Lily stares nervously at the sentry and casts a spell hoping to buy some time for her party.
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Boudra desperately reloads and fires again, knowing that a second shot is far less likely to land now that he's aware of her...
for
Bree will scramble up the ladder as quickly as possible.
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Lily's mesmeric magic reaches the sentry through the darkness and leaves him in a silent stupor, his hand frozen in place just inches away from the greased hammer. Boudra's second bolt strikes the sentry in the chest, leaving him badly wounded enough for Bree to finish him off right after she scales the rope ladder.
The alert sentry has been killed, and the other one remains asleep, although he snores and mutters.
The watchtower has been seized without the entire camp being roused.
Bree slits the throat of the sleeping sentry.
Then she signals the others.
Lily quickly clambers the ladder and quietly whispers to Bree,"That almost went bad."
Hustling toward, flinching a bit at every rattle of his mail, Thorek abandons his hiding spot and advances up to the watchtower, staying careful not to go near the ledge lest he be spotted by any Ironfang's below.
I'll stay down here, to cover your back in case that patrol doubles back, or if anyone tries to come up the stairway. Ready when you are.
Patting his pack and pouches, the dwarf frowns and looks about himself. Expression sheepish, he signs It seems I forgot to bring caltrops, does anyone else have some? We could drop them on the stairs...
Cedric hustles up along with Thorek. I have none, he signs.
Why would I have caltrops? Boudra signs, looking slightly exasperated. Since she can also see through the darkness with ease, she stays below with Thorek, crossbow reloaded and pointed in the general direction of the camp.
During the discussion of caltrops, the more alert of you notice that there is a slight stir within the camp down in the ravine. Soldiers on patrol bark at those sleeping in the tents, trying to rouse them. From the level of commotion, you suspect that they have not identified your presence or location; however, it is clear that certain sounds have the camp on edge.
Nevertheless, while the party may lack caltrops, you have the flasks of alchemist's fire commandeered from the ambushed supply wagon.
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Lily carefully assembles the satchel charge and waits for the signal to throw it. "Well this thing is dangerous. Be careful as it might go off in your hand.," she says while holding the item carefully.
Cedric tenses as things come to the tipping point. He readies the spark cantrip in his mind, in case it helps.
With the ten flasks of alchemist's fire taken from the commandeered supply wagon, Lily constructs a pair of incendiary bombs, composed of five flasks each. In a stroke of genius, she also suggests affixing these along the southeast corner of the tower not only to catch the wooden stairs leading up the ravine in the explosion but also to cause the flaming debris to collapse down the slope into the camp.
Time is running short. With the camp on rising alert, the sleeping Ironfang soldiers have been roused and have donned their armor. A patrol, comprised of a pair of hobgoblins and a bugbear, has been dispatched to investigate the watchtower. They begin to march up the stairs, scaling the side of the ravine.
Time to go, my friends, Cyrioul mutters. Grabbing a wand from his belt as he backs up to the far side of the tower, he points it at the ground at the top of the stairs, speaks a word of power, and drops a layer of disgusting grease down to slow the advance of the troops.
Won't hold them back for long!
As Cyrioul invokes his spell Thorek advances, ready to strike at the first hobgoblin to come into reach on the stairs.
Bree sights the nearest Fang and fires an arrow at him.
Lily follows Bree's charge and fires a shot at the same fang.
The patrol's first proof that something is amiss comes when the head of Thorek's dorn-dergar flies past the bugbear and chips away at the railing of the stairs. The furry-faced brute barrels forth, tearing through the magical grease as Lily and Bree's shots whiz past, and he moves to confront the dwarf.
The first hobgoblin in his wake is not as fortunate and takes a strong, opportunistic swing of the dorn-dergar to his sternum. This does not impede him, nor does the grease, as he also crests the ravine and joins the bugbear hunter in accosting the intruders. The second hobgoblin is not as fleet of foot, and he slips and falls while trying to cross the grease.
