Tyranny in Phlan (DM Lerus)

<><>"yes. A rest would<><>be helpful<> but not the time<><>."

He sets the kettle to boil putting his tea in a cup

Too the civvies.  <><>"wrong kind of <><>magik<><>" gestures to Utar and Cassyt. "Those<><>two may be more<><>useful<><>

He pours the water in the cup.  A smell of nutmeg clove and cinnamon infused the air

Neya whispers back to Villonah:

Doozey stiffly shook his head, before answering while messaging the back of his neck. "Nothing of the sort. 'specially since it turns out from prior reports that at least some of their forces made use of it themselves. And while I doubt many would still be down there now, he's still the better bet for a guide. Mn." He pauses to let out a relieved sigh. "Much better. Mmn, but, uhm... yea, no, just double check'n to be sure there's a sewer entry near, given the slight change of plans. But, if'n there's nothing more to consider, we best get goin to find our 'dear Welcomer'."

Not being biased against Raist, Cassyt hears his suggestion and seems ready to help. She approaches the unconscious halfling and examines him medically. A while later she arrives at the conclusion that the civilian is just fine, and that some rest might be good for him. She leaves his companions with some medicinal herbs and instructs them on how to use them appropriately once the halfling wakes up on his own.

Villonah nods at Neya and then begins to prepare for the team's departure, which seems to be in Doozey's mind as well. Aleyd agrees: "Very well. Gather your things, adventures, knights, and acolyte. We are on a mission to rescue the Lord Regent. We'll then swing by the Laughing Goblin once more, collect Sagin and other followers, and meet our charming guide on our way out of town."

Aleyd turns to Utar: "Are you sure your cook friend will be okay or do you want a word with him before we leave?"

(OOC: Is everyone ready to go?) 

(OOC: We are playing a bit loose with the timing of short rests in this episode, so feel free to call this little break in the Laughing Goblin another a short rest too if you are so inclined.) 

Having given Sagin a miute or two in the kitchen, and prompted by Aleyd's words, Utar puts his head into the kitchen.

"Sagin? I know you aren't ok, none of us are ok right now. But are you, y'know, as ok as you can possibly be?"

Utar sees that Sagin has entered some sort of highly productive grief stage. The kobold is working on several dishes simultaneously and the scent of well prepared food is starting to fill the air. “Sagin is fine.” That is the only answer the orc gets. Sagin doesn’t even look at Utar. It looks like the little kobold will be busy here for a little while.

(OOC: Just to belatedly clear the air, I'm good to go whenever)

After a curt nod to Aleyd, Doozey busied himself double checking his gear and making sure everything was in order. But, no amount of busy work could distract him from Aleyd's words to Utar. Not for long, in any event. Yet, as much as he'd have liked to follow the Orc into the kitchen for a few words of his own... he couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead, just as soon as he finished going over his gear for at least the third time in so many minutes, he clicked his tongue, signaling for Biscuit to join his side, and moved to quietly wait by the group's intended exit point.

With Sagin left to grieve on his own pace and the rest of the group ready, Aleyd clears her throat and gestures everyone onward. The kobold is left in the kitchen of the Laughiong Goblin, while a couple of civilians tend to their unconscious companion on the main tavern area. Everyone else departs.

The streets of Phlan are deserted as you near Valjevo Castle, the residents having since fled or been captured. CRAP, Villonah, and Aleyd’s small contingent (including Cassyt) are able to approach the Stojanow Gate with relative ease, and you soon come into sight of the immense gate.

A hastily-constructed barricade of barrels, sacks, and crates blocks the passage into the main courtyard of Valjevo Castle. Barely visible beyond it, a throng of people sit in groups on the ground, bound to one another by the wrists and ankles. A couple of dozen men and women in Black Fist uniforms splashed with bright green paint mill about, while a separate group of heavily armored soldiers stand watch over the prisoners just inside the barricade. 

You have menaged to keep yourselves unseen during your approach, but anything could happen in the 50 feet separating you from the Stojanow Gate now. You have a view of the gate from the southeast, partially obscured by other buildings. Though you cannot see it, you know that there is a small guard shack inside the gate and to the right. You can surmise that the more than two dozen members of the Tears of Virulence ahead of you have a good view of the courtyard.

(OOC: It's been a while since this has come up, but for the belated record, Doozey would've instructed Gravy to keep an eye on the area around laughing goblin discretely, but to come to try and warn Sagin if he noticed anyone trying to sneak into the tavern.)

