"Lets go blow stuff up!"
Ah, there he is.
Deylar silently chastises himself for needing a lesson on goblin behavior from such an unlikely source. Of course the little blighters were more active at night, morning was clearly a better choice. He almost let his desire to prove himself lead down a very foolish path indeed.
The tiefling considers everything they've heard up to this point and keeps coming to the same conclusion. "Not quite sure how we'll communicate if we split up like that, but a distraction at the tower and entry through the sewers sounds right."
He pauses a moment, thinking before speaking again. "You said Metal Teeth wouldn't leave bodies, right Barthol? Meaning another patrol will be coming this way soon enough. Do we make ourselves scarce so we are not discovered, or do we wait for the goblins to return here and try to ambush them?"
Deylar looks back at Rova. "You wouldn't mind bashing a few more goblins, would you?"
Barthol merely shakes his head as he stands to his feet once again. "Best to leave. Alarm already sounded. No patrolling while in full defense." he claims.
"Barthol is right, we leave, and burn the fortress to the ground, all goblins within, a sacrifice to the destroyer." Rova says with fervor and conviction.
He sheathes his blades and sets off into the underbrush, heading in the general direction of the keep. Looking like an animal clad in fur and dried blood.
For a moment Deylar envisions the song Jahl'ra would write about them.
"And they were never heard from again....."
"Rova, he also said in the morning. Saru, how much time do you need to prepare for the destruction of the tower? And what IS your plan for communicating with us to coordinate?"
"Well let's wait than."
"Oh, I can't say that I'd need much time...though if I want to get in as Barthol, we'd need to get some furs, right?"
Saru scratches his head. "I could also get in as one of the dead ones, say that I played dead and got away when you, the stupid tall ones, just moved on. One of you would have to stab me or something, though."
"Communicate? I thought you'd just wait for the sounds of explosions and fire before you charge in. I have a special firework I can use - it whistles like nothing else. Maybe I can use that as a signal?"
"Given the Circumstances of the event, the group decides to wait the night out until morning, but by the time they've listened to the Bugbear in detail, sifting through the useless information and picking at what's legitimate, It's too late to head back towards Ostenso. That said, according to the bugbear it was safe to stay at the edge of the forest, which they took with a grain of salt."
The night falls, and a fire is made, albeit a small one with no smoke that won't draw attention. The soft sound of the animals within the forest, as well as the excessive rambunctiousness of the goblins in the distance is a forewarning of just how many lie within the Fort.
Deylar volunteers for first watch, knowing that he needs his rest in order to prepare spells for tomorrow's infiltration. His watch passes quickly as various scenarios play out in his head, the noises in the distance punctuating how vulnerable they are, how much more vulnerable they are even from the moment they left the airship.
So far guild life was not at all what he expected.
Aviz volunteers for middle watch to make use of his superior vision.
Also making use of his vision, Rova takes the late watch after Aviz into the morning.
He walks the outer perimeter of the camp foraging and trying to catch rabbits and squirrels.
In the morning, a small pot of meat stew is simmering over the ashes of the fire. Rova's large mass huddled over it in a squat stirring quietly.
Saru volunteers for no watch, as he similarly needs rest and Deylar's already volunteered for the first watch. Though he supposes he'll be up from his sleep first, while Deylar and Aviz are asleep again.
When he gets up, he mentally picks one of the goblins they'd killed the previous night, poking Rova to ensure that the orc sees what he's doing, and changes form into the form of the deceased goblin. He then uses his sleeves of many garments to conceal his real attire and assume the attire of the dead goblin.
"Saru, eat some breakfast." Rova says, offering the smaller man a bowl with a light broth and chunks of meat in it.
Saru gratefully takes the bowl. "Is there a spoon, or is this for sipping?" he asks, looking back at the orc.
Rova looks down from quaffing his small bowl in two gulps, he smiles a toothy grin and hands Saru the wooden spoon he used to stir the pot.
Deylar finishes his morning preparations with the smell of stew causing his stomach to rumble. With a final prayer to The Eye he walks over to his companions just in time to see Rova slurping down his serving. The tiefling allows himself a small grin. When in Ostenso....
