"You really need a rest, Brixie?"  Inge peers down at the gnome with a friendly grin.  "You were pretty fast back there, I got to admit."

She flips her long braid to her other shoulder out of unconscious habit.  "Happy to carry you on my shoulders now, though, you know?  If you want, I mean.  I just don't like this place.  Sooner we get to that cave, sooner we can get out.  Maybe get a nice meal back at the main encampment."

"I...uhh.....suppose..uhh...I...can.uhh..go on. Just let me catch my breath." replies Brix as his ragged breaths between words smooths out.

Myrla surveys the distant hill, her gaze narrowing as she assesses the terrain and the cave’s surroundings. She considers their options carefully, trying to gauge the best approach.

"Alright, let’s plan this out," she says quietly to the group, nodding toward the rocky hill and the cave entrance beyond. "First, we’ll need to get closer to the river to see if it’s flowing in or out of the cave—it could make a big difference for our approach. If the current isn’t too strong, we might even use it as cover to get inside unnoticed."

She squints, studying the shambling figures moving near the cave. "It’s hard to tell from here how many of those creatures we’ll be up against, but it looks like they’re pretty active near the entrance. If we approach head-on, we’ll need to be prepared to handle a lot of them, which could get messy."

She then scans the hill, searching for any alternative ways in. "There might be smaller entrances or even sinkholes further up the slope," she suggests, her mind racing with possibilities. "If we can find one, we might avoid the main entrance entirely and get closer to the commander without drawing too much attention."

She looks to the group, her expression serious. "Let’s rest briefly, as Brix suggested, just enough to catch our breath and steady ourselves. Once we’re ready, we’ll move in quietly, get closer to the river, and look for the safest entry point. The fewer of those things we have to fight head-on, the better our chances."

Brix nods his head in support of the plan. He immediately begins going over his alchemy reagents and gear. He pours over his notes in hopes that he can find something from his time studying back in camp that will allow the group to better assess the situation. 

(Is this the campaign where a short rest is 8 hours? If so, as much as I would appreciate a short rest, I am not sure we can justify taking one)

Quote from Swiftgale >>

(Is this the campaign where a short rest is 8 hours? If so, as much as I would appreciate a short rest, I am not sure we can justify taking one)

 (I think you're right, but we can just take a very short rest to plan and refresh without any mechanical benefits.)

{{I almost forgot we're running gritty realism. Yes, you need 8 hours to gain the benefit of a short rest. But, you can 'short rest' any time, as in take a breather and plan. I'm still contemplating giving you guys the opportunity to use what is called a power/heroic rest, where you take a short rest for only 1 hour or a long rest for 8 hours. I think our discussion about this was still left a bit in the air because I think there was an argument that if we have to use this, then we might as well use the normal rest rule.}}

The group finds a small rock outcropping rising abruptly surrounding a sloped area, enough to hide them temporarily from any watcher's or beast's eyes. 

As some of the group members rest, some others keep observing the cave entrance quite intently. From this distance, it is still difficult to determine the details, but a pattern begins to emerge over the period of the group's rest. The number of figures roaming around the cave mouth is not changing despite some of the figures entering the cave mouth. It appears that Myrla's theory may prove true, because apart from the figures being more numerous than they first thought, there is a chance that there is only a limited number of them and they just patrol around, entering through the cave mouth and exiting somewhere else. 

(Hehe I had forgotten about gritty realism when I suggested the rest.  So nevermind, we can just continue role-playing a strategy break and not an actual "short rest")

Once Brix has finished his inventory he joins those surveiling the rock face.

"Good, we need to gather as much information as we can so we can avoid the patrols."

He starts making notes about the frequency of what he assumes are guards. The distance, however, makes distinguishing one from the next difficult so he focuses on timing and routes. He watches for potential timing gaps and blinds spots they can exploit to get closer.

Perception:23

Myrla crouches beside Brix, observing the cave entrance and the patrol patterns he’s noting down. She nods thoughtfully, her gaze sharpening as she takes in the emerging pattern. “I think you’re right, Brix,” she murmurs. “There’s definitely a rotation, but from here, it’s hard to make out the exact details. If we’re going to exploit any gaps, we’ll need a closer look to be sure.”

She glances toward the others. “Some of us with a lighter step could slip in closer to get a better view of their timing and numbers. We don’t want to go in blind if there’s a chance to pick out an entry point without triggering an alarm.” Her voice drops to a low whisper as she adds, “If we know where the gaps are, it might just give us the window we need to get everyone inside safely. I can go, if that's alright. Anyone wants to join?”

(Just how far away are we? How is the general surrounding, is it easy to hide there? Could we improve our stealth rolls with some preparation, like painting armor and skin in natural colors typical for the scenery? Myrla also has the following feature: Mask of the Wild: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.)

Milo raises his hand. "I am not always the stealthiest. But I am fast so can make a quick getaway if needed. Or a good diversion if we need me to be an obvious person, running away from them while someone else slower takes that opportunity to sneak behind."

Inge takes a knee and thinks.  "I can be sneaky when I'm hunting, just not as stealthy as you, Myrla.  And what if my tummy will rumbles right when one of those things is shambling by?  So maybe you, Milo and Wadi?  I'm thinking Nature Walker can turn into an animal again if he has to.  Just..."

Inge screws up her face and chews her lip.  "Just if Brixie and I ware waiting for you, where should we wait?  And what's the signal for us to do something?  Like if they notice you and you get surrounded?"

{{You guys are still about half a day away. I don't think I have ever specified the time of the day, but after travelling through the Field of Angels and resting, it's now nearing noon. The terrain is quite open, but you can find an outcropping quite easily to hide behind. If I remember my geography lesson well, I think your target is a mesa or a plateau, and buttes or rocky monuments surround it.}} 

Finding the gap between the patrol cycles takes quite a while; however, Brix manages to note that the patrol has a 1.5-hour route before returning back to the beginning. There is a point where a section of the outcropping is void of any creature. Unfortunately, it is quite brief, only a few minutes, yet promising as it is an area that can easily hide the entire group. Still, it will take more time to find out the more intricate details, such as who patrols it and where else the group may hide. Numbers are harder to gauge as from this distance the creature kind of blurs together. Getting closer would make it easier to count the threat. 

Looking at the area around the cave mouth, a few rocky outcroppings are jutting out of the ground, some large enough for the group to take cover behind. Unfortunately, there is a large gap between the closest outcropping near the cave mouth and the cave mouth itself. At a glance, there is an open space of about 200 feet or so followed by a river before the group can enter the cave mouth. However, after looking at the area for quite some time, it is easy to distinguish that the river seems to be eroding into the cave mouth instead of flowing into or flowing from the cave. There is a high chance that the inside of the cave is dry, with only the cave mouth being slightly flooded. 

"Seems they cycle through about every one and a half hours. That is if my calculations are correct. If we get closer I might be able to discern if the patrols have points where they can't see each other. That could allow us to slip into the gap between patrols and follow their path with out discovery." Brix shares his observations and the beginnings of a plan. 

"Do we all try and get closer? We are a significant way away currently. Maybe we can fashion some sort of covering so that from such a distance as we are currently we do not stand out. Otherwise they will see a bunch of figures making their way in their direction and be prepared for us. It is too open and too far for my liking."

Myrla nods as she listens to Brix and Milo, her sharp eyes fixed on the patrol patterns in the distance. "I agree—we need to get closer," she says decisively. "From here, it’s too hard to tell how many of them there are, and we’re too exposed if they spot us coming from this distance." She glances at the group and adds, "If we’re all moving in, we need to make sure we’re not standing out. Nothing gives you away faster than shining armor." She crouches down and starts scooping up loose soil, mixing it with water from her waterskin. "Here, let’s dull everything that might catch the light."

Myrla moves quickly, smearing the muddy mixture over her own gear before offering it to the others. "This will break up any shine and help us blend in better with the terrain. The last thing we need is to be spotted because we’re reflecting the midday sun like a signal flare." She stands, brushing off her hands and giving the group a once-over. "Once we’re closer, we can reassess and decide whether to split up or move together. Let’s make this count." With that, she adjusts her pack, her gaze turning back to the patrols as she readies herself to move.

Brix accepts the mixture with a bit of trepidation on his face. However he doesn't complain. Even as he mucks down his bushy red hair he only makes a disgusted face as he suggests they wait for dark to move. 

Inge has never had any armor to speak of.  Somewhat forlornly, she starts wiping a thin layer of mud onto her face and the blade of her glaive.

She stands ready to do anything the others say.  Well, almost anything.  Her tummy rumbles.  I wonder when our next meal will be?  I'm starving...

Brix notes the grinding gurgle coming from his companions mid section and quickly produces a ration cake made from berries, various grains and honey. He offers it to Inge.

It takes all of Inge's will power to stop herself from snatching the cake from Brix's hands and gobbling it all in one bite, muddy hands, muddy face and all.

Still, the tall half-elven woman beams down at the gnome as she carefully wipes the muck from her hands and immediate mouth area first before savoring the snack.  "Thanks, Brixie!  Ready to sneak up and swing my glaive at those zombie things, now!  Oh yeah, and rescue this Kashran guy!"

Milo takes not of Brix's suggestion. "Waiting for dark could make sense. We wouldn't need to worry about the glare. But at the same time, who knows if we are on a time constraint here. Plus not all of us can see without light, and a light in the dark would be even more obvious.