Questions and the interrogation
Subject whining
Another hard night watching American Idol instead of working on a turn for us???
From: Mark
Subject whining
I thought the party was discussing what they wanted to do? What am I supposed to write up?
From: Kevin
Subject Interogation
Karl, want to give our DM a quick rundown of what you see happening with our pointed toot friend in the near future?
From: Karl
Subject Interogation
Not entirely sure. Salix is annoyed that Kal and Harp went out, but giving them the benefit of the doubt for now. He's worried about someone higher up trying to scry on the priest if he doesn't get back to his people before morning. He's skeptical that this priest will give them any useful information, but willing to try, quickly. He wants the guy stripped first, to save the clothes for possible use as a disguise for one of the party members once they move on the estate.
Mark, can you tell me what time of the night it is? How many hours until dawn?
From: Mark
Subject time
It is about mid night. The party went upstairs around 9PM and Harp left about 10PM. The fight happened around 11PM.
From: Derek
Subject interogation
OOC: Remember that Allistair can cast Rope Trick to put the guy into, which will make him invisible to all scrying attemts. (unless those scrying spells can see across planes, which standard scrying cannot)
Allistair proposes the following: "I assume he's out cold, but in case he's faking, let's not use names out loud. Let's strip him, bind him, and blindfold him for now. Right before we wake him up, I will cast Message so that we can whisper to each other without being overheard by him. We will choose one person to speak out loud to ask questions to the prisoner. I will cast Detect Thoughts to read his mind, and he (pointing to Ragnar) can use detect lies at the same time. We will question him to get as much information as possible. If necessary, I am willing to let someone extract answers from him using torture, considering what is at stake. Whether to do that or not is ultimately our leader's decision, though.
"If we are worried about someone scrying on him when he doesn't return in the morning, I can cast Rope Trick to hide him in. Or, after we have extracted all the information we can get from him, it's probably best to just kill him and destroy all traces of the body as thoroughly as possible."
From: Mark
Subject interogation
Please make sure you are up to date on what certain spells can and can not do.
For example Rope trick does have a limit as to the number of people that can fit in it.
From: Derek
Subject Interogation
I know that. We can just stuff him in it, with one or two people to keep an eye on him. Maybe I should have said that, then?
From: Mark
Subject Interogation
Yeah. I was not sure how many of the group you wanted in the rope trick.
From: Karl
Subject Interogation
"Do that" Salix says in response to the idea of stripping/binding/ blindfolding, and interrogating. "I'll do the talking." He points to Harp, "You will stand behind him ready to incapacitate him if he tries a spell or if I give you the order. When we are done, we kill him." He says this last with chilling finality.
(OOC - Mark, Salix is skeptical that we'll get anything useful. He's expecting defiance and "My master will have your souls" type blah blah blah. He has no qualms whatsoever about throttling this guy and taking his clothes. He wants Harp to be ready to break the guy's neck (less blood to clean) when he gives the order. How does this work in game mechanics? If the guy is tied up and blindfolded and Harp tries to break his neck, what kind of rolls does he have to succeed and what kind of save does the man get?)
From: Mark
Subject Interogation
Answers, bid and computer
Subject Answers
When the interrogation is finished, Salix will give Mund a nod, expecting him to finish off the man. If he does not, Salix will do so himself.
From: Mark
Subject Bid
I am going to be busy most of the day working on a huge bid that is due today. 76 items for 15 companies. I might be able to get something out tonight, but for sure tomorrow.
You can assume that Mund has snapped the guys neck and the party can discuss what they want to do.
From: Kevin
Subject answers
Well, hopefully before Mund snaps his neck, and before Kal's outburst, Harp would want to have Kal ask him
1) were the bodies being taken from the mayor's house out to the estate the people he had been kidnapping?
2) Were those wagons/bodies inspected or were there passwords?
3) Is there anything special about the ring, scythe, armor, etc. that we took from him.
From: Josh
Subject Answers
Kal waits till all serious questions are asked before he does his thing. He'll ask anything anyone wants him to.
From: Mark
Subject New player
Due to school load and other matters Ashley has decided to take a break from the game and playing Surin. I wish her well now and in the future. She did a great job as our favorite halfling.
