OOC: B6 is the Pen and B1 is the front of the shop?What's that area south of B1?
Anyone have any ideas? We can try exploiting the Night's Special and see if we can trap one or more of them.
I think exploiting the Night's Special might be a good try. Should we all go into together? Or send in a few with the others ready to charge in?
Is the only other option braking in after hours and raiding the place?
I think maybe we ought to try to send in Gaius to attempt to hire these traitors under the story that we are trying to loot some wealthy merchant's stash of loot. We could have the group walk into an ambush or possibly some cleverly designed trap. It would be ideal to capture them alive, so perhaps we could hire a second band of actual legitimate mercenaries to assist us in the ambush. If we lead the traitors into a warehouse with a single entrance or exit, then blocked them in and displayed an overwhelming force perhaps we could get them to surrender in despair.
Odric's eyes alight with excitement as he begins to get excited about his plan, the big man starts sketching a large square in the dirt with his heel, delineating a door and placing several ill-fated "X"s in the center. Simulating the second hired force, Odric runs into the square through the diagrammed door and waves the Eagle about threateningly.
Morkeleb, if you were to cast sleep on the group or perhaps charm a member of their party, you could aid in convincing them the odds were hopeless, alternatively you could create some sort of illusion of an even greater force behind our legitimate hirelings and us.
Odric scratches his newly shaved chin thoughtfully. Some of the other party members have noticed a marginal improvement in Odric's hygiene, including a propensity to shave at least a couple times a week ever since the audience with Her Majesty the Queen.
In order to convince them to rob the merchant without weapons, our hypothetical merchant could have a couple hypothetical rust monsters guarding his trove. Or perhaps a mystical alarm that would be set off if someone entered the area with weapons.
Odric's gaze settles on Morkeleb, Perhaps you could even embed yourself in the traitorous group as a guide. I could present myself as an unarmed idiot at this he casts a sidelong glance at Gaius, waiting for a snicker but hearing none, continues, brought along asa mule to carry off the loot in large sacks.
The outline of the plan seemingly settled, at least to Odric's satisfaction, the big man begins muttering to himself and apparently walking through the steps of the plan using his dirt-drawn diagram. He makes some effort at appearing as an idiot, emitting a few grunts and allowing some spittle to collect on his chin and in the corners of his mouth.
We would need to hire a band of reliable mercenaries equal in number to the band of traitors we hire, we would have to rent out a suitable warehouse space, and we would have to circulate some well-placed rumors of an unguarded trove that has come to light as a result of the recent chaos in the city. I think this could work. With a small investment of gold sails, and a bit of luck, we might end their seditious malfeasance without bloodshed.
Odric stands beaming, legs slightly apart, fists planted firmly on his hips. Interestingly, a bit of definition is visible through the still-thick layer of fat on his arms, but by all accounts, Odric is actually looking a bit more presentable than he was a week and a half ago when the men assembled first met. He certainly smells more presentable.
Grym nods in agreement at parts of Odrics plan but does remind the group that our mission needs to be wrapped up quickly if we are to complete things with in the week granted us.
Hiring trustworthy mercenaries and renting a warehouse might take more then an hour or two.
Odric, I admire your propensity toward thorough plans and fairly convoluted plots. However, in this case I don't think it's the best course of action. We're on a bit of a schedule, and what you're proposing will take significant resources in time and money in order to pull off properly. Add to that the fact that the more complex a plan is, the more opportunity there is for failure, and I believe what you're suggesting is a little too far afield for us.
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As for illusions . . . Morkeleb puts a contemptuous emphasis on the word "illusions" . . . I have little skill in that branch of magic. I find it too unreliable and, frankly, too weak for my tastes. My skills in charming, and in communicating with those I've charmed, could come in quite handy in this situation.
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Now, taking advantage of the "night's special cut" is definitley the way to go--divide and conquer. If we can hire enough of them out to split their force roughly in half, we may be able to take them all alive in two "helpings." Thoughts?
Grym ponders the wizards words for a moment. We don't know for sure how many there are. We know of at least five, (four and the leader). There could be double that. We could attempt to hire out three or four, that shouldn't be too much trouble for us to deal with.
The ranger strokes his dog's head while he continues to think about the forming plan.
