Circle of Life's Red Hand of Doom IC Thread

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Koth's eyes widen at the realization that he just uttered profanity to a priestess, and he places his left fist over his heart. [Your pardon, Eminence,] he replies in Draconic, [I was merely surprised to see anyone here.] His eyes narrow. [That does not explain what a priestess is doing in my quarters, apart from her usual retinue and not wearing her usual finery. I was not informed I would have any visitors. Are you conveying a message, or...?]

[TekHed]

Auran's azure eyes narrowed their slits, observing Koth closely.

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Pressure is on for Vaeri!

Using my Paladin ability to sense if this guy is as evil as his reputation and plans would seem to suggest.

[Fireheart]

"You are forgiven. As to your question, even a priestess must sometimes use discretion." Vaeri leans back in her chair and steeples her fingers, tapping them together.

Switching to common, she adds "So, tell me, how do things stand? What have you found out?"

She tries to seem utterly at ease and confident in Koth's acceptance of her superiority.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni keeps a straight face as Vaeri impressively gets Koth to bite hook, line, and sinker. However, he can't help but blanch slightly as his sister switches from Draconic to Common. What reason would a Priestess of Tiamat have to use the tongue of humans? It was beneath her station, and Roni tossed out a few scatter-fire silent prayers to any gods that would listen that it didn't blow their cover.

"Her Eminence switches to Common for the benefit of our human guest, Faien," Roni explains with a nod to the magistrate. He had found (after an unfortunate incident where an accomplice forgot his cover identity) that sometimes the best fake names were simply real ones. No last names, mind you, but kept it familiar enough that your reactions were natural. "He's a brilliant military tactician we were recently able to turn from a lifetime of service to the Brelish army when they stiffed him on a promised retirement bonus. We've been reviewing the recent reports you've sent as well as the tactical diagrams you have here, and it seems like you've got your bases covered. Attack plans, defense strategies as a contingency--as impressive as it is diligent. Your work is being noticed, Koth."

What did middle managers want? Roni asked himself. The answer was simple: recognition. They didn't want actual power--it often came packaged with the burden of responsibility, and in an organization as evil as this one seemed, those who sought power did whatever they must to obtain it. This Koth, Roni guessed, wanted the praise of his superiors. Who knows, perhaps he'd take the compliment home to brag around the nefarious dinner table with his evil spouse and horrible progeny...Roni didn't know what bad guys did in their offtime, but he hoped it was fueled by compliments or else this gambit wouldn't pay off.

"Of particular import is one particular report: the one that covered the final patrol--a short one--between Starilaskur and the Lurching Tower. The patrol turned back after only one day, but the report does not disclose the reason for their return. We found this an odd omission, particularly in reports that are usually as brilliant as yours. Faien had done some work in intelligence in his past, and pointed out that oftentimes what's not included in a report is far more important than what is."

At this, Roni squints slightly, as if trying to remember a conversation between him and Faien that never actually took place. He doesn't let the moment linger long enough for Koth to look at Faien, as so much as a quizzical look from the magistrate could throw the bluff. "What was it you called it, Faien? Ah, yes! A mute missive...I remember the alliteration, nice touch. When there's confidential information that can't be trusted in the hands of any but the proper authorities, a particularly shrewd operative will intentionally leave out a key fact to raise eyebrows from the higher-ups, thus ensuring a visit from the only audience with which it is appropriate to share the information. Very clever, Koth! Keep the key intel out of enemy hands, you did. But Her Eminence is here now and I guarantee that it's safe to reveal what you discovered. Please, walk us through that day..." Roni chuckles like an kindly old blacksmith trying to put his nervous apprentice at ease after a job well done and adds, "...and this time, there's no need to leave out any details."

