Subject: Re: ummmmm....

"Wherever we choose to camp, I can create a shelter for us that is opaque from the outside and will hide any light we choose to use while still letting us see our surroundings. I is also likely to be more comfortable inside than in the open jungle." He gives a weak smile and shrug. "I mean, if this is going to be our last night alive, we might as well be comfortable, right?"

Subject: Re: Scouting the temple

No. Sorry about that. Wilderness check 17 vs DC20.

[Editor's Note: This is regarding whether or not Rennik found any belladonna.]

Subject: Re: Scouting the temple

OOC: OK, so I've got very few ideas, none of which I have any confidence in not to get the whole party killed.

Garyth sighs. "Unless we can draw off all of the defenders, it comes to combat. And once they realize they are under attack, they will likely regroup from any diversion we might make."

"If we are to have any hope of getting through by stealth we must make our move while it is still dark." He pauses and thinks a moment, then continues.

"Sa'id's idea has some merit. It's possible that if we attack from a distance on one side, they will come after us in force. Then, perhaps, we could hide ourselves with Sa'id's invisibility spell. Though, that does nothing to hide the sound of our passing." He shakes his head ruefully. "I'll be honest; I don't like our chances in this."

Subject: Re: Scouting the temple

"Something hasn't been sitting well with me since I scouted the encampment, and I think I may have figured out what that is."

"These men aren't guarding anything. They don't have the bearing of guards. The crossbowmen at the end of the tunnel, though distracted, still had an edge to them, a readiness to set upon any coming down the tunnel. They were guards... these men seem to be waiting around for a ferry."

He considers a moment, then continues.

"They are making too much noise. They don't have sentries posted outside the firelight. They don't have roving patrols. Their attentions are focused inward, on their conversations, their fires - not out toward the woods."

"They aren't expecting an attack from above. I don't believe they thought we would find another way besides the ladder, and they feel their trap is foolproof. It seems they don't expect fools of our particular sort."

"I don't know what they are waiting for, though. They seem to be milling around, biding time. Perhaps they are making ready to leave in the morning? That seems too much to hope for. I think they are waiting for some word that the child is born, when their work will begin in earnest... setting out from the mountain as a conquering army."

"We may be able to slip by them, simple because they expect nothing. If only we could trigger the tunnel trap somehow... their attention would be drawn down the hole, where they figure we are dead as ducks, and we might be able to slip past unnoticed."

He hesitates only a moment. "The... invisibility could be a great advantage. In the commotion, they are not likely to hear us pass."

"Of course, we could always sneak in then collapse the temple entrance." A wry grin creeps across his face. "Sure, we'd be trapped inside... but we'd have a wall of stone between us and the bulk of our enemies.... though, this group may only be a sampling of more inside the temple walls..."