Agreed. I have been pushing for dawn since the beginning. Lets make sure we are warded from electricity anyway.
Marcellano spends that evening carefully scribing scrolls of tongues and protection from evil (communal). He puts as much energy and power as he can into the latter.
Robin spends the rest of his spell slots, healing up the group, so they will be prepared in the predawn to enter the waterfall, while the ogres are still hopefully either sleeping or if on guard, not fully alert.
After everyone is awake, Shalelu, Jakardros, Vale and Kaven head into the woods to setup a spot near the north gate so they can attack the fort once they determine that the group is safely in and beginning their attack. Everyone else, prepares as best they can for the assault on Fort Rannick, spell casters ready spells, warriors ready weapons, and after you move to the closest point to the fort, but still in teh woods, Robin casts an invisibility spell which allows everyone to move across the road and into the water along the shore, and finally into the caverns behind the waterfall.
The floor of this cave is dotted with puddles. Patches of pale moss and fungus grow in sheets on the wall, while to the north, a five foot wide passageway angles up into darkness. A walkway of soggy planks leads from this opening southeast to a second opening curtained by cascades of falling water.
Moving up the pathway, keep within the invisibility sphere as long as possible, and Adolina in the lead, you come to another small cavern. The floor, walls, and ceiling of this cool, damp cave are coated from floor to ceiling in soft, dark gray fungus. Several crates are stacked in a nook to the northwest. The five wide pathway continues north, as well as opening to the west.
Cadas spends a moment to cast some buffs to help the party once they make the relative safety of the cave.
Barksin on herself and Adolina (+3 Natural Armor)
Magic Circle 10' radius against Evil - grants +2 deflection to AC and+2 resistance on saves if you are in the circle.
Resist Energy Communal - 20 points of electrical resistance
Delay Poison, Communal
Aura of Doom - DC 19 Will Save when you get within 10' of Cadas or become shaken (-2 to stuff)
Her current AC is 27 or 28 until she is hit the first time.
Marcellano casts extended mage armor as the group prepares to enter the cave.
Once inside, he stays in the center of group, wand of magic missile drawn, watching the shadows warily. "I agree that we should keep moving, and I have no desire to be ambushed," he whispers.
As the group moves to follow Adolina, he eyes the gray fungus and the crates, wanting to make sure there's nothing suspicious.
"Cadas, do you have any idea what that fungus is? ...and where are the shocker lizards?"
Cadas studies the fungus.
As Robin checks the back of the secret door for any traps, Adolina looks down the path which heads further down into the mountain.
Robin finds no traps, and Adolina determines that the pathway looks to head down what you would estimate to be about fifteen feet underground.
"We may as well push through," Marcellano whispers. "The sooner we get out of this cave, the better!"
This wooden building seems to have been abandoned for some time; it’s in fairly poor repair and leans against the cliff wall behind it for support. A short flight of wooden steps leads up to the single door. The building itself sits on raised timbers over the uneven, sloping ground below; excess lumber is stored haphazardly in the space below.
You hear the sound of many ogres inside the building, snoring quite loudly, in the pre-dawn.
Cadas assess the situation and points to the lumber and then says quietly Fire there. But fire might block access to this passage later...
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Get the fire going, I'll be back in a moment." Adolina slips away to the door. Once there she takes a length of timber from the stack underneath the door and wedges it in place to obstruct the door.
Gliding back to the group she takes the flame and grins. "Get back up the passage, we'll want to be gone quickly!" So saying she slips over, sets the flame to the timber and flees back into the passage.
Cadas thinks its a bad idea to do much rearranging of the wood and decides this is a good time to summon a small fire elemental. With a standard action she calls upon her god and the small creature appears and gleefully begins to get the wood under the barracks burning before starting on the building proper. If Ogres start getting out it will position itself so that it gets AOOs on the creatures as the exit the building.
N Small outsider (elemental, extraplanar, fire)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural, +1 size)
hp 11 (2d10)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +0
Immune elemental traits, fire
Weaknesses vulnerability to cold
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee slam +4 (1d4 plus burn)
Special Attacks burn (1d4, DC 11)
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 13
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +4, Escape Artist +5, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (planes) +1, Perception +4
Languages Ignan
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Burn (Ex)
A fire elemental deals fire damage in addition to damage dealt on a successful hit in melee. Those affected by the burn ability must also succeed on a Reflex save or catch fire, taking the listed damage for an additional 1d4 rounds at the start of its turn. A burning creature can attempt a new save as a full-round action. Dropping and rolling on the ground grants a +4 bonus on this save. Creatures that hit a burning creature with natural weapons or unarmed attacks take fire damage as though hit by the burning creature and must make a Reflex save to avoid catching on fire.
