Session 59 - Red Robes

The adventurers continue their explorations of what they have been calling the Ogre Level.

This write up is based on Kay’s notes from our June 11, 2025 session. Since our group is scattered around the country, we use Discord for our voice communication and Roll20 for our virtual tabletop. Thanks to Kay for the proofreading.

Continued from: A New Friend

Location: Rappan Athuk, the Ogre Level

Date: Thursday, June 15, 3517 

6 PM
Blaze claimed the elven chain mail we had just found for herself, giving her an armor bonus until her spells regenerated after a long rest. The group had taken a long narrow tunnel out of Max’s garbage cave, travelling to the southwest. We reached a Y-junction and took the tunnel to the right that looped around and over the tunnel we had just come down.

The group entered a big cave that was empty except for bones and trash. Elron noticed that there were no skulls here, just lots of other bones. Elron explored another tunnel going to the east-northeast and saw a room filled with water; the walls and ceiling were a glossy black, and there were bubbles coming up in the opaque water. He didn’t move into the room, just stuck his head in and looked around. The room had a finished hallway going north from the north wall.

Elron returned to the bone cave and explored another tunnel on the north side, a set of stairs going 100 ft up into a cavern with walls and ceiling made of hard packed dirt, instead of the hard rock we had been travelling through. The rest of the group followed. 

Near the top of the stairs, Blaze and Elron heard ogre voices to the left. Rocky went ahead to check it out; loose dirt dropped from the ceiling. Around the corner to the left was a hairpin turn into a passageway going south and Rocky saw an ogre in the passageway.

To the right at the top of the stairs, the tunnel continued north at an 80-degree slope uphill; we would need to climb it using ropes. Rocky smelled giant rats. Rocky snuck past the ogre and saw about 4-5 ogres farther down the passageway They noticed Rocky, became excited, and tried to chase him. Three of the ogres tried to grab Rocky but missed, the fourth succeeded, and they were all shocked when he vanished.

Before he vanished, he saw four ogres, and two large sacks that they were getting ready to do something with the contents; we could hear coins clinking. The cave had broken into a wall of a constructed area with a door on the north wall and one on the south wall. 

Our group decided to go back to the bone cave. After the earlier ogre fight, our magic users were down on their spells and we needed a long rest.

6:30 PM
We went back to the overpass. There was a 5-ft-wide passage, 10-ft-high ceiling of finished stone. It’s seen a lot of traffic at the east end, and there’s a short open tunnel connecting to an odd-shaped room with a door in the southwest wall. The group has been feeling on edge and fearful; Parahelia thinks it’s due to an unhallowed effect of evil from a temple of Orcus nearby, which exudes fear on good characters. People affected will hesitate and so are at a disadvantage, and it felt like it was getting stronger.

Parahelia cast a bless on herself, Blaze, Sinis, Elron, and Breena.

Elron checked the south door for traps, locks and sounds. He couldn’t find a trap, but it was locked and quiet. Artie unlocked the door; it was a good lock and not stuck like most of the doors down here. It opened into an unfinished tunnel to a finished room. There were six beds and six wooden chests of simple construction. There was a door on the east wall. The beds were neatly made and there was no dust in the room. Artie checked the chest nearest him on his left. While he was doing that, Blaze stepped up to the east door and listened. 

Artie said the chest was trapped; it’s a blade trap that will spring out in front of it. Artie used mage hand to unlock and open it and repositioned himself to the side of the chest. Everyone avoided the area in front of the chest. He failed to disarm it but tried again.

7 PM
Blaze, next to the door, heard crowd sounds on the other side; it sounded like they were chanting. Artie disarmed the trap and opened the chest. There were non-magical red robes, cloaks, and daggers. Artie worked on the other chest in the first row. He found a gas trap. Elron checked the east door while we waited for Artie to unlock it. Artie failed to disarm the trap, which went off. Artie and Sinis were hit; coughing, they moved out of the cloud, which dissipated. Sinis was in bad shape. We used one dose from the ceramic pot of antitoxin antidote, but it didn’t seem to help.

Elron opened the chest and found more robes, cloaks, and daggers. The daggers are of simple construction, not identifiable as specially made. Elron and Blaze took the two red robes which came with pointed hats and face masks. We moved back to the cavern to recover. The sounds from behind the door sounded like maybe 20-30 people chanting and talking.

We walked back to one of the larger caves and went up a nearby dead-end side tunnel to rest for the night. Elron took first watch as he could see in the dark. Parahelia healed Sinis and then we took a long rest. 

9:00 PM
Elron, looking around the bend in the tunnel, saw a glowing light in the main cave. Sneaking up, he saw three wights pass by the entrance to our tunnel. They didn’t see him and went toward the passage with the stairs where the ogres were. 

9:30 PM
Four ogres came down the stairs going in the opposite directions of the wights.  They didn’t see Elron.

10:30 PM
Another ogre passed in the other direction going towards the stairs, followed later by another ogre; there’s a lot of traffic in here. Good thing we didn’t camp in the main cave.

June 16

8 AM
Elron passed out six goodberries to all of us, so we wouldn’t need to use a ration pack today. Breena recast summon familiar to get Rocky back. 

We headed back up the stairs to the ogres. Elron snuck into the ogre area going south. He heard voices of ogres, rattling coins, and sorting loot. He also saw a south passage with nothing in it. Elron moved stealthily, but an ogre heard him and looked up and saw him.

The ogre said something in Giant, and they all turned toward him.

 

Continued in Session 60 - More Ogres & Skeletons