You have some free time today to explore the city, if you wish. (A map will be added to the campaign page). Athkatla is a city of spires and slums, minarets and markets, domes and dens (of thieves). Everywhere, there is buying and selling, street vendors hawking their wares, pickpockets plying their trade, and bustling crowds.
Those of you versed in Thieves' Cant notice in the graffiti and various cairns and markings on buildings that your immediate neighborhood is marked:
"Territory of the Red Salamanders"
But if you travel to other neighborhoods, other gang tags are evident.
(So, let's see, you were up all night, rested the next morning, teleported to Athkatla late that afternoon.)
In the evening, Spar gathers the teams together. "We welcome you, our brothers and sisters of the DCL, to Athkatla. There is much evil in this city, and it can easily feel overwhelming. We cannot solve every problem all at once, and some problems can only be solved by the people themselves, once they realize they hold the real power. So, we try to make surgical strikes, tipping the balance, rather than engage in all-out warfare. Team Three, for now you are only on temporary assignment. You may assist us in our current mission if you like, or you may explore the city, making contacts and learning the lay of the land. It is not forbidden for you to join the thieves' guild in order to gain contacts and intelligence, and similarly if you wish to join the Cowled Wizards as a spy, Jhaartael, that is within your discretion. Be careful though, the intrigues run deep in this city. And everyone is always suspicious, and rightly so.
"If you wish to participate in Team Two's current mission, we will have a briefing in 15 minutes in our conference room."
Jhaartael consider the suggestion briefly. A powerful group of wizards wielding likely greater control of the weave than I would be a nigh impossible thing to spy on. Perhaps better at this stage to not attract attention to myself and the team. We can thus discern the opposition to them and assist in resisting.
Outwardly, he nods to Spar's offer to join their mission and follows those doing the same to the conference room.
Kyrsa, ready to do anything to keep her mind off of the Farm and everything else that had happened, says, "Of course, we will do what we can to help you as long as we are here."
She follows Spar and Jhaarteal to the conference room.
Akyan considers Spar's suggestion. It may be good to join a thieves' guild, it has been a while since he's been a part of one, maybe it would help him regain some of his old confidence. Might not be a bad idea for both him and Tamryn to join a guild, Lydaran too for that matter. As he considers this he follows the others to the conference room.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Upon returning to the safe house, Tamryn also follows the twins on their tour, listening and smiling as the explain the rules of the house. Seeing the message comparing Elves and Dwarves, he waits til no one is looking, then scrawls a further message, mimicking the handwriting of the original note. (Stealth: 13; Performance: 14) “Elves are smart, Dwarves just fart”
When the twins begin to speak about slavery, he turns away, scratching his left arm and looking at his feet. As a result, he doesn’t even see Annika’s reaction to him.
Later, as Tamryn learns more about Athlatka, his good spirits return. The omnipresent greed, the competing factions, the “law enforcement;” this was a town where he could have some fun. He is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he heads into the briefing for Team Two’s mission.
You all file into the Team Two conference room and seat yourselves around the large table. Spar stands at the head of the table. Annika enters last, carefully avoiding Tamryn's gaze.
"Two days ago,"Spar begins, "Duncan was able to discern from one of our foe's thoughts that a shipment of young girls would be entering the city in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, destined to be trafficked to the highest bidders. He managed to learn the time and place where the wagons would enter the city, before the informant was... disposed of. Our plan is to intercept this caravan, kill the guards, free the girls, and deliver them to an all-female monastery in the countryside, where the warrior-nuns can protect them and help them return to their families or start a new life."
He spreads out on the table a map of the area outside the city gate. "We want to intercept them here, outside sight or sound of the gate-guards, whom we suspect are receiving kickbacks from the slavers to grant them passage. The road they will be taking passes between these stands of trees which should offer us concealment in the darkness. We will use ambush tactics, as there may be as many as twenty guards accompanying the two or three wagonloads of captives."
"Team Two will handle the hand-to-hand combat vs. the guards. What I'm hoping for Team Three is assisting Annika with ranged support, and protecting the captives from harm. It is possible the guards have instructions to slaughter them if they are in danger of having their operation exposed. You see, slavery is legal in Athkatla, but there are some rules. The kind of slavery these girls are bound for is outside the rules, and would subject the cartel to a huge fine, so they might try to destroy 'evidence'. Obviously, we will not let that happen. Questions?"
