This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"You can ride with me Cheddar." The young blonde half-elf says with a warm smile, offering the catman a hand to get him up in front of her on her steed.
On their way following the garbage men and Finn at some distance towards the secret camp, Tylaerys keeps a look out for threats while speaking to the others. "As I mentioned I can go in invisible to scout the camp out closer. I suspect Finn and the garbage men will be in a good position to figure out what we need to know about the leadership and maybe also their plans. I intend to focus on finding the prisoners and trying to figure out a way to set them free as the show begins. If you think someone else is better suited to go into the camp I can make them invisible instead but I know it's a big risk so maybe I should do it myself. I have some other magic as well that may help us escape. Any other ideas on how to proceed?" She says, looking around at the others.
Before departing Finn instructs Owl to do a couple flyovers of the camp and see if they can spot the prisoners. If they can, they are instructed to land on Tylaerys' shoulder and try to point her in the right direction. Otherwise Finn takes no actions before Jozen leads him and the Garbage Men off...
Finn stays silent but observant as they ride into the camp with the Garbage Men. He does his best to adopt the hardcase attitude the others seem to have while trying to catch as many details as possible without allowing himself to actually look around. Eyes forward like you're bored, he reminds himself quite often.
Security seems lax but that is hardly surprising. A camp this sized has little to worry about with four approaching riders. To launch a real assault would take numbers and Finn has little doubt the watchtower would notice and react to that. For a short bitt Finn actually tries to keep a count of the numbers but that quickly proves untenable and he resigns himself to just getting a rough estimate. Still, it'll be very rough as there is no telling how many kobolds hole up in a tent together... But counting tents is likely easier than counting individuals.
A chill does chase itself down Finn's spine when Jozen mentions collecting upon a reward. The offering is likely the coin to reverse the curse on Balthazar but collect on a reward? Surely there is no bounty on their heads, right?
Right?
But Finn does his best not to let them see him sweat and works hard at maintaining their indifference to everything going on around them.
[If Jirel went through with her proposal to cast beast sense, then she is able to view the items in the spoiler for Finn. Though she cannot interact, and while utilizing this she is deaf and blind to her surroundings so would not be able to ride or do much of anything with her physical body. So if the group waits for a report from Jirel on what she sees, you will be about 10 minutes behind Finn and the Garbage Men.]
[On second thought, there is really no reason Jirel couldn't go back and forth, peeking through the eyes of the horse, and then coming back to her own senses. As I read beast sense, it looks like she can go back and forth at will from her senses to the animal's senses. So there is no need to waste 10 minutes to get this update.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Shortly after Finn leaves, the little owl comes and lands near the party.
It makes eye contact with Tylaerys. It looks an awful lot like it shakes its head and shrugs its wings.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"No sign of the prisoners?" The blonde half-elf says with a worried tone. "But they have to be in there somewhere?"She continues, pondering this new information. She had to find them, or at least find out where they could have been taken. Maybe inside that cave the garbage men mentioned? Not sure if the owl can understand her, Tylaerys speaks to it with a friendly smile. "Thank you little one, you have been most helpful, now fly back and see to Finn...and if she gets into trouble or anything, come and get us alright?"
(For clarification: Jirel’s beast sense is on Finn’s horse as they travel through the camp correct?)
At Tylaerys’ prompt, Jirel would think out loud, “Cheddar, could your mouse accompany Tylaerys?” She wondered if Cheddar’s connection with his mice were like Finn and her Owl’s, or not. A mouse would be significantly less suspicious roaming the area alongside an invisible Tylaerys. “An’ we got rope eh?” She’d add, then look to Jararaka. “In case we are discovered, I propose that we are Jararaka’s prisoners.”
(Jirel’s proposal is: She remains watching over Finn/the status of Finn and the Garbage Men through Finn’s horse. Depending on the mechanics of Cheddar’s mouse, he can keep an eye out/accompany Tylaerys. Jararaka can watch over both Jirel and Cheddar should their senses be away focusing on watching through animal eyes. They can be bound/made to look like prisoners of Jararaka’s for a back up ruse, Tylaerys being one that got away if there’s any questions about it?)
Tylaerys nods in agreement with the blonde giantess. "Sounds like a good plan Jirel. I can carry your mouse into the camp Cheddar, and you will be able spy and to report on the situation to Jararaka and Jirel." She says, looking between Jararaka and Cheddar for confirmation.
