Auriel notices Hex’s conversation with Little Erik from afar, and he furrows his brow. He tells Hildigrim, "It doesn’t look like they’re going to get rid of Little Erik that easily—unless Carl goes invisible, or we come up with a distraction. But he seems intent on not leaving his post ... should we try to help them? Or should we keep checking around here?"
(ooc: Have Auriel and Hildigreem seen or heard anything interesting on the path that leaves to the other side? Also, I've noticed on the map there is some kind of rope attached from this camp to the right shoulder of the statue. Are we near it? Would it be possible to climb it without being seen? It might give a good vantage point. Another question: where is the meeting actually taking place, inside the statue? We can't see or hear what is happening, right?)
OOC: It's too foggy for anything specific to be in sight in that direction, so it's likely that the fog would also protect you from sight from afar at least as you make your way across. The statue is the true middle point between this side of the camp and the "other side". The characters don't know at the moment exactly where the meeting is taking place, as it's too far away to be seen through the fog as well (and also can't be heard from here).
Auriel peers through the fog to make out as much detail as he can about the massive statue of the king. Moss clings to its body, which should make it possible to climb, but if the mist and fog is making it slick, it may not be possible for all.
Hex wracks her brain trying to think of a way to get Erik to leave. She keeps herself calm. If it didn't work, then she could always just walk away and come up with another plan.
"Mmm... if you want, I can take over your post. Don't really have anything to do while we're waiting and I need to talk to Sahnd about something anyway." She looks Erik up and down with a slightly amused look. "Not gonna lie, you look like you need a break."
Hildigrim halts, glancing back past Auriel toward the camp. From this distance, he can just make out "Rathene" speaking with the guard outside Krulek’s tent. Frowning, he backtracks a few steps to stand closer to the elf, his gaze fixed on the exchange.
"It hasn’t been long. And just because we can’t see something happening doesn’t mean nothing is." His voice remains measured, analytical. "We didn’t hear exactly what they planned. And let’s not forget Carl’s little invisible friend."
He hesitates, scanning the area before adding, "Still, we can wait and watch." His eyes sweep the camp, searching for any sign of Carl — visible or otherwise.
Carl just keeps sitting there, carving and periodically looking up at Hex and Erik. He looks over at Squirt and has him walk a little closer toward the tent, coming from around and not a direct approach, but making ready in case Hex is successful….
"Mmm... if you want, I can take over your post. Don't really have anything to do while we're waiting and I need to talk to Sahnd about something anyway." She looks Erik up and down with a slightly amused look. "Not gonna lie, you look like you need a break."
"What's going on here, Rathene?" Erik narrows his eyes, his grip tightening on the handle of the mace on his belt. "You're acting strange. I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much and now you think we're best buds? What are you really after?"
Hex lets out an exhausted sigh, then shrugs and waves her hand dismissively. "Fine. Don't worry about it then." She turns and leaves, not giving Erik a chance to reply. She heads back to Carl with a somewhat shameful look on her face. "Alright. I messed that up real bad. Was never particularly good deceiving people. I'm better in the backlines."
She glances towards the tent and then back at Carl. "Wait, can you turn me invisible? Judging from how seriously he's taking guard duty, I have a feeling there's something reeally important in there that Krulek doesn't want anyone to find out about."
“Sure can. Hold on a minute.” Carl looks and waits for no one to be around, looking their direction, then uses an action to cast invisibility on Hex, looking up from time to time and scanning their surroundings. Once he has finished, he goes back to carving, sitting there with his pocket knife and looking bored. He says to the air, “Squirt is still nearby you, I’ll have him help you if he can. Stay quiet now. Find out what is in that tent.”
Hex nods before realising Carl can't see her. "You got it." With both her hood up and Carl's magic, she felt much more confident and made her way back to the tent, trying to sneak her way in around Erik.
"It hasn’t been long. And just because we can’t see something happening doesn’t mean nothing is." His voice remains measured, analytical. "We didn’t hear exactly what they planned. And let’s not forget Carl’s little invisible friend."
"Sorry. All this waiting for a signal, with Ruse, Erik, and the other Gray Cloaks around, is making me nervous. But you're right, Hex and Carl are capable. They'll surely get this working,"Auriel says.
Suddenly, he stops seeing Hex altogether. But Carl is still sitting, apparently carving something. That must mean everything is under control. The eladrin sighs and tries to focus elsewhere. Ruse said the signal in case something happened during the talks would be a flaming arrow shot by the elven archer. He wonders where the archer might be positioned.
Hildigrim scowls as Hex leaves the tent and heads toward Carl. His frown deepens, concern forming into words — until he sees "Rathene" vanish from sight.
"Oh ..." he murmurs, realization dawning. Is she sneaking in? What happened to the plan with the owl sounds?
Keeping his gaze fixed on the tent, he speaks to Auriel without looking away. "I’d hate to draw attention to us," he says cautiously, "but do you think we should create a distraction to help Hex get inside unseen?" Finally, he tilts his head up at the elf, his voice quieter but no less serious. "I do have arrows. And a tinderbox."
Auriel, not particularly fond of deception and usually more inclined toward direct approaches, stares at Hildigrim. He glances into the distance where Hex has vanished, frowns, then looks back at the halfling. "To the Hells with it," he replies. "Let's do it. Let's kick the hornet's nest. This negotiation has already lasted too long—we might as well finish it ourselves."
Hildigrim nods — a small, deliberate motion — but his expression remains grave, brows furrowed in deep thought. While pushing his glasses up the bridge of his pointed nose, his eyes scan the area, mind already mapping out possibilities. If he’s going to fire a shot, it needs to come from the right angle. It needs to sow confusion, not suspicion.
He shifts his weight, gaze darting over nearby cover, calculating. Where can I loose an arrow and remain unseen?
Stepping carefully to avoid disturbing the wet ground more than necessary, Hex through the space between Little Erik and the tent behind him, barely brushing aside the tent opening. Gazing back behind her, she sees the man has not taken apparent notice of her presence, staring in the direction of the massive statue in the center of the cliff.
A map of the Iron Route is spread over a table inside the tent. Various notations have been inked onto the map, and chess pieces are positioned across its surface. Scrolls, coins, and wax seals clutter the rest of the table. At the rear of the tent, an ornately carved wooden rack sits with a wooden chest upon it. The chest is locked with a heavy padlock.
Outside the tent, Hildigrim spots plenty of cover among the brush around King's Pyre. The gorse and sage scrub covering the cliffside is thick enough to easily hide a creature from view, though as dim as the light in amongst the fog, the originating location of a fiery arrow would likely be immediately evident.
Hildigrim taps his chin as he scrutinizes his options for cover, calculating angles, distance, and risk. He’s weighing the odds of success when Auriel nudges him and points back toward the camp. His eyes flick to the tent, narrowing as he processes what just happened.
“She got inside?” The tension in his shoulders loosens — slightly — but he doesn’t move just yet. Instead, he stays still, watching, waiting. Will they still need to intervene?
Hex immediately moves to the map on the table but is momentarily distracted as she notices the chest. Her excitement quickly dissipates at the sight of the heavy padlock. She didn't have any thieves' tools on her to unlock it and, even if she did, it would probably be unwise considering how close Erik was just outside. Perhaps they could come back later to open it... With a silent sigh, she turns her attention back onto the map and tries to get a gauge on it.
After she is done reading the map, she continues to search through the tent as quickly and quietly as she can to see if there's anything else of interest or import. She keeps a particular eye out for anything that might involve or mention the Zhentarim.
The map shows the location of the outlaws' hideouts in the Grass Sea, along with a number of markings indicating the sites of their ambushes. A quick skim through some of the paperwork on the desk reveals that the plans within Krulek's plans go beyond the Iron Route. It would appear from lists of contacts and unsent missives that Krulek is attempting to raise a mercenary army to overthrow the merchant houses and wrest control of Phlan.
Hex raises a brow as she discovers what Krulek's actual plan is. She gathers as much of the paperwork on the desk as she can, stuffs it into her bag, and makes her way out of the tent. She pauses at the entrance, peeking out to see where Erik is first before slipping through at an opportune moment, hoping he doesn't hear her.
If she makes it out clear, she heads back to Carl and pulls at his clothes. "Hey, I'm back. I found out some stuff. We should meet up with the others and I'll explain then. I'll stay invisible, might come in handy again. Also, it's kinda fun. I see why you do it so often." When he's ready to go, she sticks close to Carl and heads back to the other two and explains what she found.
Hildigrim watches Erik closely, searching for any flicker of recognition — any sign that he’s heard something from inside the tent. His fingers absently tap the hardness of his bow through his damp cloak, a subconscious readiness to act. Is the plan actually working? Is Hex learning anything in there? Or is it all about to fall apart?
His gaze flicks to the nearby brush, then up at the fog. Should he go ahead and fire an arrow? If the negotiations go south, where exactly is this phantom arrow supposed to come from? Would they see through the ruse instantly?
He turns back to Erik, jaw tightening slightly. Better to wait — at least long enough for Hex to search the tent. If nothing happens soon, then he’ll make the next move.
Carl sits upright, slightly startled when Hex returns. He stands and looks at his carving, looking down at it, then makes a look like he wants to share it with someone, looking up and down between the carving and Hildigrim, Auriel. He whispers "Follow me..." and he starts to walk toward them. He holds his carving up as he walks, and as he gets close he says, "Hex is here, right behind me."
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Auriel notices Hex’s conversation with Little Erik from afar, and he furrows his brow. He tells Hildigrim, "It doesn’t look like they’re going to get rid of Little Erik that easily—unless Carl goes invisible, or we come up with a distraction. But he seems intent on not leaving his post ... should we try to help them? Or should we keep checking around here?"
(ooc: Have Auriel and Hildigreem seen or heard anything interesting on the path that leaves to the other side? Also, I've noticed on the map there is some kind of rope attached from this camp to the right shoulder of the statue. Are we near it? Would it be possible to climb it without being seen? It might give a good vantage point. Another question: where is the meeting actually taking place, inside the statue? We can't see or hear what is happening, right?)
Diving deep to the surface ♫ Auriel | Chase | Shenua | Arren | Lyra | Jadzia
OOC: It's too foggy for anything specific to be in sight in that direction, so it's likely that the fog would also protect you from sight from afar at least as you make your way across. The statue is the true middle point between this side of the camp and the "other side". The characters don't know at the moment exactly where the meeting is taking place, as it's too far away to be seen through the fog as well (and also can't be heard from here).
Auriel peers through the fog to make out as much detail as he can about the massive statue of the king. Moss clings to its body, which should make it possible to climb, but if the mist and fog is making it slick, it may not be possible for all.
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Hex wracks her brain trying to think of a way to get Erik to leave. She keeps herself calm. If it didn't work, then she could always just walk away and come up with another plan.
"Mmm... if you want, I can take over your post. Don't really have anything to do while we're waiting and I need to talk to Sahnd about something anyway." She looks Erik up and down with a slightly amused look. "Not gonna lie, you look like you need a break."
Hildigrim halts, glancing back past Auriel toward the camp. From this distance, he can just make out "Rathene" speaking with the guard outside Krulek’s tent. Frowning, he backtracks a few steps to stand closer to the elf, his gaze fixed on the exchange.
"It hasn’t been long. And just because we can’t see something happening doesn’t mean nothing is." His voice remains measured, analytical. "We didn’t hear exactly what they planned. And let’s not forget Carl’s little invisible friend."
He hesitates, scanning the area before adding, "Still, we can wait and watch." His eyes sweep the camp, searching for any sign of Carl — visible or otherwise.
Carl just keeps sitting there, carving and periodically looking up at Hex and Erik. He looks over at Squirt and has him walk a little closer toward the tent, coming from around and not a direct approach, but making ready in case Hex is successful….
"What's going on here, Rathene?" Erik narrows his eyes, his grip tightening on the handle of the mace on his belt. "You're acting strange. I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much and now you think we're best buds? What are you really after?"
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Hex lets out an exhausted sigh, then shrugs and waves her hand dismissively. "Fine. Don't worry about it then." She turns and leaves, not giving Erik a chance to reply. She heads back to Carl with a somewhat shameful look on her face. "Alright. I messed that up real bad. Was never particularly good deceiving people. I'm better in the backlines."
She glances towards the tent and then back at Carl. "Wait, can you turn me invisible? Judging from how seriously he's taking guard duty, I have a feeling there's something reeally important in there that Krulek doesn't want anyone to find out about."
“Sure can. Hold on a minute.” Carl looks and waits for no one to be around, looking their direction, then uses an action to cast invisibility on Hex, looking up from time to time and scanning their surroundings. Once he has finished, he goes back to carving, sitting there with his pocket knife and looking bored. He says to the air, “Squirt is still nearby you, I’ll have him help you if he can. Stay quiet now. Find out what is in that tent.”
Hex nods before realising Carl can't see her. "You got it." With both her hood up and Carl's magic, she felt much more confident and made her way back to the tent, trying to sneak her way in around Erik.
Stealth: 23
"Sorry. All this waiting for a signal, with Ruse, Erik, and the other Gray Cloaks around, is making me nervous. But you're right, Hex and Carl are capable. They'll surely get this working," Auriel says.
Suddenly, he stops seeing Hex altogether. But Carl is still sitting, apparently carving something. That must mean everything is under control. The eladrin sighs and tries to focus elsewhere. Ruse said the signal in case something happened during the talks would be a flaming arrow shot by the elven archer. He wonders where the archer might be positioned.
Diving deep to the surface ♫ Auriel | Chase | Shenua | Arren | Lyra | Jadzia
Hildigrim scowls as Hex leaves the tent and heads toward Carl. His frown deepens, concern forming into words — until he sees "Rathene" vanish from sight.
"Oh ..." he murmurs, realization dawning. Is she sneaking in? What happened to the plan with the owl sounds?
