Thinking back on the group, can he recall any details of the person Minton was talking to?

[[Both of them are shorter than the other men, but the man Minton was talking to has a heavier build than him.]]

More contextual information needed:

- what is the mix of buildings: many different heights, all pretty uniform?

[[A mixture of one- and two-storey buildings.]]

- there are bridges over river delta...how wide/deep is river?

[[There are bridges for the major reaches of the river in the city. The Southern Crossing has the barge, but no bridge. The river is not very deep and there are occasional cases of flooding in low lying areas.]]

- how far is nearest bridge

[[Five minutes walk upriver.]]

- how far is nearest part of river (as crow flies, ignoring bridge locations) in direction of home and away?

[[One minute walk to the other side of the School. It has its own private landing on one of the reaches of the river. There are also open areas (about 100' wide) on either side of the School between the road and the river. The other side of the road is lined with buildings, mostly housing and light industry. The building with the awning belongs to a company that makes bottles and other glassware. It is a one-storey building.]]

- is this an area of many alleys, or there there only a few on the main road?

[[There are service lanes running up the middle of most blocks and most buildings have an enclosed yard at the back that borders that lane. The alleys occur where buildings don't share a communal fence.]]

- are there busier roads nearby?]]

[[No. The road that goes past the School is the closest busy road, though it isn't busy at the moment because of the rain.]]

[[And now I have to go again, this is turning into a busy day.]]

 [[OK, cool. So picture I now have is (not to scale, times are for walking, North Up or Down, Home is down?):

                                    (alley with dudes and Minton)

                                             |    |                               |   |
                                             |    |                               |   |
                                             |   M|Y      (Glass Factory)         |   |
                                             |    |                               |X  |
---------------------------------------------|    |-------------------------------|   |
                                    
(Road)                                                       B (Brand)         - Bridge(5 min) ->

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ^
                                                                                         |
+------------------------+  +----------------------------------------------------+       |
|                        |  |      |       |      |    |        |     |          |    (1 min)
|         SoOS           |  |      |       Buildings with alleys      |          |       |
|                        |  |      |       |      |    |        |     |          |       |
+------------------------+  +----------------------------------------------------+       |
      [---DOCK---]                                                                       v
==========================================================================================

                                       RIVER

========================================================================================== 

]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

 [[OK, cool. So picture I now have is (not to scale, times are for walking, North Up or Down, Home is down?):

                                    (alley with dudes and Minton)

                                             |    |                               |   |
                                             |    |                               |   |
                                             |   M|Y      (Glass Factory)         |   |
                                             |    |                               |X  |
---------------------------------------------|    |-------------------------------|   |
                                    
(Road)                                                       B (Brand)         - Bridge(5 min) ->

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ^
                                                                                         |
+------------------------+  +----------------------------------------------------+       |
|                        |  |      |       |      |    |        |     |          |    (1 min)
|         SoOS           |  |      |       Buildings with alleys      |          |       |
|                        |  |      |       |      |    |        |     |          |       |
+------------------------+  +----------------------------------------------------+       |
      [---DOCK---]                                                                       v
==========================================================================================

                                       RIVER

========================================================================================== 

]]

[[Okay, I misunderstood your earlier map. The building opposite the SooS (which, while large, should be smaller than the school; the walled grounds of the school are big) is the one-storey, glass factory and the entrance with the awning that Minton and the men are huddled under belongs to the glass factory. The next alleyway that Brand wants to slip into is the other side of a two-storey building which looks like it is some sort of boarding house. The main entrance to that building is on the street, and the section marked buildings with alleys needs to be on the other side of the street away from the riverside (i.e., the SooS should probably stretch most of the length of the map below the road.]]

[[Okay, I misunderstood your earlier map.

Or, as per usual, I misunderstood the description....

