For round 4 Crystal will work into the evening and try to give a bit more of an advantage with her Crafting handiwork.
Dianora points out the roc to Kimmich.
"What do you think? Keep watch her for the rest of the day, or head back and see if they've found anything," she asks her fellow assassin.
Kimmich grunts as he watches the rocs. "No idea about the giants, but things having the wrong number of things, I saw these bears earlier - legs like a centipede though... with riders."
"And you think the wildlife and the servants are bad, wait until you hear of the master of the house." Kimmich relays what he's learned about Ordulf. "Sounds like he will be a mighty victory for us to lay low for our god."
The orc frowns thoughtfully at Dianora's queston. "I don't know what the others have learned, but I'll stay here the night and watch the place in the morning. Might be able to see our quarry if I'm lucky." The orc grins widely.
Dianora and Kimmich: You notice patrols start to recur. You're not sure there's much else to see here.
Kimmich will lie in wait at the keep, watching and waiting in a hunter's alert repose.
Yuki & Crystal don't have much luck this round.
on the west side of the first-floor balcony.
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Dianora gives Kimmich a professional nod before heading back to town. "Something to think about while you're waiting. There was a really happy dog once, got adopted by a couple wealthy Irrisenis. It was a real wags-to-witches story."
In town, she works on preparing some timely distractions.
The workers at the warehouse are busy unloading cargo to be taken up to Crownhold, so it is difficult to secure the spare keys. Yuki has spoken to most of the talkative townsfolk, but perhaps there is a secret or two to be found.
Crystal shakes her head and waits out the warehouse workers, hoping to see if an opening presents itself later in the evening to slip in between the rush of people.
Yuki blends into the background and finds time to recompose herself, she is just not used to her feminine whiles failing her like this. She takes time to observe her surroundings and find the loners, the ones no one wants to talk to and thus most likely, see so much more.
You know that the caravan will leave in tomorrow morning, as early as they can manage. You have a little time to refine your plan, make any last purchases, choose which spells to prepare, and cast long-duration spells. You can attempt the infiltration this evening or tomorrow morning without attracting additional attention from the absence of the caravan.
"Let's wait until the morning, so I can make any preparations," Dianora says. "I'll ask Achaechek to grant me the power to dispel magic , but is there anything else we think we'll need?"
In the morning, Dianora prepares the following spells: Cantrips: daze, detect magic, guidance, light, message; 1st: bless [] protection [] sure strike []; 2nd invisibility [] see the unseen [] sure footing []; 3rd cleanse affliction [] heroism [] safe passage []; 4th invisibility [] unfettered movement [] vision of death []; 5th divine immolation [] heal [] scouting eye []; 6th divine immolation [] heal [][]; 7th dispel magic [] execute [] heal [] Divine Font (7th rank): Harm [][][][][]
Yuki has the obsidian goggles so can also travel without light
"I'm all prepared," Kimmich says simply. He shakes his arm, causing one of his sabers to fall out of his sleeve's magical compartment, and with a twist of his other arm whips his second saber from it's magical storage in his belt. He smiles broadly as he replaces the two swords in their homes.
"I admit seeing in the dark is not my current specialty, so I will have to trust the lot of you to guide me if we try to be particularly clever with our nighttime cover. Aside from that I am quite ready to make our move though."
In the morning, you blend in with the traders' caravan as it crosses the tundra to the north of town. During the trip, they are inspected by several ground patrols, each consisting of a pair of human riders on the backs of two kokogiaks. Some of the patrols look at the group with suspicion--have they seen all of these traders before?
Kimmich will rely on his stealth, hoping to find a convenient nook or cranny of the caravan to fold himself into until they are inside Crownhold proper.
Dianora does her best to help Kimmich blend in.
You blend in to the caravan, letting the other traders talk to the guards as you approach the citadel.
