"The back door is not unattended, it will require clearing out those caves that are currently occupied by Pharasma knows what, and should the sounds of us doing so be heard then it will be a trivial matter for the Ogres to bottle us up and then overwhelm us"
We get in quietly. We do not attack until we know what we are facing. If it is too strong, we pull back and reconsider our tactics.
Groaning from the deck KArlan is staring upward while his mouth moves. "Ogres too small to fit in caves right. We have spellcasters that can make those caves smaller. Make tunnels for us. More worried about things not ogres."
"Another ball of invisibility, and in through the cave. Lets just make sure no one knows we are off this time though. No talking to anyone, I don't want any more people to go 'missing' needlessly"
""Another ball of invisibility, and in through the cave. Lets just make sure no one knows we are off this time though. No talking to anyone, I don't want any more people to go 'missing' needlessly"
Celestra hears the half orc's warning and turns slightly red, feeling a bit responsible for speaking too much in the past. "I cannot promise no talking, but I will promise to restrict my topics of conversation. I just cannot always help myself, Harry. I love to visit with interesting people."
"I know what you are going to say, Harry, but I sincerely promise that I will try."
Ailetha looks to the to big warriors.
I will do everything to get us in unseen. We will find what is there. The we take them down one by one . . . including the lamia wenches and whatever giant they are in cahoots with.
Perhaps if we do need to fight stealthily, Lady Zomesco might ask her god to silence their alerts and cover our noises? If I understood correctly the energies involved, her fervor should be strong enough to even allow our magic-users to cast inside the protected area. Of course, that should be our last resort to avoid putting the fort on alert, but it seems reliable enough.
Looking at Karlan, Marek adds:
I suppose using a somewhat lighter armor just for the infiltration process would be too troublesome for sir Karlan and Lady Zomesco...?
Ailetha looks to Marek.
I too can silence people for a short period of time. But such a spell does not last long and reduces my ability to cast other spells.
While you are discussing your next plans, you reach the Turtleback Inn again and Harry is able to persuade bartender and cook to prepare the giant pike for you...about an hour later you are on your rooms again, with a fine meal. good winde and a soft bed waiting for you.
[oooc]Skip to next day and return travel to the fort?[/ooc]
Yup, I think that is the plan. - Celestra, Karlan and Marek will need to prepare any spells.
Celestra is delighted to return to the comforts of a nice inn, where good ale is available and conversation is aplenty. Celestra sits up and visits with the locals and her companions. However, she makes a conscious effort to avoid discussing their plans and next steps. The closest she comes is with a toast she gives her deity. "Let's all give a toast to Cayden Cailean for leading us safely this far. May he give us the courage to venture onward and smite down the evil that we may face wherever we go!"
That evening, she finds comfort and warmth with her beloved companion, Alana, with whom she draw close as soon as they are alone.
"My dearest, Alana, I thank Cayden Cailean every day for bringing you into my life! I would not be able to continue on this quest were it not for your constant love and support!"
The next morning, Celestra sleeps in later than she should have and scrambles to prepare her spells for the upcoming day!
"My love you underestimate your self. You were doing quite well for yourself before meeting me, I am sure you could manage this and much harsher ones had you not met me. That is, of course, not to say that I am not overjoyed that I did find my way into your life. It was rather lucky that I happened to be in the right place at the right time!"
In the vening you all have misgivings about the travel back to the fort, but the well-roasted pike and the sweet wine are able to drive most of them away.
They return instantly the next morning when the first snowflakes of the year fall on Turtleback Ferry...
"past the fort, lets get invisible and straight into the side passage, no delaying outside in the cold, the tunnel will at least be sort of dry"
"Snow and mountains." Karlan says as they trk back up the hill. "Starting to look more like home by the minute.
The ascent up to Hook Mountain is even less comfortable than it was last time, cold winds tear at your clothes and you are more than happy that this is the second time you take this route. Being somewhat familiar with the path makes it much safer to get up to the mountain and after more than a day's travel, you finally reach the place of your battles against the ogre elite again.
"Look at this place. It doesn't look like it has changed much since we were last here. So where is the secret entrance to the fort. I would much prefer to avoid go near those front doors again!"
"We aren't, we are going to the cave"
"The cave? what's in the cave? I thought we were going to take out the rest of the ogres in the fort? I'm sorry, have I not been paying attention agin?"
"You remember? The cave filled with unknown horribleness that the Divinations suggested was no safer or better than simply attacking the front gate? The bottleneck where we can get locked in at either end and when we eventually surface in the middle of the fort we will have to fight all its denizens anyway? Yeah that cave..."