Bluff - (1d20+18)[25] boosted by Cunning Knowledge 1/2 for this encounter.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

It is apparent from the expression on Koth's face as he listens to Roni's meandering explanation that he sees all the flattery for what it essentially is: the patent insincerity of a used-wagon salesman. It is also apparent from the slight curl of his upper lip, however, that he has mentally dumped Roni into a little drawer in the back of his mind labeled Cult Leaders Who Love To Hear Themselves Talk But Have Nothing Going On Upstairs and has thus completely misinterpreted what Roni is trying to accomplish.

[Please silence your Voice, Eminence. I'm sure he has been useful for recruiting outsiders and keeping their loyalty,] he Koth says with a gesture to Faien, still in Draconic, [but he obviously has yet to learn his proper place when speaking with his superiors. You may promote your followers based on their "initiative," but that is not the Red Hand's way.]

Dismissing Roni from any further consideration, he answers Vaeri, [The plan is not progressing as well as we had hoped, Eminence. Incompetence on the part of our scouts has left Drellin's mercenaries alive and their militia possibly aware of us. All two of the survivors of the northern group claimed that they are undiscovered and continued to do so under my thorough questioning, and I believe that they left no survivors, but if the pinkskins start to wonder what happened to their scouts....]

Koth growls in frustration and his knuckles whiten as he tightens his grip on his staff. [Rest assured, Eminence, I will dismantle them myself if they turn out to have alerted the Drellin natives of our presence, but there is no need to worry about the timetables. I've received word that the Horde is set to march tomorrow afternoon and should arrive on schedule three days hence.] He pauses. [As for what we have discovered, I sent it to the Tok'huulkän as ordered, it should have arrived weeks ago. Did you really need to hear every last detail of the discovery as your Voice claimed, or is confirmation that I sent it sufficient? Has something...happened?]

[Sallera]

A little of Faien's discomfort at Roni's attempt to detail his position no doubt shows on his face, but it is fortunate that little of it is visible through his raised visor, especially since he is fairly certain he does not look especially Brelish, or old enough for retirement. The bluff was... reasonably close to his adopted position, he allowed, and perhaps more likely to be believed than the role he had thus far been playing. Roni was clearly very experienced in dissembling. Nonetheless, Faien couldn't be comfortable with such brazen, rapid-fire bluffing. He did not object to the occasional manipulation of truth and lies, something a few found odd given his position, but he much preferred subtler methods - changing as little as possible from the truth, choosing circumstances and roles to match, and leaving as much as he could to implications, letting the target do all the work inside their own head.

"Your Eminence pays me too much mind," he says softly. "I am always at your disposal, but my role is played beforehand." Vaeri was sharp enough, he hoped, to catch the message. I can advise you, but you cannot be seen to look to me for help while we are here. "I would not wish to disrupt the harmony of the ancient tongue with my insufficient learning." There was another message in that, for Koth, although he had no idea whether the man would pick up on it. You may pay me no mind - for now.

[TekHed]

Auran stared at Koth. It would be such a simple thing, to strike him down now while his guard is lowered. But no...as appealing as the notion was of eradicating evil, one soldier at a time...Auran was after the proverbial Grand General Herself. Koth's time would come...

The Paladin's heart sank when he heard news of a Horde on the march, and his hot blood ran cold when he heard of his charge seemingly having already been sent far away. It was all he could do to bite his forked tongue before launching into a rage.

Seeing Vaeri in need of some narrative support in milking this Koth for information, he took a gamble and spoke up, letting some of his anger show through...what had Roni's called it? "Good Cop, Bad Cop"?

["The relic never arrived. We believe it to have been intercepted en route."] he lied.

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Well, let's see if Auran's got the chops: Bluff (1d20+5)[9]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

[Intercepted. I...see.] replies Koth, his tone conveying that he finds Auran's bluff to be transparent and somewhat insulting. [Eminence, I would suggest that when you return to your shrine that you sacrifice these two and find better retainers. They do no credit to the Goddess's cause.]

The hobgoblin tilts his staff in front of him, rests his other arm around it, and leans forward a bit; he is probably attempting to appear casual and at ease, but it obviously doesn't come naturally to a military gob like him and in any case he's far too imposing to pull off a comradely stance. [I think, Eminence, it is time for you to be truthful with me. I doubt such a sacred relic, conveyed in such secrecy, was merely intercepted by happenstance.]