"It's not like that" Cheddar says and seems to be a little uneasy about it. "Cicero is a friend and has been with me through alot but, he is not a familiar. I don't use those."
"Oh, sorry Cheddar...I just thought...with the spellcasting...okay, I see. We will still have Finn, Finn's horse, Finn's owl and me spying in there so we should get something out of all this."Tylaerys says with an encouraging smile.
Jararaka nods to the idea of a fake cover, she pulls on the cultist's cloak and rummages around in her pack, pulling out a length of rope. She hands Jirel the rope, "you can just wrap it 'round and sit against a tree."
She looks to Cheddar, "if you want, you can also hide in the trees? Get an upper hand from the dark if I prove to be a bad actor. You seem small enough, but whichever you prefer."
Jararaka watches Tylaerys as she prepares to leave, head tilted, "I never have a good feeling about doing any big job solo... if you get busted and can't make it out, try making a big noise or something. And then we'll run and grab her...?" Jararaka looks to Jirel and Cheddar for confirmation, then sighs at the possibility and shakes her head, "Good luck, can't get that gold or snag any prisoners if we can't even get some info out of that camp." She will tap Tylaerys on the arm with her tail tip, casting guidance on her. (+d4 on the next ability check within the next minute)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Thanks Jararaka."The blonde half-elf says with a grateful smile, giving the lizardfolk a quick hug, giving Cheddar a pet and Jirel a quick hug too before stepping back. "I know I'm on my own in there and I don't expect you to come for me should I get caught. It's more important that you get back to Greenest with any information you get about the cult and their plans. There are forces of good to oppose them in the Realms, we just need to get their attention my friends. Thank you for what have been, I will be careful but I must do what I can to help those imprisoned in there." She says with a warm smile, looking at the others, then making a swift motion with her slender hand, uttering a soft word in high draconic making her crystal and her silvery scales shimmer before disappearing completely. "Wish me luck." You can hear her say witn a soft laugh that disappears towards the entrance to the secret camp.
Finn - in disguise inside the camp with the garbage men
Tylaerys - invisible and scouting alone inside the camp
Jirel - pretending to be a prisoner and watching through the eyes of Finn's horse?
Cheddar - hanging out with Jirel and Jararaka?
Jararaka - hanging out with Jirel and Cheddar, wearing a cloak and prepared to act like a cultist if necessary?
Where do Jararaka, Jirel and Cheddar plan to wait? The plateau that hides the camp (its a little like a box canyon inside of a plateau) is surrounded by rocky hills and scrub brush. There are plenty of places to hide but there is a guard tower near the opening, manned by a couple of kobolds. You can feel confident that if you don't get too close you can maintain cover. But then you will be quite a ways off if trouble starts. On the other hand you can sneak a closer if you like but stealth will be required.
And if I have any of the above wrong, please let me know.]
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
(All looks good to Tylaerys. She will sneak through the camp looking for the prisoners and listening in a bit on conversations if possible to gather information, working herself slowly inwards towards the cave entrance via the command tent. She will try to make sure she has ample of time leaving again as the spell has a duration of 1 hour, prepared to leave and reenter later for the actual escape during the performance if needed. :-)
(To nitpick, Finn isn't disguised but rather shape changed. So there is nothing to see through or such, he is actually a he now, with different hair and features and voice and all. But basically yeah, that's the shape of things.)
Finn, you and the Garbage Men are left waiting on your horses for several minutes. Balthazar and Morty are visibly ill at ease. The three guards outside stare at you all with a bizarre lack of emotion. They seldom blink. Only Jozen seems relaxed, even comfortable. He attempts to make small talk with the guards, but they greet him only with silence.
Eventually, two figures approach from the area of the cultists tents you passed through. One is a young human man, dressed in red robes which are collared in what looks like red scale mail. He wears facial hair in a neatly and pointedly trimmed beard, while his head is shaved bald. On the crown of his head is a large tattoo. Seated as you are up on the horse Chomper, you can see it from above. It looks a bit like the outline of a nautical map, with things that appear like compass points. He carries a staff with him, the upper half ornately carved wood, the lower half brass.