He takes his own small bowl and mimic's Rova's performance as best he can, although the slight priest's gulps are truly no match for the halforc's gusto.
"A fine meal, a good omen for our endeavors today!" He gives a quick glance around camp. "Looks like no troubles during the night? At least, Im hoping that's Saru we're breaking our fast with?"
Carefully spooning himself the stewed game with the overlarge wooden spoon, Saru smiles, revealing rows of jagged, unkempt goblin-y teeth. "It is well that you can't tell the difference," he says, "I guess you'll never know if I'm really me or not, huh?"
Aviz grunts a 'morning' to everybody, taking a bowl and drinking it back like Rova, although a bit slower. Hmm, not as bad as guard gruel.
"Lets just hope that does not happen at the wrong time. My spells and his blades will not know the difference either."
He uses the back of his hand to wipe broth from his chin. "How will we know its you if we bump into you in the tunnels beneath the fort?"
"He can say 'Rova is the Herald of the Rough Beast' no gob will shout that out." Rova suggests.
"Rova is the Herald of the Rough Beast!" exclaims Saru, grinning. "I like that. I might just use it...we'll see. I haven't decided yet."
He scratches his little tiny chin and continues, "I'm actually not sure if I even want to run into you in there. There's a lot of damage I could do as a goblin, you know."
The morning rolls in with a gusto, and the day is windy as the trees defend themselves from the shifting air. The fire has long burned out but even beneath the shade and the early morning the air is comfortably warm and it threatens to be a fantastically hot day. The sound of the goblins has completely died down, save for a handful of small shrieks, but by comparison to last night it is of little concern.
Barthol has long left, and did so after taking the second watch with the person at that time. He stayed to himself for the most part and ate some crude jerky he'd personally made, but mostly tended to his wounds in his stomach and back. He shuffled off towards Ostenso quietly, thanking the other watcher for their benevolence. All he left behind was an entire slab of jerky made from nearly an entire deer leg. It's not entirely certain whether it's safe to eat or not, but he didn't seem to have much trouble.
In the air, a small crack is heard in the distance as everyone talks amongst themselves and branches break. Something large, yet surprisingly graceful, lurks in the forest.
Aviz glares at the bugbear as it leaves. Hope this doesn't bitr me in the ass later. When the cracking is heard Aviz grabs his weapon and takes to the air, trying to spot the source.
The view of whatever is in the forest is promptly blocked by the surprisingly dense canopy.
Aviz quietly floats down to the canopy, peering through it.
As Aviz rises into the air to check on the noise, Deylar stops cleaning up from the morning meal and peers out into the forest in the direction it came from. He casts a detection spell more out of habit than expecting it to help, then starts moving away from the remnants of the fire looking for cover.
The detection of magic does little against the wall of the forest, and as the creature no doubt announces it's presence, it rolls in, on hundreds of legs and a chitinous plating along it's full length. You are faced, upon the morning, against what can only be referred to as a giant centipede, though, just a glance isn't enough to explain what kind it is.
The beast rears up with guillotine-like mandibles on both it's head and tail, chittering away. One things for sure. No one bothered to tell you about this kind of creature within the wild life. It seems to be deterred little by the Trees.
Aviz
Rova
Centipede
Saruwatori
Deylarr
Rova roars as the giant bug rears its ugly head. Blades in hand he runs at the monster with a savage cry.
He attempts to disembowel the squishy worm.
Aviz darts in a moment after Rova, fauchard flashing in the sunlight. It comes down hard through the centipede's hide.
The Centipede violently undulates as its morning meal seems more repugnant than it originally expected. The blood trails from it's soft stomach and plates all at once, before the beast responsively lashes out at the strange airborne creature that did the most damage to the soft spots between it's plating.
The bite goes deep, and Aviz takes a moment to escape the grasp of the monstrous insect, but does so too late, and the poison quickly assaults his veins, despite the slowly increasing crushing sensation. He has little difficulty wiggling away, but can't help but feel his wings tense up and his joints begin to buckle.
