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[Azih]

"It is a good idea." Stricia says. "These two were unaware of our presence until they came to the bridge so we should move the bodies 10 minutes or so along the path to make it seem like the ones from the bridge were retreating when they met their end and do as Alf suggested with having them chewed up. I do not feel well about desecrating the dead but our situation is precarious. And in any case, it won't be long till the carrion are feasting on them we are just... hastening the process" Stricia rationalizes their actions.


"Where do we camp though?" She asks.

 

[Mike M]

"They won't be able to ignore a second missin' group," Dreadstone grumbles. "I think our timeline just got moved up on us."

 

[KittenMaster]

Boasting comes forth, this Drow seeming more arrogant and brash, and doesn't seem to be quiet, "Chew up your killings all you want! It won't help you now."

 

[ThLunarian]

Alf looks Lady in the eyes and gives her the command to attack the corpses very clearly, repeating it if necessary.

He then scoffs at Dreadstone's notion - one that he finds reactionary and baseless. "What are they will do? Send another scouting party? We kill them, too. Send lots of men at once? We avoid, and take prison while they are gone. This is where we want to be for now."

He thinks about Stricia's query. "I think we bring wagon somewhere closer to prison, but far off trail. Take care to cover tracks while going, and take steps to disguise campsite."

He glances at the drow. "Still think is a mistake to keep two prisoners. If we defeat more scouts, WILL NOT take a third."

 

[KittenMaster]

The drow just smirks at what he is hearing.

 

[Azih]

Stricia takes the manacles from Dreadstone and approaches the arrogant dark elf and binds him securely easily overpowering any attempt he might make to break free.

"This one knows something he is not telling." she says trying to tell whether his bravado is genuine or false and whether he has been lying.

Sense motive check.

sense motive douchebag drow: 1D20+7 = [18]+7 = 25
((finally a decent roll on this))

 

[KittenMaster]

Stricia can see it in his face.. he knows that you're about to royally screw up.

 

[Azih]

Stricia hauls the bound drow up to his feet roughly and whirls him about to face the rest of the party constricting his Adams apple with a painful grip that leaves his throat just open enough to breathe and talk. "He does not bluff. We are in danger. Though I know not of what nature!"

((We need to talk something out of him))

 

[KittenMaster]

<Roll intimidate for that choke hold, Stricia. If you mention how you won a tournament as part of what you can do to him, you can get the +3 Charisma for this check.>

 

[Azih]

((ahah, i was hoping for someone else to start working him over. But cant hurt.))

"We have destroyed your entire bridge guard almost unscathed. We killed your friend in less time then it takes for you to blink." Stricia hisses in the drow's ear. "And I have beaten the strongest of this party in single combat and stood triumphant over their unconscious form.. Do.. Not.. Anger.. Me"

Stricia charisma 12 intimidate: 1D20+1 = [5]+1 = 6


((price is right fail music))

 

[KittenMaster]

Teeth bare meagerly through the tight grip on his neck and face, a grin hoarsely saying brokenly, "All.. the more exciting... to see you fail.."

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((I really wish i could think of a response right now... but i just can't come up with anything good.))

 

[KittenMaster]

<Go ahead and roll diplomacy and I'll hand wave his current attitude, because right now I want to help you guys to get this part going a bit faster.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Diplomancy+Isp.: (1d20+8+1d6=13)

((I cannot roll today. Not when it actually matters anyways.))

 

[KittenMaster]

<You missed the indifferent DC by 1. Type up a meaningful interrogative question and I might go ahead and allow it.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Look buddy, we've only be out here a few days now, but we are getting really tired of this crap. It my surprise you to learn we aren't here to murder you all. We just want to get in, pick up a couple people who were left trapped in there and get out. Don't get me wrong, we will do what we have to, but if you help us, what we 'have' to do might involve a whole lot less dead drow bodies."

((Kinda worried that this might sound like an intimidate check...))

 

[KittenMaster]

An attempt to loosen Stricia's vice on his throat is made with one of his hands limited by the binding trying to pull away her own. He tries to speak, "They're going... they're going to...," but his voice is interrupted by his own crackle.

 

[Azih]

Stricia loosens her grip enough to let him finish ((she's not going to kill the dude))

 

[KittenMaster]

He coughs painfully for a moment, grasping time to recover before he finally feels ready to continue speaking. His strained voice eventually emerges, explaining his confidence, "You fools, they're not going to send out more to die. The two of us only came out to help keep watch for the night. Once they know that the two of us have not returned by sun's rise, they will only increase their guard, bringing every warrior to watch for intruders. Every single one."

