"I feel it. whispers Murob, her eyes tracking the passage of the creature underground.
"Fa'zakar? What's it going to be?
"I'll see if I can cut through the bottom wire. If it's warded, this should let us know that while we're out here hiding and not in the open area. Hold on..." He draws his dagger, mumbles some arcane words, and the small blade drifts just above the cut grass towards the fence and a few feet to the right. You can see the dagger touch the bottom strand and start to move back and forth in rapid motion.
Fa'Zakar lifts a dagger and moves it over to the fencepost. Without any downward force it takes awhile - 30 minutes - to saw through the wire, but he is able to do it.
Back at the tree line, the group just feels the burrowing creature move on. Apparently it's not interested in people meat at the moment.
Based on the size and the terrain... Murob guess that it's probably a bullette. Similar to sharks, bullettes are elephant-sized burrowing predators who leap from the earth to tear their prey limb from limb with razor-sharp claws.
As the sun sets, Fa'zakar smiles in triumph. His little trick seemed to work, and the ogres hadn't noticed. "It worked! We can crawl under now and scout further. Perhaps we should let the others know what we've found? Then all come back and get through the open area and into the wheat field...What do you think?"
”Good job, you are right we should meet up with the others.” Victor says, nodding back the way they came as he shifts back a bit, checking to see if the others follow.
"I think we need to know a little more about what's on the other side. If we bring the others through and there's trouble Sulan's likely to end up in an ogre pot. He's too slow and in his armor, I'm not sure he'll be able to shimmy under the wire. "
"I don't know, i'm still pretty banged up from our tentacle'd friend. I don't think we should risk getting caught out in such a small group." Victor replies uneasily.
"Agreed - besides - they are probably getting antsy and would appreciate getting an update. We can come back after and look around some more, or maybe move in force. But let's head back and rest up a bit. We are in no hurry - yet."
"All right then. Let's go back."
Gwen shimmies in reverse until she's sure she's got cover, then she stands and begins the walk back to the others.
Once they link up with the rest of their group, the three scouts relay what they saw, how the prisoners appeared to head off at a loud bell or chime, the fence and how they cut the bottom strand. "So, do we go under the wire and do some more scouting in the dark? We have to cross about 20 to 30 feet of open area, with the fence in the middle, before we get back into the tall fields and out of sight. Or do you want to wait to morning?"
The scout group returns to the rest of the group. Nobody sees or pursues them.
"Are we going?"
"I'm ready."
"While you were gone, we felt something move below us through the earth. Some creature, possibly a landshark. So look out if you feel the ground vibrate."
"It was probably a bulette, yes. So try and step lightly." Murob adds, gathering her gear as she prepares to follow the others.
As the group discusses, night falls.
Without the light of the sun, the moon isn't nearly enough to see by. Maybe you could stumble around without light...
"Alright, I can make my way in this. It isn't pleasant but it will do. Murob, Sulan, you two can see as well right? How far out?" Victor asks as they plan their approach under cover of nightfall "If the other three are as blind as they say, we will probably need to buddy up, the ones who can see can guide the ones who can't, sound fair?" he asks the two others gifted with the ability to pierce the oppressive gloom surrounding them.
"I can see some in the dark, but not very far. About... to there." Murob points to a rock about 60 feet away to indicate the limits of her vision in the dark.
She then looks puzzled at Victor. "But, how can you see in the dark?"
"Yes, that would be a great power to have! I am willing to follow any of you - I like moving in the dark - but not usually pitch black on my own. Shallwe, then?"
"I've always had sharper eyes than most. Everything is a little shadowy, but i can make my way well enough." Victor replies, obviously brushing it off as he continues "Now I can see enough to navigate, but fighting is a different story. A few of you can cast light magic yes? We should keep at least one who can in each group, in case of emergency. Knowing that, who is going with who?"
After waiting a few moments in silence, Gwen breaks the ice.
"I'll follow Murob."
"Like Murob, I can see a short ways in the dark. They say orcs are creatures of darkness," Sulan says with a grin. "Most creatures with this ability can only see a short ways."
"I'm happy moving in now. Murob, Victor, and I could move ahead while the rest of you follow behind with torches."
"I can create magic light, if need be. Sadly, I cannot work Erastil's magicks to create pure daylight or bind a spiritual flame to an item." Yet.
The group advances. Now that the sun is down, the group must rely on moonlight in order to travel, which means moving relatively slowly. It's not quite impossible to see, but it's difficult to impossible to see anything clearly.
Slipping through the space created by Fa'Zakar, the group moves into the wheat field on the outskirts of gillman territory.
