The door bursts open and you see two guards easily carrying a squirming halfling. The halfling is wearing worn and stained brown leggings, a dark blue tunic and matching tunic and flathat. His bright red-orange hair, clearly in need of a wash, bursts out from under his cap. He has on his back a brown pack that has clearly seen much use and appears to have been mended repeatedly. The halfling appears to be young, perhaps still in his late teens. He is also quite unwashed.
"Enough of this! What is going on?!"
The guards drop him unceremoniously on the floor. He jumps to his feet and glares at the guards as he brushes himself off. He glances around the room, leaps up onto the table
and demands
"Who is in charge here? What is going on?"
** spoiler omitted **
The door bursts open and you see two guards easily carrying a squirming halfling. The halfling is wearing worn and stained brown leggings, a dark blue tunic and matching tunic and flathat. His bright red-orange hair, clearly in need of a wash, bursts out from under his cap. He has on his back a brown pack that has clearly seen much use and appears to have been mended repeatedly. The halfling appears to be young, perhaps still in his late teens. He is also quite unwashed.
"Enough of this! What is going on?!"
The guards drop him unceremoniously on the floor. He jumps to his feet and glares at the guards as he brushes himself off. He glances around the room, leaps up onto the table
1d20 + 10
and demands
"Who is in charge here? What is going on?"
"Ah, how kind of you to join us, Jamros." The fat man says with a broad grin. "In your case, consider this your second chance. Either you can sit down and listen to my offer, or I can have my associates here," he motions to the guards who deposited you so unceremoniously on the floor, "deliver you directly to the princess, who I am quite certain will not be nearly so lenient in light of your past behavior as I am prepared to be. Now sit down and behave yourself."
"We will begin in a few moments, so that our apparent latecomers have a chance to arrive," he announces to the room at large before returning to his papers.
Perception:
Perception on Jamros:
Eleri responds to the guard's comment as she walks through the door.
Knowledge (History):
"Ah yes, the Horns. Well, even if Goldcrest is operating with less cavalry at the moment, that will hardly be much of a hindrance to them in the upcoming siege unless they've figured out a way for horses to scale our defenses or brought enough artillery to batter down a gap in the walls extensive enough for a massed charge down the streets."
When she looks away from the guard and sees the group of relatively young well-armed men sitting around the table, a clear expression of surprise forms on her face and she whispers something to herself as she seats herself.
"These people are clearly not casters. I thought they'd bring all the mages together for a separate briefing, but perhaps they're giving each of us a group to serve as bodyguard..? Well, if I'm going to war, it's all for the better that I have this lot to soak up arrows and keep the enemy away from me."
Resting her elbows on the table, Eleri quickly scans over the nametags on the table and glances up at the corresponding faces.
Perception on Jamros
Perception on Eleri
Pygrado turns to the woman seated at his right and says "You must have been, as was I, misinformed about the reason you were called here. It seems they're putting together a group with varied skill-sets."
As you sit, waiting, another guard walks in and whispers in the fat man's ear.
"Sir, it appears the dwarf chose not to accept our offer. He has departed into the city once more. Should we seek a replacement?"
"That is unfortunate," says the fat man, "but I suppose it can't be helped. No, don't bother. Please give this report to the princess immediately, and then tell the king that I will have an update for him regarding our plans for the southern expedition in an hour."
"And now, to business!" Exclaims the fat man as he turns once more to you lot. "As some of you may know, my name is Master Vincenzo di Tezirah, and I am one of the king's advisors. He told you a bit about the military situation here in Silverkeep, but some things are best revealed behind closed doors. The true plan is as follows - we have no intention of allowing Stronginthearm's forces to besiege us here. Instead, we plan to disable them before they ever reach our gates. To do this, we must eliminate or badly batter their mercenary cavalry forces so that our own cavalry may quickly strike and eliminate their siege equipment. If this stratagem succeeds, they will be left without a means of entering our city and will be forced to retreat or be crushed by our own army when it returns. Consequently, I have a task for you."
He pauses to shuffle some papers, "About half a day's ride east from this city is a goblin tribe's current war camp. They call themselves the 'blood shard clan.' We have tolerated their presence up to now, but they may yet serve some purpose. You see," he continues with a broad grin on his face, "goblins possess on overriding hatred for horses and dogs, both of which Stronginthearm's army employs in battle. If the goblins were to catch wind that there would be a significant cavalry force employing guard dogs in the area, they would likely launch an all-out attack on that force. Therefore, your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to lure, trick, negotiate, or otherwise incite the goblins into attacking this force. You will each be paid a sum of 1000 gold pieces for your services, as well as the right to keep any gear you come across in the course of completing this assignment."
