As they approach the hole with the information provided by the goblin, Aidwyn not really trust the little pest. She keeps an eye on him the entire time, knowing that if there is a better chance for him to gain anything by slitting their throats the ‘poor’ guy will gladly take it. As they discuss their options she just adds
”Injust hope that the means we are looking for are not this Zhentarim. I have no simpathies for them but they are resourceful or so I’be heard.
Once she is down the hole she takes out her sword and shield and waits
(OOC: Great, but roll for Athletics -wtih advantage - to climb down the hole)
Using the two candles offered by Spira, Roxana and Obadiah proceed down the natural tunnel, while the others hang back a little.
(OOC: Roxana, since you are ahead, with Obadiah, I need a Stealth check and a Perception check, please. Plus, Obadia and Roxana, I'd loke to knopw: which hand do you hold the candle in? And what do you hold in the other hand - if you hold anything, of course? Be patient, I'm a curious woman 😉)
Anyway, the tunnel proceeds almost always in the general direction of the 'beatiful den', for at least 200'. After that, the passage turns sharply to the right and, after only another 30', to the left again.
After this last sharp turn, the passage ends after 10'.
Since most of the party is behind, for now only Obadiah and Roxana can see what is here, in the 10' zone after the last sharp turn.
For Obadiah and Roxana:
This 10' zone has some large collapsed blocks on the ground, under which fragments of the chitinous exoskeleton of a gigantic insectoid can be seen.
The blocks must have fallen from above, because the ceiling of the natural tunnel is not there in these 10' - it must have collapsed on the insectoid together with the blocks, leaving empty space.
So, the only way forward would seem... by climbing up.
The white-haired warrior stops and listens for any sounds from above. Perception: 23
(Obadiah would hold the lit candle in his left hand, ready to draw a weapon with his right.)
For Obadiah:
In fact, two muffled voices can be heard from above: "And what did you do to him, then, to the one who owed you 4 copper pieces?" "At the start, I kicked him a little, to encourage him, you know how it is..." "Indeed! Most times, it works..." "But with him, this didn't. He persisted in saying that he had lost his job, that he didn't have them, that he had to feed his son..." "Yes, I know... they always say that..." "So I told him that I would solve two problems in a single move, the debt and the son: I would take his son from him to sell him as a slave!" "That's a good one!" small stifled laugh "I'll try to remember it, it could come in handy, sooner or later..."
The two gentlemen must not have moved from their positions, because the voices have always maintained the same general volume...
As Spira waits for news from the advance guard, she loosens her vestments and slowly begins to ease them off in case she needs to act suddenly. If there is any sign that this will make noise, though, she stops and eases back into a ready posture. She is standing midway between the characters in front and behind, but a little closer to the front, and certainly no farther than a lowered voice would be clearly understandable. Once the vestments are off, she looks at Obadiah and Roxana to see if they are signaling anything to the group. Her only break in this attention is to go over in her mind the gestures and chants she would need to use to send a bolt of Angharradh's moonlight against their foes and mark them with its dim glimmer.
===========================
OOC: readying guiding bolt; if / when she needs to cast it, she will assess whether it risks giving us away to more distant foes. Text of the spell describes a flash of light as ranged spell attack, but then only a dim glittering light to outline the target until start of next turn [grants advantage on attacks against them until then] ). If guiding bolt would be too dangerous to cast, her backup plan is bless on whoever of the advance guard is closer to her at the time ... all this assuming that there's anything out there to fight
(Roxana Perception: 9, Stealth: 11: Roxana would hold the candle in her left hand. Other is empty but ready to draw a weapon if needed))
Roxana becomes aware of some noise that makes her suspect of the sentinels before Obadiah stops for listening.
For Roxana:
You are pretty sure there are people chatting, above. Listening for a while, you get the impression there are 2 of them, but you don't understand what they say exactly, voices are too muffled.
The white-haired warrior has a look of deep disappointment as he turns to quietly adress the others. "There are zhents guarding this way too, we must go back." It would simply be suicidal to climb up there now. The plan to use the secret entrance had seemed sound but somehow the zhents had found it and now it all seemed hopeless. He even considered abandoning all hopes of retrieving the means, they would simply not be able to take on more than double their numbers without some other significant advantage.
