The Keenest Edge

[demihappycow]

Wotan

"I will be taking the road as well."

[Townopolis]

Behind the last destroyed wagon, the crevasse opens between two massive boulders. The path between them is not too steep, and has been worn or hewn into a relatively easy path to follow. Shortly inside, it begins to wind lazily between the mountains. Those trying to follow along the slope, must find their footing between loose piles of rubble and an unhelpful incline. There is the occasional sturdy mountain plant growing out of the side of the earth, but even these prove treacherous as their roots must struggle to find even the most tenuous purchase between the hard rocks.

((any walking the slope, please give me climb, balance, and tumble checks.))

After a time of progress up the slope, the path narrows to pass by a pile of rubble that has slid off the slope. Passing by, it is nothing more, but as it is put behind, the very bottom of a booted foot pokes out. After that, however, the path is clear to its highest point, beyond which you cannot see.

Daesha & Jason

Spoiler

Show

After passing the buried man, you spot it almost immediately. About 70 yards ahead of you, a large pile of rubble sits at the angle of repose. Supporting it from beneath is not a lip on the slope, but a large, thin slab of rock. The slab is wedged in place between a much smaller lip and the pile or rubble. You are almost certain a solid kick would send the slab and its load rolling into the pass.
Amras - (1d20+1)[10]
Daesha - (1d20+5)[16]
Jason - (1d20)[16]
Wotan - (1d20-1)[2]
Kiehn - (1d20+2)[5]
Garpak - (1d20)[3]

[Lycar]

Jason

Jason finds it quite difficult to ascend the slope. He had hoped that maybe he could use his large shield to prop himself up in places but instead he finds it's weight and bulk to be a notable hinderance. And trying to lean on it for support proves treacherous as the rubble underneath is prone to just give away.

Still, he slowly but deliberately manages to climb up eventually.

Passing the landslide and realizing that it became someone's final resting place sends a shiver down his spine.

(... at least the poor bastard got a burial. Sort of...)

Looking ahead every now and then, always wary of being greeted by the sight of an ogre looking back at them, Jason eventually spots something.

He stops to take a closer look and signals to the others to hold.

(In a low voice, as not to announce their presence unneccessarily)
"Do you see that? Up there, the pile of rubble? I may be mistaken but this looks like a landslide trap to me. Wouldn't want to end up like the poor sap down there."

Lycar

[The_Shaman]

Amras

As he eyes the difficult slope, Amras quickly abandons even the thought of keeping a hand on his weapon. He puts his large backpack on the ground on a small level place and takes out a set of functional climbing tools. As he puts everything on, he appears to have some experience with what he's doing. Does any of you have rope? It could be useful if someone loses his footing or has a problem with climbing the slope. he says, a tinge of anxiety in his voice.

((Climb: (1d20+6)[7], Balance: (1d20+8)[17], Tumble: (1d20+8)[13]))

Stopping for a moment, he looks in the direction where Jason is pointing and nods. Crude, but very effective. If this was done by ogres, they appear more cunning than most of their kind. I wouldn't mind using it if one of them was down there, I can tell you that.

((Edit: geez, talk about ....... rolls))

[GimliFett]

Kiehn Sondergaard

"No rope here. I've got a couple sunrods, but nothing resembling rope." the dwarf offers with a shrug.

[Townopolis]

Of the men climbing the slope, Jason seems to have the easiest time getting across, amusingly enough. Amras, even with the aid of his tools, constantly plants his feet in piles of loose rubble, or his toes slip on the tiny toeholds he finds. Each time, however, he is saved by elven grace. Nonetheless, he soon finds that progress across the slope is much slower than it should be for him.

Kiehn, on the other hand, cannot seem to take a single step without the mountain seemingly trying to buck him. There is much arm swinging and lilting of dwarven hips as he barely manages to avoid plummeting down the slope. Despite this feat of dwarven stability, however, he cannot seem to pick his way across the slope.

[Lycar]

When Jason looks back at his companions to tell them about the trap he spotted, he is greeted by the almost amusing sight of an elf and dwarf struggling up the rubble covered slope.

