Finley hesitates, he sighs and looks in the direction of the jail and back to the rest of the trio, "Aye, ah suppose that ye could be right. Lettin' someone rot for doing a good deed wouldn't sit well with me in the long run o' things. I guess that means I'm in."He nods.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
Finley hesitates, he sighs and looks in the direction of the jail and back to the rest of the trio, "Aye, ah suppose that ye could be right. Lettin' someone rot for doing a good deed wouldn't sit well with me in the long run o' things. I guess that means I'm in."He nods.
Valrieth opens her mouth, then closes it and looks uncertain. "So...we're going to try to free the prisoner...but which plan do you want to try? Should we ask the guard again to let us talk to her? Or use shape water to create a situation where the we could rush into the hut with the guard? Or do we want to try starting a fire somewhere to entice the guard away from his post?"
She's worried that the guard would leave the fire fighting to the other bullywugs in the area.
It's pretty easy to start with #1 and then fall back to #2 if it's not working.
Of course, both #1 and #2 probably mean that the guard knows that they freed the prisoner. They could also kill / incapacitate the guard, but then they'd probably be in even more trouble. If it comes to fighting the guard, maybe they could scare him off (3 vs. 1) and get away with the prisoner before he returns with reinforcements.
"Well I don't want to hurt anyone with a fire and the guard will be on guard" Gan-Re laughs at this statement "So let us go with the water and be sneaky"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
"Well I don't want to hurt anyone with a fire and the guard will be on guard" Gan-Re laughs at this statement "So let us go with the water and be sneaky"
Valrieth nods and says, "OK. Gan-Re, since you haven't met the guard, yet, introduce yourself and say that we need to speak to the prisoner. You just need to keep him talking for a minute. Maybe imply that prisoner has a powerfully magical ally among the Fey, and we've come to make sure that everything is in order."
Val reiterates the plan, "I'll need a clear view into the hut, but I'll try to keep you guys between me and the guard so that I can cast the spell without the guard noticing. Once I animate the water, one of you will need to point it out...or shout something like, 'What witchcraft is this?!'' If we can get the guard to run for reinforcements while we hold it off, that would be perfect. But if the guard goes into the hut to battle the watery shape himself....well, in that case, we'll need to deal with the guard or at least hold him off long enough to get the prisoner out."
Val asks for the portable hole in case they have to subdue the guard. Presumably, that task would involve Gan-Re, and Val volunteers to be the one to get the prisoner into the hole.
As they walk back to D8, Val makes a final comment, carefully directed at no one in particular: "And remember not to escalate to violence too quickly."
"That does seem like th' best plan," Finley pauses and looks around the area, "Ah don't think there's anyone else close by at th' moment." He keeps an eye out as they move to get into position. "Ah'd prefer not ta make enemies here if we don't have to, so dunnae worry about me bein' quick to violence."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
Gan-Re walks up to the Guard and says "Good evening. I am Gan-Re and I am on and important mission for your king. Its all a bit hush, hush although you can ask him yourself if you like. Anyway I believe that speaking to your prisoner may be useful. Now I don't have much time, so hurry up now!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
As the Trio walks toward the entrance of D8, Valrieth follows a few paces behind Gan-Re and Finley, waving her hands around vaguely, like she's conducting music that only she can hear (or maybe like she's practicing katas while she walks). She's hoping that the guard will just think that she's weird and ignore what she's doing with her hands. (Shape water only has a somatic component, so unless the bullywug is familiar with the spell, it shouldn't really look different once she starts casting the spell.)
Val keeps an eye out for anyone nearby other than the one bullywug guard. (Perception20) Once they get back to the door of D8, she tries to position herself with a clear view of the water-logged cell but with Gan-Re or Finley mostly blocking her from the guard's view.
Assuming that no one else is around and Gan-Re starts talking to the guard and the guard doesn't immediately let the Trio into the hut, Val casts Shape Water on the water in the left-hand cell. She wants to raise up a snake-like shape from the water, about 6-inches thick and about 5-feet tall (to stay within the spell's 5' cube area of effect). Thinking of their terrifying encounter with the snakes at the leaning tower, Val focuses on making the water look like the top half of the snakes when they were ready to strike and tries to get the head and fangs to look as realistic as possible. If she's lucky, it looks something like a water weird. She positions the shape so that the "head" is aiming at the bullywug in the other cell.
