A Keep On The Borderlands: Arrival

[jkason]

Bastian frowns.

"I think our time is fast diminishing," he offers, pointing to the blue glow which is building within the rocks above the ruined inn. "Whatever he is or whomever he's in league with, blue is our host's signature color, yes? I have a hard time thinking that's not him, and that it's not a bad sign." He glances to Arcata and bows his head slightly as he adds, "Though obviously you know more about magic than me, so perhaps blue magic is lucky?"

 

[Axel]

Sh'aah glanced out the window. "Time is gone. We leave now it take hours to get away." The half-orc shrugged again. "Big fight soon. With fairy magic."

 

[Shayuri]

Arcata chews her lip, thinking.

"So we either dig in here and force them to come in after us...which helps with being outnumbered, but doesn't give us a way out if we have to fall back... Or we try to surprise them and make for the gates straight away."

She looks out at the glow and shakes her head.

"I wish we knew more about what that was, but unless we get closer I can't tell much about it. All right...I'm inclined to make for the gate. Haxmar seemed fine with us staying here, which implies that he's prepared to pry us out when he's ready to. So, any tactics we should observe? Bastian? Sh'aah?"

Arcata looked at Rexun. "I don't suppose there'd be an escape tunnel in the basement of the tower would there?"

 

[Axel]

"Take blue dwarf prisoner. No horses, no running. Need time," Sh'aah said. "Dwarfs ride horses," he added, almost as an afterthought. A savage smile spread across his face as he pulled the enormous double-axe free of its wrappings. "Start now?" he concluded hopefully.

 

[Dr Simon]

Rexun shrugs.

"There were three tunnels leading from where I was captive held," he says. "If I am right, one might lead under this tower but cannot if it connects or not, say with certainty."

 

[jkason]

Bastian raises an eyebrow as he parses out the Half-orc's bold suggestion.

"Unfortunately, he's surrounded by a band of his own men, and I'm not sure I have a good suggestion for how we get the blue bastard somewhere we can snatch him," Bastian offers. At the mention of tunnels, he chews his lip.

"Bulwark, old friend, I pray you forgive me if I must abandon you," he whispers to himself in obvious, deep regret. "It seems this new world is no less eager to take those most important to me, but my vow to this house comes first."

Breaking from his reverie, he nods to Rexun.

"Well, if it doesn't lead outside, I imagine they should at least lead to another key position internally. Maybe we can yet get that azure ass's neck under our blades for a little arm-twisting diplomacy," he says.

[sblock=ooc]I'll apologize now for playing a military character though my own strategic skills are lacking.

Are the guards downstairs positioned so they could see us descend to a basement level, or would we be able to bypass them so long as we're not headed for the ground level exit?[/sblock]

 

[Dr Simon]

OOC: The guards outside will have little idea of anything that you get up to inside the tower, provided it isn't extremely noisy.

 

[Dr Simon]

Rexun searches around on the ground floor of the tower. After an agonizing wait he nods to himself and points to an innocuous looking stone slab that otherwise looks like part of the floor.

"Here," he says. "If you are not a dwarf, I doubt this you would be finding. Perhaps, to lift it you are helping?"

OOC: I think Axel decided in-character a while back that there was no way out the bottom of the tower. In fact there was (you can even see it on the map!), but we can assume it was a dwarf-made secret trapdoor that even sharp-eyed half-orcs can miss!

 

[Axel]

Sh'aah grunted, annoyed at having missed what really should have been obvious, before stooping to help Rexun lift the trapdoor. He scanned the darkness beneath, looking for an easy way down before heading down himself - feet first of course. Before his head drops below the floor he pauses and looks at Lady Dulat. "Where to go tomorrow?" he says before continuing his descent.

ooc: Terribly sorry! My comprehension skills have evaporated in the past couple of months... Good fluffing out. Incidentally - and am somewhat concerned as a player (as well as very much in-character) about what it is the party/army are intending to do the day after this one. It's all well and good to escape the "evil" (Evil?) Dwarf stronghold. But we're nearly two weeks on horse from the nearest friendly locale, with a couple dozen slow moving troopers to escort around too.

 

[Shayuri]

"Lets concentrate on tonight first," Arcata recommends. "Unfortunately, unless we want to fight the garrison, we won't be bringing our horses or our supplies with us. That's a problem...but it's probably an easier problem than fighting a keep full of dwarves without an army."