Fight round 5 and the aftermath
Subject Fight round 5
OOC: Even I know that the damage was less than burning hands...however, Bel would probably be searching for another type of damage, as the fire was not effective. Some creatures are resistant to one and not the other.
Bel picks up his bow as well, and fires two arrows (if possible) at the creature.
From: Randy
Subject Fight round 5
Ran reels with pain as he accepts the offered potion from the elf. As he opens the flask, he idly wonders if he should trust this new arrival. As another wave of pain nearly overcomes him, he downs the potion figuring that he will die without it so if it isn't going to help, it can't hurt much.
From: Jake
Subject Surin takes his leave
Surin makes his way through the woods quietly, flitting from tree to tree as noiselessly as possible. In the city such silent movement would be second nature, but here in the woods it takes a little more effort. His difficulty is slight--someone watching him would have no idea that he was exerting himself at all in his effort to be as quiet as possible. Throughout the hike he stops periodically, listening to the sounds of the night, and the occasional rustle of leaves and scrabble of claw on bark as the occasional squirrel passes overhead.
Surin will contine on like this, moving silently and keeping his eyes open, until he hears the sound of combat.
From: Derrell
Subject Fight round 5
Fal will continue to use Magic Missile as long as he can. When he can no longer use it, he'll take up his crossbow.
From: Derrell
Subject Fight round 5
At this point, Fal is unsure about firing his crossbow in such chaotic conditions, afraid he might hit one of his friends. He wonders if his time would be better spent looking after Ran or trying to help Alatyr if it's possible.
OOC: Mark, does Fal have his dagger and/ or staff with him? If he has the staff, what could he do with it, besides trying to beat the monster with it? Would it have any effect?
From: Karl
Subject Fight round 5
Salix starts forward as the creature attacks Alatyr, but recoils in horror as the two halves of their valiant companion fall separately to the sides of where he stood. He throws the newly appeared fireball directly at the wolf's face, coldly hissing, "Back to hell! You vile abomination!"
From: Mark
Subject Surin takes his leave
Combat is going to be long over by the time you got there.
Surin was gone for 4-5 hours and this took place only an hour or two after he left.
Sorry he missed out on all the fun. :)
From: Mark
Subject Fal and weapons
As to weapons, Fal would easily have his dagger on him and his staff would have been near where he was sitting. However, Fal has seen that weapons do not seem to do normal damage. Fal would also have to close with the creature, which would provoke an AOO. He saw what the creature did to Alatyr.
Don't feel bad. Nothing Surin could do, except for a critical hit, could hurt the creature either.
From: Kevin
Subject Fight round 5
Harp grins with glee as he feels his sword finally bite into the creature. His happiness is short lived, however, when he sees his friend and fellow follower of Heironious cut in half by the beast. With a scream, he attacks again at the beast, not even noticing the new combatant.
From: Mark
Subject Cai and Bel
Jason and Rob
I am going to make picking up a bow and nocking an arrow to be a move action. This means that you will not be able to do the rapid shot, as that is a full round action. You each will be able to get off 1 arrow in round 5.
From: Karl
Subject Surin
We'll let you clean up Alatyr, though. If ya wanna.
From: Josh
Subject Fight round 5
Kal, seeing the creature kill the human, vows that no one else will be killed by this creature, it will die tonight. He runs forward to attack the beast, once he gets within range he will attack with his rapier.
From: Mark
Subject Fight round 5
Initiatives for the next round are as follows: Bel 23, Harp 17, Fal 16 Cai 13, wolf 13, Ran 13, Creature 13, Salix 12, Kal 10
Bel watches in horror as the creature rips Alatyr apart. As he is backing away he almost stumbles over the bow he had dropped. He quickly picks up the weapon and fires a quick shot at the beast. (AC17, 5+8=13, miss) In his haste he rushes his shot and misses high.
Harp almost goes berserk when he sees Alatyr fall. He attacks with a ferocious swing and connects again. (AC17, 17+12=29, hit) He sees his sword bite into the beasts flesh again. (Damage 4) He sees the creature stumble and start to waver a bit.
Fal, seeing the death of his companion realizes that there is no one between him and the beast and that the beast is looking right at him. He quickly raises his crossbow and fires off a shot that hits the creature dead on. (AC17, 20+6=26, hit, critical threat, critical hit roll, AC17, 10+6=16, miss, no critical hit.) The bolt seems to hit but do no damage. (Damage 0). Seeing this Fal starts to back up even more.
The wolf takes another snap at the beast but misses.
Cai feels herself stumble over her bow and reaches down to pick it up. She sets an arrow to the string and lets fly. (AC17, 8+8=16 misses) She has a hard time keeping her hands steady as she releases and just barely misses.
Ran figures that he will die anyway, decides to trust the strange elf and pops the seal on the potion he was given. He swallows it down. Immediately he feels better. He sees his insides pull back and the flesh seals itself, leaving a bright pink scar. (Heal 11) He is fairly sure he will not die right away.
The creature sees Fal and Salix just ahead of it. It sees a ball of fire in Salix's hand and still feels the burning pain it just felt and charges at the druid. This is just the opening that Harp has been looking for. As the creature springs after the druid, Harp takes a swing at the creatures back. (AOO, moving out of a threatened square, AC17, 18+12=30, hit, Damage 4.) The beast takes a quick swipe at Harp (AC19, 14+14=28, hit) and opens a long ragged wound down one arm. (Damage 13.) It then takes off towards Salix.
Salix throws another ball of flame at the advancing creature. He can see it bleeding from several wounds and limping as it advances. (AC17, 14+5=19, hit, Damage 4) The flame hits the creature in its face and burns there for a bit. The beast flails at the flames trying to put them out but its energy seems to run out and it falls to the forest floor.
Just as the creature falls someone bursts out of the woods from where Ran had been. He charges across the clearing, his rapier glittering in the moonlight. He stops over the body of the fallen beasts and pierces the heart and the head several times.
In the light of the moon and the flickering light of the new ball of flame that has reappeared in Salix's hand, everyone can see the creature change shape.
OODM: Fight is over.
From: Josh
Subject Aftermath
Kal stands over the slain bugbear, wipes his rapier clean, and drops an amulet onto the lycanthrope's chest. He walks over to the body of the slain human, kneels down and says a prayer to Corellon Larethian, kisses the hilt of the rapier, and stands.
He turns to address the party: "I'm truly sorry your friend was murdered by this creature. It was my quest to stop it before it caused any more evil in the world, and I failed. I regret that you and your friend paid the price of my failure."
Kal-Lar's looks at Harp for a moment, the back to the elves, "My name is Kal-Lar, I am a... warrior of my tribe. If your cause is righteous, I offer my assistance as reparation for your loss."
OOC: Hey guys, I'm Josh, and thanks for letting me join you. If anyone wants a gmail account (Labels and their threaded message model makes it alot easier to manage the emails from this game ), send me an email, I'll send you an invite.
From: Kevin
Subject Aftermath
Harp, wincing in pain, limps over to where Alatyr has fallen, kneeling down, knowing that there is little he can do to save the man. The blessing Harp can call down from the Battle Lord will do little to succor the greivous harm Alatyr has suffered. He bows his head, asking that Heironious will greet his valiant companion when they meet. Harp will then arise and go see how he can help the other wounded of their party (sacrafice 3 1st level spells for cure light wounds and all 0 level spells for cure minor wounds). After he has done what he can, he will clean and inspect his blade.
From: Karl
Subject Aftermath
Salix stands, still braced for the creatures attack, disbelieving that it has actually been defeated. After a few seconds he relaxes with a loud "whew" and approaches the creature, waving the flame in his hand up and down the length of it checking it over carefully.
"It is a bugbear," he says, more to himself than anyone. To the group he adds,
"Where there is one there are often others. Was anyone bitten? I mean besides. . . ." he indicates the remains of their fallen friend sadly.
He turns and faces the new stranger, "Was this creature alone or should we prepare ourselves for more of them?" After the elf answers he will ask, "What do you know of the history of this creature? Was he born a lycanthrope or bitten? Was he aware of his affliction?"
*****
If anyone was bitten, Salix will search the area immediately looking for the beladonna plant. If he can find any, he will administer it to anyone bitten, otherwise he will put it in his pack on the off chance they do encounter another one. (If no one was bitten, he will still keep an eye out for beladonna.)
From: Josh
Subject Aftermath
Kal responds: "The creature was alone. I've been hunting it for some time, I've been following it for some time." Kal pauses for a second to think.. "He was probably bitten. He acted very much like a confused beast, moreso that I imagine someone born with the disease would."
Kal Sheaths his rapier, and reaches into his backpack and pulls out the roots and leaves of a plant wrapped in cloth. Kal says to everyone "This plant is supposed to help prevent catching the were-disease. If you were hurt by the beast, you should be treated with it."
From: Jake
Subject Surin
You'd save that for little old me? Thanks fellas!
From: Rob
Subject Aftermath
Bel looks at what is left of Ayltar, and bows his head in grief. (even if I can't spell his name...:D)
He turns to Salix and asks " What do you know of these creatures?" of Kal.
OOC: As someone who is familiar with magic, would Bel know about these cruses? I would guess so, but I am not sure.
Also, a bugbear isn't a lycanthrope...at least I don't think it is, and they aren't shaped like a huge wolf either. Which is it, a werewolf , a were-bear, or a bugbear...they are three different creatures.
From: Mark
Subject Lycanthropes
OODM: Lycanthropy can be used as a template, just as undead can be used as a template. That means that most humaniod monsters can be lycanthropes. So you can have a werewolf bugbear. Dire creatures can also be the base animal for a lycanthrope. So you can have werewolves and dire werewolves. Bugbears get their names from the fact that they have some resemblence to bears.
Bel has probably heard of people and creatures who have been cursed like this but never met one. At least not knowingly. There are good aligned were creatures, but they tend not to advertise.
Aftermath and treatment
Subject Aftermath
So he turns to Salix, but asks the question of Kal?
From Karl
Subject Treatment
Unless Kal can do it better, Salix will prepare and administer the belladonna to anyone injured by the beast. (Heal and knowledge skills).
From: Josh
Subject Treatment
It's all yours.
From: Mark
Subject Treatment
Josh
Did you get my e-mails last night? About only those bitten can be infected?
There can be serious side affects if a person takes Belladonna.
I think Kal and Salix should discuss this a bit more.
From: Kevin
Subject Treatment
Harp will indicate to Salix that he was unbitten, only shredded by the things claws.
From: Josh
Subject Treatment
Kal, remembering words of warning, stops Salix before he administers any of the belladonna. "Only the bite of a lycanthrope is contageous, don't administer that to anyone who wasn't bitten. It's fatal otherwise."
From: Jason
Subject Treatment
With the adrenaline from the battle leaving her system, Cai suddenly feels the onset of fatigue, combined with the pain from her wounds, and barely manages to stay on her feet. Wearily she indicates that she was not bitten, and comments "I think that the only one bitten was Alatyr."
From: Karl
Subject Treatment
Salix looks thoughtful. "I'm not sure that matters. Admittedly, my experience with lycanthropes is limited. I've read some about them, but being somewhat outside the realm of nature, per se, I haven't made them a major focus of my studies. I do not know if the disease can be passed by contact with the creature other than by bite."
He looks questioningly at Kal.
From: Randy
Subject Treatment
Ran will just continue to appreciate that he is alive and he will offer thanks. He will accept the offer of the Elf to accompany them, but will make it clear that he is under no obligation to stay.
From: Mark
Subjet: Aftermath
As the party introduces themselves to Kal, Harp makes his way around to the wounded members, bestowing the healing grace of his god. He is able to completely cure Cai(heal 10) and helps Ran some as well.(heal 8). Harp figures it will be several days before the party is at full strength, even with his god's healing prayers. When he is done doing what healing he can, Harp goes to Alatyr's body and he starts saying the Rites of the Dead. Since he and Alatyr followed the same god, he feels it is his duty to do this.
Kal asks if any of the three members who were hurt by the beast remember being bit. ?For the curse is passed by the bite. If you were bit, there may be a way of stopping the cures with some of this herb.? Kal holds out some roots that he had in his backpack. Salix looks at them and his nose wrinkles ?Belladonna? Are you sure? I know of this root and it has some serious side effects. It has been known to leave people weak as babies for days after. It would probably not kill you but would make you wish you were dead.? However it turns out that only Alatyr was bit and everyone breaths a little easier.
