Not hearing a reassuring answer from Raist, Neya shifts away from the forgery plan. That doesn't mean that she is ready to give up on the covert ops. Plucking a bit of her own magic, the monk shares some of her shadow arts with the rest of CRAP. For the next hour, CRAP's approach should be near impossible to be notice.
(OOC: Looking at the image above in post#468, how would you the party like to approach King's Pyre?)
After some time Doozey eventually falls back to the group and gives his analysis of the terrain, including their possible pitfalls. "So long as we don't come under fire, me and Biscuit can scale the cliffside easily enough. Heck, maybe... Ms. Neya too fer that matter. But somethin' tells me the same wouldn't quite be the case fer Raist here, or you fer that matter, Mr. Utar. Shame too consider'n I think I spotted a potential look out post. Hard to be sure from this angle, but there's that rope extending off the shoulder that suggest as much."
"Either way, those campsites aren't just for show. Can't give an exact number 'cause of the waterfall noise, but consider'n I could hear'em at all -- sharp tho' my ears certainly are -- it still suggests we got plenty of folk down there to worry about." He explains, furrowing his brows a bit on the end point. "If... I-If we can get inside the caves, as I suspect there's a tunnel system in place hereabout, we can probably mitigate there numbers a bit. So with that in mind, and if ya'll don't mind risking it for the biscuit, Raist here can tie himself to Biscuit and altogether we can scale down by that first waterfall to that cave entrance to the left of it. The noise of the falls should cover up most things, and its a short enough distance that any accidents shouldn't be too bad. Fer a second option I'd say we just take the path. They'll be watching it some degree or another, but aughta be able to use the scrubs and trees to our advantage along with the sea fog well enough to get close... That said, as a third one, well... we wait till night fall to approach. Though problem then becomes -- now that we know they're gathered here already -- ain't no telling how long it'll take fer them to reach an agreement or things to blow in their faces on its own."
Doozey places a hand over his heart and adds, "Me personally, I'm all for option one. But if ya'll think that's a bit too risky, then I'll defer to ya."
(OOC: Both Doozey and Biscuit have climb speed for the record)
"Tell me where you want to climb. I can Sebastian to look at it. And once you two are up I can get Utar and myself there" he pauses. "As long as the distance isn't over 500ft"
The sneaking plan begins to take shape. Doozey lays out a few options and, with Neya's agreement, seems to prefers the one calling for the team to scale down by that first waterfall and into the cave entrance to the left of it.
Raist doesn't cast a vote for any of the plans directly, but amends any that involves climbing. The elf prefers to maintain his dignity and make use of his spells to achieve the same result instead of tying himself to Biscuit. Utar is also invited to keep his dignity in this way.
(OOC: To clarify, "first waterfall" refers to the one on the left in the illustration, correct?)
Both Doozey and Biscuit share a look before regarding the group again and giving a shrug. "It ain't seems so far, so you should be fine Raist. Though I halfway figured you'd want to perserve yer strength 'n all that." He frankly admits. "But aight, uhh... Let's get going. Oh! Actually, uhh, if any of ya'll got any last-minute preparations ya wanna do, now would be the time. 'cause once we're down there there ain't no telling if there'll be time fer it later." In the wake of the warning Doozey traces a sigil of his heart while uttering a sylvan word of power. The sigil briefly flares to life as a faint orange glow before vanishing altogether. For a moment afterwards, the halfling looked almost sad, as if he'd lost something important or was remembering a loss.
But then he shook his head and carried on closer to the cliffside with Biscuit at his side. Except as Biscuit is making his way over, he appeared to shake off a layer of dust, revealing in the aftermath a more lupine form made of vines and wood. The latter of which sprouts from his head as antlers that he proudly displays for a moment before picking up the pace to the cliff side. At which point his limbs and "paws" appear to almost rearrange themselves to better handle the climb down to the next ledge alongside Biscuit.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
As Neya approaches the cliffside, the muting energy around her feet appears to get more solid, as if trying to anchor her to the bare rock for the climb (using acrobatic movement)
While you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the movement.
Once agreement is reached, the CRAPers move silently to their desired entry point. The approach takes some time, but the party uses the dense woodland to their advantage and you soon come to the realization that no sentries were left atop the cliff.
