Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Move away from the road.
[X] Discuss capabilities and tactics
[X] Discuss capabilities and tactics
Ch 7
[2] Discuss capabilities and tactics
[2] Move away from the road.
You decide to heed the warnings and leave the likely-bandits be for the moment. You withdraw away from the road to your camp and begin discussing capabilities and tactics with your subordinates.
Tuagh and Sleagh are, as you expected, Veterans of combat.
The wolves can also call upon long-honed Battle Tactics from working together for many years, not to mention more primal Pack Tactics inherited from their ancestors.
They can additionally claim Howling and Hiking among their natural abilities.
As a pair, Tuagh and Sleagh form a mighty threat - Sleagh tells of how their standard tactic is for himself to menace the enemy with his spear and shield, Guarding against their attacks while creating openings for Tuagh to run roughshod over their defenses with his greataxe. In a pinch, they can always Howl, frightening most enemies long enough for them to flee a disadvantageous position.
Their tempered Resolve allows them to brace themselves against injury, keeping them on their feet just a little bit longer than the average person.
Lina Rockwood's occasional run-ins with bandits of the area before the ones at Terminus have given her similar Veteran combat experience and Resolve. She also has good Night Vision, an excellent Danger Sense, and ample Bravery making her quite adept at most nighttime activities, and the first line of defense against an ambush.
She also quite the Sharpshooter with her bow and a Fast Climber.
Ferox Pluvia is Squirrel and an Elementalist; a mage focusing on spells aligning with the four cardinal elements. Like Lina, he is a Fast Climber, though you get the impression that he's a bit of a Coward, preferring to be anywhere but a combat situation.
As an Elementalist, he is capable of producing simple elemental spells such as Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, though his research has given him special insight into producing Freeze Arrows, which he claims to have gotten him out of a pinch more than once. At your request, he is all too happy to show off the spell, the fluid-like spell matrix visible in the air for only a moment before he lets it fly, embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk and causing frost to rapidly creep up and down the trunk, as well as leaving a noticeable hole in its bark.
Despite their similar names and access to magic, Ferox and Ferom are quite different. Where the squirrel strikes you as prideful, cowardly, and perhaps a bit greedy, the bull seem very moderate and even-keel. Though a dangerous glint seems to flash across his eyes at the mention of any sort of dark spirits or magic.
Ferom Chelli wields a calendar sword, a weapon generally reserved for those who have the blessing of either the central orthodox S'allumer church, or in Ferom's case, the Palincenesie church, one of the three heterodox S'allumer church branches.
He is quite capable with it, having already displayed his Strength during the previous spars. One of his favored tactics is the Charging Strike you saw before. Like other Clerics and Paladins, he is capable of simple healing and damaging spells, but he is also capable of two much more potent spells: Healing and Fulguration, the later of which he refuses to demonstrate, claiming he will only cast it against those deserving of its terrible wrath.
As the sun sets, you're pleased to see that the crescent moon is intermittently obscured by the occasional thick cloud at varying altitudes. With some luck, Hadrien will find a good opportunity to scout directly over the fort.
You arrange a schedule of shifts with the others, and settle down for a light, uncomfortable sleep. You've endured nighttime attacks before with the Black Mark, and you'll take an achy back in the morning over waking up to an attack unarmored any day.
It's during your shift that Hadrien returns, well before daybreak.
"My apologies for deviating from your orders," he says, "but I thought you'd want to know this immediately."
While you'd been surprised to see him so many hours before his expected return, this preamble gains him your full attention.
"First, it is my belief that they are preparing for a raid sometime tomorrow. As I flew over under cover of darkness in the early hours of the night, I could hear one of them giving a speech, rousing the men. The panther was speaking of the spoils of war, both material and… of the flesh."
His words have your mind racing - if you could catch them away from the fort, you'd be fighting their forces divided. You could take the fort, contending only with a skeleton defense, then hold it against the returning raiders, or attempt to ambush the raider, then take the fort.
A worried look in Hadrien's expression prompts you to ask if there's more he's not said.
"I… well, I am no mage, but every child hears cautionary tales, whether from their mother or from young peers. It appeared as if they were preparing for some kind of ritual. There were a few people bound to wooden poles with kindling piled at their feet, and braziers of fire set in circles around them."
You're startled as you realize Ferom is standing not far from you, his gaze intent on Hadrien.
"What of the spaces between the braziers? Did you see any of the bandits near them? Or any lines drawn between them in chalk or other mediums?"