Ran fills Kal in on what the party is doing out in the middle of the forest. He tells of Angelwing and Quarion and the wedding. He tells of the Lady Rochelle and how Alatyr had joined the group. He tells of the chase through the Pass and the goblin encampment just ahead. Kal listens, thinking that a brave man fell to the beast he was charged with killing. ?Your quest is a hard one, even more so now that you are short a member. Again I offer my sword and skills in replacement for your lost comrade. Your quest is a noble one and I would be honored if you would let me join.?
Ran looks a little unsure if he wants to take this stranger into the party, but Cai speaks up. ?Ran, from our travels I know that you have spent some time at Elfhome, but you may not have heard of the Bladesingers, for I make it that Kal here is one such.? She looks at Kal knowingly, and he nods in agreement. ?The Bladesingers are dedicated to the defense of the elf kingdom. The mix the martial with the magical. Once they have given their word, it is bond. They can be fearsome in combat. We would be wise to accept Kal's offer if we still plan on rescuing Rochelle.?
Ran thinks for a bit and nods. ?We accept your offer of aid. Welcome to our party.? Introductions are made around. In particular Kal shows respect for Fal. He is a little hesitant when introduced to Harp, but the ? orc is used to that.
Harp then says ?I will prepare Alatyr for burial. I can not do the full rites, but the battle god understands that we are short of time.? With that Harp starts to work. It takes him several hours to dig the grave and prepare the body. It is several hours after midnight when Surin pops in to camp. Even though everyone was on watch, no one saw him appear. Surin is devastated to learn of Alatyr's death. He then fills the party in on what he found.
OODM: Jake I will let you take that part if you want.
Cleaning up
Subject Cleaning up
Fal will volunteer to help tend to those more badly hurt than he is. What do we do with Alatyr? Should we bury him here? Fal will do what he can to help. At some point, he'll need to rest so he can recharge his energy.
From: Karl
Subject Cleaning up
Salix will approach Ran and offer his healing services. He will use his "cure light wounds" and "cure minor wounds" on Ran (if he is still the most injured).
From: Kevin
Subject Cleaning up
Harp will listen as best he can, but between the injuries suffered in the earlier fight, his exertions in healing as best he could, his grief over the death of Alatyr, and his efforts in burying his friend, he is not likely to stay awake very long. He will ask Ran if Harp can take the last watch. He will also use his healers kit to try and sew up some of the gashes and tears in his flesh and keep infection from setting in.
From: Ran
Subject Cleaning up
"Thank you Salix. I don't think I have ever felt closer to death."
The words rang hollow in Rans head. The truth was, death didn't really frighten him. Ran had lost a lot of care for his own life when his mother died. He did not actively seek death, but he would put almost any other life ahead of his own.
To the group, Ran says "Our friend Alatyr was a brave man. He fought with us as a brother. We will honor him with a proper burial, but it must wait at least a moment. Let us hear what our friend Surin has discovered. Alatyr would not want us to waste time in completing his quest. We must not allow this tragic happening to deter us from our task."
Surin Reports in
Subject Surin Report in
Surin can hear the murmur of voices as he approaches the camp, and he freezes.There's something about the mood of those voices...something was wrong. Something had happened. His passage through the wood, already silent, takes on an almost ghostlike quality as he slips from shadow to shadow, moving with a stealth that makes his earlier, more playful attmepts to move silently seem like the blundering of some clumsy beast in comparison. At the camp's edge he pauses for a moment, taking in the scene.
It's hard to see in this light, but something, something huge, lies still in the middle of camp, and his companions are ministering to one another's wounds. Recognizing that the threat is long past, Surin steps into the firelight [ooc: assuming that there's a fire. If there isn't, read that sentence as "Surin steps into the camp"], allowing himself to be seen, and gives a low whistle. "I can't leave you folks alone for five minutes before you get into trouble of one sort or another," he says, a smile spreading across his face.
It is just after the words have passed his lips that he sees what remains of Alatyr. He pales, though it isn't visible in the dim camp, and turns away, his lips tight. The last time he'd seen this man he'd been a living, breathing companion. Now he was so much meat--whatever had attacked him had torn him in two, and the dark mass of his intrails spilled out across grass black with congealing blood. This is the first time Surin has seen a dead man, and it is a moment before he trusts his voice enough to speak. "What...what happened here? What *is* that thing?" he asks, pointing that the slain bugbear. He approaches the beast's corpse, and picking up a stick pokes at it's wounds. "And who's that?" he says, gesturing at the newcomer with the now bloody stick. "Seems to me you all have a story to tell just as much as I do."
He's still a bit dazed by what he has found here, and it takes him a moment to realize that he'd spoken almost at the same time as had Ran.
"Our friend Alatyr was a brave man," their leader had said. "He fought with us as a brother. We will honor him with a proper burial, but it must wait at least a moment. Let us hear what our friend Surin has discovered. Alatyr would not want us to waste time in completing his quest. We must not allow this tragic happening to deter us from our task."
Surin nods--Ran is thinking straighter he, Surin, had been. Clearly whatever had happened here was over, and the story of it would keep while he told his own.
"Well, good news is, Rochelle's okay. Looks a bit rumpled, but whoever hired these goons wants her alive and unharmed, more or less. Bad news is, him as did the hirin' seems to have had a falling out with those did the taking. We can expect bloodshed down there in a few days, and I wouldn't be surprised if her blood weren't the first gets spilled." With that he launches into an account of his trip into camp, his worming his way under Rochelle's prison, and the altercation that he observed between the boss's men and the half-orc, taking care to leave nothing out.
"So there you go. She's safe for the moment, but Iwouldn't give much for her chances once the boss man shows up that those idiots down there realized he ain't interested in paying for her so much as taking her now. I thought about trying to get her out myself, then and there, but that floor would've made more noise than a cat in heat if I'd started prying at the floor boards, so I decided to just come back and report. Wanted to at least let her know that we was out here, but that half-orc was just a little too alert for that to've been a good idea. Besides, it they're smart they might notice that she started acting different, and beat her 'till they learned the reason why."
Planning a rescue
Subject Plans
Any one have any plans? Ideas?
From: Kevin
Subject Plans
As previously mentioned, Harp will listen as long as he can, but really wants to go to sleep after his exertions (combat, healing, burial when completed, etc.). He will do what he can for himself with his healers kit and his cure minor wounds spells if he has any left.
From: Randy
Subject Plans
"It looks like we will have to act fast. I have some ideas as to what we might be able to do here."
With that ran outlines his plan.
"We must make our move soon, and it will be much more likely to succeed in the cover of night. So tomorrow night, I propose that Surin once again enters the encampment, taking me with him if he thinks that I can get in without bringing additional trouble. The rest of the group, minus Fal, will march up to the front of the fort and make a lot of noise, trying to cause a distraction that will draw the majority of the troops to the front. Salix, if possible, you may be able to help create a distraction calling on the powers of nature. This distraction must not start until we have had enough time to get back under the building that Lady Rochelle is being held in. Once the leader hears the distraction, he will do one of two things. He will either rush to see what the commotion is about or he will move to Lady Rochelle, either to protect his ransom or to enact revenge.
Either way, Surin and I will then make our move to get Lady Rochelle out the back. Once we are out the back of the Fort, Fal who will be waiting there for us, will send up a signal so that you know you can retreat. If you are unable to retreat, you must signal us and Fal and I will join the battle leaving Surin to get Lady Rochelle to safety."
Ran then asks the group for input and whether they believe his plan is sound.
From: Mark
Subject Plans
Harp doggedly scoops out the last spade full of dirt when Surin shows up. He hardly notices the little halfling popping out of the woods and the others filling him in on what happened. When he is done he picks up Alatyr's body and places him in the grave, his weapons crossed over his chest. He then says the prayers of blessing and gentle repose, asking Heironious to accept this brave man into his service. The others watch, bowing respectfully during the service. When he is done, Harp starts filling in the grave.
Salix approaches Ran and offers assistance with his wounds. Ran nods gratefully and feels much better after Salix has done his prayers. (Heal for 11 points) Ran whispers to Salix ?We need to keep an eye on Harp. I think he was more grievously wounded then he has let on. However, in the mood he is in now I think it can wait until we have slept.? Salix nods and heads off to keep watch on the woods.
While Harp is working, Ran has Surin fills the party in on what he saw and what had happened. Surin glances at Harp but Ran just nods for Surin to continue. The halfling relays what he found in the camp and what he had seen. About half way through his tale Harp comes over and settles down. He looks almost worn out. However, at the mention of the symbol on the shield of the ? orc's visitor, he hisses ?Hextor.? The others in the party look at him questioningly, but Harp declines to make any more comments about it. ?I am tired and hurt. Let me have a nights sleep and I will think more clearly. Lt. if I may have the last watch tonight?? Ran tells him ?Tonight you stand no watch. We have others who can do that. Off to bed with you. We will wake you for the noon meal, for I think we have some little time before we make our move and that friend Surin is right in that tomorrow night should be when we move.? With that Harp climbs into his bed roll and is out in seconds.
Ran tells the party of his initial idea for the raid. ?However, we may see things differently in the morning. Let us take our watches and get some much needed sleep. We will discuss this more on the morrow.?
OODM: OK I need discussion on what your party is going to do.
From: Mark
Subject Plans
I forgot to copy a line from Word when I sent the last turn out.
The nigth/morning go by peacfully. At around noon Ran wakes Harp and the other party members who were still asleep.
From: Kevin
Subject Plans
As Harp awakes, he looks over and sees the newly dug grave of Alatyr. He is reminded again at the vagaries of fate in general and their quest in particular. This man had seen his compatriots mowed down in their glory protecting their charge, and now he had fallen while trying to complete his quest. Harp swears an oath to Heironious that he will complete his quest to save Rochelle,in honor of Alatyr's memory.
After he has broken his fast, he will inquire of Ran what plans were decided earlier that day. When he hears of Ran's plan for a diversion at the gate while Ran and Surin are hidden in the camp, he furrows his brow, contemplating the plan and possible actions. Talking to Ran alone if possible, Harp will comment as follows:
Sir, your plan has merit, though I am concerned with having you and our "little" friend alone inside the camp. While I am sure of Master Surins ability to get in and out with minimal notice, it will be more challenging for you, and likely even more difficult for Lady Rochelle. Should you encounter difficulty while inside, it will be nearly impossible for the rest of us to give you assistance. The goblins themselves do not overly concern me - while they breed like roaches, bereft of a unifying force, they will cut and run in the face of a few casualties. Our main concern will have to be this "leader" of theirs. Remove him from the picture, and I do not fear for our chances. May I suggest that we try to find a way for all of us to gain entrance to the camp. My god will grant me some small assistance in this, and maybe Salix can help us with that wooden palisade.
After seeing what he can do with living plants, I can only guess at what he can do with tree trunks. If we can find a way to gain entrance to the camp late at night when most of the goblins (and maybe the 1/2 orc) are asleep, we can rush up to the shack, make a diversion inside the camp but with us inside the camp, allowing us to assist you and Surin in case things go badly with the 1/2 orc. For all we know, I might be able to fool the sleeping goblins that I am their leader, if only for a few seconds.
OOC: Mark, if I cast no spells now, can I adjust my spell list, sleep again for 8 hours, and then be able to cast those spells?
From: Mark
Subject Plans
Yes
Planning continues
Subject Planning
Fal is also concerned about the two being in the enemy camp alone? Isn't there a way that we could set some kind of trap for them and lure them out of their camp? Fal admits that he doesn't know much about combat strategy, but is still worried about the proposed plan.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Speaking of spell lists, I'd like to modify mine. I was going to earlier, but the morning snuck up on me before I could update the sheet on Sakeriver.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Cancel that. In re-reading the spell descriptions, I think I'm better off with the line-up I have now.
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp will ask Surin to try and draw a diagram of the camp, focusing on how close the camp is to the woods at the rear and the layout of the shack.
After reviewing Surins diagram, Harp will continue discussing with Ran
"Sir, if we can get to the back of the fort, Surin can sneak in as before, and secret himself under the shack. At a given signal or time (Surin can determine which he would rather use), we see if Salix can find a way to affect the wood making up the back of the fort wall - if he can make a hole large enough for me, we can all sneak into the camp, our ranger freinds taking out any goblins sentrys if needed. We make a dash for the shack, three of us on a side. We can have Cai summon a creature such as that wolf she called up recently, or if any of the rest of us can do so, we summon an ally or creature that can wreak havoc in the camp. The noise of the attack should bring that 1/2 orc to the front of the shack.
We come at him from both sides, maybe having Fal grease him. When Surin hears the noise, he comes out from under the shack, pulls off some rear wall boards, grabs Rochelle, and makes his way back to the rear of the camp, out through our hole, and gets Rochelle back to where we have hobbled the horses. Wecan either continue to try to defeat the 1/2 orc, or we can retreat once we have our prize."