I'm just making this up as I go along. Happy for you to draw map, but is this more accurate:

                                     alley with dudes 
                                        and Minton
         |                                |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)            |    |      | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
        Z|                               Y|M   |A     |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                B (Brand)             - Bridge(5 min) ->

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         ^
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+       |
|                                                                                |    (1 min)
|                                                                                |       |
|                                     SoOS                                       |       |
|                                 (not to scale)                                 |       |
|                                                                                |       |
+------------------------+  +----------------------------------------------------+       |
                     [---DOCK---]                                                        v
===========================================================================================

RIVER

===========================================================================================

Without knowing actual scale, it's hrd to pick resonable action, it seems running to X or Z and getting on roof to go to Y would be good. Happy with either if theres is no blindingly obvious reason for one over the other. If X is a long way away, then it's probably easier to check street and go invis then go Z, if X is near, then go X. Have I got Mintons awning correct?

 ...feel free to sketch, photograph and email if its easier.

Edit: getting near Minton safely and invisibly is the priority, happy with your call.

See 2 posts down for broad plan.

[[From an earlier post:

So -- just checking -- Brand {while invisible} would potentially (a) see if Minton had a different aura than he was used to seeing; (b) maybe see spells active on Minton; (c) see invisible people in the group (unless Grtr invis); (d) see if any people in the group had non-depleted magical auras. And any invisible guard would see Brand, so sneaking is still a good plan even when invisible.

]]

 See next post down for broad plan.

 [[If the map above ia vaguely accurate, then:

- go to X
- sneak
- prepare stones (invis in left, levitate in right)
- invis
- climb/levitate
- go to A on way to Y
- at A: look/listen briefly, if clearly audible, stop, or if unexpected auras PAUSE
- if hard to see/hear, go to Y

(obviously, if A IS Y (and I have map wrong), then we are good)

]]

[[The last map is good and what we will run with and I'm happy for Brand to now be in position A. From that position, Minton is just visible under the awning I described earlier, none of the others are.]]

[[From an earlier post:

So -- just checking -- Brand {while invisible} would potentially:

(a) see if Minton had a different aura than he was used to seeing;

[[The auras Brand would see with the stones are the same as what someone using the See the Arcane cantrip would see (i.e., concentrations of mana particles and perhaps structures in those concentrations). This means that any practitioner of Arcane magic (there are other types, but they are rare) that concentrates mana about their person to perform magic quickly—such as an innate sorcerer—would appear to have a glowing golden aura of magical particles somewhere on their person (sorcerers have one around their head).

Having said all the above, and also having rolled a die to determine that Brand has already done this trick in the past and looked at Minton, he knows that Minton has no aura of mana particles, i.e., whatever Minton's power was, it was not based on magic.]]

(b) maybe see spells active on Minton;

[[Brand can see that there are no concentrations of mana about Minton's head at the moment. Make an Arcana check at Disadvantage.]]

(c) see invisible people in the group (unless Grtr invis);

[[Brand cannot see the rest of the people because of the awning, but there appear to be no normally invisible people in the parts of the alley that he can see.]]

(d) see if any people in the group had non-depleted magical auras. And any invisible guard would see Brand, so sneaking is still a good plan even when invisible.

[[There has been no reaction to Brand's presence so far, but make a Stealth check please.]]

]]

When Brand reaches his position, he hears Minton speaking. The man seems to be agitated and is speaking loudly, which is why Brand can hear him over the sound of the rain. 

"... needs to be taken somewhere where she will be given the proper honour and respect." Minton's tone is one of beseeching.

[[Make a Perception check to hear what is said in reply to this.]]

[[Brand can see that there are no concentrations of mana about Minton's head at the moment. Make an Arcana check at Disadvantage.]]

Arcana(DA): 12

[[There has been no reaction to Brand's presence so far, but make a Stealth check please.]]

Stealth: 7

"... needs to be taken somewhere where she will be given the proper honour and respect." Minton's tone is one of beseeching.

[[Make a Perception check to hear what is said in reply to this.]]

Perception: 22

[[Is there a better position, other than on the ground? At this point I'm wondering if the awning was between him and the group more completely than it currently is, then the sounds might be even more muffled.

