Demian shakes his head, "I think I am over complicating it. There is just two of them. If we time it right, we can just rush out and kill them both. After that, Jonas and I can post up in their place while everyone else sneaks over to the closest tower to jump the wall patrol after they've passed through and are near this tower. Then someone uses the slumber scroll right after I weaken them to such effects. It should be pretty simple."
Looking curiously at the elf, "'Time it right'? As in, open the door and charge them? I fail to see how timing is involved with that. I believe we should simply allow them to enter. If there is only the two of them then we should just let them enter and proceed to eliminate them on our terms. Not theirs. Have this fool here tell them he's just managed to get away - because he's fooled us into thinking he's is aiding us - and if the two hurry, they can eliminate the rest of us due to the fact many of us are badly injured. A simple enough story and I believe would be just enough to tempt the pathetic guards in wanting to become heroes by taking down us 'bad guys', if you will. I know the term is ill-fitting but it's what they've been led to believe."
He then takes a moment to study the guard before, "Do I believe he can succeed versus most? Of course not. He is a fool. But versus his fellow guards? Quite possible. Because they along with him are also fools. Which is precisely why I do believe he may very well succeed. He already possesses their trust. With that established, all he needs is a tiny bit of bait to lure them in; and what better attraction is there than the glory of being a 'hero'?"
Demian shrugs and turns to find a quiet room to prepare. As he leaves he says, "A good a plan as any. I need to prepare."
During the hour of preparation, Barnabus creates his alchemical extracts and mutagen, Demian focuses his new implements, Sarela browses the library and Seltyiel, Eowithe and Morthos keep watch of the cowed guard and the exit.
Once prepared, Barnabas imbibes a vile smoking concoction, shuddering a bit while it takes effect.
He closes his eyes, and after a moment his tentacle begins weeping a viscous solution. "Pass me your weapons and let me apply my toxin."
"Oh, that looks quite exciting. I may ask for some of that once we get closer to our escape - it may be quite appropriate for Blackerly."
Morthos will hand over his weapon to Barnabas. "How long does it remain upon the weapon? Until it is used or does it eventually expire after a time if unused?"
Demian emerges from his room of solitude looking clean and groomed. He looks every bit the noble gentleman with a top hat, gloves, monocle, and all. An aura of at ease seems to radiate from him.
"I don't suppose anyone hopped on the roof to check the status of the guards?" he asks serenely.
To Sarela, "I can only produce so much, but I will do my best to reserve a dose for the good Sergeant."
Applying the toxin, he says, "It will hold it's potency until you land a strike."
This time Demian is a little more careful and isn't noticed, though the lanterns occasionally shine up towards him. The 4 guards on the wall are now only 2 and the 2 guards at the door are 4 with the 2 hounds. It seems things have changed since an hour ago. The dogs and guards are well trained enough to keep quiet and they don't move from where they are waiting. The 4 guards on the east wall are watching the passage between the tower and the kitchen door. There are no guards on the roof so it is unlikely they have discovered how it is you were able to get into the tower or they don't care. Across the roof lantern lights still come from the gatehouse roof indicating those guards are still there.
Blackerly knows where you are but he seems happy to let you stay there for now. Overwhelming reinforcements will take care of you tomorrow.
Sarela listens to Demian explain to them the guard composition, then says, "I have an idea that might work. Let's leave our surrendered guard tied up here in the tower - maybe lock him in the Warden's office or something. I don't think he's useful unless we threaten to kill him if they don't let us pass, and I don't think they will. We go down to the first floor, and then whichever of Barnabas, Seltyiel, Morthos, and Eowithe is healthiest prepares to throw open the door. Once they do, Demian uses the scroll of sleep on the guards out front, and I and anyone else with a bow takes a shot at the guards outside. If we're lucky, the dogs and maybe a guard will fall to the sleep spell. Then we beat down whichever guards and dogs are left while keeping out of sight of those on the wall. Demian and I will provide spell support - I know a cantrip that can muddle their senses and I suspect Demian might as well.
"Once we have them down, we move along the western wall towards the nearest tower, hugging the wall so as to keep the guards on that wall from having an easy shot at us. Then, we climb the tower and either dispatch the two guards on that wall or, if they stay put next to this tower, head towards the gatehouse. Hopefully, the guards from the eastern wall will stay where they are, but if they pursue us, we will hopefully be able to get ourselves in an advantageous position to fight them off.