Morkeleb may be right. If we hire out half, then draw them away from the group only to capture them, we could then return to the hideout and capture the remainder. Another possibility is to send back another "customer" Odric makes quotation marks in the air with his fingers on this word to hire another small band shortly after the first. By doing this a few times, it is possible we could hire out the band piecemeal until we have captured all of them.
Odric looks approvingly at Morkeleb for his common sense approach to planning. Simple is the way to go, and what could go wrong with this? Odric begins muttering, scratching diagrams in the dirt which look every bit as complicated as the last plan, and rehearsing as though for a stage performance.
How about this: we hire out a good portion of soldiers--enough to hopefully weaken the main force, but not so many that we can't handle. We capture them, and I can then charm one of them. This gives us several options, including gathering detailed information on the remaining troop, or using the charmed soldier as an ally to assist in taking the rest of them back alive--probably not as a sword arm, but perhaps as diplomatic help?
Third day: pen two Identify and two Exp. Retreat scrolls. 50 gp total
Gaius raises an eyebrow and looks to his companions.
Simple is better. I volunteer to go to the Butcher shop and hire some, "workers". I'll lead them to an alley, someplace we designate. The rest of you will be there and we'll ambush, taking anyone alive we can. We can briefly interrogate one of them. Then we head back to the butcher shop and assault, taking the rest. I'll hire the crew for the evening in the afternoon, but set the meet for after dark. That'll give us some additional time to refine the details of the plan. We do this tonight. What say you all?
Sounds good, lets do it.
Morkeleb nods slightly in approval. Sounds very workable.
We need a location for our trap. Something off the main ways, out of eye and ear shot. Anyone have a suggestion? Let me think.
Zellaras apartment?
Ferox wracks his brain for an appropriate location.
Knowledge(Local):
Something with few entrances and exits to minimize the possibility of escape if someone cuts and runs. And where we can hide, if possible.
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In any case, we should definitely lead off with a Sleep spell!
Going off of Morkeleb's descriptors... Gaius will give his input.
Knowledge (Local):
I'll need some gold to do the, "hiring". Everyone pitch in.
I count out 100 coins and wordlessly hand them over.
I'll need some gold to do the, "hiring". Everyone pitch in.
Stuff like this is why we should have a community bucket.
Odric nods and begins drafting out what appears to be legal documents for a group expense account. He keeps crossing out the title and writing a new one underneath or next to it. He started with just "Community Bucket", then crossed that out and put "Pack Horde of the Pack of the Wolf Pack". Smiled at that for a second till he read it back to himself a few times then scratched it out. "Group Treasure Trove of Champions", then "Community Chest", then "La Bolsa de Dinero Varonil de los Campeones". He finally goes back to "Community Bucket", then keeps scrawling...
Gaius accepts the (gold?) coins from Morkeleb and thanks him.
Keep your taxes off of me, Grym. I prefer to keep control of my gold. That being said, draw up a proposal and I'll consider it. Are you pitching in?
You want a building or a dead end alley?
Building. I think an alley would be too obvious.
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You find an out of the way building that looks believable enough and has but one point of egress. The map is here.
I like it. An unoccupied shop of some sort?
Grym has the coin to match Morkeleb, and hands it over to Gaius.
You find an out of the way building that looks believable enough and has but one point of egress. The map is here.
Grym and Odric both like the location.
How are we doing this ambush? Should we have two of us inside pretending to be merchants while the others stay hidden for the suprise.
Chris, what kind of building is this?
Sounds perfect.
Okay, I'm going to brainstorm some good lies. Grym, Ferox, and Morkeleb (and Odric)? You tell me when to launch the mission.
Ready when you are. Ferox, Morkeleb, Odric, and Grym can lay in wait.
Ferox takes up a position behind the last set of shelves, towards the right.
Stealth:
Very well. We do our utmost to capture these men rather than kill them, correct? Do we have physical means of restraint--ropes, manacles, that sort of thing?
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Gaius, when you approach, I'll be casting a Message spell on you so that we can keep in whispered communication. I'll have that spell in place on all of us.
In the mid-afternoon, Gaius enters the butcher shop looking sluttastic. For anyone a fan of THE DRESDEN FILES, he looks like Thomas Raith.
He introduces himself as Darius Starshine, a procurer and ponce (as well as expert masseur), at a new startup house of ill-repute. He's looking for workers for, "collections and security".
