The sun fades as it falls below the mountains to the west and darkness creeps over the city. All the fires seem to have been put out but the torch light from the city is partially obscured by the smoke from the smoldering remains of buildings. The air grows cooler as time passes in conversation.
"I'll be honest, I'm a warrior and tactician. I hate all this political mess. I did check with Varian about ye as soon as you left to eat. Varian used some magic to reach out to some allies and they confirmed who you were so it was only then I decided to fully trust ye. It's part of the reason I didn't say anythin about Esterlin before, the other reason was I was narrowing down who the rat could be. Those 3 in the room wanted to accompany us on the debrief for Esterlin on top of already being the highest on my list." Baern says telepathically in a confessional manner before shifting tones. "Now, about finding the spy. As much as I like beating the hell out of a rat, at least one of these officers has fought alongside me for 20 years. I can't bare to think it's him but I have to put my pride aside and go with my head. I'd prefer no harm come to him if'n he ain't the spy so I like the idea of a spell that could narrow it down quickly. I don't care about how the interrogation is done, but I want to be the one to kill the bastard when all's said n done." He pauses waiting to find the right words and sighs.
"We're losing this war. Even with this victory and a handful of others we've been losing too much ground and too many people. Daegon or the Drekthar have figured out a way to turn the corpses left over after the battle into zombies on a massive scale. They seem to grow stronger while we can only get weaker. Every life of ours they take is another one added to theirs. If we can't figure out a way to stop it, we're all doomed. Still..." he says standing to his feet. "We've got a lot of bastards to kill before they get to us, starting with that rat. I'll have the three of em put in the brig for the night. You mind keeping watch over them with me? While I know it's one of those three officers I don't know how many subordinates they have under em and I can't trust any of the guards. I'll make sure the rest of the brig is cleared out then first thing in the mornin we'll nail em."
"We are far from doomed. Daegon is just another prick and he bleeds the same as all of us. I know because I've seen him bleed from my own arrow. We will assist in guarding them tonight. I only need four hours of rest so I can take an extra watch if needed. How many exits are there in the brig? We can station Valeera and one or more of the griffons by the exits for additional support." Aryn responds also standing to her feet and gathering her new things "Now let's head back before the rat gets smart and runs away."
“We haven’t lost yet! We’ll get to the bottom of this but we need to send our search parties for the thousands that escaped today. They’re still a threat especially to the local towns and villages. We might be able to give you one or two days here to aid in finding and eliminating them if you can promise us rapid transport to Esterlin.” Gaelin adds before gathering his things and mounting Valeera. “One thing at a time right? Let’s gather the three in the brig and get some rest.”
"The brig is on Jadrishar Island to the south. It has two exits. I think a dragon and griffons will serve as a fine deterrent for any suspicious activity. Let's go pick em up." Baern says telepathically. You each mount up and follow Mucor and Baern to the keep where you pick up all three officers who each protest slightly but appear more offended and confused since you give no reason for the pseudo-kidnapping. When you fly over the island and prepare to land, the protesting begins from all three. Baern sternly tells them all to shut it lest they be bound and gagged for the night which seems to work for the most part. Looking over the island from above you see multiple stone structures that Baern telepathically informs you are each holding facilities. Due to a few revolts and riots, Traes has separated prisoners into smaller structures that each hold 10 or less to reduce the risk of large scale riots.
You land at one of the buildings and you see the familiar small slits in place of windows and sturdy wooden doors reinforced with iron. The guards reluctantly relinquish their duties and transport the current prisoners out of the building to another facility. You place each officer in a cell of their own and the sneers and mumbled protests begin again. Baern shows you the second exit down a small hallway that ends at an iron banded door with a small window in the top middle with bars in between. Looking through you see a second solid iron banded door. You station Valeera and the griffons at each entrance and make yourselves as comfortable as you can and begin to rest.
(I will allow 2 insight checks from two different people and a perception check from each of you for your watch. If you take watch with another person you can choose to each roll or one person roll with advantage.)
(My Insight is +6. I am happy to make that roll, but I wanted to ask the group. If we want to approach narratively, Jinara would absolutely Insight these guys as often as possible! lol)
(OoC: I am afraid that the mole has a way to get out of sticky situation. Maybe a scroll or a ring or something that will allow him to teleport/dimension door/misty step in a pinch. Since Aryn only needs 4 hours of a trance, I propose that either myself or or Gaelin are on watch during her trance so we have the ability to Counterspell if he does have something like that.)
(OOC: Is Button with Mucor?) Also, Mucor has some pretty impressive perception(+9... my passive perception is 29) and insite is plus 5. Didn't know if I would be alone or with a friend or with button.
