(CSRHoD) Creamsteak's Red Hand of Doom [IC]

[Creamsteak]

The old giant seems to ponder some of your words but otherwise seems to keep his attention to his roasting boar.

(There's at least some reward for avoiding to completely turn him against you. 250 xp each approximately.)

Your group continues through the forest, going down some less used and possibly forgotten trails in the Witchwood. You manage to avoid running into any additional problems along the way. Soon enough, you can hear the rushing water of the Skull Gorge ahead. You must not be too far from the bridge.

(If anyone wants to scout things out or make any special preparations, now is the time.)

 

[pathfinderq1]

Tyrla had said but little during their journey that day, and even now her words were quiet, barely more than a whisper. "Perhaps one of us should scout ahead- we've walked into too many enemies already." When she spoke, most of her attention seemed to focus on Warren and Avril...

 

[Dalamar]

"Agreed. We need to know what we are against, especially if a whole army of goblinoids has descended down from the mountain."

 

[Redclaw]

Thorough information is never a bad thing. It could also help us be more fully prepared for the battle. It certainly helped at the keep.

 

[Pinotage]

Avril - Human Druid - AC 17 - hp 42/42 - Spot +12 - Listen +12

Avril turned to Larian as they walked towards the suspected encampment of the goblinoids and their army. "I hope we can rely on that giant, or that we've convinced it to at least aid us to some extent in this battle. It's not going to be easy fighting an army, particularly one as well organised, and we'll need all the allies we can get."

Once they reached a point near the so-called Skull Gorge, she stopped with her allies and tied the horses down to let them graze. She checked that they were not injured or uncomfortable, making one or two adjustments. In the evening, if there was time, she'd have to tend to them a little better.

She turned to Warren. "Do you think you're up to this, Warren? Scouting the gorge. They may have placed some defences here because it's a good place to hold off any attacks. I'm hoping for a small guard, but I've been wrong so far. Either way, we need to get to the other side to see what that army is like. Of course, I could fly all the way there and back, but you never know if they have any more of those manticores about, and I'd rather not run into those by accident. Best to take a look at the bridge, and see what's happening."

[SBLOCK=OOC]
OOC: Avril suggests Warren takes a look at Skull Gorge.

Spells and Abilities Active:

Spells Cast and Abilities/Items Used:

Spells Prepared:

Level 0 (5): Cure Minor Wounds (2), Detect Magic (2), Guidance
Level 1 (4): Cure Light Wounds, Enrage Animal, Entangle, Produce Flame
Level 2 (4): Bear's Endurance, Barkskin, Bull's Strength
Level 3 (3): Call Lightning, Cure Moderate Wounds
[/SBLOCK]

 

[Arkhandus]

Warren shrugs. "I'll just scout it out myself. No sense you getting eaten by a manticore while scouting out in the open."

The halfling plunks down from Serrin's back and gets set to scout out the bridge. He'll go check out the bridge for any obvious threats, then fetch the others so they can all rush across and hopefully escape the hydra if it's still hiding there.

 

[Creamsteak]

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The ground has been rising for the last few miles, and finally the forest itself peters out. Ahead is a stretch of barren ground, about sixty feet wide, ending in a gorge. Roughly a hundred feet wide at its narrowest point, the gorge drops away precipitously to a fast-rushing stream far below. The ancient Dawn Way crosses the cleft on a bridge of stone. Anchored at both ends to large stone towers with pentagonal roofs, the bridge seems sturdy despite its obvious age. It is, clearly, the only easy way to cross, since the gorge continues as far as the eye can see to the east and west. The four stone towers that anchor the bridge are each forty feet high. A narrow wooden stairway winds around each leading up to an open-air watchpost at the top.

A small encampment of a half-dozen tents clusters near the northern side of the bridge. Curls of smoke from campfires attest to some sort of activity. A single humanoid figure stands at the watchpost on the top of each of the four watchtowers, longbow in hand. A powerfully built hound with glowing red eyes and short ruddy fur sits watchfully near either end of the bridge. Yet the most impressive creature present is certainly the sleek and menacing green-scaled dragon that perches on the roof of the northwestern watchtower on the far side of the gorge. It lies basking in the sun, but its bright yellow eyes are fixed on the bridge.

 

[Arkhandus]

...Warren blinks a few times as he checks out the bridge from his hiding spot. 'Sheesh,' he thinks to himself. 'Excessive much? This can't be good.....'

The halfling creeps away back toward the group rather than continuing his reconnaissance over the bridge. Sneaky he may be, but a dragon and a couple of hellhounds won't likely have any trouble sniffing him out if he gets close.

So he just heads back to the group to report on what he saw. Then he adds "I....don't think we should go that way, y'know? So where do we go now, instead?"

 

[Dalamar]

"Judging by your description, no army has made camp at the base of the bridge," Siobhan says thoughtfully. "I believe we should try to collapse, or at least severely damage, the bridge. I can ask Kord for a prayer that allows me to bend and twist stone with the merest of a touch, and another that should shield some of us from the worst of the dragon's acid. What say you?"

 

[pathfinderq1]

"I don't think there is any chance of bringing down the bridge without killing whatever guards it- and while there is no army here yet, I think we can be safe in saying that this is the advance guard." Tyrla's voice is quiet and cautious- it is obvious she is worried. "And while we might go elsewhere like back to town, for instance, this challenge won't go away, and it won't get any easier. If we don't fight them now, we'll have to face them _with_ their army. If we can take the dragon, I think we can win- but this is not a fight I'll go into within everyone being in agreement. What say you?"