(5.24 PBP) Vault of the Dracolich (IC) Redux

[Hriston]

Terrin retrieves his gear from the front porch where he left it and returns bearing a staff and a pack to which are strapped a helm and a shield emblazoned with the image of a fountain. He then climbs the stairs and follows the others through the portal.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Darius watches as the room clears of many of the people. He then looks around the room at those who remain. He shrugged, everyone seemed in this for the right reasons. When the orc asked for everyones name Darius spoke up.

"Names Darius, I spent my formative years in the Dale."

As the other head upstairs he follows. He hesitates at the edge of the circle. He did not like being teleported by magic. It always disoriented him, something about not being in control. He took a breath and stepped into the circle.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Greenpeak, Cormanthor Forest
~13:30 on 4 Tarsakh 1483DR

One by one, they arrived, stepping out from a circle of stones on the ground painted with arcane runes, into the afternoon light. They stood on a rocky bluff, covered in wispy grasses. A small, but expensive-looking pavilion tent marked the old wizard's command post. At the sound of the teleports (a soft hum and a slight popping noise), a woman emerged from a colorful tent nestled between two trees.

She called out, not loudly, but firmly: "Pick yourself a spot to camp. We have no way of knowing how long this will take, nor if you will succeed. When you are ready, come and speak to me." She had a commanding tone that stood no argument, and she turned quickly to speak to Corrah the halfling. As she did, there was no way to miss an unmistakable bulge: She was very pregnant.

"Hiya, Volyana, didja eat the root-soup my old gran suggested?" asked the halfling.

"I did. It was vulgar." Volyana made a grim face that turned to a smile, "Thank her for me, Corrah."

"I will. Anything I should check out for these guys before they get themselves killed?"

"A raven told me this morning that there is a wagon coming up the switchback. More of those blasted mercenaries, I expect." Volyana made a hand sign and spat on the ground.

"I'll go check it out." Corrah shrugged off her pack, leaving it on the ground, and jumped over a rock. She landed in a dried stream bed, slid downward, and disappeared out of sight, heading down the mountain toward the northeast.

Looking northward, across a small river-valley that was out of sight but obviously there to those who understood how land was structured, there rose an ominous peak of black rock.

Loklafd stepped out of the teleporter and saw one or two of the newly gathered adventurers looking at it. He nodded and said, "You have seen it, now. That is your objective. The Temple of Bhaal lies under that mountain. We call it 'Blackpeak', and this, our camp, we call 'Greenpeak' by comparison."

(OOC: This isn't perfect - for one it's slightly too large in scale, and there's no snow, and the river doesn't flow toward the camera, just from left to right, but otherwise it does a pretty good job of it.)

 

[MetaVoid]

Quietly the dwarf just follows the group.

OOC: I didn't roll because I don’t have trained neither skill

 

[MetaVoid]

OOC: Weird that the message only shows up now !? I posted it last night.

 

[Leatherhead]

Copper sizes up the surrounding area, and begins climbing a pair of trees to set up a hammock for his camping spot.
"That'll keep the wolves out of my dried meat."

 

[Tonguez]

SHADE-9 | ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN – Greenpeak Encampment
Full Spectrum Recon, Passive & Active Scanning

As he passed through the arcane gate, Shade-9 dropped his disguise protocols , though he still wore the heavy hooded cloak to soften his outline, trusting that the angular frame and dark plate metal beneath would come across more as armoured mercenary than construct.

Immediately the warforged stalker began scanning its surroundings, noting points of interest, terrain hazards, field assets, and structural weaknesses in the camp, the river valley and Blackpeak beyond it.

