After several minutes, Shadow climbs back and meets with the others. and relates what she saw.
Are there any other entrances into the grounds that you saw? An where is there best point to breach the wall and cross the ditch.
Shadow, could we get a tree over the wall and across the pit? Or did you see any rocks or something onto which to tie a rope so that we could climb across?
Hawk shakes her head at Squid's question.
"No that I could see. There may be one on the other side. I didn't see any ground-keepers, either. From the looks of things our target is as paranoid as I am."
Gethric stretches languidly as the scouts report. Seeing as the initial discussion seems to not be bearing fruit he helpfully suggests "Should we look at the front gate?"
Hawk gives a shrug.
"We could try. We either need cover or a good bluff, and I work better with cover."
What was in the ditch? Would it be hard to cross at night?
Candy considers the two positions. For the first, her ability to climb is second only to her ability to pass as a normal citizen in most situations, completely contingent upon her company. And the pit at the bottom of the wall? Like to be filled with something considerably nasty to keep any from thinking of burrowing beneath. Short of hiring an engineer to take a tactical survey of their method of entry, this seemed a very poor choice.
"If the expanse of the wall is perhaps too great to enchant," Candy begins and taps her lips, "most assuredly the front gate will likely be, as it is the main portal. We can assume that the pit, and whatever dwells within, if only in our imaginations, is a deterrent enough for most... persons like ourselves for our target not to consider it a point of entry worth defending."
Candy looks to Spawn and Hawk "Get as close to the gate as cover will allow and report back. Better yet, have any of you," she leaves the question open, "any talent for preparing an encampment?"
Querying in a even voice without any hint of challenge "If you think the gate enspelled... shouldn't yourself or Squid tag along as well? Your eyes might be dark but they can ken things ours cannot."
Regardless, Gethric will make off with Hawk in silence towards the estate's entrance. He keeps to the cover of the trees and shadows where possible before taking a weather eye upon the main gate.
I follow along with Spawn and Hawk. I will keep detecting magic as we follow the wall.
Cast detect magic and continuously scan to see if there are any magic traps or alarm type spells. This will slow our movement, but I doubt we are going to be running next to the wall anyway.
Stealth:
What was in the ditch? Would it be hard to cross at night?
Hawk gives the tiefling a shrug.
"Couldn't tell. It's probably twenty feet deep, so my guess would be we don't want to find out unless we have to."
Candy looks to Spawn and Hawk "Get as close to the gate as cover will allow and report back. Better yet, have any of you," she leaves the question open, "any talent for preparing an encampment?"
Hawk seems rather embarrassed as she answers.
"I've never been out of the city before, but I've had to scout out a target for several days before. It wouldn't be the first time I've slept outdoors."
Hawk moves through the woods close to the treeline. She keeps an eye out for any gaps, holes, or guards along the wall. All the time worrying over the lack of activity.
Why were there no groundskeepers? This place is too big not to have any, and the grounds were too neat for there not to be any. Was it an illusion? Did I miss something? Please, don't let it be that I missed something. Please! I don't want to be on the wrong end of an ambush again! I don't want to die.
Hawk is nervous about something, she's trying to hide it, but something about her bearing gave it away.
As the group travels along the wall towards what they presume is the gate Hawk spots out a whole in the wall level to the ground surrounded by tossed about stones and piled dead leaves. The whole appears to be four feet tall and about 3 feet wide. Enough for one person to crawl through at a time.
Nice find. You want to climb the wall and keep a lookout while we go through? Or would you prefer to go through first Ms. Hawk?
"Just Hawk."
Before she moves anywhere, Hawk makes sure there are no guards or anything on the walls.
"Do you see any magic around the breach, um..."
Hawk looks a little confused for a moment, like she's trying to remember Squid's name.
"Is it 'Fish' or is it 'Squid'? I've heard the others call you both, and... I... wasn't... sure."
The young woman looks at the tiefling like she's afraid of the backlash of getting her name wrong as her voice trails off.
It is Squid - I sort of live beneath the water.
"'Sort of'?"
Hawk gives Squid a puzzled look before shaking her head and pushing the question to the back of her mind.
"Forget I said anything. Do you see anything, Squid?"
She gestures to the wall as she asks the question.
I did not detect anything magical from my scan.
Gethric frowns as a suggestion is made to breach through "I had thought we were to not be so hasty this time? We go through now, without the others and without any plan and I'd wager it would not be long before my chain was bloody once more."
"Let's find the gate, look it over and get back to Smoke and Candy."
"Never said I was going through."
Hawk continues her scan of the wall.
"Just trying to see if we can get a closer look before moving on."
If we were doing it my way, we'd try and find a way to lure the target away form any nasty surprises. Not go in to where they are.