The other figure is something else entirely. You have seen dragonborn and even a half-dragon before but never anything quite like this. The figure is 6' tall and has milky white scales and a crest reminiscent of a white dragon. It also has set of large wings on its back that look big enough to carry it in flight. There is something entirely unwholesome about its appearance; its eyes are dark sockets with pinpricks of unearthly light glowing from deep within. [Arcana check DC 18 to identify, if you care to try]. A few cultists in the camp below stand and watch as the two figures pass you and enter into the command tent.
Less than a minute later, the guard from earlier emerges from the tent. "Dismount and step inside. Bring the treasure."
The Garbage men oblige, hopping down from their saddles and unfastening the heavy bags from the flanks of their horses. Jozen nods for Finn to accompany them inside.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
You are careful to move as quietly as possible. While invisible, you are still capable of making noise or knocking over obstacles if you are uncareful. In this case, both skill and fortune are on your side. You have no difficulty slipping around inside the camp, giving a wide berth to most of the occupants unless you are making an effort to listen to them.
The first thing you pass is a watchtower occupied by two kobolds. It guards the entrance to the camp and commands a view of the approach from the broken hills. Knowing where they are, you are able to spot where Cheddar, Jirel and Jararaka are hiding, but the kobolds in the watchtower clearly haven't spotted them - or they just don't care. Just past the watchtower are stables for horses, oxen and a few farm animals. On the oppsite side is another pen, though it is empty and full of half-eaten animal carcasses.
Overall, morale is abysmal among the kobolds camped in the lower section of the camp. While many of them are drunk or loafing, others are busy loading wagons, cooking for themselves and tending to the wounded. Almost all of them are complaining to one another in draconic or broken common:
"Stupid humans blame us for everything..."
"... Not our fault town so well-defended."
"So many young lives cut short! And do they appreciate our sacrifice? Nay! They blame us for everything instead."
"The Sky Captain has left... is he coming back? I think his wyvern are the only reason the humans respect us at all."
"It will all work out... when the dragons rise, they will just eat up all the dumb humans. Kobolds will be the true heirs to the dragons, just watch and see."
Deeper inside the camp and up a short rise, larger tents house the human cultists. The mood here is better, though many are drunk as the kobolds below. Some tents are bunk houses, with row after row of sleeping bags on mats of straw, or small cots for others - perhaps higher ranking or more influential cultists. Some of the other tents hold foodstuffs or supplies. There are several large communal fire pits and most are well congregated as the cultists eat dinner and drink their fill of stolen wine. Most of the cultists you see are in basic black robes or leather armor, though a few wear more detailed garb. Some have cloaks cut to look like dragon wings, or leather gloves fashioned to look like a dragon's claws. The conversations overheard are wide ranging.
"... good thing we grabbed so many pigs. The hunters haven't brought back anything from the surrounding hills lately. I don't think there's enough game left to support the camp now that all of us are here together. Good thing we are moving out...".
"Those lazy kobolds. Did you hear, the big scary wyvern riders couldn't even sack a little halfling church? I heard 50 of them were cut down by the wee folk. They say Lady Rezmir was PISSED. This was supposed to be our big score to cap off the raids down here in the wilderness. Word is, there are going to be some changes at the top...".
"By Tiamat, what a sight Lennithon was! Had those dirt-kneelers shaking in their boots, he did. Can you imagine what it will look like, when all the dragons come together on the day the Dragon Queen rises? The sky (hic) the sky will be blotted out, the sun will be blotted out with dragon wings. It... it will be beautiful."
"... and just how much have we collected for Tiamat, do you think? They pulled what, five wagons out this evening? And I heard from one of the porters there are still many more wagon loads left inside the cave. I don't know what the bosses are so upset about. There must be a king's ransom in there already. I mean, sure, the more the better... but I think we have done pretty good so far. And nobody is even trying to stop us...".
"... they say that prissy noble girl is getting the axe. Cyanrath is going to be running things. He's tough and all, but I never saw him as an 'x's and o's' guy, you know? I mean, it probably doesn't matter. Lady Rezmir calls the shots, no matter who she has running day to day operations. And she is sharp as wizards' carving knife so I'm sure it will work out. I wonder if they are going to give Frulam to the Red Wizards, or just feed her to the hatchlings?"