Spoiler: TACTICAL OVERVIEW

Operational Base Camp Wizards Pavilion Operational Personnel Tents Arcane Teleportation Circle: active & calibrated	Civilian Dwellings — elevated risk classification Dried streambed Access Route— west-by-northwest egress, steep descent; vulnerable to ambush Incoming Wagon (Unknown Origin) — switchback approach; recommend recon unit intercept
River Valley (Lowground)​ Status: Environmental Landmark Location: North Natural barrier or flank path	Stealth Entry Corridor: Soft terrain and foliage cover allows for stealth infiltration Scanning for signs of animal disturbance Recommend: Further reconnaissance
Blackpeak (Mission Target)​ Status: High-Risk Zone​ Location: north-northeast, elevation increase ~600m	Topography: hostile; jagged black rock Temple of Bhaal — subterranean access, occult risk high. Scanning for arcane signatures

But the warforged halted his scan when the woman called out, directing the new arrivals to find camping spots, before turning to converse with the halfling scout. After the halfling had departed Shade-9 approached, his boots making no sound against the packed grass, a subtle modulation in his voice that carried measured, but genuine warmth.

"You carry new life" he observed, indicating witha metalic hand, his tone almost reverential "That... is a rare and vital mission-"he paused again, [...] tilting his head slightly in a moment of heuristic conflict between operational focus and emergent instinct as mission priorities were being overwritten. [System Anomaly detected - Forced Override [Log: Volyana] -System Priorities updating]

"I did not expect civilian operatives in this location" he continued falling back into mission syntax "I will ensure no harm reaches you or your potential offspring while I remain functional. [...]

Should you require escort, fortification, surveillance or silence I am ready to proceed"

[Camp Readiness: Partial. Recommend immediate perimeter sweep]​

 

[Steve Gorak]

Aywin admires the pregnant woman, strong and active while soon bringing life to the world. He mutters a quiet prayer for her and her child. He then looks at the mountain where evil resides. He is at peace with what he will need to do.

He then goes about the business of setting up camp, and once satisfied, heads over to the pavillon tent.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Volyanna's Report
~13:50 on 4 Tarsakh 1483DR

When everyone was settled, Volyanna called, in a firm voice that carried far enough that everyone in the camp heard her, but not so far as to carry above the trees, "Gather together! It is time that we told you further details, that you can plan your approach."

When everyone had gathered, she began with an overview, showing a hand-drawn map and indicating with gestures, "We are to the south, on Greenpeak. The Temple of Bhaal lies north across the river, under Blackpeak. There is a road, and a bridge. The road travels from the east, on our side of the river, up the cliff, then passes over the bridge, which is in sight of the Watchtower. Then it continues on to the Temple Gatehouse. Both the Watchtower and the Gate are manned by Dragon Cultists, or Mercenaries, or both."

She waited for at least one or two Adventurers to nod their understanding before continuing, "You may choose to enter the temple by either the Watchtower, or the Gatehouse, by ruse or by assault. But there are two other ways, under Blackpeak, if you wish to choose guile. A stream from the River fills an underground Lake, west of the Temple. Loklafd can provide boats. Or, there are Caves to the east. The caves are occupied by Kobolds, but we are sure that their tunnels reach the temple."

Spoiler: Map of Blackpeak & Greenpeak

(1) Underground Lake Access, (2) Gatehouse, (3) Watchtower, (4) Kobold Caves.
(A) Basecamp, (B) Access Stream, (C) Bridge, (D) Switchback, (E) Waterfall, (F) Cliffside.

GM: I have added this map to the RG so that you can easily reference it

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Spoiler: Merrick- Mini-sheet

Merrick Thorburn Race: Human	HP: 41/41 AC: 14/19(with shield)	Buffs:
Rage: 3/3	Inner Healing:4/4	HD: 3/3
Spoiler: Stats(saves) STR: 16+3(+5) DEX: 13+1(+1) CON: 16+3(+5) INT: 8-1(+-1) WIS: 10+0(+0) CHA:11 +0(+0)	Spoiler: Skills Athletics+5 Intimidate: 2/5 Perception: 2/5 Performance 2 Stealth: 3/5 Survival: 2/5	Spoiler: Spells Daily: Alarm 1/1 At will Thaumaturgy Message

---

Merrick hadn't said much when he got to the camp. He looked around a bit and checked the perimeter but very quickly found a place to sit. He set a tent and waited until he was called.

Listening and looking at the information provided, he leaned over a bit and said quietly,

"I'm easy, although, I'd prefer a secret route. Like the lake."

When he thought about it, though, he wondered if the Kobolds would be a better choice: they were a known entity and it was possible to barter with kobolds. Who knew what was lying in wait in the underground lake....