GREYHAWK CY963 GOLDEN ERA CAMPAIGN: HEROES OF DYVERS: CHAPTER 4

[MacConnell]

Battle Plans

Lathir listens as well as provides his thoughts. He nods to Vale.
"If we decide to sneak into the fort, here is what I can provide:

I am not skilled at being sneaky, despite my former exposure as a military scout. I am better at providing information and getting a lay of the area. My best talent in this at this point, would be to provide overwatch. Instead of shifting into the vulture, I could change to an eagle so that I will be physically able to make a cry of alarm. If you are going under cover of darkness, I could shift to an owl so that I will still be able to see.

If it is necessary that I enter the fort, I will attempt a plausible disguise, since I am not very good at hiding. I can mimic an orc fairly well, and I speak Orcish.

If we decide to ambush the encampment, here is what I can provide:

Once again, I am best suited to overwatch, but as this will be an aggressive venture, I can drop fire by a couple of different designs. I can also employ that spike traps, especially if need to cover an exit."

 

[Aust Thale]

OOC: Vale casts Augury over successive days to ask questions that help their decision. He has spent some time the last few days watching fort and camp movement as Lathir has.

Vale begins to chant to himself in low baritone Dwarvish, praying to Clangeddin Silverbeard for the battle to come. His eyes glow a deep purple, a hue not yet seen by the party as associated with Vale's priestly spells.

Patchwall 21 (Yesterday): "Lord Silverbeard, I pray Augury as to the consequences of an action: woe or weal? We solemnly ask what will happen if we frontally assault the fort?”

Patchwall 22 (Today): "Lord Silverbeard, I pray Augury as to the consequences of an action: woe or weal? We solemnly ask what will happen if we attempt to sneak into the fort?”

Vale clearly shares the results as made known to him.

GM: ANSWERS: Frontal Assault: Woe be to you all if such foolishness is attempted. Weal to the Giant-kin, who would gain great wealth. Sneaking: Weal to you all when the fort is approached with wisdom. Woe to the Giant-kin, who shall be caught unprepared.

Vale casts Augury twice on Patchwall 20 (before the questions previously mentioned), as follows:

Patchwall 20 ( The Day Before Yesterday): "Lord Silverbeard, I pray Augury as to the consequences of an action: woe or weal? We solemnly ask what will happen if we burn the fort to the ground?”
Patchwall 20 ( The Day Before Yesterday): "Lord Silverbeard, I pray Augury as to the consequences of an action: woe or weal? We solemnly ask what will happen if I burrow a tunnel down into the cliff to the ground level of the fort?”

OOC: The Burrow spell allows 10 feet/round excavation movement through anything but solid rock or water as a burrowing animal. A single instance of the spell lasts 1 minute / level.

Again, Vale shares any information with the group, as well as with Nel & Respen upon their arrival.

If Vale receives a favorable answer to dig a tunnel, he will move quickly on Patchwall 20 to do just that. He quietly withdraws from the party for a few minutes, measuring distance and using his Dwarven instincts and architectural & engineering knowledge to plan the tunnel. It takes him half a day on the 20th to do it. The center of camp is 600 feet (200 yards) as a crow flies to the fort, with a 90 foot drop at the end of the cliff. The closest the cliff is to the fort is 300 feet (100 yards), and that point is about the same distance southwest of the camp. The camp itself is not quite 300 feet from the cliff at its closest point, but nearly 600 feet from the cliff's closest point to the fort. After analyzing the options, Vale casts his spell and immediately burrows just over 600 feet at a 9.5 degree angle downward in southwesterly direction gradually toward the cliff face at the northwestern corner of the fort at the point where the cliff face and fort are closest. His direction does not take him through the cliff wall, but down into the ground below the level of the canyon floor, where he builds out a 10' x 10' burrow just above what must be canyon bedrock or sandstone just outside the cliff face about 30 feet. He spends most of his time on Patchwall 21 shoring up the tunnel and making it large enough to allow medium creatures to single file walk to the burrow. He parks the wagon above the entrance.

 

[Aust Thale]

Respen Adds An Option

~ Time to test the bonds that bind us ~

Respen surveys the fort in the canyon from the party's secret perch, on the way back, he mentally reaches out to Dame Clare.

