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Rav blinks. "Of course good plan. Is Rav plan. Rav always make good plan." He looks mildly insulted, if that's possible with his face. He hunches his shoulders a bit, and mutters under his breath in goblin. Goblin: "Plan always good, other idiots often fail execute plan properly. Not Rav's fault..."
Ravboom grunts. "Oh, right, prisoners... huh... ok, same plan, but instead of guarding archers, mercenaries charge into tower when guards chase sorty force. Instead of sorty force coming out in open, they attack from shadows and race away noisy. No use saltscale spears though, and no salt scale arrows, only our arrows. Use thrown daggers, big rocks, nothing identify as salt scales. Archers fire only from cover so can't be seen through leaves."
Did I miss something? Prisoners?
Rav pulls some colored chalk out of his pack, draws the clearing with the tower on the cave wall, and then begins making some marks. He draws two blue ovals on the rough map. "Put half of Salties with bows in each position here, so more likely they able to escape, also puts orcs in cross-fire." He draws a couple of purple pentagrams as well. "Split Mercs also, so can guard archers. Two parties slip up into position just before dawn or nightfall, when guards tired and light changing." He draws a red arrow in. "Distraction party charges in very noisy here, throws rocks and spears at Orcs on guard until orcs charge out, then turn tail and run. When orcs charge out, archers hit them from both sides, and mercs charge them down and kill them." He points to the corner of the map opposite the distraction party's red arrow is. "Leave back way for orcs to evacuate families when they lose."
Rav heads out with Kelisa & her cat, he wants to identify where orc guards are stationed, when they change guards if possible, and also looking for any traps that may be scattered around the area around the tower.
Rav looks up from his vials, and frowns for a second, then realizes that Gud is suggesting Rav and Kel and Kel's cat scout. "Oh, ok, yes, that is ok. Kel not very noisy for lon.. for black kni.. for drow. And cat good at sneak too." He looks to the salt scale. "Dark Silch? Ravboom..."
Kelisa,
"Ugh, who want be longshank?" Rav mutters distractedly while looking through the vials on his belt.
"Range in dark only 50 feet, that too close for plan. Plus, orcs see in dark, Rav see in dark, Saltscales see in dark, long sha.. hoomans no see in dark. Best attack at dawn, when night guards tired and day guards not on yet. Let archers be 150, 200 feet way."
Rav grins. "Not have arrows in pack, but can get more." He says in both common and Draconic. Looking at the group, he shrugs. "Boat have supply of arrows. Just need get some supplies make more on ship after leave. Is for rescue paying customer, so customer can be charged later for supplies."
Rav nods at Zardo's comment, and translates along with Zinar the others questions to the Saltscales. "Yes, Zar have point, know tower, can make map of tower for us? Even if just sand map, be good idea have. Escape tunnels also good know where are, so not get ambushed. We no stay on island, so probably never come back, so not matter if know, and may make taking tower easier." He adds, a little miffed at himself for not thinking of that himself.
Figuring that keeping the speaking of Draconic secret was not really of much use currently, and that doing so might alienate his allies, Rav gave up on that as it had served it's purpose. "Rav think if tower to belong to Saltscales, Saltscales must be involved in taking it back. If be handed to Saltscales, then not be really Saltscale tower. Be our tower. Not need tower. We not staying. So think Saltscale need be part. However, also think Saltscale not need tower if all dead too. So, Rav think best plan is for Saltscale to set up archers to shoot from distance at Orcs in tower. Also some Saltscale fake attack with spears at tower and then run away to draw Orcs out. Then Rav and other mercenaries ambush Orc sorty party, thin out Orc numbers. Then Saltscale archers keep Orc archers from making pincushions of Rav and other mercenaries. Archers stay back, concentrate on taking out ranged Orcs, leave rest to Rav and allies. Then Saltscales part of taking back tower, so tower is Saltscales. Rav and mercenaries no need tower, but to make fair, get first pick of loot from Orcs. Is fair/fair for all." He repeats the idea in both Draconic and Common, the plan giving both parties what they want, the Saltscales the tower and their pride, and the mercenaries backup taking on the Orcs and the lion's share of the loot.
Rav follows along, having not only no issues with the caves and dim light, but seemingly to smile a bit as they go underground. This has the unfortunate side effect of showing off dozens of fine, sharp, triangular teeth in the near dim light, made even more scary by the deep red eyes above the huge row of shark teeth.