Harp will listen to any comments Ran has, and any suggestions any others might have.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
Cai finally speaks up:
"I like the idea in general, but I think there are a couple things we need to address. First, and no offense to Surin, who has already proven himself indispensable, but Rochelle is a human noblewoman. Are we sure that she'll just get up and follow an unknown halfling who crawls into the room through a hole in the floor and tells her she has to exit the same way?
Second, and this isn't necessarily a problem, but you should be aware that when I call a woodland ally to my aid, the reply is very short; something on the order of 10-15 seconds. While its possible that a wolf in the camp might be able to create the stir we're looking for in such a short time, it might not."
ooc: Sorry about the confusion, but do we generally keep the turns going over the weekend as well? I started during last weekend it seems, but this weekend was much quieter and so I didn't post anything. I'll try to post a few more constructive ideas tonight after my exam this evening.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building. If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Ran pauses for a moment, Harps idea would require a lot more battle and after the beating they took the previous night he is not ready to commit to that if it can be avoided.
"I think that if everyone enters the fort, we will not be able to avoid fighting all of the creatures within it. If my plan works, we will be able to get away with a minimum of conflict. I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dextrous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures. If we were well rested, and if it were not for the tragic loss of our brave companion Alatyr, I believe your idea would well suit our task. However, given the circumstances, I would like to avoid a full scale battle here."
At the mention of Alatyr, Rans voice falters slightly and his eyes look downward. He finishes his statement with confidence and then adds, "If there is one other among us who feels they could accompany Surin and I into the fort, I would accept the help." As he says this his eyes turn to Kal, the elf who saved his life.
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"I might be of help inside the fort", Salix says. "If I can get to the shack where Rochelle is being held, I might be able to help get her out. By the grace of Obad-Hai, I have some skill with wood. Perhaps I could make a hole in the back wall to get her out, or warp the door closed to keep the brute out of her room? This ability is limited, but I could probably warp two separate wooden objects and shape a third object once."
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Harp: "I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building.
If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the
reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Kal, who has been listening attentively up to this point, speaks up when Harp says this:
"Orcs are nasty, distrusting creatures with no honor. I fear that his human blood only serves to make our enemy more cunning, not less bloodthirsty. Harp here understands his primal thoughts in a way us elves can't. I agree with his analysis. It seems much too risky to leave the fate of the girl up to the self control of a half-orc who's on a power trip."
Kal, after saying that, goes back to listening until Ran speaks up.
Ran: "I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dexterous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures."
Kal responds:
"It is my opinion that we should concentrate on killing their leader, as well as freeing Rochelle. This Half-orc is a menace as long as he is left alive. It would seem a shame to rescues Rochelle only to have this band pillage and rape an entire village in two weeks.
With that being the case, I would volunteer to join you inside the fort. I'm equipped with climbing gear and I could certainly move through their fort undetected. Once we get within the leader's hut, another warrior would be invaluable to you, Ran. I think the two of us could get the jump on the half-orc and slay him before help arrived.
If he proves to be too strong to kill quickly, we occupy him while Salin leads Rochelle to the wall, where the fourth member of our incursion team would be waiting to help get her over the well.
I can rig up a system with ropes that would make our exit much faster than climbing. We would need someone pulling on the other end, but the yet unnamed fourth person could assist Salin and Rochelle, and then Salin and the fourth assist us."
OOC: Mark -- I'm envisioning a simple system with pulleys and a couple of footholds tied in the rope that would allow us to just be lifted over the wall. Weight may be a problem -- if it is, I can rig up a double pulley system. That sound ok?
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"Salix, I think your abilities may be more helpful in creating the diversion. Perhaps you can get some of the opponents entangled near the front of the gate, or if it becomes apparent that we are in trouble, you may be able to get the rest of the party inside the fort."
"I think that Kal will acompany Surin and I into the fort and we will take out the leader while Surin frees Rochelle."
"Harp, will you and Salix plan out a diversion that you think will draw the greatest number of the enemy to the front of the gate? Surin, how much time will we need to get under the building? Harp will need to wait until that time has passed before he can begin his work as we don't want to get spotted by those rushing to the gate."
"If there are no further objections, I think that we will be able to pull this off."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Ran, I am concerned with dividing our forces. Whether we have the diversion inside the compound or out, I would rather have our group within distance to assist if need. However, I will do as you instruct, though my heart tells me it is not wise.
Harp will then converse with the other party members -
Salix, if we have need to enter the fort, do you have a way for us to get through the gate? Any way to affect the wood of the gate? Is there any other way we can ask/use our natural surroundings to help us?
Fal, do you have any ability to create noises or lights that might confuse those inside into thinking we have a larger group than we do?
Surin, is there anything else you may be able to remember about the entrance to the camp - how is the gate secured - how stout does it look? How open is the terrain in the front of the camp - how close can we get to the gate without easily being seen?
Bel and Cai - can you think of anything extra you can do to help us? Cai, I know that you were able to bring the forest alive previously; that might be a good way to help even the odds should we need to enter the compound. Bel, can you think of any spells you might be able to employ that might help create confusion?
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"Wouldn't it be better to avoid alarming them altogether if at all possible?" Salix asks. "What if we sneak down to an unguarded part of the wall. I'm sure I can warp one of the timbers enough that even Harp could get through, if necessary. Then Surin and I could sneak to the shack. With my God's grace I could open a hole in back wall of Rochelle's cell, warp her cell door so the brute will be delayed if he tries to check on her, then we sneak her out the back. We only need risk arousing the camp if we're discovered. By then, the surprise will add to the confusion and we'd be dealing with a few groggy goblins rather than a whole camp that has been put on alert by a distraction at the gate."
He looks at the group to see what they think
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp is much more agreeable with this plan, especially since it allows the group easier access to the camp through the warped (or reshaped) timbers of the back wall.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
"I think killing the half-orc -- and as many goblins as posssible -- should be a priority as well. I know your mission is to save the girl, but I think it is also important to stop this band from causing any more trouble.
Do you think it would be possible to wait until the half orc is sleeping, and then kill him in his sleep while rescuing Rochelle?"
From: Karl
Subject Planning
The problem is that we do not know the half-orc's schedule. That and he is probably on higher alert now that he is expecting trouble, though not from us." Salix thinks for a moment. "Our first priority is to the lady. Until she is safe, nothing else matters. If we can get in and out without arousing anyone, all the better. I do not think it is wise to stir them up more than necessary until the Lady Rochelle is safely away."
"Also, this is a dark and evil land as I'm sure you've witnessed. This band is but a drop in the bucket of dangers here. It is not our place to ease the troubles of this land if it in any way risks our Lady. She is our only priority here," Salix says firmly. Then, as if realizing he has spoken out of turn, he looks somewhat appologetically at Ran.
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal has a Pyrotechnic spell.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran mulls over many options in his head. 'Will there be an unguarded part of the wall? If a battle ensues, how do we secure a safe exit for Lady Rochelle? Will making a hole in the wall make a lot of noise? Am I just being prideful and stubborn trying to stick with my plan?'
Finally he settles on a decision.
"Salix, I feel that your plan has a lot of merit. I have a concern though. Will opening a hole in the wall make much noise?"
If Salix answers that there will be almost no noise then Ran will respond with the following:
"Then we have a plan. You will open a hole in the wall of the fort. I will enter with Surin and Kal and we will make our way to the hut. We will dispose of the 1/2 orc and make our escape back through the hole in the fort. We won't need a hole opened in the wall of the hut as it sounds like we can get in through the floor boards and that will likely draw even less attention. If a commotion rises up while we are in the hut, you will need to move the conflict away from our escape route so that Surin can get Lady Rochelle to safety."
If Salix answers that it will be pretty loud then Ran will say:
"I do appreciate that there may be a way for us to get in and out without being spotted. I propose that we go with the plan as I have outlined, only instead of a diversion we have our feathered companions monitor the situation from above. If they report any problems to you, then you breach the wall and try to draw attention away from us. This way, we only fight if absolutely necessary. Kal, Surin, and I will take out the 1/2 orc on the inside and will try to do so without too much noise while we rescue Lady Rochelle. I think this is our best chance."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
When the final plan is determined, Harp will remind the Rangers to refill their quivers with some of the arrows they had purchased back in Impact.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Cai is a little disappointed that the group seems to be deciding on a plan that leaves most of the goblins alive and unharmed, but her head recognizes that it is the best plan.
She asks Surin "How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
She turns to Fal and asks "How long does your sleep spell last? And if you were to put the leader to sleep, would the goblins be able to wake him up?"
Finally she turns to Ran and says "If we are discovered, it occurrs to me that one possible diversion to help us get away is to set fire to various parts of the camp. Goblins are lazy and most likely have not fireproofed their tents. Most of the grass is probably long dead, but if not it will spread quickly, and if so the two of us might be able to light a few tents with burning arrows, though only if we prepare for that possbility beforehand."
ooc If we haven't headed in by tonight, I'll look over my spell list like the others are doing and I may change it.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran listens attentively to Cai and responds, "Going through the floorboards gives us the advantage of not being out in the open at the side of the hut while a spell is cast. Unless Surin thinks otherwise, I prefer to approach it in this manner. I do like the idea of using fire as a diversion though. Please prepare for that possibility."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
OOC: Mark, does the Pyrotechnic spell have to be aimed at an enemy, or could I shoot it into the air to draw the enemies out of their camp?
From: Jake
Subject planning
A grin breaks out unbidden on Surin's face. He likes this new member of the party. "I reckon there's some truth to what you're saying there, my friend. What do you think of this though--they're expecting people--half orcs, humans, they don't know what, just people--to show up with a pile of gold to trade for the girl. They've got to be a little nervous after Tiny's performance down there," he jerks his thumb toward the goblin camp, "that him as hired them'll be planning to just march in and take Rochelle off their hands, maybe lop off a few heads while he's at it.
Seems to me they'd be mighty relieved to see somebody claimin' to be from the boss ride up with a couple of sacks of gold. Now, we just happen to have more gold than we know what to do with right here, don't we? Might be Ran and a human or two could ride into their camp like they belong there an' bluff their way into a meeting with Tiny. Meanwhile, Kal here and me could sneak our way in and get into position. When we're all four ready, we could take him at once. He'd never know what hit him, and if we could do it quick enough in a spot his goblins couldn't see, it could be that the two'd be able to just ride on out of camp with her. What do you think ofthat?"
From: Jake
Subject Planning
I sent this not realizing that there were lots of email messages more recent than the one I was responding to. Nonetheless, I think the turn still fits.
From: Jake
Subject Planning
OOC: Karl, does Salix have to be able to see or touch the surface that he's warping?
"How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
"Easy enough, for me. You big folk might have a bit more trouble though. Long as you're not wearing a lot of armor I think you could do it though."
Surin starts laughing. "I just had a thought. Salix, could you open up a hole right underneath the half orc's feet? You and I could be under there, and as soon as the hole opened up and he fell through we could start hacking at his legs and feet. Maybe slice right through a couple of essential tendons. That'd surprise him! If you could shape the wood so he was trapped with his feet in the hole so much the better. We could keep sticking him, and he couldn't get at us, at least for a bit. Meanwhile Ran and this new fellow could be up above hacking him to bitty little bits while he was trapped.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
ooc: I was about to update my char sheet to reflect the arrows that you all bought for us before I joined, but I can't seem to find how many arrows you actually bought, much less how many were given to me. I saw mention of buying about 100 arrows, but nothing definite.
Thanks for the help!
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Kal smiles broadly. "I very much like this plan."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal is also concerned about the two being in the enemy camp alone? Isn't there a way that we could set some kind of trap for them and lure them out of their camp? Fal admits that he doesn't know much about combat strategy, but is still worried about the proposed plan.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Speaking of spell lists, I'd like to modify mine. I was going to earlier, but the morning snuck up on me before I could update the sheet on Sakeriver.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Cancel that. In re-reading the spell descriptions, I think I'm better off with the line-up I have now.
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp will ask Surin to try and draw a diagram of the camp, focusing on how close the camp is to the woods at the rear and the layout of the shack.
After reviewing Surins diagram, Harp will continue discussing with Ran
"Sir, if we can get to the back of the fort, Surin can sneak in as before, and secret himself under the shack. At a given signal or time (Surin can determine which he would rather use), we see if Salix can find a way to affect the wood making up the back of the fort wall - if he can make a hole large enough for me, we can all sneak into the camp, our ranger freinds taking out any goblins sentrys if needed. We make a dash for the shack, three of us on a side. We can have Cai summon a creature such as that wolf she called up recently, or if any of the rest of us can do so, we summon an ally or creature that can wreak havoc in the camp. The noise of the attack should bring that 1/2 orc to the front of the shack.