The growls of the Ironfang patrol grow in volume, and it won't be long before they attract the attention of others from the camp below.
"Fire!" Boudra cries to Cedric. "Bree, Lily - out!"
Focusing her gaze on the bugbear, she weaves her hands together and attempts to grasp onto his shadow (slight as it is in the very dim light) with the shadows surrounding him.
The bugbear hunter's shadow, cast by the light of the stars and nearly full moon, is seized in place by Boudra's magic. The furry brute finds his momentum slowed as his movements become more difficult.
Lily jumps out of the tower.
At Boudra's signal, Cedric casts spark to light and set off the unattended satchel charges of alchemist's fire.
Bree slides down the rope ladder, , lands and darts off toward Cedric and the others.
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Thorek withdraws from the two enemies facing him. Walking along the edge of the ravine, he moves closer to his allies and, more importantly, out of the expected blast radius of the improvised explosives. Once Thorek is clear, Cedric casts his magic spark, and the two charges quickly ignite.
A hissing wave of heat washes over you, and although it leaves an echo in your ears, you are otherwise unharmed. The same cannot be said about the watchtower and the Ironfangs. The supports of the tower are almost instantly consumed, causing the structure to topple over. This proves to be a mercy, as the falling logs delivers a finishing blow to the badly burned and maimed Ironfangs at its feet. The burning debris slides down the ravine walls and onto the wooden stairs, setting them ablaze.
The bright plume of flame, the hiss of the explosion, and the crash of falling debris collectively alert the rest of the camp. With much shouting and hollering, the Ironfangs begin to rally in response to the disturbance above the camp. However, no longer having the stairs leading up, they will have to take the long way around the ravine - buying the party time to get a headstart on leading them towards the next trap.
"That went as well as we could have hoped! Time to go," Thorek immediately takes off towards the ravines, knowing that he needs the head start with his shorter legs.
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Cedric, not likely considered 'cool' by anyone's standards, stands and watches the explosion with a rapidly-shifting mixture of emotions. First comes the excitement and adrenaline of a job executed well. Then comes the fright and surprise at just how big and hot the fireball turns out to be. Then comes the shock and horror on behalf of those caught in the blast and the aftermath.
The thing that snaps him out of it is the realization that this was only step one, and there's yet more work to do. He can worry about ethics when there isn't an army trying to kill him and his community. He turns and takes off after Thorek, hustling and panting in his armor.
Boudra takes off, quickly moving to the head of the group to use her combination of long legs, woodcraft, and night vision to lead them safely to the next ambush.
Dropping the pretense of stealth and with the headstart provided by the ravine's walls, the party is able to keep ahead of the pursuing Ironfangs. A cacophony of armored bodies crashing through the underbrush echoes at your back, punctuated by grunts and commands barked in Goblin. They chase you through the benighted forest. You keep close to Thorek and Boudra, who can see through the darkness, to avoid getting lost or separated.
The roar of the pursuing soldiers draws closer as your lead dwindles. Each root at your feet or grasping branch at your shoulder slows you down by fractions of a second, and you fear that they will collectively be your doom. Arrows whistle through the night air as the scouts loose wild shots at their fleeing quarry.
Finally, the ambush point comes into view. From one ravine to another, you have led them to the prepared site. Now you must secure the deception and seal their fate.
Panting, Thorek jogs up to the fake base entrance and jogs inside, then backwards out again. "Up to the top then, to spring our trap?"
" Yes. Hopefully it will continue to go smoothly. "
"Don't stop yet. We're almost there." Bree says, panting a little more than she'd like to.
Boudra nods eagerly, and gestures that everyone else should climb up while she keeps an eye (and crossbow) trained on the entrance to the ravine, watching to see if any approach.
Pulling out his grappling hook, Thorek tosses it up to the top of the ravine and gives it two sharp tugs to make sure it'll hold his weight. "Everybody up!"
