. Wild images of great power, and eight legged armies crept into his mind, but he quickly wiped those away. He could not be foolish with this new development in his journey. He would need to be cautious and study it before doing anything rash. Nodding he broke from his reverie and finally took notice of the weeping woman.<br/><br/>"You there girl, calm yourself. There is no more danger. This creature is no longer a threat." to force the point he made a show to have the beast follow his hand around the room for a moment, and was silently delighted that it followed his instruction perfectly. "Now then, who was this man?"<br/><br/>The woman was startled by the man's words and looked up stopping her screaming. The faint moaning of those who were staff in the kitchen could be heard as they were in various stages of dying of poison. "M-My Hus-husband," the woman mumbled hiccuping through her tears. Her voice harsh from screaming. A small child, about ten years old squirmed out of under the table, "mama is the spider dead?" the little boy asked walking over to his mother, the woman grabbed the child and held him tightly, "Please don't kill us," she begged through her tears.<br/><br/>"There is no need. The spider seems to have had his fill and the others outside of this room are dealt with in a bit of a harsher fashion. Go and speak with them, they shall keep you safe" As she left the room, he hoped that it would buy him a good amount of time from intruders. Quickly, through his mental link he instructed the spider to take as many bodies as he could back to the nest from which he came from. Rocko would not see his new pets starve. He stood, back to the doorway, urging the beast to hurry as best he could.