One of the standard harpy seems to communicate with the leader, who silently beckons the harpy, and then backhands her, without rising from the throne in the center of the nest.
The others appear subservient to this odd, mute harpy.
Nanoc is only going to do this if Okkar is going, and even then he'd prefer to stay and guard the horses (which would also allow me to do the work I'm supposed to be doing at the moment).
From Nanoc's point of view, we are the trespassers here and the harpies were only protecting their territory.
[OOC: Good luck, but count me out.]
Nanoc stays to guard the horses who cannot make the climb, and allows the harpy’s their home, leaving the others to deal with this matter. (No worries)
I may also call it for the night with the battle set up now. I will roll initiative and we will resolve the combat tomorrow (my time). If the Barbarian wishes to participate we can ret can that.
Any plans or preparations can be decided on in the meantime.
OOC: We could use you up here Nanoc--these Dwarf bones tell a story more viscous than a natural predator keeping to its own territory.
Evan quietly indicates the he is willing to start the combat with a Spiritual Weapon and a Silence Spell, but that perhaps we should plug our ears first as a precaution. Does anyone happen to have wax?
Edit: Silence is a concentration spell and limits our spellcasting options...Wax in the ears my be more reliable...
OOC: We could use you up here Nanoc--these Dwarf bones tell a story more viscous than a natural predator keeping to its own territory.
Evan quietly indicates the he is willing to start the combat with a Spiritual Weapon and a Silence Spell, but that perhaps we should plug our ears first as a precaution. Does anyone happen to have wax?
Edit: Silence is a concentration spell and limits our spellcasting options...Wax in the ears my be more reliable...
Wax in the ears will offer advantage to any saves vs audio based effects or spells, in this case, if anyone can provide it.
(( No candles, or sealing wax on my sheet ... maybe wax for leather armour polish...usually made from beeswax and lanolin, I think...but it's a stretch, I think ))
(( No candles, or sealing wax on my sheet ... maybe wax for leather armour polish...usually made from beeswax and lanolin, I think...but it's a stretch, I think ))
Apologies if I messed up any PCs spells remaining. I looked at description of spells with casting components to see if any included wax, which could justify its presence in a component pouch. I did not. It will probably have to be normally rolled saves, or the silence spell.
Slowing down a bit to think before attacking, Evan eyes the dwarven bones that form the Harpy's throne. A quick hushed conversation away from their roost, he asks the others, "Do you think we should attack? It will likely be a tough battle, but I am concerned about the safety of the horses and the dwarven townsfolk if we let them free to continue hunting."
Evan looks to Galtheon and asks, "How much risk do you think the horses are at from these harpies? And the town? Is it worth risking our lives to end the threat of the harpies now?"
Evan offers the Help action and a Guidance spell to aid Galtheon in assessing the risks.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
(( What does Galtheon think of the risks to the horses...Taravan has better Nature roll, Galtheon has solid Survival/Insight ))
(( Here's a possible plan to mull...
Plan A: run away; it's not an awful option, but Evan is right about the Dwarf bodies...and they may well come looking for us when their party does not return, and we have 6 horses...they will be easy enough to find.
Plan B: (hopefully with Nanoc, later)
First: decide who has Ring of Protection...(except...it's probably not attuned); did we have time?
Hopefully we get surprise.
Move rapidly up to the narrowing of the cliff; there was plenty of cover, so stay in partial cover
Galtheon will cast Hunter's Mark, and might use a shield and dodge to block the narrowed area. Not sure. Not looking forward to the volley of spears.
someone else needed to block (*probably* not Evan)
Try to use rocks and cover to reduce the risk of being flanked
Taravan casts Something Nasty (tm) on the group of Harpies.
Evan moves up and casts Silence on area of party (tempting to do it on harpies, but they could just fly out and then we'd be forced to move to the open area) -- after Taravan casts her spell
Pray to your respective deities, if you have them.
I'm open to both Plan A or Plan B; Nanoc's comment that we are the invaders would have resonated with Galtheon, but it was put quite late in the discussion...it would nag him though. Then there's the Dwarf bones..but dwarves are well known for going where they shouldn't...
On a mechanics question, you did ha be time to attune the ring during last nights long rest. The Cloak could have been attuned today if the party took a Short Rest, for a mid day meal perhaps, which seems reasonable to assume, given the arduous hike and climb facing them.