Would mucor be able to guidence himself before insite and perception checks?
(If we can get them all within one or two cells I can cast Tiny Hut and prevent them from teleporting out and keep others from coming in to save them.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(@Gaelin- Well aren't you a swiss army knife of surprises. Having them in one cell will make it easier to aim. I think it'd be good to have them in one cell and Gaelin in an adjacent one if possible so they can't get him.)
Aryn will search each of the officers thoroughly and remove everything short of their clothes. Then she would enter her restful trance immediately after they're done setting up then be on watch the remaining 4 hours in the morning. She'll have an arrow notched and her bow ready to pull back and release at the first motion that appears suspicious.
Investigation: 22 if adv 24 (will take as long as needed to search them. *que rubber gloves*)
(Jinara you can roll one and Mucor or Zinmaer can roll the other. @JInara- is Zinmaer alive/ okay?)
Gaelin will Help Aryn search the officers. Once they're searched he will direct them into a single cell, locking it and have the rest of the group & Baern walk into the adjacent cell while he ritual casts Tiny Hut. "You are free to walk in and out of the bubble now." he says telepathically to the group as the spell finishes. When anyone exits the bubble they see an opaque stone grey bubble. (Fitting the whole officer cell in and as much is needed to fit everyone else inside the bubble. I want to ensure there's no part of the officer's cell that they can exit the bubble.)
(Assuming Baern 's taking 1st watch) Gaelin will sleep for an hour then take the 2nd watch.
(@Mucor- Button is with Mucor and can aid in perception checks. Forgot to include him in the epic battle montage since he couldn't help much while you were a hundred feet in the air. You can't guidance yourself for watch perception checks during a long rest. You'd have to cast it every minute during your watch which would be a bit too much activity to qualify as rest. If you're making a general perception check for pretty much anything else you can definitely do it.)
(@Gaelin- I hate your bubble because Jinara was so on the money.)
With the help of Gaelin, Aryn successfully removes all weapons and objects from the officers who voice their displeasure but don't resist knowing they're quite outnumbered. As Gaelin finishes his stupid spell a large grey bubble forms within the prison between the two cells and into the hallway. (Cells are roughly 8x8.)
(Once all watch and insight checks are posted I'll post the remainder.)
(hahahahahahaha i freaking knew it! Typical Daegon minion move! @Gaelin- He is alive. I swear. We got back from our trip and he immediately started planning for an offline fantasy football draft that he is planning and commishing. I'll kick him into gear.)
Jinara would take first watch with Baern so everyone else can rest. He has a hunch that this mole is a bastard and he has him figured out (lol). He is going to stand as close as humanly possible outside the cage housing the soldiers glaring at each of them, flaring his eyes every so often, for signatures of Daegon to make themselves known. Once Gaelin wakes after his long rest, Jinara will take his rest.
@JInara- throughout the night all three officers have been upset. You can't tell if it's for damaged pride or for fear of being found out but all seem suspicious in their own way.
The first watch passes uneventful. An impatient Baern paces around quietly while Jinara glares at the officers who look back but eventually lie down. Baern sighs as he walks over and wakes Gaelin before heading off to sleep. Gaelin's watch is more of the same. The officers though unhappy have resigned to their situation and seem fast asleep. Mucor and Button play little games and Button sneaks over to each of the officers and tickles their ear with his root like arms. Their watch passes and Zinmaer takes his post watching intently his eyes passing from one officer to the next trying to notice the slightest shift or gesture, but sees nothing. Aryn exits her trance refreshed and renewed feeling sharper and stronger but focuses on the officers as she notches an arrow periodically pulling back aiming at a finger or toe.
The night passes and the first bits of sunlight creep through the small slits in the stone wall. You wake to find all three officers still in their cell and somewhat anxious, either from the thwarting of their plans or the rough night of sleep on the stone floor. You place each of them in an individual cell while you inform the griffons and Valeera to surround the building in case of an escape or rescue attempt. Doom Tail and Calypso take to the skies circling 60 feet above the structure while each of the others take a side.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(Sweet! Aryn had a great idea. Hopefully I explained it correctly.)
When Gaelin wakes up he'll immediately begin ritual casting Telepathic Bond on the group. Gaelin will have all three prisoners blindfolded with sacks over their heads and brought outside. He'll have Aryn, Zinmaer and Mucor mount up of their griffons then place each of the officers with them and have them bound together so they won't fall off. "Fly them around for 5 minutes. Spin, dive, climb and turn as much as you want. I want them completely disoriented for the next part." Gaelin says telepathically to the group then turns to Jinara & Baern and says telepathically, "We have five minutes to setup a new interrogation room. We need it to like we've moved them to a different location. We'll leave the blindfolds on and I'll cast my spell. If they resist I'll know and we can go from there."
