Jelani's The Witchwar Legacy (Inactive)

Game Master Brian Minhinnick

"Vega, I see your point about our strength as a group. It would be hard to sneak in this snow but those that can fly could certainly come in together, invisible. That way if the scout triggers some magical alarm, they aren't alone."

"Invisibility! You guys are always thinking!" Poppy silently chastises herself. Don't look so spacey and foolish! No one will take you seriously! "I can be your invisible flying backup if you want!" she suggests to Dori.

"...As could Ophelia and I, with Vega and Cho following close behind on foot, unless we have a way to have them fly in with us too?"

--------------

Note, Tongues wore off some time back, and Gror is speaking common (not knowing Celestial). I can cast it again if we want it -- it might be useful during the chaos of battle. Either way, can someone who speaks Celestial translate for us?

Realizing that Cho can no longer understand what everyone is saying, Vega quickly starts to translate:

" என் மார்பு புதிய மந்திரம் என்னை செய்வது katas பல pictographs மற்றும் வழிமுறைகளை கொண்டுள்ளது. செறிவு ஒரு கணம் அவர்களை ஒன்று, என் வடிவம் மாற்ற மற்றும் மேம்படுத்த திறனை காட்டும் தோன்றியது. ஒரு நிமிஷம் கொடு நான் குறைந்தது ஒரு குறுகிய போது, இறக்கைகள் வளர முடியும் என்று நினைக்கிறேன்."

"My chest contained many pictographs and instructions on new mantras and katas for me to perform. One of them, with a moment of concentration, seemed to indicate the ability to modify and enhance my form. Give me a moment and I think I can grow wings, at least for a short while."

"Though now I must ask... are we all going to rush in, invisible, and deal with surprises as the come up? I still think having only one or two scout ahead simply to observe and report, not to engage, would be the wiser choice... so that we can formulate a plan of attack. For example, where is the main entrance to the inner workings of the veil? How is it guarded? Are there alternate routes? Another concern is: if we're all invisible, how do we communicate with each other without blowing our cover? ...er..."

"இப்போது கூட நான் கேட்க வேண்டும் ... நாம் அனைவரும் எழுந்து வந்து ஆச்சரியங்கள் கொண்டு கண்ணுக்கு தெரியாத, மற்றும் ஒப்பந்தம், விரைந்து போகிறீர்கள்? நான் இன்னும் எளிமையாக கண்காணிக்க புகார், ஈடுபட கூடாது, புத்திசாலிகள் தேர்வு இருக்கும் என்று மேலே ஒரே ஒரு இரண்டு சாரணர் கொண்ட நினைக்கிறேன் ... அதனால் நாங்கள் தாக்குதல் திட்டத்தை உருவாக்க முடியும். எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, முக்காடு உட்புற வேலைப்பாடுகளை பிரதான நுழைவாயில் எங்கே? அதை எப்படி பாதுகாக்கப்படுகிறது? அங்கு மாற்று வழிகள் உள்ளன? மற்றொரு கவலை இல்லை: நாம் அனைவரும் கண்ணுக்கு என்றால், எப்படி நாம் நம் கவர் வீசுகிறது இல்லாமல் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் தொடர்பு என்ன? "

Vega blinks and thinks for a moment, his lower lip rising into and pushing up his upper lip as he does so.

"This is going to take a lot more time - and increase the risk of being heard - if everything has to be repeated."

Before Arrival in Irrisen...

After ten minutes of solid concentration and Ophelia's chanting, Lucero Cortez at long last materializes into the arena.

"ஆ! பத்து ஆயிரக்கணக்கான ஆண்டுகளுக்கு பிறகு, நான் இலவசமாக இருக்கிறேன்! அது பூமியின் கைப்பற்ற நேரம்!" the great Couatl bellows dramatically in Celestial. He then lets out long and tired yawn and coils up around Ophelia. The feathered serpent then mumbles tiredly, "இன்னும் ஐந்து நிமிடங்கள், லேடி Iomedae..."

Ophelia fells a drop of cold sweat go down the back of her neck and rubs the back of her head sheepishly.

"Fun fact! Despite being outsiders, Couatls need to sleep and eat," chirps the elf as she affectionately rubs the serpent's techicolored head feathers. With that said, she quickly whispers in his earhole, "Lucero! Wake up! It's me, Ophelia!"

The Couatl's golden eyes immediately snap open, and with an audible yawn, he perks his long head up. Lucero's long emerald green body slithers into as much of an upright condition as it can assume, and he quickly begins to inspect the scene around him. It does not take him long to put two and two together.

"...It appears that I have been summoned for the mission to Irrisen," he quickly concludes upon seeing Josiah, who he offers a polite bow in recognition as his superior. Lucero turns back to Ophelia, and despite her shimmering like the summer sun, he recognizes her with little trouble. "Marvelous to see you again, little Opehlia. It has been too long."

"I had you over for tea and sausage two weeks ago!" giggles a slightly confused Ophelia.