I have good news though. Chris Marrano, Karl's SO, has expressed interest in playing an e-mail D&D game. We talked when I was in Hanover a few weeks ago and explained the basics. Chris has been on the mailing list for the last week or so and is willing to give it a shot at running Surin. Lets all welcome Chris to our group.
When this adventure is over and the party is back in Gorn, Chris will have the option of continuing on as Surin or picking up a new character, assuming I haven't killed the little bugger off by then. :)
Welcome Chris.
From: Karl
Subject New player
Welcome sweetie!
From: Derek
Subject New player
If this keeps up, Surin is going to have multiple personality disorder... ;)
From: Jason
Subject New player
Welcome to the game Chris!
From: Josh
Subject New player
Welcome to the game Chris. Glad to have you.
From: Kevin
Subject New player
Get a room!!!!
Oh, you already have a room??
Well, then, welcome to the game.
From: Randy
Subject New player
Good to have you with us Chris.
From: Mark
Subject Bid
I just finished. 76 items, 15 accounts as well as 10 other quotes today (normally I do about 20-25 quotes a week).
I am taking the boys to the the new TMNT movie tonight so I doubt I will get anything out tonight.
From: Porter
Subject Computer
I just got my computer back after it being dead in the water for a week.
I'll be back in full force on Monday
More questions and answers
Subject More questions
Olt does not know. His part of the plot was to get bodies from Bodentown. He has not been let in on that part of the scheme's details. He knows that several barbarian tribes from the west have been brought in under false pretenses to act as fodder for a ritual.
From: Mark
Subject Answers
Question 1: Yes
Question 2: There were no passwords but the bodies were not dropped off at the temple, but at a barn.
Question 3: There is no special signifigance of the three items.
More detail was given, both usefull and extraneous, but the info boils down to this.
From: Mark
Subject Answers
It seemed like hours. The featureless room gives no hint of time passing, no clue as to when it is. Only Ally knows. Kal had been surprisingly effective as an interrogator. Again and again he had asked questions, probed for answers, looked for inconsistencies. Ally and the others had feed him questions to follow up on, points to clarify, information to verify and Kal had done it with skill. The man's obvious joy in the pain and suffering he had caused sickens everyone. No one had been safe. Women, children, the old. All had been victims. Stories of the foul rites and rituals used to create the foul undead scream of blood and torture and slow death. When at last the members of the party are satisfied that they have learned everything they can, Salix nods at Mund and Kal.
Kal seems to wait a second and then goes into a tirade.
"Why are you a cleric of a foul god like Nerul?"
"Do you realize you're destroying the very thing that gave birth to you? If you succeed, your god will destroy you as well!"
"How many have you killed? Women? children?!"
His intensity increases with each question. He hardly waits for a response before railing in on the next question:
"Have you considered the evil you're doing?"
"Don't you know your god will abandon you and leave you rotting in his hell for amusement?"
"How many innocent lives?!"
Kal's reached a rage at this point. He's screaming at the man. Running over his responses with more questions.
"How many have you killed!?"
"Did you laugh as they died?"
"Have you felt their pain? Do you want to?"
"How many have you killed?!"
"How many have you killed!!?!"
Kal's sword flies into his hand, faster than anyone can follow. The blade's resting across the cleric's neck. Everything stops.
Kal's breathing contrasts the silence. In and out, gasping. Like a nearly drowned man, each breathe hungry for air. No one moves.
Eventually Kal speaks "You're not worth killing.", spitting the words. He puts his sword is back in it's sheathe. The tension passes.
"There's nothing left here. He's just a lost power hungry fool."
The elf nods at Mund and the barbarian quickly snaps the clerics neck. The popping sound is loud and final in the small, featureless room. Ally speaks up. "We can leave him here for several more hours before the spell wears off. Then he will fall back into the room. Do we want to get rid of him now?"
OODM: OK I have sent Jason and Josh info on the bloodhulks. I also think I have answered all of the questions that you get answers to. Let me know if there are any that you have not, but be warned it is likely that the answer will be no. You have a basic lay out of the whole estate but not the outlying areas of the estate. For example you do not know where the barbarian tribes are camped.
