As the Troll turns it's attention to Agathon, Jaques again tries to stun the thing with a blow to the back of the neck, where the spine should connect to the skull. This things bones are showing through the skin, and it looks humanoid enough for this to work, if I can just hit the right spot damnit!
His eyes widening as the Troll unleashes its fury upon him, Agathon will dodge about for all he’s worth to avoid the attacks.
“Whoa! Nearly got me with that one!” Agathon will narrate the battle in his mind… “
In between dodging the first claw swipe and the bite, Agathon will offer a swipe of his own:
A third swipe at the Troll: (1d20+11=14, 2d6+7=15)
Agathon mentally thanks Jacques’ fists and Belric’s axe as without them to further engage the Troll, it might have been able to step out of that slice…
“Pelor! We have caused great injury to this thing of slime… Will it never fall?”, Agathon will pray as the odors of the Troll’s innards begins its assault on his senses…
“Whoa!” Agathon will shout aloud seeing the shadowy creature attacking Belric… Agathon will reflexively fling his sword to this new strange foe:
A Cleave Attack against the shadow creature: (1d20+11=27, 2d6+7=17)
Belric shall have to look after himself for a moment. A priest of Moradin should have plenty of tricks against a thrall of darkness.
If the troll goes down, Thaddeus will go forward, pour oil on the thing, and set it alight.
If it is still there, he will move around the back of the troll, and bring the flaming end of his quarterstaff down between the creature's shoulder blades: Staff swing on troll (1d20+3=13, 1d6+1=6)
Thaddeus has a momentary urge to go forward to help his friends but shakes his head and stops in his tracks. What am I thinking? I'd get torn to ribbons. But I can still help...I know what will get that troll's attention!
The sun rod dims momentarily as Thaddeus casts flaming sphere just behind the troll and rolls it up between the troll's legs. Flaming sphere, round 1 (2d6=9)
“UNDEAD!” Belric bellows as he feels the freezing touch of the deathless. His muscles tighten and cramp, making him feel weaker!
Keeping his shield up he lets his waraxe drop by its retaining strap letting it dangle from his wrist as he pulls his holy symbol from his neck.
Thrusting it forward at the creature, Belric beseeches his Deity to provide the power of Moradin.
“By the HOLY ANVIL O MORADIN, AND HIS BLESSED FORGE, BEGONE FOUL UNCLEAN CREATURE!”
As his Holy symbol only glistens lightly of the HOLY POWER that is Moradin Belric thinks to heself Hmmm, seems that ma Lord tis not paying attention today. Ach, I can trae again, or slash it up
“LADS WARE ITS TOOCH, TIS DEATHLY FREEZING THAT SAPS YE STRENGTH!”
The troll shakes off Jacques stun attempt, but still takes a little damage. You all notice its wounds are starting to knit.
Agathon's massive strike, aided by the multi attacker bonuses, finally drops the troll, although it's rapidly pulling itself together again.
Thaddeus flaming sphere fixes that, however.
Belric stares into the shadowy whispy thing (yes, it's a shadow) and successfully turns the shadow. It lets out a raspy hiss and fades away, fleeing down the far end hallway, where you notice an orc poking his head around the corner and then disappearing again.
Belric realizes his strength drain is temporary and he'll be okay again in 24 hours.
450 xp each
Belric AC 22 36/36
Shaking off the numbing effects of the shadow, Belric looks at his companions and notices that both Jaques and Agathon are a little battered.
"Lads, let Moradin's power heal ye" Two cure light wound prayers (1d8+5=11, 1d8+5=10)
Feeling his Deity's power channel through him, Belric cannae think o anything better, unless it was drinking an ale while casting a prayer!
"There ye go lads, shall we move on tha stank o that troll tis tae mooch tae bear!"
"Do Jacques first, if you don't mind.", Thaddeus asks Belric. "I'm going to send the flaming sphere down the hallway. Jacques and I will follow it. When you're done with Agathon you can catch up to us. We must move quickly before they can fortify any more."
Thaddeus will move up to Q-4, pouring a vial of oil on the troll's burning body as he passes for good measure (is this a free action?). Then he will move the flaming sphere 30' down the hallway. The flaming sphere should wind up around square V-5.
"Jacques, if you can, tell me the twists and turns of the tunnel around the corner so I can guide the flaming sphere."