As Doozey, Biscuit, and Neya prepare to scale/run down to the next ledge, the halfling hunter catches something out of the corner of his eye (passive perception). Just a few steps behind him, Utar also notices what caught Doozey's attention: a humanoid body is lashed to a tree just at the top of the path leading down, west of where the party is currently.
-> Will you investigate or are you ready to climb down?
Utar begins to move towards the body lashed to the tree regardless of what the others do. Slightly concerned about traps, he edges forward slowly, watching his step.
Doozey hung back with sling in hand and would watch and listen from a distance. So too had Biscuit... that is, so too would the fey-touched mastiff stood by listen he'd frightened a potentially only half-conscious but bound figure the rest of the way into Kelemvor's embrace.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Despite noticing it first, Doozey elects to stay back and provide cover for Utar in case any risk materializes. The Tormite himself only approaches slowly and carefully. Raist and Neya notice what is happening once Utar starts moving and join him for both protection and the investigation itself.
@Utar (perception): Your careful approach pays off. It grants you enough time to study your surroundings and confirm the absence of any obvious traps. You are encouraged by this and can approach the corpse safely.
@Neya (perception): Keeping an eye out in case Utar has missed anything in the body's vicinity, you find relief in spotting and hearing only small woodland creatures nearby.
@Raist (perception): The noise of the nearby waterfall commands most of your sensory attention but, even so, you spot nothing that looks immediately dangerous nearby.
@Neya (medicine): The dead human is lashed to a tree near the top of the slope. His white cloak hangs in tatters, and his armor is torn asunder. There are bite marks around the body, some delivered while he was still alive. The words “GO HOM” are carved into his bare chest. You suspect his killers strung him up as a warning to others.
@Utar (investigation): By the dead human's armor and attire, he strikes you as being a fellow cleric. A destroyed deity symbol on his tattered cloak can still be partially seen: it resembles a gauntlet-ed hand, though something is different about it. A pocket in his under-armor vestments is exposed, and a crumpled note just barely pokes out it.
Utar reaches in and gently takes the note out of the man's pocket. Unfurling it, he looks to see if it is in a language he can read. Should it not be, or once he has read it, he will hand it off to Raist as the group's resident scholar.
Picking up the tatters of the human's cloak, he tries to get a better view of the symbol to better identify the man's allegiance.
Utar reaches for the note, plucks it out of its previous owner's pocket, and reads it. He then passes the note around.
(OOC: Everyone is welcome to read the note in the spoiler below. If you'd like a reminder on the name signed on the note, please roll a history check.)
(OOC:Huzzah for taking notes, as I /did/ recognize the name! Well, the last name anyhow)
Seeing Utar's and by extension the others interest in something he found, Doozey bade Biscuit to keep back but stay on watch, before then making his way closer to examine the note himself. Though if only given the cliff note version of it, the stoutling's eyes immediately go wide. "Now hold on a minute? Xerkstill? Wasn't, uhh... didn't Villie's handler went by that same last name?"He asked the others. And yet, hardly had a moment or two passed before a dawning realization had the stoutling whipping his head around and face the cliff, growling and uttering the words through clenched teeth, "If that's Xerkstill... If they've taken her...!" Soon after the sounds of joints popping and flesh stretching and tearing can be heard emanating from the visibly shaking halfling... well on his way to transforming, as Neya and Utar well knows.
All the while Doozey could swear as his blood surged and roared past his ear three words that started off quietly, but with each repetition grew louder... and louder...
(OOC: And just because I couldn't resist, this is what Doozey is starting to hear...)
Not hearing a reassuring answer from Raist, Neya shifts away from the forgery plan. That doesn't mean that she is ready to give up on the covert ops. Plucking a bit of her own magic, the monk shares some of her shadow arts with the rest of CRAP. For the next hour, CRAP's approach should be near impossible to be notice.
(OOC: Looking at the image above in post#468, how would you the party like to approach King's Pyre?)