Since they can't see him, he might float closer, above the awning, but not touching it, and hold on to wall/roof...does that sound do-able? But It's not clear he would hear more...do you have an opinion given distances, size of awning etc etc]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[Brand can see that there are no concentrations of mana about Minton's head at the moment. Make an Arcana check at Disadvantage.]]

Arcana(DA): 12

[[This was a check to see if Brand knew something, which he didn't but please make another check for experience. Doesn't make sense in this case, I know, but it is the mechanic so we may as well use it.]]

[[There has been no reaction to Brand's presence so far, but make a Stealth check please.]]

Stealth: 7

[[As I said, there has been no reaction so far. However, to represent this roll, let's say that a shingle broke free when Brand touched it and he is now keeping it in place with one hand to avoid it falling off the roof. You can also make another roll for experience for this as well.]]

"... needs to be taken somewhere where she will be given the proper honour and respect." Minton's tone is one of beseeching.

[[Make a Perception check to hear what is said in reply to this.]]

Perception: 22

[[Is there a better position, other than on the ground? At this point I'm wondering if the awning was between him and the group more completely than it currently is, then the sounds might be even more muffled.

[[The other side of the triangular-shaped roof he is on would allow him to see better, but he would be further away and have more trouble hearing. He could perch on top of the awning itself, which would make hearing easier. Neither is better than being on the ground.]]

 

Since they can't see him, he might float closer, above the awning, but not touching it, and hold on to wall/roof...does that sound do-able? But It's not clear he would hear more...do you have an opinion given distances, size of awning etc etc]]

[[Yes, he would be able to push off the building he is on and lower himself onto the awning. However, see previous references to the loose shingle and advantages and disadvantages of these locations.]]

 

A placating voice replies to Minton's beseeching, saying, "Calm down, Hareld. If she is an avatar of the goddess, surely she can be in no danger. And perhaps this is all part of some larger plan."

[[You might not know this, but Brand would: Hareld is Master Minton's first name.]]

"Do you really think so?" says Minton.

"Yes," says the man enthusiastically. "Now, you should go back before you are missed. We need you in position in case She needs you to contact us."

"Okay," replies Minton begrudgingly, "but it's hard... I feel like a traitor."

"It is for the greater good," says the man. "They don't know what they are doing, and I can't help but think that She is allowing herself to be kept there so She can show them the error of their ways... So in effect, you are helping them."

"... It is as you say," says Minton. "All right, I will go..."

With this, Brand sees Minton begin to head out of the alley heading back in the direction of the School. Minton is holding the same bag over his head as he was when Brand first saw him when he arrived at the School.

[[What is Brand going to do about the shingle he is holding in place?]]

[[This was a check to see if Brand knew something, which he didn't but please make another check for experience. Doesn't make sense in this case, I know, but it is the mechanic so we may as well use it.]]

XP Arcana(DA): 12   [[Maybe he had the thought that he really should research more about gods, artefacts, and projection of presence. ie. learned what he didn't know]]

[[As I said, there has been no reaction so far. However, to represent this roll, let's say that a shingle broke free when Brand touched it and he is now keeping it in place with one hand to avoid it falling off the roof. You can also make another roll for experience for this as well.]]

XP Stealth: 24

A placating voice replies to Minton's beseeching, saying

[[Any chance of recognition of voice?]]

[[Just checking: Minton's aura looks normal (this was to see if it was a fake Minton)?]]

[[What is Brand going to do about the shingle he is holding in place?]]

[[The way I see it: Minton still has thing in bag and is heading back to School. Brand has not seen the dudes. Please correct me if this is wrong]]

Brand remains still, hoping that the people Minton was talking to will become visible after Minton leaves. He also hopes that he may catch anything they say between themselves, as it seems likely they are using him to do harm to the School. While he waits, he examines the shingle to see if it might be possible to wedge it back in place, or remove it and place it in the gutter, or just carry it with him.