At last, after 1/2 hour of searching, you find the prisoners. They are kept in a tent near the southernmost area of the camp. Two guards in leather armor with dragon motifs stand watch outside the tent. The guards seem shaken.
"Whew... I'm not going to lie. I wasn't expecting to see something like that. Good thing these guys are on our side, am I right?"
It is a low-ceilinged tent with support posts every 5' throughout. To each post, there are chained together two prisoners. They are all huddled with their heads down, some of them weeping, 16 of them altogether. At one end of the tent, a post has a single, charred corpse chained to it. It is still smoldering. One of the guards pops his head in and then back out.
"Did they say what to do with that? I mean... we probably shouldn't just leave it there, but after watching all that I kind of don't want to do anything without some explicit instructions, you know what I mean?"
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Arcana: 6
(I imagine Finn will either know something or not, this does not appear to be a person one would have to try to remember...)
Finn follows Jozen's lead. He tries to act as cool and collected as Jozen does and he is climbing off his horse even as Jozen is signaling him to do so. Finn has no intention of making waves here. Best to let the Garbage Men to conduct their business before even entertaining the thought of extracurricular activities. Though Finn does keep an eye open for all possible escape routes, just in case one is needed.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tylaerys
As she quietly moves deeper into the camp, Tylaerys takes note of the kobolds and cultists disdain for each other. Maybe it was a weakness that could be eploited later somehow. She pays extra attention when names of leaders are mentioned. Cyanwrath they knew, Rezmir she had heard of and Frulam was likely the one in charge of the raid. As she finds the tent with the prisoners she is at first relieved but then disheartened as she sees them all in chains and with a charred body among them. She tries to discern if anyone of them would fit the description of her contact in Greenest. She would also try to see how the chains could be unlocked. She also tries to see whether the guards has any keys that conceivably could open those locks. She also looks around to see how many eyes would be on the prison tent and if there would be a way to sneak out of the camp along the southern wall of the canyon as the show starts. If possible she would also try to determine anything about the charred corpse. Finally she tries to catch sight of Finn and the garbage men, hoping to find out whether the show is coming on soon or not.
(Would Tylaerys know about the Red Wizards of Thay? Intelligence check if needed: 12 )
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"You can ride with me Cheddar." The young blonde half-elf says with a warm smile, offering the catman a hand to get him up in front of her on her steed.
On their way following the garbage men and Finn at some distance towards the secret camp, Tylaerys keeps a look out for threats while speaking to the others. "As I mentioned I can go in invisible to scout the camp out closer. I suspect Finn and the garbage men will be in a good position to figure out what we need to know about the leadership and maybe also their plans. I intend to focus on finding the prisoners and trying to figure out a way to set them free as the show begins. If you think someone else is better suited to go into the camp I can make them invisible instead but I know it's a big risk so maybe I should do it myself. I have some other magic as well that may help us escape. Any other ideas on how to proceed?" She says, looking around at the others.
Perception: 21
Before departing Finn instructs Owl to do a couple flyovers of the camp and see if they can spot the prisoners. If they can, they are instructed to land on Tylaerys' shoulder and try to point her in the right direction. Otherwise Finn takes no actions before Jozen leads him and the Garbage Men off...
Finn stays silent but observant as they ride into the camp with the Garbage Men. He does his best to adopt the hardcase attitude the others seem to have while trying to catch as many details as possible without allowing himself to actually look around. Eyes forward like you're bored, he reminds himself quite often.
Security seems lax but that is hardly surprising. A camp this sized has little to worry about with four approaching riders. To launch a real assault would take numbers and Finn has little doubt the watchtower would notice and react to that. For a short bitt Finn actually tries to keep a count of the numbers but that quickly proves untenable and he resigns himself to just getting a rough estimate. Still, it'll be very rough as there is no telling how many kobolds hole up in a tent together... But counting tents is likely easier than counting individuals.
A chill does chase itself down Finn's spine when Jozen mentions collecting upon a reward. The offering is likely the coin to reverse the curse on Balthazar but collect on a reward? Surely there is no bounty on their heads, right?
Right?
But Finn does his best not to let them see him sweat and works hard at maintaining their indifference to everything going on around them.
[If Jirel went through with her proposal to cast beast sense, then she is able to view the items in the spoiler for Finn.