Saru scoffs - of course they'd be interrupted by something pointless NOW. He gets a little bit closer - just so that he's within range of his spell - and conjures a chunk of disgusting mud just above his hand, hurling it at the centipede's face, trying to blind it.
Aviz manages to maintain his height, growling in anger at the poison. I'd call it a coward if it wasn't it's natural weapons. He chops at it again, fighting more carefully now and hovering back away.
So much for the fortress being the primary threat.....
Deylar takes a few steps forward and begins casting, asking for Nethys to bless their combat. As the energy settles around him he uses his gifts to warp it again to provide his allies with even more arcane power to battle the creature.
Bless round 1 of 50
48/48 HP
Heavenly Fire; 0 used, 8 remaining
Divine Vessel; 1 used, 8 remaining
Blast Rune; 0 used, 8 remaining
Channels; 0 used, 6 remaining
Bonded Item; 0 cast, 1 remaining
Spells
0-level (DC15): Detect Magic, Guidance, Resistance, Stabilize
1-level (DC16): Bless, Bless, Obscuring Mist, Moment of Greatness, Stone Shield, True Strike(dom)
2-level (DC17): Bull's Strength, Burst of Radiance, Grace, Gust of Wind (dom)
3-level (DC17): Prayer, Stone Shape, Call Lightning (dom)
The centipede revoltingly hisses as the mudball lands upon it's many eyes, letting out a gufaw of a roar. With it's sight hampered it can't stop Aviz from fleeing. All that said, the wound it landed upon him clings to his wings as his body fights off the effects.
His wings continue to grow tighter, but he lands the first of the blows all the same, opening an even larger wound as he cuts into the very same plate he'd found earlier.
[ooc]Damage done: 77
Aviz takes advantage of the creature's blindness, stepping back in and chopping at it with all his might.
Rova continues to roar.
The power and abandon of his swings still executed with a strange mix of skill and shocking brutality.
So far the group seems to be doing well, so instead of casting again Deylar calls on his heritage and lets loose a bolt of heavenly fire at the centipede.
Knowing that he's of little use to his comrades in combat, Saru ensures that he stays back, trying to keep out of danger so that he can get on with his infiltration mission later on in the day.
Ruthlessly placing 2 more blows upon the beast, Rova disembowls it entirely before its even capable of seeing again. The thing lurches before slightly hissing and dieing a slow, bloody death at the cruel orc's wrathful blows.
It would seem the Centipedes poisons died with it, as Aviz shakes off the effects almost as soon as it had hissied it's last breath away. Unfortunately it had already done it's damage.
Aviz floats to the ground, muscles stiffening up. "Can anybody help with poison?"
Deylar inspects Aviz's wounds then begins rummaging through his pack.
"I prepared my spells based on battle, so I cannot remove the taint. I can hold off its affects for a few hours however. Can you tolerate it a little while longer? I am thinking we wait until our raid begins then use this so you are at our best for the assault instead of the approach."
He pulls out a tightly rolled piece of parchment and points with it for emphasis.
Treat Poison
To treat poison means to tend to a single character who has been poisoned and who is going to take more damage from the poison (or suffer some other effect). Every time the poisoned character makes a saving throw against the poison, you make a Heal check. If your Heal check exceeds the DC of the poison, the character receives a +4 competence bonus on his saving throw against the poison.
Time: 1 standard action.
Aviz scouts ahead quietly, trying to spot the secret entrance as well as any guards around or on the way to it.
With the sun rising in the distance, Scouting ahead Aviz can see the small pinprick of a Fortress in the distance atop a hill. After a short bit of flying he manages to catch a glimpse of the pipes to the right, as well as smoke rising from one of the towers along the brickwork.
Still in his disguised form, Saru double-checks to make sure that his attire is the same as the goblins' were, and then starts tottering off towards the fort, feigning fatigue and injury by staggering a bit every few steps.
For good measure, though, he slashes himself across the chest, twice, drawing blood. Fake wounds wouldn't do if they asked him about them.