A little surprised when the magician takes her hand, Rhasa lets him pull her to where he speaks with the boy. A bemused expression takes up residence on her features as she watches him visit with Seth, gesturing with his other hand, but never so much as noticing that he still holds hers.
When he stops talking to the boy and turns toward the elf, the blush is all the evidence she needs that he had quite forgotten she was there. Her face is split in a huge grin and she laughs out loud. As the magician drops her hand, she throws an arm around his shoulders and, still chuckling, guides him toward the rest of the party.
Being approached by some of the Wardens, Gorguk pauses to think more on his idea of clearing the northern wastes around Oleg's. Sure the idea wa to create mor of a safe zone between Oleg's and themselves as they progressively move farther away, but going straight to the cause of the problem has merit all its own. Trying to remember what he all knows of the Staglord's location all he come come up with is the fact that it is to the south along a river. Thus Gorguk swayed by the ideas and beliefs of his peers, Friends, let us go forth tomrrow to rid the area of the Staglord. We shall travel south to the kobolds along the trails that we know and follow the river till we find the Stag lord. I do not know how long we shall be gone or what is in store for us. Does this sound like a wise course of action? If so, then tomorrow we ride. Let us leave those of us that we do not wish in harms way to travel light and speedily. Taking what food we can carry and armament as we choose.
"Gather information on tha Staglord I am for, findin his stronghold an seeing what they be about also seems fine. Takin bandits as they leave a stronghold ensuren they never return an keepin new recruits from joinin. Makin where food an supplies does not reach tha staglord, all these things yes. Assaultin a stronghold o unknown, mah answer is no."
"We has much tah learn o tha enemy an need tah keep them from known ourselves at tha same time. Our friends in tha forest might be willin tah gives us a layout o tha place once we finds it."
Rhasa nods and starts ticking off items on her long graceful fingers, "I will make sure we have sufficient ammunition. We will need to carry with us any gear we suspect we might need if we do press the attack. And I presume you intend to leave Dyfrig where it is safe; it will be faster and more convenient to resort to hardtack for this foray."
She looks at the paladin, "You do mean to deal with the threat and not just scout, correct?"
Recovering a bit, the magician thought about what Gorguk said before rendering a response, Sinon would likely know where the bandits' hideout would be. He may also have other information that could be useful. Numbers, organizational hierarchy, and most important, psychology. We may not discover everything, but if we can learn enough then it could give us a much needed advantage over our foes.
Yes, Rhasa, the time I think has come that we make ourselves known to the Staglord directly. He may have heard of us through his other bandits, but that information must surely be lacking and fragmented. The true nature of our abilities and capabilities are largely a mystery to him. Approach him loudly, threaten him, and fool him if we can into sending out a group of bandits to eliminate us. That way we reduce the numbers he has within his encampment. This may be be a querilla tactics warfare at first but we will confront him directly at some point. We will need to leave Dyfrig back as we can not expect him to keep up with us and we will not be able to protect him as well as we may need to.
To that end, Lothar, speak to Sinon and find out what you may. Bring Cal if you would like. Find out what information you can that you just mentioned, but also find out if there is anyway in secretly. Ask if there are others like Dyfrig and himself if given the chance would repent and join us and live a valid and upright life. The less we have to fight the better our chances.
Barnabus, I have a special request for you now that you can hover in the trees. How high can you go and how good of a lookout can you be? Your ability will give us a great advantage combined with Lothar's method of communication. You can see where they are coming from and how many. This will let us now how to attack them and from what direction. It can also tell us of their numbers.
Mikmek, may we count on your brethren to help in this matter? All we ask is that in this war on the Staglord, that we find shelter in your tribe. We will take the fight to them and attempt to keep them form troubling you. However, if the need should arise, we may need a safe place to heal and rest for the night before we continue the attack. Your community is south by a couple of days. Those days are maybe what we need to keep the pressure on the Staglord.
Does anyone have any concerns now before we embark on this journey. Once we go down this course of action there may not be a chance to turn back. When we swat the hornets nest, we will get stung. Protect ourselves to the end we will, but bringing the Staglord down is what matters. This is not a personal quest for vengeance or to prove ourselves but a fulfillment of the oath we took when we said we would clear the Greenlands. If I could challenge each member of the Staglords forces to single combat I would to limit the risk to the rest of you, but I do not think that will suffice in this case. It may draw out a couple of them, and if so I will lead them to you in ambush. More than that I can not say until the knowledge that Lothar, Cal, and Barnabus gathers can be combined into a more definitive of a plan.
