Jakardros responds as he returns. How he got so close without any of you noticing is unclear to any of you. "For us, it was either the Black Arrows or the hang man."
He looks to Shalelu, who shakes her head, before turning back to the group to continue. "Fort Rannick is fallen. Ogre's watch from the battlements. Kave and Vale are keeping an eye on the keep, and each other, until we return. There is a hidden entrance nearby. It's unlikely to have been discovered, not even all the Black Arrows know about it. But it has its own issues. The cave is home to shocker lizards."
"Shocker lizard? Jack-r-doze means small one like me?" He actually holds his clawed hand about waist-high, so not quite so large as the tiny dragon. "Have horns and sparky-sparky on scales? Tarphrex think more is more trouble, yes?"
"Everyone has a past. But do not let the sins of the youth define a man's character." Sherman says like a man who knows what he is talking about.
But the topic moves quickly to the fall of Fort Rannick.
"If we wish to use the cave to enter the fort, my magic can protect against the lighting from the lizards."
@Sherman: Jakardros nods his understanding to your statements about pasts.
@Tarphrex: "Yes. We don't venture into the cave, so I don't know how many there are. One isn't dangerous, five or more is a real problem."
@Sherman: "How many can you guard with your magic?"
”Tarphrex has magic paper for protection. Maybe help two or three.”
Estella jumps up with a start when she hears Jakardros reply to her. "Ah, I- My apologies, I didn't mean to imply..." She decides to shut up before she just buries herself deeper.
Happy to change the subject, she thinks along. "Are the caves narrow? If we can have a formation going where those protected by magic can shelter the ones who can't, we might be able to turtle our way through."
"I can protect the all of us, certainly." Sherman rubs his chin, estimating the strength of his spells.
"But the protection is fairly short-lived. How long it would take us to pass through the cave?"
@Elisani: Yes, you did have time to complete your mutagen.
@Estella: Jakardros seems non-plussed by any implications.
"The entrance and exit are narrow, but the main cavern is large. That's where the lizards mostly stay."
@Sherman: "Ten minutes should be enough, as long as we don't waste time."
Elisani nods and begins her preparations. First, alchemical allocation for her precious heroism potion. Next, tears to wine, heightened awareness, blend, and her mutagen. The half-elf's arms and legs lengthen, her body goes from slim to unnaturally thin, and her face becomes drawn and hollow.
"It's possibly worth remembering that I could go up and over the creatures, invisibly if needed. I think it's unlikely they could notice that even by scent ... and they surely aren't casting lightning bolts. We can do this."
"Tarphrex not know. Ceven use wind, fly, but Ceven use wind, make others fly?"
"Tarphrex not know. Ceven use wind, fly, but Ceven use wind, make others fly?"
"I could! Aether, not wind, but yes, I could lift several of us at a time; good thinking my friend! I like that plan."
"Good plan, though I think it might be helpful to clear out the tunnel anyway. Clearing out an entire fort is a tall task, and having a place to safely fall back to and rest could make all the difference."
With the foundations of a plan in place, the group heads into the hills to reconnect with Vale and Kaven. After half an hour of walking, you find them laying on a rise overlooking the fort. Vale is at the edge, studying the fort below while Kaven lays on his back staring at the clouds overhead.
Dropping down and crawling forward, you get your first look at Fort Rannick. Built into the mountain side, the fort itself is unimpressive looking. Made of red stone, the structure is small, but Jakardros tells you that chambers have been dug into the stone behind it.
The curtain wall is made of the same red stone and is both thick and tall. From where you're at, you can see half a dozen ogres in the courtyard, gathered around a large iron cooking pot, and another half dozen keep watch from the walls.
One side of the courtyard contains the charred remains of a stable, with the animals nowhere to be found.
On the opposite side from the stable, a hundred yards or so from the exterior defenses, a waterfall creates a sheet before crashing down into a pool that turns into a stream running past the walls. Except for the stream, there ground in front of the walls is a featureless, wide open plain.
Vale tells that there has been no sign of anyone entering or leaving the compound. Jakardros motions to the waterfall, and gestures that you all will need to circle wide to avoid being seen.
Moving back down the rise, the group of you head north, moving out of sight of the fort before arcing back. You travel in a line against the cliff face as you return to the fort's proximity. Jakardros takes the lead, pointing out a narrow trail that leads up and dissappears in a cliff behind the water. The falls block your view of the fort and the sound makes talking impossible, so Jakardros' gestures are your only guide.
The rocks are slick beneath your feet as you ascend what is little more than a goat path, and you are soaked through from the spray by the time you reach the cave entrance. Mid-afternoon light shows a narrow cave full of clinging moss that stretches down and back, into the rock and darkness.
Jakardros says, "Now would be the time for your magics."
As the party sneaks along the face of the cliff, Tarphrex casts a minor magic and his scales change in tint to more closely match the stone. With his gear, it helps little, but if he has to, he can shuck the gear and disappear. He hopes.