(Cromduke! Look at them! Like fish out of water... well, Amras, climbing gear is for near vertical surfaces, it does little for treacherous ground like this. But i bet he could climb up a tree like i walk up a flight of stairs... and Kiehn... he.. for a member of a mountain-dwelling species... no wait... dwarves live in mountains, not on them. And watch the only human manage. Barely, but i am up here and they aren't. It would be funny if the situation wasn't so serious. I wonder if a little teasing would help them...)

So Jason calls down (albeit still in a subdued voice), grinning good-naturedly "Heh Kiehn, what's that? A human out-climbing a dwarf on a mountain? If i tell the guys back at the barracks, they won't believe me..."

Lycar

[GimliFett]

Kiehn Sondergaard

Chuckling softly at the human's words, Kiehn pauses a moment to stare."Easy for you to say. We keep our tunnels clear of garbage, so we don't have to worry about this kind of mess." He grins widely. "At least I'm still standing. I count that a victory amongst this mess." With that, the dwarf redoubles his efforts and presses onward.

[Townopolis]

Kiehn's efforts pay off, and he soon has a spot near where Jason has stopped to observe the trap up ahead.

Below, the other dwarves have paused on the road, With Jason pointing it out, they also see the trap, and stand in contemplation of it, but so far, they have not spoken much.

Amras and Daesha catch up to Jason and Kiehn, and the air is soon tense, as they evaluate their options.

...

Ranik, quiet as ever, climbs further up the slope, disappearing behind a large boulder on his way up. Then, a minute or so later, reappears from behind another boulder, some several feet away. Rejoining those on the slope, he reports findings from a vantage point further up and forward.

A few feet behind the pile of rocks, Ranik has spotted a large shelf along the slope. A second ogre was spotted resting there, biding his time with a massive glaive and a whetstone. From what Ranik could see, the ogre was alone.

[Abardam]

Garpak

Garpak picks his way through the narrow path, careful to keep his balance on the rubble strewn around. He pauses to wipe some sweat off, and catches sight of Ranik.
He exhales softly. "It's the shifty gnome guy," he points out to Wotan.

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

"Lure him? Or should we just bypass the trap and go after him? I vote for setting off the trap and then letting him come to us."

If this is agreed to, Daesha walks over and kicks the keystone out from under the avalanche trap, triggering it and moving back out of the way. She pulls out her blade and crouches, waiting for the ogre to make its appearance.

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

"Lure him? Or should we just bypass the trap and go after him? I vote for setting off the trap and then letting him come to us."

If this is agreed to, Daesha walks over and kicks the keystone out from under the avalanche trap, triggering it and moving back out of the way. She pulls out her blade and crouches, waiting for the ogre to make its appearance.

[Lycar]

Jason

Jason looks at Daesha and, keeping his voice low asks her "Are you serious? You mean we should tell the ogre to just come to the ridge and throw rocks at us? We need to get close without him detecting us. We need to get the drop on him. Maybe you really need to feel it for yourself but i assure you, and i'm speaking out of personal experience mind, getting clobbered by an ogre is not fun. Now let's move on before he hears us or decides to take a look-see out of boredom or whatever..."

Jason returns his attention to the ridge, crouching and trying to move cautiously, as to not make any unneccessary noise.

Lycar

[Townopolis]

Ranik listens in silence as the two come to a conclusion about their next course of action. Hearing what it is, he catches their attention and indicates that he can lead them along the path he took to scout, where he spotted the ogre.

Any who follow the path find it steep and almost impossible to find, but with the gnome's guidance, it is made passable. From time to time, it looks a bit harder than it is, as Ranik is forced into some fancy footwork. When the others get to the same places, however, it turns out longer legs are quite handy in this situation. The path, as you slowly pick it out between rocks, takes you up a bit along the slope, across a short ridge, and then into an area where you must pick and choose your footholds. It slowly brings you to a vantage point above and behind the ogre.

It is also possible to approach the pile of rubble directly along the slope. This approach takes you right up against the trap, and then gives the option to drop into the path below, or climb over the pile itself. The area immediately surrounding the pile is comparatively clear of rocks and loose gravel, and it is easy to find solid footholds here.

Travel in the path below is, of course, the easiest. The path ahead is cleared of rubble and is smooth and still covered in topsoil. This way, however, leads directly under the rock trap, not a good place anyone would relish being should the ogre be alerted to their presence.

