The ghost drifts softly and silently across the rocks at a walking pace.
With two invisible, flying imps, and several other flying members of the party, you do a pretty good job of scouting the surrounding mountains without being seen yourselves.
EDIT: Looks like Illia- is flying all the way to the city. If she wants to take a good look at it, it's... a small city, or a large town, at night. Not a lot of bustle, a few lanterns lit in windows, and a lot of crossbow-wielding guards standing above the gates.
The city of Solku doesn't actually come into view until the next morning, when the group's already made a good deal of progress down the path. While the mountains around you obscure the view quite a bit, from altitude you can see all the way to your destination, twinkling off in the distance about thirty miles away. The mountain forts and gnoll encampments seem to be where you'd expect, as well, although it's hard to tell without getting too close to be seen because they blend much better into the rocks.
With so many scouts, I don't think perception checks are necessary unless someone wants to do some extraordinary feats of spying.
And meanwhile, not long after sunrise, when the visibility's better, Illia—who, I assume, is generally scouting the furthest and the fastest, reports a gnoll raiding party camped out atop a ridge that overhangs the road about five miles ahead of the party. There are six or seven of them, hiding among the rocks with spears and bows, and they don't look strong or clever but they do look hungry.
"Ok, uh, guys.. There's a group of Gnolls ahead, five miles. Weak and few enough that unless one is a hidden master of kung-fu or something, we get to do anything we want to them." Illia reported back.
"Evade, charm, capture, or slaughter?"Illia asked rather nonchalantly. While timid by nature, Gnolls were so far below even Illia, that even she was fairly confident when dealing with them.
"All of the above?" says the elf. "Lets just keep moving on past them... If they pick up on us its their funeral, right?" she looks up to the sky and nonchalantly adds, "The stars sure are lovely tonight, aren't they? Pretty romantic."
Illia nods along with Shimsil, but then is rapidly confused by the seemingly contradictory suggestions of Iranaset.
"Evade," pronounced the ghost. "Unless you want to bring in their heads as a hostess gift. You might learn something from captives, but we already know where the gnoll encampments are and can get a rough count of their numbers by ourselves if the people ahead don't have them."
"I suggest a test. If we can't sneak past the gnolls, we need to rethink our plan for infiltrating the town."
Dris doesn't even slow really as the question of what do about the gnolls is asked. He swirls about his allies, still in his wind form, and when it seems like the decision is to move on, he does so.
Anaxian had been drifting lazily on the wind thirty or forty feet up, keeping his own council. When discussion of the gnolls came up, he considered.
"We could simply arrange for them to discover Shimsil. The strongest of them would claim the blade, then Shimsil could take over the creature's mind, go back to their tribe, gift himself to their leader and take over the whole lot of them."
"From there it would be a simple thing to stage an attack on the city which we could save them from."
"Opening the city gates for a horde of gnolls could be quite an interesting start to this task. It would be best if such things could not be traced back to us even with magic. Perhaps Delyliath's charms could provide us with a suitable patsy for that job? So long as we killed them in such a way that spells such as Speak With Dead would not work, all that any diviner could learn would be the actual events, rather than their causes."
Mal's entire body starts to smoke, but it doesn't blow away in the breeze. Instead It seems to roll up his arm and coalesce into a horse starting at the bridle, which Mal is holding. When the shape completes forming it solidifies fully. It's hair is a dark grey with rings of such around onyx black hooves.
"I am ready to travel. "
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"Opening the city gates for a horde of gnolls could be quite an interesting start to this task. It would be best if such things could not be traced back to us even with magic. Perhaps Delyliath's charms could provide us with a suitable patsy for that job? So long as we killed them in such a way that spells such as Speak With Dead would not work, all that any diviner could learn would be the actual events, rather than their causes."
"Might we be overthinking this a bit? Yes, if we we will technically have fulfilled our mission. But there may be a simpler way to go about it. In fact, there is.
"Espionage is espionage. Assassination is assassination. Mixing our drinks sounds like a bad recipe in this instance."
The ghost paused again. "We are to kill a man. A man eats, so he can be poisoned. A man sleeps, so he can be stabbed in his bedchamber. A man walks, talks, works,... and can be struck down at any of those points. Why not simply find his bed?"