(OOC: by my math, and even if the water is only 1-inch deep, there should be plenty of water in a 5'x5'x1" pool to make a 6-inch diameter tube, 6-feet long. We've established that Val can make a shape that stands above the water with this spell. That's probably sufficiently scary, but if possible, she'll make the "head" sway back and forth.)
"I was under the King's orders to guard that prisoner and to allow no visitors. Are sure you are working for the king" says the guard as he plants himself firmly at the entrance looking over Gan-re and the odd Val
"Are you calling me a liar! Look me in the eyes and say that again. Better yet, call for the king and ask him why a guard is interfering with his delicate and need to know mission. Because if you don't give me access then I will be forced to and on your head, or neck, be it"
Intimidation Check: 20 (Game Log)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
The guard looks to the prisoner and back to Gan-re and thinks it better not to anger the King."Alright come in, but I'll be watching you"
The guard then turns around and looks on the watery changes by Val "What kind of creature is in the cell." The guard stomps off and opens the water logged cell with his key and takes a stab at the water weird with his spear
(OOC: Indeed! Great time to pull out a high roll!)
The guard looks to the prisoner and back to Gan-re and thinks it better not to anger the King."Alright come in, but I'll be watching you"
The guard then turns around and looks on the watery changes by Val "What kind of creature is in the cell." The guard stomps off and opens the water logged cell with his key and takes a stab at the water weird with his spear
When the guard attacks the first watery shape, Valrieth dismisses the form, letting it collapse into the pool with a splash. Val claps and says, "Good job!" But as soon as the guard turns back toward that cell's door, Val points and says, "Look out! It's back!"
When the guard turns around again (facing into the cell), she casts shape water, raising up another shape from the water. If Val can tell now that the water is deeper than 1-inch, she knows that she has enough water to make more than one snake form. Remembering an old coat-of-arms she saw (see below, but without the winged staff, of course), she makes two snake shapes coiled around each other and facing outward with open mouths. She makes the shapes continuously corkscrew around each other, and each time one of the "heads" coils toward the bullywug, it lunges forward a bit with its mouth open.
If Gan-Re or Finley are free while the guard is busy with the "snakes", Val tosses her head toward the prisoner's cell as she removes the portable hole from her pouch.
(OOC: I'll stop there for now. There are a couple of ways this could go, but while we're not really in combat, I think that it's better to let this situation evolve round-by-round.)
No one is coming over, but Krayker glances at the Holding Cells from the proving ground. The guard continues to stab at the water snakes with his spear.
Gan-Re confidentiality walks up to the cell, he has permission after all. He pulls out the +1 dagger the got from the Fairy dragon. He moves it around, in a vaguely threatening way but is actually showing it off. He winks at the prisoner and says in a loud way "I understand that you may have encountered someone I know". He tries to position himself so that Finley is between Gan-Re and the guard so that the guard cannot see Gan-Re picking the lock if he tries to do it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
so that the guard cannot see Gan-Re picking the lock if he tries to do it.
Valrieth dances sideways toward the prisoner's cell, next to Ga-Re, making a "tsk" sound with her mouth. She tosses the folded up portable hole on the ground in the cell at the prisoner's feet. She looks at the prisoner and says as quietly as she's able, "Open it flat," while she flattens her left hand. And then Val points her right-hand finger at the prisoner and makes an arc with her right hand, ending with her finger pointed down on her flattened left hand.
Hoping that the prisoner got the message and that Gan-Re remembers the plan, Val moves into the door of the other cell where the guard is fighting the water "snakes."
If the guard is still focused on spearing the water, she casts shape water again. This time, she turns the water an opaque, bright shade of green. That should make the snake forms look less like water and much more solid. (OOC: she can have 2 non-instantaneous effects active at once with this spell.)
Then, standing at that cell's door, Val tells the guard, "Oh! I think you got their attention. Keep them busy a little longer: I have an idea that might finish them off!"
The Val removes her backpack briefly to take out 1 flask of oil.
Unable to whisper the guard hears Val's comment and turns. "Open what flat?"
Startled, Valrieth says, "Uh...what?", and hurries over to the cell where the guard is fighting the water "snakes."
When she reaches the door to that cell, she says, "Oh! No, I meant: hit it with the flat of the blade. Or maybe the spear shaft?"
She gestures with her right hand, pantomiming a poking action with her finger, as she explains,"I don't think that you can hurt a water monster by stabbing it."
Assuming that the guard buys that response, once the guard switches from stabbing to bludgeoning the water forms, she casts shape water to change the water color (as described above). (OOC: and, in that case, the rest of the previous post would still be relevant and play out the same way.)