Jhaartael considers the plan, then, risking a few strategic questions, asks "Is it usual for these slavers to use decoy vehicles? Also, do we have any idea of the number of people we will be saving? Do the slavers tend to keep them together or separated?"
Tamryn asks, "When you say 'protect the captives,' what do you mean? Once you have the guards occupied, are we supposed to sneak up to the wagons and free the captives, smuggling them out through the fighting? Or are you intending for us to snipe those who go near the wagons, maintaining our distance? And if a group of them rush the wagons? All it takes is one torch to set a wagon alight if it's been prepared."
Jhaartael considers the plan, then, risking a few strategic questions, asks "Is it usual for these slavers to use decoy vehicles? Also, do we have any idea of the number of people we will be saving? Do the slavers tend to keep them together or separated?"
The dwarf replies, "We have not seen them use decoys in the past, but anything is possible. We estimate there are between 20 and 30 young women being transported. They usually put about 10 of them together in a wagon, enclosed in a locked iron cage."
Tamryn asks, "When you say 'protect the captives,' what do you mean? Once you have the guards occupied, are we supposed to sneak up to the wagons and free the captives, smuggling them out through the fighting? Or are you intending for us to snipe those who go near the wagons, maintaining our distance? And if a group of them rush the wagons? All it takes is one torch to set a wagon alight if it's been prepared."
Spar responds, "First and foremost, I mean 'keep them alive and out of the hands of the slavers'. When the ambush is triggered, you can use any tactics you wish to accomplish that mission. We will try and draw the attention of as many of the guards as we can towards the front of the line, and prevent anyone from fleeing towards the city. There may, indeed there likely will be some that hang back with the wagons. Take care of them any way you wish. When you reach the girls, you may not want to release them immediately, as they will probably scatter in all directions, making it difficult for us to escort them to safety. If they run off into the woods, it's likely they will eventually just end up on the streets anyway. However, if it is necessary to save their lives, then do what you must."
Mina stands at the back of the room, listening to the debrief. Sometimes her background makes her feel a bit ill prepared for the missions they have been on so far, but she tries her best to improvise and follow the lead of the group. So far, she hasn't been talked to specifically about anything so she hopes she has been holding her own alright. But as they talk about the slavers, she pulls out her long bow and holds it almost like a staff, her eyes growing cold. She was a monster slayer after all, and to her? Thats what these slavers were. She had no questions, just wanted to start.
Tamryn says, “I am no tactical expert, but many of us are quite adept at stealth. While you are fighting on the frontline, we could sneak into the hopefully depleted rear and quietly slit throats and stab backs. Your sniper could pick off anyone moving from front to back or vice versa. It involves more risk, but I believe, if we are discovered, the rear guard will be more concerned with survival than with destroying ‘evidence.’ Do you think this could work?”
Akyan nods as he listens to what the others say. Once Tamryn finishes his suggestion he adds, "The slaves will be on a cart. If we can get a hold of it, then we can just drive it off once you get the attention of the guards. Following Tamryn's idea, that shouldn't be to difficult. One of us can drive, while the rest of us can ensure we aren't followed." He thinks for a moment, "What's the terrain like where we would be ambushing them? My idea would only work if there is a relatively clear path that we can drive the cart on."
Spar nods. "That's along the lines I was thinking, but you know how your team works best, so it's up to you. If by 'my sniper' you mean Annika," he laughs, "that's like calling a greataxe 'my toothpick'. I'd advise you to stand back when she fires her cannon. It's not subtle."
The dwarf consults a six-hourglass. "You all have four hours to prepare yourselves. We move out at 1 AM."
Jhaartael pauses, brooding over what strategy he could best use to assist his comrades and the women they were to save.
Combat not having been much of his focus with the weave, he considers that perhaps he should prepare to use some of his other skills. A good portion of the last century joining excursions with elven hunting parties, should provide some use.
He asks Spar if the armory might have a long or short bow he could use, some arrows and a quiver.
