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The remaining ogre stares in shock as Alton brings down his companion, then yells wordlessly, swinging his mighty flail around in a two handed grip, slamming the heavy, spiked head into Alton's small form (22 points of damage).

Groups turn.

Andolphas, although you know little of grimlocks, you've heard tales of sightless, savage humanoids from below the Oerth who are often fervent worshippers of Erythnul.

Boland, the passage you've been following has descended below the floor level of the main cavern. Beyond that, it's difficult to say where it might end up, but no, at this stage it doesn't appear to be heading in that direction.

Brashen eviscerates the second grimlock, who collapses to the ground, gouts of blood and a foul stench erupting from its stomach cavity.

Is anyone going to chase after or otherwise hinder the one who ran? If so, we’ll stay on initiative (Harrigan, Andolphas and Damion are yet to act and Boland has a standard action remaining if he wants to take it), otherwise combat is over.

Seeing his friends have the melee under control, Boland scans the cavern ahead for any further sign of danger, before glancing behind him to try and ensure nothing was lurking up behind them while their attention was forward focused.

Perception check: 1d20 + 2

You see nothing.

Damion’s first shot smashes into the stalagmite that the grimlock shelters behind, sending tiny shards of rock flying though the air. The second bolt catches the creature in the ribs, knocking it back against the wall, where it barely retains its footing.

Clearly badly wounded, the creature stumbles away into the far tunnel where she is lost to sight around a bend, leaving of smear of blood on the wall that glistens in the light of the sunrod.

The remaining grimlock presses the attack on Brashen, howling and spitting. However, in his eagerness (or panic) he stumbles, and the warrior is easily able to avoid the clumsy attack.

Group’s turn.
Harrigan can move to flank with Brashen if he so chooses and still attack. If anyone is crossing the cavern it is 35 feet across with difficult terrain.

While Laithe’s spirit begins to drift away (you can make a stabilisation roll, which is a DC 10 constitution check with a penalty on the roll equal to your negative hit point total, or lose another hit point), Kajetan assaults the ogre with the club with his spectral hand, causing a frosty handprint to appear on the ogre’s face where the hand slaps him.

Alton leaps out from his hiding place and runs silently and unseen towards the ogre to plunge his rapier almost up to the hilt up into his back passage beneath his hides.

The ogre howls as cold steel perforates his colon, then collapses forward into the snow, dead or dying.

Nicolai sends another fiery beam to scorch the flail wielding ogre that has Laithe strung over his shoulder.

Keildrithe, in view of events did you want to alter your action or let it stand?

The bad news is you can't attack with two weapons if you've moved. The good news is you're in a position to sneak up on them, the first one you rolled got the crit, and I'll take your second roll (the longtooth dagger roll) as the crit confirmation roll.

I didn’t remember barkskin, but I hit AC 19 and AC 21 – so unfortunately the first was (just) still a hit.

Damion.

Boland throws his sunrod, which clatters to the ground near the far side of the cavern, illuminating the far wall (about thirty five feet away) and a dark tunnel entrance that leads away from the cavern on this side. Standing partially concealed by a stalagmite near this tunnel entrance is another of the rocky skinned humanoids, holding a handful of crude javelins.

The grimlock’s head twists in the direction that the sunrod fell, her expressive ears twitching, but she shows no ill effect of being bathed in the sunrod’s glow.

Harrigan squeezes in beside Brashen on his right side. Andolphas moves to stand beside Damion (who is in the cavern behind Brashen) on his left, and casts his guidance spell on Brashen.

Tip: Don’t get hit by that club.

Laithe leaps easily over the rough, snow covered terrain and rips into the lead ogre, blood, sweat and filth filling his mouth.

The lead ogre roars, then darts his head downwards, attempting to bite Laithe in return, his fetid breath making the druid gag as he dodges aside from the unexpected attack. The ogre then straightens and tries to flatten the wolf with his club, bringing the weapon down once, twice.

Laithe is near stunned by the first blow – it cracks his backbone and ribs and forces his lupine body down into the snow. The second blow crashes down on his skull, sending Laithe into dark oblivion ...