As they approach the hole with the information provided by the goblin, Aidwyn not really trust the little pest. She keeps an eye on him the entire time, knowing that if there is a better chance for him to gain anything by slitting their throats the ‘poor’ guy will gladly take it. As they discuss their options she just adds
”Injust hope that the means we are looking for are not this Zhentarim. I have no simpathies for them but they are resourceful or so I’be heard.
Once she is down the hole she takes out her sword and shield and waits
(OOC: Great, but roll for Athletics -wtih advantage - to climb down the hole)
As they approach the hole with the information provided by the goblin, Aidwyn not really trust the little pest. She keeps an eye on him the entire time, knowing that if there is a better chance for him to gain anything by slitting their throats the ‘poor’ guy will gladly take it. As they discuss their options she just adds
”Injust hope that the means we are looking for are not this Zhentarim. I have no simpathies for them but they are resourceful or so I’be heard.
Once she is down the hole she takes out her sword and shield and waits
(OOC: Great, but roll for Athletics -wtih advantage - to climb down the hole)
The white-haired warrior has a look of deep disappointment as he turns to quietly adress the others. "There are zhents guarding this way too, we must go back." It would simply be suicidal to climb up there now. The plan to use the secret entrance had seemed sound but somehow the zhents had found it and now it all seemed hopeless. He even considered abandoning all hopes of retrieving the means, they would simply not be able to take on more than double their numbers without some other significant advantage.
Roxana follows Obadiah back to the tunnel entrance. She speaks in a very quiet whisper to him. "I heard voices. Could you see them?"
Leaning in to join the conversation, Spira whispers, "Well, there are only two entrances, and Wumgu clearly marked the main one as being guarded. That's where they would expect an attack being more likely. We could still catch them by surprise if we take this group out quietly enough ... or at worst, we'll have even odds and the advantage of surprise until the rest of the Zhents come running to the sound of battle. If we're any kind of heroes we should be able to have the first group down by that point and be ready to pick off the rest from the mouth of that nice windy tunnel you guys peeked at them from. And if we're no kind of heroes we shouldn't have taken the job in the first place." She turns to address Roxana in particular. "Were you able to pick up anything they said, or even what language they were talking?"
As she speaks, she nocks a crossbow bolt, making it clear she is ready to back up her words with action and follow through on the plan she has just outlined
Well, this time write it to all, because I assume Roxana will answer: she has not been able to pick up what they said, but the language sounded like Common.
As the team is assembled Obadiah quietly continues to explain the situation. "There are at least two zhents standing guard at the top of a shaft, we would have to climb up to fight them and they would be waiting for us up there, there's simply no chance of us taking them out before they can alert the others, if they even have to do that with such an obvious advantage, fighting us as we try to climb up there. It is suicidal going up that shaft and while I might value my life less than the rest of you I'm not quite suicidal yet." The white-haired warrior then shakes his head and slumps against a wall with a resigned sigh.
"I can throw and axe to one of them, hoping to catch him before he can go screaming for help but... once again... are we sure we want to do this? what if the zhentarim are the ones that can help Lady Martha? Don't look at me like that, I can come from a backwater village but even us have heard of their reputation... but we don't really know what are we looking here, right? Maybe they came looking for the very same thing than us, or they are what we need to find... I do not know... but I will go with whatever you decide... " says Adiwyn making her hand axxe spin on her hand.
Spira frowns, thinking. "Them being at the top of a shaft certainly complicates things; And I admit it might turn out that we need these Zhentarim somehow. Two thoughts, then, based on this new information. We could go back to Rash's idea of drawing out a few at a time, but do it here; make some kind of noise that the Zhent guards at the top of the shaft won't be certain enough to sound the alarm immediately, but they're going to want to climb down and check it out. Then if we can ambush each group as they come down to investigate, we won't ever have to fight the whole band at once. That's if we decide to go ahead and attack. We could also spy on them from afar to learn if anyone comes to meet them here for business, and if it was likely the more glib-tongued among us could pretend to be more clients and infiltrate them that way ... if we can spare the time. The prophecy said we only had a few days."
=========================
EDIT: After a moment of consideration, she adds: "I also would think that whatever we are looking for has something to do with magic. When I pray to Angharradh for my spells at our next resting time, I will ask Her again to grant me the one that lets me see all magic within thirty feet as if it were outlined by Her holy light. She bade ne keep to battle prayers as long as we were on the road, but I trust She will see this other as useful now."