In the second round, Thaddeus will roll the flaming sphere around the corner and guide it according to Jacques' directions (if he does so). I don't expect to be able to hit anything, the objective is to get the sphere farther down the hall and closer to our next enemy. Once the sphere rounds the corner at W-4 it will have 20' of movement remaining. With his own movement, Thaddeus will advance to W-5.
Jaques listens to Thaddeus's plan while Belric's hand on his shoulder channels the healing energy into him. He feels the pain in his clawed up back vanish, as the deep gouges suddenly scab over, capillaries re-knit, and the flesh seals itself up, leaving only five thin scar lines. Truly Belric is favored by his diety Moradin. Who needs a trolls regrowth, when one has the favor or ones gods? "Thanks to you and your lord Moradin", he says to Belric, and then turns back to Thaddeus. "I'll follow the sphere as you suggest, hanging just enough back to not get hit by things aimed at the sphere". Jaques moves out fast behind the sphere when Thaddeus sets it in motion, and Jaques signal Thaddeus the contours of the route ahead.
Listening to the hasty plans of Thaddeus, Agathon will keep his silence and await his turn for Belric’s aid as the wizard quickly outlines what is to be done.
Agathon will smile as he gratefully accepts the divine ministrations of his friend.
As the now familiar power of Moradin’s healing courses through his body, Agathon will offer up a whispered prayer to both the Lord of Light and to the Power in the Earth:
“Oh Great Light, thank you for blessings this day may your visage ruin the dark places of the World! And oh Great Keeper of the Earth, Moradin, I beg thee bless your most faithful servant, Brother Belric!”
“Thank you my friend.”
Being now fully restored to health and feeling a bit ready for anything, Agathon will further whisper to the dwarf…
“Let us catch up!”
With that, Agathon will leap into action and will follow the wizard as quickly as he might…
+15 more minutes since last time count.
The flaming sphere hallway tapers upward slightly. No orcs in sight. After a few minutes of careful pursuit, you realize they're gone. Light up ahead beckons. Jacques carefully moves up and finds that the tunnel ends on the east side of the river, in Bone March territory now. Looking around he sees a tangled mess of vines, boulders, fern like plants, trees and heavily trodden paths that lead through the thick growth in all directions. These trails through the difficult terrain were recently trodden by booted feet. Even a non ranger could tell.
Thaddeus and Agathon darkvision potions: 8hrs 27min 3rds left
Jacques darvision: 8hrs 19min 3rds left
Mage Armor spell: 4hrs 44min 6rds left
Agathon barkskin Potion: 44 minutes 5 rounds remaining
During the hasty discussion of which course of action to take, Thaddeus will gently remind Agathon that we loaded all our gear and food onto two pack mules, which are safe elsewhere in the basement.
Electing to go down the spider hole and explore further, we haul pieces of, the charred troll carcass back to the appropriate room. If we cannot see the spider(s) with darkvision, we will drop a sun rod down the hole.
We will attempt to squash the spider(s) from a safe distance by dropping troll parts or rocks on them. If any of us can get a clear shot with a missile weapon, we will take it. Pouring oil on the spider(s) from above is also an option - it all depends on the shape of the hole and how much of the spider(s) are in clear view.
When the bottom of the hole seems clear, or if our efforts to kill the spider(s) fail, Jacques and Thaddeus will descend to recon in force.
Once Jacques and Thaddeus have secured the tunnel, Belric will take off his armor and come down the hole. While Belric is putting his armor back on (with Thaddeus standing watch over him), Jacques will go back up the hole to keep watch over Agathon while he takes off his own armor. When ready, Agathon will go down the hole and start putting his armor back on.
Jacques will climb in the hole but cling to the rim at the top, hidden from view, watching and listening for signs of pursuit or other activity. Once he is satisfied that we are not being pursued, and once Agathon is ready to go, Jacques will climb back down the hole.
+10 minutes, the descent into tunnel is uneventful. There is no sign of a spider now. The tunnel descends towards the east, towards the river. You can hear distant gurgling of running water. The tunnel is about 10' wide and 15' high, with lots of mineral formations. Towards the west the tunnel ascends gently. Your light shines off spiderwebs about 30' further west.