He looks pointedly at Vaeri's blue clothing. [One position in the tükluch'täch for a blue aspirant, yet to be filled. One mysteriously missing relic, channeling the Azure aspect. One unexpected priestess in robes of blue visiting a blue aspirant who, until recently, had possession of said Azure relic--and credit for recovering it. No, Eminence, I don't believe that you are here on behalf of the Red Hand spymasters to help fill in some missing details in my report. I believe you have your own agenda, and that your agenda clashes with mine, perhaps fatally; while I may be a more...secular servant of the Goddess, I can certainly trace the stars* well enough to see that.]

*Trace the stars is a Goblin idiom basically equivalent to the Common "connect the dots," which derives from the time of the Dhakaani Empire when goblinoid astrologers would search the heavens for aberrant cosmological phenomena to predict the actions of the Daelkyr invaders. It is believed by some linguists that "connect the dots" originates from a similar process involving ancient human magi interpreting Draconic runes, but no strong evidence has been found to support this.

[Fireheart]

Vaeri glances to Auran and frowns. But then returns her attention to Koth.

"Perhaps you are correct." she replies. "It may be that our paths lie in opposing directions. However, for the moment, let us assume they do not."

She leans forward on the table until she is near eye to eye, hoping to continue Auran's bluff,"As the former golden one mentioned, the relic was intercepted. I want to know how that came to be. If there is a leak within the Red Hand, it must be found and silenced. It would be...unfortunate, should anything happen to prevent our Lady's plans. Given that possibility, what do you plan to do about Drellin's Ferry, with the Horde's impending arrival?"

She leans back in the chair and crosses her arms.

[TekHed]

Finding himself with the potential to do more harm than good for their ruse, Auran resigned himself to playing the silent lieutenant.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

The Azure Aspect... Roni had heard that phrase before, but couldn't quite place where.

Knowledge Arcana - (1d20+9)[16]

Roni's less than happy with Koth's reaction to him. Apparently the elder spellscale had read him as too much business and not enough military. Hindsight was true sight, as they often said. Roni adapts, and tells himself that he just needs to switch to something else in his toolkit. Hopefully Vaeri would be able to keep up on the fly, but given her current showing he had few doubts.

"Superiors?!" Roni balks. "These scales are the red of blood, not of cherries! Only Her Eminence is my superior, and only she may silence me."

Roni pulled out the vowel sound in "cherrie," morphing it ever-so-slightly to sound like "Chari," the nickname he reserved for times when he wanted to get under his little sister's skin. As children, repeated use of the name had driven Vaeri to the point of being irked enough to slap her older brother with regular frequency. He hoped that she was able to pick up what he was putting down and slap Roni like she had so often in the past, to scold him to hold his tongue. Listening to Koth would give up their position of dominance, but having Vaeri slap around her second would help to reinforce her authority and give her and Koth common ground.

Bluff - (1d20+15)[18] to convey secret message (DC 15 if "slap me and yell at me" is simple, 20 if it's complex).

[Fireheart]

"Enough!" Vaeri snaps at Roni and casually back hands him. "Now as I was saying, What do you plan to do about Drellin's and the leak?" She focuses her attention on Koth.

Vaeri hopes that Roni's hint was subtle enough that Koth misses it. But she tries to redirect the conversation back to what they want to know.

[Sallera]

A small smile crosses Faien's face, gone almost as soon as it appears, but enough for Koth to see, if he were paying any attention. After all, what 'outsider' wouldn't take satisfaction in seeing his mistress's full-blooded servants losing face? He continues standing crisply at attention, however, hands clasped behind his back. He had certainly never considered the tongue of dragons a necessary field of study for his work, but that was proving a definite disadvantage at the moment. He would have greatly preferred being able to analyze Koth's words as they were spoken, the way he was accustomed to; a second-hand retelling often lacked the clues that could be found in the original.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Faien's attempt to lend credence to the deception is an admirable one, but it doesn't quite assuage Koth's doubts. He was already suspicious of Roni's not-nearly-subservient-enough-for-an-acolyte persona, and Roni's latest impression was overacted just enough to convince Koth that Roni was the one calling the shots.