"I thought we were committing espionage to do assassination better..." Illia responded. "Isn't that a mix? If we cause a credible enough threat to the city to draw him out, then we get to find out some measure of his power without being the focus of his ire. Thus, espionage to better assassinate."
"that is true... but still...
All the ideas about using gnolls or not comes AFTER we enter the city.
and while we settle down, if we find out the high priest is vulnerable I'm absolutely in favor of ditching every subtelty in favor of smashing his head with a rock or whatever crude way to kill him we can devise.
Until then, nobody should act to do anything but just enter the city.
but judging by the red woman words I doubt he's that easy to approach..
Delyliath reappeared before the group.her clothes was changed. they were masculine now.
"just try to reach the town as soon as you can... since there is no need for us to reach the town all together we may even go right now and start to provide us with a roof while you travel... I would go as soon as I know nobody is going to plan other stops or to announce himself as a messenger of the gods"
"I shall go to the city. I will be a priest having taken a vow of silence. Who shall accompany me and speak for me? You'll need to pose as a squire or companion of some kind." Mal still looks like a cleric of Sanrae. His costume has held since he changed back in the cave.
"Aranix, follow Malefeasance, in a form that will not disturb the locals. I will follow behind, unseen." The drow nods.
"I suppose you could pretend to have taken a vow of silence, but that'd sure make it hard to preach hope, redemption, and yada yada yada." Iranaset says, fluttering her hands around. 'Why don't we just borrow your tongue for a little while and say it was cut out, not like you'll miss it for too long right?"
She continues walking, listening to the others chime in with their ideas. "What am I gonna be in this grand charade again? Maybe your prisoner? Some unfortunate soul you're trying to turn from evil? Maybe you all should handcuff me or something fun like that, since we're erring on the side of the elaborate with our plans."
Shifting back into his elven form, the Bralani states "If this form is not required, the one I was just in should be sufficient to mask my entry. After all, dust and wind blow through all towns"
Shifting back into his elven form, the Bralani states "If this form is not required, the one I was just in should be sufficient to mask my entry. After all, dust and wind blow through all towns"
"A group of adventurers would be a suitable cover. It would explain away nearly anything about ourselves in a simple and believable manor."
"Mmm.. Kay.. I think I'll go Kolyarut then." Illia's bow transformed into a hood and her wings folded into an all encompassing cloak, as her armor flowed up and molded over her body. When no one looked too close, just a hooded and cloaked figure as stereotypical of an adventure, and when they looked closer, still relatively understandable for a group of adventurers.
"Then do your best... I'm going ahead of you and make sure we all have 4 walls we can hide behind when we have to discuss our next step."
Delyliath blows a kiss to Drisquar before changing her appearance.
A boy, not older than 16 with light brown hair and green eyes.
"When you arrive look for me in one of the inns. by then I'll have a place to call home."
He smiled and disappeared from sight, only to appear a few minutes of march away from the gates of Solku.
She straightened her new clothes before stepping into the road and mixing herself in the traffic in and out of the city.
Delyliath gets a mental request before she goes. "We have one less way to fail if you just come back, give me directions, and I port directly into the room. That's a good idea, isn't it?
While disappearing she smiles at Illia "I could reach for you outside the gates... but I really wonder how anyone who is not good enough to walk inside the city is going to operate inside it once we are in."
Well, that plan should work. It sounds like most of the party is fine checking out the city first and then seeing where to go from there. Here goes:
Delyliath reaches the city first, and without incident. A group of young field hands, unemployed after the destruction of their nearby orchards by gnolls, is seeking refuge in the city until the violence passes, and she blends in with them immediately.
The city's inns are overflowing with travelers, but with a bit of waved coin she manages to find a makeshift straw bed in one of the inns' beer cellar.
Avoiding the gnolls is easy. They're not skilled trackers, and simply walking half a mile off of the path is enough to avoid them without incident.
The rest of the party sticks out a tiny bit more. When they arrive, the next morning, the city gates are open, although a dozen armed guards stand watch above them. The guards see:
-A silent, armored priest of Sarenrae
-An out-of-place Drow
-A strange, metallic warrior (failed to identify Kolyarut)
-A kitten
-A gust of wind, immediately forgotten
-A surly-looking, winged Elf (failed to identify Half-Dragon)
Only one of the guards above the gate wears full metal armor. He calls down to the group. "Beg your pardon, travelers, but you seem an odd sort, and we don't see a lot of elves out here. We don't have a lot of goods or food to spare in Solku right now, and you won't find any proper beds left. Can I ask what brings you to this part of the world, and whether you might be willing to help us with some of our troubles around town?"