Thaddeus and Agathon darkvision potions: 8hrs 17min 3rds left
Jacques darvision: 8hrs 9min 3rds left
Mage Armor spell: 4hrs 34min 6rds left
Agathon barkskin Potion: 34 minutes 5 rounds remaining
After a hasty whispered discussion we elect to head west and upwards.
Thaddeus will use the sun rod still attached to his staff to burn away the spider webs, hopefully at a safe distance. When that is accomplished he will douse the sun rod.
Marching order Jacques, Agathon, Belric, Thaddeus. Agathon will trail Jacques at the limit of his darkvision - fifty or sixty feet - to minimize party noise interfering with Jacques' scouting.
Thaddeus will concentrate on watching our rear, crossbow ready, paying attention enough so that he doesn't trip over anything or run into Belric. He will also casually check the mineral formations to see if there is anything here that could be profitably mined someday: Profession/mining check (1d20=15)
There doesn't appear to be anything of value to mine here in the future.
Approaching the spider webs with the sun rod causes a reaction. Dozens of hand sized spiders scuttle away rapidly as the webs run rather easily.
The tunnel continues upwards gently for about 200 feet. Belric estimates that you are not far below ground any more, slightly west of the monastery grounds. Husks and remnants of animal skeletons hint of giant spider activity.
+15 minutes, I believe it's still mid morning of Flocktime 27 CY 577.
The tunnel opens on a gentle hillside overlooking the monastery and the old village below. No sign of the giant spider. Looking east you see the river snaking north and south. The terrain here is rocky, with low brush and small trees scattered about.
The dust of the expeditionary force that continued on is just now starting to settle to the north. They're still probably within 2 miles of your position, although you can't see them any more.
A small skiff is crossing the river and about to land near the monastery, about 125 yards from your position. Three humanoid sized figures are on the skiff, but the shadow of the skiff's sail disguises their race and clothing description.
Thaddeus strains his eyes to figure out who or what is on the skiff. "Jacques, can you make them out?", he whispers to the monk, who squints at the skiff for a moment and shakes his head.
"I don't feel so bad then. Okay, get closer to them and see if you can figure out who or what they are. If they're hostiles, we'll wait until they actually enter the building and then run over there. If they're neutrals or even friendlies, Agathon and I will break cover to talk to them while you and Belric remain hidden. I will watch for your signals from that clump of brush.", pointing.
The wizard watches Jacques swiftly check his equipment (nothing rattles, sloshes, or shakes) and melt away into the terrain. The remaining three divide the watch into slices, Thaddeus watching over Jacques and the skiff, Belric watching the tunnel opening and behind us, and Agathon watching upriver. In this way we have eyes watching in all directions.
Thaddeus will check his crossbow and other gear, then move into position as stealthily as he can: Hide and move silent rolls on the hilltop (1d20+3=11, 1d20+3=18).
Settling his wolf cloak around him to ward off the last of the morning chill, he will settle in to watch Jacques and the three humanoids. Spot roll on hillside (1d20=17)
Listening to Thaddeus' instructions, Agathon will settle down and begin his vigil of watching upriver trusting his companions and their eyes on the surrounding terrain.
Settling down and making certain that he is under total cover from the area where the skiff is coming ashore, Agathon will ponder recent events... The smell of the Troll particularly sticks in his mind.
"They smell worse on the outside than an Ogre does on the inside!", he will think to himself (his face turning into a grimace with the memory).
He will also note the feeling of Belric's divine healing... "Amazing power... I could only wish for such divine favor as to serve Pelor as one of his priests! Well, perhaps I am unworthy to wear such noble vestments as even a common friar's robe; but, I can still spread the Word and serve in my own humble way!"
With that thought, he will smile and allow his mind to drift to simpler mundane musings as his eyes sharpen on his task...
Belric will look at the figures to see if they walk like orcs, or any goblinkind that he is aware of.
Belric loads his twig thrower ach maybe one time ma aim will be true!
Belric will try to hide, not moving keeping himself in the shadow of a boulder if possible.
Jaques takes moment to check for rattles or shiny objects as Thaddeus looks on. He takes three deep breaths, to oxygenate his blood. He flexes his joints and muscles in a liquid movement, to make sure nothing creaks or pops during movement, and then sets out towards the skiff at reduced pace for him, but equivalent to slow walking for someone not as quick. In this way he hopes to approach the humanoids quickly enough to be relevant, yet his reduced speed helps his stealth.