Deciding that getting rid of as many ogres as possible by burning them out of this barracks, Cadas summons a small fire elemental and instructs it to light the wood on fire and start a blaze that will destroy this new barracks. The small creature goes happily to work turning the pile of timber and the barracks into a blazing inferno. Leaving the elemental to do its work and bask in the fire, you head back into the tunnels on the other side of the secret door, where Adolina jams it shut, and you listen for a few moments till the screams of the ogres dies down.
Marcellano winces. "Well, that was...horrible, if necessary." He sighs. "Shall we continue down this passage? Presumably other ogres will come to investigate the screaming, so we shouldn't exit through this doorway any time soon..."
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There's something further on this way at least." Adolina replies, "Hopefully it'll give us a way out on the other side of the keep - we could get into the main buildings while all the ogres are distracted by the the barracks. Let's be quick!"
Suiting actions to words Adolina leads the way down the corridor, moving swiftly.
Nodding at the wisdom of continuing in the cavern instead of fighting around the burning building Cadas follows.
Moving past the cave with the unopened crates in it, you proceed in order of Adolina, Robin, Marcellano, then Cadas. After rounding a corner you come to a deep ravine that stretches across this cavern, splitting the room in half. Geodes and veins of glittering minerals shimmer along the walls of the chasm, which drops away into the dark. A ten-foot-wide wooden bridge spans the gulf.
Looking down the ravine, Adolina and Robin see a small skeleton and some gear down at the bottom about fifty feet down.
Cadas eyes the bridge warily, wondering how old it might be. Wood ages fast underground. Can someone tell if this bridge is structurally sound? And could it be trapped?
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Adolina advances to the edge of the bridge and examines it carefully.
"Yes - there's something here. Wait a moment..." Carefully Adolina gets down on her hands and knees to disable the trap as best she can.
"I can't see anything." She responds to Cadas' query. "I don't know about the structure of the bridge though..." Taking a rope from her bag she ties a loop, slips it over her own waist and offers the rest of the coil to the group. "If you brace this I'll try the bridge - worse comes to worse you can all haul me back up!"
As Adolina inspects the bridge, she notices a shear pin that is set to collapse the structure if too much with is placed on the bridge. She estimates that if more than one medium sized creature tries to cross at the same time the pin will shear and the bridge will collapse. Carefully replacing the semi delicate pin with something significantly more substantial, she pronounces that the bridge is passable, but out of an abundance of caution, takes the rope and recommends crossing one at a time.
Cadas squints but cannot see that far in the darkness. She nods and crosses on her turn.
After everyone has crossed the bridge, Adolina and Cadas holding tight to the rope as Robin is lowered into the ravine. He reaches bottom at about fifty feet down, and comes across the skeleton that is halfling in stature. Searching thru the mostly rotted backpack and belt pouch, he comes across broken potion bottles and other items.
After signaling to be brought back up, he reaches the top.
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Adolina, when Robin displays his spoils, can't help but reach for the scimitar. She remembers to ask "May I?" rather than simply snatching it, but then promptly draws the weapon to test its weight and balance. Once she's done she offers the weapon to the magic users in the party.
"I like it. Is there anything we need to know about it?"
Cadas knows that she is not as good as others in the group at identifying magic items but takes a look at the small scimitar that Robin found.
Well, its magic. And its the right size for you.
Marcellano coughs slightly. "If I may?" Assuming someone hands over the scimitar, he pulls out a wand and taps his forehead with it, then examines the blade.
Moving north you come to a small side cavern
The walls of this fairly dry cavern contain twenty seven-foot-wide, two-foot-high niches, in each of which rests the ancient body of a long-dead humanoid. The skeletons bear ceremonial armor and weapons. One of the bodies has been pulled from its niche and lies in a jumble on the ground. From the body, a creature rises. This translucent, ghostly figure fades into view from the damp mist, its face distorted by wrath into a hideous mask.
vs DC 15. Whew, just made it.
vs Adolina AC 22
Robin, uses the power of the Medusa Mask, and tries to turn the creature into solid stone, but the creature, just barely shakes off magical attempt.
It floats up to Adolina and reaches out for her, bypassing her armor and touching the elf, who feels the cold chill of death, and loses some of her vitality.
Cadas casts Spiritual Weapon and directs the trident of force at the undead.
"A magic scimitar," Marcellano says with a whistle, "but a relatively powerful one. It's crafted of mithral, too, which explains why it's so light."
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"It looks like some sort of spirit!" Marcellano cries, hurrying forward. "Good choice, Cadas!" Drawing his wand of magic missile, he blasts the malevolent creature with bolts of force!