Hundreds of feet of open tundra lie to the south of the stocky stone fortress, built into the side of a steep cliff at the base of a towering mountain. A pair of additional floors loom above the ground level, each set back further against the cliffside and featuring crenelated balconies. Two sets of immense wooden double doors reinforced with iron bands provide entrance into the fortress to the left and right, while in the middle, the wall is adorned with arrowslits shuttered closed against the cold from the inside.
The caravan workers mill around once they arrive, speaking to a trio of Gorumites armed with scrolls for inventorying the goods.
Dianora does her best to blend in with the other caravan workers, waiting for her chance to slip into the fortress. Once there, she'll worry about slipping away and finding this alter they've heard about.
Yuki follows Dianora’s lead and does her best to blend in with the other workers as well. Once they are all inside they can slip away and make their way to the altar.
You slip inside the western door, attracting no attention.
You notice immediately that the light level in this room is low, and you hear two distinct rumbles coming from the back of the room.
The sound comes from two enormous kokogiaks! These beasts look even more fearsome than normal, though--luckily for you--they are currently sleeping.
Vertical wooden beams line the walls of the vast open chamber, and the smell of wet fur permeates the air. Huge double doors stand to the south, while smaller double doors lead east. Steep stairs against the north wall lead down into what must be a basement level.
Kimmich looks torn, staring between the bears and down the stairs. He points towards the stairs, making a questioning face to the others.
Crystal thinks for a long moment and then shakes her head and puts her hands under her ears like a pillow to indicate the bedroom and points at the double doors slowly and quietly trying to shuffle up to them.
Yuki nods in agreement and makes follow Crystal, cautiously and quietly to the doors.
Kimmich nods and steps to the door, keeping one eye on the sleeping polar apex predators as he goes.
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"Are we playing mimes and mummers?" Dianora asks. "I never quite understood the game? Wouldn't it be easier to mime something if you could also make noise. Like, a Gorumite priest."
She puts on a deeper voice.
" 'Oh, look, I'm a Gorumite. I love fighting stuff. If there's nothing here for me to fight, I fight with my thoughts, which is hard, because I've mostly got rocks for brains.' "
Despite her mocking words, she doesn't speak loudly enough to wake the kokogiaks.
Since you don't make any loud noises, you don't wake the kokogiaks.
You quietly open the doors to the east and they open into a large room with a smooth, hewn stone floor. Another set of double doors open across the room from your to the east, and steep stairs lead up into the fortress in the northwest and northeast corners.
Doors to two latrines stand on the north wall. Along the southern wall, four archery slits open to tundra, but each is closed with wooden shutters to keep the cold from creeping in. The southwest corner has a large steel lever, and the southeast corner has a large hand-crank wheel attached to a massive chain that disappears into the floor.
A platoon of Gorumites train here, performing drilling exercises and mock battles with each other. They’re lead by a drill captain who is shouting orders as you enter. Upon spotting you, he says, "What are you doing here?"
Yuki moves forward, ”We are doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing as are you.” She says, as she throws a glance back over her companions. ”It shall be noted that you were diligent in your duties and noticed our arrival, which is better than can be said for the lot outside.” She moves with an air of certainty, she belongs here after all, as do her companions. ”No, if you will excuse us we must complete our security sweep. Our lord is counting on us. Please go back to your training, you men’s form is solid but there is always room to improve oneself. Team we should continue along our way.” And, with that, Yuki leads her team further into the fortress. ”Oh and sir, please do not notify others of our presence, this is a test of how well each unit performs in isolation.” Yuki casts a glance to Crystal to see if she has anything to add to the subterfuge.
The captain of the guards gives you a curt nod, but his brow is somewhat furrowed. He'll certainly remember your passage, but he's not stopping you or raising an alarm.
Crystal gives the guards a curt nod and a salute before purposefully sauntering up the northeastern stairway.
This kitchen contains multiple counters, a double-wide brick oven, and tall standing cabinets. Doors exit to the west and south. A steep stairway leads down deeper into the fortress.
