This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
“Stay close as we approach, I’ll try to make us a little harder to spot.” Mica places his hand in the earth and mutters a few words in primordial as a veil of shadows cover their passage.
Stealth (including pass without trace bonus): 30.
. (Party gets a +10 bonus to stealth as long as they stay within 30 feet of Mica.)
[With Mica'sspell, I think we can assume the party is able to remain quiet enough to move across the ruins to the guard station while avoiding immediate detection.]
[Applied short rests for Danica, Nalomanterys and Eligos.]
The party crouches behind a crumbling stone wall, drenched by the torrential rain that pelts the city of Omu. Thunder rumbles overhead, and the flash of lightning briefly illuminates the guardhouse ahead. Unlike the other decayed structures in the city, this building stands mostly intact, its limestone walls still solid and sturdy, though streaked with moss and creeping vines. The rectangular guardhouse looms in the gloom.
Two mercenaries are visible on the flat roof, their silhouettes sharp against the stormy sky whenever the lightning strikes. One is stationed near the edge facing the ancient ruins, scanning the shadowy streets below with an occasional glance over his shoulder. [This guard is watching against the direction from which you approach. It may be very difficult to get much closer without being seen.] The other faces the steep stone path that descends into the city from the jungles above, his crossbow gripped tightly as he peers into the rain-soaked darkness. Both mercenaries wear dark cloaks over breastplates, soaked and dripping.
The guardhouse itself has a single stone door on its front side, slightly ajar, allowing faint torchlight to flicker out onto the wet stone plaza before it. The soft glow of the torchlight reveals muddy footprints leading in and out of the building, churned into the ground by constant patrols.
Around the perimeter, signs of recent activity are clear. Stacks of damp crates and barrels are piled against the side of the building, their contents hidden but suggesting a supply cache. A makeshift drying rack holds a few discarded cloaks, now sagging and useless under the rain. Nearby, an abandoned fire pit is filled with wet ash and mud.
The storm and Mica'sspell has provided the party with cover as they advance. For now, the party has the element of surprise as they prepare to engage or infiltrate the guardhouse, though they remain 100' NE of the building for now.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica grunts noncommittally as he watches the sentries through the rain. “Mebbe. Depends on what they think you are doing out here. Maybe you are a survivor of an attack from the snake-men, maybe you can lure one or two of them back here to us. I will cover you from here if you go in. Up to you.”
Ran looks around at the brainier members of the group and finally at the captain.
"Unless you've better ideas, I'm good to go. I look like I've been through hell. Could say some of their merc bddies are hurt badly back this way." Ran says.
"And if they don’t buy your story, we lose the element of surprise completely."
Meili irritably pushed a strand of rain-soaked hair out of her eyes. "Can we make a distraction with magic? A sound, maybe, or a flash of light?"
She tilted her head toward the stormy sky. The thick darkness seemed promising. "I could pretend to be a big bird, keep their eyes on the sky... Oh! The bird!" She glanced at Ran's sister, but quickly shook her head. "No, that’s too risky."
Finally, she shrugged. "If you’re set on going, I’ll back you. But it’s a gamble."
At Meili'srequest for spell ideas, Nalomanterysventures that he could conjure ghostly lights that might appear to be torches moving through the rain. It could distract or even lure out the guards.
Eligos also responds. "I have a better idea" - drawing a brief glower from Nalomanterys- "if you'll hear me out. I could make one of you invisible. Either to scout their defenses, or perhaps as the vanguard of a surprise attack. Any attack or spell will end the illusion, but you can get close without being seen."
He pauses, then continues, reluctantly. "I believe I have enough spellpower left to make two of you invisible, though afterwards I will be bereft of all my most powerful magics. Either, way, I will need to rest soon."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
”I’d vote for using both. Invisible up Meili and Mica. They’re creepily quiet. Then once they’re by the guardhouse use the twinkling little lights to try and lure a few of the guards over here. We’ll get an idea of how many their are and maybe capture one of these punters at the same time.”
Mica grins and looks over at Meili “I could be up for a bit of a sneak. What do ya say? We could take a look and see what they got over there, maybe stir up some trouble.”