When they reach the cave and Jakardros calls for the magical aid, Tarphrex creeps forward and peers into the darkness, letting his eyes adjust into the black-and-white of his special vision. He knows most of his friends cannot see in the dark like he can and he wants to try to help.
Sherman follows Jakandros with the best of his ability, trying to stay out of sight. Not an easy task for a man of his age and joints, but he manages. By the waterfall, he pulls up tight his cloak and hood - better one garment get sopping wet than the whole old man. But finally, they enter the cave.
"All right, gather around, everyone." the priest states, and starts casting the protective spells.
Elisani easily follows Jakardros up the narrow path, given her experience with rooftop chases and her mutagen. Once at the entrance, she takes a small object out of her bandolier and tosses it up in the air. A round, glowing stone begins orbiting her head, shedding light like a torch.
Cev nods his head to Sherman in thanks, floating up just above everyone's heads before becoming invisible.
Estella walks in, taking in the sights if possible. When at the entrance, she readies her spear. "Shall I take point?"
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Estella walks in, taking in the sights if possible. When at the entrance, she readies her spear. "Shall I take point?"
Jakardros shakes his head, then gestures to himself and the other Black Arrows. As Kaven and Vale turn to head deeper, Jakardros motions to his eyes and the backs of his two comrades while looking at all of you (minus Ceven, who is invisible).
Jakardros then moves to take the lead, guiding you all in a few dozen feet and through a narrow opening in the back of the cave. The narrow entrance dips for a moment, before opening into a vast chamber full of faintly glowing lichen lining the floor and walls. Pools of water gather underneath slactites, the water reflecting the various colors of phosphorescent moss, giving the room a rainbow hue.
Here and there among the moss, small lizard shapes dart about, their green scales blending well with their environment in the dim light. A hundred yards across the room, a manufactured doorway is a clear sign that is your path.
Jakardros holds a finger to his lips and makes a curving gesture with his hand to indicate that you'll circle the outside edge of the cavern.
He, Vale, and Kaven, descend quietly, sticking close to the wall. Small cave crickets hop away from their feet as they go.
Tarphrex frowns at a thought, but shakes his head and starts sneaking when his turn comes. He watches the others and the lizards to do what he can to alleviate any issues.
Since the party are now hand-signals only, Sherman decides to make all the sounds disappear. He mutters a whispered incantation, and conjures a cloak of silence around him.
If they're going to try and sneak their way through, carrying a light source will be counterproductive. Hopefully the glowing lichen will provide enough light for the humans. Elisani grabs her ioun torch out of the air and tucks it away in her bandolier, then starts after Jakardros and the others.
Estella notices Sherman casting Silence around him, and sticks close to him to enjoy the benefit of the spell. She gives him a grateful nod.
As you move along the walls, there is a fair amount of stumbling on the uneven ground. The plant life hides the texture of the floor until you're already stepping into it, leaving more than one of the group misjudging how far to step down.
Estella, however, has the misfortune of hitting a rock already loosened by Jakardros, sending it tumbling. You watch it bounce silently, at first, until it leaves the silence where it begins to echo across the cavern. Small lizard heads pop up, eyes trained in your direction.
There is a tense moment while you wait to see if the creatures will become hostile to you invading their territory. After several minutes spent with hands on weapons, you relax your grips as the majority of the shocker lizards go back to what they were doing. Some continue to watch, sentinels against future danger.
______________
One failure as you cross the cavern...
Vale stumbles a bit, but Jakardros catches his arm. Vale is bigger than the other two Black Arrows, obviously more used to the axes he carries on his belt than the bows favored by others of his company.
_______________
Now that I have all the modifiers, I can just roll these for you. I'm giving a generous lowering of the DC due to the silence spell. I think it is generous, anyway. Maybe it isn't, really. Who's to say?
This time it is Sherman who miss-steps, accidently coming down on the tail of a shocker lizard that was sleeping away from the others. Pure luck that the others ahead of him didn't trod upon it.
The little creature darts away, screeching. But the screech only is heard once the lizard is 20 feet away, so the other shocker lizards don't immediately connect the pain with your group.
And with that, you reach a ladder ascending to another tunnel, hand holds carved into the stone, the Black Arrows begin to climb immediately, hurrying away from the ever more alert Shocker Lizards behind them.
The tunnel above the ladder is short, leading to the back of a hidden door obvious from this side. Jakardros motions for you all to wait on this side and catch your breath for a moment. Then gesutres with a forward motion and a sharp right turn. Then running feat.
Ugh, climbing. Elisani hates climbing. Hopefully this ladder is sturdy enough for everyone. She follows the Black Arrows up into the darkness.
Sherman dispels the silence spell to allow whispered conversations and spellcasting.
"Would a casting of Haste help? I can do that, but that'd leave two people without."
"Tarphrex has speedy spell, too, and disappear spell. But maybe keep magic for trouble later?"
