Vulcan does his best at climbing, his staff strapped to his back.
Just to reiterate, Feres casts Guidance on everyone and then casts Silence on himself as he begins his descent. Using the rope and taking 10 on an accelerated descent gives him a total Climb check of 11 (including the Guidance) and allows him to descend in less than 2 rounds.
With the rope and cloaked in silence you manage to descend with only a few stray arrows hitting the wall next to you (and on one occasion bouncing off Feres's armor) - since of course there are grimlock archers hiding down there. There is also a big crack in the wall opposite you (about halfway down), but it doesn't seem to be inhabited.
You descend in about 2 rounds, so you'll have 1 round of silence left. Roll for initiatives
Initiative:
The cavern’s floor is choked with loose rubble, fallen stalactites, and other debris. Here and there, stalagmites poke up through the loose rocks. Ahead, a ten-foot-wide passage opens in the far wall.
Looking around, Valgrim leads the way toward the passageway, greataxe in hand.
Bubba follows along after.
Feres offers a brief prayer to Sarenrae, and infuses his shield with a small glimmer of the Everlight's radiance. The stout priest hefts his wickedly sharp scimitar as he brings up the rear of the group, peering about warily.
The passageway emerges at the base of another shaft. A large pile of rocks and stony debris is piled in the corner ahead, while above, a crude rope bridge links a stone shelf almost directly overhead to a second shelf set thirty feet up on the opposite wall.
Valgrim notices two pairs of eyes watching you from the top of the pile. They belong to a pair of vaguely humanoid bald creatures (not grimlocks).
Knowledge (dungeoneering) 13:
The pile is about 20 feet high and 15 feet wide. It covers about half the shaft. The rope bridge is about 30 feet up, barely in reach from the top of the pile.
Valgrim motions the party to stop with a closed fist, raises 2 fingers and points ahead with a double motion to the pile, while he readies an action to swing his greataxe as soon as any of the creatures come within 10' of him.
"You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don't otherwise move any distance during the round."
Feres says a quick prayer to Sarenrae and touches each of his companions in turn, granting each of them a bit of Her divine guidance.
"Don't get close to them, they try to choke you. Let me take care of them."
"How about I hit them with a stink bomb? That way we can choke them before they choke us," Vug suggests, getting a bomb ready.
Vulcan begins twirling his staff, the length of wood crackling with electricity.
"I've got something they can choke on."
The pile of debris is 15 feet wide, and because of the steep slope and the difficult terrain each square counts as 4 squares of movement.
The chokers go on 19, by the way. Just missing an initiative score from Vulcan.
Valgrim has his readied action, as stated before.
Vug tosses her stink bomb just behind the two chokers, enveloping them in a cloud of noxious gas.
target a grid intersection (AC 5): , 4 fire damage (Ref DC 14 for 1/2), nauseation (Fort DC 14 negates, otherwise affected targets can do nothing but take a single move action each round)
One of the chokers is nauseated and desperately seeks to get out of the cloud, moving down the pile of debris. The other fares better and also descends, clawing ineffectually at Valgrim .
"Great move, Vug! I've got this one, take the other one guys!"
Bubba tries to trip the choker directly in front of him.
Valgrim kills his opponent, so I guess Bubbba moves and trips the other one.
Vug, Feres and Vulcan still to go.
Vug moves up and fires an arrow.
with PBS:
Feres fires his crossbow at the remaining choker.
Vulcan extends a hand a freezing cold wind whipping up at the ground before the reeling grimlock, the ground directly in front of it freezing over.
The choker is hit by bolt and arrow. It rises and tries madly to scramble up the hill of debris.
You can fire once more at it before it gets out of sight.
Feres reloads and fires his crossbow at the scrambling choker.
Vug moves up and fires again.
with PBS:
confirm:
"Choke on that one, buddy!" Vug crows in triumph.
"Choke on that one, buddy!" Vug crows in triumph.
Upon hearing Vug's comment, Feres begins chuckling so hard that he nearly drops his crossbow.
"My dear Vug, your sense of humor is a ray of sunshine in these lightless tunnels," the priest compliments the elf alchemist.
Vug puts an arrow in the neck of the choker, which falls down dead. But right then a feral-looking female grimlock with a gaunt, ropey physique jumps down in your midst, brandishing a pair of wicked-looking daggers. Her bones creak as she lands but she pays no heed, slashing at Feres for 9 points of damage.
You are up.
Vug smiles at Father Feres's kind words, but her grin turns into a groan as a new attacker appears.
"Oh, f-for Calistria's sake! Can't we even have a moment to rest?" she complains.
Vulcan's staff comes up in a blur of movement ends crackling with lightning as he drives the carved length of oak into the side of the female grimlock's head.
"Die freak!"
"She must be either a real bad-ass or real stupid to jump down on a group of 5 warriors! Let me not take any chances!" Valgrim rages, believing he now has control over the rage in him and secretly loving how strong he feels when does so. He then swings his greataxe in an uppercut fashion, trying to spill the female's guts.
If the girimlock is still standing, Bubba drops his whip, draws his rapier and stabs at it.
In spite of the fierce punishment Vulcan, Valgrim and Bubba are dealing, the cavewoman fights on, stabbing Valgrim twice for 17 points of damage.
Your turn.
Vug steps back a pace and fires an arrow at the sudden intruder.
with PBS, into melee:
Valgrim drops out of rage and is fatigued. He swings again at the female grimlock with no power attack, ignoring his severe wounds, but misses.
Feres clasps his holy symbol and calls upon the grace of his Goddess to channel healing energies into his friends, while excluding the servant of darkness from Sarenrae's radiance.
His hands a whirling blur of crackling energy, Vulcan presses the attack, driving his staff into the cave woman's upper torso to hammer into her, lightning once again discharging into her body
If its still standing Bubba stabs again.
By your combined efforts, finally the feral warrior succumbs to Bubba's thrust and topples. She's wearing masterwork studded leather armor and carries two masterwork daggers and a pouch with 21 gp. Only the armor is magical.
By your combined efforts, finally the feral warrior succumbs to Bubba's thrust and topples. She's wearing masterwork studded leather armor and carries two masterwork daggers and a pouch with 21 gp. Only the armor is magical.
Feres checks Valgrim's wounds as well as his own, and administers healing with his curative wand.
"We keep this up and we're going to need a new wand!" the stout priest comments with a chuckle.
"Bub!" Vug looks surprised at the half-orc's sudden display of swordsmanship. "I didn't know you were an expert f-f-fencer. Well, to the victor go the spoils, if you want," she says, indicating the armor.
"If you don't take it, I will, although my Cat's Breath tonic is protecting me f-fairly well. At least, if you don't count being squished by an owlbear and a giant pig."