Laithe is hit twice for a total of 44 points of damage.

His attacker raises his head and howls in victory. His brother lumbers up behind him, and, with a foul grin on his face, picks up the limp wolf and slings it over his shoulder.

Group’s attack. Laithe is on -6 and is unconscious.

No worries mate. To keep things moving I’ll get one of the others to take your action if we’re waiting more than a couple of days.

I didn’t make it explicitly clear, but the tunnel is difficult terrain too (what with the uneven steps, the rocks, holes and debris on the floor). So you probably don’t get quite that far.

Could someone take Laithe's turn?

Actually, that roll hits the lead ogre’s touch AC.

Nicolai sends a third scorching ray at the ogres, hitting the hide-wearing brute in the lead. He howls, now badly burnt (and stuck with Keildrithe’s arrow), but keeps bowling forward.

Laithe to go; if he wants to charge them (or move and attack) from this distance he will need an acrobatics check.

Brashen’s theory proves sound as his axe bisects the head of one of his attackers, who crumples to the ground, blood gushing from its head. These grimlocks may not be human, but they still bleed red.

Round 1 init:
Harrigan: 23 (at back of group, in tunnel)
Brashen: 22 (in melee with two grimlocks)
Damion: 19 (behind Brashen)
Boland: 17 (near back of group in tunnel)
Andolphas: 12 (in tunnel at entrance to cave)
Grimlocks: 4

Good guys up in round 1.

Well there are two that have run up and engaged Brashen in melee. There is at least one more (of something) that threw a javelin, but it is not visible (at least not with that perception check).

Boland’s init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Grimlock init: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Harrigan, you’ve heard of these creatures before; the dwarves have come into contact with these creatures, called grimlocks, in times past, when their mines have stretched deeply enough to touch the upper reaches of the Underdark.

Grimlocks are creatures of the deep, dark places. They are distantly akin to humans, but their eyes atrophied long ago, replaced by an extraordinarily keen sense of smell and hearing. They can sense as well as a sighted person, but only at relatively short range. Their tough, stone coloured skin affords them excellent camouflage underground.

The passage continues down roughly cut stairs for another thirty feet or so, twisting again so that Harrigan, with his keen sense of direction even under ground, can determine that the group is heading south west.

The passage opens out into a cavern filled with a forest of stalactites and stalagmites. The rocky formations make it difficult to see far ahead or determine the extent of the cavern, as they choke most of this natural cave. The steady, rhythmic splash of water dripping into a puddle echoes through the chamber. The ground here is rough and uneven.

Brashen and Damion, in the lead positions, pause at the cave entrance, watching and listening for signs of danger by the light of Damion’s spell, but notice nothing out of the ordinary. Brashen cautiously leads the way in.

It is then that the ambush is sprung.

With inhuman battle cries, two brutish, bulky humanoid creatures with rock coloured skin and shallow hollows in their faces where their eyes should be detach themselves from the shadows beside stalagmites and launch themselves at Brashen, swinging crude stone battleaxes.

At the same time, a stone javelin whizzes out of the darkness at the far side of the cavern, clattering harmlessly against a natural stone column near Brashen’s head.

Brashen is about ten feet into this cavern, Damion is either right behind him or maybe ten feet back, still in the five foot wide passage, the others are back in marching order in the passage.
In the surprise round, two medium sized humanoid looking creatures moved into melee range with Brashen (they could not charge due to the difficult terrain in this cavern). Another (unseen, out of range of Damion’s light) threw a javelin.
The cavern is difficult terrain. Stalagmites and stalactites potentially block line of sight, and provide cover.

Initiative.

Damion: Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Harrigan: Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20, Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Nicolai and Kajeatan attack the ogres with spells – the two brutes roar in pain and fury as one is burnt by fire, the other grazed by the chill touch of the grave. Keildrithe prepares to fire his bow at them, Alton follows suit, whilst Laithe readies himself for a fight should the ogres choose to return.

And they do.

Mad with fury and pain, the two giants turn and stumble back towards the adventurers, howling and roaring, but making slow progress in dragging their wounded bodies back across the snowy and rubble strewn terrain.