Meili nodded. "Better to know what we’re up against."
She paused, then asked: "Are we just scouting - figuring out who’s there and where they are - then coming back to plan? Or should we try to find someone alone, lure him away, and capture? Or..." She glanced at the others. "Is the goal to kill them all?"
“Make the call as you see fit but we want at least one of them still able to have a bit of a chat so they can tell us where the bloody cubes are being kept.” Ran says
Already looking like he regrets making this suggestion, Eligos draws components from his pack and begins casting a spell. As he finishes the incantation, Micaand Meili disappear. "Remember,"Eligos says, looking a little more tired than before. "Anything more aggressive than opening a door, and the illusion will fail. Also, you can't be seen but you can be heard."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Mica lets out a chuckle as Eligo completes the enchantment and his magic takes hold. “Neat trick. Ready, Meili?” He looks over at Meili, or where she was, and chuckles again when he realizes he can’t see her. “Alrighty, then. I guess we are off.” Mica slips off toward the guard post, moving slowly and carefully, and tries to get into position to see in the open door of the building.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Meili curiously watched as her form faded into nothingness. She nodded in response to Mica’s question, then remembered he couldn’t see her. "I’ll check the roof and join you by the door".
Then she touched Eligos shoulder attracting his attention: "Can I fly?"
If he confirmed it wouldn’t disrupt the illusion, she would test her "wings" and ascend into the rain-soaked night to scout the rooftop. If not, she silently followed Mica to the door.
Eligos sighs. "I really wouldn't know. It depends on the function of the magical item you possess. It its activation is the same as casting a spell, then it's magic could disrupt mine. This really would have been a good question to ask before I cast the spell."
Nalomanteryssteps in. "If I may... from my own observations of your use of that cloak, I would venture that its use would not cause you any difficulties. I'm quite certain of it, in fact."
Giving the cloak a test, Meiliconfirms that she is able to alight off of the ground while remaining cloaked by the spell.
Mica:
You step quietly through the rain until you reach the partially open door. Peering inside, you see a narrow stone hallway lit with torches. It seems to run almost all the way down this side of the building before ending at a closed wooden door. There is a long slick of mud in the hall near the entrance, where guards have been wiping their boots off on the rough stone of the floor.
Meili:
You land in the middle of the roof, unnoticed. To either side of you is a guard... one watching in towards the ruins where your friends are hidden, the other watching the path down from the cliffs above.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica hesitates slightly, then slips through the open door, avoiding the mud slick in order to prevent leaving tracks and creeping down the hallway, hoping to listen by the door at the end to see if he can hear anything from the room beyond.
How did those guards get to the roof? Meili looked around for a door leading inside the house. If it turns out the guards climbed up by some ladder, she would get down, to check for any backdoors. Should there be none, she would join Mica going through the only entrance.
The door at the end of the hall is tightly closed and you cannot hear anything beyond. But walking down the hall itself, you see that the interior wall is full of arrow slits and murder holes. Peeking through, you can see a large room in the middle of the building. A pair of lanterns provide light. Two mercenaries are seated on a stone bench playing cards, while another sleeps on a mat of dry straw in the corner. You can see a couple of closed doors leading to this room, but neither is the door at the end of your hall.
Meili:
You can't see any ladders on the roof, but there is conspicuous layer of palm fronds in a square shape near the center of the roof. They could be covering up a hole or hatch.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Meili hovered over the suspicious patch of palm fronds, puzzled. Why bother hiding the hatch if the guards used it to come and go? Did they uncover it at the start of their shift, or was the next shift expected to awkwardly clamber through the leaves? The thought almost made her chuckle, but now wasn’t the time for distractions.
Since uncovering the hatch would be neither quiet nor subtle, she decided against investigating further. With careful and as silent as possible movements, she descended from the roof on the wet ground below to regroup with Mica.
(I'd suggest Ran knows how loud his armor can be and would likely keep volunteer to go first to attract the attention of any ambushes/etc)
“Stay close as we approach, I’ll try to make us a little harder to spot.” Mica places his hand in the earth and mutters a few words in primordial as a veil of shadows cover their passage.