After getting what was hopefully a decent enough look at the situation as it stood, Doozey motioned for the group to put themselves a little more into cover before trying to discuss any plans. "Kinda goes without saying, but I don't see a frontal assault doing us any good with this one. So, any body got an idea how we can distract'em? Or perhaps 'cause enough confusion or cover that we might be able get to the prisoners?" He whispers to the group. "Or perhaps even better yet, if we could get a better view on things first, all the better. But Raist. Fer you go using yer familiar, keep in mind of what happened last time." He says, hopefully reminding the wizard of events with the Grey Patriots and a certain trigger happy sniper. 

(@Ori: Got it. In terms of proximity, is Gravy to stay flying near the tavern, near Doozey as he moves, or somewhere in between?)

"I agree," Aleyd says. "I do not doubt our group's strength, but what is in front of us is likely more than we can handle in a careless frontal attack."

Villonah concurs: "And let's not ignore the fact that the barricade will provide them with plenty of cover against any of us who are planning to play the role of archer or spellcaster." 

One of the loyal knights adds: "And there is no saying how many more enemies lie beyond the barricade itself who are currently beyond our line of sight."

Aleyd nods along with the others, including Doozey's suggestion, and advises: "I recommend that we get a better look at what we are dealing with first and then come up with a plan."

(OOC: At this point, I'd like for each of your to roll a perception check and one other check of your choice. You are concealed for now and do not need to roll stealth checks at this point, but if you purposefully walk into their plain view, the assumption of concealment will be broken. So, don't make your second/choice skill roll a stealth check. The intent is to gather information/intel.)

"Utar shake.<><>me it needed"

"Sebastian<><>a lay of the <><>land please <><>but act like a normal bird<><>

Once the Raven takes flight Raists eyes take that blank look

He mutters what the bird sees in a low voice

20. Perception 

Survival10

Utar whispers to Aleyd, "If this is what's covering the front door, what do we think is inside? Could we bar the entrance? Stop those outside from entering if..." His voice trails away... "I mean it's more likely when, we raise the alarm?"

Peering towards the gate, Utar tries to follow any patrol routes the guards might have established, particularly looking for blind spots. Then he studies the stones forming the gate itself, could any be climbed? He then turns his attention to Aleyd and her remaining knights, do any of them look like they could make the climb? 

Perception - 12

Athletics -28

Neya proceeds to try and climb to a better vantage point.

Perception: 20

Acrobatics: 15

If it was possible to make the climb up alongside a nearby building without drawing attention/breaking cover, then Doozey would follow Neya's example using a combination of sharpened nails and a little ranger finesse! But even if it such had been deemed not possible, then from ground level he'd try all the same to focuses his senses and see if he could catch on the wind any strong scents or familiar noises that might suggest the presences of nearby basilisk, dragons, or giants lurking about the area. 

Doozey's Perception: 23.
If actually able to get adv. from Keen Hearing/Smell): 28.

Doozey's Nature: 17. 

As for Biscuit, he tries to defy the odds by putting his ears to the ground and gauge whether or not there was any signs of more traitorous knights or worse on its way to the keep.

(OOC: Ignore the below if not technically applicable for the situation.)

Biscuit's Perception: 8. 

Biscuit's Survival: 10. 

(OOC: If Doozey is judged not too distracted, he'll Bountiful luck that nat 1 for Biscuit and reroll: 12))

@Neya (perception): Being careful not to be seen in your hiding spot, you take a conservative approach to peeking out. You maintain your stealth, but at the price of only really gathering the most basic of visual intel: Valjevo Castle sits on a large rock mound and is surrounded by a 60-foot-tall wall. The only opening in this wall that you can see, and likely the only true open passage into the castle area, is the infamous Stojanow Gate. The open areas ahead and past the gate are brightly lit, but all the torch and lamp light cast ample shadows that might be used in your favor.

@Utar (perception): Focusing on the barricade and on what separates CRAP from it, your observations partially answer the question you posed to Aleyd. The barricade has a gate of sufficient size to let a wagon pass. You see some guards quickly operate the gate, revealing that it opens inward and is made of nailed-together planks and doors. It is barred shut by a number of the same heavy barrels that form the barricade; but it looks like it could be either forced open or climbed over.

@Raist (perception): Taking advantage of your bird's eye view, you are able to add some detail to the make-up of the barricade that is likely unseen from ground level, though you are still left wishing you could discern more. The barricades are 4 feet high and made of barrels filled with rainwater or sand, mixed with the occasional crate filled with iron ingots (likely stolen from nearby blacksmiths). As Villonah had suggested, it is quite likely that these crates and barrels could provide good cover to those standing behind them. They seem to be quite heavy but could possibly be pushed over to spill their contents.

