"I suppose we have two courses of action available to us, a covert attack designed to gain access to to the portal disrupt it and then kill as many important members of the House as we can, or an overt approach. I favour the later, if we kill these guards, we have an avenue of retreat and can deal with those inside as they come. Besides I do not believe us all capable of the stealth required. All we need do to satisfy our objectives is leave a few drow alive, we can simply leave those few who do not bleed out, or Zayva can stabilize them," Siri says, her tone calm even as something akin to panic dances in her eyes,
"I can haste us all and we can be striking before they know we are here. What do you say?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me. I am not one for skulking about!"
|
Alec gently returns the grate to its original, closed position and drops back to the sewer. "This leads to the main courtyard. It's fairly hidden but within view of the guards. And there are guards - both on the walls and ground-level in the courtyard. We'd have some statues and benches for cover, but that's about it. Let me check the other hatch before you start jumping into action; information-gathering's the most important part of an assignment."
Without waiting for a response, he heads to the second hatch and repeats the open/pop his head out/look around process.
You easily clear the gap across the sewer river, as does Alaria (I would assume). However, due to your stealth rule, I'm going to say that the grating on this side is rusted somewhat, and squeals loudly as you attempt to unpin the hinges. You stop hastily before you think it made much noise...do you continue?
Upon hearing the rusted grate squeal as Alec puts it back into place Beldrek freezes. He gives a sharp glance at Alec, and then half crouches while he remains alert for any activity that they are noticed.
Siri winces waiting heart pounding for signs of alarm.
Alec's attention is partially distracted by balancing on the ladder and holding the grate with both hands, keeping it from moving. However, Beldrek's ears pick up two faint voices on the air. Beldrek, you can't hear the words exactly, but you think it sounded interrogative, like someone was asking another person a question.
Siri, you hear the words - "Did you hear that? Came from over there..."
Zayva was keeping quiet. She wasn't that good at sneaking. When the grate screeched, she froze (and panicked a little inside).
"They heard something, I suggest we either retreat, or strike now!" Siri whispers, moving to the ladder, "I prefer the later."
Muhoro stands beside Zayva and also winces as the noise from the rusty pin.
"I agree! Lets strike now!"
He casts shield and then climbs up and out of the sewer, trying to create a diversion so the others can also get out.
Zayva pulled out her mace, holding it in hand. She hung more to the back, more as support than a frontline fighter. They were about to fight, and likely kill. The thoughts kept running through her head. She glanced at Alec, not yet having gone up the ladder. Taking a deep breath, she made a running leap to jump across the gap.
Zayva is on the other side of the underground river now, but barely. She almost slips and falls, but Alec and Alaria catch her hand and help her to steady herself.
Meanwhile, Muhoro in his eagerness rushes past Siri to climb the ladder on his side of the river. He climbs out to find himself in the courtyard I described earlier. You stand right next to a large stature of a spider driving terrified gnomes before it while a Drow general, laughing, rides atop it. It provides you cover, which is good, because there's a spotlight being shone on the courtyard from the main gate. The general atmosphere is quiet, though - you think that perhaps despite what you heard, the guards aren't sure enough to come investigate personally, yet. Instead, they will rely on lighting up any potential intruders.
The spotlight isn't on you directly, but it will sweep over you in the next few seconds. If you try to evade the light beam, give me an acrobatics check to dive behind the cover of the statue. Otherwise, you will likely be detected.
Acrobatics-untrained:
Muhoro nimbly dodges behind the base of the statue just as the light beam sweeps over where he was. It shines on the statue he's hiding behind for a moment, causing his muscles to tense up in anticipation...then moves on.
"Hearing things again..." you hear from across the courtyard. It seems sound carries very well here.
|
|
Alec sighs, calculating how to make the best of this unideal situation. "Well, he's giving us a valuable distraction. Who wants to come up the other hatch? With luck, he'll draw off some of the guards and buy us some time. After all, this was supposed to be a subtle job, and a lone Tiefling slave is much easier to excuse. If all of us rush up with him, we'll just make our objective more difficult."
Zayva smiled her thanks as Alec and Alaria helped keep her from falling in. That would not have been fun. She tried to listen above to see what was going on with Muhoro. It didn't sound like combat up there.
"I... I'm not sure I can make that jump again, I barely made it this time." Zavya said quietly while looking down. "I'm not exactly stealthy either." She feared she would get them caught.
Siri gives Alec a disappointed look, and casts guidance before she hauls herself up the ladder and darts for a statue. If she believes she is detected she begins casting haste immediately, if not she waits until the last of her companions surfaces, or the alarm is raised.
Siri, you're fortunate - you see the spotlight sweeping the far end of the compound as you emerge. It completes its sweep and tilts downward as you see the guard on duty dropping the controls. These guards are shiftless, lazy, unsuspecting of any plot against their House. Perfect.
"I am sorry Siri. I thought they were right outside and were going to discover us! Had I known I would not have been so brash!"
Siri quirks a brow, and places a finger on her lips, not quite sure what Muhoro is apologizing for. Pressed up against a statue she points towards the guards and draws a finger across her throat, moves another set of fingers across her palm and mimes opening a door. She then takes an imaginary bow in two hands and forms her other fours another pair into a cross in front of it while shaking her head.