"We are looking to deal with the gnolls, if there is cause, but wished to gather information in town first. Worry not, we brought enough supplies for ourselves, and shall not be a burden." Illia responded to their query. If they had in fact managed to identify the Kolyarut, Illia was doing her best to mimic their style of trying to talk in such a manner as to prevent further questioning.
"Indeed" Iranaset says, supporting Illia-. "It is getting late and we are aware that the gnolls raid mercilessly in the night. Maybe we can work out an arrangement?" She adjusts the appendages clasping her wings together at her neck and offers a toothy smile. Crossing her arms she looks over at the Kolyarut and back to the guard, adding,"I'd be willing to help you with anything you want if you ask nicely."
The cat padded along, looking up at those around it with typically judgmental eyes.
I can see we're going to need to work on blending in he thought to himslrf.
The "boy" seemingly rested after his travel decides to take a walk on the streets, look around, see what there is to see in the town.
but most of all he wasn't interested in landmarks and tourist spots, nor local entertainment. He was looking at the houses. Simple, quiet houses far from the confusion of the city.
He scouted the houses looking for something specific.
Fairly large, kinda isolated, and without a big family inside.
A place that could accommodate guests.
As he found the one that better suited his needs, the boy knocked on the door.
"Good morning. I'm really sorry to bother you but, I noticed you have this nice big home and, the inns are so crowded nowadays. I have a few friends that are going to visit and I wondered if you would have a room for guests and would be open to rent it. I swear you and your family will be well rewarded for the disturbance"
Delyliath:
You find the perfect place, in a little less than an hour of searching. There's a merchant, in an emptier and more affluent part of town, who owns a mine up in the mountains that's been shut down by gnoll activity. He's happy to rent some rooms in his house for a pittance to any adventurers who have come to kill the gnolls, especially if they're all "as charming as you are."
You may or may not be disappointed that, charmed by your massive charisma, he offered you a few rooms before you even used your Charm Person ability on him.
Everyone Else:
"You came all the way out to Solku just to help us with our gnoll problem?" asks the Captain. A few of the other guards chuckle, before he shushes them. "Seriously, though, we could use all the help we can get; it seems they've forgotten about us over in the capital right now, and we've had to rely on the aid of altruistic crusaders in our city's defense."
As you watch, the Captain of the gate guard steps down from his post, disappears behind the wall, and reappears through the gate. He (at least attempts to) shakes Iranaset's hand.
"You're welcome in our city, travelers, so long as you don't cause any trouble. If you want to help with the city's defense, you'll want to talk to someone in the Dawn Vigil--those paladins are the only reason Solku's walls are still standing. Talk to Sir Garic over at the Citadel when you have a chance, or Lady Azara, who spends most of her time at the Houses of Healing."
"Best of luck," he adds in afterthought, as you walk through the gates.
It's not long before Delyliath meets up with the group, and lets you know about the nice merchant who's agreed to let you use his house for storage, sleep, and a base of operations.
As the group arrived in town, Delyliath made sure to be noticed by them in the form she presented them before departing.
She did not approached them, but rather she leaded them by a distance, she waited to be near the house, in the emptier part of town before turning to them and telepathically say to all of them in a Galtan accent.
"Welcome to Chez Delyliath travelers."
The merchant is happily married, with two children: an unmarried daughter in her late teenage years, and a much younger son.
If you're planning to impersonate the daughter, we'll need some names—she's Dana Massar, daughter of the wealthy Tonio Massar.
As the others make way through the gate Iranaset takes the guard's hand and gives it a firm squeeze, firmer than most, while maintaining eye contact. She makes small talk, talking about the stars and the journey until the last of her partners are through the gate. With a wave and a wink she leaves, following them to their new base of operations.
"Thank you for letting us share your home, kind sir. I'm sure stories of your generosity abound in this town." says the elf, undoing her armor as she walks in. Its clear that she feels right at home. She moves toward the kitchen and if there are dirty dishes in the sink, she prestidigitizes them clean. Upon seeing the daughter she stops and looks at her curiously. "And what's your name, sweetie?"
