Stay or go
Subject: Together again
Acer does have his feet. He has been able to stumble along with Ragnar keeping him steady. His body, or what remains of it, is in better shape from all the healing. Salix and Ragnar feel that much of his condition now is a lot mental. His body is working much better, but his mind seems to be disconected a bit. It comes and goes.
From: Mark
Subject: Together again
Covering your tracks is not slowing you down really. Mund's speed is good enough that he can keep up with the party. He moves double the speed of Ragnar and Surin, so even if he is moving at half speed he can still keep up.
From: Kevin
Subject: Stay or go
"Well, then our best bet is to keep moving for as long as possible. It's going to be as hard for them to track us in the dark as it is for us to keep moving, so that's our best hope. We should be able to move better once the sun starts to come up and everyone can see better. Let's keep moving as fast as we can."
OOC: Mark, this is sort of rough farm land, right? Small hills, rough, poorly tended farm land, not really thick forest yet, right?? Have we seen any farm steads of the like?
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
Yay for barbarians in light armour!
From: Porter
Subject: stay or go
Remind me again -- why are we going to the forest? Why aren't we going back to town?
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
"I've got an idea. It's a trick that we used to use when I ran with an Orc band. When we'd have somebody following us, we'd hide our trail, just like I've been doing, and then create a false trail for them to follow."
"If we find a good place to hunker down and rest, I could go out and create a false trail for them to follow, maybe with somebody else to watch my back while I'm busy making and hiding trails."
From: Derek
Subject: Stay or go
Allistair agrees. "Salix, have you seen any places that would provide some cover or protection if we got attacked while resting? A small cave or hollow, or a small grove or clearing surrounded by heavy undergrowth? If I can rest for 8 hours I'll be able renew my magical energies and then be able to better fight our pursuers should they catch up with us."
"In the worst-case scenario where Mund's false trail fails and we are attacked while resting, I plan to use my final remaining spells. I will create the extradimensional pocket to place Acer inside out of harm's way. I then have one final invisibility spell - one that will allow it's recipient to attack without cancelling the illusion. This is a powerful enchantment that I would cast on perhaps Surin, Harp, or Ran so that they could become an invisible fang of death to our enemies. Being of little additional use I could then go inside the extradimensional pocket and close the door, making Acer invisible and undetectable."
From: Josh
Subject: stay or go
"Why don't we use the torch? We can cover it like this..."
Kal takes whatever cloth is available (Ripped Scabbards?) and wraps it around the torch we got the barn a few times, covering the light. Then he works one side open a little, so just a dull dusky light comes out of one side.
"If keep the side facing behind us covered and only let a dull light out, we'll have enough so those of us who can't see are able to walk without making ourselves visible."
OOC: I could do this easily if I had the materials in front of me, but it's sort of hard to explain. Imagine the entire torch covered with one layer of fabric, so it emitts a dull light all around. Then twist the remaining fabric up so it's like a wrapped towel, and begin to wrap it around the torch, covering the entire thing. But whenever you get to the open side you shift the wrapping upward or downward a little, so there's just enough room for the light to shine through the first layer of dampening fabric.
From: Derek
Subject: Stay or go
Won't that cloth catch fire in a couple of rounds? Or is this the magic torch?
From: Josh
Subject: Stay or go
Magic torch! Magic magic magical torch, how wonder wonder wonderful you are!
From: Kevin
Subject: Stay or go
I think we decided on the run to head to the Great North Woods, since if anywhere would give is support from the Druids, it would be there. Also, heading back into town would be expected by the bad guys - they would search every inn, hostel, flop house, and generally make things miserable. And they would offer bribes to anyone with knowlege of a group like us.
We are better off out here, where we can see them coming if they find us, IMHO.
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
So, we're abandoning whats-her-bucket, the druid the Mockers were going to try to rescue?
From: Derek
Subject: Stay or go
Allistair speaks up again. "I have another idea that could buy us some time. Remember before how I used Sysyphys to deliver a spell when we thought Acer was being held in the mansion? I could do this again with Sysyphys and my final invisibility spell. Sysyphys could then go with Mund, who would go north actively searching for our pursuers. When he finds them, Sysyphys activates the invisibility on Mund, who then attacks/kills/confuses our pursuers for a minute or two, and then melts back into the woods and heads back south before the invisibility dissipates. The pursuers would think we are nearby and would stay in the immediate area."
"Of course," Allistair adds, "such a tactic would be very dangerous for Mund. It's only an idea and I'm not asking Mund to do it. He could take Sysyphys with the invisibility spell with him and just to the false trail he suggested earlier, only keeping the invisibility in reserve should he be discovered by our pursuers while doing so."
