Above & Below

Seems a normal job to me, despite this weird place, Brask agrees, then hesitates.  Too normal, maybe?   He thinks hard, then shakes his head and grunt. Nah, that's stupid thinking.  Yeah, rest is good right now.  He finds the sturdiest bed and crashes on it.

No sign of them, Cadmael replies from outside. When possible, he's been perched up on the corner of the inn or on the town fence. Quiet out here. Very quiet.

In the morning, the keep does indeed offer you fried potatoes for breakfast. About an hour after sundown, a very formal looking guard shows up and gestures for you all to go into one of your rooms. He eyes the keep as if he doesn't trust him, although the keep barely seems to be paying anyone any attention as he bangs some pots around in the kitchen.

The guard looks up you and down with a look of disapproval. "You're the lot the baron hired? Well, so be it." He pulls out a parchment and lays it out on the table. It's a crudely drawn map outlining where the ambush should take place. The guard points. "The caravan leaves here a few hours after sunup. After they've collected their...taxes, or whatever they call it. They head back this way through the valley and then over the river at this bridge. Only way over the water for miles in either direction, unless you want to swim across. There will be some men on horseback, maybe pulling some carts of goods and food. Whether you want to hit them in the valley or at the river is up to you. Baron says you'd figure it out. Once you have the goods, you bring 'em back here. You get your payment. Any questions?"

"Anything notable about these guards we should keep an eye out for?" Kurama asked after the explanation of their assignment.  

"Notable? They'll have weapons. Deadly ones." The guard seems amused with himself. "The men on horses will be seasoned soldiers. Don't underestimate their cunning. And if any get away, be sure to get out of there quickly. They will surely return with more. You should do just fine if you can get the jump on them."

Effort closes her eyes and thinks.  „We will need supplies in order to trap them on the bridge.  Traps, caltrops, and the like.  Something to spook the horses as well.  I assume your town can produce at the least these for us. I take it the bridge is not expendable?“

"We don't use it, so do what you like," he thinks for a moment. "We might have some caltrops already. Not sure about what else you had in mind, but we can get you anything you might need within reason."

"Well, it is quite simple.  We will need two lengths of rope, at the least, for each end of the bridge, and four pitons.  Some long, light strips of colorful fabric, ones that catch easily in the wind and do a nice job of fluttering and flapping about to spook the horses.  Caltrops, as I mentioned, would be good... a good mass of them, four to eight bags if you have that available.  We could also make do with ball bearings, should the caltrops be a problem, but it would be sub-optimal.

We will also require some flammable oil to spill... four to six flasks should be enough to cover the ground at each side of the bridge.  If you have alchemists' fire, that might be even better.  Ah, and as many hunting traps as you have to spare, for we are going hunting, after all.  Steel mirrors for each and every one of us, for silent communication.  A shovel could also be useful, if we've the time to set up a pit trap on the far end of the bridge, as well as a few javelins to layer at the bottom of the pit.  Two torches should suffice should we desire to set the oil ablaze.  And if any of you wish to wait in ambush underneath the bridge, I advise you to take a climber's kit as well, to be sure that you do not fall."  She counts heads.  "And four flasks of antitoxin, just in case they are prepared, as well.  It may be that we should require a cart, should this ambush destroy the one they are using to transport the goods, and you want said goods recovered."

She looks to the rest of the group.  "Have you any requests for the setting of this gauntlet on the bridge?  Perhaps I have missed something in my plans," she muses, rubbing her chin.

The guard's eyes go wide as you list off everything needed. "We can help with some of that...colorful fabric is going to be tough. And oil is in limited supply, but I'll see what I can rustle up. Don't know what...Alco-whatever fire is. Javelins and shovels won't be a problem. The banks of the river there aren't too steep - you should be able to get under the bridge and back up without a problem. The bigger issue will be if you're caught on the other side of the river. Doesn't really become passable for a good long ways heading north or south."

He pauses for a moment, recalling the other things requested. "We have a small cart we could have you use...definitely don't want the goods destroyed in this blazing bridge pit trap battle you're talking about. What else...steel mirrors? Not sure what those are, but we have a few small shields that could be polished up. Should be okay. Antitoxin...we'd have to ask the local doc. He probably has some basic things."

(Haha, Effort's a professional extortionist!  Just let me know how much of what we can actually get so she can properly plan the trap-laying :-) )

Within about half an hour, you've collected two flasks of oil, four bags of caltrops, a dozen wooden javelins, and four shovels. They've been loaded onto a small cart and you've been offered a horse to pull it. There are also two small, steel shields that have been cleaned decently. There is plenty of brown cloth or leather if you'd like, but no died fabrics. And the town doctor didn't have any anti-toxin, only anti-venom.

"Any other questions? I think you best be hurrying at this point. Only a few hours before they'll start making their way through the valley."

How many hostiles should we be expecting?  Brask asks, as he watches them run to and fro gathering supplies for Effort's requests.

"It seems to vary," the guard replies. "At least four soldiers on horseback. And then another four to eight walking and carrying supplies. They'll be armed, surely, but won't give you as much trouble."

Quote from Enkida >>

 

She looks to the rest of the group.  "Have you any requests for the setting of this gauntlet on the bridge?  Perhaps I have missed something in my plans," she muses, rubbing her chin.

 "I do not believe that there is anything that I personally require.  And with subterfuge and matters similar to this not being my forte, as you are well aware, I will leave the procurement of common tools needed for this assignment up to you and Brask."  Kurama replied.  He then pulled a notebook from his sack and beggan writing down everything Effort just requested for future reference should he ever find himself in a similar situation again.

(Even if Kurama wanted something, I think Effort covered everything anyway XD)

"If we're done here, let's be on our way," Effort says, hopping up into the wagon.  As they drive out towards the bridge, she details her plan:

"Caltrops at the far end.  We hammer a piton down on one side of the bridge, and tie strips of cloth to it.  Cover it with some loose dirt, and have Pip or I hold the other end of the line and hide.  When a horse or rider gets near enough, pull the rope taut.  It will come up suddenly, the strips of cloth will wave, and unless the horses here behave differently than in Osthait, they shall be spooked and have a chance to throw their riders.

Of course if they do not, having a pit dug with spikes just over the bridge -- also disguised -- will do nicely to stop them from getting far. 

Setting the caltrops at the far end of the bridge in preparation may also be wise, though caltrops on the close end where they enter should be ready to be thrown down as soon as the last member of the caravan has stepped on.  Dousing the ground in oil and lighting it up after they cross could also ensure they have no path of retreat.

I believe attackers who are not waiting at either end of the bridge should wait under it for an opportune moment to jump up and attack.  After that... it is merely a battle of strength and endurance... if we are stronger, we will prevail.  Of course, preemptively drinking our potions to strengthen our fortitude against poisoned weapons might help stack that deck in our favor."

She looks around to see if there are any questions, or any other ideas people might have for this ambush.

As you head out to the location, let me know exactly where everyone would be - which side of the bridge, behind trees, under the bridge, etc. I can draw a map if needed, but it's a pretty standard wooden bridge going over a river that's about fifty feet across. Fast-moving water. The bridge isn't super high over the water, maybe ten feet, so you could get underneath and hide fairly easily, in theory. Not a ton of cover in terms of shrubbery, but there are trees on either side.

(I imagine everyone would work together to dig the javelin spike trap-pit on the far side of the bridge to get it done quickly.  Afterwards I suggest either Pip or Effort, who are the ranged fighters, to be on the far end of the bridge, hiding and waiting to pull the horse-spooking rope and possibly light the ground fire to drive the caravan backwards onto the bridge itself.  Perhaps Pip could even be on the other side of the pit and picking people off with bow and arrows, rather than in the thick of things, though he might want to be closer in if we really set the ground on fire.  I'd suggest either Brask or Kurama be waiting at the front end of the bridge to throw down some caltrops to block the retreat.  I'm not sure if the final person wants to be hidden under the middle of the bridge or waiting one or the other end of it.

Cadmael will be scouting to warn us of when the caravan comes near the bridge; Effort will have a mage hand with a lit candle ready to drop on the oil on the far side of the bridge when the time is right.

Kurama, Brask, and Pip should have some shiny shields available if they need to do some distance signaling to the group.  Effort's set with her Message cantrip though.

You guys can make suggestions or alterations to this plan if you want, haha, I don't mean this to be a one-person gauntlet of doom show.  Effort just wants to put in as little of her namesake as possible into this by having a deathtrap set up in advance.  XD)

(Is the goal for your plan to have them cross the bridge and into the pit or to never make it across in the first place?

• If its the former: Then I think most of us should be on the far side or under the bridge in wait.
• If its the latter: Then I think Kurama and Brask probably need to be on the near side to strike as soon as the horses get spooked etc.

Also not sure if having something shiny would be a great idea, might also give away our positions.)

(The idea was that the pit is a failsafe if someone makes it over the bridge.  The goal is to trap everyone on the bridge and hammer them from both sides while they're trapped in a way they can't maneuver.  If all goes well, the pit will never have to be used... it's more to keep any riders from running out to get backup!)

(Gotcha! Then in that case, maybe Brask and Pip on one side, Kurama and Effort on the other? It'd also probably make sense placing Kurama on the side an enemy would be most likely to try and retreat to since he's most mobile party member and would have the best chance to stop them if that happened).

Once we reach the bridge, Brask will help with digging the pit and then take the position that Effort and Kurama suggest.  He will make sure that Pip is some distance back and has something to hide behind and a clear route of escape if things go wrong.  Good plan, he says to the goblin when he's sure Effort isn't around.  Bit elaborate.  Might work.  If not, then... we'll see.   But I reckon these sods will fall.  We're pretty scary, right?