From your position on the east side, Brogol and Eris only spot the rope ladder they noticed earlier as a way up into the treetops. If there are other ways up, maybe they could be spotted from a different angle...?
”Aye. Hold tight. When they come to investigate, we kill ‘em.”
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Brogol crouches, watching the rope ladder, waiting for any searchers, his jaw clenched, a bead of sweat running down his temple and into his perpetual stubble. The seconds tick by, interminable.
The minutes stretch on as you wait for the rebels to come down to investigate the scene, but they fail to oblige you, instead staying within their treetop fort. You can't see them through the foliage, but on the other hand they can't see you either. The central areas of the clearing would have clearer sight for both parties.
If they share any further words among their group, they aren't audible at this distance.
Ingrid crouched down and waited with patience. Patience enough not to have a tea party...which she had to admit did look much more fun than what she was doing. But she stayed focused on the job at hand, for she was sure that it was Asmodeus' will that they not screw this up.
The tree fort's defenders remain on heightened guard for almost half an hour more, but eventually you hear conversation struck up again in the treetops. The half-dozen voices you hear aren't always intelligible, but you occasionally hear scraps of speculation about what happened below. It doesn't seem like they're planning on heading to the forest floor any time soon, leaving engagement up to you.
"If Brogol could scout out the best way for us to assault this, then that would be best..." Ingrid said, looking to the brave man that she was volunteering.
Gritting his teeth, Brogol waits for Eris' devilish magic to knit his bit wounds back together, and then gripping his bladed scarf, slips into the underbrush, circling around the area. The driver sticks to points that will obscure his presence whenever possible and takes his time, taking mental note of anything and everything that could be of interest.
While most of you hide out, Brogol completes his circuit of the fort. He identifies a few possible ways up into the treetops that you missed earlier. At #1, he confirms that the visible rope ladder leading into the trees looks sturdy and not trapped. He also notices that within the decrepit hut at #2, a lever protrudes from the wall. Its not entirely clear what it might actuate. And at #3, he notices a hidden rope dangling down from a freestanding platform high above. The platform above 3 doesn't appear to be connected to the rest of the complex, but its hard to tell from the forest floor.
Brogol's pretty confident that the defenders didn't see him. He heard voices from the treetop around 2 and from the treetop around 4, suggesting that there might be defenders stationed near those areas up above.
Creeping forward again, Brogol waits in the underbrush and then cursing quietly under his breath - fook it! the rouge dashes forward, shimmying up the rope as quickly and as quietly as he can, ready to call out the password in case he's in trouble.
Brogol swiftly and quietly climbs up the rope ladder, ascending 20 feet to the platform above. Up among the treetops, he has a far better look at the tree fort's layout, though much of it remains obscured by branches.
The platform Brogol reaches is built around the trunk of a mighty aspen, and hangs far more on its western side. There appears to be some kind of structure built into the western side of the platform, though he can't tell what it might be from this side. Across the gap to the east, Brogol spots a large watch post cradled in pale boughs. A beam at the center of the watch post supports a kettle-sized bronze bell. A single semi-vigilant woodsman leans against the post and peers down at the forest floor. A rope from the watch post runs down to the forest floor below
To the south-east, Brogol spots a thick tree trunk rising up through the branches. The watch post has a tightrope extending in the direction of that tree, suggesting that there might be some platform just out of sight. To the south, he sees a swinging wood-slat bridge connecting to another large platform.
None of the fort's defenders seem to have noticed anything yet.
As quietly as possible Ingrid followed their scout up...
Brogol hangs down from the rope ladder and sees Ingrid approaching, so he scoots, on his belly, back up onto the floor of the platform and waits, palms splayed in front of him, behind as large a branch as he can find. The watchman seemed unconcerned with their wolves, and that was a good thing. Now, just to hope that the others could make their ways up unseen and unheard.
Ingrid quietly ascends and joins Brogol without incident.