The hobgoblin's eyes narrow dangerously, and he changes his grip on his staff from leaning on it to holding it ready for a confrontation. [Do not take this as an insult, Eminence, but it occurs to me that you never did establish your credentials. I had assumed you were a rival for the Dark Lady's affections working toward the same purpose, but now I'm not so sure. The Goddess wouldn't want me to divulge my plans to an impostor, so would you do me the favor of telling me your name, your rank, and which shrine you preside over and then recite the Third Mystery and the second verse of the Malediction?]

[OMG PONIES]

The hobgoblin's eyes narrow dangerously, and he changes his grip on his staff from leaning on it to holding it ready for a confrontation. [Do not take this as an insult, Eminence, but it occurs to me that you never did establish your credentials. I had assumed you were a rival for the Dark Lady's affections working toward the same purpose, but now I'm not so sure. The Goddess wouldn't want me to divulge my plans to an impostor, so would you do me the favor of telling me your name, your rank, and which shrine you preside over and then recite the Third Mystery and the second verse of the Malediction?]

Knowledge Religion - (1d20+5)[14]

Roni had heard of the Mysteries and Malediction of the Avaricious One--hells, he had even written a paper on it for his Secret Societies & Cultic Religions class. Granted, he hadn't focused on retaining the things he read as much as he had focused on minimizing his time in the library and maximizing his chances of catching the eye of Adalia Nightbreeze, the elven maiden in the next study carrel. If he could pull this out, he might just be able to pull the wool over Koth's eyes.

[Fireheart]

The hobgoblin's eyes narrow dangerously, and he changes his grip on his staff from leaning on it to holding it ready for a confrontation. [Do not take this as an insult, Eminence, but it occurs to me that you never did establish your credentials. I had assumed you were a rival for the Dark Lady's affections working toward the same purpose, but now I'm not so sure. The Goddess wouldn't want me to divulge my plans to an impostor, so would you do me the favor of telling me your name, your rank, and which shrine you preside over and then recite the Third Mystery and the second verse of the Malediction?]

Vaeri raises an eyebrow and slowly rises. She places her hands flat on the desk and she glares at Koth. Her voice is very soft.

"You may address me as Charivaeri. The Second Verse of the Malediction reads:
As we do battle, Goddess, open wide
The mouth of Khyber to consume our foe.
Let us crush the skulls of foes on every side
And send their cries of torment to your realm below.

As for the Third Mystery, that is personal to all priests but suffice it to say it reflects the Fivefold nature of the goddess. Representative of her aspects yet able to work as one."

She pauses for a second and bows her head as if in prayer. When she looks up, her eyes are fierce and suddenly her voice echoes across the room. She starts to speak as if representing the Goddess.

"HOW DARE QUESTION US? ON YOUR KNEES, Wyrmlord. We are Meret. And We have had enough of your delays and excuses. You will answer the questions put forth by our Voice and advisers or We will see you whipped for defiance in front of our army."

Meret means beloved and is one of the higher level priestesses. Vaeri isn't sure how high but she's pretty sure it outranks Koth. She knows she skipped his question of the shrine but since she could't think of one, she hoped that her anger and the knowledge of the others would cause him to overlook it.