Though she cannot interact, and while utilizing this she is deaf and blind to her surroundings so would not be able to ride or do much of anything with her physical body. So if the group waits for a report from Jirel on what she sees, you will be about 10 minutes behind Finn and the Garbage Men.][On second thought, there is really no reason Jirel couldn't go back and forth, peeking through the eyes of the horse, and then coming back to her own senses. As I read beast sense, it looks like she can go back and forth at will from her senses to the animal's senses. So there is no need to waste 10 minutes to get this update.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Shortly after Finn leaves, the little owl comes and lands near the party.
It makes eye contact with Tylaerys. It looks an awful lot like it shakes its head and shrugs its wings.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"No sign of the prisoners?" The blonde half-elf says with a worried tone. "But they have to be in there somewhere?" She continues, pondering this new information. She had to find them, or at least find out where they could have been taken. Maybe inside that cave the garbage men mentioned? Not sure if the owl can understand her, Tylaerys speaks to it with a friendly smile. "Thank you little one, you have been most helpful, now fly back and see to Finn...and if she gets into trouble or anything, come and get us alright?"
Cheddar keeps watch over Jirel as he said he would and once the party decides to move out he will ride with Tylaerys.
(For clarification: Jirel’s beast sense is on Finn’s horse as they travel through the camp correct?)
At Tylaerys’ prompt, Jirel would think out loud, “Cheddar, could your mouse accompany Tylaerys?” She wondered if Cheddar’s connection with his mice were like Finn and her Owl’s, or not. A mouse would be significantly less suspicious roaming the area alongside an invisible Tylaerys. “An’ we got rope eh?” She’d add, then look to Jararaka. “In case we are discovered, I propose that we are Jararaka’s prisoners.”
(Jirel’s proposal is: She remains watching over Finn/the status of Finn and the Garbage Men through Finn’s horse. Depending on the mechanics of Cheddar’s mouse, he can keep an eye out/accompany Tylaerys. Jararaka can watch over both Jirel and Cheddar should their senses be away focusing on watching through animal eyes. They can be bound/made to look like prisoners of Jararaka’s for a back up ruse, Tylaerys being one that got away if there’s any questions about it?)
just an unstable unicorn.
Tylaerys nods in agreement with the blonde giantess. "Sounds like a good plan Jirel. I can carry your mouse into the camp Cheddar, and you will be able spy and to report on the situation to Jararaka and Jirel." She says, looking between Jararaka and Cheddar for confirmation.
"It's not like that" Cheddar says and seems to be a little uneasy about it. "Cicero is a friend and has been with me through alot but, he is not a familiar. I don't use those."
"Oh, sorry Cheddar...I just thought...with the spellcasting...okay, I see. We will still have Finn, Finn's horse, Finn's owl and me spying in there so we should get something out of all this." Tylaerys says with an encouraging smile.
Jararaka nods to the idea of a fake cover, she pulls on the cultist's cloak and rummages around in her pack, pulling out a length of rope. She hands Jirel the rope, "you can just wrap it 'round and sit against a tree."
She looks to Cheddar, "if you want, you can also hide in the trees? Get an upper hand from the dark if I prove to be a bad actor. You seem small enough, but whichever you prefer."
Jararaka watches Tylaerys as she prepares to leave, head tilted, "I never have a good feeling about doing any big job solo... if you get busted and can't make it out, try making a big noise or something. And then we'll run and grab her...?" Jararaka looks to Jirel and Cheddar for confirmation, then sighs at the possibility and shakes her head, "Good luck, can't get that gold or snag any prisoners if we can't even get some info out of that camp." She will tap Tylaerys on the arm with her tail tip, casting guidance on her. (+d4 on the next ability check within the next minute)
"Thanks Jararaka." The blonde half-elf says with a grateful smile, giving the lizardfolk a quick hug, giving Cheddar a pet and Jirel a quick hug too before stepping back. "I know I'm on my own in there and I don't expect you to come for me should I get caught. It's more important that you get back to Greenest with any information you get about the cult and their plans. There are forces of good to oppose them in the Realms, we just need to get their attention my friends. Thank you for what have been, I will be careful but I must do what I can to help those imprisoned in there." She says with a warm smile, looking at the others, then making a swift motion with her slender hand, uttering a soft word in high draconic making her crystal and her silvery scales shimmer before disappearing completely. "Wish me luck." You can hear her say witn a soft laugh that disappears towards the entrance to the secret camp.