Unbeknownst to him, his stretching routine involves just enough arm movement, that he appears to waiving a two armed greeting to the human-like figures in the skiff.
Jacques is able to move about 40 yards closer before the skiff makes landfall. His good spot roll helps him recognize that the skiff is manned by 3 humans, only one of which appears armed with anything more than a club and spear.
One man jumps off the skiff. He's wearing chain mail and has a longbow out and ready as he wades on to land. He has a dark brown-maroon cloak, helmet, longsword and high leather boots. He appears seasoned.
His movement slow slightly as he scans across Jacques location. He may have spotted or detected something, but he's doing his best to pretend he hasn't seen anything.
Initiative!
Seeing that they are human, and trusting in his ability to block the arrows of a single archer, Jaques decides to try dialogue. Without exposing himself physically, he calls out, "Friend or foe of Dunstan and Knurl?"
Stunned that Jacques is dialoging with the humans, and unused to hearing him speak in such a loud voice, Thaddeus momentarily at a loss for what to do. Initiative at monastery (1d20+7=9)
He's calling a challenge. If they were orcs or some other hostile non-human type he'd have just signaled that. So these are humans or some other race that is not automatically hostile. There is one obvious warrior type. The other two may be spellcasters so an extra measure of caution is called for.
If their answer is neutral or friendly, Thaddeus will slowly break cover and walk towards them. He will keep his crossbow out but at port arms, ready to fire if he has to.
Thaddeus will quietly say to the others, "Agathon, we're up. Stay at least fifteen yards away from me; if they attack I don't want one spell to get us both. The rest of you should stay down until we figure out who they are."
If challenged or if we get close enough to talk, he will respond in a friendly but guarded manner, introducing himself and Agathon. Diplomacy at the monastery (1d20+7=22)
Agathon will remain undercover as Jacques opens up a dialog. Not being able to hear what he might be saying (aside for the initial challenge, of course), He will change his focus from the river to watching Thaddeus. If Thaddeus slowly breaks cover to talk with the men from the skiff, Agathon will do so as well.
He will stand up and leave his sword in its sheath. Walking forward about 15 yards from Thaddeus (this would be behind and to the wizard's right), he will display open hands and a smile on his face; but, he will stay sharp and ready to leap for cover or charge...
Belric will stay at the 125 yard mark when the party first spotted the skiff, taking in the entire scene. He will watch all aboot, and listen as well to try and detect any other possible interested parties.
Ma axe dinnae like this set oop! Skulking skulkers skulking behind ma army's path! Thae may be looking tae coot our lines tae Knurl!....Ach we cannae hae lines tae Knurl! Daft Dwarf!..... Hmm, Jaques seems tae ma eyes that he be parlaying! What got innae that boy! ACH by Moradin's blowing bellows, Master Thaddeus tis comming out and speach afying them as well! Gorban's Crauch! I knew I dinnae cook that Mantacore tae ma Mother's specifications! Now ma bowls be innae trooble! Huh! Pay attention ye red headed fool!
+11 minutes
Jacques stands up and challenges the skiff. The careful archer on the ground raises his bow towards Jacques, but upon seeing him and hearing his challenge, lowers it slightly and takes a knee, thus giving him cover behind some boulders.
"Why do you ask?"
Seeing that the answer is neutral, Thaddeus breaks cover.
The men on the skiff also have crossbows ready, although they are not armored. They lifted them up from the boat's deck.
Seeing the archer drop to cover (without loosing an arrow), Agathon will continue to follow Thaddeus' and Jacques' lead. He will look about for nearest cover and will make certain that he does not just walk out into open ground (stopping if he has to to at least keep what cover there might be in a reachable position should hostilities begin).
He will keep the smile on his face to keep the most peaceable appearance he can while his friends are still talking. He has no idea that this unconsciously causes his face to fall into a lopsided grin.
As he either continues to slowly walk toward them at Thaddeus' speed (again, around 15 yards behind and to the wizard's right) or stops to keep cover close, he will focus his sight on the three men and attempt to discern their intentions by their posture...