[[Primary intent: follow the dudes

Actions:

- Stay in place and in stealth
- Look at dudes and see if any have auras
- Try to get look at faces (still raining, so probably hard)

Clarifications:
- What is range of See the Arcane? Does this means that inside that range people would see Brand even when invisible, but outside the range, they would not?
- Not sure about normal following distance...I assume 45-90 feet?
- Ideally he would keep out of See the Arcane range after he has had a good look at them.
- Are the roads still empty? If so he may follow on foot, but probably try to follow on roofs.
- Was there any aura from Minton's sack?

]]

 [[One more question: if he picks up the shingle, will it become invisible? Can he make it invisible the moment it is free of the roof?]]

[[Observation: Brand has seen Hugh Hanghop, just in canse he's not really dead ;-) and were he to see him again, would run away, very fast]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[This was a check to see if Brand knew something, which he didn't but please make another check for experience. Doesn't make sense in this case, I know, but it is the mechanic so we may as well use it.]]

XP Arcana(DA): 14   [[Maybe he had the thought that he really should research more about gods, artefacts, and projection of presence. ie. learned what he didn't know]]

[[That works for me, but it didn't work for Brand as he didn't exceed the required DC, so no experience.]]

A placating voice replies to Minton's beseeching, saying

[[Any chance of recognition of voice?]]

[[Make a straight Wisdom check.]]

[[Just checking: Minton's aura looks normal (this was to see if it was a fake Minton)?]]

[[Yes, sorry, Minton's aura looks as Brand expects it to look considering his past experience.]]

[[What is Brand going to do about the shingle he is holding in place?]]

[[The way I see it: Minton still has thing in bag and is heading back to School. Brand has not seen the dudes. Please correct me if this is wrong]]

[[Unclear description originally. Sorry. The bag is just a floppy bag Minton is holding over his head to keep the rain of his head. Umbrellas don't exist in this world.]]

[[Brand has yet to see any of the dudes from his position overhead. He did get a glimpse of them when he walked past the alley.]]

[[One more question: if he picks up the shingle, will it become invisible? Can he make it invisible the moment it is free of the roof?]]

[[The ruling on this from the chief designer of the rules is that simply picking up an item doesn't make it invisible. However, completely covering the item with something that is invisible (e.g., hiding it under invisible clothing) does make it invisible.]]

Brand remains still, hoping that the people Minton was talking to will become visible after Minton leaves. He also hopes that he may catch anything they say between themselves, as it seems likely they are using him to do harm to the School. While he waits, he examines the shingle to see if it might be possible to wedge it back in place, or remove it and place it in the gutter, or just carry it with him.

[[The shingle is small enough for him to carry it one-handed, he could also try wedging it into the hole in the roof that its removal will reveal, but there is no gutter on this roof.]]

 [Primary intent: follow the dudes

Actions:

- Stay in place and in stealth
- Look at dudes and see if any have auras
- Try to get look at faces (still raining, so probably hard)

Clarifications:
- What is range of See the Arcane? Does this means that inside that range people would see Brand even when invisible, but outside the range, they would not?

[[Brand doesn't know, but his sight with the stones is limited to only about 30', but it is very dependent on the concentration of magick that is involved.]]

- Not sure about normal following distance...I assume 45-90 feet?

[[Very situational, so can't say.]]

- Ideally he would keep out of See the Arcane range after he has had a good look at them.
- Are the roads still empty? If so he may follow on foot, but probably try to follow on roofs.

[[It is still raining heavily and there is currently no traffic on the road in the immediate vicinity.

- Was there any aura from Minton's sack?

[[None that Brand could see from his vantage point.]]

]]

Once Minton leaves the alleyway, some general discussion breaks out amongst the people under the awning, but Brand can only make out snatches of what has been said.

"... fool," he hears someone say.

"Watch your tongue," rebukes the man Minton was talking to. "He's just ... is right."

"... sodding wet." comes a general complaint from yet another speaker after a little while.