"...Time sure flies in that garden," grumbles the Couatl as he swiftly takes to the air with a surprising amount of dexterity and grace for a creature of his size. Ophelia quickly latches onto his scales as he ascends and goes up into the air with her friend. The great serpentine celestial then turns to face the rest of the assembled group in the meanwhile.

"As you might already know, I am Lucero Cortez. However, LC, Lucero, or Cortez are all fine too," begins the Couatl as he looks over the odd individuals before him. "While Ophelia could easily order to me to assist with this massive task, she has not; I am doing this completely of my own initiative. I do not want to see the Torc fall into the wrong hands; the implications would be absolutely dire."

After Arrival in Irrisen...

Lucero decides to throw his metaphorical hat into the ring.

"I suggest scouting, and I believe I could be of great assistance," the Couatl says casually as he casts a spell on himself. At first, he had seemed to be a little uncomfortable in the cold, but any indication of that discomfort quickly dies away. "As long as I do not attack, not only can I stay Invisible near indefinitely, but I can also hide in another plane of existence. The Ethereal Plane. I doubt these giants would be able to see me there."

After thumbing through one of her spells books for a minute, Ophelia flies over to Gror and places a hand of his withered rocky head. "My knowledge of stone work is limited, but I do not this cold weather would be good for your skin. This little spell should help you Endure the Elements."

After listening intently to the rest of the party talk, Ophelia also adds, "I think we should do some scouting first. Before we cast Invisibility, I should also mention that my ring lets me stay Invisible about as long as I want. My small size might also be of use. Finally, I have a nice little ability to Shift around. Sort of like a mini Dimension Door if you will."

After waiting for Vega to bring Cho up to speed in Celestial about their current plans, Ophelia flies over to the wooden seat on the avatar of nature's back and plops herself in it.

"I agree with Lord Surtova; I think that this language barrier needs a more permanent solution!" says Ophelia as she grips Cho'ankai's staff with one hand and places her free palm on the arm rest of the wooden throne to establish contact between herself and the old Arcadian. "Let's Share some Languages of mine, shall we?"

Once the spell is finished, she quickly brings Cho up to speed in Common.

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Lucero casts Endure Elemental (Communal) on himself, and he will certainly go with Dolaris. He will first turn Invisible and then jump into the Ethereal Plane. Who knew giant celestial snakes made such awesome scouts?

Using her Fast Study ability, Ophelia takes a minute to grab Share Language and Web from her spellbooks. She then casts Endure Elements of Gror, and then Share Language on Cho.

Cho, for the next 24 hours through Share Lanuage, Ophelia grants you the knowledge of Common and two other of her languages of you choice.

Ophelia Known Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Gnome, Draconic, Celestial, Giant, Sylvan, Infernal, Abyssal, Auran, Necril, Thassilonian

Back at the arena...

"My goodness!" Poppy exclaims at the sight of Lucero. "I am indescribably pleased to meet you! My name is Poppy!" She extends a hoof when she realizes the Couatl doesn't have any extremities besides wings. She lowers her hoof sheepishly.

Lucero chuckles lightly, and using his flexible tail, he manages to catch the pony's hoof just before she grounds it. He gives it a light shake and says, "Well met, little one. It is a pleasure to meet you too."

Gror nods approvingly at the Coatl.

"Lucero? Gror Durrikson, at your service. I've never had the opportuniy to fight beside a Coatl, but I look forward to the opportunity."

To the group as a whole,
"I'm persuaded that scouting first is the right decision; our tactics will only excel to the extent that we have excellent information. I know I'll get to engage those giants soon enough. Given that Lucero has the ability to scout from within the Ethereal Plane, perhaps he should simply scout solo? Is there any advantage in Dori going as well?"

Cho mentioned casting Endure Elements, Communal. Others then did the crunch and found that for our party, basic Endure Elements on Dori and Gror was superior. Both Cho and Ophelia have mentioned casting it on Gror. Cho should decide if his initial casting stand, or did he change his mind after discussion? Gror owes his thanks to whoever cast it on him...and only one of you should subtract the spell.

Lucero bows his head toward Gror in respect.

"If what Ophelia tells me is true, Gror Durrikson, you did very well against Lord Josiah's golems, and as such, I look forward to that chance as well. In fact, something tells me that you all will impress me today," the Couatl chuckles lightly before growing more solemn and addressing a certain matter."As for scouting solo, while certainly a safe option, that would bring its own difficulties. While in the Ethereal Plane, I can only see and hear about sixty feet around me, so I could miss something important. The fetchling looks like she would be a good second scout, and based on what I know about her new powers, Ophelia would be a solid third."

Granted, that was before all of these rebuilds and retcons. I think Cho could use a Level 2 slot better than Ophelia would need a level 1. If he wants, Cho can simply halt the casting for now. The narrative even simply says that he only began casting it. From a story stand point, he can simply see Dori and Ophelia take care of the issue.

"Ahh, that makes sense. Well then, Dori, Ophelia, and Lucero, I look forward to hearing your report so that we can plan an offensive. Stay vigilant. The giants are one thing, but we're dealing with demons and witches as well here. Who knows what levels of deceit and trickery you may encounter."

Hesitating before completing his casting of that spell, Cho'ankai looks to the others with a measure of uncertainty and curiosity. Though it is hard to judge with his verdant, lupine features the raised brows on all three heads seem indicative of such. He ceases the chanting following his call to the spirits, and the root tendrils extending from the tree growing out of his back lower and recoil back to his main mass.

"As you wish" Cho notes with a bow of his middle head. "I can be of use scouting, but only for a limited time. If others possess more reliable abilities, I recommend their use first. Keener eyes than this old one's will aid you better." Cho'ankai looks up to Ophelia briefly, considering the woman, before looking backt o Vega and Gror. "I will wait here with you, then, and await the others' reports."

Looking down to the snow, Cho'ankai considers the environment and his companions. It is to Lucero that Cho offers his longest and most pointed look. He recognizes the feathered serpent from stories of southern Arcadia, from the gnome and human cultures there that benefited from the benevolence of the couatl. A wordless nod of recognition and respect comes from Cho, and a silent wishing of good fortunes for them in their observation.

"Such unusual times I now live in," Cho muses in tripartite voice, "truly a blessed time."

Dorialis feels a mild headache coming on, the bright light coupled with the reflected glare is playing merry with her vision.

Yeah, um, I may not be the best scout at the moment, black shadow on white snow, not very subtle... and the glare!

Pulling her haversack off, she starts rummaging through it, anyone have any cloth strips? Need to make some goggles...

"It seems that I will be assisting you, Dori," giggles Ophelia as she takes to the air once more and floats over to the now normal sized fetchling. "Any recommendations for how we go about this? Unlike you, I have not made a profession of being stealthy."

Once their plans are laid out, Ophelia uses her arcane focus to vanish from sight. Given her shimmering appearance, she will try to conceal herself in the sunlight and its reflection in the snow. The diminutive elf will also be careful to keep an open eye out for any of the "trickery" Gror mentioned. Despite her lack of familarity with the art of stealth, Ophelia's smile size and nimble elven form prove to aid her greatly in the task.

Far less gracefully, Lucero too vanishes from sight, but he makes up for it when he jumps into the Ethereal Plane. The world around him becomes distorted, and his vision loses all color. Once he hears that Ophelia and Dorialis are ready to go, he will head out.

_________________________________________________________

Ophelia/Lucero will cast Detect Magic as they go, and if they see anything like wards, they will taken 10 to determine their effects. Both she and Lucero will renew their spells as necessary.

Ophelia Spellcraft: 10 + 23 = 33

Ophelia Stealth Roll: 1d20 + 5 + 4 + 20 ⇒ (19) + 5 + 4 + 20 = 48+5 Dex, +4 Size Bonus, +20 Invisibiltiy; Ophelia has concealment through her Eidolon

Ophelia Perception Roll: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (19) + 18 = 37

LOL. How did I make such a sneaky, perceptive wizard?

Lucero Spellcraft: 10 + 15 = 25

Lucero Stealth Roll: 1d20 + 3 - 4 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 3 - 4 + 20 = 24 I am not sure how to factor in that he will be hiding in the Ethereal Plane. Would that count as concealment?

Lucero Perception Roll: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (4) + 23 = 27

Vega bows respectfully to Lucero Cortez upon it's arrival.

"Goodspeed. Do not risk engagement. It would be better to draw them to us than fighting on their turf." Vega speaks softly to the air around him when the others vanish. Even though he does not seem to have magic to allow his eyes to see invisible creatures, Vega appears to be able to follow those who are invisible for a short while nonetheless.

Turning to those who remain, Vega continues.

"Perhaps we should make ourselves spars as well, in case they have sentries who may spot our dark forms on the white horizon."

Vega begins to look for even a gentle mound of snow or an outcropping of ice or rock that they could take shelter behind.

_____________________________________

Perception: 1d20 + 40 ⇒ (8) + 40 = 48

A little prestidigitation on the clothes to turn them white would probably be a good idea. Let's go you not sneaky wizard...

Cutting a couple of slits in a piece of cloth, Dori wraps the cloth around her head, not that anyone can see anything other than some shadows flickering against the snow.

Pulling a wand out of a sleeve, she taps it on her chest a couple of times, gives it a shake of the wrist, tries a couple of incantations, swears and taps it on her forehead while giving her wrist a half twist to the left.

I can't see you Ophelia, and once I cast invisibility, I think you'll have the same issue.

Preparations completed, she casts another spell, disappearing from sight.

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Cast Penumbra from wand, UMD check is 20, minimum skill roll is 21; 120 minutes.

Dorialis will also be repeating detect magic. And cast invisibility on herself 12 minutes. She is flying 45' above the ground.

stealth: 1d20 + 40 ⇒ (13) + 40 = 53
perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
spellcraft: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22

"On it!" replies Ophelia as she quickly activates her favorite cantrip and begins to color Doralis' clothing white. As she does this, she comments, "Oh! Your eyes are sensitive to bright light, aren't they? Geez, how did I miss that? Sorry!"

The invisible elf watches and suppresses a giggle as Dori takes a moment to get a wand working.

