Dagobert's rope uncoils and drops down the shadowy pit of earth and broken floorboards and stops just a few feet from splashing into the murky waters below.

The bobbing shadow of the cage, cast by torchlight further in the caverns, is the only other thing visible.

Galad

Still around Galad? It's been awhile.

Moving on in a couple hours.

Sorry, managed to miss that it was my turn.

Galad, realizing he could do little to help Vandis escape from the cage from here and not willing to risk dropping into the water, moves over to the figure on the divan.

Move over to the divan and Heal check on the drugged girl: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Dagobert helps as best he can and Galad checks on the young girl on the divan who seems to have no awareness of her surroundings.

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Vandis
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad
Dagobert
Galad

Hawkseer continues to look for better footing on the way down the wall.

Two climb checks 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 Bah.

Second Wind

Vandis calmly composes himself as his cage makes its way further into the cave.

Hawkseer makes it to the bottom of the pit and runs out of footholds, now dangling at the bottom. Dagobert's rope hangs beside him.

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Dannad
Dagobert
Galad
Vandis
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)

Dagobert looks around for something solid enough to support a climbing person to tie his rope to.

"Oi, see if you can rouse her...."
Dannad looks about. Perception 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
"There's gotta be sommat else here...."
He moves the fallen figure off of the carpet and lifts the corner, looking for the fine outlines of another trap door.

Dagobert figures that either the door to the loft or the large bed would be sufficient to hold any remaining member of the party.

Dannad searches the floor, but doesn't find any other exit.

UPDATED MAP
Party Hit Points
LEVEL 2 MAP

Galad
Vandis
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad
Dagobert

Galad moves to help Dagobert secure the rope while the spirit continues to keep watch.

So, get Hawkseer and Dannad down there safely to help Vandis out? Also, if anyone needs healing down there, just yell and I'll try rappelling down far enough to use a Healing Spirit on you.

Makes sense. Dagobert can also heal a bit, but his relationship with gravity isn't the best. We need the antidote off the bloke on the ceiling as well if we can find it.

Dagobert ties off the rope.

If he's got a minor left, he'll use it to look at the room for likely hiding places for more antidote.
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 - Perception. Or maybe not. He'll just gawp then.

Vandis waits as the cage descends.

Vandis' cage continues to move while Galad and Dagobert fasten the rope together.

UPDATED MAP
Party Hit Points
LEVEL 2 MAP

Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad
Dagobert
Galad
Vandis

How much further to the water? Does this Perception check (with low-light) reveal anything noteworthy about the water?

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Vandis keeps his swords unsheathed and sets his jaw grimly. "Freedom is coming." he says quietly.

Dannad continues to search for access to the lower level that doesn't involve a precarious climb.
Is there anything around the divan? 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17 Perception

Dagobert also looks before moving to the drugged child.

"Nasty sort of trap, I call this," he comments quietly.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 - Perception aid another to find useful way down
1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21 - Heal on child.
If he can't do both, he'll just use the Perception check.

Hawkseer looks down and sees the water below, about 20-25 feet down from his current perch. Dagobert's rope hangs about 6 feet above it now that it's been tied off. As far as Hawkseer can tell the water is clean, but it's too dark to completely judge its depth. He knows that he's about 30 feet from the shore though, where Vandis' cage continues to swing drunkenly between cranks of the enormous winch.

Dannad looks around with Dagobert's aid, but any other exits must be well hidden.

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad - POSTED
Dagobert - POSTED
Galad
Vandis

Hawkseer grabs Dagobert's rope, with the intent of climbing down, dropping into the water, and swimming to follow Vandis's cage.

Not sure what rolls you'll want, so here are two Acrobatics and two Athletics to tide you over.

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Galad gets a few more hours to post on his own. If not, then he'll help with the secret door search.

Hawkseer slides down Dagobert's rope and lands in the cold water, the surprise of which takes his breath away for a moment. However, without the burden of heavy armor, he is able to make some headway towards the dimly lit shore.

Back up top Dannad, Dagobert, and Galad put their efforts together and manage to find a small, secret door located behind the northern most tapestry after Galad notices a breeze coming from behind it.

Opening the door reveals a damp, cramped tunnel with hundreds of crudely carved, earthen steps spiraling down through the earth.

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Vandis
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad
Dagobert
Galad

Vandis waits patiently.

"Keep on swimming"

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Vandis continues to conserve his energy while Hawkseer uses some of his own to pull himself onto the rocky shore of the underground river.

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Dannad
Dagobert
Galad
Vandis
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)

Vandis considers how to deal with the ape.

"Very cunning, I suppose. Now if our foreign friend had just stepped a little more carefully, he could have walked too."

Dagobert stands aside to let Dannad and Galad lead the way down.

Dannad takes the lead, quickly padding down the hewn steps.
Double Run.

Dannad and Dagobert start hoofing it down the stairs, and fortunately don't have to duck down much in the narrow passage. They manage to get about half way down the muddy steps.

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Galad
Vandis - POSTED
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad
Dagobert

Galad follows after he forces the spirit out of it's corporeal form.

Vandis waits patiently in the cage as a band of hobgoblins finally make their way around the corner. One of them rushes over to the winch, giving a wide berth to the large ape, who snorts and grunts at the hobgoblin as he walks by.

Pulling a complex sequence of chains unlatches the bottom of the cage, and Vandis begins to plummet once again, this time towards the ground and the inside of the slave pit.

Vandis, you can make an athletics check to cling to the inside or top of the cage or you can fall into the pit and take 2d10 ⇒ (2, 8) = 10 falling damage and be knocked prone.

LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned)
Dannad
Galad
Vandis
Dagobert- ARRIVING NEXT ROUND

What's the cover situation between me and the hobgoblins?

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Um, how far off the map wound Dannad be after having run 16 squares? I assume he'd be somewhere south of DD22.

With a sword in each hand, Vandis is unprepared to save himself from the drop and falls into the caged area below.

Hawkseer, currently the Hobgoblins can't see you and you can't see them, but you can hear several guttural voices speaking in goblin and Vandis is obviously looking at something move around before the bottom of his cage opens.

Dannad, the stairs are somewhat chaotic and mostly just spiral down. Assuming you, Galad, and Dagobert spend your turns double moving, you'll spill out of a small alcove around T32.

"Never." Vandis grunts.

Hawkseer moves silently to the ladder.

Double-stealth to however far 4 squares gets me, depending on the ladder rules.

1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Guess we'll get our exercise, then... Double run ad nauseam.

Dagobert plods resolutely down the stairs, trying to keep up with his fleeter comrades.

Sorry for the delay, I just really needed a break from my computer for a little while. I'll have the next update up soon.

Hawkseer will be able to make it to the top of the ladder before he's spotted, but then he'll run out of total cover to conceal himself.

Dannad, Dagobert, and Galad will arrive in the lower level of the cave at the end of their turns. I'll also be rolling initiative for the hobbos soon.

Hawkseer will be able to make it to the top of the ladder before he's spotted, but then he'll run out of total cover to conceal himself.

This may not apply in this situation, but my read of the latest Stealth rules (Compendium) is that, once hidden, any concealment or cover will do to remain hidden. Is there any such on the higher tier, or is it exposed?

Sorry Hawkseer, nothing at the top of the ladder. The floors have been worked and worn down. Currently you're still hidden very well though, since it'll take you 3 more squares to get to the top of the ladder.

Dannad and Galad arrive inside the large, underground cavern. The river flows to their left and the slave cages

UPDATED MAP
LEVEL 2 MAP
Party Hit Points

Vandis (prone)
Dagobert - ARRIVES IN T32 AT END OF TURN
Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned, hidden)
Dannad
Galad
HB1
HB2
HB3

Move - stand up. Is it possible to climb out of the cage?

Move - stand up. Is it possible to climb out of the cage?

Yes, but it requires a difficult athletics check.

Athletics to climb
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Vandis decides that nothing ventured, nothing gained and attempts to climb out.

Vandis defies gravity and the slick iron bars of the slave pits and muscles his way up to the top. The hobgoblins and other nearby slaves can only stand slackjawed at the man's amazing feat of strength. Vandis now sits perched at the top of the pits, underneath the swing cage above.

That was a DC 23 check by the way. :)

Dagobert finally enters behind the others and takes in the scene. Hawkseer perched and cautious looking upon the ladder, and Vandis perched at the top of a group of large, iron bordered cells. A group of hobgoblins stand gawking at Vandis but have yet to do anything.

UPDATED MAP
Party Hit Points

Hawkseer (bloodied, poisoned, hidden)
Dannad
Galad
H1
H2
H3
Vandis
Dagobert

delay

Vandis points at the hobgoblins and makes a throat-slitting gesture.

Vandis' gesture is not taken well by the hobgoblins, who snap out of their slack jawed posture after looking at each other. All three of them put arrow to bow and prepare to draw.

These hobgoblins are armed with leather armor, light shields, short bows, and short swords.

"Cowards!" the barbarian barks.