(( Based on the shifts, Evan could have attuned the ring...but he's now taken the cloak. If we can assume there was time to attune things on the climb, then knowing who has the ring is important. I assume Evan would have attuned the cloak. For now, he may just have both attuned! ))
With a 15 Passive Insight, based on known information, Galtheon concludes this mute harpy with the scarred throat leads the group. The other four who fell in last nights skirmish are part of the same gang. The leader was a survivor of some conflict and became a more proficient warrior following that, compensating for the lack of her voice with martial skill and armor and military weapons.
He gathers the remaining 4 standard harpies are likely frightened of the notion of well armed and armored adventurers who already slew four of their flock last night, and even when attacked with the use of what they consider a cunning ploy, luring out the group and the local Owlbears, possibly a tactic they have employed in the past to soften up larger groups before picking off the remainders themselves.
Your Insight and Survival Skills in this case, more than nature, suggest to you the Harpy Leader is the most dangerous, but also that the only thing that would keep the others from fleeing is them being more scared of her than they are of the group.
...continued: While the other harpies might be persuaded at this point to flee or seek a different hunting ground elsewhere (which would he achieved with social skills rather than handle animal, Harpies do speak Common) the leader will not engage in conversation for obvious reasons. With the leader either defeated or suitably embarrassed, the other harpies could be persuaded to flee for territory where they do not prey on sentient life with a Persuasion or Intimidate check. This is only possible, Galtheon believes, if the leader - the strongest of them - has been dealt with.
Galtheon's brow furrows, "If we go, we should take the leader. She's the one holding this flight together...". He watches their interactions a moment longer, "...they'd flee without her."
"She looks to be a tough one. Likely, not be much of a singer."
A nature check can now reveal additional information on the standard harpies. Having fought several before you may have a better understanding of their characteristics.
“Take her down and the others might not have the stomach for it, sounds about right,” Okkar says quietly. “She does look a bit tougher though. Could just be a hardened harpy or even a war veteran from Droaam a long ways from home, fleeing to reconnect with her wild cousins. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know, given that she’s a mute. Either way, her story ends today.”
“Take her down and the others might not have the stomach for it, sounds about right,” Okkar says quietly. “She does look a bit tougher though. Could just be a hardened harpy or even a war veteran from Droaam a long ways from home, fleeing to reconnect with her wild cousins. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know, given that she’s a mute. Either way, her story ends today.”
OOC: Okkar is onboard for this plan and trusts the party’s expertise but do not take this as GM endorsement that this is the best or only approach for the situation, just the npc responding.
Galtheon glances at Okkar and nods, "One things certain: even if it goes well, we're going to need another night just to recover. Everyone'll have to put their best effort in."
"Don't suppose you could persuade the lad to join us could you? If we die, he's likely dead meat."
Rush to leader on her throne (hoping for suprise and advantage via flanking)
Hit her with everything we have
Centre silence on the throne...hopefully the other harpies try song...
Pray...
@DM: Does the terrain offer any useful option here - eg. cover near the throne, using the throne for cover etc? Is this even a slightly plausible plan?
Where is the throne and the harpies in relation to the mountainside?
Thinking maybe the silence could break the spell on anyone moving to the harpies if they stay on the mountainside to cast spells and the haries are in the air...
One of the standard harpy seems to communicate with the leader, who silently beckons the harpy, and then backhands her, without rising from the throne in the center of the nest.
The others appear subservient to this odd, mute harpy.
Nanoc stays to guard the horses who cannot make the climb, and allows the harpy’s their home, leaving the others to deal with this matter. (No worries)
I may also call it for the night with the battle set up now. I will roll initiative and we will resolve the combat tomorrow (my time). If the Barbarian wishes to participate we can ret can that.
Any plans or preparations can be decided on in the meantime.
Evan:
OOC: We could use you up here Nanoc--these Dwarf bones tell a story more viscous than a natural predator keeping to its own territory.
Evan quietly indicates the he is willing to start the combat with a Spiritual Weapon and a Silence Spell, but that perhaps we should plug our ears first as a precaution. Does anyone happen to have wax?
Edit: Silence is a concentration spell and limits our spellcasting options...Wax in the ears my be more reliable...
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Wax in the ears will offer advantage to any saves vs audio based effects or spells, in this case, if anyone can provide it.
(( No candles, or sealing wax on my sheet ... maybe wax for leather armour polish...usually made from beeswax and lanolin, I think...but it's a stretch, I think ))
Apologies if I messed up any PCs spells remaining. I looked at description of spells with casting components to see if any included wax, which could justify its presence in a component pouch. I did not. It will probably have to be normally rolled saves, or the silence spell.
Evan:
Slowing down a bit to think before attacking, Evan eyes the dwarven bones that form the Harpy's throne. A quick hushed conversation away from their roost, he asks the others, "Do you think we should attack? It will likely be a tough battle, but I am concerned about the safety of the horses and the dwarven townsfolk if we let them free to continue hunting."
Evan looks to Galtheon and asks, "How much risk do you think the horses are at from these harpies? And the town? Is it worth risking our lives to end the threat of the harpies now?"
Evan offers the Help action and a Guidance spell to aid Galtheon in assessing the risks.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
(( What does Galtheon think of the risks to the horses...Taravan has better Nature roll, Galtheon has solid Survival/Insight ))
(( Here's a possible plan to mull...
Plan A: run away; it's not an awful option, but Evan is right about the Dwarf bodies...and they may well come looking for us when their party does not return, and we have 6 horses...they will be easy enough to find.
Plan B: (hopefully with Nanoc, later)
I'm open to both Plan A or Plan B; Nanoc's comment that we are the invaders would have resonated with Galtheon, but it was put quite late in the discussion...it would nag him though. Then there's the Dwarf bones..but dwarves are well known for going where they shouldn't...
Looking for suggestions or improvements...
))
On a mechanics question, you did ha be time to attune the ring during last nights long rest. The Cloak could have been attuned today if the party took a Short Rest, for a mid day meal perhaps, which seems reasonable to assume, given the arduous hike and climb facing them.
(( Based on the shifts, Evan could have attuned the ring...but he's now taken the cloak. If we can assume there was time to attune things on the climb, then knowing who has the ring is important. I assume Evan would have attuned the cloak. For now, he may just have both attuned! ))
Galtheon looks uncertain at Evan's question, "Aye, I'm having a doubt. Let me ponder..." ((awaits roll ;-) -- and party discussion ))
With a 15 Passive Insight, based on known information, Galtheon concludes this mute harpy with the scarred throat leads the group. The other four who fell in last nights skirmish are part of the same gang. The leader was a survivor of some conflict and became a more proficient warrior following that, compensating for the lack of her voice with martial skill and armor and military weapons.
He gathers the remaining 4 standard harpies are likely frightened of the notion of well armed and armored adventurers who already slew four of their flock last night, and even when attacked with the use of what they consider a cunning ploy, luring out the group and the local Owlbears, possibly a tactic they have employed in the past to soften up larger groups before picking off the remainders themselves.
Your Insight and Survival Skills in this case, more than nature, suggest to you the Harpy Leader is the most dangerous, but also that the only thing that would keep the others from fleeing is them being more scared of her than they are of the group.
...continued: While the other harpies might be persuaded at this point to flee or seek a different hunting ground elsewhere (which would he achieved with social skills rather than handle animal, Harpies do speak Common) the leader will not engage in conversation for obvious reasons. With the leader either defeated or suitably embarrassed, the other harpies could be persuaded to flee for territory where they do not prey on sentient life with a Persuasion or Intimidate check. This is only possible, Galtheon believes, if the leader - the strongest of them - has been dealt with.
Galtheon's brow furrows, "If we go, we should take the leader. She's the one holding this flight together...". He watches their interactions a moment longer, "...they'd flee without her."
"She looks to be a tough one. Likely, not be much of a singer."
A nature check can now reveal additional information on the standard harpies. Having fought several before you may have a better understanding of their characteristics.
“Take her down and the others might not have the stomach for it, sounds about right,” Okkar says quietly. “She does look a bit tougher though. Could just be a hardened harpy or even a war veteran from Droaam a long ways from home, fleeing to reconnect with her wild cousins. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know, given that she’s a mute. Either way, her story ends today.”
OOC: Okkar is onboard for this plan and trusts the party’s expertise but do not take this as GM endorsement that this is the best or only approach for the situation, just the npc responding.
Galtheon glances at Okkar and nods, "One things certain: even if it goes well, we're going to need another night just to recover. Everyone'll have to put their best effort in."
"Don't suppose you could persuade the lad to join us could you? If we die, he's likely dead meat."
(( Possible revised plan...
Most of plan B above, except:
@DM: Does the terrain offer any useful option here - eg. cover near the throne, using the throne for cover etc? Is this even a slightly plausible plan?
Where is the throne and the harpies in relation to the mountainside?
Thinking maybe the silence could break the spell on anyone moving to the harpies if they stay on the mountainside to cast spells and the haries are in the air...
))