Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

"We have plenty of daylight, even obscured by the ever-present clouds as it is." Olin muses. "Perhaps we help deliver the wine to the tavern, then return here."

(How long was the trip from the tavern to here? Something we could do there-and-back in our remaining daylight? Or would we need to spend the night in town before returning?)

Mordekai casts Disguise Self to look exactly like one of the druids they just killed. "I can do some recon? I wouldn't want to be caught all the way out there by myself without backup, but disguised I certainly might be able to get closer without arousing suspicion?"

"Davian, what do you know about the druids themselves? What language do they speak? Do you know anything of their mannerisms or rituals that might add to a disguise?" 

You can get to Vallaki and back in 1 day.  You can also get to the tree and back in 1 day.  Davian describes a bit about the druids, "They speak their own language. Druidic you could call it maybe?  They generally act pretty crazed and weird...and violent."  He spends a bit more time giving Mordekai some ideas of how to color his disguise.

So, shipment first, or druid tree first?  Meepo has voted Tree.  Mordekai seems to be leaning tree?  Lionel seems to be voting to hang tight, fix the wine, then decide.  Olin? 

Olin was leaning toward delivering the wine and returning to the winery today. Then tomorrow fixing the wine and going to the tree.

Olin would also be 100% fine going to the druid tree today.

(OOC: With 1.5 votes for the tree, and the other two votes split between waiting, and going to town, I think the result is going to the tree!  Um, I'm not trying to make you guys do anything in any particular order, just trying to figure out what you all mostly agree with, which seems like the tree. So...I'm going to assume you've all agreed to head to the tree, with Mordekai scouting as a druid. ) 

The group of you head down the road, with Mordekai ahead nearly just barely staying out of site ahead, disguised as one of the crazed druids. A murder of ravens follows along in the trees, flying from perch to perch as you go, but largely staying silent.  The trail through the thick woods leads to a hill covered with dead grass and cairns of black rock. Dark, ominous clouds gather high above. West of the hill, the land, the woods, and the sky vanish behind a towering wall of fog.  The hill is arranged like large steps. The fourth highest step being the one with a massive dead looking tree upon it. 

(You are at Y1.)

Dirt trails run along two concentric rings of cairns that encircle the hillside. Each cairn is a ten-foot-high mound of slimy black rocks. The hill is set like large steps.  Atop the hill is a wide ring of black boulders and smaller rocks that collectively form a makeshift wall enclosing a field of dead grass.  At the south end of the hilltop is a sickly copse, a grove of dead trees and shrubs with a huge, misshapen tree at its core. Blood oozes like sap from its twisted trunk.  From here you spot what appear to be more needle blights walking amidst the copse. You see maybe six, though there could easily be more. 

Mordekai casts Disguise Self once again to alter his disguise.  Still as a druid, but taking Davian's information on board, and now also with disturbingly bloody robes, a gash across his torso, and horrendous damage to his face, his lower jaw hanging at a sickening angle.

"Wait here, I'll have a quick scout ahead.  If I get into trouble and need assistance, listen for a deafeningly loud raven."

With that, Mordekai will stumble forwards, keeping as low and quiet as possible to avoid being seen if he can, but hopefully passing off as an injured druid if he is seen.  He'll slowly make his way clockwise around the hill, walking in between the two rings of cairns.

Stealth as his first hope of disguise: 13

Perception (in particular looking for a count of how many enemies - blights and druids): 4

Mordekai then also casts Guidance on himself, realising he should have done that before anything else!

Meepo also sends Rat forward to scout, flying above and getting a look around, but not going too close to that tree.

Lionel patiently stood by the "entrance", still he could not help but to ask Olin and Izmark: "If we plan to assault that "citadel" the most reasonable thing to do seems to be put it to the torch," he grimaced, "I am beginning to think our "friend" in the town was right and I do become sort of an arsonist." He shook his head disapprovingly. "What I meant to say, the place is huge and it feels like they are capable of turning every bush here against us."   

Meepo, please roll perception for Rat.

Rat perception: 25

Rat, from the air, notices at least a dozen patches of grass, roughly the length of a grave, scattered about the 2nd level of the hill that look like they're sod patches covering up something underneath. 

Meepo has Rat go in and check one of those sod patches closer.

Olin nods to Lionel, "Fire might work, but remember how poorly those things burned at the vineyard? I wouldn't rely on it." Olin looks off into the distance, seemingly distracted. He mutters a quiet prayer and peers up to the cairns on the second level. "Wait here, and keep an eye out." he whispers to Lionel and Ismark before asking Silvanus for guidance and sneaking up to a cairn to look at it more closely.

Stealth, 26+2

Perception, 19

Olin wanders away from Lionel and Ismark and towards a cairn. Olin, as you near the cairn in question, you can feel the presence of some object under the stones. It calls to you.  The rocks look heavy, but you figure you could move them if you wanted.

Mordekai sneaks forward along the road disguised like a hurt druid. 

Rat lands next to a patch of sod and sneaks forward.

Olin?

(Olin and Meepo, don't forget your 9 temp HP) 

Olin carefully lifts the rocks away from the cairn enough to reveal the remains of a long dead person, clutching a spear in his hands. The spear appears to have been untouched by time and pulls to Olin. 

Rat uses his paw to lift up the sod. A Mat of muddy hair is there, in a shallow grave. The sod is pushed up suddenly and a person stands up. It appears to be a filthy warrior man, looking almost bestial, he looks down at rat, and clutches the rusted blade in his hand while growling at the undead cat. “Garrrrrrw. Tooss builll cathys!”  

Several other sod blankets are pushed aside as druids and barbarians stand up, looking towards Mordekai. “Gant shor bzanti caz caz?!”

Bored but patient Lionel used the minute of peace and quiet to talk to Izmark about later events, getting educated on the groups history as they wait.

Mordekai fake-stumbles a couple of steps backwards, to put a little extra distance between himself and the new arrivals. Clutching at straws in a last ditch attempt to reduce the enemies' ranks, he raises his chin, points to his damaged face and the gash across his chest, and gesticulates and points directly down the slope of the hill (away from the hill, not towards the others), hoping to explain why he's not taking, and send them away in search of his attackers.

As he does so, he'll keep an eager eye out for their reaction, ready to move if they don't take the bait. 

Mordekai, roll deception. 

Deception: 20