Rav shakes his head as the human nearly ends the kobolds life, but nods as the elf pulls it out, shockingly. He shrugs, and goes along with it, fairly sure he could have talked them into paying to get rid of the orcs. "So much for be sell swords. Rav wonder if longshanks use sell sword differently than gobbies." He grumbles somewhat above a stage whisper as the kobolds get paid instead of being paid.
Rav, who had been about to translate, instead nods. "Sound right, tell them if they give back other person washed up on beach, and tell us where orcs took halfling, we go take halfling back. If know orcs, they no let us do without fight, so probably half to kill half orcs to make point." Rav pulls a case off his pack, and begins to mix up some vials while waiting.
Rav shakes his head. "Not yet. Need see if anyone survived and wasn't captured first. Might be dying on beach, or in tree line. If no find anyone else in next couple of miles, come back and see about maybe saving other who may be or may be no alive. No good get selves killed for corpse."
Rav pulls aside Kelisa as everyone else deals with supplies. "Chest had hidden bottom, with papers with non-standard marks on them. Couldn't make heads or tails of them. But could have to do with smuggling, or something else." He whispers. "Chest should make it to shore, was water proof when sealed. Made for ship travel. Need look for it too." He looks around at the crew. "No tell crew, just others in Shields. Looking for survivors good excuse look for chest. Woman who hire ship rather die than give it up, must be very important, not have much in way of gold or valuables inside, so must be papers."
Rav frowns, and moves over to the railing to help should the rope find it's way.
Still eying the chest, Rav maintains his footing, hopping from one bit of shifting deck to another, even doing a small backflip at one point to avoid a spar heading for him...
His eyes stay glued to the chest, trusting to the confusion around to hide his gaze from others.
While avoiding a bit of the mizzen's tackle, he reaches out and calmly grabs the tackle in passing and loops it over a mainstay, helping to stay the sail and it's tack.
Apologies everyone. I need to bring you up to date. So, as you all know, new job. Project is in a very bad spot since mid June. My project lead quit a few weeks ago, and I got to take over. The new guy, is now the project lead. (I'm the only non-contractor on the project, so I'm the lead). I'm working 50-60 hour weeks, and get pulled into 30 minute meetings that take 3-6 hours. Basically, I'm so overloaded that I can't think straight. So, my posting ability may be a bit.. erratic for a month or so. I'll try to keep up.
Rav snorts. "Rav think anyone bring massive storm to steal or sink ship for revenge for get away probably not care much 'bout balance or order."
Once Rav returns from the room, he immediately digs out the little notebook from the bottom of his pack, unwraps the oilcloth, and to the best of his ability writes the codes he read from the communications.
Aftewards, Rav will spend his free time when others are doing other things trying to decipher the code.
Rav grimaces. "Natural or not?" He mutters under his breath, and starts observing.
Rav reloads his crossbow, and then fires at a fleeing hobgoblin. "Stupid Hobbies. Don't come back!" He calls after them in goblin. "Your mamma's slept with gnolls!" Grinning from ear to ear (not exactly the most settling of sights), Rav returns the crossbow to his back, and yawns. This time in common, he continues at a slightly more sedate level. "Was fun, next time need better hobbies. These ones kind of stupid. Then again, hobbies mostly stupid." Strutting off and down, using the prisoner attempt as a distraction, he heads back below decks, figuring everyone else will be up top for awhile, he stops to drink his detect magic doors potion, and tries to cover as much of the ship as possible below decks, trying to find any hidden doors.
Rav cackles in glee at the fight, and whips his crossbow back up and over the barrel. Quickly taking aim at one of the archers, he releases another 'THWIPTHUNK' as the bolt is sent slamming toward shore...
"Ha! 'Nother hit!" He calls out, still crouched behind the barrel. Just to be safe though, he checks behind him, toward the opposite shore, after loosing the bolt. In case the flaming archers are just a distraction. "Keep eye on other side of shore, fire arrows may be distraction!" He calls out, as he follows his own advice and checks the opposite shore.
Rav shakes his head. "What's wrong with a little fire?" He grumbles under his breath as he continues to reload his crossbow. Then he frowns. "Why idiots shooting fire at boat? They want wood cargo yes? No make sense... unless not actually trying to steal cargo? Just wanting to destroy ship for some reason?" He mutters, then calls out in a loud voice. "HEY, TRY KEEP ONE ALIVE BEAT ANSWERS OUT OF."