Cast Invisiblity
Stealth: 13 + Guidance: 3
Perception: 22
[So do I have this straight:
Where do Jararaka, Jirel and Cheddar plan to wait? The plateau that hides the camp (its a little like a box canyon inside of a plateau) is surrounded by rocky hills and scrub brush. There are plenty of places to hide but there is a guard tower near the opening, manned by a couple of kobolds. You can feel confident that if you don't get too close you can maintain cover. But then you will be quite a ways off if trouble starts. On the other hand you can sneak a closer if you like but stealth will be required.
And if I have any of the above wrong, please let me know.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
(All looks good to Tylaerys. She will sneak through the camp looking for the prisoners and listening in a bit on conversations if possible to gather information, working herself slowly inwards towards the cave entrance via the command tent. She will try to make sure she has ample of time leaving again as the spell has a duration of 1 hour, prepared to leave and reenter later for the actual escape during the performance if needed. :-)
Cheddar will wait till Jirel and Jararaka are ready them move with them.
(To nitpick, Finn isn't disguised but rather shape changed. So there is nothing to see through or such, he is actually a he now, with different hair and features and voice and all. But basically yeah, that's the shape of things.)
Finn (and Jirel, if watching through horse eyes):
Finn, you and the Garbage Men are left waiting on your horses for several minutes. Balthazar and Morty are visibly ill at ease. The three guards outside stare at you all with a bizarre lack of emotion. They seldom blink. Only Jozen seems relaxed, even comfortable. He attempts to make small talk with the guards, but they greet him only with silence.
Eventually, two figures approach from the area of the cultists tents you passed through. One is a young human man, dressed in red robes which are collared in what looks like red scale mail. He wears facial hair in a neatly and pointedly trimmed beard, while his head is shaved bald. On the crown of his head is a large tattoo. Seated as you are up on the horse Chomper, you can see it from above. It looks a bit like the outline of a nautical map, with things that appear like compass points. He carries a staff with him, the upper half ornately carved wood, the lower half brass.
The other figure is something else entirely. You have seen dragonborn and even a half-dragon before but never anything quite like this. The figure is 6' tall and has milky white scales and a crest reminiscent of a white dragon. It also has set of large wings on its back that look big enough to carry it in flight. There is something entirely unwholesome about its appearance; its eyes are dark sockets with pinpricks of unearthly light glowing from deep within. [Arcana check DC 18 to identify, if you care to try]. A few cultists in the camp below stand and watch as the two figures pass you and enter into the command tent.
Less than a minute later, the guard from earlier emerges from the tent. "Dismount and step inside. Bring the treasure."
The Garbage men oblige, hopping down from their saddles and unfastening the heavy bags from the flanks of their horses. Jozen nods for Finn to accompany them inside.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Tylaerys:
Invisible, you slip into the camp on foot.
You are careful to move as quietly as possible. While invisible, you are still capable of making noise or knocking over obstacles if you are uncareful. In this case, both skill and fortune are on your side. You have no difficulty slipping around inside the camp, giving a wide berth to most of the occupants unless you are making an effort to listen to them.
The first thing you pass is a watchtower occupied by two kobolds. It guards the entrance to the camp and commands a view of the approach from the broken hills. Knowing where they are, you are able to spot where Cheddar, Jirel and Jararaka are hiding, but the kobolds in the watchtower clearly haven't spotted them - or they just don't care. Just past the watchtower are stables for horses, oxen and a few farm animals. On the oppsite side is another pen, though it is empty and full of half-eaten animal carcasses.
Overall, morale is abysmal among the kobolds camped in the lower section of the camp. While many of them are drunk or loafing, others are busy loading wagons, cooking for themselves and tending to the wounded. Almost all of them are complaining to one another in draconic or broken common:
"Stupid humans blame us for everything..."
"... Not our fault town so well-defended."
"So many young lives cut short! And do they appreciate our sacrifice? Nay! They blame us for everything instead."
"The Sky Captain has left... is he coming back? I think his wyvern are the only reason the humans respect us at all."
"It will all work out... when the dragons rise, they will just eat up all the dumb humans. Kobolds will be the true heirs to the dragons, just watch and see."
