"We'll be obscured by trees for most of the way there, but they'll clear out as we get closer to the fortress. Still, the terrain's hilly, so we should have sufficient cover until we're right at the walls. That's why only the ten of us are being sent: a larger force has a greater chance of being spotted. The duchess's forces have also weakened the defenses during their takeover. I've been told that almost all of the watchdogs were killed, for example.
"Most importantly, though, the tiefling Jierre informed us about a serious vulnerability. The fortress is warded against teleportation, and the walls are lined with gold thread to prevent passwall and other spells - except in one spot. That's where we'll use our scrolls."
"Do we know why there is such an obvious weakness in the wall? Are we thinking the duchess's forces do not know about it?"
"You do not think like a Danorian, Azaghal." Miselle pursed her lips. "A fortress you cannot escape from is also called a trap. And if you cannot sneak in and out of your own fortress, this, too, is a liability. Once they retake the island, that little vulnerability will be closed off. In time, a new one will be snuck in."
Nodding to Jebediah, she moved the more water vulnerable items in her possession to the bag.
"Alright, I think I understand. I'm not the strongest swimmer, though..." Ellena trails off nervously. I guess I'm just backup, watching and learning until something goes wrong.
"As ready as can be I suppose. One thing though....I.....reached out to how things are going to turn out. It's difficult to explain but extremely reliable." she says with a seriousness that makes her words entirely believable. "I got a dual result. Every bit of intel we have is directly on point. Yet the moment we get there....something is going to go wrong...not might...will."
Alice's brow furrows at the mention of a weak point in the wall. "That would be sound thinking, except that Danorans are famously inept at magic. Gold thread is a sound defense against Risuri, fey and the like, but no obstacle to their technology. So I'd bet my pants that it's a trap, I suggest you sweep for magic and any kind of hidden device before going in."
"Speaking of magic, the island is close to the dead magic zone, and it's my understanding that it has some strange effect on spells. The island itself seems to suffer from some sort of... weirdness, I don't know how to call it. Rockslides, treefalls, in the war it was like the island itself was fighting against both sides."
"As for things going wrong, remember to LEAP. Look, Evaluate, Assign Priorities. Take a moment to assess the situation before jumping into action. Ah, and before I forget."
She takes five signal whistles out of her pocket and distributes them.
"I trust that you all remember the standard RHC signals. Other than that, we'll have to think on our feet. If we go loud, we go fast, nailing the Duchess down before she can teleport away or start some other plan. Me and Ellena will make up the frontline, Miselle and Azaghâl provide fire support, Corynne is our magical support and Jebediah can scout and act as a tactical support."
"And may the Stars look over us."
It's go-time. The first-quarter moon hangs overhead as the four infiltrators dive overboard and swim for the sea cave. The rope trails behind them and should be long enough to get all the way through the tunnel. Once they've secured the mine and give you the signal, it should be a simple matter to follow it to them. Even adding a little more time to the estimate based on Corynne's warning of future trouble, you should get the all-clear in no more than four-to-five minutes.
About ninety seconds after they dive overboard, a strange vibration wave ripples the water around your ship, and the rope abruptly goes slack. Two minutes later, the rope begins to jerk fitfully.
Well, looks like we won't be camping tonight, we won't need the tent.
"On your guard! I didn't like that vibration, or these tugs!"
Dropping on the ship the heavy backpack containing the tent, Alice grabs her sunrod in her teeth and dives gracefully overboard, following the rope and swimming as fast as she can.
That is not a good sign, Miselle thought as she watched the line shudder. She followed along as best she could.
Making sure everything, especially Fabian, is tightly tied down, Ellena takes a deep breath and dives in. Once she's underwater, she sparks her sunrod before following the line.
Az mumbles in his native Drakran tongue, looking distrustfully at the water after the strange ripples licked by, before following the others.
Having put the scroll cases and her vulnerable equipment in her own waterproof bag Corynne looks into the water, taking a deep breath and bracing herself for the worst as she dives in.
You follow the rope for just over 100ft before you arrive at a scene of utter disaster. Rubble is everywhere, and partially buried under chunks of rock are three members of the infiltration team. All are motionless, bleeding heavily, and unresponsive. The fourth member of the team (Burton) is thirty feet farther in, leg crushed and pinned under a massive boulder. Sensing your approach, he looks dazedly in your general direction and frantically waves for assistance.
This freaking island. Good riddance, glad the Danorans got it.
Alice dives towards Seven-Foot Dan and takes a cure light wounds potion out of her pocket, keeping an eye out for any other danger. He's the strongest, can help us with the others.
