Vakiel knocks on a couple of doors and talks quietly to the occupants. They nod, accept a few coins, and go running off.
The party wishes good luck to the Baron and his family who are taken off in the cart driven by Santo who nods when Augustin asks him to keep his family safe. Stervun rides on a white horse next to the cart and grins, patting his greataxe.
The man and woman who Vakiel talked to return separately. They tell the party that Kaltis the priest has taken his elite hobgoblin bodyguards, along with nine Iron Circle soldiers to the traitor Rennis' trading station. They are using it as an HQ to coordinate attacks on the village.
The remaining Iron Circle troops including the devils have split into four groups and are spreading out into different areas in the village. They are taking oil, torches, nets and manacles, indicating they are taking slaves and burning buildings.
One other group, including the wizard, is back in the keep, loading carts with loot and supplies, including caged carts for slaves.
do we head to the traders to take out the priest first (7 on the map i think) or get the roving bands with the devils?
I think we need to take out some of the bands first to stop them taking slaves and us getting caught out with reinforcements coming up behind us if we target the priest first. Esa probably wants to go for the mage?
Where you are now, around area 4 and 5 you'll encounter an Iron Circle Dark Adept, five Iron Circle soldiers, and the devils starting to burn homes, but it looks like this lot are not after slaves, they look like they are going to kill everyone. They have no nets or manacles.
You can take them on or go around them while they are distracted.
Augustin suggests talking the priest first. Hopefully we can scare the crap out of them enough that some guards start to fall away. Or we draw everyone else to us which saves the villages and the slaves.
We need to move quickly, if we are not done here within the hour. I feel either us, or the village and those in it are lost.
He pulls out the Hunter's Horn and will blow it when we are ready to start our movement/counter offensive. 3
"When we are ready. Let the hunt begin."
Hopefully any guards who were at the battle for Albridge knows what this brings.
Augustin suggests talking the priest first. Hopefully we can scare the crap out of them enough that some guards start to fall away. Or we draw everyone else to us which saves the villages and the slaves.
We need to move quickly, if we are not done here within the hour. I feel either us, or the village and those in it are lost.
He pulls out the Hunter's Horn and will blow it when we are ready to start our movement/counter offensive. 3
"When we are ready. Let the hunt begin."
Hopefully any guards who were at the battle for Albridge knows what this brings.
well i guess thats one way to make our presence known :)
DM's Note: As discussed in the messenger chat, the party have elected to avoid the devils as they do their work, and head straight for the location of the Iron Circle commander, the priest Kaltis, who should be at the trading station (no.7 on the map).
Leth has a longbow and a quiver of arrows, liberated from the storeroom before escaping the keep. He plans to keep himself and Esa safe by contributing from a distance. His spear and shield are strapped to his back, underneath the quiver of arrows.
As you stealth through the woods towards the Trading Post, you hear screams and the sound of flames eating wooden buildings behind you. Some of the screams are cut short. Some go on for far too long. The laughter of devils can be heard also.
The trading post is a two-story building standing at the heart of the settlement. The trading post is a vital hub that serves the village of Harken as a general store, but also sells items of use to merchants, travellers, and even the odd delver.
The exterior of the trading post is fashioned from warm, earth-toned timber, weathered by years of trade and tales. The wooden shingles on its sloping roof appear aged, yet well-maintained, and a pair of chimneys on either side emit gentle wisps of smoke, hinting at the pre-dawn activities within.
Although you cannot see it from the side you are approaching, you know that at the front of the trading post, a sign, bearing the name "Harken's Haven," will be swinging gently in the breeze, painted in rich colors that depict wares of various kinds. Underneath, a smaller sign indicates that the establishment is closed. But you know it is far from deserted. The back door is open, and there are already a dozen people in manacles shivering in the cold air. Their attire suggests they have been roused out of bed. An Iron Circle soldier is checking their manacles and chains, and then starts to lead them single file towards several wagons with cages on the back which are on the road to the side of the trading post. This means the wagons are between you and the trading post and could be used for cover. Augustin knows these people in chains, none of them are Rennis or Rennis' family.
In the map below the black squares are the horse and caged carts, the white circle with the black dot is where the party are currently situated having just come out of the woods south of them.
The trading post building has five doors. The double doored main entrance on the north side, a side entrance on each side, a back entrance, and a double door leading to a loading dock/storage area.
The Iron Circle soldiers seem to be loading the prisoners onto the lead cart (the southernmost cart). It seems they are waiting until each cart is full before driving off somewhere, maybe back to the keep.
RL will wild shape into a wolf, run around the right side of the building and staying on the western side of the carts run at the horses attached to the first cart to howl, bark and snap at the heels of the horse to make it run away, hopefully before the door on the cart is closed. Once that carts moving he will move onto the second and subsequent horses to spook them all. if If the guards chase him or the carts are all running away he will head down the road towards the mage tower.
Augustin taps his shield with his mace.
let’s go.
Vakiel knocks on a couple of doors and talks quietly to the occupants. They nod, accept a few coins, and go running off.
The party wishes good luck to the Baron and his family who are taken off in the cart driven by Santo who nods when Augustin asks him to keep his family safe. Stervun rides on a white horse next to the cart and grins, patting his greataxe.
The man and woman who Vakiel talked to return separately. They tell the party that Kaltis the priest has taken his elite hobgoblin bodyguards, along with nine Iron Circle soldiers to the traitor Rennis' trading station. They are using it as an HQ to coordinate attacks on the village.
The remaining Iron Circle troops including the devils have split into four groups and are spreading out into different areas in the village. They are taking oil, torches, nets and manacles, indicating they are taking slaves and burning buildings.
One other group, including the wizard, is back in the keep, loading carts with loot and supplies, including caged carts for slaves.
Let's do this!
do we head to the traders to take out the priest first (7 on the map i think) or get the roving bands with the devils?
I think we need to take out some of the bands first to stop them taking slaves and us getting caught out with reinforcements coming up behind us if we target the priest first. Esa probably wants to go for the mage?
Priest first is my vote
No.7 on the map, yep :)
Where you are now, around area 4 and 5 you'll encounter an Iron Circle Dark Adept, five Iron Circle soldiers, and the devils starting to burn homes, but it looks like this lot are not after slaves, they look like they are going to kill everyone. They have no nets or manacles.
You can take them on or go around them while they are distracted.
Augustin suggests talking the priest first. Hopefully we can scare the crap out of them enough that some guards start to fall away. Or we draw everyone else to us which saves the villages and the slaves.
We need to move quickly, if we are not done here within the hour. I feel either us, or the village and those in it are lost.
He pulls out the Hunter's Horn and will blow it when we are ready to start our movement/counter offensive. 3
"When we are ready. Let the hunt begin."
Hopefully any guards who were at the battle for Albridge knows what this brings.
well i guess thats one way to make our presence known :)
RL will hide behind some cover. stealth check14
Grimbald grimaces at the sound, rubs his ear, and decides stealth is the option now, rather than later. 22
stealth 25
Esa will instruct Leth to move where they will have some cover but close enough to target the priest. Within 120ft so her spells will hit.
DM's Note: As discussed in the messenger chat, the party have elected to avoid the devils as they do their work, and head straight for the location of the Iron Circle commander, the priest Kaltis, who should be at the trading station (no.7 on the map).
Leth has a longbow and a quiver of arrows, liberated from the storeroom before escaping the keep. He plans to keep himself and Esa safe by contributing from a distance. His spear and shield are strapped to his back, underneath the quiver of arrows.
As you stealth through the woods towards the Trading Post, you hear screams and the sound of flames eating wooden buildings behind you. Some of the screams are cut short. Some go on for far too long. The laughter of devils can be heard also.
The trading post is a two-story building standing at the heart of the settlement. The trading post is a vital hub that serves the village of Harken as a general store, but also sells items of use to merchants, travellers, and even the odd delver.
The exterior of the trading post is fashioned from warm, earth-toned timber, weathered by years of trade and tales. The wooden shingles on its sloping roof appear aged, yet well-maintained, and a pair of chimneys on either side emit gentle wisps of smoke, hinting at the pre-dawn activities within.
Although you cannot see it from the side you are approaching, you know that at the front of the trading post, a sign, bearing the name "Harken's Haven," will be swinging gently in the breeze, painted in rich colors that depict wares of various kinds. Underneath, a smaller sign indicates that the establishment is closed. But you know it is far from deserted. The back door is open, and there are already a dozen people in manacles shivering in the cold air. Their attire suggests they have been roused out of bed. An Iron Circle soldier is checking their manacles and chains, and then starts to lead them single file towards several wagons with cages on the back which are on the road to the side of the trading post. This means the wagons are between you and the trading post and could be used for cover. Augustin knows these people in chains, none of them are Rennis or Rennis' family.
In the map below the black squares are the horse and caged carts, the white circle with the black dot is where the party are currently situated having just come out of the woods south of them.
Augustin suggests splitting the party , with half going around the left of the building and half going around the right.
Augustin is happy to draw fire from the left of the building whilst everyone comes blasting from the right hand side.
Now would be a good time to draw their attention with the horn :)
Esa and Leth can go to the right, that way we can take cover amongst the trees
The trading post building has five doors. The double doored main entrance on the north side, a side entrance on each side, a back entrance, and a double door leading to a loading dock/storage area.
The Iron Circle soldiers seem to be loading the prisoners onto the lead cart (the southernmost cart). It seems they are waiting until each cart is full before driving off somewhere, maybe back to the keep.
RL will wild shape into a wolf, run around the right side of the building and staying on the western side of the carts run at the horses attached to the first cart to howl, bark and snap at the heels of the horse to make it run away, hopefully before the door on the cart is closed. Once that carts moving he will move onto the second and subsequent horses to spook them all. if If the guards chase him or the carts are all running away he will head down the road towards the mage tower.
What is everyone else doing while RL the wolf gets the carts moving?
From what you've said so far:
Leth and Esa sniping from the right (south) side and taking advantage of cover.
Augustin moving to the left (north side) near the main door drawing attention by blowing his horn and summoning 4 magical hounds.
Grimbald also sniping from the east side, using cover.
Vakiel?