Quote from AlaricBrand >>

 [[Each stone takes an action to activate in a combat situation. We are currently not in combat though.]]

[[ OK...so Brand can activate the levitate one now, and just keep moving down the tunnel...as normal.]]

[[Yes.]]

[[ At this point, I'd just like to get Brand out of there...I'm not sure I can cope with another night of poor sleep!

My thinking is: he activates fly or levitate while in tunnel, then crawls out and while still crouched, flies over the water and goes invisible (or vice-verca); the idea being it looks like he's falling/dropping into the water. He then flies over water and down hole...

While I expect him disappearing (or seemingly leaping into the water) would be 'suprising', would it be enough to constitute surprise?

People who are not surprised, and can reach him...perhaps only Will, since he's the only one who might fit in the small section of dry ground other than Brand, may be able to grapple but would have to risk falling in the water to do so.

Brand may also be able to engineer his position so that he comes out on the right, more than 5' from Will, so out of Grapple range.

Does this sound like a plausible interpretation of likely events given the rules etc?

Edit: Revised plan:

- Activate fly in tunnel just before he comes out, assuming Will goes to left.
- Hug right wall
- If Will reaches for him, he resists, and we roll initiative, but Will's back is sore etc, I'd imagine he will get out and stretch, get away from the water, and block the main path; Brand does need to follow reasonably quickly tho
- Brand exist to right, and moves along wall
- Does thatricts ("Finally...blah...get me out of here")
- Invisible
- Flee]]

[[ Or plan B:

He just turns to the right when he gets out. I'm guessing they would assume he's trapped. Then he engages in theatrics, looking at the stais and saying "Finally, you took your time, get me out of here"....then disappearing and flying etc.

]]

[[ Or plan C, he actually falls in the water...etc ]]

 [[ Hoping you are still there!! ]]

[[I can't answer any of these questions because Brand doesn't know the full situation outside in the cistern chamber and doesn't know how people will react. You will just have to try it and see.]]

Assuming Will went left, activate fly, follow quickly at right hand side of tunnel, coughing and spluttering, heading right, on ground, moving surprisingly fast...for someone crawling, glance around.

Will does indeed back out of the tunnel and go to the left. 

Coughing and spluttering under his bandana, Brand also exits the tunnel and tries to turn right, but there is a guard in the way: a woman holding a short club. 

[Actually, before I do this...I am tired. and I don't want another horrible escallation based on a desire to be out of here...so]]

Brand goes invisible, and heads out over the water.

Edit: OK...thank you

Brand glances around to see who is in room, and checks the grate where he came up...

The woman is momentarily surprised, but then swings out with the club... missing by miles because Brand is not where she thinks he is.

"Look out!" the woman cries, raising the alarm. "He's gone invisible."

"Look out!" the woman cries, raising the alarm. "He's gone invisible."

[[ Thank you! ]]

Brand flies to grill where he came up...is it still open? If so, he goes in...

[[ Can he also get some situational awareness re room, and people in it. Is Tinkerbell in sight, or other casters?]]

[[ And...does a dash action work while flying ? afaict, it does ]]

[[ And...is my earlier post correct, that it's been about a minute since the Seeker first saw him?]]

Using the Stone of Uplifting, Brand flies invisibly across the room heading in the direction of the still-open grate.

He reaches it and looks back at the hand of Donai guards who are reacting to his sudden disappearance.

The woman points at him and shouts, "He's over there."

Brand is about to descend into the shaft of the outflow tunnel when something else happens that distracts the guards.

Donai Handleader Halam, who was behind Brand coming out of the tunnel, and who was still standing at the entrance, suddenly turns around and then falls backwards into the pool in an attempt to get out of the way of someone coming out of the tunnel.

The Seeker who preceded Brand up the corridor is then suddenly at the entrance of the tunnel, his grey uniform all bloodied from his various wounds.

"Treachery," he cries before keeling over and also dropping into the pool.

[[I'll answer your previous set of questions and any others in the morning. Brand will be able to escape easily in the confusion if that is still what you want to do.]]

[[I'll answer your previous set of questions and any others in the morning. Brand will be able to escape easily in the confusion if that is still what you want to do.]]

[[ THANK YOU! I know it's late. I will sleep easily, and let you know in the morning.

He's WAAAY over his head, and there will be some very angry guards. I'm also thinking that they don't know who he is and that the only person who knew of the connection to Assam may now be dead. Will confirm in the morning after the first good nights sleep in a little while!

Further to that, he had to protect 3 people...hopefully the boat has left, but he should check that.

So, yeah. Curiosity killed the cat.

He leaves. If the boat is still there, he comes out of the tunnel, appears, runs to boat, jumps on board and says "Leave now! No-one else is coming."

If they don't recognise him he adds, "Lord Brand sent me to warn you. The... Task has failed. " Then gets out of the boat.

Otherwise, he levitates/invis back home...

