Branding Opportunity said:
Addendum: Thanee, what do I remember about the troop strength of the people guarding the half-elf? How many at a time were actually guarding, versus on patrol elsewhere or in barracks? What was the racial composition of the guards? How well were they equipped and organized? Did they have any creatueres with sensitive eyes, noses, or ears about that would make a stealthy approach difficult (e.g. dogs)? How careful and meticulous were they, i.e. did they always have guard coverage, not drink on the job, never put their weapons down, etc? Did the area surrounding the castle have any buildings nearby that looked empty and unused, which one could hide in and stage an assault? Having been kept there a few days, I am assuming that Thunder would have had plenty of opportunity to discover these things, since he was planning his own escape, wasn't being drugged or kept in a building without windows and didn't have much else to do. I am basically asking for any information I would have gleaned from my captivity which might help us plan an assault/rescue. Thanks.
[SBLOCK=Thunder]
The relevant part of the e-mail I had sent you:
When he woke up, Thunder was in some kind of underground dwelling. It smelled terrible there, but he didn't have to endure this for long. A group of humanoids led by an ogre came to fetch him a few hours later. He was looking for a way to escape, but they didn't leave him enough room. They brought him northwards, deeper into the ruined city, over a large open place, where he could make out some make-shift market stands and a number of various humanoid creatures gathering in small groups. To the east, there was a large gate, which stood open at that time. It was heavily guarded by at least a dozen humanoid creatures, among them ogres and even (real) giants. Behind the gate, the castle could be seen. They brought him there, or at least into the vincinity. They had some prisoner cells around the castle. There was another prisoner, too. A skinny half-elf with a somewhat shaggy look. Must have been there for quite a while already.[/SBLOCK]
The castle is surrounded with smaller buildings. The ones near the prison cells, which are also located there (outside the castle), where Thunder was held, are garrisons, where all sorts of humanoids are living apparantly. Most of the buildings are in disrepair and some even look deserted from the outside, but seeing that most of the humanoids don't care a lot for the state of their homes, they don't have to be. From the cells there was no direct view to the outside area, so the only time, when Thunder actually saw something there was when he was brought in, and shortly before he escaped. The cells are in a building, that consists of one corridor leading to the outside and a small number of prison cells left and right. There's a guard room at the end of the corridor, but it was not in use.
The troop strength of the guards nearby can only be guessed, but probably about a dozen with plenty more nearby. There are no
direct guards inside the prison, or even before the building at all times, it seems. But there are patrolling guards in the area around the castle. Guessing from the number of combatants, Thunder has seen, the castle's whole strength will likely be over one hundred.
The guards consist of various races, most of them in the direct vincinity of the castle, are of the tougher and stronger kind, starting with hobgoblins and orcs, but also a number of ogres and a few giants.
It looks similar at the gate, which leads to the castle area from Podol Plaza (see the
map). The gate is huge and the area before and behind it is wide open. When Thunder was led through the first time (inside) there were a dozen guards on duty, some of them human, some orcs and hobgoblins, two ogres and two giants. The second time he saw the gate, there was a large group of orcs and hobgoblins gathered behind the gate (on the castle side), training with weapons, while another mixed group of humanoids with two bugbears and the same two giants was on guard.
Overall, the guards do not seem to be highly alert, but Thunder didn't have the opportunity to see what happens, when they are tested. Apart from the strange fact, that these quite different humanoids and giants seem to work well together, they act just like expected. They drink, tell rude jokes, and surely are not the most disciplined guards one can get. There is no infighting between them however, from what he can tell.
They do not have dogs or other guard creatures, but some of the humanoids might have good noses.
Bye
Thanee