We come at him from both sides, maybe having Fal grease him. When Surin hears the noise, he comes out from under the shack, pulls off some rear wall boards, grabs Rochelle, and makes his way back to the rear of the camp, out through our hole, and gets Rochelle back to where we have hobbled the horses. Wecan either continue to try to defeat the 1/2 orc, or we can retreat once we have our prize."
Harp will listen to any comments Ran has, and any suggestions any others might have.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
Cai finally speaks up:
"I like the idea in general, but I think there are a couple things we need to address. First, and no offense to Surin, who has already proven himself indispensable, but Rochelle is a human noblewoman. Are we sure that she'll just get up and follow an unknown halfling who crawls into the room through a hole in the floor and tells her she has to exit the same way?
Second, and this isn't necessarily a problem, but you should be aware that when I call a woodland ally to my aid, the reply is very short; something on the order of 10-15 seconds. While its possible that a wolf in the camp might be able to create the stir we're looking for in such a short time, it might not."
ooc: Sorry about the confusion, but do we generally keep the turns going over the weekend as well? I started during last weekend it seems, but this weekend was much quieter and so I didn't post anything. I'll try to post a few more constructive ideas tonight after my exam this evening.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building. If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Ran pauses for a moment, Harps idea would require a lot more battle and after the beating they took the previous night he is not ready to commit to that if it can be avoided.
"I think that if everyone enters the fort, we will not be able to avoid fighting all of the creatures within it. If my plan works, we will be able to get away with a minimum of conflict. I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dextrous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures. If we were well rested, and if it were not for the tragic loss of our brave companion Alatyr, I believe your idea would well suit our task. However, given the circumstances, I would like to avoid a full scale battle here."
At the mention of Alatyr, Rans voice falters slightly and his eyes look downward. He finishes his statement with confidence and then adds, "If there is one other among us who feels they could accompany Surin and I into the fort, I would accept the help." As he says this his eyes turn to Kal, the elf who saved his life.
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"I might be of help inside the fort", Salix says. "If I can get to the shack where Rochelle is being held, I might be able to help get her out. By the grace of Obad-Hai, I have some skill with wood. Perhaps I could make a hole in the back wall to get her out, or warp the door closed to keep the brute out of her room? This ability is limited, but I could probably warp two separate wooden objects and shape a third object once."
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Harp: "I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building.
If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the
reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Kal, who has been listening attentively up to this point, speaks up when Harp says this:
"Orcs are nasty, distrusting creatures with no honor. I fear that his human blood only serves to make our enemy more cunning, not less bloodthirsty. Harp here understands his primal thoughts in a way us elves can't. I agree with his analysis. It seems much too risky to leave the fate of the girl up to the self control of a half-orc who's on a power trip."
Kal, after saying that, goes back to listening until Ran speaks up.
Ran: "I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dexterous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures."
Kal responds:
"It is my opinion that we should concentrate on killing their leader, as well as freeing Rochelle. This Half-orc is a menace as long as he is left alive. It would seem a shame to rescues Rochelle only to have this band pillage and rape an entire village in two weeks.
With that being the case, I would volunteer to join you inside the fort. I'm equipped with climbing gear and I could certainly move through their fort undetected. Once we get within the leader's hut, another warrior would be invaluable to you, Ran. I think the two of us could get the jump on the half-orc and slay him before help arrived.
If he proves to be too strong to kill quickly, we occupy him while Salin leads Rochelle to the wall, where the fourth member of our incursion team would be waiting to help get her over the well.
I can rig up a system with ropes that would make our exit much faster than climbing. We would need someone pulling on the other end, but the yet unnamed fourth person could assist Salin and Rochelle, and then Salin and the fourth assist us."
OOC: Mark -- I'm envisioning a simple system with pulleys and a couple of footholds tied in the rope that would allow us to just be lifted over the wall. Weight may be a problem -- if it is, I can rig up a double pulley system. That sound ok?
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"Salix, I think your abilities may be more helpful in creating the diversion. Perhaps you can get some of the opponents entangled near the front of the gate, or if it becomes apparent that we are in trouble, you may be able to get the rest of the party inside the fort."
"I think that Kal will acompany Surin and I into the fort and we will take out the leader while Surin frees Rochelle."
"Harp, will you and Salix plan out a diversion that you think will draw the greatest number of the enemy to the front of the gate? Surin, how much time will we need to get under the building? Harp will need to wait until that time has passed before he can begin his work as we don't want to get spotted by those rushing to the gate."
"If there are no further objections, I think that we will be able to pull this off."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Ran, I am concerned with dividing our forces. Whether we have the diversion inside the compound or out, I would rather have our group within distance to assist if need. However, I will do as you instruct, though my heart tells me it is not wise.
Harp will then converse with the other party members -
Salix, if we have need to enter the fort, do you have a way for us to get through the gate? Any way to affect the wood of the gate? Is there any other way we can ask/use our natural surroundings to help us?
Fal, do you have any ability to create noises or lights that might confuse those inside into thinking we have a larger group than we do?
Surin, is there anything else you may be able to remember about the entrance to the camp - how is the gate secured - how stout does it look? How open is the terrain in the front of the camp - how close can we get to the gate without easily being seen?
Bel and Cai - can you think of anything extra you can do to help us? Cai, I know that you were able to bring the forest alive previously; that might be a good way to help even the odds should we need to enter the compound. Bel, can you think of any spells you might be able to employ that might help create confusion?
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"Wouldn't it be better to avoid alarming them altogether if at all possible?" Salix asks. "What if we sneak down to an unguarded part of the wall. I'm sure I can warp one of the timbers enough that even Harp could get through, if necessary. Then Surin and I could sneak to the shack. With my God's grace I could open a hole in back wall of Rochelle's cell, warp her cell door so the brute will be delayed if he tries to check on her, then we sneak her out the back. We only need risk arousing the camp if we're discovered. By then, the surprise will add to the confusion and we'd be dealing with a few groggy goblins rather than a whole camp that has been put on alert by a distraction at the gate."
He looks at the group to see what they think
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp is much more agreeable with this plan, especially since it allows the group easier access to the camp through the warped (or reshaped) timbers of the back wall.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
"I think killing the half-orc -- and as many goblins as posssible -- should be a priority as well. I know your mission is to save the girl, but I think it is also important to stop this band from causing any more trouble.
Do you think it would be possible to wait until the half orc is sleeping, and then kill him in his sleep while rescuing Rochelle?"
From: Karl
Subject Planning
The problem is that we do not know the half-orc's schedule. That and he is probably on higher alert now that he is expecting trouble, though not from us." Salix thinks for a moment. "Our first priority is to the lady. Until she is safe, nothing else matters. If we can get in and out without arousing anyone, all the better. I do not think it is wise to stir them up more than necessary until the Lady Rochelle is safely away."
"Also, this is a dark and evil land as I'm sure you've witnessed. This band is but a drop in the bucket of dangers here. It is not our place to ease the troubles of this land if it in any way risks our Lady. She is our only priority here," Salix says firmly. Then, as if realizing he has spoken out of turn, he looks somewhat appologetically at Ran.
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal has a Pyrotechnic spell.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran mulls over many options in his head. 'Will there be an unguarded part of the wall? If a battle ensues, how do we secure a safe exit for Lady Rochelle? Will making a hole in the wall make a lot of noise? Am I just being prideful and stubborn trying to stick with my plan?'
Finally he settles on a decision.
"Salix, I feel that your plan has a lot of merit. I have a concern though. Will opening a hole in the wall make much noise?"
If Salix answers that there will be almost no noise then Ran will respond with the following:
"Then we have a plan. You will open a hole in the wall of the fort. I will enter with Surin and Kal and we will make our way to the hut. We will dispose of the 1/2 orc and make our escape back through the hole in the fort. We won't need a hole opened in the wall of the hut as it sounds like we can get in through the floor boards and that will likely draw even less attention. If a commotion rises up while we are in the hut, you will need to move the conflict away from our escape route so that Surin can get Lady Rochelle to safety."
If Salix answers that it will be pretty loud then Ran will say:
"I do appreciate that there may be a way for us to get in and out without being spotted. I propose that we go with the plan as I have outlined, only instead of a diversion we have our feathered companions monitor the situation from above. If they report any problems to you, then you breach the wall and try to draw attention away from us. This way, we only fight if absolutely necessary. Kal, Surin, and I will take out the 1/2 orc on the inside and will try to do so without too much noise while we rescue Lady Rochelle. I think this is our best chance."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
When the final plan is determined, Harp will remind the Rangers to refill their quivers with some of the arrows they had purchased back in Impact.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Cai is a little disappointed that the group seems to be deciding on a plan that leaves most of the goblins alive and unharmed, but her head recognizes that it is the best plan.
She asks Surin "How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
She turns to Fal and asks "How long does your sleep spell last? And if you were to put the leader to sleep, would the goblins be able to wake him up?"
Finally she turns to Ran and says "If we are discovered, it occurrs to me that one possible diversion to help us get away is to set fire to various parts of the camp. Goblins are lazy and most likely have not fireproofed their tents. Most of the grass is probably long dead, but if not it will spread quickly, and if so the two of us might be able to light a few tents with burning arrows, though only if we prepare for that possbility beforehand."
ooc If we haven't headed in by tonight, I'll look over my spell list like the others are doing and I may change it.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran listens attentively to Cai and responds, "Going through the floorboards gives us the advantage of not being out in the open at the side of the hut while a spell is cast. Unless Surin thinks otherwise, I prefer to approach it in this manner. I do like the idea of using fire as a diversion though. Please prepare for that possibility."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
OOC: Mark, does the Pyrotechnic spell have to be aimed at an enemy, or could I shoot it into the air to draw the enemies out of their camp?
From: Jake
Subject planning
A grin breaks out unbidden on Surin's face. He likes this new member of the party. "I reckon there's some truth to what you're saying there, my friend. What do you think of this though--they're expecting people--half orcs, humans, they don't know what, just people--to show up with a pile of gold to trade for the girl. They've got to be a little nervous after Tiny's performance down there," he jerks his thumb toward the goblin camp, "that him as hired them'll be planning to just march in and take Rochelle off their hands, maybe lop off a few heads while he's at it.
Seems to me they'd be mighty relieved to see somebody claimin' to be from the boss ride up with a couple of sacks of gold. Now, we just happen to have more gold than we know what to do with right here, don't we? Might be Ran and a human or two could ride into their camp like they belong there an' bluff their way into a meeting with Tiny. Meanwhile, Kal here and me could sneak our way in and get into position. When we're all four ready, we could take him at once. He'd never know what hit him, and if we could do it quick enough in a spot his goblins couldn't see, it could be that the two'd be able to just ride on out of camp with her. What do you think ofthat?"
From: Jake
Subject Planning
I sent this not realizing that there were lots of email messages more recent than the one I was responding to. Nonetheless, I think the turn still fits.
From: Jake
Subject Planning
OOC: Karl, does Salix have to be able to see or touch the surface that he's warping?
"How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
"Easy enough, for me. You big folk might have a bit more trouble though. Long as you're not wearing a lot of armor I think you could do it though."
Surin starts laughing. "I just had a thought. Salix, could you open up a hole right underneath the half orc's feet? You and I could be under there, and as soon as the hole opened up and he fell through we could start hacking at his legs and feet. Maybe slice right through a couple of essential tendons. That'd surprise him! If you could shape the wood so he was trapped with his feet in the hole so much the better. We could keep sticking him, and he couldn't get at us, at least for a bit. Meanwhile Ran and this new fellow could be up above hacking him to bitty little bits while he was trapped.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
ooc: I was about to update my char sheet to reflect the arrows that you all bought for us before I joined, but I can't seem to find how many arrows you actually bought, much less how many were given to me. I saw mention of buying about 100 arrows, but nothing definite.
Thanks for the help!
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Kal smiles broadly. "I very much like this plan."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal is also concerned about the two being in the enemy camp alone? Isn't there a way that we could set some kind of trap for them and lure them out of their camp? Fal admits that he doesn't know much about combat strategy, but is still worried about the proposed plan.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Speaking of spell lists, I'd like to modify mine. I was going to earlier, but the morning snuck up on me before I could update the sheet on Sakeriver.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Cancel that. In re-reading the spell descriptions, I think I'm better off with the line-up I have now.
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp will ask Surin to try and draw a diagram of the camp, focusing on how close the camp is to the woods at the rear and the layout of the shack.