As Gorguk goes about his plans, the tenure and posture that he presents is just beginning to show the possibilities of him as a leader. Before he had been able to be an example and to take matters into his own hands. Now he is looking at the rest of you as peers able to accomplish things that he himself can not accomplish. He trust each of you enough in your own abilities to see it done right and the fortitude to see it to its completion.
"I can rise straight up 480 afore the magic fails, but the slow falling would then take hold or I ken go up an have time tah look afore the magic fails. I ken also put myself within a tree an wait fer the magic tah end an has plenty o time tah look.....iffen we had a spyglass we mighten get even more information."
"I also have two bags o caltrops tha ken gives us an edge at some point if wisely used."
Block and Tackle
Shovel or Spade
Masterwork Artisan's Tools (Bows)
Piton (10)
Hammer
Tent
Crowbar
Grappling Hook
Arrows (20)
Alchemist's Fire (2 Flasks)
Rope (Silk/50 ft.)
Rhasa will inquire with Oleg about his stores of rope, grappling hooks, another crowbar perhaps, and another shovel. And arrows. She wants to know what he has available and will find out what the party feels might be useful.
Also, "Dyfrig, have you thought of anything else you can recall hearing about the Staglord's lair? Anything that might help us know what we are facing?"
If Lothar has no objections, Calinder accompanies him in his discussion with Sinon. He makes note of the location of the Stag Lord's fort and what can be expected as far as numbers of men, and information on the structure of the fort.
As Calinder scribed notes, Lothar took the time to think other questions that he wanted to put to the bandit-turned-brewer. When the cleric was done writing, the magician continued, Sinon, I wish to know about the leadership of the bandits. The Stag Lord is obviously the one in charge overall, but based on our encounters, he doesn't seem very hands on. You've confirmed this for me with your mention of the three leader types that he keeps around the hideout. What, if anything, can you tell me about them?
As the Wardens go about the assigned tasks that Gorguk gave them, a sense of pride fell over him. He knew that they would do their best and would not fail in their respective tasks. While they did their tasks, Gorguk took some time to comtemplate and meditate on Erastil's will. This would all be for naught if he were not orchestrating this mission. Of that Gorguk was sure.
Barnabus shows up at the brewery....
"Ahhh Lothar I am certain Sinon will remember more forth-with, seems a shame not tah taste tha ale."
"Sinon fear not in tellin yer tales tha might help us even iffen those tales involve yer own mis-deeds. Them deeds was done ba another man, an caused by tha condition o this land...."
"Let me tell you o tha one named Kressel....."
......"An yah see how her loyalty went tah tha staglord savin her from rape, yet were tha staglord not permittin tha behavior she would not o needed savin at all."
With furrowed brow, Lothar listened intently to Sinon's words. That he was concerned was obvious. Not about the one called Auchs. He sounded like a thug and those of that ilk were very straight forward in their approach to things. No, the magician was worried about Akiros and Dovan.
A former paladin of Erastil, possibly even one from Gorguk's own order. If the leader of the Wardens was any indication, this Akiros would be a formidable adversary indeed. And then there was Dovan. Nisroch was the largest city in Nidal, a country ruled by the infamous Umbral Court that held ties to the sadistic Zon-Kuthon, god of pain, darkness, and loss. That this Dovan of Nisroch came to the Stag Lord by way of Daggermark didn't sit well with Lothar either. Daggermark was the largest city in all the River Kingdoms and home to two of the deadliest organizations in the region: the Assassins' and the Poisoners' Guilds.
But in spite of his misgivings, Lothar saw an opportunity in the face of all this. According to Sinon, Auchs came to the Stag Lord with Dovan, who at one time had been the bandit leader's chief lieutenant, a role now held by Akiros. The magician put himself in Dovan's mind. A cunning man would not challenge the might of a trained soldier like Akiros, at least not directly. And if Dovan was indeed as intelligent as Lothar believed him to be, he would bide his time and wait for an opportunity to arise to take back what he felt was rightfully his.
That meant a possible key to dealing with the matter would be getting Akiros on their side.
Lothar put that thought on hold and refocused his attention back to Sinon. Did the bandits use anything like codes, passwords, or phrases to identify themselves to one another to gain entry into the hideout? I'm of a mind that they did, given this Dovan character that you spoke of. If he is as dark and sadistic as you say, then he would relish the opportunity to kill those that failed to properly identify themselves.
