(if the party has no encounters on the way back through this deadly swamp, he'd explain everything that happened in the tunnel on their walk back. Assuming that is where we are going. He would've also told them about where the tunnel comes out, and would've put the general area to memory based on where he started walking with the spiders from.)
Nate would've let the spiders vanish before getting to the roadhouse to not attract attention. So now we can assume everyone knows everything about what went down in the tunnel!
"Hmmmm... I swear, I saw at least 10 of these lizard beast things... and they spoke draconic. Cultists. They were all headed to the trap door. And the tunnel leads to, well, the swamp. Perhaps we should go back to the tunnel exit tomorrow and investigate that area?"
"Also, it seems Nub and I have a thief to meet soon. Soar, are you still up for some body guard work?"and he smiles at her in a confident way, but inside praying that she agrees to come with them, to protect them if shit goes bad.
"And he's not getting the jewels back, either. I don't have them anymore." smiles at Jalt "Which is true. Which I will tell this guy once he tells me everything he knows about the cultists."
Nub listens intently "It is a shame we could not go back straight away, that we have to go and meet this thief or cultist instead. Knowing how many lizard beast things there are and being able to plan around using the tunnel exit as a choke point would have given us a strategic advantage, or at least a place to see where the lizard beast things are going after they leave the tunnel. It think we need to remember that we could be giving other creatures that strategic advantage as well tomorrow if we are going in there to fight or if we stay too long. I do think we should scout out the entire tunnel early in the morning - well before the time we have heard the strange noises previously. I think we should also return in the evening and possibly follow the lizard beast things to wherever they are going."
When Nate mentions the thief/cultist, Nub says "We have unfortunately missed our opportunity to scout out the barn before the meeting, which means this is riskier than it if we had. I am just not sure we have thought this meeting, our course of action, or any benefits and risks through. Can we discuss those on the way:
1. If we do not return the items he stole and he is an actual thief, what is the likely outcome?
2. If he is a thief and we return the gems, what is the likely outcome?
3.If he is not a thief and this is an ambush, how do we handle all the cultists coming for us at once?"
Nate listens to Nub rhyme off a bunch of different scenarios, questions and potential solutions. His ego is still on the high from crushing it in the tunnel just an hour ago, and he was thinking/hoping that the others would just want to wing this, kind of what Nate just did. He's totally not surprised though with Nub's words, and tries to answer the best he can...
"Sometimes things just happen, whether you plan for them or not. Who actually knows what will await us at the stables with this guy... I mean, I think he's a thief, and I think he's coming alone. If I'm wrong and we are ambushed, I am sure we can hold our own (again, Nate's ego is on a power trip), and it may even give us the chance to kill some of them. Or hell, maybe even all of them. Even Bog F uck. Maybe the 10 lizard creatures I saw ARE the ambush party. Maybe we take down the entire god forsaken corrupt roadhouse ALL IN ONE SHOT. TONIGHT."
Nate then re-composes himself and tries to answer his questions to the best of his ability which seems to be clouded with anger right now. Maybe because he just saw 10 of the lizard cultists face to spider-face.
1. If the thief gets aggressive in any way, he dies. If not, he gets to leave the roadhouse, live and steal another day.
2. Not applicable. Jalt wouldn't stand for giving the jewels back, especially with them being from Greenest. I don't think this will ever be an option.
3. See previous Nate-rant.
Once Nate calms down-ish, he'd say "In the end, I am on board with whatever you all think makes the most sense."Then looks to Soar and Jalt to see their reactions. And I guess Jamna too. :)
When Nate says the spiders are his friends, Soar smiles and says, "Oh! Hello there, ladies."She sheathes her sword in a clumsy manner, like someone who was waving back at someone they realized was not actually waving at them, and they turn the wave into an awkward hairdo adjustment. She totally was not just about to flyswat a large spider Nate was friends with, no sir.
"Lizard creatures? Hmm. I guess that's what Pete's been hearing every night. We haven't seen any sign of them since we got here, so I'm guessing they're going through the loot, maybe bringing some parts of it out here? Nate, if you and your ladies can guide is back to where the tunnel came to the surface, I can finish marking a path with chalk so we don't have to deal with the strong room door and unwanted attention again."Soar would have insisted that the party at least do this, and would examine the trunk opening and go inside even, just to make sure that she could get in herself.