Finley hesitates, he sighs and looks in the direction of the jail and back to the rest of the trio, "Aye, ah suppose that ye could be right. Lettin' someone rot for doing a good deed wouldn't sit well with me in the long run o' things. I guess that means I'm in." He nods.
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
Valrieth opens her mouth, then closes it and looks uncertain. "So...we're going to try to free the prisoner...but which plan do you want to try? Should we ask the guard again to let us talk to her? Or use shape water to create a situation where the we could rush into the hut with the guard? Or do we want to try starting a fire somewhere to entice the guard away from his post?"
Val ranks them in this order:
She's worried that the guard would leave the fire fighting to the other bullywugs in the area.
It's pretty easy to start with #1 and then fall back to #2 if it's not working.
Of course, both #1 and #2 probably mean that the guard knows that they freed the prisoner. They could also kill / incapacitate the guard, but then they'd probably be in even more trouble. If it comes to fighting the guard, maybe they could scare him off (3 vs. 1) and get away with the prisoner before he returns with reinforcements.
"Well I don't want to hurt anyone with a fire and the guard will be on guard" Gan-Re laughs at this statement "So let us go with the water and be sneaky"
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
Valrieth nods and says, "OK. Gan-Re, since you haven't met the guard, yet, introduce yourself and say that we need to speak to the prisoner. You just need to keep him talking for a minute. Maybe imply that prisoner has a powerfully magical ally among the Fey, and we've come to make sure that everything is in order."
Val reiterates the plan, "I'll need a clear view into the hut, but I'll try to keep you guys between me and the guard so that I can cast the spell without the guard noticing. Once I animate the water, one of you will need to point it out...or shout something like, 'What witchcraft is this?!'' If we can get the guard to run for reinforcements while we hold it off, that would be perfect. But if the guard goes into the hut to battle the watery shape himself....well, in that case, we'll need to deal with the guard or at least hold him off long enough to get the prisoner out."
Val asks for the portable hole in case they have to subdue the guard. Presumably, that task would involve Gan-Re, and Val volunteers to be the one to get the prisoner into the hole.
As they walk back to D8, Val makes a final comment, carefully directed at no one in particular: "And remember not to escalate to violence too quickly."
"That does seem like th' best plan," Finley pauses and looks around the area, "Ah don't think there's anyone else close by at th' moment." He keeps an eye out as they move to get into position. "Ah'd prefer not ta make enemies here if we don't have to, so dunnae worry about me bein' quick to violence."
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
Gan-Re walks up to the Guard and says "Good evening. I am Gan-Re and I am on and important mission for your king. Its all a bit hush, hush although you can ask him yourself if you like. Anyway I believe that speaking to your prisoner may be useful. Now I don't have much time, so hurry up now!"
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
As the Trio walks toward the entrance of D8, Valrieth follows a few paces behind Gan-Re and Finley, waving her hands around vaguely, like she's conducting music that only she can hear (or maybe like she's practicing katas while she walks). She's hoping that the guard will just think that she's weird and ignore what she's doing with her hands. (Shape water only has a somatic component, so unless the bullywug is familiar with the spell, it shouldn't really look different once she starts casting the spell.)
Val keeps an eye out for anyone nearby other than the one bullywug guard. (Perception 20) Once they get back to the door of D8, she tries to position herself with a clear view of the water-logged cell but with Gan-Re or Finley mostly blocking her from the guard's view.
Assuming that no one else is around and Gan-Re starts talking to the guard and the guard doesn't immediately let the Trio into the hut, Val casts Shape Water on the water in the left-hand cell. She wants to raise up a snake-like shape from the water, about 6-inches thick and about 5-feet tall (to stay within the spell's 5' cube area of effect). Thinking of their terrifying encounter with the snakes at the leaning tower, Val focuses on making the water look like the top half of the snakes when they were ready to strike and tries to get the head and fangs to look as realistic as possible. If she's lucky, it looks something like a water weird. She positions the shape so that the "head" is aiming at the bullywug in the other cell.
(OOC: by my math, and even if the water is only 1-inch deep, there should be plenty of water in a 5'x5'x1" pool to make a 6-inch diameter tube, 6-feet long. We've established that Val can make a shape that stands above the water with this spell. That's probably sufficiently scary, but if possible, she'll make the "head" sway back and forth.)