From: Derek
Subject Answers
Ally comes down from the rope trick after everyone else has left, and leaves the evil cleric's naked body in the extradimensional space. Everyone is disgusted at having to deal with such a foul creature, but Allistair is shaking uncontrollably. For several minutes, Allistair could actually hear and feel in his mind everything that Olt was. He felt absolutely filthy inside and out from the experience, and he was afraid he wasn't going to sleep well for the next few weeks.
After resting for a few minutes, Allistair breaks the gloomy silence. "I don't know what we want to do with the body eventually, but for the next few hours it will be fine right where it is. In the meantime, we need to figure out what we want to do to rescue the Stormfather and hopefully kill this Faldor. Also if possible, I think it would be wise to have someone meet with these barbarian tribes and warn them of Faldor's impending treachery. Even if they don't completely believe us, we could at least make them suspicious so that they don't walk blindly into a giant trap."
"I have one idea for getting easy access to Faldor's estate. I could cast my polymorph spell to make anyone take the exact appearance of this Olt we just interrogated. The rest of us could either be part of the press gang or newly acquired prisoners. Once we're in we could use the Mocker's distraction to create some chaos, and then make our way to the Stormfather and back out, killing those who get in our way. If we had infiltrated the Mayor's estate as well as we have his mansion here in the city we might be able to something more subtle, but as it is we're out of time. I think we can at least get in undetected, and as long as we can find the Stormfather alive we can probably just fly him out, but the rest of us will probably have some difficulty getting out in one piece."
Undead and estate planning
Subject Harp's guilt
Harp will want to talk to Ragnar in private about what has happened to him and to find out if there is anything Ragnar can do to help him.
From: Mark
Subject Harp's guilt
Then write it up.
From: Mark
Subject Time
It is now about 2AM. The sleep patterns of the casters have been messed up enough that they will have to start on their 8 hours again if they want to do new spells or get back used ones.
Since this is going to be the day, I need updated spell lists for the mission on the estate.
From: Kevin
Subject undead
Mark, when the topic Kal and Ragnar start to describe "blood hulks" what is the chance that Harp will recognize them as the creatures he saw in the prison area when they saw Sephira?
Also, between Harp's trip to the estate, the walk by viewing the three member did earlier in the week and what the cleric told us, do we have a rought layout of the estate?
From: Kevin
Subjet: Harp's guilt
As they finish thier questioning of the evil cleric, Harp remembers the change the man had done to the 1/2 orc. Harp had always been strong, stronger than most, and now he felt barely able to carry his weapon or shoulder the weight of his armor, made of mithral though it was. There had to be something that could be done about this, wasn't there? Pulling Ragnar to the side, he confides to his fellow follower of Heironiuos "Ragnar, I need your help. That thing did something to me when we fought. He chanted a prayer to his vile god and then touched me. Next thing I know, my muscles went weak, like I was unable to carry my own weight. Do you have any idea of what he may have done to me? I won't be much use to the group in the condition I'm in."
From: Karl
Subject Estate planning
The interrogation completed, Salix says to the group, "This could turn out to be a great break for us. If we can get a wagon, Ally can cast his glamour on one of us, to give him the form of the evil priest, and those who cannot get inside the estate in some other way can play dead in the wagon. I can scout out the estate and meet the rest of you in the barn where they hold the bodies. It is late and tomorrow is the day of reckoning. Those who need sleep to recharge their grace should go to bed immediately."
From: Kevin
Subject Estate planning
Mark, after Harp talks to Ragnar, and before he goes to sleep (what little sleep he needs to get) he will use all of his prayers left for the day to cure what wounds of his he can. S/B 3 cure minor, 2-3 cure light, 1 cure moderate ( I think).
Harp will say to Salix:
"Thats not a bad idea. I've taken people out to that barn before, so I know what to expect when we get there and whoeve is on guard may remember me."
From: Mark
Subject Undead
I have already said that the party has a rough idea of the lay out of the estate.
If the other two describe them, Harp will know that the description seems alot like what he saw.
