Premek checks in with the cats, then finds Kinig and asks whether they want the lower level of our caves excavated (in the dirt-filled sections). If so, and it seems stable, I can use expeditious excavation to open things up.
Okay, so we'll fast forward a couple days!
Premek, under the gruff direction of Kinig, helps to finish excavating the forge, and with everyone pitching in, some major work gets done on the lift to move between the floors. Ussun is able to harvest some more wood, and with Florantin's advice, fashions a tub of sorts for bathing in the northern cavern where the water flows out of the underground network. Vane has produced for you 7 Antitoxins in the preceding days, adding to the seemingly endless supply of small alchemical items.
After a few days Novvi returns with some requested reagents, a mildly enchanted short sword (+1) (1315gp), a Gray bag of Tricks for 900gp, A potion of cure moderate wounds (300 gp), an arcane scroll containing: Unseen Servant, Bear's Endurance, and Continual Flame (375 GP), and an arcane scroll with Daze and Fly on it (387.5 gp). She's more than happy to purchase anything from you, but has a cash limit of 5000 gp. She also has any common item worth less than 500gp. Seems like you folks are getting settled in pretty well here, much more pleasant to deal with than those Trogs certainly! Wasn't ever sure if they were going to try and eat me or not. HA!
Premek will at least lend moral support! And maybe Aagye will be attentive.
Or maybe he'll just be comic relief. Either way I guess!
Training with the Phlankers takes a little bit of time, and given that no one really is a military person- it works out eventually... Seeing how the unit cohesion works, suddenly you have a spate of volunteers looking to work to get back at the Ironfangs. One group, Drynn, Dierdre, Yarrow, Clidon, and Menri begin the organization and logistics support under Jet's watchful eye. And Avis, Flemming, Lirosa, Taidal, and Garrett begin taking up psuedomilitary training as well!
After a few days of this, Flemming comes running down into the caverns from where he was on guard aboveground. Zhere is a hobgoblin on top of a large wolf! He says he wants to negotiate with our leaders! Vhat do vee do?
That's not good... but no choice, we gotta talk... somebody put everyone on alert, but have them keep their heads down for now.
Following Premek's advice, the party heads topside; while cautioning the others to remain hidden in the caverns to protect themselves. Reaching the surface in the fading daylight, you spy a large, armored, hobgoblin atop a direwolf. He sits idly atop the large wolf, battleaxe resting across his left thigh. He sort of does a double-take seeing so many of you, but shrugs and calls across the wooded vale. Well there, so the Stonebloods no longer hold this place. This proves your strength and I am impressed. I am Fahrak, called Wolfrider. Scarvinious sent me to conclude our negotiations with the Children of Stone, but I see that point is moot. he ponders a second, and grins wickedly, Perhaps I have a use for you though... There are places still where my kin cannot walk without drawing an eye. If you are willing to serve as my agents and spies, I will reward you greatly, he says, holding up something fist-sized wrapped in a cloth, And you will be spared from the might of the Ironfang legion... What say you? his common is pretty excellent, with a slight Molthuni lilt to it, identifying him as a long-serving officer in the Ironfang legion.
Premek is circling around discretely. If there's not adequate cover, he'll use jaunter's hop to get to some cover further away.
I probably ought to add a stealth roll for that. Trying to keep out of scent range of the wolf.
Before heading up to see this hobgoblin wolfrider.
Jet, get your people together and figure out what would need to be done so we could pack up and leave.
Pharus, get your crew together and form up just inside the cave entrance. If there are Ironfangs out there in force we'll need your help.
Lirosa, Taidal, get your group together and form up opposite Pharus.
If the Ironfangs have backup and advance on the entrance your groups cover the left and right flanks. We'll take the middle.
Right before leaving the cave Malgrim casts Biting Words on themselves.
Malgrim snaps orders to the villagers turned militia, and they snap-to as best as they know how, taking up positions just out of sight inside the cavern.
As you stride from the cave surveying the woodland around you, no one perceives any other hobgoblins, save this Fahrak, astride his very large wolf....
(Summary of online meeting)
"There are many things we cannot do... there are many places we cannot go... and we would require agents to do so. I would be greatly rewarded to have servants under my care, and I would share that with you."
Like where? Longshadow, to the north (4-5 days north of Phaendar, up the river, in the plains, a mostly human fortified town)
"We are deployed here in the Fangwood and moving north. Others are to the south and to the east. But Scarvinious has been assigned the Fangwood to pacify."
How will we avoid being attacked by your armor? "Uhh.... tabards!" Tabard with a red jaw symbol -- unit symbol, maybe of Sergeant Scarvinious's unit.
We lure the messenger for a drink, then kill him. Then Sighere questions the dire wolf (which he left outside). It says there was one hobgoblin ("little goblin") who was protective of the dire wolves. There were "few" other wolves.
We decide to adopt the dire wolf. Sighere will cast Animal Purpose Training to accelerate training, and Premek will also work on training it.
Loot from the hobgoblin includes a map (slide 11). Camp Red Maw is about 12 miles away, to the northwest. The camp is protected from the south by a mass of brambles and pricker bushes. There is a watchtower to the west. There's a picket/palisade to the east blocking off the rest of the ravine. There are some structures. (M4 is a timber structure. M5 is an open-sided canvas structure. M6 is a tent.) A large rainbarrel by the fire pit appears to be their water supply (there is a creek 1/2 mile east as well).
