Peering down the grate, Ariana questions if she really wants to slip down a sooty chimney. Even in trying to escape her death penalty, she's prissy and demanding, unsure if she wants to sully herself any further like that. "Do you think you can make it down there, friend? Or would you like somebody to help you to the ground floor on foot?"
"I see. And when will the guards be expecting their next meal?"
Alicia looks back at Moriarti, nodding in approval. If they were preparing the morning meal, they would likely have company soon. She asks softly, "And how the hell do you get out from here?"
The man looks at Damien. "It's mine."
The woman pipes up for Moriarti's question. "Not for a while now. We still have to finish the bread and get the porridge started."
The man points at the eastern door. "That leads right outside."
With her hopeful excuse dashed, Ariana peers down the chimney, knowing full well she won't be able to handle any pairs of guards herself. "Me, I guess," she groans, shutting her eyes tight as she slides down, grunting and groaning the whole time as falls into the ashes, grumbling and emerging downstairs in the kitchen, holding firmly onto her club as she takes a moment to soak in the situation before realizing the others had the situation well in hand. Lowering the weapon, she sighed and began to try and shake the ashes off of her clothes.
Alicia grabs a kitchen knife and adds it to her growing arsenal, looking with longing at the eastern door. "What else lies outside between that door and the exit from this hellhole?"
Molasbar follows as well. Once in the kitchen, he'll find a good knife to use as a last resort.
Maena asks, "Would we not be in a position to weaken the guard. Surely there's something we could mix into the food that could lead to wretching, at the very least. "
"T-the grounds. The kennel. The gatehouse. The portcullis."
Alicia's eyes shine. "Perfect! We can take out the dogs before they can track us, clear the gatehouse, and get out!" The plan seemed straightforward, but she looks to her more clever companions, as she likely had missed something. She always did...which was why she was in here.
"But how are we to get the food to them without blowing our cover? We can't trust these two out of our sight. We need to get out of here, and quickly!" Knowing that the outside is just one door away has Alicia nervous all over again. "Why can't we just go up to the wall and plant the window there?"
Arian fells out the dagger momentarily, moving with the measured grace of someone who has little actual idea what she's testing. "What if we poisoned the dogs?" she offered, admittedly joining halfway into the conversation, but confident enough to share her idea. [b]"If there is poison on the grounds, we could have somebody dressed a guard, or perhaps one of these wonderful helpers who would most surely like to endear themselves to us for the sake of their survival, feed it to the dogs with their food. No trackers to sniff out our trail come the dawn, but no noise made trying to kill them one by one."
"Is this only to feed the guards, or the prisoners as well?"
Can Molasbar estimate how many they are trying to feed, and therefore estimate the size of the garrison?
Profession (cook)
Grumblejack comes down the chimney awkwardly, landing with a thump. The servants appear terrified of him, but Grumblejack just offers them a toothy grin.
The man doesn't take his eyes off of Grumblejack. "There's a plant in the yard. I don't know what it is, but Sergeant Blackerly takes leaves off it to drug that one. After he killed a couple of men."
He turns to Molasbar. "Everybody."
[ooc]The castle walls are about 20 ft thick.
"Perhaps one of you sneaky folk can don the cloak and gather some of that plant to use? Perhaps get a glance around for a good escape route? Hurry, whatever we're doing...this kitchen won't stay empty for long!"
His mind calculating as he looks at the shelves and larder, Molasbar says "If the prison is resupplied on a weekly basis, there are probably only twenty or so people here. So perhaps a dozen or so guards? If we encounter them individually or in small groups, surely we can slay every single one of them, thereby equipping ourselves better for the world outside these walls, delaying pursuit until the someone outside the prison discovers it and sending a message to our tormentors."
Maena nods, "I like the way you think, Elf. I second that approach."
Alicia chuckles derisively, rolling her eyes. "We could have skipped The Great Kitchen Adventure and gotten straight to killing then, if that's the case. Now let's act on it before one of you smart ones starts thinking again." She restlessly paces back and forth in front of the door, clearly eager for them to move on.
"From this adventure we determined how best to proceed; that is the very essence of a sucessful plan. We also now have someone the dogs will trust; shall we poison them after all? I'd hate for us to decide who has the enviable position of stabbing attack dogs through a cage. After all, if it's weakening an ogre, I can't imagine a mere dog will be able to stay awake, let alone alive." Moving to examine the food, she smiles, reaching in and taking one to snack on as well, in desperate and mighty need of some food to help regain a measure of her strength. "You," she says, pointing to one of the servants, "Put all of this food into bags for us, please. Our overseas journey will be long, and I will not go hungry."
The man points at the eastern door. "The plant is right outside."
Grumblejack begins to fidget, uneasy with the delay.