If there isn't a welcoming committee, he goes to the stable in search on Mikkel]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

"Look out!" the woman cries, raising the alarm. "He's gone invisible."

[[ Thank you! ]]

Brand flies to grill where he came up...is it still open? If so, he goes in...

[[ Can he also get some situational awareness re room, and people in it. Is Tinkerbell in sight, or other casters?]]

[[Brand cannot see the sphere, but the female guard who swung at him has a sorcerer's aura.]]

[[ And...does a dash action work while flying ? afaict, it does ]]

[[Happy for the dash used as a regular action to work as written as that means the character isn't doing anything else but moving in their turn. Not so sure about the dash used as a bonus action when the thing doing the actual work isn't the character but is rather a magical effect. I will have to think about that.]]

[[ And...is my earlier post correct, that it's been about a minute since the Seeker first saw him?]]

[[Yes. That's about right.]]

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[I'll answer your previous set of questions and any others in the morning. Brand will be able to escape easily in the confusion if that is still what you want to do.]]

[[ THANK YOU! I know it's late. I will sleep easily, and let you know in the morning.

[[No worries. Hope you slept well. I do want to retcon one little thing, and that is that Will reached out and stopped the Seeker falling into the pool. The Seeker also has a dagger sticking out of his shoulder.]]

 

He's WAAAY over his head, and there will be some very angry guards. I'm also thinking that they don't know who he is and that the only person who knew of the connection to Assam may now be dead. Will confirm in the morning after the first good nights sleep in a little while!

Further to that, he had to protect 3 people...hopefully the boat has left, but he should check that.

So, yeah. Curiosity killed the cat.

He leaves. If the boat is still there, he comes out of the tunnel, appears, runs to boat, jumps on board and says "Leave now! No-one else is coming."

If they don't recognise him he adds, "Lord Brand sent me to warn you. The... Task has failed. " Then gets out of the boat.

Otherwise, he levitates/invis back home...

If there isn't a welcoming committee, he goes to the stable in search on Mikkel]]

Using the flight power of the Stone of Uplifting, Brand makes his was quickly back through the tunnels to the river's edge where he finds Fazal and Bom still waiting.

Landing on the boat, he surprises both men when he appears suddenly.

At first, they react with uncertainty, but when he pulls down his bandana and says that Lord Brand sent him to warn them, Fazal recognises him.

Needing no further urging, the boat is quickly unmoored and is soon being rowed down river by Bom.

[[I'll stop at this point as its unclear to me what Brand does next from your move. So he is currently in the boat, which is being rapidly rowed downriver in the direction of the estate. Is he going to leave? He has about 9 minutes worth of the fly spell left.]]

[[ retcon one little thing ]]

Ugh. Um, if he saw that the Seeker was saved and had a dagger in his back, it would have given him pause. To me it implies the trapper may still be alive.

[[ Re boat, he wouldn't pull down the bandana, that's why I added the "Lord Brand sent me...". Bit. No need for them to know who he is.

That said, Brand probably waits only a moment longer to see if anything/anyone follows the Seeker, before fleeing... Unless someone emerges behind the seeker in which case he waits a little longer.

And when he gets to the boat, he says instead:

"Lord Brand sent me to warn you. Leave now. The place is full of guards, and anyone who escapes won't be coming the way they went in, unless there is another way back here. Was there an alternate escape route planned? The shrine upriver, perhaps? Or some other route through the tunnels back here that the trapper might take?"

[[ Brand would think at this point that the trapper survived, the Seeker finished off the rats, and now the trapper will got the route Brand planned, or via some other route that was discussed]]

[[Hope you slept well.]]

Much better! Though took a while to get to sleep

Quote from AlaricBrand >>

[[ retcon one little thing ]]

Ugh. Um, if he saw that the Seeker was saved and had a dagger in his back, it would have given him pause. To me it implies the trapper may still be alive.

[[ Re boat, he wouldn't pull down the bandana, that's why I added the "Lord Brand sent me...". Bit. No need for them to know who he is.

That said, Brand probably waits only a moment longer to see if anything/anyone follows the Seeker, before fleeing... Unless someone emerges behind the seeker in which case he waits a little longer.

And when he gets to the boat, he says instead:

"Lord Brand sent me to warn you. Leave now. The place is full of guards, and anyone who escapes won't be coming the way they went in, unless there is another way back here. Was there an alternate escape route planned? The shrine upriver, perhaps? Or some other route through the tunnels back here that the trapper might take?"

[[ Brand would think at this point that the trapper survived, the Seeker finished off the rats, and now the trapper will got the route Brand planned, or via some other route that was discussed]]

[[Happy to go back to Brand being above the shaft that leads down to the tunnel, if you want to. It was all a bit rushed. We still are not in combat mode.]]

When Will grabs seeker, Brand sinks into shaft and then reconsiders, rising again a moment later so his head is out of the shaft, to see if anyone is chasing him or the seeker.