Thaddeus will continue walking towards them until he reaches 50 yards away or is told to stop. He will stay close to cover, preferring rocks or terrain features over bushes and shrubs, knowing the danger of druidic spells.
"Well, it's pretty simple. If we serve the same masters...or have the same friends...or the same employers...or however you want to put it, then it would produce nothing for us to fight one another. And even if we are on different sides of the conflict raging in these lands, we may all agree to not fight...today. Unlike the humanoid horde, we are possessed of the abilities and inclination to reason and discourse with one another rather than immediately proceeding to bloodletting."
"Thus answers the why. My name is Thaddeus and my large friend over there is called Agathon. Our question remains. What is your response?"
After a few more discussions back and forth, both the archer and your party decide to parlay a bit more.
Thaddeus and Agathon approach. Jacques remains in a position of cover, watching the area and Belric remains in reserve.
The archer introduces himself as Karl Hammersmith and his buddies on the boat are his assistants.
"I'm scouting the area. I've just returned from the Bone March and hills north of Knurl. I saw the encampment here last night. I don't serve the masters of the Bone March, nor do I serve Count Dunstan. Let's just say that my employers are interested in events in the area and are counting on me to report back to them."
Thaddeus will assume a more relaxed posture and lower his crossbow a bit more. He will make a reassuring gesture to Agathon.
"Well! That simplifies things a bit. We serve the Count - I am a native of Knurl. I can't argue that the situation is grim but the humanoids are not quite yet the masters of the Bone March. Since we have no apparent quarrel, and since you are not participants in this conflict, it seems proper to treat you as neutrals. Does this seem correct to you?"
He will slowly walk up to 25 yards, still sticking close to cover, unless asked to stop.
"We were with the column and volunteered to clear and scout the caverns beneath the old monastery. We have not yet completed the operation and our pack animals are below. Without knowing your exact mission here, is there a way we can all complete our respective tasks? We don't necessarily have to cooperate, so long as we can find a way to stay out of each others' way."
Remaining wary, Agathon will continue to approach with Thaddeus and will maintain his interval should Mr. Hammersmith ask us to halt our approach.
Noting where Jacques is, Agathon will do a mental inventory as to where his potion of speed is...
Otherwise, he will continue to follow Thaddeus' lead and be ready for action should the need arise...
Relieved his speaking part is over, Jaques is content to watch the scene closely. He remains ready to act should the need arise. Jaques reflects that it is good and fair to give these men a chance to speak rather than fight. They aren't humanoids after all...
"Sure, fine. I have no intentions of getting into any kind of fight, trust me. I'm only scouting. I can trade information, though. If you'll tell me what you know of this place, I may be tempted to advise you of things upstream, having recently returned from there.
While my patron is not a direct ally of the Count, he is certainly not an ally of those despicable reavers that have held the March for too long now."
"I would not tarry too long, though. The hills beyond have eyes and I'm sure we are even now observed."
Thaddeus will sling his crossbow and close to ten yards. "Wonderful! I'd love to exchange information. First let me signal my mates to stand easy. They may or may not stand up or come talk, but at least they'll know to relax a bit." Slowly, he will make the signs for 'friendly' and 'all clear'.
If Jacques and Belric come forward, Thaddeus will introduce everyone.
"So", he begins. "Last night we saw seven Bleeding Eye orcs heading for the ruins of the monastery. We had a squad of troopers with us and traded missile fire with the orcs but they withdrew. A manticore came up to cover their retreat but we got lucky and dropped it with massed crossbow fire."
Thaddeus pauses to take a drink from his waterskin, then continues. "The troopers stayed topside for security while we explored the basement of the monastery. It was walled off years ago but had been broken through. We slew two orcs and four ogres intially. Later we found a skullcrusher ogre and killed it too. We fought six more orcs and killed three of them, the other three ran away. our party was pretty beat up by that point so we retired for the night."
"This morning we explored further and encountered a troll, two orcs, and a shadow. We killed the troll and turned the shadow, but the orcs ran away to the surface.", he will pause again. "The humanoids seem to have been here for a while. They had rough furniture, and had rebuilt one of the doors and put a trap on it. They also installed a portcullis, a trap in a tunnel, and had blocked a tunnel with a large boulder. We didn't find any obvious information like maps or correspondence, and didn't have any prisoners to interrogate. The morale of the orcs that did stand and fight was bordering on fanatic."