"Your Grace, can you hear me? Do you have the ability to cast levitate and invisibility to a group of nine (9) using me as a focal point, and if so how long will each last? I want a quick way down a 90' cliff for a group of us, and I don't want to be seen during the drop nor for at least 600 feet further at a run."

When he returns to camp, regardless of Dame Clare's answer, he asks of the group, "Who kept the magical ring of feather falling?"

OOC: This allows the party two more options to the canyon floor near the fort, and outside of the view of the orc encampment.

 

[Aust Thale]

Current Loot Count

OOC: All party members please use out of character communication on our chat service to note any item on this list taken for use; I will add to this list in an edit. When the party engages the fort, the party needs to decide what to do with it. (leave in wagon at camp; place in Vale's haversack; load into Respen's portable hole, etc.). This list was acquired by the party sans Respen & Nel. Neither Respen nor Nel are entitled to any of it except as equipment (bows/arrows, etc.) Any value from the sale of any of it is due the seven (7) other party members.

Current Loot Count From Teleport Circle Until Staging for Fort:

4 Suits of Masterwork Chainmail (From the Humans)
4 Suits of Elven Chainmail (From the Elves) One (1) Suit to Sylvar
4 Masterwork Large Steel Shields (From the Humans)
4 Masterwork Longswords (From the Humans)
4 Masterwork Longbows (From the Humans)
4 Masterwork Greatswords (From the Elves)
4 Masterwork Composite Longbows [Set for 16 Str] (From the Elves) One (1) To Vale; One (1) To Sylvar
6 Masterwork Chainmail Shirts (Medium-sized) w/ Pomarj emblem (Two of which will need repairs to the abdomen area)
6 Chainmail Shirts w/ Pomarj Markings
6 Masterwork Falchions (Medium-sized) w/ Pomarj emblem
6 Falchions (regular) w/ Pomarj Markings
6 Masterwork Composite Short Bows (Set for 21 Str) w/ Pomarj Emblem
6 Shortbows(regular) w/ Pomarj Markings
16 Quivers / 20 Arrows Each
10 Large-sized Hide Armors
20 Large-sized Javelins
10 Large-sized Greatclubs

Ogre Leader's Hide Armor [Large-sized] (looks WAY better than the others)
Ogre Leader's Greatclub [Large-sized] (looks WAY better than the others)

3 Masterwork Javelins [Large-sized] from the Ogre Leader
2 Masterwork Greatclubs [Large-sized] from the Giants
2 Masterwork Hide Armors [Large-sized] from the Giants
794 pp.
14,415 gp.
18,822 sp.
10,049 cp.

4 Quivers of 20 Arrows Each; Arrows are OBVIOUSLY MAGICAL, made from heartwood, with yellow runes! (From the Elves)
1 Wand, Fully Charged (50)
Potion (Light Green Liquid)
Ogre Leader's Ring (Platinum, set with an emerald)
Large-sized Magical Chain Shirt (Strong Abjuration)
Large-sized Magical Naginata (Strong Evocation)
Large-sized Magical Cloak (Faint Abjuration)
3 Unknown Potions (Faint Transmutation)

Gems:
1. Blue Sapphire (wow)
2. Emerald (wow)
3. Moss Agate
4. Bloodstone
5. Jasper
6. Star Rose Quartz
7. Moonstone
8. Onyx
9. Peridot
10.Black Opal (wow)
11. Diamonds (2) (Unknown Value)

Iron Rations (Enough for 20 people to last for 14 days; i.e., 280 days for 1 person.)
6,000 gp. worth of rare spices
2,000 gp. worth of fine silk (10 bolts, 200 gp. per bolt.)
8,000 gp. worth of Elven Wine (10 barrels, 800 gp. per barrel.)
5,000 gp. worth of Wintershiven Ale (10 barrels, 500 gp. per barrel.)

GM: Note: The barrels of wine and ale are all Pony Kegs, aka Quarter Barrels. They are 17" in diameter, and 14" tall. They weigh 75 lbs. when full. They each hold 8 gallons of liquid.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Patchwall 20 ( The Day Before Yesterday): "Lord Silverbeard, I pray Augury as to the consequences of an action: woe or weal? We solemnly ask what will happen if we burn the fort to the ground?”


Patchwall 20 ( The Day Before Yesterday): "Lord Silverbeard, I pray Augury as to the consequences of an action: woe or weal? We solemnly ask what will happen if I burrow a tunnel down into the cliff to the ground level of the fort?”