From: Kevin
Subject Estate planning
Have you sent us a map with that rough lay out? Just so we can get an idea of approximately how far things are away from each other? i.e. how far the barn is from the house, how far the house is from the gates and walls. I know you gave a descriptive when the three guys took the trip out there earlier, but a rough map that we have pieced together would be nice.
From: Josh
Subject Estate planning
OOC: I updated my spell list on Sakeriver.
I was looking at Kal's skill list, and it looks like for some reason the Synergy bonuses aren't being added to the total skill level. Can you ask the webmaster to fix that?
From: Jason
Subject Estate planning
Ragnar will tell the group what he knows about blood hulks, which isn't all that much. "Blood hulks are undead creatures that can take far more beating than normal (OOC They have tons of hit points). If we run into some, those are the ones that Harp and I should concentrate on."
Also, to Harp, "It sounds like he placed a curse on you. I can petition our lord's aid tomorrow to have it removed before we leave, there should be no lasting effects. Nerull can have no power over you that Heironeous cannot banish."
OOC:
Since I can't get into Sakeriver, I'm sending you the spells Ragnar would prepare.
0)Light, Read Magic, Mending, Guidance, Detect Magic x2
1)Protection from Evil, comprehend languages, hide from undead, sanctuary, shield of faith, command
2)Aid, Shield Other, Align Weapon, Silence, Shatter
3)Remove Curse, Invisibility Purge, Magic Circle/Evil, Dispel Magic
4)Divine Power, Holy Smite(D), Summon IV
From: Mark
Subject Map
I will see if I can get a basic map out tonight. I am having problems with the scale.
From: Jason
Subject Estate planning
Thanks to Kevin for pointing out that one of those spells has a material component I don't have. Ragnar's new spell list is
0)Light, Read Magic, Mending, Guidance, Detect Magic x2
1)Protection from Evil, comprehend languages, hide from undead, sanctuary, shield of faith, command
2)Aid, Consecrate, Align Weapon, Silence, Undetectable Alignment
3)Remove Curse, Invisibility Purge, Magic Circle/Evil, Dispel Magic
4)Divine Power, Holy Smite(D), Summon IV
Ragnar will spend the morning tomorrow (once he finally wakes up) procuring 5 pounds of silver dust, if that's at all possible.
From: Josh
Subject Stuff
What's the story with the armor and ring and scythe? Did we get all the stuff back to the room?
From: Mark
Subject Stuff
You were able to bring all of the cleric's stuff back but not the armor of the thugs. Harp and Kal did their best to stuff the gear into a pile of garbage in the alley way.
From: Josh
Subject Stuff
Alright. Kal will make a point of going back in the early morning to retrieve the last of it.
From: Josh
Subject undead
Kal speaks up after Ragnar says his piece about blood hulks, "What Ragnar said is correct. They're undead creatures created through a ritual that saturates flesh with the blood of sacrificed victims -- probably what would have happened to Harp and I if we had lost the fight. They're incredibly strong. I've heard of two sizes of them, human sized and then one larger. I don't know if there are any others.
We should choose our spells wisely against these things. They aren't affected by sleep spells, or any other mind-affecting spell, and these abominations don't need to sleep or eat.
From: Kevin
Subject Undead
Harp listens to Kal and Ragnar talk about these blood hulks. His mind flashes to when he had been in the mayor's prison beneath the house in town. There had been those two things in the guard room. So, that was what they had been.
"Kal, Ragnar, I've seen some of these things. There were 2 of them in the prison where we found Sephira. I don't know how that will help us, but they did look very, very stong.
From: Jason
Subject Undead
"How big were they?"
Bloodhulks
Subject Bloodhulks
The ones I saw looked like big, bloated humans. Maybe my height, maybe a little bit taller, much heavier. They did not look real nimble, like Kal here, but if they connected with you, they looked like they could do a world of hurt. If I remember, they didn't wear much armor."
OOC: Mark, if anything above is incorrect, please let me know.
From: Mark
Subject Bloodhulks
The only difference was that there was 4 of them. One in each alcove.