After reviewing Surins diagram, Harp will continue discussing with Ran
"Sir, if we can get to the back of the fort, Surin can sneak in as before, and secret himself under the shack. At a given signal or time (Surin can determine which he would rather use), we see if Salix can find a way to affect the wood making up the back of the fort wall - if he can make a hole large enough for me, we can all sneak into the camp, our ranger freinds taking out any goblins sentrys if needed. We make a dash for the shack, three of us on a side. We can have Cai summon a creature such as that wolf she called up recently, or if any of the rest of us can do so, we summon an ally or creature that can wreak havoc in the camp. The noise of the attack should bring that 1/2 orc to the front of the shack.
We come at him from both sides, maybe having Fal grease him. When Surin hears the noise, he comes out from under the shack, pulls off some rear wall boards, grabs Rochelle, and makes his way back to the rear of the camp, out through our hole, and gets Rochelle back to where we have hobbled the horses. Wecan either continue to try to defeat the 1/2 orc, or we can retreat once we have our prize."
Harp will listen to any comments Ran has, and any suggestions any others might have.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
Cai finally speaks up:
"I like the idea in general, but I think there are a couple things we need to address. First, and no offense to Surin, who has already proven himself indispensable, but Rochelle is a human noblewoman. Are we sure that she'll just get up and follow an unknown halfling who crawls into the room through a hole in the floor and tells her she has to exit the same way?
Second, and this isn't necessarily a problem, but you should be aware that when I call a woodland ally to my aid, the reply is very short; something on the order of 10-15 seconds. While its possible that a wolf in the camp might be able to create the stir we're looking for in such a short time, it might not."
ooc: Sorry about the confusion, but do we generally keep the turns going over the weekend as well? I started during last weekend it seems, but this weekend was much quieter and so I didn't post anything. I'll try to post a few more constructive ideas tonight after my exam this evening.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building. If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Ran pauses for a moment, Harps idea would require a lot more battle and after the beating they took the previous night he is not ready to commit to that if it can be avoided.
"I think that if everyone enters the fort, we will not be able to avoid fighting all of the creatures within it. If my plan works, we will be able to get away with a minimum of conflict. I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dextrous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures. If we were well rested, and if it were not for the tragic loss of our brave companion Alatyr, I believe your idea would well suit our task. However, given the circumstances, I would like to avoid a full scale battle here."
At the mention of Alatyr, Rans voice falters slightly and his eyes look downward. He finishes his statement with confidence and then adds, "If there is one other among us who feels they could accompany Surin and I into the fort, I would accept the help." As he says this his eyes turn to Kal, the elf who saved his life.
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"I might be of help inside the fort", Salix says. "If I can get to the shack where Rochelle is being held, I might be able to help get her out. By the grace of Obad-Hai, I have some skill with wood. Perhaps I could make a hole in the back wall to get her out, or warp the door closed to keep the brute out of her room? This ability is limited, but I could probably warp two separate wooden objects and shape a third object once."
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Harp: "I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building.
If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the
reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Kal, who has been listening attentively up to this point, speaks up when Harp says this:
"Orcs are nasty, distrusting creatures with no honor. I fear that his human blood only serves to make our enemy more cunning, not less bloodthirsty. Harp here understands his primal thoughts in a way us elves can't. I agree with his analysis. It seems much too risky to leave the fate of the girl up to the self control of a half-orc who's on a power trip."
Kal, after saying that, goes back to listening until Ran speaks up.
Ran: "I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dexterous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures."
Kal responds:
"It is my opinion that we should concentrate on killing their leader, as well as freeing Rochelle. This Half-orc is a menace as long as he is left alive. It would seem a shame to rescues Rochelle only to have this band pillage and rape an entire village in two weeks.
With that being the case, I would volunteer to join you inside the fort. I'm equipped with climbing gear and I could certainly move through their fort undetected. Once we get within the leader's hut, another warrior would be invaluable to you, Ran. I think the two of us could get the jump on the half-orc and slay him before help arrived.
If he proves to be too strong to kill quickly, we occupy him while Salin leads Rochelle to the wall, where the fourth member of our incursion team would be waiting to help get her over the well.
I can rig up a system with ropes that would make our exit much faster than climbing. We would need someone pulling on the other end, but the yet unnamed fourth person could assist Salin and Rochelle, and then Salin and the fourth assist us."
OOC: Mark -- I'm envisioning a simple system with pulleys and a couple of footholds tied in the rope that would allow us to just be lifted over the wall. Weight may be a problem -- if it is, I can rig up a double pulley system. That sound ok?
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"Salix, I think your abilities may be more helpful in creating the diversion. Perhaps you can get some of the opponents entangled near the front of the gate, or if it becomes apparent that we are in trouble, you may be able to get the rest of the party inside the fort."
"I think that Kal will acompany Surin and I into the fort and we will take out the leader while Surin frees Rochelle."
"Harp, will you and Salix plan out a diversion that you think will draw the greatest number of the enemy to the front of the gate? Surin, how much time will we need to get under the building? Harp will need to wait until that time has passed before he can begin his work as we don't want to get spotted by those rushing to the gate."
"If there are no further objections, I think that we will be able to pull this off."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Ran, I am concerned with dividing our forces. Whether we have the diversion inside the compound or out, I would rather have our group within distance to assist if need. However, I will do as you instruct, though my heart tells me it is not wise.
Harp will then converse with the other party members -
Salix, if we have need to enter the fort, do you have a way for us to get through the gate? Any way to affect the wood of the gate? Is there any other way we can ask/use our natural surroundings to help us?
Fal, do you have any ability to create noises or lights that might confuse those inside into thinking we have a larger group than we do?
Surin, is there anything else you may be able to remember about the entrance to the camp - how is the gate secured - how stout does it look? How open is the terrain in the front of the camp - how close can we get to the gate without easily being seen?
Bel and Cai - can you think of anything extra you can do to help us? Cai, I know that you were able to bring the forest alive previously; that might be a good way to help even the odds should we need to enter the compound. Bel, can you think of any spells you might be able to employ that might help create confusion?
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"Wouldn't it be better to avoid alarming them altogether if at all possible?" Salix asks. "What if we sneak down to an unguarded part of the wall. I'm sure I can warp one of the timbers enough that even Harp could get through, if necessary. Then Surin and I could sneak to the shack. With my God's grace I could open a hole in back wall of Rochelle's cell, warp her cell door so the brute will be delayed if he tries to check on her, then we sneak her out the back. We only need risk arousing the camp if we're discovered. By then, the surprise will add to the confusion and we'd be dealing with a few groggy goblins rather than a whole camp that has been put on alert by a distraction at the gate."
He looks at the group to see what they think
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp is much more agreeable with this plan, especially since it allows the group easier access to the camp through the warped (or reshaped) timbers of the back wall.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
"I think killing the half-orc -- and as many goblins as posssible -- should be a priority as well. I know your mission is to save the girl, but I think it is also important to stop this band from causing any more trouble.
Do you think it would be possible to wait until the half orc is sleeping, and then kill him in his sleep while rescuing Rochelle?"
From: Karl
Subject Planning
The problem is that we do not know the half-orc's schedule. That and he is probably on higher alert now that he is expecting trouble, though not from us." Salix thinks for a moment. "Our first priority is to the lady. Until she is safe, nothing else matters. If we can get in and out without arousing anyone, all the better. I do not think it is wise to stir them up more than necessary until the Lady Rochelle is safely away."
"Also, this is a dark and evil land as I'm sure you've witnessed. This band is but a drop in the bucket of dangers here. It is not our place to ease the troubles of this land if it in any way risks our Lady. She is our only priority here," Salix says firmly. Then, as if realizing he has spoken out of turn, he looks somewhat appologetically at Ran.
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal has a Pyrotechnic spell.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran mulls over many options in his head. 'Will there be an unguarded part of the wall? If a battle ensues, how do we secure a safe exit for Lady Rochelle? Will making a hole in the wall make a lot of noise? Am I just being prideful and stubborn trying to stick with my plan?'
Finally he settles on a decision.
"Salix, I feel that your plan has a lot of merit. I have a concern though. Will opening a hole in the wall make much noise?"
If Salix answers that there will be almost no noise then Ran will respond with the following:
"Then we have a plan. You will open a hole in the wall of the fort. I will enter with Surin and Kal and we will make our way to the hut. We will dispose of the 1/2 orc and make our escape back through the hole in the fort. We won't need a hole opened in the wall of the hut as it sounds like we can get in through the floor boards and that will likely draw even less attention. If a commotion rises up while we are in the hut, you will need to move the conflict away from our escape route so that Surin can get Lady Rochelle to safety."
If Salix answers that it will be pretty loud then Ran will say:
"I do appreciate that there may be a way for us to get in and out without being spotted. I propose that we go with the plan as I have outlined, only instead of a diversion we have our feathered companions monitor the situation from above. If they report any problems to you, then you breach the wall and try to draw attention away from us. This way, we only fight if absolutely necessary. Kal, Surin, and I will take out the 1/2 orc on the inside and will try to do so without too much noise while we rescue Lady Rochelle. I think this is our best chance."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
When the final plan is determined, Harp will remind the Rangers to refill their quivers with some of the arrows they had purchased back in Impact.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Cai is a little disappointed that the group seems to be deciding on a plan that leaves most of the goblins alive and unharmed, but her head recognizes that it is the best plan.
She asks Surin "How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
She turns to Fal and asks "How long does your sleep spell last? And if you were to put the leader to sleep, would the goblins be able to wake him up?"
Finally she turns to Ran and says "If we are discovered, it occurrs to me that one possible diversion to help us get away is to set fire to various parts of the camp. Goblins are lazy and most likely have not fireproofed their tents. Most of the grass is probably long dead, but if not it will spread quickly, and if so the two of us might be able to light a few tents with burning arrows, though only if we prepare for that possbility beforehand."
ooc If we haven't headed in by tonight, I'll look over my spell list like the others are doing and I may change it.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran listens attentively to Cai and responds, "Going through the floorboards gives us the advantage of not being out in the open at the side of the hut while a spell is cast. Unless Surin thinks otherwise, I prefer to approach it in this manner. I do like the idea of using fire as a diversion though. Please prepare for that possibility."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
OOC: Mark, does the Pyrotechnic spell have to be aimed at an enemy, or could I shoot it into the air to draw the enemies out of their camp?
From: Jake
Subject planning
A grin breaks out unbidden on Surin's face. He likes this new member of the party. "I reckon there's some truth to what you're saying there, my friend. What do you think of this though--they're expecting people--half orcs, humans, they don't know what, just people--to show up with a pile of gold to trade for the girl. They've got to be a little nervous after Tiny's performance down there," he jerks his thumb toward the goblin camp, "that him as hired them'll be planning to just march in and take Rochelle off their hands, maybe lop off a few heads while he's at it.
Seems to me they'd be mighty relieved to see somebody claimin' to be from the boss ride up with a couple of sacks of gold. Now, we just happen to have more gold than we know what to do with right here, don't we? Might be Ran and a human or two could ride into their camp like they belong there an' bluff their way into a meeting with Tiny. Meanwhile, Kal here and me could sneak our way in and get into position. When we're all four ready, we could take him at once. He'd never know what hit him, and if we could do it quick enough in a spot his goblins couldn't see, it could be that the two'd be able to just ride on out of camp with her. What do you think ofthat?"
From: Jake
Subject Planning
I sent this not realizing that there were lots of email messages more recent than the one I was responding to. Nonetheless, I think the turn still fits.
From: Jake
Subject Planning
OOC: Karl, does Salix have to be able to see or touch the surface that he's warping?
"How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
"Easy enough, for me. You big folk might have a bit more trouble though. Long as you're not wearing a lot of armor I think you could do it though."
Surin starts laughing. "I just had a thought. Salix, could you open up a hole right underneath the half orc's feet? You and I could be under there, and as soon as the hole opened up and he fell through we could start hacking at his legs and feet. Maybe slice right through a couple of essential tendons. That'd surprise him! If you could shape the wood so he was trapped with his feet in the hole so much the better. We could keep sticking him, and he couldn't get at us, at least for a bit. Meanwhile Ran and this new fellow could be up above hacking him to bitty little bits while he was trapped.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
ooc: I was about to update my char sheet to reflect the arrows that you all bought for us before I joined, but I can't seem to find how many arrows you actually bought, much less how many were given to me. I saw mention of buying about 100 arrows, but nothing definite.
Thanks for the help!