If these are available (and assuming they could set up a make shift range) he will approach Mina and ask if she would not mind helping him "shake the dust off his technique".
After preparing martially, he will spend a short rest using Arcane Recovery to replenish his spent spell slot.
Akyan nods as he listens to what the others say. Once Tamryn finishes his suggestion he adds, "The slaves will be on a cart. If we can get a hold of it, then we can just drive it off once you get the attention of the guards. Following Tamryn's idea, that shouldn't be to difficult. One of us can drive, while the rest of us can ensure we aren't followed." He thinks for a moment, "What's the terrain like where we would be ambushing them? My idea would only work if there is a relatively clear path that we can drive the cart on."
(Sorry I missed this before)
Spar says, "That section of road doesn't have a lot of room to turn a wagon around, which is one reason we've chosen it. It consists of deep ruts of packed earth created by hundreds of wagon wheels over time. At the ambush point, the clearance from road to trees on either side is only about 10 feet, and the wagons would not be able to fit amongst the trees."
Kyrsa takes in the conversation silently, running through scenarios in her mind as the dwarf answers everyone else's questions. The plan sounds good, though she would need to discuss with her group their strategy. If there was no room to turn the wagon around...they would have to get creative if they didn't want to open up the cages and risk the girls fleeing into the woods. She follows Jhaarteal and Mina to whatever makeshift range they are able to set up...and helps set up if that is needed.
"I think it would be in our best interest to establish who will be staying at a distance, and who will be sneaking in to rescue the girls and take out whatever guards the distance group is unable to shoot down. We need to consider who would be best at keeping the girls calm in case we do have to open up the cages...which I have a feeling will happen if we are unable to use the wagon." She looks to Jhaarteal and Mina in hopes of receiving their thoughts.
The dwarf captain nods. "Once the guards are neutralized, I hope to use their wagons to transport the young ladies to the monastery, but we'll have to drive them out of the copse of trees to turn them around."
"My recommendation, if everyone is amenable, is for Mina and Lyndaran to stay with Annika, as they seem to be the most skilled with the bow. Akyan, Kyrsa, Jhaartael, and I can sneak in the back and take out the guards surrounding the wagons. What do you all think?"
You have some free time today to explore the city, if you wish. (A map will be added to the campaign page). Athkatla is a city of spires and slums, minarets and markets, domes and dens (of thieves). Everywhere, there is buying and selling, street vendors hawking their wares, pickpockets plying their trade, and bustling crowds.
Those of you versed in Thieves' Cant notice in the graffiti and various cairns and markings on buildings that your immediate neighborhood is marked:
"Territory of the Red Salamanders"
But if you travel to other neighborhoods, other gang tags are evident.
(So, let's see, you were up all night, rested the next morning, teleported to Athkatla late that afternoon.)
In the evening, Spar gathers the teams together. "We welcome you, our brothers and sisters of the DCL, to Athkatla. There is much evil in this city, and it can easily feel overwhelming. We cannot solve every problem all at once, and some problems can only be solved by the people themselves, once they realize they hold the real power. So, we try to make surgical strikes, tipping the balance, rather than engage in all-out warfare. Team Three, for now you are only on temporary assignment. You may assist us in our current mission if you like, or you may explore the city, making contacts and learning the lay of the land. It is not forbidden for you to join the thieves' guild in order to gain contacts and intelligence, and similarly if you wish to join the Cowled Wizards as a spy, Jhaartael, that is within your discretion. Be careful though, the intrigues run deep in this city. And everyone is always suspicious, and rightly so.
"If you wish to participate in Team Two's current mission, we will have a briefing in 15 minutes in our conference room."
Jhaartael consider the suggestion briefly. A powerful group of wizards wielding likely greater control of the weave than I would be a nigh impossible thing to spy on. Perhaps better at this stage to not attract attention to myself and the team. We can thus discern the opposition to them and assist in resisting.
Outwardly, he nods to Spar's offer to join their mission and follows those doing the same to the conference room.
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
Kyrsa, ready to do anything to keep her mind off of the Farm and everything else that had happened, says, "Of course, we will do what we can to help you as long as we are here."