"Stronginthearm's army is currently about two to three days' march from the city, and will likely pass through the Pendrian Gorge sometime tomorrow, as it provides the fastest route here. It would prove an ideal location for the ambush should you be able to direct the goblins in some manner. And last, a quick cautionary word: goblins are incredibly superstitious. On no account show them a book, scroll, or any other form of writing. Even alluding to such objects may be dangerous. You see, they typically believe that the written word steals your soul, and therefore believe that anyone who is literate cannot be trusted. Any questions?" He asks, looking around expectantly.
Goblins. Our strategic hope for the city is really goblins...What chance could the little buggers possibly stand against a modern and fully equipped army?
Goblins. Our strategic hope for the city is really goblins...What chance could the little buggers possibly stand against a modern and fully equipped army?
** spoiler omitted **
"Heh. They don't need to win, they need only throw the army's cavalry vanguard into disarray and weaken them enough that our cavalry can destroy the approaching siege equipment more easily."
Perception:
Eleri:
Vincenzo:
Knowledge Geography:
Martin stands up from his chair, placing one hand upon the table, accidentally squishy a grape that was lying there.
"Well, I can't argue with a thousand gold, but why gather this particular group of people? I know we need to get moving for this plan to work, but how did you pick us? I mean, while I hold king and country in the highest regard, it's no secret that I haven't always been on best terms with the army core."
Caladrius leans back in his chair slightly less to answer in an arch tone. Martin, is it? I am going to assume that we are here because we are each the best at...He looks around the room at the group that has assembled...something.
"Seems a reasonable assumption."
He stands.
"As an assassin, I'm skilled in stealth, subterfuge, and the dealing of death. Question is, which one of you is the negotiator, since that seems the most important role? And do you speak Goblin?"
Turning to Vincenzo: "Actually, how far is this pass is the goblin camp? Unless I do my math incorrectly, we'd need to motivate them to our side rather quickly if they're to be in position in time."
"Additionally, it might be in our interest to assist the goblins in their ambush." Turning to Gareth, "As a woodsman, you might want to go ahead, scout the area, perhaps set a few traps. Then again, it might be best to stick together if the Goldcrestians are sending scouts..."
Pygrado will keep talking like this, half to himself, until someone else interrupts him at about this point. Then he will quietly sit back down in his seat and listen attentively.
Perception:
Eleri:
Vincenzo:
Jamros looks at pygrado and opens his mouth, then thinks better of it and turns to Vincenzo and says
"Lets see, one full day to get to the goblin's camp and back, perhaps another third of a days ride to Pendrian Gorge. Unless we leave now and the Goblins can manage to assemble a force worth attacking within only a few hours, this must fail miserably. And even then we will need our own steads, which I'm sure you can supply us, Master Tezirah .... "
Jamros looks intently at the Master of Ceremonies.
Perception on Eleri:
Perception on Vincenzo:
"Wait, hold up there... Pygrado was it? If you're looking for a woodsman, you probably should talk to Martin. He's the wilderness guide after all. As far as the Goblin negotiation, I think I'll be able to handle it. I have some tricks up my sleeve, though I don't know any Goblin. And it looks to me like we don't have much time, so we might as well get riding, boys."
"Seems a reasonable assumption."
** spoiler omitted **
He stands.
"As an assassin, I'm skilled in stealth, subterfuge, and the dealing of death. Question is, which one of you is the negotiator, since that seems the most important role? And do you speak Goblin?"
Turning to Vincenzo: "Actually, how far is this pass is the goblin camp? Unless I do my math incorrectly, we'd need to motivate them to our side rather quickly if they're to be in position in time."
"Additionally, it might be in our interest to assist the goblins in their ambush." Turning to Gareth, "As a woodsman, you might want to go ahead, scout the area, perhaps set a few traps. Then again, it might be best to stick together if the Goldcrestians are sending scouts..."
Pygrado will keep talking like this, half to himself, until someone else interrupts him at about this point. Then he will quietly sit back down in his seat and listen attentively.
"Yes and no, Caladrius," Vincenzo stands and begins pacing, ticking off points on his fingers as he makes them. "Yes, each of you is skilled in your particular field. Some of you are accomplished combatants, others use magic, you know how to negotiate, some of you are stealthy, and some of you know the area around Silverkeep quite well. However, few of you are formally a part of Silverkeep's society. The city needs its more orthodox experts in public view around the city to raise morale and to inspire the unskilled. You, its less orthodox experts, are better employed outside the city where you can work in the city's defense outside the public view."
