Taking up the front and keeping some distance, the barbarian stops letting them get somewhat closer. He kneels down, putting his hand down in the icy dirt. The mans eyes narrows and he stands up, moving further into the Peak. He stops again, glancing around a rather large room. Bits of ice come from the ground and high above. A massive closed door looms about 100' ahead. No signs of life fill the room. A small area made of ice and dirt move upwards in a angle and stop about 60' up but it seems to move further on above in three different locations all going upwards. The door itself has no lock and has 3 individual runes eched into it-a moon, a star and a sun.

Ballast looks at the odd ramps and the ice that emerges from the roof and protrudes from the ground.  They vaguely resembled teeth of a predatory beast like a shark, and he did not care for the look of them.  As for the door, it looked like another magical puzzle.

"Brankx, Cumarinda, this is more your area.  If you need me to touch the runes on your behalf, I shall do so," he says, gesturing at the door.

Looking thoughtful while examining the situation, Cumarinda attempted to bring all of her learning and wit to try to discover the meaning of the puzzle before them. "I'm not sure what to think, but I feel we should take even more care than normal. This feels like a trap of some kind." she said warily.

OOC:
17:53, Today: Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 17 using 1d20+6.  Spot check.
17:52, Today: Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 13 using 1d20+9.  Knowledge (religion)
17:52, Today: Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 17 using 1d20+6.  Knowledge (arcana)
17:52, Today: Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Knowledge (history)

Brankx looks at the runes with narrowed eyes. "I don't believe they be traps....they look like runes - old ones yet me eyes. I can't make heads nor tails o' them, but whatever they are, being in tbe sun, moon and star mean something."

The dwarf looked at tbe others and huffed, clearly frustrated by the puzzle.

<OOC: Brankx Onyxshield rolled 10 using 1d20+6.  Knowledge arcana check.>

Glancing up at the ramps leading upwards, his eyes narrow. Fenris grips his sword, pulling it out and starts to head slowly up them, glancing at the others.

"Is there a path around or over the doors, Fenris?  That would simplify matters greatly," Ballast asks.  If Fenris gives him an affirmative indication, looks back at Cumarinda and Brankx.  "Should we keep thinking away at this door, try the runes regardless, or follow Fenris?  I am in favor of action, for this flayer of minds will not likely go away on its own."

Brankx shrugs at the warforged. "I can look at th' runes until me beard turns grey and probably won't figure them out. I say we look closer at the arches. maybe they've had some traffic indicating a way."

The dwarf shrugged. "...but I'm no tracker."

"Then over we shall go, unless we want to prod the runes into some kind of action."  Ballast's voice has a tiny hint of a chuckle in it.  He recalls that the magical doors in the tomb complex had been singularly uninterested in moving until the proper magical keys were applied, so he was doubting that brute force was the correct answer.  Ballast waves for Cumarinda and Brankx to go up after Fenris first; if either of them were to slip, Ballast had a strong grip.  If Ballast slipped, he'd take both of them down the mountain with him!

As Fenris slowly makes his way upwards, he stops and stares at a small area about twenty feet up from the ground. His hands tense around the blade, holding it two handed. The barbarian slowly raises his hands up, clenching it and glances at the others pointing above them.

The cleric can make out on a small snow shelf about twenty feet up some sort of spider. Big. And others along side of it not moving same as the warforged. The barbarian is about thirty feet from the floor on a slick ice ramp about 20' from them with nothing between them to run on. The wizard stands there.

OOC
Bacially Fenris is 30' up on a angle looking somewhat down at the spiders. They are 20' up on a ledge. No ramps between them.

While pointing out the location of the big spider and his companions Cumarinda warns, "By my Lord's golden beard there is one huge spider there with friends! Everyone be careful while we follow Fenris."

"Be careful," she adds, "There seems to be a lot of cold and ice around here. Let's move closer together so that we can catch anyone who might fall."


Taking heed of her own words, she moves carefully to join Fenris at his side.