 

[Azih]

((how many hours till sunrise))

 

[Jackben]

Ozzy the ferret climbs into the sorcerer's backpack and retrieves a bundle of wrapped linens in his paws before dropping them in Niko's hands. Untying the pack, Niko retrieves some trail mix and a mint leaf. He feeds the mix to Ozzy and begins chewing on the leaf himself. He gestures while speaking with his mouth full. "Helfs to get fhroughts flowing."

Niko steps out of earshot of the drow and gestures some of the party over. He spits out his leaf when finished to talk tactics.

Spoiler

"I have a few more spells up my sleeve, maybe we ought to make a go of it now and catch them by surprise? Whether you trust what he says or not, it would naturally put them on alert to not have any of their patrol return by sunrise."

 

[Azih]

Spoiler

"From what Master Dreadstone found, their defenses are very low at the moment. I can drop down into the prison from the cliffside without an issue. Can anyone else come in with a 10 foot drop onto the wall and then 10 more feet down into the prison?" Stricia says trying to think of ways to preserve as much of their waning strength for the inside of the prison rather than expend all of it trying to get in.

 

[KittenMaster]

((how many hours till sunrise))

<You can just assume that if you get full rest, they will already be on full alert. I can probably let you recover a partial amount of spells though, don't see why not.>

 

[ThLunarian]

Strategy

Spoiler

((Doing my strategery OOC because Alf wouldn't buy what the Drow was saying in-character, and I'm going to RP him grudgingly going along with what the others want to do once a plan is worked out. If we have to do this now, then my options for actually getting into the prison are very limited. I'm out of Wildshapes, I can't jump or climb, and I'm not stealthy.

The best I can come up with is to douse myself with scents that dogs in the prison would be familiar with - like possibly rubbing the dog (or even the Drow prisoners) all over myself, or something like that - and then going in invisible with the other two.

As for Stricia's idea, the only problem is getting into position without being seen. My understanding is that you'd have to get pretty close to the prison in order to get to where you want to drop in from. If that problem can be solved though, it's a viable option.

I did have an idea on how to get things started; when Draco goes in invisible, he can try to get to the prisoners and free them, which would be a pretty obvious signal to those outside that it's time to attack))

 

[Jackben]

Spoiler

"I can cast invisibility on three more people, but remember it only lasts five minutes so we'll want to get close before I cast it. If Draco can make himself invisible that means he and Alf can sneak in via lockpicking a door and Stricia can try to jump in from the cliff. I can cast invisibility on Dreadstone again once we get close if he wants to try and go in as well or if Draco doesn't have the concoction ready to go I'll just use it on him. Then I'll stay out with the pups and possibly Dreadstone until I get a signal. How does that sound?"

 

[KittenMaster]

<There is one thing I want to know. Much rest do you guys think you've gotten since you started watch?>

 

[Azih]

((No idea KM. It depends on how long it took for Dreadstone to scout and come back to camp. Since his invisibility didn't last very long I'd say we were just setting up camp and nobody actually started their watch by the time Dreadstone came back to camp, followed very shortly by the relieving guards but I'm completely guessing here))

Spoiler

((Based on what KM described I'd say the guard is pretty lax, the guy on the tower is just leaning staring at the gate making the cliff side less scrutinized. We can probably say we time our assault to be 'one hour before sunrise' to make it more likely that the guard is even more loose from being tired from being on shift all night and still unaware as they expect people back at sunrise. If the belltower guard is really not paying attention then maybe Dreadstone can go down the 10 feet from the cliff to the wall and snipe the guy on the roof. Especially with invisibility.

 

[Mike M]

Spoiler

((I'd need to use Rapid Shot and probably score double criticals to snipe him. Otherwise he's just going to take an arrow and raise the alarm.

What if Dreadstone just stays up on the cliff and shoots from there?))

 

[KittenMaster]

<I know you guys had to rest some bit because didn't Dreadstone scout the prison at night?>

 

[Mike M]

<I know you guys had to rest some bit because didn't Dreadstone scout the prison at night?>

((I certainly thought so. But I also thought nightfall wasn't too far away after the first bridge fight.))

 

[KittenMaster]

<I was thinking that the fight at the bridge was roughly 7 o'clock.>

 

[Azih]

((7 at the first bridge fight, two hours for travel time because we didn't spend very much time at the prison at all gets us at least 9 at night. I guess how long it took for Dreadstone to scout depends on how long a walk it is from the hill we were at to the cliff to have a look inside and back. Giving it an hour for everything makes it 10 or so. An 8 hour rest makes it 6 in the morning and then an hour to get back makes it 7. Of course it's wintertime so sunrise could be even later in that (sunrise is 8 in the morning where I am right now for example). Important Note: I may be talking completely out of my ass for these numbers))

 

[KittenMaster]

<Here we go. I found my frame of reference: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=98761361&postcount=805 >

Master Dreadstone should take the darkest part of the night.