From: Derek
Subject: Stay or go
For now, I think we are. I'm guessing that after Acer is safe/healed, we'll be heading back to the estate to assasinate Faldor. Once him and the other high-level priests are dead, the town should become chaos in a day or two, after which it should be much easier to get Sephira out.
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
"That's not a bad idea. I'd be willing to take sissyboy with me. Hopefully they wouldn't have any magickers in their tracking parties to kill your invisibility spell." Mund says.
From: Kevin
Subject: Stay or go
OOC: Does Salix or Ragnar have detect poison? If so, one of them could see if Acer was poisoned. If he was, Salix could remove the poison using one of his spells.
Of course, he still can't talk, and can't write, so maybe that isn't such a good idea.
I think that if we can get into the forest and get Acer to safety, then maybe Salix could wildshape and sneak into town with Surin to find her and help her escape the town.
From: Derek
Subject: Stay or go
Before that, what is the group going to do now? Keep moving slowly towards the great woods? Find a safe place to camp and have Mund go plant a false trail?
From: Kevin
Subject: Stay or go
Lets wait for Karl to decide. Harp's feeling is to keep moving while the darkness hampers both groups (assuming there is a group after us). He feels that once we take a break, Mund can try to set the false trail while the divine spellcasters pray to get their spells back. Salix can pray for Pass without trace, which will work well with the false trail Mund sets (they follow Munds trail because they can't see our trail.) It will mean that Harp will probably have to carry one of the party, since Salix can only hide 6 of the group, but Salix does not count, since he can wildshape, or, if he stays as he is, he can move through terrain without leaving a trail (druid special ability).
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
Why *would* we go back to town? I asked this before making the decision to go to the forest and no one really answered. The only reason we were in the town in the first place was to find out what was happening and try to rescue the stormfather. It seems (to Salix, at least) like we're more likely to get away if we get to friendly territory rather than try to hide in a town basically owned by Faldor.
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
Well, we *could* go back to town because it's under the thumb of an evil dictator. There's wrongs that need a-rightin'.
Of course, Mund wouldn't be the first one to suggest such a thing.
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
Well, not so much abandoning as fulfilling the most important part of the mission and hoping the mockers are successful. If they can get her out of the dungeon and let the poison wear off, she should be able to wildshape and get back to the GNW on her own, even blind, I'd think. I don't know why Acer can't wildshape since Sephira said she could if the poison wore off so she could concentrate.
From: Derek
Subject: Stay or go
For one, Salix did promise to rescue Sephira....
There is no two though. That's the only reason I can think of.
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
Salix asked Acer if he was poisoned and he indicated that he wasn't. Salix has a neutralize poison spell and offered to use it on Acer and he refused. This may have happened in a turn just between me and Mark, though.
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
Well, that's true, but the druids aren't known for going terribly far out of their way to save evil men or even meddle in their affairs except where it hurts their forests. Of course, right now it's hurting their forests, but Salix doesn't know how we can fix that ourselves. We should save Acer (as we've been comissioned by two different authorities to do) and report to the circle who will decide how best to handle the town and Faldor, if at all.
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
Right now, Salix feels that asking the mockers to help her is the best he can do until Acer is safe. He will certainly go back for her, even if alone, unless he finds out she's safe or dead.
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
Acer might not realize that he's poisoned. You might want to memorize neutralize poison anyway.
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
"Those are very good ideas," Salix says. (OOC - Did Salix see anything that looks like it might provide cover for resting, Mark?) "Mund, would you be willing to do that?"
(OOC - so what do you guys think? I think we should set the false trail. Should we continue on or rest now if there is a likely place? Also, I like the idea of sending the invisibility spell along with Mund, just in case, but I don't think he should actively seek out the enemy if he can just lead them astray. Feedback?)
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
I have it memorized. I'll cast in on Acer now unless Mark tells us specifically that it's unnecessary. I mean, it's not like I"m going to use it on anyone else right now and it will be gone in the morning.
From: Porter
Subject: Stay or go
"Yeah, I'll do that for y'all. And thanks for giving me sissypuss, in case any of them catch up with me."
From: Kevin
Subject: Stay or go
I don't think we should make the false trail yet. I think we should wait until we can update the spells the divine casters have, have Salix take Pass without Trace twice. After the god folk pray, Ragnar casts restoration on Salix. Salix casts PWOT on all of the group except himself and Mund. Mund and Salix head out, making the false trail. The others change angles slightly and keep heading toward the GNW. Mund and Salix spend a few hours breaking the false trail, then Salix casts PWOT on Mund and the two of them head back to intercept the group.
Sorry if this is metagaming. If so, just disregard. Harp will be reluctant to have Mund start the false trail until the group has a way to hide their current trail. The false trail may slow followers down, and it may not.
From: Karl
Subject: Stay or go
Salix would be fine with either plan.