"Could you actually see anyone?" Roxana asks Obadiah. She then turns to Spira. "It's not a shaft. The creature that created the tunnel must have broken through some stone blocks, which must have fallen down into the passage. We'd have to climb them to get where we heard voices."
Rash considers the situation... of course this couldn't be easy.
"Well, on the bright side... we have a natural bottleneck here even if the entire gang tries to rush us," he says. "Unfortunately, I doubt that they're dumb enough to actually come running down the tunnel at us single-file after a couple of them get blasted and they'll probably hunker down to force us to come to them. Though I do wonder... is it possible we could smoke them out?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
(OOC: Great, but roll for Athletics -wtih advantage - to climb down the hole)
Using the two candles offered by Spira, Roxana and Obadiah proceed down the natural tunnel, while the others hang back a little.
(OOC: Roxana, since you are ahead, with Obadiah, I need a Stealth check and a Perception check, please. Plus, Obadia and Roxana, I'd loke to knopw: which hand do you hold the candle in? And what do you hold in the other hand - if you hold anything, of course? Be patient, I'm a curious woman 😉)
Anyway, the tunnel proceeds almost always in the general direction of the 'beatiful den', for at least 200'. After that, the passage turns sharply to the right and, after only another 30', to the left again.
After this last sharp turn, the passage ends after 10'.
Since most of the party is behind, for now only Obadiah and Roxana can see what is here, in the 10' zone after the last sharp turn.
For Obadiah and Roxana:
This 10' zone has some large collapsed blocks on the ground, under which fragments of the chitinous exoskeleton of a gigantic insectoid can be seen.
The blocks must have fallen from above, because the ceiling of the natural tunnel is not there in these 10' - it must have collapsed on the insectoid together with the blocks, leaving empty space.
So, the only way forward would seem... by climbing up.
The white-haired warrior stops and listens for any sounds from above.
Perception: 18
(Obadiah would hold the lit candle in his left hand, ready to draw a weapon with his right.)
For Obadiah:
In fact, two muffled voices can be heard from above:
"And what did you do to him, then, to the one who owed you 4 copper pieces?"
"At the start, I kicked him a little, to encourage him, you know how it is..."
"Indeed! Most times, it works..."
"But with him, this didn't. He persisted in saying that he had lost his job, that he didn't have them, that he had to feed his son..."
"Yes, I know... they always say that..."
"So I told him that I would solve two problems in a single move, the debt and the son: I would take his son from him to sell him as a slave!"
"That's a good one!" small stifled laugh "I'll try to remember it, it could come in handy, sooner or later..."
The two gentlemen must not have moved from their positions, because the voices have always maintained the same general volume...
As Spira waits for news from the advance guard, she loosens her vestments and slowly begins to ease them off in case she needs to act suddenly. If there is any sign that this will make noise, though, she stops and eases back into a ready posture. She is standing midway between the characters in front and behind, but a little closer to the front, and certainly no farther than a lowered voice would be clearly understandable. Once the vestments are off, she looks at Obadiah and Roxana to see if they are signaling anything to the group. Her only break in this attention is to go over in her mind the gestures and chants she would need to use to send a bolt of Angharradh's moonlight against their foes and mark them with its dim glimmer.
===========================
OOC: readying guiding bolt; if / when she needs to cast it, she will assess whether it risks giving us away to more distant foes. Text of the spell describes a flash of light as ranged spell attack, but then only a dim glittering light to outline the target until start of next turn [grants advantage on attacks against them until then] ). If guiding bolt would be too dangerous to cast, her backup plan is bless on whoever of the advance guard is closer to her at the time ... all this assuming that there's anything out there to fight
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
(Roxana Perception: 9, Stealth: 11: Roxana would hold the candle in her left hand. Other is empty but ready to draw a weapon if needed))
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Roxana becomes aware of some noise that makes her suspect of the sentinels before Obadiah stops for listening.
For Roxana:
You are pretty sure there are people chatting, above. Listening for a while, you get the impression there are 2 of them, but you don't understand what they say exactly, voices are too muffled.