They double move at half speed back towards the group, getting to within about thirty feet.

Group’s attack.

Still here, have been a bit distracted by work, kids first week of school and childcare, and the superstar contest. Will try to post properly later tonight.

Whatever the noise was, it does not repeat in the few moments that the group stands listening at the entrance to the tunnel before the argument about light breaks out, and after a moment Damion and Brashen are leading the way down the tunnel.

Within about twenty feet, the passage has narrowed down to five feet wide, winding around a gentle curve to the south, then west again. The walls are rough and cracked, and the ceiling bears stalactites and dips low here and there, but the floor has been worked to some degree, with rough, uneven carved steps leading down into the earth. Despite the carved steps, the floor is pitted with shallow holes, rocks and other debris, making travel slow and difficult.

Harrigan waits, hiding, at the bend for a few moments whilst the others forge a short distance ahead. He can neither see nor hear any signs of pursuit.

5 foot wide passage, what is the marching order? At this stage I assume Brashen, Damion, Andolphas, Boland, then Harrigan. If you want to mix it up, or switch Harrigan to the front once he is finished watching the rear, let me know. Also, give me some more Perception checks, and stealth checks if anyone is trying to stay quiet.

As the group heads towards the western passage, Damion hears something off in the darkness – somewhere in the direction of the elevator shaft or the eastern passage and doorway. It sounded like a pebble or other small, hard object being kicked or dropped.

Nothing is visible within the relatively small and fragile bubble of light that you bring with you, and even Harrigan’s dwarven eyes cannot see anything off in the darkness.

Strain her ears as he might, Damion can hear nothing further for the moment, and with no one else having heard anything it is difficult to pinpoint the exact direction or distance of the sound.

Perception check for Harrigan: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Perception for Boland: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Anyone want to act for Laithe?

40 to 50 feet.

Anyone else who wants to press the attack or otherwise act, go ahead.

The group starts heading back towards the western passage.

Could you guys remind me what light sources you have active at the moment?
Also, everyone please make a perception check.

Boland is busy studying the pool and so does not immediately hear Brashen's question.

"Evocation and Conjuration? What are they up to here?" he mutters after Andolphas identifies the magical aura's surrounding the pool. His initial thoughts leaves a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he tries to focus on his theory lessons to see if he can confirm the guess.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 7
Knowledge the planes: 1d20 + 9
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 9

Despite some good rolls there, you just don’t have enough information for more than speculation and educated guesses. With that arcana roll you probably have a fair idea of all the ‘common’ (Core) mid to high level spells of the conjuration and evocation schools, and could speculate at which, if any of them, might relate to the magic of this pool. You might be led to speculate that the pool is some sort of conduit between this plane and another (via a conjuration effect such as gate). If so, the cold might be a clue to which plane of existence is keyed to, although it is not a particularly good clue; many planes, including but not necessarily limited to the Elemental Plane of Water, Hell, the Abyss and the Negative Energy Plane contain regions of intense cold. Of course, the cold may not indicate a planar link at all, it could as (or more) easily be as the result of an evocation effect.

I’ve sketched up a quick map of the chamber on CAD, but I can’t convert it to a jpg from my computer for display. I’ll try to do something with it later. But basically there are three visible exits from this chamber, north (doors), east (doors – skeletons came from here), west (passage).

While Boland and Andolphas examine the pool Harrigan scratches his beard while idly taking a look at the platform above the mysterious liquid.

"Alright then. I got no interest in trying to splash around in a pool of something where I can feel the cold pouring off of it. Let's take care of this last rough passage first and then cut into whatever they figure deserves doors."

Perception for traps: 1d20 + 8
I'm curious if the platform is meant to drop someone into the pool. I realize the roll may not be possible with the platform 30 feet away.
Also- maybe I should be trying to sketch this out as we go, but I am completely disoriented. I'm basically choosing directions at random without knowing if I'm walking us in a circle or anything like that.

It’s difficult to be sure from down here, but you can’t see any good indication that the platform is hinged or otherwise unstable – it appears pretty solid.

Boland is busy studying the pool and so does not immediately hear Brashen's question.