Bluff:
The underlying message you sense is that you are also more expendable than the city's "more orthodox experts," as Vincenzo described them.
"As for your tactics in dealing with the goblins and the approaching force, I leave your methods up to you. I have ordered that you, as a group, receive 1000 gold worth of credit in items that can be withdrawn from our stock of potions and assorted materiel to assist you in this mission. The city will provide you with horses and tack should you require them."
"I expect you to turn the goblins loose on the approaching cavalry and to return with news of the battle. It seems unlikely that you will have time to return here before they pass through the gorge."
"It seems there's little time to waste, then. I'm in! What about the rest of you?"
"It seems there's little time to waste, then. I'm in! What about the rest of you?"
"It seems there's little time to waste, then. I'm in! What about the rest of you?"
I accept as well. Let's get to it! What are we to tell the guards at the armory and stables?
The Pendrian Gorge is a relatively clear but narrow ravine through otherwise thick forest - the Pendrian Woods. It is a winding stone ravine that sometimes experiences flash floods in spring and after a heavy rain. The next-fastest route to Silverkeep would be through the Arville Hills, and would add about two days to an army's travel time.
The Pendrian Woods are reasonably well-explored. On their northern edge live the Blood Shard goblins, while the most notably dangerous wildlife known to live within are dire wolves, bears, and giant spiders. Legends tell of a more sinister threat known to local folklore as the "tongue stalker beast." Whatever manner of creature it is, if it even exists, it is believed to be something altogether dissimilar to the normal creatures found in the woods.
The deepest reaches of the Pendrian Woods are rumored to be home to a number of more sinister and decidedly less natural creatures. Myths and rumors would tell you that the deep forests on Atlus hold a close connection to the Fey realms, and that the creatures of those realms occasionally become stranded on the material plane. The legends of a "tongue stalker beast" that lives within are likely the result of one such planar interloper.
It seems to me that we need a particularly clever plan here. Perhaps we could herd the goblins into the path of Stronginthearm's forces. Maybe if we made it look like the Goldcrest cavalry and their war dogs had killed goblins and then laid a trail back to the gorge.
The gorge that the Goldcrest cavalry is going to be traveling through is notorious for its occasional flash floods. If we could engineer one of these, in conjunction with the goblins it would further damage the cavalry and deal with any particularly belligerent goblins left over at the same time. I do so like an elegant solution to multiple problems like this.
Also, the forest around the gorge is rumored to have an unusual connection to the extraplanar home of the Fey. An outsider or two lured into the path of the army would do considerably more damage than a band of goblins could, but I think that this is a plan particularly prone to disastrous mishap and I think we should avoid it at all costs.
Well, how many Goblins are we talking here? I'd rather not risk the ire of hundreds when we might be able to win them to our side. But a small force might not have much effect...
Knowledge Nature:
"It seems to me that we will have time to talk about our plan as we ride, for now we should get going. Of course, this also means that I am in of course. I do have to say that I am not that familiar with this particular pass though, as I have never left the city through this particular way, as I preferentially use a side route."
So I just realized I dont have knowledge local, which seems very silly with this particular back story, do you mind if I switch from knowledge dungeoneering to knowledge local?
"Those are some fun ideas Caladrius, but how would be able to implement any of those? Also, I've been thinking... would it really be necessary to involve the goblins in this whole... mess? Stopping the Goldcrest cavalry with a flash flood sounds pretty excellent to me."
He turns to Eleri,
"You, Eleri. You seem like the spell casting sort. Do you have anything you can cast to, you know, flood the gorge?"
"Otherwise, Vince did talk about the goblins disliking writing. Maybe we could use that fact to our advantage somehow?"
Sense Motive:
Do I have a hunch that Vincenzo is just looking to "kill two birds with one stone" here by looking for an excuse to have the goblin camp become involved in combat and subsequently get slaughtered?
Also, did he like that I just called him Vince?
Well, how many Goblins are we talking here? I'd rather not risk the ire of hundreds when we might be able to win them to our side. But a small force might not have much effect...
"We believe that there may several hundred goblins in this clan, spread over a small area above a series of caves. For whatever reason, they haven't been more than occasionally inclined to raid our territory, and even then they came only in small numbers, and our forces have repulsed them each time."
"Well, we should hasten to leave but not until we know what supplies we'll need. As for flooding the gap, I have some knowledge of carpentry and construction, and might be able to dam and divert a nearby river, though I haven't used it in years, and that's a project for a few weeks and a dozen strong laborers, not six of us overnight... No, dealing with the goblins seems to be the best option. Perhaps if we time it right we could ride into their camp, slay a score, then when they give chase lead them right into the flanks of Stronginthearm's calvalry, counting on the prepondrance of horses and dogs to divert their aggression."