"I was under the King's orders to guard that prisoner and to allow no visitors. Are sure you are working for the king" says the guard as he plants himself firmly at the entrance looking over Gan-re and the odd Val
The party can try persuasion or something else.
"Are you calling me a liar! Look me in the eyes and say that again. Better yet, call for the king and ask him why a guard is interfering with his delicate and need to know mission. Because if you don't give me access then I will be forced to and on your head, or neck, be it"
Intimidation Check: 20 (Game Log)
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
(Nice roll)
The guard looks to the prisoner and back to Gan-re and thinks it better not to anger the King."Alright come in, but I'll be watching you"
The guard then turns around and looks on the watery changes by Val "What kind of creature is in the cell." The guard stomps off and opens the water logged cell with his key and takes a stab at the water weird with his spear
What do you do?
(OOC: Indeed! Great time to pull out a high roll!)
When the guard attacks the first watery shape, Valrieth dismisses the form, letting it collapse into the pool with a splash. Val claps and says, "Good job!" But as soon as the guard turns back toward that cell's door, Val points and says, "Look out! It's back!"
When the guard turns around again (facing into the cell), she casts shape water, raising up another shape from the water. If Val can tell now that the water is deeper than 1-inch, she knows that she has enough water to make more than one snake form. Remembering an old coat-of-arms she saw (see below, but without the winged staff, of course), she makes two snake shapes coiled around each other and facing outward with open mouths. She makes the shapes continuously corkscrew around each other, and each time one of the "heads" coils toward the bullywug, it lunges forward a bit with its mouth open.
If Gan-Re or Finley are free while the guard is busy with the "snakes", Val tosses her head toward the prisoner's cell as she removes the portable hole from her pouch.
(OOC: I'll stop there for now. There are a couple of ways this could go, but while we're not really in combat, I think that it's better to let this situation evolve round-by-round.)
Finley motions towards the cell to Gan-Re and starts keeping an eye out for others who may hear the ruckus that is starting here at the prison.
(Perception: 11)
Finley Stoneshaft, Dwarf Artificer - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Falkas, Half-Elf Drow Warlock - Keys of Empire
No one is coming over, but Krayker glances at the Holding Cells from the proving ground. The guard continues to stab at the water snakes with his spear.
Gan-Re confidentiality walks up to the cell, he has permission after all. He pulls out the +1 dagger the got from the Fairy dragon. He moves it around, in a vaguely threatening way but is actually showing it off. He winks at the prisoner and says in a loud way "I understand that you may have encountered someone I know". He tries to position himself so that Finley is between Gan-Re and the guard so that the guard cannot see Gan-Re picking the lock if he tries to do it.
Gan-Re: Aarakocra Barbarian - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight | DM - Keys of Empire
Valrieth dances sideways toward the prisoner's cell, next to Ga-Re, making a "tsk" sound with her mouth. She tosses the folded up portable hole on the ground in the cell at the prisoner's feet. She looks at the prisoner and says as quietly as she's able, "Open it flat," while she flattens her left hand. And then Val points her right-hand finger at the prisoner and makes an arc with her right hand, ending with her finger pointed down on her flattened left hand.
Hoping that the prisoner got the message and that Gan-Re remembers the plan, Val moves into the door of the other cell where the guard is fighting the water "snakes."
If the guard is still focused on spearing the water, she casts shape water again. This time, she turns the water an opaque, bright shade of green. That should make the snake forms look less like water and much more solid. (OOC: she can have 2 non-instantaneous effects active at once with this spell.)
Then, standing at that cell's door, Val tells the guard, "Oh! I think you got their attention. Keep them busy a little longer: I have an idea that might finish them off!"
The Val removes her backpack briefly to take out 1 flask of oil.
Unable to whisper the guard hears Val's comment and turns. "Open what flat?"
Startled, Valrieth says, "Uh...what?", and hurries over to the cell where the guard is fighting the water "snakes."
When she reaches the door to that cell, she says, "Oh! No, I meant: hit it with the flat of the blade. Or maybe the spear shaft?"
She gestures with her right hand, pantomiming a poking action with her finger, as she explains, "I don't think that you can hurt a water monster by stabbing it."
Assuming that the guard buys that response, once the guard switches from stabbing to bludgeoning the water forms, she casts shape water to change the water color (as described above). (OOC: and, in that case, the rest of the previous post would still be relevant and play out the same way.)
Val please roll deception DC 13
(OOC: Heh. Not her best skill or stat. I now realize that she should have cast Guidance before we started this gambit!)
Deception 7