Hadrien frowns.
"I don't recall any bandits anywhere near the braziers or the bound people, they seemed well clear of it. There might have been lines in the dirt, but it wasn't something I was looking for, nor was it bright enough by brazier light for me to make out such."
Ferom addresses you directly.
"This does sound like a dark ritual to me. Beyond even the merit of saving people from a horrible death, I must warn you that the ritual could be intended to empower the raiders or the defenders left behind during the raid."
"Do you have any idea when the ritual might occur?" you ask of Hadrien and Ferom. The former shrugs, but Ferom seems to consider it.
"If it were a full or new moon, it could be any time of night. Barring that, such things tend to occur at sunrise, at noon, or at sunset, though noon is the least likely. After a while one notices patterns."
Ferom has a haunted look to him for a split second before the expression hardens into determination.
After rousing Lina from sleep, you ask her how long it would take to reach the fort if you set out immediately. She groggily estimates that you could arrive by sunrise if you pushed it, but it'd be a near thing.
When you look to Ferom, he is silent for only a moment.
"I will admit, if their lives can be saved, it is the righteous path. But I am no fool; you cannot always save everyone, and you are in charge here. I will follow your lead."
Between Lina and Hadrien's reports on the fort, a picture is forming in your mind of where their guards seem to stand, where their patrols roam, and where the walls have fallen into significant disrepair. Hadrian is also able to spot some few ramshackle buildings inside, though he can not be certain of their precise purpose, giving only his guesses. According to him, the highest part of the fort appears to be in decent repair, with the insides obscured to him by tarps stretched across the area on ropes.
If you choose to rush to the fort, some of your party may suffer minor to moderate penalties during the following hours, and you will not be able to make more than a cursory plan, adapting only for what conditions you might predict now.
If you take your time, you may arrive to find the bandits empowered by an unknown, dark ritual, but you will be granted another chance to make plans upon arrival.
[] Rush for the fort. Each member of your party will have to make nighttime hiking rolls to avoid exhaustion penalties for the following few hours. Tuagh, Sleagh, and Lina all have gifts which help them with such rolls.
[] Make your way to the fort with caution. You plan to attack the fort after the raiders depart, hoping to take it before the raiders can return.
[] Make your way to the fort with caution. You plan to attack the raiders some way from the fort before they can reach their destination.
[] Make your way to the fort with caution. You plan to attack the raiders on their way back from raiding.
[] Write-in
AN: Feel free to ask any questions you might have for your compatriots or regarding system, etc. In case it isn't obvious, the red X's are known guard post locations.
[2] Move away from the road.
You decide to heed the warnings and leave the likely-bandits be for the moment. You withdraw away from the road to your camp and begin discussing capabilities and tactics with your subordinates.
Tuagh and Sleagh are, as you expected, Veterans of combat.
The wolves can also call upon long-honed Battle Tactics from working together for many years, not to mention more primal Pack Tactics inherited from their ancestors.
They can additionally claim Howling and Hiking among their natural abilities.
As a pair, Tuagh and Sleagh form a mighty threat - Sleagh tells of how their standard tactic is for himself to menace the enemy with his spear and shield, Guarding against their attacks while creating openings for Tuagh to run roughshod over their defenses with his greataxe. In a pinch, they can always Howl, frightening most enemies long enough for them to flee a disadvantageous position.
Their tempered Resolve allows them to brace themselves against injury, keeping them on their feet just a little bit longer than the average person.
Lina Rockwood's occasional run-ins with bandits of the area before the ones at Terminus have given her similar Veteran combat experience and Resolve. She also has good Night Vision, an excellent Danger Sense, and ample Bravery making her quite adept at most nighttime activities, and the first line of defense against an ambush.
She also quite the Sharpshooter with her bow and a Fast Climber.
Ferox Pluvia is Squirrel and an Elementalist; a mage focusing on spells aligning with the four cardinal elements. Like Lina, he is a Fast Climber, though you get the impression that he's a bit of a Coward, preferring to be anywhere but a combat situation.
As an Elementalist, he is capable of producing simple elemental spells such as Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, though his research has given him special insight into producing Freeze Arrows, which he claims to have gotten him out of a pinch more than once. At your request, he is all too happy to show off the spell, the fluid-like spell matrix visible in the air for only a moment before he lets it fly, embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk and causing frost to rapidly creep up and down the trunk, as well as leaving a noticeable hole in its bark.
Despite their similar names and access to magic, Ferox and Ferom are quite different. Where the squirrel strikes you as prideful, cowardly, and perhaps a bit greedy, the bull seem very moderate and even-keel. Though a dangerous glint seems to flash across his eyes at the mention of any sort of dark spirits or magic.
Ferom Chelli wields a calendar sword, a weapon generally reserved for those who have the blessing of either the central orthodox S'allumer church, or in Ferom's case, the Palincenesie church, one of the three heterodox S'allumer church branches.
He is quite capable with it, having already displayed his Strength during the previous spars. One of his favored tactics is the Charging Strike you saw before. Like other Clerics and Paladins, he is capable of simple healing and damaging spells, but he is also capable of two much more potent spells: Healing and Fulguration, the later of which he refuses to demonstrate, claiming he will only cast it against those deserving of its terrible wrath.
As the sun sets, you're pleased to see that the crescent moon is intermittently obscured by the occasional thick cloud at varying altitudes. With some luck, Hadrien will find a good opportunity to scout directly over the fort.
You arrange a schedule of shifts with the others, and settle down for a light, uncomfortable sleep. You've endured nighttime attacks before with the Black Mark, and you'll take an achy back in the morning over waking up to an attack unarmored any day.
It's during your shift that Hadrien returns, well before daybreak.
"My apologies for deviating from your orders," he says, "but I thought you'd want to know this immediately."
While you'd been surprised to see him so many hours before his expected return, this preamble gains him your full attention.
"First, it is my belief that they are preparing for a raid sometime tomorrow. As I flew over under cover of darkness in the early hours of the night, I could hear one of them giving a speech, rousing the men. The panther was speaking of the spoils of war, both material and… of the flesh."
His words have your mind racing - if you could catch them away from the fort, you'd be fighting their forces divided. You could take the fort, contending only with a skeleton defense, then hold it against the returning raiders, or attempt to ambush the raider, then take the fort.
A worried look in Hadrien's expression prompts you to ask if there's more he's not said.
"I… well, I am no mage, but every child hears cautionary tales, whether from their mother or from young peers. It appeared as if they were preparing for some kind of ritual. There were a few people bound to wooden poles with kindling piled at their feet, and braziers of fire set in circles around them."
You're startled as you realize Ferom is standing not far from you, his gaze intent on Hadrien.
"What of the spaces between the braziers? Did you see any of the bandits near them? Or any lines drawn between them in chalk or other mediums?"
Hadrien frowns.
"I don't recall any bandits anywhere near the braziers or the bound people, they seemed well clear of it. There might have been lines in the dirt, but it wasn't something I was looking for, nor was it bright enough by brazier light for me to make out such."
Ferom addresses you directly.
"This does sound like a dark ritual to me. Beyond even the merit of saving people from a horrible death, I must warn you that the ritual could be intended to empower the raiders or the defenders left behind during the raid."
"Do you have any idea when the ritual might occur?" you ask of Hadrien and Ferom. The former shrugs, but Ferom seems to consider it.
"If it were a full or new moon, it could be any time of night. Barring that, such things tend to occur at sunrise, at noon, or at sunset, though noon is the least likely. After a while one notices patterns."
Ferom has a haunted look to him for a split second before the expression hardens into determination.
After rousing Lina from sleep, you ask her how long it would take to reach the fort if you set out immediately. She groggily estimates that you could arrive by sunrise if you pushed it, but it'd be a near thing.
When you look to Ferom, he is silent for only a moment.
"I will admit, if their lives can be saved, it is the righteous path. But I am no fool; you cannot always save everyone, and you are in charge here. I will follow your lead."
Between Lina and Hadrien's reports on the fort, a picture is forming in your mind of where their guards seem to stand, where their patrols roam, and where the walls have fallen into significant disrepair. Hadrian is also able to spot some few ramshackle buildings inside, though he can not be certain of their precise purpose, giving only his guesses. According to him, the highest part of the fort appears to be in decent repair, with the insides obscured to him by tarps stretched across the area on ropes.
If you choose to rush to the fort, some of your party may suffer minor to moderate penalties during the following hours, and you will not be able to make more than a cursory plan, adapting only for what conditions you might predict now.
If you take your time, you may arrive to find the bandits empowered by an unknown, dark ritual, but you will be granted another chance to make plans upon arrival.
[] Rush for the fort. Each member of your party will have to make nighttime hiking rolls to avoid exhaustion penalties for the following few hours. Tuagh, Sleagh, and Lina all have gifts which help them with such rolls.
[] Make your way to the fort with caution. You plan to attack the fort after the raiders depart, hoping to take it before the raiders can return.
[] Make your way to the fort with caution. You plan to attack the raiders some way from the fort before they can reach their destination.
[] Make your way to the fort with caution. You plan to attack the raiders on their way back from raiding.
[] Write-in
AN: Feel free to ask any questions you might have for your compatriots or regarding system, etc. In case it isn't obvious, the red X's are known guard post locations.
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- Pronouns
- Reader
Can ferom tell at a distance which group has been empowered?
He does not believe he would be able to determine from a significant distance. If there are no visual signs, he would expect to be able to sense such an effect starting at around 36 meters. If the effect were something truly monsterous, he would expect to start feeling it at 100 meters. He claims to have encounter such once before - he and his allies fled to seek backup from his entire order rather than pursue the foes in that case.
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- Location
- Pilipinas
Should we make an elaborate write-in right now? Will Hadrien also suffer from hiking rolls even though he's flying? Also can the wolves carry the squirrel between them? Exchanging the weight if one of them gets tired?
Barring the case where you already have an injured party member, party members carrying each other will result in worse outcomes on average.
Hadrian is assumed to be walking. If flying, he will have an easier time, but runs a slightly higher risk of being spotted by a patrol during the journey as he would be flying lower than normal in order to keep track of the party.
If you intend to rush to the fort, this is your last chance to make an elaborate plan - later adjustments will likely burn time or be sloppy in execution.
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- Location
- Pilipinas
[X] Plan Who Dares Wins
-[x] the group has to chance it and attack the fort now! Lina and the wolves will lead the way and mark the paths to ensure that the rest of the party will not trip on roots or burrows as well as to allow breaks so as not to tire everyone and that the party can hydrate. leave and hide unnecessary supplies before moving like sleeping bags since you need to move fast and carry only weapons, armor, climbing equipment, and combat necessities like first aid kits.
-[x] once the party reach the fort, confirm with Hadrien where the best place to enter undetected or the least patrolled area is and if necessary, have him, Rina and the squirrel climb the wall placing pitons and carrying the rope which they will let down once they are on top, the 3 will be on overwatch while the rest of the party climb the walls
-[x] Once inside the fort, the Squirrel will cast misty fog to aid in our stealth. The primary objective is to find the mage and panther, hence use stealth as much as possible to capture one of the bandits and to extract from him the location of the evil mage, the panther and the bear before killing him. Once we know where they are we will move stealthily to kill the leaders with the enemy mage as the priority.
-[x] We will not split the party but if the alarm is sounded, The paladin and our jackal will take care of the evil mage. While the wolves and Rina will take care of the panther.
-[x] Hadrien and the squirrel will provide overwatch, while Hadrien is also to fly and use the braziers or for the Squirrel to use Move Fire from the braziers burn the lodgings if it is needed to sow confusion and terror among the bandits, the squirrel will always stay back and out of the way and use his offensive spells to kill or slow down the enemy books but he is to target the bear bandit particularly with freeze arrows if it comes into the fray, the said bear is to be engaged only in range or by overwhelming numbers.
- i think i missed something, comments are welcome
Edit: removed blocking the lodgings doors, lets just go cut off the leadership of the bandits
-[x] the group has to chance it and attack the fort now! Lina and the wolves will lead the way and mark the paths to ensure that the rest of the party will not trip on roots or burrows as well as to allow breaks so as not to tire everyone and that the party can hydrate. leave and hide unnecessary supplies before moving like sleeping bags since you need to move fast and carry only weapons, armor, climbing equipment, and combat necessities like first aid kits.
-[x] once the party reach the fort, confirm with Hadrien where the best place to enter undetected or the least patrolled area is and if necessary, have him, Rina and the squirrel climb the wall placing pitons and carrying the rope which they will let down once they are on top, the 3 will be on overwatch while the rest of the party climb the walls
-[x] Once inside the fort, the Squirrel will cast misty fog to aid in our stealth. The primary objective is to find the mage and panther, hence use stealth as much as possible to capture one of the bandits and to extract from him the location of the evil mage, the panther and the bear before killing him. Once we know where they are we will move stealthily to kill the leaders with the enemy mage as the priority.
-[x] We will not split the party but if the alarm is sounded, The paladin and our jackal will take care of the evil mage. While the wolves and Rina will take care of the panther.
-[x] Hadrien and the squirrel will provide overwatch, while Hadrien is also to fly and use the braziers or for the Squirrel to use Move Fire from the braziers burn the lodgings if it is needed to sow confusion and terror among the bandits, the squirrel will always stay back and out of the way and use his offensive spells to kill or slow down the enemy books but he is to target the bear bandit particularly with freeze arrows if it comes into the fray, the said bear is to be engaged only in range or by overwhelming numbers.
- i think i missed something, comments are welcome
Edit: removed blocking the lodgings doors, lets just go cut off the leadership of the bandits
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Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Who Dares Wins
- Location
- Pilipinas
Thanks for the vote of confidence in a decapitation strike against the bandits' leadership but any more input to cover all our bases is much appreciated. For example whats your opinion in me not releasing the prisoners immediately or torching the lodgings? Or even just erasing any of the magical ritual lines in the floor?
- Pronouns
- Reader
Hmm. 36 meters is over 100 feet.
Maybe have the mage launch a water spell over the walls? He has a whole river to work with afterall. It would disrubt the ritual, and if he timved it right some of them might be knocked down and vulnerable right when we are charging them.
- Location
- Pilipinas
My plan is to attack immediately even before the ritual can occur so launching a water spell may givw up the element of surprise though i'll add it as a contingency plan and if the gm @Synth confirms that the squirrel mage is powerful enough to raise a water spell big enough to cover the ritual area... though that may also extinguish the braziers which Hadrien will use to torch the lodgings to sow confusion. Also, The squirrel's specialty is freeze arrows so potentially useful against fast moving targets (panther), still i'm putting him up against the armadillo mage to counter/dispel any enemy spells and protective runes if we failed to strike the enwmy mage by stealth.
- Pronouns
- Reader
Sounds like we have a death mage enemy in the armadilo so putting the paladin up against him might be wiser, and frees up our mage to ice arrow the bear.
- Location
- Pilipinas
Alright, editing it so that the squirrel will be with Hadrien on overwatch and to slow down the bear while the paladin and our jackal kill the enemy mage, though hopefully we can assassinate it while it is still asleep or lure it into a trap if its awake
- Pronouns
- Reader
[X] Plan Who Dares Wins
I figure this is a good place for more specific info on Ferox's elementalist abilities (Especially since Ferox would be quick to clarify as soon as solid plans involving him come under discussion.)
When pressed on exactly what feats of magic he is capable of, Ferox divides his abilities into three categories: Cantrips, Apprentice Spells, and Freeze Arrow (his only Journeyman-level spell.)
Among the cantrips are such things as communicating with elementals, producing simple elemental effects such as sparking an open flame on candle or kindling, generating a localized area of misty fog (light visual cover only a few meters across), or levitating a single unheld object up to 1/4 a stone (roughly 1 lb) in weight within Near (4m) range of himself.
His apprentice spells number exactly 8: Create Air, Create Earth, Create Water, Ignite Fire, Move Air, Move Earth, Move Water, and Move Fire. The first four are purely offensive in nature, creating a localized elemental effect he can 'shoot' at single targets. The second four rely more upon local sources of their element, though they are limited in scope. Move Water certainly benefits from a nearby source of fresh water, but you shouldn't expect more than a few bucketfuls of water moved at once. Additionally, to Move Water from point A to point B with any degree of accuracy requires vision on both points. The 'Move' apprentice spells can also function defensively to ward off elemental attacks so long as the mage is prepared for such.
Freeze Arrow, like most Journeyman-level spells, provides a stronger punch than Apprentice-level spells, but requires more preparation as well. Where the 8 apprentice elemental spells can be done on the fly using a single action, journeyman level spells often take two actions - one to carefully form the spell while Aiming it at an opponent, and the other to let it fly.
For context, character turns in battle generally involve 2 different actions, as well as a free stride and up-to-60-degree rotation.
So I had originally intended for the entire attack on Fort Terminus to occur within the next chapter, but it's a decent amount of rolls (which take a while to handle given I'm essentially solitarie-ing (and chronicling them as we go) an entire tabletop rpg table) enough that I'm thinking it may be better cut short and presented again to the players should they wish to make adjustments to the plan or reconsider with the benefit of updated info. But if I do that it might seem too short? I could also just power through.
Could I get some thoughts on preferences here?
Could I get some thoughts on preferences here?