"No, it is not yet my time!" Kano replies in a powerful voice, spoken in Draconic. Ducking quickly back into the foliage, Kano quickly finds a convenient spot and quickly sheds his disguise. Setting it on fire with one of his fire shuriken, he tries to sneak away and exit in his normal guise from another angle...
Performance: 15
Stealth: 21
Kano:
Having spent several tense moments moving through the tall grass and using what bushes there were available for cover, Kano is nearly back to his campsite (in the thick of the bushes between areas 1 and 2) when he hears the call from the cultist guard as he passes through one last gap in the foliage. Cursing under his breath and realizing he does not have the time for an elaborate ruse (like taking off his disguise and burning it along with his cloak), he instead moves into the bushes and crouches to the ground and uses his finger to trace out the Draconic rune for flight onto the ground below him.
Having left what he hopes is a plausible reason for the trail of the dragon boy to go cold, Kano uses his superior night vision (darkvision 60') to find a path through the bushes back to his camp that will hide his trail (stepping lightly, using hard terrain if available, avoiding the limbs of the bushes, etc.).
If his Stealth 21 is enough to keep him from being spotted:
Kano creeps up to the back of his campsite and crawls under the fabric of his tent from the back side, hiding inside. He then starts to quickly take off his disguise and shed his cloak, folding it in with his bedding.
If he is spotted:
Not wanting to give away his campsite or his companions, Kano breaks into a flat-out run through the camp to the northwest, breaking out of the bushes into the open and trying to outdistance those who might follow by running in the darkest areas where those without darkvision might stumble. His intent is to leave the camp completely and hide in the wild, hoping to figure something out later.
Kano:
Slipping away from the cultist guard back at the cultist camp and withdrawing quickly and stealthily back towards the bushes south of his own campsite, Kano gains quite a lead on his pursuer as the guard seeks out two others to join him in looking for the elusive Dragon Boy.
Nearing one last gap in the tall grass before the safety of the bushes, Kano sneaks through and hears a voice call out, “Halt! By order of a Wearer of the Purple, come with me.” Not knowing if he was seen or not, Kano continues into the depths of the hundred foot wide pitch black expanse of thick bushes south of his campsite.
Stopping briefly to carefully scribe the Draconic rune for “Flight” into the earth at the end of his deliberately laid trail, Kano steps much more lightly (trying to leave no trail and give the impression the Dragon Boy flew away from this spot) and sneaks carefully northwards towards his tent, set up with its back side against the bushes for this very eventuality.
Moments later, he hears it again...”Halt! By order of a Wearer of the Purple, come with me.” The voice comes from somewhere outside the bushes and Kano freezes in place, trying to decide what to do. Then it hits him—the same tone, the same words, the same inflection—no way they can see him! They are bluffing! In the middle of a dense thicket of bushes a hundred feet wide, in pitch darkness being scouted by humans with no torches—they can’t see their hand in front of their face, much less the distant Dragon Boy!
Smiling to himself, Kano resumes his stealthy journey back to his tent and carefully crawls under the back flap he left a bit loose...just in case. Starting the process of carefully but quickly removing his disguise and packing it away in the relevant kit, Kano’s ears perk up as he hears some kind of disturbance going on somewhere to the north of his campsite...Nothing for it, though—finishing removing his disguise was the priority now.
Hopefully whatever the kerfuffle to the north was, it would throw off his pursuers long enough for him to emerge from the tent as Kano, with the Dragon Boy safely flown away from the three hapless cultist searchers.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tengar”
“Ooof! Hoho! Good one dwarf!” Tengar gurgles as blood wells inside his nose and mouth. The half orc twists him to the side and lines up another vicious elbow: Attack: 10Damage: 6
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Perception: 14
"Ka'Burra, something is happening out there! A chase of some sort...is that man an escaped prisoner? I only got a glimpse...he looked somewhat familiar," Pimster stage whispers to his companion in the tent. "Uh-oh - that guard is about to alert everyone. That's not very sporting, now, is it?" Pimster quickly draws a dagger from his belt and throws it at the guard's hand, aiming to knock the object out of their hand - ot at least stop him from activating it.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
With a smack, Tengar's feels his elbow connect.
