RED OAK: Beyond the Mirror

[Woe]

Now I remember why I didn't want to post... grr... #@$& butterfingered PCs! Haha... I also forgot where I was and what I was doing! Apparently you weren't the only one on a vacation.

The party will retreat back to 5 to see what happens, using the doorway for partial cover (the eastern one, way back). This is in case the ogres come from 11 or the hobgoblins come from 6. Missile weapons, and they'll get ready for something to charge down. Same setup as before: dwarves in front, the archers behind. After one shot, the dwarves will probably handle the charge while the archers fire again.

[Longman]

Yeah, I'm not entirely in the swing of it yet either. Area 5? Ogres? Whuh?

After re-reading, I've remembered that you were in the south doorway to room 6 trying to reset a trap and failed horribly, causing it to fall and clang despite the efforts of 3 party members to catch it.

You all retreat to the easternmost regions of room 5, to see if anything comes out of room 6.

After about 30 seconds it is obvious that something is definitely coming. You can hear that rumbling noise again coming from above room 6 (the level above your current level), and then movement on the stairs. It sounds like numerous creatures (4+), some of them quite large - bigger than human size.

You can run away, or fight whatever they are. If you run, you still probably have time to go south to room 2 and your secret area although you are increasingly running the risk of revealing that location to the enemy. Or you could flee eastward, through the south door into 3 and 4, or the north door into so far unexplored territory.

You've indicated you were going to stand and fight, I'm just checking that is your decision before we go into battle...

[Woe]

Yeup. Sounds like a great plan, huh?

For now, we'll put the blue-lit humans behind the doorway so with the lamps covered so they don't give away the party location.

[Longman]

You rearrange yourselves with the lights hidden, and soon after, you can hear creatures emerging from the stairwell up to level 2. They sound big.

Oddly, they do not come in your direction. Rather, both Anna and Freya think they have gone back upstairs again, almost straight away. This seems a bit unlikely but whatever the case, they certainly haven't come down into area 5.

So you are left standing there, ambush still prepared, wondering what is going on. Do you move, or hold steady, or what?

[Woe]

I'm confused. Are you saying they came down into 6 but headed north and didn't go into 5?

[Longman]

You heard them coming down the stairs from the level above you. You thought they were going to come south into level 5. They haven't. You think they have gone straight back upstairs again.

Maybe they forgot something. Left the iron on?

[Woe]

"Hmpf. We scared them off. Good." grumbles Kilian.

"Even though they never saw us? It must have been the smell." quips Freya. Kilian starts a retort, but thinks better of it after seeing Tiana's gaze.

"We should double back. They'll probably off to get reinforcements."

Assuming the ogres are gone, the party will rush forward, past the corridor to 6, and then double back to 7/8 where they'll be able to use the peephole.

I left the door to 2 closed (locked) correct?

[Longman]

You are moving up through area 5 - with Freya in the lead and the others a bit back - when Freya realises that both she and Anna were wrong in their notion that the creatures had gone back upstairs.

They are still on your level. There are some of them in the room immediately to the north of room 6, and some of them in the rooms beyond that room. She hears some gobliniod barking noises, and some other grunting sounds that are not from goblins but from larger creatures.

Freya herself is a sneaky person and has made no sound at all when she gets up to the junction of room 6. The others coming behind her? Not so much. If the whole party walk past the corridor up to room 6, it's highly likely the creatures will see and hear you.

You (Freya) can motion for the rest to be still or retreat, if you like.

And yes, you did shut the secret door. Better save some SP!

[Woe]

Why would they go north?

Freya will signal back for the noisy ones to halt. If Anna wants to sneak up, she'll get encouraged not to because of the blue light. Kilian and Bruce will set up a lookout at the northern passage from the east side of 5. Anna and Talin will keep near the southern passage, but watching south and west.

Can Freya get a rough count of the number, or see what the larger creatures are?

[Longman]

Seeing Freya's signal, everyone halts and moves back as quietly as possible to their respective positions. You have no idea why they would have gone north. Except maybe they already searched for you down south and figured there is nothing here?

Freya waits a bit and listens out some more. Her listening rolls lately have been 6, 7 and 11 (each out of 100). So, yeah, I'm going to say that she can gain some pretty good info about the group.

There are large humanoid creatures with chains on their legs, 3-4 of them, who are being sent forward to explore. They are currently somewhere north of room 6, a few rooms distant. You can't see that far.

You have already met an ogre and it wasn't the smartest creature, and you think it was probably in league with goblins or being paid by them. The image of enslaved ogres comes to mind here.

She can also hear 2 smaller creatures, probably goblins or hobgoblins. One of these is communicating with the ogres further north, and the other one of which is heading back in this direction, and will soon be in room 6. At that point, you will be able to see it.

Finally she can hear some more noise coming from up the stairwell, and the smell of cooking smoke, from level 2.

What now?