Ballast climbs up carefully after Cumarinda, keeping an eye on the spiders as best he can.  If they are lucky, the spiders will ignore them as too big a morsel to eat. If they are unlucky, they will get to fight on this precarious slope...

Brankx looks around as he walks behind the warforged, looking at the spiders pointed out to him, hesitant but ready should they attack. "Damn hairy buggars are used to cold....not like normal spiders. Be on ye guard"

The barbarian stares at the spiders who move slightly. His eyes narrow, gripping his blade. A massive spider makes a odd sound like a strange chirping as two other spiders smaller then himself move to be in front of him. Fenris snorts and steps up slightly upon the small ice ramp but then two move spiders move down along the wall about twenty feet up. They drop down about ten feet from the fighter and mage on either side. The larger spider leaps up and lands about ten feet in front of the barbarian! The other two jump up and land behind the cleric another ten feet!

OOC
Initiative!

Ballast turns to face the spiders by Cumarinda, grabbing his magical hammer and flinging at one of them with a shout to draw its attention!

OOC: 08:20, Today: Ballast rolled 10 using 1d20+5.  Initiative.
08:20, Today: Ballast rolled 26 using 1d20+7.  Attack with Thor's hammer.
08:20, Today: Ballast rolled 12 using 1d6+9.  Thor's hammer damage.

Brankx smiled, thinking of his new gift, but decided to hold off using it. He held his hand out, summoning magical energy. The energy flew off separating unto three bolts of energy. The bolts hit the spider closest to him.

“Bet ya that hurt” He muttered

<OOC: attack using magic missile (spell - not wand)

Brankx Onyxshield rolled 7 using 1d20+1.  Iniative.

Brankx Onyxshield rolled 5 using 1d4+1.  Magic missile 3.
Brankx Onyxshield rolled 4 using 1d4+1.  Magic missile 2.
Brankx Onyxshield rolled 2 using 1d4+1.  Magic missile 1.

Total damage : 11>

After almost being surprised by the spiders coming to attack her personally, Cumarinda pulls in fully behind her shield. "I've heard that some spiders have a poison bite. Be very careful not to have them bite you." she warned.


OOC
Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 7 using 1d20+2.  Initiative.
She goes onto Total Defense, AC 24

Each of the spiders go after their prey-one on the warforged, one on the dwarf, two on the cleric and the big one on Fenris. Both of them miss the fighter and wizard, one misses the cleric but another slams into her left arm with its bite. She is able to shrug off the poison and the last sinks into the arm of the barbarian and he is also able to shrug off the poison as well!

Cumarinda take 6 damage (Crit)
Fenris take 7 damage

Ballest take a step back and throws his hammer into the spider hitting it but leaving the warforge without a weapon for a round.

Fenris swings his sword but misses.

The cleric goes all defensive.

The dwarf steps back and casts its magical ball of missiles hitting its mark.

The spiders again go after their mark but the wizard is hit but barely, but is able to not get hit with its poison. The two on the cleric miss because of her defensive capabilities. The last hits the barbarian again, ripping into his right leg.

The warforges weapon returns to his hand.

Brankx take 1 damage
Fenris take 14 damage

Group is up!
All spiders are within 5'.
I have been rolling the poison as seen fit!

Spiders   (16)
*Medium AC 15
-One on the warforged ??/12
-One on the dwarf ??/11
-One on the cleric ??/??
-One on the cleric ??/??
*Large AC 16
-One on the barbarian ??/??
----------------------------------------------
Ballest   (10)
Fenris    (09)
Cumarinda (07)
Brankx    (07)

Ballast does the simplest thing possible to the spider in front of him, and punches it hard in its eight-eyed excuse for a face!

OOC: 13:43, Today: Ballast rolled 29 using 1d20+12.  Attack with slam.
13:43, Today: Ballast rolled 11 using 1d4+8.  Slam attack damage.