Stealth (including pass without trace bonus): 30.
. (Party gets a +10 bonus to stealth as long as they stay within 30 feet of Mica.)
[With Mica's spell, I think we can assume the party is able to remain quiet enough to move across the ruins to the guard station while avoiding immediate detection.]
[Applied short rests for Danica, Nalomanterys and Eligos.]
The party crouches behind a crumbling stone wall, drenched by the torrential rain that pelts the city of Omu. Thunder rumbles overhead, and the flash of lightning briefly illuminates the guardhouse ahead. Unlike the other decayed structures in the city, this building stands mostly intact, its limestone walls still solid and sturdy, though streaked with moss and creeping vines. The rectangular guardhouse looms in the gloom.
Two mercenaries are visible on the flat roof, their silhouettes sharp against the stormy sky whenever the lightning strikes. One is stationed near the edge facing the ancient ruins, scanning the shadowy streets below with an occasional glance over his shoulder. [This guard is watching against the direction from which you approach. It may be very difficult to get much closer without being seen.] The other faces the steep stone path that descends into the city from the jungles above, his crossbow gripped tightly as he peers into the rain-soaked darkness. Both mercenaries wear dark cloaks over breastplates, soaked and dripping.
The guardhouse itself has a single stone door on its front side, slightly ajar, allowing faint torchlight to flicker out onto the wet stone plaza before it. The soft glow of the torchlight reveals muddy footprints leading in and out of the building, churned into the ground by constant patrols.
Around the perimeter, signs of recent activity are clear. Stacks of damp crates and barrels are piled against the side of the building, their contents hidden but suggesting a supply cache. A makeshift drying rack holds a few discarded cloaks, now sagging and useless under the rain. Nearby, an abandoned fire pit is filled with wet ash and mud.
The storm and Mica's spell has provided the party with cover as they advance. For now, the party has the element of surprise as they prepare to engage or infiltrate the guardhouse, though they remain 100' NE of the building for now.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"So I could just walk over and see who comes out to say hi," Ran suggests. "Would give us an idea of how many there are."
Mica grunts noncommittally as he watches the sentries through the rain. “Mebbe. Depends on what they think you are doing out here. Maybe you are a survivor of an attack from the snake-men, maybe you can lure one or two of them back here to us. I will cover you from here if you go in. Up to you.”
Ran looks around at the brainier members of the group and finally at the captain.
"Unless you've better ideas, I'm good to go. I look like I've been through hell. Could say some of their merc bddies are hurt badly back this way." Ran says.
"And if they don’t buy your story, we lose the element of surprise completely."
Meili irritably pushed a strand of rain-soaked hair out of her eyes. "Can we make a distraction with magic? A sound, maybe, or a flash of light?"
She tilted her head toward the stormy sky. The thick darkness seemed promising. "I could pretend to be a big bird, keep their eyes on the sky... Oh! The bird!" She glanced at Ran's sister, but quickly shook her head. "No, that’s too risky."
Finally, she shrugged. "If you’re set on going, I’ll back you. But it’s a gamble."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
At Meili's request for spell ideas, Nalomanterys ventures that he could conjure ghostly lights that might appear to be torches moving through the rain. It could distract or even lure out the guards.
Eligos also responds. "I have a better idea" - drawing a brief glower from Nalomanterys - "if you'll hear me out. I could make one of you invisible. Either to scout their defenses, or perhaps as the vanguard of a surprise attack. Any attack or spell will end the illusion, but you can get close without being seen."
He pauses, then continues, reluctantly. "I believe I have enough spellpower left to make two of you invisible, though afterwards I will be bereft of all my most powerful magics. Either, way, I will need to rest soon."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Ran nods at the other suggestions.
”I’d vote for using both. Invisible up Meili and Mica. They’re creepily quiet. Then once they’re by the guardhouse use the twinkling little lights to try and lure a few of the guards over here. We’ll get an idea of how many their are and maybe capture one of these punters at the same time.”
