Quivering Corruption (DM Lerus)

Much like his companions, Chaab is cautious of muttering any incantations. Moreover, he considers himself to be quite athletic for a lithe drow, but is leery of making too much noise should he decide to climb. The scout plays it safe and quietly ascends the more gentle slope, finding a rock to hide behind.

-> Chaab's stealth check: 11

The elf inadvertently kicks a small rock on his way up, but relies on his training to quickly find an alternate hiding spot (Cunning Action).

-> Chaab's bonus stealth check: 27 

Some of the guards meeting members look over in Chaab's direction but seemingly fail to identify anything worth their concern.

(OOC: There are no guards proper. The people having a meeting are the ones keeping an eye on the gentle slope.)

A much more graceful Harper floats in a mist to a perfectly hidden spot at the top of the hill. He also prepares a distraction should any more of his companions wish to try and get closer. He counts himself lucky not to have to immediately make use of his spell to remedy Chaab's close call.

Conversely, Aleyd, Brother Keefe, and Olisara decide to stay put for now and gather as much information as they can from afar. The songstress, in particular, also prepares an illusion-based distraction should such a tactic be needed.

From their vantage points, both Harper and Chaab see the following: Two tieflings stand behind a human, all three in red robes decorated with runes and sigils of death and necromancy, just like the pre-mission intel suggested. Facing them are two humans and a drow wearing tabards with the symbol of the Cult of the Dragon. Behind the tieflings is the black tent the party spotted a moment ago. Three strange mounts are tied up next to the tent. It also becomes clear to them that the meeting is just starting.

Brother Keefe pays close attention to the mounts. Despite being far away from them, the cleric is able to discern that the creatures have a body similar to that of a lion, but the skin is gaunt, and they have a deathly pallor. They have feathered heads and wings, but many of the feathers are missing. Each mount also has a metal collar, inscribed with runes. Brother Keefe concludes that they are very badly treated griffons, though he knows through his closeness to the dead that the beasts are still alive (Eyes of the Grave reveals that there is only one undead creature in the vicinity, and it is inside the black tent.) If the cleric can get closer, he could attempt to interact with the griffons to learn more about them.

Captain Aleyd and Olisara try to listen to the meeting as attentively as they can, but are too far to catch anything with clarify. They think they heard the word "Thay" being thrown around, so at least that should confirm the origin of those in red robes.

It is clear to everyone that the the people having the meeting have not noticed anyone in the group yet. Also, nothing triggered the prepared illusion spells just yet.

(OOC: From where they are, Harper and Chaab can attempt to eavesdrop on the meeting with a perception check. The others are simply too far to gather much info with a similar check unless you think of something out of the box to support your check like Brother Keefe did regarding the mounts. Will Harper and Chaab listen to the meeting and report back later or will the rest of the group try something else?)

Brother Keefe does not approach the mistreated griffons as he doesn't want to risk them making any noise.

Brother Keefe whispers Captain Aleyd and Olisara as he points to the black tent.

"Something undead resides in that tent."

Silently thankful the good captain hadn't tried her hand at stealth, as there had been some doubt of successful covering any racket her or Brother Keefe might've cause, Harper focused again on the mission, whispering an update to Olisara on the players. "Looks like we were just in time as well. I'll need to focus for this next bit, but.. wish me luck?" Harper added half-jokingly via the spell, for he knew in all seriousness at least some of Olisara's particular gifts.

It was almost tempting during the wait to consider bamfing over to the tent for a peek inside. With the right distraction and perfect moment, maybe it would even be possible. Almost tempting, but Harper knew better. And with some words of encouragement, observed the meeting intently.

--> Cast Message to Olisara.
-->Perception: 9+10(BI, if given).

"It's easy to rely on luck, however fickle it may be. It's better to rely on your own skill. But, that's not to say that they aren't alone, nor are you." Olisara replies in a whisper through Harper's cantrip (Bardic Inspiration granted).

Brother Keefe shares the bit of knowledge he acquired with the others. Meanwhile, Harper shoots a message to Olisara to give a quick update and ask for encouragement. She does just that (Bardic Inspiration).

Here's what Harper hears by eavesdropping on the conversation. We can assume he messages the info back to the others or writes the essentials on a piece of paper and drops to those below him, or something else.

