So, you all dig a rather large hole, and camouflage it.
In a good ambush spot, in front of the rabbit snares.
The rabbits are jealous of the size of your hole!
Then Sitril covers the tracks around the ambush spot.
And you all hide within?
Sitril gets into the hole and observes the surroundings.
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"Th-this is my hole! It was made for me!"
Natsume clambers in as well.
So, you prepare all during the evening and the next day-- keeping an eye in case the hunter would unexpectedly come out two days in a row.
On the third day, you erase your tracks around the ambush-- and slip into the hole.
After a few hours in the pit-- you hear an alarm bell ringing in the distance.
"What's the hell is that??!!?"
Giggett thinks for a second.
"It must not be for us. We are not attacking them. Wait, where is the alarm ringing?"
Giggett tries to determine where the sound comes from.
"Whether it's for us or not, we might be able to use the distraction," points out Natsume.
It seems to be coming from the Keep.
"The distraction? The alarm is ringing, not sure it's better to attack the fort when everyone is on high alert. But we can at least try to see what's happening, yes. You want to go check the fort?"
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"Yeah let's go and have a look, we might be able to have a look inside the gate." Says dwarf grabbing his belongings, and urging others to move out.
May be it's better if you go alone. I am not that stealthy.
"I can at least poke my head out," advises Natsume, pointing toward her foxy face. "From a distance, I could just be a normal fox."
What a nice hole you are in.
Sitril has his belongings in hand-- but does he exit?
Will others follow?
Or do you just lie low?
After a minute of disbelief, Giggett gets up.
"Ok, Natsume, we can go together, while the two others are behind so they won't attract attention."
Gigget and Natsume--
--start moving towards where they can remain in the trees and look at the palisade, remaining well hidden.
From where they are, they see nothing really-- what you believe to be the guard tower is not in view.
But you hear a lot of voices, speaking some guttural language...
Giggett tries to remember some "words", as maybe Sitril speaks orcish. I mean, it looks like orcish, isn't it?
Yes, it sounds like Orc-speak.
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Sitril puts down his belongings and waits patiently for the scout report.
He pulls out some dried meat to chew upon.
Natsume looks around for a good way to get a better view. Maybe climbing the tree?
Right now you are off to the side, compared to being right in front of the palisade.
So you see the palisade well, but not what is behind, because of the angle.
So, you could move to be facing the palisade more and thus have a better angle on what is behind.
Doing so carefully, so as not be seen, or your movement spotted, I imagine.
Though, you are in the trees, and at a distance - the first trees being some 50 yards from the palisade.
Right now you cannot see the guard tower.
Thus no one who might be in the guard tower can see you.
If you wish to move more to the side and be aligned with the little vale behind the palisade, you can.
And thus see if anyone is up in the guard tower.
Bearing in mind that they then might see you.
Even if I imagine you will remain in the trees, some 50 yards in front of the palisade.
And maybe try to Hide.
Giggett can see ways of moving towards the hillside and then angling towards the palisade, remaining out of view from the tower that you kind of saw deeper in.
"Guys, I think I can get to the palissade without attracting attention. And then pick a glance through the open door. If anything happens, I should be able to quickly run here and then disappear into the forest."
You do not see the door as being open.
You can probably look through a hole between the two sides of the door, on the sides of the door, between slits in the poles.
I simply said that there is no open door.
Sitril keeps on chewing on his dried meat, he found an old and really dry piece so helps himself by taking a solid sip of water.
He hopes that Gig and Nat will come with some news soon.
"Nat', I wanna check. I can get to the palissade without being seen. Is it ok for you?"
"I can come along if you'd like, or I can stay here. One of us is less likely to be seen than two," she admits. "But if you go along and are spotted, run right back to me, okay?"
She checks the straps on her shield to make sure she's all set.
"With your shield, you are slower than I am, that's why I'd prefer you to stay here."
Giggett starts moving toward the palissade, choosing speed over discretion.
Giggett moves up, making sure she does not create extreme noise, but not trying to hide, and so, when she comes up to the palisade, looking in through gaps between the poles--
--she sees a whole bunch of orcs, in arms, moving around the courtyard, some up close to the palisade, others a bit back, all trying to see what is happening outside.
They must have spotted her moving in because the and point-- and start moving towards the door.
Giggett runs back to the forest, making signs to Natsume for her to flee.
Giggett runs off-- while she hears a bunch of orcs, maybe 6o to 10, rushing to open the door and most probably chase her--
--but a couple harsher orcish voices order the orcs.
And you hear that the door does not open.
So you actually are not chased at all-- and can gather all together in your comfy pit.
Natsume flees, tail balancing behind her, with her shield held over her head and shoulders from behind-- you never know when a "lucky" arrow will split your skull, after all.
It turns out to be unnecessary, however, as she puts her back against a nearby tree and slumps beside the pit.
"I heard a good handful of them," she says, panting. "Giggett, did you get a good count?"
Giggett arrives after Natsume, despite not being as heavily loaded than her.
"It's ok, they didn't followed us. I haven't understood at all what they were doing. There was a dozen of them roughly, fully armed and waiting for something. They were extremely badly positioned, like if the place was not meant to be defended against invaders. I was able to go up to the palissade, peep through it and come back without them to be able to do anything. In my opinion, we can very easily use guerilla tactics against them considering their lack of preparation and mastery of warfare."
The wooden palisade walls, between the limestone cliffs, are 15 feet high, and the tops are carved to points.
Beyond the palisade is a well-trodden yard.
A small wooden hut is built against the southern rock wall, facing a squat stone fortress. A guard tower stands at the north end of the edifice.
There was something behind that.
A meal was being cooked in the yard.
The orcs had shoddy mistmatched breasplates, javelins and their tribe-daggers.
You are back at the pit and ambush site debriefing what just happened--
Once the two scouts come back and you have been discussing what plan to mount guerrilla warfare with, for some minutes--
--while Giggett is busy explaining all the possibilities, and Natsume concentrates not on that but on what tree has the nicest bark to scratch her back while leaning on--
--Tamerius and Sitril hear a troop of "stealthy" Orcs approaching - clink clank "F@ck you, be quiet!" "YOU be quiet!".
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"Over here Nat'!"
Giggett points her finger to...
"... a bunny!"
Orcs! Says Tamerius hearing the troop of stealthy orcs.
"Oooo!" says the fox, nose pointing straight at the lapine as she starts to hunch a little, tail bobbing to balance her pounce...
Tamerius hears Orcs, but just does not see them yet, or not all.
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Tamerius moves through the bushes and trees to see what's coming, trying to be as discreet as possible.
He draws his heavycrossbow.
Tamerius calls out the warning, making Natsume and Giggett look around and spot the incoming group.
Then the Cleric moves discreetly through the bushes and under the trees-- drawing his Crossbow.
As Tamerius moves out--
--you see a female Orc appear in the tree line where she was hiding.
She is dressed in leather and grey fur, and seems like an outdoors-type.
With a powerful longbow she launches two arrows one right after the other, aimed at Natsume--
--and Sitril!
Both hit, imbedding themselves in their chests!
Looking down at the wooden shaft stuck in you, with the black feathers on it-- you think: "Orcs!"
The lady Orc's third arrow is lost in the woods...
Tamerius glances around, peering into the foliage, and quite satisfied to announce:
"There is no one else out there!"