OOC: Of course Auriel can attempt all of that if he wishes. I just checked the rulebook, and ain't no rule says a paladin can't attempt a climb ;)

Hex Perception: 25

OOC: Well, Hex can see through time. I'll hold my description of what she sees until Auriel/Hildigrim/Carl are in place, because Hex's roll alone will be enough to reveal anything pertinent, but of course the other characters don't know that.

Auriel quickly helps Hildigrim back to his feet, glancing toward the barricade to make sure no one saw anything and that they haven't drawn attention. He checks the windows and doors of the building the halfling selected, just in case any of them are unlocked. If they're not, he attempts the climb himself.

If he succeeds, he drops his rope and helps the halfling up, then takes a moment to peer down at the scene below, now that they have a better vantage point.

(OOC: And if he fails as well, he curses under his breath… and waits to see whether Hex has had better luck.)

As he falls for the third time, Hildigrim's mind betrays him by remembering his slip into the freezing Moonsea just a tenday ago. At least here, it is only his pride that is hurt. The halfling forcefully dusts himself off, muttering a "Hainard's hairy toes" under his breath.

Running his hands through his hair, he sighs. He begins to voice his resignation of remaining on the ground when he sees Auriel begin to try to climb himself.

Auriel Athletics: 10

After testing the windows and doors of the building and finding them locked, Auriel clambers to the windowsill and then the roof, albeit with some trouble of his own. Hex's spell continues to buffer the noise caused by his armor scraping against the building's siding, and it appears that the guards have yet to notice the party's presence in the square.

From the tree, Hex can see a wagon tucked inside the wall to the left. She cannot get a clear view, but can see light emanating from within and the shadows of at least one person moving around. The guard who had left the barricades moves to a guard shed and calls inside: "Ot ov voni vu csoph vji pizv hsuyq optofi?" Another voice responds back: "Puv aiv. Tqispol xomm tipf gus vjin xjip ji ot siefa."

Inside the yard, Hex and Auriel can see more than one hundred people. Their wrists are bound, and they appear to be tied to one another in groups of four to six to prevent them from moving quickly or uniformly. A male human is tied to several scholarly-looking people, in his 60s with a meticulously groomed beard and long, grey hair pulled back into a ponytail, clad in black enameled plate armor.

Past them, in a pile of refuse in the open part of the courtyard, Hex can see part of what looks like a red garment, barely visible.

One of the guards inside the stockade briefly takes off a gauntlet to scratch the back of his hand. Both Auriel and Hex note that his skin appears to be covered in blue scales. 

Suddenly, Hex hears something that grabs her attention in the tree just above her. Her eyes snap to the sight of a dirty human girl of ten or eleven years in the boughs of the same tree, no more than ten feet away from her, having somehow avoided her notice until just now. The girl has a dagger tucked into her rope belt, and puts a finger to her lips with a wink and a smile. Her arms, appearing at first to be a different skin color than the rest of her, are stained with blood up to the elbows. Next to her, a black goat with milky white eyes sits calmly next to her on the bough, its head cocked curiously as it gazes upon the tiefling that has joined them.

For Hex:

OOC: Did Hildigrim hear the guard? I'll remind you that he speaks Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, and Orc. He also knows thieves' cant.

Hildigrim watches as Auriel manages to make it to the roof. He would feel absolutely dashed if the elf hadn't had to work so hard to do it. He walks over and raises his arms, waving his hands to indicate Auriel should drop a rope.

Looking over his shoulder, the halfling asks Carl, "Are you coming up, or are you staying on the ground?"

Carl looks at Hildigrim and nods, moving into position and making a climbing gesture involving a rope, then gives a thumbs up.  He climbs what he can, but waits for the help of the rope (if offered) to proceed further.

Having gotten a much clearer view of the yard and even hearing some interesting information, Hex begins to make her way down the tree when she suddenly notices the girl above her. She almost slips from the shock but manages to steady herself by grabbing a nearby tree branch. 

The sight of the blood stained girl was already confusing enough but the goat just laying there was absolutely baffling. She unconsciously mimicks the goats cocked head and gives the girl a silent look that very obviously asks "What are you doing here?"

Auriel is left thinking that he really should stop trying to climb with his armor on… one of these days he's going to fall and regret it. But he pushes the thought aside, throws the rope down, and pulls on it firmly to help Hildigrim and Carl climb up with as little effort as possible.

Once they're all on the roof, he quietly points out the details he noticed. "There," he says, gesturing toward the guard who removed his gauntlet. "That one is definitely not humanoid. If there's one, there are likely more. We should be careful."

He then nods toward the older man in black plate armor among the bound prisoners. Excellent taste, he thinks, appraising the armor. "That one in the black plate, with the refined look. Do you think that might be the Lord Protector himself? Didn't Aya say he was meeting some scholars at the time of the attack?"

He keeps scanning the courtyard, trying to track Hex's movements. If she returns to report, he plans to climb back down—hopefully a much easier task than climbing up in full armor.

OOC: Hex is the only one who heard the guard.

The girl's only response to Hex's look and near-slip is to giggle softly. She turns her eyes away from the tiefling, looking into the courtyard. Carl and Hildigrim join Auriel on the roof, where they can see much of the same sights as the paladin. Below them, Aleyd looks forward toward the tree and courtyard with Cassyt and the others; the typically stoic knight fidgets somewhat as the party scouts.

Hildigrim turns to scrutinize the guards he can see, particularly looking for one in black plate armor. Once he finds him, he tries to intuit whether he agrees with Auriel's hunch.

After he gives his opinion, the halfling begins analyzing the rooftops he now has access to, looking for the best vantage point for attacks as well as possible cover. He will also keep Carl in mind and share any suggestions he might have to the dwarf.

The lack of a response leaves Hex more curious than before but she decides to leave it be. While she hopes the two remain safe, she has a hunch there's more to the girl than meets the eye and that she probably didn't need to worry about them at all.

She climbs down the tree carefully and heads back to Aleyd, glancing towards where Auriel and Hildigrim were to see if they're okay. She's pleasantly surprised when she sees both of them and Carl up on the rooftops, after witnessing the halfling's failed attempts. Once back at the knight's side, she relays all the information she gained, excluding the presence of the girl and her goat in the tree.

"Hex has returned with Aleyd," Auriel tells the others. "We should regroup and make decisions." He waits a moment to see whether they've are finished studying the scene—just in case they've noticed anything worth sharing with Aleyd and Hex—then adds, "I'll come down. I wasn't going to attack from the roof anyway. Are you coming, or will any of you stay here?"

Once he finds him, he tries to intuit whether he agrees with Auriel's hunch.

The man does match the age and the general description the party has received of the Lord Regent thus far.

After he gives his opinion, the halfling begins analyzing the rooftops he now has access to, looking for the best vantage point for attacks as well as possible cover.

There is plenty of cover here on the rooftops, at least enough to prevent being seen as long as one is ducking low. However, the barricade and the walls around the Stojanow Gate make attacking from here nearly impossible. Only the few guards at the barricade are in open view of a ranged attack.

Aleyd takes in Hex's information with a grimace while Auriel returns from the rooftops. "That is Ector Brahms, surely. But do you see any avenue of attack that we could free him?" she says.