It seems that a trio of ruffians, after taking advantage of our services for nearly a full evening, left without paying their tab and roughed-up one of the girls.
But one of them had some, shall we say more exotic tastes that required a personal touch. Not only can't he hold his spirits, he talks in bed. (Darius blushes). And tonight, after dark, they're headed to a merchantile in Cliffside where they are going to break into a forgotten strongbox where supposedly there's an abandoned cache of healing potions and a bag of crowns. Probably left there by the previous owner but I don't know about such things.
It's a new brothel, and we're still staffing. As such, we don't have anyone on permanent retainer for this sort of thing yet. In exchange for the location and their services, they can keep half of the goods we find onsite--we split it 50/50 but they can keep the potions if I can keep the legal documents and contracts that may also be there--the information may come in handy to a businessman such as myself.
If they balk at this, I'll negotiate a higher percentage for them of the spoils, going so far as to give them rights to anything there except the documents. I'll make a fight of the negotiations, but will relent if necessary: I'll tell them that, mostly, I want these cads to suffer. Some things [Darius casually makes his Calistrian tattoo visible] are more important than money.
Chris, if they need a retainer or deposit, I have the gold the others gave me to go to plus a little of my own. I figure we can get it back later. :) I can also casually drop that the workers at my new establishment would be VERY grateful and this may lead to a continuing business relationship, profitable and pleasurable for all parties.
Bluff:
BOOYAH! THAT IS HOW WE LIE IN KORVOSA! FRELL YEAH!
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The guards eye Gaius with disdain, and the front door guard looks as if he's about to kick the faceman to the road. He's a tall man with bushy eyebrows that merge into one just above his large flat nose. At the mention of the "night's special" he roughly (and notably with only his fingertips)pushes Gaius inside.
The inside guard looks behind him, as if checking to make sure no one deeper in the store is listening. This one is a wheezy man whose chainmail doesn’t quite fit his ample frame. He introduces himself as Malder, and his partner-in-crime is Baldrago. Right away they reveal themselves to be profiteers by opportunity, not cunning. On their best day they'd have no hope of penetrating the Calistrian's ruse.
Malder: "We accept yer deal with 2 addistional considerings. First, we want a guaranteed booty of 50 Gold sails . After the first, in the unlikely event that we accidentally beat these guys to death when they resist.... Baldrago and I get to keep the bodies too.
Both of the unsurly guards eye you expectantly.
People who are on "Team Ambush" Just tell me where you're hiding and give me a Stealth check. People who are "hiring" make a bluff check.
Upon entering the ambush site, Odric explores the building carefully. He realizes his bulk and relative inexperience at hiding and sneaking around might make concealment difficult, so he opts for a 'hide in plain sight' option instead.
The big man forces his index finger down his gullet in the space between the table and the wall, which produces a nauseatingly awful puddle of vomit. Odric flavors the vomitous mass with a dose of potent spirits, having not imbibed any himself in ... hmmm quite a spell. Odric ensures his vomit is sufficiently realistic, having had ample opportunity to observe the results of his own past drunken binges.
The big man grimaces and wipes a few smears of the vomit-puddle onto his face and takes a seat.
Odric appears to be passed out drunk in the chair behind the desk in the right-hand room. He has the Eagle ready within easy reach, leaning against the chair he is in, but is wearing a set of brass knuckles on each of his abnormally large and hairy hands. His hands are concealed under his chest as the big man is slouching forward onto the table. In order to complete the illusion of a drunken lout, Odric pours a good shot of poor spirits over his face and chin to mix with the vomit. The near-empty bottle of grog is lain carelessly on the desk, neck towards Odric in case he has opportunity to use it as an improvised weapon.
The guards eye Gaius with disdain, and the front door guard looks as if he's about to kick the faceman to the road. He's a tall man with bushy eyebrows that merge into one just above his large flat nose. At the mention of the "night's special" he roughly (and notably with only his fingertips)pushes Gaius inside.
The inside guard looks behind him, as if checking to make sure no one deeper in the store is listening. This one is a wheezy man whose chainmail doesn’t quite fit his ample frame. He introduces himself as Malder, and his partner-in-crime is Baldrago. Right away they reveal themselves to be profiteers by opportunity, not cunning. On their best day they'd have no hope of penetrating the Calistrian's ruse.