It takes a moment for the dwarf to steady - before he sends to Tengar's gut! Unarmed Attack:17Damage: 6 With a dizzying blow, the Redgaurd lands a firm hit.
Karib, Burraand Pimsterall recognise a number of the more resolved masked Cultist Guard chase Kano's dash to the exit.
That said, from this vantage point of being slightly higher up on the slope, the number of guards around the unidentified tents (Area 4) have been reduced significantly.
However, Pimtakes action to prevent whatever the Cultist Guard is doing. The thrown dagger hits! Dex Save: Cultist Guard - 12 The Cultist Guard fumbles something and curses before turning towards Pimster, "You will regret that!"
From 30 ft. away the Cultist Guard advances towards Pimsterand slices with his scimitar at the halfling! Melee Weapon Attack #1: 6Damage: 0 (slashing) Melee Weapon Attack #2: 18Damage: 0 (slashing) Flinching with pain, the Cultist Guard is unable to strike Pimster with his blade!
Theatre of the Mind: The Cultist Guard has advanced westwards to the tent entrance. Karib, this happens 40 ft. behind you, and you hear it clearly. Burra being very nearby has seen this all.
Initiative Order: Cultist Guard Burra Pimster Karib
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(On Pim's turn:) The druid deftly dodges the guard's attack, using the tent's fabric and pole to deflect the attacks. He draws his halfling-sized rapier and stabs at the guard, hoping the fellow goes down quickly and doesn't draw unwanted attention to them. Attack: 8 Damage: 8 He pulls a second dagger from his boot and makes a secondary attack with his off-hand following the initial attack with his primary weapon! Attack: 20 Damage: 4
Burra jerks to action upon Pim's words, softly chirping a few clipped swears under his breath as he reaches for his crossbow and takes aim at the guard in question. Normally, keeping a low profile is imperative on his list of priorities - yet sometimes, like now, stopping an alarm before it starts was necessary. He sighs as he braces his shoulder and aims directly towards the guard's neck, seeking to sink the arrow where speaking would be impaired.
Crossbow Attack: 24 Damage: 11
The perpetually nervous Burra winces as the bolt lands true. He rapidly dives back behind the tent's wall, hoping nobody saw.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Tengar
Swaying from the last attack from the dwarf, Tengar musters another attack, another head butt, trying to smash the stalwart dwarf’s already mangled face: Attack: 20Damage: 8
(( Did Karib work out if Kano was winning the foot race? Irrespective of player disappearance, he would still likely try to help if needed. ))
Irrespective of that he starts to drag the body to their tent, "Get this out of sight, we might be able to use the uniform. That, or raise the alarm..." he looks uncomfortable, "...planning is not my strong suit, and I still have no idea what's going on...but I think that was Kano...." He looks at the others expectantly, clearly willing to go with their call.
Pimster helps to find a hiding spot for the guard, but replies to Karib, "We can't risk exposing ourselves to chase after him. We've already done what we could to aid him. Any more and we'll wind up as prisoners. Or dragon food..."
Between human and halfling, it's easy to discern the bushes around the tent, or inside the tent, would work as a hiding spot. Out of sight, as soon as would work here.
On him, the Cult Guard has on him black leather armour, a simple scimitar and a cultist half mask - all up for grabs.
With a definitive crunch, The dwarf's roll back and body follows with his face a red smear.
The tent erupts into a cheer and a coin purse is shoved into Tengar's hand.
Tengar
Bloody but smiling, the half-orc lifts the pouch in the air, "Let's have a drink! Hahhhhhhh!" He'll bend down to tend to the dwarf, making sure he's not going to choke on his beard or tongue or anything. He'll drink one mug of ale and try to clean up a bit. Then, he'll try to keep an ear and eye out for anything out of the ordinary - quieter characters, people staring, non-drunk people. He'll ask about the "uppity scholar b****" that "we pulled in today" and see if anyone bites....
Burra aids the party in swiftly hiding the cultist's corpse and stripping them of gear - while he wasn't entirely the best at playing the part of cultists, he could certainly don the guise of one when needed. He takes a moment to absorb the shape of the cultist's face and body, should he need a quick disguise of the more magical variety.
Once the robes and such have been gathered and he finds himself safely back in their tent, Burra hesitates at Karib's words before offering; "Let us hope Kano escapes. I pray the night aids him in losing his pursuers. While I find myself too opportunistic to enjoy settling on a decisive plan, I recognize one may be needed - one that is agreed on and known to all. In the same vein, perhaps now that the guard is occupied, we can obtain a more thorough search of the camp's interior."
Karib nods, "He may well have provided the distraction we needed, but unlike him, I am no play actor, nor am I stealthy. The bushes, though, they lead close to the area. I should be able to travel to the edge, and if discovered, say I am looking for more spies..." his words trail off and he looks unconvinced. "I will do whetever you suggest." he finishes, looking longingly at the tent.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Persuasion: Tengar - 9
With the quieter huddles in the Redbrands comes a different air; on their small table, a dagger is wedged into the wood in the middle of their three drinks. They eye up Tengar, a look of enetertained respect on their smirks.
They raise their drinks in the half-orc's direction before responding, "Pfft, she a scholar? Some scholar that knocked out a few of ours before going down back at the town. Showed her what's what though. See how good those reflexes are when she's all tied up, ripe for a questioning from the nasty ones up in the Cult."
The big half-orc pinches his nose, blowing snot and blood out of one side and grins. "Aye, aye. You mean up in the cave o'er yonder? (nods in the general direction of 7). Oi but what I'd give to see 'er squirm a little, eh?! Haha! Aye, but it looks locked up tighter than old dwarfy's eyes! Ain't no one getting in there, eh?!"
Tengar is searching for anyone to take him up on it or tell him otherwise. How much $ was in the pouch?
"I am capable of disguising others - or myself. My blessings can additionally aid me or one other in being silent" Burra halfheartedly offers, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of venturing into an unknown cave by himself - the fretful Aarakocra clearly prefers remaining entirely unseen rather than being seen under a different skin. One talon perpetually worries the talisman of the traveler strewn across his neck. "I could potentially scout the cave while the guard is distracted. I wonder if our brutish friend managed to produce any helpful information."
Kano:
Slipping away from the cultist guard back at the cultist camp and withdrawing quickly and stealthily back towards the bushes south of his own campsite, Kano gains quite a lead on his pursuer as the guard seeks out two others to join him in looking for the elusive Dragon Boy.
Nearing one last gap in the tall grass before the safety of the bushes, Kano sneaks through and hears a voice call out, “Halt! By order of a Wearer of the Purple, come with me.” Not knowing if he was seen or not, Kano continues into the depths of the hundred foot wide pitch black expanse of thick bushes south of his campsite.
Stopping briefly to carefully scribe the Draconic rune for “Flight” into the earth at the end of his deliberately laid trail, Kano steps much more lightly (trying to leave no trail and give the impression the Dragon Boy flew away from this spot) and sneaks carefully northwards towards his tent, set up with its back side against the bushes for this very eventuality.
Moments later, he hears it again...”Halt! By order of a Wearer of the Purple, come with me.” The voice comes from somewhere outside the bushes and Kano freezes in place, trying to decide what to do. Then it hits him—the same tone, the same words, the same inflection—no way they can see him! They are bluffing! In the middle of a dense thicket of bushes a hundred feet wide, in pitch darkness being scouted by humans with no torches—they can’t see their hand in front of their face, much less the distant Dragon Boy!
Smiling to himself, Kano resumes his stealthy journey back to his tent and carefully crawls under the back flap he left a bit loose...just in case. Starting the process of carefully but quickly removing his disguise and packing it away in the relevant kit, Kano’s ears perk up as he hears some kind of disturbance going on somewhere to the north of his campsite...Nothing for it, though—finishing removing his disguise was the priority now.
Hopefully whatever the kerfuffle to the north was, it would throw off his pursuers long enough for him to emerge from the tent as Kano, with the Dragon Boy safely flown away from the three hapless cultist searchers.