Thay trio: "We are glad we could meet with your faction, and not the Old Cult. We are keen on cementing an alliance with the New Cult of the Dragon, joining you in uniting living evil dragons in a common goal."
Cultist trio: "Very good, very good indeed. This will surely tip the scales in our favor. Those clinging to the Cult's Old ways will not beat us to Claugiyliamatar's favor"
Thay trio: "Yes. Zaralda instructed us to fly here to this meeting and communicate the agreement with you. We were instructed to mislead the Old Cult should they be the ones to show up for the meeting instead. We were planning on pretending to be allies but gather information of value to us and you as well."
Cultist trio: "Good. And are you still planning on meeting the Old Cult buffoons?" 
Thay trio: "We no longer plan to do so. We are to fly back and meet Zaralda after this meeting."
Cultist trio: "That is the necromancer who has been helping Claugiyliamatar to further corrupt the forest, making it inhospitable to her foes, is she not?"
Thay trio: "Exactly. Like myself, Zaralda is a member of the Thayan School of Necromancy, but she is an expert in corrupting and binding spirits. She is now a key component of the stronghold’s defenses, for she can raise the dead and force them to fight again."
Cultist trio: "It sound like Zaralda has already agreed on a deal with Claugiyliamatar then. Is that the agreement you came to communicate to us?"
Thay trio: "She has, and it is."
Cultist trio: "Go on then."
Thay trio: "It's simple: Zaralda has chosen to support the New Cult. We'll keep appearances in front of the Old Cult if needed. Now, you know."
Cultist trio: "That's a gift delivered by Tiamat herself. We shall beat the Old Cult together."
Thay trio: "Indeed"
Cultist trio: "One more thing... We heard some of your companions mentioned the Moonsea Region. You should know that that's our turf."
Thay trio: "Nothing to worry about. If we have any plan for the region as whole, it is to hand it to your faction on a silver plate."
Cultist trio: "Hmm..."
Thay trio: "No need to doubt my words. We are in this together now. For the mask."
Cultist trio: "Right. For the mask."
Thay trio: "Anyway. The message has been delivered. You should return to the stronghold now, and we will begin preparations for our flight back."
Cultist trio: "We have some time, and we brought some wine. Care to seal the agreement with a drink."
Thay trio: "Why not." 

There is a lull in the conversation at this point, what will the group do?

Brother Keefe shakes his head in disgust and whispers frantically.

"By Kelemvor's Light... Necromancers!  That explains the undead in the tent.  This cannot stand!  The citizens of Faerun are supposed to see death as a peaceful transition!  They are supposed to know that when they pass on to the next life Kelemvor will be there to retrieve their soul.  This is an outrage!  We must destroy the undead in the tent and destroy the Necromancers to prevent these deeds from reoccurring."

Brother Keefe looks toward the griffons.

"We're going to need help.  I'm going to see if we can use this griffons."

Brother Keefe will slowly approach the griffons to attempt to learn more about them.  He has his hands outstretched at waist level to try to calm them.

Animal Handling:  8

Stealth Check:  16

Meanwhile, the Harper had kept to his tried and true method, trusting Olisara to pass along the most the relevant information to others, and for Chaab to glean the same details on his own. In his last message a question is posed, "So, how do you want to approach this? Could cause some confusion if we try eliminating them now. Prevent the young blood's side from confirming the agreement for a while, and be suspicious of any Thayans already involved." 

With that said, he intended to simply wait for the response, figuring the plan would be to wait until they were at least deeper in their cups before any actions taken. Though in pinch, he tried to stay ready enough to respond to any surprises either with a quick illusion to stall for time.

Silently cursing, Aleyd watches helpless as Keefe disappears to check on the nearby griffons. Still deciding not to risk revealing herself or her allies through rash action on her own part, she looks to Olisara beside her and whispers "Zaralda, any idea?"

For her own part, Aleyd casts an eye up the approach s slope towards, reasoning that it represented the quickest route to helping the Kelemvorite should he attract any notice.

At Captain Burral's prompt, Olisara tries to recall any information that she knows about Zaralda.

History: 10

She then replies to Harper's message, "Whatever we do, we cannot allow that coalition to solidify. If either group returns to their respective faction, the upcoming fight may become much more difficult. Especially if this Zaralda is a powerful as they tout."

"Understood. I'll see about relaying the plan to attack to Chaab. We'll go on your signal, unless you'd prefer we shoot our shot first." He relayed, or at least try to relay before the shit "potentially" hit the fan on Brother Keefe's end. It may take a few tries, as Harper needed to somewhat guess at the Drow's position, assuming Olisara didn't advise against it or he hadn't known already. But once the rough details are passed along the agent loaded up a bullet, ready to sling it at any mark Chaab targeted in what promised to be a well coordinated attack that couldn't POSSIBLY go wrong.

DM's Screen:

Brother Keefe has done as much waiting as he is able to when matters concern the undead. Hoping to recruit the griffons to their cause, the cleric begins moving up the gentle slope as quietly as he can manage. Captain Aleyd, Olisara, and Harper stay put for now. The half-elf busies himself by relaying messages between party members, ensuring to the best of his ability they each know as much information as possible before things take a dark turn. Meanwhile, the human and elf ladies wonder if they have ever heard the name Zaralda before. Try as they might, all they can muster is that she must be a powerful necromancer, judging by the conversation they overheard. 