(OOC: I missed a bunch of posts, so I won't push this, but Soar would have advocated going back down the tunnel to meet the lizard creatures down there versus back at the roadhouse. Let's just say she was preoccupied with getting the path marked clearly so they could return later and she forgot to bring up the idea.)
"I can be just outside the stables, whittling or something, chatting with Jalt, ready to come in if things go bad... but Nub's got a point. Well, three points. Are you sure you don't want to have this conversation outside the roadhouse? Tell him that you'd like to take a walk, that you don't have the pouch there, which would still be true, and you'd feel safer outside of the roadhouse. That'd eliminate the possibility of an ambush, and the cultists overhearing a fight. Bad idea?"
To Nub, Soar says, "following the lizard creatures to wherever they're headed outside the tunnel is a great idea. Are we sure they're cultists? Jalt and I could even talk to them or eavesdrop at least, since we speak draconic. We have few allies here so if there's a chance they're not cultists, we should see. Tracking them is smart. Maybe we'll find allies of the cultists or signs of the cultists' destination."
In order to make progress, I think we can establish that Soar has strongly urged the party to look at the far end of the tunnel, as described above. However, the party has currently returned to the Roadhouse (or just outside it). At the moment, you are near to the gate, though not near enough to attract attention, debating what to do. It's nearly midnight.
If we go back to the far tunnel entrance, we will miss the midnight opportunity - which I'm ok with either way if Soar is adamant to go back right now.
"If you want to go back now, let's do it. I could care less about that thief, especially if both of you seem to think that this is quite risky. Although, I'd be up for coaxing him to come outside of the roadhouse, before we begin our... interaction. And we can leave right after. You guys would still be covering me outside of the roadhouse though, right?"
So - Nate wants to stay and meet this guy which we only have a few moments to do... but he won't be upset or sulky like he sometimes is if we go back to the far tunnel entrance now. Soar or Nub, you guys decide!
"Oh yes I'm sure they're cultists." Nate says about the lizard creatures, of course not knowing at all if that's true. That's why he's ok with going back to the far tunnel entrance now.
Totally good with being back at the roadhouse after marking/ducking in the tunnel exit to make sure we can get back in or stake it out the next morning.
Soar is happy to play support to the stables or the walk outside the roadhouse. She would encourage Nate and Nub to play dumb about what we know about the cultists in case the thief ends up passing what we tell him to them. And she reminds them that Jalt might be able to force the truth out of him through divine means, but it only works if he is alive. She gives a knowing, empathetic look at Nate.
Okay, so you went back to the tunnel exit and made a mark or took note of the surroundings, so that you are certain enough you can find it again.
You are now back at the Roadhouse, standing outside the gate. It took time to check the tunnel, so it's now exactly the time you were due to meet the thief.
Nate, and I assume Nub, head to the stables to meet the thief.
"So I will get him to come outside the roadhouse, to not make any unwanted attention should things get hairy, and also if it's an ambush."
He looks at Soar and Jalt "I won't tell this scum anything. And good point about Jalt's spell. I will... try to keep that in mind." and then heads over with Nub. As he is walking over, he's rubbing his arms and chest, casting barkskin on himself. He looks at Nub "... you know, just in case."
He will obviously be trying to keep a keen sense of awareness as Nub and him get closer to the stables, to sense if anything feels off, or sensing if in fact this could be an ambush.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Nub says "Whatever we are doing, I guess we need to do it soon. Are you three happy to go and try and get in place hiding and watching while Nate and take a few minutes to make it to the stable? We can wander there slow and obvious, so the thief can see us coming and even stop say 60 ft off and wave for him to come over, which would give you all a chance to get in place and be ready for is it is a trap."
If they agree Nub approaches the stable slowly, actively searching for signs of an ambush or trap along the way (passive perception 15, perception roll: 18 ).
Nub, you pass through the main gate. Nothing jumps out at you as indicating a trap or ambush, or any signs of trouble. The Roadhouse is as it has been the last few nights after midnight as you've made your way back to your room from the kitchen.
Is Nate going with you? Are Soar, Jalt and Jamna waiting outside, or also heading in through the gate and into the yard?
(if the party has no encounters on the way back through this deadly swamp, he'd explain everything that happened in the tunnel on their walk back. Assuming that is where we are going. He would've also told them about where the tunnel comes out, and would've put the general area to memory based on where he started walking with the spiders from.)
It's after sunset and coming up to midnight.
You head to the Roadhouse, and don't encounter any dangers. You approach the gate in the north wall; there's no indication that anything is wrong.