An involuntary shudder races up Hawk's spine as the memory of the botched attempt replays in her head.
Hawk stops scanning the wall and looks to the tiefling beside her.
"I don't want to push our luck too soon. Let's see what's at the gate."
With that she begins moving again. She still keeps her eyes out for any more breaches and holes in the wall, as well as any guards.
Gethric continues to follow around the compound to where they will hopefully come across a gate.
Candy watches the others leave, and hooks an eyebrow in Smoke's direction.
"Has it occurred to you that should we fail in this endeavor, it would scarcely be questioned why five obvious cosmopolitans perished in the wilds?" Candy inquires, and crosses her arms beneath her breasts, drumming her fingers on her arms.
Smoke simply nods at Candy's assesment. This job does seem to be heading down the same path as our last one. Here's hoping they find a way in that doesn't bring the place crashing down around us.
Bypassing the enticingly easy entrance into the manor grounds the scouting group contineus walking for a while (eventually the wall turns north) before they come across a dirt road that's nearly been grown over with weeds and vines. To the west you see an old iron gate built in the egorian style; tall, spiky and imposing.
What catches your eye is a skeleton attached to the gate. Tattered rags hang from its bones and a sign hangs from its neck written in blood.
Too distracted by the grisly sight to really take a closer look at it, Hawk seems to be on the verge of panic. Her breathes are coming in sharp, quick gasps and her eyes dart all around as they seem to glaze over. She stumbles back into a tree and slides down its trunk until she's sitting against it. all the time muttering.
"No, no, nononono! This isn't happening! This can't be happening. I didn't see anyone! I promise! I didn't see anyone!"
Perception:
After scanning the area for a moment with her Detect Magic.
Well, there appear to be two things to note. First, the skeleton and gate are both radiating magic. And second, the skeleton is made out of paper mache.
Hawk, who has gone quiet now except for the silent whimpering, doesn't seem to hear Squid. Her eyes stare out at nothing, and her hands are holding her head.
Spellcraft(gate):
Spellcraft(dummy):
Seeing Hawk staring blankly at the gate and muttering. Psyana turns and speaks briefly in a strange hissing language to the small bird perched on her shoulder.
Go and fly up and see what lies beyond this gate and this wall. Let us know what is there.
The bird then takes off flying high above the compound before returning a few minutes later.
--> DM Tark, let me know if Mrrith sees anything.
RE: The magic.
Unfortuantely none of the auras themselves are magic items nor spells being cast. Merely spells in effect. Still this is a clue and you quickly determine that the spell on the gate is transmutation while the one on the skeleton is illusion.
The bird comes back and describes the grounds as above in terms of rough shapes and smells. It recalls the coprse of a cat it had an amusing peck at but when questioned did not see any people though it did see a large hole back where you pass the hole in the wall. It smelled funny.
My read on the gate is that there is some type of transmutation spell in effect. And the skeleton has illusion magic on it. I doubt the spell on the gate is the alarm spell frequently used by wizards as that would be of a more protective nature. However, what it is I could not say. I could try putting an animal to sleep and then we could toss it against the gate to see what happened if we wish to proceed with this gate further.
When Mrrith returns: My friend here saws that the grounds are pretty much deserted. There is a dead cat somewhere, which seems sort of odd. And the hole we passes does apparently go through, but it smells funny. My interpretation would be that something lives in the hole. Not sure what.
Hawk, whose only movement was to curl up tighter against the tree and bury her head in her knees, doesn't seem to register Squid's words, or is even aware of where she is.
Seeing their newest member turn turtle within herself, Gethric growls - baring his nubs of tusks and gives her a solid slap.
Leaning in close to the human he leers threateningly, while running a thumb across the barb of his chain. Savoring the sharp pain, he daubs Hawk's cheek with a smear of the blood now running freely from his digit "Wake up and pay attention... or the next blood you feel will be your own." before holding gaze a few seconds.
Turning back to Squid "Best we get back to Candy and Smoke. We can talk it over there." starting to move before pausing to grimace at Hawk and make sure she is following.
Spawn's slap sends Hawk reeling. Before she realizes what she is doing, she reaches for the punching dagger at her side and almost gets it out. Her eyes come back into focus right as the looming half-orc daubs her cheek with his blood. she visibly swallows as she puts the dagger back in its sheath. If his intention was to frighten her, he succeeded.
She doesn't say anything on the way back. Hawk takes the rearguard and does everything she can to avoid looking at Spawn.
Psyana watches as the newcomer and the psychotic half-orc challenge each other. Nods at Spawn's comment and follows behind him as they make their way back to the glory hog and the blind bimbo.