((Anyone approaching within 50' of the ogre will need to make a Move Silently check.))

[Lycar]

Jason

Listening to Ranik's report, Jason comes to a conclusion and once again regrets that this party of equals lacks a straight command structure.

"Right, okay. Daesha, seems like you might get your ambush after all. If we take the path up the ridge that is. Just have to be careful and try to be stealthy about it. Something i'm not very good at unfortuantely. But if you and Amras want to take the route, i could take the way along the trap with Kiehn then. Even if the ogre detects us it will only give you a distraction to sneak up on him. March divided, strike combined. Or we take our chances and stick together for the way up. That way we'll have positional advantage."

Looking between his companions, Jason waits for their input.

Lycar

[The_Shaman]

Amras

Amras taps an odd rhythm with his foot as he listens to Jason's idea, and looks at him, then Daesha, as their names are mentioned. Surprising the ogre from above would be the best idea, even though I'm not as stealthy as some of you. However,unless the ogre is much more skilled than I'd be willing to give him credit for, we should at least gain a height advantage.

Ideally, we could find a way to draw him out, but that might be a bit troublesome if there are others in the area. Still, he'll probably become curious if he hears just enough noise. Can anyone speak their language, by the way?

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

"Ranik and I, and perhaps Amras, should go behind the ogre. It would probably be best to get Wotan and Garpak up here as well, and then you all can go over that path by the trap. A two-pronged attack would be best, I think."

She moves out when the course of action is decided, hoping that that happens quickly.

Spoiler

Show

Move Silently: (1d20+7)[11]
Hide too, just in case: (1d20+7)[14]

[Lycar]

Jason

Jason listens to both Amras and Daesha and finally gives Daesha a nod.
"I concour. This is hammer and amboss time. Daesha, since you had the least difficulty to navigate this slope, please go and tell Wotan and Garpak to join us up here."

Spoiler

Show

Daesha didn't have any trouble with the climbing. Of course, coming to think of it, i didn't see her roll for it... best we keep it that way and just say her feminine grace makes her skip from pebble to pebble with impunity...

Lycar

[Townopolis]

((moving forward...))

Somehow, whether through Daesha, Ranik, or anyone else, the seven warriors communicate their plan between themselves. The two groups gather at their staging grounds, The elves and gnome picking their way around the back, and the dwarves and human moving forward along the slope, hoping to snatch the ogre in their pincer.

The day has progressed, and it is late in the afternoon, the air cools further, but the blood runs hot in anticipation of the upcoming fight. The chill wind is unfelt.

Atop the ridge above the ogre's camp, the flanking group can see the ogre on what is actually a fairly large shelf. He kneels atop a broad scattering of pelts and is preparing a fire out of a large pile of collected branches. He wears a heavily armored gut belt with a tasset hanging from it, an innovation dating from the Tiger Claw marauders, something for ogres and other large creatures to wear as a form of breastplate against smaller foes. A massive Glaive lies on the ground beside him. Across from the makeshift fireplace, another scattering of pelts is littered with weapons just beginning to rust. The ogre has his back turned to the large rock trap.

Then, a noise catches his attention from the other side of the rock trap. One of the dwarves, or Jason, has clanked or stepped in a patch of scree and sent it tumbling into the path below. The ogre quickly grabs his glaive, and, crouching, begins to slowly creep around the pile of rocks to investigate the disturbance. He calls out a word in giant, as he does this. There is a questioning, and somewhat annoyed, tone in his voice.

Ranik disappears from the vantage above the ogre, now is the time to strike.

Map

Spoiler

Show

((At this point, I'm just adjudicating events leading up to the actual fight so we can get out of this mountainous mire. If anyone disagrees with where their characters are being placed, correct me as you begin combat.

Everyone on the vantage (Default is Amras, Daesha, and Ranik) get a surprise round, and then normal rounds begin with the party going and then the ogre.

Map: Dark gray is impassable (the trap) to move left or down across a light gray square requires a jump or tumble check, DC 5. or it takes up the rest of your round. They are ledges dividing between higher and lower ground. To move right or up across these lines requires a climb check DC 10.

The brown patches are the fireplace (dark) and ogre beds (light).