If the group is okay with the idea we'll return the officers to the hallway between the cells and have them stand on chairs or some kind of box. The griffons and Valeera will still be stationed outside to watch but hopefully the rat won't be able to tell if their on a cliff, in a building or in the air. I'll calmly talk to them and say, "We're going to try this without bloodshed. I'm going to cast a spell and you will be unable to lie. If you try to resist this spell I will know and I can't guarantee your safety after that point. " Then I'll cast Zone of Truth. If any resist I'll let the group know immediately.
Persuasion: 32 Intimidation: 25 (Not sure which you would want)
(Jinara- I'll let you pick the setting we wanna go with and we can Prestidigitation up whatever we want... if Xtra allows it.)
(Thanks Gaelin, was busy last night and couldn't post. Pretty much sums my idea up. They can't bamf safely if they don't know where they are. ;) )
Aryn will take her officer through a grueling series of barrel rolls, dives and loops before finally coming back to the brig. Once all three are back together she'll pick the one on the left and stand behind it with an arrow notched and ready at the back of their head.
(OoC: hey guys. i want your opinion about my 7th lvl spell selection. Character background would lend me towards Fire Storm, but I do not know how useful that would be with the ability to upcast Fireball. It definitely plays into the battle mage concept, but there are tons of utility in some other spells that may prove useful. Sorcerers cannot switch spells at long rests like other classes. Here are some others that I can definitely see being useful as we progress. Crown of Stars , Plane Shift , Reverse Gravity )
(We are all awake now. both I and Gaelin can counterspell if they try to teleport magically.)
(@ Mucor: Do you know Hallucinatory Terrain? We can use that to change the scenery when the guards return. I know Detect Thoughts and can monitor one person's thoughts at a time while we interrogate them.)
(OOC: So I was considering taking regenerate at 7th level. I also do know Hallucinatory Terrain (Druids can prepare whatever they want lol) so as long as the immediate terrain around the officers is not real different from what we are trying to disguise the area as.. I think it would work. )
The sun fades as it falls below the mountains to the west and darkness creeps over the city. All the fires seem to have been put out but the torch light from the city is partially obscured by the smoke from the smoldering remains of buildings. The air grows cooler as time passes in conversation.
"I'll be honest, I'm a warrior and tactician. I hate all this political mess. I did check with Varian about ye as soon as you left to eat. Varian used some magic to reach out to some allies and they confirmed who you were so it was only then I decided to fully trust ye. It's part of the reason I didn't say anythin about Esterlin before, the other reason was I was narrowing down who the rat could be. Those 3 in the room wanted to accompany us on the debrief for Esterlin on top of already being the highest on my list." Baern says telepathically in a confessional manner before shifting tones. "Now, about finding the spy. As much as I like beating the hell out of a rat, at least one of these officers has fought alongside me for 20 years. I can't bare to think it's him but I have to put my pride aside and go with my head. I'd prefer no harm come to him if'n he ain't the spy so I like the idea of a spell that could narrow it down quickly. I don't care about how the interrogation is done, but I want to be the one to kill the bastard when all's said n done." He pauses waiting to find the right words and sighs.
"We're losing this war. Even with this victory and a handful of others we've been losing too much ground and too many people. Daegon or the Drekthar have figured out a way to turn the corpses left over after the battle into zombies on a massive scale. They seem to grow stronger while we can only get weaker. Every life of ours they take is another one added to theirs. If we can't figure out a way to stop it, we're all doomed. Still..." he says standing to his feet. "We've got a lot of bastards to kill before they get to us, starting with that rat. I'll have the three of em put in the brig for the night. You mind keeping watch over them with me? While I know it's one of those three officers I don't know how many subordinates they have under em and I can't trust any of the guards. I'll make sure the rest of the brig is cleared out then first thing in the mornin we'll nail em."
(@Gaelin- Aryns items: Dagger of Venom , Morric's Dagger , Armor of Vulnerability , Band of Brothers X3)
(OoO goodies. Still telepathic.)
"We are far from doomed. Daegon is just another prick and he bleeds the same as all of us. I know because I've seen him bleed from my own arrow. We will assist in guarding them tonight. I only need four hours of rest so I can take an extra watch if needed. How many exits are there in the brig? We can station Valeera and one or more of the griffons by the exits for additional support." Aryn responds also standing to her feet and gathering her new things "Now let's head back before the rat gets smart and runs away."