Maybe if we cannot divert a rover fast enough we could engineer some sort of deadfall trap in conjunction with the goblins. Either nets right before the goblins get there or trees and rocks during the battle.
A deadfall can be a quick and easy trap to set up, so long as you have the appropriate materials. These traps are commonly employed in forests to trap and/or kill game by dropping logs or stones onto the target. In a stony area, a rockslide could be rigged to produce a similar effect under the right conditions. The typical deadfall requires rope, some sort of mechanism (easily improvised and dependent on the desired payload of the trap), and a payload to be effective, as well as some skill to aim it properly. To produce a rockslide, an area with large, loose rocks would be needed, and some means would have to be found of initiating the slide. Some sort of blasting powder may be of use here, like what is used in Silverkeep's mine systems.
Or alternatively we could set a trap using blasting powder from the mines.
Caladrius turns to Vincenzo and outlines the plan. If we had a cart of blasting powder and a few laborers we could rig the gorge to explode on the enemy. Would it be possible to set this up while some of us went to incite the goblins to attack? The combination of the two, goblins to hold the enemy in place and the explosions to bring the gorge down on them would be most effective I think. Also the most fun to watch.
@ The rest of the party: Does anyone else have any grasp of engineering to help with this plan?
Kn(eng)
[b]As I mentioned, I've done some construction work in the past, though I've never worked with blasting powder. We put stuff up, not the other way around.[b]
Don't look at me. Trust me, I'm all in for blowing up the gorge, but if you're asking me to set the charges, then... Well, then we might take down more than just the Goldcrest cavalry.
As for the goblins, perhaps we could trick them to thinking that we are one of their deities? If they think we're supernatural beings and we provide them news of the coming cavalry charge, they could be persuaded to prepare an ambush. There's no need to run into the camp, killing a number of them, and then running off.
Knowledge Religion:
Do I know anything about the goblins' deities, if they worship any, and how we could appear to impersonate them?
Don't look at me. Trust me, I'm all in for blowing up the gorge, but if you're asking me to set the charges, then... Well, then we might take down more than just the Goldcrest cavalry.
As for the goblins, perhaps we could trick them to thinking that we are one of their deities? If they think we're supernatural beings and we provide them news of the coming cavalry charge, they could be persuaded to prepare an ambush. There's no need to run into the camp, killing a number of them, and then running off.
** spoiler omitted **
"I leave the exact strategy up to you, gentlemen and lady." Vincenzo begins to gather his papers to make ready to depart. "You know your objectives, and now I must meet with the king. Sergeant Burris here," he says, motioning to the guard who escorted Eleri into the room, "will help you requisition whatever supplies you need and will get you safely on your way. Good luck." With that, Vincenzo turns and leaves the room. The guards remain.
Gareth mutters something to himself as Vincenzo leaves.
He clears his throat, then addresses the remaining people in the room.
"Anyways, as I was saying, I actually know quite a bit about these deities that these goblins worship. I'll try to give you guys a brief run-through. This tribe is actually an interesting bunch. Most goblin tribes primarily worship Lamashtu, along with four barghest deities that Lamashtu rescued from hell. But this tribe doesn't worship Lamashtu, which is really strange.
There's two main deities - both barghests - that they worship. One is named Hadregash, who's into promoting goblin world domination, territory gain, and the enslavement of other races. If we posed as him, we could try to play the angle of telling the goblins that they have a rare opportunity to stagger Goldcrest's army and take more land in the area.
Otherwise, there's the other deity, Zarongel. He has a particular hatred towards dogs - I mean, he's sort of the deity of dog killing. And setting things on fire too. And he really promotes mounted combat, so if one of us posed as him we could play the angle that a pack of mounted dogs are about to storm the gorge.
I think it would be a mistake to act as Lamashtu, as these Blood Shard goblins seem to dislike her, from what I remember.
What do you guys think? Could we pull off a disguise somehow? And does anyone know more about what a barghest would look like? Cause I have no clue."
Gareth smiles and scans the silenced room, proud of his contribution, "You guys should read about it when you get a chance; this stuff is pretty interesting."
...
What do you guys think? Could we pull off a disguise somehow? And does anyone know more about what a barghest would look like? Cause I have no clue."Gareth smiles and scans the silenced room, proud of his contribution, "You guys should read about it when you get a chance; this stuff is pretty interesting."
