Same thing on Hamrick's part. He checks out his surrounding and proceeds with Clash carefully.

The Rune Flares to life as Hamrick and Clash step over it. Inside the alcove the ruins of what appears to be a shrine...or three... can be seen

Natural 20 on Hamrick. You are dominated and you attack your closest ally. (Save Ends) Hamrick the lingering psychic damage from the wall, means you take -2 on saves vs this attack.

25 vs Will on Clash. You are dominated and you attack your closest ally. (Save Ends)

Dominated

The Dominating Creature Chooses your action. The only powers it can make you use are at-will powers.

You Grant Combat Advantage.

You can take either a standard action, a move action , or a minor action on your turn (you can also take free actions). You can't take immediate actions or opportunity actions.

You can't flank an enemy.

So guys please attack each other using your best at will. If you can't attack each other, please charge fargrim.

OOC: LOL! I wasn't expecting that!

Alright. Hamrick seizes his dagger and tries to stab Clash, preparing to riposte at the appropriate moment.

OOC: Using Riposte Strike.
15 Total vs. Clash's AC. 8 damage if it hits.

When Clash attacks, Riposte as an interrupt:
16 Total vs. Clash's AC. 4 damage if it hits.

Save for next turn: 13 - 2 = 11 total.

Clash wants to destroy the hateful halfling!  He calls forth the power of the very ground itself to cover himself with an earthen shield and lend the weight of stone to his brutal attack.

===================================

OOC: Earth Shield Strike hits AC 27 (18+9) for 8 (3+5) damage. On a hit, Clash gains a +1 power bounus to AC until the end of his next turn.

Clash's saving throw = 20.

Not so fast Hamrick!  He only gets the immediate interrupt Riposte Strike if the attack hit the target. Also, being dominated prohibits you from making immediate actions.

OOC: Thanks for pointing out, Drohem. I'm not always familiar with 4e's subtleties, so I'm always grateful for the pointers. I think I'm going to stay with that move, unless Logos wants me to change my course of action, of course.

Your attacks hits, by the way. OUCH!

Fargrim watches with some concern as the halfling and the warforged do their best to annihilate each other, the warforged with more success.

Both warriors come to their senses, and look sheepishly at each other and then fargrim.

The Rune is humming and the marks writhing on the flour in malevolence....

What do you do....

Clash looks at his old friend Hamrick with deep concern and says, "I... I don't know what came over me... please forgive me old friend.  This place has deep and dark magic.  Let's get away from this rune now."

Clash quickly moves to exit out of this chamber and go deeper into these rune infested caverns.

Hamrick feels the same concern for his friend. He doesn't peep a word, but his composition reveals this simple fact quite clearly.

He follows Clash, this time making sure they don't step over any rune. If he sees one, he will stop immediately and grab Clash's arm for him to do the same. They will then improvise, come up with... something. The halfling clearly wants to make sure they won't be fooled again.

Turning past the rune room, you find yourself in a short tunnel, that quickly opens into a wide cavern chamber. The Sound of quite chanting is coming from here and you can see at least 8 cultists being lead in chants by some monstrosity...

The Natural Cavern Walls have been painted with pictures of eyes and savage acts of sacrifice in deep reds and yellows. Above the chanting cultists, embeded in the wall directly across from you, a massive living eye, a great golden orb set with twin pupils and a cold alien gaze.

Beneath the living idol a foul creature leads a group of human and ork villagers in a dark rite. Long tentacles rise from the shoulders of this gaunt figure, and its eyes are hollow sockets filled with writhing cilia. Flowing red sigils carry across its skin, the same as in the previous corridor.

Where the kneeling villagers clothes have been stripped off, you can clearly see that they bear an extra, inhuman, eye embedded into their flesh. As the cultists moan and chant, each waves a curved, glittering, vulcanic glass blade.

You see no sign of Doria or any other exit from the cavern.

They do not appear to have noticed you yet. you may take 1 standard action as a surprise round.

The Cavern is nearly 30 feet across (Diameter) and mostly round. The Monstrosity is in the perfect center and surrounded on all sides by the 8 cultists. The Baleful Eye in the wall is opposite your entrance.

"What is this madness?!?" Clash yells in shock and anger as he moves like quicksliver and crashes into the center cultist that is directly in front of the abomination.

================================

Edit- oops, my bad.  D'oh!  He can't do Thunder Ram as part of a charge, so I'll have to change his actions.  

Surprise Round Actions:
Standard Action: Clash charges cultist #2 and hits AC 23 for 12 damage.
Free Action: Clash marks cultists 1-3 with the class feature Nature's Wrath.

Initiative check = 20

Remember the one starndard action bit however,

if you can use Earth Ram's Assault during a charge your golden, otherwise you must either charge or move or mark adjacent foes. You don't get a whole turn.

I will also be needing initiatives sooner than later...

and lets just label the guys while we are at it.

678
4M5
123



You guys

The M, is for Monstersama
the number is for the cultists

So please clarify if you can still do that during the surprise round, or change your action accordingly...

Hamrick is determined not to commit the same mistake again. He does NOT rush into the cavern. Since he is too late to stop Clash from charging to melee, the halfling seizes his hand crossbow instead, and shoots Cultist #1 (hits AC  23, 8 damage, with another 6 Sneak Attack damage, assuming they are surprised, for a grand total of 14 damage).

Hamrick and Clash pick out their opponents and soon they drop as only professional pain bringer's can make them. You have killed two of them even before they can react. (1 and 2 dead, 3 marked.)

The Cultist still reeling, attempt to react before you can savagly attack again but fail.

everyone won initiative by virtue of me rolling amazingly low.

Also this is a stat check for werekoala, where are you dude, we need some posts or some info or something.

Clash steps forward in the midst of his enemies to engage the abomination in the center.  Clash draws strength from the very ground itself and his skin takes on the appearance of smooth bark as he attacks the abomination.

==========================================================

OCC: Clash's Round 1 actions...

Minor Action- Clash's uses his daily power Form of the Willow Sentinel.
Standard Action- Clash uses his encounter power Thunder Ram Assault with the abomination as the primary target.

Primary attack hit AC 15 for 11 thunder damage.  If the attack hit, Clash pushes the abomination 3 squares, and makes a secondary attack (close blast 3).

Secondary attacks:
Cultist #4 hit Fortitude 16
Cultist #5 hit Fortitude 14
Cultist #6 hit Fortitude 21
Cultist #7 hit Fortitude 14
Cultist #8 hit Fortitude 29 (critical; max damage of 6 + 6 damage for bonus critical damage for a total of 12 damage)

Secondary attack damage roll is 4 points to cultists #4-7.  If the secondary attack hits, then the target is pushed 1 square.

Hamrick shoots Monstersama with his hand crossbow.

Hits AC 14 for 5 damage.
:banghead: