His spells are depleted after the battle with the trolls, but he hopes to be of use in the battle with the dragon.
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As the group decides to spend the morning fully recuperating from the night's fierce battle, Rhiannon spends time tending to her weapons and armor, showing great appreciation and respect for the gear she counts on to keep them all alive.
After spending some time working through her sword forms, she sets about breaking down the camp after the noon meal, as they prepare to set out once again.
Azen sleeps soundly and when she wakes she takes the opportunity to cast Detect Magic and uses her spellcraft to try to identify some items they still were not sure of.
The party heads southwest toward the lair reported by Garethane a while back. As you get closer to the location, you notice a bit of haze and humidity in the air and the vegetation growing thicker. By dinner time you find yourselves on a small ridge looking down at a cave entrance.
Two trolls stand at the entrance to the wide mouthed cavern.
"Trolls see better in the dark than we do. We should hit them at sunrise. Try to take the senties quickly before they can call out others." Rhiannon suggests, watching the cave entrance from the ridge.
"We can light up an area well enough to make it a fair fight. Getting into the cave would be to our advantage; camping out here would be very dangerous if the dragon were to find us out in the open, since it could attack us in the night from beyond the range of our light."
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Before the group gets on the move again, Celebeth cleans her hair, ties it up, and puts it under a kerchief. While doing so she notes her sister examining the various items and says, "Mind if I take a glance?"
"I bet the glitter is for putting on your cheeks with some rouge."
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Outside the troll cave:
"I could turn invisible and sneak inside the cave, see what I can spot," whispers Celebeth. "But I won't be able to see if it's totally dark, and I don't know how good their sense of smell is. Think we could figure out a way to lead them off without alerting any buddies who might be inside?"
Azen welcomes her sister's assistance.
"I don't see how fighting a dragon inside a cave would be to anyone's advantage other than the dragon's." Rhiannon replies, giving Wulfric a puzzled look. "If dragons breathe fire or whatever else, I would think caverns and tunnels are the perfect way to guarantee taking out all your opposition at once, and us all being in a tunnel would likely take away our only possible advantage...being able to surround it and attack from multiple directions at once."
"While we well may need to enter the cave, staying inside while the dragon still lives will in no way be safe for us. If we can find out how many other trolls the dragon has aiding it besides these two sentries, it may make it easier to come up with a plan of attack."
"I don't see how fighting a dragon inside a cave would be to anyone's advantage other than the dragon's." Rhiannon replies, giving Wulfric a puzzled look. "If dragons breathe fire or whatever else, I would think caverns and tunnels are the perfect way to guarantee taking out all your opposition at once, and us all being in a tunnel would likely take away our only possible advantage...being able to surround it and attack from multiple directions at once."
"Because it is faster and more mobile than us, and it can strafe us from the air if we are outside (where we can only see for 80 feet or so with Light). We know that we are facing a young adult green dragon. Tove has spells to protect us against its breath.
Facing it in an enclosed space negates its flight advantage and its ability to attack us from beyond the range of our light. That is my logic.As well, there may be cover in the cave against the breath weapon - such as bends in tunnels."
"I can cast Clairvoyance to perhaps get a better view of what is further inside the cave entrance."
Celebeth taps the side of her head at Wulfric's comments.
"Smart. I don't have any way to ground a dragon if it gets into the air. The cave terrain could work to our advantage... if we can get past the trolls without the dragon coming out."
"While that is true, the advantages it has in its home terrain still stand, and archery is one of the strengths of this group, which is a counter to the advantage of flight." Rhiannon replies.
"If you have a way to see inside the cave or get a better idea of what lies ahead of us, then by all means go ahead. The more information we have, the better. Otherwise, our first course of action is to take those two out creating as little disturbance as possible."
I could cast Silence over the trolls while we kill them, but if the spell covers the entire entrance, the sudden lack of outside sounds could also alert the dragon, depending on how close to the entrance it is. Wulfric's idea to cast a spell that can see further is a good one, depending on how much more it can see.
I'm inclined to agree with Rhiannon on this one...
(She looks sheepishly at her sister, sorry for taking a side against her.)
... but let's see what he comes back with before finalizing a plan. Who knows what advantages there may be in unknown terrain.
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After spending some time in thought, Garathane chimes in, "Something Celebeth said has me thinking. Trolls are probably not the most disciplined guards. I bet if something delicious happened to wander by, they could be tempted to chase it. Maybe a nice deer? Or better... a pig! Who could then run the trolls into an ambush just far enough away where the sounds wouldn't penetrate into the cave?"
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"Rhiannon, if you have a plan, tell me what it is and what my role is.
Do we try to engage the dragon in the cave or outside?
If outside, in a forested area with cover or in an open field?
Do we hide for the night and hope we can fight it in daytime?
Should we be spread out or bunched up?
What spells should I cast and when?
Should I rely on my bow, my spells, the lightning wand, or my lance?