 

[Azih]

((I'm a bit confused, Stricia wanted to take the first watch. Alf elected for the last watch. And Stricia figured Dreadstone should take watch at midnight. Did we actually start any of the watches when Dreadstone came back from scouting which is when the ambush happened?))

 

[KittenMaster]

<So you're telling me nobody got any rest yet?>

 

[Mike M]

((Us right now))

 

[ThLunarian]

((It wasn't really clear to me when Dreadstone got back to camp. I had assumed that after we left the prison, he stayed behind for a few minutes to scout around and then returned right behind us. If that's not what happened then I'm a little lost.

Edit: Removed the spoilered plan to simplify things until we get the timeline straightened out))

 

[KittenMaster]

<I'm just going to give you eight hours. 1d10 + Con HP recovery per hour. 1 Ki point per hour. 1 spell slot in each spell level every three hours. 1 hour of transformation per hour.

Then you will have the remaining hours you chose not to spend to infiltrate the prison before they go on alert, as well as you will be fatigued then.>

 

[Jackben]

((thLunarian's plan sounds good to me, let's do it.))

Niko sneaks up with the others until they are close to the prison again and casts invisibility upon Stricia, Dreadstone and Alf from behind the cover of trees. If Draco needs it he will cast invisibility upon him as well. He will wait in the foliage with Gnaw and Lady while their plan is put in motion.

 

[Azih]

((Stricia was pretty unscathed. Six hour rest, one hour to get back to the prision, leaving one hour to infiltrate prison sound good to everyone?))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Well that makes things easier then! Back into character...))

Alf chuckles at the prisoner and shakes his head, then addresses his companions.

Spoiler

"We rest up in plenty of time before sunrise. After awaking, I become dog. Nico makes Draco and hisself invisible and scentless. Three of us enter to prison. See to try and free the prisoners to help in fight, but if we cannot, then find best place to start fight.

Dreadstone goes up on cliff to shoot arrows at Drow from above. Stricia waits for fighting to start, then jumps over wall - or maybe falls down over it, her choice."

He glances from face to face to gauge reactions. "Sound plan?"

((ACK! sorry, forgot to spoiler the revised plan on original posting))

 

[KittenMaster]

((thLunarian's plan sounds good to me, let's do it.))

Niko sneaks up with the others until they are close to the prison again and casts invisibility upon Stricia, Dreadstone and Alf from behind the cover of trees. If Draco needs it he will cast invisibility upon him as well. He will wait in the foliage with Gnaw and Lady while their plan is put in motion.

<Hold up, just made an important post and ThLunarian edited his.>

<@Stricia, getting to the prison won't take one hour (I never defined it as that, only that it was a short hike), just assume 2 hours is what you have if you do that.>

 

[Azih]

((Well I'm going by post 759:

Once a decision is made to eject the hazard, it becomes time to depart. Forrester is able to safely take everyone across the bridge, and it isn't more than an hour at a relaxed pace before the vessel has to approach carefully in the building's view.

Either way though, it's either a 5 hour rest or a 6 hour rest which is almost the same except for Nico missing out on 3 spells. Though maybe he could sleep on the wagon?))

 

[KittenMaster]

<You got me there. I can also tell you that Forrester can drive you while you are sleeping.

You have 8 hours. I'm not letting you argue it down to 7.>

 

[Azih]

((Thanks KM.

Is everyone good with a 6 hour rest and a one hour trip to leave us one hour to assault?))

 

[KittenMaster]

<Forrester can do the 1 hour trip during the 6 hour portion, which would leave you with two hours.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((I am so confused right now... but as long as i get at least 5 hours of rest by those rules, I should be pretty much at full everything(which is good, because i jumped the gun earlier and wrote all my prepared all my formulas). Will it still be night time when we reach the prison?))

 

[KittenMaster]

<If you decide to rest 5 hours compared to everyone else, I believe that gives you enough time to prepare a mutagen if you want. Yes, it will still be dark.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((I haven't used my mutagen in days, so I'd only need to prepare it if i want to change the bonus(which i don't because dex is pretty much always going to be my most useful stat to boost with it for me), but know i know to prepare at least one vial of darkvision, so that is very good to know.))

 

[Azih]

With the arrogant drow giving up the information they required under Draco's questioning Stricia knocks him out cold with an expert elbow to the back of his head and catches his limp bound body before it slumps to the ground. "We have a little time before daybreak so we can get some rest and recover at least a bit before heading back. We should be able to catch them unaware as well. With two prisoners perhaps both Lady and Gnaw should stand guard over them while we go into the prison?"

((with the 5 hour rest + 1 hour rest on the wagon, Stricia will be pretty much at full strength and ready to go. Can I consider stunning fist to come back at the same rate as ki KM?))