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(1d20+6)[10] Bluff

For once it seemed her spellscale heritage was actually helping her out. The small village where she and Roni had been raised had a Cleric to IO who often taught classes. He had believed that it was crucial to understand all the draconic deities in order to gain the most out of the spellscale's Quickening Ability. And while some of Vaeri's fellow students often picked one or two dieties to focus on, Vaeri tried to follow them all including Tiamat and Bahamut. Though she did tend to avoid Falazure. The whole concept of Lich's was icky.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

[A good answer, Eminence,] Koth says with a nod, and it looks for a moment as if he believed her. Then he snarls [...but not good enough!] as he takes two quick steps backwards into the doorway and yanks the door open with his free hand. He makes an upwards gesture with his hand palm up and fingers curled that resembles a cross between throwing a ball underhanded and disemboweling someone with his bare hands and barks out a single word of Draconic that roughly translates to "forcibly detain," then makes a pointing gesture out the door with his staff and growls a word roughly translating to "sacrifice."

You hear a pained yelp from one of the goblins outside that suddenly cuts off as a bluish-black bolt of energy streaks from somewhere out of sight to the tip of his staff, travels down it, up his arm, and to his open palm before exploding in a burst of light. Hundreds of sticky, slimy blue-black tendrils burst out of the walls and floor and attempt to wrap themselves around all of you, and before you know it the whole room is criss-crossed by a net of thick tendrils through which you can barely see Koth.

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Ref saves vs. DC 20
Vaeri: (1d20+4)[16]
Roni: (1d20+7)[24]
Auran: (1d20+6)[11]
Faien: (1d20+4)[5]

If your save succeeds, you're entangled. If your save fails, you're entangled and immobilized. In either case, the whole room is covered in tendrils and attempting to move through them (or to escape being immobilized) requires a Strength or Escape Artist check.

Spellcraft DC 17

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The spell Koth cast is a web spell with some extra flashy special effects. You're not sure what the whole "sacrifice" thing was about, though.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Map--Round 1

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Pardon my basic map, but it's a rough trace of the one in the module which is too low-resolution to really be used as a battle map. It looks like this, if you're curious:

The gray rectangle is the bed and the brown one is the desk, both of which now provide total cover. Anything farther away from you than 5 feet has cover from you and vice-versa.

[Sallera]

"A pity," Faien remarks as the bluff suddenly turns into a fight. He may not have understood the heated exchange, but the outcome was clear enough. It had been an unlikely option from the start - worth pursuing, but he had come here ready for a fight. First, however, he needed to deal with this black web. Reaching out a hand with some difficulty, he touches Vaeri's shoulder and pulls them both forward toward the door, displacing the sticky strands and freeing them from the spell's immediate hold. His blade appears in his other hand, raised in defense of his companions.

"Koth. For banditry and covert acts of war, you are to die." He makes the statement simply, tonelessly, seemingly uncaring for Koth's reaction.

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Draw sword, teleport Faien and Vaeri 1 north, 2 east. Sandals unshape. That should free us from being immobilized, at least.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

At the sudden presence of magical webs and the Draconic word for sacrifice, Roni begins to imagine some awful fire-breathing spider coming forth to slow-roast them like pigs on a spit before consuming their charred flesh. He hoped beyond hope that he could chalk this up to what his tutors and professors had always called "an overactive imagination." He tries to pry himself from the webs enough to activate his badge and draw his mandolin, strumming the beginning phrases of a rousing melody he had recently been working on. Others might pull out blades or try their best to cast spells, but Roni knew that music could get them through anything.

Swift Action: activate Badge of Valor (2/3 charges left).
Standard Action: activate Dragonfire Inspiration, giving all allies +3d6 fire damage!
Move Action: slowly but surely move 15 feet toward Auran.

[TekHed]

Auran tensed his muscles, but it was clear he'd not be able to break free on his own...then his warstar spontaneously combusted and it was all too easy to burn the web away. Summoning the blessing of Bahamut, Auran's blue eyes flared with light, and his weapons took on a golden luminescence.

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I suppose it's a standard action to set fire to the webs, clearing the square between Auran and the door. Swift cast Eagle's Splendor (5 minute duration). At the end of the round when the web burns away, I'll 5 foot step into the space that was cleared and look through the door.

Note: 30' radius, all allies get +3 untyped bonus to all saving throws.