Meditation comes hard sometimes. There is a lot of life happening all around you. You must learn to quiet your mind and listen to the world around you. I n that world, you will begin to see the strings that attach everyone and everything together. Be conscientious of those strings for some of them are directly guided by Erastil. How will you know what his will may be or how he pulls those strings if you can not meditiate on him.
This lesson from Father Ralu stuck in Gorguk's heart as he tried to meditate on the coming actions against the Staglord. Try as he might however, the string's connections would not show themselves. He saw his and Cal's strings heading off into the distance only to be lost in the darkness. Who or what this portended Gorguk did not know. In frustration, Gorguk gave up momentarily to see how the preparations were coming. Seeing Lothar approach him, Gorguk listened intently to the knowledge that Lothar and Cal gleaned from the ex-bandit. Of most startling import was the report ofr Akiros, a fallen paladin of Erastil. It immediately clicked in Gorguk's head where the two strings of Erastil lay. Toward Akiros and the darkness that surrounded him and caused him to fall. If there was a chance to save and convert the fallen paladin back into the fold, then that chance must take place. Gorguk will approach Cal later to find out if he agrees with Gorguk's sentiments.
As Calinder takes note of what Sinon says about the bandits. When he mentions the fallen paladin, Calinder freezes in stunned disbelief. Although he had heard of such things happening, it seemed almost to be a fairy tale that certainly couldn't be true.
In a minute Calinder comes back to his senses continues recording the information.
"Indeed, Sinon, when was you thar?"
"Another reason tah catch a bandit o two leavin o returnin."
Barnabus looks thoughtful for a bit remembering the wand of magic missles they had found an his new ability to leave the ground....
"Wardnes might we consider a full wand such as this one."
Lothar nodded toward Barnabus, appreciative of the witch's query. In that span of time, any passwords and countersigns that Sinon knew would most definitely have been changed. Especially once the Stag Lord realized that the efforts of he and his men were being met with resistance. Lothar sighed, his mind churning with the possibilities. A direct assault on the stronghold was the simplest way, but it also the most foolish path to take in this instance. Which meant that the Wardens were left with gaining access to the Stag Lord through unconventional means.
Fortunately for the Wardens, the unconventional was something of a specialty for Lothar.
But before he could suggest any sort of strategy, the magician would need more up to date intelligence than what they already possessed. And there was only one way to get it.
Lothar thanked the brewer for his assistance, then looked to Calinder and Barnabus. We need to find Gorguk. It would seem that we need to do some reconnaissance.
After hearing more of the report from Lothar, Gorguk thinks of a new possibility instead of the direct approach. Although I am not in favor of deception, that is preferable than to risk your lives needlessly. Therefore, if we can not pass into the fortifications by password, then maybe we can use the green alcohol to earn us passage. If I use some hides to cover my shield, I will look like a guard as you deliver the merchandise. That might let us get in pass the walls. That would slow us down though and require us to bring Dyfrig's wagon as part of the disguise. If something goes wrong, you would have to abandon the cart to make a swifter escape.
"Or we can wait outside the walls and observe. Once we know their routine, we can move with better knowledge. It's a hunt - we need to learn our quarry, watch their lair."
Somewhat confused by Gorguk's statement, Lothar turned to regard the paladin with an indignant expression. Risk? Needlessly? Since when is the pursuit of justice a needless 'risk of life?' It is our choice to be here with you. It is our choice to fight with you. Do not let your concerns overly cloud your judgement, Gorguk.
The magician's face relaxed as he continued. The delivery gambit you suggest is admirable but I think a waste of resources that could be put to better use to service us. And I don't mean for the drinking. The last was playfully directed at Barnabus. No, for this I'm thinking that Rhasadilara has the right idea. We study the bandits in their lair. Once we have a better understanding of both their daily routine and assets, then we hit them at their most vulnerable. I'm thinking a night raid myself, but as time goes on that may change, based on what we see and learn. This is only what I think. As always, we defer to you, Gorguk. What say you then?
The ranger quietly adds, "It's always possible that we will catch some of them outside of the palisade, too. If we can do so without alerting those within, so much the better. Their defenses would be weaker because of fewer men and we might be better informed about what lies within."
"Aye one bandit any one might be taken by mah slumber hex, though if another bandit be nearby he ken waken tha bandit. If Gorguks fallen one ken be took in such a way alone tha possibility o redemption increases exponentially."