She follows Spar and Jhaarteal to the conference room.
Akyan considers Spar's suggestion. It may be good to join a thieves' guild, it has been a while since he's been a part of one, maybe it would help him regain some of his old confidence. Might not be a bad idea for both him and Tamryn to join a guild, Lydaran too for that matter. As he considers this he follows the others to the conference room.
Upon returning to the safe house, Tamryn also follows the twins on their tour, listening and smiling as the explain the rules of the house. Seeing the message comparing Elves and Dwarves, he waits til no one is looking, then scrawls a further message, mimicking the handwriting of the original note. (Stealth: 13; Performance: 14) “Elves are smart, Dwarves just fart”
When the twins begin to speak about slavery, he turns away, scratching his left arm and looking at his feet. As a result, he doesn’t even see Annika’s reaction to him.
Later, as Tamryn learns more about Athlatka, his good spirits return. The omnipresent greed, the competing factions, the “law enforcement;” this was a town where he could have some fun. He is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he heads into the briefing for Team Two’s mission.
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
You all file into the Team Two conference room and seat yourselves around the large table. Spar stands at the head of the table. Annika enters last, carefully avoiding Tamryn's gaze.
"Two days ago," Spar begins, "Duncan was able to discern from one of our foe's thoughts that a shipment of young girls would be entering the city in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, destined to be trafficked to the highest bidders. He managed to learn the time and place where the wagons would enter the city, before the informant was... disposed of. Our plan is to intercept this caravan, kill the guards, free the girls, and deliver them to an all-female monastery in the countryside, where the warrior-nuns can protect them and help them return to their families or start a new life."
He spreads out on the table a map of the area outside the city gate. "We want to intercept them here, outside sight or sound of the gate-guards, whom we suspect are receiving kickbacks from the slavers to grant them passage. The road they will be taking passes between these stands of trees which should offer us concealment in the darkness. We will use ambush tactics, as there may be as many as twenty guards accompanying the two or three wagonloads of captives."
"Team Two will handle the hand-to-hand combat vs. the guards. What I'm hoping for Team Three is assisting Annika with ranged support, and protecting the captives from harm. It is possible the guards have instructions to slaughter them if they are in danger of having their operation exposed. You see, slavery is legal in Athkatla, but there are some rules. The kind of slavery these girls are bound for is outside the rules, and would subject the cartel to a huge fine, so they might try to destroy 'evidence'. Obviously, we will not let that happen. Questions?"
Jhaartael considers the plan, then, risking a few strategic questions, asks "Is it usual for these slavers to use decoy vehicles? Also, do we have any idea of the number of people we will be saving? Do the slavers tend to keep them together or separated?"
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
Tamryn asks, "When you say 'protect the captives,' what do you mean? Once you have the guards occupied, are we supposed to sneak up to the wagons and free the captives, smuggling them out through the fighting? Or are you intending for us to snipe those who go near the wagons, maintaining our distance? And if a group of them rush the wagons? All it takes is one torch to set a wagon alight if it's been prepared."
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
The dwarf replies, "We have not seen them use decoys in the past, but anything is possible. We estimate there are between 20 and 30 young women being transported. They usually put about 10 of them together in a wagon, enclosed in a locked iron cage."
Spar responds, "First and foremost, I mean 'keep them alive and out of the hands of the slavers'. When the ambush is triggered, you can use any tactics you wish to accomplish that mission. We will try and draw the attention of as many of the guards as we can towards the front of the line, and prevent anyone from fleeing towards the city. There may, indeed there likely will be some that hang back with the wagons. Take care of them any way you wish. When you reach the girls, you may not want to release them immediately, as they will probably scatter in all directions, making it difficult for us to escort them to safety. If they run off into the woods, it's likely they will eventually just end up on the streets anyway. However, if it is necessary to save their lives, then do what you must."
Mina stands at the back of the room, listening to the debrief. Sometimes her background makes her feel a bit ill prepared for the missions they have been on so far, but she tries her best to improvise and follow the lead of the group. So far, she hasn't been talked to specifically about anything so she hopes she has been holding her own alright. But as they talk about the slavers, she pulls out her long bow and holds it almost like a staff, her eyes growing cold. She was a monster slayer after all, and to her? Thats what these slavers were. She had no questions, just wanted to start.