Answers:

Burn It: Woe be to you, caught by a carefully laid trap. Weal to the Giant-kin, whose choice of allies was well-chosen.

Tunnel To Ground: Weal to the party, whose method of egress is carefully hidden. Woe to the Giant-kin, whose fear prevents your discovery.

 

[Sylvar B.]

Sylvar looks at Respen, I'll not be trusting our fate to a Drow Queen...I can cast a spell that will make everyone invisible within 10 feet of me... He looks at Vale and addresses the party...I also have several spells that help us get away if necessary.

GM: I'll let it slide this time, since Respen failed to use ~ ~ around his request, denoting THOUGHT. The premise here is, while thinking about what he was saying over the mental link, he unconsciously (because he's not used to the ability) spoke his request out loud simultaneously. Therefore, Sylvar was able to hear it. THIS TIME. RESPEN: In the future, please use the ~ ~ marks around your text like so: Respen muses inwardly, ~Wow, that's cool.~ SYLVAR: In the future, be careful not to respond to people's thoughts as if they were spoken words.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Dame Clare replies to Respen, mentally: ~I don't have much time, because I am about to attempt something risky. It involves rescuing Serindak from his current predicament. But the details are irrelevant. I can open a portal with the mirror to where you are, and Ky can step through and hand you some items. I happen to have 2 scrolls that will help you. The first is a scroll of Mass Invisibility, and the second is a scroll of Arcane Eye. If I were you, I wouldn't cast them directly from the scrolls, unless you're desperate. You'd be smarter to copy them into your spellbook, if you are skilled enough, so that you can make repeated use of them in the future. Of course, I never had time to work with you, and to see how far along you were in your studies. So copying these scrolls for your own use might be above your current level of ability. At any rate, it's the best I can do at the moment. After I have done what I am planning to do, I will be out-of-pocket for awhile. Get ready, Ky is coming.~

At this point, a glowing portal opens, luckily out of sight of the other party members. Kylaendra steps through it, smiles, and hands Respen two scrolls. She then gives him a peck on the cheek, and winks at him, as she steps back through the portal, which promptly closes behind her.

[sblock=Portrait of Kylaendra, Drow Elf Bard.]

[/sblock]

Dame Clare via the Mental Link: ~Have fun storming the castle, my dear.~

GM: Respen now has: Mass Invisibility scroll (20th level caster) Arcane Eye scroll (18th level caster)

After that last comment, you receive no further messages from Dame Clare.

 

[Aust Thale]

Respen To Sylvar

~ Thank you, your Grace! ~ Respen replies to Dame Clare.

When Ky steps through, he smiles and greets her warmly, as a family member might.
When she kisses his cheek, he thinks to himself, ~ Be less judgmental, my brother. Aesthetics are certainly a perk of membership. ~

To Ky, “You should come adventure with us, my dear Ky. All work and no fun, and all of that! You should query her Grace to see if you might join us at some point! It would be a delight!”

Respen whispers mentally to Nel, ~ Sylvar intends well, my dear. Perhaps he and Ky should sing to each other for fun. Dueling Bards. They could take their performance on the road! ~

Respen stores the scrolls in the portable hole. He is indeed not adept enough yet for these. But in the future.

Returning to Sylvar & the group, he says, ” Sylvar, Let’s try to get inside before we use your spell. I suspect we’ll need it. I think we can make it the distance to the fort. The ogre sentries are lazy, sleep-mongering oafs. We’ll carve out his Adam’s apple before he sees us.”

GM: PLEASE NOTE: The composition of the cliff -IS- largely rock, but the eroded edge near the fort is mostly hard clay, limestone, and shale, therefore, the Burrow spell will work. The tunnel won’t be straight, by the way. It will twist and turn around the hardest / most dense deposits. But you can still manage it, just barely.

 

[Sylvar B.]

Sylvar closes one eye so that it becomes accustomed to the dark, and lowers himself into the tunnel. He will wait for everyone else on the other side of the dark/light barrier. Just on the other side of where the day light stops.

 

[MacConnell]

Lathir enters the burrowed hole without demonstrating any reservations. He pauses, waiting on the others and blinks a few times to adjust to his new ability to see in a darkness where once he could not.