The cat walked into the house like it owned the place and immediately disappeared into other rooms to look around the place.
"This will do nicely."
A dust cloud blows in through an open window upstairs, and resolves itself into Drisquar, who looks around dispassionately.
"Umm... I'm... Dana?" the girl replies, timidly, eyeing the party's flashy weapons, armor and teeth. "Father says you're mighty adventurers, here to defend the town? That's... cool. You should probably stay downstairs, in the guest rooms." And with that she turns, and heads up a nearby staircase.
Oh, and because why not, here's some overview of the city that you see as you pass through.
Solku is a small city, or a large town, depending on the season. Originally built as a fortified resting point for travelers headed overland through the mountains to Katapesh, its arid climate has allowed a small amount of farming to spring up around nearby rivers, while the mountains in more peaceful times are an excellent site for ore mines that hire hundreds of seasonal workers every year.
The merchant's quarter of the town is, thus, rather large, with a small bazaar and a number of warehouses and shops selling imported goods. The residential areas of the city feature a mix between permanent houses, most of them built out of old, imposing brownstone, and more recent and temporary wooden shacks and boarding houses that often go vacant but are currently full to the brink with travelers and refugees. Strong walls surround the city, rebuilt and fortified within the last decade, and the city is full of open spaces and gardens.
In the center-north of the city stands the imposing Lambent Citadel of Sarenrae, built recently and large enough to be seen even from outside the city gates. It's not quite as large as some of the temples of Absalom, but it's still the largest house of worship south of Osirion, with its imposing yellow-glass dome rising above the skyline anywhere in the city. While the Citadel was originally surrounded by grassy open spaces, since then monasteries, barracks, stables and forges have been built up around it, housing the paladins of the Dawn vigil, their followers, and various other volunteers and adventurers. It is there, you have been told, the High Priest hides, although at this point the Lambent Citadel is less of a building and more of a neighborhood.
when the whole party reached the house and gathered in the guest rooms, Delyliath, still in the form of a boy, closed the door behind her before taking her usual appearance back resulting in a demonic cross dressing bombshell.
She approached Drisquar, threw her arms around his neck a gave him a long kiss, a kiss she was almst tempted to make a little more interesting by drinking part of his soul along with it.
"welcome home my dear... did you missed me?" she asked playfully before switching her attention to the whole gang.
"so...did you had any difficulty entering town?"
Mal remains silent and plays his part.
His holy mace is openly displayed and his unholy mace is
Stowed out of sight.
Illia- for her part, turned back to normal as well, save that she went with the celestial appearance just in case she was scryed or something. And then she gave a little (because of the ceiling) jump for joy. "I didn't mess up and get everyone killed!"
Beat. Beat.
"Not.. Not that that's happened before... Of course.. Yeah."
Iranaset's smile remains wide as the young girl skips off up the stairs. The elf cranes her neck ever so slightly, her eyes growing hungry until she can not see any part of the girl anymore. "Young... Unformed... Oh, what appetites I could teach her." she muses, shivering as the thought runs through her body. Giggling she walks back to her party.
"I suppose we should make ourselves at home-?" She begins to ask, but snaps her head in Illia's direction, not expecting the jump. For a brief moment something primal overtakes her, and she looks ready to pounce Illia, but recomposes herself, realizing its not a threat. "Such a lovely creature you are." she says, smiling her now familiar toothy smile.
Iranaset, unable to meditate for long, rises out of her bed and quietly climbs the stairs, looking from room to room until she can find Dana. When she finds the room, she says a few words, waving her hand nonchalantly until it takes on a cold appearance, as if it were coated in dry ice. She moves into the girl's room and attempts to place the icy hand over her mouth.
Illia tries to smile back, but it's pretty apparent its the "trying to conceal terror behind a very forced looking smile" type. Combined with a little cringing.
"And what exactly do you plan to do with my little plaything?" Says the succubus emerging from the shadow that shrouded her.
"I guess I can share my toys with you if you promise to be a good playmate. but we should agree on the rules of the game... don't you think?"
Delyliath giggles.
She think she knows where Iranaset plans are going, but she wanted to make sure.
"I would really like to keep them all alive... just leaving them with a more interesting life."