From: Kevin
Subject Bloodhulks
Sorry, forgot about that.
From: Mark
Subject bloodhulks
We will forgive you for being the oldest player in the game.
From: Porter
Subject Interrogation
Mund is pleased that Harp declines to be the heavy for this prisoner. You never can tell with godfolk -- he's afraid that Harp won't have what it takes to seriously threaten or kill a helpless man.
Mund awkwardly strips uncooperative body, wishing he could just cut the clothes off. Finally, he's finished, and then has to get the unresponsive body up into his brother's magic room. Eventually, he ties a rope around the body's leg, climbs up to the room himself, and then unceremoniously hauls it up like a sack of grain.
When everything is situated in the room, Mund grabs the man from behind in a choke hold [OOC: I know it was written up with Mund doing it with a noose. I'm retconning. :)], and lets Harp wake him up. He says nothing during the interrogation, but squeezes his biceps to cut off the air and blood when indicated by Kal. The man flails with all his might, but Mund remains steady, finally relaxing his muscles when he seems in danger of passing out.
After the interrogation is over, Mund applies the choke again. Eventually, the thrashing stops when he passes out, but Mund holds on for a good two minutes longer, ensuring that he is dead. He then dives to the ground, putting his weight onto the twisted neck of the lifeless body, snapping it.
In the morning light
Subject Turn
I am going to be working on getting a turn out today. My computer at work had a glitch yesterday that kept me from accessing some files I needed. That glitch is fixed today so I am getting caught up with some stuff then I will write a turn.
From: Mark
Subject Healing
Between Ragnar and Harp, Harp and Kal were able to be healed all the way up before they slept.
Except for Harp's curse.
From: Kevin
Subject Healing
We will deal with that after we rest. Ragnar has Remove Curse on his spell list.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
Mark, any luck on a rough map for us to look at?
Thanks
From: Mark
Subject Map
Maybe this afternoon.
From: Mark
Subject In the morning light
As the party gets ready to return to bed for the night they decide to take care of the body before they turn in. Mund climbs back up into the room and hands the body down, trying not to make too much noise. Not that that is a real problem. The Screeching Eel seems to be a bit more boisterous tonight than usual. The hallways are filled with yells of drunken revelry and the screams of ladies' of the night being chased down the halls and into rooms. Several times the sound of drunken people trying to get into the party's room wakes up whoever is sleeping closest to the door. When the body is down Mund hauls him up like he is drunk and coves him with a blanket. He then takes him down the back stairs and out the back door of the inn. Four blocks over he dumps him in the sewer and gives the body a good kick in the face before he leaves.
Everyone is almost asleep when Mund gets back to the room and he notices that he has been left the bed by the door. Damn. He settles in again, trying to get some sleep. The next couple of days are likely to be busy.
As Ran heads back to the inn after his night shift, he is surprised to run into Surin, who is also heading back. They chat briefly as they enter the Screeching Eel. They are a little surprised to see only Harp sitting in the common room. He signals them over and fills them in on the night's occurrences. "Ran" he says. "I do not know exactly what Salix wants to do, but I would think you would need to get some sleep. From what I can tell, this is the quietest part of the day. If Surin is willing, I'd like his help running a small errand." Ran nods and heads up to the room. He quietly takes off his gear and slips into one of the empty beds. He is quickly asleep.
Surin finds that Harp is unusually quite this morning. The 1/2 orc leads him through a rougher part of town that is quiet at this time of the morning. It takes Harp a few tries to find the alley way but when he does he moves right to the pile of garbage and starts pulling out sets of armor. He hands some large studded leather suites back to Surin and soon the halfling is a stack of bloody leather. "Come on Harp, give me a break. You're the strong one of the group" Surin complains. Harp turns and realizes what he has done. He takes most of the pile, grunting with effort. Surin is shocked. He had seen Harp lift much more than this without effort. "What happened last night?" Harp sighs and tells his story.