“We haven’t lost yet! We’ll get to the bottom of this but we need to send our search parties for the thousands that escaped today. They’re still a threat especially to the local towns and villages. We might be able to give you one or two days here to aid in finding and eliminating them if you can promise us rapid transport to Esterlin.” Gaelin adds before gathering his things and mounting Valeera. “One thing at a time right? Let’s gather the three in the brig and get some rest.”
"The brig is on Jadrishar Island to the south. It has two exits. I think a dragon and griffons will serve as a fine deterrent for any suspicious activity. Let's go pick em up." Baern says telepathically. You each mount up and follow Mucor and Baern to the keep where you pick up all three officers who each protest slightly but appear more offended and confused since you give no reason for the pseudo-kidnapping. When you fly over the island and prepare to land, the protesting begins from all three. Baern sternly tells them all to shut it lest they be bound and gagged for the night which seems to work for the most part. Looking over the island from above you see multiple stone structures that Baern telepathically informs you are each holding facilities. Due to a few revolts and riots, Traes has separated prisoners into smaller structures that each hold 10 or less to reduce the risk of large scale riots.
You land at one of the buildings and you see the familiar small slits in place of windows and sturdy wooden doors reinforced with iron. The guards reluctantly relinquish their duties and transport the current prisoners out of the building to another facility. You place each officer in a cell of their own and the sneers and mumbled protests begin again. Baern shows you the second exit down a small hallway that ends at an iron banded door with a small window in the top middle with bars in between. Looking through you see a second solid iron banded door. You station Valeera and the griffons at each entrance and make yourselves as comfortable as you can and begin to rest.
(I will allow 2 insight checks from two different people and a perception check from each of you for your watch. If you take watch with another person you can choose to each roll or one person roll with advantage.)
Baern perception: 21
(My Insight is +6. I am happy to make that roll, but I wanted to ask the group. If we want to approach narratively, Jinara would absolutely Insight these guys as often as possible! lol)
(OoC: I am afraid that the mole has a way to get out of sticky situation. Maybe a scroll or a ring or something that will allow him to teleport/dimension door/misty step in a pinch. Since Aryn only needs 4 hours of a trance, I propose that either myself or or Gaelin are on watch during her trance so we have the ability to Counterspell if he does have something like that.)
(OOC: Is Button with Mucor?)
Also, Mucor has some pretty impressive perception(+9... my passive perception is 29) and insite is plus 5. Didn't know if I would be alone or with a friend or with button.
Would mucor be able to guidence himself before insite and perception checks?
(If we can get them all within one or two cells I can cast Tiny Hut and prevent them from teleporting out and keep others from coming in to save them.)
(@Gaelin- Well aren't you a swiss army knife of surprises. Having them in one cell will make it easier to aim. I think it'd be good to have them in one cell and Gaelin in an adjacent one if possible so they can't get him.)
Aryn will search each of the officers thoroughly and remove everything short of their clothes. Then she would enter her restful trance immediately after they're done setting up then be on watch the remaining 4 hours in the morning. She'll have an arrow notched and her bow ready to pull back and release at the first motion that appears suspicious.
Investigation: 22 if adv 24 (will take as long as needed to search them. *que rubber gloves*)
Perception: 16
(Jinara you can roll one and Mucor or Zinmaer can roll the other. @JInara- is Zinmaer alive/ okay?)
Gaelin will Help Aryn search the officers. Once they're searched he will direct them into a single cell, locking it and have the rest of the group & Baern walk into the adjacent cell while he ritual casts Tiny Hut. "You are free to walk in and out of the bubble now." he says telepathically to the group as the spell finishes. When anyone exits the bubble they see an opaque stone grey bubble. (Fitting the whole officer cell in and as much is needed to fit everyone else inside the bubble. I want to ensure there's no part of the officer's cell that they can exit the bubble.)
(Assuming Baern 's taking 1st watch) Gaelin will sleep for an hour then take the 2nd watch.
Perception: 25 if adv from other person 22
With the help of Gaelin, Aryn successfully removes all weapons and objects from the officers who voice their displeasure but don't resist knowing they're quite outnumbered. As Gaelin finishes his stupid spell a large grey bubble forms within the prison between the two cells and into the hallway. (Cells are roughly 8x8.)
(Once all watch and insight checks are posted I'll post the remainder.)
(hahahahahahaha i freaking knew it! Typical Daegon minion move! @Gaelin- He is alive. I swear. We got back from our trip and he immediately started planning for an offline fantasy football draft that he is planning and commishing. I'll kick him into gear.)