Tamryn says, “I am no tactical expert, but many of us are quite adept at stealth. While you are fighting on the frontline, we could sneak into the hopefully depleted rear and quietly slit throats and stab backs. Your sniper could pick off anyone moving from front to back or vice versa. It involves more risk, but I believe, if we are discovered, the rear guard will be more concerned with survival than with destroying ‘evidence.’ Do you think this could work?”
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
Akyan nods as he listens to what the others say. Once Tamryn finishes his suggestion he adds, "The slaves will be on a cart. If we can get a hold of it, then we can just drive it off once you get the attention of the guards. Following Tamryn's idea, that shouldn't be to difficult. One of us can drive, while the rest of us can ensure we aren't followed." He thinks for a moment, "What's the terrain like where we would be ambushing them? My idea would only work if there is a relatively clear path that we can drive the cart on."
Spar nods. "That's along the lines I was thinking, but you know how your team works best, so it's up to you. If by 'my sniper' you mean Annika," he laughs, "that's like calling a greataxe 'my toothpick'. I'd advise you to stand back when she fires her cannon. It's not subtle."
The dwarf consults a six-hourglass. "You all have four hours to prepare yourselves. We move out at 1 AM."
Jhaartael pauses, brooding over what strategy he could best use to assist his comrades and the women they were to save.
Combat not having been much of his focus with the weave, he considers that perhaps he should prepare to use some of his other skills. A good portion of the last century joining excursions with elven hunting parties, should provide some use.
He asks Spar if the armory might have a long or short bow he could use, some arrows and a quiver.
If these are available (and assuming they could set up a make shift range) he will approach Mina and ask if she would not mind helping him "shake the dust off his technique".
After preparing martially, he will spend a short rest using Arcane Recovery to replenish his spent spell slot.
Eryndor - Red Dead Annihilation | GM - Volo's Trade Franchise - PF2e Adventures set in the Forgotten Realms
(Sorry I missed this before)
Spar says, "That section of road doesn't have a lot of room to turn a wagon around, which is one reason we've chosen it. It consists of deep ruts of packed earth created by hundreds of wagon wheels over time. At the ambush point, the clearance from road to trees on either side is only about 10 feet, and the wagons would not be able to fit amongst the trees."
Kyrsa takes in the conversation silently, running through scenarios in her mind as the dwarf answers everyone else's questions. The plan sounds good, though she would need to discuss with her group their strategy. If there was no room to turn the wagon around...they would have to get creative if they didn't want to open up the cages and risk the girls fleeing into the woods. She follows Jhaarteal and Mina to whatever makeshift range they are able to set up...and helps set up if that is needed.
"I think it would be in our best interest to establish who will be staying at a distance, and who will be sneaking in to rescue the girls and take out whatever guards the distance group is unable to shoot down. We need to consider who would be best at keeping the girls calm in case we do have to open up the cages...which I have a feeling will happen if we are unable to use the wagon." She looks to Jhaarteal and Mina in hopes of receiving their thoughts.
(No worries)
"Well, then my idea won't work unless your team can push the slave traders into the woods, and make a path that we can dart through."
Akyan listens to Kyrsa and nods, but doesn't say anything.
The dwarf captain nods. "Once the guards are neutralized, I hope to use their wagons to transport the young ladies to the monastery, but we'll have to drive them out of the copse of trees to turn them around."
He shows you a map of the ambush point
"My recommendation, if everyone is amenable, is for Mina and Lyndaran to stay with Annika, as they seem to be the most skilled with the bow. Akyan, Kyrsa, Jhaartael, and I can sneak in the back and take out the guards surrounding the wagons. What do you all think?"
Tamryn - lvl 4 Wood Elf Rogue - Circle of Light Campaign || Drusilla - lvl 1 Half-Elf Ranger - Sleeping Gods || Grrzark - lvl 1 Goblin Barbarian - Danger at Darkshelf Quarry || DM - LTG - Curse of Strahd
Akyan nods, “Sounds like a plan.”
”As long as Kyrsa can actually be quiet this time…” he silently says to himself.