Kingmaker: The Winds of Change (Inactive)

Game Master Odentin

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Dotting. Hopefully this works this time.

Be it so known that the bearer of this charter has been charged by the Swordlords of Restov, acting upon the greater good and authority vented within them by the office of the Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, has granted the right of exploration and travel within the wilderness region known as the Greenbelt. Exploration should be limited to an area no further than thirty-six miles east and west and sixty miles south of Oleg's Trading Post. The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behavior to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope. So witnessed on this 24th day of Talistril, under the watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne.

As you hold firmly onto these charters, likely the most important writ any of you have ever held, you make your way to the southern edge of Rostland--and thus Brevoy--practically a spitting distance from the Narlmarches a few miles away. There sits a trading post, the reference point for your deed, and some of you wonder why anyone would erect a trading post in such an isolated place, so close to land few ever dared to tread. It's a simple post, built sturdily from the crumbled ruins of an old fortress, sticking out in the slowly encroaching greenery like a sore thumb.

As each of you arrive, a middle-aged woman greets you warmly, ushering you one by one into her home, making small talk and promising that a hearty meal awaits you. A man just as old stands on the roof, hammer in hand and nails in his mouth, only giving small glances toward you every now and again.

Has the party met in some sort of situation already, or are we arriving separately and discovering other holders of the writ here?

You're arriving separately. If anyone wishes to tie their backstories in and have known each other prior they certainly may, but you are meeting as a group for the first time at the trading post.

Glimpsing briefly at the man banging away at roof before turning to the older women, Karsh waves and is welcomed into the small post.

"I'm thinking that the man up there would be Oleg but what might your name be?" asking the older women.

After receiving the women's name and (hopefully) confirmation on his other host's name, Karsh makes small talk with the lady before being led into the post. He sets down his travel pack and the massive hammer that has been his sole travel companion this long travel from civilization.

Looking around the interior of the post, Karsh quips, "It's good to see folks trying to tame this wild land as best they can." He accepts the ladies offer of food and sits down to eat what is offered, grateful for something other than travel rations to eat.

"Svetlana," she answers softly, leading Karsh to the dining room. She sets him down by the table, pouring a small bit of wine for him and placing it before him, along with a plate with some sliced bread. "It's not much, but I consider it impolite to begin dinner until everybody has arrived." She nods politely at the remark about taming the land, but then excuses herself to return outside a little more hurriedly than she'd seemed up to that point.

Ansha waves and flashes a warm smile at the man on the roof as she nears the trading post's gate. The elven enchantress waits until he has turned his attention back to the repairs he is performing before letting her gaze linger, clearly sizing the man up. Her calculations are interrupted, however, when she spots the middle-aged woman coming to greet her.

"Hello!" she says to the woman at her approach, voice lilting melodically as most elves' voices do. "I'm Ansha. Whom might you be?"

Arriving at the outpost, Calinthas could think nothing but how tired and hungry he was. The trip from Restov had been a long one, though uneventful. Rolling up the writ and placing it back in his scroll case, Cal passively scoped Oleg's makeshift fort, waving towards the man working up top.

Glancing about, Cal noticed that he had clearly not been the first to arrive. In front of him, an attractive elven maid appeared to be conversing with a middle aged human, who he could only assume lived here with the man he had seen when he entered. With a slight grin, Cal couldn't help but hope that the elven girl was there for the same reason as himself.

Approaching the pair, Calinthas interjects "Good evening ladies! I hope I've found the right place; I've got a writ somewhere here that says something about some bandits?" Not awaiting an answer, Cal smiles cordially and adds "Name's Cal; to whom do I have the pleasure?"

There's the clip-clop of horse hooves, appearing in the distance at first, and then growing closer. Coming into view is a Kellid tribeswoman in militia type armor, black-haired and in her late teens to early twenties or thereabouts. Coming to a halt outside Oleg's Trading Post, she gives a salute to Svetlana at first, then dismounts and pats her horse on the side. She finds a place to tie the horse, and then walks over to Svetlana, offering a hand for a firm shake. "Avery Starr, at your service." She will try to be as courteous as she can when in someone else's household, not taking anything she is not invited to take, and only sitting down after having been explicitly invited to do so.

Linora struts in, a grin upon her face. She looks over at Avery for a moment and her smile droops to a frustrated frown.