An hour latter, thanks to Surin's quick thinking, Harp is pushing a wheelbarrow down a street. It has a tarp over it and looks like it might be some type of vegetable. Surin leads Harp to the spot where he knows he will meet Jimmy. When the young boy pops out of the shadows Harp jumps with a start and Jimmy laughs at his discomposure. Surin works a quick deal with Jimmy takes control of the wheelbarrow. As the boy leaves Surin tells him "We will be back later this afternoon to pick up the stuff and maybe some more things we need. Let the Upright Man know that tonight is the night. My whole group will be here." Jimmy nods and heads off into the warren of streets.
Surin and Harp head back to the Eel. It is now mid morning and the others are starting to get out of bed. Ran had gotten about 3 hours of sleep.
OODM: You can discuss your plan.
From: Randy
Subject In the morning light
At some point during the discussions, Ran intejects the only information he gained while on his shift the previous night.
"Given what occurred here last night, I'm not sure this is relevant but I'll share it anyway. It seems that there is access from the family side of the basement into the building that Harp was in loading weapons the other day. I'm sure that this is how they got the Stormfather out of the basement without anyone noticing. Not that anyone in this godsforsaken town would say or do anything anyway."
Map
Subject Map/turn
I have a couple of quick quotes to do this morning and then I will work on the map.
You guys can still plan a basic outline if you want.
From: Mark
Subject Map
Ok here is a crude map of the estate. The scale is approx. 50 feet per square, but the squares do not scan very well. The road to town is on the south side, with the town to the west of the estate. This may conflict with what was written before, so retcon it if so.
The main house is about 400 feet wide by 100 feet deep. If you have seen the PBS mini series Pride and Predjudice, think of the big Manor house that Mr. Darcy lives in. That type of scale and size. There are six out buildings. They would be things like kitchen, barn/stable, housing for outside staff. The buildings all look very nice on the outside so as not to detract from the view.
There is a large stone wall along the road. It is also on the west side at the edge of the map.
There are other small garden areas, sitting areas all over the estate and this is not the whole estate. It continues on for miles to the north and east.
From: Mark
Subject Map
It is also three stories high and has at least one sub level.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
Which building, if it is shown, did Harp take the wagon with the bodies the one day? Where is that located in relation to the Temple?
From: Mark
Subject Map
It is the out building on the left side in the back. The one closest to the temple.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
Makes sense.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
I will be out of the office for the next few hours. I will check in when I get back.
From: Porter
Subject Map
Is that the same one that Mund delivered stuff to?
From: Mark
Subject Map
No his building was on the other side.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
Harp looks at the map, recognizing the building he had dropped the bodies off at just a few days ago. He points to the one closest to the temple. "That is the place where they were collecting the folks who had been kidnapped. I don't know what happened to them after they went in there, but it is the closest building to that damn evil temple.
Do we want to brute force this, or do we want to try and be quiet about it? I'm not really looking forward to trying to take on a death cult in the middle of the night. We can probably fake taking more bodies out by using that guys clothes and having someone dress up like him, but once we are on the property, things will get interesting."
From: Karl
Subject Map
"What about having Aly polymorph someone to look like him?" That person could take a wagon into the estate to drop off bodies. Those of us who can't get in on our own could ride in as "bodies". I should be able to get in by taking wildshape and either flying or crawling in. I could check out the barn and the temple and we can make our getaway plans when we find out the location/condition of the Stormfather."
(OOC - I'm also certainly open to suggestion. This is going to be a pretty scary fight, I can bet you. )
From: Porter
Subject Map
Is it too late to suggest spell choice? I would recommend Invisibility for Mund and Surin at least.
From: Derek
Subject Map
I was thinking of invisibility x2 and improved invisiblity for someone to really wreck some havock in the battle. You can view my current spell choice on my char sheet.
From: Porter
Subject Map
The reason why I suggest Mund and Surin is that they're the only ones with decent Move Silently.
From: Karl
Subject Map
If someone other than Harp or Mund is polymorphed to look like the cleric, Harp and Mund might be able to accompany him as hired help (since they've both been there before, right?). That would account for three of our party. I can wild shape and sneak in. The others can be bodies. What do you guys think?
From: Derek
Subject Map
What if Allistair cast rope trick while in the cart? Would the rope trick move along with the cart, or not? (i.e. what frame of reference is the rope trick stationary with? What if we were on a large ship? Would a wagon be any different?)
