Lost Mine of Phandelver

(OOC: @Rigel from your previous two posts, the only thing requiring your concentration is ensnaring strike, so you don't actually have to drop your concentration unless you want to do so voluntarily.)

Rigel deals 14 damage and vines erupt around the flameskull, forcing it to make a Strength (Save): 15 vs. DC 12 becoming restrained on a failed save.

SILDAR
The knight steps out from his alcove and fires his crossbow at the flameskull: Attack: 22 vs. DC 13; dealing 6 piercing damage on a hit.

GUNDREN
Gundren rushes forward and readies an attack with his war pick, triggering as soon as the flameskull is attacked by either Ronk or Marcon.

Ronk grumbles in frustration after completely whiffing on his first attack on the skull. He peeks around through the door and, seeing that the skull has lowered a bit, charges out again and strikes out with his spear once, twice, then swats at the the skull twice with those big bugbear mitts.

Spear attack on Flameskull: 8; damage on hit - 12 Piercing

Spear attack on Flameskull: 20; damage on hit - 7 Piercing

1 Ki point for Flurry of Blows

Unarmed attack on Flameskull: 15; damage on hit - 8 Blugeoning

Unarmed attack on Flameskull: 11; damage on hit - 10 Blugeoning

(OOC: Because the flameskull is currently restrained, all attacks made against it have ADV. I'm adding an additional d20 roll below, for Ronk's first attack ( which should have been 1d20+7, not 1d20 +1) to see if that one hits. His other 3 attack rolls were already hits, so I won't add additional rolls for those.)

RONK
Advantage roll for 1st attack: 26

Rushing out from the shadows of the barracks, Ronk launches a barrage of spear thrusts, fists and feet. His first strike with his spear veers wide of the target, but his follow through connects with devastating effect....a shower of sparks illuminates the room (and much of the large room to the east). Not one to hold back, he subsequently connects with backwards-somersaulting high kick and finishes with a hay-maker uppercut sending the flameskull flying into the ceiling above the party where it explodes!

(END OF COMBAT)

"Well done my friend!! " exclaims Rigel exuberantly. "Is everyone okay? If so, good, let's keep moving." Rigel heads back to the forge. Looking about he asks, "Any thoughts as to which way?"

Between the sound of the explosion, bits of burning skull shrapnel, and then the eventual sighs of relief, Marcon finally peeks his head around the corner. "Uh..uhm... Huh... Guess I was worried fer nuthin'" He said with a sheepish smile as he stepped out fully into the hall. As he then took a moment to undo the hood on his lantern so all could better see their surroundings, Marcon when on to say, "Honestly speaking, I ain't hear no kid cry out, so yer guess is as good as mines. S'pose we could look about in the dust 'n see if there's any... I dunno... tracks or somethin'."

Marcon carries on into the main chamber and temporarily unhooks the lantern to hold it aloft and look around in general. Despite his better judgement, the man can't help but let out a bit of whistle impressed with the sheer size of the machinery. "Now that's somethin... But uh, yea! Tracks. You or Mr. Gundren probably has better eyes for that sorta thing in here than I would. But if all else fails, I s'pose we can follow alongside that channel for a bit and see what else these mines got in store for us."

Rigel takes the suggestion and begins to search about for any tracks not left by there previous passage. He keeps the flame tounge lit so that there is plenty of light.

Survival: 12

Among the myriad of prints left by the party's prior movements through the area and those of other denizens of this complex, Rigel is able to pick up the distinctive footprints of a small halfling child, obviously barefoot. He can tell that several tracks exists running both into and out of this part of Wave Echo Cave: short, careful prints lead to the chamber to the south, while a second set - ones of obvious longer gait and more urgent in their advance lead back here from the southern chamber, then turning eastward towards the part of the complex in that direction.

Rigel quickly relays his findings to the rest of the group then sets off to the east. He pauses just long enough to make sure everyone is with him.

Vanzaren starts poking around in the cave, trying to make sense of what exactly went on here.

Investigation: 24

History 1

While Rigel scouted carefully ahead, Vanzaren spent several minutes studying the large apparatus in the center of what he now realizes is a rather impressive chamber. He eventually determines that the dry channel is where the dwarves diverted the stream from the underground river to the north in order to power the waterwheel which in turn operated the bellows that fed the furnace. This chamber was essentially the heart of the Wave Echo Cave mining operation where ore was melted down to refine ingots of silver, gold, and platinum. However, this was NOT the magical forge itself...merely it's precursor.

Garet spent time studying the finished stone walls which were covered from top to bottom in runes and script that he recognized as dwarvish. Though he could not translate the writings, he  knew that they were centuries old and that the purpose of the runes was to help harness and focus the raw magic that suffused this cavern into the furnace. The very top row of the wall carvings was in a different language, one he did know: Giant. More specifically....Fire Giant.

Marcon at the very least had joined Rigel, having intended to aid in the half-elf's endeavor. Though between Rigel having his own light and uncanny skills, the ex-farmhand couldn't help but grin weakly upon realizing any word or aid he might've provided would be superfluous at best. Still, with his own lantern again secured to his hip, he'd turn back to those that linger and say, "I know the stuff is interest'n 'n all, but we gotta go. 'cause like Rigel said, he's got a trail we can follow. We'll loop back here once all that's done... Ain't that right, Mr. Gundren?"

"Aye," says Gundren as he looks about in wonderment at the halls created by his ancestors. "They'll be pleanty o' time fer gushin' over these walls once the killin's done. That long-eared slag totin' th' red sword denied me my right to impose justice on that damned drow fer killin' me brother...way I see it, she owes me a life, n' I mean to take it." He looks at Garet and says: "C'mon big blue... I'll tell ya what all this shite means after me vengeance is had..." He stacks up behind Marcon and Rigel, ready to push further into the complex.

Rigel notes Marcons efforts to help,  "Good, keep a keen eye. Let me know if you see anything."     He again pauses to make sure everyone is ready them moves on down the hall following the prints for as long as they hold.

GARET INTERPRETS THE FIRE GIANT INSCRIPTION:

 He notes that the dwarven wall carvings cut deeper into the rock face, as if they had tried to erase or overwrite what may have originally been an entire wall of fire giant script.

Cautiously, Rigel moves into the cavern to the east where he finds a large substructure within it that looks as though it was hewn out of the rock...no seams or mortar joints are present. The building is about 40' x 40' in size with a pair of double doors on the west facing wall. A small single-wide door is also seen in the northeast corner....the footprints he is following lead to this door. Stone stairways descend out of the cavern at the north and south ends. All is quiet...

Intrigued by the writing Garet stops there and contemplate it a little longer 

Religion 20

"Gundren, any ideas on what this mught be?" he asks as he pauses his advance to wait for Garet.