"I agree much watchin needs tah happen afore any plan ken like tha beer, be properly formulated."
"I like the idea of gathering as much current information as possible about these bandit. We need not be hasty at this point unless we learn something new to change our minds about a need for haste."
"Perhaps we can learn the current password and thereby gain easy access to the bandits fortress. For now, let's just see what we can find out."
"We can find the lair, then set up a camp nearby and watch them. As Calinder says, we might be able to catch one and learn the password."
Agreed then. We approach the encampment and scout and learn what we can about them. We then use that knowledge to determine which is the best method to attack them. Currently we have 4 options so far presented: 1) lure some out of the encampment to thin their numbers and attempt to convert Akiros. 2) Night raid to infiltrate the camp useing Rhasa's ranged attacks and Barnabus's slumber hex. 3) Capture a member of the bandits and have them reveal the passcode to enter the camp. 4) a frontal assault if nothing else works. Of course that last option is said last as I hope we can find a better way to minimize the risk to ourselves.
"Aye so we head out in tha early morrow?"
Aye. Get a good sleep now as who knows when you wil get another.
Do we have the descriptions of Auch, Dovan and Akiros so we can tell who they are when we finally get to see them.
Calinder retires to a quiet place to meditate and make his personal preparations for their next journey. He hopes that they will be as successful as they have been in the past.
Once he is done with his meditations and feels he is ready, he climbs the stairs to the ramparts around the trading post and looks out on the land to the east, west and south. Dwelling longest looking to the south, in the supposed direction of the Stag Lord and his band of thieves.
He then looks to the heavens looking at the stars, perhaps hoping for some sign that he and his companions would be successful.
He then returns to where he had planned to rest before they depart in the morning to do just that. Hopefully his mind now clear and prepared.
The night before the Wardens head out, Gorguk will again check his gear and make sure tha Durok is ready as well to go on the attack. Once that task is done, gorguk will contemplate the future and withdraw himself from the rest as they make their own preparations. Gorguk will respond to any who approach, but will not initiate much in the way of conversation.
Barnabus sits across from Gorguk at dinner.
and nearly spits out his food as Goguk announces he can cast spells....
"Tha next ting yah knows ol Oleg will be shootin magic bolt out of his arse!"
"Mayhap Calindar ken scribe a scroll o some o yer unique spells."
In reply to Barnabus' statement Calinder says, "Yes, yes I believe that I could do that for you Gorguk, and for Barnabus and Lothar as well. I've never scribed a scroll for someone else, but I'm willing to try. It would only require the normal materials to cast the spell and the funds required to create the scroll, and time. If it goes wrong all we lose out on is the money, time and materials. Like I said though, I willing to try."
"My only question would be is in reading the scroll, I can decipher my writing and the symbols that I use quite easily when reading one of my scrolls, but would either of you have difficulty in reading a scroll written by me, even though it is your scroll? That would be another question that would have to answered in some way."
The magician, as part of his advanced training, understood spell theory and dweomercraft and thus was able to answer Calinder's query with confidence, Provided that the scroll scribed is arcane (in the case of myself and Barnabus) or divine (in the case of Gorguk and yourself, Calinder) and the spell in question is one that we would have access to under normal circumstances, then theoretically there shouldn't be any problem with us being able to use it. The only other problem I could foresee is if there were a case where the ability to comprehend the spell in question would be beyond the scroll user, but if you're scribing scrolls from spells that are already within the user's capacity to understand, then that shouldn't even be an issue.
Barnabus considers his friends and all their strengths and weaknesses after much thought of all his friends and memories of his childhood he remembers the boiling poisons of the hags, and realizes not one of his compatriots would utilize poison....
later he pulls Oleg aside...
"Master Oleg what poisons do you stock or store?"
Rhasa will inquire with Oleg about his stores of rope, grappling hooks, another crowbar perhaps, and another shovel. And arrows. She wants to know what he has available and will find out what the party feels might be useful.
@Oleg
"Be not troubled Master Oleg, we have fought animals at times an I try tah makes peace wit em, but sometimes they prefer tah fight, I would rather not risk lives against simple beasts."
@everyone
"Perhaps we should stop by Bokkens on tha way out."
Very well Barnabus, is there any other destinations we need to visit before we head to teh Staglord? If not then let us proceed with haste ont he morrow to Bokken and from there to glory.