"... your turn," says the familiar voice again.

At this one, of them curses and then begrudgingly steps out from under the awning to go and stand at the corner where they can observe the entrance of the School, and possibly not be seen by people coming from the direction of the nearest bridge over the river. It soon becomes clear to Brand that it is now this man's turn to keep watch.

[[The man is wearing a hooded cloak so Brand can't make out much about him. He doesn't seem to have an aura of magic though, but the hood may be obscuring that as well.]]

[[Any chance of recognition of voice?]]

[[Make a straight Wisdom check.]]

Wisdom check: 17

[[The ruling on this from the chief designer of the rules is that simply picking up an item doesn't make it invisible. However, completely covering the item with something that is invisible (e.g., hiding it under invisible clothing) does make it invisible.]]

[[The shingle is small enough for him to carry it one-handed, he could also try wedging it into the hole in the roof that its removal will reveal, but there is no gutter on this roof.]]

[[So he could cover it with cloak, then pick it up. Then, put it on a flat piece of roof, and uncover it? Or, if physically hidden somewhere, reappear, then re-invis to hide it as well?

Also, will it just push back into place, or is it now completely and unrecoverably loose? If it's a wooden shingle, just push the nail in?

Is the shingle visible from the ground? And specifically the people under the awning? I don't want it to start mysteriously moving if he tries to nudge it back into place.

Does this world have quick-setting glue? Not useful now, but...

How many people are there? Leader, Watcher + 0-n others?

Can you describe the roof area:

- peaked? Flat peak? How far to a place where he would not be visible from the awning area?
- are there any flat surfaces on the roof nearby?

<- these are in relation to putting the shingle in a safe place.

- how far does it extend along the alley?
- How long is the alley?

<- These are in relation to the idea that Brand would head allong roof down alley away from school, and try to get a better view under the awning. He would also consider dropping to ground to see people under awning.

In his experience, do shingles come loose periodically, and just fall to the ground?

<- this is in relation to wedging the shingle back in place, then scooting quickly over the peak of the roof and heading away from the school with a view to dropping to the ground and checking on the dudes.

]]

Tentatvive plan, predicated on some slight chance of successfully replacing the shingle (or delaying its fall), combined with a peaked roof, and another road or alley not too far away:

- Wedge shingle, move over roof peak (colons in map below); if peak goes the other way, then that's fine also
- go to Z (if not a huge distance from B to Z)
- drop down
- move to A, sneaking
- look around corner, see what he sees; if not much visible, move closer to G (group); if he sees an aura or thinks he has been heard, move back.

The assumption here is that the shingle will either

(a) stay in place so their attention is likely focused on each other, or the watcher at (W),

or (b) fall slowly. If it falls slowly, then it may attract their attention. So their attention will be focused near Brand's old location.

                                               A  
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                                |    |   : Z| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)            |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                                |G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                                          - Bridge(5 min) ->

 Edit:

If he has no chance of securing the shingle, then plab B is, let it go, and jump to C (assuming thats a reasonably easy levitate/jump):

                                               A  
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                                |    |   : Z| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)            |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                               C|G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                                          - Bridge(5 min) ->

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[Any chance of recognition of voice?]]

[[Make a straight Wisdom check.]]

Wisdom check: 17

[[The voice is familiar to Brand, but he can't place a name or face to the voice at the moment.]]

[[The ruling on this from the chief designer of the rules is that simply picking up an item doesn't make it invisible. However, completely covering the item with something that is invisible (e.g., hiding it under invisible clothing) does make it invisible.]]

[[The shingle is small enough for him to carry it one-handed, he could also try wedging it into the hole in the roof that its removal will reveal, but there is no gutter on this roof.]]

[[So he could cover it with cloak, then pick it up. Then, put it on a flat piece of roof, and uncover it? Or, if physically hidden somewhere, reappear, then re-invis to hide it as well?

[[Except for the roof not being flat, all the above is true.]]