I've placed characters in relatively arbitrary locations for start. However, you can choose to instead start anywhere outside the bright green line, just specify where.))

[Lycar]

Jason

Jason curses inwardly as he realizes that the ogre has detected them. Oh well, time for some foreward defense then...

Jason simply lets go of his spear as he begins to charge across the flat ground, drawing his sword as he does so.

"Follow me, men! Assault, assault!" he yells, hoping that the others will be right behind him.

He approaches the ogre, an eye on the oversized glaive and hopes that the ogre will be too surprised to use it on him. After all, he intends to actually run around the brute, to get in his back and provide flanking for his allies.

At least it is his shielded side facing the enemy...

Lycar

[The_Shaman]

Amras

Amras scowls for a moment as he sees the ogre has somehow found out about his allies, and that it's time to act. His grip on the sword tightens, and he nods to Daesha to see if she's ready. I from the left, you from the right? he asks quietly in Elven as he draws out the long blade.

((OK, if I can take a move action instead of a standard action, I go from J 19 to J 13 if I can start from there, or from L 19 to J 14 if I can't. In either case, I draw a longsword during the move action. If I can't move during the surprise round... Well, I draw a longsword :) ))

[The_Shaman]

(P.S.: Balance roll (1d20+7)[26], although I'm not sure we should roll for that DC)

[Kai-Palin]

Daesha

She nods in agreement with Amras' plan, and drops down the ledge, shadows flaring about her. Sword already in hand, she swiftly closes the distance to the ogre, coming up on its flank. ((Two moves, 40 ft. from k19 to k11, assuming a full round of surprise action))

Spoiler

Show

Balance: (1d20+2)[5] (wow, that was too close)
Attack for first round of combat.
Initiative: (1d20+3)[9]
Initiating Clinging Shadow Strike: Attack: (1d20+4)[18]
Damage: (2d6-1)[7]
If attack hits, ogre must make DC14 Fort save or have 20% miss chance
Possible Crit Confirmation: (1d20+4)[14]
Possible Extra crit damage: (1d6-1)[5]

Shadows flickering around her, Daesha thrusts her sword into the ogre's arm and drags the tip upward while shadows coalesce about its point. As the weapon comes out of the ogre, an orb of shadow fully two feet across shoots from the tip and accosts the ogre, darting around its eyes.

HP: 18/18; AC: 17, Touch: 15, Flat-footed: 12; Maneuvers readied: Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Mighty Throw, Clinging Shadow Strike, Shadow Blade Technique; Stance: Child of Shadow

[Lycar]

Jason

Jason runs swiftly up and even around the ogre, barely in time to assume a defensive posture and swing his sword at him in a threatening manner.

Now the ogre is in a precarious situation, being beset from 3 sides by enemies and denied the reach advantage of his weapon.

Still, Jason is all too aware that his defensive abilities are still hindered by the injury he suffered against the first ogre. And even if the brute may not be a brilliant strategist, he may just have enough cunning to try and break the ensuing encirclement at it's weakest point.

That would be him.

Jason braces himself for a possible overrun by the ogre.


Lycar

[Abardam]

Garpak

With a roar, Garpak charges to the attack, slamming his axe into the ogre!

Spoiler

Show

Charge to N10; Attack - (1d20+6)[19]; Damage - (1d10+2)[4]; activate Iron Guard's Glare (ogre takes penalty to attack anyone not me)

[The_Shaman]

Amras

((HP 26, AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 12. Hey, the ogre is flat-footed, right?))

Seeing Daesha dart towards the ogre's rear, Amras turns on his feet and moves to his side. Mindful of Jason's wound, however, he aggressively lunges at what he perceives as a momentary gap of the ogre's defenses.

Spoiler

Show

Initiate Punishing Stance - included in above figures. Move to l13, attack with Sapphire nightmare blade. Attack (1d20+4)[22] (-2 if concentration check fails, +2 if Jason is already into flanking position), concentration check (1d20+6)[16], damage (1d8+2)[3]+(1d6)[1] + (1d6)[1] if concentration check is successful...

Wow. Almost managed a crit-threat, but then 3 consecutive ones on the damage rolls? Crap on a pogo stick, that's some rollin'!