"Oh good grief! Why do I want to remember such a cave anyway? This sounds like it is going to be a lot harder doing a good deed than it ever use to. Well if there is divine magic at work, then who am I to dispute it. We just have to accept that it is going to be tough. Onward to the cave!"
"Good deed? Is that what we are calling this? I call it misplaced charity to be honest"
Ailetha shrugs at the conversation between Celestra and Harry:
Ogres and giants and lamias collect treasure. We shall find something. I do not know what, but something is guaranteed to be found within.
"Yet for all the Ogres we have killed in all this time, we have only some heavily used wands to show for it. We got more wealth with the left over pickings of a remote manor house. When was our last loot divvy> I'll tell you, Magnimar. Not a copper sail since."
"Sounds like a grand adventure!"
"I'm not sure I'd put it that way." Karlan says pushing through some thick udnerbrush. "Lots of good and bad people died and in the end we had to flee for our lives from the real threat. And before this is over I don't doubt that pile of bodies is only going to grow. Either with grim discovery of past horrors...or through the destruction of those trying to bring on new ones. Money's the last thing on my mind."
"We had to run because these things are ridiculously superior to any Ogres we would normally expect to have encountered - they fended off more hits and were far more brutal than any Ogre ever spoken of - just one of them the equivalent of a warboss from Belkzen, an amazing feat to have a fort full of them, and that was the force casually left behind apparently. You might not be in it for the money, but how's your weapons and armour holding up in the face of this or better?"
The heated debate takes you to the cavern entrance - a yawning black hole, quite large in size that narrows dowon to not much more than a slit within only a few metres.
It's just wide enough that you can pass through without having to move sideways. The stones glistenes wetly and is ice-cold...
Invisible or not - I need a marching order :)
Marching order:
Harry
Marek
Ailetha
Karlan
Alana
Celestra
That is my choice. If stealth is not important, then we move Karlan up to the 2nd slot.
"As you wish, Ailetha, I am happy to serve!"
You push forward through the dark until it widens after about three minutes to the size of a quite large tunnel, about 4m wide and 3m high.
Old traces of work done with pickaxes show that the tunnel is not natural and that the narrow gap was left as it is to hide the actual entrance.
In the distance of the winding tunnel, somewhere out of sight, you can hear a deep bass voice sing a song...it's too far away to make out any details, but the melody is rather tuneless.
Perception:
Between trying to keep Harry from grumbling, Karlan from sounding like a freight train (whatever that is) and the ladies from attacking each other, Ailetha is not really paying much attention.
Perception
Harry stops the party and signals that something is ahead.
Celestra follows Harry's directive and waits until they are ready to move onward. However, she wonders what is nearby.
'We can shuffle up, just try not to make too much noise"
Perception check:
I hear it.
Marek takes to the far end of the group and casts a spell, running his fingers through the silvery blade of his scimitar.
Go further? As a group or send a scout?
I will cast globe of invisibility. It does take the same level 3 slot as haste though. Might be better to cast Invisibility on Harry and let him investigate. That would be my recommendation.
Yeah done.
Stealth +Invis.
Assuming that just the individual invisibility was cast on Harry, Celestra will hang back with Alana and enjoy her company, while she passes the time waiting for Harry's return.
"Alana, my luv, where ever did you get that traveller's outfit? Did I ever tell you how great you look in it!"
KArlan shushes them as HArry wanders off. His grip tight on his glaive he has since shut the bullseye lantern he normally carries leaving the paladin in the pitch darkness. Which only makes him more tense.
You sneak down the tunnel and gradually the humming becomes louder and louder. After about 50m the darkness of the tiunnel is lit up by torch light falling out of the room from which the humming comes. Cautiously you close to room's entrance and there he is - an obese ogre turning his back to you while he chops human body parts into small portions...
Harry returns and signals the party, then moves in to hack the Ogre to death.
Karlan moves in to hack the ogre to death.
That is, laefully, and goodly, with extreme prejudice.
Ailetha moves up behind the men prepared to begin a silent, and rather humorous dance to lift their spirits as they disembowel the ogre.
Ailetha will start Inspire Courage with a silent dance as soon as she can see Harry, Karlan, and the ogre.
Celestra quietly follows at the rear, willing to help as she is able.
My dearest Cayden Cailean, please grant Harry and Karlan the strength to put an end to these wretched ogres!
To ambush the ogre you have to pass a sneak check DC 10...still he's singing...well, or at least what the ogre thinks that singing is...
Stealth
For the record KArlan's just going to run up and start swinging with his polearm regardless.