"It's a short distance from here to main keep building. But it's open courtyard. If we're fast enough, we should get through unseen. A fight here means alerting anyone inside. But if we can kill their leader, we should be able to intimidate the rest of them to leave. Inside, bar the doors, keep moving, raid tactics." Jakardros whispers after nodding to Sherman.
Elisani nods. While her blend spell enables her to remain unseen even without any sort of cover, the rest of the group has no such magic. And she has yet to master the art of making infusions that work for other people. "A sound plan. I am ready when you are."
Tarphrex looks at Sherman and Estella. "Maybe Ceven use wind magic, make some invisible, sneak better. Two better sneaky people go first, make sure safe, Tarphrex speed up others and we follow."
Tarphrex moves to Jakardros and whispers, ”Tarphrex make not-seen, but short time. Six hands.” He holds up his taloned right hand, visibly counting down the fingers, then opening and closing the hand six times. ”If long enough you think, Tarphrex has plan, hide all until inside, yes?”
With some effort, and possibly a translation from Draconic via Elisani, the tiny dragon explains his limited invisibility would only hide the target up to thirty seconds and only if they take no hostile actions. He lays out the rest of his plan via his friend’s translation and waits to see what the others think.
In small groups, you dash along the interior wall of the fort, passing the burnt stables. You come uncomfortably close to a group of ogres cooking something on a spit over a giant sized fire. The smell of their unwashed bodies hits you like a solid force as you try not to gag before turning into the doorway. Double doors sit partially open, a space down the middle made because they no longer properly close from the damage to them. The crack is to small for an ogre, but big enough for all of you to pass through with a hurried step.
____________
"So, which way to go? We want to get their leader, right?" Sherman's disembodied whisper sounds nearby.
Elisani nods, looking at Jakardros. "Do you know where the leader is likely to be?"
"Second floor, ceilings are higher there, officer's quarters." Jakardros motions to Vale and Kaven and then to the rear. "In case anything comes behind us."
Jakardros and Shalelu turn sharp to the east and then immediately hook back to the north along a long and wide corridor.
The group moves along the stone floors relatively quietly, boot falls and the clinking of Vale's armor being the loudest noises. Breath is held as you wait for any of the doors you pass to open and an ogre to spot you through sheer happenstance, or for one of your number to suddenly have an "accident" and alert the fort. But you reach the stairs unhindered and begin to ascend.
The stairs begin to twist as you go up, and Jakardros whispers back to you, "If we can kill their leader, and prove it, the others will likely break and run. But we need to be careful if we get into a big fight that they don't get us between them."
You pause at the top of the stairs, in a round tower room with a single door. It's tight enough that Vale and Kaven are still on the stairs, keeping watch. "Knowing ogres, their leader is likely in the commander's room, opposite side of the floor. Next to that is the map room, used for planning. There's also a chapel on this floor, few store rooms, roof access. But we'll head to the commander's room first. Vale should lead into the room, Shalelu and I will offer ranged support. Whatever it is that you do in a fight, I trust you to do it. Thirty seconds max and we'll be in a fight."
Just enough time for a few last minute enhancements. Elisani begins pulling flasks out of her bandolier, chugging the contents, and putting the empty flasks back. She shrinks down to the size of a halfling, and a transparent disc the size of a large shield shimmers in front of her before vanishing.
Tarphrex nervously runs his fingers on his spear while he looks around the building, looking for possibilities where his magic can help.
"Elisani, can you check the door for traps and alarms?" Sherman's voice whispers. "Then me or Ceven could take a peek inside. Unless we just wish to rush in, of course."
With the same whispered voice, he prays for a shield of faith.
Estella holds her spear tight, ready to fly its banner into battle.
"Elisani, can you check the door for traps and alarms?" Sherman's voice whispers. "Then me or Ceven could take a peek inside. Unless we just wish to rush in, of course."
With the same whispered voice, he prays for a shield of faith.
@Sherman: Silence would only break the invisibility if you targeted another creature with it, thus allowing them a save vs the spell. If you cast it on an object or location in space, it would not break invisibility.
______________
Given a moment to cast your prep spells, Kaven and Vale move through the group towards the door out of this chamber. Jakardros counts down from three on his hand, then opens the door and the duo dashs out into another room and to another door. Kaven gets there first, opening this door for Vale to continue through. The cooridination of years working together is apparent in their actions.
(Maps, page 9 since I forgot to say it yesterday.)
It is as such that Vale finds himseelf face to face with an ogre that was previously sitting in an undersized chair with its feet up on the table that dominates the middle of this chamber, Vale already in a position to cover Jakardros and Shalelu so they can use their bows most effecitvely.
_____________
INITIATIVE!
Black Arrow Initiative = 10
Combat has broken out. You know that killing these ogres quickly comes second only to not making to much noise in doing so.
TURN ORDER:
Elisani
Estella/Tarphrex
Sherman
Ceven
Black Arrows
Enemy
_________
When you enter the room on the map, you see...
HP: 56/56
Fort: +8 Ref: +16 Will: +7