+2 vs unusual stonework, +1 vs giants
"Be wary friends, that bridge is no dwarf-wrought edifice. I would advise that no more than one of us at a time cross it."
Trox stops with a foot just over the bridge.
"Good to know. Everyone always sees more then I do."
When the others are there he will cross and make just enough room to get the rest of the main party across before moving again.
If someone wants to lower me down, I don't mind checking out that pile down there. He turns to the rangers, It could be one of your fallen comrades. He then turns back to the others, All I ask is that you hoist me up quick if it is dangerous!
Cordwin does his best Spider-Dwarf impression, lowered on a rope to the bottom of the ravine. He finds that the heap is a long-dead halfling corpse; most of the equipment they were carrying is useless, but enough remains intact for the archaeologist to conclude that this was a thief. The only salvageable items are a pair of large garnets and a silvery shortsword untouched by time.
Cordwin will grab the items and tug on the rope to be brought up. Look what I found!
Trox raises an eyebrow at Cordwin's find and gives a small smile and shake of the head.
The tunnel bears north before splitting east and west. Jakardros says, "That opening on the left is the old Black Arrows crypt, I think. It was last used before I joined. I've never been inside. The righthand passage leads to a hidden door into the fort."
Skarn will determine if the items recovered are magic or not. He does NOT determine the abilities of the items, if they are magic.
The shortsword is magical; the garnets are not. (The shortsword is also made of mithril.)
It's a Small +1 mithral shortsword.
"Bahhh, leave it to a peck thief to have such a nice weapon, but to die in a hole where it is useless."
Erond is certain that the door is untrapped, there's no magic on it, and the cleric hears nothing at it.
"Right, its not trapped? Mover over."
Unless someone moves to open the door stealthily Trox will open the door and step thought." [/b]
Trox emerges into the interior of the fort. To the west he sees the central keep, and there are a number of small outbuildings. From the
nearest one to the east he can hear ogres arguing, punctuated by the sound of fists on flesh. Smoke pours from the chimney of the outbuilding directly ahead of him. A single ogre sits on a mound of debris blocking the east hate, industriously polishing a human skull. The ogre does not seem to have noticed the party.
Trox slides over into the rocks just to the left while waving the others out. He considers that a headlong sprint to the ogre without the others knowing what is going on would be... problematic.
Does the central keep appear "open" like an open drawbridge, door, or something else? How difficult does it look to climb the walls?
After failing to climb the last set of rocks by myself, I am going to wait until one of you goes up and lowers a rope if you don't mind. Cordwin says while he eyes the cliff.
Jakardros motions Erond up to the doorway, silently pointing to the distant ogre. Then he looses an arrow, hitting it despite his foot slipping on the rocky debris from the inner keep wall.
Skarn turns to glare at Jakardos, "the hell are you doing? Don't you rangers know anything about surprise?"
Trox smiles.
"I think it was surprised."
"Well? What are we planning to do? Are you trying to take out the lone ogre?"
Jakardros nods. "Kill it before it can warn any others."
The ogre drops before it realizes it's been hit.
Speaking quietly.
"We best get movinng." [b] He looks at Skarn. [b] "Which way first, clear the whole place as quiet as we can?" He gestures at the out buildings clearly asking if they should go one by one.
Skarn shakes his head and attempts to place his hands on his hips awkwardly, with his weapon and shield obstructing his ability to do so. "I defer to Jakardos' expertise, as he seems to be the one setting the path here."
Jakardros points to the outbuilding with smoke rising from its chimney. "That's our cookhouse. Some of my friends are probably in there, and if I find out who betrayed us he'll envy them before he dies." He indicates the building from which can be heard the sounds of shouting. "That's the old guard post. It needed repairs or last rites before the ogres came, and it doesn't look like they've kept it up."
It looks like the mortar on the walls of the guard post has cracked away and the stones are just resting on each other. A good, solid hit would bring it down on whoever is inside it. Cordwin observes.
"Well now, wouldn't that be fun. So just a big smack in the wall? Any particular place?"
Cordwin figures there are a couple of better places to hit, and is able to point them out.
Trox looks at Cordwin and then to the wall.
"Think I can just run into it shield first? That would certainly surprise folks."
Stowing his longsword he braces the sheild with both hand but pauses to see if there is a better idea presented before advancing.
"You all heard the part that some of Jakardros's rangers are likely in there, right?"
"Yeah. So don't go in though the wall then? I doubt I can sneak around to the door and we cant just stand here."
Trox looks back and forth for a moment, not being the strategist, before he lowers his hips and runs at the building, shield braced with both hands.
Trox smashes into the side of the building, knocking blocks everywhere. The shouts of surprise from inside the structure are quickly drowned out by the groaning of timbers and the scrape of stone on stone, and the whole building comes down a moment later. Unfortunately for the fighter, he's a little too close to the structure, and is pelted by flying debris .
Rising from the rubble is a single ogre in hide armor and carrying an ogre hook. His knees bend backwards, and his face and hands are covered by (in addition to bruises and scrapes from the stones) a host of angry red pustules. He wears a grisly necklace--mummified hands strung on a leather strip. The hands are decorated with bright metal rings.
Round 1:
Initiative order
Erond
Rangers
Ogre
Druamin
Skarn
Trox
Cordwin
Trox manages to sidestep a large portion of the debris.
"That's a novel approach!"
Round 1 (ongoing):
Initiative order
Erond-acted
Rangers-acted/delaying
Ogre-dead
Druamin
Something else happens-
Skarn
Trox
Cordwin
Jakardros follows Erond's three arrows with three of his own; unlike the priest, though, only one of the ranger's hits. After the wounds left by the falling stones and Erond's arrows, though, one is all it takes, and the ogre falls.
The other two rangers look around, listening for any sign that the other enemies might have heard anything.