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Kal smiles broadly. "I very much like this plan."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal is also concerned about the two being in the enemy camp alone? Isn't there a way that we could set some kind of trap for them and lure them out of their camp? Fal admits that he doesn't know much about combat strategy, but is still worried about the proposed plan.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Speaking of spell lists, I'd like to modify mine. I was going to earlier, but the morning snuck up on me before I could update the sheet on Sakeriver.
From: Karl
Subject Spell list
Cancel that. In re-reading the spell descriptions, I think I'm better off with the line-up I have now.
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp will ask Surin to try and draw a diagram of the camp, focusing on how close the camp is to the woods at the rear and the layout of the shack.
After reviewing Surins diagram, Harp will continue discussing with Ran
"Sir, if we can get to the back of the fort, Surin can sneak in as before, and secret himself under the shack. At a given signal or time (Surin can determine which he would rather use), we see if Salix can find a way to affect the wood making up the back of the fort wall - if he can make a hole large enough for me, we can all sneak into the camp, our ranger freinds taking out any goblins sentrys if needed. We make a dash for the shack, three of us on a side. We can have Cai summon a creature such as that wolf she called up recently, or if any of the rest of us can do so, we summon an ally or creature that can wreak havoc in the camp. The noise of the attack should bring that 1/2 orc to the front of the shack.
We come at him from both sides, maybe having Fal grease him. When Surin hears the noise, he comes out from under the shack, pulls off some rear wall boards, grabs Rochelle, and makes his way back to the rear of the camp, out through our hole, and gets Rochelle back to where we have hobbled the horses. Wecan either continue to try to defeat the 1/2 orc, or we can retreat once we have our prize."
Harp will listen to any comments Ran has, and any suggestions any others might have.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
Cai finally speaks up:
"I like the idea in general, but I think there are a couple things we need to address. First, and no offense to Surin, who has already proven himself indispensable, but Rochelle is a human noblewoman. Are we sure that she'll just get up and follow an unknown halfling who crawls into the room through a hole in the floor and tells her she has to exit the same way?
Second, and this isn't necessarily a problem, but you should be aware that when I call a woodland ally to my aid, the reply is very short; something on the order of 10-15 seconds. While its possible that a wolf in the camp might be able to create the stir we're looking for in such a short time, it might not."
ooc: Sorry about the confusion, but do we generally keep the turns going over the weekend as well? I started during last weekend it seems, but this weekend was much quieter and so I didn't post anything. I'll try to post a few more constructive ideas tonight after my exam this evening.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building. If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Ran pauses for a moment, Harps idea would require a lot more battle and after the beating they took the previous night he is not ready to commit to that if it can be avoided.
"I think that if everyone enters the fort, we will not be able to avoid fighting all of the creatures within it. If my plan works, we will be able to get away with a minimum of conflict. I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dextrous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures. If we were well rested, and if it were not for the tragic loss of our brave companion Alatyr, I believe your idea would well suit our task. However, given the circumstances, I would like to avoid a full scale battle here."
At the mention of Alatyr, Rans voice falters slightly and his eyes look downward. He finishes his statement with confidence and then adds, "If there is one other among us who feels they could accompany Surin and I into the fort, I would accept the help." As he says this his eyes turn to Kal, the elf who saved his life.
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"I might be of help inside the fort", Salix says. "If I can get to the shack where Rochelle is being held, I might be able to help get her out. By the grace of Obad-Hai, I have some skill with wood. Perhaps I could make a hole in the back wall to get her out, or warp the door closed to keep the brute out of her room? This ability is limited, but I could probably warp two separate wooden objects and shape a third object once."
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Harp: "I don't like the idea of Surin being alone in the building.
If the leader of the fort does not react to the diversion as we plan, his other choice may be to simply kill Rochelle. This is especially true if he believes that the
reason for the commotion is that the person who hired him has come to take her without giving the rest of the payment."
Kal, who has been listening attentively up to this point, speaks up when Harp says this:
"Orcs are nasty, distrusting creatures with no honor. I fear that his human blood only serves to make our enemy more cunning, not less bloodthirsty. Harp here understands his primal thoughts in a way us elves can't. I agree with his analysis. It seems much too risky to leave the fate of the girl up to the self control of a half-orc who's on a power trip."
Kal, after saying that, goes back to listening until Ran speaks up.
Ran: "I know it is a long shot but I am pretty dexterous and I feel like I could probably get in with Surin leading the way. I believe that I can handle the 1/2 orc, at least long enough to allow Surin to get Rochelle out. I think that Rochelle will be more than willing to go with anyone who offers her freedom from these foul creatures."
Kal responds:
"It is my opinion that we should concentrate on killing their leader, as well as freeing Rochelle. This Half-orc is a menace as long as he is left alive. It would seem a shame to rescues Rochelle only to have this band pillage and rape an entire village in two weeks.
With that being the case, I would volunteer to join you inside the fort. I'm equipped with climbing gear and I could certainly move through their fort undetected. Once we get within the leader's hut, another warrior would be invaluable to you, Ran. I think the two of us could get the jump on the half-orc and slay him before help arrived.
If he proves to be too strong to kill quickly, we occupy him while Salin leads Rochelle to the wall, where the fourth member of our incursion team would be waiting to help get her over the well.
I can rig up a system with ropes that would make our exit much faster than climbing. We would need someone pulling on the other end, but the yet unnamed fourth person could assist Salin and Rochelle, and then Salin and the fourth assist us."
OOC: Mark -- I'm envisioning a simple system with pulleys and a couple of footholds tied in the rope that would allow us to just be lifted over the wall. Weight may be a problem -- if it is, I can rig up a double pulley system. That sound ok?
From: Randy
Subject Planning
"Salix, I think your abilities may be more helpful in creating the diversion. Perhaps you can get some of the opponents entangled near the front of the gate, or if it becomes apparent that we are in trouble, you may be able to get the rest of the party inside the fort."
"I think that Kal will acompany Surin and I into the fort and we will take out the leader while Surin frees Rochelle."
"Harp, will you and Salix plan out a diversion that you think will draw the greatest number of the enemy to the front of the gate? Surin, how much time will we need to get under the building? Harp will need to wait until that time has passed before he can begin his work as we don't want to get spotted by those rushing to the gate."
"If there are no further objections, I think that we will be able to pull this off."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Ran, I am concerned with dividing our forces. Whether we have the diversion inside the compound or out, I would rather have our group within distance to assist if need. However, I will do as you instruct, though my heart tells me it is not wise.
Harp will then converse with the other party members -
Salix, if we have need to enter the fort, do you have a way for us to get through the gate? Any way to affect the wood of the gate? Is there any other way we can ask/use our natural surroundings to help us?
Fal, do you have any ability to create noises or lights that might confuse those inside into thinking we have a larger group than we do?
Surin, is there anything else you may be able to remember about the entrance to the camp - how is the gate secured - how stout does it look? How open is the terrain in the front of the camp - how close can we get to the gate without easily being seen?
Bel and Cai - can you think of anything extra you can do to help us? Cai, I know that you were able to bring the forest alive previously; that might be a good way to help even the odds should we need to enter the compound. Bel, can you think of any spells you might be able to employ that might help create confusion?
From: Karl
Subject Planning
"Wouldn't it be better to avoid alarming them altogether if at all possible?" Salix asks. "What if we sneak down to an unguarded part of the wall. I'm sure I can warp one of the timbers enough that even Harp could get through, if necessary. Then Surin and I could sneak to the shack. With my God's grace I could open a hole in back wall of Rochelle's cell, warp her cell door so the brute will be delayed if he tries to check on her, then we sneak her out the back. We only need risk arousing the camp if we're discovered. By then, the surprise will add to the confusion and we'd be dealing with a few groggy goblins rather than a whole camp that has been put on alert by a distraction at the gate."
He looks at the group to see what they think
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
Harp is much more agreeable with this plan, especially since it allows the group easier access to the camp through the warped (or reshaped) timbers of the back wall.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
"I think killing the half-orc -- and as many goblins as posssible -- should be a priority as well. I know your mission is to save the girl, but I think it is also important to stop this band from causing any more trouble.
Do you think it would be possible to wait until the half orc is sleeping, and then kill him in his sleep while rescuing Rochelle?"
From: Karl
Subject Planning
The problem is that we do not know the half-orc's schedule. That and he is probably on higher alert now that he is expecting trouble, though not from us." Salix thinks for a moment. "Our first priority is to the lady. Until she is safe, nothing else matters. If we can get in and out without arousing anyone, all the better. I do not think it is wise to stir them up more than necessary until the Lady Rochelle is safely away."
"Also, this is a dark and evil land as I'm sure you've witnessed. This band is but a drop in the bucket of dangers here. It is not our place to ease the troubles of this land if it in any way risks our Lady. She is our only priority here," Salix says firmly. Then, as if realizing he has spoken out of turn, he looks somewhat appologetically at Ran.
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
Fal has a Pyrotechnic spell.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran mulls over many options in his head. 'Will there be an unguarded part of the wall? If a battle ensues, how do we secure a safe exit for Lady Rochelle? Will making a hole in the wall make a lot of noise? Am I just being prideful and stubborn trying to stick with my plan?'
Finally he settles on a decision.
"Salix, I feel that your plan has a lot of merit. I have a concern though. Will opening a hole in the wall make much noise?"
If Salix answers that there will be almost no noise then Ran will respond with the following:
"Then we have a plan. You will open a hole in the wall of the fort. I will enter with Surin and Kal and we will make our way to the hut. We will dispose of the 1/2 orc and make our escape back through the hole in the fort. We won't need a hole opened in the wall of the hut as it sounds like we can get in through the floor boards and that will likely draw even less attention. If a commotion rises up while we are in the hut, you will need to move the conflict away from our escape route so that Surin can get Lady Rochelle to safety."
If Salix answers that it will be pretty loud then Ran will say:
"I do appreciate that there may be a way for us to get in and out without being spotted. I propose that we go with the plan as I have outlined, only instead of a diversion we have our feathered companions monitor the situation from above. If they report any problems to you, then you breach the wall and try to draw attention away from us. This way, we only fight if absolutely necessary. Kal, Surin, and I will take out the 1/2 orc on the inside and will try to do so without too much noise while we rescue Lady Rochelle. I think this is our best chance."
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
When the final plan is determined, Harp will remind the Rangers to refill their quivers with some of the arrows they had purchased back in Impact.
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Cai is a little disappointed that the group seems to be deciding on a plan that leaves most of the goblins alive and unharmed, but her head recognizes that it is the best plan.
She asks Surin "How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
She turns to Fal and asks "How long does your sleep spell last? And if you were to put the leader to sleep, would the goblins be able to wake him up?"
Finally she turns to Ran and says "If we are discovered, it occurrs to me that one possible diversion to help us get away is to set fire to various parts of the camp. Goblins are lazy and most likely have not fireproofed their tents. Most of the grass is probably long dead, but if not it will spread quickly, and if so the two of us might be able to light a few tents with burning arrows, though only if we prepare for that possbility beforehand."
ooc If we haven't headed in by tonight, I'll look over my spell list like the others are doing and I may change it.
From: Randy
Subject Planning
Ran listens attentively to Cai and responds, "Going through the floorboards gives us the advantage of not being out in the open at the side of the hut while a spell is cast. Unless Surin thinks otherwise, I prefer to approach it in this manner. I do like the idea of using fire as a diversion though. Please prepare for that possibility."
From: Derrell
Subject Planning
OOC: Mark, does the Pyrotechnic spell have to be aimed at an enemy, or could I shoot it into the air to draw the enemies out of their camp?
From: Jake
Subject planning
A grin breaks out unbidden on Surin's face. He likes this new member of the party. "I reckon there's some truth to what you're saying there, my friend. What do you think of this though--they're expecting people--half orcs, humans, they don't know what, just people--to show up with a pile of gold to trade for the girl. They've got to be a little nervous after Tiny's performance down there," he jerks his thumb toward the goblin camp, "that him as hired them'll be planning to just march in and take Rochelle off their hands, maybe lop off a few heads while he's at it.
Seems to me they'd be mighty relieved to see somebody claimin' to be from the boss ride up with a couple of sacks of gold. Now, we just happen to have more gold than we know what to do with right here, don't we? Might be Ran and a human or two could ride into their camp like they belong there an' bluff their way into a meeting with Tiny. Meanwhile, Kal here and me could sneak our way in and get into position. When we're all four ready, we could take him at once. He'd never know what hit him, and if we could do it quick enough in a spot his goblins couldn't see, it could be that the two'd be able to just ride on out of camp with her. What do you think ofthat?"
From: Jake
Subject Planning
I sent this not realizing that there were lots of email messages more recent than the one I was responding to. Nonetheless, I think the turn still fits.