With the spider now in front of him, Brankx smiles, placing his hands together at the thumb, and fanning out his hands. Muttering a phrase in dwarvish, a fan of flame erupts from his hands, hitting the spider.

<OOC: casts burning hands

Brankx Onyxshield rolled 11 using 5d4 - burning hands>

Facing the two spiders attacking her, Cumarinda accepts the wisdom of a 'good defense' and makes a mighty swing of her sword at one of the arachnids. "You shouldn't come after me, I'm not good eating and I will hurt you."


OOC:
Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 21 using 1d20+4.  Attack with sword.
Cumarinda Imbrex rolled 8 using 1d8+1.  Sword Damage.

The fighter slams into the face of the spider, obviously hurting and it collapses to the ground, not moving.

Fenris takes his sword and plunges it against the larger spider. It lets out a peircing screech but remains standing!

The cleric strikes her mark, but alas it remains where it is but is hurt.

A blast of fire comes fron the wizard, killing off one of the spiders he was facing.

One of the spiders leaps over the cleric and bites into her arm. The other one misses and almost falls over.
Cumandria: Take 2 damage

The large spider sinks its fangs into the barbarian!
Fenris: Take 11 Damage

Group is up!
All spiders are within 5'.
I have been rolling the poison as seen fit!

they are about 15' from the warforged and dwarf. Fenris is about 30'.

Spiders   (16)
*Medium AC 15
-One on the warforged DEAD
-One on the dwarf DEAD
-One on the cleric ??/?? (Flanking)
-One on the cleric ??/?? (Flanking)
*Large AC 16
-One on the barbarian ??/25
----------------------------------------------
Ballest   (10)
Fenris    (09)
Cumarinda (07)
Brankx    (07)

Brankx was satisfied with the results of the fire killing the first spider, but he knew that their were others, so his smile was short lived as he quickly surveyed the scene. Seeing cumarinda outnumbered, he held his hand up, muttering arcane words in dwarvish as a green/blue energy coaliated above his hand. He considered using the wand, but held that back....their may be far worse here than spiders.

The energy shot out, separating into three seperate bolts of energy, hitting the spider that looked as if it stumbled, slamming it three times. “Come ‘ere ugly...I’m not done yet!”

<OOC: casts magic missile at the spider that missed cumarinda

Brankx Onyxshield rolled 2 using 1d4+1.  Magic missile.
Brankx Onyxshield rolled 4 using 1d4+1.  Magic missile.
Brankx Onyxshield rolled 5 using 1d4+1.  Magic missile.

Total damage: 11>

Wincing from the bite, Cumarinda carefully moves away from her position between the smaller spiders and towards the warforged. “Ballast, help me please!” she called to the fighter.

OOC:
She withdraws and defensively moves to Ballast's side.

Ballast steps forward to aid Cumarinda at her cry.  The hammer slaps back into his palm, and he tucks it into his shield hand while drawing his magical sword, then strikes out hard at the spider on the left!


OOC: 01:17, Today: Ballast rolled 22 using 1d20+13.  Attack with short sword.
01:17, Today: Ballast rolled 13 using 1d6+8.  Short sword damage.

Another spider is taken down!

The large creature is then hit by the barbarian and cleaved in two as the last spider shimmer up the wall and dissapears along a higher up area.

Fenris grunts, wiping blood from his side and winces. He glances at the others and looks up just as someone comes along and looks at them. Being about twenty feet away with a large gap to the floor the rogue smiles as it seems he comes from a doorway some distance off.

OOC
In walks Valis

Keep in mind:
the dwarf and warforged are on the bottom. The cleric is about 15' on a ice platform. Fenris is about 30' up.  Valis is 30' from the ground on a platform covered in snow and ice with about 20' to Fenris (a gap). Higher up. There's a door as well on the upper area (where Valis came from-not known) and another area nearbye (no one sees-same areas as Valus) There's a area further up leading to the right and left to 2 closed doors. Hopefully that makes sense?