"In our experience thus far - with hobgoblins, bugbears, and now orcs - they are showing an amazing capacity for planning and defense in depth. They are also specializing - one group had focused on stockpiling coal and water, another on stockpiling food. I had not expected such a level of organization and cooperation. It leads me to think that someone or something is guiding or controlling the humanoid horde. Do you know anything of their command structure or how they are being organized? Can you tell us anything of the outlying northern forts, and conditions between here and Spinecastle?"
Seeing Thaddeus' signal, Agathon will visibly relax and will approach the wizard's position at an easy gait.
He will nod to each of them in turn at Thaddeus' introduction. He will offer the men a relaxed expression and his standard lopsided grin as Thaddeus describes our action below the monastery. Otherwise, he will stand easy keeping his eyes on the men while letting Thaddeus do the talking...
"Ah yes...those orcs are the core shock troops that took the Bone March years ago. They are the most disciplined troops they have. This new capacity for organization and planning is what brought me here. Since you've been so forthright, I will tell you that I am scouting on behalf of the Kingdom of Nyrond, beyond the Flinty Hills. Nyrond is no friend of the Great Kingdom and thus distrustful of Count Dunstan, but my king feels that Dunstan might be an ally in the future. Nyrond is assembling an expeditionary force to check the orcs at this river, to ensure they do not cross. Whether the commander of this force assists Knurl is not my decision to make.
Your little expeditionary force will fall, I am afraid to tell you. There are several thousand humanoids up river and while I don't know for sure, the upriver forts of Knurl have mostly fallen, although the troops mostly scattered south and are probably trying to make their way back to town in small groups.
Manticores and trolls are very concerning. The fact that such foul beasts would be incorporated into your enemy's force in such a manner is very disconcerting.
I think I have learned enough to report back. Upriver is very dangerous, but if you would like we can rest now and my skiff can transport you upriver through the night. We have a small air elemental on board that can help us make very good speed up river, but it does not come out during the day. Catching up with your army is no problem, if that is what you want.
xp award for rp will be awarded soon, but not yet
Air Elemental! That's what I communcated with that time in the mines. I must see this one, surely we can stay with the Nyrondians long enough for that. Jaques will not directly give any reason for his visibly brightened mood, but his youth will prevent being able to conceal some excitement. He will have endless reasons why they should stay with the Nyrond scouts at least until nightfall. He has the enthusiasm of a child who has been promised he'll be able to play with a puppy later.
Seeing the all clear signal, Belric will stomp down to the others. He will keep his crossbow loaded, but resting on his shoulder in as non-threatening way as possible.
"Greetings ta ye and ye kin Master Hammersmith" Belric will state, and watch the woods for any enemy, listening to the conversations and still being wary of these scouts.
"Greetings, sir." Hammersmith continues upon seeing Belric and hearing his greeting.
His skiff crew is throwing a rope around a nearby tree when one of them yells an alarm.
Coming down river around the bend about 300 yards north of you is a pair of long slender rowboats, also flying small sails. Dozens of crew on each one look like they are probably humanoids of some sort.
"I don't want to lose the skiff and we can't fight that many here," Hammersmith yells.
"Hop on? We're going downriver...but we've encountered these boats before. I don't think they'll land, they're scouring the river to make sure no fishermen or stragglers carry news to Knurl."
Looking and seeing the boats himself, Agathon will quickly pull Thaddeus aside...
In typical Agathon fashion, he will state the obvious:
"Thaddeus, downriver is farther from the army and our horses... And our gear and mules are in the monastery... We should get under cover here and leave these men to their business upon the water..."
Agathon will face Hammersmith and tell him, "Fair journey to you, Sir. May the Light of Pelor shine upon you and keep you from the clutches of yonder evil spawn..."
.
Jaques looks about, and suggests to Thaddeus that we offer to help them portage the skiff up into concealment until the humanoids pass. Since they were roping up, they must have preferred to stay here a bit...
Belric AC 22 HP 36 Darkvision permanent ale loving always
Hearing the alarm, he will look up river and try to determine the nature of the new commers. He will also apply his teachings about a man's words and meaning and try to determine if "Master Hammersmith" is speaking true!