Thorek's grappling hook lands true, and its prongs find purchase on a sturdy outcropping of rock along the ravine walls.
It holds fast and bears the weight of the armored dwarf as he scales the slope.
Lily smiles at Thorek and says,"Thanks. I'm not exactly great at climbing.
Even with the rope she pretty much plops down onto the ground after partly entangling herself with the rope.
Bree ducks down among the vegetation and scree to keep form being seen.
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Bree, Cyrioul, and Boudra vanish among the scrub brush and crags, while Cedric and Thorek scale the ravine walls via rope. The armored pair press themselves against the rocky surface and remain motionless.
Lily is the last to attempt to escape, and she follows Cedric and Thorek up the ravine walls. However, in her haste, the rope slips from her grasp and she skids back down beside the trapped cave mouth. She scrambles for cover, but bumps right into the trunk-like leg of a bugbear.
The towering brute grabs Lily's head in his broad, furry knuckles and drags her from the cavern entrance.
"Trying to rally your friends?" the bugbear growls in a husky Common Taldan. "Don't worry. We'll bring them right out for you."
At the commander's order, two hobgoblin scouts and two bugbear hunters march into the cavern in search of Phaendar refugees. However, no sooner do they disappear into the dark fissure but their fate is sealed. With the leverage of Cedric's spear and Thorek's chain weapon, from their vantage point the pair trigger the landslide trap. The boulders crash down the steep sides and bury the cave entrance - sealing the Ironfangs within. The volume within the ravine does not diminish, as many shouts - frightful, shocked, and angry - rise up from the Ironfangs.
The bugbear commander pulls Lily closer, his wet breath washing over her as he speaks his threats.
"If my men are dead, then your own suffering will be endless," he hisses.
Lily thrashes about wildly trying to unsuccessfully stab the bugbear.
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"Oh, pig iron. The big one's got Lily..." Thorek whispers to Cedric. He takes a slow breath. "Well, somebody's gotta draw their attention and we can't leave Lily behind. I'll distract 'em."
Murmuring a prayer of protection , Thorek rises and steps to the ledge where the Ironfang soldiers can see him clearly, then rappels down his rope.
"I want to talk to whichever one of you ugly bastards is in charge!" his voice rings out clearly and the chains rattle as he starts to spin the dorn-dergar faster and faster. "I am Thorek Ironspark of Kraggodan, and you miserable fools have really stepped in it this time! You've hurt my people, and if you hurt her I'm going to...to uh...you know what, I haven't decided yet. But it'll be bad for you!"
Unimpressed, the bugbear commander draws a short, broad-bladed sword with his free hand and barks a command to his remaining troops.
With his other arm, the bugbear holds Lily's neck in the crook of his elbow.
The muscles of his broad, furry arm begin to choke her, and the spikes upon his armor stab into her back.
Lily relaxes slightly at her friends appearance. " I'm not sure what you're planning to do but I'm not sure he's just going to let go. Especially after what we just did. I think he just wants to inflict as much pain as possible ," she says somberly.
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Cedric quickly grabs the rope and slides down the ravine slope, a prayer to Erastil already burning upon his lips. He lands beside Thorek, tightly grips his holy symbol, and entreats his deity to Bless the party in this desperate battle.
Cyrioul steps out from where he hides, beside a tree upon a ridge. Impelled by concern for Lily, eschewing his own safety, he intones the words to one of his strongest evocations and aims a burning beam of fire at the Ironfang sergeant. His magical aim is true, and the Scorching Ray sears the bugbear's chest. Lily can feel the intense heat prickling at her skin, but she is unharmed.
The hobgoblin scouts nearest the sergeant aim their sturdy bows in opposite directions. One looses an arrow that merely shatters against Cedric's breastplate, while the other lands an arrow in the tree trunk partially shielding Cyrioul.
"I didn't want any of this. I didn't want to fight. I don't want to die but if Im going to I am going to make sure you die," she screams out loud while trying to stab her captor.