Gerrard Feldren - Human Noble in Ghosts of Saltmarsh
Kerric Brightblade - Elven Warrior in "Apocalypse"
Tengar”
“Ooof! Hoho! Good one dwarf!” Tengar gurgles as blood wells inside his nose and mouth. The half orc twists him to the side and lines up another vicious elbow: Attack: 10 Damage: 6
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Perception: 14
"Ka'Burra, something is happening out there! A chase of some sort...is that man an escaped prisoner? I only got a glimpse...he looked somewhat familiar," Pimster stage whispers to his companion in the tent. "Uh-oh - that guard is about to alert everyone. That's not very sporting, now, is it?" Pimster quickly draws a dagger from his belt and throws it at the guard's hand, aiming to knock the object out of their hand - ot at least stop him from activating it.
Attack: 8 Damage: 6
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
With a smack, Tengar's feels his elbow connect.
It takes a moment for the dwarf to steady - before he sends to Tengar's gut!
Unarmed Attack: 17 Damage: 6
With a dizzying blow, the Redgaurd lands a firm hit.
Karib, Burra and Pimster all recognise a number of the more resolved masked Cultist Guard chase Kano's dash to the exit.
That said, from this vantage point of being slightly higher up on the slope, the number of guards around the unidentified tents (Area 4) have been reduced significantly.
However, Pim takes action to prevent whatever the Cultist Guard is doing. The thrown dagger hits!
Dex Save:
Cultist Guard - 12
The Cultist Guard fumbles something and curses before turning towards Pimster, "You will regret that!"
Initiative Rolls:
Burra - 10
Karib - 10
Pimster - 24
Cultist Guard - 10
From 30 ft. away the Cultist Guard advances towards Pimster and slices with his scimitar at the halfling!
Melee Weapon Attack #1: 6 Damage: 0 (slashing)
Melee Weapon Attack #2: 18 Damage: 0 (slashing)
Flinching with pain, the Cultist Guard is unable to strike Pimster with his blade!
Theatre of the Mind:
The Cultist Guard has advanced westwards to the tent entrance. Karib, this happens 40 ft. behind you, and you hear it clearly.
Burra being very nearby has seen this all.
Initiative Order:
Cultist Guard
Burra
Pimster
Karib
Burra, you are up!
(On Pim's turn:) The druid deftly dodges the guard's attack, using the tent's fabric and pole to deflect the attacks. He draws his halfling-sized rapier and stabs at the guard, hoping the fellow goes down quickly and doesn't draw unwanted attention to them. Attack: 8 Damage: 8 He pulls a second dagger from his boot and makes a secondary attack with his off-hand following the initial attack with his primary weapon! Attack: 20 Damage: 4
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Burra jerks to action upon Pim's words, softly chirping a few clipped swears under his breath as he reaches for his crossbow and takes aim at the guard in question. Normally, keeping a low profile is imperative on his list of priorities - yet sometimes, like now, stopping an alarm before it starts was necessary. He sighs as he braces his shoulder and aims directly towards the guard's neck, seeking to sink the arrow where speaking would be impaired.
Crossbow Attack: 24 Damage: 11
The perpetually nervous Burra winces as the bolt lands true. He rapidly dives back behind the tent's wall, hoping nobody saw.
Tengar
Swaying from the last attack from the dwarf, Tengar musters another attack, another head butt, trying to smash the stalwart dwarf’s already mangled face: Attack: 20 Damage: 8
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Karib's action will depend upon whether the cultist guard is isolated, or is likely to bring another half dozen down on top of us...
Edit: Last count there were eight in pursuit.
Burra's bolt places itself in the neck of the Cultist Guard. With a muffled cry they slump to ground.
Karib, you can see the remaining pursuers are continuing to chase Kano.
The commotion from the chase is now a distancing noise as you three watch the body slumped onto the ground.
{Out of Initiative}
With a definitive crunch, The dwarf's roll back and body follows with his face a red smear.
The tent erupts into a cheer and a coin purse is shoved into Tengar's hand.