Jamros begins in his young tenor,
I'm queasy with the faking a deity. There's gunna be a cleric who spots us and spoils the whole thing. We could escape, but as I see it, we've only got one chance. I think it would be much easier to disguise ourselves as members of Goldcrest's forces, storm in and and steal something/ kidnap/ kill a few of their number while making a big fuss about a good source of dog food. Then, we ride to Goldcrest's cavalry. But how do we make sure Goldcrest's army will be in the right place at the right time? Maybe it would be easiest to talk to the goblins?
Then, after a beat,
I'm all about explosives.
And then, almost tragically,
But I couldn't set one to save my life.
I think that we should both set explosives and try to lure the goblins into the gorge. Just to make sure we succeed thoroughly against the enemy cavalry.
Barghests are solitary predators initially, but once they have grown in power by consuming the flesh of the dead they seek out goblin clans to take over and lead. Only magic seems to penetrate their thick hides, and they are at least as intelligent as humans.
"Yeah, I mean, do you really think any of us could pull off a disguise as a God? It seems pretty far-fetched that they'd believe that, especially given that we don't look like Goblins, speak like Goblins, or have godly powers. Unless one of you has godly powers, in which case by all means use them, though if you could smite Stronginthearm's cavalry we can skip dealing with the Goblins altogether.
I think Jamros'--it was Jamros, yes?--idea of getting them to chase us right to Stronginthearm's cavalry might be the better bet, given that we have horses to outrun them. That said, I've never ridden a horse in my life, so I should probably go with the booby-trapping group. Are any of you skilled riders?
I think Jamros'--it was Jamros, yes?--idea of getting them to chase us right to Stronginthearm's cavalry might be the better bet, given that we have horses to outrun them. That said, I've never ridden a horse in my life, so I should probably go with the booby-trapping group. Are any of you skilled riders?[/b]
Knowledge Religion:
Martin stands up from his chair, and begins pacing behind the table."Im surprised to say it, but of the ideas proposed, I think the halfling is onto something. We spook the goblins, acting like a goldcrest army, then make a break for it.I have experience riding horses both in and out of combat," nodding to Gareth, "and I'm sure this man does as well. We just have to be careful because the woods in the area are completely peaceful, being full of giant spiders dire wolves, and bears. We would want to make a preliminary sweep of our escape route. Also, how do we plan on doing explosives and luring the goblins?"
"Yeah, yeah, my plan sounded kind of far-fetched to me too, but it would have been pretty cool if we pulled it off. I dunno, we could have dressed up as prophets of one of those two gods instead of as the deities themselves. It would be easier that way..."
Gareth, notes the clear disapproval in the room, sighs slightly, and then acknowledges Martin's comment, "And, yes, Martin, as a member of the Silver Guard, I do have experience riding horses. But let me get this straight... how are we going to time the attack perfectly? We have to line up three things: the Goldcrest charge, the Goblin attack and the explosives. And assuming the three events line up perfectly, what happens when all of us riders, dressed up as Goldcrest cavalry, appear in front of the rest of the army?"
He briefly stretches and yawns, and then adds,
"All I'm saying is that if we want to guarantee the goblins are going to be in place in time, we're going to need to talk to them. Otherwise there's way too many balls we're trying to juggle here."
"We just have to be careful because the woods in the area are completely peaceful, being full of giant spiders dire wolves, and bears."
Knowledge(Local)
Knowledge(Geography)
"We haven't much time; the Goblin Camps are a half day from us and a half day from the pass. We should split into a raiding group and a trapping group and meet at the pass. Is anyone familiar with Harrod's Vista? My parents took me there once when I was young and I think it'd be a prime site for an ambush."
Knowledge Local:
Knowledge Geo:
Knowledge(Local):
Knowledge(Geography):
"The other thing that might make my plan or something similar work well is that these goblins are very superstitious, so if we can flash some kind of magic or technology or just do something they can't explain, they'll attribute it to their gods. Maybe if we could use a spell to amplify my voice, or do something to flash a bunch of lights around the area, we could be a little more convincing?"
Turning to Sergeant Burris, Jamros asks
"Do you have anything that might look like a Goldcrest uniform, or something we could wear to make us look like one of them? A banner or something?
Addressing the party,
I know nothing of the goblin language, survive mostly by luck, have never been in a fight worth mentioning and couldn't build a box. I'm really more trouble than I'm worth. I can been sneaky when I need to be, but not much else. The real question is, how will we coordinate our actions? If the gorge collapsed while the army was a-marching through, the army could be cut in two, even without the help of the goblins. How wide is the gorge? Does it matter if it collapses during the fight, or would it work for it to go before?