Brogol nods to Ingrid as their warrior joins him on the platform. "Getting Eris up here is going to be difficult, yeah? Yer got any ideas?"
Keep yer wits about yer, girl.
”We use her as a distraction. Ambush them as they rush to cut her off. If she makes it up unseen, great. If she can’t? We make it work for us.”
"Oi, OK." Drawing his crossbow, Brogol loads it and waits for Eris to make it up to them - or not. If the alarm is raised, he should be able to get at least one unseen shot off.
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With her more stealthy allies away, Eris casts two spells as she prepares for action. She gains additional protection, and her skull begins to float and glow with an eerie light, almost as if she were carrying a lantern.
"Showtime!" she exclaims.
With her allies up a different rope, she tries to direct attention away from them.
"I'm telling you, Dad, we were supposed to take the left turn! You said to go straight!"
She runs into a tree, fully armored and with her shield, and otherwise makes a lot of racket.
"No, you did not say left! Haha! But now what? We are SO lost! How are we ever getting out of here!?"
"'Ey missy. Its not safe in these parts. You better get yourself back to where you came from." After a pause he adds "I can give you directions if you tell me where you're from." His voice is tinged with wariness, likely still on edge from the unexplained wolf-deaths from earlier in the day.
His attention seems focused on the forest floor below, giving Brogol and Ingrid the opportunity to start moving.
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"I--I can't remember where I'm from!!!" Eris cries out in anguish.
"I do remember coming into this forest, and then this--this creepy yet handsome skull started giving me directions! It said to go right, then right, then right again, then right again. Suddenly, I found we'd gone in a circle! Now I haven't eaten in three days! I think I'm going to die out here!"
She looks up into the darkness.
"I'm worried this is some fey trick. Does this skull look fey to you? Or are you a fey? Do you have any food? Or a bed I could sleep in? Is that a comfy tree fort?"
Grimacing as a raquet starts down below - Probably shouldn't have left the girl to her own devices - Brogol stands and slinks around the side of the tree trunk towards the back of the platform.
The woodsman sighs "That's a tough one then Missy. Here, we'll get you some food and supplies. I can tell you the way back to civilization from here, but 'fraid we can't spare anyone to guide you. Hold on." The woodsman then calls out to someone else in the fort to grab a pack of food from the stores. The woodsman continues, patiently and more than a little condescending "I don't see the skull you're talking about, but if you're hearing something from a skull you'd do right to ignore it."
While this distraction is in progress, Brogol goes around the corner. The north-west section of the platform contains an elaborate lift that hangs beneath an array of ropes and pulleys. Set into the trunk on the western side of the tree is a small wooden shack, its door currently closed. The ropes from the lift enter into the small shack through a hole near the ceiling.
Brogol doesn't spot or hear any creatures from this platform.
Stepping around the outside of the building, Brogol pauses at the doorway, giving it a quick look-over, and then Brogol gulps down a ragged breath and pushes the door open.
The woodsman doesn't immediately respond, but Ingrid can hear him muttering "The hell is that glow...?"
Brogol doesn't spot any traps or hear anything behind the door. He pushes the door open to reveal a low-ceiling, dark room. Piles of basic supplies and foodstuffs sit in barrels and crates around the southern end, while to the north, a hefty winch connects to the rope and pulley system that controls the lift outside. Luckily, there's no one currently inside.
The lift room turning up nothing, Brogol slips out of the room and makes his way south, across the rope bridge.
Seeing Brogol move, Ingrid quietly began to follow. They had to get close enough to charge….once she caught his eye she motioned towards the guards and mimed pushing them off the ledge.
Ingrid and Brogol slip stealthily across the bridge while the woodsman's attention is focused on the ground and coordinating an aid bundle for Eris.
You get across the swinging rope bridge, reaching another large wooden platform. Gigantic pale trunks reach through gaps in this mossy platform. Railings surround much of the area, but have fallen away in several spots, along with half of a building still clinging to one of the tree trunks. Treacherous hanging bridges stretch to the north and east. A door to the west enters what looks like a small shack.