Deeper inside the camp and up a short rise, larger tents house the human cultists. The mood here is better, though many are drunk as the kobolds below. Some tents are bunk houses, with row after row of sleeping bags on mats of straw, or small cots for others - perhaps higher ranking or more influential cultists. Some of the other tents hold foodstuffs or supplies. There are several large communal fire pits and most are well congregated as the cultists eat dinner and drink their fill of stolen wine. Most of the cultists you see are in basic black robes or leather armor, though a few wear more detailed garb. Some have cloaks cut to look like dragon wings, or leather gloves fashioned to look like a dragon's claws. The conversations overheard are wide ranging.
"... good thing we grabbed so many pigs. The hunters haven't brought back anything from the surrounding hills lately. I don't think there's enough game left to support the camp now that all of us are here together. Good thing we are moving out...".
"Those lazy kobolds. Did you hear, the big scary wyvern riders couldn't even sack a little halfling church? I heard 50 of them were cut down by the wee folk. They say Lady Rezmir was PISSED. This was supposed to be our big score to cap off the raids down here in the wilderness. Word is, there are going to be some changes at the top...".
"By Tiamat, what a sight Lennithon was! Had those dirt-kneelers shaking in their boots, he did. Can you imagine what it will look like, when all the dragons come together on the day the Dragon Queen rises? The sky (hic) the sky will be blotted out, the sun will be blotted out with dragon wings. It... it will be beautiful."
"... and just how much have we collected for Tiamat, do you think? They pulled what, five wagons out this evening? And I heard from one of the porters there are still many more wagon loads left inside the cave. I don't know what the bosses are so upset about. There must be a king's ransom in there already. I mean, sure, the more the better... but I think we have done pretty good so far. And nobody is even trying to stop us...".
"... they say that prissy noble girl is getting the axe. Cyanrath is going to be running things. He's tough and all, but I never saw him as an 'x's and o's' guy, you know? I mean, it probably doesn't matter. Lady Rezmir calls the shots, no matter who she has running day to day operations. And she is sharp as wizards' carving knife so I'm sure it will work out. I wonder if they are going to give Frulam to the Red Wizards, or just feed her to the hatchlings?"
At last, after 1/2 hour of searching, you find the prisoners. They are kept in a tent near the southernmost area of the camp. Two guards in leather armor with dragon motifs stand watch outside the tent. The guards seem shaken.
"Whew... I'm not going to lie. I wasn't expecting to see something like that. Good thing these guys are on our side, am I right?"
It is a low-ceilinged tent with support posts every 5' throughout. To each post, there are chained together two prisoners. They are all huddled with their heads down, some of them weeping, 16 of them altogether. At one end of the tent, a post has a single, charred corpse chained to it. It is still smoldering. One of the guards pops his head in and then back out.
"Did they say what to do with that? I mean... we probably shouldn't just leave it there, but after watching all that I kind of don't want to do anything without some explicit instructions, you know what I mean?"
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Arcana: 6
(I imagine Finn will either know something or not, this does not appear to be a person one would have to try to remember...)
Finn follows Jozen's lead. He tries to act as cool and collected as Jozen does and he is climbing off his horse even as Jozen is signaling him to do so. Finn has no intention of making waves here. Best to let the Garbage Men to conduct their business before even entertaining the thought of extracurricular activities. Though Finn does keep an eye open for all possible escape routes, just in case one is needed.
Tylaerys
As she quietly moves deeper into the camp, Tylaerys takes note of the kobolds and cultists disdain for each other. Maybe it was a weakness that could be eploited later somehow. She pays extra attention when names of leaders are mentioned. Cyanwrath they knew, Rezmir she had heard of and Frulam was likely the one in charge of the raid. As she finds the tent with the prisoners she is at first relieved but then disheartened as she sees them all in chains and with a charred body among them. She tries to discern if anyone of them would fit the description of her contact in Greenest. She would also try to see how the chains could be unlocked. She also tries to see whether the guards has any keys that conceivably could open those locks. She also looks around to see how many eyes would be on the prison tent and if there would be a way to sneak out of the camp along the southern wall of the canyon as the show starts. If possible she would also try to determine anything about the charred corpse. Finally she tries to catch sight of Finn and the garbage men, hoping to find out whether the show is coming on soon or not.
(Would Tylaerys know about the Red Wizards of Thay? Intelligence check if needed: 12 )