Ducking back down behind the barrel, Rav grins like a psychopath, and reloads his heavy crossbow. "Most fun had since come to surface." The goblin mutters under his breath.
Rav waits until either someone on his side does something, or until the attackers do something. Picking out a target in the darkness, he aims his crossbow over a barrel, waiting... waiting... ...and then someone casts a bless spell on his side and there's an accompanying 'THWIPTHUNK' as the heavy crossbow let's loose a bolt!
Once the message is passed on, Rav squats down behind a couple of water barrels, and readies his crossbow in the darkness, scanning the shore for signs of the ambush he suspects.
Rav checks his weapons as he leaves the hold, and steps back up on deck. Stepping over to Kelisa and her tiger, he digs a bit of jerky out of his pocket, brushes some mold off it, and gives it to the tiger. "Good cat, found treat for cat in hold. Cat eat horses if any come around, yes?" He says with a grin full of shark like teeth. "Goblin covered in mud on bank, is probably lookout, let others know, ambush happen soon." He says quietly out of the corner of his very wide toothy mouth to Kelisa.
Rav frowns, and after making sure he's not being observed, tries to see if the boards are designed to be taken up or moved, looking for a hidden lever or other such device.
Putting everything back exactly as he found it, Rav carefully makes sure nobody is nearby or watching, and removes his notepad from the bottom of his backpack, notes exactly what he found, and where, and in what condition, and then puts the notepad back. Then he continues skulking around, looking for other contraband. He also looks for any lumber bundles that seem to be faked up (boards nailed together or glued to form a box instead of actual wood, stuff like that).
"Too much noise to sleep. Going to go below." Rav gets up, grumbling after the door slams.
Once below decks, he'll try to search the places he scouted out earlier, while the crew is busy up above sailing in the dark. Theoretically, an unusual sailing should throw the whole crew off and have them all distracted, making this an excellent time to poke around in dark corners.
Rav is curled up on a big pile of rope, looking like he's lazy and resting all day, with his hat over his eyes. Those who are especially perceptive might notice his left ear twitch and redirect a bit to better pick up the conversation between the longshank in the fancy duds and the captain.
Rav doesn't respond to the old man's comments on goblins, putting it down to typical longshank idiocy and racism*. As the tour begins, he counts his paces along the walkways, and eyes the walls, as he would do in an old ruin or cave network, looking for places where there's undefined spaces (usually hidden storage areas or passages, in this case, looking for smuggling spaces).
*:
"Yes, show where food is. And torches. Torches always very important." Rav says with a sage nod. "Also fire pit, if have one. Fire pit always very important. No have horses right? If do, can help kill if need."
Rav looks up at the drow, and nods. "Vent Brain. Back home, be vents that spew smoke and smell bad. If breath too much, head go funny, see things, giggle a lot. If spend too much time near, blood start spewing out nose and drown in blood, all while giggling hysterically. Pitch in boat probably cause Vent Brain in people who spend too much time on ship."
Rav eyes the ship askance. "Why it floating in water? Someone forget bring back on land after washing in river?" He wrinkles his nose at it. "Not very sturdy, sides no very well armored. No metal sheets, no heavy thick beams. Look like could burn it really easy." He winkles his nose and sniffs a few times. "Smell like pitch. Burn really good, like black rock in fire. No think that very safe thing to ride on. Rav think Rav will walk by 'ship' and let others ride inside. Bet walking easier than riding and all the bumps on the road anyway."
Rav follows along, peering at everything around them as if he had never seen it before, and avoids horses at every opportunity, keeping a long shank between him and them, and putting his hand on his sword at the nearest passes to them.
Ravboom glances at the contract, then makes a face. "No steal words from Rav mind." He says with an annoyed voice, and turns on his heal and follows the drow and panther out the door.
Rav continues to sit there for a few minutes, then rubs behind one floppy ear thoughtfully. "Would prefer go docks tonight, see what 'ship' is first."
Rav wrinkles his nose. "What's a 'ship'? That anything like thing you do in outhouse? Seems like bad way transport stuff, in outhouse..."
Yep, but it only works once. Once everyone realizes he was intentionally fooling them, it won't work anymore.
That is his plan, then if anyone senses motive on you all, they'll see you believe he's a lazy goblin.
Rav tries not to look interested...
Rav also looks for lies from the woman...
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