A sizable bough reaches up through the northeast side of the platform, anchoring one end of a tightrope stretching to the south-east. On the next platform across the eastern bridge, a sturdy man in the armor of one of Rhona Staelish's deputies stands at watch. His attention is currently drawn to the ground below and he doesn't immediately notice Brogol or Ingrid.
Staelish's deputy diverted by Eris's antics, Brogol crouches and dashes forward, nodding to Ingrid and pointing to the rope bridge to the south. They may just be able to get into position to kill the traitor quickly and quietly...
Once near the bridge, he notices that out through the foliage to the south west lies another small platform connected to the rest of the fort by means of a tightrope. A woodsman stands at guard there, but also has his attention held by Eris' antics on the forest floor for the time being.
With the foe looking the wrong way, Ingrid decided to get the party started. With a wicked grin she broke into a full charge, picking up speed until she slammed into the man. Given her weight, low center of gravity and element of surprise, there was little he could do besides fall off of the ledge and towards the forest floor below.
Brogol follows after Ingrid. lashing out at the man as Ingrid pushes him off the ledge. His scarf whips out sliding across the deputy's armor...
Up above, the woodsman sounds rather taken aback "Drinking your own..!! That's... Poor thing, of course we'll get you something." However, before he can issue an update to his fellows gathering supplies to drop down to Eris, Ingrid rushes across the rope bridge.
The creaking of the bridge and the slapping of her boots against the slats draw the ex-deputy's attention, but he's far from expecting an attack from this direction. Ingrid tackles him with enough force to send him flying at least 10 feet. As his legs and arms reach for the safety of the tree or rope or really anything solid, Brogol steps into place and delivers a brutal slash with his scarf. The man screams and collides with the ground in particularly final fashion.
Your attack was so swift that no one else directly saw you do it... but eyes will be on you in a matter of seconds, and the man's death was also not quiet.
In Ingrid's mind she was to knock the man off the ledge, pivot on the spot, and then dive into cover. It was supposed to look like an accident. A horrible tragedy where he simply fell off the edge. As it was she almost went over herself, and was barely able to keep herself from joining him by spinning her arms rapidly. It was not all that graceful, and was *very* obvious.
Brogol hisses and points towards the back building they passed - the one with the open door. "Quick, into the building!"
Ducking his head, he runs the outbuilding to the west.
Though Eris keeps up the act below, her show doesn't stop the various watchers from glancing in the direction of the scream - where they spot a dwarven tiefling doing an incredible impression of a windmill. For a moment they're all dumbstruck, and then one calls out "We've got company! Wait... that's... these are the baron's thugs!"
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|||| INIT ||||
Brogol (2 dmg)
Ingrid
Eris
Woodsman Blue
Woodsman Red
Woodsman Yellow
????
Gadsdamnit! Brogol thinks, pushing the door open as heads north. "Eris!" he yells, sprinting across the rope bridge. "Follow my voice. Gonna lift yer up."
Brogol nudges the door open. Inside the southwestern shack is a veritable jungle of leafy plants. Mosses hang from the ceiling while pale green vines crowd around the cracks in the shack's walls. In the dim light, Brogol makes out four tiny figures wriggling out from the verdant corners of the room. They look like little pinecones with arms and legs made of emerald leaves. But each of them has a tiny spear grasped in its hand.
|||| INIT ||||
Brogol (2 dmg)
Ingrid
Eris
Woodsman Blue
Woodsman Red
Woodsman Yellow
????
One guard dead. Three more, all out of reach. She moved to the east, giving her options to enter the door behind her or keep moving to the next platform. Further, she wanted to ensure that only one of the guards could shoot at her from his vantage.
"Asmodeus." She said. "Show yer displeasure with them." Her mace rose and flashed through the leaves, heading unerringly towards the only guard who had an easy line of sight on her.