Chaab sees Brother Keefe pass by him but remains put for now. He too wished they could wait until the cultists and Thayans had more of their wine, but the cleric continues to make his way toward the griffons. At some point, Brother Keefe has to risk stepping a bit into the clearing to reach the winged beasts, and it is at that moment that the chief cultist, a muscly drow, turns his head to check his surroundings. He must have heard something. In conjunction, Harper and Olisara release their respective illusions. Thinking it only appropriate for the occasion, Olisara produces a realistic and mossy image of a large wolf arriving at the opposite side of the camp, with Harper imitating the sounds of a larger pack behind it. The meeting assembly all jump to their feet and stare at the new menace, including the drow who almost got a glimpse of Brother Keefe.

The gentle Kelemvorite is able to quickly determine that the griffons are docile but in pain by exposure to magical and alchemical substances, which is evident by looking at their wounds from close. Brother Keefe has no doubt the runic collars they are wearing have something to do with it, but that would require further study (an arcana check.)  The griffons welcome Brother Keefe's pats, but look too weakened to be of any use in battle... Perhaps as mounts for after they deal with the undead, he thinks.

By now, a javelin and a couple of crossbow bolts have already passed through the illusory wolf, and the meeting attendees are wondering where are all these other wolves they can hear but who are apparently taking their time to show up. They begin looking around to try to make sense of this strange situation, now already aware that the wolves are some sort of magical trick. Surely enough, about half of them spot Brother Keefe, and a fight breaks out.

ROLLING FOR INITIATIVE:

FOES AND TACTICS - INITIATIVE ROUND 1

• 24. Drow Cultist - Sunlight Sensitivity;
• 21. Chaab (45/45) - Sunlight Sensitivity, hidden;
• 20. Thayan Warrior -  
• 19. Olisara (63/63) - must dash in order to reach the clearing, concentrating on Major Image;
• 16. Thayan Apprentice - 
• 13. Cult Fanatic (x2) - 
• 11. Harper (40/40) - hidden
• 09. Red Wizard - 
• 06. Captain Aleyd (104/104) - must dash in order to reach the clearing;
• 00. Brother Keefe (31/31) -   

MAP:

 

NOTES: There is plenty of light in the clearing, which really hurts Chaab and the Drow Cultist. The red circles represent the tent.

(Drow, Chaab, and Warrior go first.)

The Drow Cultist takes a few steps toward the intruder {BU-66} and releases a bolt from his crossbow while squinting through the strong sunlight in the area:

-> Hand Crossbow vs. Brother Keefe: Attack: 22 Damage: 8 

-> Brother Keefe's CON saving throw {DC 13}: 21

The drow shows that he is a good marksman even in this unfavorable environment. The bolt finds its mark, though Brother Keefe's fortitude proves to be strong enough to resist whatever the bolt was coated with. (Brother Keefe takes 8 piercing damage.) 

Chaab has no reservations with aiming a projectile of his own at another drow. From his hidden position, he lets an arrow fly:

-> Shortbow vs. Drow Cultist: Attack: 14 Damage: 8  

The sunlight is bothering Chaab a bit too much at this moment. His arrow flies wide. His position revealed, he moves a bit closer to Brother Keefe {CA-68} and tries to hide at a new spot (Cunning Action: 14.)

The first of the Thayans to react is a tiefling warrior. He draws a longsword with one hand and equips a shield with the other. Unable to see any other foe, he runs to meet Brother Keefe in combat {BY-62}.

(Olisara is up next.)

Using her innate abilities, Olisara poofs her way up the hill and moves to where the Thayans and cultists are within sight (and where she is visible on the battle map, somewhere around BI-59?).

As soon as she does, she engages in some psychic warfare (centered on  BR-64, INT save DC 16).

Synaptic static damage: 25

DM's Screen:

Olisara uses the same magical trick Harper used earlier and finds herself up at the top of the hill instantaneously. From there, she advances in a manner as to make herself purposefully visible to the Thayans and cultists {BJ-60}. She then forces a psychic explosion to burst out of their campfire, engulfing most of them. Three of the enemies fall prey to her magical burst, clenching their skulls in response to the pain. (Thayan Apprentice takes 25 psychic damage; Cult Fanatic #1 takes 25 psychic damage; Drow Cultist takes 25 psychic damage. All three are affected by synaptic static for a minute or until they save.)

The other two manage to resist the worst of it. (Cult Fanatic #2 takes 12 psychic damage; Red Wizard takes 12 psychic damage.)

(Thayan Apprentice and Cult Fanatics go next.)

The tiefling apprentice builds a bit of distance between herself and the other {BN-67} and launches three scorching rays at the new opponent.

-> Scorching Ray vs Olisara: Attack: 20 Damage: 6  

-> Scorching Ray vs Olisara: Attack: 10 Damage: 18   

-> Scorching Ray vs Olisara: Attack: 7 Damage: 10   

Despite her headache, the apprentice manages to strike the bard with one of the rays. Olisara's sleeve burns, singeing her arm. (Olisara takes 6 fire damage.)

DM's Screen:

-> Olisara's concentration check {DC 10}: 7