(( Did Karib work out if Kano was winning the foot race? Irrespective of player disappearance, he would still likely try to help if needed. ))
Irrespective of that he starts to drag the body to their tent, "Get this out of sight, we might be able to use the uniform. That, or raise the alarm..." he looks uncomfortable, "...planning is not my strong suit, and I still have no idea what's going on...but I think that was Kano...." He looks at the others expectantly, clearly willing to go with their call.
Pimster helps to find a hiding spot for the guard, but replies to Karib, "We can't risk exposing ourselves to chase after him. We've already done what we could to aid him. Any more and we'll wind up as prisoners. Or dragon food..."
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
Between human and halfling, it's easy to discern the bushes around the tent, or inside the tent, would work as a hiding spot. Out of sight, as soon as would work here.
On him, the Cult Guard has on him black leather armour, a simple scimitar and a cultist half mask - all up for grabs.
Tengar
Bloody but smiling, the half-orc lifts the pouch in the air, "Let's have a drink! Hahhhhhhh!" He'll bend down to tend to the dwarf, making sure he's not going to choke on his beard or tongue or anything. He'll drink one mug of ale and try to clean up a bit. Then, he'll try to keep an ear and eye out for anything out of the ordinary - quieter characters, people staring, non-drunk people. He'll ask about the "uppity scholar b****" that "we pulled in today" and see if anyone bites....
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
Burra aids the party in swiftly hiding the cultist's corpse and stripping them of gear - while he wasn't entirely the best at playing the part of cultists, he could certainly don the guise of one when needed. He takes a moment to absorb the shape of the cultist's face and body, should he need a quick disguise of the more magical variety.
Once the robes and such have been gathered and he finds himself safely back in their tent, Burra hesitates at Karib's words before offering; "Let us hope Kano escapes. I pray the night aids him in losing his pursuers. While I find myself too opportunistic to enjoy settling on a decisive plan, I recognize one may be needed - one that is agreed on and known to all. In the same vein, perhaps now that the guard is occupied, we can obtain a more thorough search of the camp's interior."
Karib nods, "He may well have provided the distraction we needed, but unlike him, I am no play actor, nor am I stealthy. The bushes, though, they lead close to the area. I should be able to travel to the edge, and if discovered, say I am looking for more spies..." his words trail off and he looks unconvinced. "I will do whetever you suggest." he finishes, looking longingly at the tent.
(( I assume the body is in the bushes! ))
"Maybe we should regroup, get some rest, and start over in the morning. I know I need some sleep!" the druid responds.
Love God. Love Others. Any Questions?
We have the best distraction we could have hoped for. Perhaps the cat could explore area 4?
Persuasion:
Tengar - 9
With the quieter huddles in the Redbrands comes a different air; on their small table, a dagger is wedged into the wood in the middle of their three drinks. They eye up Tengar, a look of enetertained respect on their smirks.
They raise their drinks in the half-orc's direction before responding, "Pfft, she a scholar? Some scholar that knocked out a few of ours before going down back at the town. Showed her what's what though. See how good those reflexes are when she's all tied up, ripe for a questioning from the nasty ones up in the Cult."
Map for Reference:
Tengar
The big half-orc pinches his nose, blowing snot and blood out of one side and grins. "Aye, aye. You mean up in the cave o'er yonder? (nods in the general direction of 7). Oi but what I'd give to see 'er squirm a little, eh?! Haha! Aye, but it looks locked up tighter than old dwarfy's eyes! Ain't no one getting in there, eh?!"
Tengar is searching for anyone to take him up on it or tell him otherwise. How much $ was in the pouch?
DM - And In The Darkness, Rot: The Sunless Citadel
DM - Our Little Lives Kept In Equipoise: Curse of Strahd
DM - Misprize Thou Not These Shadows That Belong: The Lost Mines of Phandelver
PC - Azzure - Tyranny of Dragons
"I am capable of disguising others - or myself. My blessings can additionally aid me or one other in being silent" Burra halfheartedly offers, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of venturing into an unknown cave by himself - the fretful Aarakocra clearly prefers remaining entirely unseen rather than being seen under a different skin. One talon perpetually worries the talisman of the traveler strewn across his neck. "I could potentially scout the cave while the guard is distracted. I wonder if our brutish friend managed to produce any helpful information."