"Nice," Ophelia compliments, admiring the fetchling's good preparations. "I don't that won't be too big an issue. I can signal you with Prestidigitation when I think it will be good to head back. Look for the 'sunlight' bending into an O, and just fly over and whisper to me. If you get into any real trouble, use something like Dimension Door to escape."

And with that said, Ophelia goes into true stealth mode.

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Ophelia Spellcraft to Recognize the Wand as Penumbra: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (12) + 23 = 35

Ophelia Stealth to Hide the Signal from the Giants if necessary: 1d20 + 5 + 4 + 40 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 4 + 40 = 59

She will be standing still to give the signal.

Ophelia and Lucero will stay about fifty feet off the ground too. Ophelia will use her Shift ability to retreat. The Ethereal Lucero will jump into the ground itself.

Poppy smiles a big toothy grin at her companions. "Good luck! I will keep an eye on you!" She recites a few verses of an epic poem and her fuschia eyes glow even more brightly.

Cast See Invisibility on myself.
I need to look up how Message works, but can't I just zip a little message to both Ophelia and Dori if there's trouble?

As Ophelia, Lucero and Dorialis slip into invisibility, and Poppy casts her spell to see them, Lucero and Poppy immediately notice one thing. Flying all over the place on the ethereal plane are some kind of giant incorporeal undead. Each one is a vaguely humanoid shadow between nine and fourteen feet tall with burning red points where the eyes ought to be. Lucero recognizes them immediately as dread wraiths. Wraiths that have existed long enough and fed on enough life force to undergo an unholy transformation, increasing in size and strength. There are so many flying around the Veil itself that it appears to be inside a giant storm of ash flakes. Immediately the nearest eight break away from their drifting and start to float rapidly towards LC.

He phases back into the material plane right away, saying "Hey Ophelia, the ethereal plane is swarming with dread wraiths around here. It's a no-go, guess invisible will have to be enough"

Whether not LC goes, I'm going to assume the scouting mission goes forward...

The invisible scouts fly over the camp, taking it in from above. It is surrounded by a twenty foot tall rough wall of ice, with one wood and iron gate at the south end. All the trees near the walls have been chopped down and there are numerous stumps littering the ground inside the camp as well. There are four timber watch towers, each manned by a frost giant with a pile of ice boulders at his feet. Patrolling around the camp mounted on a mammoth is another frost giant, he is accompanied by a pack of six winter wolves. Another three giants and two ogres can be seen wandering around inside the camp going about the various daily tasks of camp life. There are nearly a score of massive tents made form poorly cured hides set up inside the camp. No fires are to be seen, nor is any evidence of any having ever been there. There is however a massive offal pit, full or frozen bones and refuse. In the back of the camp, there are two enormous pens built of rough hewn trees. Inside a dozen wooly rhinoceros and another eight mammoths mill about grazing on piles of hay.

The scouts complete their reconnoiter without being seen or noticed. At one point of of the mammoths raised its trunk as they were flying past and trumpeted, but none of the giants paid it any mind and they are able to return to the rest of the group without incident.
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3d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 1) = 8

LC's Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Camp Map

Sorry for the poor resolution, when it's zoomed out that far there's not much I can do about it. I would use images on google docs, but with this many bad guys I'm gonna let Maptool do the record keeping.

"That is quite alright, Lucero. Just stay with us," says Ophelia as she uses her Prestidigtation to signal her old friend over. Once she feels him gently bump against her, the invisible elf starts rubbing his snout. "You still discovered something valuable. I believe that the dread wraiths indicate that Baba Yaga clearly thought of all of the ways to escape the Veil and took care to counter each one."

OoOoO

LC would go with them. If anything, he would just fly higher to make up for his large size and use his Detect Good vision to keep tabs on the ladies.

OoOoO

Once she gets back, Ophelia quickly begins explaining everything that she saw, making a drawing in the snow and using Prestidigtation as a visual aide to help her explain. If this had been one of her classes back at Magnimar, she would have opted for Silent Image, but with resources being so scarce, this conservative move is probably the smarter decision. Besides, it would be easy enough to explain anything that needed clarity.

"So what do you all want to do? Sneaking by them seems simple enough, and the Torc is our main priority. We do not also know their actual strength. They might ice giants, but they are Kostchtchie's ice giants; who knows what they can do? All in all, we are facing a small army too." says the Sapphire Summoner.

Being the servant of a Paladin Goddess, Lucero presents his more hawkish opinion. "Yes, but the quality of our warriors is certainly greater than that of the giants' quantity, little one. Besides, denying Kostchtchie of minions will only make our mission easier, and we sensed no viable magic in the entire camp."

"Quantity has a quality of its own, Lucero; I have seen sheer numbers overcome great individual power," counters Ophelia before she turns to the group. "That is why I do not think a direct assault would be a smart move."

"Then we maximize the effectiveness of an ambush," offers Lucero.
_______________________________________________________________

Lucero and Ophelia are just debating the two most viable alternatives. I am up for either option.

Dorialis watches as Ophelia puts together a snow map of the fortification.

What I wouldn't give for an alchemist. Some fire bombs would make short work of that camp. If we wait until evening, I could start a few stampedes with a very low chance of discovery. Reaching over and nudging one of the buildings a bit, how are we for fire attacks? I once saw a wizard create a wall of pure fire, can you do that? Drop it across the entrance of the fort and they would demolish the walls for us. A couple of fire elementals would be fun too.

Tracing a finger through the snow, I can drop a mass of tentacles here and here to contain and direct them.

"Well twist my hoof and call me a pony! The sky is swarming with undead!" Poppy whispers quietly. Lucero returns to the group and identifies the undead with his vastly superior knowledge.

Once the scouts return, she chimes in to the conversation. "I can drop a wall of fire! I vote for an ambush. Then we can be fully prepared!"

"As a Conjurer, explosions have never been my thing, Dori. I only got my first Fireball spell a couple of years ago, and the scroll itself was a gift from one of my students for my one hundred and thirty-eighth birthday," muses Ophelia as she puts the final touches on her model. "However, the Fire Elementals I can certainly provide."

Ophelia smiles as Poppy swiftly helps bring the rest of Dorialis' suggestion to life. She absentmindedly starts stroking the pony's rainbow mane and remarks, "Thank you, Ms. Pendleton! That will be most useful."

The shimmering elf turns back to the rest of the group.

"Does anyone have any goods ideas on how to quietly neutralize the tower guards? The only way I could do it myself is with a certain summon, but I do not deal with demons as a matter of policy and do not intend to start now. I would rather not have an angry star archon smite me when we get back."

As the group brain storms, Ophelia begins to search her memory for any information on the types of creatures she saw in the icy fortress.

_________________________________________________________

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35

"Fighting Frost Giants with fire, apt." Gror smiles.

"As to how to neutralize the tower guards, I suspect I could take one in pretty short order. What if Dori, Cho, Vega, and I of us arrived invisible and by air, each at their own tower. When we're confident each of us is in place, throw a signal; maybe a raven cawing twice. Poppy, I assume that would be trivial for you?"

"On that signal, Ophelia can summon her elementals. Poppy can drop her wall. And those of us on the towers can strike the tower guards. We'd of course want to boost ourselves magically beforehand."

"What do you think? How can we improve on this? Should we have one or more elementals at one of the towers, instead of (or in addition to) one of us? Lucero, how can you best fit in?"

He pauses.

"Actually, one more thought. Did the one on the mammoth seem like a captain of some sort? If so, perhaps he should be an early target as well. I certainly wouldn't mind going straight for him."

Ophelia knows all about Ogres (basically everything on their stat block). Frost giants are weak to fire, other than that they're just big smashy guys. Mammoths and rhinos have no particular special abilities or weaknesses, they are just big dumb animals. Winter Wolves are a knowledge (arcana) check. No, the mammoth rider didn't seem special. He was equipped the same way as the others.

Poppy nudges Ophelia's shoulder affectionately. "I'll have the gift of seeing invisible things for a few hours yet, so I can throw the signal once we're all in place. Let me be clear, should I drop the wall the moment you attack the watcher giants?"

Can I use Prestidigitation for that signal, or Message? Gotta look up those spells later when I have some time.

Lucero gives Gror a sly serpentine grin.

"Perhaps instead of Little Poppy facing one of the tower sentries, how about I fight him instead? I could likely defeat a standard frost giant in physical combat, but we don't have time for that. Instead, I propose that I simply toss him through the very fabric of time and space. He will land in a dimension of my choice; perhaps the Plane of Fire..." Lucero muses at the thought. "With a little zap of Enervation, I can sufficiently destroy his will to resist. Any additional assistance I could get in that regard would be highly useful..."

The Couatl shifts his weight a bit and slithers around the group, inspecting their powerful Eidolon forms and designing other plans. After a few seconds, he suggests, "After that, I should mainly play my role as a support unit. My kind is blessed with access to both the arcane magic of the dragons and the divine spells of the gods, so Lord Josiah normally has me augmenting the archons with magic. I could easily do that for you."

Meanwhile, as Lucero tells the groups about his planar plans for some unlucky frost giant, Ophelia is quick to remember many details about the enemy at hand. The diminutive elf knows the ogres like the back of her hand. After all, the Sapphire Summoner did face them for several days during that whole fiasco back on Hook Mountain five or so years ago. She also recalls much information about the frost giants from her time fighting the brutes in Xin-Shalast and the woolly animals from simply reading many books on the subject. However, the winter wolves elude her for the moment. With a little prayer to her deities for Guidance, she begins to ponder what she knows about the canines.

After much thinking, Ophelia adds some new ideas to the group brain storming.

"I could conjure some deadly clouds to assist us against the animals. They are all pinned in one location. A Stinking Cloud or, worse, a Cloudkill could hurt them immensely and remove them from the battle. However, I am not sure how I feel about slaughtering them. Unlike the frost giants, the ogres, and the winter wolves, they aren't sentient.

"I don't know much about the giant on the mammoth. He strikes me as more a sentry than anything. However, now that you mention it, he would be good to neutralize too. I could soften them up for you, Gror. A Fireball within their clustered ranks could be potentially very powerful. As for the signal, I could use Ghost Sound for that."

_____________________________________

Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (16) + 25 = 41

Greater Invisibility + True Strike + Enervation + at-will Plane Shift = Good-Bye Frost Giant

"That is what I had in mind, Ms. Pendleton. You would drop the wall when we attack. How about you Message me and then I use Ghost Sound to given the signal?"

Winter wolves are large intelligent wolves who are immune to cold, weak to fire and can breathe out cones of ice every few few seconds. Again, you basically know everything about them.

Poppy ponders all that Ophelia has said. Given her propensity to be a bit spacey, she double checks what the plan is so far. "So I should Message you when everyone is in position. Then when you send the signal, I should I drop the wall at the front gate of the camp? Then Dori, Cho, Gror, and Vega will each take out one of the giants in the towers? And Lucero will... but there are only four giants in the towers!" Poppy looks a bit frustrated. "Planning is so complicated! Anyway, after I conjure the wall, I can shrink one of the giants with Baleful Polymorph, or blast the giants with my beautiful lights!"

The little pony cocks her head in thought. "We must decide how each of us will become invisible, or not. If four of us have the greater version and two of us the lesser, for example, then the ones that become visible upon attacking will take the brunt of the enemy's fire."

Poppy bursts into peals of giggles. "But only me and Lucero can see all the invisible people! Hehe!" She imagines exploding frost giants and her giggles subside. "Hmph."

Invisibility won't work on Cho because he's too heavy in his huge form (I assume you weigh more than 1200 pounds). Poppy can go in with regular invisibility, as can Vega, since Poppy is very maneuverable with a baller AC and Vega is nearly impossible to hit. Ophelia and Lucero can stay invisible the whole combat. What about Dori and Gror? Or, we can all have greater invisibility besides Cho. So many options!

"Please excuse me, little one," apologizes Lucero to Poppy as he realizes his mixing of names. "I meant that I go instead of Dolaris - not you - and take out one of the tower sentries. Slip of the tongue. The fetchling mentioned wanting to riot the animals and summoning tentacles, though she could do that afterward... Perhaps I go instead of Cho'ankai. His size might be a bit too great for any Invisibility spell. Anyway, you are correct; you would be in position to drop the Wall of Fire."

My kingdom for an edit button.

You can edit within an hour.

1d100 ⇒ 71

I know. I just hate how that hour seems to be over just as I catch a big typo or something.

"I would not go so far as to say the animals are not sentient. More like: 'not smart enough to have benevolent or malign intent'; but autonomous bags of muscle, bone and flesh they are not. If there are innocent creature here, they would be it."

Vega looks towards the encampment as he thinks.

"My only concern with the current plan is the risk of warning everything within the Veil of our assault, increasing the readiness and defenses of those within, those in the direct path to the torc. The longer we focus on killing things out here, the greater the chance of everything else being prepared for us. While each one dead is one less servant of evil, our primary goal is the torc itself, thinning the minions of evil is a secondary bonus at best. Or at least should be. As for strategy, for the animals and our own safety, what I would propose is to use the animals as a distraction. Have one of us release them and send them on a stampede out of the valley and away from the Veil. The commotion will not only draw the eyes of the guards, but a number of the Giants will have to give them chase as well, leaving less for us to actually deal with when we make our move. I would prefer that move be sneaking by unnoticed, but if some of them must die before we enter, then this would be the time."

"As for invisibility during the attack - if that is what our final plan is - I elect myself for a regular version that ends when I attack. I can dodge most enemy attacks, and am thus more than happy to be the focus of their inevitable counter attack. However, Gror, I saw you do something earlier where your skin toughened considerably. Could you... teach me that technique? Such may be helpful if they do manage to land a blow."

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Vega doesn't know barkskin, so will need someone else to cast it on him as a buff (increasing my "impossible to hit" status for anything normally able to hit me with rolls lower than 20). Also, that random percentile roll has me worried. o_o;;

"I suppose 'self-aware' would have been a better term, Lord Vega. Thank you for the correction. Anyway, that is a pretty good idea, and it would probably save on resources in the long run. However, we need to get them outside of the wall for the stampede to be truly effective. Mammoths and woolly rhinos aren't exactly built to climb twenty feet of solid ice."

"True, very true. Would it be feasible to take down a section of the ice wall? Or perhaps lead them to and through the wood and iron gate at the south when the patrol of wolves and rider are most sparse there, so they will not be able to stop the flow of beasts? Really, I'm just brainstorming ideas while we have the opportunity."

"We are faced with threats I am more familiar with," Cho'ankai comments, having been contemplating his resources both physical and metaphysical while the others discussed. "While I have never faced these, giants, I am familiar with their organization. Animals, hunters, it is a common social network. The animals will be used to harry us, while the hunters wear us down." Speaking in his tripartite voice, Cho'ankai considers the other members of the group, each with a level stare of his burning orange eyes.

"I can render us invisible to the animals for nearly two full hours. Even if we attack other creatures, they will not be able to detect us. However," one of Cho's tendrils rises up from the snow, brushing a collection of ice off of his brow, "if we attack the animals the enchantment will be broken."

"For these giants of ice and cold, I can create a wall of seething flames and a living lash of fire. We will not want for the elements while I draw breath." Then, looking to Vega, Cho'ankai adds, "and I can make your flesh as strong as the ancient redwoods."

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I welcome everyone to take a look at Cho's spell lists on his sheet and see how best he can help coordinate the attack. He has hold animal and hide from animals memorized, as well as barkskin, wall of fire and fire snake. And that's just for starters.
 
Also, with his current wildshape he has a 60 foot reach for delivering touch spells like Baleful polymorph, if necessary.

To Vega and Cho, "I'm quite happy to enchant your skin as well. Cho, why don't I take this turn and we'll give you the next."

To all, "I hear the Wisdom of sneaking past and maintaining our focus on the Torc... but in addition to the risk of leaving does at our back, it wasn't clear to me from the description that we could actually have a way past them. Did those of you who scouted see a likely way to get in undetected? If it seems viable I will go with majority opinion. Otherwise, let's gird ourselves and execute on our plan. Time is definitely not on our side."

"As far as who'll be cloaked in greater invisibility, I'm fine with the regular form, especially given that several others will be exposed as well, and it's possible we'll have more need for the greater spell later today. I suspect the biggest advantage of the greater form is the advantage it gives gives against foes more dexterous than these brutes."
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Assuming we decide to go forward Gror will cast:
* Barkskin on himself and Veva
* Invisibility
* Divine Favor

The camp is a hundred yards away from the base of the frozen fall, and a geyser. The geyser has carved a jagged crevasse in the side of the waterfall there, creating a cathedral of dripping ice stalactites above. Barely visible through the steam to the right of the geyser spout was a secondary crevasse in which there could dimly be seen a stair, rising upward into the obscuring ice.

Going off of the scouting experience, it would be relatively trivial to sneak by them invisibly, or to teleport past the camp invisibly to the stairway. The obvious risk would be getting smelled, but that would require touching the ground or getting pretty close to one of the wolves or mammoths. The choice is whether the potential information they have, and loot in their camp is worth a the resources expended in a fight. Of course also what Gror said about leaving a threat at your backs. So can I get everyone to "vote" by stating your opinion in character one way or the other. Option A) sneak past, B) Kill them and take their stuff C) Kill most, capture one or more and take their stuff.

Poppy considers all of the suggestions thoroughly before speaking. She chirps robotically, "If we sneak past the camp, then we risk some bad news later on. What if we are fighting some unsavory characters deep inside the Veil, and they call back to the front gate, and suddenly we have ten frost giants riding mammoths with winter wolves and snow rhinoceroses--" She stops mid-sentence, hilarious thoughts of furry rhinoceroses seizing her attention. "SNOW rhinoceroses! Hehe!" She twirls around in the snow, waving her tentacle tail like a propeller. "Who knew??"

She stands still again and her rainbow tail falls limp. "What I'm trying to say is, the nasties inside can call the nasties outside if we don't kill the nasties outside first! So I say we go in, invisible, and finish them."

She nods toward Gror, her mane flowing gloriously in the brisk wind. "I concur with Gror. I will also use the lesser invisibility. Especially if you guys can help me with something..." She then lowers her splendid head sheepishly toward Ophelia, Cho, and Gror. "I have to admit I can be a bit fuzzy-headed, and I didn't know of this tree skin forest flesh thing before. I'd like to try it. Can one of you share it with me?"

If we take this course of action, Poppy will Haste the party, cast regular Invisibility on herself, and Guidance. And yeah, I totally didn't know Barkskin will stack with what I've got already, so I didn't choose it as one of my spells. If someone casts Barkskin on Poppy, with Haste her AC will be 56. What will you be Vega, 60? :)

Cho, I'd like to see you put that Fire Snake to good use. Maybe once more giants come out of the woodwork, you can use it on them. Or you could use it on the animals.

Based on the map, it looks like Poppy should cast the Wall of Fire as a circle so she can catch some of the ice at the front gate, the two ogres behind the gate, and maybe the frost giant and some of the wolves outside the gate. I'd need to see a gridded-out version of the map to be sure so I can measure it.

The mammoth rider and the wolves are riding patrol, they are not going to be in the same spot when you get back. I will put a grid on it should you guys choose to fight.

1d100 ⇒ 70

In that case, it might be most prudent for Poppy to drop the Wall of Fire so it surrounds both the ogres, the front gate, and the two frost giants in the towers. But, if I put the front watchtowers in a Wall of Fire, we'd have to move two of our people to other tasks, which requires more planning, and Jelani keeps rolling percentage dice. So we should probably decide what to do soon :)

Vega smiles at the exuberance of Poppy.

I just hope it doesn't get us into trouble when the chips are down.

"There is wisdom in both paths, just as there is danger. Sneak past and beeline to the torc with the risk of getting flanked inside... Take out all potential threats as we come across them, outside in, with the risk of giving those guarding the torc more directly advanced warning and time to prepare for us. My preference is to sneak in and deal with what's left when - and if - it becomes necessity. However, I will not act alone, and will commit completely to the course we all decide upon."

Vega glances towards the Veil once more. He shakes his head.

"But let us decide soon. They will not wait for us forever."

After giving his peace, Vega watches Gror intently as he works his magic, curious as to how it is different to his own in both technique and style. Feeling his form toughen even more than it already is, Vega bows to the Gargoyle-dwarf.

"You have my thanks, Master Durrikson."

Vega then performs a few short mantras and katas himself, each one increasing his speed to the point where he seems to blur with his surroundings like the rapidly flapping winds of a hummingbird.

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Regardless of which path we take, once Vega gets his Barkskin on, he will cast (in this order) Cat's Grace, Blur, then Protection from Evil on himself.

Poppy: That puts Vega at AC 61, 63 vs Evil. 62/64 with Haste. If they can still hit me regularly (gawds I hope not), I can still use Ki for an extra +4 on top of that plus Fighting Defensively for another +3. ^_^

"After thinking it over, I agree with Poppy," says Ophelia in a strangely solemn voice, her sapphire blue eyes suddenly a bit distant. "Leaving too many loose ends could come back to bite us. Josiah also did mention that there were the majority of Kostchtchie's forces too. Defeating them here would be a major victory."

The small elf quickly begins to consolidate the various plans together. She studies her snow diagram intently and also ponders on the various interests of the group at large. After a minute of studying her one of her spellbooks, Ophelia finally pieces everything together.

"Upon second inspection, most of this army are animals. For many reasons, there is no need to waste time on them. As Cho'ankai said, they would ultimately be a distraction, and with his druidic magic, it would be one we can avoid."

She points a tiny finger to the back of her snow model.

"Here is what I have in mind. Cho first renders us invisible to the animals. Doralis and Lucero then get into position to take out the two rear guards. Upon hearing the signal, everyone attacks. Cho and Poppy can then destroy the entrance forces with their various fire power. I can send in some summons to back them up.

"As for the patrol? The wolves and the frost giant are weak to fire. Once they are in front of the entrance again, I will hit the patrol with a Fireball. I can easily do that from a long distance. The explosion from the Fireball will be our signal to attack. Gror and Vega then finish the remnants. I provide support from the skies. Lucero and Dori can mop up in the back. That might involve killing one of the mammoths, but as my brother told me, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. Does this sound good?"

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So...

Poppy = Attack

Gror = Majority Decision

Cho = Attack but Try to Save the Animals? He offered his full assistance with attacking and didn't say he was opposed.

Vega = Sneak

Ophelia = Attack

Dori = Based on earlier dialogue, she looks like Attack.

Looks like we've got a majority then. I'll be enacting this plan when I get home from work later. Who's going to be invisible, and in what way? For initial positions, Dori and LC on the two rear towers, Poppy and Cho on the entrance, Vega, Gror and Ophelia flying overhead?

I am ready! I have my own spells for invisibility. Keep in mind, that only a spell or action that causes direct damage will disrupt invisibility. My tentacles will not, nor will summoning fire elementals.

Dorialis checks for wind direction, wishing to approach from downwind if possible to avoid giving the animals her scent.

Once the party is ready, she begins casting her spells.

_________________

How far away is the camp? I am assuming that we are close enough to get to it without recasting minute/level spells?

Casting: In this order:
Protection from Evil
Greater Evolution Surge:Combat
Enlarge
Invisibility

Spells remaining: 3/6/6/4

By this plan, Cho renders everyone Hidden from Animals, and Lucero and Dori would get in place first. When she knows they are in place (Poppy gives the okay with her See Invisibility), Ophelia tosses the Fireball once the patrol is by the gate.

Before the battle starts, Lucero buffs up. He casts Mage Armor, Shield of Faith, and Divine Favor on himself. Ophelia then casts Barkskin, Protection from Evil, and Greater Invisibility on him. Once he gets into place, LC casts True Strike on himself. I suppose on the surprise round (or the first chance he gets) he belts out an Enervation on the frost giant.

Ophelia just goes with normal Invisibility. She will call up her summons once the action begins because we can't zap them all with Invisibility.

Gror nods his assent with a smile. "It's a plan then! I agree we should avoid unnecessarily killing the mammoths, but if one dies in the crossfire, so be it."

_________

I mentioned full buffs I'll cast in my last post but I'll have standard invisibility. Gror will be in position to pounce on top of a giant as soon as Poppy gives the signal to attack. If there's a place with two beside each other, he'll choose them in case he is able to drop one in less than a round.

"Can I get that spell from somebody? The one that makes my skin like a tree?" Poppy repeats cautiously, not wanting to be too obnoxious.

Can someone give me Barkskin, please :) After she gets Barkskin, Poppy will go ahead and go invisible.

Poppy needs to wait to Haste everyone until we're all very close to the camp, or else it will run out by the time we get there! She can see everyone, so that won't be a problem. So, we should travel together until we're about 100 feet or so from the camp, if possible. At least close enough that we don't waste more than one or two rounds of Haste on travel! Since Haste is a buff, it won't dispel invisibility, correct?