Mica grins and looks over at Meili “I could be up for a bit of a sneak. What do ya say? We could take a look and see what they got over there, maybe stir up some trouble.”
Meili nodded. "Better to know what we’re up against."
She paused, then asked: "Are we just scouting - figuring out who’s there and where they are - then coming back to plan? Or should we try to find someone alone, lure him away, and capture? Or..." She glanced at the others. "Is the goal to kill them all?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
“Make the call as you see fit but we want at least one of them still able to have a bit of a chat so they can tell us where the bloody cubes are being kept.” Ran says
Already looking like he regrets making this suggestion, Eligos draws components from his pack and begins casting a spell. As he finishes the incantation, Mica and Meili disappear. "Remember," Eligos says, looking a little more tired than before. "Anything more aggressive than opening a door, and the illusion will fail. Also, you can't be seen but you can be heard."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica lets out a chuckle as Eligo completes the enchantment and his magic takes hold. “Neat trick. Ready, Meili?” He looks over at Meili, or where she was, and chuckles again when he realizes he can’t see her. “Alrighty, then. I guess we are off.” Mica slips off toward the guard post, moving slowly and carefully, and tries to get into position to see in the open door of the building.
Stealth: 15.
Perception: 21.
.
Meili curiously watched as her form faded into nothingness. She nodded in response to Mica’s question, then remembered he couldn’t see her. "I’ll check the roof and join you by the door".
Then she touched Eligos shoulder attracting his attention: "Can I fly?"
If he confirmed it wouldn’t disrupt the illusion, she would test her "wings" and ascend into the rain-soaked night to scout the rooftop. If not, she silently followed Mica to the door.
Stealth: 25
Perception: 7
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Eligos sighs. "I really wouldn't know. It depends on the function of the magical item you possess. It its activation is the same as casting a spell, then it's magic could disrupt mine. This really would have been a good question to ask before I cast the spell."
Nalomanterys steps in. "If I may... from my own observations of your use of that cloak, I would venture that its use would not cause you any difficulties. I'm quite certain of it, in fact."
Giving the cloak a test, Meili confirms that she is able to alight off of the ground while remaining cloaked by the spell.
Mica:
You step quietly through the rain until you reach the partially open door. Peering inside, you see a narrow stone hallway lit with torches. It seems to run almost all the way down this side of the building before ending at a closed wooden door. There is a long slick of mud in the hall near the entrance, where guards have been wiping their boots off on the rough stone of the floor.
Meili:
You land in the middle of the roof, unnoticed. To either side of you is a guard... one watching in towards the ruins where your friends are hidden, the other watching the path down from the cliffs above.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Mica hesitates slightly, then slips through the open door, avoiding the mud slick in order to prevent leaving tracks and creeping down the hallway, hoping to listen by the door at the end to see if he can hear anything from the room beyond.
How did those guards get to the roof? Meili looked around for a door leading inside the house. If it turns out the guards climbed up by some ladder, she would get down, to check for any backdoors. Should there be none, she would join Mica going through the only entrance.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Mica:
The door at the end of the hall is tightly closed and you cannot hear anything beyond. But walking down the hall itself, you see that the interior wall is full of arrow slits and murder holes. Peeking through, you can see a large room in the middle of the building. A pair of lanterns provide light. Two mercenaries are seated on a stone bench playing cards, while another sleeps on a mat of dry straw in the corner. You can see a couple of closed doors leading to this room, but neither is the door at the end of your hall.
Meili:
You can't see any ladders on the roof, but there is conspicuous layer of palm fronds in a square shape near the center of the roof. They could be covering up a hole or hatch.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Meili hovered over the suspicious patch of palm fronds, puzzled. Why bother hiding the hatch if the guards used it to come and go? Did they uncover it at the start of their shift, or was the next shift expected to awkwardly clamber through the leaves? The thought almost made her chuckle, but now wasn’t the time for distractions.
Since uncovering the hatch would be neither quiet nor subtle, she decided against investigating further. With careful and as silent as possible movements, she descended from the roof on the wet ground below to regroup with Mica.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice