"I still vote for taking the fort. We can check out the northwest gate, see if we can get it open. If there is a winch or lever, I have spells that can help activate it. If not, perhaps we go over the wall? I have spells that can help there also."

"Perhaps we send our familiars out to search for 30 minutes, then proceed? I think starting with Karg is a good plan if we can avoid the other one."

[How high are the walls? Misty step-able to top if needed?]

Eron nods as Arlynn express’ her concern about an ambush, “Could the familiars be sent to keep surveillance on the roving group?  Also I think I may just scale the wall and lower a rope Fane keep the arcane for a quick escape if necessary.”

Athletics to climb 8 or 16 with assistance.

25

Using the map as reference, what part of the wall is Eron looking to scale?

"I suggest Zzplorff keeps an eye on Karg for now but perhaps Leo can keep an eye on the guard on the wall by the sea and also warn us if anyone approaches the keep?" Arlynn suggests, ready to follow Eron and assist him with the climb.

Fane will have Leo keep an eye on the southern scout, ready to inform her if the scout seems to notice them or changes his routine up. She will also have the owl keep one eye towards the direction the other group left, watching for their return.

Leo's Perception: 23

"I would prefer to save my magic also, if you can scale the wall, that would be great" she says to Eron. "I can have my Mage Hand deliver the rope to you if that is helpful."

Quote from Bartjeebus >>

25

Using the map as reference, what part of the wall is Eron looking to scale?

 North side by the tree.

Fane's  Mage Hand is able to carry one end of the 50' rope up the wall, loop it around a parapet, and then bring it back down.  With the other's countering his weight, Eron is able to ascend to the top of the wall.

Arlynn:

 Fane:

 Eron is now atop the wall, rope in hand, near the large palm tree on the map.  The other three are on the ground outside the wall.

"Karg is still caught up in some journal." The blue-haired half-elf says quietly to the others before starting to climb the wall.

Athletics: 3 Another roll if advantage thanks to rope: 8

"The scout on the southern wall may be alerted to our presence, he has ducked into a tower" she says.

Fane will let Sylraen climb next, and they she will go last.

Acrobatics: 13

Arlynn struggles with the climb, her feet slipping along the damp outer walls of the keep.  She has to make two attempts before she is able to reach the top.

Acrobatics:  18

Sylraeth [I think I've been writing her name incorrectly.  Your olven companion is Sylraeth, not Sylraen] glides up the rope almost effortlessly, and then Fane is able to follow without difficulty.

Just as Fane is climbing over the top of the parapet, however, she hears a mental warning from Leo.  Across the keep, the guard emerges from a doorway, now on the same level as you.  He is a long-haired human man in studded leather armor, with a rapier hanging at his hip.  He immediately looks to the northern wall, then raises two fingers to his lips; a shrill, loud whistle follows.

Initiative:

1. Fane  24
2. Kargath Ironvein  18
3. Eron  16
4. Gideon Rusk  13
5. Arlynn  12
6. Sylraeth  4

Sylraeth gasps, momentarily shocked by the realization your incursion has been discovered.

[Fane is up first!]

[what is that tentacle looking token in the NE corner? And is Fane aware of it?]

[ Never mind, just saw the chat thread! turn coming...]

"The Hydra is on our side" Fane whispers to Sylraeth and gives her a quick wink, and she will summon a 15 ft tall Hydra, 10 feet in front of the door to the tower Kargath is in, similar to the one we fought in the swamp. It's multi heads will be staring at the door, expectantly.

[I'm assuming there is a door on our level, or in sight]

If Fane can duck behind any walls or parts of the castle between her and the scout she would, trying to remover herself as a target from him. For now she will keep Leo out of the fight, as her scouting abilities are more valuable.

My spell save is 13 if needed.

Fane conjures her trusty hydra illusion and then ducks behind a stone wall and a cluster of vines.  

Across the keep, the tall wooden door of the northeast tower creaks open abruptly, slammed outward by a heavy hand from within.  Kargath Ironvein—weathered dwarven fighter, scarred veteran of a dozen battles—steps out into the sunlight, his thick frame broad as the door itself.   He holds a heavy waraxe in one hand, a mug still gripped in the other from his interrupted morning vigil.  He looks about to holler something - 

Then he sees it.

Towering just feet away, the heads of the hydra sway menacingly above him—five serpentine necks coiled like drawn whips, all of them fixated on the door.  Their fanged maws drip with imagined venom.  Karg's mouth opens slightly.  Instead of a shout, he sucks in a gasp.  He utters something hoarse in Dwarvish—

 —then instinct takes over.  With a grunt, he stumbles back, his mug clattering to the stone floor and splashing the dregs of stale ale across the chamber.  He draws his axe fully now, retreating back just inside the door.  His boots scrape as he backpedals across the wood, eyes never leaving the illusion.  He yells out the door—“Rusk! Hydra! North wall! HYDRA!”

To Fane, tucked low behind a broken crenellation, the reaction is everything she could've hoped for.

Behind her, Sylraeth breathes out, both anxious and amazed. "It worked..."

[Eron is up!]

Slayer’s prey bonus action.  Eron draws his longsword and light hammer as he makes his way towards Kargath Ironvein.  

[Does Eron Dash toward Karg or just use his normal movement?  He can just walk, or if he dashes he can get far enough to enter the back side of the hydra illusion (he can see through it but the others enemies can't yet).  Either way he cannot get within melee range of Karg this turn.]

Quote from Bartjeebus >>

[Does Eron Dash toward Karg or just use his normal movement?  He can just walk, or if he dashes he can get far enough to enter the back side of the hydra illusion (he can see through it but the others enemies can't yet).  Either way he cannot get within melee range of Karg this turn.]

 Eron moves behind the hydra at normal pace, preparing for next round…

The guard - Rusk, apparently - reacts with the cool speed of a seasoned duelist—but his jaw drops slightly at the appearance of the hydra.  It doesn't stop him, however.  The tall, lean man bursts fully onto the parapet, cloak flaring behind him as he dashes across the moss-streaked stonework of Bale Keep's eastern platform.  His studded leather armor barely rustles beneath his crisp movements, and his rapier sings free from its sheath in one practiced motion.

He keeps his eyes on the towering hydra illusion—its many heads writhing, hissing silently, muscles bulging with fabricated menace.  “That's not natural,” he mutters loudly, sharp eyes narrowing as he squints into the morning haze.

Then he spots Eron approaching Karg's tower, seemingly in no fear of the monster.  His mind starts connecting the dots.

He shouts as he dashes toward the tower, “Karg! We’ve got intruders!  They brought this thing!”

He doesn’t hesitate—yet he isn't able to attack either.  Skirting the edge of the hydra illusion, he slows just enough to eye its flank.  One hand grips the hilt of his rapier, the other held slightly out, as if to test the air around it.  His feet stop short of its imagined reach.

[Arlynn and then Sylraeth are up, then back to Fane again!]

The young blue-haired half-elf draws her tentacle-shaped wand and swiftly places a hex on the duelist, making him embarrassingly clumsy, then unleashing an azure beam of eldritch crackling force towards him.

Bonus action: Hex (dex)
Eldritch Blast: 24 Force: 12 + Necrotic: 2

She then motions for Sylraeth to get behind her while calling out to the dwarf and the duelist. "Lay down your weapons and you will be luckier than those who ventured into the marsh. You should recognize when your situation is hopeless. Only the two of you left now and unless you comply we would need to feed you to the Otyugh." 

Deception: 10

Arlynn’s powerful blast slams into the swordsman, and then her voice cuts through the thick air like a blade of her own.  Her words carry not just menace, but plausibility.  The rest of the band had gone into the marsh.  If something had gone wrong, how would Karg know from here?

Karg, still gripping the edge of the tower doorway, stares wide-eyed at the hydra.  Then his gaze shifts to Arlynn.  A cold flicker of recognition stirs behind his eyes.  The dwarf’s instincts war with his pride.  He’s not afraid of death—but he is a tactician, and the woman’s words ring with unsettling truth.

“You... the blue-haired loudmouth... Those bastards better not’ve walked into a trap…” he mutters, half to himself.  He doesn’t lower his weapon—not yet.  But his eyes flick to Gideon, gauging.

Rusk, standing near the illusion, straightens a little.  He doesn’t flinch at Arlynn’s threat, but he does hesitate.  His blade lowers a fraction.  The way she said it—calm, with confidence—there was no bluff in her tone.  If the others are already dead or captured… their situation might truly be as dire as she claims.  He doesn’t fully buy it yet—but she has cracked the surface.  Without turning his head, Rusk calls to Karg, "You think they're serious?"

Karg snarls back, "Maybe... !  But don’t be a fool, Gideon!  You think these bastards waltzed through the marsh, climbed our walls, and conjured a hydra just to talk?”  He spits on the stone at his feet and jabs a thick finger toward Arlynn and the others.  “If the others are gone, we’re all that’s left.  And we don’t make a stand by submitting to threats from from knife-eared thieves.”  Then louder, forceful, “To me, Gideon!  Inside!  We hold the tower or we lose it all!”

It's at this moment that Sylraeth steps up, her voice taking on a melodic cadence as she casts entangle.  Her hands weave a delicate pattern in the air, fingers trailing with faint green light as she chants in Sylvan—ancient and lilting, like birdsong.  As the last word leaves her lips, the ground beneath Gideon’s feet darkens with sudden moisture.  With a whip-crack sound, vines and brambles erupt from the cracks in the stonework and the seams between flagstones.  The vines snap and twist around Gideon’s legs and arms, seeking to drag him down and bind him to the earth itself.

STR:  9

The vines grasp and bind his ankles and legs.  "Ah!  Karg!  They're got me!" he cries out in shock.

[Round 2!  Fane is back up!]