Here is my suggestion: we stick together and engage it in the cavern if possible. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, I believe bunching up is our best chance against a dragon. We are much stronger together.
Because if we spread out, we are too far apart to help each other. I can't catch you all with Haste, we are too far apart for Stabilize to work, we have no front line, and Tove can't catch us all with Prayer or Channels. And that last part is why bunching up works to our strength. Tove's healing. We can have a solid front line that keeps the dragon from attacking Tove, and she can Channel or Cure to keep us fighting.
I suggest:
Some of our most potent options like Haste and Prayer last only a very short time; in the open, the dragon could just fly away for a minute while they wear off. I think we need to corner the beast.
Now, if you don't like that plan, then tell me yours, what I should do, and if I should prepare different spells.
Or maybe we retreat back to Elkmark, take our time scribing scrolls, and come back better prepared.
All of the above depends, of course, on knowing where the dragon is. So let me see what I can see."
Wulfric takes ten minutes to cast Clairvoyance. This has a range of 640', so assuming that on the ridge he is far enough away that the trolls won't see or hear him casting.
He picks a point in space about 40' inside the cave entrance.
Enhanced senses don't work through the sensor, so even if he had the Darkvision spell there'd be no point in casting it. Instead:
If the chosen locale is magically dark, you see nothing. If it is naturally pitch black, you can see in a 10-foot radius around the center of the spell's effect.
Rhiannon listens to Wulfric's suggestion in silence, her expression a mask of serious contemplation. The plan was, for the most part, sound, though it depended on a number of variables, but so did any plan of action. Tactics aside, there was something of his delivery that...irked her, but that was just as likely to be her own issue as anything else.
What mattered was that the plan had a solid chance and being successful, and most importantly to her, getting them all through it alive. They each had their part to play, and right now she needed to trust that their new Magister was every bit as skilled with his magic as she was with a weapon, and in a battle against a magical apex predator, his expertise would be an advantage.
Nodding to herself she gives Tove a glance before responding. "A solid plan. Once we're inside the caves, we can adapt as needed."
Turning to look at Garethane she grins. "I also like the idea of luring those two brutes into an ambush, and Azen is right that the sudden loss of sound might be a tip-off to the dragon. Barring the discovery of something that changes things, we have our course of action."
Wulfric looks at the ground and mumbles a bit.
"I'm sorry to be so... so particular. The idea of facing a dragon without a plan just scared me.
I apologize for overstepping."
Azen waits for the result of the spell before throwing herself into supporting any plan. They needed more information. However, she did have one strenuous objection to the plan as stated...
No way is Celebeth trying to sneak up and attack a Dragon. I forbid it. She's good, but, sorry sis, not that good. The dragon will smell her, and it might just chomp her in half before burning the rest of us to death. It's a horrible idea that will get her killed. It's basically sending her in there as bait... which might distract it, but not worth the cost of her life.
"That is not at all what I suggested, thought, or intended, Azen.
If you wish me to clarify, I will."
"What I had in mind was a solid front line, with Celebeth a short distance behind, but invisible."
"Then, an arrow or a spell as a surprise attack to distract and injure the dragon while still being relatively safe in the back ranks.
It would be a very stupid and cruel idea to send Celebeth alone to sneak up on the dragon as bait and I am neither stupid nor cruel."
Wulfric looks greatly bothered by Azen's accusations.
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Celebeth gestures effusively with her hands as she says, "It was my stupid idea when I suggested scouting the area invisibly. Anyway. We gotta deal with the trolls first, anyhow. Might all be a moot point. If we do get inside, the dragon may have the home field advantage, but if we're lucky the cave may impact its mobility."
"A more pertinent follow-up thought may be, if we face the dragon and we're in a bad position, how do we get away? If it can fly it can pursue faster than us. We may need to split up or figure out a diversion."
"A more pertinent follow-up thought may be, if we face the dragon and we're in a bad position, how do we get away? If it can fly it can pursue faster than us. We may need to split up or figure out a diversion."
"There, I've got nothing. I don't think there is any way we can effectively retreat, wherever we face it. All I can think of is to stack the odds so heavily in our favor that running away is not a real concern. You take a shot at a dragon, you had best not miss.
That's why I went so overboard in the planning. I'm sorry for that.
I am still willing to postpone this for now and retreat to Elkmark if you think the risk is too great."
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"Anyone who doesn't consider the prospect of facing a dragon somewhat terrifying would be insane." Rhiannon replies, giving Wulfric a nod. "Nobody's facing this thing alone, and if things go south and we do need to run, we do have a of alchemists' fire. Also, don't forget there's a wand with that magic missile spell so there are ranged options besides arrows."
Taking a deep breath she rolls her shoulders. "Either way, it all starts with taking out the trolls. Let's set up the ambush and then Garethane can deliver his delicious performance to lure them."