What can clearly be heard is that ogres move through the field and along the edge of the maze, although there are only a few and they are a little rare. Paths pass through the field at different intervals and lead towards the harbor and the small city on the shore. Past the edge of the field are a cluster of small stone houses as well as a beautiful manor home as well as a series of barns and grain silos. A small stream flowing from the mountain in the center of the island hosts a waterwheel-powered mill. Though it is dark, there are torches and lanterns aplenty spread across the huge property. Ample conversation can be heard easily, and the vague figures of dozens of people crowd around each of the small houses. The larger figures of ogres lurk on the periphery.
Although hampered at first by the near total darkness, Fa'zakar is sure-footed after spending many years perfecting his stealth...
As he moves along, he keeps his ears open for ogres and bits of conversation that he might understand...
Victor slowly and calmly leads Fa’zakar along, making sure to steer him clear of dry roots and such that could create unwanted noise as they creep through the fields.
The stony plates of Sulan's armor clack together loudly as he tries to move forward quietly.
Murob is not very used to skulking around, but she watches how the others do it and manages to make a relatively silent passage through the fields. As she moves, she keeps her ears opens to the sounds of conversation, hoping to catch intelligible words.
"Damn!" Fa'zakar exclaims under his breath. "Get ready for an ogre to come investigate Sulan's little slip-up. If we can take it down quietly before it raises an alarm, we should be alright..." he whispers to the group. He will then crouch in the field, gripping his weapons but not drawing them yet, ready to sneak attack a sentry or guard...
Ehiz stops in his tracks when one of his companions accidentally makes some noise. Oh boy.
Victor crouches low into the grass as he watches for any guards closing in on Sulan’s position, his mind blades forming in each hand with only a moment’s notice.
The brutish voices of ogres can be heard from elsewhere in the field, as can their footsteps tromping around. "Ik hoor iets..." says one, its voice deeper than any human's. The second one calls out louder, "Probeert te rennen?"
The giants lumber over closer to the group. One of them points at Sulan, obviously the largest one. "Kijk, deze is bewapend! Er zijn er vijf!" The second one calls out towards the farmhouse, "Slaven! Slaven ontsnappen!"
"Trying to run?"
"Look, this one's armed! And there's five of them!"
"Slaves! Slaves escaping!"
Sulan grins, and mutters a few words and crushes some large ants in his hands and rubs the juice on his arms and neck. His muscles begin to bulge.
"That's right, kids. Come to papa."
Sulan readies his axe.
The ones among them who could not see in the dark would be at a disadvantage in the imminent fight, so it is time to even the odds. Extracting a shiny powder from her pouch, Murob blows it gently towards the ogres, willing the particles to envelop them.
Fa'zakar draws his weapons smoothly - a masterwork cold iron short sword in his left hand and a masterwork rapier in his right. He follows the sounds of the ogre guards, and is delighted when their outlines begin to glow. He will move to a flanking position on one of them if possible, and sneak attack it!
"Oh Father Above, lend us your eye and make us strike true."
Ogres
Gwen crouches beside Murob, peering at the illuminated ogres. It was too dark to move easily and her crossbow would take several shots to bring them down. The spear would be fastest to the kill.
She grips the handle of her spear and gives it a small shake, she waits for the signal to attack.
1. Murob
2. Victor
3. Fa'Zakar
4. Ehiz
5. Gwen
6. Slaver Encampment
7. Arven the Youth
8. Sulan
9. Ogre #1
10. Jim the Farmer
11. Ogre #2
Moving in to apprehend what they think are escaped slaves, the ogres blunder forward into combat against the group, who entirely get the drop on them. Murob coats them in a flash of golden powder which gets in their eyes. Both ogres blink and try to get the flakes out...
You can hear calls from the slave encampment. Slaves start to leave their cookfires and head back indoors, ushered by the ogres watching them. You hear cries in at least a half-dozen languages. "Spellcasters!" is one that you recognize, but most you do not. You hear the barking of canines.
"HARRR!!"
Sulan charges with a roar, heading for the nearer of the two ogres. His obsidian axe glints in the starlight.
'Stand or fight?' is the question Ehiz had wanted to ask, but Sulan's madman rush answers that one succinctly. "Let us be a beacon of hope!"
Murob hadn't realized that they were this close to the slave encampment, so much for a quiet approach now. Still, the don't have to fight all the ogres at once, not if she can help it. Pointing a finger at the ogre currently not on the receiving end of Sulan's tender attentions, she wills it to succumb to deep slumber.
The angry ogre manages to resist Murob's hex through pure force of will.
Sulan charges in, swinging his axe at one of the ogres. His night-vision allows him to get into melee range easily, and the ogre's blindness prevents it from reacting to him cleaving through its chest. It growls, but stays up.
Meanwhile, Ehiz lights up the battlefield, casting a pale illumination in a circle around him.
Looking toward the camp and trying to make out any approaching figures against the firelight, Victor curses under his breath "Zyphus Knochen, nur unser Glück" before slipping forwards with his head below the wheat, trying to let the confusion of battle mask his movement long enough to get in range as he dashes forwards through the field to bring his soul-blade down on the ogre's flank.