Alaria rolls her eyes as she sticks close to Alec. She puts her face in her palm. "I thought this was supposed to be discrete..."
Muhoro nods in understanding and starts to move, as quietly as he can, towards the door.
Stealth:
Muhoro picks his way between the statues, his form casting horrific shadows on the stone from the ambient light, which is dim. In the darkness he resembles a monster spun out of old tales as he creeps silently through the courtyard.
Muhoro. You are now against one of the tower's walls. On the side of the tower nearest you, there are no doors, but there is an open window one story up; the rest are closed. Around the corner that you're closest to is the main gate to the tower, which has no guards posted next to it. No guards on the walls appear to have noticed you, though they continually patrol the walls and glance over into the courtyard every so often.
Taking aim, Muhoro fires the grapnel from his ring to just above the window, then climbs up and through the opening. Once there he signals Siri.
Climb:
Muhoro, you're standing inside a storeroom of some sort. There are barrels and crates all around you, along with bags of flour. You recall Doctor Seung telling you that House Lito's focus is primarily agricultural - this might be where they keep some of their stores. The room is far larger than the relatively small window led you to believe - it stretches around half of the interior of the tower on this level. You see pathways that lead between the barrels and crates winding around and around.
Suddenly, the door behind you opens and someone walks through! There's not a direct line of sight to you from the door, but you hear footsteps approaching. Your ring is still attached to the ground outside and the tower wall - you'll need to retract it before you can move around freely.
Siri gives one of her expressive shrugs and follows Muhoro's example using her ring to zip up to the window, trying to stay out of the spotlight.
Quietly, Muhoro whispers the command Chaon and retracts the line back into his ring. He also signals Siri that someone is coming.
Zayva slowly climb the ladder peaking out looking for the spotlight before she exited. If it was heading her way, she'd duck back down quickly. 'Don't be a clutz. Don't be a clutz.' She began an internal mantra to herself, because she felt she just knew in her gut she would be the one to get them caught. 'Sneaky thoughts. Sneaky thoughts.'
If the spotlight was far enough away, she would quickly get out to move behind a statue. Before using the statues to move closer to the others.
You hear a male voice speaking Drow at the entrance to the room. Judging from the sound quality of the voice you can tell he's not speaking into the room itself but to some other figures behind him. His tone is businesslike and casual.
Zayva stubs her toe on the corner of a statue and cries out in pain briefly before clapping her hand to her mouth. She dives behind the statue, huddling between it and the outer wall, and hears a voice coming from the far wall in Undercommon. "Alright, I heard something for sure that time. Send in some of the slave troops, might be an animal of some kind in the courtyard."
Across the courtyard on the other side, you see some other guards descending the stairs on the inside of the outer wall. There are three of them, and they fan out to begin their search. You have a few minutes before they get close to you, but they're more on alert now.
Beldrek goes up the ladder and stops just before the top. He puts just enough of his head out to see who is around so he can avoid them.
Zayva's mind began to fill with panic. 'I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.' She had likely just got them caught or increased the risk. She carefully tried to keep sneaking and avoid the guards and the spotlight till she could get close enough to enter the room via the ring. Though in her panic filled moment she likely crashed through bushes, stubbed more toes or otherwise had more klutzy moments.
Beldrek's keen eyes peer out just above ground level. You see an orc leading several goblin gnashers on leashes that he clutches in one hand, wandering the courtyard in the dark. You see the goblins sniffing the air. Fortunately, they're still on the far end of the courtyard, but they are coming this way. You also see another guard, a duergar slave, glancing around on the other side of the courtyard from the orc, alone.
Muhoro stays quiet and hidden, waiting for the Drow to move on.
perception:
Alaria sighs and follows Alec up the ladder.
As silent as shadows, Alaria and Alec easily follow their fellow tieflings into the garden. The slave-guards appear to be only halfheartedly searching, and in fact are talking to one another across the courtyard - no sweat.
Muhoro, after a half-dozen barrels are rolled into the room and set upright, the drow orders them all out follows them, slamming the door shut behind him.
Muhoro will signal Siri all is clear if she is still wanting to enter through the window.
Joining Muhoro Siri whose wide eyes and fast breathing give away her panic forces herself to act calmly and rationally,
"We just need to get everyone up here," she whispers, retracing her ring, "Chaon" and examining the room.
Siri, you're standing in a storeroom of some kind. There appear to be large sections of the wall that can be opened to the outside - you recall seeing a similar layout for other towers earlier in your life. The sliding panels leading to the outside are for when large amounts of product are lifted by winch into the tower for storage. Lito being an agricultural House, there are dozens of barrels of the strange foodstuffs that grow underground. The smell in the room is fairly pleasant, like vegetables. It's dark, but your darkvision suits you well. You and Muhoro appear to be alone on this floor of the tower - you hear footsteps walking on stairs outside, slowly receding in volume.
Siri moves over to the door and takes her time to conceal herself nearby ready to strike should anyone entering spy her or her comrades.
Alaria sighs and looks up at Alec. "Oh no... How do I make this thing work... I can't break my vow, not after everything I've been through..." Before Alec can get too far from her, she grabs onto his tail, pulling herself with him. "That will work for now... But I'll need to find a way to use this soon."
"Hhmph!" "Oh s$*+!"