2 guards in tower (30' high). 6 around the campfire. 3 wolves. It's morning.
Around noon, 3 figures come from the east, and 3 figures come out of the lean-to and go back out the same rough route.
Some figures are hobgoblins, some are bugbears (3 of them). There is a large bugbear who lives in M6. Wolfpen is tended by a feral-looking goblin who scurries back under the tent. Does not interact with the others. There are two female hobgoblins living in M4, one is subservient to the other. Wolves aren't really penned in, they can wander around. Two of the wolves seem a little more intelligent and malevolent in their demeanor -- they are wargs (which are intelligent) -- the other one is a regular wolf.
Around 2 pm, watch tower guards swap. There is rope for the tower (which they lower and then pull up), not a ladder.
We plan:
* Come back with archers
* Poison the water supply with unconsciousness poison (invisibility?) -- Ryll
* Wait for the poison to take effect
* Sleep the tower -- Sighere + Malgrim with Lullaby
* Alchemist's Fire into M5 -- our archers
* Archers along the ridge -- our archers
* We move in to melee
Excellent notes,
If anyone has questions ahead of when we next gather - please post them here so I can answer or prepare for them.
Loot from Fahrak:
Potion of Barkskin
Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
Alchemist's Fire x2
Smokestick x2
+1 Breastplate
Masterwork Battleaxe
Throwing axes x3
Cloak of Resistance +1
Bedroll
Exotic military Saddle (for the Dire Wolf)
Bit and Bridle (for the dire wolf)
saddlebags
19 GP
Ruby 250gp (ostensibly the bribe for services)
Leather barding for the Dire Wolf
We should name the dire wolf!
The cloak of resistance has to go to Sighere or Ryll, since both Malgrim and Zdena have one already. It would be a challenge for me to use...
I suspect no one wants the breastplate and we can give it to a villager?
I vote for Peaches!
And the potion of cure moderate should go to one of the 3 meleers (that's a word right?)
The smokesticks also could be useful with the camp fight (1 min of fog cloud effect per stick, don't think we've seen these before)
Premek goes rooting around in the party inventory. This is the rainy day we've been saving this stuff for!
Things that can be used in advance:
* We have a lot of antitoxin. Are they likely to use poison?
* There's a scroll of false life. Grants 1d10+3 temporary hit points for three hours to one person. This would be a good time to use it.
* Also a good time to use those weird Steadfast Gut Stones. Absorbs 10 points of critical hit or sneak attack damage, lasts up to a week. We have 2. --> Zdena, Ryll
* Potion of Barkskin will give one person +2 natural AC, will benefit anyone but Sighere, lasts 30 minutes.
Things that can be used at the last second (i.e. in the round when Sighere and Malgrim are sleeping the tower):
* We have a half dozen magic weapon oils. They probably only last a minute but might as well use them on any weapon that is not already magical. I think we could also apply them to our NPCs' bows.
* Potion of bull's strength (we have 1) --> Zdena. Duration 3 minutes.
* Two potions of shield of faith (+2 deflection AC for 1 minute).
Things that can be used during the attack:
* We have a half dozen thunderstones. 10' radius deafening for 1 hour. Might be good to toss some of them in at the beginning of the fight to prevent coordination. (-2 per 20' distance, but targeting a square is only AC 5)
* 36 alchemist's fire. 5' radius (-2 per 10' distance for targeting)
* 4 tanglefoot bags, these are pretty good debuffs (target is -2 to hit, -4 Dex, save or stuck to ground) (ranged touch attack to throw, -2 per 10').
For Ryll:
* We have 2 potions of invisibility.
* We also have 2 potions of Cat's Grace (+4 Dex for 3 minutes). One for sneaking in, one for the fight.
* There's a potion of hide from animals. 1 minute, and it will only work against the normal wolf (not the wargs), but could be useful in a pinch. Makes you impossible for an animal to sense by any means.
For Premek:
* I'll use the wand of Mage Armor on myself and Sighere before the fight. +4 armor AC for 1 hour. Caleb too if you want?
* I'll use the wand of Hold Person during the fight. Only 9 charges, will hold a target for 3 rounds. Color spray is more fun but hold person has much better range (130').
apologies, work is a little chaotic right and we all know how well I deal with disorganization.....
Sighere's Prep: Spells
Cantrips
Daze
Guidance
Resistance (+1 to saves for a min)
Stabilize (just in case)
1st level
Bless or Bane (thoughts?)
Hide from Animals
Entangle
Protection from Evil
2nd Lvl
CMW
Spiritual Weapon
Summon Swarm
Once we finalize our strategy I'll assign my life links and ward
I'm thinking hide from animals those who will initiate, then a swarm or entangle to kick things off
Bless is better than bane since it benefits the whole party and with bane the opponents might make their saves. From a mechanics standpoint.
There's really only one "animal" involved, not sure that's worth prepping Hide From Animals.
while intelligent I had thought the Wargs were still considered beasts by the game mechanics so will still be effect by the spell. If not I shall reassign that spot. The thinking was if we needed to sneak in that would remove one of the larger obstacles.
Worgs are magical beasts, while the horses and even the Direwolf are animals. So hide from animals wouldn't work on them as they have an int score >2.
Note, so I'll swap that out for Produce Flame.
I've also added a suggestion for my entangle to the map. could be a good opener.