"Darn," she mutters. "I should have though to bring a horse."

The smile returns, more a smirk than a smile now. She sizes up the outpost and everyone within before standing proudly.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I am Lady Linora Avedra and I intend to tames these wild lands. I'm guessing you're here to do the same, so I say we stake our first claim here!"

She waddles over to Svetlana.

"How much for a room, Miss?"

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Avedra, and the all rest of you as well", Avery says to the group assembled, and reiterates what she already told Svetlana outside the building. "I am Avery Starr, and I also am here under the directive to bring law to these lands." She pulls the writ from a belt pouch and waves it around enough to demonstrate that she has the same sort of paper that the rest of the group likely has.

While interacting with Svetlana indoors, Avery broaches the most obvious subject in a manner that might seem a bit blunt. "Can you tell me anything of the most obvious troubles in the area? Is there anything that jumps to mind that has been pestering you recently?"

Out of the intermittent drizzle comes a small figure atop a mule. His head is bowed and he wears a woolen cloak which conceals his features. As he approaches the stones that marked the boundary of the curtain wall of the old fortification, he stops and looks around, as if woken from his reverie. He dismounts and places his hand on one of the cold stones for a moment, as if trying to draw the essence of the place into himself.

What was this place? The stronghold of some tyrant? A noble court full of light and grace? If only stones could tell stories. So many civilizations lost to time, and we build ours on the bones of the ones that came before.

Numalar looks over the stones. I don't have ranks in Knowledge: Engineering or History so there isn't really a skill check I can make, but I do look to see if there are any carvings or anything that might tell me what kind of people built it. Happy to make a Knowledge:Nobility check if that would tell me anything. Numalar is mainly looking for storytelling material.

Knowledge: Nobility: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

The figure approaches the stable (I assume there is one! or perhaps a barn of some sort) walking his mule. Once under the eaves he pulls back his cloak, blinking the rain from his eyes. He mutters a few words under his breath. Then gradually the dampness and travel stains disappear from his clothes, face, and hair.

Casting prestidigitation to make myself look presentable. Never have a second chance to make a first impression!

Now clean and dry, he puts his shoulders back and holds his head high as he strides into the trading post. He addresses the lady of the house with a sweeping bow.

"Greetings my lady! 'Tis an honour to be here in your fine establishment. I am Numalar Auritonius of Valdralee, recently commissioned by the great Swordlords of Restov to explore the lands to the south of here, and do drive out any bandits and other lawless men that may abide there. Were you expecting us? If so, I leave myself to your preparations, and if not, may I engage you for a room and some supper!"

Numalar is wearing clothing coloured in green with highlights of gold and purple. Though clearly once fine, his clothes are threadbare and worn, though immaculately clean. On the left breast a badge of some sort is visible: House Auritonius coat of arms. He strides over to the table confidently, but looking around, notices that the chairs here are not really intended for a person only 3'6" tall. He notices a child's high chair, and pulls it up to the table. He climbs up and sits in it as if it were a throne.

(BTW guys if you want to do coats of arms like the one I did you can get the software I used from here: http://inkwellideas.com/coat_of_arms/. The software has a free version you can download.)

The corners of Ansha's lips turn up in a smile as she glances at Cal. "I was just introducing myself to our hostess here," she says. "Call me Ansha."

After Svetlana introduces herself to the elf, Ansha notices that others have begun trickling in. As they do so, Ansha greets each of them affably in turn--though Linora's pronouncement does get a raised eyebrow.

Were we told to meet others of a group we were expected to work with? Or were we given these writs as individuals?

Hearing the commotion outside, Karsh hurriedly belts down the wine and stuffs a few more pieces of bread into his mouth. Seeing Svetlana and the unidentified women enter, he wipes off his hands and wave a hearty hello, the wooden key around his neck jiggling slightly. "Ho there, I'm guessing you're one of the fine people who have heeded the call of Restov to tame these lands. I am Karsh Shieldborn and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hearing Avery inquire about any troubles going on, Karsh replies to Svetlana "Aye, I had heard that bandits and a number of foul beasts have been plaguing these lands. As you are people of these lands, where would you have us start?"

You're aware of the others' presence, but you have not yet met them.