Also, will it just push back into place, or is it now completely and unrecoverably loose? If it's a wooden shingle, just push the nail in?

[[It is a wooden shingle. The nail is still in place, but the shingle was loose and come off the nail. Putting the shingle back in place quietly would require a Stealth check.]]

Is the shingle visible from the ground? And specifically the people under the awning? I don't want it to start mysteriously moving if he tries to nudge it back into place.

[[No. Both the awning and the angle would make it impossible for the people below seeing anything that happened, but they might be able to hear something.]]

Does this world have quick-setting glue? Not useful now, but...

[[Make an Arcana check.]]

How many people are there? Leader, Watcher + 0-n others?

[[Brand remembers seeing a total of 6 people in the alley when he went past: Minton and five others.]]

Can you describe the roof area:

- peaked? Flat peak? How far to a place where he would not be visible from the awning area?

[[Peaked in the centre with the roof sloping down at about 30°; the ridge line runs parallel with the road. If Brand moves his head back a little from where he is listening, there would be no chance of being seen from the awning area. The building he is on is a two-storey one, which the glass factory is a tall one-storey one. Brand's listening post is fifteen feet away from the speaker, it is the rain that is making it hard to hear.]]

- are there any flat surfaces on the roof nearby?

[[No.]]

<- these are in relation to putting the shingle in a safe place.

- how far does it extend along the alley?

[[The building does not extend along the length of the alley. There is a closed courtyard at the back of the building, the fence of which forms one side of the alley beyond where the building stops.]]

- How long is the alley?

[[About ninety feet.]]

<- These are in relation to the idea that Brand would head allong roof down alley away from school, and try to get a better view under the awning. He would also consider dropping to ground to see people under awning.

In his experience, do shingles come loose periodically, and just fall to the ground?

[[Normally, high winds can cause roofs to lose shingles, but in this case the loose shingle is due to an old worn shingle and a failed Stealth roll; he was able to stop the shingle from sliding off the roof, but the roof is in need of maintenance.]]

<- this is in relation to wedging the shingle back in place, then scooting quickly over the peak of the roof and heading away from the school with a view to dropping to the ground and checking on the dudes.

]]

Tentatvive plan, predicated on some slight chance of successfully replacing the shingle (or delaying its fall), combined with a peaked roof, and another road or alley not too far away:

- Wedge shingle, move over roof peak (colons in map below); if peak goes the other way, then that's fine also
- go to Z (if not a huge distance from B to Z)
- drop down
- move to A, sneaking
- look around corner, see what he sees; if not much visible, move closer to G (group); if he sees an aura or thinks he has been heard, move back.

The assumption here is that the shingle will either

(a) stay in place so their attention is likely focused on each other, or the watcher at (W),

or (b) fall slowly. If it falls slowly, then it may attract their attention. So their attention will be focused near Brand's old location.

                                               A  
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                                |    |   : Z| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)            |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                                |G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                                          - Bridge(5 min) ->

 

 Edit:

If he has no chance of securing the shingle, then plab B is, let it go, and jump to C (assuming thats a reasonably easy levitate/jump):

                                               A  
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                                |    |   : Z| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)            |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                               C|G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                                          - Bridge(5 min) ->

 [[The existence of the fenced-in courtyard at the back of this building changes your plans, I believe, so I'll give you the opportunity to think again. Also, the alley joins a narrow service road that runs parallel to the main road behind the buildings. The fence around the courtyard I described separates it from the service road, but Brand can't see into the courtyard from where he currently is.]]

[[The voice is familiar to Brand, but he can't place a name or face to the voice at the moment.]]

Dalshar? Or a priest?

[[It is a wooden shingle. The nail is still in place, but the shingle was loose and come off the nail. Putting the shingle back in place quietly would require a Stealth check.]]

Stealth: 10

Does this world have quick-setting glue? Not useful now, but...

[[Make an Arcana check.]]

Arcana: 14

Revised plan:

- Attempt to repair shingle quietly; see stealth check above: if relevant, wait until rain intensifies, if it's intensity is varying)
- as soon as attempt at repair is made, jump and float to Z on map below (this is a bit back from the edge of the roof, designed to reduce risk of audible sound when he lands)
- Is glass factory roof flat or peaked...which way does slope run? (trying to find out what would happen to another errant shingle). If peak runs North-South, he will move mostly on other side of peak, before heading to A). If peak runs East-West, he will try to make one gentle leap to other side of peak)
- move slowly along roof to above A (perhaps 40' from G), sneaking, but hopefully on only a small number of gentle 'floats' (see dots)
- look back to G; if nothing untoward, drop to ground at A and move stealthily toward G, hoping to catch a glimpse of the people.

Anyone or anything (equipment) recognizable?

If he sees an aura, let me know ASAP...

FWIW, the assumption here is that the shingle will either

(a) stay in place so their attention is likely focused on each other, or the watcher at (W),

or (b) fall slowly. If it falls slowly, then it may attract their attention. So their attention will be focused near Brand's old location.

                                    (alley with dudes and Minton)
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                   :    :    :  |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                   :    :    :  |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                   :    :   .:..|A   | yard | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                   :    :   .:  |    |------| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)    :   .:  |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                   :    :   Z:  |G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                   :    :    :  |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                B (Brand)             - Bridge(5 min) ->

EDIT: Updated map, guessing glass factory has multiple peaks.
EDIT2: Just so we're clear, he's still invis...

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[The voice is familiar to Brand, but he can't place a name or face to the voice at the moment.]]

Dalshar? Or a priest?

[[Can't tell about the priest as he has probably met quite a few. It is not Dalshar.]]

[[It is a wooden shingle. The nail is still in place, but the shingle was loose and come off the nail. Putting the shingle back in place quietly would require a Stealth check.]]

Stealth: 13

[[Brand makes some noise putting the shingle back into place and making sure it is going to stay in place, but there is no reaction from below. Make another roll for experience and the shingle has now been reattached to its nail.]]

Does this world have quick-setting glue? Not useful now, but...

[[Make an Arcana check.]]

Arcana: 21

[[Brand has heard of magical glue made in Gont that is supposed to make unbreakable bonds and sets within a minute. It is called Sovereign Glue, but he does not know why it has this name.]]

Revised plan:

- Attempt to repair shingle quietly; see stealth check above: if relevant, wait until rain intensifies, if it's intensity is varying)

[[Fixed.]]

- as soon as attempt at repair is made, jump and float to Z on map below (this is a bit back from the edge of the roof, designed to reduce risk of audible sound when he lands)

[[Make a Stealth check.]]

- Is glass factory roof flat or peaked...which way does slope run? (trying to find out what would happen to another errant shingle). If peak runs North-South, he will move mostly on other side of peak, before heading to A). If peak runs East-West, he will try to make one gentle leap to other side of peak)

[[The glass factory has an almost flat roof with a slope that runs towards the main street. There is no peak, and there is a lot of water running off the roof into the street at this moment.]] 

- move slowly along roof to above A (perhaps 40' from G), sneaking, but hopefully on only a small number of gentle 'floats' (see dots)

[[I will use the previous Stealth check for his moving towards the back of the building. Note that this building has a number of chimneys on it on the side of the main street, but at the moment none of them are giving off smoke.]]

- look back to G; if nothing untoward, drop to ground at A and move stealthily toward G, hoping to catch a glimpse of the people.

[[I will wait for the results of the previous Stealth check before continuing.]]

Anyone or anything (equipment) recognizable?

If he sees an aura, let me know ASAP...

FWIW, the assumption here is that the shingle will either

(a) stay in place so their attention is likely focused on each other, or the watcher at (W),

or (b) fall slowly. If it falls slowly, then it may attract their attention. So their attention will be focused near Brand's old location.