After some time Doozey eventually falls back to the group and gives his analysis of the terrain, including their possible pitfalls. "So long as we don't come under fire, me and Biscuit can scale the cliffside easily enough. Heck, maybe... Ms. Neya too fer that matter. But somethin' tells me the same wouldn't quite be the case fer Raist here, or you fer that matter, Mr. Utar. Shame too consider'n I think I spotted a potential look out post. Hard to be sure from this angle, but there's that rope extending off the shoulder that suggest as much."
"Either way, those campsites aren't just for show. Can't give an exact number 'cause of the waterfall noise, but consider'n I could hear'em at all -- sharp tho' my ears certainly are -- it still suggests we got plenty of folk down there to worry about." He explains, furrowing his brows a bit on the end point. "If... I-If we can get inside the caves, as I suspect there's a tunnel system in place hereabout, we can probably mitigate there numbers a bit. So with that in mind, and if ya'll don't mind risking it for the biscuit, Raist here can tie himself to Biscuit and altogether we can scale down by that first waterfall to that cave entrance to the left of it. The noise of the falls should cover up most things, and its a short enough distance that any accidents shouldn't be too bad. Fer a second option I'd say we just take the path. They'll be watching it some degree or another, but aughta be able to use the scrubs and trees to our advantage along with the sea fog well enough to get close... That said, as a third one, well... we wait till night fall to approach. Though problem then becomes -- now that we know they're gathered here already -- ain't no telling how long it'll take fer them to reach an agreement or things to blow in their faces on its own."
Doozey places a hand over his heart and adds, "Me personally, I'm all for option one. But if ya'll think that's a bit too risky, then I'll defer to ya."
(OOC: Both Doozey and Biscuit have climb speed for the record)
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"Tell me where you want to climb. I can Sebastian to look at it. And once you two are up I can get Utar and myself there" he pauses. "As long as the distance isn't over 500ft"
Laissez les bons temps rouler
"I won't have much of a problem scaling the cliffs. I will go along with the first option."
Extended Signature
The sneaking plan begins to take shape. Doozey lays out a few options and, with Neya's agreement, seems to prefers the one calling for the team to scale down by that first waterfall and into the cave entrance to the left of it.
Raist doesn't cast a vote for any of the plans directly, but amends any that involves climbing. The elf prefers to maintain his dignity and make use of his spells to achieve the same result instead of tying himself to Biscuit. Utar is also invited to keep his dignity in this way.
(OOC: To clarify, "first waterfall" refers to the one on the left in the illustration, correct?)
"Okay then, two teams to scale the cliffs. I'll stick with Raist while you three go ahead."
Both Doozey and Biscuit share a look before regarding the group again and giving a shrug. "It ain't seems so far, so you should be fine Raist. Though I halfway figured you'd want to perserve yer strength 'n all that." He frankly admits. "But aight, uhh... Let's get going. Oh! Actually, uhh, if any of ya'll got any last-minute preparations ya wanna do, now would be the time. 'cause once we're down there there ain't no telling if there'll be time fer it later." In the wake of the warning Doozey traces a sigil of his heart while uttering a sylvan word of power. The sigil briefly flares to life as a faint orange glow before vanishing altogether. For a moment afterwards, the halfling looked almost sad, as if he'd lost something important or was remembering a loss.
But then he shook his head and carried on closer to the cliffside with Biscuit at his side. Except as Biscuit is making his way over, he appeared to shake off a layer of dust, revealing in the aftermath a more lupine form made of vines and wood. The latter of which sprouts from his head as antlers that he proudly displays for a moment before picking up the pace to the cliff side. At which point his limbs and "paws" appear to almost rearrange themselves to better handle the climb down to the next ledge alongside Biscuit.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
As Neya approaches the cliffside, the muting energy around her feet appears to get more solid, as if trying to anchor her to the bare rock for the climb (using acrobatic movement)
While you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a Shield, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on your turn without falling during the movement.
Extended Signature
Once agreement is reached, the CRAPers move silently to their desired entry point. The approach takes some time, but the party uses the dense woodland to their advantage and you soon come to the realization that no sentries were left atop the cliff.
As Doozey, Biscuit, and Neya prepare to scale/run down to the next ledge, the halfling hunter catches something out of the corner of his eye (passive perception). Just a few steps behind him, Utar also notices what caught Doozey's attention: a humanoid body is lashed to a tree just at the top of the path leading down, west of where the party is currently.