From: Porter
Subject Map
That will get us in, but having some of us invisible/etc. already could be a big advantage once the fighting starts.
From: Derek
Subject Map
If we can get to the big ol' barn o' dead bodies, we can probably hide there for a while. Probably not very many people would bother us there. If anyone does, we can just kill them. It isn't like another body would stick out in that place.
From: Mark
Subject Map
Rope trick stays in place. And do not bring relativistic movement up.
From: Karl
Subject Map
Not only that, but it's also possible if there are any living prisoners there, setting them all free at the right time might be a good distraction.
From: Mark
Subject Map
I figured you'd say that, but it was worth mentioning the inconsistency ;)
From: Josh
Subject Map
bwhahaha.
From: Kevin
Subject Map
I think the basic idea is excellent. However, we might want to save the improved invisibilty until we are in the final fight wiht Faldor. Surin being invisible and still able to attack doing his sneak attack each time is going to be very effective, but I am sure the spell does not last that long.
I think having Mund and Harp go with someone (Allistair?) disguised as the evil cleric with a wagon load of bodies (4 of them) while Salix flies or crawls in makes the most sense. Lets save the magic unitl we need it. Just my 2 cents worth.
Harp just wants to make sure he gets with Ragnar before they get going to see what the cleric can do for him.
Estate plans and barbarians
Subject Estate plans
I think I'm missing something. We sneak in, and then what's the plan?
From: Kevin
Subject Estate plans
That's Phase 2 of the plan. First, lets get into the compound.
Right????
From: Porter
Subject Estate plans
Well, what we decide to do for phase 2 might affect how we do phase 1.
From: Kevin
Subject Estate plans
We are open to suggestions.
What do we want to do after we get onto the grounds?
From: Porter
Subject Estate plans
Let's be bad guys.
[/Jayne]
From: Kevin
Subject Estate plans
Non-responsive. Please provide more detail.
From: Karl
Subject Estate plans
We get in the compound and locate the Stormfather. I'm hoping he's being held in the barn with the bodies, but guessing probably not. Salix can scout about after we get there. Once we locate the Stormfather we can come up with a plan to rescue him.
Are you sure we're going to have to fight Faldor? We can't just get the Stormfather and make a break for it?
From: Kevin
Subject Estate plans
That would be nice, but you forget who our DM is. Trust me, if we want the Stormfather, we will meet Faldor at some time or another.
I still think lets get inside the compound. We can decide how we want to scout once we are inside the walls. Who knows, there may be underground passages connecting the buildings and the temple. We may have to work outside only. We know so little of that area that trying to set a more detailed plan at this point would all be just conjecture.
From: Karl
Subject Estate plans
Well Salix at least should do some scouting in wild shape and then rendezvous in the barn with the rest of you.
What form do you think would be least noticed? I'm thinking some sort of dog or carrion bird wouldn't be too out of place.
From: Porter
Subject Estate plans
That makes a lot of sense to me, and in that case, sneaking in with a minimum of magic is preferable.
Do we need to use Polymorph on the person in disguise? Isn't there a lower-level spell that will make a person look like another person?
From: Porter
Subject Estate plans
DM: From Mund's and Alley's experience with the barbarian tribes, do they tend to keep animals with them? If so, what kinds?
From: Mark
Subject Barbarian animals
When they are in their home range they tend to keep herds of animals, like reindeer and other local herd type animals. They may not actually "belong" to the tribe, but the tribe may follow them for months at a time. They also hunted local animals. Tribes tended to be fairly nomadic, following food and or jobs. Tribes have been known to move wholesale for large enough jobs, usually fighting as mercenaries. They bring the family along. A tribe could easily move to an area, as long as food was provided, and stay there for several months.
From: Derek
Subject Barbarians
Do any of our characters have any idea where these barbarian tribes are encamped? If we could warn them of Faldor's intended treachery it could be a big help to us.
From: Mark
Subject Barbarians
No one has any idea other than it is on the estate somewhere. The whole estate covers several square miles.