From: Jake
Subject Planning
OOC: Karl, does Salix have to be able to see or touch the surface that he's warping?
"How easy was it to get in under the shack and come up through the floorboards? Not having seen it myself, it seems that it would certainly be much faster to have Salix let us in both the palisade and the shack."
"Easy enough, for me. You big folk might have a bit more trouble though. Long as you're not wearing a lot of armor I think you could do it though."
Surin starts laughing. "I just had a thought. Salix, could you open up a hole right underneath the half orc's feet? You and I could be under there, and as soon as the hole opened up and he fell through we could start hacking at his legs and feet. Maybe slice right through a couple of essential tendons. That'd surprise him! If you could shape the wood so he was trapped with his feet in the hole so much the better. We could keep sticking him, and he couldn't get at us, at least for a bit. Meanwhile Ran and this new fellow could be up above hacking him to bitty little bits while he was trapped.
From: Jason
Subject Planning
ooc: I was about to update my char sheet to reflect the arrows that you all bought for us before I joined, but I can't seem to find how many arrows you actually bought, much less how many were given to me. I saw mention of buying about 100 arrows, but nothing definite.
Thanks for the help!
From: Josh
Subject Planning
Kal smiles broadly. "I very much like this plan."
A busy day planning
Subject Spells
Mark? How much noise would "Warp Wood" make?
If Salix uses "Wood Shape" to open a hole in the back of Rochelle's cell, he would probably shape the wood into a single large panel with handles which he could grasp, removing the panel quietly and setting it aside.
From: Karl
Subject Plan
"Back of hut or floor of hut makes no difference to me. However, the noise you are bound to make smashing up through floorboards is going to negate any advantage you get from being beneath the hut. You will alert anyone in the front room of the hut and will likely call in a melee right on top of our Lady." Salix turns to Surin. "How much room is beneath the hut? Is it an area large enough for the Lady to escape through easily? If you're under there when a row starts will you be able to defend yourselves? It doesn't sound like a very convenient place from which to swing a sword."
From: Karl
Subject Plan
Salix would smile at the image, if it weren't for his mounting frustration. "We might get some good licks in, then we'll be easy pickings for a very angry brute who just needs to smash a fist through the floor and splinter our skulls. And how will Ran get in if I've wasted Obad-Hai's gift on vengeance toward the brute instead of rescue of the Lady?"
From: Kevin
Subject Plan
Harp listens to Surin's plan, but grows concerned as he hears more details.
"Friend Surin, I do not doubt your ability to pull this off were it to be only you going in. However, while I might pass on first glance as a follower of a darker path, I doubt that the others would be so successful. Try as they might, they will be hard pressed to hide their elven heritage from these goblins. Now, while there might be the lone renegade elf out there, having a group of 4-5 elves and or half elf types walking into a camp where they are already suspicious I think is taking to large of a risk. I vote for staying with Salix's plan.
You sneak in ahead of the rest of the group and reconoiter. Maybe pass a note through the floorboards to Rochelle to let he know a rescue is coming, so she is prepared. Through the grace of my god, I can obscure our movements at the back of the fort for a few minutes, at least enough for Salix to create an opening in the fort wall. Ran and Kal and Salix can make a quick dash to the shack, create an opening at the back of the shack, get Rochelle out, and all of you hightail it back here. In the mean time, the rangers, Fal and I will keep an eye out for any guards and be ready to create a distraction should someone notice you.
I am with Salix in that our main mission is to save Rochelle, and it will be more difficult to do that with the camp alert to our presence.
From: Kevin
Subject Plan
Listening to Ran and Salix discuss how to best get Rochelle out, Harp suggests
"Ran, it might be best to have Surin under the shack to confirm where Rochelle is, then when you Kal and Salix approach, he can guide you to which part to go to. I agree with Salix that at this point, trying to have 2 or 3 of you, and one of them being a helpless damsel in distress, will put you at a great disadvantage. We could start the distraction prior to your letting her out - have Bel and Cai fire a few fire arrows toward the front of the camp - the shouting will cover the noise you might make, it will make it harder for anyone who might see us to be heard, and if we really get lucky, the 1/2 orc may be drawn to that activity instead of hearing ours."
From: Mark
Subject Map and updated info
The rescue, parts 1 and 2
Subject Planning
OOC: I think the attack is tonight. The night right after Surin came back/the attack. Also, my understanding was that Harp would be right at the hole that Salix opens up. Bel, Cai, and Fal as well. Only if they need to come in a little ways to do their work then they will.
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
OOC: I agree with Randy. The idea was to go in tonight since we still have 1 day until the big, bad guys shows up to pay the 1/2 orc for kidnapping Rochelle. Harp realizes he is still hurt, so is willing to stay back aways with the others, useing his spells to help the others as needed (Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith, etc.) on Ran and Kal before then enter the camp. If things go badly, he can run up and help with the fight.
From: Kevin
Subject Planning
OOC:I think the idea was for Surin to confirm IF the 1/2 orc was in the room and to confirm that Rochelle is where we think she is when we go in. If for some reason the 1/2 orc stays with her the whole night, then maybe we have to postpone. Not a great option, but better than Rochelle getting cut in half. Surin can come out from under the shack before we get the rescue fully going (i.e. as Ran, Salix and Kal are heading to the shack). At least we know where she is now. We will have to wait and see what Mark creates for us.
From: Mark
Subject Goblins
There would be the normal goblins, who are not really all that sociable.
From: Mark
Subject Spells
Wood shap is not noisy. It is magic.
From: Mark
Subject Scale
10 feet in this case.
From: Mark
Subject The rescue begins
As Harp falls asleep, Salix gets the healer's kit and works on Harp's wounds. Salix is amazed that Harp does not awaken while Salix works. Salix applies a few healing herbs to the wounds and makes a poultice out of some of the supplies. He even stitches up one of the gashes on Harp's arm. The ? orc's only response is a brief grunt. When he is done, Salix heads off for his own rest. (Heal check, DC15, 14+9=23, 8 hours sleep heal 8 HP.)
The night passes with no other surprises. At noon Ran wakes Harp and the party eats. While eating they get into a heated discussion about how to rescue Rochelle. Several times they ask Surin to clarify some aspect of the story he had told the night before. Eventually a plan is hammered out. A large portion of the party heads back to sleep so as to be rested for the next day. Kal and Fal spend a lot of time on watch as they need no sleep, just the meditation time the elves use instead of sleep. Just after lunch, while the other are preparing for the afternoon Surin suggests that he go and scout out the area of the woods where they will be making their approach. ?I don't want any surprises tonight so I might as well familiarize myself with the terrain now, while it is light. And don't worry Ran, no one will see me.? And like that the halfling is off.
A few hours later Surin pops back up in camp, startling Fal and Kal. They had both been on watch and paying attention but still had not heard or seen a thing. Surin laughs. ?We little people have to have some advantages to you big ones.? He then climbs into his bed roll and falls asleep. It seems like just minutes later Ran is nudging him with his foot, telling him to wake up. Surin grumbles a bit, but then remembers what is at stake and rolls out of bed.
It is about an hour after sunset. The party takes it's time packing everything up. Supplies are distributed so that everyone can move as fast as possible. The pack horse has some room made on it so that a small human might be able to ride on it. With a nod, Ran motions to Surin to lead the way. The halfling leads them off into the woods, leading them slowly but quietly. Salix has already done what he could to calm the horses so that they will not create a racket. Over the next two hours the halfling leads the party deeper into the woods and then south. Everyone, except the rangers, are feeling pretty lost when Surin whispers ?Here we are. The west wall of the encampment is about 500-600 feet east from here. I don't think we can get any closer than this with out there being a chance of them hearing us or the horses. Salix, do you have the note for Rochelle??
Salix nods and hands a small note. It reads ?R, A sent us to rescue you. Be ready.? Surin folds it and sticks it in a small pocket. The halfling then asks ?Ok which bird is going to be watching?? Salix points to Ebon. ?He is the smartest of the birds and with his coloring should be the hardest for anyone else to see. I have instructed him to sit in a nearby tree and keep an eye out for you. When you wave your hands over your head three times he will come to us and we will move into position.?
Before he goes Surin goes to Harp and asks for a section of rope. ?You never know when you might need some rope.? Harp cuts him a 25 foot length and Surin drops it into his back pack. With that the little halfling is off into the night. It is just past midnight.
Surin makes it to the same place he had used last night, between the south and the west tower... He finds his same hand holds and starts to climb. (DC15, 14+2=16, success.) He quietly drops down to behind the tents there and takes stock of the surroundings. He sees that most of the camp is asleep. He hears the snoring of goblins and the occasional grunt as one changes position. Many of the tents have no sound coming from them. He works his way towards the shack in the middle, remembering where Rochelle was kept.
When he gets there he quickly slides under the shack and takes a quick breath. Now is when it can get dicey. He takes out his dagger and gently slides in through the gaps in the floorboards. Slowly sliding it along the cracks, Surin is able to find a spot on the floor where there is a mattress or something covering the floor. It is on the floor near the outside east wall. Surin then scoots himself towards the other back room. When he gets there he can hear the snoring sounds of someone. They are very loud and continuous. ?Well the brute is asleep, at least for now? Surin thinks. He works his way back to the other room, trying to think of a way to get the note to Rochelle.
He slides from under the shack on the east side, next to the wall that Rochelle is probably sleeping against. Inspecting the boards he thinks he can pry one away enough so that he can slip the paper through. He takes his dagger and starts to pry the board away from the support. As he is doing this he hears a quite voice ?Whose there?? The voice is soft and lilting. Surin quickly whispers ?Shhh, I am a friend. Here take this? and hands the note through the gap in the boards. He waits a few seconds for her to reply. She does. ?I can not read this. It is dark in here.? Curses, they should have thought of that. The girl was human. She could not see in the dark. Of course he could not see in the dark, but he had the moonlight and the fire light. Putting his mouth to the gap he whispers ?Lay back down with your head to the SE corner. I will talk to you from under the building.? With that, Surin scoots back beneath the shack.
He listens as the girl shifts position. He puts his mouth to the small gaps between the floor boards again and whispers ?Can you hear me?? ?Yes, who are you? she replies. ?I am part of a group that has been sent to rescue you. Anglewing sent us. Be ready to go at a moments notice. We will be back with in the hour to get you out. Do you understand?? She breaths ?Yes? and goes quiet. Good girl.
Now the hard part Surin thinks. He needed to take out the guards. While Ran might have said to only take out the one, he felt it was better to take out the guards on the North, West and South towers. Since the South tower was closest, he would do that one first. He works his was over towards where the ladder is that goes up to the platform is. He can hear the goblin guard about 12 feet above him. Putting his dagger between his teeth, he slowly moves up the ladder. As he gets to the top he can see the goblin, outlined in the moonlight, looking out over the wall, his back to the ladder. As Surin gets to the top of the ladder he takes the dagger from his mouth and throws it at the goblin.(AC14, 17+11=28, hit, sneak attack, damage 13) The dagger smashes into the back of the goblins head and it is dead before it hits the floor of the platform.
The halfling, feeling a little sick at the ease at which he was able to kill, moves onto the platform and carefully pulls his dagger from the back of the goblins head. He cleans it on the goblins clothes and re-sheathes it. One down two to go.
OODM: I will do more tonight.
From: Karl
Subject The rescue begins
OOOOOOH the suspense!
From: Derrell
Subject Spells
I can also use the pyrotechnic spell to generate a smoke screen which would hinder their dark vision. I have a choice of either fireworks or the smoke screen.
From: Derrell
Subject Spells
That smokescreen only works in a fairly limited area though, whereas the fireworks would probably attract attention from all over camp.
From: Mark
Subject The rescue, part 2
After he catches his breath, Surin slides off his back pack and cuts off a 5 foot piece of rope. He uses this to tie the goblin body to the watch tower so that it looks like it is still standing up. Of course it will not stand up to close scrutiny, but it should do for a passing glance. He then puts his backpack back on and climbs down the ladder. Figuring he will save the West guard for last he starts to make his way across the compound.
Even though it is only 150 feet it take Surin almost 5 minutes to cross that distance. His path is not a straight one. It bends east because for some reason there is less noise coming from that side. As he goes, he starts checking the occasional tent, just in case he needs a place to duck into. In particular he notices that most of the tent near the two fires closest to the front gate have almost no one living in them. Once he has to duck into an empty tent when a goblin comes out of another tent near one of the fires(F1) and adds some logs to the fire. The goblin then turns around, and mumbling to itself, goes back into the tent.