                                    (alley with dudes and Minton)
------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                   :    :    :  |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                   :    :    :  |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                   :    :   .:..|A   | yard | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                   :    :   .:  |    |------| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)    :   .:  |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                   :    :   Z:  |G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                   :    :    :  |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                B (Brand)             - Bridge(5 min) ->

EDIT: Updated map, guessing glass factory has multiple peaks.

[[Brand makes some noise putting the shingle back into place and making sure it is going to stay in place, but there is no reaction from below. Make another roll for experience and the shingle has now been reattached to its nail.]]

Stealth XP: 26

- as soon as attempt at repair is made, jump and float to Z on map below (this is a bit back from the edge of the roof, designed to reduce risk of audible sound when he lands)

[[Make a Stealth check.]]

Stealth: 24

Remaining Steps:

Look back to G; if nothing untoward, drop to ground at A and move stealthily toward G, hoping to catch a glimpse of the people.

Anyone or anything (equipment) recognizable?

If he sees an aura, let me know ASAP...

Map copied for convenience:

------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                                |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                            ....|A   | yard | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                            .   |    |------| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)        .   |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                            Z   |G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                B (Brand)             - Bridge(5 min) ->

[[I am curious: these have so far been 'Medium' stealth checks, would they be easier if he was not also using stones? Or some other factor? Day time?]]

[[Are all the voices male? Main dude is, I think?]]

[[I am curious: these have so far been 'Hard' stealth checks. Is that because he is also using stones? Or some other factor?]]

 

[[The conditions on the first roof were not good for Stealth, partly because of the weather, partly because of the slope, partly because of the wet footing, but Brand also suspects that the people who live in that residence would be experiencing leaks because of the poor condition of the roof.]]

 

Quote from AlaricBrand>>

[[Brand makes some noise putting the shingle back into place and making sure it is going to stay in place, but there is no reaction from below. Make another roll for experience and the shingle has now been reattached to its nail.]]

Stealth XP: 13

[[No experience.]]

- as soon as attempt at repair is made, jump and float to Z on map below (this is a bit back from the edge of the roof, designed to reduce risk of audible sound when he lands)

[[Make a Stealth check.]]

Stealth: 13

[[Brand makes the crossing to the glass factory without issue and is now in position to lower himself into the alley. Of the three 'dudes' he can see from this vantage point, none of them have magical auras.]]

Remaining Steps:

Look back to G; if nothing untoward, drop to ground at A and move stealthily toward G, hoping to catch a glimpse of the people.

[[At this point, Brand is fairly sure that none of the people have magical auras.]]

Anyone or anything (equipment) recognizable?

[[Now that he is closer and has a good chance to look at them, Brand realises he is looking at a group of armed guards all wearing cloaks with their hoods up against the bad conditions. Their cloaks and what he can see of their armour are the same colour: either dark blue or black, it is hard to tell in the gloomy conditions and he can see no insignia at this point. However, if the colour is blue, they belong to the temple of Aieda. If the colour is black, then they belong to Donai. With regard to weapons: there are two spears leant up against the wall and one of the closest is holding an unloaded crossbow in the crook of one arm. The guards also seem to have weapons of some sort under their cloaks, which are most likely scimitars as that is the most common military weapon used in the Sorendenese Empire. ]] 

If he sees an aura, let me know ASAP...

Map copied for convenience:

------------------------------------------|    |--------------------------------------------|
         |                                |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                                |    |      | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                            ....|A   | yard | |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |                            .   |    |------| |      |     | |    |        | |    |     
         |     (Glass Factory)        .   |    |   :  | |      Buildings with alleys | |    |
         |                            Z   |G   |B  :  |X|      |     | |    |        | |    |
         |                                |    |   :  | |      |     | |    |        | |    |
------------------------------------------|   W|--------------------------------------------|

(Road)                                                B (Brand)             - Bridge(5 min) ->

Brand drops (or has dropped?) gently (and stealthily) to the ground, watches the 'guards' for reaction, then moves slowly closer, hoping to catch any parts of conversation, and to note any recognizable faces or voices.