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Paul DMing; Scott: Smudge (shadar-kai rogue 8 / barbarian 2) and Martin (duergar cleric 10); Dane: Tudo Fleck (dwarf cleric 10); Jake: Draxx Sklounst (human rogue 10).
Last time, the party discovered a huge, rubble-filled cave that maybe leads into the royal castle of the apemen that sunk below the surface a thousand years ago.
With the suspicion that they'll eventually have to face a beholder, the party pauses to spend a couple hours studying the book they found in the library of Calcidius The Stargazer (Speculative Anatomy of True and Pseudo Beholders).
The party approaches the satyrs working in the big cavern, loudly greeting three satyrs crouched near a big, flat stone slab. A satyr shushes them, but something has heard — the large stone slab jumps a couple inches before settling! The shushing satry introduces himself as Chief Tumnus. Tumnus warns them about the ROCKtopus. He also tells them that:
The party decides not to fight the ROCKtopus and accepts Tumnus's offer to lead them to Shaheduzzaman's fortress.
They free a goblin that was locked in a cell. He leads them to a bridge over a raging underground river and tells the goblins behind the big double doors not to shoot the party before disappearing inside.
The party creeps east along a narrow ledge overlooking river, pausing for Draxx to pick the lock on a gate blocking the way.
At a second bridge, Chief Tumnus tells them that Shaheduzzaman's fortress is to the east, but he's never been inside. Tumnus's village is across the bridge and he'll wait for them.
In a room opening south off the ledge, six ogres play poker at a table surrounded by eight bunk beds (sixteen total berths).
Martin summons an insect plague in the ogre's room. Four of the six ogres are immediately overwhelmed by the swarm, suffering scores of bites and little cuts. All six ogres run out of the room in a panic.
Draxx drops ballbearings on the ledge, and Todo stoneshapes the ground to tilt toward the river. All six ogres fail keep their footing — each one ramming into the back of next — and they plunge off the ledge, into the frothing water sixty feet below. [Wilhelm scream!] Smudge looks over the rocky edge in time to see a very big catfish rocket out of the river and swallow the last ogre right out of the air.
One more ogre comes out of the bathroom (west door) and walks into the insect swarm, only to reteat immediately and brace his shoulder against the door's interior.
Martin dismisses the insects, and Smudge tries to tries and fails to force the door open. Draxx telekinetically shoves the ogre back, then rushes through the door. Draxx and Tudo exchange blows with the ogre, and Martin tolls the dead at it. Smudge finished the ogre, spilling its guts with a dagger.
Smudge takes a couple of keys from the ogre's body.
Smudge opens the door to the south. It's a storage room that contains food and extra security uniforms (ogre size).
Enemies defeated: seven ogres
Treasure: keys