As the halfling approaches the North tower he sees that it is just like the South one, a ladder leading up to a platform that can look over the top of the palisade. He puts his dagger between his teeth again and readies for the climb. He almost gags as he realizes that there is a tang to the metal that was not there when he started this. Gritting his teeth on the metal, he climbs slowly up the ladder. He sees basically the same thing as before, a goblin leaning against the wall, looking out over the edge. Again he throws his dagger at the back of the goblin, a twinge of guilt pulling at him for attacking from behind and from the dark.(AC14, 9+11=20, hit, surprise attack, damage 14) He watches again as his dagger strikes at the base of the skull and in beds itself there. The goblin slumps over the wall with out a sound..
Surin quickly finishes his climb and pulls the rope and cuts another section to tie the goblin up with. As he is trussing the corpse up he notices a ring on the finger of the goblin. It glints in the moonlight and draws his attention to it. He recognizes what it is. A halfling marriage ring. They were given when a halfling couple pledged themselves to each other and were never taken off. There was only one way a goblin could have gotten one. Suddenly Surin did not feel as bad.
Two down and one to go. It seems like it had been hours since he left the party, but from the position of the moon it has been less than an hour, closer to ?. He goes down the ladder and starts moving to the last guard tower. This time it takes him only a couple of minutes. He hears a lot more snoring noises from this part of the camp. It seems as if the goblins were trying to stay as far from the gate as possible. When he gets to the bottom of the West tower Surin takes a minute to collect himself before going on.
He looks at the third ladder with a bit of dread. ?Will this one be any easier?? What appalled him the most, he thought, was how good he was at this. He shook off the feeling and got to work. People were counting on him, not the least was an innocent young girl. With his dagger between his teeth again, he quietly climbs up the ladder. This time the sentry is walking back and forth on the platform. Just when the goblin is past Surin takes the last couple of steps and throw his dagger at the goblins back. The sentry turns just as the knife leaves Surin's hand and looks down as the weapons appears from his chest like it was magic.(AC14, 6+11+17, hit, damage 3) The creature has a stunned look but does not fall to the ground.
(Initiative:Surin 25, Goblin 9)
OODM: Jake what do you want to do? You still have your melee dagger at your waist.
From: Jake
Subject The rescue
Surin meets the goblin's eyes for a moment, then with a fluid motion draws one of his throwing axes and sends it whirling toward the goblin.
The rescue part 3
Subject The rescue
Damn disobedient halfling. Gonna get us all killed now. ;)
From: Karl
Subject Spells
Actually, the fireworks only blind over a limited area, too, right? The difference might be if you are assuming goblins too far away to be blinded will run toward the fireworks. I think in our case it is just as likely they will flee away from the fireworks. I might be better in the long run, if either is necessary, to use the smokescreen unless the whole camp is already after us.
From: Mark
Subject Rescue
I am going out of town today, at noon, and will not be back until late Sunday. I do not know if I will get anything out before I leave. I might try and resolve Surin's little conflict.
See you all Monday.
From: Mark
Subject The rescue
Cursing himself for pushing his luck, Surin grabs the throwing axe at his belt, cocks it behind his head and throws it through the hole in the bottom of the platform. (AC14, 11+11=22, hit, Damage 4) This time he gets a solid hit and the axe buries itself in the goblins forehead. The goblin starts to topple over and Surin has to rush to grab him before he falls on the tents below. His breath coming in gasps, the halfling takes a few minutes to calm himself. He then ties the goblin into place just like he did the other three and removes his axe and his throwing knife.
Looking over the edge of the wall he decides to try something. He quickly ties the rope to one of the tree trunks and tosses the other end over and down.(Use rope, DC10, 17+12=29, success) He then waves his hands over his head three times and sees a dark shape high up in one of the trees take flight. Surin then climbs over the wall and lowers himself down. He has to drop the last 5 feet but that is no problem. He starts moving towards where the party was hiding. He meets up with them about 200 feet from the compound. ?I think we may want to change our plans a bit? he tells Ran as he walks up.
OODM: Jake, if you and Randy and anyone else want to take it from here you can.
From: Jake
Subject Spells
Yeah, I was assuming they'd run toward them, but you have a good point.
The plan revised
Subject New plan
OOC: Does anyone get the idea that our fearless DM is trying to guide us in a different direction? I hate suggest that we may want to consider throwing away a voluminous 2 days of planning e-mails, but when I see comments such as there seem to be fewer goblins by the front gate, many of the tents seem empty toward the eastern gate, Rochelle is located in the eastern side of the shack, even I start to see a picture being drawn here. What if Mr. Ugly inside the shack is of substantially higher level than we think - he did cut a guardsman in half with one swing. Maybe we should ask Surin if he has a better idea of how to do this.
Just a thought.
From: Jake
Subject New plan
Wouldn't opening the gate be likely to attract attention though? And isn't the plan just for everybody to pile in the back way anyway?
I do want to give them more info, but I'm going to have to leave for work here in a minute, so it'll have to wait until tonight unfortunately. I may go ahead and come home early today, though, in which case I'll get some RPing in while everybody else is still at work.
From: Jake
Subject New plan
:) Heh, actually, he also just sent me an email mentioning how easy it would be for Surin to open the gate, so either he loves us and wants to protect us, or he hates us and has decided that he wants us all to die a horrible death at the hands of goblin hordes in order to get out of DMing any more. Somehow I'm betting on the former.
No time to write up a turn before work, but I'll be doing one (at least) tonight.
From: Kevin
Subject The DM
OOC: Knowing him the way that I do, I find it hard to believe that he really loves us and wants to protect us. However, he does want to continue to show off the world he created years ago, and if we all die here, he will not be able to do that. Which leaves us with a miserable choice - take his suggestions and continue to dance like a puppet at the end of his strings, or go on with our plans and meet a grisly death here in this camp. Boy, I love Monday mornings. Well, I guess we can play along with him a little while longer and then commit mass suicide when and where we choose.
From: Mark
Subject Goblins
Here is what the MM says about goblins. This is something that both rangers would know since golbins are thier favored enemy.
Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they have: sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight is meaningless in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edge they can devise.
Goblins have a poor grasp of strategy and are cowardly by nature, tending to flee the field if a battle turns against them. With proper supervision, though, they can implement reasonably complex plans, and in such circumstances their numbers can be a deadly advantage.
The population of this goblin camp has been decimated. The grown male poplulation went from around 100-125 to under 30.(Now three less thanks to Surin).
However, the 1/2 orc was able to force his will on the entire male population.
From: Randy
Subject The DM
OOC: I really hate role playing based on what the DM tells me as a player rather than based on what my character knows and the attitude of my character. My inclination is to ignore everything the DM tells me. That being said, I don't really want to cause the death of all of our characters. Ran isn't dead set on killing the 1/2 orc anyway. I am really annoyed that we spent all that back and forth time emailing about the plan though. I probably won't cave in again.
From: Randy
Subject New plan
Ran speaks to Surin in hushed tones.
"What's changed Surin?"
From: Mark
Subject The DM
I am sorry if this is not going the way people had envisioned. I tried something that looks like it may not have worked out the way I had planned. I tried giving the player of several characters some information for them to share with the group, hoping that as a group it would all be put together. It didn't turn out that way.
I am new to this PBEM Dm'ing and will hopefully learn. Please bear with me.
From: Randy
Subject The DM
I'm mostly just poking fun, though I admit a little is my stubborn nature showing through.
You are doing fine as far as I am concerned. I am actually really enjoying the game so far and I really don't want us to get killed. I think that it seemed like some of the information I received was not stuff that Ran would have been aware of (ie the new map showing a clear path at the front entrance). If this had been conveyed in a different manner, such as somehow we sent one of the more intelligent birds to scout things out and it reported back, then Ran would have had that information to act on. Surin can now share that info with Ran and we can alter our plan accordingly. This is actually a good thing, imho, for roleplaying as we got ourselves into a bit of trouble and we now have the opportunity to possibly change tact.
I don't think there is any problem with the way things have worked out here and I probably spoke a little too quickly in my last email. I think we are all learning a little as we go.
From: Josh
Subject New plan
OOC: Alright, this is sort of my fault. You guys were all set on a good plan to get the girl and get out. I thought to myself "well Kal here is a newcomer, he's pretty green behind the ears, and this guy is an evil half-orc. Kal's gonna wanna kill him to prove himself."
Mark sent me and email essentially saying "An attack is probably a bad idea", i replied that I was just roleplaying, and that I figured you guys would dismiss my not-so-great idea, and that Kal would accept the will of the party.
Instead, all you bloodthirsty mongrels jumped on my half-cocked plan. :-D
BTW: I agree with Randy. I think we should throw ourselves at the half-orc out of principle. :)
From: Josh
Subject The DM
I've only been here for a week or two mark, but I'm having a ball.
From: Mark
Subject The DM
I have enjoyed it as well.
Ignore the half orc's voice. He spoke to God's mechanic a week or two and the mechaninc talked too much.
For you new guys, Kevin is my brother and I like to torment him. My 13 y/o son is my game mechanic. I come up with the ideas and he works out the details. He loves being a rules geek and it gives him something to do in his spare time. However, he occasionally works for Kevin on the weekends and has a hard time keeping his mouth closed about my plans. :)
From: Kevin
Subject The DM
What Mark fails to mention is that he is my evil twin brother "Skippy", who has been tormenting me since we were conceived. You guys think you have it bad, you try spending 19 years with this guy as a roommate. You are lucky I am as sane as I am. I mean, I did found the Ted Bundy fan club - I can't understand why it isn't growing faster.
I guess I just never thought of trying to sneak into an armed camp to recover a kidnapping victim.
From: Jake
Subject The DM
OOC: Yeah, I prefer to play based on what the character knows, and what the character would do too. The act of really getting into the character and having them do things that surprise you is one of the cooler aspects of playing a RPG, for me. I'm actually kind of inclined to go ahead with our plans, and if we die we die, but I can completely understand if the rest of the party feels differently.
From: Jake
Subject The DM
Seriously Mark, it's no problem. DMing a PBEM game is a fairly daunting task--I discovered that when I was putting together my defunct (for the moment) game, and I can only imagine that there would have been further lessons in that down the road for me.
From: Kevin
Subject New plan
Here's an idea - lets let Surin propose his new plan, see what we all think, and if we decide to, we can still go with our original plan. Who's to say that we will not survive with what we have planned.
Quoting a favorite movie "Do you want to live forever?".
From: Jake
Subject New plan
His voice pitched low, Surin replies. "I'm not so sure we picked the best spot to come in--looks like most of the goblins are camped down there. We make any noise coming through--and believe me, this lot's all manner of brave, but they ain't terribly sneaky, so you can bet there'll be noise--we'll get swarmed, like as not. I'm thinkin' it might be a better bet to come in by the front gate.
I could definitely take out one of the guards, but I'm a bit worried that the other one'll see his friend drop. Might be we could have an archer or two--three maybe, to be on the safe side--waiting to pick the other one off before he can sound the alarm. 'Fore we get started on the guards, though, I reckon I should check the tents in this area. Most of 'em are empty, but it might be a good idea to clear he rest," he gulps at the euphamism, sickened for a moment before the halfling ring glints in his mind's eye.
"So, I take care of anybody in the tents, then we take care of the guards together? Without the guards to man it the gate'll be a cinch to open. "
From: Randy
Subject New plan
"Sounds good. Cai, Bel, and I will be at the ready to take out the other guard once we see the first one fall. I hate to change plans at the last minute, but you are the only one who has seen the layout. Once the second guard falls, the rest of the plan will go ahead. Salix, Kal, and I will go in, rescue Rochelle, and dispatch the 1/2 orc (OOC: Ran will stick to this part of the plan if the others don't object). We will then leave the way we came in."
From: Jason
Subject New plan
Cai smiles inwardly at the chance to take out a hated enemy, but forces herself to speak up. She whispers "While I'm more than willing to take out the other goblin, it occurs to me that our arrows are not as... precise... as our friend Surin. What I mean to say is, while I have no doubt as to our ability to kill this goblin, there exists a reasonable possibility of him crying out and alerting the rest if we shoot him. Might it not be better to have Fal put them to sleep? If he puts them both to sleep, Surin can simply let us in. If one falls asleep, he can take care of the other, and if neither falls, well we haven't lost much. We can still try shooting it.
"In case we do have to shoot the one, however, how will we know at what time we should fire?"
From: Jake
Subject New plan
"Now that's a good idea Cai. I was a little worried about him getting a chance to shout before he was finished. Sounds like a little magic'll be just the thing. How long'll they stay out, d'you reckon? And how asleep will they be? Don't want to have them wake up just as we're leaving."