Nate would've let the spiders vanish before getting to the roadhouse to not attract attention. So now we can assume everyone knows everything about what went down in the tunnel!
"Hmmmm... I swear, I saw at least 10 of these lizard beast things... and they spoke draconic. Cultists. They were all headed to the trap door. And the tunnel leads to, well, the swamp. Perhaps we should go back to the tunnel exit tomorrow and investigate that area?"
"Also, it seems Nub and I have a thief to meet soon. Soar, are you still up for some body guard work?" and he smiles at her in a confident way, but inside praying that she agrees to come with them, to protect them if shit goes bad.
"And he's not getting the jewels back, either. I don't have them anymore." smiles at Jalt "Which is true. Which I will tell this guy once he tells me everything he knows about the cultists."
Nub listens intently "It is a shame we could not go back straight away, that we have to go and meet this thief or cultist instead. Knowing how many lizard beast things there are and being able to plan around using the tunnel exit as a choke point would have given us a strategic advantage, or at least a place to see where the lizard beast things are going after they leave the tunnel. It think we need to remember that we could be giving other creatures that strategic advantage as well tomorrow if we are going in there to fight or if we stay too long. I do think we should scout out the entire tunnel early in the morning - well before the time we have heard the strange noises previously. I think we should also return in the evening and possibly follow the lizard beast things to wherever they are going."
When Nate mentions the thief/cultist, Nub says "We have unfortunately missed our opportunity to scout out the barn before the meeting, which means this is riskier than it if we had. I am just not sure we have thought this meeting, our course of action, or any benefits and risks through. Can we discuss those on the way:
1. If we do not return the items he stole and he is an actual thief, what is the likely outcome?
2. If he is a thief and we return the gems, what is the likely outcome?
3.If he is not a thief and this is an ambush, how do we handle all the cultists coming for us at once?"
Nate listens to Nub rhyme off a bunch of different scenarios, questions and potential solutions. His ego is still on the high from crushing it in the tunnel just an hour ago, and he was thinking/hoping that the others would just want to wing this, kind of what Nate just did. He's totally not surprised though with Nub's words, and tries to answer the best he can...
"Sometimes things just happen, whether you plan for them or not. Who actually knows what will await us at the stables with this guy... I mean, I think he's a thief, and I think he's coming alone. If I'm wrong and we are ambushed, I am sure we can hold our own (again, Nate's ego is on a power trip), and it may even give us the chance to kill some of them. Or hell, maybe even all of them. Even Bog F uck. Maybe the 10 lizard creatures I saw ARE the ambush party. Maybe we take down the entire god forsaken corrupt roadhouse ALL IN ONE SHOT. TONIGHT."
Nate then re-composes himself and tries to answer his questions to the best of his ability which seems to be clouded with anger right now. Maybe because he just saw 10 of the lizard cultists face to spider-face.
1. If the thief gets aggressive in any way, he dies. If not, he gets to leave the roadhouse, live and steal another day.
2. Not applicable. Jalt wouldn't stand for giving the jewels back, especially with them being from Greenest. I don't think this will ever be an option.
3. See previous Nate-rant.
Once Nate calms down-ish, he'd say "In the end, I am on board with whatever you all think makes the most sense." Then looks to Soar and Jalt to see their reactions. And I guess Jamna too. :)
[Nub's low charisma means he often points out potential problems, though won't go against the grain when people are excited about a course of action.]
Nub says "OK, if you believe we are good to go and we can handle anything that comes along, I'm happy to 'wing it'."
(Don't worry, I guarantee S & J will NOT be ok to 'wing it')
:)
When Nate says the spiders are his friends, Soar smiles and says, "Oh! Hello there, ladies." She sheathes her sword in a clumsy manner, like someone who was waving back at someone they realized was not actually waving at them, and they turn the wave into an awkward hairdo adjustment. She totally was not just about to flyswat a large spider Nate was friends with, no sir.
"Lizard creatures? Hmm. I guess that's what Pete's been hearing every night. We haven't seen any sign of them since we got here, so I'm guessing they're going through the loot, maybe bringing some parts of it out here? Nate, if you and your ladies can guide is back to where the tunnel came to the surface, I can finish marking a path with chalk so we don't have to deal with the strong room door and unwanted attention again." Soar would have insisted that the party at least do this, and would examine the trunk opening and go inside even, just to make sure that she could get in herself.