Malder: "We accept yer deal with 2 addistional considerings. First, we want a guaranteed booty of 50 Gold sails . After the first, in the unlikely event that we accidentally beat these guys to death when they resist.... Baldrago and I get to keep the bodies too.
Both of the unsurly guards eye you expectantly.
"Darius", looks bored.
I'm more than confident that these goons have that much on them at least. Very well, I accept your first. As for the second, it matters not so long as they suffer for the insult and for the damage to my girl. In that unlikely event, the bodies (Gaius shows disgust on his face) are yours. Keep them with my compliments. But what... Could you possibly want with them?
People who are on "Team Ambush" Just tell me where you're hiding and give me a Stealth check. People who are "hiring" make a bluff check.Upon entering the ambush site, Odric explores the building carefully. He realizes his bulk and relative inexperience at hiding and sneaking around might make concealment difficult, so he opts for a 'hide in plain sight' option instead.
The big man forces his index finger down his gullet in the space between the table and the wall, which produces a nauseatingly awful puddle of vomit. Odric flavors the vomitous mass with a dose of potent spirits, having not imbibed any himself in ... hmmm quite a spell. Odric ensures his vomit is sufficiently realistic, having had ample opportunity to observe the results of his own past drunken binges.
** spoiler omitted **
The big man grimaces and wipes a few smears of the vomit-puddle onto his face and takes a seat.
Odric appears to be passed out drunk in the chair behind the desk in the right-hand room. He has the Eagle ready within easy reach, leaning against the chair he is in, but is wearing a set of brass knuckles on each of his abnormally large and hairy hands. His hands are concealed under his chest as the big man is slouching forward onto the table. In order to complete the illusion of a drunken lout, Odric pours a good shot of poor spirits over his face and chin to mix with the vomit. The near-empty bottle of grog is lain carelessly on the desk, neck towards Odric in case he has opportunity to use it as an improvised weapon.
OOC: You are some kinda crazy.
Grym is part of the ambush team. Fearing his ability to keep his dog Bucho perfectly quiet, Grym leaves the dog in plain sight. The dog is tied up in the NorthWest corner. His lead is just long enough to enter the three squares around the corner square.
The ranger will be hiding in the NorthWest corner near his dog. Grym has a short length of rope cut to tie someone up with.
Stealth
Morkeleb looks around the inside of the building, chin in palm, thinking.
Not skilled at hiding . . . I also cannot be caught in this room in close quarters . . .
Morkeleb looks intently into the southwest corner (same wall as the door, away from it), rearranging items (boxes, cabinets, whatever) to give some cover to hide behind.
He then stands near a window with a view of the entrance; Morkeleb's intentions are to cast Message on Gaius as soon as he's visible, then to quickly cast Message on the rest of the group, then hide back in the corner. Once hidden, he'll have his staff in one hand, the wand of Acid Splash in the other.
Stealth:
I think it is important that we get them into the second room to prevent a "cut and run" scenario like we talked about earlier. Odric speaks clearly and with a level of articulation that belies his appearance while he maintains his drunken pose, which makes for an odd juxtaposition. If one of these goons gets out, not only do we lose the reward for him, he prepares the others for our second phase attack.
Odric's vomit is briefly inspected by Bucho, who immediately recoils in horror.
Grym agrees with Odric and ties Bucho up to Odrics left. If a slip not cant be done, he tells Odric he can just the rope.
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Gentlemen,
My apologies. I am ready... Mostly. To make sure we get the battlemap up and running properly, can you tell me which square you are in using the following: The squares run alphabetically left to right, and numerically from top to bottom?
Gaius leads the new hires to the ambush site. They pointedly ignore his question about the bodies. They speak little, and no conversation grows on the walk. Upon arrival, they check out the situation, just to make sure:
With a quick check of the area, it's game on! (I'll wait just to make sure everyone is place correctly.)
Grym is hiding in square B1.
Bucho is tied up in square F5, his lead can reach the adjoining areas in F4, G4, and G5. Grym did agree to this b/c Odric has over the past week been well introduced to Bucho and has fed the dog many treats. So though Bucho may not respect/obey Odric he does seem to trust him and in the heat of battle shouldn't attack him.
Grym is only one week into training w/ Bucho and most of that was heeling on command and not barking. Grym isn't really sure if the dog will attack bad guys on his own or not.