Through Darkness, Light ("the plethora of prospective permutations")

[dead_radish]

Aelin nods. "Though it may be slightly tedious and arduous, I feel certain that I shall succeed in such an endeavor. I would not be adverse to scouting duties, either, but I am not quite as practiced as good Aernoeth, certes. But as you surmised, my size and natural nimbleness make me a fair sneak in my own right."

As he says this, he hops up on to Ostragoth's saddle and makes preparations to be off. "Shall we sally forth, my good companions? Time and tide, and all that...."

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

"Agreed, we can begin to move towards the enemy position, but we still need to work on our plan along the way.

First let's make this here our rallying point. If any of us is separated for some reason, let us meet back right here. Otherwise it may be impossible to find each other again.

Aernoeth that is a good start of a plan, however the problems are that we still are not scouting the enemies capabilities. Ideally we should reconvene a planning session after you have scouted them out to see if anything requires a change.

I also believe we need to work out the following contingency plans. What if they don't follow you into our trap? What if by some means you or another of the group is captured?"

 

[dead_radish]

Aelin, lost in his books and his inner rituals, merely nods absently as plans are discussed. In a strangely toneless voice he merely says "Fill me in when you're done lads?"

 

[Aernoeth]

Aernoeth Swiftblade level 1 Quickling Unfettered

Aernoeth hears the Giantess out, chuckling the whole time. "Plans, plans, plans ..." he mutters under his breath, careful so that she can not hear him.

Being clever, Aernoeth's tactic is to make up plans as he goes. Also being foolhardy, it isn't always the best way. Good thing he can run fast!

"Alright ... Kelsie and I'll meet back with you guys. Just in case," Aernoeth agrees. "Then we'll go off and lure them into the ambush!"

[OOC: PBP is slow, but don't let the medium force you to RP your character differently, or you won't be happy. If you want to plan this meticulously, go ahead, I say But don't be surprised if not everyone has your patience (or wisdom) ]

 

[Erekose13]

Chenroeth, male litorian mage blade 1

"All right, sounds like we have a plan in the works. Lets set out as soon as we can, so that we can scout out the terrain in the forest to select a nice high spot with good cover for our ambush. We should let the lady know that we shall accept her quest."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Kelsis the Bright-Eyed, Female Sibeccai Akashic 1

*Kelsis is quite willing to do a bit of planning, as long as they do it while moving. Rallying points, contingency plans, whether or not they'll take prisoners, they're all good things to discuss.*

"If one of us should be captured... then a rescue would be in order. Arrows or spells from many places would throw them into confusion enough for one person to slip in to help the escapee out. To think of it, that's not a bad tactic to simply slip in and grab the woman's bags too," she ponders, while leading her mule along the road.

Of course, Aoe-Narara will want to capture all of them for questioning and throw them all into jail... Which would take more people than we have and far better weapons. Or perhaps we can convince her they're enough of a threat to simply slay most and scatter the others? Brigands serve no one, and most cannot be brought to heel.

 

[Murphy's Law]

Kel, Male Sibbecai Snake Totem Warrior

"Well then, we are off." Kel will return to the women at the campfire and tell her that they will find her belongings, and then find the trail on the map and lead the party towards the ambush zone.

 

[dead_radish]

Aelin is still deep within his books, sitting astride Ostragoth, and awaiting a signal that movement is beginning.

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

Aoe-Narara, Female Giant Warmain 1

Aoe-Narara taps Aelin on the shoulder. "Come on, Aelin. I'll fill you in on what we've decided on the way."

 

[Macbeth]

The road out of the camp is crowded with people still trying to make their way into the city, but as you move away from the walls the crowd thins, until the road is almost empty.
The time spent traveling is incredibly monotonous, until the edges of the forest some into view, and you can see why bandits would call this place home: the tress grow together in a massive tangle of trunk and branch, seeming to fill every space except for a narrow path that leads on into the deaper darkness created by the overhanging branches.
The location of the ambush is horribly easy to find. You can see clear signs of a struggle just where the tress start to thin out, and, from this distance, it appears that there might even be dried blood on some of the trees. It is obvious that the bandits had little concern for covering the signs of their attack, which seems odd: why would bandits who are apparently afraid of getting caught be so careless with covering the signs of the ambush?
The party comes to a stop just out of bow-shot range from the woods, and Aoe-Narara finally stops forming her startegies as all of you take in what little you can make out about the ambush site. There are no obvious signs as to weather or not the bandits are still around, but from this distance they could easily become invisible by hiding in the tress.