(OOC: I missed a bunch of posts, so I won't push this, but Soar would have advocated going back down the tunnel to meet the lizard creatures down there versus back at the roadhouse. Let's just say she was preoccupied with getting the path marked clearly so they could return later and she forgot to bring up the idea.)
"I can be just outside the stables, whittling or something, chatting with Jalt, ready to come in if things go bad... but Nub's got a point. Well, three points. Are you sure you don't want to have this conversation outside the roadhouse? Tell him that you'd like to take a walk, that you don't have the pouch there, which would still be true, and you'd feel safer outside of the roadhouse. That'd eliminate the possibility of an ambush, and the cultists overhearing a fight. Bad idea?"
To Nub, Soar says, "following the lizard creatures to wherever they're headed outside the tunnel is a great idea. Are we sure they're cultists? Jalt and I could even talk to them or eavesdrop at least, since we speak draconic. We have few allies here so if there's a chance they're not cultists, we should see. Tracking them is smart. Maybe we'll find allies of the cultists or signs of the cultists' destination."
In order to make progress, I think we can establish that Soar has strongly urged the party to look at the far end of the tunnel, as described above. However, the party has currently returned to the Roadhouse (or just outside it). At the moment, you are near to the gate, though not near enough to attract attention, debating what to do. It's nearly midnight.
If we go back to the far tunnel entrance, we will miss the midnight opportunity - which I'm ok with either way if Soar is adamant to go back right now.
"If you want to go back now, let's do it. I could care less about that thief, especially if both of you seem to think that this is quite risky. Although, I'd be up for coaxing him to come outside of the roadhouse, before we begin our... interaction. And we can leave right after. You guys would still be covering me outside of the roadhouse though, right?"
So - Nate wants to stay and meet this guy which we only have a few moments to do... but he won't be upset or sulky like he sometimes is if we go back to the far tunnel entrance now. Soar or Nub, you guys decide!
"Oh yes I'm sure they're cultists." Nate says about the lizard creatures, of course not knowing at all if that's true. That's why he's ok with going back to the far tunnel entrance now.
(Also we will likely have to sleep soon either way or Nate will become exhausted... us humans get tired!)
Totally good with being back at the roadhouse after marking/ducking in the tunnel exit to make sure we can get back in or stake it out the next morning.
Soar is happy to play support to the stables or the walk outside the roadhouse. She would encourage Nate and Nub to play dumb about what we know about the cultists in case the thief ends up passing what we tell him to them. And she reminds them that Jalt might be able to force the truth out of him through divine means, but it only works if he is alive. She gives a knowing, empathetic look at Nate.
Okay, so you went back to the tunnel exit and made a mark or took note of the surroundings, so that you are certain enough you can find it again.
You are now back at the Roadhouse, standing outside the gate. It took time to check the tunnel, so it's now exactly the time you were due to meet the thief.
Nate, and I assume Nub, head to the stables to meet the thief.
"So I will get him to come outside the roadhouse, to not make any unwanted attention should things get hairy, and also if it's an ambush."
He looks at Soar and Jalt "I won't tell this scum anything. And good point about Jalt's spell. I will... try to keep that in mind." and then heads over with Nub. As he is walking over, he's rubbing his arms and chest, casting barkskin on himself. He looks at Nub "... you know, just in case."
He will obviously be trying to keep a keen sense of awareness as Nub and him get closer to the stables, to sense if anything feels off, or sensing if in fact this could be an ambush.
Nub says "Whatever we are doing, I guess we need to do it soon. Are you three happy to go and try and get in place hiding and watching while Nate and take a few minutes to make it to the stable? We can wander there slow and obvious, so the thief can see us coming and even stop say 60 ft off and wave for him to come over, which would give you all a chance to get in place and be ready for is it is a trap."
If they agree Nub approaches the stable slowly, actively searching for signs of an ambush or trap along the way (passive perception 15, perception roll: 18 ).
[OOC: Oops, was typing the above and posted before I saw your post KleinDungeons.]
Nate would agree with Nub's idea about walking slowly and allowing everyone else to get their desired positions.
Nub, you pass through the main gate. Nothing jumps out at you as indicating a trap or ambush, or any signs of trouble. The Roadhouse is as it has been the last few nights after midnight as you've made your way back to your room from the kitchen.
Is Nate going with you? Are Soar, Jalt and Jamna waiting outside, or also heading in through the gate and into the yard?
[Yes to both is my understanding of the previous 4 posts.]
[exactly]