FIRST ACTION:
"AYE YE FALSE DOG! YE BE TRAING TAE TRAP MA FOWK TAE DAITH!" Belric will wait to see if his words cause them to show their true intent and he will fire his cross bow at "Master Hammersmith" Magical light cross bow shot (1d20+6=10, 1d8+1=7) If no traitorous action he will wait.
SECOND ACTION:
"ACH, DONKEY! I shae not be leaving ma beastie! Master Thaddeus let us tak em on at da entrance tae da ruins!" Belric will be very agitated about his mule ( and his gear) to leave it to anyone.
DM please give elapsed time since last time hack
Bah! I knew that was going too well. They've already seen us, we can't risk our equipment, and Hammersmith won't risk his skiff.
Thaddeus will nudge Belric towards the monastery entrance. To Hammersmith: "If you want to hide here with us, I can make your skiff invisible for 5 or 6 minutes. If you don't think the rowboats will stop, that should be enough time for them to go by."
If Hammersmith still wants to flee, Thaddeus will bid him farewell, saying "If the offer of a ride upstream is still open, come back at dusk, and we'll share anything new we learn below in trade. Good luck!"
If the scouts are staying, Thaddeus will cast improved invisibility on the skiff as a 7th level caster (duration 7 minutes): DC20 spellcraft roll (1d20+14=30)
He will then run with the others to the monastery. To Jacques: "Get concealed and keep an eye on them, try to get a count and figure out what type of humanoids crew those boats. If they look like they're going to land, let us know."
Thaddeus will then ready his crossbow and hide with the others out of sight in the ruined monastery.
+10 minutes
Hammersmith appears to be telling the truth, Belric senses.
"I'll be back!" he shouts. "Those rowboats are not just simple orcs, I fear. They saw us late last night and probably spotted us just now too."
"Thank you for the offer of the spell. I will return tonight. Can't promise dusk, but that should give you time to do what you need. Hammersmith points at Agathon "thank you and may Pelor protect you and your friends as well."
You all head off towards the monastery. The skiff sail billows out and it heads downriver at a good clip. The rowboats pick up speed and one of them fires a volley of heavy crossbow bolts that fall short.
It doesn't appear the boats spotted you or the occupants don't care. The boats are being run by about 20 heavily muscled humanoids each, some orc, some hobgoblin and possibly a couple of half-ogres.
RP XP 250
Thaddeus darkvision potion: 7hrs 41min 2rds left
Agathon Darkvision potion: 7hrs 41min 2 rounds left
Jacques darvision: 7hrs 33min 2rds left
Mage Armor spell: 4hrs 8min 5rds left
Agathon barkskin potion: expired
Jacques will stay motionless in concealment and keep an eye on the boats. The rest of us will stay out of sight in the ruined monastery, ideally from a position that we could see Jacques' signals.
We will wait until Jacques is satisfied that the boats will not stop here. If they are stopping, Jacques will signal us and Thaddeus will prepare to cast fireball in their midst while they are still clumped together.
If the boats do not stop, we will head back into the basement - marching order Jacques, Agathon, Belric, Thaddeus. Check on the pack animals and calm them if necessary.
Once the animals have been checked and calmed, we will conduct a thorough examination of the rusty door - looking for traps or locks, where the hinges are (which way it opens), and whether it is locked or not.
As you all seek cover and watch the skiff depart, Jacques notices Ebbers has low crawled next to him, his mottled cloak concealing him very nicely in the terrain.
"Hammersmith, huh? He's okay. He really does serve Nyrond. He's a good ally to us in the Flinty Hills, but his lord still distrusts Count Dunstan because Dunstan is Aerdi nobility. You know, Great Kingdom. Those boats worry me. I saw half-ogres on those boats, and they only break those guys out when they are going for broke. I fear that they may try to breach the walls of Knurl very soon."
"I need to talk to all of you."
After waiting for the party to assemble to go back under the monastery, Ebbers addresses you all. He repeats the above listed statement he gave Jacques, plus:
"You wonder why Sir Gendar is continuing up north, with is fools' quest to relieve Fort Arazarm? Half his army is an illusion, you know. We gnomes can tell.
