D&D 5E [IC] The New World (Volo Monsters)

Drutha Keldret, Hobgoblin Fighter
Forest
Night
Round 0


Drutha studied the map and listened to the others’ suggestions. “The farm will be the most lightly defended,” she said. “We may, perhaps, be able to leave no survivors to even get word to the dwarves or the town. If we then attack the town, if the dwarves show up we could hold them off at this bridge,” she said, indicating the arching line across the river. “Or move and cross upstream behind them.” She indicated the river. She wished she had a legion or two to devote to this, a diversionary strike at the town to lock down the dwarves would be excellent.


[sblock=Stats]
AC: 17 (chainmail, defensive fighting style)
HP: 13/13 HD: 1/1d10
[/sblock]

"Clearly the priority is stopping them from getting this artifact," Saashala suggested softly. "If we set several fires in the fields and town, we can take advantage of the chaos to attack the mines. Not simply to kill dwarves, but to take this thing they are after. With luck we will even have occasion to use it on them as we make our way back out."

Moon Moon looks around, confused by far too many words.

"Kobold always hide and set trap. Path to win not to fight and let them burn each other's candles out. Let the thing in the dark take them."

She simply taps the ground in front of everyone who speaks, until Moon Moon. She nods at his words.

"Ah, so in addition to the smash-bash-crash, there is some small measure of wisdom here."

She pauses to collect her thoughts, then:

"You may not have considered your enemies. If you kill the dwarves, they will be sure the artifacts in the mine are all the more valuable, and they will send twice as many. If you kill the farmers, the next will show up determined to be twice as tough. If you destroy the trading post, they will return with higher prices and more guards. Killing, killing, killing... It will just make them more determined.

"We need to 'let the thing in the dark take them.'

"So you will attack here, here, and here." She taps the road to the mines, the farm, and the town in turn. "But not to wipe them out. To make them miserable."

"I have three things you might find interesting."

One arm reaches into the depths of her robe, and a severely wizened hand emerges with two sheets of parchment and a glass orb with swirling darkness inside.

"One. An order for supplies to the mines. Without food and tools, miners find the work difficult. Two. An order for a fence-builder. Without fences, livestock does not stay at a farm. Three. Slow-acting poison. Break this in town somewhere where they will all be exposed to it. It will take days before they notice -- and by then, it will be too late."

"It will take you about a day to get from one point to another. We will meet back here in a week. When you have hit all three, leave a trail into the mountains. Make sure you are not followed. Only then, return here. It will take us several visits, but by the time we finish, these fools will be determined to leave and never return!"

She hands the orb to Moon Moon. "If you doubt yourselves, ask the dragon man what to do."

(She'll give the papers to whoever wants them.)

Saashala approaches the woman and takes the offered items. Could the others even read? It didn't matter.

Though her face is without expression, inwardly she feels a spike of anger. The game had been rigged from the start, of course. Subtlety required tools...tools she'd had, but had said nothing about them until they'd already committed to answers she'd known would be wrong.

Petty games.

When the papers are in her hands she reads them in more detail. Were they actual orders that had merely been intercepted? Or false orders that would misdirect needed supplies? The poison's use at least, was clear...and Saashala would be the perfect agent to deliver it.

The mining supplies is an order for a wagon load of supplies from Two Bridges Trading Company to be delivered on the second day from now. The content is pretty much what you'd expect -- food, clothes, pickaxes, shovels, sharpening stones, spare blades, buckets, torches, and etc. The one odd thing that jumps out at Saashala is the chains and manacles (6 sets).

The order for fencing is dated two months ago. The installation location is Woodmeadow Farm, and it's again an order from the Two Bridges Trading Company. A hand-scribbled note in the margin says "Lumber!!!".

Tactics. An area few Orcs tended to study. Though, it was not unheard of. He was never allowed around the Blades of Ilneval, those Orcs with a mind for strategy in warfare. He was never allowed around anyone, but upon hearing these orders, he could not help but see their merit. He began to shift his thinking, remembering back to his time mining in the caves. Sometimes it was better to know where to deliver a calculated strike against the stone, to break off the most ore, than to just keep hitting it blindly. Perhaps there was something to this...subtlety.

"The only one of us who may be able to go into the town is the snake woman," he said, looking at her. "She at least looks human, though I have spent much with them, and know their customs well." He looked down at his hands, "I have heard of spells that could change one's appearance. I had never thought them much use, but now I see their value. Being able to get near your opponents without their knowledge could be useful." He looked up, "But I know no such magics yet. I will practice, and see what I can learn. Having another who can easily infiltrate the enemy would be useful, I think. Until then, perhaps we should start at one of the other targets."

Saashala breaks into a laugh as the audacity of it dawns on her. "No," she says. "We're not hitting them." She holds out the orders. "We're going into business it seems."

Moon Moon looks confused, though that's probably been true as long as anyone here has known him. He tried to dig deep into his inner candle and find the spark that would give him clarity.

"Have friends. Make friends. Furry things and creepy crawly things."

Moon Moon looked at the glass orb with the swirling darkness and his confusion turns to terror as it is placed in his hand.

"Dark... candle?"

Something meek and terrified and ancient seems to creep into his voice.

Always cursed. My fault. Failure. Monster. Stealer. Bad.

Ripnek is not convinced of the tactics. "Killing means less enemies. Letting enemies live is stupid."

The bugbear looks around triumphantly, until he realizes the others are not joining him in this. With a sigh and a shrug, Ripnek lies down on his back and closes his eyes. "At least Ripnek kills more than you," he mutters to himself before soft snoring sounds are heard from the prone goblinoid.