I think the most important thing is to avoid fighting all 10 guards and 3 dogs at once. If we can break them up into groups, the whole thing will be much more manageable."
Demian nods, "That's a good plan B. I think we should at least try to lure the ground guards in here first. Worst case, they stay outside and we proceed with the alternate plan."
Demian looks to Jonas with a devious smile. "My plan to lure them is to hold Jonas hostage in front of them near the back while the rest of you hide. Once they are in, we close the door and put them to sleep and kill them. This way, we still haven't revealed that we have access to the roof. Jonas, you job is to 'reveal' that I am all that is left. Remember, you had better be convincing. Your child's life is at stake."
While others prepare, Eowithe joins Sarela in perusing the Warden's library...
Having left her armor up on the roof to allow her to traverse the gap between buildings, Eowithe takes the armor from one of the dead guards.
Then, in a mood, she approaches their prisoner , relishing the fear she feels emanating from him. Placing her index finger on the skin between his eyes, she regards him with heavy lidded eyes, then delivers her her Torturer's Touch to him.
Later as plans are made, she opines, "They may be just trained well enough not to be stupid enough to be lured into a trap. " she then nods when Sarela mentions her abilities, "I too can sow confusion in the minds of others, as well as fear..."
Then checking over her gear, she nods to the others, "I'm ready.
Demian nods to Sarela. "Now that I think about it, it is a sound plan. Just tell me what you want me to do."
The guard is fatigued momentarily by Eowithe. She can smell the fear from him as he is tied up and locked in the Warden's office. "Thankyou." he says as he is left alive to see his family again once this is all over.
Demian is given the scroll of sleep.
Those with bows stand away from the door, near the stairwell.
The healthiest, Seltyiel and Barnabus stand near the door ready to open it, with the others nearby.
Demian reads from the spell from the scroll and releases the magic in the middle of the enemy group.
Once the door is opened, Sarela's eyes fix on the guard in the right center of the line, weakening his will in preparation for Demian's spell. Then, she prepares to fire an arrow at him should he resist the spell, or the one next to him if falls asleep.
Applying the toxin, he says, "It will hold it's potency until you land a strike."
Nodding, "Very good."
------------------------------------------------
With the plan prepared and ready to be put into motion, once the door is opened Morthos will let loose an arrow at a dog.
The two guards on the right suddenly fall to the ground asleep.
The guard next to them holds his head in pain as Sarela stares at him.
Morthos shoots the dog on the right and it growls, ready to charge.
Eowithe stands ready, an arrow knocked waiting for the door to open and the spell to be cast.
When their foes are revealed she mutters, "Damn your faces! "
Her gaze then narrows on one of the hounds...
Finally she takes final aim and relaxes her hand , allowing the arrow to fly through the air at the hound...
Barnabas keeps to the side of the door, staying in the shadows of the tower . Readying to strike it anyone enters the doorway.
Eowithe shoots straight ahead into the hound that Morthos shot, bringing the hound down before it can attack.
Eowithe's next arrow misses the other hound.
Seltyiel readies if something enters.
The two standing pull arrows to their bows and call out to their friends on the wall. "Here they come!" The other calls to the two sleeping guards, "Get up and fight!" But it doesn't seem to help. They aim for the center two criminals.
Morthos moves to get a clearer shot at the guards and their hound.
Demian walks forward and shifts his gaze to the guard on the far left. "Kill," he says flatly.
Casting
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V
Effect
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one living creature
Duration 1 round
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
Description
You give the target a mental urge to kill its nearest ally, which it obeys to the best of its ability. The target attacks its nearest ally on its next turn with a melee weapon or natural weapon. If necessary, it moves to or charges to the nearest ally in order to make this attack. If it is unable to reach its closest ally on its next turn, the target uses its turn to get as close as possible to the ally.
Sarela shifts her gaze to the final hound and follows suit, firing an arrow at the final hound.
Barnabas keeps out of sight.
Demian's command takes over the left guard's mind.
Morthos and Sarela fire at the hound and wound it, it is still alive and bounds forwards to attack Morthos. As it passes by Barnabus and then Seltyiel they attack it with fist and claw to bring it down
The guard on the right fires his longbow through the door at Sarela but misses. Seeing both hounds are down and two of his allies incapacitated, Retreat to the gatehouse." The murderous guard drops his longbow and draws his long sword, dealing a serious wound to his friend.