From: Kevin
Subject Barbarians
I think a hawk, with its great eye sight, might be a good choice. It could easily cover the rest of the estate and find the tribes.
From: Derek
Subject Barbarians
OOC: That sounds like something that Salix could find out pretty quickly if he's in a bird form.
Allistiar speaks up to the group as they are discussing how to enter the estate and what to do once they are there. "Salix, we need to find out where these various barbarian tribes are and warn them of Faldor's true intentions. We know they are on the estate somewhere, but nothing more than that. Could you find out fairly quickly if you were bird and took a couple of hours to fly around the estate? Once we know where they are, Mund and maybe someone else could go and talk to them, and let them know what we've learned. That way they won't blindly walk into being a sacrifice to an evil god."
Allistair continues. "Perhaps we should try and contact them first. Salix could go now and find out where they are, and once we know that we could sneak onto the estate via cross-country and make our way to the tribes to explain what we know. Even if they don't completely believe us, showing them the accoutrements of this priest we just killed would surely make them suspicious. Then we could work out a way to to get to the temple from there."
From: Porter
Subject Barbarians
So they don't keep livestock, but do they keep cats, dogs, birds, or other pets?
From: Mark
Subject Barbarians
Not so much pets but companions maybe. Cats they would not keep, but dogs for sure. Not birds other than the occasionally a hunting bird.
From: Mark
Subject Barbarians
If they are in their home range they would have some sort of live stock. Since these tribes are on the road then, no they would not have any real live stock.
From: Porter
Subject Barbarians
Thank you.
In other words, based on what we know, a dog or a hawk wouldn't be out of place among the tribes here.
From: Mark
Subject Barbarians
Correct.
From: Josh
Subject Barbarians
I agree that we should try to turn the barbarians against them. Mund and Harp should probably go. Kal's always willing to go these missions, but it's probably not a good idea to send him into a camp of barbarians.
From: Porter
Subject Barbarians
Um, I'm not so sure about that.
Mund and Ally know the barbarians, but neither one is terribly persuasive. I'm afraid that if we try to turn them, they'll just kill us for trying to deny them the power promised to them.
From: Kevin
Subject Barbarians
We don't have to convince them to join us. We just want them to be suspiscious of what Faldo is doing. I doubt that they will just let us walk in and take what we say as gospel. Just so we have an idea of where they are would be good.
From: Kevin
Subject Barbarians
If we are going to send anyone, it should probably be Salix, and maybe Mund.
From: Karl
Subject Barbarians
Salix would be willing to go, once he finds them of course.
Mark, what experience, if any, does Salix have with Barbarian tribes? Have the Druids had dealings with them? How has that been? What might Salix have heard from The Circle?
Porter out
Subject Porter out
I've got some information from Mund to share with the group, but it's going to have to wait. I'm packing up my computer and heading back to Oregon. I'll be back on Monday.
From: Josh
Subject Porter out
The suspense is killer.
Salix takes wing
Subject Salix takes wing
As the party discusses tactics and strategy one thing becomes clear: the barbarian tribes need to be warned somehow. But to do that they would need to find them first. "I am the best one equipped to find them"Salix says. "The rest of you work out some type of plan that deals with our basic needs and I will be back in a couple of hours. It shouldn't take me too long to find them. Allistair, could you come with me for a bit and give me a hand?" The mage nods, a bit bewildered as to how he could help the druid. The two make their way back to the other room and Salix opens one of the windows. "It may not be safe to leave the window open while I am gone" Salix says. "If you could come back here every half hour or so and open the window for a few minutes that will keep me from having to wait outside for very long. Give me at least two hours before you come back for the first time." The mage nods and watches as Salix squats down on the floor.
The druid enters a type of trance, muttering to himself and starts to shift form. Seconds latter a large hawk is hopping around on the floor of the room. It looks at Ally with intelligent eyes and motions at the shutters with its beak. The mage moves to the window, throws open the shutters and stands back as the hawk jumps up on the sill. The birds powerful legs launch it into the early afternoon sun and it wings its way west. Ally watches the druid until the bird fades from site. "May your god watch over you my friend."
OODM: I am sending Karl the info that he found.