-> Will you investigate or are you ready to climb down?
Utar begins to move towards the body lashed to the tree regardless of what the others do. Slightly concerned about traps, he edges forward slowly, watching his step.
Perception - 6
Getting closer to the body, he stops himself from touching the body just yet, but tries to work out who the poor soul might once have been.
Investigation - 20
Raist stays relatively close to Utar.
Perception: 13
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Doozey hung back with sling in hand and would watch and listen from a distance. So too had Biscuit... that is, so too would the fey-touched mastiff stood by listen he'd frightened a potentially only half-conscious but bound figure the rest of the way into Kelemvor's embrace.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya is curious about this bound figure. She approaches them cautiously, keeping an eye out in case it's an ambush.
Perception: 22 (16)
In the case it's not, she will approach and try to assess in what physical state they're in.
Medicine: 16 (nat 1, 9)
(Using Tactical mind to add to this result 2)
Extended Signature
Medicine re-roll (care-of Doozey, doing it here to avoid manip malarkey): 12
Extended Signature
Despite noticing it first, Doozey elects to stay back and provide cover for Utar in case any risk materializes. The Tormite himself only approaches slowly and carefully. Raist and Neya notice what is happening once Utar starts moving and join him for both protection and the investigation itself.
@Utar (perception): Your careful approach pays off. It grants you enough time to study your surroundings and confirm the absence of any obvious traps. You are encouraged by this and can approach the corpse safely.
@Neya (perception): Keeping an eye out in case Utar has missed anything in the body's vicinity, you find relief in spotting and hearing only small woodland creatures nearby.
@Raist (perception): The noise of the nearby waterfall commands most of your sensory attention but, even so, you spot nothing that looks immediately dangerous nearby.
@Neya (medicine): The dead human is lashed to a tree near the top of the slope. His white cloak hangs in tatters, and his armor is torn asunder. There are bite marks around the body, some delivered while he was still alive. The words “GO HOM” are carved into his bare chest. You suspect his killers strung him up as a warning to others.
@Utar (investigation): By the dead human's armor and attire, he strikes you as being a fellow cleric. A destroyed deity symbol on his tattered cloak can still be partially seen: it resembles a gauntlet-ed hand, though something is different about it. A pocket in his under-armor vestments is exposed, and a crumpled note just barely pokes out it.
Utar reaches in and gently takes the note out of the man's pocket. Unfurling it, he looks to see if it is in a language he can read. Should it not be, or once he has read it, he will hand it off to Raist as the group's resident scholar.
Picking up the tatters of the human's cloak, he tries to get a better view of the symbol to better identify the man's allegiance.
(@MB: Please give me a religion check.)
Utar reaches for the note, plucks it out of its previous owner's pocket, and reads it. He then passes the note around.
(OOC: Everyone is welcome to read the note in the spoiler below. If you'd like a reminder on the name signed on the note, please roll a history check.)
Neya History: 13
(Tactical Mind roll, if needed: 7)
Extended Signature
(OOC:Huzzah for taking notes, as I /did/ recognize the name! Well, the last name anyhow)
Seeing Utar's and by extension the others interest in something he found, Doozey bade Biscuit to keep back but stay on watch, before then making his way closer to examine the note himself. Though if only given the cliff note version of it, the stoutling's eyes immediately go wide. "Now hold on a minute? Xerkstill? Wasn't, uhh... didn't Villie's handler went by that same last name?" He asked the others. And yet, hardly had a moment or two passed before a dawning realization had the stoutling whipping his head around and face the cliff, growling and uttering the words through clenched teeth, "If that's Xerkstill... If they've taken her...!" Soon after the sounds of joints popping and flesh stretching and tearing can be heard emanating from the visibly shaking halfling... well on his way to transforming, as Neya and Utar well knows.
All the while Doozey could swear as his blood surged and roared past his ear three words that started off quietly, but with each repetition grew louder... and louder...
(OOC: And just because I couldn't resist, this is what Doozey is starting to hear...)
-Doozey History: 18. (if still needed)
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Religion - 23