"Let's see about finishing you off."
Sarela moves forward and focuses on the guard who was just attacked by his friend, looking at him before firing an arrow at him.
Round 2
Eowithe studies the guard on the right for a moment and then fires her arrow at him!
Demian waves a hand at the same guard and says calmly, "Stop."
Morthos draws another arrow and fires again.
Eowithe fires at the guard at the same time as his ally turns against him. With a surprised look on his face he falls to the ground. Morthos aimed at the guard on the right and let go of the arrow before he could adjust his aim to the still standing guard. The arrow strikes the dying guard instead.
The guard realises what has happened as he comes to his senses. And looks at Demian as he loses his own will again and stays right where he is, though as the last man standing, he clearly does not want to do so. He is then shot by Sarela.
Barnabas continues to twiddle his thumbs.
Raising an eyebrow at his last shot, Morthos can't help but shake his head at the poor result. "I would gather the dog to be my next target," he states so plainly that, which again, leaves one to wonder if that was meant as a joke.
The antipaladin draws back another arrow and fires at the lone standing guard, hoping to hit something that's actually alive this time.
Morthos hit the correct target solidly, he looks quite wounded.
Sarela focuses on the last conscious guard, undermining his will for any other tricks Demian may need to use before firing an arrow at him.
Round 3
Eowithe changes her focus to the remaining guard, drawing and firing an arrow with smooth , economical movement.
Demian sees the last guard look gravely wounded and waits until after the rest of his team, hoping that they will end the guard.
Demian then mutters a word and a stone, like what the prison is constructed with, tunnel emerges from the wall of the prison and extends all the way to the tower. The tunnel envelopes the whole of the down guard group.
"It is an illusion," He whispers again. "We need to kill those sleeping guards before they wake up. This should cover you, but be quiet. You are supposed to be encompassed by stone."
Eowithe's arrow goes wide as the guard can do nothing but watch and hope you all miss. Morthos hits him and he yells in pain but doesn't fall. Another arrows from Sarela grazes him.
Demian attacks his mind with painful images that he fails to push away and he screams in terror as he dies.
Demian smirks and whispers urgently "Wait!" He then holds out his hand and yells, "Hurry! Back to the prison! I can't keep it going for long!"
bluff: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31
Demian then mutters a word and a stone, like what the prison is constructed with, tunnel emerges from the wall of the prison and extends all the way to the tower. The tunnel envelopes the whole of the down guard group.Casts Silent Image . DC 15 Will to disbelieve only if interacted with.
"It is an illusion," He whispers again. "We need to kill those sleeping guards before they wake up. This should cover you, but be quiet. You are supposed to be encompassed by stone."
Morthos drops his bow and moves toward the sleeping guards, drawing his sword as he does. As soon as he reaches the first one, he gathers the weapon in both hands and attempts to put a swift end to him.
Sarela carefully puts her bow away, then walks towards the final guard, drawing her scimitar as she goes, preparing to kill him in his sleep.
Morthos runs forward under the cover of the illusion that Demian placed and attacks the sleeping guard. His attack doesn't kill him and he wakes with a shout of pain followed by a claw to the face from Seltyiel. He panics and tries to get up and run as Sarela prepares to Coup de Grace the other still sleeping guard .
Seltyiel claws him again as he gets up, bringing him down again.
Demian continues to concentrate with a wicked smile plastered on his face.
Sarela pouts a bit as Morthos stabs his sword through the guard, but she says, "Well, as long as he's dead, I guess it doesn't matter who kills him. He's not that important, after all." Still, she waits to see if he survives so she can stab him, as well.
The guard's eyes open as Morthos plunges his blade into his neck. He can't shout or move and his eyes quickly go lifeless.
As you know the illusion that Demian placed for what it is, you can see it is translucent. You notice 2 guards and a dog coming up on the right side. They have stopped and are examining the wall. The guard dog growls, it has got your scent.
"How did they do this. Thought the Warden took away their magic. We should report this to Blackerly."
"Wait a second. This isn't a real wall! There they are!"
"What are you talking about, of course it's real."
Demian's brow furrows in concentration and ire.