"We going in then?" Liam whispers through the spell. "Or do I ask him to halt?"
"He'll go in. We'll set up outside. Stilgar, attack me like the double-crossing dwarf you claim to be. The rest of us will hold you down and we'll send Barend in to get help. When they come out, we ambush our target. Everyone got it?"
Liam nods his head slowly and unobtrusively, preparing himself for the performance.
Auric looks about, hoping to catch sight of whatever signs the hunter used to guide him to this point.
Perception:
Auric looks around, but sees only the trees and scrub the party travels through.
As you reach the next rise, you can see a waterfall making its way down the cliffside ahead, a large cleft visible in the rock behind it. The water crashes down into a pool at the bottom, which feeds the waterway you were following. Camped along the poolside, you see several humans, wearing leathers and furs, standing and sitting outside tents and tending to various chores--repairing and upkeeping weapons and armor, cleaning game, cooking--or just sitting around talking and drinking. Just outside the camp stands a large post covered in creeping ivy. Sitting atop it is a stag's skull. Stacked at its base are numerous stones, and atop them sit offerings, some of which appear to be heads, both dwarven and human.
Magnus whispers once again "Stilgar, this is your cue. Run off and escape then get ready for our ambush."
Still nervous about the plan, Stilgar nods stiffly. Upon seeing the camp, he 'shoves' Magnus aside and moves as though to run off. Surely the stinking, treacherous dwarf had to let someone know about this uprising.
Magnus rolls his eyes as Stilgar taps his shoulder. "Ah! Look out, he's getting away! He's a madman!" Magnus yells as he throws himself to the ground with vigor.
"What?! HEY!", Auric shouts in his best dumb guy voice, running after him perhaps a bit too slowly.
Bluff:
Bluff roll of 3.
Summoning his honest hatred for the oppressive dwarves, Liam screws his face into a furious expression as he also starts after Stilgar (perhaps a smidgeon too slowly). Invoking Kurnen's name, he hurls some obscene anti-dwarf curses at Stilgar's retreating back .
Okay, so, summary:
Stilgar pretends to knock Magnus down and make a break for it. Magnus sprawls while Auric and Liam pretend to give chase.
Yes?
I'll write up a response tonight after my weekly game.
Barend, having headed down into the camp, is rather startled at the commotion behind him and whirls around, staring in momentary confusion at the scene before. him. The other men down in the camp likewise seem caught off guard, watching Liam and Auric clumsily attempt to pursue the fleeing dwarf.
A moment later, Barend seems to have made a decision. He makes a gesture at Stilgar and gives Shadow a command. The wolf leaps off in pursuit. Then he yells to the camp: "These 'uns is all right. The stump's a spy. Get 'em, and someone fetch Caleb!"
Auric, Jon, Liam, Magnus, Stilgar, your initiative rolls in order above. I'll add in your bonuses, do the initiatives for the others involved, and we'll see how this plays out.
Magnus rises up from the ground, optimistic about his performance and glad to have the support of Barend, if only for a while longer.
"I'll make chase as well, using my magics!" Magnus says, rising to his feet and limping down toward the camp. "I need just a moment to prepare."
Initiative Order:
Magnus 24
Stilgar 13
Auric 12
Barend 6
Jon 3
Liam 3
Everyone else 3
Derp. I knew I was missing someone, and I didn't even bother to glance at the player's list. This is what happens when I get four hours sleep over 48 hours...weird, weird, things, and a whole lot of stupid.
Initiative Order:
Magnus 24
Kalaya 14
Stilgar 13
Auric 12
Barend 6
Jon 3
Liam 3
Everyone else 3
Stilgar trudges away from the rest of the group, maintaining the unconvincing act of desperate escape. As he does so he pulls his warhammer out from his belt, preparing for the inevitable ambush.
Liam moves after Stilgar, maintaining the pretence of intense hatred for the dwarf.
Stilgar heads back down the rise with most of the rest of the group in a stumbling pursuit. At this point anyone that went off in the mock chase is down at the bottom of the rise you climbed to see the camp. There's no visual of the people in camp except for Magnus and anyone else still atop the rise.
Anyone else?
Stilgar continues his escape, waiting for an opportune time to spring their trap. "You'll never take me alive!" he yells out over his shoulder in mock defiance.
Assuming that one of the others does not act first, the dwarf will swing his hammer at anyone who comes at him (assuming it is not a party member).
Auric pursues Stilgar, trying to clumsily grab him.
"C'mere you runt!", he hollers.
Kalaya sends Whisperwing to follow the young man from above, taking advantage of everyone's distraction to follow as well from a distance.
The "pursuers" follow Stilgar along the bottom of the far side of the rise, where it meets the water flowing from the waterfall and pool. The men from the camp clamber up to the top of the rise and take stock of what's going on. Barend yells "I knew the stump couldn't be trusted! Get him!" You note that the men are carrying what weapons they grabbed up--including a couple of javelins, a sling, and a shortbow amongst them.
The men from the camp at this point seem prepared to shoot Stilgar down rather than pursue him as your group is pretending to do. What would you like to do?
Not intent on becoming a pincushion, Stilgar murmurs a quick prayer, casting a shield of faith on himself.
The men are spread out in a staggered line at the top of the rise. The slinger and one of the ones holding javelins are within 15 feet of each other. Likewise the other one with javelins and the archer.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
The men from the camp at this point seem prepared to shoot Stilgar down rather than pursue him as your group is pretending to do. What would you like to do?
"Wait! Let's interrogate 'im!", Auric shouts, diving clumsily between the archers/slingers/hurlers and Stilgar in an attempt to "tackle" the dwarf.
CMB:
"I don't think this plan is working out so well..", he whispers in Dwarven.
"Indeed," Stilgar murmurs with exasperation, as he unconvincingly 'fights' his way out of Auric's grip. "Now is as good a time as any to fight back, then."
Most of you are at the river's edge. Your nine opponents are at the top of a 20 foot rise. There are enough trees between you and your opponents that everyone is considered to have cover for purposes of ranged attacks. The enemies marked with asterisks have ranged weapons.
Kalaya and Magnus are on the far side of the rise, about another 70 feet past the right edge of the combat map. The river bends around the top of the map from the pool near the waterfall, northeast of the combat area.
Alright, we've made a shambles o' this - an' it was kinda my plan... Time to get on the front foot, I guess.
Liam spins, pulling a handful of sparkling rock powder seemingly from inside his sleeve. Singing a short, aggressive melody, he hurls the powder in the general direction of the figures on the rise.
That area fills with sparkling motes, causing the three men to glitter spectacularly. The one with the shortbow and one wielding an axe begin rubbing furiously at their eyes. The third, holding javelins, appears to have avoided getting the dust in his eyes.
Dropping the facade, Stilgar steps out and points his warhammer at the nearest of the cultists. "Forgefather!" he calls out in a firm voice, "Lend me your arm!"
The manifested hammer of force proceeds to sweep at one of the nearby cultists ().
Stilgar casts his spell, and a shimmering hammer appears, sweeping down and bashing one of the men in the head.
At the manifestation of the spell, those men still able to see show shock and fear.
"He's a Baalite priest!" One of them cries. "Run!"
On that cue they begin to withdraw, the blind ones stumbling away as best they can. Barend looks angrily at the fleeing men, but retreats as well, giving a sharp whistle as he looks to the surrounding woods. The men move back down the rise toward the camp.
Meanwhile, Magnus keeps to his hiding spot, watching the waterfall.
Stilgar does not give chase right away, instead allowing the force weapon to pursue its target.
"They will run into the others, at this rate," the dwarf says to his companions with a frown.