The white-haired warrior has a look of deep disappointment as he turns to quietly adress the others. "There are zhents guarding this way too, we must go back." It would simply be suicidal to climb up there now. The plan to use the secret entrance had seemed sound but somehow the zhents had found it and now it all seemed hopeless. He even considered abandoning all hopes of retrieving the means, they would simply not be able to take on more than double their numbers without some other significant advantage.
(OOC: Sorry! 19 in game log)
PbP Character: A few ;)
Aidwyn waits for the others to signal that they are clear to follow them.
PbP Character: A few ;)
(OOC: ok, you had no problem coming down)
Rash waits with baited breathe for the all-clear signal...
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!
Roxana follows Obadiah back to the tunnel entrance. She speaks in a very quiet whisper to him. "I heard voices. Could you see them?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Leaning in to join the conversation, Spira whispers, "Well, there are only two entrances, and Wumgu clearly marked the main one as being guarded. That's where they would expect an attack being more likely. We could still catch them by surprise if we take this group out quietly enough ... or at worst, we'll have even odds and the advantage of surprise until the rest of the Zhents come running to the sound of battle. If we're any kind of heroes we should be able to have the first group down by that point and be ready to pick off the rest from the mouth of that nice windy tunnel you guys peeked at them from. And if we're no kind of heroes we shouldn't have taken the job in the first place." She turns to address Roxana in particular. "Were you able to pick up anything they said, or even what language they were talking?"
As she speaks, she nocks a crossbow bolt, making it clear she is ready to back up her words with action and follow through on the plan she has just outlined
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
Well, this time write it to all, because I assume Roxana will answer: she has not been able to pick up what they said, but the language sounded like Common.
As the team is assembled Obadiah quietly continues to explain the situation. "There are at least two zhents standing guard at the top of a shaft, we would have to climb up to fight them and they would be waiting for us up there, there's simply no chance of us taking them out before they can alert the others, if they even have to do that with such an obvious advantage, fighting us as we try to climb up there. It is suicidal going up that shaft and while I might value my life less than the rest of you I'm not quite suicidal yet." The white-haired warrior then shakes his head and slumps against a wall with a resigned sigh.
"I can throw and axe to one of them, hoping to catch him before he can go screaming for help but... once again... are we sure we want to do this? what if the zhentarim are the ones that can help Lady Martha? Don't look at me like that, I can come from a backwater village but even us have heard of their reputation... but we don't really know what are we looking here, right? Maybe they came looking for the very same thing than us, or they are what we need to find... I do not know... but I will go with whatever you decide... " says Adiwyn making her hand axxe spin on her hand.
PbP Character: A few ;)
Spira frowns, thinking. "Them being at the top of a shaft certainly complicates things; And I admit it might turn out that we need these Zhentarim somehow. Two thoughts, then, based on this new information. We could go back to Rash's idea of drawing out a few at a time, but do it here; make some kind of noise that the Zhent guards at the top of the shaft won't be certain enough to sound the alarm immediately, but they're going to want to climb down and check it out. Then if we can ambush each group as they come down to investigate, we won't ever have to fight the whole band at once. That's if we decide to go ahead and attack. We could also spy on them from afar to learn if anyone comes to meet them here for business, and if it was likely the more glib-tongued among us could pretend to be more clients and infiltrate them that way ... if we can spare the time. The prophecy said we only had a few days."
=========================
EDIT: After a moment of consideration, she adds: "I also would think that whatever we are looking for has something to do with magic. When I pray to Angharradh for my spells at our next resting time, I will ask Her again to grant me the one that lets me see all magic within thirty feet as if it were outlined by Her holy light. She bade ne keep to battle prayers as long as we were on the road, but I trust She will see this other as useful now."
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
"Could you actually see anyone?" Roxana asks Obadiah. She then turns to Spira. "It's not a shaft. The creature that created the tunnel must have broken through some stone blocks, which must have fallen down into the passage. We'd have to climb them to get where we heard voices."
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Rash considers the situation... of course this couldn't be easy.
"Well, on the bright side... we have a natural bottleneck here even if the entire gang tries to rush us," he says. "Unfortunately, I doubt that they're dumb enough to actually come running down the tunnel at us single-file after a couple of them get blasted and they'll probably hunker down to force us to come to them. Though I do wonder... is it possible we could smoke them out?"
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Provide feedback!