The rapidfire arrivals startle Svetlana a little, and she greets each of you one at a time, patiently going through the group. "I am Svetlana Leveton," she says. "The man on the roof is my husband, Oleg. Please, come in, dinner will be soon. We have been waiting for you." A soft smile toward Linora and Avery is accompanied by a wave of her hand. "Let's not talk business so soon, the sun is not yet down and your bellies are not yet full."

The man climbs down from the roof as his wife waves toward him. He takes the horse and mule to the stable, tying them up. He doesn't seem too happy about the guests, but doesn't say anything.

Svetlana ushers you into the house, setting you all down at the table. She pours wine and sets bowls of hearty, hot stew in front of you all. She then takes her own seat, and Oleg follows soon after, silently taking his place and beginning to eat. "All of you have mentioned protecting the land; and now you, Karsh, ask where to start. I'm beginning to wonder why you were sent here. Were you not told of my and Oleg's bandit problems?"

You weren't.

"No my lady, I was not. The call only asked for us to deal with various problems in these lands. Nothing we had gotten mentioned any problems you were having." Karsh says, "However, while I cannot speak to my compatriots, this sounds more than fitting as a starting place for us. What have been your problems?"

Ansha politely thanks Svetlana for the food as she sits. Taking a bite of the stew, she savors the taste--much better than the trail rations she had been subsisting on lately.

She nods at Karsh, adding, "We were not. My--and presumably our--charters are a bit more general than that. 'To explore and to strive against banditry.' What sorts of problems?" the elf inquires.

"My lady, the Lords of Restov are well aware of your troubles, I am sure. No doubt that is why they chose us to come here. But they are a hundred miles away, and absorbed in their own affairs. Perhaps it would be best if you explained the situation to us in your own words?"

Leaning back in his seat, Cal chews on a piece of bread as the others discuss the particulars of the charter. Glancing up with a slightly devilish grin, Cal interjects "I'm sure Numalar Auritonius of Valdralee has the right of it ma'am... the Lords in Restov probably have little knowledge of the particulars here in the frontier," pausing to take a sip of wine, the brash youth adds "besides, in dealing with the banditry problem, I'm sure we'll have a chance to put your bandits to the test specifically."

Taking a bite of the stew, Cal smiles from ear-to-ear as he finally satiates his appetite "This is great stew m'Lady; your hospitality is most welcome after so long a journey."

"I agree with the others", Avery says, eating heartily quite a bit, more than a woman of her build might be expected to take, though with decent enough decorum. "While we were given instructions to terminate banditry, any actual information was sorely lacking and vague in nature. We would be most thankful for any specifics." The tribeswoman will abstain from any drink that contains alcohol and will drink water or juice -- or, if available, she will heavily prefer any animal's milk.

"Bandits, eh? Well, just point me at them and I'll make sure to take care of them." She mimes some swordplay with one hand while slurping up some soup with the other.

Ansha's eyebrows furrow in question as she watches Linora eat. Surely dining etiquette in human courts isn't that much different from in Kyonin....

Sorry about the wait; vet problems yesterday.

As it becomes clear that you were not the guards they were expecting, Oleg slams his fist down on the table, shaking it and making the metal cutlery clatter noisily against their bowls. Svetlana glares at him, and he quiets down, brusquely grabbing a piece of bread and grumbling lowly into it.

"W-we assumed you were the promised defenses from Restov, they were due in a few days, but... Oh gods. Tomorrow is the day they come again. Some of you seem willing to help. It's clear you are the adventurers and not the guards, but we implore you, please help us. We can offer you free board for the night if you'll protect us in the morning."

She waits to see if there are any willing to help before she goes into the explanation of her troubles.

"The bandits first visited three months ago, threatening to burn down the camp if we didn't agree to hand over all our furs from the past month. Most of our trade comes from hunters and trappers, you see. Since then, they've returned twice, always within an hour of sunrise on the first of the month. The first time, there were a dozen of them; ten thugs led by a cloaked man with a bow, and a woman carrying to small hatchets. She did all the talking, and said such horrible things to me. She nearly cut off Oleg's right hand just to prove a point. But on the otherr visits, it's only been the crude, hooded man, and a smaller detachment of bandits. He knows we're unguarded.

"We've been asking for weeks, having trappers heading back to Restov appeal for aid. We thought you may have been the promised group of guards, because tomorrow is the first of the month, and we can't continue to pay these 'taxes' to the bandits. Please, help us run them off. If your mission is to clear the Greenbelt of bandits, then surely you would be willing to help us."

Ansha mulls the situation over for a minute before replying, "Seems like a good place to start."

Karsh doesn't hesitate even for a moment, replying "Of course I will help you and I doubt any of my compatriots will decline either. Foul naves who steal from good folk of the land should find their necks around a noose at best."

Karsh looks around the room and ponders 'How best to deal with the threat...' He eyes his companions up and down. Most of them didn't seem to be scrappers but those that didn't were probably mages of some kind. Restov would not send simple farmers to do their task. "Since we know when they should be arriving, we can lay a trap for these brigands. Me and..." He looks swiftly at each of his companions,"Linora can hide near the goods...maybe inside of them, and burst out catching the naves unguarded. The elf and gnome could take cover and support us from afar while the other two, Cal and Avery, move to attack from the sides," He eyes his new companions,"How does that sound?"

Not sure what the exact layout is but given we've been told it's somewhat of a small fort, I assumed this plan is at least doable.

Linora nods at Karsh.

"Aye. If there's a damsel in need, I'll be sure to help. That seems like a sound plan there, dwarf. They'll never see us coming!" She continues to mime her swordplay. "We'll have them running with their tails between their legs like the dogs they are. If you prefer, we could slaughter the lot of them instead. It's not my style, but you sound rather upset."

Linora gnashes into a piece of bread.

Avery doesn't hesitate any more than Karsh does. "We were sent here with orders to stop banditry, and that is precisely what I am prepared to do. Worry not, Svetlana, for I will do my utmost to help you both. It sounds like this woman with two hatchets, especially, is in dire need of some boot to the face", she says, punching her fist into an open palm with a solid smack. When Karsh starts to lay out a tactical plan, the tribal woman listens intently, picturing the scenario. "An ambush from multiple directions is a good strategy. However, I do have a blessing from my god that would aid the combat prowess of those who begin the battle near me." She glances over to Svetlana. "I assume it will be all right if we explore this building fully during this evening, so that we can plan the best possible assault positions?"

"An ambush sounds like a good plan. But it seems to me that if we want to get to the root of the problem, we can't simply kill them all. We'll want at least one or two alive," Ansha says. "Perhaps you would be amenable to a change in the specifics? I think I can convince the leader to lay down his arms--and if he does, I am sure his followers will as well. If it works, we don't even have to bother sullying our weapons on them; we can interrogate them at our leisure; and if they don't 'repent' of their banditry, then it's a simple enough matter to execute them."

She looks at each person around the table in turn before her gaze settles on Svetlana. "If it doesn't work, then nothing's lost--we don't even have to change the ambush positions of my friend the dwarf's plan; in fact, we would still gain the advantage simply by sowing confusion."

Listening to the others while sipping his wine, Cal raises a single brow and finally jumps in "Sure, we can attempt to barter a peace... but I suspect they might think us not worthy of negotiating with," pausing a moment, Cal grins lightly "unless we bargain from a position of power. We should scope out the keep, find out the best places to lay an ambush as Karsh suggested... and when they're surrounded, then we negotiate."

Glancing over at Svetlana with a reassuring smile, Cal nods "Ma'am, we'll take care of your bandit problem, scouts honor. We'll have the element of surprise... and since I suspect I'm not the only one here who has some formal combat training, we'll make short work of them."

Looking over at Ansha for a moment, the rueful Bard adds "Lady Ansha has a good point; we'll need to take some prisoners at the very least. We'll need to find who is in charge of this ragtag band of thugs, and drive them out the Stolen Lands, or six feet under them."

"I can be pretty persuasive," Ansha says with a wink at Calinthas. "But it can't hurt for everyone to take up positions to ambush with best effect if I can't convince their leader. We'll need to hide the horses, too--no sense letting them realize we're here until it's too late to escape."

Ansha's emerald eyes return to Svetlana. "Can you describe the ones who have come most recently to us? Especially the one who seems to be in charge--I can't imagine it will be hard to spot him, but the more we know, the better."

"Praise the gods," Svetlana said, trying not to cry into her bowl of stew as she wipes tears away. "I don't believe their camp is too close, since they always seem tired and eager to ride back when they come in the morning. It could buy us a few days' safety, and by then the guards should hopefully arrive.

"The one leading them is a coarse, rude man in a cloak. He seems to carry only a bow. The woman hasn't returned in the past few months, since she made her message quite clearly. He wears entirely green. The others just wear their leather armor, and threaten me with their swords before their bows. That's all I know; I'm much too afraid to ever deal with them more than I must. Last time they came there were only six. Eight the month before. THey don't believe us a thread, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were even fewer this time."

The map of the trading post is up for you to plan with, at the top of the page. A3 is the stables, A4 is the storehouse for all the goods.

"E'en without this charter I would offer what aid I could, and so, I suspect, would my colleagues here. By my Ancestors, you may rest assured that we will not allow such an outrage to stand!"

Numalar looks around at his fellows.

"As for our strategy, we should seek what advantage we can, and should pounce if things go badly. While I think I know what Lady Ansha has in mind, and that can be very powerful, I would not count on the surrender of the hooded man to us to automatically extend to his followers. If these men were obedient to authority they probably wouldn't be robbers. One might see their sergeant's defection merely as a chance for promotion!"

Looking over his new allies, Numalar continues. "As for me, like Avery here my best position at the start of a battle is near another who would benefit from my magic. I have a spell that gives a man the size and strength of an ogre, though I must touch him to effect such a change. However, once such a spell is cast, surely all hope of stealth will be lost. Afterwards, if a group of these miscreants are close together they may find that things get a tad warm." With a sly grin Numalar raises his hand, and in the palm of his hand a flame appears. "Yes, quite warm indeed."

Using my produce flame SLA here as it looks like I won't need it again until tomorrow.

"There were dragons among my ancestors and like them I can breathe a blast of flame on my enemies. I need to be pretty close to do this though."

"I certainly agree that taking prisoners should be a goal; we need information. Another should be ensuring that none of these villains escape. Clearly there are others, and it would be best if those others thought their disappearance a mystery. I should remind you all though," Numalar continues, "that our directives for dealing with such men are quite clear. It is the sword or the rope. I for one might claim to repent of my wickedness to escape the noose, but once the threat is past would I stay on the path of light? Or would my promises have merely been a ruse to escape just punishment? Such men's words are not trustworthy, and while I for one am all for bringing souls to the path of goodness, I would need to be certain that such repentance was genuine before I would allow them to escape the punishment prescribed by law."

"Milady Ansha, if you intend to go out and meet them, may I suggest that you first avail yourself of whatever protective magics you can? If it turns into a fight you will be quite exposed."
With both mage armor and shield going you will have the best AC in the party. You might need it if you are out in the open.

"If I hide myself near Master Shieldborn here, I could enlarge him the moment the signal is given to attack."
Karsh, you probably want to have your nobility blessing already active on yourself at this point. Your damage will get a boost but you want to make sure your blows hit. Also you will have reach which gives you the chance of taking an attack of opportunity each round as the bandits try to close with you, so enlarge person can potentially double your attacks. Maximizing your hit chance will be important.

"Master Aldimay and Lady Avedra wear lighter armor so they are more mobile than the others. Perhaps it should be their duty to circle around the rear to cut off the villains' escape.
Cal, if you can start by knocking them down with grease that will make it easier to keep them from getting away, and if they try to move through the greased area they are flat-footed, which might make them easier to hit. Linora has the best to-hit chance in the group but her AC isn't stellar so you two probably want to stick together. Cal, if you want to be enlarged, just get within 20 feet of me and give me some kind of signal.

"I myself will wait for an opportunity to blast these miscreants with flame. I can throw bolts of fire at range but my true power is revealed if we can get these miscreants in a small confined space."
I will look for opportunities to use burning hands but I have the weakest AC in the party so I need to keep close to friends.

Some other tactical points: Karsh, your Axiomatic Strike will probably work best on Linora's sword, since she has the best chance to hit, and it would kind of be overkill on your weapon. Avery, you have a decent AC but your chance to hit is pretty weak, so it might be best for you to keep behind Karsh and use your Strength domain power on him. He will also be a big target so he might need healing.

Boy, I do tend to write long, don't I?

Looking at the map, it looks like the stable may be the best place to hide. If we can get the bandits to the door of the storehouse at A4 then the stable door is just wide enough for Karsh to fit through when enlarged.

Linora, if you use your tactician ability on Karsh this allows you to hide in the barn as well and get out past him without risk. That way he can also hit you with axiomatic strike before combat.

Ansha could stand in the doorway of the storehouse and fall back into it if a fight breaks out. Once out of regular spells she will still be able to cast Daze from the doorway.

Cal, you could actually conceal yourself on the roof of one of the buildings. Your chance to hit with your crossbow is better than your longsword and you can still cast grease from up there, or use your bardic performance.

Wait... the trading post has four catapults!!! Does anyone know how to use them? If they try to run, then LET THE ARTILLERY BARRAGE BEGIN!

With a smile that seems to hide more than it reveals, Ansha replies, "Even if they don't follow their captain's lead, I expect by that point that he will be eating out of my hand and quite willing to surrender himself, if not help us subdue his underlings."

She lifts her spoon to take another bite of stew. "As for confronting them: I do need to be fairly close for this to work; but casting the enchantment unnoticed will do a lot more good than after blades are bared."

Most of those I can agree with Numalar though I do have one idea that we can contemplate: It appears that there is a large wagon/cart in the yard. We could move the cart to below the stable, ie between the stable and the eastern wall. You and I stay behind the stables, between the southern wall and the stable. When the bandits pile in you cast Enlarge on Karsh and I push the cart in front of the gate. It provides a barrier for movement. Grease will hold them down for a while but this is sort of a precautionary in case one of them is really good. From there I engage into the melee. Avery can stay with Linora as her back up and once we collectively join the melee can buff as necessary. I have a few buff spells I can cast on myself to help me out so it shouldn't be 100% necessary for Avery to have strength on me immediately. I can also do my blessings in the initial phases as well. My main concern is that my blessings only really last a minute, so if the conversation goes on for too long we may lose the buffs.

"Hey, I'm no master planner. Whatever you folks decide is fine by me. I can absolutely wait to start fighting if you feel that's best. No sense in getting worked up for nothing. Any magical blessings or superstitious workings you're willing to provide for me are accepted."

Linora strikes a pose.

"I am your actor, fine directors! Give me my direction and I will follow it brilliantly." She hops in to a fencing stance. "However, if things get heated," she says with an imaginary thrust, " I will take action!"

Any plan sounds good to me. At the very least, I can turn on the Tactician feat, if it seems necessary.

I figure that we will be listening and will be able to tell from the flow of conversation if we need to start buffing. Maybe Ansha should have a code word that she can work into the conversation with the bandit guy if she wants us to get ready.

I don't mind the plan with the cart though it does mean that after breaking surprise Karsh will be taking an action other than attacking, and if he loses initiative could be subject to multiple attacks before getting to go. Remember they have bows so we probably want to get into melee ASAP. Getting a surprise attack means a good chance of Karsh turning one of them to mush before they act at all, likewise Linora will likely cut one down before they know what hit them.

The cart won't completely block the entrance, so we will still have to watch for people slipping by. Another way to go would be to have the cart already blocking most of the entrance, as if Oleg had been careless about where he left it. It sounds like these guys have horses so they will need a 10' gap to get in; it becomes easy to block the way out at that point.

Pungeon: what are the things at A5? They look like cages of some sort. Also, will grease cause a quadruped like a horse to fall down as well?

Good ideas being slung around but I'm going to take them into the IC discussion.

"Taking one alive should be sufficient as long as it is the leader. He should know everything we need. It will probably be obvious which one is the leader. So try to take him alive. If we can't take him alive, we will need to take one of the underlings alive, and will probably be able to get less valuable information out of him."

Avery spends half an hour or so walking through the trading post with whoever is willing to accompany her, checking nooks and crannies, climbing up to the battlements and checking the catapults, coming back down and checking the stables, and so on and so forth.

In the middle courtyard, standing next to the cart, she says, "I am willing to let Ansha risk herself in the beginning if that is what she wants to do, though you don't need to feel compelled to do so", she tells the elf woman. "I think you should have backup standing beside you, however; either me or Linora should be standing beside you when you try to talk to the bandits. At that point, the remaining four of us should be hidden; two in the southwest corner, between the stable and the battlements, ready to push the cart in front of the gates and block the escape path. Two more in the buildings, such as the stable or the barracks. I would suggest the stables, for if I and Ansha are around the firepit, the bandits' attention will naturally be turned eastwards, thus exposing their backs to the stables." After talking, Avery will untie her horse from its post, and lead it inside the stables. "Let's make sure that it looks like there aren't six extra visitors."

How is the terrain around the trading post? Plains or thick forest? Meaning, how is the visibility? How far away could we theoretically spot approachers from? Is there thick forest blocking the view right up to the gate, or is there half a mile of clear flatland?

Cal, if you can start by knocking them down with grease that will make it easier to keep them from getting away, and if they try to move through the greased area they are flat-footed, which might make them easier to hit.

Yeah, it's for these kind of situations I took that spell, so Cal will definitely do that.

Listening passively to Numalar with the occasional nod, Cal finally pipes in "Sounds good to me. I'm pretty quick on my feet, so I can easily circle around to the back."

Glancing over at Ansha, a slight frown of worry is detectable "I'll admit though, I'm a touch worried about Ansha putting herself in harms way. These folks tend towards violence, I'd hate to see you get hurt if they aren't in a listening mood."

"I agree that having Ansha on her own is cause for concern. Though if she prepares herself magically this will afford her some protection. Ansha seems quite confident in her abilities, and she did volunteer to do this."

"As to our positioning, if Ansha prefers to be more towards the main house, instead of the storehouse, then that is fine, though she should not be too far from the stable. I had merely suggested the storehouse (A4) because she would be able to retreat into it should thing go awry. Either way having Avery with her is a good plan, though it is worth mentioning that Avery is very obviously armed and armored whereas Ansha is not. Only one person may not be enough to give these men pause.

"If we move the objects in the courtyard thus:
courtyard
"Then Ansha could stand either in front of the storeroom or between the picnic table and the house; her choice. Either way the bandits will end up in the center which forms a 'kill zone' easily reachable by those people hidden in the stable." (The 'kill zone' being the dotted circle in red, obviously) "The gap in the main gate is wide enough to allow their passage in, but narrow enough that the horses will have to squeeze through, meaning they won't be able to get out quickly.

"So what say you? Surely we have planned enough to deal with this band of ne'er-do-wells?"

"I don't think we should move the cart in front of the gate before they are inside. It will instantly alert them to expect something. Have it in the space between the stables and the south wall, with two people behind it ready to push it in front of the gate. It will waste a little time, yes, but it will allow us to surprise the bandits much more effectively."

"I concur with Avery. Leaving the cart out may arouse some suspicion and we shouldn't take any chances. It should not be much trouble for me to move the cart forward, with the blessing of Avadar by my side and Numalar's enlargement spells. I can shield myself fairly well in the initial assault and stop any from leaving the fortress from any gaps that the cart leaves." Karsh says, "Lady Avery and Linora can hide inside of the stable, ready to pounce when the time is right. Cal can hide on top of the storeroom, able to protect Ansha if needed. Ansha, maybe you should be ready to yell out a phrase of some kind, to alert us in case your charms do not work."

I'm still of agreement with the idea of keeping the cart to the side. With the nobility blessing I get a +2 to Str checks, and enlarge has to give me some benefits beyond just the strength increase. I can even go so far as to test this out by moving the cart myself into it's initial position.

Ansha follows along with the rest of the party after finishing her stew as they examine the post's layout. "I'm touched at the concern for my safety," she says with a wry smile. "Actually, I'd just as soon be waiting on the roof of the storeroom myself. It's better if they don't see me casting a spell--even if they're not likely to figure out what the spell was until it was too late. I should think it will be obvious if a fight is about to break out, but you'll know for sure if you hear me say the word 'watermelon.' As for the cart--it's best if it remains where it is until we spring the trap, for the reasons Avery put forth."

"Oh, and I'll want to borrow Oleg's ladder so I can get to the roof."

"Since you wish to test the theory, I am happy to cast enlarge person now and you can see how well it works. I will have my spells again tomorrow morning."
Since carrying capacity is based not only on STR but on size, enlarge person will double the amount of weight that you can actually move around based on your STR. Not sure if it's necessary or not. Remember though that your AC will also drop by 2.
"Lady Ansha, after casting your spell do you plan on climbing down to converse with the bandits? Or shall we simply attack when you give the word?"