[Fireheart]

Finding herself free of the webs, Vaeri draws her dagger which is now flaming thanks to Roni's song.

Glancing back at him, she gives a wry shrug of her shoulders and then casts a spell.

Switching places with him, she now finds herself back in the corner.

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OOC:

Benign Transposition: Switching her and Roni...puts the melee's up front and her behind the desk. :)

She'll use the dagger next round to clear the webs.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

So far Koth had called for no reinforcements, likely assuming he could handle the pretender priestess and her entourage himself. Upon seeing that they had a way to deal with his spell, however, and that one of them is coming close to escaping the room, he growls angrily in Draconic and jabs a finger at Auran. Five orbs of bluish-black light appear in a pentagon shape around his hand, then dart forward a moment later to strike Auran in the weak spots in his armor.

He then takes a step to the right and slams the door closed. Even through the heavy door you can hear his shout in Goblin: "Maghän körthar! Duun tül'dar vogaar! Täc duun Karkilan!"

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Auran takes (5d4+5)[16] damage.

Spellcraft 16

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Koth cast a magic missile.

Goblin

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Koth called "We have intruders! All soldiers rally to my quarters! Bring Karkilan"

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Map--Round 2

[TekHed]

"You can add devil-worship to the list of charges Magistrate." Auran spat as he reeled back from the heavy impact of the unholy orbs. Invoking a quick blessing to further fortify himself, Auran kicked in the door and swung his massive weapon with all of his might.

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Swift: Cast Protection from Evil (changes noted on sheet).
Move action: Open door.
Standard action: Attack!

Warstar:(1d20+15)[19] With action point: [22]
Damage:(1d10+7)[11] Piercing/Bludgeoning+(2d6)[9] Fire

[Sallera]

"The pleasant thing about this tower as an entry point," Faien remarks as the door slams shut, "is how suitable it is as a defensive position when negotiations fail. Of course, it does allow for the possibility of Koth's escape, which would be regrettable." Cutting himself free of the webs, Faien stands his ground, waiting to see what the dark priest tries next.

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Clear webs from own square.

[Fireheart]

"If we need to we, I suppose we can keep up the charade?" Vaeri adds. Waving the flaming dagger, she clears the webs from between her and Roni before stepping behind him. "Traitor!" She yells in Draconic.

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OOC: Clear webs from square between Vaeri and Roni, 5-step into the square.

[OMG PONIES]

Roni Quickwing

The elder spellscale had seen Koth's spell before. He thought back to his Arcana 102 class, the smell of burnt ozone and the sting of singed flesh. What was the name of that spell? Aha, that was it! "Magic Missile," Roni fumed. "Always hated that one."

Spellcraft - (1d20+7)[24]

Glancing over the shoulder of his allies through the doorway, Roni can make out Koth's silhouette and a bit of terrain behind him. Channeling his arcane energy, Roni swishes it around like bits of meat and vegetable, hoping to make a nice strong stew.

Roni uses Verstaile Spellcasting to exchange 2 castings of Improvisation for 1 casting of Glitterdust. Koth must make a Will save (DC 17) or be blinded.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Koth ducks as Auran's weapon comes swinging towards his head, and the warstar barely misses him and thuds into the doorframe, sending splinters and wood chips flying everywhere.

[Your continuing deception is--] Koth snarls in Draconic before spluttering and waving his hands in front of his face as a cloud of glowing particles the same color as Roni's scales bursts around him. Waving away the annoying cloud, he continues, [Your continuing deception is foolish, false priestess! Surrender and submit to the will of the Goddess, and I will be merciful! Resist, and you will be destroyed and sacrificed to Her glory!]

Backing up his threat are five goblins who rush into the room in response to his earlier call, take up positions behind him, and level crossbows at the doorway, and the clomping of what sounds like a very large creature coming towards you implies that he has additional backup on the way.

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Will save vs. glitterdust: (1d20+13)[26]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Map--Round 3

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Since everyone's clearing out spaces of webbing, the blue-green squares indicate which squares are still webbed.