@Biscuit (perception): Relying on his hearing senses, the mastiff hears worried chatter and occasional weeping from the prisoners beyond the barricade. Once he is able to pass along this finding as best as he can to his brother, Doozey gathers that, in a way, this is a small blessing. These noises serve to cover any quieter sounds that might otherwise give away CRAP's position.

@Doozey (perception): You feel the acrid stench of poison in the air, which is very strong here. You even begin to feel some irritation on your nose and throat. Separately, you also notice that most of the buildings in the plaza are one story tall (approximately 10 feet) with sloped roofs. They can be climbed with some ease. All of them have a door and one or more windows, but you would be surprised if any of them had been left unlocked. Nonetheless, you surmise that the doors and windows can be opened with enough skill or brawn, if you find such an approach would be helpful to your team's approach. 

@Raist (survival): A breakthrough finally comes as you continue to pan the terrain from high above. There is a tall tree in the courtyard in front of the barricade, ablaze with autumn colors. It is large enough to grant cover and/or aid in an unseen approach to anyone who could find themselves hiding within its boughs. It looks very climbable. This simple terrain detail could prove to be quite the strategical advantage if exploited correctly. In fact, you are pretty sure someone is already hiding there, keeping themselves away from the guards' eyes.

@Utar (athletics): Many features of the potential battlefield in front of you look climbable: the barricade, the surrounding buildings, and the gate itself. The stones forming the gate seem quite sturdy, and the construction is quite tall. Climbing it seems feasible, but anyone trying such a feat is likely to become exposed. Aleyd and her three knights all seem strong enough to give such a strategy a try, if you are able to convince them to. Cassyt, on the other hand, is less likely to have the physical fortitude for such an approach. Speaking of strength, you spot one of the guards inside the stockade briefly taking off a gauntlet to scratch the back of his hand. His skin is covered in blue scales.

@Neya (acrobatics): Reaching a better vantage point, you get a good angle at the courtyard and the people being kept in it. Inside the yard, there are more than one hundred people/townsfolk/victims. Their wrists are bound, and they appear to be tied to one another in groups of four to six, preventing them from moving quickly. A male human is tied to several scholarly-looking people. He is in his 60s with a meticulously groomed beard and long, grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. Although he does not wear the full-length crimson cape of the Lord Regent’s Office, he is clearly a man of importance. He is clad in black enameled plate armor. 

@Biscuit (survival): The mastiff picks up on the unpleasant scent of refuse coming from somewhere in the open part of the courtyard beyond the barricade. Is this useful info to CRAP's nascent plan?

@Doozey (nature): Also perching on a different position, you get a good look at the courtyard. Being attuned with the colors and patterns found in nature, your eyes are quickly drawn to points breaking away from that balance and contrasting against the background. You see the pile of refuse Biscuit sniffed out and notice part of what looks like a red garment among it all. You also partially see what seems to be a wagon tucked against one of the walls. Although you cannot get a clear view, you can see light emanating from within and the shadows of at least one person moving around. 

Captain Aleyd seems quite pensive. She is ruminating in the words shared by Doozey and Utar, and seems to be formulating a plan. CRAP is silently invited to share their ideas.

Raist passes on his info.   And with the line

"Anyone familiar <><>with the courtyard<><>there is someone<><>in the tree<><>but cant tell<><>who's side<><>"

"I doubt we're all scaling those walls and I have no idea how we would even make our way there in the first place.  Freeing those prisoners might be an option if one of us could sneak up there but I doubt they would be able to take on those guards while we went over the walls.  Plus those poor folk are likely good as dead if we try that."

Utar furrows his brow, why are they even contemplating a frontal attack?  "But why are we even looking at the gate house in the first place?  It's strong, defensible, well guarded.  Surely there are some secrets ways, with fewer eyes watching them?  Maybe some secret ways only known to the trusted inner circle of the Black Fist?  I feel like now is the time to share any knowledge of the city's inner workings that you have, Aleyd because, if I am honest, this feels like it could be our last rolls of the dice."

"I believe I saw at least one capable fighter among the captured. I may be able to move undetected among the crowd and provide them a means to clandestinely undo their bonds and allow them to aid us if and when the situation escalates. I have a few small blades. Does anyone else have some to spare?"