The man begins to stuff food into a burlap sack.
Grumblejack moves towards the north door and moves to open it. "I'm tired of waiting. Let's see if the little 'uns can handle all of us at once."
Maena nods in support of Damien, "Just think of it as a fun hunt."
Alicia grins at Grumblejack's statement. "I like the way you think. This waiting and planning will be the death of us. Let's get the f+&% out of this place!" She scowls at Damien's and Maena's words...but it is clear she will not be deterred for much longer, especially with their larger companion on board for a more direct approach.
Maena looks at Alicia and says sternly, "A few extra second of thinking and planning and most of us probably wouldn't even be here and now have to escape. Let's learn from that and make the most of or second chance, shall we?"
She then says in a more calm voice, "That said, we don't have time to have a long discussion about every possibility, either. I'd recommend systematically hunting and killing all the guards, gaining as much as we can in provisions and supplies, either to use or sell, and getting the Hells out of here before dawn..."
She turns to face the prisoners, "So let's get these nice people to draw us a map of the area, a count of how many guards are on shift and how many are sleeping, and we won't feed then to the grossly underfed Ogre, but we'll leave them locked up so the Mitrans don't think they helped us. Everyone wins. And while they're doing that, well take all the food an Ogre can carry... Some sacks might be useful... "
Turning red at the wise, yet unwanted, rebuke, she says, "Bah, they're the kitchen help. Why would they know the shift routines and what not? Take the f!&@ing food, lock them up or hush them up, and let's go. I'm tired of waiting. It seems like we've been stuck in this kitchen for days!"
"Systematically hunting and killing the guards? Sounds like a plan to me! Get the food and let's go." Alicia fidgets while the man and woman draw a map or refuse to comply, helping to pack food if help is required. Once all this is done, she shrugs, "Alright, we have our map, and our food. Let's get going." She moves to the door, waiting a brief moment for her more hesitant allies before opening it.
He looks to Grumblejack. "Slay them. If anyone comes to the kitchen, they won't be able to relay any of our deliberations."
"Wait, don't do it yet," she says hurriedly to the ogre. "One of you is going to buy your lives back by aiding us by poisoning the dogs." Turning toward the others, she waves a hand. "I will catch up; between the six of you, there is little doubt you will be able to handle yourselves, and we will be much better off with no dogs to sniff out our trails. Unless you would like to be the one to escort them, Alicia, given your antsiness." Facing toward the cooks again, she folds her hands and waits for a volunteer.
"Press forward or stay and babysit the cooks? I'll pass, thanks." Alicia says with little or no malice...just matter-of-factly. "Perfect...let's go." She continues with her motion of opening the door.
Ariana looks to the man willing to offer both his life and his service to save the crying woman's life. Hardly in any position to mock given the rags she wars, and in fact rather hoping to ensure cooperation as much as possible, she nods. "Very well," she says, shoving the woman into the supply closet once they've raided it of everything they need. "Grumblejack, could you please break the doorknob so that she can't escape?" Striding back to the man, she cracks her knuckles. "How kind of you," she says, absolutely matter-of-factly; there is no respect or admiration in her voice. "Bring whatever the dogs are fed with, then lead me to the poison; we will mix it on the way to the kennel."
Outside is the yard of the fortress, bathed in soft moonlight. A modest vegetable garden sits to the north. South of the plot is a large bush, covered in berries. While Ariana can see and smell the ocean, she can't see it. Two story tall walls wrap around the vicinity of the fortress, capped by guard towers. The silhouette of a lone man walks the wall.
The man points to the bush. "That's the poison. Warden calls it belladonna."
Knowing she is relatively incapable of being very quiet, Alicia allows Damien a good 15 foot head start before she follows him into what she assumes is the mess hall. The eastern door in the previous room led outside, so the western door likely would lead them deeper into the complex, by her estimation.
"Grumblejack, come on. We've some heads to bust open." Serious expression on her face, Alicia gestures to Damien with her sword, then points it at the western door. The intent is clear...open the door stealthily, or the warrior will open it herself.
Molasbar will linger behind Alicia and Grumblejack a few paces, helping keep a lookout behind them.
She moves toward the poison, pretending to inspect it despite knowing very little about poisons, save for the fact it would be unwise to use her bare hands to apply it to the meat. "Rub it into the beef," she orders, eyes shifting about to try and spot any lights or hear the sounds of patrol.
Moriarti waits at the door that leads outside until Ariana and her escort are safely out of sight, then follows the others back into the prison.
The man does as Ariana demands, rubbing the poisonous leaves onto the beef.
Irritated at the disruption, confident that the need for hostages and helpers is minimal or non-existent, Alicia charges at the bewildered man, sword raised high. In an effort to ensure his silence, she slashes down viciously.