Jinara would take first watch with Baern so everyone else can rest. He has a hunch that this mole is a bastard and he has him figured out (lol). He is going to stand as close as humanly possible outside the cage housing the soldiers glaring at each of them, flaring his eyes every so often, for signatures of Daegon to make themselves known. Once Gaelin wakes after his long rest, Jinara will take his rest.
Jinara Insight if everyone is cool me rolling; 12
Perception. 20
Button will help Mucor to keep watch... 24
So we are not waiting, bc i am not sure If he we post this week or not.
Zin's Insight 23
Zin's perception 23
Zin will trance with Aryn is not in her trance.
@JInara- throughout the night all three officers have been upset. You can't tell if it's for damaged pride or for fear of being found out but all seem suspicious in their own way.
The first watch passes uneventful. An impatient Baern paces around quietly while Jinara glares at the officers who look back but eventually lie down. Baern sighs as he walks over and wakes Gaelin before heading off to sleep. Gaelin's watch is more of the same. The officers though unhappy have resigned to their situation and seem fast asleep. Mucor and Button play little games and Button sneaks over to each of the officers and tickles their ear with his root like arms. Their watch passes and Zinmaer takes his post watching intently his eyes passing from one officer to the next trying to notice the slightest shift or gesture, but sees nothing. Aryn exits her trance refreshed and renewed feeling sharper and stronger but focuses on the officers as she notches an arrow periodically pulling back aiming at a finger or toe.
The night passes and the first bits of sunlight creep through the small slits in the stone wall. You wake to find all three officers still in their cell and somewhat anxious, either from the thwarting of their plans or the rough night of sleep on the stone floor. You place each of them in an individual cell while you inform the griffons and Valeera to surround the building in case of an escape or rescue attempt. Doom Tail and Calypso take to the skies circling 60 feet above the structure while each of the others take a side.
The day is yours. Welcome to Level 13!
(Sweet! Aryn had a great idea. Hopefully I explained it correctly.)
When Gaelin wakes up he'll immediately begin ritual casting Telepathic Bond on the group. Gaelin will have all three prisoners blindfolded with sacks over their heads and brought outside. He'll have Aryn, Zinmaer and Mucor mount up of their griffons then place each of the officers with them and have them bound together so they won't fall off. "Fly them around for 5 minutes. Spin, dive, climb and turn as much as you want. I want them completely disoriented for the next part." Gaelin says telepathically to the group then turns to Jinara & Baern and says telepathically, "We have five minutes to setup a new interrogation room. We need it to like we've moved them to a different location. We'll leave the blindfolds on and I'll cast my spell. If they resist I'll know and we can go from there."
If the group is okay with the idea we'll return the officers to the hallway between the cells and have them stand on chairs or some kind of box. The griffons and Valeera will still be stationed outside to watch but hopefully the rat won't be able to tell if their on a cliff, in a building or in the air. I'll calmly talk to them and say, "We're going to try this without bloodshed. I'm going to cast a spell and you will be unable to lie. If you try to resist this spell I will know and I can't guarantee your safety after that point. " Then I'll cast Zone of Truth. If any resist I'll let the group know immediately.
Persuasion: 32 Intimidation: 25 (Not sure which you would want)
(Jinara- I'll let you pick the setting we wanna go with and we can Prestidigitation up whatever we want... if Xtra allows it.)
(Thanks Gaelin, was busy last night and couldn't post. Pretty much sums my idea up. They can't bamf safely if they don't know where they are. ;) )
Aryn will take her officer through a grueling series of barrel rolls, dives and loops before finally coming back to the brig. Once all three are back together she'll pick the one on the left and stand behind it with an arrow notched and ready at the back of their head.
(Yay level 13! Great work guys!)
(OoC: hey guys. i want your opinion about my 7th lvl spell selection. Character background would lend me towards Fire Storm, but I do not know how useful that would be with the ability to upcast Fireball. It definitely plays into the battle mage concept, but there are tons of utility in some other spells that may prove useful. Sorcerers cannot switch spells at long rests like other classes. Here are some others that I can definitely see being useful as we progress. Crown of Stars , Plane Shift , Reverse Gravity )
(OOC can you do a zone of truth within the tiny hut? If you were worried about them teleporting last night.. why wouldn't they teleport now?)
(We are all awake now. both I and Gaelin can counterspell if they try to teleport magically.)
(@ Mucor: Do you know Hallucinatory Terrain? We can use that to change the scenery when the guards return. I know Detect Thoughts and can monitor one person's thoughts at a time while we interrogate them.)
(OOC: So I was considering taking regenerate at 7th level. I also do know Hallucinatory Terrain (Druids can prepare whatever they want lol) so as long as the immediate terrain around the officers is not real different from what we are trying to disguise the area as.. I think it would work. )