"Evocation and Conjuration? What are they up to here?" he mutters after Andolphas identifies the magical aura's surrounding the pool. His initial thoughts leaves a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he tries to focus on his theory lessons to see if he can confirm the guess.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 7
Knowledge the planes: 1d20 + 9
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 9

Despite some good rolls there, you just don’t have enough information for more than speculation and educated guesses. With that arcana roll you probably have a fair idea of all the ‘common’ (Core) mid to high level spells of the conjuration and evocation schools, and could speculate at which, if any of them, might relate to the magic of this pool. You might be led to speculate that the pool is some sort of conduit between this plane and another (via a conjuration effect such as gate). If so, the cold might be a clue to which plane of existence is keyed to, although it is not a particularly good clue; many planes, including but not necessarily limited to the Elemental Plane of Water, Hell, the Abyss and the Negative Energy Plane contain regions of intense cold. Of course, the cold may not indicate a planar link at all, it could as (or more) easily be as the result of an evocation effect.

The blinded ogre rubs his eyes and blinks, then glances between each of the visible party members. The other one stares open-mouthed at Keildrithe. They begin grunting and bellowing at each other.

The two ogres nod to each other, then begin backing away the way they came, baring their teeth and snarling, not taking their eyes from the group as they slowly retreat.

Ogres double move at half speed back they way they came. Do you guys want to follow them, attack them or otherwise take any action? Or going to let them go?

Strong Conjuration and Evocation.

Andolphas detects a magical aura. After a few moments of concentration he confirms that it is quite a strong aura, seeming to originate from the liquid in the pool.

Remember blind ogre gets a save each round to shake off the blindness.

Huh. I don't think I ever noticed that before. We'll assume he didn't make the save for his last turn.

Keildrithe:

A few dozen feet to the south of the western side passage (still following the western wall of the main chamber around), the rough hewn stone floor underfoot gives way to a paved floor of smooth, black marble tiles. The chamber opens out into a circular plan, and the walls are carved with abstract yet slightly disturbing patterns.

Some investigation reveals a large pool of still dark liquid in about the centre of this space. An aura of uncomfortable cold fills the air around the pool. A stairway carved into the curved southern wall of the chamber around the pool ascends to a platform thirty feet above the pool’s surface.

This appears to be the southern extent of the cavern. Cutting east past the pool, then following the east wall back in a northerly direction brings you back to the remains of the skeletons and the passage leading east.

So, you have a passage to the east ending at a set of doors, a passage to the north ending at a set of doors, a rough passage to the west, and this pool to the south, with a stairway rising to a platform above the pool.

One had a greataxe, one had a scythe, one had a composite longbow and a battleaxe.

At this point there are no obvious sounds from the direction of the elevator.

Brashen continues to lead the way, leaving the north passage alone for now. After another sixty, seventy feet or so, the north wall ends where it meets another wall running south (ie, this new wall is the western wall of the large chamber). Brashen turns south to follow this wall.

A brief walk of another seventy feet or so brings the group to an arched opening in the west wall, with a passage beyond it running in a roughly westerly direction – but where the walls and floor of the main chamber and the side passages encountered prior to this one are of worked stone, this western passage past the archway appears to be a largely natural tunnel through the rock.

The main chamber stretches off into the darkness to the south.

Keep in mind also that the tabards worn by the tielfings probably got quite torn and bloody in the fight. Are you two also wearing the chainmail masks that they were wearing?

Ok, so you have come to another passage that leads away from this main chamber, still continuing to explore the main chamber for now?

Laithe's flung stone clonks the ogre on the head. He crosses his eyes and snarls at the wolf.

Group's turn in Round 6.

The ogre on the ground gives a roar, scoops up a massive double handful of snow, and plonks it down on the flaming sphere, whose flame fizzes out with a wet ~pfft~. He gives a yell of triumph and climbs back to his feet.

His brother continues to wail and paw at his unseeing eyes.

NPCing Laithe: He once again directs his flaming sphere into the square of the now prone ogre. However, this time the ogre rolls to avoid the sphere, taking no damage.