Seeing the carnage, Corynne swims closer to check the three unmoving team members for signs of life.
Ellena surfaces, and after a frozen moment before the devastation sets in, runs to Burton and babbles "What happened? Was it a trap?"
Tanya's spine has been crushed. Even if she's freed and stabilized, without powerful healing magic, she'll never walk again. Letmas is bleeding heavily from the back of his skull. There's a high likelihood that he's suffered brain damage. As for Seven-Foot Dan, a broken rib has punctured one of his lungs, and he appears to have a sucking chest wound.
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Burton coughs up a little blood. "*cough* Don't ... know. I took point ... *cough* Then I was somewhere else ... swamp ... purple sky ... yellow frogs ... weird ... *cough* Then the ceiling collapsed ..."
That sounds an awful lot like some of the weirdness that happened here during the last war.
"Кровавые адов..." Az lets slide out in his native tongue, stunned for a moment before he moves to help the others however he can.
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"They're alive, but severely damaged. They won't be able to help with the mission. Let's get them out and get them to the shore where we can heal them properly"
While he is talking, Jeb fishes around in his backpack and pulls out a folding shovel.
"We can use this as a lever. Hopefully it will hold."
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"They're alive, but severely damaged. They won't be able to help with the mission. Let's get them out and get them to the shore where we can heal them properly"
While he is talking, Jeb fishes around in his backpack and pulls out a folding shovel. As he unfolds it and locks it into position, he adds:
"We can use this as a lever. Hopefully it will hold."
Striving to stabilize the towering soldier, Alice lets out a string of expletives that gives a new strength to the expression "swearing like a sailor".
"Just like in the war, it was like the island itself was fighting both armies. This place doesn't want us."
Miselle started looking for anything that might serve as a lever or fulcrum to move some of the rocks - a spear, a sword, even driftwood might serve if the sea water hadn't rotted it. It would negate the fact most of them lacked heavy muscles. Amputation would be a last resort - she wasn't sure they could stop him bleeding out.
Corynne's eyes narrow as she listens to both Dan's words and Alice's haunted memories. "Hmm...genius loci....the island has it's own spirit...and it's hostile to outsiders."
Sighing, she takes stock of the crippling injuries of the advance team. If they could get them to shore, she was relatively confident they could be kept alive and at least patched up enough to wait for extraction, but the mission would be all them now. Without as way to get them free of the rocks pinning them though it would be a race between bleeding out and the expiration of the water breathing spell.
While trying to figure out the best way to move them, she sets about working to stabilize them with the equipment at hand.
Nodding at Jeb, Ellena makes ready to pull whomever's first out while he lifts the rock.
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Uncharacteristically, Jeb begins to swear.
"I really wish I'd taken that course on Religion, Fey and Spirit Magic now. Never thought I'd need to know any of that stuff." He sighs,
"Well, that's what field testing is for. I'll see if I can find a course when we get back. For now, we'll just have to pool our knowledge as best we can."
Jeb looks for a good place to put his lever.
Corynne is able to stabilize Letmas. Burton is stable for the moment, but if you end up having to amputate his leg, that'll likely change rapidly. Tanya and Seven-Foot Dan are fading fast.
After a quick assessment of the boulder pinning Burton, Jebediah is able to determine how to position his improvised lever in a way that doesn't risk crushing the goblin if the shovel suddenly breaks.
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"The wand! Use the wand on Tanya!"
Alice has had no medical training beyond the very first aid, but what she has is a potion. Careful to mix as little of the magic liquid as possible with saltwater, she sucks it in her mouth, then presses her lips to Dan's, forcing it down his throat.
"Say when, I'll pull him out when you lift."
Drawing the wand from the holster in her belt, Corynne activates it, focusing on Tanya.
Miselle got in position to pull Burton out as soon as the preasure from the rock was reieved.
Az moves into position to, as much as he can, help Jeb get the rock levered up.
Tanya and Dan have now been stabilized.
As the magic flows into Dan's body, mending the worst wounds on his body, Alice approaches the boulder to assist her friends freeing Burton.
"I've got rope, can it help?"
"I will give you hand." Azaghal offers.
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Aided by Alice and Azaghal, Jebediah is able to create an ingenious system that allows him to shift the rock with only a small exertion of strength. Physical force can be quite passe at times, after all. Burton is free, but he's too weak to swim under his own power. And the amount of blood in the water by now will surely attract sharks soon....
Alice picks up the goblin with an arm and motions towards the direction they came from. "Can't leave them here, and they'd be a liability on the island. We should have enough time to get them to the ship and return, potions and all, can you all carry the others?"
Provided, of course, the island doesn't kill us. Stars, watch over us.