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Tove stands with her arms folded, expression unreadable as the exchange plays out between her companions. When Wulfric apologises, her expression softens slightly. She rests her hand on the symbol of Erastil at her breast.
"Wanting to make sure we have a solid plan isn't overstepping, Wulfric," she says evenly. "That's what's going to keep us all alive."
She shifts her weight, glancing down toward the cave mouth below. "It's sounding like we can make this work, even in close quarters with a dragon. Hopefully these two are the last of the trolls here, with the size of the group we took out this morning. Garethane has the right idea in drawing them away from the cave. Ambushes have served us well so far in this, let's stick to what we're strongest at. If Wulfric’s Clairvoyance gives us a better look inside, well then we can decide our next steps from there."
Azen is relieved that Celebeth isn't crazy enough to go in alone. When she mentions an escape plan though, Azen says
Well, it depends on the layout of the cave of course, but if we have to run, I do have ghost sound to confuse hearing and I can summon some skunks to confuse scent. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, though.
Azen agrees when people suggest doing the trolls first, and awaiting the results of the Clairvoyance spell for the rest.
Garethane chimes in. "Let's set up a suitable ambush location out of line of site from the cave, with a blind for archers and some stakes to slow down the Trolls who won't know the safe route."
He takes a few more moments to add "It might not be a bad idea to build a few more blinds for hiding from the dragon further away from the cave. It wouldn't take a lot of work to turn a tree and a bush into a solid hiding place from a flying dragon. Just in case that we did have to run, we could split up and pretty easily lose ourselves in the forest."
It's in one of my posts above.
Wulfric takes ten minutes to cast Clairvoyance. This has a range of 640', so assuming that on the ridge he is far enough away that the trolls won't see or hear him casting.
He picks a point in space about 40' inside the cave entrance.
Enhanced senses don't work through the sensor, so even if he had the Darkvision spell there'd be no point in casting it. Instead:If the chosen locale is magically dark, you see nothing. If it is naturally pitch black, you can see in a 10-foot radius around the center of the spell's effect.
He also has a school ability that is similar but with shorter range but only a standard action to use.
Tove assists Garethane in the construction of the three blinds.
While Garethane go about the business of gathering materials for the blinds, Wulfric takes a point on a ridge overlooking the cave mouth. Casting his spell, he directs the sensor to the mouth of the cave and slowly moves it inside the cave's wide mouth.
As the sensor moves in, Wulfric sees what appears to be a place that the dragon's minions may have been using to camp - the bedrolls and such are far too organized and not nearly large enough for trolls. At the edge of the sensor's ability to see, the cavern continues on, sloping downward.
Once you have selected the locale, the sensor doesn’t move, but you can rotate it in all directions to view the area as desired.
It's just one point in space that you designate when you cast it.
Arcane Eye is much better (it is mobile, and you can use Darkvision), but it's a 4th-level spell.
Wulfric can maintain the spell for up to 6 minutes, watching to see if there is any movement, but building the blinds will take a lot longer than that. He rejoins the others when the spell ends.
Wulfric sits, watching through the sensor, hoping to see more and see more you do...it would seem that the bedrolls belong to a group of elves...elves that seems not quite themselves, almost like they are being controlled by something else.
Wulfric will inform Tove of what he saw.
"The dragon has other servants besides trolls. Elves. And it is my guess that they have been magically compelled to serve the dragon. A frontal assault may result in the death of those who are under an enchantment.
Maybe we should deal with the trolls first and see what happens. But if the elves come out to reinforce the trolls, I would wish to be merciful to the elves."
"Hmm...so the dragon has additional allies or minions, good to know." Rhiannon says, reassessing the situation. " We'll definitely face opposition getting into the cave, which is valuable intelligence."
"If it's possible to stop them without killing them or break the control over them, we can definitely try, but not at the expense of any of us."
Azen helps gather material for the blinds.
"If we can release one or more of the elves from their enchantment, we may find ourselves with allies who know the layout of the caves. Providing far more information than my Clairvoyance spell. That would be valuable, would it not?
As well, they might be warriors, wizards, or archers of some skill in their own right and having them on our side would be much better than having them as foes.
I can't do much to suppress or remove enchantments but I'll do what I can."
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"Outside my skill level," says Celebeth sadly. "So, it sounds like, in no particular order, lure out and dispose of these guards, see if we can liberate one or more of the presumed elven captives, then maybe fight the dragon if we think we have the resources to win, otherwise we scuttle off and try to hide and come at it later."
"Of course if we don't get it after our first assault, the element of surprise is gone and there's a good chance that it will either move, or get some really nasty traps for the lair, if it doesn't have some already."
She looks up and to the side, as if making a mental checklist.
"Well, we typically do an impossible thing before breakfast, but I'll let it slide and we can do one later in the day this time."
Azen grins appreciatively at her sister's joke.
Rhiannon chuckles at Celebeth's response, knowing that despite the sardonic remark, she took this all as seriously as any of them.