Without speaking, Kimmich crosses the room on cat-like tread and carefully picks up the cleaver. He holds it questioningly to the others.
Dianora looks around to make sure they're alone in the room. Assuming they are, she pulls one of her sawtooth sabers out and makes a couple of vicious stabbing gestures toward Kimmich. She furrows her brow and looks questioningly back at the big half-orc.
Kimmich nods and twists his wrist, one of his sabers materializing in his hand in a flash. "But this one's adamantine," he whispers. "I hadn't earned enough blood money to make Bloodshackle or Soulsaw adamantine when I got them forged- it might come in handy." He slips the sword back up its sleeve.
Crystal looks at them both. "I'm with Kimmich, grab the hatchet. Adamantine could always come in handy. I'll take the pan as well. It's not a favorite of mine but you never know when you'll run into werewolves..." She says the word werewolf bitterly as if they're a problem she has had in times prior.
"But let's not dally, we need to find that bedroom." She quickly pushes the frying pan into one of her sleeves, disappearing it from sight.
You open the door to the south and step up to a hall featuring a large round table surrounded by chairs. Two crossed swords hang on the western wall over a round shield. Double stone doors exit to the south; three single stone doors exit to the north and west. A stairway on the north end of the room ascends higher into the fortress.
Two tall, blue-skinned giants sit at the table, spears leaning next to them. "What's this? I don't recognize you. What are you doing up here?"
"Ah yes good you are some of the adlet guards we were informed about. Well you needn't shake us down with your control over the chills and mists of the land, we are merely aiding our lord in checking up on his security detail."
"Yes, well done, even when at rest you are attentive to the security of this fortress." Yuki addresses her companions, "Another diligent team, so far so good. But, we must not rest yet we have so many more rooms to sweep." Yuki, turns her attention back to the adlets. "Please feel no need to end your break on our account, we are doing a security sweep. Letting anyone else know would ruin the test so please, keep our presence to yourselves. If we have need of you later, we will let you know."
Kimmich gives a stoic, silent nod to the assembled adlets, as though approving of their diligence.
Dianora also keeps her mouth shut, letting Yuki handle this problem.
Even with the violent urges emanating from Gorum's altar making her lies less effective, Yuki critically succeeds at fooling the guards.
"Buzz off, manlings. We won't interrupt our break for you."
You head upstairs to the top floor of the citadel, emerging into a spare barracks: Three beds, three footlockers, and a single latrine. Fur covers the beds and floor. A door exits to the west.
Opening the door, you find yourselves at the entrance to a large, open space. An immense perch created from two-foot-thick logs sits in the middle of this chamber. To the south, the wall opens out onto the fortress’s uppermost balcony, giving an expansive view of the tundra and skies. A prodigious pile of bird droppings lies on the ground below the perch, in which the bones of woolly rhinos, elk, and a few humans protrude. An alarm bell hangs from the wall to the southwest near the
opening onto the balcony.
Upon the perch sits a gargantuan (very unfriendly looking) frost roc. It does not appear to have noticed you. Yet.
After a quick whispered conference with his fellow assassins, Kimmich draws one saber out of his belt and slips out the door, trusting Dianora to follow him as discussed. He hopes to sneak to the bell and slice out it's clapper without the roc noticing, but he has a certain red spark to his eyes, unafraid of the bird if it does notice him.
Kimmich and Dianora slip across the aerie, but a brush from one of their toes sends a dried bone from the roc's latest dinner rolling loudly across the floor. The bird immediately stirs to ravenous attention.
~+~Combat Round 1~+~
Kimmich
Yuki
Roc
Crystal
Dianora
Yuki holds her hand up to her mouth concealing a giggle, as she draws a scroll from her sleeve. Poking her head around Crystal, she levels the wand at the large annoying bird. ”Don’t you think it’s time to fly off and find a snack or a mate or something?”
The bird stops its hooting and looks quizzically at Yuki!
DragonflyBlue