There is a spy in Spinecastle that has been sending regular reports to Fort Arazarm and thus to the Count. The spy's reports have suddenly stopped. The Count fears that the spy has been captured, but he also believes that his last messages may still be at Fort Arazarm and since no one has been able to get out of the Fort, the messages may hold the key to Knurl's defense. The Count is desperate. I reveal this to you because there is a very good chance Gendar will fail. You may need to go in to pick up the pieces if that happens. I know this because I'm not just a flightly gnomish scout, I'm also a former battle companion of Count Dunstan and he trusts me like a brother, albeit a short one with a big nose, ha! Anyway, you have proven yourselves quite worthy in the last few weeks. My scouts and I will now leave. We have to try to keep the scum off our side of the river as best as possible. We are also going to try to secure some relief supply trains from Nyrond and guide the Nyrond troops, whenever they may arrive, to Knurl to see if they can help.
I know that you want to finish exploring under the monastery, but I can tell you you've found most of what's down there. The one door you are thinking of exploring behind has a water trap the monks set to flood the dungeon and protect its treasures, but it failed to work when the orcs attacked the village."
"I need to go now. Do you have any questions for me?"
Thaddeus will use a stick to doodle absently in the dirt while the others ask Ebbers any questions they may have. A nudge from Agathon rouses him from his reverie.
"The army? Oh, yes, it's an illusion. Quite a good one, in fact I only realized it this morning. Gnomes are masters of illusion so it's no surprise they realized it sooner. One of Gendar's staff implored me not to tell the rest of you - that way, if we were captured, only one of us would know the secret. I dislike keeping secrets from my friends and I am glad the knowledge is out in the open now."
"Ebbers, thank you for saving us from wasting time in the dungeon. I do have a number of questions for you."
"Does Sir Gendar know about this spy and how the last message may be at Fort Arazarm? Or does he only think he's supposed to relieve the fort? We just need to know what is okay to talk to him about and what is not."
"Who in Sir Gendar's entourage know about the spy and the message? Should we talk to Gendar alone?"
"Do you have any clues where in Fort Arazarm these messages might be, or who might have them? Do they have any special markings or seals?"
"Do you know of any secret ways into or out of Fort Arazarm?"
"Are there any surviving wizards at the fort?"
"What can you tell us of conditions between here and Spinecastle? I fear we may actually have to journey there and would like to know what to expect."
Jaques scowls in concentration. This is far more complex than it appears. However, if this is to be a game of spies and deception, then my training may be the best resource we have. Jaques will whisper to Thaddeus that it would be good to know all we can about the "spy" himself/herself. We may need to rescue or at least recognize them should we have the opportunity to make contact. Another important piece of information would be how the spy makes contact, and transmits information. These would all be clues as to finding the last report, or attempting contact with the spy themself. There should be a "dead drop", and some covert contact signal, like a chalkmark on a lamp post. More risky methods would have been homing pigeon roosts, or direct conversations with the spies "handler", from Dunstan. Also a person we would need to know by both name and description.
If we are to backtrack and trace a spies path, we'll need information in direct quantities to the spies skill, as their prior concealment to avoid detection, will now hamper our attempt at rescue.
Belric will nod with approval of Master Thaddeus’s line of questions and when he finishes he will ask
“Ah Master Ebbers, then ye be aff tae harass the craiturs o the Bane March? What aboot yer hammer an ma axe helping the defenders o Spinecastle, mostly ma sister Namira?” Belric will take the ancient key out from under his armor and let it dangle from the steel chain he secures it with around his neck.
Belric will keep his demeanor neutral and wait to see what Ebbers responds with.
Agathon will greet Ebbers and listen intently.
As Thaddeus works his stick in the sand, Agathon will ask the Gnome...
"What do you know of those that just passed down river after Mr. Hammersmith?"
"Does the enemy have many of those beastly crosses between men and Ogres?"
He will suppress a shudder at the thought of them.
As he listens to Ebbers' answers, he will get up and begin a slow pacing as he ponders Ebbers' main tale...
"The army was merely illusion? But they reacted badly to my song... Can men conjured by such magic truly show such feeling and life!?"
"Does this mean that such an illusory man is right now tending my horse? Hmmm... amazing power there is in the World..."
At an uncomfortable pause, Agathon will gently shake the young wizard back into the moment.
As Thaddeus begins with his own questions, Agathon will stand a few paces away and will listen intently...