(Are you all agreed to try the water route?)

(Does the river flow north or south? How wide is it?)

Kethra would nod, replacing her cloak with the tattered one found earlier. "I don't like the idea of attacking an armed fortification that we were just warned not to, but...I can create a distraction..."

She would explain that since they don't have horses and that its night time, she can light a torch on the downstream side of the Keep, out of longbow range. Then she'd leave it on the ground, using her 80 ft of movement to run away (Step of the Wind), then continue to Dash after that.

"If they don't see me, I'll circle back to you guys and join you for the attack with their attention somewhere else..."

Laughing nervously under her breath, Kethra would say, "If they do see me, I'll lead them on a merry chase. With any luck, they'll open the water gate, send a boat after me and you guys can catch them by surprise. If no boat, I'll try to lose them by crossing the river, beat up the ones who make it across, then meet with the rest of you."

(The river flows north, and it's wide enough that you wouldn't be able to easily cross it (we're talking at least 120 feet).)

Kethra is not seen, or if she is they don't seem to care.

(Should have been more clear about this—the water gate is a chain stretching between two of the walls to keep boats from entering—but it doesn't impede people swimming.)

Rubin would be ready to go in, swimming if needed, once the others are.

Quote from LordShadowthorn >>

(The river flows north, and it's wide enough that you wouldn't be able to easily cross it (we're talking at least 120 feet).)

Kethra is not seen, or if she is they don't seem to care.

(Should have been more clear about this—the water gate is a chain stretching between two of the walls to keep boats from entering—but it doesn't impede people swimming.)

(If the situation doesn't seem urgent, I'll meditate 30 minutes to recover my ki point.)

Catching up to the others, Kethra joins the others with a sheepish look. "Sorry, it looks like the fish aren't biting. Mr....Baker (Tyde) are you fine with swimming? Between you, I and The Baker, you're the only one who can see in the dark, right, Dwarf? Please keep an eye out for the guard and shoot him if he catches us."

(You wouldn’t have needed a little point to dash—you could do it as your action.)

Rubin can see in darkness as well, and is invisible to anyone else using darkvision to boot.

Please all roll stealth checks.  There's no time for anyone to help unless someone isn't hiding.

((Just as a brief update, the various home repairs are ongoing which has been extremely hectic, took time away from work and now I am playing catch up on work things while the home remains a construction zone.  Still not sure on my ETA of when I'll have time to return to regular posting, but the game is not forgotten, just extremely busy and stressed at the moment.  Again, apologies.  I don't want to slow progress of the game for everyone involved, so feel free to do whatever is needed for the story - bot my character, create a scenario where they are pulled away temporarily, whatever you feel is best to progress the game.  I am hopeful all this will pass and things will return to normal.))

Rubin stealth: 16

Kethra's stealth roll: 16

Not really one who knows how to swim stealthily, Kethra splashes a bit on the swim across the water gate.

(We'll wait a little longer for Damian and Jairus.  I'll roll for them if I have to.)

Davian stealth: 20

Jairus stealth: 18

Guard perception: 3 4

You hear a cough from the wall, and a voice barely carrying to you.

"Huh?  Is anyone there?  I swear I just saw someone in the water."

He doesn't appear to have fully noticed you.

Rubin would do the same, though he would be tensed for an alarm to be sounded.

Both embarrassed and hopped up on adrenaline, Kethra calls upon her training to manage to stay still, following Mr. Tyde's lead.

You all lie still in the water, hardly daring to breathe.  Eventually the sentry shrugs, and goes back to pacing the wall.

"Must have been the wind."

The keep’s eastern wall juts out into the river, forming a good-sized basin in which a couple of keelboats float. A wide gap in the southeast wall provides access to the river, although it is blocked by a heavy chain. A twenty-foot tall bluff of rock and earth separates the landing and a nearby tower from the rest of the castle grounds. To the north, a wide stream flows out of a cave mouth into the boat basin. An iron grate blocks access to the stream.

You see two sets of staircases ahead of you as you pull yourselves out of the water.  One leads up the bluff, and the other leads onto the walls.

Rubin pauses, looking to the others to see which stairs they wish to head up.

Kethra encourages the party to take cover by the keelboats, to hide their conversation away with the lapping of waves and the creaking of wood. "That's a really good plan, Mr. Tyde. We don't know how much is in here, but even if we do find ourselves being overwhelmed by numbers, it would narrow how many of them at a time can rush us at a time!"

"Rubin, can I count on you to take the lead with me? You've got eyes, then I can wrestle them down...or push them down the wall if it has to come to that, heh."

Quote from LordShadowthorn >>

The keep’s eastern wall juts out into the river, forming a good-sized basin in which a couple of keelboats float. A wide gap in the southeast wall provides access to the river, although it is blocked by a heavy chain.

Still using the natural noise of the boats and water as cover, she jams her shortsword into one of the boat's hull, making a hole. It's just above the water so that it won't leak unless people get in it.

"Just in case."