Keeping his gaze fixed on the tent, he speaks to Auriel without looking away. "I’d hate to draw attention to us," he says cautiously, "but do you think we should create a distraction to help Hex get inside unseen?" Finally, he tilts his head up at the elf, his voice quieter but no less serious. "I do have arrows. And a tinderbox."
Auriel, not particularly fond of deception and usually more inclined toward direct approaches, stares at Hildigrim. He glances into the distance where Hex has vanished, frowns, then looks back at the halfling. "To the Hells with it," he replies. "Let's do it. Let's kick the hornet's nest. This negotiation has already lasted too long—we might as well finish it ourselves."
Diving deep to the surface ♫ Auriel | Chase | Shenua | Arren | Lyra | Jadzia
Hildigrim nods — a small, deliberate motion — but his expression remains grave, brows furrowed in deep thought. While pushing his glasses up the bridge of his pointed nose, his eyes scan the area, mind already mapping out possibilities. If he’s going to fire a shot, it needs to come from the right angle. It needs to sow confusion, not suspicion.
He shifts his weight, gaze darting over nearby cover, calculating. Where can I loose an arrow and remain unseen?
Stepping carefully to avoid disturbing the wet ground more than necessary, Hex through the space between Little Erik and the tent behind him, barely brushing aside the tent opening. Gazing back behind her, she sees the man has not taken apparent notice of her presence, staring in the direction of the massive statue in the center of the cliff.
A map of the Iron Route is spread over a table inside the tent. Various notations have been inked onto the map, and chess pieces are positioned across its surface. Scrolls, coins, and wax seals clutter the rest of the table. At the rear of the tent, an ornately carved wooden rack sits with a wooden chest upon it. The chest is locked with a heavy padlock.
Outside the tent, Hildigrim spots plenty of cover among the brush around King's Pyre. The gorse and sage scrub covering the cliffside is thick enough to easily hide a creature from view, though as dim as the light in amongst the fog, the originating location of a fiery arrow would likely be immediately evident.
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Hildigrim taps his chin as he scrutinizes his options for cover, calculating angles, distance, and risk. He’s weighing the odds of success when Auriel nudges him and points back toward the camp. His eyes flick to the tent, narrowing as he processes what just happened.
“She got inside?” The tension in his shoulders loosens — slightly — but he doesn’t move just yet. Instead, he stays still, watching, waiting. Will they still need to intervene?
Hex immediately moves to the map on the table but is momentarily distracted as she notices the chest. Her excitement quickly dissipates at the sight of the heavy padlock. She didn't have any thieves' tools on her to unlock it and, even if she did, it would probably be unwise considering how close Erik was just outside. Perhaps they could come back later to open it... With a silent sigh, she turns her attention back onto the map and tries to get a gauge on it.
After she is done reading the map, she continues to search through the tent as quickly and quietly as she can to see if there's anything else of interest or import. She keeps a particular eye out for anything that might involve or mention the Zhentarim.
The map shows the location of the outlaws' hideouts in the Grass Sea, along with a number of markings indicating the sites of their ambushes. A quick skim through some of the paperwork on the desk reveals that the plans within Krulek's plans go beyond the Iron Route. It would appear from lists of contacts and unsent missives that Krulek is attempting to raise a mercenary army to overthrow the merchant houses and wrest control of Phlan.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Hex raises a brow as she discovers what Krulek's actual plan is. She gathers as much of the paperwork on the desk as she can, stuffs it into her bag, and makes her way out of the tent. She pauses at the entrance, peeking out to see where Erik is first before slipping through at an opportune moment, hoping he doesn't hear her.
If she makes it out clear, she heads back to Carl and pulls at his clothes. "Hey, I'm back. I found out some stuff. We should meet up with the others and I'll explain then. I'll stay invisible, might come in handy again. Also, it's kinda fun. I see why you do it so often." When he's ready to go, she sticks close to Carl and heads back to the other two and explains what she found.
Hildigrim watches Erik closely, searching for any flicker of recognition — any sign that he’s heard something from inside the tent. His fingers absently tap the hardness of his bow through his damp cloak, a subconscious readiness to act. Is the plan actually working? Is Hex learning anything in there? Or is it all about to fall apart?
His gaze flicks to the nearby brush, then up at the fog. Should he go ahead and fire an arrow? If the negotiations go south, where exactly is this phantom arrow supposed to come from? Would they see through the ruse instantly?
He turns back to Erik, jaw tightening slightly. Better to wait — at least long enough for Hex to search the tent. If nothing happens soon, then he’ll make the next move.
Carl sits upright, slightly startled when Hex returns. He stands and looks at his carving, looking down at it, then makes a look like he wants to share it with someone, looking up and down between the carving and Hildigrim, Auriel. He whispers "Follow me..." and he starts to walk toward them. He holds his carving up as he walks, and as he gets close he says, "Hex is here, right behind me."